Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting Project Cost Performance Level by Assessing Risk Factors of Building Construction in South Korea

Abstract There exists a strong relationship between the level of planning effort and overall project performance. Project stakeholders are concerned about various project objectives among which cost performance has long been regarded as one of the most crucial. Recognizing the lack of a systematic approach in assessing building project risk in association with cost performance prediction, this study identified 49 risk factors from various sources and quantified the relative impact of each factor. By normalizing these values, a Project Risk Score (PRS) has been developed for the purpose of predicting cost performance on a particular project. The 13 real case studies showed a statistically significant relationship between the PRS and cost performance. Predicting cost performance is not simple. Project managers must consider not only factors that are innate to the project, but also project-independent circumstances. This study provides straightforward guidance in assessing a particular project in order to recognize the level of cost performance before project execution. This risk-based performance prediction can improve early-stage project evaluation and enhances the possibility of achieving a sustainable business in a challenging environment.
Management of Artificial Intelligence Enabled Smart Wearable Devices for Early Diagnosis and Continuous Monitoring of CVDS

Cardiovascular diseases are often sudden and deadly. Every year, world over, there are millions of CVD deaths, not due to timely detection and treatment and continuous monitoring of patient situations. In the medical field, Artificial intelligence enabled/driven wearable devices are a new, and welcome development. This study is addressed to the cure and management of CVDs for timely diagnosis detection, treatment and monitoring CVDs. It is found that the wearable devices are effective means of meeting the challenges of CVDs. However, it is a just picking up technology, which needs to be generally known and cost effective, for which certain suggestions are made such as solar powered batteries in the device for their ever fully working capability.
Influence of wheel–rail contact modelling on vehicle dynamic simulation

This paper presents a comparison of four models of rolling contact used for online contact force evaluation in rail vehicle dynamics. Until now only a few wheel–rail contact models have been used for online simulation in multibody software (MBS). Many more models exist and their behaviour has been studied offline, but a comparative study of the mutual influence between the calculation of the creep forces and the simulated vehicle dynamics seems to be missing. Such a comparison would help researchers with the assessment of accuracy and calculation time. The contact methods investigated in this paper are FASTSIM, Linder, Kik–Piotrowski and Stripes. They are compared through a coupling between an MBS for the vehicle simulation and Matlab for the contact models. This way the influence of the creep force calculation on the vehicle simulation is investigated. More specifically this study focuses on the influence of the contact model on the simulation of the hunting motion and on the curving behaviour.
Measuring Performance of Knowledge-Intensive Workgroups through Social Networks

In this article, we examine the effect of social network position, structure, and ties on the performance of knowledge-intensive workers in dispersed occupational communities. Using structural holes and strength-of-tie theory, we develop a theoretical framework and a valid and reliable survey instrument. Second, we apply network and structural holes measures for understanding its association with performance. Empirical results suggest that degree centrality in a knowledge workers’ professional network positively influences performance use, whereas a highly constrained professional network is detrimental to performance. The findings show that social network structure and position are important factors to consider for individual performance.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Fatality Rate Among Elderly Danes: A Cross-sectional Study on Retired Blood Donors

Abstract Background Although the vast majority of individuals succumbing to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are elderly, infection fatality rate (IFR) estimates for the age group ≥70 years are still scarce. To this end, we assessed SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among retired blood donors and combined it with national coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survey data to provide reliable population-based IFR estimates for this age group. Methods We identified 60 926 retired blood donors aged ≥70 years in the rosters of 3 regionwide Danish blood banks and invited them to fill in a questionnaire on COVID-19–related symptoms and behaviors. Among 24 861 (40.8%) responders, we invited a random sample of 3200 individuals for blood testing. Overall, 1201 (37.5%) individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (Wantai) and compared with 1110 active blood donors aged 17–69 years. Seroprevalence 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were adjusted for assay sensitivity and specificity. Results Among retired (aged ≥70 years) and active (aged 17–69 years) blood donors, adjusted seroprevalences were 1.4% (95% CI, .3–2.5%) and 2.5% (95% CI, 1.3–3.8%), respectively. Using available population data on COVID-19–related fatalities, IFRs for patients aged ≥70 years and for 17–69 years were estimated at 5.4% (95% CI, 2.7–6.4%) and . 083% (95% CI, .054–.18%), respectively. Only 52.4% of SARS-CoV-2–seropositive retired blood donors reported having been sick since the start of the pandemic. Conclusions COVID-19 IFR in the age group >69 years is estimated to be 65 times the IFR for people aged 18–69 years.
AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb phototransistors for spectral range around 2 μm

The first AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb phototransistors sensitive in the 2.0–2.1 µm spectral range are reported. These phototransistors exhibited both high gain and relatively low noise, and a record 2 µm detectivity of 3.9×1011 cmHz1/2/W was obtained at −20°C, which is equivalent to a noise-equivalent-power of 4.6×10−14 W/Hz1/2.
On the distribution of coefficients of half-integral weight modular forms and the Bruinier-Kohnen Conjecture

This work represents a systematic computational study of the distribution of the Fourier coefficients of cuspidal Hecke eigenforms of level $\Gamma_0(4)$ and half-integral weights. Based on substantial calculations, the question is raised whether the distribution of normalised Fourier coefficients with bounded indices can be approximated by a generalised Gaussian distribution. Moreover, it is argued that the apparent symmetry around zero of the data lends strong evidence to the Bruinier-Kohnen Conjecture on the equidistribution of signs and even suggests the strengthening that signs and absolute values are distributed independently.
Public Libraries and the Librarians : Making A Difference In Information And Communication Technology (ICT) Era

The paper examined the concept of public libraries and public libraries in Nigeria, roles of public libraries in Nigeria, collection development of public libraries and categories of resources in public libraries. The paper also defined the concept of public librarian and his roles. It further discussed the concept of information and communication technology (ICT) and ICT era, the knowledge, skills, facilities and services expected by public libraries and librarians in the deployment of ICT. The paper identified the factors militating against the use of ICT facilities in public libraries; recommendations on the way forward was given and paper concludes that public libraries must reflect the changes brought by ICT in all it operations and public librarian must be skilled on the use of ICT to be able to serve members of the community efficiently.
Monitoring Measures in the Elimination of Malaria in Fujian, China: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Background: Malaria is an insect-borne infectious disease that spreads through bites from infected Anopheles mosquitos. The disease seriously endangers human health and economic development. The study focuses on Fujian Province, China, which entered the final stage of malaria elimination stage in 2005. In order to understand the costs and benefits of malaria monitoring measures during the elimination stage, the health economics of the monitoring measures should be examined. Methods: Data on the number of cases during the malaria elimination stage (2005–2019) in Fujian Province were collected and sorted. The basic economic data were obtained from the Fujian Statistical Yearbook. Based on the fundamental theories in health economics, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted based on the data. Specifically, the cost of monitoring measures during the malaria elimination stage was calculated by economic cost and compared to the benefits, which were quantified based on economic and social benefits of the monitoring measures.Results: The total cost of monitoring measures in the malaria elimination stage was estimated at 607,878,783.36 yuan (USD 87,534,544.80). The components of the total cost were: case detection and treatment, which accounted for 66.62% of costs, health education with 13.31%, epidemic monitoring, 10.05%, supervision and assessment, 5.15%, and training and meetings took 4.87%. The total benefit of the monitoring measures in the malaria elimination stage was valued at about 116,123,417,911.81 yuan (USD 16,721,772,179.30). Direct economic benefit accounted for 22.61% of the total, while the social benefit was 77.39%. The cost-benefit analysis of the malaria elimination stage showed that the net benefit of monitoring measures was about 115,515,539,128.45 yuan (USD 16,634,237,634.50) and the benefit-cost ratio was 191.03. The monitoring cost for residents was 1.08 yuan (USD 0.16) per capita, and the benefit for residents was 206.12 yuan (USD 29.68) per capita. Conclusions: The monitoring measures conducted in the malaria elimination stage are a highly cost-effective intervention for reducing the negative impact of malaria in Fujian Province. Over the past 15 years, malaria control work has achieved excellent economic and social benefits in Fujian and the work should continue. The framework and results of this study conform to the principles of health economics and have a reference value for current malaria monitoring practices.
Progressive Collapse Analysis and Safety Assessment Method for Steel Truss Roof

AbstractProgressive collapse resulting from local failures in accident events have caused many tragedies and loss of life in the past. The structural integrity and capacity to resist collapse are gradually improving as an essential requirement in structural design practice. As one of typical systems in industrial facilities and large-scale public buildings, a truss roof with low redundancy differs from a load-bearing wall and frame system. In this paper, the robustness of the truss structures is studied by both nonlinear static and dynamic analysis. The mechanism of internal force redistribution is studied and the importance of the mechanism affecting the subsequent failure process after the initial loss of the member is revealed. A method for identifying the sensitive and key element is put forth, and a Safety Assessment Method (SAM) based on linear static analysis procedure is proposed to evaluate the sensitivity index and key index of structural members. By this method, the vulnerability of a truss str.
Deep Neural Network Based Channel Estimation for Massive MIMO-OFDM Systems With Imperfect Channel State Information

Massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) has aroused extensive interest in communication industry, as it can effectively increase communication system capacity and reduce transmit power. For massive MIMO-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, traditional pilot assisted channel estimation methods need to obtain the channel response of data subcarriers by interpolation. However, when the channel response of continuous data subcarriers changes dramatically, the accuracy of channel estimation will be decreased. In this article, therefore, a novel channel prediction framework that integrates the imperfect channel estimation of the massive MIMO-OFDM into the deep neural network scheme is proposed, thus replacing the interpolation method and achieving higher accuracy of channel estimation. From algorithm analysis and simulation results, the performance of proposed deep neural network channel prediction method based on the imperfect channel estimation outperforms the conventional least square method based on interpolation. Furthermore, compared with minimum mean square error, there are no need for channel autocorrelation matrix, prior statistics of noise variance, and the complex matrix inversion operations. In summary, deep neural network is an efficient method for the imperfect channel estimation in massive MIMO-OFDM systems.
Reasons for non-completion among apprentices: the case of automotive trades of the informal sector in Ghana

Apprenticeship plays a key role in the preparation of skilled trades people and as a pathway into labour markets. In the face of scarcity of resources, effectiveness and efficiency of apprenticeship become important. Attrition and retention in apprenticeship constitute important indicators of efficiency and effectiveness of the training system and are therefore legitimate issues of concern and investigation. This paper examines the reasons for non-completion of apprentices in automotive trades of the informal sector prior to Ghana’s introduction of a National Apprenticeship Programme seeking to formalise the current informal apprenticeship system. The paper also reports on non-completers’ desired interventions that could help prevent early exit. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 60 non-completers obtained through a snowballing process, either face-to-face or by telephone. The four largest urban centres in Ghana, namely Accra (and neighbouring Tema), Kumasi, Takoradi and Cape Coast were covered. Frequently mentioned reasons for non-completion included financial hardships, not getting on well with the boss or other people at the workplace, wrong career choice or loss of interest in the trade, being treated as cheap labour or being exploited, getting a new job, and bullying. To prevent early exit, the non-completers surveyed proposed some interventions that included financial support.
Smart Home Activities: A Literature Review

Abstract The increasing interest in smart home technologies has created a need for a comprehensive literature survey. This article reviews the goals of a smart home energy management system, along with related definitions, applications, and information about the manufacturing of its components. The challenges associated with smart home energy management systems and possible solutions are examined, and the energy factors that contribute to a customer's electricity bill are discussed. A number of price schemes and the load models needed for solving related scheduling optimization problems are also presented, including a review of the literature related to energy management system scheduling with respect to its control, automation, and communication.
Hyponatremia As A Predictor Of Adverse Outcome In Children With Severe Lower Respiratory Tract Infection In Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (Tuth), Nepal

Background Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is one of the major causes of mortality in children with estimated 1 million deaths every year. Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality seen in LRTI. Objective To find association of hyponatremia (serum sodium<135meq/l) with severe LRTI. Design Prospective cross sectional study Settings Pediatric Emergency, Ward and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital(TUTH) Subjects Children between 2 months to 16 years presenting with cough for less than 3 weeks, fast breathing and chest indrawing. Methods Children between 2 month to 16 years of age having cough, fast breathing and chest indrawing admitted in emergency, ward or PICU of TUTH were screened and among them, children having pediatric respiratory severity score of 4-5 were enrolled in the study. Serum sodium was sent during admission and collected within 2 hours. Daily follow up was done to find need of respiratory support, duration to resolve hypoxia, total duration in hospital and final outcome of patient. Statistical test applied were Chi-square test and Fisher exact test. Results 47.5% of study population had hyponatremia, of whom 65.79% had mild hyponatremia 26.31% had moderate and 7.89%had severe hyponatremia. Association of hyponatremia with need of non rebreathing face mask (p=0.001), ventilatio r (p=0.009), duration of hospital stay (p=0.047) were significant. The study also found the association of severity of hyponatremia with need of non rebreathing facemask (p=0.001),ventilator (p=0.01), outcome (p=0.001), duration of stay (0.002). Mean time to resolve hypoxia in children with hyponatremia (4.5 days) was longer compared to normal sodium (2.58 days). Four patients died during the study period and all of them had hyponatremia.
A formal representational theory for engineering design

In the design of engineered artifacts, it is hypothesized that computations must be performed. Informal specifications must be converted into formal functional requirements and informal descriptions must be converted into formal parameterizations, so that performance can be computed. Such performance evaluations are developed for general set based mappings. The development includes, for example, functional relations, differential equations, simple experimentation, and even subjective questioning. When this level of formalization is complete, the design is not determined; it is only parameterized. A designer must specify levels of the various performances desired, and how the various performances should be simultaneously considered in an overall determination. An axiomatically based methodology is presented to formalize such decisions. Each decision variable is equipped with a preference specification, whose determination is made from techniques similar to utility theory. A design strategy for resolving these different aspects of a design is developed to produce an overall rating. For example, a designer may rate a design by the worst case performance. Alternatively, a designer may rate a design by a compensation among the goals. In addition to decision representation, other parameters in a formalization reflect phenomena which the designer cannot control. A methodology for accommodating confounding noise influences is developed. Random measurement noise is represented, as well as the possibility of other decision makers in a design process. Convolutions of these methods are developed. For example, designer decision-making is developed for a decision which must be made in light of random errors (such as manufacturing). Designer decision-making is further developed for the case when a manufacturing engineer can subsequently tune a design (a possibilistic uncertainty) to eliminate such random error effects. Ensuring against failure is also discussed, with respect to the measured noise. Given this development, a methodology is constructed in which a designer can incompletely specify performance requirements on a design. The incomplete specification can be induced across the design, to determine any restrictions imposed on the portions of the design where no specifications have been made. Thus, an iterative design process of specification, calculation, observation, and re-specification is given formal foundation.
Perspectives on Low Calorie Intense Sweeteners with a Focus on Aspartame and Stevia

The safety of some food additives/E - numbers, including low calorie (intense) sweeteners (LCS), is constantly the subject of dispute and controversy. However, since LCS have been assigned an acceptable daily intake (ADI) and an E - number following extensive assessment of available safety and toxicological data, consumer safety is assured. These substances have been carefully evaluated, for example by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), leading to the con clusion that they are essentially safe when consumption is below ADI levels. Although, intake data indicate that general consumption of LCS is relatively low, many people appear to remain concerned about their safety, particularly aspartame (E951). More re cently, stevia (steviol glycosides, E960) has been marketed as a “natural” alternative to aspartame. However, it is unclear whether stevia can live up to its promises. With regards to public health, the real risk within our diet is not the safety of food a dditives, but rather more likely to be the potential impacts of consuming too much energy and/or an unhealthy dietary pattern.
Comparing motivations of individual programmers and firms to take part in the open source movement: From community to business

The first urgent question for any scholar willing to study the Open Source (OS) movement has been clearly put by Glass (1999, 104): I don’t know who these crazy people are who want to write, read and even revise all that code without being paid anything for it at all. A growing body of economic literature has been addressing the motivations at the basis of the participation in the OS movement since when the new paradigm has become successful and triggered the entrance on the market of firms offering Open Source based products and services (Open Source firms). However, most of the empirical analyses focus on individual developers and neglect companies that adopt Open Source business models. This paper contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the incentives of the firms that engage in OS activities. Findings on firms’ motivations are compared
Patterns of Physical Activity in Portuguese Adolescents. Evaluation During Physical Education Classes Throught Accelerometry

Objectives: The School Physical Education (SPE) is an excellent way to improve moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA). To improve health and fitness, the guidelines recommend that at least 50% of class time should be spent in MVPA, and few studies on this assumption have been conducted. In this way, the objective of this study was to quantifying the amount of MVPA obtained during a SPE class, according to age and gender. Methods: This study was conducted in 3 randomly selected Portuguese public schools. A random sample of 191 teenage volunteers aged between 12 to 17 years, composed by 98 males (14.51 ± 1.754 years) and 93 females (14.59 ± 1.831 years) were recruited. Accelerometer was used. Results: The mean time spent in MVPA during SPE class (MVPA/SPE) was 25.36 ± 15.69 minutes, which corresponds to 28.18% of the total time spent in SPE class. Males spend significantly more time in MVPA/SPE than females (28.95 vs. 21.58 minutes; p <0.05). As long the age increases, there is a time reduction spent in MVPA/SPE. Conclusion: The proportion of practice in MVPA during SPE class time (28.18%) fell short of the 50% recommended by guidelines to improve health. The SPE has an important role in increase daily MVPA, namely as long the age increases. Numerous possibilities exist for improving MVPA in SPE. Health-enhancing activity needs to be recognized as an important element of SPE classes.