Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of the Addition of Thermoplastic Resin and Composite on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Epoxy Resin

When the thermoplastic composites reach the service limits during the service, the recovery and utilization are the key concerns. Meanwhile, the improvement of strength, toughness and durability of epoxy resin is the effective method to prolong the service life of materials and structures. In the present paper, three kinds of thermoplastic resins (polypropylene-PP, polyamide 6-PA6 and polyether-ether-ketone-PEEK) and composites (carbon fiber-PEEK, glass fiber-PA6 and glass fiber-PP) were adopted as the fillers to reinforce and toughen the epoxy resin (Ts). The mechanical, thermal and microscopic analysis were conducted to reveal the performance improvement mechanism of Ts. It can be found that adding thermoplastic resin and composite fillers at the low mass ratio of 0.5~1.0% brought about the maximum improvement of tensile strength (7~15%), flexural strength (7~15%) and shear strength (20~30%) of Ts resin. The improvement mechanism was because the addition of thermoplastic fillers can prolong the cracking path and delay the failure process through the load bearing of fiber, energy absorption of thermoplastic resin and superior interface bonding. In addition, the thermoplastic composite had better enhancement effect on the mechanical/thermal properties of Ts resin compared to thermoplastic resin. When the mass ratio was increased to 2.0~3.0%, the agglomeration and stress concentration of thermoplastic filler in Ts resin appeared, leading to the decrease of mechanical and thermal properties. The optimal addition ratios of thermoplastic resin were 0.5~1.0% (PEEK), 1.0~2.0% (PA6) and 0.5~1.0% (PP) to obtain the desirable property improvement. In contrast, the optimal mass ratios of three kinds of composite were determined to be 0.5~1.0%. Application prospect analysis indicated adding the thermoplastic resin and composite fillers to Ts resin can promote the recycling and reutilization of thermoplastic composites and improve the performance of Ts resin, which can be used as the resin matrix, interface adhesive and anti-corrosion coating.
The Effects of Disturbance on the Release of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Sediment in Rural Ditches

Reduced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) released from sediments in rural areas pose a significant challenge to residential sewage treatment and management. Under different disturbance velocities, simulation experiments were undertaken to investigate the effect of disturbance on the release of N and P from rural ditch sediments into the water at the water-sediment interface. No significant difference in the release characteristics of N and P was found among different disturbance velocities. The release fluxes of TN and NH4+-N in the non-disturbance water body were significantly higher than in the disturbance water body, which suggests that increasing water flow influences the release of TN and NH4+-N from sediment into the water. The release fluxes of TP and PO43--P were significantly lower in non-disturbance than the disturbance water body, which suggested that disturbance increased the release of TP and PO43--P in sediments. For both disturbance and non-disturbance conditions, TN and NH4+-N in the sediment were rapidly released into the water body at 0-10 days, and TP and PO43--P steadily rose in the disturbance water body until stabilizing after 20 days. TN, NH4+-N, TP, and PO43--P concentrations all had a negative correlation with DO, and the correlations between TN and NH4+-N were substantial. The percentages of a certain N or P speciation fraction in sediments did not alter between disturbance and non-disturbance conditions, implying that disturbance had no effect on N or P speciation.
Prevalence of non-carious cervical injuries and their associations with risk factors: integrative literature review

Objective: To determine the incidence of the main risk factors and also the prevalence of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) in relation to sex and age. Methodology: The literature search was conducted using the keywords and MeSH terms “Tooth Cervix”, “Non carious cervical lesions” and “Tooth Wear”, in the MEDLINE databases via PubMed and Scopus. Observational studies were included, which aimed to assess the relationship between sex, age and risk factors with cervical injuries. In addition, only studies in English, from the last five years, in their full version, were selected. Literature reviews, clinical cases, studies that did not include the main observation, studies that deviated from the topic and in other languages were excluded from the research. Results: 441 articles were identified, of which 17 were selected. There was no significant percentage difference between males and females, with percentages of 49% and 51%, respectively. Regarding the prevalence associated with the age group, a higher incidence was observed in the population over 65 years of age (36%). Regarding risk factors, gastroesophageal reflux, parafunctional habits, occlusal disorders and brushing problems were reported, but the acidic diet was the most incident in the literature (in 76.4% of the selected articles). Conclusion: The prevalence of NCCL increases with age, however it does not depend on sex, with an acidic diet being considered a risk factor.
Sensitivity and Specificity of MRI in Diagnosing Concomitant Meniscal Injuries With Pediatric and Adolescent Acute ACL Tears

Background: Preoperative diagnosis of concomitant meniscal tears in pediatric and adolescent patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency is challenging. Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting meniscal injuries for pediatric and adolescent patients with acute ACL tears. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The authors retrospectively identified patients aged ≤18 years who underwent acute ACL reconstruction between 2006 and 2018 at 2 tertiary academic hospitals. The primary outcomes were arthroscopically confirmed medial, lateral, or any (defined as medial and/or lateral) meniscal tears. To control for chronically deficient knees, patients must have received their MRI study within 4 weeks of injury and must have undergone surgery no more than 8 weeks after their MRI study. Preoperative MRI reports were compared with the gold standard of arthroscopically confirmed tears to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. In a secondary analysis, patients were stratified by age into 2 groups (≤13 or ≥14 years), body mass index-for-age data from the Centers for Disease Control were used to classify patients as obese or nonobese, and differences between sensitivity and specificity proportions were analyzed using chi-square test for homogeneity. Results: Overall, 406 patients with a mean age of 15.4 years (range, 10-18 years) were identified. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were as follows: for lateral meniscal (LM) tears, 51.0%, 86.5%, 78.3%, and 65.0%; for medial meniscal tears, 83.2%, 80.6%, 62.3%, and 92.5%; and for any meniscal tear, 75.0%, 72.1%, 81.5%, and 63.8%, respectively. In the stratified analysis, MRI was less specific for the following diagnoses: any meniscal tear in patients aged ≤13 years (P = .048) and LM tears in obese patients (P = .020). Conclusion: The diagnostic ability of MRI to predict meniscal injuries present at acute ACL reconstruction was moderate. Performance was poorest at the lateral meniscus, where MRI failed to detect 97 tears that were found arthroscopically. Specificity was significantly lower in younger patients for any meniscal tear and in obese patients for LM tears.
Diagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in an Elimination Setting: A Validation Study of the Diagnostic Algorithm in India

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is on the verge of elimination on the Indian subcontinent. Nonetheless, the currently low VL-incidence setting brings along new challenges, one of which is the validity of the diagnostic algorithm, based on a combination of suggestive clinical symptoms in combination with a positive rK39 Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). With this study, we aimed to assess the positive predictive value of the diagnostic algorithm in the current low-endemic setting in India by re-assessing newly diagnosed VL patients with a qPCR analysis on venous blood as the reference test. In addition, we evaluated the specificity of the rK39 RDT by testing non-VL cases with the rK39 RDT. Participants were recruited in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India. VL patients diagnosed based on the diagnostic algorithm were recruited through six primary health care centers (PHCs); non-VL cases were identified through a door-to-door survey in currently endemic, previously endemic, and non-endemic clusters, and tested with rK39 RDT, as well as—if positive—with qPCR on peripheral blood. We found that 95% (70/74; 95% CI 87–99%) of incident VL cases diagnosed at the PHC level using the current diagnostic algorithm were confirmed by qPCR. Among 15,422 non-VL cases, 39 were rK39 RDT positive, reflecting a specificity of the test of 99.7% (95% CI 99.7–99.8%). The current diagnostic algorithm combining suggestive clinical features with a positive rK39 RDT still seems valid in the current low-endemic setting in India.
A Quantitative Chemical Method for Determining the Surface Concentration of Stone–Wales Defects for 1D and 2D Carbon Nanomaterials

A quantitative method is proposed to determine Stone–Wales defects for 1D and 2D carbon nanostructures. The technique is based on the diene synthesis reaction (Diels–Alder reaction). The proposed method was used to determine Stone–Wales defects in the few-layer graphene (FLG) nanostructures synthesized by the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) synthesized based on the method of Hammers and in the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) TUBAL trademark, Russia. Our research has shown that the structure of FLG is free of Stone–Wales defects, while the surface concentration of Stone–Wales defects in TUBAL carbon nanotubes is 1.1 × 10−5 mol/m2 and 3.6 × 10−5 mol/m2 for rGO.
Enhancing local community participation towards heritage tourism in Taiping, Malaysia: application of the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) model

ABSTRACT Community participation is critical to tourism development, and how to promote community participation has become one of the major concerns of tourism practitioners and scholars. Although several tourism researchers have applied the MOA model to study the influencing factors of community participation, there is still a lack of literature that can provide adequate empirical support to substantiate the predictive power of the MOA model for examining community participation in the context of tourism, particularly in the context of heritage tourism. Given this gap, this research aims to investigate the influences of motivation, opportunity, and ability on community participation in heritage conservation and heritage tourism development by using the MOA model. This study was conducted in Taiping, Malaysia, a famous heritage town. Data were analysed through complementary methods of partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The findings of PLS-SEM showed the significance of residents’ perceptions towards positive socio-cultural impacts and opportunity for community participation, whereas the results of fsQCA enriched the interpretation of more complicated relationships and uncovered multiple configurations to enhance community participation. Additionally, this study also provided several practical implications for local authorities to promote community participation.
Differences between Elite Male and Female Badminton Athletes Regarding Heart Rate Variability, Arterial Stiffness, and Aerobic Capacity

Cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity play crucial roles in determining the performance of athletes in the highly competitive sport of badminton. Few studies have directly compared heart rate variability (HRV), arterial stiffness, and aerobic capacity between male and female athletes, especially among badminton athletes. This study investigated sex differences in HRV, arterial stiffness, and aerobic capacity in badminton athletes. Elite badminton athletes were recruited and divided into male (n = 20, 21.0 ± 1.8 years old) and female (n = 16, 21.2 ± 2.3 years old) groups. Both groups performed an incremental treadmill running test for the evaluation of maximal oxygen consumption (V.O2max), anaerobic threshold, and time to exhaustion. They started exercising at a treadmill speed of 2.7 km/h and an inclination of 10% gradient for 3 min, and the speed and inclination were gradually increased every 3 min until they were exhausted or fatigued volitionally. HRV was examined using the Polar heart rate monitor over a period of 5 min at rest in the supine position. Subsequently, the index of arterial stiffness was examined under the same condition. Our results revealed significant differences between the male and female athletes in V.O2max (men: 60.38 ± 8.98 mL/kg/min, women: 48.13 ± 7.72 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), anaerobic threshold (men: 41.50 ± 7.26 mL/kg/min, women: 32.51 ± 6.19 mL/kg/min, p < 0.05), time to exhaustion (men: 902.15 ± 120.15 s, women: 780.56 ± 67.63 s, p < 0.05), systolic blood pressure (men: 125.27 ± 7.76 mmHg, women: 107.16 ± 11.09 mmHg, p < 0.05), and arterial stiffness index (men: 63.56 ± 12.55, women: 53.83 ± 8.03, p < 0.05). However, no significant differences in HRV measures were observed between the two groups. These findings suggested that the male badminton athletes demonstrated significantly higher aerobic capacity than did the female athletes, but there were no significant differences in HRV measures. The female athletes exhibited superior arterial function, compared with their male counterparts.
Title Cross-Sectional Study to Evaluate Knowledge and Attitudes on Oral Hygiene of Romanian Students

Background and Objectives: the purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ level of knowledge and attitude towards oral hygiene. Materials and Methods: the evaluation was carried out by a questionnaire, with 30 Q (questions) as follows: demographic data (Q1–Q5), oral hygiene knowledge data (Q6–Q23) and oral hygiene attitude data (Q24–Q30). The study included students from Romanian schools and the selection of the study group was made following selection criteria in accordance with ethical issues. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed and a value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: the study included a number of 718 subjects with a mean age of 14.54 (±2.22), male 250 (34.8%) and female 468 (65.2%), MS (middle school students) 354 (49.4%) and HH (high school students) 364 (50.6%). Most of the subjects 292 (MS = 160; HS = 132) know a toothbrushing technique, p = 0.009, r = 0.091 and 587 (MS = 278; HS = 309) know that brushing removes the bacterial plaque p = 0.027, r = −0.082 but only 147 (MS = 71; HS = 76) know that (by) brushing can re-mineralize hard dental structures. The duration of the toothbrushing is variable, for 2- or 3-min p = 0.058, r = 0.043. Criteria for choosing the toothbrush were based mainly on the indications of the dentist, respectively, for toothpaste on its properties. The frequency of toothbrushing is mainly twice a day 428 (MS = 234; HS = 248), p = 0.079, r = 0.037, 73 (MS = 33; HS = 40) after every meal. p = 0.099, r = 0.095. Mouthwash is used by 421 (MS = 199; HS = 222) p = 0.111, r = −0.048, and 228 (MS = 199; HS = 222) after each brushing. Dental floss is used by 240 (MS = 106; HS = 134), p = 0.031, r = −0.073 and only 74 (MS = 41; HS = 33) after each brushing. Conclusions: there are differences in the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding the determinants of oral hygiene depending on the level of education.
Where Is My Mind (Looking at)? A Study of the EEG-Visual Attention Relationship

Visual attention estimation is an active field of research at the crossroads of different disciplines: computer vision, deep learning, and medicine. One of the most common approaches to estimate a saliency map representing attention is based on the observed images. In this paper, we show that visual attention can be retrieved from EEG acquisition. The results are comparable to traditional predictions from observed images, which is of great interest. Image-based saliency estimation being participant independent, the estimation from EEG could take into account the subject specificity. For this purpose, a set of signals has been recorded, and different models have been developed to study the relationship between visual attention and brain activity. The results are encouraging and comparable with other approaches estimating attention with other modalities. Being able to predict a visual saliency map from EEG could help in research studying the relationship between brain activity and visual attention. It could also help in various applications: vigilance assessment during driving, neuromarketing, and also in the help for the diagnosis and treatment of visual attention-related diseases. For the sake of reproducibility, the codes and dataset considered in this paper have been made publicly available to promote research in the field.
Tracking of Winding and Magnet Hotspots in SPMSMs Based on Synergized Lumped-Parameter and Sub-Domain Thermal Models

Lumped-parameter thermal models (LPTMs) have been widely used to estimate critical temperatures in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). However, in some cases, they may be incapable of predicting the hotspots and even cause temperature misestimation. In this paper, the synergized lumped-parameter and sub-domain thermal models are proposed for surface-mounted PMSMs to track the hotspots in the most vulnerable components, i.e., active/end-windings and rotor magnet. Firstly, the “T-type” elementary network based LPTM is developed to predict the average temperatures in main components and the boundary conditions. Secondly, the boundary conditions are applied to three sub-domain thermal models for the active/end-windings and the rotor magnet to predict the respective hotspots and to further correct the misestimated average temperatures. Finally, the proposed synergized thermal model is verified by the experiments on a prototype surface-mounted PMSM under various load conditions.
Cathodoluminescence and EBIC investigations of stacking fault expansion in 4H-SiC due to e-beam irradiation at fixed points

The effect of e-beam irradiation in the local and scan modes on the stacking fault expansion in 4H-SiC has been studied. It is shown that the distance, at which the e-beam affects the glide of partial dislocations driving the stacking fault expansion, does not exceed 10–12 μm. The dislocations were found to glide as straight lines with a velocity independent of their length, even when this length essentially exceeds the size of excitation volume. The irradiation at fixed points allows to separate the excess carrier effects on the kink formation and kink migration. The results obtained were explained under an assumption that the irradiation is necessary only to stimulate the kink pair formation and then the kinks can migrate without any excitation. That could mean that the barrier for the kink migration along Si-core 30° partial dislocations in 4H-SiC is very small.
Characterizing the Structural Behavior of FRP Profiles—FRCM Hybrid Superficial Elements: Experimental and Numerical Studies

Composite materials have been increasingly used to produce hybrid structures together with concrete. This system is commonly applied to bridges and roof structures. The main idea of the current research was to extend this approach by replacing the concrete with a fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composite, resulting in a combination of composite materials. The main aim was to characterize the structural behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) profiles and FRCM hybrid superficial elements. Two different prototypes of the hybrid superficial structural typology were tested to cover bidimensional and three-dimensional application cases of the proposed technology. After mortar cracking, the experimental results revealed a ductile response and a high mechanical capacity. A finite element model was implemented, calibrated, and validated by comparing numerical data with experimental results of the two prototypes. The output was a validated model that correctly captured the characteristic response of the proposed technology, which consisted of changing the structural response from a stiff plate configuration to a membrane type due to cracking of the FRCM composite part of the full solution. The suggested numerical model adequately reflected the experimental response and proved valuable for understanding and explaining the resistive processes established along this complicated FRP-FRCM hybrid structure.
Evaluation of the application of water kefir grains in the decolouration of solutions containg textile dye

One of the main environmental problems presented by the textile industry is the generation of effluents containing synthetic dyes. Because of that, studies have been carried out in order to remove or degrade the dyes present in wastewater and thus, the adsorption process in polymeric matrices has been highlighted due to its low cost and high efficiency in bioremediation. In this context, it was verified the potential of biodegradation of the anthraquinone C. I. Reactive Blue 4 HFG textile dye (Dianativo®) by water kefir grains, as well as the application of the insoluble exopolysaccharide produced by the grains as an adsorbent of the dye, evaluating the effect of pH and initial concentration of dyes in the reduction of staining in a model system. The grains and their insoluble polysaccharide matrix were presented as capable of decolourizing dye solutions under the evaluated conditions, reducing the dye concentration in the solution by up to 92%.
Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on barriers to middle-aged adults’ participation in physical activity in Turkey: a cross-sectional study

Background: Physical inactivity is one of the greatest problems facing the world today. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of barriers to physical activity for middle-aged adults during the COVID-19. Methods: Using an online survey, a sample of the Turkish population (n = 432: 48.6% female, 51.4% male; mean age 57.3 years) answered questions about sociodemographic characteristics as well as barriers to participation in physical activity during COVID-19 process. A scale of barriers to physical activity was used to determine the barriers to physical activity faced by the participants COVID-19 process. Since the data were homogeneously distributed across binary groups, independent t-tests and ANOVAs were performed for groups of three or more. In addition, if there were significant differences in the results of the ANOVA, Tukey’s post hoc test was also applied. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 22.0. (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: According to the findings of this study, barriers to physical activity increase significantly as perceived health status decreases, and women’s barriers to physical activity, participation are greater than those of men, and increase with age. At the same time, the strongest relationship was found for environmental factors. In addition, important results were found for the personal and social environment dimensions, and we also found that barriers to physical activity increase significantly with age. Conclusions: Finally, we determined that the barriers to physical activity for individuals with COVID-19 were significantly greater at the personal level compared to those who did not have COVID-19. That is the COVID-19 process negatively affected participation in physical activity.