Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of Typhoon Intensity Forecasting by Using a Novel Spatio-Temporal Deep Learning Model

Typhoons can cause massive casualties and economic damage, and accurately predicting typhoon intensity has always been a hot topic both in theory and practice. In consideration with the spatial and temporal complexity of typhoons, machine learning methods have recently been applied in typhoon forecasting. In this paper, we attempt to improve typhoon intensity forecasting by treating it as a spatio-temporal problem in the deep learning field. In particular, we propose a novel typhoon intensity forecasting model named the Typhoon Intensity Spatio-temporal Prediction Network (TITP-Net). The proposed model takes multidimensional environmental variables and physical factors of typhoons into account and fully extracts the information from the datasets by capturing spatio-temporal dependencies with a spatial attention module, which includes two-dimensional and three-dimensional convolutional operations. A series of experiments with a comprehensive framework by using TITP-Net are conducted. The MAEs of the forecasts with 18, 24, 36 and 48 h lead time obtain a significant improvement by 7.02%, 6.53%, 6.25% and 5.37% compared with some existing deep learning models and dynamical models from official agencies.
The Association between Maternal Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Infant/Toddler Added Sugar Intakes

Intake of added sugars during early life is associated with poor health outcomes. Maternal dietary intake influences the intake of their children, but little research investigates the relationship between maternal sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) and infant/toddler added sugar intakes. Our objective was to explore the relationship between maternal total sugars and SSB intakes and infant/toddler added sugar intakes. This cross-sectional study (n = 101) of mother-infant dyads measured maternal dietary intake by food frequency questionnaire and infant intake by three 24-h dietary recalls. Pearson’s correlations explored the relations between maternal total sugars and SSB intakes and infant added sugar intakes. Hierarchical stepwise regressions determined if maternal total sugars and SSB intakes explained the variation in infant added sugar intakes after accounting for known risk factors for early introduction of added sugars. Maternal total sugars (r = 0.202, p = 0.043) and SSB (r = 0.352, p < 0.001) intakes were positively correlated with infant/toddler added sugar intakes. In the hierarchical models, maternal total sugar intakes did not account for more variance in infant added sugar intakes (β = 0.046, p = 0.060), but maternal SSB intake was a significant contributor of infant added sugar intakes (β = 0.010, p = 0.006) after accounting for confounders. Interventions to reduced maternal SSB consumption may help reduce infant/toddler added sugar intakes.
Medical abortion in India – An imperative need for task sharing

Background: Over-the-counter (OTC) sale of medical abortion (MA) inducing drugs is a common practice. Exploring its impact on women's health and the barriers to avail free MA services at hospital by these women is essential to improve upon policy decision. Methods: A prospective observational study included 112 women following ingestion of MA drugs from nonformal providers. Demography, clinical details, and reasons for not availing free abortion services at hospital were recorded. Results: Among 112 women, mean age was 28.63 (SD 4.7) years. Seventy one (63.39%) women were from rural region; 70.54% were educated below high school; 44 (39.28%) had prior induced abortion; 62.5% had never used any contraception. Majority (101; 90%) took two drugs (Mifepristone and Misoprostol), 28 (25%) used correct dosage. Drugs were consumed beyond 9 weeks of gestation by 25 (22.4%) women. Abnormal vaginal bleeding was commonest 105 (93.75%) presentation. Haemorrhagic shock was noted in 21 (18.75%) women, while 21 (18.7%) women required blood transfusion. “Easy and quick availability of these drugs OTC” was the commonest statement for not attending hospital. Conclusion: Easy and quick availability of OTC drugs, distance to hospital were major barriers. Incorrect dosage and lack of gestational age calculation were two most common errors in the risk assessment protocol. Expanding provider base, by training midlevel providers, can overcome these and unmask the full potential of MA to make abortion safer.
Effects of Bagging of the Panicles of Philippine Carabao Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Using Waxed Paper Bags

The present study was conducted in Brgy. Dangcol, Balanga City, Bataan to evaluate the effect of bagging the whole panicle (cluster) of carabao mango fruit with waxed paper bag as compared to traditional method of bagging and without bagging in terms of fruit yield and quality as well as in cost-benefit analysis. Results revealed that fruits bagged per cluster using waxed paper (T3) obtained the highest number of marketable fruits (130.60) and highest total weight of 34.21 kg while the number and weight of XL fruits with no bag (T1) were significantly higher as compared to those bagged in cluster using waxed paper (T3). Insect damage was observed in fruits bagged per cluster using waxed paper bag (T3) while there is a scab in fruit with no bag (T1). Meanwhile, there is a wind scar observed in the two bagging methods (conventional bagging method and fruits bagged per cluster using waxed paper bag). All bagging treatments were comparable in terms of physical and chemical characteristics except for peel color which is lighter green in bagged fruits. In terms of income, mango fruits bagged per cluster using waxed paper bag (T3) had the highest gross income of PhP 3,056.27 while the highest net income and ROI was recorded in fruits bagged in conventional method (T2) earning PhP 616.09 per tree with 27.23% ROI. The conventional method (T2) also obtained the lowest cost per tree (PhP 2,262.36) while the lowest cost per kilogram (PhP 73.05) and cost per fruit (PhP 19.14) was recorded in mango trees bagged per cluster using waxed paper bag (T3).
Response of the Urothelial Carcinoma Cell Lines to Cisplatin

Cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy is the standard of care in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, in a large number of cases, the disease becomes resistant or does not respond to CDDP, and thus progresses and disseminates. In such cases, prognosis of patients is very poor. CDDP manifests its cytotoxic effects mainly through DNA damage induction. Hence, response to CDDP is mainly dependent on DNA damage repair and tolerance mechanisms. Herein, we have examined CDDP response in a panel of the urothelial carcinoma cell (UCC) lines. We characterized these cell lines with regard to viability after CDDP treatment, as well as kinetics of induction and repair of CDDP-induced DNA damage. We demonstrate that repair of CDDP-induced DNA lesions correlates, at least to some extent, with CDDP sensitivity. Furthermore, we monitored expression of the key genes involved in selected DNA repair and tolerance mechanisms, nucleotide excision repair, homologous recombination and translesion DNA synthesis, and show that it differs in the UCC lines and positively correlates with CDDP resistance. Our data indicate that CDDP response in the UCC lines is dependent on DNA damage repair and tolerance factors, which may, therefore, represent valuable therapeutic targets in this malignancy.
Swampland conjectures and single field inflation in non-standard cosmological scenarios

Swampland conjectures have attracted quite some interest in the cosmological community. They have been shown to have wide ranging implications , like constraints on inﬂationary models, primordial black holes, dark energy to name a few. Particu-larly, their implications on single ﬁeld inﬂationary models in general relativity based cosmology has gathered huge attention. Swampland conjectures in their usual form have been shown to be incompatible with these kind of single ﬁeld models, or have been shown to induce severe ﬁne tuning in these inﬂationary models for them to be consistent with the conjectures. In this work, we show that a large class of single ﬁeld inﬂationary models can in fact bypass the problems faced by inﬂationary paradigms in GR Based cosmology. We use the exact solution approach to inﬂation for the same pur-pose and show how string theoretic motivations of the swampland conjectures can be in perfect sym-phony with various single ﬁeld inﬂationary models in non-standard cosmological scenarios.
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Chinese Positive Traits

Will Chinese people change in terms of their character strengths when disasters strike? As far as the most recent COVID-19 pandemic is concerned, we provide an explorative answer from the impacts of positive traits included in the Values in Action Classification of Strengths upon Chinese people. We conducted a large-scale online survey from 1 January 2019 to 13 February 2020, with 12,878 respondents nationwide, covering all the administrative regions in China and all age intervals. The changes in the 24 character strengths before and during the pandemic were compared. Results revealed a significant increase in teamwork triggered by the pandemic among Chinese people. Fine-grained differences in demographic variables were also examined. Results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly boosted teamwork for both males and females. Concerning age differences, only younger adults (18–25-year-old) showed a significant increase in teamwork. Besides this, it was also discovered that females always performed a higher teamwork tendency than males, and the elderly higher than the younger, regardless of the pandemic.
Towards a Large Calorimeter Based on Lyso Crystals for Future High Energy Physics

The state-of-the-art research at the intensity frontier of particle physics aims to find evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model by searching for faint signals in a vast amount of background. To this end, detectors with excellent resolution in all kinematic variables are required. For future calorimeters, a very promising material is LYSO, due to its short radiation length, fast decay time and good light yield. In this article, the simulation of a calorimeter assembled from multiple large LYSO crystals is presented. Although there is still a long way to go before crystals of that size can be produced, the results suggest an energy resolution of 1%, a position resolution around 5 mm and a time resolution of about 30 ps for photons and positrons with an energy of 55 MeV. These results would put such a calorimeter at the technology forefront in precision particle physics.
Morbidity and mortality pattern of COVID-19 patients and its associated risk factors: A cross-sectional study

Background: Early identification of patients with poor prognosis may facilitate the provision of proper supportive treatment in advance and reduce mortality due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study estimates the recovery and mortality rates among in-house COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care center and also determines any association between mortality and variables of interest. Methods and Material: This cross-sectional study was conducted in June to December 2021 among the COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital based on their case sheets. A sample size of 1500 was calculated which was obtained by simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics were generated. Association between mortality and other variables was tested by using bivariate logistic regression and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall recovery rate was 80.1%. Vaccination status was significantly associated with mortality, with the AOR (95% CI) of getting both vaccine doses and a single dose being 0.18 (0.05-0.70) and 0.28 (0.15-0.55), respectively, when compared to the unvaccinated group. Also, patients who sought admission on their own were found to be having more chances of recovery compared to those who were referred from other health facilities. The risk of dying was found to be increased nearly 5-fold among those who used Non-Rebreathing machines. The use of Non-Invasive ventilation and Bain Circuit was significantly associated with a bad prognosis. None on the mechanical ventilation survived. Conclusions: The mortality rate of COVID-19 patients admitted to the tertiary care hospital was found to be one-fifth and the ICU-specific mortality rate was 83.6% while other factors like age and gender were not found to be associated with mortality. Among comorbidities, only liver diseases were found to be a significant determinant of mortality. Finally, patients who needed more flow rate of oxygen had a significant association with mortality.
High Order Numerical Schemes for Lattice Boltzmann Models: Applications to Flow With Variable Knudsen Number

Abstract : Lattice Boltzmann (LB) models are effective for problems where both mesoscopic dynamics and microscopic statistics become important, as in the case of microchannel flows. In this report, we investigate the applications of the two-dimensional (2D) thermal finite difference Lattice Boltzmann (FDLB) model appropriate boundary conditions. Two separate cases were considered: the pressure-driven case and the external force-driven case. A characteristics of the Lattice Boltzmann model is the recovery of the density, temperature, velocity and pressure fields from the local values of the discretized set of distribution functions, whose evolution is governed by the Boltzmann equation, which is easier to manage than the Navier-Stokes or Burnett equations. Entrance and exit effects are present in the pressure-driven case and are clearly seen especially in the longitudinal temperature and velocity profiles when the fluid flows in a short channel. In long channels, the non-linear pressure profile along the center line, the rarefaction effects, as well as the existence of the so-called Knudsen minimum in the plot of mass flow rate vs. Knudsen number were found to be in good agreement with literature results.
Psychometric Assessment of the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ)—Thai Version for Primary School-Aged Children

In this study, the original Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ) was translated into Thai and cross-culturally adapted for use among school-aged children in Thailand. Additionally, the initial psychometric properties of the new Thai version were assessed, including internal consistency, construct validity, and content validity. The original HPSQ was forward-translated by two independent translators from English to Thai and then back-translated. A final consolidation was conducted by an expert committee to develop the Thai HPSQ. In the psychometric evaluation, content validity was quantified using the item-objective congruence (IOC) value for each item. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities were also assessed. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis models were used to examine its construct validity. The Thai version of the HPSQ had excellent internal consistency (α = 0.92), good construct, and content validity (IOC value > 0.6). Intra-rater reliability was good (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.98), and inter-rater reliability ranged from fair to good (ICC = 0.46−0.77). Factor analysis revealed that a three-factor model best fitted the data. Thus, the Thai version of the HPSQ is a reliable and valid instrument for handwriting evaluation among Thai school-aged children. It can be useful for teachers and therapists to identify students with handwriting problems.
'A time of constant innovation!' - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the teaching of food practical Home Economics in Ireland, and learning for future best practice: an explanatory mixed methods study

Background: The ongoing global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) (WHO, 2020) utterly disrupted traditional modes of education nationally and internationally. Mastering online teaching imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for many teachers. The purpose of the study was to illuminate the challenges experienced by food practical Home Economics teachers, investigating their ability to innovate, adapt and proceed with food practical classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also aimed to discover best practical methodologies for online and face-to-face food practical classes while looking forward with reimagined approaches to teaching and learning for a post-pandemic world and documented teachers experiences, agency, adaptations and innovations. Methods: Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to meet study objectives. Data was gathered in the Republic of Ireland via 132 questionnaires with Home Economics teachers and semi-structured interviews with six Home Economics teachers. Results: Results revealed that COVID-19 imposed serious challenges on teachers who nonetheless adapted well to the changing environment. They employed innovation and determination to proceed with practical classes in very challenging working environments, resulting in many positive educational advances. Teachers up-skilled, reflected and collaborated to proceed safely with practical’s and deduced best practice methodologies which in a number of cases arose from trial and error. Findings were employed to produce frameworks for best practice when conducting food practical Home Economics classes (both online and face-to-face). These frameworks have national and international relevance in considering new models of teaching in which authentic teaching can occur and provide alternative pedagogies and technologies to support the food practical. Conclusion: This study recommends more technological training for Home Economics teachers, specifically regarding practical classes, as well as support for physical working environments, collaboration and innovation. This research is focused on how teaching can be reimagined, strengthened and valued to inform future teaching and learning models.
Concrete Bridge Crack Image Classification Using Histograms of Oriented Gradients, Uniform Local Binary Patterns, and Kernel Principal Component Analysis

Bridges deteriorate over time, which requires the continuous monitoring of their condition. There are many digital technologies for inspecting and monitoring bridges in real-time. In this context, computer vision has extensively studied cracks to automate their identification in concrete surfaces, overcoming the conventional manual methods that rely on human judgment. The general framework of vision-based techniques consists of feature extraction using different filters and descriptors and classifier training to perform the classification task. However, training can be time-consuming and computationally expensive, depending on the dimension of the features. To address this limitation, dimensionality reduction techniques are applied to extracted features, and a new feature subspace is generated. This work used histograms of oriented gradients (HOGs) and uniform local binary patterns (ULBPs) to extract features from a dataset containing over 3000 uncracked and cracked images covering different patterns of cracks and concrete surface representations. Nonlinear dimensionality reduction was performed using kernel principal component analysis (KPCA), and three machine learning classifiers were implemented to conduct the classification. The experimental results show that the classification scheme based on the support-vector machine (SVM) model and feature-level fusion of the HOG and ULBP features after KPCA application provided the best results as an accuracy of 99.26% was achieved by the proposed classification framework.
Compressed Air Energy Storage—An Overview of Research Trends and Gaps through a Bibliometric Analysis

Electrical energy storage systems have a fundamental role in the energy transition process supporting the penetration of renewable energy sources into the energy mix. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a promising energy storage technology, mainly proposed for large-scale applications, that uses compressed air as an energy vector. Although the first document in literature on CAES appeared in 1976 and the first commercial plant was installed in 1978, this technology started to gain attention only in the decade 2000–2010, with remarkable scientific production output and the realization of other pre-commercial demonstrators and commercial plants. This study applies bibliometric techniques to draw a picture of the current status of the scientific progress and analyze the trend of the research on CAES and identify research gaps that can support researchers and manufacturers involved in this entering technology. Recent trends of research include aspects related to the off-design, the development of thermal energy storage for adiabatic CAES, and the integration of CAES with combined heating and cooling systems.
Multifunctional Characteristics of Carbon Fibers Modified with Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

A multifunctional designing approach is of great importance for advanced composite applications. This study assessed the use of ionic liquids (ILs) to modify the surface of carbon fiber (CF) and impart multifunctional characteristics to it. For that, ethanolic solutions of different ILs, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium chloride, at different concentrations, were used to treat the CF. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of IL on the CF surface. The contact angle for 1% w/v IL-treated CF and DGEBA epoxy decreased by up to 35%, corresponding to an increase in surface energy of fiber, accompanied by an increase of 91% in interfacial shear strength. These enhancements were achieved with the hydroxy-functionalized IL, showing the tunability of CF properties through the N-imidazolium substituent. An increase in crystallite size along the basal plane was also found due to the ordering of the graphitic structure on the surface. Moreover, there was a decrease in electrical resistivity of 77%. In all, the imidazolium ILs were considered a promising approach to induce multifunctional characteristics, namely enhanced interfacial strength and electrical conductivity, to unsized CF, which can also be beneficial for recycled fibers without deteriorating their inherent surface properties.
Motivate the Crowd or Crowd-Them Out? The Impact of Local Government Spending on the Voluntary Provision of a Green Public Good

Cities are increasingly hold accountable for climate action. By demonstrating their pro-environmentality through own climate-related activities, they not at least aspire to encourage individual climate protection efforts. Based on standard economic theory there is little reason to assume that this is a promising strategy. Financed by taxpayers’ money, cities’ contributions are considered as substitutes that crowd-out private contributions to the same public good. Inspired by research on providing information on reference group behavior, we challenge this argument and conduct a framed-field experiment to analyze the impact of reference group information on the voluntary provision of a green public good. We investigate whether information on previous contributions by fellow citizens or the city affect individual contributions. We do not find statistical evidence that city-level information crowds-out additional individual contributions. A reference to fellow citizens significantly increases the share of contributors as it attracts subjects that are not per-se pro-environmentally oriented.