SIRIS-Lab/unlabelled-sti-corpus huggingface dataset:
A body and a dream at a vital conjuncture: Ghanaian youth, uncertainty and the allure of football

This article investigates the rationale leading growing numbers of West African males to pursue a career in professional football, by taking the particular case of male youth in Accra and exploring how and why they are drawn into the football industry. Football is used as a lens to extend contemporary geographical debates over the agency, resourcefulness and entrepreneurialism of young people residing in the Global South. The transition from junior to senior secondary school is found to be a pivotal moment within many of the biographical accounts collected in Accra. I use theorisations of youth in sub-Saharan Africa to conceptualise this moment as a vital conjuncture, and shed light on how a career in football is now seen as a way to circumvent an education system considered to lead to unemployment, or unacceptable employment. Significantly, against a backdrop of neoliberal reform and an absence of state welfare, the perception that a career in professional football offers a means to create an income and be self-sufficient is very appealing. But it also offers more than that. It provides a means to demonstrate one’s masculinity, specifically, displays of wealth through conspicuous consumption, behaviour that young Ghanaians refer to as living the X-Way. It is argued that for male Ghanaian youth, the professional football player who is able to draw upon his latent sporting bodily capital and live the X-Way embodies resourcefulness. He is his own enterprise, a Foucauldian ‘entrepreneur of self’.
ESPON Scientific Platform and Tools Project 2013/3/7 Territorial Evidence Packs for Structural Funds Programmes (2012-2013)

The ESPON knowledge base is now developed to delivering support in programming and implementing other Structural Funds programmes.  Important new facts and evidence at European level from ESPON projects can be broken down to regions and, if relevant, aggregated to larger territorial contexts which in turn can be used as knowledge base for identification of place-specific characteristics as well as territorial features such as interrelationships and interdependencies within or between places.  The project shall provide territorial knowledge transfer to programmes under the anticipated “Jobs and Growth” objective and the objective of European Territorial Cooperation. The project will cover one-region programmes as well as multi-region programmes.
Myocardial performance index and aortic distensibility in patients with different left ventricle geometry in newly diagnosed essential hypertension

Background: Abnormal left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns, particularly concentric LV hypertrophy, are associated with a greater risk of hypertensive complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between LV myocardial performance index (LVMPI) and aortic distensibility (AD) with different LV geometric patterns in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension (HT).

Methods: We studied 181 patients with newly diagnosed HT (mean age; 51.7±5.4 years) and 39 healthy control subjects (mean age; 51.2±5.1 years). Echocardiographic examination was performed in all subjects. Four different geometric patterns were determined in hypertensive patients according to LV mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT). AD was calculated from the echocardiographically derived ascending aorta diameters and hemodynamic pressure measurements. LVMPI was calculated from the tissue Doppler derived ejection time, isovolumic contraction, and relaxation times.

Results: The highest LVMPI and the lowest AD values were observed in concentric hypertrophy group compared with control, normal geometry, concentric remodelling and eccentric hypertrophy groups (p<0.05, for all). LVMPI was associated with LVMI (r=0.497, p<0.001), RWT (r=0.270, p<0.001), AD (r=-0.316, p<0.001) and E deceleration time (r=0.171, p=0.02) in bivariate analysis. In multiple linear regression analysis, LVMPI was independently related to LVMI (β=0.381, p<0.001) and AD (β=-0.263, p=0.001).

View this table:

Table 1. Comparisons of echocardiographic characteristics among the groups





Conclusions: The LVMPI was highest and AD was lowest in patients with concentric hypertrophy. The LVMPI was independently associated with LVMI and AD in hypertensive patients.
New method for measuring the degree of conflict among general basic probability assignments

There is doubt about Dempster’s rule of combination because of counter-intuitive results when dealing with conflict information in intelligent reasoning. Therefore, many modified combination rules have been presented in the literature on multi-source information fusion and reasoning with uncertainty. However, the issue of identifying conflict among evidence has been ignored. A new parameter measuring conflict evidence called the conflict distance parameter is defined to determine whether there are conflicts in evidence based on the analysis of existing conflict parameters. At the same time, a decisive rule, which a reasonable conflict measure function should satisfy, is put forward. Finally, an analysis of two typical counter-intuitive situations is given, showing that the new parameter can not only satisfy the decisive rule, but can also attain the same effect as a two-dimensional measure when deciding whether to use the Dempster’s rule of combination, and can exceed its effect when deciding whether to use Dezert-Smarandache theory.
On the Total Graph and Its Complement of a Commutative Ring

Let R be a commutative ring and Z(R) be its set of all zero-divisors. The total graph of R, denoted by T Γ(R), is the undirected graph with vertex set R and two distinct vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if x + y ∈ Z(R). denotes the complement of T Γ(R). The study on total graphs has been initiated by D. F. Anderson and A. Badawi [2]. In this article, we characterize all commutative rings whose total graph (or its complement) is in some known class of graphs. Also we determine the structure whenever |Reg(R)| = 2. Further, we obtain certain necessary conditions for to be connected whenever is connected and prove that . It is also proved that if diam(T Γ(R)) = 2, then T Γ(R) is Hamiltonian, which is a generalization of a characterization proved by S. Akbari et al. [1].
Qlex creo – bringing reach to the drone market.

The impact of drones and its commercial applications is often being compared with the disruptive force of the IT revolution. Soon, clients in all areas of the economy will begin to see the impact of drones on their operational processes – from the way they inspect construction sites to the way they receive goods like parcels or blood supply. The global market for commercial applications of drones – in 2016 estimated at about EUR 1.9 bn – will rise to as much as EUR 118 bn by 2020. But the application of today’s drones is limited by a crucial weakness in technology: reach. Depending on the construction type, today’s comparable industry class electric drones cannot fly longer 2 hours. Short flight time is one key barrier for a widespread usage of drones. Especially the transport industry is dependent on longer distance flights.
At QLEX we developed the QLEX Creo – a winged drone that can takeoff and land vertically and achieve 4-5 hours of flight time. We achieved this breakthrough efficiency by completely rethinking the architecture, aerodynamics and propulsion systems of how drones can be built.
QLEX has been running for two years, but was a secret until now. We spent the last 24 months in stealth mode designing, prototyping and testing the Creo and forming a highly skilled and experienced team of leading experts and engineers and startup shaped business developers.
We now established our company, the QLEX GmbH, to assess the technological feasibility and commercial potential of the Creo. 
One key objective of this project is a record-breaking proof of concept by carrying out a delivery from German mainland to remote island Helgoland and return in one non-stop flight. No competing solution is close of being capable of achiving this.
Degradation of sulfonamides in soils

The degradation of five veterinary sulfonamides,such as sulfadiazine,sulfamerazine,sulfamethazine, sulfadi-methazine,sulfamethoxazole,in different types of soil with and without light was studied by laboratory simulation method. The results indicated that the degradation of sulfonamides in soils followed the biexponential equation. Degradation trend presented two stages,previous stage of the degradation rate faster, while later stage was slower. Sulfonamides in Taihu paddy soil and northeast black soil degraded rapidly with DT 50 and DT 90 range of 5. 3 to 18. 0 days and more than 180 days,but which in Jiangxi red soil was more persistent with DT 50 and DT 90 range of 37. 4 to more than 180 days and more than 180 days. The light was less affected on the degradation of sulfonamides in Taihu paddy soil and northeast black soil,but it was obvious acceleration in Jiangxi red soil,with the half-life by 37. 4 to more than 180 days( dark) to speed up to 20. 0 to 58. 5 days( light). In addition,the degradation rate in soils more affected by soil clay content and organic matter content.
The validity of Rodrik’s conclusion on real exchange rate and economic growth: factor priority evidence from feature selection approach

Abstract The undesirable effect of poor exchange rate policy on economic growth has been firmly established in the literature using various parametric methods of econometric techniques. However, less is known about the prioritization of the exchange rate as a determinant of economic growth using a nonparametric approach. Thus, this study introduced machining learning approach (feature selection, particle swarm optimization—PSO, and genetic algorithm—GA techniques) to evaluate the relative primacy of the exchange rate for sustainable economic growth in Germany, South Africa, and Slovakia using Rodrik model with time series data from 1990 to 2016. The study reveals that GDP per capita is the most crucial variable for economic growth in Germany and South Africa whereas, in Slovakia, the real exchange rate takes precedence over all other determinants of economic growth. That is, exchange rate takes precedence over other factors as a determinant of economic growth in an economy (Slovakia) with the high rate of trade openness while income per capita is the most important determinant of economic growth in economies (Germany and South Africa) with a relatively lower rate of trade openness. This partly supports Rodrik’s conclusion. We, therefore, recommend that highly opened economies should focus on viable exchange rate policies, such as undervaluation of currency to enhance sustained economic growth. On the other hand, relatively less open economies should focus on policies that improve income per capita rather than exchange rate policies.
OVERHEAD VIEW SYSTEM FOR A SHOVEL

Systems and methods for providing an overview-head view of an industrial machine, such as a shovel. One system includes at least one processor configured to receive data from at least one sensor installed on the shovel relating to the area around the shovel, identify a plurality of planes based on the data, determine if the plurality of planes are positioned in a predetermined configuration associated with a haul truck, and if the plurality of planes are positioned in the predetermined configuration, superimpose the plurality of planes on an overhead-view image of the shovel and the area.
Tuneable acoustic noise dampening material

Existing acoustic materials do not meet the challenges of the increasingly noisy modern world. Thick and heavy slabs of materials are required to block out low frequency noise, like that of cars and jet engines. Increasing production cost, product size, and emissions. Industries are facing increasingly stringent regulations, and don’t have the technology to comply.

SoundBounce is an acoustic metamaterial providing superior noise reduction. It bypasses a critical technical bottleneck enabling the creation of smaller, lighter products with substantially reduced noise output. This is critical in the construction, automotive, power generation and aerospace sectors where space is at a premium.

SoundBounce provides game-changing advantages: 100-1000x improvement on current state-of-the-art; 3x volume reduction; customisable; unique ability to attenuate low frequency noise; and clean technology. 

Market leaders in the €8 billion acoustic materials market have demonstrated their clear demand for the scaled up SoundBounce technology. Market growth is being driven by more stringent regulation, increasing social demand for lower noise emissions, and a rapidly urbanising population.

The SoundBounce team is uniquely positioned to deliver this groundbreaking technology to the market, with decades of commercial experience and deep technical expertise. Project TANDEM will advance SoundBounce to TRL 9 completing the remaining scale-up and commercialisation of the technology.

The EU is committed to significantly decreasing noise pollution and SoundBounce has the ability to address this ambitious challenge.
Gas recovery.

CO2 is separated from a gas mixture containing medium boiling point gases, such as nitrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, and/or argon, and optionally also hydrogen by a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process operated at above 50 DEG C. The PSA cycle preferably employs two or more depressurisation stages: the final stage, which is preferably counter-current, gives higher purity CO2 than the previous depressurisation stage or stages which are preferably co-current.
Medium voltage direct current electronic transformer

More than a century ago, the invention of alternating current (AC) transformer has made AC the preferred choice over the direct current (DC) technologies. Line AC transformers are bulky but simple and reliable devices, made out of copper and iron, providing voltage adaptation and galvanic isolation in AC power systems. 

Currently, DC technology is increasing its presence in AC power systems, enabled by progress in semiconductor devices and power electronics based energy conversion. DC power distribution networks can effectively support energy transformation and high penetration of distributed energy resources and energy storage integration (both increasingly being DC by nature) in future energy systems. Despite this shift towards the DC power distribution networks, DC Transformer, offering AC transformer like features (and beyond) does not exist, either conceptually or practically.

To enable the next (r)evolution in power systems, the EMPOWER project will develop the DC Transformer, a novel, flexible, highly efficient, compact, and reliable conversion principle for seamless energy routing in high-power DC distribution networks. Through a holistic approach, novel concepts, integration and optimization, we will demonstrate new design paradigms for galvanically-isolated power conversion. Our approach relies on resonant conversion utilizing high-voltage semiconductor devices in combination with high-frequency magnetic materials. We propose a new approach for the DC Transformer, avoiding active power flow control and instead utilizing control effort for the safety and protection. The DC Transformer will unify functions of a power converter and a protection device into a single power electronics system, improving drastically the conversion efficiency, reliability and power density in future DC power distribution networks. The success of this project will place Europe at the edge of reliable, efficient and safe energy distribution and transmission technologies.
Software tools for fast, reliable analysis of magnetic materials in the electron microscope

This proof-of-concept project aims at developing a software tool to be integrated in commercial electron microscope control platforms dedicated to the development of novel magnetic materials. Magnetic materials have applications in different areas such as data storage, sensors, biomedical applications or spintronic devices. Future technological developments will come hand-in-hand with new materials based on novel atomic arrangements, and electron microscopy is a unique technique to analyze nature in an atom-by-atom fashion. Recent improvements in microscope performance ensuing from the correction of optical aberrations are already commercially available. However, a successful transfer of specific, advanced tools into a wider technology development context needs of user-friendly interfaces that can help non-specialist researchers and engineers fully exploit these techniques. This is a particularly pressing need for the magnetic material industry, since a number of techniques sensitive to magnetic quantities have been demonstrated in the electron microscope in the last few years. But the field development is incomplete because they are hampered by time-consuming data acquisition and analysis procedures. No tools exist that are capable of fast optimization, acquisition and analysis of data at the flick of a switch. Here, we propose to fill this gap and develop an optimal software tool ready to be marketed by specialized technical companies. It will consist of an interface that will control and modify the excitations of magnetic lenses, the detectors in charge of data acquisition and, also analyze datasets and calculate parameters relevant to the magnetic behavior of samples of interest. These tools will provide the means to give a new spin to research into the magnetic materials of the future.
A standard method for measuring benzene and formaldehyde emissions from candles in emission test chambers for human health risk assessment purposes

Burning candles release a number of volatile or semi-volatile organic compounds (VOC; SVOC) and particulate matters into indoor air. Publicly available candle emission studies vary in protocols and factors known to have a great influence on combustion processes, making it difficult to determine potential implications of candle emissions for human health. The main objective of this investigation was to establish and standardize as far as possible a candle VOC emission testing protocol in small- to mid-scale test chambers on the basis of existing standards as well as to verify its suitability for human health risk assessment purposes. Two pilot studies were conducted to define the boundaries of permissible variations in chamber parameters without significantly impacting the quality of the candle burn. A four-centre ring trial assessed the standardised protocol. The ring trial revealed that when the laboratories were able to control the chamber parameters within the defined boundaries, reproducible formaldehyde and benzene emissions, considered as VOC markers, are determined. It was therefore concluded that the protocol developed in this investigation is suitable for generating candle VOC emission data for human health risk assessment purposes.
Stability of kimberlite garnets exposed to chemical weathering: Relationship with Cr contents

The dissolution stability of garnets from kimberlite has been studied in new experiments in which etching in HF simulated natural chemical weathering. The experiments lasted 42 days and included weight loss monitoring and analysis of chemistry and parageneses of the output grains. The etched garnets of Cr2O3-rich parageneses became corroded less strongly. The greater chemical resistance of Cr-rich pyropes is consistent with the behavior of bulk Cr2O3 observed in a natural garnet assemblage from a weathered placer derived from the Mir kimberlite. Chemical weathering being the principal control of the assemblage composition, the placer assemblages with uncorroded pyropes may be compositionally proximal to their counterparts in the kimberlite.
Thermochronology and tectonics of the Central and Western Cordilleras of Colombia: Early Cretaceous–Tertiary evolution of the Northern Andes

Abstract New thermochronological data record a complex cooling history in the Central and Western Cordilleras of Colombia that is a function of Early Cretaceous to late Miocene tectonic events. Alkali-feldspar 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of ~ 138–130 Ma immediately post-date the cessation of Jurassic arc-magmatism and a major unconformity within the retro-foreland region of the northern Andes. We interpret these ages as cooling driven by exhumation in response to either compression driven by subduction of a seamount, or extension and oceanward migration of the slab during the earliest Cretaceous, giving rise to the Lower Cretaceous Quebradagrande arc sequence. Biotite and alkali-feldspar 40Ar/39Ar data from the palaeocontinental margin reveal the presence of a younger cooling event at 117–107 Ma, which was contemporaneous with hornblende 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages obtained from medium–high P–T metamorphic relicts of a Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous subduction channel. This cooling event is attributed to exhumation driven by the collision and accretion of a fringing arc against the continental margin, and obduction of the subduction channel onto the forearc. Inverse modelling of zircon and apatite fission track and (U–Th)/He data from throughout the Central and Western Cordilleras reveals three periods of rapid cooling since the Late Cretaceous. The earliest phase is recorded by Jurassic and Cretaceous granitoids that cooled rapidly during 75–65 Ma. We attribute cooling to exhumation of the continental margin during ~ 75–70 Ma (~ 1.6 km/My), which was forced by the collision and accretion of the Caribbean Large Igneous Province in the Campanian. The Central Cordillera exhumed at moderate rates of ~ 0.3 km/My during ~ 45–30 Ma, which are also observed over widely dispersed regions along the Andean chain, and were probably caused by an increase in continent–ocean plate convergence rates. Exhumation rates drastically increased in the middle–late Miocene, with the greatest amount occurring in southern Colombia as a consequence of the collision and subduction of the buoyant Carnegie Ridge at 15 Ma.
On the influence of the geometry on skin effect in electromagnetism

We consider the equations of electromagnetism set on a domain made of a dielectric and a conductor subdomain in a regime where the conductivity is large. Assuming smoothness for the dielectric--conductor interface, relying on recent works we prove that the solution of the Maxwell equations admits a multiscale asymptotic expansion with profile terms rapidly decaying inside the conductor. This skin effect is measured by introducing a skin depth function that turns out to depend on the mean curvature of the boundary of the conductor. We then confirm these asymptotic results by numerical experiments in various axisymmetric configurations. We also investigate numerically the case of a nonsmooth interface, namely a cylindrical conductor.
Disc for use in disc screen

A disc for use in a disc screen is disclosed. The disc includes a longitudinal disc axis and a hub extending a length along the longitudinal disc axis. The hub further includes a hub surface and a helical ridge structure extending away from the hub surface and twisting about the longitudinal axis at least 360 degrees. A cross-section of the hub taken perpendicularly to the longitudinal disc axis is non-circular.