Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Reexamination of the Mediating Effect of Trust among Alarm Systems' Characteristics and Human Compliance and Reliance

The most widely accepted view regarding the relationship among the characteristics of alarm systems and human compliance with and reliance on such systems is that trust plays a critical mediating effect. Researchers have promoted this contention based on theoretical and empirical evidence. However, there are some limitations associated with the prior empirical work that researchers have used to support this contention. The purpose of this research was to present an approach that more adequately assesses the potential mediating effect of trust among systems' characteristics and human compliance and reliance by establishing temporal precedence in the measurement of trust, compliance, and reliance. Contrary to previous theory and empirical findings, the preliminary results from this approach suggest that trust does not serve as a mediating factor. These findings seem to suggest that although trust is related to human compliance and reliance, it is simply a result of systems' characteristics that may or may not have differential effects on human-automation interaction.
RFID as a key enabler of the internet of things : localization and communication

By having everything in our physical world digitally connected, the Internet of Things is expected to transform how we interact with our environments and unlock tremendous business values through advance analytics. Owing to its low cost, small form factor, and its ability to communicate without a battery, RFID has emerged as a key enabler for digitally connecting, identifying, and tracking everyday objects. Each year, billions of RFIDs are being deployed to tag retail goods, track pharmaceuticals, and build smart infrastructures. However, core technical challenges in localization and data communication remain to be addressed, before RFID could reach its full potential in the Internet of Things. Today's RFID systems can only identify whether a tagged object is within radio range (up to tens of meters) while lacking the capability to pinpoint its exact location. This dissertation presents three centimeter-scale RFID localization designs, each introducing a set of new techniques and targeting a different application: 1) business analytics and asset management; 2) navigating a robot toward an RFID-tagged object and estimating its position and orientation for manipulation; 3) a virtual touch screen enabled by tracing the detailed trajectory of the RFID on an user's finger to reconstruct her drawing or handwriting in the air. Beyond locating and tracking objects, RFID also holds great potential in forming ultra-low power sensor networks to collect data. A major problem that has challenged this vision is that, unlike WiFi or cellular devices, backscatter RFIDs lack functionalities like carrier sense and rate adaptation, and hence RFID-sensor networks tend to suffer from collisions and inefficient data communication. In this dissertation, instead of considering collision as detrimental and trying to avoid it, we show how to transform collisions into a distributed code across the bits transmitted by a network of RFIDs. We leverage this collision-based code to achieve fast node identification and automatic rate adaptation, improving RFID network reliability and efficiency. Thesis Supervisor: Dina Katabi Title: Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
“Swiggy it!”

This article is a critical inquiry into the shifting nature of the local and the proximate during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the ubiquitous usage of food delivery software applications, or “gastro apps,” in Bangalore, India. I invite a new way to think about the local—both the lived experience of locality and its mapping in techno-location—in the face of the expanding virtual terrain of the global political economy and the foreclosing social worlds of the pandemic, to interrogate the growing disjuncture between local territory and subjectivity and the increasing conjuncture between locality and consumption. Through innovative methodologies using social media platforms, I trace the complex interactions on the popular Swiggy gastro app between migrant deliverymen and middle-class consumers in Bangalore in order to map social worlds of residency, immutability, and nearness, as well as migrancy, precarity, and distance, upon one another, which I argue form an “emergent gastro geography,” where critical interventions in taste, place, and want meet and in which the concepts of the local, the dislocated, and the locational take on new meanings.
The Facebook Groups and Pages of Malagasy Migrants in France: Hubs of Peer-to-Peer and Spontaneous Solidarity

How do social platforms such as Facebook help migrant communities cope with the adversities faced during the migration journey? This is the question that drove this study, which explores the on- and offline experiences of Malagasy migrants in France during their migration journeys. We use complementary mixed methods, including an online survey (2021, n = 340) and participant observation of in-group and public interactions on 28 Facebook groups and pages of this community. We found that peer-to-peer solidarity as a collective response to the adversities faced during migration is present and very active within the Malagasy community in France. The exchanges among the members of this community concerning matters such as administrative issues and the transport of parcels between France and Madagascar are intense and continuous. Beyond this, solidarity chains are temporarily activated in response to specific needs, and particularly in collectively challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research also found that in their groups and pages, the Malagasy in France engage less frequently in other vital issues, such as finding work.
Identification of Speed Brake, Air-Drop, and Landing Gear Effects from Flight Data

Applying system identification methodology, an aerodynamic database covering the entire operational flight envelope, was estimated from Transall flight data. We emphasize the modeling and identification of some of the Transall specific operational characteristics such as the ramp door and dropping of heavy loads. In addition, aerodynamic effects because of speed brakes and landing gear are determined applying a nonlinear maximum likelihood parameter estimation method. The identification results indicate that the speed brakes function as pure drag generators only for the retracted landing flaps. For extended landing flaps, applying speed brakes affects the aircraft pitching motion. The landing gear is found to affect both the longitudinal and lateral-directional aircraft motion. Opening of the ramp door results in an effectively enlarged fuselage, affecting mostly the lateral-directional motion. It is demonstrated that the load dropping can be adequately modeled by properly accounting for the variations in the aircraft mass characteristics.
Interactions between Organizational Culture, Trustworthiness, and Mechanisms for Inter-Project Knowledge Sharing

This research used a multiple-case study approach to empirically investigate the complex relationship between factors influencing inter-project knowledge sharing—trustworthiness, organizational culture, and knowledge-sharing mechanisms. Adopting a competing values framework, we found evidence of patterns existing between the type of culture, on the project management unit level, and project managers' perceptions of valuing trustworthy behaviors and the way they share knowledge, on the individual level. We also found evidence for mutually reinforcing the effect of trust and clan culture, which shape tacit knowledge-sharing behaviors.
Time-delay single layer artificial neural network models for estimating shelf life of burfi

Time-delay single layer artificial neural network models were developed for estimating the shelf life of burfi stored at 30oC. Input variables for the models were moisture, titratable acidity, free fatty acids, tyrosine, and peroxide value, while the overall acceptability score was taken as output variable. Mean square error, root mean square error, coefficient of determination and Nash - sutcliffo coefficient were applied in order to compare the prediction ability of the Time-delay single layer models. The combination of 5-1-1 showed a very high correlation between the training and validation data, establishing that the developed models are effective in predicting the shelf life of burfi.
Differences by School Location in Summer and School Monthly Weight Change: Findings from a Nationally Representative Sample

Objectives: To examine changes in accelerations of Body Mass Index (BMI), age-and-sex specific body mass index (zBMI), and 95th percentile of BMI (%BMIp95) during the summer months and school year by school location designation (i.e., urban, suburban, exurban). This study utilized the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011. Methods: Of the 18,174 children in the ECLS-K:2011 dataset, I restricted participants to those with at least two consecutive measures that occurred August/September or April/May. Mixed-effect regression analyses estimated differences in monthly change in BMI, zBMI, and %BMIp95 between the summer and school year while accounting for the ECLS-K complex sampling design. Models also examined differences in the magnitude of BMI, zBMI, and %BMIp95 change between the summer and school year by school location. Post-hoc Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) procedure set at 10% false discovery was incorporated to account for multiple comparisons. Results: A total of 1549 children (48% female, 42% White) had at least two consecutive measures that occurred in August/September or April/May. Among all locale classifications (i.e., urban, suburban, and exurban), children from high-income households comprised the largest proportions for each group (31%, 39%, and 37%), respectively. Among urban and suburban locations, Hispanic children comprised the largest proportions for both groups (43% and 44%), respectively. Among exurban locale classifications, White children comprised the largest proportion of children (60%). Children from suburban and exurban schools experienced significantly less accelerations in monthly zBMI gain when compared to their urban counterparts −0.038 (95CI = −0.071, −0.004) and −0.045 (95CI = −0.083, −0.007), respectively. Children from exurban schools experienced significantly less acceleration in monthly %BMIp95 during the summer months when compared to the school year −0.004 (95CI = −0.007, 0.000). Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to examine summer weight gain by school location. Summer appears to impact children more negatively from urban schools when compared to their suburban and exurban counterparts.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Children Aged 5–11 Years — United States, November 2021

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (BNT162b2) vaccine is a lipid nanoparticle-formulated, nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine encoding the prefusion spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. On August 23, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a Biologics License Application (BLA) for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, marketed as Comirnaty (Pfizer, Inc.), in persons aged ≥16 years (1). The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is also recommended for adolescents aged 12-15 years under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) (1). All persons aged ≥12 years are recommended to receive 2 doses (30 μg, 0.3 mL each), administered 3 weeks apart (2,3). As of November 2, 2021, approximately 248 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to persons aged ≥12 years in the United States. * On October 29, 2021, FDA issued an EUA amendment for a new formulation of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5-11 years, administered as 2 doses (10 μg, 0.2 mL each), 3 weeks apart (Table) (1). On November 2, 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued an interim recommendation† for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5-11 years for the prevention of COVID-19. To guide its deliberations regarding recommendations for the vaccine, ACIP used the Evidence to Recommendation (EtR) Framework§ and incorporated a Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. ¶ The ACIP recommendation for the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5-11 years under an EUA is interim and will be updated as additional information becomes available. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has high efficacy (>90%) against COVID-19 in children aged 5-11 years, and ACIP determined benefits outweigh risks for vaccination. Vaccination is important to protect children against COVID-19 and reduce community transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Live Spoofing Detection for Automatic Human Activity Recognition Applications

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) has become increasingly crucial in several applications, ranging from motion-driven virtual games to automated video surveillance systems. In these applications, sensors such as smart phone cameras, web cameras or CCTV cameras are used for detecting and tracking physical activities of users. Inevitably, spoof detection in HAR is essential to prevent anomalies and false alarms. To this end, we propose a deep learning based approach that can be used to detect spoofing in various fields such as border control, institutional security and public safety by surveillance cameras. Specifically, in this work, we address the problem of detecting spoofing occurring from video replay attacks, which is more common in such applications. We present a new database containing several videos of users juggling a football, captured under different lighting conditions and using different display and capture devices. We train our models using this database and the proposed system is capable of running in parallel with the HAR algorithms in real-time. Our experimental results show that our approach precisely detects video replay spoofing attacks and generalizes well, even to other applications such as spoof detection in face biometric authentication. Results show that our approach is effective even under resizing and compression artifacts that are common in HAR applications using remote server connections.
Effects of Postactivation Potentiation on Maximal Vertical Jump Performance After a Conditioning Contraction in Upper-Body and Lower-Body Muscle Groups

Abstract Downey, RJ, Deprez, DA, and Chilibeck, PD. Effects of postactivation potentiation on maximal vertical jump performance after a conditioning contraction in upper-body and lower-body muscle groups. J Strength Cond Res 36(1): 259–261, 2022—Postactivation potentiation (PAP) involves preperformance contractions that can condition a muscle to enhance subsequent force generation and power output. Our purpose was to examine the effects of conditioning contractions that are specific or nonspecific to the target performance on PAP. Resistance-trained subjects (14 males and 10 females) performed a 7-second isometric contraction involving back squat, bench press (as conditioning contractions), or a control condition (rest) on different days in random order, before maximal vertical jump performance. The back squat as a conditioning contraction increased maximal vertical jump by 1.1 ± 3.0 cm (p < 0.05); however, the bench press as a conditioning contraction unexpectedly reduced maximal vertical jump performance by 1.4 ± 2.7 cm (p < 0.05). Conditioning contractions used to elicit a PAP response should use muscles that are specific to the performance movement. Contractions that are not biomechanically similar to the performance movement may hinder subsequent performance.
An overview of the application of Fenton oxidation to industrial wastewaters treatment

This review provides updated information on the application of the Fenton process as an advanced oxidation method for the treatment of industrial wastewaters. This technology has been used in recent decades as a chemical oxidation process addressed to meet a variety of objectives including final polishing, reduction of high percentages of organic load in terms of chemical oxygen demand or total organic carbon and removal of recalcitrant and toxic pollutants thus allowing for further conventional biological treatment. The efficiency and flexibility of this technology has been proven with a wide diversity of effluents from chemical and other related industries or activities, including pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, textile, food, cork processing, and landfilling among others. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
NRT2.1 phosphorylation prevents root high affinity nitrate uptake activity in Arabidopsis thaliana

In Arabidopsis thaliana, NRT2.1 codes for a main component of the root nitrate high-affinity transport system. Previous studies revealed that post-translational regulation of NRT2.1 plays an important role in the control of root nitrate uptake and that one mechanism could correspond to NRT2.1 C-terminus processing. To further investigate this hypothesis, we produced transgenic plants with truncated forms of NRT2.1. It revealed an essential sequence for NRT2.1 activity, located between the residues 494-513. Using a phospho-proteomic approach, we found that this sequence contains one phosphorylation site, at serine 501, which can inactivate NRT2.1 function when mimicking the constitutive phosphorylation of this residue in transgenic plants. This phenotype could neither be explained by changes in abundance of NRT2.1 and NAR2.1, a partner protein of NRT2.1, nor by a lack of interaction between these two proteins. Finally, the relative level of serine 501 phosphorylation was found to be modulated by nitrate in wildtype plants. Altogether, these observations allowed us to propose a model for a new and essential mechanism for the regulation of NRT2.1 activity.
Hydraulic jump in channel contraction

The hydraulic jump in a linearly contracting channel is studied in relation to choking flow. For a contraction intended to perform under supercritical flow, choking is an important design consideration because of the increase of flow depth and modified upstream conditions. Based on the momentum equation, a relation for the sequent depths ratio is determined and verified with extended experiments. Further, the mechanisms of both hydraulic jump and the choking flow are described. The wall surface profile is shown to be similar and equal to the profile of the classical hydraulic jump for a relatively small contraction rate. The lengths of roller and jump are determined, and substantial agreement with the classical jump is again found. The choking of a channel contraction is discussed as the limit condition of the hydraulic jump. A simplified model is shown to agree with observations. A design equation for choking is proposed. Key words: channel, choking, contraction, hydraulic jump, supercritical flow, water.
Vehicle rollover recovery using active steering/wheel torque control

It is well understood that the driver's steering input strongly affects lateral vehicle dynamics, and excessive steering command may result in unstable vehicle motion. In a certain driving condition, it is possible for a skilled driver to prevent vehicle rollover with better perceptive capability of judging conditions and responding faster with smooth compensatory actions. This paper investigates the possibility of using active steering and wheel torque control to assist drivers in avoiding vehicle rollovers in emergency situations. The effectiveness of steering control alone and the combination of steering/wheel torque control in recovery from an unstable roll condition were demonstrated through simulation of both low and high vehicle speeds.
Identifying Service-Related Predictors of Community Reintegration Difficulties in Northern Irish Military Veterans

Military-to-civilian community reintegration in Northern Irish (NI) veterans has not been previously examined. The existing reintegration studies indicate that post-military service life can be challenging for many veterans. The current exploratory study aimed to identify service-related predictors of community reintegration difficulties in a sample of 749 NI veterans. Data were collected through a cross-sectional self-report survey of UK Armed Forces veterans residing in NI. Service-related variables were examined as predictors of overall and subdomain-specific reintegration difficulties. Combat exposure, time spent deployed in NI, length of service, being medically discharged, and being physically injured during service were significant predictors of reintegration difficulties. Receiving a mental health diagnosis since discharge and having been medically discharged were the two strongest predictors. Further results and implications are also discussed. Post-service adjustment to civilian life is affected by service variables, with implications for military/post-military interventions aimed at mitigating difficult transition experiences.
Aerodynamics of Compressor Casing Treatment: Part I—Experiment and Time-Accurate Numerical Simulation

This paper presents both experimental and unsteady RANS investigations of a slot-type casing treatment at a transonic axial flow compressor rotor. Experimental results show that at 60% and 98% of rotor design wheel speeds, approximately 100% and 200% extra extensions of the rotor operation ranges are achieved, respectively. On the other hand, there are about 3.6% and 2.0% drops of efficiencies at 60% and 98% speeds respectively if comparisons are made at the same peak-efficiency mass flow rates of the solid casing case. If comparing the respective peak efficiencies for the solid casing case with those for the treated casing case, there are still about 3.4% and 0.7% drops at 60% and 98% speeds, respectively. As for the unsteady RANS study, an in-house unsteady RANS code has been used to study the casing treatment flow at several operating points, i.e., the peak efficiency and the near stall with regard to the solid casing case at 60% speed and 98% speed, respectively. It is shown that the interactions between the blade passage flow and the casing treatment flow exhibit different manner at two rotating speeds. The flow condition in which the rotor operates, i.e., either the subsonic condition at the 60% speed or the transonic condition with passage shock presented at the 98% speed, is one of the determinate factors that are responsible for the manner the casing treatment works. The loss production due to casing treatment is also particularly discussed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A case study of geosmin in Philadelphia's water

Two episodes of unacceptable tastes and odors, which corresponded with levels of geosmin in the water that were much higher than the background level of 20 ng/L or less, occurred in Philadelphia during 1985. The source of one episode was found to be a localized bed of algae in the Schuylkill River. An existing tasteand odor-control program, which utilizes instrumental and sensory analyses, was largely responsible for the effective management of the episodes. Hydraulic strategies were used to reduce the treatment plant's intake of geosmin, and powdered activated carbon in the treatment train further reduced the geosmin level. Dilution of this treated water with other finished waters in the distribution system also diminished the impact of geosmin on the taste and odor of Philadelphia's water.