Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social-Cyber Maneuvers Analysis During the COVID-19 Vaccine Initial Rollout (Preprint)

BACKGROUND During the period surrounding the approval and initial distribution of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, many users took to social media to voice their opinions on the vaccine. They formed pro- and anti-vaccination groups and influenced behaviors to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. The methods of persuasion and manipulation for convincing audiences online can be characterized under a framework for social-cyber maneuvers known as the BEND maneuvers. Previous studies have been conducted on the spread of COVID-19 vaccine disinformation. However, none have used a process that conducts comparative analyses over time on both community stances and the competing techniques of manipulating both the narrative and network structure to persuade target audiences. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to understand community response to vaccination by dividing Twitter data from the initial Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine rollout into pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine stances, identifying key actors and groups, and evaluating how the different communities use social-cyber maneuvers, or BEND maneuvers, to influence their target audiences and the network as a whole. METHODS COVID-19 Twitter vaccine data was collected using the Twitter API for one-week periods before, during, and six weeks after the initial Pfizer-BioNTech rollout (December 2020-January 2021). Bot identifications and linguistic cues were derived for users and tweets, respectively, to use as metrics for evaluating social-cyber maneuvers. ORA-PRO software was then used to separate the vaccine data into pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine communities and facilitate identifying key actors, groups, and BEND maneuvers for a comparative analysis between each community and the entire network. RESULTS Both the pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine communities used combinations of the 16 BEND maneuvers to persuade their target audiences of their particular stances. Our analysis showed how each side attempted to build its own community while simultaneously narrowing and neglecting the opposing community. Pro-vaccine users primarily used positive maneuvers such as excite and explain messages to encourage vaccination and backed leaders within their group. In contrast, anti-vaccine users relied on negative maneuvers to dismay and distort messages with narratives on side effects and death and attempted to neutralize the effectiveness of the leaders within the pro-vaccine community. Furthermore, nuking through platform policies showed to be effective in reducing the size of the anti-vaccine online community and the quantity of anti-vaccine messages. CONCLUSIONS Social media continues to be a domain for manipulating beliefs and ideas. These conversations can ultimately lead to real-world actions such as to vaccinate or not to vaccinate against COVID-19. Moreover, social media policies should be further explored as an effective means for curbing disinformation and misinformation online. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable
Impacts of Weather Variations on Energy Consumption Efforts at U.S. Air Force Installations

Abstract : Energy consumption is a national concern, as evidenced by federal laws aimed toward facility energy conservation measures for federal organizations. Factors, primarily weather variables, that significantly impact energy consumption must be addressed and understood to align resources and programs to meet federal energy reduction goals. An energy model was created and tested to produce an appropriate forecasting tool for energy consumption. Energy demand at Air Force installations primarily depends on climatic conditions, with a small portion attributed to a base level of non-climatic conditions, such as interior lighting and appliance loads. By gathering all energy consumption and meteorological data covering 22 years for 74 Air Force installations throughout the world, an overarching predictive model was created. Specifically, heating degree-days, cooling degree-days, wind speed, and relative humidity data were collected and analyzed to determine the influence on energy consumption. The model showed a predictive value with adjusted R2 above 81%. Additionally, trend analysis conducted over the 22-year period provided insight into the significant use of heating load requirements during the winter months as compared to cooling load requirements in summer months. This information should encourage energy policy makers to allocate more resources into heating system requirements than into cooling requirements, taking advantage of major opportunities to reduce energy consumption.
Steerable Interfaces for Interactive Environments

Mobility is a fundamental feature of modern information technology. However, currently mobility is usually related to either data or to portable computing devices. Alternatively, mobility may refer to the perceptible boundary of the computer system, i.e. to the interface. In this thesis, we investigate the use of a new class of interfaces that have the ability to be moved within the environment: steerable interfaces. We address the issue of rendering interfaces steerable, explore their potential applications and evaluate the impact of interface steerability in the context of colocated collaborative work. A Steerable Camera-Projector pair, built for this study, allows us to display digital images on almost any surface in our laboratory. However, projecting on surfaces at arbitrary angles may distort the image. We propose two methods for dynamic image rectification; (a) based on detection of screen boundaries, and (b) based on a pinhole projector model and the relative orientation of the projector and the display surface. We use the screen boundaries detection algorithm to create a lightweight Portable Display Surface out of a handheld piece of cardboard. We use computer vision to render projected images interactive. Indeed, the view of the camera mounted on the computer controlled video projector overlaps with the projection cone. The camera can be used to detect user actions over the displayed images. However, light emitted by the video projector and the mobility of our interfaces result in challenging conditions for conventional computer vision algorithms. We propose a computer vision based implementation of basic interactive widgets that is robust to changes in lighting conditions. To develop our projection-based interactive system we adopt a Service Oriented Architecture. We propose a set of software services that are necessary to develop applications with steerable interfaces. To ensure the quality of our system, we evaluate these services with respect to user-centered usability criteria. The Steerable Camera-Projector together with the Portable Display Surface allows us to experiment with projection-based mobile interfaces, both portable and steerable. We propose a number of interaction techniques for controlling the location of a steerable interface, and analyze them using an adaptation of the “coupling” model. To evaluate interface steerability as a new form of interaction with computers, we perform a user study comparing immobile, portable and steerable interfaces in the context of colocated collaborative work. The results of the study show that users enjoy working with both portable and steerable interfaces. These results should motivate further research on steerable interfaces.
Development and Application of a Multidimensional Oral Health Scale

Background: Based on existing measuring tools, we sought to develop a multidimensional oral health scale suitable for domestic use and evaluate its reliability and validity. The scale was applied to conduct an initial investigation of the oral health of college students. It is expected that groups with a high oral health risk can be identified early through large-scale and low-cost questionnaire screening in the future, which can also provide ideas for the development of relevant clinical research. Methods: The current questionnaire focuses on oral health and health care behaviors. It is multidimensional and incorporates concepts such as oral health literacy. Freshmen from two different university colleges were selected as the research objects, and the questionnaire was distributed electronically. LISREL 8.80 and SPSS 21.0 were used to analyze the validity and reliability of the oral healthy literacy scale, and descriptive analysis was also performed using SPSS 21.0. Results: The scores of the two scales of oral health literacy were at medium and high levels. The Cronbach's alpha values were 0.96 and 0.95, and both the GFI and AGFI reached 1. The percentages of people who did not brush their teeth or use dental floss were 78.8% and 79.3%, respectively. Only 16.2% knew that the Bass Method was the most important technique to ensure oral health, and only 15.1% knew that regular dental cleaning every six months could also ensure oral health.Conclusions: At present, college freshmen have not developed correct oral health care behaviors. Dental cleaning should be included in medical insurance reimbursement to encourage people to receive regular oral examinations and dental cleanings.
A 31-bp Indel in the 5' UTR region of the GNB1L gene is significantly associated with body weight and carcass traits in chickens

Background G-protein subunit beta 1 like (GNB1L) can encode a G-protein beta-subunit-like polypeptide, the chicken GNB1L gene is up-regulated in the breast muscle of high-feed efficiency chickens, and its expression is 1.52-fold that of low-feed efficiency chickens. However, there are no reports describing the effects of GNB1L gene Indel on the growth and carcass traits of chickens. Results This study identified a 31-bp Indel in 5' UTR of the GNB1L gene and elucidated the effect of this gene mutation on the growth and carcass traits in chickens. The results indicated that the 31-bp Indel was highly significant associations with body weight at 8 different stages, and also significantly correlated with daily gain of 0 to 4 weeks and 4 to 8 weeks. Similarly, the mutation was significantly associated with small intestine length, breast width, breast deep and breast muscle weight in carcass traits. Moreover, DD and ID are inferior genotypes for the growth and carcass traits of chickens. Conclusions In a word, these findings suggest that the 31-bp Indel of GNB1L gene is significantly affected body weight and carcass traits in chickens, and can serve as a potential molecular marker for chicken genetics and breeding programs.
Development for change.

Lifelong Learning Networks are concerned with bringing about change in the practices and the provision of higher education to address the issue of low progression through vocational, applied and work-based routes. MOVE Lifelong Learning Network has sought to create a step change in lifelong learning and maximise the vocational progression opportunities for individuals within the MOVE learner constituency in the East of England. This includes: those with vocational or applied qualifications at level three those qualifying through work-based learning routes return to study learners seeking entry into vocational programmes either directly or through Access to Higher Education provision This document describes how MOVE has strategically employed the use of development funding to generate a critical mass of curriculum and other development activity within the region to bring about the step change in provision that is required to meet the needs of these learners. The aim is to demonstrate how targeted funding can stimulate significant innovation in the way in which higher education is delivered, in the type and range of provision that is available and in the practices employed to promote and support progression to higher education. In addition, the document describes how such changes in provision can contribute to a more employer led approach to curriculum development. The text also includes a range of project case study examples to illustrate the qualitative impact of the development activity supported by MOVE.
Wages and inflation in Mexican manufacturing. A two-period comparison: 1994-2003 and 2007-2016

The effect of wages on price inflation has been a foremost subject in economics. This paper evaluates the aforementioned effect in Mexican manufacturing for two sets of periods. The first one, from 1994 to 2003, covers an initial period of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The second period encompass from 2007 to 2016, comprising the Great Recession. For both periods, data is available on a monthly frequency. A first equation deals with wages and bilateral nominal exchange rate impacts on the producer price inflation. A second equation measures the effect of this last variable, besides a bilateral nominal exchange rate and the wage effect on consumer price inflation. These equations follow Pujol and Griffiths (1997), using an error correction model and Granger causality tests. The results for the above mentioned periods expose that wages have an almost null effect in both the inflation of producer and consumer prices.
Finite element computation of diphthong sounds using tuned two-dimensional vocal tracts

Finite element methods (FEM) are increasingly being used to simulate the acoustics of the vocal tract. For vowel production, the irreducible wave equation for the acoustic pressure is typically solved. However, diphthong sounds require moving vocal tract geometries so that the wave equation has to be expressed in an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) framework. It then becomes more convenient to directly work with the wave equation in its mixed form, which not only involves the acoustic pressure but also the acoustic velocity. In turn, this entails some numerical difficulties that require resorting to stabilized FEM approaches. In this work, FEM simulations for the wave equation in mixed form are carried out to produce some diphthongs. Tuned two-dimensional vocal tracts are used which mimic the behavior of three-dimensional vocal tracts with circular cross-section.
Introduction to Sensors

Introduction The Human Body as a Sensor System Sensors in an Automobile Classification of Sensors Example of a Gas Sensor: The Taguchi Sensor The Sensor as a Passive or Active Element The Sensor as Part of a Measurement System Sensor Properties Historical Development of Sensors Sensor System Electrochemical Sensors Conductimetric Sensors Semiconducting Metal Oxide Sensors Chemiresistors Other Solid-State Electrochemical Gas Sensors Concluding Remarks Piezoelectric Sensors Classification of Piezoelectric Sensors Piezoelectric Materials as Intelligent or Smart Materials The Piezoelectric Effect The Properties of Nonpiezoelectric and Piezoelectric Materials Piezoelectric Stress/Pressure Sensor Piezoelectric Accelerometer Active Piezoelectric Sensors Bulk Acoustic Wave Sensor Bulk Acoustic Wave Sensor Response Measurement Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors Fiber Optic Sensors Theory Light Leaking and Absorption in the Fiber Optic Link Fiber Link and Materials Communication Applications Fiber Optic Sensors Thermal Sensors Resistance Thermometers Theory of Metal-Based Thermometers Properties of Metal-Based Thermometers Theory of Semiconductor-Based Thermometers Thermistor Properties Concluding Remarks Magnetic Sensors Natural and Man-Made Magnetic Fields Materials Used in Magnetic Sensors Principles of Magnetic Sensors Solid-State Magnetic Sensors Index
Interaction Between Hyaluronic Acid Semi‐Interpenetrated Hydrogel with Bull Spermatozoa: Studies of Sperm Attachment–Release and Sperm Quality

The study of living systems in contact with biocompatible synthetic hydrogels is developing. The authors’ group is the first to propose use of polymeric materials to accomplish sperm selection process by attachment of bull sperm to hydrogel surfaces, this being a crucial step for successful assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). Surfaces based on poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels (PNIPAM) and ionic and neutral copolymers are synthetized. Their physicochemical properties in aqueous and culture medium are related to the percentage of attachment and subsequent release of bull spermatozoa from the hydrogel surface. High attaching capacity (30–45%) of sperm on cationic and neutral surfaces is mainly observed, however, sperm detachment from the hydrogel using traditional induction processes (i.e., sperm capacitation) is not significant. Therefore, PNIPAM‐co‐20%‐N‐Tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl acrylamide (PNIPAM‐HMA) hydrogel surface is semi‐interpenetrated with hyaluronic acid (HA). In this case, 50% of spermatozoa are attached to PNIPAM‐HMA‐HA hydrogel and after treatment with hyaluronidase, 47% of them are released. Collected sperm show acceptable characteristics of progressive motility (70% with score 4 for vigor), high viability, and cytoplasmic membrane integrity. Noteworthy, the study of the interaction of hydrogel surface/spermatozoa can be extended to human and other mammalian species, in order to provide advanced alternatives for gamete selection for ARTs.
Large deflections of a spring-hinged tapered cantilever beam with a rotational distributed loading

Large deflection problem of a spring loaded hinged nonuniform cantilever beam subjected to a rotational distributed loading is formulated by means of a second-order non-linear integro-differential equation. The problem is examined by considering the beam of rectangular cross-section with linear depth taper subjected to a uniform rotational distributed load. The elastic curves of a beam for this special case are presented.
Effects of Litchi on Systemic Low-Grade Inflammation and the Structure and Function of Gut Microbiota in HFA Mice

Background: Certain foods are known as “heating” foods in Chinese medicine as over consumption of them can lead to symptoms known as “heating up”, which have been shown to be symptoms of systemic low-grade inflammation. However, the mechanism by which these foods cause inflammation is not clear. In this study, we investigated dysbacteriosis of gut microbiota as a possible cause of inflammation by litchi, a typical “heating” food. Human flora-associated (HFA) mice model was constructed by first sterilizing their guts by oral administration of antibiotics, and then transplantation of fecal microbial suspension from a healthy human adult. After gavaging the mice with litchi powder suspension at low, medium and high doses (400, 800, 1600 mg/kg·d-1 respectively) for 7 days, the serum level of inflammatory cytokines, gut microbiota and the integrity of intestinal mucosal barrier were measured.Result: The intervention of litchi significantly increased the diversity of mice gut flora. The ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes and the abundance of Actinobacteria increased significantly. At the genus level, the abundance of Phascolarctobacterium, Akkermansia, Megasomonas and Lactobacillus generally decreased, while the abundance of Prevotella and Bacteroides increased significantly, especially in the high litchi dose group. The abundance of Bilophila increased significantly only in high dose group. litchi intervention caused serum TNF-α level to increase by more than two times and LPS level to double, but a decrease in IL-1β and IL-6 levels. Medium and high dose litchi intervention caused a widening of intestinal epithelial cell junction complex, and general weakening of the intestinal mucosal barrier as well as reduced efficiency of gut microbiota in energy conversion. Conclusion: This study confirmed the notion in Chinese medicine that as a “heating” food, litchi when consumed excessively can lead to low degree systematic inflammation and demonstrated that this is linked to its ability to cause dysbacteriosis of the gut microbiota and weakening of the intestinal mucosal tissues.
Improving Availability of Secure Wireless Sensor Networks

As wireless sensor networks continue to grow, so does the need for effective security mechanisms. But one of the main challenges for efficient key distribution in wireless sensor networks is the resource limitation. Some nodes play a central role in key distribution. For example, cluster heads in the LEAP security protocol have the main responsibility for key distribution to their cluster nodes. Therefore, they use more resources than other nodes in their cluster. In case of a cluster head failure, e.g. battery wear out, all nodes within the cluster lose their connection to the base station and considered dead by the base station although the cluster nodes are alive. The unavailability of the base station has a similar implication too, but in a wider extent covering all live cluster heads and cluster nodes in the network leading to the failure of the whole network. This paper presents a new energy aware key distribution solution to enhance the availability of a secure wireless sensor network environment by increasing the lifetime of all constituents of the network including the base station, cluster heads and cluster nodes.
Multiclass Analyzer for Movie Sentiments using Machine Learning Techniques

Gigantic volumes of content information are open in web. The fundamental rich assets of sentiments are from discussions, website evaluations, news and blog. Our point is to group the slants of clients focuses at mining the surveys of clients for a motion picture by removing the information naturally and characterize the conclusions into positive or negative sentiments. With the brisk making of Internet applications, incline course of action would have colossal opportunity to help people customized assessment of customer's notions from the web information. Customized feeling mining will benefit to the two clients and sellers.Up to now, it is as yet an entangled assignment with incredible test. Specifically, there is an abundance of content written in regular language accessible online that would turn out to be significantly more helpful to us were we ready to viably total and process it consequently by using the NLP techniques. The comments are pre-processed using NLP techniques like tokenization, stop word removal & stemming.Machine learning algorithms are used in opinion mining for product review data set to train the system based on the rules of the algorithm utilized where it is tested with test data set, both these train & test data sets are labelled unbalanced opinions.
The Efficacy of Temazepam for Improving Daytime Sleep and Night-Time Performance in Army Aviators

Abstract : Army personnel are commonly rotated to a night shift, or reverse cycle, in order to have the 24-hour period manned at all times. Working reverse cycle presents problems to personnel due to the difficulty in maintaining alertness during the nighttime hours. This is especially difficult when the shift must be worked several consecutive nights, creating a cumulative sleep dept. Appropriate countermeasures are required to ensure that personnel obtain as much rest and sleep as possible during the time required to adjust to reverse cycle so they may perform their duties effectively. The first objective of this protocol was to determine whether a short-acting hypnotic, taken by an aviator before daytime sleep, would improve sleep quality as measured by objective and subjective means. The second objective was to determine whether improved daytime sleep would increase alertness, reduce fatigue, and mitigate the usual performance decrements which occur during a night shift, particularly when night duty extends over several nights. The third objective was to determine whether improved daytime sleep would affect the ability of the body's rhythm to adjust to reverse cycle more rapidly than when daytime sleep is left on its own. Sixteen U.S. Army aviators between the ages of 22 and 45 were recruited from Fort Rucker, Alabama, and other Army installations. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a temazepam or a placebo group with the constraint that only eight subjects per drug group were allowed. each subject completed several test sessions which consisted of cognitive batteries, flight simulation, sleepiness and electrophysiological evaluations, and mood state questionnaires. Subjects were tested during three baseline days, during three nights of reverse cycle, and during three days following return to day shift (recovery days).