Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of culture as a determinant of tourism demand: evidence from European cities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of various cultural amenities on tourism demand in 168 European cities. Design/methodology/approach Using data from the European Commission’s Culture and Creative Cities Monitor 2017, a series of regressions are estimated to examine the impact of various cultural amenities on tourism demand while also controlling for other factors that may impact on tourism demand. Diagnostic tests are also conducted to check the robustness of the results. Findings The results reveal that cultural amenities in the form of sights, landmarks, museums, concerts and shows have a positive impact on tourism demand. By pinpointing the cultural amenities that are important for increasing tourism demand, the findings aid stakeholders in the tourism industry as they develop post-pandemic recovery plans. Originality/value This paper identifies two key aspects of the cultural tourism literature that require deeper investigation and aims to address these aspects. Firstly, while many studies focus on a specific or narrow range of cultural amenities, this study includes a series of measures to capture a range of cultural amenities. Secondly, while many studies are narrow in geographical scope, this paper includes data on 168 European cities across 30 countries.
Intensive outpatient treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder: a thematic analysis of patient experience

ABSTRACT Background Intensive treatments have shown encouraging results in the treatment of several psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, qualitative studies on patient experiences with intensive treatment for PTSD remain scarce. Objective The aim of this study was to explore patient experiences with an intensive, outpatient treatment for PTSD and to discover important factors behind treatment feasibility. Method Eight participants were recruited from two groups of patients having completed the intensive treatment programme. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted, and data sets were analysed using thematic analysis. Results The main result indicated that patients experienced the treatment as very demanding, but still worth the effort in terms of reducing symptoms. The intensity was valued as useful. Participants emphasized the sense of unity with other participants as well as physical activity as important factors for completion of the treatment programme. The rotation of therapists was also highlighted as important for treatment efficacy. Conclusions This study provides insights into what the patients experienced and emphasized as important aspects of treatment and essential factors for completing treatment. The main conclusions were that all of the patients evaluated the treatment as demanding, but the reward of reduced symptoms made it worthwhile. The high frequency of therapy sessions and the therapist rotation were reported to counteract avoidance and increase the patients’ commitment to therapy. Physical activity and unity in the group were highlighted as essential for treatment feasibility. HIGHLIGHTS • High treatment intensity enabled increased focus and adherence, and reduced avoidance. Therapist rotation led to heightened intensity and new learning experiences. • Physical activity and sense of unity through group elements were reported as important factors for treatment feasibility.
Ride-hailing Assistance Model for B40 Drivers: The Practical Model for Cash Transfer Recipients

Ride-hailing Assistance Model for B40 Drivers: The Practical Model for Cash Transfer Recipients. Abstract The Malaysian government strives to support the bottom 40 (B40) group by initiating various cash transfer programs, specifically known as household living aid. In 2017, the government introduced a special car rebate to cash transfer recipients who wished to become ride-hailing drivers to increase their monthly household income and promote self-employment. However, the initiative was reported impractical due to the car model and may send the borrowers into more debt. Its return on investments (ROI) was also questionable. Thus, this research aims to identify the mechanism for ride-sharing assistance for cash transfer recipients. The objective is to develop a practical entrepreneurship model based on government cash transfers specifically for ride-hailing services and the B40 group. This research employed a qualitative method through a semi-structured interview with eight ride-hailing drivers. Using Atlas.ti software, themes were created comprising of initiatives (amount, form, and payment procedures), process (information, selection criteria, and monitoring), car (model, attributes, and maintenance,) and car ownership and financing. This model can contribute to self-employment activities, improve the household income, and ultimately the recipients may find their way out of poverty. More significantly, the government can accurately create the incentive policy and enjoy the ROI in the form of poverty reduction.
Experimental investigation on the seismic behavior of self‐stressing steel slag CFST column

To fully use the expansion property of steel slag, an experiment on 10 self‐stressing steel slag concrete‐filled steel tube (SSSCFST) columns and four steel slag concrete‐filled steel tube (SSCFST) columns subjected to low cyclic loading are implemented, the effects of the expansion ratio of the steel slag concrete, axial compression ratio, diameter‐thickness ratio, and shear span ratio on the seismic properties of SSSCFST components are analyzed. The outcomes present that the failure mode of specimens changes from bending failure to bending‐shear failure as the shear span ratio reduces. With the improvement of the axial compression ratio, the initial stiffness, strength degradation degree, and the growth rate of energy dissipation capacity increase, while the ductility decreases. With the decrease in diameter‐thickness ratio, there is no significant change in other seismic performance except for the increase in initial stiffness. Compared with the SSCFST columns, the seismic performance indexes of SSSCFST columns are advanced. The study on the seismic behavior of SSSCFST columns can provide the basis for engineering application.
Models of Genetic Networks with Given Properties

A multi-parameter system of ordinary differential equations, modelling genetic networks, is considered. Attractors of this system correspond to future states of a network. Sufficient conditions for the non-existence of stable critical points are given. Due to the special structure of the system, attractors must exist. Therefore the existence of more complicated attractors was expected. Several examples are considered, confirming this conclusion.
Chronogram or phylogram for ancestral state estimation? Model‐fit statistics indicate the branch lengths underlying a binary character's evolution

Modern methods of ancestral state estimation (ASE) incorporate branch length information, and it has been demonstrated that ASEs are more accurate when conducted on the branch lengths most correlated with a character's evolution; however, a reliable method for choosing between alternate branch length sets for discrete characters has not yet been proposed. In this study, we simulate paired chronograms and phylograms, and generate binary characters that evolve in correlation with one of these. We then investigate (a) the effect of alternate branch lengths on ASE error and (b) whether phylogenetic signal statistics and/or model‐fit statistic can be used to select the branch lengths most correlated with a binary character. In agreement with previous studies, we find that ASEs are more accurate when conducted on the branch lengths most correlated with the character. Phylogenetic signal statistics show limited utility for selecting the correct branch lengths, but model‐fit statistics are found to be more accurate, with the correct branch lengths generally returning greater model‐fit (lower AICc and BIC values). Using this method to choose between alternate branch length sets is more accurate when tree and character properties are more favourable for model optimization, and when shape differences between alternate phylogenies are greater. Our results indicate that researchers conducting ASEs on discrete characters should carefully consider which branch lengths are appropriate, and, in the absence of other evidence, we suggest estimating model‐fit values over alternate branch length sets and evolutionary models and choosing the branch length/model combination that returns better model‐fit.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Plasma Cytokines and Metabolites Shows an Association between Galectin-9 and Changes in Peripheral Lymphocyte Subset Percentages Following Coix Seed Consumption

We previously reported that healthy adult males who consumed coix seeds for 1 week demonstrated an increased intestinal abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and altered peripheral lymphocyte subset percentages. However, the mechanism underlining these effects has not been elucidated. Therefore, cytokines and metabolites in plasma obtained in this study are comprehensively analyzed. A total of 56 cytokines and 52 metabolites in the plasma are quantified. Among them, 14 cytokines and 9 metabolites show significant changes in their levels following coix seed consumption. We examine the relationship between these changes and those in peripheral lymphocyte subset percentages and intestinal abundance of F. prausnitzii, which is also considerably altered following coix seed consumption. The galectin-9 concentration considerably decreased after coix seed consumption, and these changes correlate with those in cytotoxic T cells and pan T cells. Therefore, galectin-9 is possibly involved in the changes in peripheral lymphocyte subset percentages induced by coix seed consumption.
Barcelona Supercomputing Center: Science accelerator and producer of innovation

Supercomputing has become an accelerator; its use is now essential in almost all scientific disciplines. Established a little more than ten years ago, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) provides computing services for the European scientific community, carries out in-depth research in different fields, collaborates with multiple research centers and develops technologies for different sectors of society. Based on its capabilities and the skills of the responsible team, the BSC is planning to enlarge both its facilities and its penetration into the scientific and industrial communities as one of the most powerful tools to develop complex research.
Analysis Of Aircraft Arrival Delay And Airport On-time Performance

While existing grid environments cater to specific needs of a particular user community, we need to go beyond them and consider general-purpose large-scale distributed systems consisting of large collections of heterogeneous computers and communication systems shared by a large user population with very diverse requirements. Coordination, matchmaking, and resource allocation are among the essential functions of large-scale distributed systems. Although deterministic approaches for coordination, matchmaking, and resource allocation have been well studied, they are not suitable for large-scale distributed systems due to the large-scale, the autonomy, and the dynamics of the systems. We have to seek for nondeterministic solutions for large-scale distributed systems. In this dissertation we describe our work on a coordination service, a matchmaking service, and a macro-economic resource allocation model for large-scale distributed systems. The coordination service coordinates the execution of complex tasks in a dynamic environment, the matchmaking service supports finding the appropriate resources for users, and the macro-economic resource allocation model allows a broker to mediate resource providers who want to maximize their revenues and resource consumers who want to get the best resources at the lowest possible price, with some global objectives, e.g., to maximize the resource utilization of the system.
Back to the future: Exploring riverine macroinvertebrate communities' invasibility

Riverine communities have been subject to numerous biological invasion events, with crustaceans among the most successful group of invasive animals worldwide. Understanding what makes a river system prone to invasion is of considerable interest to environmental regulators, resource managers, scientists and wider society globally. The Ponto‐Caspian amphipod, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes (Crustacea: Gammaridae), is a hyper‐successful invasive species that was first recorded in the UK in 2012. The use of contemporary distribution data for D. haemobaphes (2009–2020) from England provided a unique opportunity to study faunal community patterns and differences between sites that experienced invasion compared to those that have not. Macroinvertebrate community taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic features, as well as the presence of co‐occurrent invaders and abiotic features of the river systems, were examined from sites before the invasion and compared to control sites that were not invaded during the study period. Sites that would later experience invasion by D. haemobaphes were characterized by higher abundances of other invaders (e.g., especially Ponto Caspian taxa), lower abundances of crustaceans and typically had greater channel width and water depth. These basic characteristics may help identify sites at risk of future invasion by D. haemobaphes. Most biomonitoring tools examined displayed no difference between control and pre‐invaded samples, while both taxonomic and functional richness displayed higher values at sites that were subsequently invaded, questioning classic biological invasion hypotheses. Recognizing specific community characteristics that may be a precondition for subsequent invasion is essential for understanding and better predicting their future trajectories of change.
γ -Irradiation Effect on DNA and Laser Induced FRET Method for Double Helix Quality Analysis

The goal of the present paper is the study of γ -irradiation ( 137 Cs) on conformation of DNA double helix in NaCl and NaNO 3 solutions using UV spectrometry and LI FRET (Laser induced fluorescence resonance energy transfer) spectroscopy. Effect of γ -irradiation dose of 26.4 krad on thymus DNA in 0.01M NaCl and NaNO 3 solutions (pH=6) has been studied. DNA concentration was 5.6·10 -4 M (P). The study was carried out by UV spectrometry and LI FRET spectroscopy. Total amount of primary products of water radiolysis at neutral pH after 26.4 krad irradiation was nearly ⁓0. 6 on a single DNA nucleotide. Under irradiation of DNA in NaCl solution the efficiency of energy transfer, E ET , from AO to EB intercalated in double helix is changed from 0.88 to 0.92. Registration of DNA UV absorption spectra at λ≅ 260 nm demonstrated distraction of 9% of bases; single strand scissions in DNA-NaCl is one distraction per 100 DNA nucleotides. When ethanol (0.1 M) is present irradiation practically does not distract nucleus bases but causes E ET change from 0.82 to 0.89. At DNA irradiation in NaNO 3 solution the bases are not distracted but the irradiation
Joint Caching and Computing Service Placement for Edge-Enabled IoT Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

By placing edge service functions in proximity to IoT facilities, edge computing can satisfy various IoT applications’ resource and latency requirements. Sensing-data-driven IoT applications are prevalent in IoT systems, and their task processing relies on sensing data from sensors. Therefore, to ensure the Quality of Service (QoS) of such applications in an edge-enabled IoT system, dedicated caching functions (CFs) are required to cache necessary sensing data. This article considers an edge-enabled IoT system and investigates the joint caching and computing service placement (JCCSP) problem for sensing-data-driven IoT applications. Then, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is exploited to address the problem since it can adapt to a heterogeneous system with limited prior knowledge. In the proposed DRL-based approaches, a policy network based on the encoder–decoder model is constructed to address the issue of varying sizes of JCCSP states and actions caused by different numbers of CFs related to applications. Then, an on-policy REINFORCE-based method is adopted to train the policy network. After that an off-policy training method based on the twin-delayed (TD) deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) is proposed to enhance the training efficiency and experience utilization. In the proposed DDPG-based method, a weight-averaged twin- $Q$ -delayed (WATQD) algorithm is introduced to reduce the bias of $Q$ -value estimation. Simulation results show that our proposed DRL-based JCCSP approaches can achieve converged performance that is significantly superior to benchmarks. Moreover, compared with the original TD method, the proposed WATQD method can significantly improve the training stability.
Novel trimmed heat extraction system for high‐concentration photovoltaic in hot climate zones

Mini‐channel‐based heat sinks are among the finest and promising strategies for effective heat extraction from high concentrating photovoltaic (HCPV) modules; however, in a constrained space this technology may challenge the increase of frictional losses resulting in high required pumping power. In the current research, new mini‐channel configurations are proposed to ensure lesser pressure drop without risking the safe operating limits of the HCPV modules at concentration ratios ranging from ×500 to ×2000. Three different configurations of a proposed trimmed design are analysed and compared against the conventional mini‐channel heat sink. All the trimmed mini‐channel configurations have recorded better cell temperature uniformity compared with the conventional mini channel and maximum solar cell temperature below the manufacturer's maximum recommended temperature for all tested optical concentration levels. The trimmed mini‐channel configuration that has 30% inlet and 70% outlet area has performed the maximum water outlet temperature of 53.71°C at a flow rate of 0.001 kg s−1, and a concentration ratio (CR) of ×2000 among the selected configurations. The same configuration has shown the lowest pressure drop of 8.61 Pa at a CR of ×500 and the best ratio of thermal power to pumping power, making it the best among the proposed configurations.
EAT Thickness as a Predominant Feature for Evaluating Arterial Stiffness in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Objective Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an intricacy heterogeneous syndrome. However, the association between EAT and arterial stiffness in HFpEF patients remains unknown. Methods A total of 102 patients were enrolled into the study, and brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV), epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and body composition were assessed. Linear regression analysis was carried out to model the relationship between variables (especially EAT thickness) and baPWV. Results The results showed that patients with the thicker EAT fat pad (≥3.55 mm) tended to have comorbidities of hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), diabetes and hyperlipidemia, also with a higher level of obesity, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG). The level of baPWV was higher in EAT ≥3.55 mm group than the other group. BaPWV was positively associated with EAT, age, heart rate, waist circumference, visceral fat area, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, CRP and FBG. After adjusting for EAT, age and visceral fat area, EAT thickness (β = 0.256, P = 0.009) and visceral fat area (β = 0.229, P = 0.036) significantly associated with baPWV. Conclusion The study assessed for the first time that the increased EAT thickness was closely related with baPWV in HFpEF patients, suggesting patients with the thicker EAT may be independently associated with arterial stiffness under the context of HFpEF.
A systematic review of large animal and human studies of stem cell therapeutics for acute adult traumatic spinal cord injury

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is a devastating condition and the search for a cure remains one of the most tenacious healthcare challenges to date. Current therapies are limited in their efficacy to restore full neurological function – resulting in lifelong disability and loss of autonomy. Whilst there remains a necessity to refine therapeutic protocols, stem cell (SC) studies have shown promise in the mending and re-establishment of the spinal cord neuroanatomy. Objectives: We conducted a systematic review of functional outcomes in stem cell therapeutics over the last three decades in large animals and humans. Methods: Medline, Embase, Cochrane and SCOPUS databases were searched for potentially pertinent articles from 1990 to 2020. Studies published in English were included if the stem cells were directly injected into the intraspinal, epidural or intrathecal compartments within two weeks of a traumatic mechanism of injury, including acute intervertebral disc prolapse. The participants were either large animals – defined as canine, porcine or non-human primate in-vivo models – or human patients. Results: Nine studies were included in this review. Statistically significant improvements in motor function and deep pain perception were seen at 8 weeks to 6 months post-SC injection compared to controls. Limitations: Functional outcomes are variably measured across studies. Almost all studies used experimentally induced trauma, which may not accurately represent the complexity of human spinal cord injury. Due to the exclusion criteria, there were no non-human primate studies included, yet these animal models are considered a closer anatomical match to humans than other large mammals. No human studies were included. Conclusions and Implications: Autologous and allogeneic stem cells have been trialled for the reconstitution of damaged and lost cells, remyelination of axons and remodelling of the pathophysiological microenvironment within the injured spinal cord, with some promising outcome data. This may translate to more successful future Phase I/II human clinical trials into the use of stem cells after TSCI in adults.
Making More Sustainable Food Choices One Meal at a Time: Psychological and Practical Aspects of Meat Reduction and Substitution

Switching out meat in favour of plant-based alternatives such as meat substitutes is an important step towards eating more sustainably. Here, the aim was to identify and explore the specific barriers experienced by Swedish consumers when replacing meat with more sustainable alternatives. All meat-eating participants in this study reported some interest in reducing their meat consumption. Aspects of home-use and central-location test methods were combined by using a digital conferencing system to host cooking sessions and focus group discussions online, which was shown to be a viable setup even in this hands-on setting. The discussions targeted participants’ experience preparing meals using meat substitutes as well as their perceived motivators and barriers to reducing meat consumption. Four themes identified through thematic analysis indicated that meat-eating participants, despite their desire or intent to reduce their meat consumption, experienced barriers relating to the following: internal conflict due to holding multiple positive and negative beliefs about meat simultaneously (ambivalence), justification of eating meat (rationalisation), a desire for variety in and control over their food choices (agency), and sensitivity to the views and expectations of other people and the situational context regarding meat (social and structural factors). Possible strategies to support ambivalent individuals in aligning their behaviour with their beliefs instead of vice versa are discussed in the context of the meat paradox. Agency and practical skills, including increasing knowledge in preparing meals with plant-based proteins, likely play a role in bridging this intention–behaviour gap.