Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and Construction of Sustainable Pavements

Several recent efforts in U.S. pavement research deal with creating sustainable technologies and designs that use composite pavements, that is, pavements with heterogeneous asphalt, concrete layers, or both, resulting from new construction. Although there are several asphalt-over-concrete composites in the United States, in the case of two-layer portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements there has been little research or expertise in the United States despite the wide acceptance of two-layer PCC as a solution for pavements in parts of the European Union (EU). The EU experience is described in this paper in terms of German and Austrian case studies. After the case studies, the major benefits of two-layer PCC and potential challenges in importing, adapting, and implementing German and Austrian techniques are discussed.
Cognitive cascades: How to model (and potentially counter) the spread of fake news

Understanding the spread of false or dangerous beliefs—often called misinformation or disinformation—through a population has never seemed so urgent. Network science researchers have often taken a page from epidemiologists, and modeled the spread of false beliefs as similar to how a disease spreads through a social network. However, absent from those disease-inspired models is an internal model of an individual’s set of current beliefs, where cognitive science has increasingly documented how the interaction between mental models and incoming messages seems to be crucially important for their adoption or rejection. Some computational social science modelers analyze agent-based models where individuals do have simulated cognition, but they often lack the strengths of network science, namely in empirically-driven network structures. We introduce a cognitive cascade model that combines a network science belief cascade approach with an internal cognitive model of the individual agents as in opinion diffusion models as a public opinion diffusion (POD) model, adding media institutions as agents which begin opinion cascades. We show that the model, even with a very simplistic belief function to capture cognitive effects cited in disinformation study (dissonance and exposure), adds expressive power over existing cascade models. We conduct an analysis of the cognitive cascade model with our simple cognitive function across various graph topologies and institutional messaging patterns. We argue from our results that population-level aggregate outcomes of the model qualitatively match what has been reported in COVID-related public opinion polls, and that the model dynamics lend insights as to how to address the spread of problematic beliefs. The overall model sets up a framework with which social science misinformation researchers and computational opinion diffusion modelers can join forces to understand, and hopefully learn how to best counter, the spread of disinformation and “alternative facts. ”
Amortized Generation of Sequential Algorithmic Recourses for Black-Box Models

Explainable machine learning (ML) has gained traction in recent years due to the increasing adoption of ML-based systems in many sectors. Algorithmic Recourses (ARs) provide "what if" feedback of the form "if an input datapoint were x' instead of x, then an ML-based system's output would be y' instead of y. " Recourses are attractive due to their actionable feedback, amenability to existing legal frameworks, and fidelity to the underlying ML model. Yet, current recourse approaches are single shot that is, they assume x can change to x' in a single time period. We propose a novel stochastic-control-based approach that generates sequential recourses, that is, recourses that allow x to move stochastically and sequentially across intermediate states to a final state x'. Our approach is model agnostic and black box. Furthermore, the calculation of recourses is amortized such that once trained, it applies to multiple datapoints without the need for re-optimization. In addition to these primary characteristics, our approach admits optional desiderata such as adherence to the data manifold, respect for causal relations, and sparsity identified by past research as desirable properties of recourses. We evaluate our approach using three real-world datasets and show successful generation of sequential recourses that respect other recourse desiderata.
Un-mix: Rethinking Image Mixtures for Unsupervised Visual Representation Learning

The recently advanced unsupervised learning approaches use the siamese-like framework to compare two "views" from the same image for learning representations. Making the two views distinctive is a core to guarantee that unsupervised methods can learn meaningful information. However, such frameworks are sometimes fragile on overfitting if the augmentations used for generating two views are not strong enough, causing the over-confident issue on the training data. This drawback hinders the model from learning subtle variance and fine-grained information. To address this, in this work we aim to involve the soft distance concept on label space in the contrastive-based unsupervised learning task and let the model be aware of the soft degree of similarity between positive or negative pairs through mixing the input data space, to further work collaboratively for the input and loss spaces. Despite its conceptual simplicity, we show empirically that with the solution -- Unsupervised image mixtures (Un-Mix), we can learn subtler, more robust and generalized representations from the transformed input and corresponding new label space. Extensive experiments are conducted on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, STL-10, Tiny ImageNet and standard ImageNet-1K with popular unsupervised methods SimCLR, BYOL, MoCo V1&V2, SwAV, etc. Our proposed image mixture and label assignment strategy can obtain consistent improvement by 1~3% following exactly the same hyperparameters and training procedures of the base methods. Code is publicly available at https://github.com/szq0214/Un-Mix.
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Online Posts: Implications for Mental Health Professionals

While non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is not a new phenomenon, there is still a limited understanding of the behavior, intent behind the behavior and what individuals themselves say about their behavior. This study collected pro-NSSI public blog posts from Reddit and analyzed the content linguistically using LIWC software, in order to examine the use of NSSI specific words, linguistic and psychological linguistic properties. The results inform current mental health practices by dispelling myths and providing insight into the inner world of people who engage in NSSI. The linguistic properties found in the analysis reflected the predicted results; authors of pro-NSSI posts used first-person singular pronouns extensively, indicating high levels of mental health distress and isolation. This study does not encourage or endorse mental health professionals to look into their client’s social media use. Rather, this study has generated knowledge and demonstrates how language can become a key factor when assessing a person’s NSSI use.
Comparative assessment of the organization of the colors of the Vita Classical color pallet by digital images and visual analysis for dental bleaching

New formularizations, techniques and devices have become the dental whitening most safe and with better results. Although this, the verification of the levels whitening is being continued for visual comparison, that is an empirical, subjective method, subject to errors and dependent of the individual interpretation. Normally the result of the whitening is express for the amplitude of displacement between the initial and the final color, being take like reference the tonalities of a scale of color commanded of darkest for more clearly. Although to be the most used scale , the ordinance of the Vita Classical ® - Vita, according to recommendations of the manufacturer, reveals inadequate for the evaluation of the whitening. From digital images and of algorithm OER (ordinance of the reference scale), especially developed for the ScanWhite ©, the ordinance of the tonalities of the scale Vita Classical® was made. For such, the values of the canals of color R, G, and B of medium part average of the crowns was adopted as reference for evaluation. The images had been taken with the camera Sony Cybershoot DSC F828. The results of the computational ordinance had been compared with the sequence proposal for the manufacturer and with the earned one for the visual evaluation, carried through by 10 volunteers, under standardized conditions of illumination. It statistics analyzes demonstrated significant differences between the ordinances.
A comparison between left ventricular ejection time measurement methods during physiological changes induced by simulated microgravity

What is the central question of this study? First, we validated easy‐to‐use oscillometric left ventricular ejection time (LVET) against echocardiographic LVET. Second, we investigated progression of left ventricular ejection time index (LVETI), pre‐ejection period index (PEPI), total electromechanical systole index (QS2I) and PEP/LVET ratio during 60 days of head‐down tilt (HDT). What is the main finding and its importance? The LVETosci and LVETecho showed good agreement in effect direction. Hence, LVETosci might be useful to evaluate cardiovascular responses during space flight. Moreover, the approach might be useful for individual follow‐up of patients with altered ejection times. Furthermore, significant effects of 60 days of HDT were captured by measurements of LVETI, PEPI, QS2I and PEP/LVET ratio.
Feasibility of noninvasive measurement of deep brain temperature in newborn infants by multifrequency microwave radiometry

Clinical studies of hypothermal neural rescue therapy for newborn infants who have suffered hypoxia-ischaemia are currently hindered by the difficulty in measuring deep brain temperature. This paper addresses: the specific requirements for this measurement problem, the design of a proposed radiometer system, a method for retrieving the temperature profile within the cooled head, and an estimation of the precision of the measurement of deep brain temperature using the technique. A five-frequency-band radiometer with a contact-type antenna operating within the range 1-4 GHz is proposed to obtain brightness temperatures corresponding to temperature profiles predicted by a realistic thermal model of the cooled baby head. The problems of retrieving the temperature profile from this set of brightness temperatures, and the estimation of its precision, are solved using a combination of model fitting and Monte Carlo techniques. The results of this paper show that the proposed technique is feasible, that it is expected to provide a good estimate of the temperature profile within the cooled baby-head, and that the estimated precision (2/spl sigma/) of the temperature measured in the deep brain structures is better than 0.8 K, depending upon the estimation procedure used.
An Investigation Into the Effects of Curved Beam Elements on the Out-of-Plane Stiffness Profile in a Compliant Large-Displacement Finger

Compliant mechanisms have many advantages over rigid-link mechanisms. However, one of the challenges of compliant mechanisms is the trade-off between a large range of motion and a high out-of-plane stiffness. Furthermore, the out-of-plane stiffness is shown to vary over the range of motion. Especially for large-displacement compliant mechanisms this can be by a significant amount. In this paper the use of curved beam elements in a compliant mechanism is shown to have impact on this trade-off. The influence of curved beam elements on the out-of-plane stiffness over the entire range of motion is presented for simple structures such as a single beam element and double beam elements, as well as a compliant finger. With the use of a genetic algorithm optimization, the difference in performance of a design with only straight beam elements versus one with curved beam elements is highlighted and the effect on the out-of-plane stiffness profile is presented. The optimization with curved beam elements results in solutions with a performance in terms of objective function values that cannot be found by the optimization with only straight beam elements. It is shown that for simple structures the use of curved beam elements has a large influence on the shape of the out-of-plane stiffness profile along the range of motion, while for the compliant finger the influence is mainly in the variables of the out-of-plane stiffness profile.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Long-Term Efficacy of Ethanol Ablation as Treatment of Metastatic Lymph Nodes From Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Abstract Context Ethanol ablation (EA) is considered an alternative to surgery for metastatic lymph nodes from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in selected patients. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of this treatment. Design and Setting Adult patients with PTC who had received EA in lymph node metastasis at a tertiary referral center, and were included in a published study from 2011, were invited to participate in this follow-up study. Methods Radiologic and medical history were reviewed. Ultrasound examination of the neck was performed by radiologists, and clinical examination was performed by an endocrine surgeon. Response was reported according to predefined criteria for satisfactory EA treatment. Adverse events associated with EA were evaluated. Cause of death was reported for deceased patients. Results From the 2011 study, 51 of 63 patients were included. Forty-four patients were reexamined (67/109 lesions) and 7 patients were deceased. Median follow-up time from primary surgery was 14.5 years. Median follow-up from the latest performed EA in the 2011 study was 11.3 years. Local control was permanently achieved in most patients (80%). Recurrence within an ablated node was registered in 13 metastases in 10 patients. Seven of these patients also had recurrent disease elsewhere in the neck. No major side effects were reported. Conclusion EA is a minimally invasive procedure with a low risk of complications. Our data suggest that EA is a safe and efficient treatment, providing excellent results for a large group of patients in the long term.
Report of Current Studies Performed on Normal Load Model of EC1

ABSTRACT This report gives results of some new studies performed to validate the european road traffic load model proposed by the Eurocode EC1. Weight in motion has developed greatly in the last ten years and confidence in the accuracy of recorded data has increased significantly. Traffic data recently obtained from a number of representative European sites are used to re-calibrate the codified main load model of the European bridge loading code, Eurocode 1 Part 3. A wide range of real and virtual bridge forms were chosen for the study. Simulations were performed using free-flowing and jammed traffic. Load effects generated were determined and statistical extrapolations were performed, where appropriate, to determine characteristic values for the load effects. Some of the assumptions used in the derivation of the original loading model were re-assessed.
Large eddy simulation of aircraft at affordable cost: a milestone in computational fluid dynamics

Graphical Abstract Abstract While there have been numerous applications of large eddy simulations (LES) to complex flows, their application to practical engineering configurations, such as full aircraft models, have been limited to date. Recently, however, advances in rapid, high quality mesh generation, low-dissipation numerical schemes and physics-based subgrid-scale and wall models have led to, for the first time, accurate simulations of a realistic aircraft in landing configuration (the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency Standard Model) in less than a day of turnaround time with modest resource requirements. In this paper, a systematic study of the predictive capability of LES across a range of angles of attack (including maximum lift and post-stall regimes), the robustness of the predictions to grid resolution and the incorporation of wind tunnel effects is carried out. Integrated engineering quantities of interest, such as lift, drag and pitching moment will be compared with experimental data, while sectional pressure forces will be used to corroborate the accuracy of the integrated quantities. Good agreement with experimental $C_L$ data is obtained across the lift curve with the coefficient of lift at maximum lift, $C_{L,max}$, consistently being predicted to within five lift counts of the experimental value. The grid point requirements to achieve this level of accuracy are reduced compared with recent estimates (even for wall modelled LES), with the solutions showing systematic improvement upon grid refinement, with the exception of the solution at the lowest angles of attack, which will be discussed later in the text. Simulations that include the wind tunnel walls and aircraft body mounting system are able to replicate important features of the flow field noted in the experiment that are absent from free air calculations of the same geometry, namely, the onset of inboard flow separation in the post-stall regime. Turnaround times of the order of a day are made possible in part by algorithmic advances made to leverage graphical processing units. The results presented herein suggest that this combined approach (meshing, numerical algorithms, modelling, efficient computer implementation) is on the threshold of readiness for industrial use in aeronautical design.
A review of audiovisual telemedicine utilization and satisfaction assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Introduction The use of telemedicine has broadened as technology that both restores continuity of care during disruptions in healthcare delivery and routinely provides primary care alone or in combination with in-person care. During the Covid-19 outbreak, the use of telemedicine as a routine care modality further accelerated. Methods A review of scientific studies that used telemedicine to provide care from December 2019 to December 2020 is presented. From an initial set of 2,191 articles, 36 studies are analyzed. Evidence is organized and evaluated according to the country of study, the clinical specialty, the technology platform used, and satisfaction and utilization outcomes. Results Thirty-one studies reported high patient satisfaction scores. Eight studies reported satisfaction from both providers and patients with no uniformly accepted assessment instrument. Eight studies conducted a descriptive analysis of telemedicine use and patient adoption patterns. Less than one-third of studies were controlled before/after studies. Most studies were conducted in the USA followed by Europe. Conclusions Reported satisfaction rates are high, consistent with previously documented research, whereas utilization rates increased significantly compared with the prepandemic period. Future work in developing standardized uniform assessment instruments, embedded with each telemedicine system, would increase versatility and agility in the assessment, boosting statistical power and the interpretation of results.
Use of high-sensitivity cardiac troponins in the emergency department for the early rule-in and rule-out of acute myocardial infarction without persistent ST-segment elevation (NSTEMI) in Italy

Abstract Serial measurements of cardiac troponin are recommended by international guidelines to diagnose myocardial infarction (MI) since 2000. However, some relevant differences exist between the three different international guidelines published between 2020 and 2021 for the management of patients with chest pain and no ST-segment elevation. In particular, there is no agreement on the cut-offs or absolute change values to diagnose non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI). Other controversial issues concern the diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of cut-off values for the most rapid algorithms (0 h/1 h or 0 h/2 h) to rule-in and rule-out NSTEMI. Finally, another important point is the possible differences between demographic and clinical characteristics of patients enrolled in multicenter trials compared to those routinely admitted to the Emergency Department in Italy. The Study Group of Cardiac Biomarkers, supported by the Italian Scientific Societies Società Italiana di Biochimica Clinica, Italian Society of the European Ligand Assay Society, and Società Italiana di Patolgia Clinica e Medicina di Laboratorio decided to revise the document previously published in 2013 about the management of patients with suspected NSTEMI, and to provide some suggestions for the use of these biomarkers in clinical practice, with a particular focus on the Italian setting.
Preterm Birth Alters the Maturation of the GABAergic System in the Human Prefrontal Cortex

Developmental changes in GABAergic and glutamatergic systems during frontal lobe development have been hypothesized to play a key role in neurodevelopmental disorders seen in children born very preterm or low birth weight, but the associated cellular changes have not yet been identified. Here we studied the molecular development of the GABAergic system specifically in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region that that has been implicated in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. The maturation state of the GABAergic system in this region was assessed in human post-mortem brain samples, from term infants ranging in age from 0 to 8 months (n=17 male, 9 female). Gene expression was measured for 47 GABAergic genes and used to calculate a maturation index. This maturation index was significantly more dynamic in male than female infants. To evaluate the impact of premature birth on the GABAergic system development, samples from one-month-old term (n=9 male, 4 female) and one-month corrected-age (n=8 male, 6 female) very preterm infants, were compared using the same gene list and methodology. The maturation index for the GABAergic system was significantly lower (–50% p<0.05) in male preterm infants, with major alterations in genes linked to GABAergic function in astrocytes, suggesting astrocytic GABAergic developmental changes as a new cellular mechanism underlying preterm brain injury.