Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effectiveness of Inquiry and Practice During Project Design Courses at a Technology University

Among the many teaching methods, inquiry-based teaching is considered to be an effective way for students to learn and solve problems on their own. However, most of the research related to inquiry-based teaching and learning has concentrated mainly on K-12 education, while few to no studies have focused on the application of inquiry-based teaching and learning in project design courses at university level. Therefore, in order to expand the understanding of the application effect of inquiry-based teaching at university level, this study adopted the quasi-experimental design method, and through the purposive sampling method, 20 students from the Department of Fashion Design at a University of Science and Technology were invited to participate in this study. During the 9-month period, teaching experiments were carried out using two inquiry models, QC/ADEAC and QD/ODEAC. First, when participants were thinking of a creative topic, they followed the process: Question (Q), Collection/Analysis (C/A), Discussion (D), Explanation (E), Amendment (A), and Confirmation (C) in the course. During the production process, the participants were allowed to improve on their work through the process of Question (Q), Doing/Observation (D/O), Discussion (D), Explanation (E), Amendment (A), and Confirmation (C). The teacher became a true guide, so that the participants could explore and work out how to improve their designs through independent inquiry and practice. In this study, questionnaires were administered to participants at five important stages of the design project: “theme development,” “color development,” “first Work,” “second Work,” and “third Work. ” The results of the five surveys showed that the participants’ curriculum interest, curriculum value perception, and curriculum confidence in the inquiry program all increased.
Automated Narratives: On the Influence of Bots in Narratives during the 2020 Vienna Terror Attack

: A narrative is a set of topic-wise interconnected messages that have been sent/posted via a social media plat-form. In recent years, social media play an important role in human information seeking behavior during and shortly after crisis events. Moreover, automated accounts (so called social bots) have been identiﬁed to play an instrumental role in manipulating the public discourse on social media. In this paper, we investigate the impact of bot accounts on the Twitter discourse surrounding the terror attack that took place in Vienna, Austria, on November 2 nd 2020. The corresponding data-set consists of 399,247 tweets. In our analysis, we derive a structural topic model and map it to the ﬁve “narratives of crisis” as proposed by Seeger and Sellnow. Among other things, we were able to identify bot activity in neutral as well as in negative narratives, including breaking news updates, ﬁnger pointing, and expressions of shock and grief. Positive narratives, such as stories of heroes, were predominantly driven by human users. In addition, we found that the bots contributing to narratives surrounding the Vienna terror attack did not have the ability of picking up local story lines and contributed to more global narratives instead. Moreover, we identiﬁed similar temporal patterns in narratives with high bot involvement.
PhilaeX: Explaining the Failure and Success of AI Models in Malware Detection

: The explanation to an AI model’s prediction used to support decision making in cyber security, is of critical importance. It is especially so when the model’s incorrect prediction can lead to severe damages or even losses to lives and critical assets. However, most existing AI models lack the ability to provide explanations on their prediction results, despite their strong performance in most scenarios. In this work, we propose a novel explainable AI method, called PhilaeX, that provides the heuristic means to identify the optimized subset of features to form the complete explanations of AI models’ predictions. It identiﬁes the features that lead to the model’s borderline prediction, and those with positive individual contributions are extracted. The feature attributions are then quantiﬁed through the optimization of a Ridge regression model. We verify the explanation ﬁdelity through two experiments. First, we assess our method’s capability in correctly identifying the activated features in the adversarial samples of Android malwares, through the features attribution values from PhilaeX. Second, the deduction and augmentation tests, are used to assess the ﬁdelity of the explanations. The results show that PhilaeX is able to explain different types of classiﬁers correctly, with higher ﬁdelity explanations, compared to the state-of-the-arts methods such as LIME and SHAP.
Factors Influencing LoRa Communication in IoT Deployment: Overview and Experience Analysis

LoRa communication offers wireless sensor networks deployment for system or environmental monitoring over long distances and with low energy consumption. However, this radio communication technology is subject to environmental disturbances. In this paper, we propose an overview of the studies carried out on LoRa signal disturbances, taking the RSSI as a comparison parameter. Secondly, we extract the main influences to compare them with the data collected on the experimental platform of the Smart Village of Cozzano (Mediterranean area, Southern of Corsica island), a scientific program aiming to develop digital tools for the monitoring and the preservation of the environment. We use one of the most popular techniques in multivariate statistics, especially when analyzing large datasets, the principal component analysis (PCA). The results show the impact of some environmental parameters on communication quality.
AETOS: An Architecture for Offloading Core LTE Traffic Using Software Defined Networking Concepts

It goes without saying that cellular users of today have an insatiable appetite for bandwidth and data. Data-intensive applications, such as video on demand, online gaming and video conferencing, have gained prominence. This, coupled with recent innovations in the mobile network such as LTE/4G, poses a unique challenge to network operators in how to extract the most value from their deployments all the while reducing their Total Cost of Operations(TCO). To this end, a number of enhancements have been proposed to the ”conventional” LTE mobile network. Most of these recognize the monolithic and non-elastic nature of the mobile backend and propose complimenting core functionality with concepts borrowed from Software Defined Networking (SDN). In this thesis we shall attempt to explore some existing options within the LTE standard to mitigate large traffic churns. We will then review some SDN-enabled alternatives, and attempt to derive a proof based critique on their merits and drawbacks. Keywords-component; SDN; LTE; EPC; Openflow; mobile networks; deep packet inspection; network applications
Statistical analysis of spin pit failure data to predict inservice B.1 lives of gas turbine disks

Analyse statistique de donnees d'essais de disques de turbines a gaz en vue de prevoir la duree de service (duree de vie B1, c'est-a-dire duree au bout de laquelle une piece sur 1000 developpe une fissure de 1/32eme de pouce). Essai cyclique a temperature ambiante
1. Conditioning of the gilt for optimal reproductive performance

Gilt development is essential for sustaining a productive herd. Limits or targets of body condition at the beginning of first pregnancy are thought important and are frequently described in recommendations about how to ensure long and successful reproductive lifetime. Evidence suggests that backfat depth at first service is poorly related to life time productivity. Alternatively, a weight range of 135 to 150 kg at first service has broad recognition as a credible indicator of physiological preparedness and is an effective target in gilt pool management protocols. Although suspected to be most vital, less is known about the relationship between body protein mass or accretion rate and reproduction. Challenges exist with efforts to better understand the importance of conditioning the gilt for reproductive performance.
Congestive Heart Failure and Cerebrovascular Accident in a Young Woman: A Case Report

Ischemic stroke is the most common type of cerebrovascular accident in older patients, but it is rare in younger adults. Here we present the case of a 27-year-old woman who presented with symptoms and signs of stroke and a medical history of nephrotic syndrome. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed four chamber dilation, biventricular failure, global hypokinesis, concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, and severely depressed systolic function with an ejection fraction of 25%. The presence of nephrotic syndrome in conjunction with heart failure indicated need for further investigation and consideration due to the increased risk of thrombosis.
Evaluation of anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties of ethanol extract of Allium sativum linn

This study evaluated the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties of ethanol extract of Allium sativum linn. The ethanol extract yielded two distinct layers which differed in phytochemical composition, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. In the base filtrate (BF), tannins, carbohydrates, alkaloids, glycosides, reducing sugars, flavonoids, saponins, acidic compounds and resins were found present. The methanol fraction of the base filtrate was however found to have resins and tannins. The acute toxicity (oral) in this study was 3,750 mg/kg. Anti-microbial activity was tested using clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Klebsiella pneumonia, with Penicillin-G, Erythromycin, Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and Ceftriazone as standard drugs. The upper filtrate and base filtrate of the extract were found to exhibit a statistically significant and dose-dependent inhibitory effect on all test micro-organisms when compared with control. The result of the systemic anti-inflammatory study showed that the extract had a statistically significant, dose and time dependent systemic anti-inflammatory effect when compared with the negative and positive controls. The topical anti-inflammatory study showed a statistically significant, dose and time dependent topical anti-inflammatory effect at all tested doses. In conclusion, this study was able to establish that extract of Allium sativum had a statistically significant (p< 0.05) anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects, which is comparable to standard anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory drugs. This pharmacological effect may be due to the abundant presences of phytochemical constituents in the ethanol extract of Allium sativum L. This goes a long way to support its extensive use as an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory agent in ethno medicine.
New, Useful Criteria for Assessing the Evidence of Infection in Sepsis Research

OBJECTIVES: The Sepsis-3 definition states the clinical criteria for sepsis but lacks clear definitions of the underlying infection. To address the lack of applicable definitions of infection for sepsis research, we propose new criteria, termed the Linder-Mellhammar criteria of infection (LMCI). The aim of this study was to validate these new infection criteria. DESIGN: A multicenter cohort study of patients with suspected infection who were admitted to emergency departments or ICUs. Data were collected from medical records and from study investigators. SETTING: Four academic hospitals in Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Germany. PATIENTS: A total of 934 adult patients with suspected infection or suspected sepsis. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Agreement of infection site classification was measured using the LMCI with Cohen κ coefficient, compared with the Calandra and Cohen definitions of infection and diagnosis on hospital discharge as references. In one of the cohorts, comparisons were also made to adjudications by an expert panel. A subset of patients was assessed for interobserver agreement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The precision of the LMCI varied according to the applied reference. LMCI performed better than the Calandra and Cohen definitions (κ = 0.62 [95% CI, 0.59–0.65] vs κ = 0.43 [95% CI, 0.39–0.47], respectively) and the diagnosis on hospital discharge (κ = 0.57 [95% CI, 0.53–0.61] vs κ = 0.43 [95% CI, 0.39–0.47], respectively). The interobserver agreement for the LMCI was evaluated in 91 patients, with agreement in 77%, κ = 0.72 (95% CI, 0.60–0.85). When tested with adjudication as the gold standard, the LMCI still outperformed the Calandra and Cohen definitions (κ = 0.65 [95% CI, 0.60–0.70] vs κ = 0.29 [95% CI, 0.24–0.33], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The LMCI is useful criterion of infection that is intended for sepsis research, in and outside of the ICU. Useful criteria for infection have the potential to facilitate more comparable sepsis research and exclude sepsis mimics from clinical studies, thus improving and simplifying sepsis research.
Observational studies: Ambient air pollution and hospitalization for RA-ILD in a heavily polluted city in China

Abstract Little is known within the medical community about the impact of air pollution on hospital admissions due to rheumatoid arthritis associated with interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). Our research aimed to explore whether there is a correlation and to estimate how the association was distributed across various lags in Jinan, China. The relationships between ambient air pollutant concentrations, including PM2.5, PM10, sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and monthly hospitalizations for RA-ILD were studied by employing a general linear model with a Poisson distribution. This time-series study was performed from January 1st, 2015 to December 31st, 2019. In the 5-year study, there were 221 hospitalizations for RA-ILD in Jinan city. The levels of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 were significantly related to the number of admissions for RA-ILD. PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 showed the most significant effect on the month (lag 0), and NO2 was most related to RA-ILD at a lag of two months (lag 2). The monthly admissions of RA-ILD increased by 0.875% (95% CI: 0.375–1.377%), 0.548% (95% CI: 0.148–0.949%), 1.968% (95% CI: 0.869–3.080%), and 1.534% (95% CI: 0.305–2.778%) for each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NO2, respectively. This study might add more detailed evidence that higher levels of PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NO2 increase the risk of hospitalizations for RA-ILD. Further study of the role of air pollution in the pathogenesis of RA-ILD is warranted.
Evaluating Research Output Using Scientometric and Social Network Analysis: A Case of Alagappa University, India

This study analyzed the research productivity of Alagappa University (AU), India, in terms of scientometric and social network analysis measures. The primary aim of this study is to construct two types of networks, co-authorship, and citation, with three levels of network measures to divulge the social and intellectual structure of AU and to identify their research hubs, social interactions, the knowledge diffusion pattern, which will help to strengthen their research areas, fund allocation and to formulate appropriate policy strategies. It revealed that AU produced 99.45 % of research articles in collaboration, particularly 88.41% of the articles were the outcome of international scientific collaboration, remaining 11.04% of them have collaborated domestically. It found that the main path of the most cited publications constituted the mainstream of development of the Department of Bio-Technology, AU. Research Alagappa University,
Study of the Determinants of the Nycthemera of Childbirth at the Reference Health Center of Kalaban-Coro, Kati, Mali

Summary: Introduction: Knowledge of the birth cycle is important in the organization of reproductive health services in a facility. The main objective was to study the determinants of the birth cycle at the Kalaban-Coro health center. However, it seems that there are other determinants of the birth cycle, hence the relevance of this study. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study from October 1 to December 31, 2020. Results: The study included 977 parturients who gave birth in the department. It recorded more night deliveries (59.1%) than day deliveries (40.9%). The average age of the women was 25 years. Non-educated births were the most represented with 39% of cases. Nocturnal admissions were predominant (58.8%); 59% of parturients had a history of nocturnal delivery and 40% preferred to give birth at night, while 30% had no preference. At admission, 57.91% of parturients were in the active phase during the night, compared to 42.59% during the day; 52.6% of parturients had a nocturnal onset of labor, compared to 47.4% during the day. Conclusion: The study showed that childbirth is more frequent at night than during the day. It highlighted the admission nycthemer, the previous nycthemer of deliveries and the preference of the parturient as other determinants of the nycthemer of the delivery.
Experimental Cyclic Heat Stress on Intestinal Permeability, Bone Mineralization, Leukocyte Proportions and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens

Simple Summary Recently, our laboratory published a heat stress model to induce gastrointestinal leakage in broiler chickens. Nevertheless, the model describes continuous heat stress (HS) conditions from day 21 until 42 days of age. The current brief report intends to present an alternative model (12 h/day), particularly more in accordance with real-world conditions, to evaluate nutraceuticals or products that can reduce the severity of HS under experimental conditions. Results of this study confirm what has been extensively reported by numerous scientists. Cyclic HS increased leaky gut, reduced performance, bone mineralization, and meat quality in broiler chickens. Abstract The goal of this research was to assess cyclic heat stress on gut permeability, bone mineralization, and meat quality in chickens. Two separate trials were directed. 320 day-of-hatch Cobb 500 male chicks were randomly assigned to four thermoneutral (TN) and four cyclic heat stress (HS) chambers with two pens each, providing eight replicates per treatment in each trial (n = 20 chicks/replicate). Environmental conditions in the TN group were established to simulate commercial production settings. Heat stress chickens were exposed to cyclic HS at 35 °C for 12 h/day from days 7–42. Performance parameters, intestinal permeability, bone parameters, meat quality, and leukocyte proportions were estimated. There was a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in body weight (BW), BW gain, and feed intake, but the feed conversion ratio increased in chickens under cyclic HS. Moreover, HS chickens had a significantly higher gut permeability, monocyte and basophil levels, but less bone mineralization than TN chickens. Nevertheless, the TN group had significant increases in breast yield, woody breast, and white striping in breast fillets compared to HS. These results present an alternative model to our previously published continuous HS model to better reflect commercial conditions to evaluate commercially available nutraceuticals or products with claims of reducing the severity of heat stress.
Interaction effects of desiccation and temperature stress resistance across Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) developmental stages

Insects encounter multiple overlapping physiologically challenging environmental stressors in their habitats. As such, the ability of insects to withstand these stressors singly or interactively is fundamental in population persistence. Following its invasion in Africa, Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has successfully established and spread in most parts of the continent. However, the mechanisms behind its successful survival across arid and semi-arid African environments are relatively unknown. Here, we investigated the water balance of S. frugiperda across its developmental stages. Given the relationships between desiccation stress, temperature stress and other life history traits in arid ecosystems, we also measured interaction effects across metrics of these traits. Specifically, we measured basal body water content (BWC), water loss rates (WLRs) and the effects of desiccation pre-treatment on critical thermal minimum (CTmin), critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and fecundity. Body water content and WLR increased with age across larval instars. However, the effects of desiccation environments on WLRs were more dramatic for 5th and 6th larval instars. The 5th and 6th instars exhibited highest BWC and magnitude of WLRs plastic responses following desiccation treatment. The effects of desiccation pre-treatment on temperature tolerance were less apparent, only significantly improving CTmin in 2nd and 3rd larval instars and reducing CTmax in 5th instars. In addition, desiccation pre-treatment showed no significant effects on fecundity. These results show that water balance traits differ with developmental stage, while the effects of desiccation pre-treatment were more dramatic and inconclusive. The differential desiccation resistance, high proportional BWC and no desiccation pre-treatment effects on fecundity may help the species survive in arid and semi-arid environments. This information provides insights into understanding S. frugiperda survival under desiccating arid and semi-arid tropical environments and is significant in predicting pest outbreaks.
Multiphysics Model for Consolidation Behavior of Cemented Paste Backfill

AbstractIn underground mining practices, cemented paste backfill (CPB), a mixture of tailings, cement, and water, is widely adopted to fill extracted stopes. During and after the filling of the underground mine excavations or stopes with CPB, complex multiphysics processes (including thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical) take place in the CPB mass. These multiphysics processes and their coupling govern the consolidation characteristics and behavior of CPB. As a result, conventional soil mechanics consolidation theories and models are not appropriate for the evaluation and prediction of the consolidation behavior of CPB. Therefore, based on the principles of the continuity of pore space and conservation of mass, energy, and momentum, a three-dimensional coupled multiphysics consolidation model for CPB was developed in this study. The prediction capability of the proposed model was verified by comparing the predicted results with experimental data. Good agreement between the predicted values and exp.
Simplified TAVR Procedure: How Far Is It Possible to Go?

Increasing operators’ experience and improvement of the technique have resulted in a drastic reduction in complications following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with lower surgical risk. In parallel, the procedure was considerably simplified, with a routine default approach including local anesthesia in the catheterization laboratory, percutaneous femoral approach, radial artery as the secondary access, prosthesis implantation without predilatation, left ventricle wire pacing and early discharge. Thus, the “simplified” TAVR adopted in most centers nowadays is a real revolution of the technique. However, simplified TAVR must be accompanied upstream by a rigorous selection of patients who can benefit from a minimalist procedure in order to guarantee its safety. The minimalist strategy must not become dogmatic and careful pre-, per- and post-procedural evaluation of patients with well-defined protocols guarantee optimal care following TAVR. This review aims to evaluate the benefits and limits of the simplified TAVR procedure in a current and future vision.