Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Support Vector Machine Models for Real-Time Prediction of Crash Risk on Urban Expressways

This study adopted a novel methodology—a support vector machine (SVM) with two penalty parameters—for the evaluation of real-time crash risk on urban expressway segments by using dual-loop detector data. The purpose of this study was to develop a model that can effectively identify traffic conditions prone to crashes and support implementation of proactive traffic safety management. On the basis of crash data and the corresponding detector data collected on expressways of Shanghai, China, different combinations of dual-loop detector data and time segments before crashes were used to develop the optimal crash risk estimation model by SVM. The transferability of the SVM model was assessed by examining whether the model developed on one expressway was applicable to other similar ones. In addition, the prediction results and transferability of the SVM model were compared with those given by other frequently used classification algorithms, including logistic regression, Bayesian networks, naïve Bayes classifier, k-nearest neighbor, and back propagation neural network. The results showed that the SVM model was more suitable to the prediction of real-time crash risk with small-scale data than other algorithms, with its accuracy in classifying crashes reaching a best of 80%. A comparison to similar studies by other researchers implied that the proposed model achieved better prediction accuracy.
Dynamic response of flexible retaining walls

Making use of an extension of a recently proposed, relatively simple, approximate method of analysis, a critical evaluation is made of the response to horizontal ground shaking of flexible walls retaining a uniform, linear, viscoelastic stratum of constant thickness and semi-infinite extent in the horizontal direction. Both cantilever and top-supported walls are examined. Following a detailed description of the method and of its rate of convergence, comprehensive numerical solutions are presented that elucidate the action of the system and the effects of the various parameters involved. The parameters varied include the flexibility of the wall, the condition of top support, and the characteristics of the ground motion. The effects of both harmonic base motions and an actual earthquake record are examined. Special attention is paid to the effects of long-period, effectively static excitations. A maximum dynamic response is then expressed as the product of the corresponding static response and an appropriate amplification or deamplification factor. The response quantities examined include the displacements of the wall relative to its moving base, the dynamic wall pressures, and the total wall force, base shear and base moment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of manufacturing pro-activity on environmental management: an exploratory analysis

This paper studies the effect of manufacturing pro-activity, understood as the company's interest in adopting new developments in the production and operations area, on environmental pro-activity, manifested by the implementation of voluntary environmental management practices. It is theoretically argued that there is a positive link between both organizational features and, based on a sample of 184 companies from three industrial sectors, it is verified that manufacturing pro-activity is a good predictor of environmental pro-activity. It is concluded that environmental pro-activity tends to be a distinguishing attribute of the companies where the operations function plays a distinctive role.
Piston-Driven Pneumatically-Actuated Soft Robots: Modeling and Backstepping Control

Actuators’ dynamics have been so far mostly neglected when devising feedback controllers for continuum soft robots since the problem under the direct actuation hypothesis is already quite hard to solve. Directly considering actuation would have made the challenge too complex. However, these effects are, in practice, far from being negligible. The present work focuses on model-based control of piston-driven pneumatically-actuated soft robots. We propose a model of the relationship between the robot’s state, the acting fluidic pressure, and the piston dynamics, which is agnostic to the chosen model for the soft system dynamics. We show that backstepping is applicable even if the feedback coupling of the outer on the inner subsystem is not linear. Thus, we introduce a general model-based control strategy based on backstepping for soft robots actuated by fluidic drive. As an example, we derive a specialized version for a robot with piecewise constant curvature.
Retrofitting a Geothermal Power Plant to Optimize Performance: A Case Study

Performance evaluation of a 12.8-MW single-flash design geothermal power plant in Northern Nevada is conducted using actual plant operating data, and potential improvement sites are identified. The unused geothermal brine reinjected back to the ground is determined to represent about 50 percent of the energy and 40 percent of the exergy available in the reservoir. The first and second-law efficiencies of the plant are determined to be 6 percent and 22 percent, respectively. Optimizing the existing single-flash system is shown to increase the net power output by up to 4 percent. Some well-known geothermal power generation technologies including double-flash, binary, and combined flash/binary designs as alternative to the existing system are evaluated and their optimum operating conditions are determined. It is found that a double-flash design, a binary design, and a combined flash/binary design can increase the net power output by up to 31 percent, 35 percent, and 54 percent, respectively, at optimum operating conditions. An economic comparison of these designs appears to favor the combined flash/binary design, followed by the double-flash design.
Colorimetric and fluorescent TRAP assays for visualising and quantifying fish osteoclast activity

Histochemical detection of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity is a fundamental technique for visualizing osteoclastic bone resorption and assessing osteoclast activity status in tissues. This approach has mostly employed colorimetric detection, which has limited quantification of activity in situ and co-labelling with other skeletal markers. Here we report simple colorimetric and fluorescent TRAP assays in zebrafish and medaka, two important model organisms for investigating the pathogenesis of bone disorders. We show fluorescent TRAP staining, utilising the ELF97 substrate, is a rapid, robust and stable system to visualise and quantify osteoclast activity in zebrafish, and is compatible with other fluorescence stains, transgenic lines and antibody approaches. Using this approach, we show that TRAP activity is predominantly found around the base of the zebrafish pharyngeal teeth, where osteoclast activity state appears to be heterogeneous.
Comparative study of some physicochemical and biological properties of effect host species variation on the relationship Saharan parasitic plant Cistanche violaceae (Desf.) Beck.

This work aims to study the effect of different host species on physicochemical and biological properties of the Saharan parasitic plant Cistanche violacea that grows parasitized on two hosts Haloxylon articulatum and a Limonistrum guyonianum in the eastern desert of Algeria. The physicochemical characteristics of C. violcea showed an affinity for the results of both ash and pH and it showed a difference in the amount content of carbohydrates and the value of electrical conductivity. For the content of polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins the highest values were recorded in C. violcea, which was parasitized on H. articulatum. While, the results of HPLC have identified nine compounds in the crude extracts of the parasitic plants and their hosts in different concentrations. In antioxidant activity, the tannin and anthocyanin extracts from C. violcea parasitized on H. articulatum showed better inhibition of DPPH• radical and best the total antioxidant capacity respectively, but the tannins extract of C. violcea parasitized on L. guyonianum given best reducing power capacity. In SPF assay by UV-Vis spectrophotometry method, all extracts of the parasitic plants showed mild to moderate sun protection. Statically the host variation did not show any significant differences in the physicochemical analysis and the quantitative and qualitative total content of polyphenols. While the significant differences appeared through the antioxidant activity tests, especially between C. violcea and its host H. articulatum, between C. violacea and its host H. articulatum and between the two samples of parasitic plants.
How do the existing fairness metrics and unfairness mitigation algorithms contribute to ethical learning analytics?

With the widespread use of learning analytics (LA), ethical concerns about fairness havebeen raised. Research shows that LA models may be biased against students of certaindemographic groups. Although fairness has gained significant attention in the broadermachine learning (ML) community in the last decade, it is only recently that attentionhas been paid to fairness in LA. Furthermore, the decision on which unfairness mitigationalgorithm or metric to use in a particular context remains largely unknown. On thispremise, we performed a comparative evaluation of some selected unfairness mitigationalgorithms regarded in the fair ML community to have shown promising results. Using a3-year program dropout data from an Australian university, we comparatively evaluatedhow the unfairness mitigation algorithms contribute to ethical LA by testing for somehypotheses across fairness and performance metrics. Interestingly, our results show howdata bias does not always necessarily result in predictive bias. Perhaps not surprisingly,our test for fairness-utility tradeoff shows how ensuring fairness does not always lead todrop in utility. Indeed, our results show that ensuring fairness might lead to enhanced utilityunder specific circumstance. Our findings may to some extent, guide fairness algorithmand metric selection for a given context.
Shadowing Networks: A Field Experiment to Assess the Effects of Cross-Training on Workplace Networks 1

This article assesses the effects of cross-training, a core element of the “high performance work” practices that have diffused broadly across firms, on workplace social networks. The author derives theoretical propositions about the effects of cross-training on the size and composition of workplace networks, the moderating role of individual differences in cognition about the self as a collaborative actor, and the differential effects of cross-training on the networks of male versus female participants. Semi-structured interviews with 40 past program participants and a longitudinal field experiment involving 91 participants in a cross-training program at a software development laboratory in China and 85 matched non-participants reveal that: (1) relative to nonparticipants, participants in cross-training reported an expansion in workplace networks; (2) the tendency to form bridging ties was amplified for participants with a more collaborative implicit self-concept; and (3) relative to males, female participants reported a greater expansion in workplace networks. These findings contribute to research on workplace practices and network change, cognition and social networks, and sex-based differences in workplace networks.
THE SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE OF THE CRIME-IMMIGRATION NEXUS: MIGRANT MYTHOLOGIES IN THE AMERICAS

For nearly a century, criminological research in the United States has debated implicitly and explicitly whether a link exists between crime and immigration. Research to date has tended to turn on a series of questions that parallel the public debate on this issue. The main questions that have been asked are (1) whether immigrants commit more or less crime than individuals born in the United States; (2) if individual, structural, or cultural differences exist, how might we understand them; and (3) how might these different trajectories unfold over time. We now have some answers, and we need to do more to advance theoretical and substantive research on this issue. Through our analysis in this essay, we demonstrate the importance of contextualizing research on crime and immigration as part of a broader sociological analysis of the state. Building on the work of Adbelmalek Sayad (2004), a scholar of Algerian migration to France, our work takes the view that studies of immigration must be attuned equally to the dynamics of emigration that lead to it (2004:1–6). As a result, research on emigration–immigration requires a focusing of our attention on the social trajectories of migrants, including the challenges they experience, the “capital of origin” they bring with them, and their ability to convert or reproduce that capital successfully in these new locales (Sayad, 2004:170). Most centrally, Sayad demonstrates that we must acknowledge the role of the state in setting the terms of the crime–immigration debate; as we discuss in this essay, the continued and baseless identification of a crime– immigration nexus reveals a discomfort of the state with the immigrant condition, which is an official distrust that is reflected implicitly in scholarly and public discourse (2004:278–285). Indeed, the crime–immigration nexus often is the prime rhetoric through which this state distrust becomes
Frequency and Correlates of Hypogonadism in Adult Males with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Aims: There is increasing awareness about an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and male hypogonadism. However, data are sparse and less uniform with respect to factors associated with hypogonadism in males with T2DM. This study aimed to assess the frequency and correlates of hypogonadism in these subjects. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 130 males with T2DM, age 25-60 years. Study subjects were screened for hypogonadal symptoms using androgen deficiency in aging male (ADAM) questionnaire. Serum total testosterone was measured in subjects with positive ADAM score. Hypogonadism was defined as the presence of positive ADAM score and low serum total testosterone (<3 ng/mL). Clinical and biochemical variables were compared between T2DM subjects with and without hypogonadism. Results: Hypogonadism was observed in 26.9% of the study subjects. Hypogonadal symptoms most frequently observed in patients with T2DM and hypogonadism were erectile dysfunction (96.4%), reduced libido (64.3%) and deterioration in work performance (53.6%). Group with T2DM and hypogonadism had higher (i) duration of T2DM (8.9 ± 5.03 vs. 4.8 ± 4.76 years; P = .001), (ii) frequency of diabetic retinopathy (58.3% vs. 27.3%; P = .008), (iii) frequency of diabetic neuropathy (42.9% vs. 19.7%; P = .024), (iv) proportion of subjects on insulin therapy (46.4% vs. 22.4%; P = .027), and (v) HbA1c (10.9 ± 2.63% vs. 9.3 ± 2.42%; P = .006), compared to group without hypogonadism. Conclusion: Hypogonadism was present in nearly one-fourth of the study subjects with T2DM. Compared to the subjects without hypogonadism, group with hypogonadism had longer duration of diabetes, higher HbA1c, greater frequencies of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic neuropathy, and more subjects on insulin therapy.
Home-Based Spirometry Telemonitoring After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Mixed Methods Evaluation of Acceptability and Usability

Background Home-based spirometry (HS) allows for the early detection of lung complications in recipients of an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT). Although the usability and acceptability of HS are critical for adherence, patient-reported outcomes of HS use remain poorly understood in this setting. Objective The aim of this study is to design a longitudinal, mixed methods study to understand the usability and acceptability of HS among recipients of AHCT. Methods Study participants performed HS using a Bluetooth-capable spirometer that transmitted spirometry data to the study team in real time. In addition, participants completed usability questionnaires and in-depth interviews and reported their experiences with HS. Analysis of interview data was guided by the constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. Results Recipients of AHCT found HS to be highly acceptable despite modest technological barriers. On average, participants believed that the HS was helpful in managing symptoms related to AHCT (scores ranging from 2.22 to 2.68 on a scale of 0-4) and for early detection of health-related problems (score range: 2.88-3.12). Participants viewed HS favorably and were generally supportive of continued use. No significant barriers to implementation were identified from the patient’s perspective. Age and gender were not associated with the patient perception of HS. Conclusions Study participants found HS acceptable and easy to use. Some modifiable technical barriers to performing HS were identified; however, wider implementation of pulmonary screening is feasible from the patient’s perspective.
Enhancing the effectiveness of risk management practices in Sri Lankan road construction projects: A Delphi approach

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) Identifying the risks that are critical for risk management of road construction projects in Sri Lanka on a life cycle basis and (2) defining the shares of the parties involved in projects in terms of handling the identified risks. A Delphi study was conducted among 33 Sri Lankan experts (consultants, project managers, contractors) in three rounds. The findings showed that the construction and design phases are prone to many major risks. Moreover, ‘delays in payment by the client’ was the most critical risk factor in the construction stage. Furthermore, it was established that some major risks could occur in more than one phase of the project life cycle, stressing the necessity of handling these risk factors as a prerequisite for project success. The discussions presented in this study would enhance the effectiveness of implementing risk management practices in Sri Lankan road construction projects. From a broader vantage point, it will also serve the risk management body of knowledge in the construction industry.
AN EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF CHRYSLER DRIVER AIRBAGS AFTER FIVE YEARS EXPOSURE

This paper is a continuation of an earlier study assessing the effectiveness of Chrysler driver airbags. That study and this one compare the driver fatality rates of Chrysler passenger cars before and after the introduction of the driver airbag. Because of wide variation in fatality rate changes from carline to carline and the small sample sizes in the initial study, it was believed that a couple more years of exposure would lead to convergence among the carlines. The earlier study included 1986 through 1990 Fatal Accidents Reporting System (FARS) data, while this one includes 1986 through 1992 data. While the fatality and exposure data increased substantially between studies, the carline to carline variance largely remains unchanged. This indicates that carline driver demographic differences and other factors contribute to the system effectiveness. In the aggregate, the driver fatality rates are 29% lower in frontal crashes and 22% lower overall in Chrysler vehicles equipped with driver airbags. (A) See also IRRD 864744. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 894848.
Something that They Never Said: Multimodal Disinformation and Source Vividness in Understanding the Power of AI-Enabled Deepfake News

ABSTRACT While deepfake has emerged as a severe issue in the multimedia environment, most studies examined text-based false claims, leaving the question of what unique features of video-based deepfake news deceives recipients and how it can be corrected. By conducting two online experiments, we study perceived source vividness as a psychological mechanism of the effect of AI-enabled deepfake news on news credibility and engagement intentions. Furthermore, we test how an inserted false-tag onto the fake news can reduce the impact of source vividness experienced by seeing multimodal disinformation on news credibility and engagement intentions. The results suggest that participants who saw deepfake news had higher source vividness than those who saw fake news with other modalities (i.e., text-only and text-photo), and such source vividness increased credibility and engagement intentions of fake news. The false-tag successfully reduced engagement intentions of deepfake news for those who perceived a high vividness of the superimposed interviewee.
A generalized stress correction scheme for the Maxwell elasto-brittle rheology: impact on the fracture angles and deformations

Abstract. The Maxwell elasto-brittle (MEB) rheology uses a damage parameterization to represent the brittle fracture of sea ice without involving plastic laws to constrain the sea ice deformations. The conventional MEB damage parameterization is based on a correction of super-critical stresses that binds the simulated stress to the yield criterion but leads to a growth of errors in the stress field. A generalized damage parameterization is developed to reduce this error growth and to investigate the influence of the super-critical stress correction scheme on the simulated sea ice fractures, deformations and orientation of linear kinematic features (LKFs). A decohesive stress tensor is used to correct the super-critical stresses towards different points on the yield curve. The sensitivity of the simulated sea ice fractures and deformations to the decohesive stress tensor is investigated in uniaxial compression experiments. Results show that the decohesive stress tensor influences the growth of residual errors associated with the correction of super-critical stresses, the orientation of the lines of fracture and the short-term deformation associated with the damage, but it does not influence the long-term post-fracture sea ice deformations. We show that when ice fractures, divergence first occurs while the elastic response is dominant, and convergence develops post-fracture in the long term when the viscous response dominates – contrary to laboratory experiments of granular flow and satellite imagery in the Arctic. The post-fracture deformations are shown to be dissociated from the fracture process itself, an important difference with classical viscous plastic (VP) models in which large deformations are governed by associative plastic laws. Using the generalized damage parameterization together with a stress correction path normal to the yield curve reduces the growth of errors sufficiently for the production of longer-term simulations, with the added benefit of bringing the simulated LKF intersection half-angles closer to observations (from 40–50 to 35–45∘, compared to 15–25∘ in observations).