Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methods for the Determination of Furan in Food - Outcome of a Survey Conducted among EU Food Control Laboratories

Commission Recommendation 2007/196/EC of 28 March 2007 recommends Member States to perform monitoring on the presence of furan in foodstuffs that have undergone heat treatment. The data collected will be used for a risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) at a later stage. During the discussions on the Commission Recommendation, Member States have emphasised that the analytical determination of furan remains difficult due to the volatility of this substance. In response to this, the Institute for Reference Materials which is part of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC-IRMM) conducted a survey among European food control laboratories on analytical methods applied for the determination of furan in food. The survey was conducted in order to evaluate comparability of the analysis protocols, to highlight potential pitfalls and to provide support to laboratories that are new in that field. This report summarises the information supplied by 28 laboratories identifies common features and issues that need special attention. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national.
Experimental study on the packing densification of mixtures of spherical and cylindrical particles subjected to 3D vibrations

ABSTRACT To identify the dense packing of cylinder–sphere binary mixtures (spheres as filling objects), the densification process of such binary mixtures subjected to three-dimensional (3D) mechanical vibrations was experimentally studied. Various influential factors including vibration parameters (such as vibration time t, vibration amplitude A, frequency ω, vibration acceleration Γ) as well as particle size ratio r (small sphere vs. large cylinder), composition of the binary mixtures XL (volume fraction of cylinders), and container size D (container diameter) on the packing density ρ were systematically investigated. The results show that the optimal vibration parameters for different binary cylinder–sphere mixtures are different. The smaller the size ratio, the less vibration acceleration is needed to form a stable dense packing. For each binary mixture, high packing density can be obtained when the volume fraction of large cylindrical particles is dominant. Meanwhile, increasing the container size can decrease the container wall effect and get higher packing density. The proposed analytical model has been proved to be valid in predicting the packing densification of current cylinder–sphere binary mixtures.
Bio-instantiated recurrent neural networks

Biological neuronal networks (BNNs) are a source of inspiration and analogy making for researchers that focus on artificial neuronal networks (ANNs). Moreover, neuroscientists increasingly use ANNs as a model for the brain. Despite certain similarities between these two types of networks, important differences can be discerned. First, biological neural networks are sculpted by evolution and the constraints that it entails, whereas artificial neural networks are engineered to solve particular tasks. Second, the network topology of these systems, apart from some analogies that can be drawn, exhibits pronounced differences. Here, we examine strategies to construct recurrent neural networks (RNNs) that instantiate the network topology of brains of different species. We refer to such RNNs as bio-instantiated. We investigate the performance of bio-instantiated RNNs in terms of: i) the prediction performance itself, that is, the capacity of the network to minimize the desired function at hand in test data, and ii) speed of training, that is, how fast during training the network reaches its optimal performance. We examine bio-instantiated RNNs in working memory tasks where task-relevant information must be tracked as a sequence of events unfolds in time. We highlight the strategies that can be used to construct RNNs with the network topology found in BNNs, without sacrificing performance. Despite that we observe no enhancement of performance when compared to randomly wired RNNs, our approach demonstrates how empirical neural network data can be used for constructing RNNs, thus, facilitating further experimentation with biologically realistic network topologies, in contexts where such aspect is desired.
Benchmarking DNN inference performance on serverless environments with MLPerf

—Current computing requirements for high-scale inference of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) demand distributed execution environments. The advantages of serverless functions in distributed computation offloading and automatic resource scalability make them a very suitable environment for such a task. However, finding the optimal workload at minimum resource usage requires extensive benchmarking analysis such as those of the MLPerf standard. However, due to its monolithic nature, the MLPerf execution model collides with serverless function platforms. To address this issue
The safety net and the diversion effects of vocational upper-secondary education in European countries

ABSTRACT This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effect of different educational orientations at the upper-secondary level on labour market outcomes across European countries. The study separates safety net effect and the diversion effect of Vocational Education and Training (VET). Using PIAAC data, we show cross-national differences in the early career advantages of vocational qualifications. The results indicate that vocational effects vary according to outcome. In general, negative effects on occupational status are consistent with earlier research. The safety net function of VET is only observable in a few countries. We also studied the impact of different institutional level characteristics. The analysis of the impact of macro-level characteristics reveals VET’s safety net effect is observable only in countries with the highest occupational specificity of VET. At the same time, work-based VET is increasing its diversion effect. Crucial issues are the differences in general competencies between graduates of VET and general upper-secondary school graduates. The major differences are the simultaneous weakening of VET’s safety net effect and the strengthening of the diversion effect.
Students’ and teachers’ perceived teaching presence in online courses

ABSTRACT Differences in how students and teachers understand online teaching presence play a key role in teaching design. To explore how students and teachers perceive teaching presence, this study surveyed 1,041 students and 18 teachers who participated in an online course at a Chinese university. The analysis found students’ perceived teaching presence was significantly lower than the teachers’, particularly in terms of facilitating discourse (p < .001). Regarding the perceived importance of the five dimensions of teaching presence (Wang et al., 2019), students perceived facilitating discourse to be more important than direct instruction, while the opposite was found to be true for teachers. The divergence creates a challenge for teachers in engaging students in learning. The results indicate that teachers could pay more attention to the following dimensions to improve students’ learning experience: making macro-level comments on courses, designing instructional methods, providing formative feedback for homework and discussions, and making full use of technological tools in teaching.
Technology in Relationships and Satisfaction: Nationality as a Moderator

ABSTRACT Technology as a communication medium now functions as a core way to connect to peers, family members, and romantic partners independent of time and location. These technologies help us to initiate relationships and maintain them, but also can introduce complications such as connection to others outside of our relationships and take time away from relationships. The purpose of this study was to test a model proposing a moderating effect of nationality on the link between technology in relationships and satisfaction. In a cross-sectional study of 658 American and 503 Austrian adults (n = 1161), participants who were in a committed relationship for at least 6 months completed a survey assessing their use of technology, how their use of technology affected their relationships, their nationality, and their relationship satisfaction. Results indicated a significant effect for nationality on couple satisfaction. Implications for cultural understandings of technology in relationships and their effect on couple satisfaction include the therapist developing an understanding of each person’s future around technology use and to inform their assessment around how each member’s use of technology supports or detracts from relationship satisfaction.
A fractional study of generalized Oldroyd-B fluid with ramped conditions via local & non-local kernels

Abstract Convective flow is a self-sustained flow with the effect of the temperature gradient. The density is nonuniform due to the variation of temperature. The effect of the magnetic flux plays a major role in convective flow. The process of heat transfer is accompanied by mass transfer process; for instance condensation, evaporation and chemical process. Due to the applications of the heat and mass transfer combined effects in different field, the main aim of this paper is to do comprehensive analysis of heat and mass transfer of MHD unsteady Oldroyd-B fluid in the presence of ramped conditions. The new governing equations of MHD Oldroyd-B fluid have been fractionalized by means of singular and non-singular differentiable operators. In order to have an accurate physical significance of imposed conditions on the geometry of Oldroyd-B fluid, the ramped temperature, concentration and velocity are considered. The fractional solutions of temperature, concentration and velocity have been investigated by means of integral transform and inversion algorithm. The influence of physical parameters and flow is analyzed graphically via computational software (MATHCAD-15). The velocity profile decreases by increasing the Prandtl number. The existence of a Prandtl number may reflect the control of the thickness and enlargement of the thermal effect. The classical calculus is assumed as the instant rate of change of the output when the input level changes. Therefore it is not able to include the previous state of the system called the memory effect. Due to this reason, we applied the modern definition of fractional derivatives. Obtained generalized results are very important due to their vast applications in the field of engineering and applied sciences.
Dynamics of hot carriers in plasmonic heterostructures

Abstract Understanding and optimising the mechanisms of generation and extraction of hot carriers in plasmonic heterostructures is important for applications in new types of photodetectors, photochemistry and photocatalysis, as well as nonlinear optics. Here, we show using transient dynamic measurements that the relaxation of the excited hot-carriers in Au/Pt hetero-nanostructures is accelerated through the transfer pathway from Au, where they are generated, to Pt nanoparticles, which act as a hot-electron sink. The influence of the environment on the dynamics was also demonstrated. The time-resolved photoluminescence measurements confirm the modified hot-electron dynamics, revealing quenching of the photoluminescence signal from Au nanoparticles in the presence of Pt and an increased photoluminescence lifetime. These observations are signatures of the improved extraction efficiency of hot-carriers by the Au/Pt heterostructures. The results give insight into the time-dependent behaviour of excited compound nanoscale systems and provide a way of controlling the relaxation mechanisms involved, with important consequences for engineering nonlinear optical response and hot-carrier-assisted photochemistry.
Description and application of a budget-diagnosis tool in COSMO

A budget analysis tool has been implemented into the code of the non-hydrostatic COSMO model in order to diagnose both temperature and moisture tendencies. The implementation allows for the extraction of both physical and dynamical tendencies of either temperature or potential temperature and of moisture scalars. Application of this tool may serve different purposes ranging from numerical developments to process studies and climate science. A brief description of the retrieval of tendencies is given here and the applied method is exemplified by two simulations. Firstly, an idealized rising warm-bubble test (Wicker and Skamarock 1998) is conducted to explain the underlying temperature tendencies. Secondly, erroneous cold-pool formation in a real-case simulation is studied and the cause for unrealistic cold temperatures will be determined from the budget analysis. As will be demonstrated, the split-explicit time-stepping applied in COSMO complicates the diagnosis of temperature advection tendencies. A further complication is introduced by the COSMO option of solving the heat equation either for temperature or potential temperature. Moisture tendencies related to advection can be obtained much more easily, since the moisture tendencies are numerically solved using discretization schemes without mode-splitting (e.g., a positive-definite scheme).
Optimum Layout of Multiple Tree-type Boreholes in Low-Permeability Coal Seams to Improve Methane Drainage Performance

Extracting coal mine methane (CMM) is important for underground mining safety. The tree-type borehole drainage (TTBD) technique can effectively remove methane from coal seams. Determining a suitable drilling pattern for multiple tree-type boreholes will promote the efficient application of this technique in coal mines. Aimed at solving the problem that the optimum methane extraction layout for multiple tree-type boreholes is unclear, this study first constructed a full-coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model to simulate methane flow in coal. This model and data from a coal mine were used to investigate the effect of multiple tree-type borehole layouts, tree-type borehole spacing, different Langmuir volume and different Langmuir pressure constants, and initial coal permeabilities on CMM drainage. The results show that the different tree-type borehole layouts result in significant differences in drainage and that the use of a rhombic sub-borehole layout can reduce the methane pre-drainage time by up to 44.4%. As the tree-type borehole spacing increases, the total time required for pre-drainage increases as a power function. As the Langmuir pressure constant, the fracture permeability, or the matrix permeability increases, the effective drainage zone expands. The effective drainage zone also expands when the Langmuir volume constant decreases but all these changes are accompanied by a shortening of the drainage completion time. These results can provide a reliable basis for optimizing tree-type borehole drilling layouts.
Experimental Models of Infectious Pulmonary Complications Following Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Pulmonary infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients. The prevalence and type of infection changes over time and is influenced by the course of immune reconstitution post-transplant. The interaction between pathogens and host immune responses is complex in HCT settings, since the conditioning regimens create periods of neutropenia and immunosuppressive drugs are often needed to prevent graft rejection and limit graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Experimental murine models of transplantation are valuable tools for dissecting the procedure-related alterations to innate and adaptive immunity. Here we review mouse models of post-HCT infectious pulmonary complications, primarily focused on three groups of pathogens that frequently infect HCT recipients: bacteria (often P. aeruginosa), fungus (primarily Aspergillus fumigatus), and viruses (primarily herpesviruses). These mouse models have advanced our knowledge regarding how the conditioning and HCT process negatively impacts innate immunity and have provided new potential strategies of managing the infections. Studies using mouse models have also validated clinical observations suggesting that prior or occult infections are a potential etiology of noninfectious pulmonary complications post-HCT as well.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of a Novel Virulent Klebsiella Phage Kp_Pokalde_002 in a Mouse Model

Phage therapy is one of the most promising alternatives to antibiotics as we face global antibiotic resistance crisis. However, the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of phage therapy are largely unknown. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the PK/PD of a locally isolated virulent novel øKp_Pokalde_002 (Podoviridae, C1 morphotype) that infects carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp56) using oral and intraperitoneal (IP) route in a mouse model. The result showed that the øKp_Pokalde_002 rapidly distributed into the systemic circulation within an hour via both oral and IP routes. A higher concentration of phage in plasma was found after 4 h (2.3 x 105 PFU/ml) and 8 h (7.3 x 104 PFU/ml) of administration through IP and oral route, respectively. The phage titer significantly decreased in the blood and other tissues, liver, kidneys, and spleen after 24 h and completely cleared after 72 h of administration. In the Kp56 infection model, the bacterial count significantly decreased in the blood and other organs by 4–7 log10 CFU/ml after 24 h of øKp_Pokalde_002 administration. Elimination half-life of øKp_Pokalde_002 was relatively shorter in the presence of host-bacteria Kp56 compared to phage only, suggesting rapid clearance of phage in the presence of susceptible host. Further, administration of the øKp_Pokalde_002 alone in healthy mice (via IP or oral) did not stimulate pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6). Also, treatment with øKp_Pokalde_002 resulted in a significant reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) caused by bacterial infection, thereby reducing the tissue inflammation. In conclusion, the øKp_Pokalde_002 possess good PK/PD properties and can be considered as a potent therapeutic candidate for future phage therapy in carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infections.
Health Belief Model, Theory of Planned Behavior, or Psychological Antecedents: What Predicts COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Better Among the Bangladeshi Adults?

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and investigate the constellations of psychological determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the Bangladeshi adult population utilizing the health belief model-HBM (perceived susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19, perceived benefits of and barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, and cues to action), the theory of planned behavior-TPB (attitude toward COVID-19 vaccine, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and anticipated regret), and the 5C psychological antecedents (confidence, constraints, complacency, calculation, and collective responsibility). We compared the predictability of these theoretical frameworks to see which framework explains the highest variance in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This study adopted a cross-sectional research design. We collected data from a nationally representative sample of 1,497 respondents through both online and face-to-face interviews. We employed multiple linear regression analysis to assess the predictability of each model of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. We found a 41.1% prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among our study respondents. After controlling the effects of socio-economic, demographic, and other COVID-19 related covariates, we found that the TPB has the highest predictive power (adjusted R2 = 0.43), followed by the 5C psychological antecedents of vaccination (adjusted R2 = 0.32) and the HBM (adjusted R2 = 0.31) in terms of explaining total variance in the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the adults of Bangladesh. This study provides evidence that theoretical frameworks like the HBM, the TPB, and the 5C psychological antecedents can be used to explore the psychological determinants of vaccine hesitancy, where the TPB has the highest predictability. Our findings can be used to design targeted interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase vaccine uptake to prevent COVID-19.
Does SWPBIS Increase Teachers’ Collective Efficacy? Evidence From a Quasi-experiment

Teachers’ collective efficacy is predictive of students’ success. School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports implementation requires the whole team to set itself common goals regarding behavior management. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the medium-term effects of a SWPBIS intervention on teachers’ collective efficacy. Nine schools and 139 teachers and staff members (n intervention = 74, n control = 65) took part in the study. The study shows that SWPBIS implementation has a positive effect on teachers’ collective efficacy both for primary and secondary schools at post-test 1 (ES = +0.80) and 2 (ES = +0.71). Differences are observed at baseline and at posttests according to the educational level. The link between subscales of a school climate instrument and teachers’ collective efficacy is also investigated. The “structure for learning” subscale explains the greatest variance in collective efficacy.
Sorption of Eu(III) at feldspar/water interface: effects of pH, organic matter, counter ions, and temperature

Abstract The sorption of Eu(III) on potassium feldspar (K-feldspar) was studied under various physicochemical conditions such as pH, temperature, counter ions and organic matter. The results showed that the sorption of Eu(III) on K-feldspar significantly increased with the increase of pH, and high Eu(III) concentration can inhibit such immobility to some extent. The presence of humic acid (HA) can increase the sorption of Eu(III) on K-feldspar in low pH range; while inhibit to a large extent under alkaline conditions. It is very interesting that at pH ~6.5, high ionic strength can promote the sorption of Eu(III) on K-feldspar in the presence of HA. In contrast, Eu(III) sorption was restricted obviously by NaCl in the absence of HA. The sorption procedure was involved with ion exchange and/or outer-sphere complexation as well as inner-sphere complexation. The presence of F− and PO43− dramatically enhanced Eu(III) sorption on K-feldspar, whereas both SO42− and CO32− had negative effects on Eu(III) sorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that Eu(III) tended to form hydrolysates at high initial concentration (3×10−4 mol/L) and high temperature (338 K).