Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Participation of children with and without disabilities in home, school, and community in Hong Kong: A 2-year longitudinal study

Background Children with disabilities are reported to participate less in activities than their typically developing peers. However, owing to limited longitudinal studies, improvements or deteriorations in their participation over time remain unclear. No studies were also conducted in Hong Kong to describe children’s activity participation over time. Aim To investigate the changes in participation patterns of Hong Kong children with and without disabilities. Methods Thirty-four children with disabilities and 138 without disabilities were recruited from four schools. Their parents completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth twice over 2 years. Results After 2 years, both groups of children were found to engage more frequently in using electronic devices and less frequently in indoor play activities/games at home. They also participated more often in school extra-curriculum activities, events and field trips. However, the frequency of community activities remained relatively stable in the two groups. No changes in their levels of involvement in almost of home, school and community activities were identified. Conclusion The findings of increased participation in some home and school activities over time are encouraging. However, stable or possibly decreased participation of children with disabilities in other activities requires further efforts in promoting their participation.
Techno-Economic Assessment of Co-Hydrothermal Carbonization of a Coal-Miscanthus Blend

Co-Hydrothermal Carbonization (Co-HTC) is a thermochemical process, where coal and biomass were treated simultaneously in subcritical water, resulting in bulk-homogenous hydrochar that is carbon-rich and a hydrophobic solid fuel with combustion characteristics like coal. In this study, technoeconomic analysis of Co-HTC was performed for a scaled-up Co-HTC plant that produces fuel for 110 MWe coal-fired power plant using Clarion coal #4a and miscanthus as starting feedstocks. With precise mass and energy balance of the Co-HTC process, sizing of individual equipment was conducted based on various systems equations. Cost of electricity was calculated from estimated capital, manufacturing, and operating and maintenance costs. The breakeven selling price of Co-HTC hydrochar was $117 per ton for a 110 MWe. Sensitivity analysis indicates that this breakeven selling price could be as low as $106 per ton for a higher capacity plant. Besides plant size, the price of solid fuel is sensitive to the feedstock costs and hydrochar yield.
A Deep Generative Adversarial Architecture for Network-Wide Spatial-Temporal Traffic-State Estimation

This study proposes a deep generative adversarial architecture (GAA) for network-wide spatial-temporal traffic-state estimation. The GAA is able to combine traffic-flow theory with neural networks and thus improve the accuracy of traffic-state estimation. It consists of two Long Short-Term Memory Neural Networks (LSTM NNs) which capture correlation in time and space among traffic flow and traffic density. One of the LSTM NNs, called a discriminative network, aims to maximize the probability of assigning correct labels to both true traffic-state matrices (i.e., traffic flow and traffic density within a given spatial-temporal area) and the traffic-state matrices generated from the other neural network. The other LSTM NN, called a generative network, aims to generate traffic-state matrices which maximize the probability that the discriminative network assigns true labels to them. The two LSTM NNs are trained simultaneously such that the trained generative network can generate traffic matrices similar to those in the training data set. Given a traffic-state matrix with missing values, we use back-propagation on three defined loss functions to map the corrupted matrix to a latent space. The mapping vector is then passed through the pre-trained generative network to estimate the missing values of the corrupted matrix. The proposed GAA is compared with the existing Bayesian network approach on loop detector data collected from Seattle, Washington and that collected from San Diego, California. Experimental results indicate that the GAA can achieve higher accuracy in traffic-state estimation than the Bayesian network approach.
A Proposed Quantitative Model for the Computation and Analysis of Waning Immunity for COVID-19 Virus among Human Population

Waning Immunity is an important and relevant concept during these days as the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to become endemic in the coming months. By definition, Waning Immunity is the loss of protective antibodies over time and hence necessitates booster shots at regular intervals of time. This quantitative study is on proposition of a model for computing a newly defined metric called Waning Immunity Index (WII). The model takes into account the three group of people namely, susceptible, infected and recovered individuals from the COVID-19 infections. The required data can be collected from the Kaggle repository that contains information on infections, recovery, vaccination and booster doses given on the human population while considering a geographical location. The proposed model and its implementation have thrown light on the spread, control and effect of COVID-19 virus. Results of the proposed model and the measurement can help health officials to seamlessly plan the duration of booster doses administered on vaccinated population. A sample data has been prepared for testing the model and the application of the proposed metrics. Based on the results, it is found that vulnerability of the Waning Immunity increases steeply at some duration and gradually steadies in time.
Analysis of Aeolian Vibrations of Transmission Line Conductors and Extraction of Damper Optimal Placement with a Comprehensive Methodology

Energy balance method is an effective and simple method which is used in the amplitude calculation of Aeolian vibration in transmission lines with Stockbridge damper. However, the accuracy of the results obtained by this method, heavily depends on the assumed mode shapes of the conductor vibration. In this study, by considering an appropriate model for the conductor vibration, a comprehensive methodology is presented to calculate the steady-state vibration amplitude of a conductor with arbitrary number of dampers. In this proposed method, the effects of traveling waves, variations of amplitude and phase, boundary conditions (finite length of the conductor), as well as the effect of number, location and impedance of the dampers are taken into account. Natural frequencies, damping rates and complex mode shapes are also obtained from forming and solving the nonlinear eigenvalue problem. Using this method, the effects of the damper placement on the vibration amplitude and bending strain are examined to achieve an optimum damper location. The comparison of the obtained values shows that considering the above parameters has a significant effect on the accuracy of the results.
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Common and Developmental Stage-Specific Genes That Respond to Low Nitrogen in Maize Leaves

A growing leaf can be divided into three sections: division zone, elongation zone, and maturation zone. In previous studies, low nitrogen (LN) inhibited maize growth and development, especially leaf growth; however, the gene expression in response to LN in different regions in leaf were not clear. Here, using hydroponics and a transcriptome approach, we systematically analyzed the molecular responses of those zones and differentially expressed genes (DEG) in response to LN supply. Developmental stage-specific genes (SGs) were highly stage-specific and involved in distinct biological processes. SGs from division (SGs–DZ) and elongation zones (SGs–EZ) were more related to developmentally dependent processes, whereas SGs of the maturation zone (SGs–MZ) were more related to metabolic processes. The common genes (CGs) were overrepresented in carbon and N metabolism, suggesting that rebalancing carbon and N metabolism in maize leaves under LN condition was independent of developmental stage. Coexpression modules (CMs) were also constructed in our experiment and a total of eight CMs were detected. Most of SGs–DZ and SGs–EZ were classified into a set termed CM turquoise, which was mainly enriched in ribosome and DNA replication, whereas several genes from SGs–MZ and CGs were clustered into CM blue, which mainly focused on photosynthesis and carbon metabolism. Finally, a comprehensive coexpression network was extracted from CM blue, and several maize CONSTANS-LIKE(ZmCOL) genes seemed to participate in regulating photosynthesis in maize leaves under LN condition in a developmental stage-specific manner. With this study, we uncovered the LN-responsive CGs and SGs that are important for promoting plant growth and development under insufficient nitrogen supply.
Parallel robot with fuzzy neural network sliding mode control

With the advancement in research on parallel robots, control theory is increasingly applied in the field of robotics. Owing to its robustness, sliding mode variable structure control is extensively used in parallel robots. This article presents an adaptive sliding mode control method for nonlinear systems. A parallel robot control model with adaptive fuzzy sliding mode control was designed based on a fuzzy neural network control theory, and simulation results demonstrate its effectiveness of the method.
Advances in Modelling and Analysis of Strength of Corroded Ship Structures

The present study reviews the recent advances in modelling and analyses the strength of corroded ship structures. Firstly, the time-variant methodologies that consider only the mean structural element thickness loss due to corrosion degradation are identified. Corrosion degradation is regarded as the phenomenon that causes uneven thinning of specimens. This has been captured by various researchers as the loss of mechanical properties of structural steel components. A review of the existing experimental and numerical studies shows significant interest in this field of study. The advances in modelling and analysis of structural behaviours of different ship structural components of larger sizes (including plates, stiffened plates and panels, and entire hull girders) are outlined. Research on the impact of general and pitting corrosion degradation is reviewed separately since the phenomena are different in terms of modelling and analysis. Additionally, recent advances concerning the reliability analysis of corroded ship structural components have also been reviewed. Finally, the general conclusions are drawn and future research topics are outlined.
Has there been a change between combat time in male judo? Analysis of the top 20 athletes by weight division between the 2016-20 Olympic cycles

ABSTRACT This study compared male judo combat time in international competitions between the 2016 and 2020 Olympic cycles, by weight divisions. We analysed 1380 videos of male judo combat from top 20 in the World ranking by weight division. The 2020 cycle had a lower combat time and a higher occurrence of Golden Score (GS) compared to the 2016 cycle (combat time: 2020= 206.9, 2016= 240.3 seconds; GS time: 2020= 95.1, 2016= 77.6 seconds; p˂0.001; GS occurrence: 2020= 27%, 2016= 6%; p˂0.05). The 66kg and 73kg spent the most time and the +100kg category spent the least time in the GS than the other divisions, in both Olympic cycles. However, in the 2020 cycle compared to 2016, the 66kg was the only that reduced the combat time on the GS (p= 0.002), the 81kg and +100kg had a change in the distribution of combat closure minute-by-minute [81kg(2016)= 28%, 81kg(2020)= 68% finished until the 4th minute of Regular Time; +100kg(2016)= 25%, +100kg(2020)= 50% finished until the 3rd minute of Regular Time; p= 0.003 for both]. These data must be considered when prescribing male judo training for specific performance.
Analysis of Error Rate and Capacity in the Presence of I/Q Imbalances Over an Impulsive Noise Channel

Many state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicle-assisted communication systems adopt quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and zero intermediate frequency (IF) architecture. In zero-IF QAM devices, in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) amplitude and phase imbalances cause severe performance degradation. In addition, the performance of the devices in close proximity to the impulsive noise sources can also be significantly degraded. In this article, we derive and analyze the symbol error rate (SER) of M-ary square QAM and the channel capacity of a system in the presence of I/Q imbalance over an impulsive noise channel. We first present an exact expression for the joint probability density function (PDF) of the demodulated I/Q signals affected by impulsive noise. By using the derived PDF, we then provide exact expressions for SER and SER floor of M-ary square QAM and average and asymptotic channel capacities of the system with I/Q amplitude and phase imbalances over an impulsive noise channel. We validate the theoretical results through computer simulations.
Comparison of modelling methods accounting for temporal correlation in crash counts

ABSTRACT Temporal correlation in crash counts is an important issue that road safety researchers face when developing crash prediction models. Several modelling methods have been proposed to date to address this issue. Random effects negative binomial (RENB) model, random parameters negative binomial (RPNB) model, multilevel negative binomial (MLNB) model, negative multinomial (NM) model, and generalized estimating equation (GEE) model are the most frequently used ones. Although those models have been applied successfully, it is not clear to researchers what their differences are and how to make a choice among them. This study attempts to answer these questions through describing the main features of the five models, showing their connections, illustrating their applications to predict the crash frequency on basic freeway segments, and discussing their differences that can guide the choice making. The application results show that the RENB, MLNB, and RPNB models are superior to others in terms of predictability (for the current data set), capability, usability, and interpretability. Three fundamental differences, including the ways to handle temporal correlation, whether to account for other heterogeneities, and the interpretation of estimated coefficients, provide some guidance on the model choice.
Live wild bird exports from West Africa: insights into recent trade from monitoring social media

Summary The expansion of wildlife trade on social media presents many challenges but also opportunities to gain insights into areas of trade where there is little recent data. West Africa has historically been a major source of wild birds in international trade but in 2007, the requirement for CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Parties to monitor a host of West-African species ended and there is little data regarding current trade. To address this gap, we surveyed trade-related posts created by known traders from 2016 to 2020 on a popular social-media platform to identify species composition, trade routes and potential conservation and biosecurity risks. We identified 427 social-media posts featuring a broad taxonomic diversity of birds, including 83 species from 26 avian families, including nine CITES-listed species, four listed in IUCN Threatened categories and 19 associated with alien introductions linked to bird trade. Disease risks were identified, with multiple species housed together in densely-stocked facilities and nine species recorded as posing a potential disease risk. Using novel analyses of post-engagement, we observed social-media posts facilitating connections with users across the globe. Trade-related engagement particularly came from countries in the Middle East and South Asia, notably India which has strong domestic restrictions on the importation of wild birds. Further research is needed to monitor the impact of trade from this region, as data regarding the population status and volume of trade in many observed species is largely absent.
Preparation of Drug-Loaded Liposomes with Multi-Inlet Vortex Mixers

The multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM) has emerged as a novel bottom-up technology for solid nanoparticle preparation. However, its performance in liposome preparation remains unknown. Here, two key process parameters (aqueous/organic flow rate ratio (FRR) and total flow rate (TFR)) of MIVM were investigated for liposome preparation. For this study, two model drugs (lysozyme and erythromycin) were chosen for liposome encapsulation as the representative hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, respectively. In addition, two modified MIVMs, one with herringbone-patterned straight inlets and one with zigzag inlets, were designed to further improve the mixing efficiency, aiming to achieve better drug encapsulation. Data showed that FRR played an important role in liposome size control, and a size of <200 nm was achieved by FRR higher than 3:1. Moreover, increasing TFR (from 1 to 100 mL/min) could further decrease the size at a given FRR. However, similar regularities in controlling the encapsulation efficiency (EE%) were only noted in erythromycin-loaded liposomes. Modified MIVMs improved the EE% of lysozyme-loaded liposomes by 2~3 times at TFR = 40 mL/min and FRR = 3:1, which was consistent with computational fluid dynamics simulations. In summary, the good performance of MIVM in the control of particle size and EE% makes it a promising tool for liposome preparation, especially for hydrophobic drug loading, at flexible production scales.
Mutation Testing of Quantum Programs Written in QISKit

There is an inherent lack of knowledge and technology to test a quantum program properly. In this paper, building on the definition of syntactically equivalent quantum operations, we investigated a novel set of mutation operators to generate mutants based on qubit measurements and quantum gates. To ease the adoption of quantum mutation testing, we further discuss QMutPy, an extension of the well-known and fully automated open-source mutation tool MutPy. To evaluate QMutPy’s performance we conducted a case study on 11 real quantum programs written in the IBM’s QISKit library. QMutPy has proven to be an effective quantum mutation tool, providing insight on the current state of quantum tests.
Low‐profile substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity‐backed self‐triplexed slot antenna

A low‐profile self‐triplexed slot antenna is proposed for multiple system integrations. The antenna comprises of hybrid substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity (a combination of a half‐mode circular and half‐mode rectangular SIW), radiating slot, and feeding network. A slot is imprinted on the upper metal‐layer of the SIW which splits the cavity into three radiating sections. It offers tri‐frequency bands when each section is excited separately. By finely tuning the antenna dimensions, it produces three frequency‐bands around 5.57, 7.17, and 7.65 GHz simultaneously utilizes a single slot with maintaining the intrinsic input‐port isolation better than 20 dB. This property helps to introduce the self‐triplexing phenomenon. Compared with the conventional multiband antennas that use an extra circuitry to ensure the port isolations, this design preserves compactness and easy to integrate with planar circuits Moreover, the proposed antenna is fabricated and the measured results mutually agreed with the simulated counterparts. The proposed design can be a feasible option for mobile transceiver applications.
The Influence of Substrate Types and Bio-phyto-modulators on Spruce Seed Germination and Seedling Development (Picea abies [L.] Karst.)

Spruce is a European native coniferous species, spreading over the area in between The Carpathian Mountains and the Alps, up to the northern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In the future, spruce forests will have to cope with the growing climate change that is already threatening their natural habitats. This study has focused on the spruce seed germination process and seedlings growth under the influence of DEA (Water Energizing Device) bio-phyto-modulators. The biological material under analysis consists of spruce seeds selected from four Romanian sources included in the National Catalogue of Basic Materials for Generating Forestry Reproduction Material. Five different substrates were used for tasting germination capacity, with two different treatments (distilled water and energized water). Analyzing the treatments used it can be notice that subjecting the seeds to energized water treatment led to a higher germination capacity than in the case of those watered with distilled water (40-94%) and, respectively (24-84%). The seedlings growth was also higher in the case of those springing from the energized water treated seeds (2.45-4.23 cm) than from those springing from the distilled water treated seeds (2.07 cm-3.14 cm). The differences in germination capacity, growth and development were observed for all the provenances. Applying DEA bio-phyto-modulators has proven beneficial, with noticeable differences for both germination capacity and seedlings growth.
Edible insect harvest in Pinos, Zacatecas, Mexico

Objective: To identify the exploitation and generation of economic income derived from the harvest ofescamol (Liometopum apiculatum Mayr), white worm (Aegiale hesperiaris W) and red worm (Comadiaredtenbacheri H), during an annual season.Design/Methodology: Surveys were applied to n=593 edible insect harvesters in n= 18 ruralcommunities, local authorities (ejido commissaries, auxiliary judges), buyers (intermediaries), andrepresentatives of the stockpiling company DELIZAC. The interviews were conducted in harvesting zones(field), at the time of the delivery of the product (stockpiling), and in the homes of harvesters selected assample in Pinos, Zacatecas, Mexico.Results: The prices per kilogram of escamol and white worm, during the 2020 seasons, was US$15.00,and for the red worm, US$25.00. The harvest of edible insects was 34.6 tons with an economic spill ofUS$572,800.00 showing a per capita average income of US$965.90. Study Limitations/Implications: The results of this study can be used to propose techniques that favorthe conservation, management, and sustainable exploitation of the three species of edible insects forinhabitants of the rural zones in central-northern Mexico.Conclusions: The harvest of edible insects in Pinos, Zacatecas, generates important economic income. Ofthe harvesters, 78.9 % were men, 13.7 % adult women, and 7.4 % children. Most of the harvestinglocalities lack permits to carry out the exploitation.
Comparative Analysis of NavIC Multipath Amplitude and Phase for Soil Moisture Sensitivity over Different land cover

GNSS-IR (Interferometric Reflectometry) technique for multipath signal analysis has shown its applicability for continuous monitoring of soil moisture using single ground-based antenna. Sinusoidal behavior of generated interference pattern due to multipath signal is dependent on the reflecting surface condition which has been used for the soil moisture investigation in different works. In this paper, the NavIC multipath signal has been used to conduct the comparative sensitivity analysis of multipath amplitude and multipath phase of generated sinusoidal interference pattern. The comparative sensitivity analysis has been done for the variation in soil moisture at different land covers. Based on the conducted analysis, it has been observed that both multipath amplitude and multipath phase show positive linear correlation with soil moisture. However, the sensitivity reduces with the increment in surface roughness. Further, based on correlation coefficient and regression analysis, it has been shown that the multipath phase has better sensitivity for soil moisture and shows less dependency for variation in surface roughness.