Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heart Rate Variability-Based Subjective Physical Fatigue Assessment

Accurate assessment of physical fatigue is crucial to preventing physical injury caused by excessive exercise, overtraining during daily exercise and professional sports training. However, as a subjective feeling of an individual, physical fatigue is difficult for others to objectively evaluate. Heart rate variability (HRV), which is derived from electrocardiograms (ECG) and controlled by the autonomic nervous system, has been demonstrated to be a promising indicator for physical fatigue estimation. In this paper, we propose a novel method for the automatic and objective classification of physical fatigue based on HRV. First, a total of 24 HRV features were calculated. Then, a feature selection method was proposed to remove useless features that have a low correlation with physical fatigue and redundant features that have a high correlation with the selected features. After feature selection, the best 11 features were selected and were finally used for physical fatigue classifying. Four machine learning algorithms were trained to classify fatigue using the selected features. The experimental results indicate that the model trained using the selected 11 features could classify physical fatigue with high accuracy. More importantly, these selected features could provide important information regarding the identification of physical fatigue.
How and when frontline employees positively cope with supervisor ostracism: An attributional perspective

ABSTRACT Supervisor ostracism prevails in highly stressful workplace such as hospitality settings. However, the consequences of supervisor ostracism seem disparate. Some frontline employees (FLEs) experience psychological distress and choose to leave their jobs, while others tend to engage in positive behaviors to reshape their social environments. This study provides novel insights into the consequences of supervisor ostracism from a causal explanatory perspective. We propose that ostracized FLEs are likely to adopt the tactics of job crafting and supervisor-focused ingratiation to cope with supervisor ostracism, which subsequently leads to enhanced performance outcomes. Results from a two-wave and multisource survey reveal that FLEs are motivated to craft their jobs when they make internal attribution for supervisor ostracism, which, in turn, promotes their task performance. Furthermore, when FLEs attribute supervisor ostracism to relational factors, they are likely to ingratiate their supervisors, which improves citizenship performance. Contributions to literature and management practice are also addressed.
Quantifying Cardinal Temperatures of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Using Non-Linear Regression Models

Temperature is the main factor that impacts germination and therefore the success of annual crops, such as chia (Salvia hispanica L.), whose seeds are known for their high nutritional value related to its oil. The effect of temperature on germination is related to cardinal-temperature concepts that describe the range of temperature over which seeds of a particular species can germinate. Therefore, in this study, in addition to calculated germinative parameters such as total germination and germination rate of S. hispanica seeds, the effectiveness of non-linear models for estimating the cardinal temperatures of chia seeds was also determined. We observed that germination of S. hispanica occurred in cold to moderate-high temperatures (10–35 °C), having an optimal range between 25 and 35 °C, with the highest GR and t50 at 30 °C. Temperatures higher than 35 °C significantly reduced germination. Output parameters of the different non-linear models showed that the response of chia germination to temperature was best explained by beta models (B). Cardinal temperatures calculated by the B1 model for chia germination were: 2.52 ± 6.82 °C for the base, 30.45 ± 0.32 °C for the optimum, and 48.58 ± 2.93 °C for the ceiling temperature.
Prepandemic relationship satisfaction is related to postpandemic COVID-19 anxiety: A four-wave study in China

The COVID-19 pandemic has had lasting impacts on people’s interpersonal relationship and mental health. Using four-wave data in China (N = 222, 54.50% female, M age = 31.53, SD = 8.17), the current study examined whether prepandemic relationship satisfaction was related to postpandemic COVID-19 anxiety through midpandemic perceived social support and/or gratitude. The results showed that people’s COVID-19 anxiety decreased from the peak to the trough stage of the pandemic; perceived social support increased markedly from prepandemic to the peak and remained stable subsequently, while relationship satisfaction remained unchanged throughout. Further, it was midpandemic perceived social support, not gratitude, that mediated the association between prepandemic relationship satisfaction and postpandemic COVID-19 anxiety, indicating that perceived social support played a crucial role in this process. Finally, it is suggested that perceived social support should be distinguished from gratitude as two different components of social interactions.
Microwave Imaging for Early Breast Cancer Detection: Current State, Challenges, and Future Directions

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type and is the leading cause of cancer-related death among females worldwide. Breast screening and early detection are currently the most successful approaches for the management and treatment of this disease. Several imaging modalities are currently utilized for detecting breast cancer, of which microwave imaging (MWI) is gaining quite a lot of attention as a promising diagnostic tool for early breast cancer detection. MWI is a noninvasive, relatively inexpensive, fast, convenient, and safe screening tool. The purpose of this paper is to provide an up-to-date survey of the principles, developments, and current research status of MWI for breast cancer detection. This paper is structured into two sections; the first is an overview of current MWI techniques used for detecting breast cancer, followed by an explanation of the working principle behind MWI and its various types, namely, microwave tomography and radar-based imaging. In the second section, a review of the initial experiments along with more recent studies on the use of MWI for breast cancer detection is presented. Furthermore, the paper summarizes the challenges facing MWI as a breast cancer detection tool and provides future research directions. On the whole, MWI has proven its potential as a screening tool for breast cancer detection, both as a standalone or complementary technique. However, there are a few challenges that need to be addressed to unlock the full potential of this imaging modality and translate it to clinical settings.
Hysteresis in the Thermo-Responsive Assembly of Hexa(ethylene glycol) Derivative-Modified Gold Nanodiscs as an Effect of Shape

Anisotropic gold nanodiscs (AuNDs) possess unique properties, such as large flat surfaces and dipolar plasmon modes, which are ideal constituents for the fabrication of plasmonic assemblies for novel and emergent functions. In this report, we present the thermo-responsive assembly and thermo-dynamic behavior of AuNDs functionalized with methyl-hexa(ethylene glycol) undecane-thiol as a thermo-responsive ligand. Upon heating, the temperature stimulus caused a blue shift of the plasmon peak to form a face-to-face assembly of AuNDs due to the strong hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions between their large flat surfaces. Importantly, AuNDs allowed for the incorporation of the carboxylic acid-terminated ligand while maintaining their thermo-responsive assembly ability. With regard to their reversible assembly/disassembly behavior in the thermal cycling process, significant rate-independent hysteresis, which is related to their thermo-dynamics, was observed and was shown to be dependent on the carboxylic acid content of the surface ligands. As AuNDs have not only unique plasmonic properties but also high potential for attachment due to the fact of their flat surfaces, this study paves the way for the exploitation of AuNDs in the development of novel functional materials with a wide range of applications.
Effect of Time and Temperature on SARS-CoV-2 in Municipal Wastewater Conveyance Systems

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 is becoming a widespread public health metric, but little is known about pre-analytical influences on these measurements. We examined SARS-CoV-2 loads from two sewer service areas with different travel times that were within the same metropolitan area. Throughout the one-year study, case rates were nearly identical between the two service areas allowing us to compare differences in empirical concentrations relative to conveyance system characteristics and wastewater treatment plant parameters. We found time did not have a significant effect on degradation of SARS-CoV-2 when using average transit times (22 vs. 7.5 h) (p = 0.08), or under low flow conditions when transit times are greater (p = 0.14). Flow increased rather than decreased SARS-CoV-2 case-adjusted concentrations, but this increase was only significant in one service area. Warmer temperatures (16.8–19.8 °C) compared with colder (8.4–12.3 °C) reduced SARS-CoV-2 case-adjusted loads by ~50% in both plants (p < 0.05). Decreased concentrations in warmer temperatures may be an important factor to consider when comparing seasonal dynamics. Oxygen demand and suspended solids had no significant effect on SARS-CoV-2 case-adjusted loads overall. Understanding wastewater conveyance system influences prior to sample collection will improve comparisons of regional or national data for SARS-CoV-2 community infections.
Bladder Microbiota Are Associated with Clinical Conditions That Extend beyond the Urinary Tract

Background. Since the discovery of the human urinary microbiota (UM), alterations in microbial community composition have been associated with various genitourinary conditions. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine possible associations of UM with clinical conditions beyond the urinary tract and to test some of the conclusions from previous studies on UM. Methods. Catheterised urine samples from 87 men were collected prior to endoscopic urological interventions under anaesthesia. The composition of the bacterial community in urine was characterized using the hypervariable V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Samples from 58 patients yielded a sufficient amount of bacterial DNA for analysis. Alpha diversity measures (number of operational taxonomic units, ACE, iChao2, Shannon and Simpson indices) were compared with the Kruskal–Wallis test. Beta diversity (differences in microbial community composition) was assessed using non-metric dimensional scaling in combination with the Prevalence in Microbiome Analysis algorithm. Results. Differences in bacterial richness and diversity were observed for the following variables: age, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking status and single-dose preoperative antibiotics. Differences in microbial community composition were observed in the presence of chronic kidney disease, lower urinary tract symptoms and antibiotic prophylaxis. Conclusions. UM appears to be associated with certain clinical conditions, including those unrelated to the urinary tract. Further investigation is needed before conclusions can be drawn for diagnostics and treatment.
Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Graphite/Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanocomposites

In this work, graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) were incorporated into poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) matrix to prepare PET-GNP nanocomposites using a melt compounding followed by compression moulding and then quenching process. Both static and dynamic mechanical properties of these quenched materials were characterized as a function of GNP contents using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and tensile machine, respectively. The results demonstrated that the addition of GNP improved the stiffness of PET significantly. Additionally, the maximum increase in the storage modulus of 72% at 6 wt. % GNP. The incorporation of GNP beyond 6 wt. % into PET decreases the storage moduli, but they remain higher than pure PET. The observed reduction could be due to agglomeration, resulting in poorer dispersion and distribution of higher levels of GNP into the PET matrix. In contrast to the results for moduli, tensile strength and elongations at break reduce with increasing the GNP content. For example, tensile strength reduced from ∼46 MPa (neat PET) to ∼39 MPa (−15%) for the nanocomposites containing 2 wt. % GNP. This reduction is accompanied by a decline in elongation at break from ∼6.3 (neat PET) to ∼3.4 (−46%) for the same nanocomposites. Such reductions are followed by a gradual decrease in upon further addition of GNP. These reductions indicate that increasing GNP loadings, results in brittleness in nanocomposites. In addition, it was found that quenched PET and composite samples were not fully crystallized after processing and therefore (cold) crystallized during the first heating cycle DMTA, as indicated by a rise in storage moduli above the glass transition temperature during the DMTA first heat. Furthermore, mathematical models based on non-linear theories are developed to capture the experimental data. For this, a set of mechanical stress-strain data is used for model parameters’ identification. Another set of data is used for the model validation that demonstrates good agreements with the experimental study.
Cross-border Telecommunication: A Task-based Collaboration at College Level

Learner-centered classroom practices have been emphasized greatly in recent times since communicative language learning has become the major trend in the TESOL field. With the advancement of technology, language learners are able to directly and autonomously interact with native speakers of the target language and culture. The two-way communication via electronic mediums offers learners a meaningful context to engage in natural conversations with the aid of visual display on a monitor. This study intends to investigate the effectiveness of a task-based telecommunication in which 52 Taiwanese college students are paired with 52 American students to collaborate in three culturally related learning tasks. Quantitative and qualitative data serve as the evidence that the task-based CMC allows EFL students in large classes to gain individual feedback from language models (native speakers), as opposed to solely relying on the single authority (i.e. instructors) in the classroom to give input. The Taiwanese students’ learning behaviors, learning performance, and their motivations to communicate in target language had overall increased. Several suggestions with regard to online project design and execution are also presented to classroom practitioners and future researchers based on the findings of the present study.
First Evaluation and Frequency Measurement of the Strontium Optical Lattice Clock at NIM

An optical lattice clock based on 87Sr is built at National Institute of Metrology (NIM) of China. The systematic frequency shifts of the clock are evaluated with a total uncertainty of 2.3×10−16. To measure its absolute frequency with respect to NIM's cesium fountain clock NIM5, the frequency of a flywheel H-maser of NIM5 is transferred to the Sr laboratory through a 50-km-long fiber. A fiber optical frequency comb, phase-locked to the reference frequency of this H-maser, is used for the optical frequency measurement. The absolute frequency of this Sr clock is measured to be 429228004229873.7(1.4)Hz.
THE STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIHYPOXIC PROPERTIES OF CERTAIN COMPOUNDS OF VARIOUS ACTION MECHANISMS ON HEMIC HYPOXIA MODELS

The article presents experimental data on the effectiveness of drugs that could stimulate the start of metabolic adaptation during the development of methemoglobinemia. The modeling of this type of hemic hypoxia led to the disruption of antioxidant protection, resulting in a rather significant decrease of superoxide dismutase and catalase (primary antioxidant enzymes) in the blood plasma of tested animals. We have established that anti-hypoxic activity was higher with the use of mexidol compared to the use of tocopherol. The differences in the indicators can perhaps be explained by the different mechanisms of action of the used antioxidants. The state of methemoglobinemia has also led to increased concentrations of medium-size molecules in the blood plasma. The use of mexidol and tocopherol did not show any significant effect on normalization.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a cause of chronic wound infections: Alternative strategies for management

Biofilm formation at the level of a wound plays an important role in its chronicization. The difficulty of its eradication has driven research toward the discovery and synthesis of new molecules that can act on biofilm to promote wound healing. This narrative review focuses on alternative molecules that can act and promote the eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, taking into consideration its antibiotic resistance, virulence, tendency toward the tenacious colonization of wounds by biofilms, and its increased prevalence in both community and hospital settings. A selection of promising studies were reported, analyzing the in vitro and/or in vivo efficacy of bacteriophages, metal nanoparticles, RNAIII inhibiting peptide (RIP), synthetized RIP derivatives, proteinase K and hamamelitannin.
Water Quality of the Beach in an Urban and not Urban Environment

Numerous studies and theories have emerged for evaluating the quality of beaches using different parameters. In recent years in the European region, one of the most important aspects when evaluating a beach is the quality of water and sand. The quality of water is represented by the amount of Intesti-nal Enterococcus and Escherichia coli . This parameter is essential and others to obtain the Blue Flag, indicating that the user of the beach can swim safely. The European Directive 2006/7/EC establishes the limits of E. coli and Enterococcus that may exist in bathing water. However, it should be noted that each ecosystem is unique, and therefore the characteristics a beach are not the same per example if you are in an inland sea, or an ocean, or equal if they are close to an urban or a natural area. In this paper, 1,392 beaches in Spain have been analysed, and it has been observed that in the Mediterranean, the beaches have a lower concentration of bacteria than other areas. In addition, it appears that the sandy beaches and urban beaches have a higher content of bacteria that natural and gravel beaches.
Leveraging the Pied Piper effect -The case of teaching programming to sixth-grade students via music

This paper describes a pilot study that explores students learning how to program via a multi-disciplinary approach. The study participants were eleven 6th grade students who learned programming fundamentals via music activities in a Scratch 3.0 environment. These activities included the programming of familiar melodies and the development of suitable animations or computer games. For that matter, a study unit termed MelodyCode was developed in the spirit of the STEAM education approach and the spiral learning method and included exploration tasks based on individual learning. Via the programming of familiar melodies, they became acquainted with programming concepts such as functions, variables, repetition and control commands, parallel processes, and more. Competitions that win awards were held from time to time, which prompted students to invest efforts in their projects to reach first place and gain the teacher and classmates' appreciation. The study was conducted in the form of action research. The data analysis yielded references to the effect of MelodyCode on common stereotypes students hold regarding programming (masculine profession, necessitates good mathematics knowledge), cognitive aspects (cognitive load, linking music concrete use to abstract programming concepts), and affective aspects (joyful and relaxing class atmosphere, motivation, curiosity, self-efficacy).
An Ultra-Micro-Volume Adhesive Transfer Method and Its Application in fL–pL-Level Adhesive Distribution

This study is aimed at addressing the urgent demand for ultra-micro-precision dispensing technology in high-performance micro- and nanometer encapsulation, connection, and assembly manufacturing, considering the great influence of colloid viscosity and surface tension on the dispensing process in micro- and nanometer scale. According to the principle of liquid transfer, a method of adhesive transfer that can realize fL–pL levels is studied in this paper. A mathematical model describing the initial droplet volume and the transfer droplet volume was established, and the factors affecting the transfer process of adhesive were analyzed by the model. The theoretical model of the transfer droplet volume was verified by a 3D scanning method. The relationships between the transfer droplet volume and the initial droplet volume, stay time, initial distance, and stretching speed were systematically analyzed by a single-factor experiment, and the adhesive transfer rate was calculated. Combined with trajectory planning, continuous automatic dispensing experiments with different patterns were developed, and the problems of the transfer droplet size, appearance quality, and position accuracy were analyzed comprehensively. The results show that the average relative deviation of the transfer droplet lattice position obtained by the dispensing method in this paper was 6.2%. The minimum radius of the transfer droplet was 11.7 μm, and the minimum volume of the transfer droplet was 573.3 fL. Furthermore, microporous encapsulation was realized using the method of ultra-micro-dispensing.
Earnings management and accounting performance of new firms listings: evidence from the Vietnamese stock market

Abstract The purpose of this article is to investigate the phenomenon of earnings management and its impact on accounting performance at the time of the listing event. The analysis is based on a sample of 189 firms listing their securities on the Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam stock exchange for the period of 2009 to 2017. Four cross–sectional models were adopted for this study to estimate earnings management with two models based on total accruals and two models based on current accruals. The article first provides evidence that Vietnamese firms aggressively manipulate their earnings upward in the year before listing in an attempt to meet listing requirements when adopting current accruals models, but not when earnings management was measured by total discretionary accruals. Additionally, firms exhibit a significant decline in accounting performance (measured by ROE and ROA) for two consecutive years after listing. Consistent with our expectations, earnings management (measured by discretionary current accruals) in the pre-listing year are negatively related to poor accounting performance for two years after listing but not in the listing year. This study also provides an additional robustness check on the results with respect to handling outliers. The findings from this research make a number of contributions to the earnings management literature and are relevant for investors, policymakers, and firms.