Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Friction on the Structural Dynamics of Built-Up Structures: An Experimental Study

Frictional contacts are a major source of uncertainty in the correct prediction of the dynamic response of built-up structures. This uncertainty is partially due to a limited understanding of the effects of friction on dynamic responses. Vice versa, dynamic responses can also affect the frictional behaviour of the interfaces in contact. In the present study, the mutual relationships between frictional behaviour and structural dynamics are investigated by means of a high frequency friction rig. The rig is characterised by a simple and localised frictional contact that is needed to accurately measure hysteresis loops. Of course, the rig also has its own dynamic response, and consequently represents an excellent test case to gain a better understanding of the correlation between hysteresis loop shapes and their effect upon the dynamics. Impact hammer tests and shaker tests were performed on the friction rig, and lead to changes in the damping and stiffness of its dynamic response, which were linked to variations in the frictional behaviour of the contact. Furthermore, there was some indication as to how certain resonances of the system might strongly affect the frictional behaviour. In particular, it was observed that full sliding causes excitation of structural modes that in turn lead to distortions in the measured hysteresis loops. These findings confirm the strong relationship between friction and dynamics, thus highlighting the necessity to include a detailed frictional description of contacting interfaces for more accurate modelling of the dynamics of built-up structures.
An iterated reweighting total least squares algorithm formulated by standard least-squares theory

If both the coefficient matrix and the observation vector are affected by noise, a total least-squares algorithm should be applied to obtain the solution. However, if they are also contaminated by outliers, the solution of the algorithm will seriously deviate from the true values. Therefore, the effect of outliers needs to be eliminated. For this purpose, the robust estimation is introduced into the total least-squares algorithm, developing a new robust weighted total least-squares algorithm. Simultaneously, considering the robustness of structure space, the standardized residuals are utilized to construct the weight function. Finally, the robustness and efficiency of this algorithm are verified by three experiments involving line-fitting and 2D affine transformation.
Leveraging Context for Multi-Label Action Recognition and Detection in Video

This thesis addresses video-based multi-person, multi-label, spatiotemporal action detection and recognition. This is a challenging problem because each person can be performing several actions at the same time (e.g. talking and walking), and simultaneously other actors can be performing different actions. We claim that these are problems where the use of contextual information (e.g. semantic descriptions of the scene) may lead to significant performance improvements. In this work, we develop several approaches to tackle this problem and validate them in challenging datasets. We propose a framework to integrateand test multiple sources of contextual information in video-based multi-person, multi-label, spatiotemporal action detection and recognition. We highlight six contributions,and that are collected in three publications (at different stages of publication at the time of this writing). The first contribution is a proposed Multisource Video Classification(MVC) framework that allows the combination of several sources of context information, for which we consider four types: actor centric input filtering (a way to focus attentionon the actor under analysis but still gather appearance information from the neighborhood), semantic neighbor context (a way to inform the model with the actions performed by nearby agents), object detection (how objects interacting with the actor can inform about its action) and pose data (how high level features extracted from the actor can help the classification process). The second contribution is a foveated approach to actor centric filtering for input selection that weights the appearance information in a decreasing way, from the center to the periphery of the actor bounding box. The third contribution is a novel encodingfor the semantic neighbor context and its custom classifier with spatial and temporal dependence. The fourth is a custom Hybrid Sigmoid-Softmax loss function for the multiclass/ multi-label case, that combines the cross-entropy loss typical of multi-class problems with the sum-of-sigmoids loss used in the multi label case. The fifth is the application of the developed methods to a challenging dataset with a large number of videos with mulivtiple agents performing multiple actions, with 80 heterogeneous and highly unbalanced classes. To allow research with reasonable computer power, we have created the mini-AVA, a partition of AVA that maintains temporal continuity and class distribution with only one tenth of the dataset size. The sixth contribution is a collection of ablation studies on alternative actor centric filters and semantic neighbor context classifiers. From this research we achieve a relative mAP improvement of 18:8% using our foveated actor centricfiltering, relative mAP improvement of 5% using our semantic neighbor context embedding and models, and a relative mAP improvement of 12:6% using our custom Hybrid Sigmoid-Softmax loss.
Correlation Between Nutritional Deficit and the Presence of Depressive Symptoms: Comparative Study Between Elderly Brazilians and Portuguese in Primary Health Care

Background: Among the countless diseases that affect the world population, malnutrition has stood out in several social and demographic contexts; among them, there has been an exponential progression in elderly people, a population group that presents a strong tendency to develop depression and malnutrition. Data from the World Health Organization show that the worldwide prevalence of depressive disorders among elderly people is in the range of 10 to 20%. Similarly, the prevalence of depression, in turn, combined with chronic diseases, accounts for 50% of premature mortality.Objective: To compare the nutritional status and the level of depressive symptoms and to evaluate the correlation between both aspects in Brazilian and Portuguese elderly people assisted in Primary Health Care (PHC). Methods: A cross-sectional, comparative study with a quantitative approach conducted among PHC elderly people in Brazil and Portugal. The sociodemographic and health questionnaire, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression scale (GDS-15) and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were used.Results: We included 160 participants (110 Brazilians and 50 Portuguese) in the study. In this sample, 81.9% of participants had a risk of malnutrition or malnutrition and 45.0% of participants had mild depressive symptoms. There was a significant association and correlation in Brazil with the presence of a risk of malnutrition and mild symptoms of depression. Portugal also demonstrated a significant association, however, for the chance of not presenting alterations.Conclusion: Our research showed that the risk of malnutrition or the presence of malnutrition was associated with the presence of depressive symptoms in the studied sample. In the intergroup comparison, among Brazilians, those at risk of malnutrition were more likely to have changes associated with depression, while for participants in Portugal, the odds ratio tended to show no changes, as the majority were individuals without nutritional or depressive demands. Screening and prevention measures should be emphasized in PHC to avoid the progression of symptoms in order to refer patients with medium and high complexity since this segment of the public is susceptible to malnutrition and depression.
Combined effects of intrinsic host gene (TRAPPC9) and extrinsic nutrient (folate) on resistance against S. aureus induced bovine mastitis

Background: Drug-resistance and immunological escape of Staphylococcus aureus and its “superbug”, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), have become one of main causes of bacterial infection in both human and animals. In dairy cattle, elimination of bovine mastitis induced by S. aureus is of importance because S. aureus-infected cows normally are culled passively. Methods: Here, we investigated the beneficial effects of bovine trafficking protein particle complex 9 (TRAPPC9) gene and folic acid supplementation in the control of mastitis induced by S. aureus or MRSA by a series of in vivo and in vitro experiments. Results: The data showed that the genetic mutations and DNA methylation of TRAPPC9 were highly linked with the mastitis resistance of dairy cows. Additionally, knockdown of bovine TRAPPC9 was significantly involved in the mRNA expression levels of interleukin’s genes (increased IL-1β and IL-6), and down-regulated the protein level of NF-κB-P65 in the mastitis cell model induced by MRSA. Meanwhile, dose-dependent folic acid addition can inhibit the invasion of MRSA into Mac-T cells and improve TRAPPC9 expression in dairy cows. Conclusions: Altogether, our data suggest that an appropriate dose of folic acid can significantly reduce the inflammation caused by MRSA partially through TRAPPC9 mediated NF-κB pathway. These findings provide new insights to control the drug-resistant pathogens and to restrict the overuse of antibiotics through combined effects of the intrinsic host gene and extrinsic nutrient.
Brazilian Presidential Elections: Analysing Voting Patterns in Time and Space Using a Simple Data Science Pipeline

Since 1989, the first year of the democratic presidential election after a long period of a dictatorship regime, Brazil conducted eight presidential elections. This period was marked by short and long-term shifts of power and two impeachment processes. Such instability is a case of study in electoral studies, e.g., the study of the population voting behavior. Understanding patterns in the population behavior can give us insight into factors and influences that affect the quality of democratic political decisions. In light of this, our paper focuses on analyzing the Brazilian presidential election voting behavior across the years and the Brazilian territory. Following a data science pipeline, we divided the analysis process into five steps: (i) data selection; (ii) data preprocessing; (iii) identification of spatial patterns, in which we seek to understand the role of space in the election results using spatial autocorrelation techniques; (iv) identification of temporal patterns, where we investigate similar trends of votes over the years using a hierarchical clustering method; and (v) evaluation of the results. It is noteworthy that the data in this work represents the election results at the municipal level, from 1994 to 2018, of the two most relevant parties of this period: the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) and the Workers’ Party (PT). Through the results obtained, we found the existence of spatial dependence in every electoral year investigated. Moreover, despite the changes in the political-economic context over the years, neighboring cities seem to present similar voting behavior trends. CCS Concepts: • Applied computing;
Perceived Stigma in Epilepsy Patients in a Low Income Country; Ethiopia: A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Prevalence and Related Factors.

Background: The presence of perceived stigma hinders epilepsy patients from help-seeking behavior and diminishes adherence to medical follow up. Despite this, the limitation of aggregate evidence regarding the prevalence and associated factors of perceived stigma existed in Ethiopia. Methods: Our search for eligible articles was accompanied in the databases of PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and African Index Medicus. An additional manual search by the enumeration of the reference list of other articles was done. We used stata-11 and random-effects models to obtain the average prevalence of perceived stigma. Heterogeneity was assured with the Higgs I2 test and Cochran's Q- statistic. Sensitivity analysis and sub-grouping analyses were done. Qualitative checks for symmetry in funnel plot and quantitative description of Egger's test were done to check a publication bias.Results: Of 1524 articles identified by the electronic and manual search, only 10 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria and included in the analysis. The average prevalence of perceived stigma was found to be 43.79% (95% CI: 31.84, 55.75). The prevalence of perceived stigma varies across the measurement tool used, study location, and year of publication. The average prevalence of perceived stigma in studies measured with the modified FIS scale was 76.3%; higher than those studies measured with the Kilifi stigma scale; 33.63% and three-item stigma scale; 39.5%. Besides, the average prevalence of stigma was higher in Amhara (53.2 %) and the Oromia region (52.2%). Studies published before 2016 provide higher perceived stigma (56.26 %) than studies published after 2016 (35.47%). Our qualitative analysis revealed that rural residence, low level of education and income, age groups of 18 to 24 years, frequent seizure occurrence, contagion believe regarding epilepsy, duration of epilepsy from 1-10 years, depression and anxiety co-morbidity were among the associated factors with perceived stigma in people with epilepsy.Conclusion: The average prevalence of perceived stigma in people with epilepsy was high and varies across study location, measurement tool, and study's publication year. Management of epilepsy should focus on the stigma component besides the biological intervention.
Race–gender bias in white Americans’ preferences for gun availability

Abstract We argue that Americans’ policy attitudes on firearm availability are influenced by the identity of the prospective owner. We use an experiment to demonstrate that attitudes towards gun control/availability are influenced by both race and gender; whether subjects are primed to think of African-Americans versus whites or men versus women has a substantial impact on the degree to which they support firearm access. We find that for many white Americans, Black men and white women stand on opposite poles – priming white Americans with the thought of a Black man decreases support for gun availability, whereas priming the thought of a white woman increases support for gun availability. Further, the magnitude of this effect is quite large – comparable to the difference between Democrats and Republicans. These findings underscore the importance of thinking about the complicated role identity groups play in understanding Americans’ preferences for government (in)action, even in policy areas with explicit Constitutional mandates.
Ultracold collisions of molecules

This paper deals with the theory of collisions between two ultracold particles with a special focus on molecules. It describes the general features of the scattering theory of two particles with internal structure, using a time-independent quantum formalism. It starts from the Schrodinger equation and introduces the experimental observables such as the differential or integral cross sections, and rate coefficients. Using a partial-wave expansion of the scattering wavefunction, the radial motion of the collision is described through a linear system of coupled equations, which is solved numerically. Using a matching procedure of the scattering wavefunction with its asymptotic form, the observables such as cross sections and rate coefficients are obtained from the extraction of the reactance, scattering and transition matrices. The example of the collision of two dipolar molecules in the presence of an electric field is presented, showing how dipolar interactions and collisions can be controlled.
Effect of core stability training on postural control, risk of falling, and function of the blind: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Visual impairments affect all motion aspects of individuals. Movement as the most important tool of physical education is an important factor to improve the health of people with disabilities. The present study aims to investigate the effect of six weeks of core stability training on postural control, risk of falling, and function of blind people. Material and methods: Thirty-two blind males were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental and the control one. In order to evaluate the postural control, the Berg balance scale, the modified stork stand balance test, and the tandem walking test were used. To evaluate the risk of falling and function, the Timed Get up & Go and Tinetti tests were employed, respectively. Data were analysed via MANOVA statistical analysis test at the significance level of 0.05. Results: Results showed that, after 6 weeks of core stability training, a significant increase was observed in postural control scores, function, and risk of falling in the experimental group compared to the control group and the pre-test condition (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the importance of mobility, especially in people with visual disabilities, the use of core stability training
Effects of Head Positions on Awake Orotracheal Intubation Via Fiberoptic-Bronchoscope: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: There are many factors affect the success rate of awake orotracheal intubation via fiberoptic bronchoscope. We performed this study to investigate the effects and safety of three head positions on awake orotracheal intubation via fiberoptic bronchoscope. Methods: Seventy-five adult patients with anticipated difficult airway, received general anaesthesia and undergoing awake orotracheal intubation were included in this study. According to the head position, the patients were randomized allocated to neutral position group (NP group), sniffing position group (SP group) or extension position group (EP group). After conscious sedation the patients were intubated by an experienced anesthesiologist. The time to view the vocal cords, the time to insert the tracheal tube into the trachea, the percentage of glottic opening scores (POGO) and the visual analog scale (VAS) scores for ease experienced of passing the tracheal tube through the glottis, the hemodynamic changes during intubation and the adverse events after surgery were recorded. Results: The time to view the vocal cords was significantly shorter and the POGO scores was significantly higher in the EP group compared with the other two groups (P<0.05); the SpO2 immediate after intubation was higher in the EP group compared with SP group (P<0.05) and the SpO2 before intubation was higher in the EP group compared with NP group (P<0.05), while at other time points the SpO2 had no significant difference among groups. The time to tracheal intubation, the VAS scores for passing the tracheal tube through glottis, the coughing scores of patients when inserted fiberoptic bronchoscope into the trachea and inserted the tracheal tube into the trachea over fiberoptic bronchoscope had no significant differences among groups (P>0.05). There were also no significant differences among the groups with regard to the incidence of postoperative complications, mean arterial pressure and heart rate at each time point (P>0.05). Conclusions: Extension position had a best view of glottic opening than neutral position or sniffing position during awake orotracheal intubation via fiberoptic bronchoscope, so extension position was recommended as the starting head position for awake orotracheal intubation using fiberoptic bronchoscope.Trial registration: Clinical Trials.gov. no. NCT 02792855. Registered at https://register.clinicaltrials. gov on 23 september 2017.
Numeric Study on Skin Friction Reduction of Engine Oil-WS2 Nanofluid by MRT Lattice Boltzman Method

: New lubricants use nanoparticles like WS2 to improve lubrication performance. The aim of the present study is to determine numerically the skin friction of nanofluid on moving surfaces in a lubricating system. The base fluid is 5W-30 engine oil and the nano-additive is WS2 nanoparticles. This numerical study is based on the multiple-relaxation-time Lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM). The two-dimensional nine-velocity (D2Q9) model is adopted to simulate the nanofluid flow confined by two moving surfaces. The parameters considered are the nanoparticle concentration (cid:2030) and the flow Reynolds number Re . The results obtained show a reduction of skin friction factor when we increase the nanoparticle concentration.
Studies on the Interaction of Cefepime Hydrochloride with Bovine Serum Albumin by Fluorescence, Synchronous Fluorescence, Three-Dimensional Fluorescence and Circular Dichroism

The investigation on the binding mode between drug and protein is extremely important to understand biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of the drug as well as the relationship of structure and function of the protein. It is well proved that biological activity is a function of the chemical structure or structural properties. There is a study on the interaction of cefepime hydrochloride with serum albumin using in-silico molecular docking. But up to date, there is hardly any interaction investigation of cefepime hydrochloride with serum albumin utilizing by fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence and circular dichroism. In this study, the interaction of cefepime hydrochloride with bovine serum albumin in aqueous solution has been investigated by molecular spectroscopy under different pH conditions. The quenching rate constant and binding constant calculated at pH 7.4 indicated the static quenching mechanism and medium binding force. The effect of cefepime hydrochloride on the conformation of bovine serum albumin was analyzed using fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, threedimensional fluorescence and circular dichroism. In addition, influence of pH on the binding of cefepime hydrochloride to bovine serum albumin was investigated and the binding ability of the drug to bovine serum albumin deceased under other pH conditions (pH 1.9, 3.5, and 9.0) as compared with that at pH 7.4. As compared with the binding ability of cefepime hydrochloride to native bovine serum albumin that of cefepime hydrochloride to denatured bovine serum albumin deceases dramatically. Furthermore, the effect of metal ions on the binding constant of cefepime hydrochloride with bovine serum albumin was investigated.
Impact of Comorbidity on Severity of Covid-19 Patients: A Network of Target Coding Genes Perspective

Millions of people have been forfeiting their lives due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of them are patients suffering from comorbid complications. However, what makes these patients susceptible to mortality is unknown. For this, we employed a novel network-based approach to Covid-19 associated human target coding genes (TC-genes) overlapping with high relevant diseases to reveal the disease-disease relation. Classification of TC-genes in our study suggests that most of them participate in signal transduction, immune and neuronal systems. The network-based approach provides an insight into the mechanism involving the cascade of the TC-genes action that may drastically increase the reactive oxygen species (ROS). An increase in ROS triggers high oxidative stress and inflammation in the body through the cytokines storm. The cytokines storm set the burden on the comorbid patient by weakening the system that may lead to mortality. Our work highlights the TC-genes that may link Covid-19 to certain diseases. Collectively, the study indicates that selective TC-genes can carry out an overlapping role in seemingly distinct mechanisms. Besides, many mechanisms could independently affect selective targets. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the common processes present in severe Covid-19 patients. The approach demonstrates the potential to elucidate disease-disease relationship that can be applied to other diseases.