Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preconception care in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence and its correlation with knowledge level among women in the reproductive age group

Objective: Preconception care is aimed to promote optimal health in women before conception to reduce or prevent poor pregnancy outcomes. Although there are several published primary studies from sub-Saharan African countries on preconception care, they need to quantify the extent of preconception care utilization, the knowledge level about preconception care, and the association among women in the reproductive age group in this region. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled utilization of preconception care, pooled knowledge level about preconception care, and their association among women in the reproductive age group in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Hinari, Google Scholar, and Cochrane library were systematically searched for relevant literature. Additionally, the references of included articles were checked for additional possible sources. The Cochrane Q test statistics and I2 tests were used to assess the heterogeneity of the included studies. A random-effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of preconception care, knowledge level of preconception care, and their correlation among reproductive-aged women in sub-Saharan African countries. Results: Of the identified 1593 articles, 20 studies were included in the final analysis. The pooled utilization of preconception care and good knowledge level about preconception care among women of reproductive age were found to be 24.05% (95% confidence interval: 16.61, 31.49) and 33.27% (95% confidence interval: 24.78, 41.77), respectively. Women in the reproductive age group with good knowledge levels were greater than two times more likely to utilize the preconception care than the women with poor knowledge levels in sub-Saharan African countries (odds ratio: 2.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.16, 4.76). Conclusion: In sub-Saharan African countries, the utilization of preconception care and knowledge toward preconception care were low. Additionally, the current meta-analysis found good knowledge level to be significantly associated with the utilization of preconception care among women of reproductive age. These findings indicate that it is imperative to launch programs to improve the knowledge level about preconception care utilization among women in the reproductive age group in sub-Saharan African countries.
Antibacterial and physicochemical properties of co‐sputtered CuSn thin films

Copper‐tin thin films (CT TFs) were deposited on p‐type Si(100) by radio frequency (RF) magnetron co‐sputtering method. The atomic ratio of Cu and Sn showed complementary tendency with various RF powers on metal targets. Antibacterial test was conducted with Gram‐negative Escherichia coli. The ratio of Cu and Sn ions and the contact time with E. coli affected the antibacterial efficiency. Increasing the ratio of Cu ions and contact time showed higher antibacterial activity. Cu20Sn6 called as bronze structure, metallic Cu, and copper oxide phases were identified from X‐ray diffraction data after sterilization. The lattice strain that was changed due to the substitution of Cu and Sn was also calculated. The surface morphology of CT TFs was entirely grown to round shape when the dominant element was Sn. But, as the content of Cu increased, the surface morphology was changed from ball shape to sharp column shape. When fixed contact time, the intensities of Cu 2p increased but the intensities of Sn 3d decreased as increasing the atomic ratio of Cu. The oxidation of Cu was more sharply progressed as the RF power on Cu target increased. When fixed CT TFs, the intensities of Cu 2p were consistent but the intensities of Sn 3d3/2 decreased as increasing contact time between CT TF and E. coli.
One-year results and safety of femtosecond arcuate incisions for high post-keratoplasty astigmatism treatment: time to rethink the procedure?

Background/Aims High astigmatism after keratoplasty is the main limiting factor for visual rehabilitation. Among its treatment options the arcuate keratotomy (AK) with the femtosecond laser stands out for its perfection and versatility of the incision making. We designed a study to evaluate the results and safety of femtosecond arcuate keratotomy (femto-AK) in the treatment of high astigmatism after keratoplasty.Methods A prospective interventional cohort study. We enrolled 17 eyes with high degree of irregular astigmatism, scheduled for Femto-AK. IntraLase FS was used to perform arcuate incisions 1.00 mm inside the graft. Patients’ uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BDCVA), and astigmatic change were recorded and followed up to one year after surgery.Results Despite overall improvement in corneal cylinder and visual acuity in one-year follow-up, there was a 52.9% complication rate. Cylinder overcorrection occurred in 6 cases (35.3%) that was managed with compressive sutures; microperforation occurred in two cases (11.7%); and endothelial rejection in one case (5.9%). Conclusion The predictability of astigmatism correction was variable in reducing postkeratoplasty astigmatism and high complication rate was found in our case series. New nomograms and improvements in technique need to be developed in order to reduce the incidence of overcorrections.
Bioinformatics Analysis of The Expression of ATP Binding Cassette Transporters and The Screening of Regulatory Genes in PTEN/PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in The Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective Here we performed the Bioinformatics analysis on the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), in order to find the correlation between the expression of ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) Transporters’ genes and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis; Methods Transcriptome profiles and clinical data of HCC were obtained from TCGA database. Package edgeR was used to analyze differential gene expression. Patients were divided into low-ABC expression and high-ABC expression groups based on the median expression level of ABC genes in cancer. The overall survival and short-term survival (n= 341) of the two groups was analyzed using the log-rank test and Wilcoxon test; Results We found that ABC gene expression was correlated with the expression of PIK3C2B (p<0.001, ABCC1: r=0.27; ABCC10: r=0.57; ABCC4: r=0.20; ABCC5: r=0.28; ABCB9: r=0.17; ABCD1: r=0.21). All patients with low-ABC expression showed significantly increased overall survival. Significantly decreased overall survival (Log-rank test: p<0.05, Wilcoxon test: p<0.05) was found in patients with high expression of ABCC1 (HR=1.58), ABCD1 (HR=1.45), ABCC4 (HR=1.56), and ABCC5 (HR=1.64), while decreased short-term survival (Log-rank test: p>0.05, Wilcoxon test: p<0.05) was correlated with the increased expression of ABCC10 (HR=1.29), PIK3C2B (HR=1.29) and ABCB9 (HR=1.23); Conclusions Our findings indicate that the specific ABC gene expression correlates with the prognosis of HCC. Therefore, ABC expression profile could be a potential indicator for HCC patients.
NFIQ 2 NIST Fingerprint Image Quality

NIST Fingerprint ImageQuality (nfiq 2) is open source software that links image quality of optical and ink 500 pixel per inch fingerprints to operational recognition performance. This allows quality values to be tightly defined and then numerically calibrated, which in turn allows for the standardization needed to support a worldwide deployment of fingerprint sensors with universally interpretable image qualities. nfiq 2 quality features are formally standardized as part of ISO/IEC 29794-4 and serve as the reference implementation of the standard.
Unsupervised Anomaly Detection for Hard Drives

In the age of smartsensors and industry 4.0 continuous monitoring of different machinery produce enormousamount of data, because of that datacenters are now-a-days a very important asset not only for large scale cloud providers, but also for medium to large enterprises,which decide to store in-house the ever increasing data collected during business operations. An efficient method for the maintenance of the great number of hard-drives housed in datacenters is critical to assure avaiability in a cost effective manner.Since 2013, Backblaze \url{https://www.backblaze. com/} has published statisticsand datasets for researchers to gain insights on hard drive performaces andtheir failures, in this paper more than 2.5 million records, following hard-drives S.M.A.R. T readings for over a year, will be analyzed. The objective of this paper is to show that it is possible to build a completelyunsupervised pipeline which produces an anomaly score that highlycorrelates to hard drives time to failure (TTF), in such a way a decisionto replace them can be made before failure, with minimal waste due to false alarms. Favorable comparisons with state of the art supervised classifiers will be presented. A brief example of how such a pipeline can beextended for data streams and continuos sensor monitoring will be given.
A Cross-Linguistic Approach to Analysing Cohesive Devices in Expository Writing by Asian EFL Teachers

Recent research has shown that cohesive devices contribute substantially to writing quality and reveal L2 writers’ information, such as first or native language. This quantitative study adopted a cross-linguistic approach to investigating the use of cohesive devices in expository writing by Asian EFL teachers compared to native English teachers. The study involved 80 participants from three different L1 backgrounds, including 28 Vietnamese, 26 Filipino, and 26 native English teachers. The Vietnamese and Filipino teachers were at a comparable level of English proficiency. Around 800 words were randomly selected from each participant’s reports for analysis. Results from One-Way ANOVA showed that the Vietnamese and Filipino teachers used a similar pattern of cohesion with lexical cohesion being used most frequently, followed by reference and conjunction. In contrast, the cohesive devices used by the native English teachers dispersed more widely across five main categories. The results further showed that the native English teachers used more cohesive devices in writing than the Vietnamese and Filipino teachers separately. Results from the Independent-Samples T-test showed omission and redundancy to be the two most common error types by both the Vietnamese and Filipino teachers. The study has implications for L2 writing and pedagogy. Keywords: L2 writing; cohesive devices; error analysis; discourse analysis; cohesion error patterns
Physically processing imperfect produce: The impact of prototypicality

Forty percent of edible produce is wasted because of consumers’ aversion towards aesthetical imperfections related to size, shape and blemish for produce. This phenomenon has huge implications in terms of both environmental sustainability and food security, and calls for the development of interventions that could facilitate the sale of products which would otherwise go to waste. This research provides an explanation for why transforming the physical state of imperfect produce – i.e. by physically processing it and turning it into other products (e.g., juices) – is a successful strategy in this sense. More specifically, when imperfect produce is transformed, the new processed product (e.g., juice) belongs to a different conceptual category and thus is perceived as more prototypical and a good example of this new category. We show that higher perceptions of prototypicality in turn lead to more positive preferences. We test this effect in three experimental studies and show that this mechanism is robust across a range of possible transformations of imperfect produce (e.g., natural vs. artificial) and across different dependent variables (i.e., purchase intention, product choice, willingness to pay). Our findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of a solution to be enacted by retailers and actors of the food sector and provide suggestions for public policy initiatives aimed at curbing food waste.
Tube model predictive control for an autonomous race car

Nonlinear effects and external disturbances can severely impact the control of an autonomous race car at the handling limits. State-of-the-art approaches do not take these uncertainties explicitly into account in the design process and are therefore prone to failure. To overcome this limitation, we present a robust control design based on tube model predictive control (TMPC). It is based on a simplified friction limited point-mass model and an additive disturbance for the lateral and longitudinal dynamics. Instead of nominal predictions, it leverages an approximate tube of reachable sets over the prediction horizon to guarantee constraint satisfaction. The resulting optimisation problem can be posed in the form of a standard quadratic programme by tightening the input and state constraints. The computational burden is therefore the same as in the nominal case. We benchmark our controller on a Hardware-in-the-Loop testbench with a nonlinear dual-track model and a combined Pacejka tyre model. The results demonstrate that the TMPC controller reduces the constraint violations while achieving comparable lap-times in contrast to an MPC controller and an infinite time LQR controller. It manages to apply caution when needed while maintaining a similar level of performance and is therefore considered to be superior in practical applications.
Understanding Food Delivery Mobile Application Technology Adoption: A UTAUT Model Integrating Perceived Fear of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s lifestyles and catalysed digital platform adoption, including within the context of the food delivery business. During the COVID-19 pandemic, food delivery mobile applications gained numerous new users, with the industry being one of the few domains to have leveraged the pandemic’s outbreak. This study investigates the factors that have influenced the adoption of food delivery mobile application technology during the pandemic in Thailand. The research model was adopted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, integrating perceived fear of COVID-19. Empirical research was conducted using data from 223 food delivery mobile application users in Thailand, with Structural Equation Modelling used to validate the model and analyse the hypotheses. The results indicate that the intention to use food delivery applications was significantly influenced by social influence, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived fear. Facilitating conditions significantly impacted actual usage behaviour, with moderating results revealing a stronger influence on behaviour intention of perceived fear of COVID-19 among females than males and among younger respondents than older respondents. The variance explained by the modified UTAUT model for intention to adopt food delivery mobile application technology was found to be 59.4%. This research makes a significant contribution to the literature in terms of validating a theory-driven framework that emphasizes the factors which impact the adoption of food delivery mobile application technology in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-SPER-08 Full Text: PDF
Nutrient uptake, soil nutrient status and water use efficiency as influenced by drip fertigation in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

Abstract Nutrient uptake by plant and nutrient status of soil after harvesting of crop varies markedly under fertigation and soil fertilization. A two year experiment was conducted at Vegetable Research Centre of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India during the rabi seasons of 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 to study the effect of drip fertigation with levels and scheduling on nutrient uptake, soil nutrient status and water use efficiency in broccoli. The experiment was laid out in two factorial randomized block design with one additional treatment consisting of five fertigation levels and three fertigation scheduling along with control (soil application of RDF with flooding) replicated thrice. Increasing the fertigation levels favors in increasing the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake irrespective of the crop growth stage. At harvest, N, P and K uptake by broccoli under fertigation increased by 10.47, 17.39, 12.21% and 18.08, 15.88, 9.96% compared to the soil fertilization in the first and second year, respectively. Fertigation treatment increased the available phosphorus by 11.73 kg compared to soil fertilization. Available potassium content in soil after harvesting of crop depleted when compared to initial value. The consumptive water used for both the years varies between 150 mm and 195 mm under different fertigation treatments as compared to 300–325 mm under traditional method of irrigation. Fertigation treatments registered significantly higher WUE of 78.31 kg ha−1 mm−1 and it was higher by 95.48% over the conventional method of irrigation (40.06 kg ha−1 mm−1).
PENGARUH PELATIHAN DAN PEMBERDAYAAN TERHADAP KINERJA PEGAWAI YANG DIMEDIASI OLEH KOMPETENSI

ABSTRACT This article aims to explain the direct influence of emotional intelligence, work-life balance, job satisfaction and performance variables. As well as the role of the mediating variable job satisfaction. The method used is quantitative - ekpanatory. Population and sample are 67 respondents. Data collection using a questionnaire. Data analysis using smart-PLS 3. The results show directly that emotional intelligence can increase job satisfaction and performance. Meanwhile, work-life balance can increase job satisfaction. However, it has not been able to improve performance. Job satisfaction can improve performance. In the research results indirectly, first it is known that job satisfaction in partial mediation is able to mediate the effect of emotional intelligence on performance. Second, full mediation job satisfaction is able to mediate the effect of work-life balance on performance. Keywords: emotional intelligence, work-life balance, job satisfaction , performance ABSTRA K Artikel ini bertujuan menjelaskan pengaruh secara langsung variabel emotional intelligence , work-life balance , kepuasan kerja dan kinerja. Serta peran variabel mediasi kepuasan kerja. Metode yang digunakan kuantitatif – ekpanatory. Populasi dan sampel adalah 67 responden. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner. Analisis data menggunakan smart-PLS 3. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan secara langsung bahwa emotional intelligence mampu meningkatkan kepuasan kerja dan kinerja. Sedangkan, work-life balance mampu meningkatkan kepuasan kerja. Namun, belum mampu meningkatkan kinerja. Kepuasan kerja mampu meningkatkan kinerja. Pada hasil penelitian secara tidak langsung, pertama diketahui bahwa kepuasan kerja secara partial mediation mampu memediasi pengaruh emotional intelligence terhadap kinerja. Kedua, kepuasan kerja secara full mediation mampu memediasi pengaruh work-life balance terhadap kinerja. Kata Kunci : emotional intelligence , work-life balance , kepuasan kerja, kinerja
The effects of depth perception viewing on hand–eye coordination in virtual reality environments

Virtual reality (VR) has been applied to many fields such as visualization, architecture, education, medical science, and sports simulation. Recent VR advancements allow direct manipulation of three‐dimensional (3D) objects in interactive displays, but problems of inefficiency in movement due to inaccuracy in depth perception have been reported. As human interaction in virtual environments (VE) is being realized, factors that may affect depth perception and movement need to be addressed. This study investigated the effects of viewing angle, stereo viewing technology, and visual cues on hand movement performance in a 3D movement task. Ten right‐handed participants performed continuous Fitts' pointing tasks using a computer mouse. Participants were asked to move a cursor to a target ball as quickly as possible. Fitts' law was employed to test effects to capture differences while the hand was moving in the 3D space under three factors, angle of declination, visual depth, and space cue and with varied index of difficulty (ID). Movement time (MT), error rate, and throughput (TP) were recorded as dependent variables. This study found significant effects of angle of declination, visual depth, space cue, and ID. This study investigated the effectiveness of hand movements in 3D environments for a further immersive VE using a two‐dimensional (2D) mouse. Potential applications of this research include the design of interactive 3D display interfaces in which fast and accurate selection is required and the manipulation of 3D objects in 3D environments may be expected.
Course of planned, actual and earned cost curves of diverse construction investments

Abstract The purpose of the paper is to analyse and evaluate the course of various construction projects and to compare the planned, actual and earned costs. The data for the development of the original research methodology come from the authors' own experience and professional work involving the providing of Bank Investment Supervision services documented in 536 BIS reports. On their basis, charts of planned/estimated, invoiced/actual and performed/earned values of the cumulative costs of the examined construction projects were prepared. The selected BCWS, ACWP, and BCWP graphs of the Earned Value Method curves in 8 homogeneous typological groups were presented. Such information is fundamental in terms of controlling and predicting of cost and schedule performances within homogeneous construction sectors. While planning diverse investments budget and timeframe the executives may foresee in measurable way the most probable spend of actual and earned values of managed projects. They can estimate the range of cost and schedule overrun at the construction project completion and set up mitigation actions to minimize the risks of such overrunning.
Ani-GIFs: A benchmark dataset for domain generalization of action recognition from GIFs

Deep learning models perform remarkably well for the same task under the assumption that data is always coming from the same distribution. However, this is generally violated in practice, mainly due to the differences in data acquisition techniques and the lack of information about the underlying source of new data. Domain generalization targets the ability to generalize to test data of an unseen domain; while this problem is well-studied for images, such studies are significantly lacking in spatiotemporal visual content—videos and GIFs. This is due to (1) the challenging nature of misalignment of temporal features and the varying appearance/motion of actors and actions in different domains, and (2) spatiotemporal datasets being laborious to collect and annotate for multiple domains. We collect and present the first synthetic video dataset of Animated GIFs for domain generalization, Ani-GIFs, that is used to study the domain gap of videos vs. GIFs, and animated vs. real GIFs, for the task of action recognition. We provide a training and testing setting for Ani-GIFs, and extend two domain generalization baseline approaches, based on data augmentation and explainability, to the spatiotemporal domain to catalyze research in this direction.