Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ONLINE TEST ANXIETY AND EXAM PERFORMANCE OF INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME STUDENTS UNDER E-PROCTORED EXAMS AMID COVID-19

Outbreak of COVID-19, online examination, and e-proctoring have caused more exam anxiety and affected exam performance among students’ studying in International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). Therefore, the present research aimed to find effect of online test anxiety on academic performance of IBDP students in the subjects related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Study employed quantitative descriptive survey research design and administered survey questionnaire to 200 IB DP students who took online test during COVID-19 through convenient sampling technique. Sample included both first and final year DP students with due representation to boys and girls. Results of the study revealed a moderate negative correlation between online test anxiety and academic performance of IBDP students in STEM subjects. Regression analysis explained 14.1% variation in the STEM subject performance because of online exam anxiety under e-proctored condition. There exists a statistically significant difference between first and final year students’ online exam anxiety and STEM subject average grades. Future research may focus on conducting comfortable online examination methods with no additional exam anxieties. Keywords: International Baccalaureate (IB), Diploma Programme (DP), e-proctored test, virtual examination
Investigating effects of asphalt pavement conditions on traffic accidents in Tennessee based on the pavement management system (PMS)

Pavement maintenance is essential for ensuring good riding quality and avoiding traffic congestion, air pollution, and accidents. Improving road safety is one of the most important objectives for pavement management systems. This study utilized the Tennessee Pavement Management System (PMS) and Accident History Database (AHD) to investigate the relationship between accident frequency and pavement distress variables. Focusing on 4 urban interstates with asphalt pavements, divided median types, and 55 mph speed limits, 21 Negative Binomial Regression models were developed to predict various types of traffic accident frequencies based on different pavement condition variables, including rut depth (RD), International Roughness Index (IRI), and Present Serviceability Index (PSI). Modeling results indicated that the RD models did not perform well, except for predicting accidents at night and accidents under rain weather conditions; whereas, IRI and PSI were always significant prediction variables in all types of accident models. Comparing the models goodness-of-fit results, it was found that the PSI models had a better performance in crash frequency prediction than the RD models and IRI models. This study suggests that the PSI accident prediction models should be considered as a comprehensive approach to integrate the highway safety factors into the PMS.
Vector Competence of the Invasive Mosquito Species Aedes koreicus for Arboviruses and Interference with a Novel Insect Specific Virus

The global spread of invasive mosquito species increases arbovirus infections. In addition to the invasive species Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus, Aedes koreicus has spread within Central Europe. Extensive information on its vector competence is missing. Ae. koreicus from Germany were investigated for their vector competence for chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and West Nile virus (WNV). Experiments were performed under different climate conditions (27 ± 5 °C; 24 ± 5 °C) for fourteen days. Ae. koreicus had the potential to transmit CHIKV and ZIKV but not WNV. Transmission was exclusively observed at the higher temperature, and transmission efficiency was rather low, at 4.6% (CHIKV) or 4.7% (ZIKV). Using a whole virome analysis, a novel mosquito-associated virus, designated Wiesbaden virus (WBDV), was identified in Ae. koreicus. Linking the WBDV infection status of single specimens to their transmission capability for the arboviruses revealed no influence on ZIKV transmission. In contrast, a coinfection of WBDV and CHIKV likely has a boost effect on CHIKV transmission. Due to its current distribution, the risk of arbovirus transmission by Ae. koreicus in Europe is rather low but might gain importance, especially in regions with higher temperatures. The impact of WBDV on arbovirus transmission should be analyzed in more detail.
Use of the Dismounted Soldier Simulator to Corroborate NVG Studies in a Field Setting

Abstract : Two virtual reality (VR) laboratory studies were conducted using an immersive Dismounted Soldier Simulator (DSS) to replicate and extend a field study on Night Vision Goggle (NVG) field of view (FOV). The DSS was intended to allow for better control of confounding environmental factors identified in the field experiment. In the first VR laboratory study, experimental procedures of the field study were replicated. Soldiers 'wore' different FOV NVGs and detected randomly selected stationary targets while standing stationary at predetermined locations along the urban lane. In the second or extended laboratory study, soldiers wore NVGs with either 40, 70, or 95 degrees FOV and detected a series of dynamic soldier-like targets while navigating and traversing through the virtual urban village. Results from these laboratory studies seem to reveal a trend that soldiers could detect targets better while wearing NVGs with larger than 40 degree FOV, and performance with 70 degree FOV NVGs was better than with 95 degree FOV NVGs. Furthermore, it seemed the wider the FOV, the fewer navigation mistakes the soldiers committed.
CACSD tools for loop gain-phase shaping design of SISO robust controllers

The steps in loop gain-phase shaping (LGPS) and a family of CAD tools that make LGPS a realistic design procedure are described. Several examples demonstrating the use of these tools and the performance advantages of LGPS over classical loop shaping and its derivatives are presented. It is reported that the LGPS approach uses phase information explicitly, providing an increased range of applicability, reduced bandwidth requirements, more accurate control of performance robustness, and convenient control of relative stability robustness. <<ETX>>
Thumbs Up or Down: Consumer Reactions to Decisions by Algorithms Versus Humans

Although companies increasingly are adopting algorithms for consumer-facing tasks (e.g., application evaluations), little research has compared consumers’ reactions to favorable decisions (e.g., acceptances) versus unfavorable decisions (e.g., rejections) about themselves that are made by an algorithm versus a human. Ten studies reveal that, in contrast to managers’ predictions, consumers react less positively when a favorable decision is made by an algorithmic (vs. a human) decision maker, whereas this difference is mitigated for an unfavorable decision. The effect is driven by distinct attribution processes: it is easier for consumers to internalize a favorable decision outcome that is rendered by a human than by an algorithm, but it is easy to externalize an unfavorable decision outcome regardless of the decision maker type. The authors conclude by advising managers on how to limit the likelihood of less positive reactions toward algorithmic (vs. human) acceptances.
Anthropometric Indices of Giardia-Infected Under-Five Children Presenting with Moderate-to-Severe Diarrhea and Their Healthy Community Controls: Data from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study

Among all intestinal parasitosis, giardiasis has been reported to be associated with delayed growth in malnourished children under 5 living in low- and middle-income countries. Relevant data on the nutritional status of children aged 0–59 months presenting with moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) and giardia infection were collected from sentinel health facilities of the Global Enteric Multicenter Study’s (GEMS) seven field settings, placed in diverse countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia between, December 2007 and February 2011. Then, this study analyzed a robust dataset of study participants (n = 22,569). Children having giardiasis with MSD constituted as cases (n = 1786), and those without MSD constituted as controls (n = 3470). Among the seven field sites, symptomatic giardiasis was 15% and 22% in Asian and African sites, respectively, whereas asymptomatic giardia infection (healthy without MSD) in Asian and African sites was 21.7% and 30.7%, respectively. Wasting and underweight were more frequently associated and stunting less often associated with symptomatic giardiasis (for all, p < 0.001). Symptomatic giardiasis had a significant association with worsening of nutritional status in under-five children. Improved socio-economic profile along with proper sanitation and hygienic practices are imperative to enhance child nutritional status, particularly in resource limited settings.
Nintedanib enhances the efficacy of PD-L1 blockade by upregulating MHC-I and PD-L1 expression in tumor cells

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), have been widely applied in clinical and scientific research. Despite their effective antitumor effects in clinical tumor therapy, most tumors are still resistant to ICIs and long-term benefits are lacking. In addition, tumor patients complicated with interstitial lung disease limit the application of ICI therapy. Therefore, for these cases, there is an urgent need to develop new methods to relieve lung complications and enhance the efficacy of ICI therapy. Nintedanib, a potent triple angiokinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of progressive fibrotic interstitial lung disease. However, its immunotherapy synergy properties and mechanism are still pending further exploration. Methods: To explore the therapeutic potential of nintedanib and αPD-L1 combination therapy, MC38, LLC, and 4T1 tumor models were used to investigate antitumor and antimetastatic activities in vivo. An idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis-tumor bearing model was used to evaluate the effect of the synergy therapy on tumor model complicated with lung disease. Moreover, RNA-seq, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry were utilized to analyze the effect of combination treatment on the tumor microenvironment. The bioactivity following different treatments was determined by western blotting, CCK-8, and flow cytometry. Results: In this study, nintedanib and αPD-L1 synergy therapy exhibited significant antitumor, antimetastatic and anti-pulmonary fibrosis effects. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that these effects included promoting vessel normalization, increasing infiltration and activation of immune cells in tumors, enhancing the response of interferon-gamma, and activating the MHC class I-mediated antigen presentation process. Moreover, our results showed an increased expression of PD-L1 and promoted phosphorylation of STAT3 after nintedanib (1 µM) treatment. Conclusion: The combination of nintedanib and αPD-L1 increased ICI therapy responses, relieved lung complications and further activated the tumor immune microenvironment; thus, exhibiting a notable antitumor effect. Accordingly, the nintedanib synergy strategy is expected to be a promising candidate therapy for tumor patients complicated with interstitial lung disease in clinical practice.
Ensemble Machine Learning-Based Affective Computing for Emotion Recognition Using Dual-Decomposed EEG Signals

Machine learning (ML)-based algorithms have shown promising results in electroencephalogram (EEG)-based emotion recognition. This study compares five ensemble learning-based ML (EML) algorithms with five conventional ML (CML) algorithms for recognizing multiple human emotions from EEG signals. A publicly available DREAMER database having nine emotions is used to design ML-based system, which is validated on SEED, INTERFACES, and MUSEC databases. In this study, initially, EEG signals are separated into theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands by applying discrete wavelet transform and then empirical mode decomposition is applied for further decomposition of band-separated EEG signals into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then, 31 statistical features are extracted from IMFs to design ML-based system using five multiclass EML algorithms such as bagging, random forest, rotation random forest, extreme gradient boost, and adaptive boosting. Finally, the performance of these five EML algorithms is evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation and compared against five CML algorithms using performance evaluation metrics such as accuracy, F1-score, kappa-score, and area-under-the-curve (AUC). The mean accuracy of multiclass emotion recognition over five EML algorithms is ~5.87% and ~6.08% higher than the mean accuracy of five CML algorithms, for both arousal (88.95% vs. 83.08%) and valence (88.90% vs. 82.81%) dimensions, respectively. The EML-based bagging algorithm reported the highest accuracy, F1-score, kappa-score, and AUC of 95.81%, 0.81, 0.79, and 0.98, respectively for arousal and 95.53%, 0.80, 0.77, and 0.98, respectively for valence. A similar trend is also observed on the three validation datasets. The EML algorithms provide better multiclass emotion recognition compared to CML algorithms.
Outcomes of revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in soccer players

Aims There is limited information on outcomes of revision ACL reconstruction (rACLR) in soccer (association football) athletes, particularly on return to sport and the rate of additional knee surgery. The purpose of this study was to report return to soccer after rACLR, and to test the hypothesis that patient sex and graft choice are associated with return to play and the likelihood of future knee surgery in soccer players undergoing rACLR. Methods Soccer athletes enrolled in a prospective multicentre cohort were contacted to collect ancillary data on their participation in soccer and their return to play following rACLR. Information regarding if and when they returned to play and their current playing status was recorded. If they were not currently playing soccer, they were asked the primary reason they stopped playing. Information on any subsequent knee surgery following their index rACLR was also collected. Player demographic data and graft choice were collected from their baseline enrolment data at rACLR. Results Soccer-specific follow-up was collected on 76% (33 male, 39 female) of 95 soccer athletes. Subsequent surgery information was collected on 95% (44 male, 46 female). Overall, 63% of athletes returned to soccer a mean 9.6 months (SD 5.8) after index revision surgery but participation in soccer decreased to 19% at a mean of 6.4 years (SD 1.3) after surgery. There was no significant association of patient sex or graft choice with return to play, time of return to play, or long-term return to play. Females were more likely than males to have subsequent knee surgery following rACLR (20% (9/46) vs 5% (2/44); p = 0.050). The rate of recurrent graft tear (5.6%; 5/90) was similar between males and females. Conclusion Approximately two-thirds of soccer players return to sport after rACLR, but the rate of participation drops significantly over time. Neither patient sex nor graft choice at the time of rACLR were associated with return to play. Female soccer players face a higher risk for additional knee surgery after rACLR than male soccer players. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2021;2(12):1043–1048.
Anomalous behavior induced by water insertion in molybdenum disulfide nanoflowers

The coexistence of negative photoconductivity and metallic-like behavior in conventional semiconductors is very uncommon. In this work, we report the existence of such unconventional physical properties in molybdenum disulfide nanoflowers (MoS2-NF). This is achieved by making the surface of MoS2 hygroscopic by alcohol treatment and creating a transport channel that favors protonic over electronic conduction. On cooling the MoS2-NF in a heat sink, the excess water that condenses on the surface forms a proton (H3O+) wire which exhibits pinched hysteresis characteristics. The conductivity of MoS2 increased by two orders of magnitude in the proton-dominated conduction regime with an exceptionally high positive temperature coefficient of 1.3 × 104 Ω K−1. Interestingly, MoS2-NF also exhibits strong negative photoconductivity at room temperature when illuminated with UV and infra-red radiation. This interesting behavior observed in MoS2 NF can be useful for energy harvesting applications and the realization of fast thermal memories and optical switches.
The Performance of Seaport Clusters; A Framework to Analyze Cluster Performance and an Application to the Seaport Clusters of Durban, Rotterdam and the Lower Mississippi

This PhD thesis deals with the performance of clusters. Even though cluster studies are numerous, a coherent framework to analyze cluster performance is lacking. In this thesis, such a framework is developed, drawing from different schools that deal with clusters. Central in the framework is a distinction to variables of cluster performance related to the structure of a cluster and variables related to the governance of a cluster. Four structure variables - agglomeration ands disagglomeration forces, internal competition, heterogeneity of the cluster and the level of entry and exit barriers - and four governance related variables - the presence of trust, the presence of intermediaries, the presence of leader firms and the quality of collective action regimes - are identified and discussed. The validity of these variables is confirmed in the three case studies, of the port clusters of Rotterdam, Durban, and the lower Mississippi. The strengths and weaknesses of the three port clusters, the importance of the variables discussed above and opportunities for policy and management to improve the performance of clusters are discussed.The results of this study are relevant for cluster scholars and for scholars specializing in port studies. The thesis is also relevant for (port) cluster managers and for managers of firms in (port) clusters, since implications of this study for policy and management in (port) clusters are discussed.
Impact of 1/f noise in Ka-band InGaP/GaAs HBT frequency sources

A measurement system was constructed to evaluate the 1/f noise of InGaP/GaAs HBTs. Our standard InGaP/GaAs HBTs have 1/f noise that is at least 10 dB less than reported AlGaAs devices and comparable to other InGaP devices. Experiments and simulations highlight the contributions of both device noise and circuit elements to the resultant oscillator phase noise in our particular Ka-band VCO circuits at 100 kHz offset.
Synchronization of Generally Uncertain Markovian Inertial Neural Networks With Random Connection Weight Strengths and Image Encryption Application

This article focuses on the synchronization problem of delayed inertial neural networks (INNs) with generally uncertain Markovian jumping and their applications in image encryption. The random connection weight strengths and generally uncertain Markovian are discussed in the INNs model. Compared with most existing INNs models that have constant connection weight strengths, our model is more practical because connection weight strengths of INNs may randomly vary due to the external and internal environment and human factor. The delay-range-dependent synchronization conditions (DRDSCs) could be obtained by adopting the delay-product-term Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (DPTLKF) and higher order polynomial-based relaxed inequality (HOPRII). In addition, the desired controllers are obtained by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, two examples are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Isoviscous Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Deep Drawing and Its Comparison With Experiment

An analytical model for the isoviscous hydrodynamic lubrication of deep drawing is developed. The model covers the complete drawing stages from sheet metal blank to the drawn cup-shaped product. Equations to calculate the film thickness, radial, and drawing stresses related to the blank holder squeezing action are presented. Theoretical predictions of both film thickness and drawing force ratio for lubricated, low carbon steel are compared with experimental measurements
Error Training and Adaptive Remediation

An experiment investigated the relative effectiveness of three training strategies for improving transfer performance in a cognitively complex decision-making task. Error Management is an exploratory training approach in which trainees learn by exploring and making errors. Error Prevention training includes structured training on likely errors. Adaptive Remediation is error management training supplemented with practice scenarios tailored to the types of errors made. The study is an important addition to the literature because it examines training and transfer performance in a cognitively complex militarily-relevant task. Participants used a digital system to plan, execute, and monitor unmanned vehicles in reconnaissance missions. Transfer scenarios tested the ability to adapt what was learned when attempting new tasks and in an error prone environment. The results showed that transfer performance was better when participants did not complete adaptive remediation scenarios. It is believed that the adaptive remediation tasks encouraged participants to focus on single tasks and as a result they spent less time exploring the whole task. The implication is that the cost and effort required to create an adaptive remediation training program may not be justified in a cognitively complex task like the planning task used in the experiment.
TUC and the SMART NETS project

The new-generation, network-wide signal control strategy TUC (traffic-responsive urban control) has been first developed within the European Transport Telematics project TABASCO and later been improved and validated with further simulations. TUC is particularly designed for saturated traffic conditions, where other UTC systems are known to fail or perform poorly. TUC formulates a linear-quadratic optimal control problem based on store-and-forward mathematical modelling. Initial results from a small-scale field-application in Glasgow (Scotland) and the simulations carried out were so encouraging that TUC is now going to be applied and demonstrated on a large scale in the cities of Chania (Greece), Munich (Germany) and Southampton (UK) in the SMART NETS project, which is co-funded by the European Commission in the framework of their 5th Framework Programme of Research within the IST Programme.
Dripline Flushing Velocities for SDI

The velocity of dripline flushing in subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems affects system design and cost, management, performance and longevity. A study was conducted at Kansas State University to analyze the effect of four flushing velocities (0.23, 0.30, 0.46 and 0.61 m/s) and three flushing frequencies (no flushing or flushing every 15 or 30 days) on SDI emitter discharge and sediments within the dripline and removed in the flushing water. At the end of the season (371 h) the amount of solids carried away by the flushing water and retained in every lateral were determined as well as laboratory determination of emitter discharge for every single emitter within each dripline. The results indicate that increasing both flushing velocity and frequency generally resulted in improved flushing of solids. There was a greater concentration of solids in the beginning sections of the 90 m laterals, but emitter discharge tended to be slightly less at the distal ends.