Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SELF-POISONINGS BEFORE AND DURING THE INITIAL YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN NORTHERN POLAND

Objectives: The objectives of this study included evaluating and reporting on the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures in the form of a lockdown on self-poisoning tendencies in northern Poland. Material and Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed medical records of all patients (N = 2990) admitted to the Pomeranian Center of Toxicology in 2018–2020. Of those, further analysis included 2140 patients who had been admitted because of a suicide attempt by self-poisoning. The authors also selected a group of 40 patients on the basis of a self-reported direct relationship of the suicide attempt with the COVID-19 pandemic or the imposed lockdown. Results: The rates of suicide attempts in toxicological patients over the years ranged 68.18–75.3%. The patients were predominantly female, with age between M±SD 33.2±16.9 and 36.0±16.4. Each year, over 60% of patients were admitted during their first attempt and were treated psychiatrically prior to their attempt, with differences observed in the COVID-19-related group. The alcohol intoxication during the suicide attempt was confirmed in 37.40–43.53% of the patients, with a higher rate of 52.50% observed in the COVID-19-related group. The main self-reported reason for the suicide was a romantic relationship conflict or breakup, and a conflict and/or violence in the family. The most frequent agents were over-the-counter painkillers, antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. Conclusions: During the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a fall of suicide attempts by self-poisonings in northern Poland, significant only in the case of women. The self-reported reasons were similar in all years, with mainly minor changes. There was also an increase in attempts made using benzodiazepines or Z-drugs seen in 2020 and in the COVID-19-related group. The authors believe that there is a need for multi-center, large-scale prospective studies that would provide better insight into the pandemic-related suicidal trends. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(5):527 – 35
Sentence model based subword embeddings for a dialog system

This study focuses on improving a word embedding model to enhance the performance of downstream tasks, such as those of dialog systems. To improve traditional word embedding models, such as skip‐gram, it is critical to refine the word features and expand the context model. In this paper, we approach the word model from the perspective of subword embedding and attempt to extend the context model by integrating various sentence models. Our proposed sentence model is a subword‐based skip‐thought model that integrates self‐attention and relative position encoding techniques. We also propose a clustering‐based dialog model for downstream task verification and evaluate its relationship with the sentence‐model‐based subword embedding technique. The proposed subword embedding method produces better results than previous methods in evaluating word and sentence similarity. In addition, the downstream task verification, a clustering‐based dialog system, demonstrates an improvement of up to 4.86% over the results of FastText in previous research.
Performance of small businesses in Tangier: the perceptual role of location

PurposeThis study seeks to investigate perceptions of the role of location on the performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tangier, as understood by local owner-managers.Design/methodology/approachTo explore perceptions of the performance/location relationship for SMEs in Tangier, 20 in-depth online semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected owner-managers of SMEs. The judgement sample was selected to explore their experiences, beliefs and attitudes with respect to their performance and location.FindingsFindings of the study revealed that “location” is a salient factor that, in the minds of respondents, materially influences the performance of SMEs in Tangier. Location was mentioned extensively in the interviews, in relation to the “free zones”. Findings showed that firms located within the free zones enjoyed favourable economic conditions, in particular those related to taxation and competition, compared to their counterparts located outside the free zones, which were excluded from these benefits. Furthermore, perceived unfair competition (financial and fiscal incentives in the free zones) damages the performance of the SMEs in Tangier. These findings suggest that the placement of the business in relation to the free zones and in respondents' perception thus became an important financial and emotionally significant perspective on equality in relation to success.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study could encourage the government to adopt policies that will assist indigenous firms to benefit from advantages that are comparable to those that are available to those in the free zones. Greater attention to the perceptual effects of location would be advantageous. However, the exploratory nature of the study means that results cannot necessarily be generalised beyond the setting in which the data were collected. Future research should examine the impact of location for SMEs in a broader sample of countries.Originality/valueThis study is among those few studies located in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region that explore the performance of SMEs from the perceptions of owner-managers themselves and not based on aggregate or economic data. It supports previous findings of several studies and contributes additional evidence that suggests the significance of levelling the playing field and its impact on SME performance in the contemporary African business context.
A New Device for In Situ Dental Biofilm Collection Additively Manufactured by Direct Metal Laser Sintering and Vat Photopolymerization

Dental biofilms are complex medical biofilms that cause caries, the most prevalent disease of humankind. They are typically collected using handcrafted intraoral devices with mounted carriers for biofilm growth. As the geometry of handcrafted devices is not standardized, the shear forces acting on the biofilms and the access to salivary nutrients differ between carriers. The resulting variability in biofilm growth renders the comparison of different treatment modalities difficult. The aim of the present work was to design and validate an additively manufactured intraoral device with a dental bar produced by direct metal laser sintering and vat photopolymerized inserts with standardized geometry for the mounting of biofilm carriers. Additive manufacturing reduced the production time and cost, guaranteed an accurate fit of the devices and facilitated the handling of carriers without disturbing the biofilm. Biofilm growth was robust, with increasing thickness over time and moderate inter- and intraindividual variation (coefficients of variance 0.48–0.87). The biofilms showed the typical architecture and composition of dental biofilms, as evidenced by confocal microscopy and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Deeper inserts offering increased protection from shear tended to increase the biofilm thickness, whereas prolonged exposure to sucrose during growth increased the biofilm volume but not the thickness. Ratiometric pH imaging revealed considerable pH variation between participants and also inside single biofilms. Intraoral devices for biofilm collection constitute a new application for medical additive manufacturing and offer the best possible basis for studying the influence of different treatment modalities on biofilm growth, composition, and virulence. The Clinical Trial Registration number is: 1-10-72-193-20.
Robust Adaptive Observer-Based Predictive Control for a Non-Linear Delayed Bilateral Teleoperation System

In this paper, a new robust adaptive nonlinear teleoperation system using an improved extended active observer (IEAOB), adaptive Smith predictor (ASP) and sliding mode control is developed to address the time delay in the communication channels and the nonlinear robot model uncertainties. Firstly, an ASP based on Padé approximation and active observer is designed to compensate for the time delay effect. Specifically, the total network time delay is modelled by Padé approximation, and then an active observer is deployed to estimate the time delay. To ensure the time-varying delay effect is completely suppressed, a sliding mode control algorithm is further developed. The main added value of this teleoperation approach is that it requires neither specific mathematic delay-time model, nor strict assumptions on time delay from a practical point of view. Finally, the stability of the designed teleoperation system is theoretically studied and the system effectiveness is demonstrated by applying it to a pair of Phantom Omni haptic devices connected via a communication channel with time-varying delays.
Real-World Evidence for Favourable Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Hungarian Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Treated for Two Years with Oral Teriflunomide: Results of the Teri-REAL Study

Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is a degenerative, inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which symptoms and disability progression vary significantly among patients. Teri-REAL was a prospective, real-world observational study that examined quality-of-life (QoL) and treatment outcomes in a Hungarian cohort of RRMS patients treated with once-daily oral teriflunomide. QoL was assessed at baseline, 12, and 24 months with the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQoL-54) questionnaire. Other measurements included disease progression (Patient Determined Disease Steps [PDDS]), clinical efficacy (relapses), fatigue (Fatigue Impact Scale [FIS]), depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]), cognition (Brief International Cognitive Assessment in MS [BICAMS]), persistence and safety. 212 patients were enrolled (69.1% female, 50.5% treatment naïve), with 146 (69%) completing the study. Statistically significant improvements in subscales of the MSQoL-54 versus baseline were found at Month 12 and Month 24. Significant improvements were also observed for individual components of the BICAMS score at 24 months, while PDDS, FIS and BDI scores remained stable. The mean annualised relapse rate was 0.08 ± 0.32. There were 93 safety events, most of which were mild to moderate. Improved QoL and cognitive outcomes in teriflunomide-treated patients over 2 years offer a unique perspective to this real-world study.
Diagnostics and Prognostics of Uncertain Dynamical Systems in a Bond Graph Framework

This thesis develops the approaches for diagnostics and prognostics of uncertain dynamic systems in Bond Graph (BG) modeling framework. Firstly, properties of Interval Arithmetic (IA) and BG in Linear Fractional Transformation, are integrated for representation of parametric and measurement uncertainties on an uncertain BG model. Robust fault detection methodology is developed by utilizing the rules of IA for the generation of adaptive interval valued thresholds over the nominal residuals. The method is validated in real time on an uncertain and highly complex steam generator system.Secondly, a novel hybrid prognostic methodology is developed using BG derived Analytical Redundancy Relationships and Particle Filtering algorithms. Estimations of the current state of health of a system parameter and the associated hidden parameters are achieved in probabilistic terms. Prediction of the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of the system parameter is also achieved in probabilistic terms. The associated uncertainties arising out of noisy measurements, environmental conditions etc. are effectively managed to produce a reliable prediction of RUL with suitable confidence bounds. The method is validated in real time on an uncertain mechatronic system.Thirdly, the prognostic methodology is validated and implemented on the electrical electro-chemical subsystem of an industrial Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. A BG of the latter is utilized which is suited for diagnostics and prognostics. The hybrid prognostic methodology is validated, involving real degradation data sets.
Gain saturated SOA cascaded EML analog optical transmitter

We present an improvement in an analog optical transmission performance by reducing both the nonlinearity and the periodic RF carrier suppression. The proposed technique takes advantage of the gain saturation characteristics of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) to reduce the intrinsic nonlinearity of an electroabsorption-modulated laser (EML) and the negative chirp characteristics of the SOA and EML to expand the transmission length and operating frequency. Furthermore, RF signal gain was also obtained through optical signal amplification.
Biosurfactant-Producing Bacillus velezensis PW192 as an Anti-Fungal Biocontrol Agent against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Colletotrichum musae

In this study, plant-root-associated Bacillus species were evaluated as antifungal biocontrol agents by analyzing the production of surface bioactive molecules known as lipopeptide biosurfactants. This study aimed to isolate and characterize antifungal biosurfactant-producing Bacillus bacterium. Bacillus velezensis PW192 was isolated from the rhizosphere of Lagerstroemia macrocarpa var macrocarpa and identified based on phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The biosurfactant was excreted to cultured supernatant and exhibited emulsification power up to 60% and a decrease in surface tension from 72 in distilled water to 21 mN/m. The surface tension properties were stable in a broad range of pH from 6 to 10, in high temperatures up to 100 °C, and in salinities with a NaCl concentration up to 12% (w/v). Starting from 0.5 mg of acid, precipitated crude biosurfactant exhibited antifungal activity toward Anthracnose, caused by the phytopathogens Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. musae. The chemical structures of the biosurfactant were structurally characterized as lipopeptides fengycin A and fengycin B. The stability of the biosurfactant, as well as the antifungal properties of B. velezensis PW192, can potentially make them useful as agricultural biocontrol agents, as well as in other biotechnological applications.
Topological phase transitions and Weyl semimetal phases in chiral photonic metamaterials

Recently, topologically nontrivial phases in chiral metamaterials have been proposed. However, a comprehensive description of topological phase diagrams and transitions in chiral metamaterials has not been presented. In this work, we demonstrate several forms of topological phase transitions and study the existence of edge states in different phases. In the local/lossless chiral media system, the topological phase transitions are associated with Weyl points. Along with the transitions, the edge state and Fermi arc exhibit a series of changes. When the nonlocal effect is introduced, the system shows phase transition between type-I/II Weyl semimetal phase and trivial phase. Moreover, the dissipative system also undergoes topological phase transitions owing to the annihilation of the topological charges. Our work could be helpful for the application of topological concepts and rich the topological wave physics in metamaterials.
An Unusual Presentation of Duodenal Metastasis of a Previously Undiagnosed Primary Lung Adenocarcinoma

A cancer diagnosis can be a frightening experience for both patients and their families. It is at this juncture that a prompt diagnosis of cancer becomes vital. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women due to its aggressive nature and widespread metastasis. A metastatic lesion leading to the diagnosis of cancer followed by identifying the primary source is not unusual. Still, it is very uncommon for cancer to present with signs and symptoms of an infectious abscess. We report a case of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung that presented as an abdominal abscess. This article aims to bring more awareness among the medical community to include cancer in the differential for early diagnosis of potentially lethal cancer.
Implementation of Energy-Efficient Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks on TelosB Mote

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are formed by hundreds of sensor nodes that are distributed autonomously within the sensing area. It also incorporates with a gateway that provides wireless connection to communicate among nodes and pass data to one and another. There are various applications using WSNs such as wildlife monitoring, environmental monitoring and smart space. The limitation of WSNs is that they are only dependable on power battery to ensure their lifetime as a sensing device. Thus, in order to prolong the network lifetime, various research has been done including the development of energy efficient routing protocols. One of the earliest techniques is Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH). LEACH protocol uses randomization to select cluster head in order to have an evenly distributed energy among nodes. This work provides an in depth knowledge of LEACH protocol and how it is implemented on TinyOS using a TelosB mote. By implementing a conventional protocol which is Direct Transmission (DT) along with LEACH protocol in nodes, a significant impact on energy dissipation of protocols can be examined. In the findings, LEACH protocol energy usage in transmitting data can be evenly minimized thus lifetime of nodes can be longer. The result shows LEACH saves up to 30% of energy saving than using DT protocol.
Effects of cognitive control strategies on coding learning outcomes in early childhood

Abstract Coding learning involves cognitive control ability that enables children to coordinate behaviors according to internally maintained goals. However, such ability is still developing during early childhood and cannot reach maturity at least until late adolescence. This study aimed to test whether integrating cognitive control strategies into online and offline coding courses could benefit coding learning in early childhood. The results of Study 1 indicated that performance monitoring strategy did not improve coding learning outcome, which might be due to the lack of explicit instruction and social interactions. Then, during the offline coding courses in Study 2, we intentionally taught young children to use planning, monitoring, and reflection strategies based on games and collaboration. The results indicated that these strategies promoted the learning of highly-abstract coding skills. Therefore, the cognitive control strategies that are age-appropriately designed and integrated can exert positive effect on learning coding skills in early childhood.
Aerodynamics and Control of Quadrotors

Quadrotors are aerial vehicles with a four motor-rotor assembly for generating lift and controllability. Their light weight, ease of design and simple dynamics have increased their use in aerial robotics research. There are many quadrotors that are commercially available or under development. Commercial off-the-shelf quadrotors usually lack the ability to be reprogrammed and are unsuitable for use as research platforms. The open-source code developed in this thesis differs from other opensource systems by focusing on the key performance road blocks in implementing high performance experimental quadrotor platforms for research: motor-rotor control for thrust regulation, velocity and attitude estimation, and control for position regulation and trajectory tracking. In all three of these fundamental subsystems, code sub modules for implementation on commonly available hardware are provided. In addition, the thesis provides guidance on scoping and commissioning open-source hardware components to build a custom quadrotor. A key contribution of the thesis is then a design methodology for the development of experimental quadrotor platforms from open-source or commercial off-the-shelf software and hardware components that have active community support. Quadrotors built following the methodology allows the user access to the operation of the subsystems and, in particular, the user can tune the gains of the observers and controllers in order to push the overall system to its performance limits. This enables the quadrotor framework to be used for a variety of applications such as heavy lifting and high performance aggressive manoeuvres by both the hobby and academic communities. To address the question of thrust control, momentum and blade element theories are used to develop aerodynamic models for rotor blades specific to quadrotors. With the aerodynamic models, a novel thrust estimation and control scheme that improves on existing RPM (revolutions per minute) control of rotors is proposed. The approach taken uses the measured electrical power into the rotors compensating for electrical loses, to estimate changing aerodynamic conditions around a rotor as well as the aerodynamic thrust force. The resulting control algorithms are implemented in real-time on the embedded electronic speed controller (ESC) hardware. Using the estimates of the aerodynamic conditions around the rotor at this level improves the dynamic response to gust as the low-level thrust control is the fastest dynamic level on the vehicle. The aerodynamic estimation scheme enables the vehicle to react almost instantaneously to aerodynamic changes in the environment without affecting the overall dynamic performance of the vehicle. To quantify the resulting improvements in maintaining a desired thrust setpoint using the proposed thrust modelling and control scheme over current state-of-theart rotor speed control, static and dynamic flight tests are carried out in downdrafts and updrafts of varying strengths. In the static tests, the new scheme is able to
A linear LTE‐advanced CMOS RF power amplifier with integrated phase linearizer

In this work, a linear CMOS RF power amplifier (RF PA) to support 40‐MHz BW long‐term evolution‐advanced (LTE‐A) application is developed. The AM–PM distortion of the CMOS RF PA is compensated by the proposed wideband phase linearizer, which generates asymmetric triangular current waveform to provide pre‐distorted current to the RF PA. The fabricated PA is tested with 40‐MHz BW LTE‐A signal at 0.837 GHz carrier frequency and showing 30.3% overall system power‐added efficiency (PAE) and −36.1 dBc carrier aggregation (CA) evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E‐UTRA) adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) at 24 dBm output power. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:1119–1122, 2017