Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Productivity improvement using facility layout analysis and optimization – A case study

— The facility layout problem (FLP) is an intrinsic part of facilities planning. It helps in systematic arrangement and location of all production units within a facility with an aim of improving the production operations of an industry. The work reported in this paper aims to propose a solution to a real time facility layout problem based on an integrated approach for increasing the productivity. Initially Murther’s Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) is used to generate alternate layouts. Simulation software was used to determine quantitative measures of the production process. By using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) qualitative measures of material handling were determined. A weighted Non Linear Programming (W-NLP) model is formulated to model the facility layout problem considering both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Hence by selecting the optimal layout alternative, productivity can be increased. This paper provides organizations a way to devise and refine adequate criteria and alleviate the risk of selecting optimal solutions
Comparison of the protective effect of the upper zone of the growth plate and unique cartilage matrix-associated protein with hyaluronic acid and corticosteroids on an experimental rat osteoarthritis model

Objectives: This study sought to compare the protective effect of the upper zone of the growth plate and unique cartilage matrix-associated protein (UCMA) with hyaluronic acid (HA) and corticosteroids (CS) in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and methods: In the experimental animal study, 40 adult male rats were randomly assigned into five groups: control, monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) + vehicle (MIA+V), MIA+HA, MIA+CS, and MIA+UCMA. The OA model was induced by an intra-articular MIA injection to the right knee, and intra-articular injections into the right knee were performed on the treatment groups seven times every three days for 21 days. The knee joints were taken for histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses after the rats were sacrificed. All sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, safranin O and fast green FCF, and toluidine blue, and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-k B) expressions were analyzed with IHC. The Mankin scoring was utilized to determine the histopathological changes in the joint tissues. Results: Mankin score was significantly higher in the MIA group compared to the control group. Histopathologically, in the UCMA-, HA, and CS-treated groups, degenerations in the articular cartilage were milder than in the MIA+V group. Mankin score was found to be decreased significantly in the UCMA-, HA, and CS-treated groups compared to the MIA group. Furthermore, IHC analyses revealed that NF-k B and BMP-2 expressions elevated in the MIA-induced OA model, while they were downregulated after UCMA, HA, and CS treatments. Conclusion: Our data revealed that UCMA could be used as a potential protective molecule in the prevention and treatment of OA. Furthermore, the protective effect of UCMA was similar to HA and CS, and its possible beneficial roles against OA may be linked to the reduced BMP-2 and NF-k B levels. Further experimental research would make significant contributions to a better understanding of the therapeutic effect of UCMA on degenerative cartilage tissues.
PROFILES OF PB AROUND THE GLOBE Profiles of Parental Burnout around the Globe: Similarities and Differences across 36 Countries

Parental burnout (PB) is a pervasive phenomenon. Parenting is embedded in cultural values, and previous research has shown the role of individualism in PB. In this paper, we reanalyze previously collected data to identify profiles based on the four dimensions of PB, and explore whether these profiles vary across countries’ levels of collectivistic-individualistic (COL-IND) values. Our sample comprised 16,885 individuals from 36 countries (73% women; 27% men), and we used a latent profile approach to uncover PB profiles. The findings showed five profiles: Fulfilled, Not in PB, Low risk of PB, High risk of PB and Burned out. The profiles pointed to climbing levels of PB in the total sample and in each of the three country groups (High COL/Low IND, Medium COL-IND, Low COL/High IND). Exploratory analyses revealed that distinct dimensions of PB had the most prominent roles in the climbing pattern, depending on the countries’ levels of COL/IND. In particular, we found contrast to be a hallmark dimension and an indicator of severe burnout for individualistic countries. Contrary to our predictions, emotional distance and saturation did not allow a clear differentiation across collectivistic countries. Our findings support several research avenues regarding PB measurement and intervention.
Insufficiency Fractures Sacroplasty: A Treatment for Sacral

Summary: Sacral insufficiency fracture is a debilitating injury for which no active treatment is currently available. We present three consecutive cases of elderly patients with sacral insufficiency fractures whose symptoms were re-lieved immediately by treatment of the fractures by poly-methylmethacrylate injections, a so-called sacroplasty.
Atomic Oxygen Retrieved From the SABER 2.0‐ and 1.6‐μm Radiances Using New First‐Principles Nighttime OH(v) Model

The recently discovered fast, multiquantum OH(v)+O(3P) vibrational‐to‐electronic relaxation mechanism provided new insight into the OH(v) Meinel band nighttime emission formation. Using a new detailed OH(v) model and novel retrieval algorithm, we obtained O(3P) densities in the nighttime mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) 2.0‐ and 1.6‐μm radiances. We demonstrate how critical the new OH(v) relaxation mechanism is in the estimation of the abundance of O(3P) in the nighttime MLT. Furthermore, the inclusion of this mechanism enables us to reconcile historically large discrepancies with O(3P) results in the MLT obtained with different physical models and retrieval techniques from WIND Imaging Interferometer, Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System, and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography observations of other airglow emissions. Whereas previous SABER O(3P) densities were up to 60% higher compared to other measurements the new retrievals agree with them within the range (±25%) of retrieval uncertainties. We also elaborate on the implications of this outcome for the aeronomy and energy budget of the MLT region.
An Advanced Model of Lightning M‐Component

An advanced nonlinear and nonuniform distributed circuit (RLCG) model of lightning M‐component has been developed. The model accounts for the variation of the series resistance R of M‐component channel due to its heating by the transient current and its subsequent cooling, longitudinal voltage drop along the channel due to the background continuing current, ohmic losses in the channel corona sheath (represented by shunt conductance G), and variation of series inductance L and shunt capacitance C of the channel with height above ground. The model was tested against the channel‐base current and corresponding close electric fields measured for seven M‐components in negative lightning triggered using the rocket‐and‐wire technique. Detailed sensitivity analysis was performed for one M‐component. The influences of height‐varying series inductance and shunt capacitance and the length of in‐cloud channel (representing the excitation source) on the computed current and field waveforms were found to be relatively insignificant, while the influences of ohmic losses in the channel corona sheath and voltage drop along the grounded channel were significant. The effects of background continuing current level and grounding resistance were significant for M‐field, but not for M‐current. Model‐predicted overall power and current profiles below the cloud base are consistent with the observed M‐component luminosity profiles and are drastically different from the observed downward leader/upward return stroke profiles. The characteristic feature of M‐components, the time shift between the current onset and close electric field peak (essentially absent for leader/return stroke sequences), was well reproduced by our model.
SciOL and MuLMS-Img: Introducing A Large-Scale Multimodal Scientific Dataset and Models for Image-Text Tasks in the Scientific Domain

In scientific publications, a substantial part of the information is expressed via figures containing images and diagrams. Hence, the retrieval of relevant figures given a nat-ural language query is an important real-world task. However, due to the lack of training and evaluation data, most existing approaches are either limited to one modality or focus on non-scientific domains, making their application to scientific publications challenging. In this paper, we address this gap by introducing two novel datasets: (1) SciOL, the largest openly-licensed pre-training corpus for multimodal models in the scientific domain, covering multiple sciences including materials science, physics, and computer science, and (2) MuLMS-Img, a high-quality dataset in the materials science domain, manually annotated for various image-text tasks. Our experiments show that pre-training large-scale vision-language models on SciOL increases performance considerably across a broad variety of image-text tasks including figure type classification, optical character recognition, captioning, and figure retrieval. Using MuLMS-Img, we show that integrating text-based features extracted via a fine-tuned model for a specific domain can boost cross-modal scientific figure retrieval performance by up to 50%.
KNOWLEDGE SPILLOVERS AND GEOPOLITICAL CHALLENGES IN GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS

This paper explores the role of knowledge spillovers through global supply chains against the backdrop of increasing geopolitical tensions and protectionist policies. The research, part of the ReThinkGSC project, underscores the importance of the international research and development ecosystem in fostering innovation. This ecosystem provides benefits to all countries involved and is essential for tackling global challenges. However, we highlight the growing threats to knowledge dissemination posed by policies aimed at preserving national security and leading technological positions. These measures, intended to safeguard strategic interests, risk fragmenting supply chains and stifling global innovation if they are applied on a broad basis. We recommend that restrictions on knowledge flows be limited to narrowly defined strategic areas and that countries adopt strategies to enhance internal knowledge dissemination, diversify supply chains and foster international economic ties. We emphasise the need for careful policy design, avoiding broad protectionist measures
Moneyball of X

: “Moneyball” (Lewis, 2003) is one of the most influential non-fictional books of the 21 st century. It is a story of how a financially constrained baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, managed to turn around its fortunes and become competitive by exploiting an inefficient labor market with an extensive use of data analytics. Moneyball has had a great influence on how professional sports teams conduct their operations these days, it has spread from professional sports to several other realms, and its hypothesis has been a subject of academic studies. In the areas of business and economics, Moneyball has become a profound slogan for a firm’s data-driven revolution and the resulting new ways of conducting business. However, Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball, accordingly thinks that the core message of Moneyball has been misinterpreted or misused to some extent (Dubner, 2022). It seems that adopting such a context-specific framework to other realms is neither easy nor simple, as the business logics and extra-organizational contingencies are different. The objective of this study is to better understand how Moneyball has been applied and discussed within academic research literature. This is done by systematically reviewing the Moneyball related literature that has been published in academic journals from 2003 to 2022. For both academic and managerial audiences, this study points out that sustained competitive advantage does not sprout from knowledge resources that are commonly available in the market. This study also serves as a reminder that a contemporary business and management buzzwords, such as Moneyball, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence, may become elusive and misleading and the related research evidence scattered, if the academic research community cannot find ways to agree upon the definitions of the key concepts.
Multimodal Acute Pain Management in the Parturient with Opioid Use Disorder: A Review

Abstract The opioid epidemic in the United States has led to an increasing number of pregnant patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) presenting to obstetric units. Caring for this complex patient population requires an interdisciplinary approach involving obstetricians, anesthesiologists, addiction medicine physicians, psychiatrists, and social workers. The management of acute pain in the parturient with OUD can be challenging due to several factors, including respiratory depression, opioid tolerance, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia. Patients with a history of OUD can present in one of three categories: 1) those with untreated OUD; 2) those who are currently abstinent from opioids; 3) those being treated with medications to prevent withdrawal. A patient-centered, multimodal approach is essential for optimal peripartum pain relief and prevention of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), previously referred to as medication-assisted therapy (MAT), include opioids like methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. These are prescribed for pregnant patients with OUD, but appropriate dosing and administration of these medications are critical to avoid withdrawal in the mother. Non-opioid analgesics such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used in a stepwise approach, and regional techniques like neuraxial anesthesia and truncal blocks offer opioid-sparing options. Other medications like ketamine, clonidine, dexmedetomidine, nitrous oxide, and gabapentinoids show promise for pain management but require further research. Overall, a comprehensive pain management strategy is essential to ensure the well-being of both the mother and the fetus in pregnant patients with OUD.
Updated statewide abundance estimates for the Florida manatee

Knowing how many manatees live in Florida is critical for conservation and management of this threatened species. Martin et al. (2015) flew aerial surveys in 2011–2012 and estimated abundance in those years using advanced techniques that incorporated multiple data sources. We flew additional aerial surveys in 2015–2016 to count manatees and again applied advanced statistical techniques to estimate their abundance. We also made several methodological advances over the earlier work, including accounting for how sea state (water surface conditions) and synchronous surfacing behavior affect the availability of manatees to be detected and incorporating all parts of Florida in the area of inference. We estimate that the number of manatees in Florida in 2015–2016 was 8,810 (95% Bayesian credible interval 7,520–10,280), of which 4,810 (3,820–6,010) were on the west coast of Florida and 4,000 (3,240–4,910) were on the east coast. These estimates and associated uncertainty, in addition to being of immediate value to wildlife managers, are essential new data for incorporation into integrated population models and population viability analyses.
A Multimodel Study on Warm Precipitation Biases in Global Models Compared to Satellite Observations

The cloud‐to‐precipitation transition process in warm clouds simulated by state‐of‐the‐art global climate models (GCMs), including both traditional climate models and a high‐resolution model, is evaluated against A‐Train satellite observations. The models and satellite observations are compared in the form of the statistics obtained from combined analysis of multiple‐satellite observables that probe signatures of the cloud‐to‐precipitation transition process. One common problem identified among these models is the too‐frequent occurrence of warm precipitation. The precipitation is found to form when the cloud particle size and the liquid water path (LWP) are both much smaller than those in observations. The too‐efficient formation of precipitation is found to be compensated for by errors of cloud microphysical properties, such as underestimated cloud particle size and LWP, to an extent that varies among the models. However, this does not completely cancel the precipitation formation bias. Robust errors are also found in the evolution of cloud microphysical properties from nonprecipitating to drizzling and then to raining clouds in some GCMs, implying unrealistic interaction between precipitation and cloud water. Nevertheless, auspicious information is found for future improvement of warm precipitation representations: the adoption of more realistic autoconversion scheme in the high‐resolution model improves the triggering of precipitation, and the introduction of a sophisticated subgrid variability scheme in a traditional model improves the simulated precipitation frequency over subtropical eastern ocean. However, deterioration in other warm precipitation characteristics is also found accompanying these improvements, implying the multisource nature of warm precipitation biases in GCMs.
A new chondrichthyan fauna from the Late Jurassic of the Swiss Jura (Kimmeridgian) dominated by hybodonts, chimaeroids and guitarfishes

The fossil record of chondrichthyans (sharks, rays and chimaeroids) principally consists of isolated teeth, spines and dermal denticles, their cartilaginous skeleton being rarely preserved. Several Late Jurassic chondrichthyan assemblages have been studied in Europe based on large bulk samples, mainly in England, France, Germany and Spain. The first study of this kind in Switzerland is based on controlled excavations in Kimmeridgian deposits related to the construction of the A16 motorway in the Swiss Jura (Porrentruy, NW Switzerland). This study is based on more than 2000 isolated chondrichthyan remains (teeth, dental plates, spines and dermal denticles) and adds to our knowledge of the chondrichthyan distribution at a regional scale in Europe. We describe and identify this new fauna, define a new species of hybodont with crushing‐type dentition (Asteracanthus udulfensis sp. nov.) and report for the first time the carcharhiniform Corysodon cirinensis in Switzerland. By the Late Jurassic, modern neoselachian sharks had overtaken hybodonts in European marine realms, the latter being gradually confined to brackish or freshwater environments. However, while the associated fauna of the Porrentruy platform indicates marine conditions, neoselachian sharks are surprisingly rare. The chondrichthyan assemblage is largely dominated by hybodonts, guitarfishes (rays) and chimaeroids that are all known to be euryhaline. This unexpected chondrichthyan faunal composition questions the presence of fresh to brackish water in the vicinity of the platform, and the occurrence of salinity fluctuations within a general context marine. This could explain the scarcity of neoselachian sharks and the extended success of hybodonts in the Porrentruy area as late as the Late Jurassic.
Late-Holocene dynamics of sea-surface temperature and terrestrial hydrology in southwestern Africa

Southwest Africa is an important region for paleo-climatic studies, being influenced by both tropical and temperate climate systems and thus reflecting the interplay of variable controls. The aim of this study was to unravel the interaction of sea-surface temperature (SST) changes in the southernmost Benguela upwelling system with precipitation changes in South Africa’s winter rainfall zone (WRZ) during the late Holocene. Therefore, a marine sediment core from the southernmost Benguela upwelling system was investigated to reconstruct climate changes in this region for the past ~2000 years. Grain size and geochemical analyses were conducted to reconstruct changes in fluvial sediment discharge and weathering intensity, while SST changes were estimated using alkenone paleo-thermometry. Results show that the southernmost Benguela behaves distinctly in comparison with the rest of the Benguela system reflecting amplified SST changes. Decreasing SSTs accompanied increasing river discharge during times of increased precipitation in the WRZ, reflecting northerly shifted westerly winds during austral winter. We infer a control of past SST changes by processes not analogous to modern processes driving seasonal SST changes by changes through upwelling intensity. The findings suggest that late-Holocene SST changes in the southernmost Benguela upwelling system and the precipitation in the WRZ were both driven by latitudinal shifts of the austral westerly wind belt and associated changes in advection of cold sub-Antarctic waters and/or changes in Agulhas leakage of warm Indian Ocean waters.
Multi-omic analysis of precocious puberty girls: pathway changes and metabolite validation

Objective Precocious puberty (PP) is a prevalent endocrine disorder affecting the physical and mental wellbeing of children. Identifying the triggering factors of PP has become a central issue. This study seeks to investigate the metabolomic and transcriptomic alterations in PP. Material and methods First, 37 school-aged girls diagnosed with PP and 25 age-matched prepubertal control girls were recruited, and the fecal samples were collected for non-targeted metabolomic analysis to screen for differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs). Subsequently, an animal model of PP was constructed by danazol administration to neonatal female rats, and both fecal non-targeted metabolomics and serum next-generation transcriptomic sequencing were performed to screen DEMs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PP. Moreover, the DEM co-existing in clinical and animal models was administrated to PP rats to explore the role of the target metabolite in PP. Results A total of 24 DEMs in PP clinical samples and 180 DEMs and 425 DEGs in PP animal samples were identified. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that these DEMs and DEGs were enriched in disease-associated pathways, including fatty acid synthesis, glycerolipid metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) signaling pathway, forming a tight DEM–DEG pathway regulatory network. Further DEM validation demonstrated that thymine supplementation delayed the opening of the vagina and development of PP in model rats. Conclusion This study reveals that the metabolomic and transcriptomic changes, along with enriched pathways, are implicated in PP based on clinical and animal analyses. The findings may provide new strategies and research avenues for PP treatment.
In vitro immunoregulatory role of recombinant Ancylostoma ceylanicum calreticulin

Ancylostoma ceylanicum is a zoonotic soil-derived nematode that parasitizes the intestines of humans and animals (dogs and cats), leading to malnutrition and iron-deficiency anemia. Helminth parasites secrete calreticulin (CRT), which regulates or blocks the host’s immune response. However, no data on A. ceylanicum calreticulin (Ace-CRT) are available. We investigated the biological function of recombinant Ace-CRT. (rAce-CRT) rAce-CRT showed reliable antigenicity and stimulated the proliferation of mouse splenocytes and canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR assays revealed that rAce-CRT primarily promoted the expression of T helper 2 cytokines, particularly IL-13, in canine peripheral blood lymphocytes. rAce-CRT inhibited complement-mediated sheep erythrocyte hemolysis in vitro. Our findings indicate that Ace-CRT plays an immunomodulatory role and may be a promising candidate molecule for a hookworm vaccine.