Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generator Set Durability Testing

Abstract : Durability testing according to MIL-STD-705c 695.1a was performed on a variety of tactical quiet generators ranging in capacity from 2kW to 100kW. The testing was performed to assess the performance impact of a new fuel. The fuel was a 50/50 blend of JP-8 and HRJ-8. Although many mechanical and electrical problems occurred during testing, no fuel related failures were reported.
Evaluating Consumers’ Adoption of Renewable Energy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consumers’ adoption of renewable energy in Poland. The study focused on finding out the factors that influence the adoption of the technology, considering its importance in conserving the environment. The study was conducted using a quantitative method, with primary data collected from 467 households using renewable energy technology in Poland. The research adopted the TAM model. The independent variables of the study included renewable energy initial cost, environmental concern, risk and trust for renewable energy, ease of use, financial incentives, and relative advantage. The dependent variable was renewable energy adoption. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the study hypotheses. The research found out that environmental concerns, ease of use, financial incentives, and relative advantage have a positive and significant influence on adoption of renewable energy technology in Poland. However, renewable energy initial cost and risk, and trust for renewable energy did not significantly influence renewable energy adoption. The study recommended that the stakeholders should consider the aspects of environmental concern as a key role player in pushing for adoption of renewable energy. The government, non-governmental organizations, and concerned stakeholders should consider giving incentives towards renewable energy adoption. Creating awareness regarding the benefits and strengths of renewable energy should be prioritized to the households.
Use of Multivariate Techniques to Validate and Improve the Current USAF Pilot Candidate Selection Model

Abstract : The Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) seeks to ensure the highest possible probability of success at UPT. PCSM applies regression weights to a candidate's Air Force Officer Qualification Test (AFOQT) Pilot composite score, self-reported flying hours, and five Basic Attributes Test (BAT) score composites. PCSM scores range between 0 and 99 and is interpreted as a candidate's probability of passing UPT. The goal of this study is to apply multivariate data analysis techniques to validate PCSM and determine appropriate changes to the model's weights. Performance of the updated weights is compared to the current PCSM model via Receiver Operating Curves (ROC). In addition, two independent models are developed using multi-layer perceptron neural networks and discriminant analysis. Both linear and logistic regression is used to investigate possible updates to PCSM's current linear regression weights. An independent test set is used to estimate the generalized performance of the regressions and independent models. Validation of the current PCSM model demonstrated in the first phase of this research is enhanced by the fact that PCSM outperforms all other models developed in the research.
Gimmick or groundbreaking? Canadian academic libraries using chat reference in multi-user virtual environments

Library users of the future, aka “digital natives” (Prensky), and the pervasiveness of Web 2.0’s focus on the user, will require institutions and organizations to re-evaluate their service models to ensure they are positioned to best serve this new clientele, in new environments. One such environment is the multi-user virtual environment Second Life. This online “world” is created by its residents (represented by avatars) and currently has over 13 million registered users. Hundreds of librarians from around the world are exploring and volunteering their time in this virtual world, including offering reference assistance to Second Life residents. By first examining face-to-face and chat reference, we can place virtual world reference within the reference continuum. Then, using McMaster University Library’s pilot project, we aim to determine how reference could be offered by a single institution in a virtual world, what additional skills were required by such a service, and whether there was a need for it.
Interstellar Extinction in the Direction of the Open Cluster King 7 and New Parameters of the Cluster

Interstellar extinction in two concentric square areas of the sizes 1.25 × 1.25 deg2 and 0.2 × 0.2 deg2 in the direction of open cluster King 7 is investigated applying two-dimensional photometric classification of stars observed in the Vilnius seven-color photometric system down to V = 15.5 mag (1084 stars) and 19.5 mag (584 stars), respectively. The cluster members (284 stars) are identified applying their coordinates, proper motions, and parallaxes taken from the Gaia EDR3 catalog. New parameters of the cluster (distance, diameter, interstellar extinction, and age) are obtained. Photogeometric distances of stars are taken from Bailer-Jones et al. (2021) based on the Gaia parallaxes from EDR3. Physically the cluster is located at the outer edge of the Perseus spiral arm at d = 2.74 kpc, its diameter is 9.6 pc, the age is 175 ± 25 Myr, the earliest stars are of spectral classes B6–B7. The average interstellar extinction A V = 4.24 mag. From the radial velocities of CO and the Galactic rotation curve we estimate distances to the nearby dust clouds TGU H989 P2 and P3 at 650–670 pc from the Sun.
Attracting the Right Crowd under Asymmetric Information: A Game Theory Application to Rewards-Based Crowdfunding

In this paper, we investigate rewards-based crowdfunding as an innovative financing form for startups and firms. Based on game-theory models under asymmetric information, we test research hypotheses about the positive effects of two main campaign features: funding target and number of rewards. Furthermore, we examine how and when these characteristics are effective in attracting crowdfunders, by signaling high-quality projects (target) and by pricing according to backers’ preferences (rewards). Conditional process analysis is applied to a dataset of 1613 projects launched on the Spanish platform Verkami from 2015 to 2018. As expected, our study shows that market size is positively influenced by the target and the number of rewards, separately. Further analysis gives some interesting findings. Firstly, we find significant and positive mediating roles of social networks (in the relationship between target and market size) and of backers’ preferences (between rewards and market size). Secondly, the main orientation of a campaign, commercial or social, is relevant to explain previous relationships. While high funding targets are more effective in commercial projects, a high number of rewards is more effective in the social projects. This research provides new insights into the design of optimal crowdfunding, with theoretical and empirical implications.
Energy Monitoring Programme for Social Housing inIreland: Pre- and Post- Retrofitting

There is a scarcity of empirical data to demonstrate the actual benefit of energy efficient retrofitting in the residential sector. The Irish official methodology for calculating the energy rating of dwellings only offers an indication of energy performance. This paper describes the methodology involved in the initial stages of an on-going longitudinal energy monitoring programme to determine actual energy savings brought about by a building retrofitting programme for social housing in Kilkenny, South East Ireland. The bespoke system was designed to monitor whole building energy use for one year pre- and post- retrofitting. The wireless system installed in nine dwellings regularly logs indoor temperature, humidity, volatile organic compounds, gas and segregated electricity. Raw data is relayed to a data concentrator within the building and via a network to a secure database. Basic cleaning of the data is carried out prior to presentation for analysis on a secure website. The monitoring system is designed to provide an understanding of energy consumption patterns and energy wastage in social housing. The paper explains and reviews the monitoring system employed and highlights some of the key lessons learnt during the planning and installation of equipment. Gas meters which do not have a pulse output and solid fuel use pose the largest challenge to monitor. The paper makes suggestions to researchers and industry professionals for future domestic energy monitoring systems.
Speech Emotion Recognition using MFCC and Hybrid Neural Networks

: Speech emotion recognition is a challenging task and feature extraction plays an important role in effectively classifying speech into different emotions. In this paper, we apply traditional feature extraction methods like MFCC for feature extraction from audio files. Instead of using traditional machine learning approaches like SVM to classify audio files, we investigate different neural network architectures. Our baseline model implemented as a convolutional neural network results in 60% classification accuracy. We propose a hybrid neural network architecture based on Convolutional and Long Short-Term Memory (ConvLSTM) networks to capture spatial and sequential information of audio files. Our experimental results show that our ComvLSTM model has achieved an accuracy of 59%. We improved our model with data augmentation techniques and re-trained it with augmented dataset. The classification accuracy achieves 91% for multi-class classification of RAVDESS dataset outperforming the accuracy of state-of-the-art multi-class classification models that used the similar data.
Effect of Case-Based Small-Group Learning on Care Workers’ Emergency Coping Abilities

This study aimed to develop and implement an emergency coping education program using a case-based small-group learning method and verify its effect on care workers’ emergency coping abilities. The study was conducted with 72 care workers in older adult care facilities and home care centers. Using a nonequivalent control group pretest–posttest design, 36 participants were assigned to each group (i.e., experimental and control groups). The collected data were analyzed through χ²-test and independent t-test using SPSS for Windows, version 25.0. Compared to the control group, a statistically significant increase in knowledge and performance levels in emergencies, emergency coping abilities, self-efficacy in coping with emergencies, and confidence in communication was observed in the experimental group. This study was able to verify the effectiveness of the emergency coping education program in care workers and recommends its use. To maximize the learning effects of educational programs, future research should develop and apply programs that incorporate simulation education.
Protective Efficacy in a Hamster Model of a Multivalent Vaccine for Human Visceral Leishmaniasis (MuLeVaClin) Consisting of the KMP11, LEISH-F3+, and LJL143 Antigens in Virosomes, Plus GLA-SE Adjuvant

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most severe clinical form of leishmaniasis, fatal if untreated. Vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to disease control; however, to date, no vaccines against human VL have been made available. This work examines the efficacy of a novel vaccine consisting of the Leishmania membrane protein KMP11, LEISH-F3+ (a recombinant fusion protein, composed of epitopes of the parasite proteins nucleoside hydrolase, sterol-24-c-methyltransferase, and cysteine protease B), and the sand fly salivary protein LJL143, in two dose ratios. The inclusion of the TLR4 agonist GLA-SE as an adjuvant, and the use of virosomes (VS) as a delivery system, are also examined. In a hamster model of VL, the vaccine elicited antigen-specific immune responses prior to infection with Leishmania infantum. Of note, the responses were greater when higher doses of KMP11 and LEISH-F3+ proteins were administered along with the GLA-SE adjuvant and/or when delivered within VS. Remarkably, hamsters immunized with the complete combination (i.e., all antigens in VS + GLA-SE) showed significantly lower parasite burdens in the spleen compared to those in control animals. This protection was underpinned by a more intense, specific humoral response against the KMP11, LEISH-F3+, and LJL143 antigens in vaccinated animals, but a significantly less intense antibody response to the pool of soluble Leishmania antigens (SLA). Overall, these results indicate that this innovative vaccine formulation confers protection against L. infantum infection, supporting the advancement of the vaccine formulation into process development and manufacturing and the conduction of toxicity studies towards future phase I human clinical trials.
The Effect of Executive Order 13269 on Noncitizen Enlisted Accessions in the U.S. Military

Abstract : In this thesis, we analyze the effect of Executive Order 13269 on noncitizen enlisted accessions to the U.S. military as a whole and to each of the Services individually. The Defense Manpower Data Center data used in the study covers 1,983,707 enlisted prior and non-prior service accessions from fiscal year (FY) 2000 to FY2010. In order to analyze the policy effect, we aggregate the data to reflect monthly citizen and noncitizen enlisted accessions. An Ordinary Least Squares Regression using difference-in-difference estimation is adapted to reveal the effect of the policy. The results of the regression analysis show that the decrease in noncitizen accessions is greater than the decrease in citizen accessions after the executive order was implemented. The results of the analyses conducted by using data on the services support these results, except for the Coast Guard. We conclude that the executive order either had no effect or a negative effect on noncitizen enlisted accessions to the military, and we propose several policy recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the executive order. The first recommendation is to establish an effective way of recruiting noncitizens by briefing the recruiters in the Services about the executive order and its current benefits to the United States and to noncitizens. After looking at news articles to see how Executive Order 13269 was perceived and debated within society, we recommend expanding the efforts to advertise the executive order since most discussion of the order is negative. The benefits provided by the executive order should be broadened to include family members, while some requirements might be loosened to attract more noncitizens.
The Impact of Microbial Composition on Postprandial Glycaemia and Lipidaemia: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence

Postprandial hyperglycaemia is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies highlight the role of the gut microbiome in influencing postprandial glycaemic (PPG) and lipidaemic (PPL) responses. The authors of this review sought to address the question: “To what extent does individual gut microbiome diversity and composition contribute to PPG and PPL responses? ”. CINAHL Plus, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases were searched from January 2010 to June 2020. Following screening, 22 studies were eligible to be included in the current review. All trials reported analysis of gut microbiome diversity and composition and PPG and/or PPL. Results were reported according to the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis’ (PRISMA) statement. Individual microbiota structure was found to play a key role in determining postprandial metabolic responses in adults and is attributed to a complex interplay of diet, microbiota composition, and metagenomic activity, which may be predicted by metagenomic analysis. Alterations of gut microbiota, namely relative abundance of bacterial phylum Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, along with Enterobacteriaceae, were associated with individual variation in postprandial glycaemic response in adults. The findings of the current review present new evidence to support a personalised approach to nutritional recommendations and guidance for optimal health, management, and treatment of common metabolic disorders. In conclusion, personalised nutrition approaches based on individual microbial composition may improve postprandial regulation of glucose and lipids, providing a potential strategy to ameliorate cardiometabolic health outcomes.
A new comprehensive dataset of solar filaments of one-hundred-year interval (II) the poleward migration of polar crown filaments

Solar filaments, hypothermia and dense structures suspended in the solar corona are formed above the magnetic polarity inversion line. Polar crown filaments (PCFs) at high-latitude regions of the Sun are of profound significance to the periodic variation of solar activities. In this paper, we statistically analyze PCFs by using full disk Hα data from 1912 to 2018, which were obtained by Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KODA, India), National Solar Observatory (NSO, USA), Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory (KSO, Austria), Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO, USA), and Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS, China). We first manually identify PCFs from every solar image based on the centennial data, and record the latitude and other features corresponding to the PCFs. Then we plot the PCF latitude distribution as a function of time, which clearly shows that PCFs rush to the poles at the ascending phase of each solar cycle. Our results show that the filaments drift toward mid-latitude covering solar cycle 15 to 24 after the PCFs reach the highest latitudes. The poleward migration rates of PCFs are calculated in ten solar cycles, and the range is about 0.12 degree to 0.50 degree per Carrington Rotation (CR). We also investigate the north-south (N-S) asymmetry of migration rates and the normalized N-S asymmetry index.
Walking While Talking and Prefrontal Oxygenation in Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Clinical and Pathophysiological Aspects.

BACKGROUND Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) combines slow gait and cognitive complaints and has been proposed as a predementia syndrome. The nature of dual-task performance in MCR has not been established. OBJECTIVE To assess differences in dual-task performance between participants with and without MCR and to study the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-based brain activity during dual-task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. METHODS Cohort study of community-dwelling non-demented older adults included in the "Central Control of Mobility in Aging" study. Comprehensive assessment included global cognition and executive function tests along with clinical variables. Dual-task paradigm consisted in walking while reciting alternate letters of the alphabet (WWT) on an electronic walkway. We compared dual-task performance between MCR (n = 60) and No MCR (n = 478) participants and assessed the relationship of dual-task performance with cognitive function. In a subsample, we compared PFC oxygenation during WWT between MCR (n = 32) and No MCR (n = 293). RESULTS In our sample of 538 high-functioning older adults (76.6±6.5 years), with 11.2% prevalence of MCR, dual-task cost was not significantly different, compared to No MCR participants. Among MCR participants, no significant relationship was found between WWT velocity and cognitive function, whereas No MCR participants with better cognitive function showed faster WWT velocities. PFC oxygenation during WWT was higher in MCR compared to No MCR (1.02±1.25 versus 0.66±0.83, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION MCR participants showed no significant differences in the dual-task cost while exhibiting higher PFC oxygenation during dual-task walking. The dual-task performance (WWT velocity) in MCR participants was not related to cognition.
Relationship of Homocysteine With Gender, Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index, Hemoglobin A1c, and the Duration of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

Introduction Increased levels of homocysteine (Hcy) may lead to endothelial damage and increase the risk of cardiovascular and renal malfunction. The current study aimed to evaluate the association of serum Hcy levels with gender, body mass index (BMI), duration of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and blood pressure (BP). Methodology A prospective observational study was conducted at Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar, Pakistan in the department of endocrinology from June 2020 to June 2021. All patients with diagnosed DMT2 above the age of 18 years were included in the study. Individuals with unconfirmed diagnoses with ages over 75 years were excluded from the study. All data including the patient's age, gender, and medical history were recorded. Height and weight were used to calculate the BMI. BP was examined thrice and a mean value was recorded for each patient. For laboratory investigation, a vial of 3 ml blood was extracted keeping sterile and aseptic conditions by a trained nurse. The sample was sent for the determination of HbA1c and serum Hcy levels. Measurement of serum Hcy was done by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. All data were documented by the researchers on a predefined pro forma. Results A total of 188 patients with DMT2 were included in the study with a mean age ± SD of 54.65 ± 8.42 years. Normal (<15 micromoles per liter [mcmol/l]) serum Hcy levels were reported in 75 (39.89%) individuals, while in 47 (41.59%) individuals, there was severe (>100 mcmol/l) hyperhomocysteinemia. More than half of the patients, i.e. 157 (83.52%), had HbA1c of greater than 7%, which indicated poor glycemic control. The study revealed that the majority of the female patients, i.e. 37 (78.72%), had severe hyperhomocysteinemia (p<0.0001). Similarly, there was a direct correlation between HbA1c levels and serum Hcy. Severe hyperhomocysteinemia was found in over 80% of the patients with poor glycemic control, i.e. HbA1c >7% (p<0.0001). Furthermore, the duration of DMT2 and hypertension were both significantly associated with increased levels of Hcy with p-values of <0.0001 and <0.0001, respectively. However, no association was found between hyperhomocysteinemia and BMI. Conclusion The study revealed that increased levels of serum Hcy were associated with female gender, poor glycemic control (HbA1c >7%), BP, and duration of DMT2. However, the study failed to find an association between serum Hcy and BMI. It is recommended that patients with poor glycemic control or those with the duration of DMT2 of more than five years must be regularly checked for hyperhomocysteinemia and renal function tests. Large-scale and multi-center studies are required in order to determine the validity of these findings. The current study suggests that patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension are likely to have increased levels of Hcy and, therefore, must be regularly screened for hyperhomocysteinemia.