Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vote-by-mail Ballot Rejection and Experience with Mail-in Voting

Although most ballots in the United States have historically been cast in-person, Americans are increasingly voting by mail, a trend that accelerated in the 2020 General Election. Mail ballots can be rejected after being cast, and our analysis of the Florida general elections of 2016, 2018, and 2020 shows that voters inexperienced with mail voting disproportionately submit ballots that end up rejected due to (1) late arrival at elections offices or (2) signature defects on return envelopes. Inexperienced mail voters are up to three times more likely to have their ballots rejected compared to experienced mail voters, and this inexperience penalty varies by a voter’s party registration, race/ethnicity, and age. Our findings hold when controlling for additional voter characteristics and geographical fixed effects. The effect of inexperience on the likelihood of vote-by-mail ballot rejection risks exacerbating existing inequities in political representation already faced by younger and racial/ethnic minority voters.
Automated detection of hot-gas path defects by Support Vector Machine based analysis of exhaust density fields

Defects in the hot-gas path of aero engines have been shown to leave typical signatures in the density distribution of the exhaust jet. These signatures are superposed when several defects are present. For improved maintenance and monitoring applications, it is important to not only detect that there are defects present but to also identify the individual classes of defects. This diagnostic approach benefits both, the analysis of prototype or acceptance test and the preparation of Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul. Recent advances in the analysis of tomographic Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) data have enabled the technique to be automated such that typical defects in the hot-gas path of gas turbines can be detected and distinguished automatically. This automation is achieved by using Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms. Choosing suitable identification parameters is critical and can enable SVM algorithms to distinguish between different defect types. The results show that the SVM can be trained such that almost no defects are missed and that false attributions of defect classes can be minimized.
‘It’s like a safety haven’: considerations for the implementation of managed alcohol programs in Scotland

Abstract Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are not equitably spread across the population, with some groups, such as people who are experiencing homelessness, being more vulnerable to AUDs due to social inequalities, stigma, and complex social and structural processes. Managed alcohol programs (MAPs) are a harm reduction approach first developed in Canada for those experiencing AUDs and homelessness with positive results. This study aimed to describe the factors that should be considered when implementing MAPs in Scotland. Qualitative data were collected in Scotland via semi‐structured interviews with 29 individuals in a range of roles, including strategic informants (n = 12), service staff (n = 8), and potential beneficiaries (n = 9). Vignettes were used to support data collection. Data were analysed using Framework in NVivo. Participants highlighted six considerations to inform the implementation of MAPs in Scotland: the importance of individualized care; provision of alcohol; holistic care and a focus on well-being; types of settings and service models; staffing; and autonomy and rules. Future research should focus on piloting MAPs in a range of service contexts, using different models of care and settings, to develop an enhanced understanding of their effectiveness in addressing harms and promoting well-being for those experiencing AUDs and homelessness.
Trabajar por amor al arte: precariedad laboral como forma de violencia contra los periodistas en México

Las agresiones contra la prensa no se limitan a los asesinatos, golpizas o secuestros. Por el contrario, en países como México, los informadores enfrentan cada vez mayores riesgos, tales como amenazas, campañas de difamación o espionaje digital. A pesar de la diversidad de ataques, el tema de la precariedad laboral como una forma de violencia no ha sido estudiado en profundidad. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este artículo es analizar la percepción que los trabajadores de medios mexicanos tienen respecto a las condiciones con las que realizan sus tareas cotidianamente. A partir de una serie de entrevistas semiestructuradas con periodistas en activo ubicados en los 23 estados más peligrosos del país, los resultados indican que las circunstancias laborales adversas obstaculizan el cumplimiento de su función, la cual es fomentar la rendición de cuentas de la clase en el poder y, como resultado, mantener informada a la sociedad. Asimismo, el origen de esta situación se encuentra en las propias organizaciones mediáticas, cuyos dueños anteponen los intereses económicos a los estrictamente periodísticos.
Model-Based Estimation of Transmission Gear Ratio for Driving Energy Consumption of an EV

This paper presents a numerical study of the effect of the transmission configuration on the energy consumption of an electric vehicle. The first part of this study is related to a vehicle simulation model that takes into consideration vehicle resistances such as aerodynamic, rolling and inertial resistance as well as the traction force. The model was then validated by means of vehicle acceleration time, from 0 to 100 km/h in the case of a single-speed gearbox. Vehicle power demand and electrical energy consumption were then evaluated over three standardized test cycles: WLTC-Class 3, NEDC and FTP-75. For each cycle, two cases were studied: a single-speed and dual-speed gearbox. Very different power demand was observed between the cycles in terms of maximum and average driving power. The most power-demanding cycle was WLTC, while NEDC was less power demanding. However, the specific driving energy per kilometer was very similar for NEDC and FTP-75, as it respectively accounted to 0.118/0.116 kWh/km and 0.117/0.115 kWh/km. WLTC led to a higher specific consumption of 0.127/0.124 kWh/km. A dual-speed gearbox led to better efficiency, within the range of 1.7% to 2.4%. The higher value was obtained for highly dynamic WLTC.
ONLINE INFORMATION SEARCHING STRATEGIES OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNERS: ANADOLU UNIVERSITY SAMPLE

Although there are questions about the validity, reliability and accuracy of the information on the internet, Internet is an important tool to enrich students’ learning habits and experiences. It is emphasized that individuals should have advanced strategies for searching online information. These strategies have critical importance especially in the field of open and distance learning. This study aims to determine the online information searching strategies of open and distance learners. “Online Information Searching Inventory” developed by Tsai (2009) was used for data collection. The population consists of 925.058 students enrolled in Anadolu University Open Education System in the 2017-2018 academic year. The research sample consists of 3.357 students who voluntarily responded questionnaire. Determining whether these strategies differ according to gender, age and enrollment type constitute the sub-objectives of the study. When examining these strategies according to gender variable, t-test was used; then One-way ANOVA analysis was used for age and enrollment type variables. Finally, it is seen that there are significant differences between online information searching strategies and age, gender, enrollment type. The age and enrollment type are taken in the consideration within the scope of experience and it is seen that the experience is more decisive than the gender for open and distance learners.
Effect of napping on a bean bag chair on sleep stage, muscle activity, and heart rate variability

Background Although ample evidence has demonstrated that daytime napping is beneficial for health and cognitive performance, bedding for napping has not yet been scientifically investigated. Objectives To explore the effect of a bean bag chair on daytime napping and physiological parameters related to sleep. Methods Fourteen healthy participants were enrolled within the context of a randomized, single-blind, crossover study to evaluate the effects of a bean bag chair in comparison with those of a urethane chair manufactured to have a similar shape. Electroencephalogram, electromyogram, and heart rate variability were recorded and compared between wakefulness and napping. Results Electroencephalogram analyses revealed no significant differences in sleep architecture or frequency components; however, a significant decrease was found in electromyogram recordings in the trapezius muscle, which represents the neck region (p = 0.019). Additionally, a significant main effect of bedding in the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio (F[1,20] = 4.314, p = 0.037) was revealed. Conclusions These results suggest that napping in a bean bag chair may provide a comfortable napping environment involving muscle relaxation and proper regulation of the autonomic nervous function.
A New Chaotic Artificial Bee Colony for the Risk-Constrained Economic Emission Dispatch Problem Incorporating Wind Power

Due to the rapid increase in the consumption of electrical energy and the instability of fossil fuel prices, renewable energy, such as wind power (WP), has become increasingly economically competitive compared to other conventional energy production methods. However, the intermittent nature of wind energy creates certain challenges to the power network operation. The combined economic environmental dispatch (CEED) including WP is one of the most fundamental challenges in power system operation. Within this context, this paper presents a new attempt to solve the probabilistic CEED problem with WP penetration. The optimal WP to be incorporated in the grid is determined in such a way that the system security is within acceptable limits. The system security is described by various fuzzy membership functions in terms of the probability that power balance cannot be met. These membership functions are formulated based on the dispatcher’s attitude. This probabilistic and non-convex CEED problem is solved using a new technique combining chaos theory and artificial bee colony (ABC) technique. In this improved version of ABC (IABC), chaotic maps are used to generate initial solutions, and the random numbers involved in the standard ABC are substituted by chaotic sequences. The effectiveness of IABC is tested on two groups of benchmark functions and practical cases. The impacts of dispatcher’s attitude and risk level are investigated in the simulation section.
Dynamics of Episodic Magma Injection and Migration at Yellowstone Caldera: Revisiting the 2004–2009 Episode of Caldera Uplift With InSAR and GPS Data

The 2004–2009 caldera uplift is the largest instrumentally recorded episode of unrest at Yellowstone caldera. We use GPS and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time series spanning 2004–2015, with a focus in the aforementioned event to understand the mechanisms of unrest. InSAR data recorded ∼25 and ∼20 cm of uplift at the Sour Creek (SCD) and Mallard Lake (MLD) resurgent domes during 2004–2009, and ∼8 cm of subsidence at the Norris Geyser Basin (NGB) during 2004–2008. The SCD/MLD uplift was followed by subsidence across the caldera floor with a maximum at MLD of ∼1.5–2.5 cm/yr, and no deformation at NGB. The best‐fit source models for the 2004–2009 period are two horizontal sills at depths of ∼8.7 and 10.6 km for the caldera source and NGB, respectively, with volume changes of 0.354 and −0.121 km3, and an overpressure of ∼0.1 MPa. The InSAR and GPS time series record exponentially increasing followed by exponentially decreasing uplift between 2004 and 2009, which is indicative of magma injection into the caldera reservoir, with no need for other mechanisms of unrest. However, magma extraction from NGB to the caldera is unable to explain the subsidence coeval with the caldera uplift. Models of magma injection can also explain other episodes of caldera uplift like that in 2014–2015. Distributed sill opening models show that magma is stored across the caldera source with no clear boundary between MLD and SCD. Since the magma overpressure is orders of magnitude below the tensile strength of the encasing rock, historical episodes of unrest like these are very unlikely to trigger an eruption.
Blood–Brain Barrier Dynamic Device with Uniform Shear Stress Distribution for Microscopy and Permeability Measurements

Neurology has always been one of the therapeutic areas with higher attrition rates. One of the main difficulties is the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) that restricts access to the brain for major drugs. This low success rate has led to an increasing demand for in vitro tools. The shear stress, which positively affects endothelial cell differentiation by mimicking blood flow, is required for a more physiological in vitro BBB model. We created an innovative device specifically designed for cell culture under shear stress to investigate drug permeability. Our dynamic device encompasses two compartments communicating together via a semi-permeable membrane, on which human cerebral microvascular endothelial (hCMEC/D3) cells were seeded. The fluidic controlled environment ensures a laminar and homogenous flow to culture cells for at least seven days. Cell differentiation was characterized by immunodetection of inter-endothelial junctions directly in the device by confocal microscopy. Finally, we performed permeability assay with lucifer yellow in both static and dynamic conditions in parallel. Our dynamic device is suited to the evaluation of barrier function and the study of drug transport across the BBB, but it could also be used with other human cell types to reproduce intestinal or kidney barriers.
Beavers, Bugs and Chemistry: A Mammalian Herbivore Changes Chemistry Composition and Arthropod Communities in Foundation Tree Species

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis Kuhl) and cottonwoods (Populus spp.) are foundation species, the interactions of which define a much larger community and affect a threatened riparian habitat type. Few studies have tested the effect of these interactions on plant chemistry and a diverse arthropod community. We experimentally examined the impact of beaver foraging on riparian communities by first investigating beaver food preferences for one cottonwood species, Fremont cottonwood (P. fremontii S. Watson), compared to other locally available woody species. We next examined the impact of beaver foraging on twig chemistry and arthropod communities in paired samples of felled and unfelled cottonwood species in northern Arizona (P. fremontii) and southwestern Colorado (narrowleaf cottonwood, P. angustifolia James, and Eastern cottonwood, P. deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall). Four major patterns emerged: (1) In a cafeteria experiment, beavers chose P. fremontii six times more often than other woody native and exotic species. (2) With two cottonwood species, we found that the nitrogen and salicortin concentrations were up to 45% greater and lignin concentration 14% lower in the juvenile resprout growth of felled trees than the juvenile growth on unfelled trees (six of seven analyses were significant for P. fremontii and four of six were significant for P. angustifolia). (3) With two cottonwood species, arthropod community composition on juvenile branches differed significantly between felled and unfelled trees, with up to 38% greater species richness, 114% greater relative abundance and 1282% greater species diversity on felled trees (six of seven analyses with P. fremontii and four of six analyses with P. angustifolia were significant). The above findings indicate that the highest arthropod diversity is achieved in the heterogenous stands of mixed felled and unfelled trees than in stands of cottonwoods, where beavers are not present. These results also indicate that beaver herbivory changes the chemical composition in 10 out of 13 chemical traits in the juvenile growth of two of the three cottonwood species to potentially allow better defense against future beaver herbivory. (4) With P. deltoides, only one of five analyses in chemistry was significant, and none of the four arthropod community analyses were significant, suggesting that this species and its arthropod community responds differently to beaver. Potential reasons for these differences are unknown. Overall, our findings suggest that in addition to their impact on riparian vegetation, other mammals, birds, and aquatic organisms, beavers also may define the arthropod communities of two of three foundation tree species in these riparian ecosystems.
ASSESSMENT AND MAPPING OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY INDEX FOR IRRIGATION PURPOSE: CASE STUDY NORTHWEST OF NILE DELTA, EGYPT

Shortness and contamination of water become one of the most hazards facing Egypt nowadays. The irrigation water quality index (IWQI) was calculated in this research to classify surface water of some irrigation canals northwest of Nile delta, Egypt. For this purpose, 14 sites distributed within study area were selected to take water samples during October 2019. ArcGIS (10.4.1) spatial Analyst extension was used to produce high accuracy maps. The IWQI spatial distribution within the study area shows that, samples fell into four classes, low restriction (LR) moderate restriction (MR) High restriction (HR) severe restriction (SR) with an area 178,138, 92 and 249, Km2 respectively. The area of SR water quality would be sited in the northeast and southwest in resultant of increase the EC, SAR, (Na+) and (Cl-) ions in this direction. The descending order of water restriction use in the study area is SR˃ LR˃ MR ˃ HR. Thus, most of surface water in the study area (73%) may avoided its use for irrigation under ordinary conditions. It should be used with high permeability soil and with plants that appear high resistance for salinity with special salinity control practices.
Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Diverse Soil and Air Flora of Federal University of Technology campus, Akure, Nigeria

Aim: This study was conducted to comparatively investigate the soil and air microflora of selected locations within the Federal University of Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria. Study design: Experimental design Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at The Federal University Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria comprising; School of Sciences, School of Agricultural and Agricultural Technology, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, School of Health and Health Technology, Microbiology department, FUTA Health Centre, postgraduate hostel, female hostels (main Jibowu and Jibowu annex 1) and the male hostels (Akindeko and Abiola hall of residence) between June and July, 2019. Methodology: Isolation of bacteria and fungi from soil samples and air was conducted using specified techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted via agar disc diffusion technique. Plasmid analysis and curing was conducted via standard protocols. Results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, S. saprophyticus were isolated as soil and air microflora while Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, with Fusarium oxysporium were isolated from soil as A. flavus, A. niger, Penicillium chrysogenum was implicated in air. Bacillus cereus and B. subtilis showed utmost resistance to ceftazidime, cefuroxime, cloxacillin, augmentin, ceftriaxone, whereas Enterobacter aerogenes and Proteus vulgaris were susceptible to gentamycin at 17.66±1.52 mm and 16.00±2.00 mm respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was sensitive to gentamycin and ofloxacin at 17.30±0.57 mm and 18.66±0.57 mm. The multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains were positive for plasmid DNA with 10 kilobase pairs, but were sensitive to all the antibiotics after curing indicating plasmid-borne resistance. Conclusion: Findings from this study inferred possible health consequences of MDR soil and air microflora as potential threat to human health which necessitates proper sanitary practices across different sampling areas adopted for this study to reduce potential incidence of bacterial and mycotic infections.
Changes in the Water Resources of Selected Lakes in Poland in the Period 1916–2020 as Information to Increase Their Availability

The historical effects of land development on water management currently require a new approach, in many cases involving attempts at the restoration of the quasi-natural state. This is evident in reference to many regions in Poland, where the hydrographic network has been diminishing over the centuries, among others in favour of obtaining new agricultural land. Such activities overlap with natural processes causing transformations of the hydrosphere. The most serious problems currently include water deficits resulting from climate change and human activity. This paper employed archival bathymetric maps from the beginning of the 20th century for the determination of the scale of changes in the morphometric parameters of six lakes in western Poland. It was determined that over a period of more than a hundred years, the surface area (12.2%) and original volume of water bodies (13.9%) were largely reduced. This situation was caused by both natural (overgrowing and shallowing) and anthropogenic (change in water level) factors. The obtained information points to the need of an inventory of historical bathymetric maps of lakes. In combination with modern research, this will allow for the determination of changes in the water resources of lakes and, in a longer-term perspective, potential possibilities of their renaturisation. This knowledge is important in the context of the reconstruction of water resources in the territory of Poland, where their deficits are recorded increasingly frequently. It should also be emphasised that the restoration of the natural capacity of water retention in lakes is a more economical solution and, most importantly, it is not invasive for the environment.
Digital ageing in Europe: a comparative analysis of Italian, Finnish and Swedish national policies on eHealth

Abstract Ageing Europeans are today healthier than previous generations and often manage to live independently up to a high age. The proportion of people 80 years of age and older has increased significantly, and with high age the risk of multi-illness and dementia increases. Strong urbanisation processes have changed the demographic structure in rural areas, and young women and men have migrated towards the urban areas to study and work, while older persons have remained behind. This demographic challenge of increasing numbers of persons older than 80 years with care needs living in remote rural areas has become a major European social problem. In tackling this dilemma, many European countries have high expectations for eHealth, digitalisation and welfare technology. In this comparative study of policy debates in Italy, Finland and Sweden, we analyse how – between 2009 and 2019 – the issues of eHealth have been articulated in national and regional policies of the three countries with deep differences in terms of digitalisation and health systems, but with similar ageing populations. We identify in the documents three core topics – the role of technology, the rural issue and responsibility for care. These topics are treated in the documents with differences and similarities between the three countries. Beyond the differences and similarities, the documents reveal both a certain techno-enthusiasm about the role of eHealth in the life of the older adults as well as a limited understanding of the complexity (relationally as well as spatially) of the digital landscape of caring for older adults.