Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insurance as an Alternative for Sustainable Economic Recovery after Natural Disasters: A Systematic Literature Review

The risk of natural disasters has increased over the last few decades, leading to significant economic losses across the globe. In response, research related to the risk of economic loss due to natural disasters has continued to develop. At present, insurance remains the best solution for funding such losses. The purpose of this study is to analyse the development of insurance as an alternative for sustainable economic recovery after natural disasters. The data used are articles obtained from several sources indexed by Scopus and Google Scholar. The search resulted in a final database of 266 articles, culled from a total of 813 articles before the final selection was made. The articles used are publications from 2000–2021 (including 21 database periods), to which we applied a systematic literature review method. Identification and evaluation of the articles was carried out through visualization of their content, development of disaster risk insurance, and availability of disaster risk insurance by country and type. The identification results show that the relationship between the word “insurance”, according to visualization using the VOSviewer software, has a relationship with other clusters including the words “disaster”, “disaster insurance”, “risk”, “natural disaster”, “study”, “recovery”, and “disaster risk financing”. The 266 articles studied show that there was an annual increase in the number of published scientific papers over the period 2000–2021. The types of disaster risk insurance, based on a review of the articles, include agricultural insurance, flood insurance, property insurance, earthquake insurance, crop insurance, and natural disaster insurance. In addition, of the six types of disaster risk insurance, three have been discussed the most in the last five years, namely, agricultural, flood, and property insurance. The increase in the number of scientific publications discussing these three types of disaster risk insurance has been influenced by climate change. Climate change causes a significant increase in the potential for disasters and is accompanied by an increased risk of loss. This review is expected to provide information and motivation for researchers related to the development and importance of disaster risk insurance research. Research in the risk sector for disaster losses due to climate change should be continued in the future in order to help fund economic recovery, especially throughout the insurance sector. With continuous research on disaster risk insurance, it is hoped that the resulting information can be more effective in determining insurance risk and in helping local economies and communities recover after the advent of a disaster. With the availability of funds for post-disaster recovery, the regional economy affected by the disaster can be immediately restored and recovered from adversity.
Reconstruction of the origin and dispersal of the worldwide dominant Hepatitis B Virus subgenotype D1

Abstract Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV-D1 is the dominant subgenotype in the Mediterranean basin, Eastern Europe, and Asia. However, little is currently known about its evolutionary history and spatio-temporal dynamics. We use Bayesian phylodynamic inference to investigate the temporal history of HBV-D1, for which we calibrate the molecular clock using ancient sequences, and reconstruct the viral global spatial dynamics based, for the first time, on full-length publicly available HBV-D1 genomes from a wide range of sampling dates. We pinpoint the origin of HBV subgenotype D1 before the current era (BCE) in Turkey/Anatolia. The spatial reconstructions reveal global viral transmission with a high degree of mixing. By combining modern-day and ancient sequences, we ensure sufficient temporal signal in HBV-D1 data to enable Bayesian phylodynamic inference using a molecular clock for time calibration. Our results shed light on the worldwide HBV-D1 epidemics and suggest that this originally Middle Eastern virus significantly affects more distant countries, such as those in mainland Europe.
Study on the Incorporation of Chitosan Flakes in Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds

Hybrid scaffolds obtained by combining two or more biopolymers are studied in the context of tissue regeneration due to the possibility of achieving new functional properties or structural features. The aim of this work was to produce a new type of hybrid polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan (CS) electrospun mat through the controlled deposition of CS flakes interspaced between the PCL fibers. A poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution was used to transport CS flakes with controlled size. This, and the PCL solution, were simultaneously electrospun onto a rotatory mandrel in a perpendicular setup. Different PCL/CS mass ratios were also studied. The morphology of the resulting fibers, evaluated by SEM, confirmed the presence of the CS flakes between the PCL fibers. The addition of PEO/CS fibers resulted in hydrophilic mats with lower Young’s modulus relatively to PCL mats. In vitro cell culture results indicated that the addition of CS lowers both the adhesion and the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts. The present work demonstrates the feasibility of achieving a controlled deposition of a polymeric component in granular form onto a collector where electrospun nanofibers are being deposited, thereby producing a hybrid scaffold.
Characterising the Aboveground Carbon Content of Saltmarsh in Jervis Bay, NSW, Using ArborCam and PlanetScope

Coastal ecosystems, including saltmarsh, provide important ecosystem services, including blue carbon storage, nutrient cycling, and coastal protection. The loss or degradation of saltmarsh ecosystems may undermine their capacity to provide these services and drive carbon emission increases. The accurate mapping and monitoring of the aboveground carbon content in these ecosystems supports protection and rehabilitation activities. Previous studies have used medium resolution satellites (e.g., Landsat and Sentinel-2) to characterise saltmarsh communities; however, these platforms are not well suited to the fine-scale patchiness of the saltmarsh ecosystems found in Australia. Here we explore the potential of a very high spatial resolution (0.15 m), seven-band multispectral ArborCam airborne sensor and 3 m images captured by the PlanetScope satellite constellation for mapping and monitoring the aboveground carbon content of a saltmarsh ecosystem in Jervis Bay National Park, Australia. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from an ArborCam image was calibrated to aboveground carbon content using field survey data. Strong linear relationships between the ArborCam NDVI and aboveground carbon content were found when survey data were partitioned by species. The mean aboveground carbon content derived from the calibrated ArborCam image was 1.32 Mg C ha−1 across the study area; however, this is likely to have been underestimated. A monthly NDVI time series derived from 12 PlanetScope images was analysed to investigate the short-term temporal variation in saltmarsh phenology, and significant intra-annual variation was found. An exploration of potential drivers for the variation found that local rainfall was a potential driver. The combination of the very high spatial resolution airborne ArborCam image and the regular 3 m capture by PlanetScope satellites was found to have potential for accurate mapping and monitoring of aboveground carbon in saltmarsh communities. Future work will focus on improving aboveground carbon estimates by including a very high spatial resolution species distribution map and investigating the influence of temporal variations in saltmarsh spectral response on these estimates.
Coordinated campaigns on Twitter during the coronavirus health crisis in Mexico

ABSTRACT Social media is fast becoming a key instrument to manipulate or influence social perception. Digital platforms are having a serious effect on the manipulation of public opinion through the spread of political propaganda and message amplification via coordinated campaigns. As one of the most used social platforms among politicians and democratic governments, Twitter plays a critical role in how information flows through trending topics. The main purpose of this study is to explore how coordinated campaigns, in this case astroturfing, were used to influence and manipulate public opinion during the coronavirus health crisis in Mexico. Our research provides new insights into the early detection of astroturfing and artificial amplification, in order to expose the efforts to manipulate online discourse in Mexico. In the pages that follow, it will be argued that Mexico is currently experiencing online manipulation through malicious strategies that may threaten its democracy. The following hashtags were used to explore and compare our approach in Mexico: #GatellOrgulloMexicano (Gatell Mexican Pride) and #AMLOPresidenteDeLaSalud (AMLO President of Health). This study intends to build awareness and to improve the public’s understanding coordinated behavior on Twitter.
Comparing Efficacy of Different Dynamic Models for Control of Underdamped, Antagonistic, Pneumatically Actuated Soft Robots

Comparing Efficacy of Different Dynamic Models for Control of Underdamped, Antagonistic, Pneumatically Actuated Soft Robots Morgan Thomas Gillespie Department of Mechanical Engineering, BYU Master of Science Research in soft robot hardware has led to the development of platforms that allow for safer performance when working in uncertain or dynamic environments. The potential of these platforms is limited by the lack of proper dynamic models to describe or controllers to operate them. A common difficulty associated with these soft robots is a representation for torque, the common electromechanical relation seen in motors does not apply. In this thesis, several different torque models are presented and used to construct linear state-space models. The control limitations on soft robots are induced by natural compliance inherent to the hardware. This inherent compliance results in soft robots that are commonly underdamped and present significant oscillations when accelerated quickly. These oscillations can be mitigated through model-based controllers which can anticipate these oscillations. In this thesis, multiple model predictive controllers are implemented with the torque models produced and results are presented for an inflatable single-DoF pneumatically actuated soft robot. Larger, multi-DoF, soft robots present additional issues with control, where flexibility in one joint impacts control in others. In this thesis a preliminary method and results for controlling multiple joints on an inflatable multi-DoF pneumatically actuated soft robot are presented. While model predictive controllers are capable, their control commands are defined by solving an optimization constrained by model dynamics. This optimization relies on minimizing the cost of a user-defined objective function. This objective function contains a series of weights, which allow the user to tune the importance of each component in the objective function. As there are no calculations that can be performed to tune model predictive controllers to achieve superior control performance, they often need to be tuned tediously by a skilled operator. In this thesis, a method for automated discrete performance identification and model predictive controller weight tuning is presented. This thesis constructs multiple state-space models for singleand multi-DoF underdamped, antagonistic, pneumatically actuated soft robots and shows that these models can be used with model predictive control, tuned for performance, to achieve accurate joint position control.
Intercultural Competence Predicts Intercultural Effectiveness: Test of an Integrative Framework

Why does someone thrive in intercultural situations; while others seem to struggle? In 2014, Leung and colleagues summarized the literature on intercultural competence and intercultural effectiveness into a theoretical framework. This integrative framework hypothesizes that the interrelations between intercultural traits, intercultural attitudes and worldviews, and intercultural capabilities predict the effectiveness with which individuals respond to intercultural situations. An empirically verified framework can contribute to understanding intercultural competence and effectiveness in health care workers, thus contributing to more equity in health care. The present study sets out to test this integrative framework in a specific health care context. Future health care practitioners (N = 842) in Flanders (Belgium) were questioned on all multidimensional components of the framework. Structural equation modeling showed that our data were adequate to even a good fit with the theoretical framework, while providing at least partial evidence for all hypothesized relations. Results further showed that intercultural capabilities remain the major gateway toward more effective intercultural behavior. Especially the motivation and cognition dimensions of cultural intelligence seem to be key factors, making these dimensions an excellent target for training, practical interventions, and identifying best practices, ultimately supporting greater intercultural effectiveness and more equity in health care.
Linking Micropollutants to Trait Syndromes across Freshwater Diatom, Macroinvertebrate, and Fish Assemblages

The ecological quality of freshwater ecosystems is endangered by various micropollutants released into the environment by human activities. The cumulative effects of these micropollutants can affect the fitness of organisms and populations and the functional diversity of stream ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the relationships between the joint toxicity of micropollutants and trait syndromes. A trait syndrome corresponds to a combination of traits that could occur together in communities due to the trait selection driven by exposure to these micropollutants. Our objectives were to (i) identify trait syndromes specific to diatom, macroinvertebrate, and fish assemblages and their responses to exposure, taking into account four micropollutant types (mineral micropollutants, pesticides, PAHs, and other organic micropollutants) and nine modes of action (only for pesticides), (ii) explore how these syndromes vary within and among the three biological compartments, (iii) investigate the trait categories driving the responses of syndromes to micropollutant exposure, and (iv) identify specific taxa, so-called paragons, which are highly representative of these syndromes. To achieve these objectives, we analyzed a dataset including the biological and physico-chemical results of 2007 sampling events from a large-scale monitoring survey routinely performed in French wadeable streams. We have identified five (diatoms), eight (macroinvertebrates), and eight (fishes) trait syndromes, either positively or negatively related to an increasing toxicity gradient of different clusters of micropollutant types or modes of action. Our analyses identified several key trait categories and sets of paragons, exhibiting good potential for highlighting exposure by specific micropollutant types and modes of action. Overall, trait syndromes might represent a novel and integrative bioassessment tool, driven by the diversity of trait-based responses to increasing gradients of micropollutant toxic cocktails.
Effect of Tilt and Azimuth Angle on the Performance of PV Rooftop System

This paper focuses on to evaluate technical performance of PV roof top system. This system totally consists of 168 polycrystalline modules in which 14 are connected in series and 12 are connected in parallel. The total capacity of the system is 50 kWp, in which each module has the rated power capacity of 305 Watt. This system is connected to three 20kW inverters and which intern is connected to grid. Tilt angle and orientation is obtained by MATLAB 7.10 and PVsyst software for each 150 change in tilt angle, the variation in solar irradiance absorbed by the PV modules, variation in energy produced by the modules and the variation in the final yield are observed. MATLAB software is also used to find the curve fitting by using surface fitting tool. The result showed that at 150 tilt and 450 azimuth angles, the maximum yield and effective energy were obtained as 4.65 h/day and 1394 kWh/kWp/year respectively.
Design and construction of a test bench to characterize the charging and discharging behaviour

: Battery energy storage systems are able to compensate volatile energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. One system topology for medium voltage grids uses high voltage batteries. This yields in an improvement of the overall system efficiency. High voltage batteries may be advantageous for future DC-grids as well. However, as there is little expert knowledge about series connected batteries up to several kV, this makes investigations of the charging and discharging behaviour of such systems necessary. For this purpose, a test bench for high voltage storage systems is built to analyse these processes for different battery technologies. A special safety infrastructure for the test bench must be developed due to the high voltage and the storable energy of approximately 120 kWh. This paper presents the layout of the test bench with all components, the safety requirements with the resultant safety circuit and the aim of the investigations to be performed with the test bench.
Colombian Caribbean Bathymetry for an OTEC System Location

This article presents the creation of bathymetric cartography for San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina, and the Colombian Caribbean to find suitable areas for implementing an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) system. The methodology to obtain the bathymetry uses data collection, digitization, and interpolation. The data are processed using the Surfer® software; in this way, the digital terrain model (DTM) maps are generated for each sector. The objective is to find the minimum distance to reach a depth of 1000 m since this is the distance where a temperature difference of 20 ∘C is obtained. Thus, it is possible to identify suitable areas to locate an onshore or offshore plant in Santa Marta, Barranquilla, southwestern and northwestern San Andrés, the western part of Santa Catalina, and the southwestern part of Providencia.
Measuring the Technical Efficiency of Commercial Banks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo using the Non - Parametric Data Envelopment Method

: The objective of this study is to assess the technical efficiency of commercial banks in the Democratic Republic of Congo; then to look for the explanatory factors of this level of technical efficiency of these banks. We carried out this study on a sample of 7 banks drawn at random from the 15 commercial banks in the DRC. The main hypothesis is: the technical efficiency of commercial banks in the DRC would depend on the optimal combination of endogenous factors (inputs) for any level of outputs. These factors would be moderated by determining factors. The hypothesis adopted for the secondary question is: commercial banks in the DRC would be technically inefficient in transforming their entries. First, the results of our study let us see that on a sample of 7 commercial banks operating in the DRC, 6 banks (TMB, RAWBANK, ACCESS, BGFI, SOFIBANK, and BOA) are technically efficient in the combination of their resources, and BCDC is technically inefficient in combining its resources. Second, based on various statistical tests, the results show us that the technical efficiency of our sample is explained by the labor factor (number of employees), the deposits collected; basic equity and operating expenses.
Measuring Pulse Rate Variability During Motion Artifact with a Non-Contact, Multi-Imager Photoplethysmography System

Photoplethysmography relies on characteristic changes in the optical absorption of tissue due to pulsatile(arterial) blood flow in peripheral vasculature. Sensors for observing the photoplethysmographic effect have traditionally required contact with the skin surface. Recent advances in noncontact imaging photoplethysmography have demonstrated that measures of cardiopulmonary system state, such as pulse rate, pulse rate variability, and respiration rate, can be obtained from a participant by imaging their face under relatively motionless conditions. A critical limitation in this method that must be resolved is the inability to recover these measures under conditions of head motion artifact. To investigate the adequacy of channel space dimensionality for the use of blind source separation in this context, nine synchronized, visible spectrum imagers positioned in a semicircular array centered on the imaged participant were used for data acquisition in a controlled lighting environment. Three-lead electrocardiogram and fingertip reflectance photoplethysmogram were also recorded as ground truth signals. Controlled head motion artifact trial conditions were compared to trials in which the participant remained stationary, with and without the 115 aid of a chinrest. Bootstrapped means of one-minute, non-overlapping trial segments show that, for situations involving little to no head motion, a single imager is sufficient for recovering pulse rate with an average absolute error of less than two beats per minute. However, error in the recovered pulse rate measurement for the single imager can be as high as twenty-two beats per minute when head motion artifact is severe. This increase in measurement error during motion artifact was mitigated by increasing the dimensionality of the imager channel space with multiple imagers in the array prior to applying blind source separation. In contrast to single-imager results, the multi-imager channel space resulted in an absolute error in the recovered pulse rate measurement that is comparable with pulse rate measured via fingertip reflectance photoplethysmography. These results demonstrate that non-contact, imaging photoplethysmography can be accurate in the presence of head motion artifact when a multi-imager array is implemented to increase the dimensionality of the decomposed channel space.