Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of ground motion characteristics on seismic response of skewed bridges

Abstract Skewed bridges are bridges with longitudinal axes at an angle to the abutments. They are more susceptible to damage during seismic events due to in-plane rotations of the girders induced, especially when pounding occurs. Most current design standards do not consider many factors that could significantly affect the response of skewed bridges, such as the skew angle and effect of the supporting soil. A bridge-abutment model with 0°, 30°, and 45° skew angles were subjected to shake table tests. Ground motions were simulated based on the New Zealand design spectra for Class C and E soil conditions. The effects of the different characteristics of ground motions on the seismic response of skewed bridges considering presence of pounding and the supporting soil were investigated. The results were also used to evaluate the recommendation of girder seat lengths specified in design specifications, e.g. the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Bridge Manual. It was found that the NZTA recommendation for seat length could potentially significantly underestimate the out-of-plane movements of the girders. In the worst case, the displacement of the skewed bridge was up to 3.48 times that of the straight bridge – much larger than the recommended value of 1.25 times.
Arterial Stiffness: Different Metrics, Different Meanings

Findings from basic science and clinical studies agree that arterial stiffness is fundamental to both the mechanobiology and the biomechanics that dictate vascular health and disease. There is, therefore, an appropriately growing literature on arterial stiffness. Perusal of the literature reveals, however, that many different methods and metrics are used to quantify arterial stiffness, and reported values often differ by orders of magnitude and have different meanings. Without clear definitions and an understanding of possible inter-relations therein, it is increasingly difficult to integrate results from the literature to glean true understanding. In this paper, we briefly review methods that are used to infer values of arterial stiffness that span studies on isolated cells, excised intact vessels, and clinical assessments. We highlight similarities and differences and identify a single theoretical approach that can be used across scales and applications and thus could help to unify future results. We conclude by emphasizing the need to move toward a synthesis of many disparate reports, for only in this way will we be able to move from our current fragmented understanding to a true appreciation of how vascular cells maintain, remodel, or repair the arteries that are fundamental to cardiovascular properties and function.
Optimised Structure of Convolutional Neural Networks for Controller Area Network Classification

Security researchers have proved that current modern automobiles are vulnerable to attack, particularly in Controller Area Network (CAN) which controls most of the critical parts in cars. The adversaries can gain access to the compromised vehicle's component and flood with modified CAN packet to cause physical effects. Hence, categorising normal CAN packets had become significant to determine the standard behaviour of CAN bus traffic in detecting attacks. A proposed anomaly detection classifier in this paper is inspired by the sequence classification in Natural Language Processing (NLP) problem, where, the combination of word embedding and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm are used. This approach aims to construct a baseline classifier of normal CAN DATA fields according to their CAN ID family. The cross-entropy loss is used to measure the proposed classifier's performance index. Besides, the hyperparameter tuning structure of the classifier is designed based on Taguchi method. The analysis suggested that maximising Signal-to- Noise (S/N) ratio by setting Rectified Linear Unit (Relu) for activation function, epochs of 6, vocab size of 356 and ‘Dropout’ of 0.6, hence prediction loss can be significantly reduced. A systematic analysis design using Taguchi method is considered a new methodology to anomaly detection classifier in CAN bus data.
Cascaded Control Design for a Stabilized Pan-Tilt Camera Platform on a Quadrotor UAV

This paper presents a new cascaded control design for a pan-tilt camera platform. The camera platform can be mounted on a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to achieve a fixed target or moving target detection and tracking. The airborne pan-tilt camera platform can effectively isolate a disturbing rotational motion of the carrier, ensuring the stabilization of the optical axis of the camera to get a clear video image. At the same time, the camera platform ensures that the target is always on the optical axis of the camera, so as to achieve the detection and tracking of targets. The control system design adopts cascaded control method based on the identified dynamics of the pan-tilt camera platform. The inner loop of the proposed controller which controls the angular velocity employs proportional-derivative (PD) control method to ensure the stability of the platform. The outer loop which controls the orientation of the optical axis employs integral separated proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control method to achieve the target tracking. The superiority performance of the proposed controller is verified by laboratory experiments.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of infection risk with small molecule JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the risk of serious infection (SI) and herpes zoster (HZ) in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving JAK inhibitors. METHODS We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of phase II and III randomized controlled trials of tofacitinib (5 mg bid), baricitinib (4 mg od) and upadacitinib (15 mg od). Patient-exposure years were calculated. A per-protocol analysis was applied, incorporating follow-up time from patients randomized to placebo who cross into the treatment arm. Pooled incidence rates per 100 person-years of SI and HZ were calculated. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of drug vs placebo were compared using a meta-synthesis approach. RESULTS Twenty-one studies were included in the meta-analysis; 11 tofacitinib (5888 patients), six baricitinib (3520 patients) and four upadacitinib studies (1736 patients). For SI, the incidence rates were 1.97 (95% CI: 1.41, 2.68), 3.16 (95% CI: 2.07, 4.63) and 3.02 (95% CI: 0.98, 7.04), respectively. The IRRs comparing treatment arm to placebo were statistically non-significant: 1.22 (95% CI: 0.60, 2.45), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.46, 1.38) and 1.14 (95% CI: 0.24, 5.43), respectively. For HZ, the incidence rates were 2.51 (95% CI: 1.87, 3.30), 3.16 (95% CI: 2.07, 4.63) and 2.41 (95% CI: 0.66, 6.18), respectively. The IRR of HZ comparing baricitinib with placebo was 2.86 (95% CI: 1.26, 6.50). Non-significant IRRs were seen with tofacitinib and upadacitinib: 1.38 (95% CI: 0.66, 2.88) and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.19, 3.22), respectively. Indicator opportunistic infections excluding HZ were too rare to provide meaningful incidence rates. CONCLUSION The absolute SI rates were low. However across the JAK inhibitors, the incidence of HZ is higher than expected for the population (3.23 per 100 patient-years). While the risk was numerically greatest with baricitinib, indirect comparisons between the drugs did not demonstrate any significant difference in risk. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER Prospero 2017 CRD4201707879.
Time‐ and Dose‐Dependent Association of Statin Use With Risk of Clinically Relevant New‐Onset Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Prevention: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study

Background Given that statins are increasingly being used for primary‐prevention, the public concerns regarding the risk of new‐onset diabetes mellitus associated with statin use may be an issue. Methods and Results Using healthcare data from the national health insurance examinees, our study comprised a cohort of adults aged ≥40 years with hypercholesterolemia who would be eligible for statin therapy for primary prevention from 2005 to 2012. The primary outcome was the occurrence of clinically relevant new‐onset diabetes mellitus requiring medical therapy. Among 2 162 119 adults with hypercholesterolemia who might be eligible for statin therapy, 638 625 (29.5%) ever used statins and 1 523 494 (70.5%) never used statins. In the propensity‐matched cohort of 518 491 pairs, during mean follow‐up of 3.9 years, being an ever‐user of statin was significantly associated with diabetes mellitus risk compared with being a never‐user of statin (13.4 versus 6.9 per 1000 person‐years; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.88; 95% CI, 1.85–1.93). With increasing duration of statin use, the risk of diabetes mellitus was proportionally increased (HR 1.25 <1 year, HR 2.22 for 1–2 years, and HR 2.62 >2 years). An excess risk of diabetes mellitus was also associated with a higher intensity (HR 1.75 for low‐to‐moderate potency and HR 2.31 for high potency) and a cumulative dosing of statin (HR 1.06 for low‐tertile, HR 1.74 for middle‐tertile, and HR 2.52 for high‐tertile of defined‐daily‐disease). Conclusions In patients receiving statin therapy for primary prevention, there was a time‐ and dose‐dependent association of statin use with an increasing risk of new‐onset diabetes mellitus.
Link between insomnia and perinatal depressive symptoms: A meta‐analysis

Evidence shows the possible link between insomnia and perinatal depressive symptoms. In order to find a convergent quantitative answer, we collected data via the search of Medline, EMBASE and reference tracking, which included nine studies (a total sample of 1,922 women). An aggregate effect size estimate (correlation coefficient) was generated using the comprehensive meta‐analysis software. For the meta‐analytic procedure, a random effects model was set a priori. Moderating factors, including study design, method of assessment of depression, geographical origin of data, publication year, mean age, % married, breastfeeding rate, quality and type of data, % primiparous and history of depression, were examined via categorical or univariate mixed‐effects (method of moments) meta‐regression methods. Heterogeneity and publication bias were examined using standard meta‐analytic approaches. We found a significant, medium‐size relationship between insomnia and perinatal depressive symptoms (point estimate, 0.366; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.205–0.508; p < 0.001; n = 9) and this was significantly heterogeneous (Q, 118.77; df, 8; p < 0.001; I2, 93.26%). The effect size estimate was significant for studies reporting no history of depression (point estimate, 0.364; 95% CI, 0.035–0.622; p < 0.05; n = 5) and for study design. With meta‐regression, no moderating factor (age, marriage rate, breastfeeding rate, pregnancy history or publication year) significantly mediated the effect size estimate. The depression assessment scale used, but not other categorical variables, explained the magnitude of heterogeneity. We found that insomnia during the perinatal period is associated with depressive symptoms, which warrants screening pregnant mothers for insomnia and depression.
Effect of diffuser width and tip clearance on the static pressure distributions in a vaneless diffuser of a high-speed centrifugal compressor

Static pressure distributions in the vaneless diffusers, varying in width are studied. Seven different vaneless diffusers were studied. The static pressure before and after the diffuser was measured in four different circumferential locations, and at one circumferential location at five different radii. The pressure distributions were measured at the design rotational speed, and at three different mass flows. The reduction in the diffuser width does not significantly affect the diffuser pressure distribution. The circumferential pressure distributions of the different designs both before and after the diffuser are almost similar in shape between each design.
The impact of COVID-19 on shipping freights: asymmetric multifractality analysis

ABSTRACT In order to study the asymmetric multifractality in maritime shipping freight rates, we have resorted to the use of the novel approach of asymmetric Multifractality Detrended Fluctuation Analysis. This approach examines the maritime shipping freight response towards the downward and upward movements. The outcomes in this regard show that the major maritime shipping freight rates have multifractals, which tend to increase as the fractal scale also increases. Also, a higher level of multifractality is observed in the downward movements for the Baltic Dry Index, and the Baltic Clean Tanker Index, suggesting that both the indexes have been less efficient, and also unpredictable during the time period pertaining to the pandemic. Moreover, the multifractality is observed to be greater in the upside for the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index during the pandemic, and also in the full-time period. The results also propagate that the maritime shipping freight rates are inefficient, a situation that has been evidently visible during the time period pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. The maritime shipping freight rates require special attention to monitor such sudden changes in the price dynamics, and following strict regulations is extremely critical in this regard.
Small-Signal Stability Analysis of Multi-Terminal DC Grids

This paper presents a detailed small-signal analysis and an improved dc power sharing scheme for a six terminal dc grid. The multi-terminal DC (MTDC) system is composed of (1) two voltage-source converters (VSCs) entities operating as rectification stations; (2) two VSCs operating as inverting stations; (3) two dc/dc conversion stations; and (4) an interconnected dc networking infrastructure. The small-signal state-space sub-models of the individual entities are developed and integrated to formulate the state-space model of the entire system. Using the modal analysis, it is shown that the most critical modes are associated with the power sharing droop coefficients of the rectification stations, which are constrained by the steady-state operational requirements. Therefore, a second degree-of-freedom compensation scheme is proposed to improve the dynamic response of the MTDC system without influencing the steady-state operation. Time domain simulation results are presented to validate the analysis and show the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Serum and follicular fluid irisin levels in women with polycystic ovaries undergoing ovarian stimulation: correlation with insulin resistance and lipoprotein lipid profiles

Abstract Irisin, a novel exercise-induced myokine, has been implicated in different aspects of human metabolism and could be connected to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study aimed to investigate serum and follicular fluid (FF) irisin levels in PCOS and normal women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation and correlate them to the lipid and lipoprotein levels as well as with other metabolic parameters. Serum and FF irisin, together with serum lipid and lipoprotein levels were assessed in 70 women with diagnosed PCOS and 70 non-PCOS controls, under in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Regardless of BMI, PCOS women had a significantly increased number of oocytes retrieved, fertilized oocytes and transferred embryos, although the number of women achieving pregnancies did not differ between groups. No correlation between FF irisin levels and pregnancy could be established. Serum and FF irisin levels were significantly higher in PCOS and overweight women and were positively associated with BMI and dyslipidemia. FF irisin levels correlated positively to and were lower than serum irisin levels. Further research would be helpful to analyze irisin’s role in female reproduction, if any, as well as in human metabolism and the pathophysiology of PCOS.
Innovation education and entrepreneurial intentions among postgraduate students: The role of innovation competence and gender

Abstract The study examined the effect of innovation education on entrepreneurial intentions among postgraduate students and the role of innovation competence and gender. The study was a survey, with data collected using a structured questionnaire. The study used Master’s students of Akenten-Appiah Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), Ghana. The sample includes 370 Master’s students from 10 faculties of the university. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study found that innovation education has significant positive influence on entrepreneurial intention. Innovation competence was found to mediate the relationship between innovation education and entrepreneurial intention. Finally, gender moderated the relationship between innovation education and innovation competence and also moderated the relationship between innovation competence and entrepreneurial intention. Assessing the moderating role of gender between innovation education and innovation competence, as well as, innovation competence and entrepreneurial intention, represents novel contributions of this study.
Kemampuan Representasi Matematis Siswa SMP terhadap Materi Segiempat

Mathematical representation skills are needed in understanding the material and solving problems. The facts show that efforts are needed to improve students' mathematical representation abilities. This research aims to analyze the mathematical representation ability of VIII grade junior high school students on quadrilateral material. The research method is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques were carried out through written tests, interviews, documentation, and researcher notes. The data analysis technique was carried out using the Milles and Huberman analysis model. The research subjects were six grade VIII junior high school students. The results showed that visual representations were mastered by students but when given other cases students could not answer, image representations were only mastered by some students because others lacked confidence, representations of equations or mathematical expressions were only mastered by one student because most students did not understand how to work. the material contained in the questions, and the word representation can be mastered by all students, but when given another case students cannot answer because they do not know how to work on the questions used.
Cardiomyocyte PKA Ablation Enhances Basal Contractility While Eliminates Cardiac β-Adrenergic Response Without Adverse Effects on the Heart.

RATIONALE PKA (Protein Kinase A) is a major mediator of β-AR (β-adrenergic) regulation of cardiac function, but other mediators have also been suggested. Reduced PKA basal activity and activation are linked to cardiac diseases. However, how complete loss of PKA activity impacts on cardiac physiology and if it causes cardiac dysfunction have never been determined. OBJECTIVES We set to determine how the heart adapts to the loss of cardiomyocyte PKA activity and if it elicits cardiac abnormalities. METHODS AND RESULTS (1) Cardiac PKA activity was almost completely inhibited by expressing a PKA inhibitor peptide in cardiomyocytes (cPKAi) in mice; (2) cPKAi reduced basal phosphorylation of 2 myofilament proteins (TnI [troponin I] and cardiac myosin binding protein C), and one longitudinal SR (sarcoplasmic reticulum) protein (PLB [phospholamban]) but not of the sarcolemmal proteins (Cav1.2 α1c and PLM [phospholemman]), dyadic protein RyR2, and nuclear protein CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) at their PKA phosphorylation sites; (3) cPKAi increased the expression of CaMKII (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II), the Cav1.2 β subunits and current, but decreased CaMKII phosphorylation and CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation of PLB and RyR2; (4) These changes resulted in significantly enhanced myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity, prolonged contraction, slowed relaxation but increased myocyte Ca2+ transient and contraction amplitudes; (5) Isoproterenol-induced PKA and CaMKII activation and their phosphorylation of proteins were prevented by cPKAi; (6) cPKAi abolished the increases of heart rate, and cardiac and myocyte contractility by a β-AR agonist (isoproterenol), showing an important role of PKA and a minimal role of PKA-independent β-AR signaling in acute cardiac regulation; (7) cPKAi mice have partial exercise capability probably by enhancing vascular constriction and ventricular filling during β-AR stimulation; and (8) cPKAi mice did not show any cardiac functional or structural abnormalities during the 1-year study period. CONCLUSIONS PKA activity suppression induces a unique Ca2+ handling phenotype, eliminates β-AR regulation of heart rates and cardiac contractility but does not cause cardiac abnormalities.
Experimental evaluation of a high gain dual-band beam steerable transmit-array

This paper presents the design and measurement of a novel transmit-array (TA) that is able to combine wide beam steering and high gain for two distinct frequency bands. The TA is designed for a mobile ground platform to operate at satellite communications in the Ka-bands: Rx (19.7-20.2 GHz) and Tx (29.5-30.0 GHz). A 28 dBi gain is obtained for 30 GHz and 24 dBi for 20 GHz. The zenith beam steering results from a linear displacement of the aperture ( × ) in front of a stationary feed. A scanning range of 50o was obtained with 2dB scan loss. Overall, the dual-band TA performs as well as if two independent single band apertures were designed.
Deep neuromuscular blockade improves surgical conditions during gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND There is a controversy in the literature whether deep compared with moderate neuromuscular block (NMB) improves surgical conditions for laparoscopic surgery. OBJECTIVES The primary outcome measure was to examine whether switching from moderate to deep NMB improves surgical conditions for laparoscopic surgery in the obese; secondary outcome measures were changes in intra-abdominal pressure, time required to perform the gastrojejunal anastomosis and peri-operative surgical complications. DESIGN A single-centre, randomised controlled study. Each patient was taken as their own control and examined twice: at the first evaluation (E1), all patients had a moderate NMB, thereafter patients were randomised to deep or moderate block and a second evaluation (E2) was performed within 10 min. Patients with excellent rating at E1 were excluded from E2, as their surgical condition could not be further improved. SETTING University Hospital France. PATIENTS Patients undergoing laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery under general anaesthesia were included. Main exclusion criteria were hypersensitivity to the drugs used and absence of written informed consent. INTERVENTIONS According to the group assignment, patients received bolus doses of rocuronium or 0.9% saline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Surgical conditions were assessed with a 4-point rating scale. Intra-operative adverse events were assessed with the Kaafarani-classification and postoperative complications with the Clavien-Dindo classification. RESULTS Eighty-nine patients were initially included and data from 85 could be assessed at E1; surgical rating was excellent in 20, good in 35, acceptable in 18, poor in 12. After excluding those with an excellent rating, the remaining 65 patients were randomly assigned to deep or moderate block. At E2, an improvement of surgical conditions was observed in 29 out of 34 patients with deep block and in four out of 31 with moderate block; P < 0.0001. Poor surgical conditions were more frequently associated with surgical complications (61.5 versus 15.3%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Switching from moderate to deep block improves surgical conditions. Poor surgical conditions were associated with a higher incidence of surgical complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT02118844 (www.clinicaltrial.gov).