Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Conundrum in Accessing Business Development Services among Urban Informal Manufacturers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

This study examined the extent at which informal manufacturers’ access Business Development Services (BDS). The study inquired about the extent of access and constraints to such access. The study was carried out in Dar es Salaam and mixed methods approach was used to study the phenomena. Using purposive and simple random sampling, researchers used a sample of 150 respondents from among manufactures and officials from different organizations. Data were collected by the use of questionnaire, interviews and documentary review. The descriptive statistics performed through SPSS were used in analysing quantitative data while content analysis run through MAXQDA10 was used to analyse qualitative data. Because the study was built on the contention that Business Development Services help in improving the performance of businesses, findings revealed that there is limited access to Business Development Services by urban informal manufactures in terms of training, financial assistance, legal related assistance and technical assistance among others which hinder their growth. The sluggish access to these services was caused by financial, information, technical, legislative, cultural and capacity related constraints. The study urged the government and its related organizations to value small start-ups by giving them all their necessary attention if they want the country to be more of an industrialized one. Business Development Services should be extended to these ventures bearing in mind that it is from these informal start-ups that disruptive industries emerge. Thus continuous trainings, financial and technical assistance should be given greater priority to urban informal manufacturers.
Comparison of natural and artificial control of movement

Control strategies in artificial and biological systems are compared and contrasted. Distinctions are made between open-loop control, finite-state control, and proportional feedback control, all of which are found in both artificial and neural systems. The question of whether, given the remarkable similarity in the structure of the sensorimotor rules governing the control of gait, neurophysiology should always be expected, to supply the best models for the design of artificial systems is addressed. It is concluded that technical constraints, particularly in the area of sensors, more often than not dictate the approach to the problem, so that what works in the neuromuscular system may not be practical in functional electrical stimulation or prosthetics. >
An In Vitro Evaluation of the Biological and Osteogenic Properties of Magnesium-Doped Bioactive Glasses for Application in Bone Tissue Engineering

Magnesium (Mg2+) is known to play a crucial role in mineral and matrix metabolism of bone tissue and is thus increasingly considered in the field of bone tissue engineering. Bioactive glasses (BGs) offer the promising possibility of the incorporation and local delivery of therapeutically active ions as Mg2+. In this study, two Mg2+-doped derivatives of the ICIE16-BG composition (49.46 SiO2, 36.27 CaO, 6.6 Na2O, 1.07 P2O5, 6.6 K2O (mol%)), namely 6Mg-BG (49.46 SiO2, 30.27 CaO, 6.6 Na2O, 1.07 P2O5, 6.6 K2O, 6.0 MgO (mol%) and 3Mg-BG (49.46 SiO2, 33.27 CaO, 6.6 Na2O, 1.07 P2O5, 6.6 K2O, 3.0 MgO (mol%)) were examined. Their influence on viability, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) was explored in comparison to the original ICIE16-BG. All BGs showed good biocompatibility. The Mg2+-doped BGs had a positive influence on MSC viability alongside with inhibiting effects on MSC proliferation. A strong induction of osteogenic differentiation markers was observed, with the Mg2+-doped BGs significantly outperforming the ICIE16-BG regarding the expression of genes encoding for protein members of the osseous extracellular matrix (ECM) at certain observation time points. However, an overall Mg2+-induced enhancement of the expression of genes encoding for ECM proteins could not be observed, possibly due to a too moderate Mg2+ release. By adaption of the Mg2+ release from BGs, an even stronger impact on the expression of genes encoding for ECM proteins might be achieved. Furthermore, other BG-types such as mesoporous BGs might provide a higher local presence of the therapeutically active ions and should therefore be considered for upcoming studies.
Effects of Temperature on Interface Shear Strength of Emulsified Tack Coats and Its Relationship to Rheological Properties

The objective of this study was to investigate tack coat interface shear bond characteristics at various temperatures and to relate tack coat characteristics in the field to the rheological test results in the laboratory. Interface shear strength (ISS) of two emulsified asphalt tack coats (CRS-1 and trackless) was evaluated at temperatures ranging from −10°C to 60°C. Two emulsified tack coats were applied on full-scale pavement test sections at application rates of 0.14, 0.28, and 0.70 L/m2. Cores were then extracted from the full-scale test sites to be tested in the laboratory while simulating different field conditions. Tests were conducted with a newly developed direct shear device. The binder grade for the residue of CRS-1 emulsion was PG 58-28. The high temperature grade for the residue of the trackless emulsion was PG 82. Trackless material was brittle at a low temperature, and its low temperature PG grade could not be determined. Within the evaluated temperature range, the ISS of the tacked interface increased with the decrease in temperature. Generally, bonding performance, as measured by the ISS, of the trackless emulsion was superior to CRS-1 emulsion, specifically at temperatures greater than 40°C. In addition, results show that interface shear strength for both tack coat materials at each application rate increased with an increase of the binder rheology parameter G*/sin δ. This relationship can be used to establish a laboratory design threshold for this parameter, to ensure that the selected application rate and tack coat material will perform adequately in the field.
The Digital Divide in Citizen-Initiated Government Contacts: A GIS Approach

Abstract As the role of information and communications technologies (ICTs) grows, governments have seen the Geoweb and Web 2.0 as an opportunity to increase citizen involvement through e-government which provides citizens with the ability to record and share information. 311 services represent citizens' most direct contact with local governments in the form of volunteered geographic information (VGI) empowering citizens with the means of solving community issues. Past studies have examined VGI and e-government use finding patterns of a digital divide with survey data; yet, further research which allows for the visualization of these patterns using citizen-generated data is needed to understand the link between users and the content they create. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between sociodemographic status and 311 service request frequency in three cities within the United States using geographic information systems (GIS) and regression analysis. Results suggest the potential existence of a digital divide and that the demographic profile of a city plays a role in participation in e-government.
The Sport Facilitators in Later Life Scale (SFLLS): Preliminary evidence of reliability and validity

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a newly proposed scale, the Sport Facilitators in Later Life Scale (SFLLS). Based on empirical work, the authors developed a 30-item scale to measure middle-aged and older adults’ recreational sport facilitators, including items on municipal parks- and recreation-based facilitators. Among a national sample of 1207 adults aged 50 and older, factor analysis supported a three-factor structure of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural facilitators, with interpersonal facilitators as the principal factor. Alpha coefficients indicated good reliability of the subscales and total scale. Measurement invariance tests using multigroup CFA indicated strict scale equivalence by age, gender, education, retirement status, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). Significant correlations and regressions provided further support for the validity of the scale. Additional scale refinement and psychometric testing should be undertaken to determine generalizability.
An Assessment of the Thermodynamic Performance of Mixed Gas-Steam Cycles: Part B—Water-Injected and HAT Cycles

Part B of this paper 1 focuses on intercooled recuperated cycles where water is injected to improve both efficiency and power output. This concept is investigated for two basic cycle configurations : a Recuperated Water Injected (RWI) cycle, where water is simply injected downstream of the HP compressor, and a Humid Air Turbine (HAT) cycle, where air/water mixing is accomplished in a countercurrent heat/mass transfer column called saturator. For both configurations we discuss the selection and the optimization of the main cycle parameters, and track the variations of efficiency and specific work with overall gas turbine pressure ratio and turbine inlet temperature (TIT). TIT can vary to take advantage of lower gas turbine coolant temperatures, but only within the capabilities of current technology. For HAT cycles we also address the modelization of the saturator and the sensitivity to the most crucial characteristics of novel components (temperature differences and pressure drops in heat/mass transfer equipment). The efficiency penalties associated with each process are evaluated by a second-law analysis, which also includes the cycles considered in Part A. For any given TIT in the range considered (1250 to 1500°C), the more reversible air/water mixing mechanism realized in the saturator allows HAT cycles to achieve efficiencies about 2 percentage points higher than those of RWI cycles : At the TIT of 1500°C made possible by intercooling, state-of-the-art aero-engines embodying the above-mentioned cycle modifications can reach net electrical efficiencies of about 57 and 55 percent, respectively. This compares to efficiencies slightly below 56 percent achievable by combined cycles based upon large-scale heavy-duty machines with TIT = 1280°C.
BurnoutWords - Detecting Burnout for a Clinical Setting

Burnout, a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from major workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, is a major problem of today's society, in particular in crisis times such as a global pandemic situation. Burnout detection is hard, because the symptoms often overlap with other diseases and syndromes. Typical clinical approaches are using inventories to assess burnout for their patients, even though free-text approaches are considered promising. In research of natural language processing (NLP) applied to mental health, often data from social media is used and not real patient data, which leads to some limitations for the application in clinical use cases. In this paper, we fill the gap and provide a dataset using extracts from interviews with burnout patients containing 216 records. We train a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to detect burnout in text snippets with an accuracy of around 80%, which is clearly higher than the random baseline of our setup. This provides the foundation for a next generation of clinical methods based on NLP.
Phylogenetic Analysis and Genetics Polymorphisms Evaluation of ROP8 and B1 Genes of Toxoplasma gondii in Livestock and Poultry Hosts of Yazd, Qom and Golestan Provinces of Iran

Background: A high correlation is observed between specific clonal lineages and host types in toxoplasmosis. The main objectives of this study were comparing polymorphism and evolutionary analysis of the B1 and ROP8 genes, as well as the evaluation of phylogenic and Toxoplasma gondii isolates obtained from different hosts and regions. Methods: Overall 96 brain/diaphragm tissue samples of livestock and poultry from three provinces of Iran (cows: 9 from Yazd, 9 from Qom; sheep: 19 from Yazd, 7 from Qom; goats: 7 from Yazd, 4 from Qom; one camel from Yazd and 37 chickens, 2 roosters and one duck from Golestan) were tested during 2018–19. A nested PCR and PCR-PCR methods were developed with the B1 and ROP8 genes. Evaluation of genetic proximity, genetic diversity and evolutionary analysis were done using MEGA-X and DnaSP5 software. Thirty samples of both genes were sequenced (18 B1 and 12 ROP8 genes), and submitted to the GenBank (MN275903-MN275932). Results: Tajima's D index analyses showed that both genes were in the negative direction of evolution. The B1 gene was more sensitive than the ROP8 gene. The ROP8 gene showed better and more acceptable results in terms of the relationship between the host and the genotyping of the samples. Conclusion: The B1 gene was only an attractive target for rapid detection of T. gondii parasites, whereas the ROP8 gene due to a high level of polymorphism was able to isolate the three clonal lineages (type I, II and III), intertypes and even atypical strains from different isolates of T. gondii.
Attack Identification for Nonlinear Systems Based on Sparse Optimization

Adversarial attacks on controllers of dynamic systems have become a serious threat to many real-world systems, making methods for fast identification of attacks an indispensable part of autonomous systems. With the increasing use of model-based controllers, it is valid to exploit model knowledge also for attack identification as long as privacy of individual components is maintained. A scalable, model-based method to reveal generic attacks was introduced in our previous work and is further investigated here. It is designed for coupled systems with nonlinear dynamics and monitors certain coupling states. Based on the exchange of local sensitivity information, it approximates the propagation of an attack through the network and solves a sparse optimization problem to identify the attack. We provide a thorough derivation of the approach and analyze the involved approximation errors to prove rigorous guarantees for successful identification. In an extensive numerical case study with the IEEE 30 bus power system, we prove that not only the guarantees apply for a nonlinear, practically relevant example, but the method also identifies attacked buses with very high success rates.
Influence of train dynamic modelling strategy on the prediction of track–ground vibrations induced by railway traffic

This paper presents a study developed in order to identify the influence and relevance of the mechanical properties of the train in the prediction of vibrations induced by passenger railway traffic. Based on experimental data and numerical simulation, a discussion about the influence of the modelling strategy adopted for the train simulation is performed. Special emphasis is placed on the study of the influence of the unsprung and semi-sprung masses of the train on the train–track interaction mechanism. From the developed study it was found that the modelling strategy adopted for the train simulation is a key factor in the prediction of the free-field vibrations. Moreover, the accuracy of the prediction is considerably increased if the train simulation considers the unsprung and semi-sprung (bogies) masses of the train.
Building Information Modeling Education for Construction Engineering and Management. II: Procedures and Implementation Case Study

AbstractThe construction industry needs graduate engineers with knowledge and skills in building information modeling (BIM). A detailed set of 39 topics required for BIM competence in construction management, together with specific targets for competency in each topic, was recently compiled on the basis of research into the needs of industry. However, only a handful of universities have introduced BIM topics into their curricula for construction engineering and management (CEM) students. A set of guidelines for the integration of BIM topics into CEM curricula has been developed and tested at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The BIM education interventions in four out of seven courses were planned, implemented, and evaluated over three semesters. The experiments showed that BIM should be introduced not only as a topic in its own right, but more importantly, also as a tool for performing the engineering tasks taught within design, analysis, and management courses. Further, knowledge of the soft .
Modalities for soil preparation and gypsum application in ultisol: stem productivity of sugarcane

The study was conducted in an area of expansion of sugarcane at Vale do Parana factory in Suzanapolis city - Sao Paulo (SP), in Brazil, in the northwestern region of the State of Sao Paulo. It was used the sugarcane variety RB92-5345, 1.5m of spacing between rows, in an Ultisol. The study aimed to evaluate the productivity of sugarcane and first ratoon and some soil chemical attributes in function of soil tillage and application or not of gypsum. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six treatments, in a factorial 3x2 and six replicates, the main treatments were soil tillage with three equipments, moldboard plow, chisel plow, and heavy harrow, and two secondary treatments with application of 1 t ha-1of gypsum and no gypsum. After each harvest of cane, the soil was characterized as to its fertility indicators in layers of 0.0-0.15; 0.15-0.30 and 0.30-0.45m. Differences in values of soil chemical attributes due to the methods of preparation occurred in the sugarcane did not last until the harvest of the 1st ratoon cane, and also did not influence the crop productivity. The gypsum application resulted in higher values ​​of total recoverable sugar (TRS) and the productivity of tons of stems per hectare (TSH) to sugarcane and 1st ratoon cane, respectively, confirming the initial hypothesis.
High Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio, C-Reactive Protein, Procalcitonin and D-dimer as Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19

Background: COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus which is a new type of virus that causes global morbidity and mortality. Several studies are needed to determine biomarkers to identify the severity of COVID-19. Objective: to analyze the correlation between Neutrophil to lymphocyte rate (NLR), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), D-dimer, dan Procalcitonin (PCT) on the severity of COVID-19. Method: A retrospective case-control study was done in our institution using data from June 2020 to March 2021. Data collected were serum NLR, CRP, d-dimer and PCT. Data were analysed using SPSS. Participants were divided into 2 groups, severe COVID-19 as case and mild to moderate as control group. The data collection was carried out in June 2020 – March 2021, included NLR, CRP, D-dimer, and PCT in patient serum. Data analysis using Chi-Square test and logistic regression with p < 0.05. Result: The NLR value of participants in case group is 11.4 ± 9.7 and in control group is 8.2 ± 8.5 (95% CI 1.081 – 4.641;p = 0.023). The PCT value of participants in case group was 10.3 ± 75.4 and in control group was 6.9 ± 41.4 (95% CI 1.495 – 6.908;p < 0.001). CRP values ​in case group (123.7 ± 108.9) were higher than control group (61.3 ± 60.8;95% CI 1.181 – 5.063;p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the value of D-dimer participants in case group was 3.5 ± 3.7 and control group was 2.7 ± 4.6 (95% CI 0.604 – 2.958;p = 0.473). Conclusion: increased values ​of NLR, CRP, and D-dimer are risk factors for severe COVID-19.
Firm Characteristics, Corporate Governance and Tax Avoidance:Study on Mining Companies in Indonesia

This research was conducted with the aim of: (1) to determine whether firm characteristics and corporate governance affect tax avoidance in mining companies in Indonesia, and (2) to determine whether corporate governance moderates the relationship between firm characteristics and tax avoidance. The research sample is all mining companieslisted on the IDX forthe period 2015 to 2018, totally 156 observations. From 156 observations, 84 observations can be analyzed. This research data is secondary data in the form of mining company Annual Reports obtained from the official website of the IDX, namely www.idx. co.id and the official websites of the respective companies. Data analysis to test data normality used the Kolmogorov Smirnov test. Hypothesis testing uses moderated regression analysis (MRA) with SPSS. The result of the analysis shows that firm characteristics consisting of leverage and ROE have an effect on tax avoidance, while company size has no effect on tax avoidance. Another result is that CG as measured by the proportion of independent commissioners does not moderate the relationship between firm characteristics and tax avoidance.
Effectiveness and Acceptability of Telerehabilitation in Physical Therapy during COVID-19 in Children: Findings of a Systematic Review

The goal of this systematic review was to determine the efficacy and acceptability of telerehabilitation in physical therapy (PT) and parental acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic in children. In 2021, an electronic search of academic articles was performed using databases such as Embase, PubMed and Scopus. One-hundred and one articles did not satisfy the eligibility criteria after deleting duplicates and reviewing abstracts, while 16 papers did not meet eligibility after reviewing complete texts. Hence, full texts for 13 articles were retrieved, which were incorporated in the review. All these studies were observational studies assessing the effectiveness and acceptability of telerehabilitation in PT required for diverse conditions in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. All included studies revealed a positive effect of telerehabilitation in PT during the COVID-19 pandemic in children with different conditions. Moreover, the included studies revealed that both rehabilitation professionals and parents or caregivers of children were satisfied with the telerehabilitation services provided remotely. Thus, telerehabilitation appears to be a suitable and convenient strategy to offer remote services to children in need but cannot visit in person due to COVID-19. The existing evidence shows that telerehabilitation can be considered effective for children who need PT for any health condition mainly during the pandemic. However, due to the dearth of studies in this area, exploring this topic is recommended mostly in low-middle-income countries with poor access to health care services and limited resources.
Wave-in-Deck Load on a Jacket Platform, CFD Calculations Compared With Experiments

The paper presents an industrial application of CFD for calculation of Wave-In-Deck load due to an extreme wave.Particular attention is given to flow kinematics initialization that is necessary to start up a CFD simulation. The applied CFD code, ComFLOW, is a Navier-Stokes equation solver with an improved Volume of Fluid (iVOF) method employed to displace and re-construct fluids free surface.For incoming waves high enough for a negative air-gap and therefore with Wave-In-Deck loads, a jacket platform was tested in model basin, for both regular and irregular wave cases. One of goals of these model tests was verification of CFD codes. The experimental and computational models of the structure are exactly the same. In the paper, the measured Wave-In-Deck forces are compared with CFD results.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Spectral factorization and quarter-plane digital filters

Two sets of necessary conditions are derived for the existence of a rational spectral factorization of a given rational function of two complex variables: partial converses of these results are given, and the implications of these conditions for the design of minimum-phase FIR filters and stable IIR filters are discussed. In particular, it is shown that these conditions are closely related to the difficulties encountered in the stabilization problem for two-dimensional IIR filters.