Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relações entre condições e organização do trabalho e os afastamentos de trabalhadores portuários de transporte* Working conditions and organisational aspects and the retirement of port workers of transportation

O objetivo deste estudo foi o de investigar as possiveis relacoes existentes entre osafastamentos de trabalhadores portuarios de transporte com vinculo empregaticio, e aspectos dascondicoes e organizacao do trabalho, a partir das percepcoes dos sujeitos. Foi desenvolvido apartir de estudo de caso, de carater descritivo e exploratorio, com enfase em analises qualitativas.Foram selecionados seis (n=6) trabalhadores portuarios em situacao de afastamento, entre elesmotoristas e operadores de conjunto transportador, por meio de listagem fornecida pelo Sindicatode Trabalhadores Portuarios de Santos-SP. Para a realizacao das entrevistas semiestruturadas, houve a elaboracao de roteiro com questoes sobre o perfi l ocupacional, situacao de afastamento,condicoes e aspectos da organizacao do trabalho, entre outras, que foram gravadas e transcritas naintegra para analise categorial de conteudo. Dos seis sujeitos participantes, todos eram do generomasculino, com faixa etaria entre 40 e 57 anos, quatro (n=4) deles estavam afastados do trabalhopor doencas na regiao lombar e dois (n=2) por transtornos mentais. Foram identifi cados enquantoaspectos de risco a saude: ritmo intenso de trabalho, repetitividade, poucas pausas, jornadasextensas, condicoes precarias dos caminhoes, pouco reconhecimento no trabalho, falta de seguranca,entre outros. Sugere-se que ha relacoes entre aspectos das condicoes e organizacao do trabalho eos afastamentos dos trabalhadores. Destaca-se a necessidade de intervencoes visando a saude eseguranca no trabalho portuario.
Improving user experience and energy efficiency for different classes of users in vehicular networks

Lately, significant research efforts are put in the area of designing smart cities by both academia and industry focusing on making use of city facilities (buildings, infrastructure, transportation, energy, etc.) in order to improve people’s quality of life and create a sustainable environment. Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) play a main role in supporting the creation of smarter cities. VANET are based on “smart” inter-vehicle communications and with the infrastructure via so called V2X communications (i.e. V2V – vehicle-to-vehicle and V2I/I2V – vehicle-to-infrastructure/infrastructure-to-vehicle). V2X communications demonstrated their huge potential when designing not only intelligent transportation solutions, but also green transportation solutions. Most of the research in this area targets a single class of VANET users represented by the car drivers. This thesis addresses different types of users, mainly the cyclists, as cycling is one of the most sustainable and green forms of transportation. The thesis proposes three main solutions: Speed Advisory System for Electric Bicycles (SAECy), an Energy Efficient Weather-aware Route Planner solution for Electric Bicycles (eWARPE) and a Fuzzy Logic-based Clustering Scheme (FuzzC-VANET) over vehicular networks. SAECy provides on-route assistance to the cyclists in order to improve their cycling experience and reduce the energy consumption in the particular case of electric bicycles. SAECy uses mainly I2V communication for obtaining traffic light related information, but also weather information. eWARPE provides off-route assistance to the cyclists in order to support them in avoiding the adverse weather conditions as much as possible, but also to save the battery in the particular case of electric bicycles. FuzzC-VANET is a generic clustering scheme dedicated for VANET that can be employed for information dissemination in SAECy’s context in order to enhance its performances and to increase the accuracy of weather information. FuzzC-VANET is also a response to two of VANET main issues, stability and scalability, and extends its benefits on all the other classes of users (i.e. drivers of different types of vehicles) in VANET. The performance of the proposed solutions was evaluated through multiple assessment techniques: experimental testing based on a real test-bed, interviews and online questionnaire to measure the need for the solution proposed and the interest of users and simulations based on highly realistic scenarios.The results clearly show improved performance of the proposed solutions in comparison with other similar state-of-the-art solutions.
Clean Electrochemical Synthesis of Pd–Pt Bimetallic Dendrites with High Electrocatalytic Performance for the Oxidation of Formic Acid

Pd–Pt bimetallic catalysts with a dendritic morphology were in situ synthesized on the surface of a carbon paper via the facile and surfactant-free two step electrochemical method. The effects of the frequency and modification time of the periodic square-wave potential (PSWP) on the morphology of the Pd–Pt bimetallic catalysts were investigated. The obtained Pd–Pt bimetallic catalysts with a dendritic morphology displayed an enhanced catalytic activity of 0.77 A mg−1, almost 2.5 times that of the commercial Pd/C catalyst reported in the literature (0.31 A mg−1) in acidic media. The enhanced catalytic activity of the Pd–Pt bimetallic catalysts with a dendritic morphology towards formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) was not only attributed to the large number of atomic defects at the edges of dendrites, but also ascribed to the high utilization of active sites resulting from the “clean” electrochemical preparation method. Besides, during chronoamperometric testing, the current density of the dendritic Pd–Pt bimetallic catalysts for a period of 3000 s was 0.08 A mg−1, even four times that of the commercial Pd/C catalyst reported in the literature (about 0.02 A mg−1).
Thermodynamic Aspects of Cavitation in Centrifugal Pumps

The effect of liquid properties on centrifugal-pump behavior under cavitation conditions is examined on the basis of a given pump handling various liquids. A criterion in terms of physical properties of the liquid is established which can be used to indicate cavitation effects on pump performance for various liquids. Test results and numerical illustrations are presented.
Assessment of the Effects of Salt and Salicornia herbacea L. on Physiochemical, Nutritional, and Quality Parameters for Extending the Shelf-Life of Semi-Dried Mullets (Chelon haematocheilus)

Mullet, a coastal fish species, is commonly used as a salted dried fish in many countries, including Korea, Japan, and the southeastern United States. The purpose of this investigation was to develop high-quality products of salted semi-dried mullet (SSDM) using natural salt and Salicornia herbacea L. (SAL). The antioxidant activity of SAL was investigated by in vitro studies. The physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of fresh mullet (FM), salted control (SSDM-CON), and SAL-treated (SSDM-SAL) mullet groups were analyzed. The moisture, ash, and crude protein contents were significantly increased in the SSDM-SAL group, whereas the salinity was decreased when compared with the SSDM-CON group. Lipid oxidation occurred in the FM and SSDM groups, as indicated by the increase in peroxide (PV), acid (AV), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values during the storage period. The protein pattern on the sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed similarities between the groups, while the amino acid and fatty acid contents also varied in the FM and SSDM groups depending on their processing methods. Initially, the total bacterial count was significantly higher in the SSDM groups than in the FM group. However, the SSDM-SAL group had a markedly lower total bacteria count than the FM and SSDM-CON groups during 21 days of refrigerated storage. This result indicates that SAL treatment can improve mullet’s safety from microorganisms, includes beneficial biochemical parameters, and can extend their shelf-life through refrigerated storage.
Determinants of RFID adoption intention by SMEs: an empirical investigation

Abstract Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been considered as one of the 10 technologies that will transform firm across industries. However, the adoption and use of the technology has been slower than predicted, mainly because of technological, organisation and environment factors related to RFID. This study develops a conceptual model that explores the role that technological, organisational, environmental and managerial characteristics of small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) play in their intention to adopt RFID technology. To test the model, a web-based survey was administered to 453 SME managers from the USA, the UK, Australia and India. Logistic hierarchical regression is used to test the proposed model. Implications for RFID technology research, theory and practice are discussed.
Statistical Comparison and Assessment of Four Fire Emissions Inventories for 2013 and a Large Wildfire in the Western United States

Wildland fires produce smoke plumes that impact air quality and human health. To understand the effects of wildland fire smoke on humans, the amount and composition of the smoke plume must be quantified. Using a fire emissions inventory is one way to determine the emissions rate and composition of smoke plumes from individual fires. There are multiple fire emissions inventories, and each uses a different method to estimate emissions. This paper presents a comparison of four emissions inventories and their products: Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN version 1.5), Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED version 4s), Missoula Fire Labs Emissions Inventory (MFLEI (250 m) and MFLEI (10 km) products), and Wildland Fire Emissions Inventory System (WFEIS (MODIS) and WFEIS (MTBS) products). The outputs from these inventories are compared directly. Because there are no validation datasets for fire emissions, the outlying points from the Bayesian models developed for each inventory were compared with visible images and fire radiative power (FRP) data from satellite remote sensing. This comparison provides a framework to check fire emissions inventory data against additional data by providing a set of days to investigate closely. Results indicate that FINN and GFED likely underestimate emissions, while the MFLEI products likely overestimate emissions. No fire emissions inventory matched the temporal distribution of emissions from an external FRP dataset. A discussion of the differences impacting the emissions estimates from the four fire emissions inventories is provided, including a qualitative comparison of the methods and inputs used by each inventory and the associated strengths and limitations.
Modeling Low‐Frequency Radio Emissions From Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flash Sources

Relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREAs) occur when electrons in electric fields in air reach energies above which they gain more energy from the electric field than they lose to collisions with the surrounding atmosphere. RREAs are known to happen in the electric fields in thunderstorms, and are considered to be the mechanism responsible for producing Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flashes (TGFs). As RREAs propagate, they leave a trail of low‐energy electrons and positive and negative ions behind. These populations of charged particles will carry currents as they move in the thunderstorm electric field. In the present work, we model the charged species left behind by the propagating RREA, and the resulting radio emissions in the context of injection of thermal runaway seed electrons by a leader. We find that for certain initial conditions, these radio emissions match the slow low‐frequency (LF) pulses that have previously been observed concurrently with TGFs. This confirms that the slow LF pulses are likely generated directly by the TGF source itself, as has been previously suggested using a different TGF production model. Slow LF pulses may therefore potentially be used to infer characteristic properties of TGF sources.
Effect of Routing Flexibility on the Performance of Order Release Policies in a Flexible Job Shop with Sequence-Dependent Setup Time: A Simulation Study

ABSTRACT Order review and release (ORR) in a flexible job shop considering sequence-dependent setup time (SDST) is a complicated job shop problem. Routing flexibility helps in increasing the flexibility of the system by providing alternative routes to jobs. This research work assesses the effect of routing flexibility on order release policies in a flexible job shop considering SDST within a stochastic and dynamic (SCDM) manufacturing environment. In this study, five order release policies, viz., Corrected Aggregate Load Approach (CALA), Aggregate Workload Trigger (AGGWLT), Corrected Workload Trigger (CorrWLT), Work Center Workload Trigger (WCWLT), and Lancaster University Management School Corrected Order Release (LUMSCOR), are considered with planned release date sequencing rule. Four performance measures are considered in the present research work, i.e., mean throughput time, mean lead time, mean tardiness, and total setups. For experimental purposes, a simulation model is developed with six routing flexibility levels with the help of Promodel® software. Results indicate that the performance of all ORR policies can be improved by considering routing flexibility along with it. For a given ORR policy, as routing flexibility increases, there is a decrease in system performance measures up to a certain level, and after that, it starts increasing. Thus, routing flexibility has an optimum level. The least value of workload trigger level for all ORR policies provides the best results for mean throughput time performance measure. Further, as the workload trigger level increases, the best results are obtained for the other three performance measures except the mean throughput time. Graphical abstract
Development of variable camber wing with morphing leading and trailing sections using corrugated structures

This article describes the development of variable camber morphing wing, which is mainly composed of corrugated structures. The morphing wing with both leading edge and trailing edge morphing sections is proposed and the prototype model is designed by consideration of finite element structural analysis with actuation mechanisms and aerodynamic analysis. Through wind tunnel experiment with the manufactured prototype model, smooth actuation without harmful deformation under 20 m/s airflow is demonstrated. The observed deformation shape is well correlated with simulated shape by analysis. Thereby, the feasibility of the present morphing wing mechanism and design process are verified.
Prevalence of MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV in Actinic Keratosis Biopsy Specimens

To date, 14 human polyomaviruses (HPyVs) have been identified using high-throughput technologies. Among them, MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV present a skin tropism, but a causal role in skin diseases has been established only for MCPyV as a causative agent of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and TSPyV as an etiological agent of Trichodysplasia Spinulosa (TS). In the search for a possible role for cutaneous HPyVs in the development of skin malignant lesions, we investigated the prevalence of MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV in actinic keratosis (AK), a premalignant skin lesion that has the potential to progress towards a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). One skin lesion and one non-lesion skin from nine affected individuals were analyzed by qualitative PCR. MCPyV was detected in 9 out of 9 lesion biopsies and 6 out of 8 non-lesion biopsies. HPyV6 was detected only in healthy skin, while HPyV7 and TSPyV were not detected in any skin sample. These findings argue against a possible role of cutaneous HPyVs in AK. However, considering the small sample size analyzed, a definitive conclusion cannot be drawn. Longitudinal studies on large cohorts are warranted.
Efficient Identification and Monitoring of Landslides by Time-Series InSAR Combining Single- and Multi-Look Phases

Identification and monitoring of unstable slopes across wide regions using Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) can further help to prevent and mitigate geological hazards. However, the low spatial density of measurement points (MPs) extracted using the traditional time-series InSAR method in topographically complex mountains and vegetation-covered slopes makes the final result unreliable. In this study, a method of time-series InSAR analysis using single- and multi-look phases were adopted to solve this problem, which exploited single- and multi-look phases to increase the number of MPs in the natural environment. Archived ascending and descending Sentinel-1 datasets covering Zhouqu County were processed. The results revealed that nine landslides could be quickly identified from the average phase rate maps using the Stacking method. Then, the time-series InSAR analysis with single- and multi-look phases could be used to effectively monitor the deformation of these landslides and to quantitatively analyze the magnitude and dynamic evolution of the deformation in various parts of the landslides. The reliability of the InSAR results was further verified by field investigations and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys. In addition, the precursory movements and causative factors of the recent Yahuokou landslide were analyzed in detail, and the application of the time-series InSAR method in landslide investigations was discussed and summarized. Therefore, this study has practical significance for early warning of landslides and risk mitigation.
COVID-19 Detection in CT/X-ray Imagery Using Vision Transformers

The steady spread of the 2019 Coronavirus disease has brought about human and economic losses, imposing a new lifestyle across the world. On this point, medical imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) and X-ray have demonstrated a sound screening potential. Deep learning methodologies have evidenced superior image analysis capabilities with respect to prior handcrafted counterparts. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning framework for Coronavirus detection using CT and X-ray images. In particular, a Vision Transformer architecture is adopted as a backbone in the proposed network, in which a Siamese encoder is utilized. The latter is composed of two branches: one for processing the original image and another for processing an augmented view of the original image. The input images are divided into patches and fed through the encoder. The proposed framework is evaluated on public CT and X-ray datasets. The proposed system confirms its superiority over state-of-the-art methods on CT and X-ray data in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, and F1 score. Furthermore, the proposed system also exhibits good robustness when a small portion of training data is allocated.
Determining the Effectiveness of Graphic-aided Dynamic Message Signs in Work Zone

16. Abstract Portable changeable message signs (PCMSs) have been employed in highway work zones as an innovative temporary traffic control (TTC) device in the United Stated for many years. The traditional message format on a PCMS is text-based, which has been found to have several limitations in recent studies, such as confusing drivers and delaying their responses during driving, being difficult to read for older drivers and non-English-speaking drivers, and having a short range of legibility. The use of graphic-aided messages on PCMSs has many advantages over text-based PCMSs based on a number of previous laboratory simulation experiments. This research project used field experiments and driver surveys to determine the effectiveness of a graphic-aided PCMS on reducing vehicle speed and drivers' acceptance of utilizing a graphic-aided PCMS in the upstream of a one-lane two-way rural highway work zone. Field experiment were conducted to compare the effectiveness of text PCMS, graphic-aided PCMS, and graphic PCMS on reducing vehicle speed in a highway work zone in Kansas , and to develop regression models of the relationship between mean vehicle speed and distance under three PCMS conditions. Driver surveys were conducted to evaluate drivers' opinions on the implementation of a graphic-aided PCMS in the highway work zone. The findings showed that 1) using a text, a graphic-aided, and a graphic PCMS resulted in a mean vehicle speed reduction of 13%, 10%, and 17%, respectively; 2) using a graphic-aided PCMS reduced mean vehicle speed more effectively than using a text PCMS from 1,475 ft to 1,000 ft in the upstream of a work zone; using a graphic PCMS reduced mean vehicle speed more effectively than using a text PCMS from 1,475 ft in the upstream of the work zone to the location of the second TTC sign (W20-4 sign); 3) the majority of drivers understood the work zone and flagger graphics and believed the graphics drew their attention more to the work zone traffic conditions; and 4) more drivers preferred the information to be presented in the graphic-aided and graphic formats if the graphic-aided and graphic PCMSs were available. 1.1 Background The U.S. Interstate Highway System and many state and local highways were built between the 1950s and the 1970s, most of which were designed to last 25 to 30 years before major pavement rehabilitation was needed. In the past decade, many highways in the National Highway System (NHS) had been resurfaced, and as …
Gender Related Differences in the Clinical Presentation of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy—An Analysis from the SILICOFCM Database

Background and Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiac disease that affects approximately 1 in 500 people. Due to an incomplete disease penetrance associated with numerous factors, HCM is not manifested in all carriers of genetic mutation. Although about two-thirds of patients are male, it seems that female gender is associated with more severe disease phenotype and worse prognosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender related differences in HCM presentation. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a part of the international multidisciplinary SILICOFCM project. Clinical information, laboratory analyses, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and genetic testing data were collected for 362 HCM patients from four clinical centers (Florence, Newcastle, Novi Sad, and Regensburg). There were 33% female patients, and 67% male patients. Results: Female patients were older than males (64.5 vs. 53.5 years, p < 0.0005). The male predominance was present across all age groups until the age of 70, when gender distribution became comparable. Females had higher number of symptomatic individuals then males (69% vs. 52%, p = 0.003), most frequently complaining of dyspnea (50% vs. 30%), followed by chest pain (30% vs. 17%), fatigue (26% vs. 13%), palpitations (22% vs. 13%), and syncope (13% vs. 8%). The most common rhythm disorder was atrial fibrillation which was present in a similar number of females and males (19% vs. 13%, p = 0.218). Levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were comparable between the genders (571 vs. 794 ng/L, p = 0.244). Echocardiography showed similar thickness of interventricular septum (18 vs. 16 mm, p = 0.121) and posterolateral wall (13 vs. 12 mm, p = 0.656), however, females had a lower number of systolic anterior motion (8% vs. 16%, p = 0.020) and other mitral valve abnormalities. Conclusions: Female patients are underrepresented but seem to have a more pronounced clinical presentation of HCM. Therefore, establishing gender specific diagnostic criteria for HCM should be considered.