Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge awareness and attitude about biomedical waste management among dental care professionals

Background: Health care workers are constantly associated with generation, segregation and disposal of biomedical wastes. Knowledge, attitude and awareness of BMW management among HCWs are the three determinants used to evaluate the effective functioning of BMW management system of the Institution. This study aims to detect the degree of Knowledge, attitude and awareness of BMW management among HCWs in a dental hospital.Methods: This study included 90 HCWs from three groups (dentists, interns, and paramedical staffs), each group comprising of 30 individuals. They were instructed to tick their response in the questionnaire containing 22 questions and were graded as good, average and poor based on individual score.Results: Order of decreasing knowledge and attitude seen among the three groups was dentists followed by interns and paramedical staff. Decreasing order of awareness was postgraduates, interns and laboratory technicians with same score, followed by nurses and sanitary staffs. In our study, 88%, 86.7% and 69.33% of participants had above average KAA values respectively.Conclusions: Doctors and interns had better understanding of BMW management than other Paramedical staff members. Sanitary workers were highly ignorant regarding BMW management. So a continuing medical education program on BMW management should be conducted on yearly basis to train and update newly appointed as well as existing HCWs.
Development of a novel indirect-expansion solar-assisted multifunctional heat pump with four heat exchangers

A novel indirect-expansion solar-assisted multifunctional heat pump with four heat exchangers was proposed in this paper, which integrates a heat pump air conditioner, a solar water heater and a heat pump water heater. In addition to these three basic operation modes, it also provided five energy-saving operation modes, which resulted in a higher utilization ratio of the solar energy and lower operational cost. Experiments of the solar-assisted space heating mode, air source heat pump water heating mode and solar-assisted heat pump water heating mode have been investigated in detail at different outdoor temperatures and different water temperatures. The novel indirect-expansion solar-assisted multifunctional heat pump is especially suitable for the regions abundant in solar radiation where the space heating, space cooling and water heating are required all the year round. Practical applications: The novel IX-SAMHP can provide space cooling, space heating, hot water by one system. The space used for those appliances can be reduced effectively. Solar energy was used to assist the space heating and water heating and defrost process and it can save the energy consumption efficiently.
A design method for bearing stresses in wood

The paper points out that the present method used to design bearing plates for wood subjected to stresses perpendicular to the grain is inadequate because it neglects the effect of the specific geometry. A design method that more correctly reflects the actual conditions is presented together with test data that represent the material properties in a more realistic way.The design method is discussed and compared with limit states design and design examples are presented. The method includes a conservative estimate of the deflections.
Characterization of Joint Resistance and Performance Degradation of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit Spacesuit

Introduction: The primary objective of this pilot study was to characterize human performance degradations caused by the pressurized Extravehicular Mobility Unit Spacesuit (EMU). Method: This study assessed maximum strength (force) for elbow flexion/extension and shoulder abduction/adduction for three EMU suit conditions. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed between suit conditions during elbow flexion. Differences of practical significant were observed between suit conditions for mean peak elbow flexion and extension, but not for shoulder abduction/adduction. EMU resistance to movement was found to differ based on the direction of movement. Discussion: Characteristics of the EMU spacesuit may reduce performance for some movements and improve performance for others.
Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella Serotypes Concurrently Isolated from the Environment, Animals, and Humans in South Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

One of the main global concerns is the usage and spread of antibiotic resistant Salmonella serovars. The animals, humans, and environmental components interact and contribute to the rapid emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, directly or indirectly. Therefore, this study aimed to determine antibiotic resistance (AR) profiles of Salmonella serotypes isolated from the environment, animals, and humans in South Africa by a systematic review and meta-analysis. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to search four databases for studies published from 1980 to 2021, that reported the antibiotic resistance profiles of Salmonella serotypes isolated in South Africa. The AR was screened from 2930 Salmonella serotypes which were isolated from 6842 samples. The Western Cape province had high pooled prevalence estimates (PPE) of Salmonella isolates with AR profiles followed by North West, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape with 94.3%, 75.4%, 59.4%, and 46.2%, respectively. The high PPE and heterogeneity were observed from environmental samples [69.6 (95% CI: 41.7−88.3), Q = 303.643, I2 = 98.353, Q-P = 0.045], animals [41.9 (95% CI: 18.5–69.5), Q = 637.355, I2 = 98.745, Q-P = 0.577], as well as animals/environment [95.9 (95% CI: 5.4−100), Q = 55.253, I2 = 96.380, Q-P = 0.300]. The majority of the salmonella isolates were resistant to sulphonamides (92.0%), enrofloxacin and erythromycin (89.3%), oxytetracycline (77.4%), imipenem (72.6%), tetracycline (67.4%), as well as trimethoprim (52.2%), among the environment, animals, and humans. The level of multidrug-resistance recorded for Salmonella isolates was 28.5% in this review. This study has highlighted the occurrence of AR by Salmonella isolates from animals, humans, and environmental samples in South Africa and this calls for a consolidated “One Health” approach for antimicrobial resistance epidemiological research, as well as the formulation of necessary intervention measures to prevent further spread.
Reputazione e monitoraggio della competizione in tempo reale: le sfide innovative del pricing online

Obiettivi . Indagare le diverse strategie di prezzo dinamico realizzate attraverso il canale delle vendite online, in un contesto di servizi con capacita produttiva predeterminata. Metodologia . Analisi di regressione su un database costruito simulando la prenotazione di una camera di hotel attraverso l’interrogazione di un motore di ricerca online (booking.com). Il database e costituito da 57 hotel, osservati rispetto a 16 diverse ipotesi di data di soggiorno, seguendo per ciascuna l’andamento del prezzo a partire da una prenotazione effettuata con 90 giorni di anticipo fino ad una prenotazione “last minute”. Risultati . Le strategie di prezzo dinamiche degli hotel tengono conto sia dell’approssimarsi della data di soggiorno sia dell’andamento dinamico dell’offerta degli altri operatori sul mercato. Inoltre, si dimostra il forte impatto sul prezzo della reputazione online derivante dalle recensioni sul web. Limiti della ricerca . Le strategie sono analizzate esclusivamente dal lato dell’offerta senza indagarne allo stesso tempo l’efficacia in termini di effettivo comportamento di acquisto dei consumatori. Implicazioni pratiche . I miglioramenti nel campo dell’ICT permettono l’adozione di sistemi di prezzo variabile automatici, creando un rapporto innovativo con la domanda finale e suggerendo ai manager un ripensamento delle strategie di prezzo di breve e di lungo termine. Originalita del lavoro . Si tratta del primo lavoro che analizza contemporaneamente l’effetto sul prezzo delle variabili statiche legate alle caratteristiche di un hotel e delle variabili dinamiche legate all’implementazione di tecniche di gestione dinamica dei ricavi, tenendo conto inoltre dell’interrelazione con il contesto competitivo e dei giudizi di soddisfazione dei clienti ricevuti online.
Interlocking dry stacked masonry

This paper is motivated by urgent need to identify, innovative technologies to supplement age-old concrete and brick & mortar based construction for masonry work. Current times require technologies which are sustainable in terms of one or more of the following parameters i.e. use of locally available resources – material & manpower, cost effectiveness, eco-friendly, easy to adopt in construction practice, can be cast – in situ to reduce transportation, faster to build and energy efficient. Interlocking block masonry by Hydraform (or by others) is one such building system which almost full fills all such requirements of being a sustainable masonry. It has been tested in the field as well as by experiments and has been found to be much superior than the conventional brick masonry using cement sand mortar (1 cement : 6 sand). The basic compressive stress is much more than the minimum values given in the Indian masonry design standard (IS 1905-1987). However, Indian masonry design standard (IS 1905-1987) does not deal with dry interlocking block masonry, hence does not prescribe the design values for this masonry like basic compressive stress, tensile stress & shear stress. However the same code recognizes some other types of masonry and recommends that a prism test of different masonry may be done and these values may be accepted for designing the masonry. This paper addresses the technical specifications, raw material options, mix designs, construction procedure, and conformity with the building standards. It further presents case studies, cost efficiency and testing procedure.
Effect of age, stocking density, genotype, and cage tier on feather score of layer pure lines

19 The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of genotype, age, stocking density, 20 and cage tier on the feather score of egg-laying pure lines. The trial was carried out with five 21 white (BLACK, BLUE, MARON, BROWN, and D229) and six brown (RIR1, RIR2, BAR1, 22 BAR2, COL, and LINE54) eggshell lines as classified by the Ankara poultry research 23 institute. In the experiment, 162 chicks were randomly selected from each of the 11 lines 24 thus, a total of 1782 chicks (810 and 972 white and brown layer pure lines respectively). At 25 17 weeks of age, pullets were chosen at random and placed in 3tiered battery type cages. 26 Each tier housed 99 chickens (11 lines; 3 different stocking densities; 3 replications). The 27 stocking density was either 5 birds, 6 birds, and 7 birds per cage cell that corresponded to 720 28
Sensitivity analysis of the knee ligament forces to the surgical design variation during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a finite element analysis

Abstract The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of essential surgical design parameters on collateral and cruciate ligaments behavior for a Bone-Patellar-Tendon-Bone (BPTB) anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) surgery. A parametric finite element model of biomechanical experiments depicting the ACL-R surgery associated with a global sensitivity analysis was adopted in this work. The model parameters were six intraoperative variables, two-quadrant coordinates of femoral tunnel placement, femoral tunnel sagittal and coronal angles, graft pretension, and the joint angle at which the BPTB graft is tensioned (fixation angle). Our results indicated that cruciate ligaments (posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and graft) were mainly sensitive to graft pretension (23%), femoral tunnel sites (56%), and the angle at which the surgeon decided to fix the graft (14%). The collateral ligaments (medial and lateral) were also affected by the same set of surgical parameters as the cruciate ligaments except for graft pretension. The output data of this study may help to identify a better role for the ACL-R intraoperative variables in optimizing the knee joint ligaments’ postsurgical functionality.
Runoff Quality Impacts of Swine Manure Applied to Fescue Plots

Runoff concentrations of animal manure constituents are much higher for the first runoff-producing storm after land application than for subsequent storms. These concentrations are also inversely related to the interval between application and first runoff-producing storm. In terms of runoff quality, the worst situation is generally when the first runoff-producing storm occurs soon after application. This study was conducted to determine how potential first-storm runoff quality from fescue grass plots is affected by animal manure application rate and simulated rainfall intensity. Swine manure slurry was used in a factorial experimental design with three levels [0, 217, and 435 kg nitrogen (N)ha–1] of slurry application rate and two levels (5 and 10 cm h–1) of simulated rainfall intensity. The slurry was applied during moist soil conditions. Simulated rainfall was initiated 24 h following application. Runoff amounts and concentrations of slurry constituents (total Kjeldahl N, ammonia N, nitrate N, total phosphorus, dissolved reactive phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and electrical conductivity) were determined. Analyses of variance were performed to assess the influences of the variables on both concentrations and event mass losses of the slurry constituents. Both runoff concentrations and event mass losses of all slurry constituents except nitrate N increased approximately linearly with application rate. Runoff concentrations of all slurry constituents except nitrate N decreased with increasing rainfall intensity, but event mass losses were unaffected.
The Relocalization of SLAM Tracking Based on Spherical Cameras

This work proposes a novel solution to relocalize the SLAM tracking based on spherical cameras. It focuses on the imaging method of spherical camera, the feature extracting algorithm and the relocalization of SLAM tracking based on the 3D reconstruction. In the imaging method, we design a new camera containing eight fish-eye lenses, and then we propose a calibration method to calibrate the eight fish-eye lenses spherical camera; To get the high-performance feature points of panoramic image, we propose a network based on a separate network to extract local feature accurately and quickly. With the correct key points obtained by the feature extracting method, we reoptimize the SLAM tracking after the maximum posteriori estimation usually applied in common back-end SLAM to relocalize the SLAM tracking. The experiment results show that the calibration method achieved 0.973 reprojection error, lower than the common methods like Zhang’s or DLT. The inlier rate and matching time of proposed SimpGeoDesc are all better than the reference models ContextDesc and GeoDesc. With the correct feature points, SLAM tracking is clearer and more steadily with our relocalization method. That is the solution of relocalization of SLAM tracking proposed in this work is effective. The AR application of the relocalization proves the feasibility of our propose relocalization method.
Descriptive epidemiology of COVID-19 deaths in the North Indian district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh

Background: COVID-19 first reported in January 2020 in China has turned into a pandemic the kind that occurs only once in a century, with high mortality rate due to an infectious disease considered once as a thing of past. Caused by SARS-CoV-2 (an RNA virus) COVID-19 has caused over 170 million cases worldwide and around 3.8 million deaths worldwide. India alone has suffered the wrath of this nasty virus with cases approaching 30 million and over 0.4 million deaths till date. Occurring in various waves, the pandemic situation remains dynamic and evolving even today.Methods: We carried out retrospective analysis of all deaths due to COVID-19 occurring in district Kangra from March 2020 to June 2021. Descriptive data on all COVID-19 patients were collected and analysed including individuals who lost their life during the period.Results: From 20 March 2020 to 30 June 2021, a total of 45,871 cases and 1037 deaths (2.2%) were reported in Kangra district-33.8% of 3463 deaths that occurred in the entire state. The death rate per million population in Kangra was 64 compared to 47 for Himachal Pradesh and 30 for India as a whole. The mean age was 62.5 years (range 01 to 102 years); males 62.7 years and female 62.2 years.Conclusions: The biggest challenge for us as a country is that COVID-19 has penetrated into our densely placed population where practicing COVID-19 appropriate behaviour is merely an expectation that possibly can never be fulfilled despite most stringent of actions.
German experience in managing stormwater with green infrastructure

This paper identifies and describes experience with ‘green’ stormwater management practices in Germany. It provides the context in which developments took place and extracts lessons learned to inform efforts of other countries in confronting urban stormwater challenges. Our findings show that an integrated environmental planning approach helps to balance environmental and urban development. Further, the transformation to a mixed grey and green infrastructure necessitates both a quantifiable long-term goal and a suite of policies to incentivise green infrastructure and support implementation. Finally, public authorities must assume leadership while enabling the participation of stakeholder groups in the transformation process.
Pharmacological Modulation of Long Cardiac QT Interval in Ex Vivo and in Vitro Experimental Models

Prolongation of cardiac QT interval is one of the most dangerous consequences of hyperglycemia, acting on accumulation of reactive oxygen species and impairment of ionic pumps. Previous studies showed that the selective inhibition of the endogenous aldose reductase 2 (ALR2) activities, responsible of the oxidative heart damage following diabetes, could be a therapeutic treatment for the high glucose-related cardiac alterations. Indeed, the newly synthetized ALR2 inhibitor, the benzofuroxane derivative 5(6)-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylmethoxy)benzofuroxane (BF-5m), dose-dependently reduced the long cardiac QT interval in isolated rat hearts perfused with high glucose, by increasing in parallel the expression and activity of endogenous antioxidant pathways and free radical scavengers such as SIRT1 and its targets MnSOD and FOXO-1. The reduction of the oxidative stress induced by BF-5m lead also modifications of the expression of KCNQ1/KCNE1 potassium channels subunits in H9c2 cardiomyocytes exposed to high glucose, modifying the expression levels of miR-1, involved in KCNQ1 and KCNE1 expression.
A combined DJM-PVD method for soft ground improvement

Dry jet mixing (DJM) and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) have been successfully used for soft ground improvement worldwide. They both have advantages and limitations, and have been used independently so far. In this study, DJM and PVDs were used in combination to enhance the performance of soft ground improvement. In the combined method, PVDs are first installed and then DJM columns are installed between the PVDs at larger spacing. This combined method improves the effectiveness of ground improvement and creates a more economical solution. This paper presents the concept, mechanisms, construction procedures, and field validation of this new method. In situ standard penetration tests were performed in dry mixed columns and cone penetration tests and field vane shear tests were performed in soils between the columns. Plate load tests were subsequently conducted on the treated ground. Excess porewater pressures were monitored during and after the installation of DJM columns with and without PVDs. Field .
PCR-RFLP Study of Candidate Genes for Egg Production in Layer Chicken

Polymorphic variants of few candidate genes have been reported to be associated with production traits in layers. The objective of the present study was to genotype the long term selected pure-line layer population for Growth Hormone Receptor (GHR), Insulin Like Growth Factor -1 (IGF-1) and Prolactin (PRL) hormone gene and to observe their association with layer traits. Layer traits were recorded on 1082 pullets up to the age of 40 weeks under standard management conditions. Genotyping study was performed on 90 randomly selected pullets with reported PCR-RFLP markers for GHR, IGF-1 and PRL genes. The studied population revealed polymorphic pattern for GHR, IGF-1 and monomorphic for PRL. The frequency of Hind III ++ and Pst I ++ genotypes were high in comparison to Hind III - - and Pst I + - genotypes for GHR and IGF-1 gene respectively. Genotype-trait association analysis revealed a trend of association with means of some traits; however, the associations were not significant. The allelic and genotypic frequency of PRL gene at both promoter sites was 1.00 which confirmed the loss of broodiness in studied population. Results of this study indicated that direction of selection has supported the favourable alleles of GHR and IGF-1 genes in the studied layer population The Chi-square (χ2) test for goodness of fit was used to find out difference among various genotypes.
Downside Risks in Construction Projects Developed by the Civil Service: The Case of Spain

The purpose of the work summarized here was to improve the efficiency of the construction project management processes performed by the Spanish civil service, identifying and analyzing the main risks in these kinds of projects, and also establishing potential risk responses. The scope of this effort included a list of 96 risk events, categorized and prioritized first by impact, then by frequency. The most relevant ones are related to issues such as an inadequate prequalification system, insufficient training of public servants, or political considerations prevailing over real needs, among others. A total of 117 potential risk responses were identified, categorized, and prioritized by potential efficiency and difficulty of implementation. Each risk event was associated to a set of potential responses. The paper includes the top 15 risk events with its main potential responses, including qualitative assessments. A survey was carried out among Spanish public servants working in construction projects, to validate risk identification and to obtain a qualitative assessment. Moreover, a Delphi analysis was developed to validate the risk response identification and obtain a qualitative assessment. One of the conclusions is that small and medium-sized Spanish civil service agencies should work toward increasing their maturity in managing projects and, mainly, project risks.