Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antecedents of Behavioral Intention Impacting Human Behavior to Use IoT-Enabled Devices: An Empirical Investigation

This paper investigates empirically the impact of antecedents of Behavioral Intention and Trust of users to use IoT enabled devices. With the help of UTAUT2 model along with the review of literature a conceptual model has been developed. The conceptual model consists of antecedents of Behavioral Intention and Trust. The factors & hypotheses so identified and developed have been tested with different tools after collection of data from 308 respondent (n = 308) participants from four metropolitan cities of India. The result has shown that the most important factor which can explain the behavioral intention of consumers to use IoT is ‘Trust’ level of the potential users. Besides, the impact of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and cost on behavioral intention of the consumers to use IoT enabled devices has been discussed.
Shiga toxin-encoding phage from Escherichia coli O157:H7 : interactions with non-pathogenic E. coli and implications for toxin production.

The foodborne pathogen, Eschericia coli O157:H7, causes about 73,000 cases of illness/year in the U.S. Life-threatening complications include hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. A major disease determinant for O157:H7 is the production of Shiga toxin (Stx) in the intestine. Two immunologically distinct types of Stx, Stx1 and Stx2, can be produced by O157:H7, and the production of Stx2 has been epidemiologically linked to more severe disease. Regulation of the Shiga toxins by E. coli is unique. The toxin genes are encoded in the late gene region of a lambdoid bacteriophage lysogenized in the O157:H7 chromosome. The toxin genes are silent during lysogeny, and induction of the phage to enter the lytic cycle results in the production of phage and, concomitantly, toxin. We examined the hypothesis that during infection, toxin-encoding phage produced by O157:H7 infect intestinal E. coli, resulting in amplification of phage and toxin production. We have shown that this phenomenon does occur, both in vitro and in vivo. Clinical O157:H7 strains were further studied. Stx2-encoding phage from seven O157:H7 isolates were found to be variable with respect to protein profiles, cross-immunity and cross-lysogeny, even when the phage originated from O157:H7 isolates that were indistinguishable by molecular typing. We also studied the interaction of these phage with normal human E. coli. Only two of the seven phage were able to amplify toxin in normal E. coli, indicating that this phenomenon, while present, is rare. Lysogeny of normal E. coli by these two phage differed, and further inspection of the results suggests that normal E. coli that belong to the phylogenetic groups A1 and B are more susceptible to lysogeny. Characterization of the interaction between Stx phage and normal E. coli lead to the discovery of FI-29, a normal E. coli isolate that neutralizes Stx2, but not Stx1, by binding the toxin. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was shown to be the neutralizing agent. FI-29 LPS belongs to the O107/O117 serotypes, and E. coli strains of either serotype also neutralize toxin. FI-29 may be a potential probiotic or therapeutic for the prevention and treatment of O157:H7 disease.
Empirically Determined Auroral Electron Events at Mars—MAVEN Observations

Discrete aurorae have been observed at magnetized planets such as Earth and Jupiter, triggered by accelerated electrons. Similar aurorae have also been observed at Mars with only localized strong crustal magnetisms. However, our understanding of this phenomenon at Mars is still limited. In particular, direct and quantitative comparisons of the auroral and its source electron events are lacking as these two types of observations are usually made at different times and/or locations. In this study, we establish empirical criteria to select electron events (“auroral electrons”) that could trigger detectable auroral emissions with Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN measurements, thereby enabling a direct statistical comparison. We find auroral electrons share similar statistical characteristics to those previously reported for discrete auroral events. This study bridges the gap between electron observations and auroral detections and enables collaborations across different Mars missions, as well as comparative planetary studies of discrete aurora.
Optimal PMU placement for full observability of the power network with maximum redundancy using modified binary cuckoo optimisation algorithm

In this study, a new evolutionary algorithm named as modified binary cuckoo optimisation algorithm (MBCOA) is presented to solve optimal phasor measurement unit (PMU) placement (OPP) problem. The proposed method is classified as topological approaches. The basis of the method is in the lifestyle of the brood parasite bird named cuckoo that immigrates to the best habitat to obtain sufficient food and suitable nests for egg laying. The proposed binary structure is not introduced and applied to OPP problem up to now. OPP is tested on different networks consist of IEEE 14, 30, 57 and 118 bus test systems during normal operation and single event contingencies, i.e. single PMU failure and single line outage. The proposed MBCOA is also applied to 2383 and 2746 bus test systems to show its ability to handle large scale power networks. It is shown that MBCOA can obtain the best result from the search region with a minimum number of iterations.
Influence of Lactose on the Maillard Reaction and Dehydroalanine-Mediated Protein Cross-Linking in Casein and Whey

A liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was developed for the simultaneous quantification of markers representing two potentially competing pathways, the Maillard reaction and the dehydroalanine pathway. The two pathways involve the same residues in the proteins to some extent, namely, the essential amino acid lysine, as well as free-amino terminals available on proteins and polypeptides, competition between the two pathways in food systems may occur. The developed method comprises the following markers of the Maillard reaction: furosine, N-ε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) and N-ε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), together with the dehydroalanine reaction pathway markers; lanthionine (LAN) and lysinoalanine (LAL), as well as lysine itself. The validated method was then used for the absolute quantification of heat-induced protein modifications in model systems of micellar casein and whey protein isolates (MCI and WPI, respectively) in the presence or absence of lactose. As expected, the Maillard reaction markers furosine, CEL and CML increased during the applied heat treatment in the presence of lactose, whereas the dehydroalanine markers, LAN and LAL increased with heating in both MCI and WPI, both in the presence and absence of lactose, although at lower levels in the presence of lactose, confirming the competing state of the two pathways.
Non-Dermatophyte Mold Dominated Onychomycosis in Patients Attending a Rank Higher Specialized Dermatology Clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background Onychomycosis is a common refractory fungal infection associated with significant morbidity. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of onychomycosis, and the diversity and species composition of fungal etiological agents. Materials and Methods A clinic-based, prospective, non-randomized cross-sectional study was carried out between October 2018 and June 2019 at Rank Higher Specialized Dermatology Clinic, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Nail scrapings were collected aseptically from 200 patients clinically identified with nail disorders of fungal origin by dermatologists. Fungal etiological agents were identified microscopically and by culture method following standard procedures. Results Among 200 nail scrapings, 161 (80.5%) samples were found out to be culture positive. Of these, 135 (83.9%) samples yielded single colonies while 26 (16.1%) mixed colonies gave a total of 190 isolates. Among the isolates, 25.8% were dermatophytes while 61.1% were non- dermatophytes molds, and 13.1% were yeasts. Females were more likely to present dystrophic nails than men. Patients in the middle age group were more affected. Trichophyton interdigitale, Aspergillus spp, and Candida albicans were the dominant species. Conclusion The prevalence rate of onychomycosis in the present study was high. The isolation rate of non-dermatophyte molds was higher than dermatophytes and yeasts. Trichophyton interdigitale, Aspergillus spp, and Candida albicans were the dominant etiological agents. Females and patients in the middle age group were more affected. An increase in the prevalence of non-dermatophyte molds in nail infections dictates further investigation demonstrating how this group of fungi causes onychomycosis.
A torsion sensor made of a corrugated long period fibre grating

Based on the photoelastic effect, the strain distribution within a corrugated long period fibre grating (LPFG) subjected to tensile stress and twisting will cause a periodic index variation, which may result in resonant couplings between fibre core and cladding modes. The resonance wavelength corresponding to the peak loss is directly sensitive to the torsional angle per unit length; thus a novel torsion sensor can be made from the corrugated long period fibre grating. We also present a phenomenological theory based on the scattering matrix formalism to qualitatively explain the mode coupling behaviour in the corrugated grating.
Low-Frequency Noise Limits

Experience with low-frequency noise problems past and present, and the apparent lack of methods of assessing the problems with the existing noise abatement regulations have led to a demand for special regulations concerning low-frequency noise, or some kind of limiting levels that can be incorporated into licenses under the Nuisance Act In this paper we present a few studies, low-frequency noise assessment methods and results of the measurements of transmission of low-frequency noise.
Effect of Cerium Oxide on Kidney and Lung Tissue in Rats with Testicular Torsion/Detorsion

Introduction Testicular torsion is a surgical emergency that results in testicular ischemia as a result of rotation of the spermatic cord around itself. Oxidative damage occurs in the testis and distant organs with the overproduction of free radicals and overexpression of proinflammatory cytokines by reperfusion after surgery. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of cerium oxide (CeO2), an antioxidant nanoparticle, on lung and kidney tissues in testicular torsion/detorsion (T/D) in rats. Materials and Methods After ethics committee approval, 24 rats were equally (randomly) divided into 4 groups. Left inguinoscrotal incision was performed in the control (C) group. In group CeO2, 0.5 mg/kg CeO2 was given intraperitoneally 30 minutes before inguinoscrotal incision. In group T/D, unilateral testicular T/D was achieved by performing an inguinoscrotal incision and rotating the left testis 720° clockwise, remaining ischemic for 120 minutes, followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. In group CeO2-T/D, 0.5 mg/kg CeO2 was given intraperitoneally 30 minutes before testicular T/D. At the end of the experiment, lung and kidney tissues were removed for histopathological and biochemical examinations. Results Glomerular vacuolization (GV), tubular dilatation (TD), tubular cell degeneration and necrosis (TCDN), leukocyte infiltration (LI), and tubular cell spillage (TCS) in renal tissue were significantly different between groups (p = 0.012, p = 0.049, p < 0.003, p = 0.046, and p = 0.049, respectively). GV and TCDN were significantly decreased in group CeO2-T/D compared to group T/D (p = 0.042 and p = 0.029, respectively). Lung tissue neutrophil infiltration, alveolar thickening, and total lung injury score (TLIS) were significantly different between groups (p = 0.006, p = 0.001, and p = 0.002, respectively). Neutrophil infiltration and TLIS were significantly decreased in group CeO2-T/D compared to group T/D (p = 0.013 and p = 0.033, respectively). Lung and kidney tissue oxidative stress parameters were significantly different between groups (p < 0.05). Renal tissue glutathione-s-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), and paraoxonase (PON) activities were significantly higher, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly lower in group CeO2-T/D than in group T/D (p = 0.049, p = 0.012, p < 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively). GST and PON activities were higher, and MDA levels were lower in group CeO2-T/D than in group T/D in the lung tissue (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, and p = 0.008, respectively). Discussion. In our study, cerium oxide was shown to reduce histopathological and oxidative damage in the lung and kidney tissue in a rat testis torsion/detorsion model.
Magnetic, magnetocaloric and thermoelectric properties of the intermetallic LaMn2Si2 compound: a theoretical study

ABSTRACT The deficiency of materials with coexisting transport and magnetocaloric effect has prevented the development of intermetallic-based magnetic refrigeration applications. Therefore, intermetallic alloys are non-toxic, inexpensive, and low density. The presents work investigates the magnetic, magnetocaloric, and thermoelectric properties of the intermetallic LaMn2Si2 compound by using the first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. From the Ab initio calculation, the exchange coupling and anisotropy interactions are calculated. Also, the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties are determined using Monte Carlo simulations. It is found that the intermetallic LaMn2Si2 compound exhibits a second-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition around TC , this value of temperature is in good agreement with the experimental value. Finally, the thermoelectric properties are discussed. Our results improve that this material is applicable for magnetic refrigeration at Curie temperature.
Corporate Governance and Capital Structure: Moderating Effect of Gender Diversity

This paper investigates the effect of corporate governance on capital structure, and moderating impact of board gender diversity on this nexus. Using a sample of 2062 firm-year observations of 226 non-financial firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) from 2008 to 2019, we have conducted multiple regression analysis, and found that larger and independent board positively affect firm leverage, whereas, the negative impact of CEO duality was observed on this relationship. Moreover, we found that gender diversity is associated with better corporate governance quality and positively impact firm’s leverage. Additionally, the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation was applied for the robustness and the results obtained confirmed the main findings of the study. The study provides support for the mandatory placement of female directors on the corporate board by Code of Corporate Governance (CCG) regulations Pakistan, and needs for implementation of corporate governance mechanism in the listed firms to gain lender’s confidence.
Adaptive Mechanism for Designing a Personalized Cranial Implant and Its 3D Printing Using PEEK

The rehabilitation of the skull’s bones is a difficult process that poses a challenge to the surgical team. Due to the range of design methods and the availability of materials, the main concerns are the implant design and material selection. Mirror-image reconstruction is one of the widely used implant reconstruction techniques, but it is not a feasible option in asymmetrical regions. The ideal design approach and material should result in an implant outcome that is compact, easy to fit, resilient, and provides the perfect aesthetic and functional outcomes irrespective of the location. The design technique for the making of the personalized implant must be easy to use and independent of the defect’s position on the skull. As a result, this article proposes a hybrid system that incorporates computer tomography acquisition, an adaptive design (or modeling) scheme, computational analysis, and accuracy assessment. The newly developed hybrid approach aims to obtain ideal cranial implants that are unique to each patient and defect. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is chosen to fabricate the implant because it is a viable alternative to titanium implants for personalized implants, and because it is simpler to use, lighter, and sturdy enough to shield the brain. The aesthetic result or the fitting accuracy is adequate, with a maximum deviation of 0.59 mm in the outside direction. The results of the biomechanical analysis demonstrate that the maximum Von Mises stress (8.15 MPa), Von Mises strain (0.002), and deformation (0.18 mm) are all extremely low, and the factor of safety is reasonably high, highlighting the implant’s load resistance potential and safety under high loading. Moreover, the time it takes to develop an implant model for any cranial defect using the proposed modeling scheme is very fast, at around one hour. This study illustrates that the utilized 3D reconstruction method and PEEK material would minimize time-consuming alterations while also improving the implant’s fit, stability, and strength.
Comparative Analysis of Transcriptional Responses to Genotoxic and Non-Genotoxic Agents in the Blood Cell Model TK6 and the Liver Model HepaRG

Transcript signatures are a promising approach to identify and classify genotoxic and non-genotoxic compounds and are of interest as biomarkers or for future regulatory application. Not much data, however, is yet available about the concordance of transcriptional responses in different cell types or tissues. Here, we analyzed transcriptomic responses to selected genotoxic food contaminants in the human p53-competent lymphoblastoid cell line TK6 using RNA sequencing. Responses to treatment with five genotoxins, as well as with four non-genotoxic liver toxicants, were compared with previously published gene expression data from the human liver cell model HepaRG. A significant overlap of the transcriptomic changes upon genotoxic stress was detectable in TK6 cells, whereas the comparison with the HepaRG model revealed considerable differences, which was confirmed by bioinformatic data mining for cellular upstream regulators or pathways. Taken together, the study presents a transcriptomic signature for genotoxin exposure in the human TK6 blood cell model. The data demonstrate that responses in different cell models have considerable variations. Detection of a transcriptomic genotoxin signature in blood cells indicates that gene expression analyses of blood samples might be a valuable approach to also estimate responses to toxic exposure in target organs such as the liver.
Food Availability in Different Food Environments Surrounding Schools in a Vulnerable Urban Area of Santiago, Chile: Exploring Socioeconomic Determinants

The analysis of the food environment is used to identify areas with gaps in the availability of healthy foods and can be used as a public policy assessment tool. In recent decades, Chile has implemented several strategies and regulations to improve food environments, with encouraging results. Little is known about the scope of these measures in socially vulnerable environments. This study is part of a project that seeks to build an integrated intervention model for healthy school environments in a vulnerable area of Santiago, Chile. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods around schools and the relationship between it and socioeconomic determinants of the school community in the Chilean context. A cross-sectional study to measure the food environment of informal markets (street food), formal markets (stores), and institutions (schools) was conducted in and around 12 schools (100 m surrounding schools) in a vulnerable urban area of Santiago, Chile. A lack of healthy foods was observed, which was related to some socio-economic determinants and the multidimensional poverty was the most relevant. The diagnosis of food environments around schools can represent an important target for governments to implement policies focused at improving the availability of healthy foods.
Prediction of Flow Based on a CNN-LSTM Combined Deep Learning Approach

Although machine learning (ML) techniques are increasingly used in rainfall-runoff models, most of them are based on one-dimensional datasets. In this study, a rainfall-runoff model with deep learning algorithms (CNN-LSTM) was proposed to compute runoff in the watershed based on two-dimensional rainfall radar maps directly. The model explored a convolutional neural network (CNN) to process two-dimensional rainfall maps and long short-term memory (LSTM) to process one-dimensional output data from the CNN and the upstream runoff in order to calculate the flow of the downstream runoff. In addition, the Elbe River basin in Sachsen, Germany, was selected as the study area, and the high-water periods of 2006, 2011, and 2013, and the low-water periods of 2015 and 2018 were used as the study periods. Via the fivefold validation, we found that the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) fluctuated from 0.46 to 0.97 and from 0.47 to 0.92 for the high-water period, where the optimal fold achieved 0.97 and 0.92, respectively. For the low-water period, the NSE and KGE ranged from 0.63 to 0.86 and from 0.68 to 0.93, where the optimal fold achieved 0.86 and 0.93, respectively. Our results demonstrate that CNN-LSTM would be useful for estimating water availability and flood alerts for river basin management.
Seasonality of Suicides among Cancer Patients

ABSTRACT Cancer patients are at increased risk of suicidal behavior. It is well known that suicides show seasonality with peak in the Spring and early Summer suggesting the influence of circa-annual environmental factors. Here we questioned whether cancer diagnosis interacts with the seasonality of suicides. We performed a etrospective analysis of seasonality of suicides among cancer patients registered between 1974 and 2016 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database fitting the classical cosinor model . A significant seasonal pattern with a peak in the first half of May was identified. The same peak was observed for both sexes as well as for elderly (> 50 years) and White patients. Patients living in Southern counties had an earlier peak versus those from Northern counties. The rate of both early (within the first year after diagnosis) and late suicides also followed the identical seasonal pattern with peak in May. The analysis per cancer subtypes revealed that only prostate cancer patients had a significant peak in May. Our findings suggest thatcancer diagnosis does not alter the typical seasonal pattern of suicides observed in the general population. Therefore, psychological support in cancer patients must be particularly active in the Spring and early Summer.
Towards Synoptic Water Monitoring Systems: A Review of AI Methods for Automating Water Body Detection and Water Quality Monitoring Using Remote Sensing

Water features (e.g., water quantity and water quality) are one of the most important environmental factors essential to improving climate-change resilience. Remote sensing (RS) technologies empowered by artificial intelligence (AI) have become one of the most demanded strategies to automating water information extraction and thus intelligent monitoring. In this article, we provide a systematic review of the literature that incorporates artificial intelligence and computer vision methods in the water resources sector with a focus on intelligent water body extraction and water quality detection and monitoring through remote sensing. Based on this review, the main challenges of leveraging AI and RS for intelligent water information extraction are discussed, and research priorities are identified. An interactive web application designed to allow readers to intuitively and dynamically review the relevant literature was also developed.