Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tensile Capacity of Short Anchor Bolts and Welded Studs: A Literature Review

Anchor bolts embedded in concrete are found in many kinds of structures and are subjected to many different load combinations. A "short" anchor bolt is usually defined as one having an embedment length insufficient to develop tensile yield in the bolt without the end anchorage provided by the bolt head. During an earlier experimental investigation of the shear resistance of short anchor bolts,' it became evident that a large number of studies had been devoted to the behavior of short anchor bolts and welded studs. In many cases, those studies had been conducted without reference to one another, resulting in conclusions and design recommendations that are apparently unrelated and sometimes contradictory. As anchor bolts are used in more critical applications, such as nuclear power plants, modern design recommendations should consider all available test data, and differences among recommendations should be analyzed and reconciled if possible. The objectives of this paper are: To review, in light of all available test results, the design recommendations of previous investigations for predicting nominal capacity of single short anchor bolts and welded studs in monotonic shear; based on this review, to recommend consistent procedures for predicting nominal shear capacity for situations where adequate explanations of behavior now exist; and
Coefficient Estimates and the Fekete–Szegö Problem for New Classes of m-Fold Symmetric Bi-Univalent Functions

The results presented in this paper deal with the classical but still prevalent problem of introducing new classes of m-fold symmetric bi-univalent functions and studying properties related to coefficient estimates. Quantum calculus aspects are also considered in this study in order to enhance its novelty and to obtain more interesting results. We present three new classes of bi-univalent functions, generalizing certain previously studied classes. The relation between the known results and the new ones presented here is highlighted. Estimates on the Taylor–Maclaurin coefficients |am+1| and |a2m+1| are obtained and, furthermore, the much investigated aspect of Fekete–Szegő functional is also considered for each of the new classes.
Psychic income benefits of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: comparison of host community pre- and post-Games perceptions

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine psychic income perceptions of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games before and after the event. Data were collected among Rio residents by using a pre-Games (n = 350) and post-Games design (n = 403). The cross-sectional data were assessed over time and the results gathered through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for assessing the psychometric properties of the 7-factor scale. Subsequently, MANOVA and a series of ANOVA tests were performed to analyse the differences in perceptions before and after the Games. The CFA results showed factorial stability of the psychic income model in both periods, while the mean comparisons revealed significant differences in all psychic dimensions in the short term. Results indicated that resident perceptions of psychic income tend to increase from pre- to post-event. This study evidences the psychological effects of hosting a sport mega-event, leading to a better comprehension of how local communities perceive the event’s impact within a short time frame.
Does clustering of DNA barcodes agree with botanical classification directly at high taxonomic levels? Trees in French Guiana as a case study

Characterizing biodiversity is one of the main challenges for the coming decades. Most diversity has not been morphologically described, and barcoding is now complementing morphological‐based taxonomy to further develop inventories. Both approaches have been cross‐validated at the level of species and OTUs. However, many known species are not listed in reference databases. One path to speed up inventories using barcoding is to directly identify individuals at coarser taxonomic levels. We therefore studied in barcoding of plants whether morphological‐based and molecular‐based approaches are in agreement at genus, family and order levels. We used Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (with Ward, Complete and Single Linkage) and Stochastic Block Models (SBM), with two dissimilarity measures (Smith‐Waterman scores, kmers). The agreement between morphological‐based and molecular‐based classifications ranges in most of the cases from good to very good at taxonomic levels above species, even though it decreases when taxonomic levels increase, or when using the tetramer‐based distance. Agreement is correlated with the entropy of morphological‐based classification and with the ratio of the mean within‐ and mean between‐groups dissimilarities. The Ward method globally leads to the best agreement, whereas Single Linkage can show poor behaviours. SBM provides a useful tool to test whether or not the dissimilarities are structured by the botanical groups. These results suggest that automatic clustering and group identification at taxonomic levels above species are possible in barcoding.
Genomic epidemiology and characterisation of penicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus isolates from invasive bloodstream infections in China: an increasing prevalence and higher diversity in genetic typing be revealed

ABSTRACT Many countries have reported increasing rates of penicillin-susceptible methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA-PENS). To date, there is relatively little known about the current situation and molecular characteristics of MSSA-PENS in China. In this study, we carried out a laboratory-based multi-region retrospective study to investigate the genomic epidemiology and characterisation of MSSA-PENS isolated from invasive bloodstream infections (BSIs) across 17 provinces. The prevalence of MSSA-PENS isolates increased significantly over the 6-year period, with the proportion increasing from 3.51% in 2014–8.80% in 2019, an average relative increase of 22.14% per year (95% confidence interval 9.67%-34.61%, P for trend <0.001), suggesting that China is experiencing a resurgence of MSSA-PENS. Phylogenetic analysis showed a higher strain diversity occurred; the most frequent clonal complexes (CCs) identified were CC188 (17.14%), CC398 (15.71%) and CC5 (15.71%). Over half of MSSA-PENS strains were pan-susceptible, with erythromycin the most frequent resistance observed. Moreover, 25 isolates were identified as immune evasion cluster negative, including CC15, CC188 and CC1, and 6 strains encoded the Panton-Valentine leucocidin gene. Importantly, virulence assays showed that MSSA-PENS exhibited a level of virulence comparable to that of penicillin-resistant MSSA (MSSA-PENR), indicating that more-sensitive strains should not be mistaken for lacking aggressiveness in vivo. Furthermore, 11 of these isolates were confirmed as blaZ positive but phenotype sensitive, with different amino acid changes in blaZ. Our data support the recommendation to clinicians regarding the usage of penicillin in invasive BSIs caused by MSSA-PENS, which might create a novel opportunity for better antimicrobial stewardship in the future.
Soft-Tissue-Mimicking Using Hydrogels for the Development of Phantoms

With the currently available materials and technologies it is difficult to mimic the mechanical properties of soft living tissues. Additionally, another significant problem is the lack of information about the mechanical properties of these tissues. Alternatively, the use of phantoms offers a promising solution to simulate biological bodies. For this reason, to advance in the state-of-the-art a wide range of organs (e.g., liver, heart, kidney as well as brain) and hydrogels (e.g., agarose, polyvinyl alcohol –PVA–, Phytagel –PHY– and methacrylate gelatine –GelMA–) were tested regarding their mechanical properties. For that, viscoelastic behavior, hardness, as well as a non-linear elastic mechanical response were measured. It was seen that there was a significant difference among the results for the different mentioned soft tissues. Some of them appear to be more elastic than viscous as well as being softer or harder. With all this information in mind, a correlation between the mechanical properties of the organs and the different materials was performed. The next conclusions were drawn: (1) to mimic the liver, the best material is 1% wt agarose; (2) to mimic the heart, the best material is 2% wt agarose; (3) to mimic the kidney, the best material is 4% wt GelMA; and (4) to mimic the brain, the best materials are 4% wt GelMA and 1% wt agarose. Neither PVA nor PHY was selected to mimic any of the studied tissues.
Distribution and Source Sites of Nonlinear Internal Waves Northeast of Hainan Island

The distribution and source sites of nonlinear internal waves (NLIWs) northeast of Hainan Island were investigated using satellite observations and a wavefront propagation model. Satellite observations show two types of NLIWs (here referred to as type-S and type-D waves). The type-S waves are spaced at a semidiurnal tidal period and the type-D waves are spaced at a diurnal tidal period. The spatial distribution of the two types of NLIWs displays a sandwich structure in which the middle region is influenced by both types of NLIWs, and the northern and southern regions are governed by the type-S and type-D waves, respectively. Solving the wavefront model yields good agreement between simulated and observed wavefronts from the Luzon Strait to Hainan Island. We conclude that the NLIWs originate from the Luzon Strait.
Cyclanilide Induces Lateral Bud Outgrowth by Modulating Cytokinin Biosynthesis and Signalling Pathways in Apple Identified via Transcriptome Analysis

Cyclanilide (CYC), a plant growth regulator, is a potent shoot branching agent in apple. However, its mechanism remains unclear. The current study revealed that CYC treatment resulted in massive reprogramming of the axillary bud transcriptome, implicating several hormones in the response. We observed a marked increase (approximately 2-fold) in the level of zeatin riboside and a significant decrease (approximately 2-fold) in the level of abscisic acid (ABA). Zeatin metabolism gene cytokinin (CTK) oxidase 1 (CKX 1) was down-regulated at 168 h after CYC treatment compared with the control. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis of differentially expressed genes demonstrated the turquoise module clusters exhibited the highest positive correlation with zeatin riboside (r = 0.92) and the highest negative correlation with ABA (r = −0.8). A total of 37 genes were significantly enriched in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway in the turquoise module. Among them, the expressions of CTK receptor genes WOODEN LEG and the CTK type-A response regulators genes ARR3 and ARR9 were up-regulated. ABA signal response genes protein phosphatase 2C genes ABI2 and ABI5 were down-regulated in lateral buds after CYC treatment at 168 h. In addition, exogenous application of 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA, a synthetic type of CTK) and CYC enhanced the inducing effect of CYC, whereas exogenous application of lovastatin (a synthetic type of inhibitor of CTK biosynthesis) or ABA and CYC weakened the promoting effect of CYC. These results collectively revealed that the stimulation of bud growth by CYC might involve CTK biosynthesis and signalling, including genes CKX1 and ARR3/9, which provided a direction for further study of the branching promoting mechanism of CYC.
Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE). XI. Two dimensional Halpha kinematics of the edge-on ram pressure stripped galaxy NGC4330

Using the VESTIGE survey, a deep narrow-band H$\alpha$ imaging survey of the Virgo cluster carried on at the CFHT with MegaCam, we discovered a long diffuse tail of ionised gas in the edge-on late-type galaxy NGC 4330. This peculiar feature witnesses an ongoing ram pressure stripping (RPS) event able to remove the gas in the outer disc region. Tuned hydrodynamic simulations suggest that the RPS event is occurring almost face-on, making NGC 4330 the ideal candidate to study the effects of the perturbation in the direction perpendicular to the disc plane. We present here two new independent sets of Fabry-Perot observations (R$\simeq$10000) in order to understand the effects of the RPS process on the ionised gas kinematics. Despite their limited sensitivity to the diffuse gas emission, the data allowed us to measure the velocity and the velocity dispersion fields over the galaxy disc and in several features at the edges or outside the stellar disc formed after the RPS event. We have constructed the position-velocity diagrams and the rotation curves of the galaxy using three different techniques. The data show, consistent with the hydrodynamic simulations, that the galaxy has an inner solid-body rotation up to $\sim$2.4 kpc, with non-circular streaming motions outwards the disc and in the several external features formed during the interaction of the galaxy with the surrounding intracluster medium. The data also indicate a decrease of the rotational velocity of the gas with increasing distance from the galaxy disc along the tails, suggesting a gradual but not linear loss of angular momentum in the stripped gas. Consistent with a RPS scenario, the $i$-band image shows a boxy shape at the southwest edge of the disc, where the stellar orbits might have been perturbed by the modification of the gravitational potential well of the galaxy due to the displacement of the gas in the $z$-direction.
A Heuristic Algorithm with Falling Prediction Mechanism for Pose Planning in Irregular Objects Oriented Vertical Stacking Task

In the domain of automatic construction either terrestrial or extraterrestrial, the unmanned system is requested to manipulate objects of regular or irregular shape, seen or unseen, in order to achieve various goals, for instance, collecting geological samples, constructing infrastructure of different types for distinct meets. Vertical stacking is a sub-mission among auto construction and emphasizes the understanding of object stability.This paper focuses on the pose planning part of vertical stacking work-flow and proposes three points to improve the state-of-art: (1) proposing a Main Convex-Hull Faces Based initial posture selecting method instead of randomly setting; (2) Adding a forth object-irrelevant stability filtering layer to the original pose filter so that more stable poses are likely to be selected; (3) constructing a falling predictor based on RUSBoost classifier in the stable pose generation so that algorithm efficiency is improved. We execute a series of simulation experiments to validate the effectiveness of our improvements on two sets of irregular object model sets, one with relatively flat parallel surfaces which favours vertical stacking, another with more general shape which deeply increases task difficulty. The results show that our improvements do strengthen stacking capacity especially the generality of objects manipulated and meanwhile enhance the efficiency.
Transfer Learning, Style Control, and Speaker Reconstruction Loss for Zero-Shot Multilingual Multi-Speaker Text-to-Speech on Low-Resource Languages

Deep neural network (DNN)-based systems generally require large amounts of training data, so they have data scarcity problems in low-resource languages. Recent studies have succeeded in building zero-shot multi-speaker DNN-based TTS on high-resource languages, but they still have unsatisfactory performance on unseen speakers. This study addresses two main problems: overcoming the problem of data scarcity in the DNN-based TTS on low-resource languages and improving the performance of zero-shot speaker adaptation for unseen speakers. We propose a novel multi-stage transfer learning strategy using a partial network-based deep transfer learning to overcome the low-resource problem by utilizing pre-trained monolingual single-speaker TTS and d-vector speaker encoder on a high-resource language as the source domain. Meanwhile, to improve the performance of zero-shot speaker adaptation, we propose a new TTS model that incorporates an explicit style control from the target speaker for TTS conditioning and an utterance-level speaker reconstruction loss during TTS training. We use publicly available speech datasets for experiments. We show that our proposed training strategy is able to effectively train the TTS models using a limited amount of training data of low-resource target languages. The models trained using the proposed transfer learning successfully produce intelligible natural speech sounds, while in contrast using standard training fails to make the models synthesize understandable speech. We also demonstrate that our proposed style encoder network and speaker reconstruction loss significantly improves speaker similarity in zero-shot speaker adaptation task compared to the baseline model. Overall, our proposed TTS model and training strategy has succeeded in increasing the speaker cosine similarity of the synthesized speech on the unseen speakers test set by 0.468 and 0.279 in native and foreign languages respectively.
QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT - QFD AS A STRATEGIC MARKETING TOOL

The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a structured method that aims to convert the needs and desires of customers in product quality characteristics. From its origins, more than forty years ago, it has been applied in various organizations in product development and improvement of existing products. This paper aims to show how QFD can be used as a strategic marketing tool. The research method is qualitative with bibliographical research. The results indicate that the use of the attributes of the "House of Quality" in the various sales stages is a market differentiation strategy and a wide applicability of QFD in marketing, transcending the boundaries of product design and production areas.
The Effects of the COVID-19 Crisis on Risk Factors and Option-Implied Expected Market Risk Premia: An International Perspective

Institutional investors often have to decide which strategy to use across international business cycles. This is especially important during economic and financial crises. The exogenous nature of the outbreak of the dramatic COVID-19 crisis represents a unique opportunity to understand the performance of risk factors during severe economic times across international stock markets. Even more important is to analyze how these factors behave across very different economic crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Recession. Although, the overall results show that the momentum and quality factors are the winners, with the value factor as the loser, this research also reports different responses of factors across crises and countries. The size, value, and defensive factors tend to perform worse during the health crisis relative to the Great Recession, while the momentum factor shows a poor performance during the financial crisis, but a positive one during the outbreak of COVID-19. The quality factor is an extraordinary defensive factor in both crises. Similarly, this paper reports heterogeneous responses of option-implied expected market risk premia across alternative stock market indices, and between the Great Recession and the COVID-19 crisis.
Croatian Version of the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults (SAHLSA-50): Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation

(1) Background: Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish Adults (SAHLSA-50) was originally designed for Spanish-speaking regions, and translations validated for several languages. The aim of the study was to adapt and verify the psychometric characteristics of SAHLSA-50 in the Croatian context; (2) Methods: The cross-sectional study included 590 respondents from the general population older than 18 years of age. Health literacy was measured by two scales: SAHLCA-50 and the Croatian version of the Newest Vital Sign screening test (NVS-HR), which was used as a measure of concurrent validity. Subjective Health Complaints (SHC) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) questionnaires were also used to assess convergent validity; (3) Results: Internal consistency reliability of SAHLCA-50 was high and corresponds to the findings of the authors of the original research. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for SAHLCA-50 version was 0.91. The correlation of SAHLCA-50 with the NVS-HR test speaks in favor of concurrent validity. Correlation between health literacy and SHC speaks for convergent validity, just as was expected, while correlation with life satisfaction was not observed; (4) Conclusions: The SAHLCA-50 test can be a good and quick tool to assess health literacy of the adult population in the Croatian language. HL can affect the health and quality of life of the individual and the wider community.
Pharmacopeial Testing of Poly-Herbal Formulation for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a global cause of morbidity and mortality. There is a continuous rise in the patients of diabetes in Pakistan. Many conventional and natural origin medicines are available for maintaining optimum blood sugar level. There is a need to carry out standardization of the natural origin medicine to authenticate their efficacy and safety. The objective of this research work was to carry out preliminary pharmacognostic, phytochemical, biological, pharmacological studies on poly-herbal formulation. The poly-herbal preparation was prepared and evaluated for the standard pharmacopeial tests. The results of the tests performed were found to be adequate to evaluate the poly-herbal formulation and may be used as reference standards in future for further studies.
An Analog Bayesian Classifier Implementation, for Thyroid Disease Detection, based on a Low-Power, Current-Mode Gaussian Function Circuit

The thyroid gland is a small organ that’s located in the front of the neck, wrapped around the windpipe. Τhyroid releases and controls hormones that help the metabolism work correctly. Metabolism plays a main role in many different systems throughout the human body. Thyroid disorder involves the abnormal production of thyroid hormones. In this regard, if a thyroid disease could be detected, patients could take a specific treatment and greatly reduce the symptoms. This work proposes a novel low power, low voltage (0.6V) analog architecture of a Bayesian classifier for thyroid disease detection. The architecture is based on a new Gaussian function circuit and the Lazzaro Winner-Take-All circuit. The proper operation of the analog classifier is verified using a real-world dataset. The proposed architecture is realized in TSMC 90nm CMOS process and was simulated using the Cadence IC Suite.
Design and Simulation of a Robotic Knee Exoskeleton with a Variable Stiffness Actuator for Gait Rehabilitation*

Patients with knee impairments caused by neurological or orthopedic diseases such as a stroke, spinal cord injury, or physical injury are at a high risk of secondary complications, which include muscular dystrophy and hemiplegia. This seriously affect the quality of life of these patients. Therefore, it is necessary to assist these patients to regain the ability to perform activities of daily living. Robotic knee exoskeletons are wearable humane-machine cooperative systems, which can provide effective gait training by generating controllable torque at the wearer’s knee joint. This paper presents the design and simulation of a robotic knee exoskeleton with a variable stiffness actuator (VSA). First, a brief description of the human knee biomechanics during walking is introduced. Next, design of the robotic knee exoskeleton with the VSA is proposed. In the designed VSA, a disk-type torsion spring is employed as the compliant element in the actuator, which can absorb perturbations and guarantee a low system output impedance and stable torque control. Then, the dynamic model of the VSA is established and simulations are conducted. The simulation results indicate that the application of the VSA in the robotic knee exoskeleton has good torque tracking performance and stability.