Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shaking table tests on two multi-leaf stone masonry buildings

An experimental campaign concerning the dynamic behaviour of historical stone masonry buildings in unreinforced condition as well as strengthened condition was carried out. Natural hydraulic lime based injection was used as strengthening. Two identical two-stories models, made of three-leaves stone masonry and wooden floors, were built in reduced scale of 2:3. About 25 seismic inputs, divided in two shaking table tests, were performed: first model was tested in unreinforced conditions, while the second building was strengthened before the experiment using natural hydraulic lime based injection. A preliminary investigation on the effectiveness of applied strengthening techniques in both damaged and undamaged structures was carried out. The variation of dynamic and modal parameters, damping factors and crack pattern were computed. For this reason “random” and “swept sine” inputs were applied to stress the structure and to extract modal parameters. The analyses highlighted the capability of the hydraulic lime grout injections to substantially increase the ultimate strength without modifying the structural behaviour. Main results and a synthesis of obtained data are presented.
Fabrication of Multi-Vacancy-Defect MWCNTs by the Removal of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

This study aims to increase the specific surface area of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by forming and subsequently removing various metal oxide nanoparticles on them. We used facile methods, such as forming the particles without using a vacuum or gas and removing these particles through simple acid treatment. The shapes of the composite structures on which the metal oxide particles were formed and the formation of multi-vacancy-defect MWCNTs were confirmed via transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The crystallinity of the formed metal oxide particles was confirmed using X-ray diffraction analysis. Through specific surface area analysis and Raman spectroscopy, the number of defects formed and the degree and tendency of defect-formation in each metal were determined. In all the cases where the metal oxide particles were removed, the specific surface area increased, and the metal inducing the highest specific surface area was determined.
COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Year-Long Retrospective Case Series

COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) refers to co-infection with Aspergillus spp. in patients with COVID-19. It has a higher mortality rate when compared with patients only infected with COVID-19, but we still know little about the epidemiology, diagnosis, and best treatment options for patients with CAPA. We report our findings from a year-long retrospective case series of patients with CAPA in two tertiary hospitals in the United Kingdom. We included all patients admitted to critical care with CAPA between March 2020–2021. We used the European Confederation for Medical Mycology and the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology consensus criteria to categorise CAPA. Demographic data, patients’ co-morbidities, time to and method of diagnosis, COVID-19 and aspergillosis treatment, and outcomes were analysed. Thirteen patients were diagnosed with probable CAPA between October/2020–March/2021, and 54.8% also had hypertension. Diagnosis was established after a median of 18 days post-COVID-19 infection, and a median of 7 days post-intubation. All patients had received corticosteroids, as well as tocilizumab (7; 53.8%) and remdesivir (3; 23%). Eleven patients received antifungal treatment. Nine (69%) patients died by 30 days post-ICU admission, one patient died on day 32, and three (23%) patients survived. CAPA has a very high mortality rate. We also identified three areas that merit further investigation: lack of positive tests between March–October 2020; COVID-19 treatments and possible relationship with increased CAPA rates; and the rationale behind antifungal treatment in our hospitals compared to recommended treatment in the literature.
Preoperative amylmetacresol and dichlorobenzyl alcohol with lignocaine lozenge reduces postoperative sore throat following general anaesthesia using supraglottic airway devices: A double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background and Aims: Postoperative sore throat (POST) is an undesirable event reported in up to 62% of patients receiving general anaesthesia (GA). The incidence of POST following GA using a supraglottic airway device (SAD) is approximately 50%, with symptoms persisting up to 48 h. We examined the role of preoperative lozenges containing amylmetacresol and dichlorobenzyl alcohol (AMC/DCBA) with lignocaine (Strepsils® Max Plus) in reducing the incidence and intensity of POST following GA using SAD. Methods: We conducted a prospective, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial involving 88 adults receiving GA for elective surgery using SAD not exceeding 2 h. Patients received either Strepsils Max Plus (Strepsils-LA group) or a placebo before induction of GA. The incidence and intensity of sore throat, dysphagia and dysphonia was measured using the Verbal Rating Scale at 30 min (early) and at 24 h (late) after removal of SAD. Results: Overall POST incidence was lower in the Strepsils-LA group (27.7% versus 56.8%, P = 0.007). Patients in the Strepsils-LA group reported a significantly lower incidence of early POST (14.9% versus 37.8%, P = 0.016) with a lower mean ± standard deviation intensity score (0.17 ± 0.43 versus 0.49 ± 0.69, P = 0.016). Although the overall incidence of dysphagia was lower (23.4% versus 48.6%, P = 0.016), more patients experienced dysphonia in the Strepsils-LA group. AMC/DCBA with lignocaine lozenges showed a relative risk reduction of 50% and a number needed to treat of 4 in reducing POST. Conclusion: AMC/DCBA with lignocaine lozenges administered before GA using SAD is a simple and safe method to reduce the incidence and severity of POST.
Earthquake Risk Scenarios in Urban Areas: A Review with Applications to the Ciutat Vella District in Barcelona, Spain

ABSTRACT The vulnerability index and capacity spectrum-based methods used to assess the expected physical damage in dwellings are revisited, and their main advantages and shortcomings are analyzed and discussed. Then, a vulnerability index-based method is used to assess the expected damage in the oldest district of Barcelona, Spain. The risk analysis is performed for earthquake scenarios defined by macroseismic intensities of V, V-VI, VI, VI-VII, and VII to design seismic emergency plans. According to the Spanish Seismic Code, the basic peak ground acceleration for a 475-year return period is 0.04 g, which corresponds to an intensity of VI. Thus, the expected physical damage is quantified and its impact on population and other quantities, such as debris and economic cost, are studied. In spite of the low-to-moderate seismic hazard in Barcelona, the results show that the risk is high, due to the high exposure and vulnerability of the built environment.
Leaf Spectra Changes of Plants Grown in Soils Pre- and Post-Contaminated with Petroleum Hydrocarbons

Leaks from accidents or damage to pipelines that transport liquid petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) such as gasoline and diesel are harmful to the environment as well as to human health, and may be hard to detect by inspection mechanisms alone when they occur in small volumes or persistently. In the present study, we aim to identify spectral anomalies in two plant species (Brachiaria brizantha and Neonotonia wightii) linked to contamination effects at different developmental phases of these plants. To do so, we used spectroscopy and remote sensing approaches to detect small gasoline and diesel leaks by observing the damage caused to the vegetation that covers simulated pipelines. We performed a contamination test before and after planting using gasoline and diesel volumes that varied between 2 and 16 L/m3 soil, in two experimental designs: (i) single contamination before planting, and (ii) periodic contaminations after planting and during plant growth. We collected the reflectance spectra from 35 to approximately 100 days after planting. We then compared the absorption features positioned from the visible spectral range to the shortwave infrared and the spectral parameters in the red edge range of the contaminated plants to the healthy plants, thus confirming the visual and biochemical changes verified in the contaminated plants. Despite the complexity in the indirect identification of soil contamination by PHCs, since it involves different stages of plant development, the results were promising and can be used as a reference for methods of indirect detection from UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), airplanes, and satellites equipped with hyperspectral sensors.
Five-year Transitions of Symptom Subtypes in Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Objectives: It is unknown if symptom subtypes of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) transition over time and what clinical factors may predict transitions. Methods: Data from the 2,643 participants of the Sleep Heart Health Study with complete baseline and 5-year follow-up visits were analyzed. Latent Class Analysis on 14 symptoms at baseline and follow up determined symptom subtypes. Individuals without OSA (AHI<5) were incorporated as a known class at each time point. Multinomial logistic regression assessed the effect of age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and AHI on specific class transitions. Results: The sample consisted of 1,408 women (53.8%) and mean (SD) age 62.4 (10.5) years. We identified four OSA symptom subtypes at both baseline and follow-up visits: minimally symptomatic, disturbed sleep, moderately sleepy and excessively sleepy. Nearly half (44.2%) of the sample transitioned to a different subtype from baseline to follow-up visits; transitions to moderately sleepy were the most common (77% of all transitions). Higher baseline age was associated with a 6% increase in odds to transit from excessively sleepy to moderately sleepy [OR (95% CI) = 1.06 (1.02, 1.12)]. Women had 2.35 times higher odds (95% CI: 1.27, 3.27) to transition from moderately sleepy to minimal symptoms. A 5-unit increase in BMI was associated with 2.29 greater odds (95% CI: 1.19, 4.38 to transition from minimal symptoms to excessively sleepy. Interpretation: While 56% of the sample did not transition their subtype over 5 years, of those who did, the likelihood of transitioning between certain subtypes was significantly associated with a higher baseline age, higher baseline BMI and with women, but was not predicted by AHI.
Assessment of a European Reusable VTVL Booster Stage

Reusability of launch systems has the potential to strongly impact the launch service market if sufficient reliability and low refurbishment costs can be achieved. This study focuses on the vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) method as currently used by SpaceX. The goal is to determine the impact of this method on a technical, operational and economic level and to identify its potential for a future European reusable launch system with a VTVL booster stage. Therefore, different propellant combinations, stagings, engine cycles and landing methods (downrange landing vs. return to launch site) were considered for a launch system with a reusable VTVL booster stage and a payload capability of 7 tons to GTO (geostationary transfer orbit). The most promising concepts were subjected to a preliminary design loop at subsystem level and are presented in this paper.
A Novel Deep Learning Model for Sea State Classification Using Visual-Range Sea Images

Wind-waves exhibit variations both in shape and steepness, and their asymmetrical nature is a well-known feature. One of the important characteristics of the sea surface is the front-back asymmetry of wind-wave crests. The wind-wave conditions on the surface of the sea constitute a sea state, which is listed as an essential climate variable by the Global Climate Observing System and is considered a critical factor for structural safety and optimal operations of offshore oil and gas platforms. Methods such as statistical representations of sensor-based wave parameters observations and numerical modeling are used to classify sea states. However, for offshore structures such as oil and gas platforms, these methods induce high capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX), along with extensive computational power and time requirements. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose a novel, low-cost deep learning-based sea state classification model using visual-range sea images. Firstly, a novel visual-range sea state image dataset was designed and developed for this purpose. The dataset consists of 100,800 images covering four sea states. The dataset was then benchmarked on state-of-the-art deep learning image classification models. The highest classification accuracy of 81.8% was yielded by NASNet-Mobile. Secondly, a novel sea state classification model was proposed. The model took design inspiration from GoogLeNet, which was identified as the optimal reference model for sea state classification. Systematic changes in GoogLeNet’s inception block were proposed, which resulted in an 8.5% overall classification accuracy improvement in comparison with NASNet-Mobile and a 7% improvement from the reference model (i.e., GoogLeNet). Additionally, the proposed model took 26% less training time, and its per-image classification time remains competitive.
Case Studies in Secure Computing: Achievements and Trends

Survey of Secure Computing Kuruvilla Mathew and Biju Issac Feature Selection and Decision Tree: A Combinational Approach for Intrusion Detection Hari Om and Alok Kumar Gupta Fuzzy Logic-Based Application Security Risk Assessment Hossain Shahriar, Hisham M. Haddad, and Ishan Vaidya Authenticated Multiple-Key Establishment Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks Jayaprakash Kar Tees Confidentiality Model (TCM2): Supporting Dynamic Authorization and Overrides in Attribute Based Access Control Jim Longstaff and Tony Howitt Design and Analysis of Independent, Open-Access Wi-Fi Monitoring Infrastructures in Live Environments Jonny Milliken, Kian Meng Yap, and Alan Marshall Security Attacks and Countermeasures in Cloud Computing Kashif Munir, Lawan Ahmad Mohammad, and Sellapan Palaniappan Optimizing Ant-Based Internet Protocol Traceback Mohammad Hamedi-Hamzehkolaie, Mohammad Javad Shamani, and M. B. Ghaznavi-Ghoushchi A Case Study on Security Issues in LT E Backhaul and Core Networks Madhusanka Liyanage, Mika Ylianttila, and Andrei Gurtov A Case Study of Intelligent ID S False Alarm Reduction in Cloud Environments: Challenges and Trends Yuxin Meng, We njuan Li, and Lam-For Kwok Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks and Their Countermeasures Mukesh Kumar and Kamlesh Dutta Privacy-Preserving Identity-Based Broadcast Encryption and Its Applications Muthulakshmi Angamuthu, Anitha Ramalingam, and Thanalakshmi Perumal The Impact of Application-Layer Denial-of-Service Attacks Hugo Gonzalez, Marc Antoine Gosselin-Lavigne, Natalia Stakhanova, and Ali A. Ghorbani Classification of Radical Messages on Twitter Using Security Associations Pooja Wadhwa and M. P. S. Bhatia Toward Effective Malware Clustering: Reducing False Negatives through Feature Weighting and the Lp Metric Renato Cordeirode Amorim and Peter Komisarczuk Reversible Watermarking: Theory and Practice Ruchira Naskar and Rajat Subhra Chakraborty Web Application Security Attacks and Countermeasures Tushar Kanti Saha and A. B. M. Shawkat Ali Security in Mobile Networks: A Novel Challenge and Solution Tran Quang Thanh, Yacine Rebahi, and Thomas Magedanz Web Session Security: Attack and Defense Techniques Zachary Evans and Hossain Shahriar Internet Botnets: A Survey of Detection Techniques Boris Nechaev and Andrei Gurtov Creating a Solid Information Security Infrastructure through the Use of the Intelligence Cycle: A Case Study Carlos F. Lerma Resendez A Novel Construction of Certificateless Signcryption Scheme for Smart Card Jayaprakash Kar
The Effects of GA3 and Storage Time on the Germination of Epigaea gaultherioides (Ericaceae) Seeds

Turkey is a country with diverse plant species and has significant potential in landscape planning. Epigaea gaultherioides (Boisse et Bal.) Takht. is a relic of the Black Sea (Euxine) province, aesthetic, and functional species indigenous to Northeastern Turkey and under the threat of extinction. The species should be cultured to ensure the permanence of the species with ex situ methods and employed in landscape planting design. The present study aimed to determine the effects of gibberellic acid (GA3) and cold storage time on seed germination performance in E. gaultherioides. Cold storage was applied to the seeds at +4 ºC for 16 and 28 months and subsequently the seeds were soaked in GA3 (0, 100, 500 and 1,000 ppm) solutions for 24 hours. The findings indicated that E. gaultherioides seeds that were not treated with GA3 solutions did not germinate. However, it was determined that germination was low in seeds treated with 500 ppm GA3, and 80% of the seeds germinated when treated with cold storage at 25 °C (24 h dark) for 16 months. The ANOVA revealed that there were statistically significant differences between germination percentage and mean germination times for various gibberellic acid doses and cold storage – time processes. Keywords: cold storage time, germination rate, gibberellic acid, landscape, relict
The effects of alternating heads of state on structural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of alternating heads of state on structural transformation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Indeed, the alternation of a head of state is an institutional tool likely to promote the reallocation of labor, innovation and human capital and thus improve structural change and intra-industry productivity, which are the two components of structural transformation. The primary data collected on the alternation of heads of state, the Africa sector database (ASD) and the World Development Indicators (WDI) allow us to illustrate our remarks using the two steps least squares (2SLS) method on a panel of 17 SSA countries. The results obtained show that the number of alternations of heads of state positively and significantly affects intra-industry productivity and structural change in SSA.
Design of a photovoltaic mppt charge controller using DC-DC zeta converter with a modified three-stage charging method

Nowadays, one of the primary kinds of renewable energies is photovoltaic (PV) systems. In standalone PV systems, the battery charge controller plays an important role in the system efficiency. In the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller, due to adjusting the voltage level and tracking the maximum power, DC-DC converter and MPPT algorithm are used. ZETA converter, as a DC-DC converter, offers a low output ripple. In the proposed MPPT charge controller, a DC-DC ZETA converter accompanied by a P&O (perturb and observe) algorithm will be used for tracking maximum power. Furthermore, over-charging and gassing are phenomena that may reduce the battery life by increasing the battery's temperature. To overcome this obstacle, the proposed three-stage charging method, which is the battery charging voltage levels (bulk, absorption, and float) are based on the battery temperature. The proposed MPPT charge controller is used for providing lower temperature for the battery when being charged. By comparing the proposed MPPT charge controller with the conventional method, the simulation results can ensure the desired performance of the proposed charge controller.
Amplitude analysis of the decay D-0 -&gt; K-K+pi(0)

Using 385 fb (cid:1) 1 of e (cid:2) e (cid:1) collisions, we study the amplitudes of the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decay D 0 ! K (cid:1) K (cid:2) (cid:1) 0 . We measure the strong phase difference between the (cid:1) D 0 and D 0 decays to K (cid:3) (cid:4) 892 (cid:5) (cid:2) K (cid:1) to be (cid:1) 35 : 5 (cid:6) (cid:7) 1 : 9 (cid:6) (cid:4) stat (cid:5) (cid:7) 2 : 2 (cid:6) (cid:4) syst (cid:5) , and their amplitude ratio to be 0 : 599 (cid:7) 0 : 013 (cid:4) stat (cid:5) (cid:7) 0 : 011 (cid:4) syst (cid:5) . We observe contributions from the K(cid:1) and K (cid:1) K (cid:2) scalar and vector amplitudes, and analyze their angular moments. We ﬁnd no evidence for charged (cid:2) , nor for higher spin states. We also perform a partial-wave analysis of the K (cid:1) K system in a limited mass range.
The fate of compost-derived phosphorus in urban gardens

urban agriculture has been expanding rapidly in recent years, and it has the potential to recycle nutrients from local food wastes into new foods through the use of compost as growth medium. composts typically have low nitrogen: phosphorus (n:p) ratios, and in urban gardens, when composts are typically applied to soils annually to meet the n demand of crops, excess p can build up and be prone to leaching. We measured dissolved p (po4 3−) and n (no3 − & nh4 +) losses in the leachate from experimental raised-bed garden plots that received one of two commonly used composts (municipal organics compost derived from food scraps or cow manure derived compost) at three different application levels (15%, 35%, or 50% by volume). po4 3− concentrations in leachate from garden plots receiving manure composts were high, ranging from 5 to 11 mg/L, depending on the application level. Leachate po4 3− concentrations from plots receiving municipal organics composts were an order of magnitude lower, ranging from 0.5−1.2 mg/L, while leachate po4 3− in garden plots receiving no compost was 0.3 mg L−1. cumulative mass of po4 3− lost through leachate during the growing season ranged from 1.2 to 4.2 g/m2 for manure compost treatments, compared to 0.12–0.72 g/m2 for municipal compost treatments, and 0.06 g/m2 for soil with no compost. Leachate accounted for 0–37% and 18–45% of dissolved p and n exported from garden plots, respectively. The high application rate of municipal compost significantly increased crop yield relative to the control treatment. p lost from leachate and removed through harvest only represented 1–10% of total p applied as compost, suggesting that soil build-up was the dominant fate of p in this study. our results illustrate the potential trade-off in urban agriculture between crop production and recycling p efficiently from urban food waste.
TOP BP1 Dpb11 plays a conserved role in homologous recombination DNA repair through the coordinated recruitment of 53BP1 Rad9

pro-HR function by recruitment of 53BP1 to Genome maintenance and cancer suppression require homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair. In yeast and mammals, the scaffold protein TOP BP1 Dpb11 has been implicated in HR, although its precise function and mechanism of action remain elusive. In this study, we show that yeast Dpb11 plays an antagonistic role in recombination control through regulated protein interactions. Dpb11 mediates opposing roles in DNA end resection by coordinating both the stabilization and exclusion of Rad9 from DNA lesions. The Mec1 kinase promotes the pro-resection function of Dpb11 by mediating its interaction with the Slx4 scaffold. Human TOP BP1 Dpb11 engages in interactions with the anti-resection factor 53BP1 and the pro-resection factor BRCA1, suggesting that TOP BP1 also mediates opposing functions in HR control. Hyperstabilization of the 53BP1–TOP BP1 interaction enhances the recruitment of 53BP1 to nuclear foci in the S phase, resulting in impaired HR and the accumulation of chromosomal aberrations. Our results support a model in which TOP BP1 Dpb11 plays a conserved role in mediating a phosphoregulated circuitry for the control of recombinational DNA repair.