Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study on the Applicability of the Impact-Echo Test Using Semi-Supervised Learning Based on Dynamic Preconditions

The Impact-Echo (IE) test is an effective method for determining the presence, depth, and area of cracks in concrete as well as the dimensions of the sound concrete without defects. In addition, shallow delamination can be measured by confirming a flexural mode in the low-frequency region. Owing to the advancement of non-contact sensors and automated measurement equipment, the IE test can be measured at multiple points in a short period. To analyze and distinguish a large volume of data, applying supervised learning (SL) associated with various contemporary algorithms is necessary. However, SL has limitations due to the difficulty in accurate labeling for increased volumes of test data, and reflection of new specimen characteristics, and it is necessary to apply semi-supervised learning (SSL) to overcome them. This study analyzes the accuracy and evaluates the applicability of a model trained with SSL rather than SL using the data from the air-coupled IE test based on dynamic preconditions. For the detection of delamination defects, the dynamic behavior-based flexural mode was identified, and 21 features were extracted in the time and frequency domains. Three principal components (PCs) such as the real moment, real RMS, and imaginary moment were derived through principal component analysis (PCA). PCs were identical in slab, pavement, and deck. In the case of SSL considering a dynamic behavior, the accuracy increased by 7–8% compared with SL, and it could categorize good, fair, and poor status to a higher level for actual structures. The applicability of SSL to the IE test was confirmed, and because the crack progress varies under field conditions, other parameters must be considered in the future to reflect this.
Trends and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Health Care Spending Stratified by Gender among Adults with Arthritis in the United States 2011–2019

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were racial/ethnic differences and patterns for individual office-based visit expenditures by gender among a nationally representative sample of adults with arthritis. We retrospectively analyzed pooled data from the 2011 to 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of adults who self-reported an arthritis diagnosis, stratified by gender (men = 13,378; women = 33,261). Our dependent variable was office-based visit expenditures. Our independent variables were survey year (categorized as 2011–2013, 2014–2016, 2017–2019) and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic other/multiracial). We conducted trends analysis to assess for changes in expenditures over time. We utilized a two-part model to assess differences in office-based expenditures among participants who had any office-based expenditure and then calculated the average marginal effects. The unadjusted office-based visit expenditures increased significantly across the study period for both men and women with arthritis, as well as for some racial and ethnic groups depending on gender. Differing racial and ethnic patterns of expenditures by gender remained after accounting for socio-demographic, healthcare access, and health status factors. Delaying care was an independent driver of higher office-based expenditures for women with arthritis but not men. Our findings reinforce the escalating burden of healthcare costs among U.S. adults with arthritis across genders and certain racial and ethnic groups.
Age of Processing-Based Data Offloading for Autonomous Vehicles in MultiRATs Open RAN

Today, vehicles use smart sensors to collect data from the road environment. This data is often processed onboard of the vehicles, using expensive hardware. Such onboard processing increases the vehicle’s cost, quickly drains its battery, and exhausts its computing resources. Therefore, offloading tasks onto the cloud is required. Still, data offloading is challenging due to low latency requirements for safe and reliable vehicle driving decisions. Moreover, age of processing was not considered in prior research dealing with low-latency offloading for autonomous vehicles. This paper proposes an age of processing-based offloading approach for autonomous vehicles using unsupervised machine learning, Multi-Radio Access Technologies (multi-RATs), and Edge Computing in Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN). We design a collaboration space of edge clouds to process data in proximity to autonomous vehicles. To reduce the variation in offloading delay, we propose a new communication planning approach that enables the vehicle to optimally preselect the available RATs such as Wi-Fi, LTE, or 5G to offload tasks to edge clouds when its local resources are insufficient. We formulate an optimization problem for age-based offloading that minimizes elapsed time from generating tasks and receiving computation output. To handle this non-convex problem, we develop a surrogate problem. Then, we use the Lagrangian method to transform the surrogate problem to unconstrained optimization problem and apply the dual decomposition method. The simulation results show that our approach significantly minimizes the age of processing in data offloading with 90.34% improvement over similar method.
TRAVELLERS’ EXPECTATIONS WHEN BOOKING HOTELS THROUGH ONLINE TRAVEL AGENTS

Travellers constantly require personalized travel arrangements. They look for specific arrangements depending on whether the trip is for leisure or business. However, some travellers prefer multiple events in their travel schedules, including visiting prime locations or historical places. Hence, online travel agents (OTAs) are the most convenient alternative platforms to meet the specific needs of travellers. This study utilizes survey method to examine factors influencing travellers when booking hotels through OTAs. This study collected 398 questionnaires at Penang International Airport, Malaysia. Results indicate five factors, i.e. room facilities and amenities, customer recognition through star rating, price factor, promotion factor, and other hotel facilities, that significantly influence travellers’ expectations in booking hotels through OTAs.
Dynamic Cervical Implants in Patients With Disc Degenerative Disease: A Single-Center Cohort From the Greek Population

Aim The aim of this study was to review the safety and feasibility, clinical and radiological outcomes, and postoperative complications associated with the use of dynamic cervical implants (DCI). Patients and methods A prospective single-cohort study was performed of all consecutive patients who underwent DCI implantation as an adjunct to anterior cervical discectomy. We measured the anterior disc space height (ADH) and posterior disc space height (PDH), as well as the ADH/PDH ratio. Results In 11 patients, the ADH/PDH ratio averaged 0.98 (range: 0.7-1.125) postoperatively, from the initial 0.96 (range: 0.72-1.106). Conclusion DCI seems to be a viable alternative to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. However, its role in motion preservation and protection against the degeneration of the adjacent segment is questioned.
Biosynthesis and antibacterial activity of Passiflora incarnata mediated copper oxide nanoparticles

Plant mediated nanoparticle synthesis is a rapidly growing field of study around the world. Plant biomolecules make non-toxic, stable, and cost-effective copper oxide nanoparticles In this study, eco-friendly CuONPs were prepared through a biosynthetic approach using Passiflora incarnata L. leaf extract. The synthesized CuONPs were characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Dynamic light scattering (DLS). Furthermore, the antibacterial activity was evaluated against Listeria monocytogenes. The SEM results indicated that rod-shaped CuONPs with an average particle size of 49.8 nm (size range of 39-63 nm) were synthesized and shown good antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes. CuONPs produced from Passiflora incarnata leaf extract could be a potential antibacterial agent for treating foodborne infections caused by Listeria monocytogenes. However, more research is needed to determine how it works on the target microorganism.
Impaired Vitamin D Metabolism in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

There is increasing data regarding the association between vitamin D and COVID-19. This study aimed to reveal the alterations of vitamin D metabolism in the setting of COVID-19. We examined 119 adult COVID-19 inpatients and 44 apparently healthy adult individuals with similar serum 25OH-D3 levels as a reference group. The assessment included serum biochemical parameters (total calcium, albumin, phosphorus, creatinine), parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D-binding protein (DBP), vitamin D metabolites (25OH-D3, 25OH-D2, 1,25(OH)2D3, 3-epi-25OH-D3, 24,25(OH)2D3 and D3) and free 25OH-D. COVID-19 patients had in general very low vitamin D levels (median 25OH-D3 equals 10.8 ng/mL), accompanied by an increased production of the active vitamin D metabolite (1,25(OH)2D3), estimated as higher 1,25(OH)2D3 serum levels (61 [44; 81] vs. 40 [35; 50] pg/mL, p < 0.001) and lower 25OH-D3/1,25(OH)2D3 ratio (175 [112; 260] vs. 272 [200; 433], p < 0.001) which is presumably aimed at preventing hypocalcemia. Patients with COVID-19 also had elevated DBP (450 [386; 515] vs. 392 [311; 433] mg/L, p < 0.001) and low free 25OH-D levels (<LoB vs. 3.9 [3.2; 4.4] pg/mL, p < 0.001). Follow-up assessment of the COVID-19 inpatients showed recovery of the observed changes. Overall, hospitalized patients with an acute course of COVID-19 have not only very low levels of 25OH-D but also profound abnormalities in the metabolism of vitamin D regardless of the clinical course of the disease. These alterations might exacerbate existing vitamin D deficiency and its negative impact.
National Early Warning Score and New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation for Predicting In-Hospital Mortality or Transfer to the Intensive Care Unit in Emergency Department Patients with Suspected Bacterial Infections

Purpose There are conflicting data regarding the role of the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) in predicting adverse outcomes in patients with infectious diseases. New-onset atrial fibrillation (NO-AF) has been suggested as a sepsis-defining sign of organ dysfunction. This study aimed to examine the prognostic accuracy of NEWS2 and whether NO-AF can provide prognostic information in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected bacterial infections. Patients and Methods Secondary analyses of data from a prospective observational cohort study of adults admitted in a 6-month period with suspected bacterial infections. We used the composite endpoint of in-hospital mortality or transfer to the intensive care unit as the primary outcome. The prognostic accuracy of NEWS2 and quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) and covariate-adjusted area under the receiver operating curves (AAUROC) were used to describe the performance of the scores. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between NO-AF and the composite endpoint. Results A total of 2055 patients were included in this study. The composite endpoint was achieved in 198 (9.6%) patients. NO-AF was observed in 80 (3.9%) patients. The sensitivity and specificity for NEWS2 ≥5 were 70.2% (63.3–76.5) and 60.2% (57.9–62.4), respectively, and those for qSOFA ≥2 were 26.3% (20.3–33.0) and 91.0% (89.6–92.3), respectively. AAUROC for NEWS2 and qSOFA were 0.68 (0.65–0.73) and 0.63 (0.59–0.68), respectively. The adjusted odds ratio for achieving the composite endpoint in 48 patients with NO-AF who fulfilled the NEWS2 ≥5 criteria was 2.71 (1.35–5.44). Conclusion NEWS2 had higher sensitivity but lower specificity and better, albeit poor, discriminative ability to predict the composite endpoint compared to qSOFA. NO-AF can provide important prognostic information.
Preventive Effects of Ginkgo-Extract EGb 761® on Noise Trauma-Induced Cochlear Synaptopathy

Noise trauma-induced loss of ribbon synapses at the inner hair cells (IHC) of the cochlea may lead to hearing loss (HL), resulting in tinnitus. We are convinced that a successful and sustainable therapy of tinnitus has to treat both symptom and cause. One of these causes may be the mentioned loss of ribbon synapses at the IHC of the cochlea. In this study, we investigated the possible preventive and curative effects of the Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® on noise-induced synaptopathy, HL, and tinnitus development in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). To this end, 37 male animals received EGb 761® or placebo orally 3 weeks before (16 animals) or after (21 animals) a monaural acoustic noise trauma (2 kHz, 115 dB SPL, 75 min). Animals’ hearing thresholds were determined by auditory brainstem response (ABR) audiometry. A possible tinnitus percept was assessed by the gap prepulse inhibition acoustic startle reflex (GPIAS) response paradigm. Synaptopathy was quantified by cochlear immunofluorescence histology, counting the ribbon synapses of 15 IHCs at 11 different cochlear frequency locations per ear. We found a clear preventive effect of EGb 761® on ribbon synapse numbers with the surprising result of a significant increase in synaptic innervation on the trauma side relative to placebo-treated animals. Consequently, animals treated with EGb 761® before noise trauma did not develop a significant HL and were also less affected by tinnitus compared to placebo-treated animals. On the other hand, we did not see a curative effect (EGb 761® treatment after noise trauma) of the extract on ribbon synapse numbers and, consequently, a significant HL and no difference in tinnitus development compared to the placebo-treated animals. Taken together, EGb 761® prevented noise-induced HL and tinnitus by protecting from noise trauma-induced cochlear ribbon synapse loss; however, in our model, it did not restore lost ribbon synapses.
Genetic diversity analysis of Pearl Millet germplasm by cluster analysis

There are 40 genotypes of pearl millet that were gathered from ICRISAT in Hyderabad for the study. The experiment was performed in triplicate using Randomized Block Design. With an average D2 value of 398.08, the experimental material was divided into seven clusters, indicating the presence of diversity across the lines for the attributes being studied. Among different clusters the maximum cluster lines i.e., ten lines were observed in cluster V followed by cluster IV, cluster III, cluster I, cluster II, cluster VII, and cluster VI. Cluster V has the greatest intra cluster distance, followed by Cluster II, Cluster IV, and Cluster I. As a result, within these clusters, selection might be based on the greatest mean for desirable characteristics. The relative divergence shows the degree to which each cluster differs. The highest order of divergence was observed in cluster VIII and cluster X, followed by cluster V and cluster VIII. The results revealed that the parents are genetically heterogeneous in these clusters. The high heterotic response may have been achieved when used in a hybridization programme. Cluster VI and Cluster VII had the shortest inter-cluster distance, indicating low genetic diversity. Plant height had the highest cluster value in cluster VIII and the lowest in cluster X, whereas phenological parameters like days to flowering and days to maturity had the highest cluster value in cluster II. Days to flowering were the most important factor in genetic divergence, followed by the number of panicle length, fodder yield per plot, and productive tillers per plant.
ComFASE: A Tool for Evaluating the Effects of V2V Communication Faults and Attacks on Automated Vehicles

This paper presents ComFASE, a communication fault and attack simulation engine. ComFASE is used to identify and evaluate potentially dangerous behaviours of interconnected automated vehicles in the presence of faults and attacks in wireless vehicular networks. ComFASE is built on top of OM-NET++ (a network simulator) and integrates SUMO (a traffic simulator) and Veins (a vehicular network simulator). The tool is flexible in modelling different types of faults and attacks and can be effectively used to study the interplay between safety and cybersecurity attributes by injecting cybersecurity attacks and evaluating their safety implications. To demonstrate the tool, we present results from a series of simulation experiments, where we injected delay and denial-of-service attacks on wireless messages exchanged between vehicles in a platooning application. The results show how different variants of attacks influence the platooning system in terms of collision incidents.
Active and Reactive Power Injection Strategies for Three-Phase Four-Wire Inverters During Symmetrical/Asymmetrical Voltage Sags

Electric grid codes are expected to change in near future to accommodate an increased number of distributed generation units in the distribution power system without impairing its power quality. It is desired that the generators remain connected during voltage sags and provide ancillary services, such as voltage and reactive power control, ensuring the operational stability of the power system. This paper explores how the existing strategies for active and reactive power injection impact the operation of grid-tied inverters in terms of required power, current flowing, and reduction of active power delivery during the voltage sags. Such inputs are relevant to properly size converters for operation under fault events. In addition, this paper contributes to devise: 1) constant peak current control, 2) constant active current control, and 3) constant average active power control strategies for three-phase four-wire grid-tied inverters considering the natural (abc) reference frame. The design and implementation of the investigated power injection strategies are discussed, and their effectiveness and technical viability are analyzed through dynamic computational simulations under symmetrical/asymmetrical voltage sags, and variation of the short-circuit ratio.
Cadmium Ecotoxic Effects on Embryonic Dmrt1 and Aromatase Expression in Chrysemys picta Turtles May Implicate Changes in DNA Methylation

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) decides the sex fate of an individual based on incubation temperature. However, other environmental factors, such as pollutants, could derail TSD sexual development. Cadmium is one such contaminant of soils and water bodies known to affect DNA methylation, an epigenetic DNA modification with a key role in sexual development of TSD vertebrate embryos. Yet, whether cadmium alters DNA methylation of genes underlying gonadal formation in turtles remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of cadmium on the expression of two gene regulators of TSD in the painted turtle, Chrysemys picta, incubated at male-producing and female-producing temperatures using qPCR. Results revealed that cadmium alters transcription of Dmrt1 and aromatase, overriding the normal thermal effects during embryogenesis, which could potentially disrupt the sexual development of TSD turtles. Results from a preliminary DNA methylation-sensitive PCR assay implicate changes in DNA methylation of Dmrt1 as a potential cause that requires further testing (aromatase methylation assays were precluded).
An Investigation of the Nature and Consequences of Counterproductive Work Behavior

ABSTRACT Although seminal research on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) included a seriousness dimension, there has been little investigation of the factors that determine seriousness perceptions and on the relevance of seriousness perceptions for responses to CWB (e.g., sanctions). Study 1 showed that organizationally-targeted CWBs were rated as more serious than interpersonally-targeted CWBs. Degree of harm and CWB motive (personal gain vs. prosocial) were not significantly related to seriousness ratings. In Study 2, minor CWBs resulted in less severe sanctions than more serious CWBs; this effect was greater for informal sanctions than for formal sanctions. Identifying the factors that determine perceptions of seriousness can develop our understanding of the nature of CWB, inform CWB prevention initiatives, and help prevent discriminatory application of sanctions.
Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Chitosan Based Edible Films

ABSTRACT Bioactive edible packaging films have attracted the attention of many researchers in the recent past due to the concerns over the heavy use of petroleum-based synthetic packaging materials for food. Among various other materials such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats, chitosan stands out to be the most suitable polysaccharide for this purpose mainly due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, its poor barrier and mechanical properties are limiting factors for its application as a food packaging material. Several studies have been conducted to improve the poor characteristics of chitosan film to the industrial standard by adopting various strategies. This paper provides an overview of modification made to the film preparation techniques of pure chitosan films and the incorporation of other natural substances to chitosan to make composite films with the focus on their role on the improvement of physicochemical and biological properties of the chitosan-composite edible films.
Investigation of short-time artificial aeration on water quality parameters and phytoplankton structure: a case study “Mamloo Reservoir”

Thermal stratification accompanied by a release of nutrients from sediment is a serious problem for the management of water quality. Water aeration and mixing technology can be widely used to control endogenous pollution and algae growth in reservoirs and lakes by water quality man - agers. In this research, a diffuser aeration system, was installed in a water column, in the Mamloo stratified Reservoir; and the impact of artificial aeration was brought under extensive assessment in relevance with the qualitative and biological parameters of the water, during the preliminary 6 d of aeration. The results showed that the thermal stratification was remarkably disturbed. After aeration, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion incremented from 0.55 to 3.46 mg/L. Nevertheless, a noteworthy correlation was not observed between the modification in the concentration of dissolved oxygen and the internal release of nutrients from the sediment in the hypolimnion. The advection generated by the circulated flow from the diffused air system can effectively transport algae between the surface and lower layers. The mixing function of diffuser can resist cyanobacteria flotation and decreased their distribution from 51,728 to 22,600 Cells/L. During the 6 d aeration, a significant factor, regarding modifications in water quality parameters and algae structure is the artificial flow generated by the diffuser.