Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laser scanning for BIM

Obtaining useful data from reality capture devices, such as Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS), for the extraction of semantic information and its subsequent use to support Building Information Modelling (BIM) use cases (e.g. Scan-to-BIM or Scan-vs-BIM -based use cases) is a complex task that requires planning and execution expertise. Point clouds of quality need to be produced following a conscientious planning and execution of scanning. And once the point clouds are acquired, methodical pre-processing operations are vital to ensure the point clouds finally are of high quality. This paper summarises some guidelines to surveyors for a successful data acquisition campaign, especially when these data will be employed for automatic processes involving point clouds and BIM, such as Scan-to-BIM or Scan-vs-BIM. The guidelines are also useful to the recipients of the point clouds involved in those processes, such as BIM modellers or Quality Control (QC) managers.
Updated distribution of the diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) Schmidt in Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia

In this study, we report new observations on the distribution of the invasive diatom Didymosphenia geminata on the island of Tierra del Fuego, southern Patagonia. We present new findings as well as data collected by the monitoring programme of the Government of the Tierra del Fuego. Didymosphenia geminata was first reported from the island in 2013, in the watershed of the Rio Grande, northeast of the island. In 2017, it was found in the Lapataia River, within the Tierra del Fuego National Park. More recently, we detected its presence at two more sites; one in Lake Fagnano, and in the Arroyo Grande, near the city of Ushuaia. Hence, in eight years, this invasive diatom has spread and reached the southern part of the island despite prevention measures applied in protected areas since 2014. Although D. geminata is already in Tierra de Fuego, the island is home to many water bodies with high conservation value. Monitoring the range expansion of this invasive diatom should continue since prevention is the only tool to prevent further expansion. This is particularly important because Ushuaia, in the southern part of the island, is a port from which many tourist companies depart for Antarctica, a continent not yet impacted by D. geminata.
Analysis of the multiple objective decision of the optimal interval of the exhaust extraction outlets in a centralized tunnel smoke-extraction system

This paper is aimed at presenting three safety decision variables and one economic decision variable for the exhaust outlet interval in the tunnel smoke extraction system in hoping to pursue the maximum safety and minimum economic cost.As is known,the safety decision variables may include the temperature at 2 m height within the temperature range of 60 ℃,the visibility at 2 m height of the tunnel with the height limit of less than 10 m,and the relative smoke spreading distance over 1 m,with the total cost of exhaust outlets kept minimized.To make our model more practical,we have developed an exhaust outlet interval method based on the multiple objective decision analysis and prepared a simulated model known as FDS 5.0 for the tunnel smoke-extracting system in a cross-river tunnel.In our simulated model,we have laid out nine different exhaust outlets at a heat-releasing rate of 50 MW.The given exhaust rate is 240 m3/s,with the exhaust outlet area being 6 m2.The results of our simulation show that the exhaust outlet intervals between 30 m and 100 m can be expected to meet the demands of the temperature and visibility at 2 m height for the occupant evacuation.However,we have found that when the exhaust outlet interval is 70 m and 80 m and 90 m,the relative smoke spread distances should be over 1,which means that it is impossible to control the smoke emission in the scope of opening exhaust outlets and the three intervals.However,the number of the exhaust outlets in a specific tunnel would be made least and the lowest cost and best economy can be gained if the exhaust outlet intervals were laid out at 100 m.Thus,it can be concluded that 100 m turns to be the optimal exhaust outlet intervals,with four outlets being opened in case of a tunnel fire.
Determinants of the Willingness to Pay Higher Taxes for Better Public Healthcare Services: Cross-National Analysis

Abstract One of the ways to improve the financial sustainability of public healthcare services is to increase taxes, as health systems are subject to mounting financial strain, especially in advanced welfare states. Yet, there is very limited recent empirical evidence on people’s willingness to pay higher taxes for better healthcare and what factors influence it, especially in comparative perspective. To address this gap, the present article analyzes public opinion survey data from 27 countries across the world. The results indicate that overall support for the idea is not high, though there are considerable differences between countries. Counterintuitively, these differences are not related to how much countries currently spend on public or private healthcare, or the healthcare financing and risk-pooling mechanisms they use. At the individual level, people who express greater willingness to pay more are those with higher perceived social status and with tertiary education, and those who are more satisfied with how their national health system performs. The latter finding has an important practical implication: policymakers seeking to increase spending on public healthcare services first need to convince their electorate that the funds are currently being utilized effectively. Future studies can provide additional insights by investigating the effects of tax systems and ideological predispositions, as well as comparing the willingness to pay higher taxes for better healthcare with preferences for alternative arrangements, such as tax incentives for taking up private health insurance.
Dynamic analysis of a valve train system used in a four stroke engine

The internal combustion engine (ICE) plays an important role in our society and much work is done into improving it’s efficiency, power output and reliability. In the motorcycle world, two types of engine are being used: the two-stroke and the four-stroke engines. The latter requires the use of an auxiliary system to control the opening and closing of the valves the valve train. Traditionally, the valve train uses eccentric lobes to actuate rocker arms that open the intake and exhaust valves while the closing of the valves is done by the force of springs which are compressed during the opening of the valves. The portuguese motorcycle manufacturer AJP Motos SA developed a new valve train InnerCam that promises the reliability and stability of more complex systems while retaining the smaller size and low gravity center of some simpler, yet less reliable, systems. Previously analysis work led to functioning prototypes that reveal the grand potential of the system. However, these tests also revealed an unidentified issue that caused a power loss in a small range of engine speeds. A new kinetic and dynamic analysis, as well as a vibration analysis on the system, are needed in order to identify the source of the power loss, mentioned above, that required to model the real mechanism into simpler systems that allow an easier approach and an expedite analysis without compromising the accuracy of the results. This work revealed that the profiles for the valve displacement, velocity and acceleration are similar to the theoretical profiles required for the good engine operation, which helps to validate the InnerCam concept as a valid system with commercializing potential. The dynamic analysis performed also showed that the engine’s acceleration isn’t an influence to the system’s dynamic balance, neither is the variable point of contact between the rollers and the cam path. However, this variation in the point of contact implies very sharp changes in rotational speed and direction, which may increase the rate of wear of these components’ surfaces. The vibration analysis was performed on the exhaust sub-system and it revealed that the resonance frequency of this system is well above the range of excitation frequencies that the system supports (from 2000 to 12000 rpm). This rules out resonance issues, such as the source of the power loss that was previously described.
Rapid identification of human muscle disease with fibre optic Raman spectroscopy

The diagnosis of muscle disorders (“myopathies”) can be challenging and new biomarkers of disease are required to enhance clinical practice and research. Despite advances in areas such as imaging and genomic medicine, muscle biopsy remains an important but time-consuming investigation. Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopy application that could provide a rapid analysis of muscle tissue, as it requires no sample preparation and is simple to perform. Here, we investigated the feasibility of using a miniaturised, portable fibre optic Raman system for the rapid identification of muscle disease. Samples were assessed from 27 patients with a final clinico-pathological diagnosis of a myopathy and 17 patients in whom investigations and clinical follow-up excluded myopathy. Multivariate classification techniques achieved accuracies ranging between 71–77%. To explore the potential of Raman spectroscopy to identify different myopathies, patients were subdivided into mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial myopathy groups. Classification accuracies were between 74–89%. Observed spectral changes were related to changes in protein structure. These data indicate fibre optic Raman spectroscopy is a promising technique for the rapid identification of muscle disease that could provide real time diagnostic information. The application of fibre optic Raman technology raises the prospect of in vivo bedside testing for muscle diseases which would significantly streamline the diagnostic pathway of these disorders.
A Descriptive Review of the Impact of Patient Motion in Early Childhood Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Resting-state functional magnetic images (rs-fMRIs) can be used to map and delineate the brain activity occurring while the patient is in a task-free state. These resting-state activity networks can be informative when diagnosing various neurodevelopmental diseases, but only if the images are high quality. The quality of an rs-fMRI rapidly degrades when the patient moves during the scan. Herein, we describe how patient motion impacts an rs-fMRI on multiple levels. We begin with how the electromagnetic field and pulses of an MR scanner interact with a patient’s physiology, how movement affects the net signal acquired by the scanner, and how motion can be quantified from rs-fMRI. We then present methods for preventing motion through educational and behavioral interventions appropriate for different age groups, techniques for prospectively monitoring and correcting motion during the acquisition process, and pipelines for mitigating the effects of motion in existing scans.
The Design and Synthesis of a New Series of 1,2,3-Triazole-Cored Structures Tethering Aryl Urea and Their Highly Selective Cytotoxicity toward HepG2

Target cancer drug therapy is an alternative treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the treatment using approved targeted drugs has encountered a number of limitations, including the poor pharmacological properties of drugs, therapy efficiency, adverse effects, and drug resistance. As a consequence, the discovery and development of anti-HCC drug structures are therefore still in high demand. Herein, we designed and synthesized a new series of 1,2,3-triazole-cored structures incorporating aryl urea as anti-HepG2 agents. Forty-nine analogs were prepared via nucleophilic addition and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) with excellent yields. Significantly, almost all triazole-cored analogs exhibited less cytotoxicity toward normal cells, human embryonal lung fibroblast cell MRC-5, compared to Sorafenib and Doxorubicin. Among them, 2m’ and 2e exhibited the highest selectivity indexes (SI = 14.7 and 12.2), which were ca. 4.4- and 3.7-fold superior to that of Sorafenib (SI = 3.30) and ca. 3.8- and 3.2-fold superior to that of Doxorubicin (SI = 3.83), respectively. Additionally, excellent inhibitory activity against hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, comparable to Sorafenib, was still maintained. A cell-cycle analysis and apoptosis induction study suggested that 2m’ and 2e likely share a similar mechanism of action to Sorafenib. Furthermore, compounds 2m’ and 2e exhibit appropriate drug-likeness, analyzed by SwissADME. With their excellent anti-HepG2 activity, improved selectivity indexes, and appropriate druggability, the triazole-cored analogs 2m’ and 2e are suggested to be promising candidates for development as targeted cancer agents and drugs used in combination therapy for the treatment of HCC.
Cybersecurity Risk Assessment of Industrial Control Systems Based on Order-α Divergence Measures Under an Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Environment

With the increasing deployment of network technologies in industrial control systems (ICSs), cybersecurity has become a challenge in ICSs. Cybersecurity risk assessment (CRA) plays an important role in cybersecurity protection of ICSs. However, the weights of risk indices are constants in traditional CRA methods, and they do not fully consider the requirements of risk identification. In this paper, we define a novel order-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula> divergence measure for interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IVIFNs) and further develop a novel CRA approach for ICSs based on the proposed divergence measure under an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy environment to contribute to the research gap. First, an order-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula> divergence measure for IVIFNs is defined considering flexibility and robustness of divergence measures with the parameter. Next, a variable weight-based CRA approach for ICSs is developed. In this approach, IVIFNs are adopted to describe evaluation values of risk indices. The weights of risk indices are variable weight vectors and they are determined by the relative divergence closeness. Integration approaches of each node and each attack path in attack-defense trees (ADTs) are proposed based on the operations of IVIFNs, and risk scores of each attack path are calculated by using the score function. Finally, we apply the proposed method to the CRA of a civil aviation fuel supply automatic control system and verify its effectiveness and advantages by comparing it with other methods. This method can dynamically adjust the weights of risk indices considering the relationship between each risk index and the highest risk, and therefore, it can more effectively recognize the highest risk of ICSs than the traditional CRA method. In addition, it can also match the risk attitude of decision-makers by adjusting the parameter <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\alpha $ </tex-math></inline-formula>.
A Strategy for Rapid Discovery of Marker Peptides Associated with Fibrinolytic Efficacy of Pheretima aspergillum Based on Bioinformatics Combined with Parallel Reaction Monitoring

Quality control of animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines has improved dramatically as proteomics research advanced in the past few decades. However, it remains challenging to identify quality attributes with routine proteomics approaches since protein with fibrinolytic activity is rarely reported in pheretima, a typical animal-derived traditional medicine. A novel strategy based on bioinformatics combined with parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) was developed here to rapidly discover the marker peptides associated with a fibrinolytic effect. Potential marker peptides were found by lumbrokinase sequences’ alignment and in silico digestion. The fibrinogen zymography was used to visually identify fibrinolytic proteins in pheretima. As a result, it was found that the fibrinolytic activity varied among different portions of pheretima. Fibrinolytic proteins were distributed regionally in the anterior and anterior-mid portion and there was no significant fibrinogenolytic activity observed in the mid-posterior and posterior portion. Finally, PRM experiments were deployed to validate and quantify selected marker peptides and a total of 11 peptides were identified as marker peptides, which could be potentially used in quality control of pheretima. This strategy provides a robust workflow to benefit the quality control of other animal-derived traditional medicines.
Recent analytic development of the dynamic $ Q $-tensor theory for nematic liquid crystals

Liquid crystals are a typical type of soft matter that are intermediate between conventional crystalline solids and isotropic fluids. The nematic phase is the simplest liquid crystal phase, and has been studied the most in the mathematical community. There are various continuum models to describe liquid crystals of nematic type, and $ Q $-tensor theory is one among them. The aim of this paper is to give a brief review of recent PDE results regarding the $ Q $-tensor theory in dynamic configurations.
The scientific production of Italian agricultural engineers: a bibliometric network analysis concerning the scientific sector AGR/10 Rural buildings and agro-forestry territory

According to a worldwide well-known attitude, also in Italy, the assessment of scientific production in the last decades has been progressively based on the analysis of the impact through bibliometric variables. Various data sets, such as Scopus by Elsevier and Web of Science by Thomson Reuters, are designed and maintained to index a steadily increasing range of essays: mostly journal articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings. The indexing relays on the capacity to evaluate and update specific impact measures by keeping track of the citations representing the relations between the essays. The related opportunity to interpret bibliographic systems as research and development (R&D) networks attracted the interest of scientists operating, beyond the field of bibliometric analysis, in the realm of social networking. Network analysis belongs to mechanical statistics and is able to make sense of interconnected systems including very large sets of nodes and links. In this paper, we present a network approach to the review of the scientific production in the time period January, 2003-June, 2016 of Italian agricultural engineers, namely scientists belonging to the Italian ministerial scientific disciplinary sector AGR/10 - rural buildings and agro-forestry territory . Starting from 238 articles indexed in the Web of Knowledge database and published by 87 AGR/10 scholars, we apply four network analysis approaches to the study of the citations among articles, the most influential journals and topics, the co-authorship, the most favourite keywords with their evolution in time, and the communities’ pattern. We discover that Italian agricultural engineers are interlaced in a sparse network with a still limited tendency toward citing each other and are inclined to team up in established research groups based on a single university. As for the dualism between rural buildings and territory, we document on a relevant expansion of the issues related to landscape analysis and planning and a continuous renewal of studies concerning the relation between rural buildings and biomass and energy management. We advance that Italian agricultural engineers are not confronted anymore with two monolithic macro themes, i.e. building design and landscape analysis and planning. Instead, the complexity and interplay between these two domains has dramatically increased in a somehow diverging universe of even more specialised and trans-scale topics.
Fabrication and testing of a Hall effect based pressure sensor

Purpose This paper aims to present the fabrication and testing of a pressure sensor integrated with Hall effect sensors and permanent magnets arranged in two configurations to measure pressure in the range of 0–1 bar. The sensor is fabricated using stainless steel (SS) and can be used in high-temperature and highly corrosive environments. The fabricated sensor is of low cost, self-packaged and the differential arrangement helps in compensating for any ambient temperature variations. Design/methodology/approach The sensor deflects of a circular diaphragm with a simple rigid mechanical structure to convert the applied pressure to a Hall voltage output. Two sensor designs are proposed with a single pair of Hall sensors and magnets and a differential configuration with two Hall sensors and magnets. Two sensor designs are designed, fabricated and tested for their input–output characteristics and the results are compared. Findings The fabricated sensors are calibrated for 25 cycles of ascending and descending pressure in steps of 0.1 bar. Various static characteristics like nonlinearity, hysteresis and % error are estimated for both the sensor designs and compared with the existing Hall effect based pressure sensors. The differential arrangement design was found to have better characteristics as compared to the other design from the experimental data. Originality/value This paper focuses on fabricating and testing a novel differential Hall effect based pressure sensor. The differential arrangement of the sensor aids in the compensation of ambient temperature variations and the use of SS enables the sensor in high-temperature and highly corrosive applications. The proposed sensor is low cost, simple and self-packaged, and found to have high repeatability and good linearity compared to other similar Hall effect based pressure sensors available in the literature.
A low phase noise and frequency agility synthesizer for millimeter-wave transceiver

With the increasing demand of millimeter-wave (MMW) communication, the performance of its frequency synthesizer has high requirements. In this paper, a multiple conversion mechanism, which used hybrid frequency synthesis technique is presented. Some key modules include linear frequency-modulated generator, agile, and low phase noise local oscillators (LOs), automatic gain control, receiver front-end circuit, and MMW LO circuits are discussed and simulated to verify correctness of the mechanism. The experimental results show that, spurious is better than −65 dBc, phase noise is no more than −80 dBc/Hz@1 kHz, and the maximum frequency-hopping time is <1.8 µs.
CRISPR Typing Increases the Discriminatory Power of Streptococcus agalactiae Typing Methods

We explored the relevance of a Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genotyping tool for Streptococcus agalactiae typing and we compared this method to current molecular methods [multi locus sequence typing (MLST) and capsular typing]. To this effect, we developed two CRISPR marker schemes (using 94 or 25 markers, respectively). Among the 255 S. agalactiae isolates tested, 229 CRISPR profiles were obtained. The 94 and 25 markers made it possible to efficiently separate isolates with a high diversity index (0.9947 and 0.9267, respectively), highlighting a high discriminatory power, superior to that of both capsular typing and MLST (diversity index of 0.9017 for MLST). This method has the advantage of being correlated with MLST [through analysis of the terminal direct repeat (TDR) and ancestral spacers] and to possess a high discriminatory power (through analysis of the leader-end spacers recently acquired, which are the witnesses of genetic mobile elements encountered by the bacteria). Furthermore, this “one-shot” approach presents the benefit of much-reduced time and cost in comparison with MLST. On the basis of these data, we propose that this method could become a reference method for group B Streptococcus (GBS) typing.