Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of COVID-19 on Home Advantage in Women’s Soccer: Evidence From Swedish Damallsvenskan

Most studies of the effect of COVID-19 restrictions on home advantage have been conducted on men’s soccer, with the women’s game lacking scientific attention. The present study fills this gap by investigating games in Swedish Damallsvenskan women’s soccer league. Comparing games in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, we find a slight, but not statistically significant reduction in home advantage in games without crowds in terms of goals scored and points achieved. However, unlike in most studies on men’s soccer, we find that away teams received significantly more yellow cards in games without crowds compared to games with crowds. We discuss our results in the context of the findings in men’s soccer. JEL Classification: D00, J71, L00, Z13, Z20.
High Efficiency Isolated 5-Level Dual Active DC–DC Converter Using Wide Band Gap Devices

In this article, a bidirectional isolated dc–dc converter is proposed for application in shipboard power systems. In this topology, an active 5-level T-type converter is used on the primary and secondary sides of a high-frequency transformer. The operation of the proposed converter is optimized based on minimizing power losses. For the optimization, the transformer core loss, reactive power, and rms current are considered. Wide band gap devices are used for the minimization of semiconductor switching losses. A control method based on the Fourier series and decomposition theorem is proposed. The proposed converter features higher efficiency, fault tolerant capability, and smaller filter size compared to the common dual active bridge dc–dc converters. To reduce voltage overshoot, a laminated dc-link is designed and a two-level turn-off method is used for operating frequencies around 75 kHz. Finally, the step-up and step-down operations of the proposed structure are verified through experiments.
Energy demands in high-intensity intermittent taekwondo specific exercises

Background Taekwondo is an intermittent Olympic combat sport, which shows an aerobic predominance in matches and high participation of alactic metabolism for actions that determine competitive success. However, there is no information on energetic contribution systems in different high-intensity intermittent exercises for metabolic conditioning with specific movements. The study aimed to measure the physiological demands, mainly the energy expenditure, in taekwondo-specific high-intensity intermittent exercises (HIIE). Methods This study recruited ten male black belt athletes with a mean age of 20.2 ± 4 years, body mass of 62.8 ± 10.5 kg and height of 170.6 ± 7.8 cm, and total practice time of 11.8 ± 5.4 years. Subjects performed an incremental specific test and three different HIIE protocols on nonconsecutive days, and all comprised three 2-min rounds and 1 min of recovery between rounds. Heart rate, oxygen consumption, and blood lactate were measured. Energetic expenditure of aerobic, alactic, and lactic metabolisms was estimated through oxygen consumption, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and peak blood lactate after each round. Results For the mean of the three rounds, the TKDtest100 resulted in higher absolute and relative contribution from the aerobic metabolism (52.4 ± 4%; p = 0.01) and lower than the 35:5 relative alactic contribution (48.7 ± 5.4%; p = 0.03). Conclusion The mean of the three rounds for 35:5 and 15:10:5 presented similar absolute and relative contributions of aerobic and alactic metabolisms, whereas the TKDtest100 was a predominantly aerobic activity. We emphasize that aerobic metabolism was predominant from the second round in the 15:10:5 and 100%TKDtest protocols and in the last round of the 35:5 protocol.
Factors Influencing the Spatiotemporal Variability in the Irrigation Requirements of Winter Wheat in the North China Plain under Climate Change

The North China Plain is a major grain-producing area, but faces water scarcity, which directly threatens food security. The problem is more severe under climate change and the seasonal impact of climate change on winter wheat is different. Thus, it is of great importance to explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of irrigation requirements (IR) and the factors influencing IR in different growth periods of winter wheat, but it has not received much attention. Therefore, we used relative contribution, partial correlation and path analyses to assess the spatiotemporal characteristics of the IR and primary factors influencing the IR of winter wheat in various growing stages in the North China Plain. The results indicated that wind speed and net solar radiation showed a significant downward trend; no prominent trend was noted in IR (multiyear average, 302.3 mm). Throughout the growing season of winter wheat, IR increased gradually from the southern to northern extent of the North China Plain. The irrigation demand of winter wheat in stage P2 (green-up to heading) was the largest. Furthermore, the dominant drivers of IR in terms of spatial distribution and inter-annual variation were phenological period (Phe), effective precipitation (Pe) and relative humidity (RH); however, the degree of their effects varied across the growth stages and growing regions of winter wheat. Each factor exerted both direct and indirect effects on IR and Phe exhibited the strongest indirect effect on IR. The major factors contributing most to IR were Pe and RH in the P1 stage (sowing to green-up) and Phe, Pe and RH in the P2 and P3 (heading to maturity) stages. Pe and RH limited IR, whereas Phe promoted it. Our findings will help improve agricultural water management in the future.
Vision-Based Virtual Impedance Control for Robotic System Without Prespecified Task Trajectory

This article proposes a vision-based virtual impedance control (VBVIC) scheme for the robotic system without prespecified task trajectory, where a neural network (NN) is used to compensate for the unmodeled dynamics and parameter uncertainties. In the proposed scheme, a novel control framework combined virtual potential field (VPF) with the impedance control is proposed to achieve noncontact impedance control, where the task trajectory does not need to be prespecified but is generated by integrating the bioinspired Tau-J into the virtual impedance model. Moreover, the virtual force generated by VPF is utilized to achieve the shaping and tracking of the task trajectory in the virtual impedance control scheme, and the information of target and obstacle is obtained by the visual sensing. The proposed VPF-based VBVIC scheme is analyzed by the Lyapunov stability theory and validated by a carrying task in simulations and experiments, respectively.
The relation of operating costs and the economic productivity of assets according to the type and scale of activity in food enterprises

The aim of the study is to determine the relation of operating costs to revenues from operating activities and economic productivity of assets depending on the type and scale of companies’ activity in the food sector. The research was carried out using the indicator of the level of operating costs to operating income, as well as the indicator of economic productivity of resources, measured by the ratio of operating result to average annualassets. The research included 175 companies of Polish food sector with revenues exceeding EUR 5 million per year from 2009 to 2017. It was found that at the operational level, the ratio of costs to revenues depended on the type of activity of the enterprise and raised with the increase in its scale. The dependence of the economic productivity of assets on the ratio of operating costs to operating income decreased along with the increase in the scale of the company’s operation. It was also noted that the level of operating costs did not independently affect the size of the economic productivity of assets of food sector enterprises.
History of the Study of the Genus Thiothrix: From the First Enrichment Cultures to Pangenomic Analysis

Representatives of the genus Thiothrix are filamentous, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria found in flowing waters with counter-oriented sulfide and oxygen gradients. They were first described at the end of the 19th century, but the first pure cultures of this species only became available 100 years later. An increase in the number of described Thiothrix species at the beginning of the 21st century shows that the classical phylogenetic marker, 16S rRNA gene, is not informative for species differentiation, which is possible based on genome analysis. Pangenome analysis of the genus Thiothrix showed that the core genome includes genes for dissimilatory sulfur metabolism and central metabolic pathways, namely the Krebs cycle, Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas pathway, glyoxylate cycle, Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle, and genes for phosphorus metabolism and amination. The shell part of the pangenome includes genes for dissimilatory nitrogen metabolism and nitrogen fixation, for respiration with thiosulfate. The dispensable genome comprises genes predicted to encode mainly hypothetical proteins, transporters, transcription regulators, methyltransferases, transposases, and toxin–antitoxin systems.
A Single Oral Immunization with Replication-Competent Adenovirus-Vectored Vaccine Induces a Neutralizing Antibody Response in Mice against Canine Distemper Virus

Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is a fatal and highly contagious pathogen of multiple carnivores. While injectable vaccines are very effective in protecting domestic animals, their use in the wild is unrealistic. Alternative vaccines are therefore needed. Adenovirus (AdV) vectors are popular vaccine vectors due to their capacity to elicit potent humoral and cellular immune responses against the antigens they carry. In parallel, vaccines based on live human AdV-4 and -7 have been used in U.S. army for several decades as replicative oral vaccines against respiratory infection with the same viruses. Based on these observations, the use of oral administration of replication competent AdV-vectored vaccines has emerged as a promising tool especially for wildlife vaccination. Developing this type of vaccine is not easy, however, given the high host specificity of AdVs and their very low replication in non-target species. To overcome this problem, the feasibility of this approach was tested using mouse adenovirus 1 (MAV-1) in mice as vaccine vectors. First, different vaccine vectors expressing the entire or part H or F proteins of CDV were constructed. These different strains were then used as oral vaccines in BALB/c mice and the immune response to CDV was evaluated. Only the strain expressing the full length CDV H protein generated a detectable and neutralizing immune response to CDV. Secondly, using this strain, we were able to show that although this type of vaccine is sensitive to pre-existing immunity to the vector, a second oral administration of the same vaccine is able to boost the immune response against CDV. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using replicating AdVs as oral vaccine vectors to immunize against CDV in wildlife carnivores.
A Theoretical Study of the In Situ Structural Reconstruction of Pdn (n = 6, 19, 44) Clusters for Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution

How in situ structural reconstructions affect the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of small Pd clusters is a long-standing problem in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, we reveal the structural evolution of Pdn (n = 6, 19, 44) clusters under the HER environment via stochastic global potential energy surface searching. We theoretically demonstrated that the HER activity of Pdn clusters first increases and then decreases under long-term working conditions. The intrinsic nature of these phenomenons includes interior H formations and structural reconstructions caused by the supersaturated adsorption of H atoms. This proves that carefully adjusting the hydrogenation degree of Pd clusters is a good strategy for improving the HER’s catalytic performance.
N6-Methyladenosine RNA Modification Landscape in the Occurrence and Recurrence of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of squamous head and neck cancer with variable geographic distributions, with the highest incidence in Southeast Asia. Its primary treatment is radiotherapy due to its high radio sensitivity. However, the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) landscape in NPC, including recurrent NPC, has not been reported. Methods In this study, m6A RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) sequencing and microarray sequencing were performed on 12 tissue samples tissues of patients with primary and recurrent NPC. The expression profiles of m6A-related and non-coding RNAs were constructed and explored. Then, function experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of methyltransferase (METTL)3, METTL14 and WT1 associated protein (WTAP) on progressions of NPC. Finally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and survival analysis were performed to confirm the correlation between METTL3, METTL14 and WTAP and NPC patients’ clinical outcomes. Results This study mapped m6A RNA modification and RNA expression profiles in normal nasopharynx, primary NPC, and recurrent NPC tissues. This study also explored the role of m6A modificators in NPC development and recurrence. METTL3, METTL14, and WTAP could promote invasion and metastasis of NPC, and that these three proteins could induce radiotherapy resistance in NPC cells through DNA repair. Moreover, we found that METTL3, METTL14, and WTAP promoted an increase in exosomes within NPC microenvironment. Conclusions This study suggests that the alteration of m6A modification in primary and recurrent NPCs may play an important role in the development and progression of NPC.
Mine schedule optimisation with ventilation constraints: a case study

This paper describes a process for optimising mine schedules with ventilation constraints using the Schedule Optimization Tool (SOT), the Ventilation Constraint Module (VCM) and a ventilation network solver (Ventsim). The VCM was developed as a component of MIRARCO’s SOT+ research project. Proper ventilation is critical for underground mines to operate safely, yet it is often not adequately considered early in the mine planning cycle. The need to account for ventilation early in the long-term planning cycle motivated the development of the VCM. The VCM generates constraints on the schedule of mining activities for each zone and for each stage of the mine life, based on available airflows. These constraints are intended to ensure that a mine schedule will be feasible from a ventilation perspective. Adhering to these ventilationbased constraints, as well as other constraints related to the project, SOT maximises the net present value (NPV) of the long-term schedule. The VCM will also assist the user in identifying opportunities to redistribute the airflow in the mine in ways that support higher-NPV schedules. A case study for a hypothetical underground mine will be presented, showing that the VCM supports the generation of optimised life-of-mine schedules that adhere to realistic ventilation constraints.
Increasing physical activity and active transportation in an arid city: Slow Streets and the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Slow Streets promote walkability and provide safe spaces for active travel and recreation by minimizing vehicle traffic on roads. Their effectiveness was tested when the City of Tucson implemented Slow Streets by temporarily closing certain neighbourhood streets to all but local traffic, giving people more space to safely walk, run, and bicycle. Using a quasi-experimental research design, it was possible to measure differences in walking and bicycling between Slow Streets and control streets. Results show Slow Streets are effective in increasing the number of people walking and bicycling on neighbourhood streets, especially while the temporary traffic barriers were in place.
Unexpected Method of High-Viscosity Shear Thickening Fluids Based on Polypropylene Glycols Development via Thermal Treatment

This study aimed to analyze the influence of the thermal treatment of shear thickening fluids, STFs, on their viscosity. For this purpose, shear thickening fluids based on polypropylene glycols PPG400 and PPG1000 and Aerosil®200 were developed. The shear thickening behavior of obtained fluids was confirmed by using a parallel-plate rheometer. Next, thermogravimetric (TG) analyses were used to characterized thermal stability and weight loss of the STFs at a constant temperature. Finally, the thermal treatment of the STFs obtained was provided using the apparatus developed for this purpose. The received STFs exhibited a very high maximum viscosity up to 15 kPa. The rheology of the STFs measured after thermal treatment indicated that the proposed method allowed the development of STFs with a very high maximum viscosity. The maximum viscosity of the STFs increased twofold when thermal treatment of the STFs at elevated temperature for 210 min was performed. TG confirmed the convergence of the weight loss in the apparatus. Our results show that controlling the thermal treatment of STFs allows STFs to be obtained with high viscosity and a dilatation jump of the STFs by degradation of the liquid matrix.
Prevalence, Identification and Mycotoxigenic Potential of Fungi in Common Spices Used in Local Malaysian Cuisines

Spices are widely used in various cuisines in Malaysia to enhance the flavour and aroma. However, spices are susceptible to fungal infection, leading to mycotoxin contamination if the storage conditions are favourable for fungal growth. Thus, this study aimed to identify fungal species in spices commonly used in local Malaysian cuisines and determine their prevalence and mycotoxigenic potential. A total of 110 spice samples consisting of cumin, fennel, coriander, peppers (black pepper and white pepper), chillies (dried chilli, chilli paste and chilli powder), cinnamon, star anise, cloves, curry powder and korma powder were randomly purchased from retail markets in Penang. The samples were analysed for the total fungal count (ground spices) and the incidence of fungal infection (whole spices). The fungal species isolated from spices were identified based on morphological and molecular approaches, and the mycotoxigenic potential was determined using the Coconut Cream Agar method. The results showed that coriander seeds (ground) recorded the highest total fungal count (ADM 3.08 log CFU/g; DG18 3.14 log CFU/g), while black pepper (whole) recorded the highest incidence of fungal infection (94%). Interestingly, star anise and cloves were free from fungal contamination. The mycotoxigenic fungi of A. flavus and A. niger recorded the highest isolation frequency in ground and whole spices. These findings indicate the risk of mycotoxin exposure to consumers due to the high consumption of spices in local Malaysian cuisine.
Advancing Public Service Innovation Through Empathy: An Analysis of Bangladesh’s Intrepid Approach

This study attempts to understand, explore and analyse how Bangladesh public administration has made considerable progress in fostering public service innovation (PSI) by instilling empathy among the public bureaucrats through the Empathy Training Programme (ETP). By employing qualitative methods, this study collected data from both primary and secondary sources. The empirical findings of the study suggest that ETP has been able to change the paternalistic and colonial mindset of public bureaucrats. In addition, the study further reveals that public bureaucrats are bringing this knowledge of empathy-led innovation to their workplaces, where they are effectively practising it, indicating that the ETP has not only been able to generate a cultural change in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) but also has created a sense of responsiveness and self-accountability among public bureaucrats. However, there are still areas of concern in terms of the sustainability of the ETP approach. The study also identified some critical building blocks, which have been considered responsible for the limited scaling up of the pilot projects. Finally, the study has come up with a set of recommendations for making this intrepid approach to Bangladesh public administration more effective.
Effects of severe anthropogenic disturbance on the heart rate and body temperature in free-living greylag geese (Anser anser)

Abstract Anthropogenic disturbances are a major concern for the welfare and conservation of wildlife. We recorded heart rate and body temperature of 20 free-living greylag geese in response to a major regularly re-occurring anthropogenic disturbance—New Year’s Eve fireworks. Heart rate and body temperature were significantly higher in the first and second hour of the new year, compared with the same hour on the 31st of December, the average during December and the average during January. Heart rate and body temperature was not significantly affected by sex or age. From 0200 to 0300 onwards, 1st of January heart rates did not significantly differ from the other periods; however, body temperatures were significantly increased until 0300–0400. From 0400 to 0500, heart rate was not affected by any of the investigated factors, whereas body temperature was significantly increased on the 1st of January compared with the 31st of December and the December average but not compared with the January average. To conclude, our results show that New Year’s Eve fireworks cause a substantial physiological response, indicative of a stress response in greylag geese, which is costly in terms of energy expenditure.
Not-for-Profit Organizations: A Multi-Disciplinary Review and Assessment From a Strategic Management Perspective

Despite the popularity of not-for-profit organizations (NFPs) as a research topic, existing comprehensive reviews are rather limited, resulting in a large body of literature that lacks integration. In this review, we summarize prior research on NFPs, focusing on four key differences between for-profit organizations and NFPs: organizational goals, financial resources, human resources, and leadership and governance. Our aims are to delineate the major inroads that have been made—not only in theory testing, but also in theory building—and to identify fruitful avenues for continued inquiry.