SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Errors in ultrasonic scatterer size estimates due to mixed scatterer populations

Ultrasonic scatterer size estimation provides an accurate measure of actual scatterer size when those sizes are narrowly distributed about a single, mean value. Although often the case, there are instances in tissue where two or more scatterer types with significantly different sizes are believed to contribute to the same signal. The purpose of this work is to characterize the errors in the size estimates obtained for one scatterer type when contaminating scatterers of a second type are present. Theoretical results for the error are compared with simulation and experimental results for uniform phantoms containing a binary mixture of scatterers. These results indicate that errors can be significant for the frequency bands typically used in size estimation, especially when contaminant scatterers are larger than the scatterers of interest. Results also indicate that, however, these errors can be reduced by shifting the frequency band used to estimate size. A technique for correcting the errors is also described and applied to the phantom data. Although effective, the method requires prior knowledge of the backscatter coefficient of the contaminant scatterers, and the variability of the corrected values can limit its utility as contaminant scattering strength increases.
RENEWAL OF POLLUTING VEHICLES

PURPOSE ÃÂ Â: GREEN TRANSITION OBJECTIVES: — PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY IN BUSINESS PROCESSES: INTERVENTIONS AIMED AT THE PURCHASE OF VEHICLES FUNCTIONAL TO THE REDUCTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Câncer de pulmão e exposição ocupacional: estudo caso-controle de base hospitalar

RESUMO Objetivo Analisar a relação entre ocupação e câncer de pulmão em pacientes de um hospital de referência nacional para atendimento oncológico no Sul do Brasil. Método Estudo caso-controle de base hospitalar realizado entre fevereiro e outubro de 2019. Os históricos ocupacionais foram codificados de acordo com classificações internacionais e traduzidos em ocupações associadas ao câncer de pulmão (Lista A e B). As odds ratios foram ajustadas para tabagismo, com intervalo de confiança de 95%, calculadas por regressão logística condicional. Resultados Foram incluídos 99 casos e 227 controles. Entre os homens a ocupação de pintores (lista A) estava associada ao câncer de pulmão (OR= 14,3; IC 95%: 1,8-116,5), não houve ocupações da lista B associadas ao câncer de pulmão. Nas mulheres não foram encontrados riscos aumentados. Conclusões Evidenciou-se que a exposição aos carcinógenos ocupacionais entre pintores de reparo e da construção civil aumentam o risco de câncer de pulmão.
Optimization of butanol production from tropical maize stalk juice by fermentation with Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052

Mixed sugars from tropical maize stalk juice were used to carry out butanol fermentation with Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052. Batch experiments employing central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) optimization were performed to evaluate effects of three factors, i.e. pH, initial total sugar concentration, and agitation rate on butanol production. Optimum conditions of pH 6.7, sugar concentration 42.2g/L and agitation rate 48 rpm were predicted, under which a maximum butanol yield of 0.27 g/g-sugar was estimated. Further experiments demonstrated that higher agitation facilitated acetone production, leading to lower butanol selectivity in total acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE). While glucose and fructose are more preferable by C. beijerinckii, sucrose can also be easily degraded by the microorganism. This study indicated that RSM is a useful approach for optimizing operational conditions for butanol production, and demonstrated that tropical maize, with high yield of biomass and stalk sugars, is a promising biofuel crop.
Observing and understanding the Earth system variations from space geodesy

a b s t r a c t The interaction and coupling of the Earth system components that include the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and other fluids in Earth's interior, influence the Earth's shape, gravity field and its rotation (the three pillars of geodesy). The effects of global climate change, such as sea level rise, glacier melting, and geoharzards, also affect these observables. However, observations and models of Earth's system change have large uncertainties due to the lack of direct high temporal-spatial mea- surements. Nowadays, space geodetic techniques, particularly GNSS, VLBI, SLR, DORIS, InSAR, satellite gravimetry and altimetry provide a unique opportunity to monitor and, therefore, understand the pro- cesses and feedback mechanisms of the Earth system with high resolution and precision. In this paper, the status of current space geodetic techniques, some recent observations, and interpretations of those observations in terms of the Earth system are presented. These results include the role of space geo- detic techniques, atmospheric-ionospheric sounding, ocean monitoring, hydrologic sensing, cryosphere mapping, crustal deformation and loading displacements, gravity field, geocenter motion, Earth's oblate- ness variations, Earth rotation and atmospheric-solid earth coupling, etc. The remaining questions and challenges regarding observing and understanding the Earth system are discussed.
SINGLE-HEAD OR MULTI-HEAD EMBROIDERY MACHINE HAVING A TWO-THREAD LOCKSTITCH ROTARY LOOPER

The invention relates to a single-head or multi-head embroidery machine including stitch-forming tools which are each formed by a thread-guiding needle interacting with a two-thread lockstitch looper for forming stitches, and also including a feeding device for achieving relative movements between the material to be embroidered and the stitch-forming tools, which take place as a function of the movements of the needle. In order to avoid a temporal overlap of the stitch-forming phase with the feeding movement of the material to be embroidered the two-thread lockstitch looper rotates at a speed which corresponds to <n times> the speed of the main shaft of the machine, where <"n" is a whole number which is greater than the number "2">.
Learning about oneself through others: experiences of a group-based patient education programme about irritable bowel syndrome

People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often experience severe illness-related troubles in their everyday lives. Many persons also perceive their disease-related knowledge to be insufficient, and they feel dissatisfied with their inability to improve well-being. Previous research about patient education and IBS has emphasized biomedical outcomes of symptoms, health-promoting behaviours, coping and health-related quality of life, rather than people's experiences.To explore people's experiences of participating in a multidisciplinary group-based patient education programme about IBS and of the influence of this programme on everyday life with illness.Focus group interviews were performed with 31 persons after their participation in the patient education programme. Interpretive description guided the inductive analysis of data. The study was approved by the local research ethics committee.The analysis revealed four patterns; being part of a safe community, learning about oneself through others, understanding and controlling the body and illness as a whole, and being outside of the community. The pattern of learning about oneself through others can be described as a reciprocal activity of learning by listening to, telling and observing others. Being among similar others had created feelings among most of the focus group participants of being part of a safe community where taboo subjects related to IBS-symptoms could be outspoken. Understanding the body and illness as a whole had enhanced their ability to interpret bodily signals and to handle trouble some situations with greater self-confidence, and this regained their access to the social everyday world.The combination of reciprocal sharing of experiences and the provision of professional scientific knowledge during the patient education programme together contributed to a growing readiness to improve well-being in everyday life, for most of the participating individuals. This was based on new understandings of the body and illness as a whole and of new abilities to make knowledge-based decisions about what strategies to use in overcoming illness-related troubles.
A network slice for every service

5G!Pagoda represents the next evolution step in softwarized networks as supported by NFV, SDN and aimed at by the 5G network evolution. The top objectives of 5G!Pagoda are i) the development of a scalable 5G slicing architecture towards supporting specialized network slices composed on multi-vendor network functions, through the development of ii) a scalable network slice management and orchestration framework for distributed, edge dominated network infrastructures, and convergent software functionality for iii) lightweight control plane and iv) data plane programmability and their integration, customization, composition and run-time management towards different markets in Europe and Japan. 5G!Pagoda will develop a coherent architecture enabling research and standardization coordination between Europe and Japan. The proposed developments integrate with a common SDN/NFV based architecture and will additionally provide punctual and highly important developments of the software network architecture. The developments address the next steps of the evolution beyond the immediate NFV standardization and developments, enabling the graceful integration within end-to-end network slices of various highly customized software components, remotely controlling the data path, with specific network function flexibility and network function placement support and easy to manage through a convergent set of scalable orchestration APIs. Besides the technological aspects, 5G!Pagoda will develop a coherent proof of concept with two playground nodes, one in Japan and one in Europe, using a uniform network orchestration and a set of in-slice software features enabling the transparent exchange of knowledge and practical implemented components for dynamic deployment and execution of virtual network functions and applications. The testbed will allow practical demonstration of the functionality and will enable the development of an aligned 5G-oriented standardization roadmap for Japan and Europe
Hormonal Responses to Water Deficit in Cambial Tissues of Populus alba L.

Changes in the concentrations of bioactive gibberellins and abscisic acid in the cambial region of white poplar (Populus alba L.) were investigated in 1-year-old plants, to highlight how these phytohormone signals are modulated in response to water deficit. Plants were cultivated in pots outdoor and, at the time of maximum cambial growth (T
 0), irrigation was withdrawn for 8 days, inducing a mild water deficit, thus mimicking a condition that is recurrent in Mediterranean climates when white poplar attains its maximum growth rate. The water deficit was suspended by resuming irrigation (T
 max) throughout a recovery period of 2 weeks (T
 rec). Cambial tissues were sampled at T
 0, T
 max, and T
 rec. Significant changes of leaf and stem relative water content, leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, transpiration, carbon assimilation, stem shrinkage, and leaf number were induced by soil water shortage, which also negatively affected cambium development. Nevertheless, these responses were almost fully reversed following the resumption of irrigation. Water deficit induced the accumulation of large amounts of abscisic acid in cambial tissues, but the hormone was brought back to pre-stress levels after the recovery period. With regard to bioactive gibberellins, GA1 was several folds more abundant than GA4 and reached the greatest level in the plants recovering from the water status imbalance. The possible functions of gibberellins and abscisic acid in the response of cambial tissues to water deficit are discussed in view of the known physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of action of these hormonal signals.
Religion and the Body

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction SECTION one: NEUROBIOLOGY AND SOURCES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE AND AUTHORITY Reading the Body, Reading Scripture: The Implications of Neurobiology on the Study and Interpretation of Scripture David Cave De/Constructing Transcendence: The Emergence of Religious Bodies James W. Haag and Whitney A. Bauman Tongues of Men and Angels: Assessing the Neural Correlates of Glossolalia John J. McGraw Synchronized Ritual Behavior: Religion, Cognition and the Dynamics of Embodiment Sebastian Schuler SECTION two: CULTURE AND THE DE- AND RE-CONSTRUCTION OF THE BODY Religion, Neuroscience and Emotion: Some Implications of Consumerism and Entertainment Culture Rebecca Sachs Norris Every Story is a Ghost: Chuck Palahniuk and the Reenchantment of Suffering Eric Repphun Attaining Transcendence: Transhumanism, the Body, and the Abrahamic Religions Arthur Saniotis SECTION three: (CROSS) CULTURAL APPROPRIATIONS OF THE BODY Magnetism and Microwaves: Religion as Radiation Deana L. Weibel Scientific Approaches to the Body in the Spiritual-Physical Marketplace Mira Karjalainen Sleep Deprivation: Asceticism, Religious Experience and Neurological Quandaries Nuria M. Farre-i-Barril Sikhism and Mental Illness: Negotiating Competing Cultures Jagbir Jhutti-Johal Bibliography Index
Online hotel booking: The effects of brand image, price, trust and value on purchase intentions

Abstract Leisure travelers increasingly prefer to book hotel online when considering the convenience and cost/time saving. This research examines the direct and mediating effects of brand image, perceived price, trust, perceived value on consumers' booking intentions and compares the gender differences in online hotel booking. The outcomes confirm most of the direct and indirect path effects and are consistent with findings from previous studies. Consumers in Taiwan tend to believe the hotel price is affordable, the hotel brand is attractive, the hotel is trustworthy, the hotel will offer good value for the price and the likelihood of their booking intentions is high. Brand image, perceived price, and perceived value are the three critical determinants directly influencing purchase intentions. However, the impact of trust on purchase intentions is not significant. The differences between males and females on purchase intentions are not significant as well. Managerial implications of these results are discussed.
Pluralism and democracy in political economics

Until about 1870 economics was referred to as 'political economics' and it is here argued that it was a mistake to abandon this terminology. Mainstream neoclassical economics is specific in scientific and conceptual terms but also in ideological terms. Similarly, other theoretical perspectives like feminist economics or ecological economics can be described in scientific as well as ideological terms. The fact that politics and ideology is involved suggests that only pluralism in economics is a reasonable position in a democratic society. This ideological element may also explain that there are different groups and schools of thought in economics who support pluralism.
Schnitzler und der Spätrealismus

»Zu C. F. Meyer, den Sie jetzt übersetzen, bin ich persönlich immer nur mit kühler Bewunderung gestanden und habe mich immer gewundert, daß man Meyer und Keller in deutschen Literaturgeschichten so oft im gleichen Atem nennt. Kennt man übrigens Fontane in Amerika? Oder Ferdinand v. Saar?, den österreichischen Novellisten, der auch hier allzu rasch vergessen wird und stets sehr zu Unrecht im Schatten der keineswegs größeren Ebner-Eschenbach stand« (Br II, 635). In dieser Passage eines späten Briefs an Otto P. Schinnerer vom 25. November 1929 umreißt Schnitzler sein Verhältnis zu den ›Klassikern‹ des deutschsprachigen Realismus bzw. Spätrealismus und bestätigt dabei die sich im Laufe der Jahre verfestigende Skala seiner persönlichen Vorlieben.
NEURAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM WITH MICROVALVES

An apparatus comprises a tubular body having a lumen and a distal region, a plurality of ports at the distal region of the tubular body, and a plurality of independently gatable microvalves disposed at the plurality of ports. A port extends from internal to the lumen to outside the tubular body, and a gatable microvalve is controllable by a stimulus to provide and prevent fluidic transfer through the ports.
Harnessing reversibility of peptide self-assembly processes to synchronise extracellular matrix substitutes with cellular driven tissue reconstruction

Irreversible tissue loss is a common feature in a large spectrum of health conditions (e.g. aging, trauma, cancer, degenerative diseases, ischemia, etc), placing huge burdens in patient relatives and health care systems. Therapies aiming to restore tissue function will have a great impact in the health and quality of life of millions of people worldwide. 

Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary endeavour to create functional tissues and organs, where cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry and material sciences are central components to address human tissues complexity. The approach comprises the use of biomaterials that temporarily substitute the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, current engineered biomaterials have not fully matched the diverse functionality of native tissues. Thus, fundamental research in biomaterials for regenerative medicine has great potential to provide smart solutions to current bottlenecks in this scientific area.  

In this project, biomaterials based on peptide self-assembly will be designed to take advantage of reversible supramolecular interactions, in order to create self-healing ECM substitutes. The dynamic nature of these materials will be addressed systematically in an attempt to copycat ECM turnover. So far, efforts from the materials scientific community have been mainly focused on controlling spatial and geometrical features. Perhaps it is time to start addressing consistently time variable controls in biomaterials design, and to pave the way to fully synchronise the biology and man-made materials’ “watches”. We expect that SynchroSelf will generate a new class of dynamic biomaterials that will enable scientists to study wound healing processes in vitro with unprecedented level of complexity and experimental control.
Extracorporeal renal replacement therapy and blood purification in critical care

To review indications methods of renal replacement therapies (RRT) and practical considerations for the creation of a RRT program.Current human and veterinary literature review with a focus on advanced renal physiology and clinical experience in RRT and acute/chronic kidney diseases.Renal replacement therapies encompass intermittent hemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapy as well as some "hybrid" techniques. Each method of RRT has practical and theoretical advantages but currently there is no evidence that one technique is superior to the other.RRT is a valuable therapeutic tool for treatment of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. The implementation of an RRT program needs to take into consideration multiple parameters beyond the choice of an RRT platform.
Space cognitive radio for electromagnetic environment management

The SCREEN project brings the concept of cognitive radio to Space and exploits the benefits that this technology has already shown in the terrestrial domain. The project will look into analysing, developing, implementing and testing cognitive radio algorithms. The ground breaking element in SCREEN is however the implementation and testing. Even though some of the underlying technologies for the individual stages are not novel, the incorporation of all stages in a radio transceiver has never been done to the full extent of a cognitive, and not adaptive, system.

The key enabling technology for cognitive radio is Software-Defined Radio (SDR), which provides the required flexibility to reconfigure the radio parameters autonomously and without any changes in the transceiver hardware. The Consortium will make use of proprietary SDR technology and use it for the implementation and testing. In fact, the project approach is to make use of terrestrial research results in cognitive radio at all levels (technological, market and regulatory) and capitalise the previous work done in different projects, avoiding unnecessary duplication of efforts. The target spectrum band for this project is S-band, which is underexplored and has a strong potential for future niche applications both in satcom and in ISLs for multi-satellite missions. It also brings advantages regarding regulatory concerns.

This project clearly fits the topic, not only because its main goal is to evolve an innovative technology up to TRL4/5, but also because cognitive radio is a key enabling technology for the areas identified by the topic. This technology will lead to a new generation of satcom payloads and also have massive impact on ISLs and downlink subsystems. It also brings a terrestrial technology to space, together with new players, which has the possibility to dramatically improve the performance, efficiency and versatility of space communications.
Temperature response characteristics of the thermal control system of alpha magnetic spectrometer under the operations of international space station

Abstract The alpha magnetic spectrometer (AMS) in orbit is thermally affected by operations of the international space station (ISS). According to long-term monitoring data in orbit, three kinds of the most frequent ISS operations were determined, they were locking the ISS solar arrays by themselves, changing the ISS flying attitude with locking solar arrays and rotating the ISS starboard radiator with locking solar arrays. The β interval of ( − 75 ° , − 21 ° ) in which these three kinds of ISS operations have the most significant effect on the AMS thermal environment was calculated in reference to the ISS geometric model, and the calculation result was proved to agree well with the temperature records in orbit. The AMS radiator heat balance model was found under the different ISS operations. The numerical simulations were performed to provide quantitative analysis on external heat flux on AMS radiators. Based on those, the general temperature responses of the AMS radiators following the ISS β angle under the most frequent ISS operations were analyzed accordingly. We found that the ISS operations have varying degrees of the thermal influence on the AMS radiators under the same β angle. The suggestions of controlling the possible temperature anomalies caused by the ISS operations were given according to the temperature response characteristics of the AMS components under the most frequent ISS operations.