Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study on the Diffusion of Mobile Payment Usage in China : Focusing on the Use Diffusion Model

: Mobile payments have become a major payment method in China in a short period of time due to its convenience. This has gradually made the lives of Chinese consumers more mobile and improved their efficiency. In this regard, this study analyzed the current status of mobile payment usage in China based on the use diffusion model targeting 440 Chinese consumers. First, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to find out the influence and determinants of the spread of mobile payment use. As a result, it was classified into environmental creation, technology dependence, and technology anxiety. After that, the structural model was analyzed to verify the path hypothesis. As a result, environment creation and technical anxiety influenced the characteristics of mobile payment usage. And it was found that technology dependence, technology anxiety, and diversity among the characteristics of use had a significant effect on the diffusion outcome. In particular, technology anxiety has been shown to be an important factor that not only increases the spread and satisfaction of consumers, but also increases the intention to accept new technologies that will be introduced in the future. Therefore, research on consumer's technology anxiety is needed in the future, and this is expected to contribute to devising measures to increase consumer acceptance of technology.
Representing Microphysical Uncertainty in Convective‐Scale Data Assimilation Using Additive Noise

For convective clouds and precipitation, model uncertainty in cloud microphysics is considered one of the most significant sources of model error. In this study, samples for model microphysical uncertainty are obtained by calculating the differences between simulations equipped with two‐ and one‐moment schemes during a one‐month training period. The samples are then added to convective‐scale ensemble data assimilation as additive noise and combined with large‐scale additive noise based on samples from climatological atmospheric background error covariance. Two experiments, including the combination and large‐scale error only, are conducted for a one‐week convective period. The results reveal that the simulation with a two‐moment scheme triggers more convection and has larger ice‐phase precipitation particles, which produce a stronger signal in the melting layer. During data assimilation cycling, although more water is introduced to the model, it is shown that the combination performs better for both background and analysis and significantly improves short‐term ensemble forecasts of radar reflectivity and hourly precipitation.
Characteristics of Cr Schottky amorphous silicon photodiodes and their application to linear image sensors

Cr Schottky amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photodiodes with a configuration of Cr/a-Si:H tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), where Cr is negatively biased with respect to ITO in contrast to the conventional bias direction, were characterized to provide simple and stable sensor elements for economical linear image sensors. It was found that the barrier height of the Cr/a-Si:H junction is sufficiently high (0.89 eV) to prevent electron injection and that the junction is thermally stable. The transport properties of holes propagating in the a-Si:H layer were largely improved by a few parts per million boron doping, and as a result saturation of the photocurrent was achieved. A contact-type ISO A4, 8-dot/mm linear range sensor was fabricated using the Cr Schottky photodiode array. The sensor showed excellent characteristics for use in G3 facsimile. >
Top management challenges and concerns for agronomic crop production in California: Identifying critical issues for extension through needs assessment

Agronomic cropping systems in many regions face growing economic and management challenges as well as new regulations designed to address negative environmental and social externalities. At the same time, public support for agricultural education and extension is decreasing. Hence, new approaches are necessary to understand the most pressing on-farm issues and help prioritize critical needs. With a diversity of agronomic crops and new regulations for water and nitrogen, California is an important case
Improving Aphasic Speech Recognition by Using Novel Semi-Supervised Learning Methods on AphasiaBank for English and Spanish

Automatic speech recognition in patients with aphasia is a challenging task for which studies have been published in a few languages. Reasonably, the systems reported in the literature within this field show significantly lower performance than those focused on transcribing non-pathological clean speech. It is mainly due to the difficulty of recognizing a more unintelligible voice, as well as due to the scarcity of annotated aphasic data. This work is mainly focused on applying novel semi-supervised learning methods to the AphasiaBank dataset in order to deal with these two major issues, reporting improvements for the English language and providing the first benchmark for the Spanish language for which less than one hour of transcribed aphasic speech was used for training. In addition, the influence of reinforcing the training and decoding processes with out-of-domain acoustic and text data is described by using different strategies and configurations to fine-tune the hyperparameters and the final recognition systems. The interesting results obtained encourage extending this technological approach to other languages and scenarios where the scarcity of annotated data to train recognition models is a challenging reality.
Toward improving household livelihoods using rain water harvesting technologies in Matungulu sub-county, Machakos, Kenya

Better utilization of rainfall through rainwater harvesting can greatly increase agricultural productivity, improve food security and alleviate poverty. Water is the main limiting resource for crop production in arid sub-Saharan Africa. The biggest challenge currently is growing water shortage and dwindling rivers. This has impacted the livelihoods of rural population in arid and semi-arid counties. The introduction of novel rain-water harvesting (RWH) is, however, seeking to mitigate the effects of perennial droughts in arid areas. Successful adoption of such technologies has the potential to alleviate water problems faced by rural households. In Kenya, very little research has been conducted about adoption of water harvesting technologies and their role in curbing water shortages. Therefore, there was a need to interrogate the extent to which adoption of water harvesting technologies has impacted households in Matungulu Sub-County. Focus group discussions, interview with key informants, and structured questionnaires were used to collect data for the study which were then analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. The findings indicated that overall, a composite mean of 4.04 and a standard deviation of 0.699 of the respondents agreed that incentives from the county government significantly promoted water harvesting technologies. This was confirmed by a positively strong and significant correlation between the integration of RHT in the county development agenda and the impact on household livelihoods. A further regression analysis indicated that Integration of RHT had a positive and significant influence on household livelihoods (β= 0.755, t=22.351, p=0.000<0.05). Results of this survey indicate that rainwater technologies are financed mostly by household heads and county government initiatives have not been adequately felt. There is a strong indication from the study that water harvesting technologies had a statistically significant influence on the impact on household livelihoods. To ensure sustainability of rainwater harvesting technologies, the study recommends that Machakos
Aortic valve replacement: J-shaped upper sternotomy versus conventional sternotomy

Background: Aortic valve replacement is routinely performed through full sternotomy. Minimal invasive approaches including J-shaped upper sternotomy were introduced to achieve advantages concerning postoperative pain, duration of mechanical ventilation, blood loss and cosmetic state. Methods: From January 2015 to December 2017, isolated aortic valve replacement was performed through full median sternotomy (group I) in 40 patients (41.2%) and through J-shaped ministernotomy (group II) in 57 patients (58.8%). We retrospectively analyzed the preoperative characteristics, operative and postoperative variables with emphasis on clamping time, bypass time, duration of mechanical ventilation, blood loss, postoperative pain, ICU stay, total hospital stay, morbidity and mortality. Results: Clamping time and total bypass time were longer in group (II): 64.4 minutes vs. 48.08 minutes and 83.61 minutes vs. 66.97 minutes respectively. Duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly longer in group (I): 10.48 hours vs. 8.04 hours. The amount of blood loss was less in group (II): mean 277.3 mL vs. 464.7 and need for blood transfusion was significantly higher in group (II): 26 (65.0%) vs. 9 (15.8%). Postoperative pain was less in ministernotomy group as reflected by shorter duration of epidural analgesia: 2.79 vs. 6.23 days. No significant difference was found between the two groups regarding sternal wound infection, re exploration for bleeding or mortality. Conclusion: J-shaped ministernotomy for aortic valve replacement is a safe technique that has the advantages of less postoperative pain, less blood loss, shorter period of mechanical ventilation and better cosmetic results when compared to conventional full sternotomy.
The effect of smear layer thickness on bonding strength to dentin of restorative glass-ionomer cements

Abstract This study assessed the effect of different smear layers and surface conditioning on microtensile bond strength to dentin of two different glass-ionomer cements (GICs). Third molar teeth without caries were collected for this study. The crowns of teeth were cut to reveal the mid-coronal dentin surface, and then the specimens were randomly assigned to three groups for surface preparation (#180-grit, 600-grit, and #3000-grit SiC paper). After surface grinding, the specimens were restored by Equia Forte or Fuji II LC (GC, Tokyo, Japan). A buildup of each material was made by free-hand on the dentin surfaces with or without a polyacrylic acid conditioner. GIC/dentin sticks were obtained after 1 week storage and then stressed using a universal testing device. The fractured surfaces were examined by a stereomicroscope. Statistical analyses were performed with three-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05). GIC type and conditioner application had a significant effect on µTBS (p < 0.001). The smear layer conditions did not affect µTBS of the GICs (p = 0.113). Only Equia Forte without conditioner showed significantly higher µTBS on the #3000-grit surface than on #180-grit and #600-grit surfaces. Equia Forte presented significantly lower µTBS than Fuji II LC, with or without conditioner. With conditioner application, both GICs showed significantly higher µTBS on the #180-grit surface. The effect of different smear layers on µTBS was dependent on GIC type and conditioner application. The effectiveness of the conditioner application to the bond strength depended on the smear layer composition.
Review on Silver Nanoparticle Synthesis Method, Antibacterial Activity, Drug Delivery Vehicles, and Toxicity Pathways: Recent Advances and Future Aspects

Silver nanoparticles in the range from 1 to 100 nm are widely used in industrial applications as catalysis, electronics, and photonics, and they have unique properties such as optical, electrical, and magnetic characteristics that can be used as antimicrobial, biosensor textile, cosmetics, composite fibers, and electronic components and to amend shelf life of food substances. The main objective of the present review was to focus on formulation methods of silver nanoparticles with recent advances and future aspects. Silver nanoparticle shows very high potential towards biological applications. Several physicals, chemical, and various biological techniques have been employed to synthesize and stabilize silver nanoparticles. For the manufacture of silver nanoparticles, multiple methods, including chemical simplification with different natural and inorganic decreasing agents, physicochemical reduction, electrochemical procedures, and radiolysis, are employed. Silver nanoparticles are the single most manufacturer-identified material that can be used in all nanotechnology products. They can be used in food packing polymers to enhance the shelf lifespan. The present review is aimed at different types of synthesis and details of silver nanoparticles used as drug delivery vehicles, antibacterial activity, toxicity, recent advances, and future aspects.
Measurements and Two-Dimensional Computer Simulations of the Hygrothermal Performance of a Wood Frame Wall

Knowledge of the expected long-term performance of building envelopes subjected to simultaneous heat and moisture transport is critical during the design stage. In the past thirty years researchers have concentrated their efforts in extensive laboratory experiments. These experiments have been expensive as well as time consuming to conduct due to the slow moisture transport phenomena. This paper critically investigates a set of experimental results generated from laboratory controlled measurements on a wood frame wall construction, by employing a state of the art hygrothermal model. The analysis was carried out using the LATENITE model, a three-dimensional heat and moisture transport program tailored specifically for building envelope investigations. For the present simulations this model was adapted for two-dimensional conditions and hourly hygrothermal performances were predicted for a laboratory instrumented wood frame wall section. The investigation showed three main advantages of combining measurements and simulations. By carrying out simulations early in the design stage of laboratory experiments the experimental design will probably yield better quantification of data, placement and types of sensors, and assessment of workmanship influences, etc. Measurements can calibrate, adapt, or check calculated results. Finally, simulations can be performed to explain and interpret experimental results. Marrying experi ments and modeling allows researchers to generate effective hygrothermal perfor mance guidelines.
Total dose hardness of bonded SOI wafers

The response of the buried oxide in bonded and etched-back silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers to radiation doses up to 2 Mrad(Si) was measured. The results indicate that the hardness of the buried oxide can be very good, at least that of a good thermally grown oxide, with only small effects from the bond. The amount of charge created in the buried oxide was independent of the thickness of the buried oxide. The buried oxide can easily be made hard enough to prevent back-channel turn-on in nonfully-depleted FETs at doses of at least 2 Mrad(Si). >
Numerical study on the production and transport of O and OH in a helium–humid air atmospheric pressure plasma jet interacting with a substrate

In this paper, the spatiotemporal developments of OH and O density in an atmospheric pressure helium–humid air plasma jet, both along the effluent and in particular close to the substrate surface, are evaluated under different governing parameters by performing two-dimensional numerical simulation. The results show that reducing the gas flow velocity can increase its density and shorten delivery time to the substrate surface. However, in different jet propagation stages, the dependences of the density distributions of two species on the gas flow speed are different. Before the plasma jet impinges the substrate surface, the O atom has a relatively higher density throughout the jet channel at low gas flow velocity; the increase in the flow velocity makes the peak O density shift to the jet head, whereas the OH radical is mainly distributed near the tube nozzle area and is almost unaffected by gas flow velocity. When the plasma jet moves along the substrate surface, increasing flow speed has little influence on the O density distribution but results in a longer spread length of OH along the substrate surface. By changing the relative permittivity of the substrate, it is found that both the densities and the axial extension lengths of O and OH increase with the relative permittivity, while the radial spread length over the substrate surface decreases. An earlier delivery of reactive species to the surface can be observed for the larger permittivity. The causes for these behaviors are also analyzed and discussed.
Biotic differentiation in headwater creeks after the massive introduction of non-native freshwater aquarium fish in the Paraíba do Sul River basin, Brazil

Abstract This study evaluated fish beta diversity in six headwater creeks located in the area affected by the largest ornamental aquaculture center implemented in the Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. We sampled fish assemblages in 2017 and 2018 to investigate changes in assemblage structure (species richness and beta diversity), comparing these data with the historic species pool. We recorded 60 fish species, of which 16 were native and 44 non-native with 19 translocated, and 25 exotic. The exotics Poecilia reticulata, Xiphophorus maculatus, X. variatus, Danio rerio, and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus were the most widely distributed in the headwater creeks. The Contamination Index showed that most creeks had high proportional contamination by exotic species (above 60%). Beta diversity increased from historical to contemporary periods in all creeks due to the introduction and differential colonization pressure of several non-native translocated and exotic species, indicating biotic differentiation. Temperature and number of ponds were the main preditors of change in beta diversity in the headwater creeks during the contemporary period. In summary, we observed that invaders have induced substantial changes to fish communities under influence of environmental filters. Our results support the hipothesis that aquaculture is a main driver of fish non-native fish introduction and native biodiversity loss in the Neotropics.
The effect of psychological contract on employees' organisational citizenship behaviour and the moderator role of five-factor personality traits in this effect

This study examines the relationship between psychological contract, organisational citizenship behaviours, and sub-dimensions of five-factor personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) of employees in the private sector. In addition, it investigated whether the sub-dimensions of personality traits have moderator roles in the relationship between psychological contract and organisational citizenship behaviours. In order to achieve this aim, the number one model proposed by Hayes (2013) was taken as a basis in establishing the model related to the relationships between three variables. Employees in the private sector (accounting, health and information sectors) who carry out their activities in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Mersin constituted the research universe. The convenience sampling method was chosen while identifying the sample due to the Covid 19 pandemic that affected the world. The data used in the study were collected with three scales between January 1-31, 2021. The analysis of the model established in the study was performed with the SPSS package program and the R programming language. The result of the study indicated a significant relationship between the employees' perceptions of the psychological contract, organisational citizenship behaviour and the sub-dimensions of the five-factor personality traits. In addition, it has been determined that the sub-dimension of personality traits, "openness to development", has a moderator role in the relationship between psychological contract and organisational citizenship behaviour. It is also seen that the results are compatible with similar studies in the literature. It is expected that this research will contribute to organisational behaviour and psychology, while the findings can be used as input for other studies in the specified areas.
Narrow band imaging versus white light for detecting sessile serrated lesion: A prospective randomized multicenter study

Abstract Objectives Colonoscopy is the gold standard diagnostic test used to detect early colorectal lesions and prevent colorectal carcinoma. Narrow band imaging (NBI) is an imaging technique that provides improved image resolution of the mucosa during endoscopy. Whether NBI improves the detection of sessile serrated lesion (SSL) is controversial—our aim was to assess this during routine colonoscopy. Methods We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Patients underwent colonoscopy for screening, surveillance, or symptoms. They were randomized to either high‐definition white light (HD‐WL) or NBI in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was SSL detection rate. Secondary outcomes were adenoma detection rate (ADR) and polyp detection rate (PDR). Results A total of 400 patients were randomized to NBI (N = 200) or HD‐WL (N = 200). The total colonoscopy time was slightly longer in the NBI group compared to HD‐WL (median time 14 vs. 12 min, p = 0.033). There were no statistically significant differences in SSL detection rate (7.5% NBI vs. 8.0% HD‐WL; p = 0.852), ADR (41.0% NBI vs. 37.5% HD‐WL; p = 0.531), or PDR (61.0% NBI vs. 54.0% HD‐WL; p = 0.157) between the two groups. No significant predictors of SSL detection were found on univariable or multivariable analysis. Increasing age and increased withdrawal time were an independent predictors of polyp detection and increasing age was also an independent predictor of adenoma detection on multivariable analysis. Conclusion In the hands of experienced colonoscopists, NBI does not improve SSL detection compared to HD‐WL. Withdrawal time and patient age remain important factors for polyp and adenoma detection.
Growth Promotion of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and Blackleg Disease (Leptosphaeria maculans) Suppression Mediated by Endophytic Bacteria

Rapeseed is an important oil crop strongly dependent on high agrochemical inputs. Some pathogens, including Leptosphaeria maculans, cause blackleg disease and can drastically decrease yields. Microbial inoculants seem to be a promising solution to these problems. However, a selection of potent bacterial strains able to improve growth and/or suppress disease is needed. Endophytic bacteria (n = 38) isolated from rapeseed plants with exceptionally good growth were screened for plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and L. maculans antifungal activity. A majority of isolates (35) showed the ability to produce siderophores, 17 isolates solubilized phosphate, and 28 isolates inhibited the growth of L. maculans. The six most promising isolates belonging to Bacillus genera were characterized in detail and compared to two previously published PGP strains. Plant growth measured as total weight and root length of rapeseed seedlings was stimulated by all isolates in comparison to control. The best isolate, 1L6, preliminary identified as Bacillus pumilus showed the highest phosphate solubilization, IAA and HCN production, and growth promotion of plants. Isolates with high antifungal activity in screening showed good potential to suppress disease on plants, with 87% reduction of lesions caused by L. maculans. These strains are good candidates to be explored under field use either solely or in combination.