Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychoacoustics and Detection Theory

This paper presents a fairly complete review of detection theory as it is applied to certain psychoacoustic data. Detection theory is treated as a combination of two theoretical structures: decision theory and the concept of ideal observer. The paper discusses how statistical decision theory has been used to analyze the auditory threshold process. By treating the threshold process as an instance of hypothesis testing, two determinants of the process are recognized: (1) the detectability of the signal and (2) the criterion level of the observer. The theory provides a technic of analysis which allows one to obtain a quantitative estimate of both factors. The measure of signal detectability appears to be independent of the psychophysical procedure when the physical parameters of signal and noise are held constant. The concept of ideal observer is reviewed with special emphasis on the assumptions of the derivation. The usefulness of this concept is illustrated by considering the shape of the psychophysical fu.
Investigation of the impact of black chokeberry polyphenols in different matrices on the human gut microbiota using the in vitro model of the large intestine (TIM-2)

BACKGROUND: Despite the great range of health-beneficial activities associated with dietary polyphenols, their influence on gut ecology remains poorly understood. Only a few studies have examined the impact of black chokeberry polyphenols present in different matrices on human gut microbiota, and in fact none have examined encapsulated black chokeberry polyphenols. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of black chokeberry polyphenols in pulp, extract and encapsulate (in a maltodextrin:gum Arabic polymer system) on human gut microbiota and fecal short-chain and branched-chain fatty acids (SCFA and BCFA, respectively). METHODS: The effect of black chokeberry polyphenols on gut microbiota was tested in a validated, dynamic in vitro model of the colon (TIM-2) for 24 h by applying five different interventions (Pulp, Extract, Encapsulate, Encapsulate control, SIEM) to the standardized microbiota from five healthy donors. RESULTS: We observed that the fermentation of black chokeberry polyphenols in the in vitro colon model (TIM-2) resulted in shifts in the standardized microbiota and differentiation in the extent of the production of SCFA and BCFAs. Synergy between maltodextrin+gum Arabic+polyphenols resulted in an increase in the relative abundances of some health-promoting taxa and decrease in the disease related taxa Alistipes. Encapsulation increased the SCFA production and decreased the BCFA production in the lumen. CONCLUSIONS: Although encapsulation of polyphenols may provide a robust way for their protection, their effect on the gut microbiota should be further investigated both by using different coating materials and with in vivo studies.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE URBAN PLANNING DECISION-MAKING PROCESS AMONG THE LOW-INCOME SEGMENT IN ISKANDAR MALAYSIA

Community participation in urban planning in Peninsular Malaysia is framed by the Town and Country Planning Act 1976. Iskandar Malaysia is facing rapid urbanisation, which sees development intensification, especially in Johor Bahru. As a result, it has inflicted challenges on local planning authorities in Iskandar Malaysia to plan and provide genuine participation to the community, especially the low-income segment. The question in this study is, "to what extent does the current participatory platform in Iskandar Malaysia offer a genuine opportunity to the low-income segment to participate in the planning and operational decision-making? ". This study examines the current state of the low-income segment's participation in the development plan-making and planning permission processes. This study used document gathering and document analysis to collect and analyse the secondary data from selected local plans and planning permission applications of Johor Bahru and Kulai districts. A series of focus group discussions involving the residents' committees of the selected low-cost apartments around Johor Bahru and Kulai districts is also conducted; hence, thematically analysed to substantiate the document analysis' findings. The findings suggested limited opportunities for the low-income segment to participate in development plan-making and planning permission in Iskandar Malaysia.
Telomere-to-telomere and gap-free reference genome assembly of the kiwifruit Actinidia chinensis

Abstract Kiwifruit is an economically and nutritionally important fruit crop with extremely high contents of vitamin C. However, the previously released versions of kiwifruit genomes all have a mass of unanchored or missing regions. Here, we report a highly continuous and completely gap-free reference genome of Actinidia chinensis cv. ‘Hongyang’, named Hongyang v4.0, which is the first to achieve two de novo haploid-resolved haplotypes, HY4P and HY4A. HY4P and HY4A have a total length of 606.1 and 599.6 Mb, respectively, with almost the entire telomeres and centromeres assembled in each haplotype. In comparison with Hongyang v3.0, the integrity and contiguity of Hongyang v4.0 is markedly improved by filling all unclosed gaps and correcting some misoriented regions, resulting in ~38.6–39.5 Mb extra sequences, which might affect 4263 and 4244 protein-coding genes in HY4P and HY4A, respectively. Furthermore, our gap-free genome assembly provides the first clue for inspecting the structure and function of centromeres. Globally, centromeric regions are characterized by higher-order repeats that mainly consist of a 153-bp conserved centromere-specific monomer (Ach-CEN153) with different copy numbers among chromosomes. Functional enrichment analysis of the genes located within centromeric regions demonstrates that chromosome centromeres may not only play physical roles for linking a pair of sister chromatids, but also have genetic features for participation in the regulation of cell division. The availability of the telomere-to-telomere and gap-free Hongyang v4.0 reference genome lays a solid foundation not only for illustrating genome structure and functional genomics studies but also for facilitating kiwifruit breeding and improvement.
Indoor Particle’s Pollution in Bucharest, Romania

Air pollution risk factor on human health was surpassed only by high blood pressure, tobacco use and poor diet. Total number of deaths due to air pollution worldwide was estimated to 6.67 million people in 2019. In the European Union, 97% of the urban population is exposed to levels of fine particulate matter above the latest guideline levels set by the World Health Organization. Air pollution accounts for 20% of newborn deaths worldwide, most related to complications of low birth weight and preterm birth. Low birth weight and preterm birth are responsible for 1.8 million deaths worldwide. Bucharest is the capital city of Romania and one of the most polluted cities in Europe, ranking in the 9th position out of 96 of the top cities from Europe and in the 4th position out of 32 of the top cities in Eastern Europe, data from June 2022. The aim of this study was to measure the real time level of indoor particulate pollution levels in different indoor environments from Bucharest, during the pandemic period. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio and its rate of change were also determined for the measured data. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio and its rate of change were also calculated based on the measurement data. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio showed an upward trend on weekends compared to weekdays, suggesting a relationship with outdoor PM where leisure activities and traffic infiltrated the indoors. The fluctuation range of the PM2.5/PM10 ratio was 0.44~0.95, and low measured values were detected on weekdays. Of the seasons, the proportion of particulate in autumn and its rate of change tended to be higher than in summer. It was suggested that outdoor air may have permeated the room. In addition, the relationship was considered, such as it is a holiday period, there are few rainy days, the concentration of coarse particles is high, and the number of residents in the city decreases. When it comes to indoor air quality, the higher this ratio, the more serious the air pollution. PM10 concentrations decreased by 29.1% in the absence of human activity and increased by 35.1% in the presence of humans. PM2.5 concentration decreased by 30.3% without human activity and increased by 3.1% with the presence of humans. Certain trends were suggested for the resumption of human activity and an increase in PM2.5 concentrations. The average relative difference between October 2021, a pandemic period, and October 2022, a post pandemic period, was 64% for PM10 and 47% for PM2.5. The pandemic period brought a significantly better indoor air quality from the particulate pollution point of view.
Restrictions on Pakistani Female Students’ Participation in Sports: A Statistical Model of Constraints

Previous studies have made a significant contribution to the modeling of constraints on women’s sports participation, including religious and cultural issues, gender inequality, and socio-cultural restrictions, especially in Muslim countries. However, there is still a knowledge gap in this field. Using the survey method with stratified random sampling (strata), data were collected from the colleges of four provinces in Pakistan. After eliminating defective (missing data and duplication) samples, 687 valid questionnaires were retained. The eight most common influencing factors for sports participation among Pakistani female students were then incorporated into a constraints model in the context of feminism in sports theory, which was validated using AMOS 24. The results suggested the following measures: introducing sports activities and female coaches in schools; the government provision of female-only facilities; removing the misconception that Islam is an anti-sports religion; raising awareness among female students and their parents about sports benefits; and using the concept of negotiation to overcome these constraints. According to the results of the present study, we conclude that providing women-only facilities, spreading the correct meaning of religion (Islam), and raising awareness among women and their parents could enhance female students’ sports participation in Pakistan to a great extent.
A theorem on orbit structures (strata) of compact linear Lie groups

We present a comprehensive constructive proof of a theorem characterizing the tangent space to a stratum (orbit structure) of the Euclidean space Rn, seat of an orthogonal representation of a compact group G. The characterization is made in terms of gradients of a complete set (integrity basis) of G‐invariant polynomials. In a recent paper [M. Abud and G. Sartori, Phys. Lett. B 104, 147 (1981)], the theorem, which may be considered a generalization of a theorem by Michel [C. R. Acad. Sci. Ser. A 272, 433 (1971)], has been shown to be effective in the determination of the equations of the strata and in the determination of natural extrema of G‐invariant functions.
A bounded influence regression estimator based on the statistics of the hat matrix

Summary. Many geophysical regression problems require the analysis of large (more than 104 values) data sets, and, because the data may represent mixtures of concurrent natural processes with widely varying statistical properties, contamination of both response and predictor variables is common. Existing bounded influence or high breakdown point estimators frequently lack the ability to eliminate extremely influential data and/or the computational efficiency to handle large data sets. A new bounded influence estimator is proposed that combines high asymptotic efficiency for normal data, high breakdown point behaviour with contaminated data and computational simplicity for large data sets. The algorithm combines a standard M‐estimator to downweight data corresponding to extreme regression residuals and removal of overly influential predictor values (leverage points) on the basis of the statistics of the hat matrix diagonal elements. For this, the exact distribution of the hat matrix diagonal elements pii for complex multivariate Gaussian predictor data is shown to be β(pii, m, N−m), where N is the number of data and m is the number of parameters. Real geophysical data from an auroral zone magnetotelluric study which exhibit severe outlier and leverage point contamination are used to illustrate the estimator's performance. The examples also demonstrate the utility of looking at both the residual and the hat matrix distributions through quantile–quantile plots to diagnose robust regression problems.
The Effect of Hydrolysis on the Antioxidant Activity of Olive Mill Waste

This study presents the effect of hydrolysis on the antioxidant activity of olive mill waste. The olive pomace samples were collected at different stages of maturity and were investigated for their phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Three different extraction procedures were employed, including methanolic maceration extraction and two hydrolysed procedures using 6 M HCL for acid hydrolysis and 10 M NaOH for alkaline hydrolysis. The total phenolic, flavonoid and ortho-diphenolic content, metal ion reducing activity, 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Radical Scavenging, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide scavenging activity assays were determined for the different extracts. In this study, cultivar and maturation of olives was one of the factors that affected the phenolic content in the olive pomace samples. Results show that alkaline hydrolysis had the highest antioxidant activity with respect to total phenolic content, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity, metal ion reducing activity and superoxide scavenging activity, whereas acid hydrolysis had the highest 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) scavenging activity. The correlation analysis carried out on the different phenolic classes revealed that the total phenolic, flavonoid and ortho-diphenolic content were correlated with metal ion reducing activity and Radical Scavenging activity.
The flexible non-volatile memory devices using oxide semiconductors and ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)

We demonstrated flexible ferroelectric gate thin-film transistors (Fe-TFTs) with ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) channel on the polyethylene-naphthalate (PEN) substrate. First, we confirm basic ferroelectric properties of the P(VDF-TrFE) film on the PEN substrate with various bending radius. Next, we fabricated Fe-TFTs with Al/120 nm-P(VDF-TrFE)/40 nm-IGZO top gate structure. Excellent electrical characteristics are demonstrated and nonvolatile memory function was confirmed with a memory window of 8.4 V. A subthreshold voltage swing of 400 mV/decade, Ion/Ioff ratio of more than 107 and the field-effect mobility of ∼1 cm2/Vs were obtained.
Development and Testing of the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scales 3.0

Criminal thinking patterns—attitudes, beliefs, or values supportive of criminal behavior—represent modifiable clinical targets that can be influenced during treatment as a way of decreasing clients’ risk for recidivism. This study developed a revised measure of criminal thinking based on the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scales (TCU CTS). Using a sample of 797 people, results showed the revised instrument (TCU CTS 3.0) measured criminal thinking in five key areas: (1) Power Orientation, (2) Justification, (3) Insensitivity to Impact of Crime, (4) Grandiosity, and (5) Response Disinhibition. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the 5-factor solution reasonably fit the data and measurement invariance was achieved for assigned sex at birth and race. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Can the Mahalanobis Taguchi system be applied to Sasang constitution classifications by using body shape information?

The Mahalanobis Taguchi system (MTS) is a predictive and diagnostic statistical method for classifying normal and abnormal data in multivariate cases. The objective was to apply the MTS to predict Sasang constitution (SC) by using body measurements for classification of SC type. After surveying nine Oriental medical clinics, TY type (N = 9) participants of low proportion were excluded. Therefore, 511 subjects were recruited and body shape information was collected. The classifications for both sexes were analyzed using the MTS. The classification rates of SC type for the Taeeumin (TE) and Soeumin (SE) types in male and female subjects were 81.15 and 74.54%, respectively. However, the SE type and Soyangin (SY) type were indistinguishable. This study shows that an analysis using the MTS based on body shape information, may be highly useful for classifications of the SE and TE types, but should not be used to distinguish the SE and SY types.
Accuracy and convergence of velocity formulations for water waves in the framework of Boussinesq theory

The objective of this paper is to discuss and analyse the accuracy of various velocity formulations for water waves in the framework of Boussinesq theory. To simplify the discussion, we consider the linearized wave problem confined between the still-water datum and a horizontal sea bottom. First, the problem is further simplified by ignoring boundary conditions at the surface. This reduces the problem to finding truncated series solutions to the Laplace equation with a kinematic condition at the sea bed. The convergence and accuracy of the resulting expressions is analysed in comparison with the target cosh- and sinh-functions from linear wave theory. First, we consider series expansions in terms of the horizontal velocity variable at an arbitrary $z$-level, which can be varied from the sea bottom to the still-water datum. Second, we consider the classical possibility of expanding in terms of the depth-averaged velocity. Third, we analyse the use of a horizontal pseudo-velocity determined by interpolation between velocities at two arbitrary $z$-levels. Fourth, we investigate three different formulations based on two expansion variables, being the horizontal and vertical velocity variables at an arbitrary $z$-level. This is shown to have a remarkable influence on the convergence and to improve accuracy considerably. Fifth, we derive and analyse a new formulation which doubles the power of the vertical coordinate without increasing the order of the horizontal derivatives. Finally, we involve the kinematic and dynamic boundary conditions at the free surface and discuss the linear dispersion relation and a spectral solution for steady nonlinear waves.
Evaluation of Two Active System Encapsulant Matrices with Quercetin and Bacillus clausii for Functional Foods

Currently, demand for functional foods is increasing in the public interest in order to improve life expectations and general health. Food matrices containing probiotic microorganisms and active compounds encapsulated into carrier agents are essential in this context. Encapsulation via the lyophilisation method is widely used because oxidation reactions that affect physicochemical and nutritional food properties are usually avoided. Encapsulated functional ingredients, such as quercetin and Bacillus clausii, using two carrier agents’ matrices—I [inulin (IN), lactose (L) and maltodextrin (MX)] and II [arabic (A), guar (G), and xanthan (X) gums)]—are presented in this work. A D-optimal procedure involving 59 experiments was designed to evaluate each matrix’s yield, viability, and antioxidant activity (AA). Matrix I (33.3 IN:33.3 L:33.3 MX) and matrix II (33.3 A:33.3 G:33.3 X) exhibited the best yield; viability of 9.7 log10 CFU/g and 9.73 log10 CFU/g was found in matrix I (using a ratio of 33.3 IN:33.3 L:33.3 MX) and matrix II (50 G:50 X), respectively. Results for the antioxidant capacity of matrix I (100 IN:0 L:0M X) and matrix II (0 A:50 G:50 X) were 58.75 and 55.54 (DPPH* scavenging activity (10 µg/mL)), respectively. Synergy between matrices I and II with use of 100IN:0L:OMX and 0A:50G:50X resulted in 55.4 log10 CFU/g viability values; the antioxidant capacity was 9. 52 (DPPH* scavenging activity (10 µg/mL). The present work proposes use of a carrier agent mixture to produce a functional ingredient with antioxidant and probiotic properties that exceed the minimum viability, 6.0 log10 CFU/g, recommended by the FAO/WHO (2002) to be probiotic, and that contributes to the recommended daily quercetin intake of 10–16 mg/day or inulin intake of 10–20 g/day and dietary fibre intake of 25–38 g per day.
Tear Proteomics Approach to Distinguishing Primary from Secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome for Dry Eye Patients with Long-Term Instillation of Eyedrops

The diagnosis and monitoring of Sjögren syndrome (SS) is often difficult, requiring a multidisciplinary approach with invasive procedures. Our aim is to elucidate the tear protein alterations of dry eye disease (DED) with primary SS (pSS) and secondary SS (sSS) with the long-term instillation of eyedrops. We collected clinical demographics and tear fluid (TF) samples from DED patients with no autoimmune diseases (non-SS-DED), pSS-DED, and sSS-DED patients, followed by TF screening with tandem mass tagging-labeling gel-free proteomics assay. Bioinformatic analysis via Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used to identify functional pathways and interacting networks. Validation of candidate proteins with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on the tear samples was done. The top functional pathways of the two comparisons (sSS-DED vs. pSS-DED and sSS-DED vs. non-SS-DED) were both associated with inflammation and stress-related signaling. After constructing an interaction network model with the selected candidate proteins, five proteins were identified. A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) was found to be an important candidate biomarker in all groups, followed by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in TF. This study revealed novel DED markers, ADAM10 and EGF, in differentiating between primary and secondary SS patients from tears by in-depth proteomic analysis.
Numerical simulation of extrusion through orifice dies and prediction of Bagley correction for an IUPAC‐LDPE melta)

Numerical simulations have been undertaken for the flow of an IUPAC‐LDPE melt used previously in an international experimental study (Meissner, 1975). The flow geometry corresponds to an axisymmetric 4:1 contraction equipped with capillary dies of different length/radius (L/R) ratios, ranging from orifice dies (L/R=0) to infinitely long ones (L/R=∞). The constitutive equation used is an integral‐type K‐BKZ model with a relaxation spectrum, which fits well experimental data for the shear and elongational viscosities and the normal stresses as measured in shear flow. The simulations have been performed for the full range of experimental measurements in this system, where the apparent shear rates reach 10 s−1 at 150 °C, but the viscoelastic character of the melt is very strong corresponding to a stress ratio of about 2 and a Trouton ratio of about 50. Stable solutions have been obtained for the whole range of experimental values. They show a dramatic vortex growth in the contraction with increasing flow rate, as expected for LDPE melts. New results concerning extrudate swell from orifice dies (L/R=0) are obtained and are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Results for different ratios L/R≥4 corroborate previous findings by Luo and Tanner (1988), who predicted a decrease in swelling with increasing L/R values, also observed experimentally. The present simulations are also in good agreement with the experiments for the low range of L/R ratios (0≤L/R≤4), which was not the case in the previous simulations. The pressures from the simulations have been used to compute the excess pressure losses in the system (end or Bagley correction). The results are also in good agreement with the experimental values at least in a qualitative sense.