Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Updated Italian cohort data continues to confirm lack of mesothelioma risk in pooled cohort of international cosmetic talc miners and millers

Abstract Objectives To assess potential mesothelioma risk following inhalation of cosmetic talc, we updated previous iterations of a pooled cohort analysis, post-study statistical power analysis, and confidence interval function analysis for a pooled cohort of international cosmetic talc miners/millers given new Italian cohort data. Methods Five cohorts of cosmetic talc miners/millers were pooled. Expected numbers of mesotheliomas for each cohort were reported by the original authors. We based our post-study statistical power analysis on an a priori one-sided significance level of 0.05, and exact Poisson and approximate distribution probabilities. To evaluate the confidence interval function for the observed pooled mesothelioma standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), we calculated the probability for the upper 100(1–2α)% confidence limit that equals various SMRs of interest. Results The pooled cohorts generated a total observation time of 135,524.38 person-years. Overall, 4.14 mesotheliomas were expected (mid-value estimate), though only one case of mesothelioma has been confirmed in the pooled cohort to date. We calculated 71% and 87% post-study power to detect a 2.5-fold or greater and a 3.0-fold or greater increase in mesothelioma, respectively. Our complimentary confidence interval function analysis demonstrated that the probability that the true mesothelioma SMR for the pooled cohort was at or above 2.0 or at or above 3.0 was 0.00235 and 0.00005, respectively. Conclusions Based on the updated results of our various analyses, the current epidemiological evidence from cosmetic talc miner/miller cohort studies continues to not support the hypothesis that the inhalation of cosmetic talc is associated with an increased risk of mesothelioma.
Retinal Vessel Automatic Segmentation Using SegNet

Extracting retinal vessels accurately is very important for diagnosing some diseases such as diabetes retinopathy, hypertension, and cardiovascular. Clinically, experienced ophthalmologists diagnose these diseases through segmenting retinal vessels manually and analysing its structural feature, such as tortuosity and diameter. However, manual segmentation of retinal vessels is a time-consuming and laborious task with strong subjectivity. The automatic segmentation technology of retinal vessels can not only reduce the burden of ophthalmologists but also effectively solve the problem that is a lack of experienced ophthalmologists in remote areas. Therefore, the automatic segmentation technology of retinal vessels is of great significance for clinical auxiliary diagnosis and treatment of ophthalmic diseases. A method using SegNet is proposed in this paper to improve the accuracy of the retinal vessel segmentation. The performance of the retinal vessel segmentation model with SegNet is evaluated on the three public datasets (DRIVE, STARE, and HRF) and achieved accuracy of 0.9518, 0.9683, and 0.9653, sensitivity of 0.7580, 0.7747, and 0.7070, specificity of 0.9804, 0.9910, and 0.9885, F1 score of 0.7992, 0.8369, and 0.7918, MCC of 0.7749, 0.8227, and 0.7643, and AUC of 0.9750, 0.9893, and 0.9740, respectively. The experimental results showed that the method proposed in this research presented better results than many classical methods studied and may be expected to have clinical application prospects.
The Dynamics of Intimate Partner Violence and Its Impact on HIV Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of People of Mixed Gender and Sexual Preference in Lima, Peru

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with a higher risk of contracting HIV and developing worse HIV outcomes. This cross-sectional, mixed methods study presents data on IPV using the Conflicts Tactics Scale (CTS2-S) among 180 persons with HIV in Lima, Peru, as well as qualitative interviews with 7 of them and 18 of their community caregivers. This study used data collected for a randomized controlled trial (RCT), CASAommunity Based Accompaniment with Supervised Antiretrovirals (CASA) Community-based Accompaniment with Supervised Antiretrovirals (CASA). Physical or sexual IPV was self-reported in 82 (45.6%) of participants reporting having been in a relationship in the last year and 59,8% of those were involved in bidirectional violence. Coping subscales, social support, and stigma were associated with IPV. Intimate partner violence negatively impacted patient adherence to medication and care, particularly during times of severe conflict. In conclusion, profound psychosocial vulnerability—including low social support, substance use as coping, and HIV stigma—contextualize IPV among people with HIV. Bidirectional violence often evolved over time as victims negotiated inter-personal strategies for survival, including retaliation. Interventions should focus on a deeper understanding IPV and facilitating of coping mechanisms to help people with HIV stay in care.
Effect of the Addition of Oil Palm Mesocarp Fibers on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of a Polyester Matrix Composite

This work focuses on the assessment of oil palm mesocarp fibers as reinforcement in a composite material with an unsaturated polyester matrix. Several volume ratios of OPMF reinforcement (0 to 15%) were used, the fibers being distributed randomly. The resulting composite was characterized on the physical and mechanical aspects. Physically, the true and apparent densities were determined as well as the porosity rate. It appears that the addition of fibers further lightens the composite and increases the porosity. The water absorption rate of the different composites samples was evaluated. The more fibers the composite contains, the higher its water absorption rate. On the mechanical aspect, the bending modulus of elasticity, bending stress at break, and breaking strain were evaluated through a three-point bending test on all combinations. The same parameters were also evaluated for certain combinations by a unidirectional tensile test. It appears from this mechanical characterization that the volume fraction of 5% reinforcement has the highest specific modulus. Impact tests were performed on samples of this combination using several sizes of reinforcing fibers. Impact resistance is enhanced as the size of the inclusion increases. The Halpin-Tsai micromechanical model for randomly distributed short fiber composites was used for the inverse approach determination of the theoretical moduli of the matrix and OPMF, then in a direct approach to determine the elastic modulus of the composite at 7.5% reinforcement.
Communication MWSN Data Transmission Mechanism Based on a Wireless Sensor Network

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is considered to have a wide application prospect in a smart distribution network due to its unique low power consumption, fast self-organization, and superior coordination. In order to study the communication MWSN data transmission mechanism based on a wireless sensor network, the difficulty of applying a wireless sensor network to an intelligent distribution network communication is to meet the real-time and reliability requirements of power industry distribution network data communication specifications under the limited network resources. Firstly, the transmission probability is calculated by considering the path loss, the speed of the node, the direction of the node, and the residual energy of the node. In addition, the transmission and replacement order of the message is determined according to the survival time of the data message. Simulation experiments are carried out on MATLAB. The result shows the proposed routing algorithm, compared with the DT algorithm, flooding algorithm, and FAD algorithm, the delivery rate of data messages is increased by at least 6%, and the number of copies is reduced by at least 10% compared with the flooding algorithm and the FAD algorithm. On the basis of satisfying the mobility of sink nodes, the algorithm proposed in this paper can effectively save network energy consumption and prolong the network lifetime.
Deconstructing “Risk” in Youth Mentoring Programs: How Environmental Stressors and Presenting Challenges Shape Mentoring Relationship Outcomes

Youth referred to mentoring programs vary considerably in the range and severity of difficulties (i.e., behavioral, internalizing, social and academic) and environmental challenges they face. However, their patterns of risk and corresponding consequences for mentoring have rarely been investigated. This study draws on data for youth participants in 30 mentoring programs (n = 2,165, 55.1% females) to examine patterns of presenting challenges. Four profiles emerged using three-step latent profile analyses. Profiles with more intensive symptoms were associated with more environmental stressors. Moreover, there were significant differences between profiles in youth-perceived relationship attributes, including closeness, youth-centeredness, growth focus and mentor-mentee relational health. The profile with the highest externalizing and social challenge indicators scored the lowest across these four relational indices. The results highlight variability of youth risk at baseline, and its differential impact on mentoring relationship outcomes. Implications for mentoring programs are discussed.
Improved semi‐active control algorithm for hydraulic damper‐based braced buildings

Much research has been conducted on structural control systems to improve the seismic performance of structures under earthquakes and, ultimately, offer high performance‐resilient buildings beyond life risk mitigation. Among various structural control algorithms, semi‐active control strategies have been widely accepted for overcoming some limitations existed in either passive or active control systems, thereby leading to better structural performance over their counterparts. In this study, a new semi‐active control algorithm with minimum control parameters is developed to drive the hydraulic damper for effective control of the dynamic deformation of low‐ and high‐rise building structures under earthquake loadings. The new controller allows less input and computation for determining the damping coefficient of the hydraulic dampers while maintaining a higher performance. V‐braced buildings with three varying heights are used as prototypes to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed semi‐active damper. Two critical parameters, maximum drift and acceleration of stories, are defined for the performance criteria. The simulation results show that the developed semi‐active damper can significantly improve the seismic performance of the buildings in terms of controlled story drift and acceleration. By use of less input and reduced time delay effects, the proposed control system is comparable with those of existing semi‐active controllers. The findings in this study will help engineers to design control systems for seismic risk mitigation and effectively facilitate the performance‐based seismic design.
Driving the Phileas, a new automated public transport vehicle

Phileas is a high quality public transport vehicle combining characteristics of bus, tram, and the underground. Phileas is equipped with pneumatic tyres and complies with the statutory regulations for buses. Accordingly Phileas may drive everywhere on public roads where buses are allowed to drive. On dedicated lanes Phileas can also drive as a track vehicle and drive and stop automatically. This combination is new and as the dedicated lanes have level crossings with ordinary traffic this might have unexpected consequences in practice that must be studied in advance. For this reason 25 professional bus drivers have completed a number of experimental rides in a Phileas driving simulator. During these rides sometimes dangerous, and sometimes less dangerous, events happened that required active take-over of control by the driver. It was found that after the first experience with such a situation drivers always reclaimed control in time. It is advised to train the drivers on these situations, e.g. in a simulator, to avoid fatal consequences in real life first time encounters.
Personal Information Management Practices and Behaviors of Social Sciences’ Students

This study reports the personal information management (PIM) behavior of university students under the backdrop of development of information and digital technology infrastructure in Pakistan. The PIM field has been explored through various perspectives in the developed world, but hardly any studies from the developing countries, specifically from the South Asian Region were found. The present, first study from Pakistan , adopted quantitative research design based on a pretested questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 221 students of master programs who were studying in their final semesters in five social sciences disciplines under Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences at the University of the Punjab (PU), Pakistan. The key findings revealed that most frequently used tools for relocating information once found are downloads on personal computers, self-created digital document (e.g. MSWord, Excel, Google Docs, etc.), URLs and hyperlinks. URLs are the most commonly used elements to save online information for future use. The revelation of their practices establishes that they need appropriate training regarding their personal information management.
Optimization of Block Layout and Evaluation of Collection Mat Materials for Polyacrylamide Treatment Channels

Construction sites are frequently cited as major sources of pollution that degrade the quality of surface water. The highly erodible topsoil is transported off site by stormwater runoff causing negative effects downstream. Research has shown that the small particles, which are the most susceptible to erosive forces, have more pollutants associated with them than larger soil particles. Currently, in the state of Florida, it is not permissible to discharge water to a receiving water body if the turbidity is more than 29 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs) above background orhigher than background for an outstanding Florida waterbody. The removal of fine suspended sediment from water can be achieved by filtration, settling, and the use of chemical coagulants.
Optimal switch timing for piezoelectric-based semi-active vibration reduction techniques

Piezoelectric-based semi-active vibration reduction techniques typically rely on rapid changes in the electrical boundary conditions or corresponding stiffness state. Approaches such as state switching and synchronized switch damping on a resistor or an inductor require four switching events per vibration cycle, with switch timing associated with displacement extrema. Any deviation from this switch timing affects the performance of these techniques. Typical harmonic forcing analyses focus on the energy dissipation and only evaluate the performance at resonance. This study evaluates displacement reduction for harmonic excitation, both at resonance and for frequencies near resonance. Furthermore, it examines the effect of sub-optimal switch timings. Numerical simulations of a non-dimensional model are performed, and an analytical solution is derived for any switch time. This analysis shows that the optimal switch timing depends on the forcing frequency relative to the natural frequency of the structure. Thus, the classical switch time at peak displacement is only optimal when the excitation is exactly at resonance. Even when the optimal switch timing is known, uncertainties in vibration sensing cannot guarantee that switches will occur at the desired moment. Therefore, this work characterizes the degradation in vibration reduction performance when switching away from the optimal switch time based on global, non-dimensional parameters.
A study of online hospitality management students’ information literacy

ABSTRACT This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study focuses on understanding more about how hospitality management students enrolled in online courses define and use information literacy, and what they think is meaningful with regard to information literacy skills connected to their major field of study, before and after completing an online module about information literacy. Students enrolled in an online introductory hospitality course at a public university in the southeastern United States (U.S.) during six different semesters (in 2020 and 2021) participated in the study. The study included having the students complete a survey, read and take a quiz over a module about information literacy, and reflect over information literacy after they completed those steps. Results indicated that students, instructors, and librarians could potentially do more to enhance information literacy in the hospitality discipline. Suggestions for teaching, recommendations for further research, and limitations are presented.
Designing an open innovation practice for a low/medium tech SME platform

Low/Medium Tech SMEs are an important source of products, consumables and employment in the Netherlands. Radical innovation is quite rare within the manufacturing industry; this is because there is little time available for large innovative projects due to the high resource allocation for exploitative activities. This resulted in this branch being underrepresented in innovation management literature and unawareness among entrepreneurs of the possibilities that innovation practices can deliver. The MakeTech Platform (MTP) “Hoge Dunk” is a regional platform that focusses on adding value to the region and their member firm which are all Low/Medium Tech SMEs. The board of this platform has indicated to have ambition in a collaborative innovation project being implemented for their members. This thesis researches the present innovative capabilities and potential of companies that are member of the MakeTech Platform “Hoge Dunk” and uses this information to design an open innovative practice that can be implemented in their current setting. In order to achieve this goal, a literature study regarding the topics SME Innovation and Open Innovation was carried out. With an emphasis on developing an implementable design, the SCRUM management method was researched as well to analyze if this proven innovation method can be used outside its IT setting. After these theoretical studies have been performed, 15 semi-structured are held among entrepreneurs that are member of MTP, inquiring about topics concerning customers, (past) innovation efforts, goals, product portfolio, R&D, openness towards collaborative innovation, how they perceive MakeTech etc. In order to create a design of an open innovation practice, findings from SME and open innovation theory, SCRUM literature and interviews are written in a form of design requirements. These requirements were validated through means of a survey among MTP entrepreneurs. After that, parameters were drawn up from these requirements, to which existing open innovation practices were tested. Concluding this process, a final design is presented which should meet the requirements of the users, SCRUM and literature as much as possible.
'Saying Things That You Can't Say Tomorrow Day'

This article investigates whether Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner’s use of northern English linguistic features decreased from the band’s first album Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not (WPS) (2006) to their fifth album AM (2013); whether this was because Turner began to accommodate to American audiences instead of British audiences. An auditory analysis of two songs from each album was conducted to see if Turner’s use of glottalisation and th-fronting, typical northern English variants, changed. The results showed a clear decline in Turner’s use of northern English linguistic features between the two albums. The article concludes that British youth was the intended audience in WPS, but it is unclear who the intended audience is in AM as Turner continued to use other non-standard features that index Turner’s British roots.
Minimum capture-recapture rates and years of banding station operations to obtain reliable adult annual survival estimates

We examined variability in adult annual survival rate estimates for 33 breeding bird species, using 2011–2019 data from a 38-station Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program in Alberta, Canada. Using coefficient of variation (CV) as a metric, we provide recommendations for number of years a station should be operated and numbers of captures and between-year recaptures required to achieve acceptable levels of precision for adult survival estimation. Our primary aim was to provide minimum sample-size guidelines for MAPS banding station operators. The proportion of individual species × spatial scale scenarios for which we could obtain adult survival estimates, as well as the precision of those estimates, increased substantially once six years of data were collected, and we recommend six years as a target minimum level of continuity for banding station operation. Across 33 species analyzed, averages of 23.4 captures (3.9/yr) and 2.1 recaptures (0.4/yr) were needed to yield marginally precise survival estimates (CV of 20% to 30%, inclusive), while averages of 89.2 captures (14.9/yr) and 6.3 recaptures (1.1/yr) were needed to achieve more precise estimates (CV Para las 33 especies analizadas, se necesitaron en promedio 23,4 capturas (3,9/año) y 2,1 recapturas (0,4/año) para obtener estimaciones de supervivencia marginalmente precisas (CV del 20% al 30%, inclusivos), mientras que se necesitaron en promedio 89,2 capturas (14,9/año) y 6,3 recapturas (1,1/año) para lograr estimaciones más precisas (CV < 20%). Sugerimos estos datos como directrices para las tasas mínimas de captura y recaptura a escala de estaciones de anillamiento individuales y para grupos de estaciones, por ejemplo, múltiples estaciones operadas en un tipo de hábitat seleccionado o región de muestreo, respectivamente. Sin embargo, hay que tener en cuenta que el tamaño de muestra variará notablemente entre las especies. Por ejemplo, las estimaciones confiables de la supervivencia de especies con baja fidelidad interanual, e.g., Leiothlypis peregrina , no podrán obtenerse con ningún tamaño de muestra; mientras que las especies con alta fidelidad interanual y probabilidad de recaptura, por ejemplo, algunos atrapamoscas, mirlas, gorriones y reinitas, requerirán tamaños de muestra más pequeños que los propuestos aquí como directrices.
The offloading algorithm of mobile edge computing considering mobility in the intelligent inspection scenario

In industrial scenarios, it is very common to replace manual detection with new intelligent applications such as image recognition based on deep learning. However, these applications often have the characteristics of high computational energy consumption and high computational density. It is impossible to deal with these tasks only by relying on intelligent detection equipment. Mobile edge computing (MEC) is an effective method to solve the problems of high energy consumption and insufficient computing power of detection equipment. A reasonable offloading strategy can reduce equipment energy consumption and reduce system maintenance costs. This article studies the intelligent inspection scenarios of multi‐user and multi‐MEC servers, and considers the resource competition and mobility among users. We divided the entire inspection process into several computing cycles, and designed a mobile migration model based on the traditional computing offloading model. Finally, a distributed algorithm based on game theory is proposed to solve the problem of minimizing energy consumption. The proposed intelligent inspection and offloading migration algorithm is evaluated through simulation experiments. Theoretical and experimental results show that our method can better adapt to the scenario proposed in this article, with low algorithm complexity and can effectively reduce the energy consumption of the whole inspection system. Compared with random and greedy algorithms, the energy consumption is reduced by 60% and 50% respectively.