SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
Assessing the efficacy of different microfibre cloths at removing surface micro-organisms associated with healthcare-associated infections

This study investigated the ability of 10 different microfibre cloths to remove microbial contamination from three surfaces commonly found in hospital settings (stainless steel, furniture laminate and ceramic tile), under controlled laboratory conditions. Tests were conducted using organisms known to cause healthcare-associated infections, i.e. meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (in spore form) and Escherichia coli. For all the cloths tested, there was significant statistical evidence to suggest a difference in cleaning performance between them on first and single use (P<0.001). However, the overall performance of the nine re-useable cloths did not differ in practice with differences in log₁₀ reductions of <1. The performance of the disposable microfibre cloth was notably worse. The performance of all cloths decreased with repeated use on a succession of contaminated surfaces. After repeated washing, re-usable cloth performance improved at 75 washes, and reduced after 150 washes, although, in most instances, performance after 150 washes was better than at first wash. For all cloths, price was not an indication of performance. Based on these laboratory findings, it is concluded that use of the microfibre cloths investigated is an effective way to reduce the levels of MRSA, E. coli and C. difficile (in spore form) on a range of surfaces found in the clinical environment and could therefore be of benefit to these environments.
Time-variant reliability model and its measure index of structures based on a non-probabilistic interval process

The study on reliability of an aging structure requires taking into account the influence of time. Typical approaches for performing time-variant reliability assessment are always based upon the random process model, where the dynamic distributions of uncertain parameters are determined by a substantial number of samples. In this paper, a new time-variant reliability measurement based on a non-probabilistic interval process model is proposed, in which we describe the time-varying uncertain variables at any time as intervals and define the corresponding auto-covariance function and correlation coefficient function to characterize the correlation between limit states at different times. By combining with the set-theory approach and the classical first-passage theory, a new non-probabilistic model of safety evaluation for time-dependent structures is established, and its measure index is then analytically calculated. The proposed model of time-variant reliability is suitable for both the cases of stationary process and non-stationary process. Moreover, the Monte Carlo method is also presented as a means of verification. The comparison between the presented model and the Monte Carlo-based model is eventually carried out on two application examples; the usage, efficiency and accuracy of the developed approach can be demonstrated.
Space, Time and Geometry

I / Causality and Time.- Causal Models and Space-Time Geometries.- Temporally Symmetric Causal Relations in Minkowski Space-Time.- Notes on the Causal Theory of Time.- Earman on the Causal Theory of Time.- Kant's Formulation of the Laws of Motion.- On Travelling Backward in Time.- The Flow of Time.- II / Geometry of Space and Time.- Poincare's Philosophy of Space.- On the Structure of Space-Time.- Topology, Cosmology and Convention.- Grunbaum on the Conventionality of Geometry.- Reflections on a Relational Theory of Space.- The Ontology of the Curvature of Empty Space in the Geometrodynamics of Clifford and Wheeler.- Relativity Principles, Absolute Objects and Symmetry Groups.- Nondirected Light Signals and the Structure of Time.- Coordinate-Free Relativity.- Some Open Problems in the Philosophy of Space and Time.- The Naive Conception of the Topology of the Surface of a Body.
Global stakeholder platform for responsible sourcing

The proposed project will set up an international platform on responsible sourcing (RS) that: 1. facilitates the development of a globally accepted definition of RS, 2. develops ideas for incentives facilitating responsible business conduct in the EU, supporting RS initiatives, 3. enables exchange of stakeholders for information exchange and promotion, 4. fosters the emergence of RS in international political fora, and 5. supports the European Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials. 

To achieve the above mentioned objectives, the platform will connect experts and stakeholders by means of a physical element (“Platform Spaces”) and digital element (“Digital Ground”):  

The Platform Spaces will allow practitioners (i) to gain a hands-on and peer-to-peer learning experience in workshops and site visits to exchange and learn from enabling factors, instruments and tools facilitating RS initiatives and business conduct for practitioners, and (ii) to engage with stakeholders at international conferences to further the concept of RS on the global political agenda.

The Digital Ground will (i) enable, through innovative digital tools such as digital conference spaces and webinars, more easily connect international players and engage them in networking, promotion and information exchange activities, and (ii) synthesise and make easily accessible ideas that incentivise RS initiatives and responsible business conduct.  

The proposed project will feature important Flagship Cases of mature and well-established RS initiatives for raw materials highly relevant for Europe’s future energy, mobility and infrastructure development. 

By engaging international experts and stakeholders via the digital and physical platform element, the project team will be able to engage these initiatives into mutual learning processes on success elements and challenges encountered, and to identify enabling factors that will help recently established and upcoming RS initiatives to become success stories.
Composite cultural production: transnational and multidisciplinary approaches to pre-modern collage

‘COLLAGE’ will facilitate the delivery of the 24-month project ‘Composite Cultural Production: Transnational and Multidisciplinary Approaches to Pre-Modern Collage’. The project will be undertaken under the supervision Prof. Mónica Bolufer at the University of Valencia (UVEG). The action comprises a multidisciplinary analysis of collage made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, considering its multimedia manifestations, transnational spread across the British empire, and its status as a highly gendered form of cultural production. The mobility afforded by the project will facilitate the acquisition of research-specific skills through close work with Prof. Bolufer, whose highly complementary research project Circulating Gender in the Global Enlightenment: Ideas, Networks, Agencies (CIRGEN) makes UVEG an extremely apt and timely host for the project. Undertaking COLLAGE will globalise my established expertise on collage, advancing my international career as a research leader. COLLAGE has four key objectives: 1) to explore the popularity, cross-cultural movement, and diversity of composite cultural production in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, focusing on its manifestations in the context of the British empire; 2) to reveal the ways in which individual instances of consumption and production related to wider transnational contexts, such as trade, empire, and industry, in order to provide a better understanding of how collective values related to individual agency during this period; 3) to examine how the production of pre-modern collage expressed, reflected, and conveyed the gendered identities, emotions, and relationships of those who made, owned, and viewed it; 4) to provide an unprecedented multidisciplinary historical and theoretical framework for discussing composite cultural production that moves beyond rigid disciplinary boundaries.
Gis and Artificial Intelligence for real-time forecasting, detection and surveillance of the sea in the service of cross-border navigation safety

This project aims to increase navigation safety in the cross-border area, continuing from the SICOMAR PLUS strategic project. It has three additional goals, as follows: - minimising the risk of accidents to boats due to bad weather and large obstacles at sea; - emergency management of pollution spills; - increased seafarer awareness of collision and navigation risks in the open sea. The main outcomes are all innovative according to an applied research approach, as follows: - modelling procedures for forecasting currently low predictability weather-induced phenomena. - modelling procedures for forecasting currently low-predictability weather-induced phenomena. The forecasts will be available to all seafarers in the cross-border area. - bioacoustic detection systems associated with artificial intelligence signalling cetacean presence on dynamic GIS maps; - kit for tracking large objects (animal carcasses or other bulky items) in real-time with interoperable maps; - dynamic pollutant dispersion modelling in the event of an accident; - modelling of resulting obstacles tracking. All the dynamic maps produced through the project will go into the SICOMAR PLUS platform and be available to the Harbour Master's Office. - improved communication tools (technological workstations in yachting clubs, bilingual mobile application) for seafarers after discussions with stakeholders. The partners involved are all major players in the activities addressed by the project, with consolidated cross-border collaboration.
Model-Driven Design and Generation of New Multi-Facet Arbiters: From the Design Model to the Hardware Synthesis

Designing of arbiters has become increasingly important due to their wide use in the areas such as multi-processor systems-on-a-chip and on-chip or off-chip high-speed cross-bar switches and networks. In this paper, we proposed a new systematic model-driven flow for designing the new scalable multi-facet arbiters through a 3-phase process combined with the template-based modular design approach that includes the design model derivation phase, the architecture model (or template) design phase as well as the arbiter hardware implementation and generation phase. First, we described the phase 1 of the design flow of how to induce an arbiter design model in detail by careful analysis of arbiter design issues and systematic design space exploring the construction of the model. Then, we continue to discuss the phase 2 of how to derive an architecture model or template using the reusability, modularity and expansibility techniques. With both the design and the architecture models, designers can easily design or at least understand and thus choose many kinds of different but better arbiters efficiently. Finally, we have developed a scalable decentralized parallel tree structure and corresponding modular algorithms for efficient arbiter hardware implementation, which also is the final phase of our proposed 3-phase model-driven design flow. Moreover, based on this modular and reusable hardware implementation structure as well as the algorithms, we have designed a parametric arbiter generator that automatically generates various multi-facet arbiters. Using this hardware implementation design and the generator, not only a fast and small round-robin arbiter but also other type arbiters were designed and generated on the fly. The hardware implementation algorithms, the generator, and the experiment results all were given to verify their performances. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such a systematic model-driven design approach is proposed in the practical hardware design and such a multi-facet arbiter is designed.
Evolution of corporate governance in India and its impact on the growth of the financial market: an empirical analysis (1995-2014)

Purpose The past few decades have seen a gradual convergence in corporate governance norms the world over, entailing a discernible shift towards shareholder primacy models. It holds particularly true of developing countries, many of which have steadily amended corporate governance norms to enhance the scope of shareholder rights. This is usually justified through the rationale that increasing protection for foreign investors and shareholders would mean greater investment in capital market and overall financial market development. In India, the shift coincides with a series of fundamental economic and financial policy reforms initiated in the 1990s: collectively and loosely referred to as “liberalisation”, this process marks a paradigm-shift from a tightly controlled welfare economy to one considerably more laissez-faire in its orientation. A fallout of which was that the need to attract and sustain foreign investments acquired an unprecedented significance. The purpose of this paper is to help the readers understand in this larger context the corporate law reform initiatives in India, particularly those pertaining to shareholder rights and allied issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper empirically tests the hypothesis that enhanced shareholder protection leads to greater levels of investments, and financial developments generally. It then uses regression analysis to detect if the change in corporate governance, making it more shareholder-friendly, has had any effect on growth in financial market. It is divided into two broad parts. The first tracks the evolution of corporate governance norms in India. A robust qualitative and quantitative analysis is used to determine the tilt towards a shareholder primacy regime that Indian corporate governance regime now displays. The second chapter deals with the regression analysis where the outcome variable is financial market growth, and explanatory variable is the change in the governance regime with relevant control variables. Findings The authors find that change in shareholder primacy corporate governance has little effect on financial market growth in India. The authors would suggest that instead of changing the law in books, more emphasis should be given to implement those regulations and increase the overall rule of law. Originality/value This is the first time that such a wide-scale study has been conducted in India, using Bayesian methods. It ought to be of immense value to professionals and academics both.
Contexto discursivo y filosofía política en la República de Platón

Résumé La présente étude analyse la signification du contexte discursif dans la République de Platon et la met en relation avec la pensée politique du philosophe. Deux paramètres sont étudiés : le lieu qui encadre la conversation, le Pirée, et le moment, la fête de la Bendideia . Cet examen nous permettra d’identifier les deux éléments comme un miroir de l’hétérogénéité de l’Athènes démocratique qui a lutté contre l’oligarchie précisément au Pirée et tout près du temple de Bendis. Ainsi, nous verrons la cadre de la République comme le portrait de la même démocratie que Platon entend transcender dans cette œuvre.
APPARATUS AND METHODS OF FORMING A CURVED STRUCTURE

Apparatus for forming curved structures comprises a plurality of pivotally connected sections (12), with each section having a track portion (16, 18), and a strap member (24) slidably engaging the track portion of each section such that the sections are movable to form a radius of curvature. A method of forming a curved structure comprises providing runners (10) having a plurality of pivotally connected sections (12) with each section having track portions (16, 18) and slidably engaging strap members (24) within each of the track portions. The runners are placed in a curved position and are aligned with studs (46) then being attached between the runners.
Citizenship, recovery and inclusive society partnership

People with mental health problems experience significant inequalities including high levels of early mortality, morbidity, unemployment, poverty, isolation and social exclusion. This also presents major health, social and economic challenges to wider society. Our International Network unites leaders from academia, policy, practice, business and community organisations from the EU and US. Each partner has an impressive track record of leading evidence-based policy and programme development at a national level and each has pioneered participation in research of people with lived experience of mental health problems. This transatlantic network will share and build upon state of the art knowledge in four key areas of social inclusion: citizenship, recovery, stigma and public policy.  Our collaboration will enable new knowledge, synergies and solutions to emerge by connecting our diverse national and disciplinary perspectives with the lived experiences of people with mental health problems. Through the network we will enhance the skills and career opportunities for researchers and practitioners, and contribute towards the sustained inclusion of people with lived experience. This grant will enable us to share our learning in profound ways to understand ‘what works’ in very different social contexts, including through interaction between the four themed work packages. There is a strong commitment amongst partners to maintain the network long term. As partners we have considerable experience in supporting participatory mental health research with migrant citizens, people who are homeless and diverse ethnic minorities. Social exclusion is often intensified for women who encounter gender-based discrimination and cumulative adversity. Therefore, throughout this proposal, we will pay particular attention to issues of intersectionality in relation to gender, and consider how promoting social inclusion, citizenship and rights must take account of social identities.
Academic performance of adolescents with ADHD and other behavioural and learning problems -a population-based longitudinal study

To study academic performance (final grades at the age of 16 years) in individuals with i) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and ii) other learning and/or behavioural problems.Of a total population of 591 children, originally assessed at the age of 10-11 years, it was possible to obtain final grades for 536 16-year-olds (in grade 9). Those fulfilling the criteria for ADHD/sub-threshold ADHD (n = 39) and those with 'Behaviour and Learning Problems' (BLP group), (n = 80) and a comparison group (n = 417) were contrasted.The ADHD and BLP groups had a significantly lower total mean grade at the age of 16 years than the comparison group. In addition, the ADHD and BLP groups also qualified for further studies in the upper secondary school to a significantly lesser extent than the controls (72%, 68% and 92%, respectively). All IQ measures (at the age of 10-11 years) were positively correlated with the overall grade after grade 9, with especially strong correlations for verbal capacity.ADHD and similar problems entail a risk of underachievement at school. The results indicate that pupils with ADHD underachieve in the school situation in relation to their optimal cognitive capacity. The contextual situation and the particular requirements should be considered in order for adequate educational measures to be undertaken.
Construir uma plataforma de nuvem para criação automatizada de ambientes virtuais

O projeto visa a aquisição de um conjunto integrado de ativos fixos corpóreos e incorpóreos, através do qual se constrói uma plataforma em nuvem que pode ser utilizada para prestar serviços de melhor qualidade aos clientes da Bulpros Consulting, adaptados às suas necessidades específicas. Os ativos incluem: — Servidores rakemount computacionais (4 pcs.)- Servidores de backup (1 pcs.); A plataforma de nuvem será configurada e construída no Data Center of Telecom Service Bulgaria — aldeia Kapitan Andreevo. Ao adquirir esses ativos e construir a Plataforma Cloud, a Bulpros Consulting otimizará seus processos de trabalho, melhorará e, ao mesmo tempo, aumentará sua capacidade de produção. A plataforma de nuvem criada permitirá que a Bulpros duplique o número de ambientes virtuais disponíveis para desenvolver e testar soluções de TI para os clientes da empresa, reduzindo de 4 para 8 vezes o tempo necessário para configurar um novo ambiente virtual. Investir numa plataforma em nuvem proporcionará também valor acrescentado, uma vez que também oferecerá serviços complementares aos clientes (infraestrutura em nuvem, intranet em nuvem), diversificando assim, essencialmente, o portfólio da Bulpros Consulting. Tendo em conta que uma grande parte dos clientes da empresa são empresas estrangeiras, a construção de uma plataforma em nuvem permitirá à Bulpros Consulting reforçar as suas posições no mercado externo e, assim, melhorar o seu potencial de exportação.
Development of regionalized multimedia chemical fate models for China

To balance the economic development with environmental safety and human health, China has released chemicals management legislation for which chemical prioritization and risk assessment are key issues. To support these ambitions two versions of an environmental fate and behaviour model SESAMe (Sino Evaluative Simplebox-MAMI models), have been developed with different resolutions and structures in this thesis. SESAMe is applied to hypothetical chemicals to investigate the influence of environmental parameters on chemical persistence and long-range transport potential. The environmental distribution of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the base year of 2007 and future scenario in 2030 in China has been predicted using SESAMe v3.0. The efficiency of different technical improvements on reducing emissions and environmental concentrations is discussed using the future scenario. Six organic chemicals, triclosan (TCS), triclocarban (TCC), climbazole, benzophenone-3(BP-3), octocrylene (OC) and octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), have also been modelled by SESAMe v3.3 to account for the chemical ionisation and the effect of environmental pH to chemical partitioning. The emission inventories of the six chemicals were estimated for 2012. TCS is used as an example chemical to explore the pH dependent environmental risk assessment for ionisable chemicals. Only limited freshwater areas in China were found to be in exceedance of TCS threshold levels. The influence of projected population, infrastructure,and environmental conditions on the use, emission and environmental distribution of the same six chemicals in 2030 was investigated. Infrastructure development, such as wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was shown to be the most important factor that will reduce the chemical emission and environmental concentrations into the future. SESAMe models have been successfully applied to a chemical released to air and other types of chemicals released to water that are subject to potential ionisation. Model estimation is demonstrated to be good by comparison with the monitoring data collected from the literature.The application of current and future scenarios demonstrates SESAMe models are potentially useful to support chemical management in China and to identify key gaps for chemical screening and risk assessment.