Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data management for developing digital twin ontology model

Digital Twin (DT) is the imitation of the real world product, process or system. Digital Twin is the ideal solution for data-driven optimisations in different phases of the product lifecycle. With the rapid growth in DT research, data management for digital twin is a challenging field for both industries and academia. The challenges for DT data management are analysed in this article are data variety, big data & data mining and DT dynamics. The current research proposes a novel concept of DT ontology model and methodology to address these data management challenges. The DT ontology model captures and models the conceptual knowledge of the DT domain. Using the proposed methodology, such domain knowledge is transformed into a minimum data model structure to map, query and manage databases for DT applications. The proposed research is further validated using a case study based on Condition-Based Monitoring (CBM) DT application. The query formulation around minimum data model structure further shows the effectiveness of the current approach by returning accurate results, along with maintaining semantics and conceptual relationships along DT lifecycle. The method not only provides flexibility to retain knowledge along DT lifecycle but also helps users and developers to design, maintain and query databases effectively for DT applications and systems of different scale and complexities.
A Heuristic Method for Evaluating Accessibility in Web-Based Serious Games for Users with Low Vision

Nowadays, serious games have become a beneficial resource in the learning process; they are part of our culture and promote social inclusion. Designing accessible serious games is a complete challenge, even more for non-experts. Most existing serious games do not meet accessibility standards because of a lack of methods that include standards and help create more accessible serious games. For this reason, our research presents a heuristic method with three modifications to Giorgio Brajnik’s barrier walkthrough method and based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1). We defined 28 barriers for the users with low vision and the related impact and persistence variables by defining severity ranges to evaluate accessibility. This method allows measuring the accessibility of web-based serious games; the method proposed in this article can be a good help for non-experts. As a case study, this heuristic method was applied to 40 web-based serious games. The evaluators concluded that serious games should apply WCAG 2.1 to achieve an adequate and inclusive accessibility level. However, this study has limitations; the heuristic method depends on the evaluators’ experience. This work can contribute to studies related to accessibility heuristics in serious games; it can also help construct a software tool that applies WCAG 2.1 and helps experts and non-experts evaluate accessibility in serious games.
Small-scale lithospheric heterogeneity characterization using Bayesian inference 

<div> <p>Heterogeneities on the scale of the seismic wavelength in the Earth's crust and mantle cause complex wavefield fluctuations in time and amplitude which are known to affect velocity and source inversions, as well as other seismic characterisations. However, many seismic models ignore these heterogeneities for simplicity. As part of our longer-term goal to account for these, we attempt to rigorously and probabilistically characterise these lithospheric small-scale heterogeneities by combining a single-layer and a multi-layer energy flux models with a new Bayesian inference algorithm. The first technique characterizes energy losses to the ballistic arrival as intrinsic, diffusion and scattering quality factors, which allows us to compare the effects of these attenuation mechanisms on our data. With the second method, we can obtain synthetic coda envelopes for 1- and 2- layer models with different values of the correlation length and fractional velocity fluctuations in each layer. We then use the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to sample the likelihood space and obtain the posterior probability distributions for each parameter and layer in the model. Our thorough testing of these methods reveals complicated trade-offs between the parameters and highly non-unique solutions, thus highlighting the importance of the Bayesian approach for scattering studies. Previous studies applying these methods used a more traditional grid search for their coda inversion, which may have affected their results. We applied this approach to a data set of over 300 events from three seismic arrays in Australia: Alice Springs array (ASAR), Warramunga Array (WRA) and Pilbara Seismic Array (PSA). The results from the single-layer energy flux model show that all quality factors take higher values for PSA than for the other two arrays, indicating that the structure beneath this array is less attenuating and heterogeneous than for the other arrays. Intrinsic and diffusion attenuation are strongest for ASAR, while scattering and total attenuation are similarly strong for ASAR and WRA. Our multi-layer model results show the crust is more heterogeneous than the lithospheric mantle for all arrays, with crustal values of the correlation length and velocity fluctuations being lower for PSA than for the other arrays, indicating the presence of weaker and smaller scale heterogeneity beneath this array. We attribute these differences and similarities in the attenuation and heterogeneity structure beneath the arrays to variations in the tectonic history of the areas they are located on. This new Bayesian approach to the multi-layer energy flux model, in combination with the single-layer model, not only allows us to determine and compare the different quality factors, but also gives us detailed information about the trade-offs and uncertainties in the determination of the scattering parameters, making it a useful tool for future scattering and small-scale structure studies. &#160;</p> </div>
Trophic ecology of Caribbean sponges in the mesophotic zone

Sponges are a crucial component of Caribbean coral reef ecosystem structure and function. In the Caribbean, many sponges show a predictable increase in percent cover or abundance as depth increases from shallow (< 30 m) to mesophotic (30–150 m) depths. Given that sponge abundances are predicted to increase in the Caribbean as coral cover declines, understanding ecological factors that control their distribution is critical. Here we assess if sponge cover increases as depth increases into the mesophotic zone for three common Caribbean reef sponges, Xestospongia muta, Agelas tubulata, and Plakortis angulospiculatus, and use stable isotope analyses to determine whether shifts in trophic resource utilization along a shallow to mesophotic gradient occurred. Ecological surveys show that all target sponges significantly increase in percent cover as depth increases. Using bulk stable isotope analysis, we show that as depth increases there are increases in the δ13C and δ15N values, reflecting that all sponges consumed more heterotrophic picoplankton, with low C:N ratios in the mesophotic zone. However, compound‐specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA‐AA) shows that there are species‐specific increases in δ13CAA and δ15NAA values. Xestospongia muta and P. angulospiculatus showed a reduced reliance on photoautotrophic resources as depth increased, while A. tubulata appears to rely on heterotrophy at all depths. The δ13CAA and δ15NAA values of these sponges also reflect species‐specific patterns of host utilization of both POM and dissolved organic matter (DOM), its subsequent re‐synthesis, and translocation, by their microbiomes.
Long-Term Visual Robot Localization using Computational Models of the Neocortex

Visual place recognition is an essential capability for autonomous mobile robots which use cameras as their primary sensors. Although there has been a considerable amount of research in the topic, the high degree of image variability poses extra research challenges. Following advances in neuroscience, new biologically inspired models have been developed. Inspired by the human neocortex, hierarchical temporal memory model has potential to identify temporal sequences of spatial patterns using sparse distributed representations, which are known to have high representational capacity and high tolerance to noise. These features are interesting for place recognition applications. Some authors have proposed simplifications from the original framework, such as starting from an empty set of minicolumns and increasing the number of minicolumns on demand instead of the usage of a fixed number of minicolumns whose connections adapt over time. In this paper, we investigate the usage of framework originally proposed with the aim of extending the run-time during long-term operations. Results show that the proposed architecture can encode an internal representation of the world using a fixed number of cells in order to improve system scalability.
Symplectic Geometry and Its Applications on Time Series Analysis

This chapter serves to introduce the symplectic geometry theory in time series analysis and its applications in various fields. The basic concepts and basic elements of mathematics relevant to the symplectic geometry are introduced in the second section. It includes the symplectic space, symplectic transformation, Hamiltonian matrix, symplectic principal component analysis (SPCA), symplectic geometry spectrum analysis (SGSA), symplectic geometry mode decomposition (SGMD), and symplectic entropy (SymEn), etc. In addition, it also briefly reviews the applications of symplectic geometry on time series analysis, such as the embedding dimension estimation, nonlinear testing, noise reduction, as well as fault diagnosis. Readers who are familiar with the mathematical preliminaries may omit the second section, i.e. the theory part, and go directly to the third section, i.e. the application part.
Quantitative Structure‐Activity Relationships on MAO Substrates by Means of Quantum Chemical Properties

The structural and electrostatic requirements for the two types of monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity are quantitatively studied using similarity coefficients between the electron density and the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) distributions of a set of substrates. For the comparison of electron density distributions, the RXY similarity coefficient is used. In the case of MEP a new similarity coefficient is defined. Correlations between these coefficients and the experimental activities are studied and the results are consistent with previous ones. This shows the interest of this two parameters in QSAR studies.
Identification of band‐gap states by deep level transient spectroscopy on radioactive probes: The case of Au and Pt in silicon

The deep level transient spectroscopy technique has been applied to silicon doped with radioactive impurities. The disappearance or appearance of features in the spectra following the transmutation of the incorporated radioactive atoms identifies an impurity involved in the centers observed. Results for Au and Pt diffused in Si are presented showing that Au occupies the same lattice position as Pt, which is known from electron paramagnetic resonance measurements to be substitutional.
Association between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Food Allergy: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and food allergy (FA) are global public health problems. Several studies have explored the association between ASD and FA, but the conclusions were inconsistent. The aim of this review was to evaluate the relationship between ASD and FA. The PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to February 2, 2020. Studies investigating the association between ASD and FA were included. A random effects model was used to pool risk estimates. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were used to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. Fifteen studies with a total of 293,130 participants were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of FA in individuals with ASD was 13% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.10–0.17), while the pooled prevalence of FA in controls was 5% (95% CI: 0.04–0.07). The pooled odds ratio (OR) for FA in individuals with ASD was 2.45 (95% CI: 2.25–2.67). One study examined the prevalence of ASD in participants with FA. The prevalence of ASD in individuals with FA was 3.5% (95% CI: 0.029–0.042), while the prevalence of ASD in the control group was 1.6% (95% CI: 0.015–0.017). Five study examined the OR of ASD in participants with FA. The OR for ASD in individuals with FA was 1.95 (95% CI: 1.73–2.19). The results of this systematic review and meta‐analysis seem to reveal a significant association between ASD and FA.
Gut Microbiome Profiles and Associated Metabolic Pathways in HIV-Infected Treatment-Naïve Patients

The normal composition of the intestinal microbiota is a key factor for maintaining healthy homeostasis, and accordingly, dysbiosis is well known to be present in HIV-1 patients. This article investigates the gut microbiota profile of antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV-1 patients and healthy donors living in Latin America in a cohort of 13 HIV positive patients (six elite controllers, EC, and seven non-controllers, NC) and nine healthy donors (HD). Microbiota compositions in stool samples were determined by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA, and functional prediction was inferred using PICRUSt. Several taxa were enriched in EC compared to NC or HD groups, including Acidaminococcus, Clostridium methylpentosum, Barnesiella, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, and Lachnospiraceae UCG-004. In addition, our data indicate that the route of infection is an important factor associated with changes in gut microbiome composition, and we extend these results by identifying several metabolic pathways associated with each route of infection. Importantly, we observed several bacterial taxa that might be associated with different viral subtypes, such as Succinivibrio, which were more abundant in patients infected by HIV subtype B, and Streptococcus enrichment in patients infected by subtype C. In conclusion, our data brings a significant contribution to the understanding of dysbiosis-associated changes in HIV infection and describes, for the first time, differences in microbiota composition according to HIV subtypes. These results warrant further confirmation in a larger cohort of patients.
Gelatin Based Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Applications

Gelatin is one of the most popular natural polymers which is widely used in food, pharmaceutical, biomedical and cosmetic industries. The gelatin has been prepared from different sources such as porcine skin, cattle bone, and fish, etc. Depending on the type of acidic and alkali extraction processes the type of gelatin A and B were obtained. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of preparation of gelatin base hydrogel. Furthermore, we evaluate their method of crosslinking through Schift-base, Mischeal-addition-based, light, UV, chemical, and physical crosslinking. Moreover, due to the unique properties of gelatin they have the ability to immobilize cells and can be applied for stem cell and drug delivery in biomedical applications.
Recycle Selection for Homogeneous Azeotropic Distillation Sequences

To recover all the pure components from a homogeneous azeotropic mixture using distillation, one or more recycles are needed. These recycles may have compositions close to those of singular points (i.e., pure components and azeotropes) or may have compositions of mixtures of singular points. The selection of the recycle structure and of the recycle flow rates for a given distillation sequence is a design challenge, as recycles impact on both the feasibility and performance (e.g., the number of stages and the reflux requirement) of separations. This work analyzes recycles with singular point compositions in terms of their effects on the feasibility and performance of splits. On the basis of this analysis, a set of rules and a systematic procedure are developed for selecting recycles with singular point compositions and for identifying promising recycles comprising a mixture of singular points. These rules and procedures allow the recycle structure to be proposed efficiently for a distillation sequence separating a multicomponent homogeneous azeotropic mixture into pure component products.
How Does Corporate Sustainability Increase Financial Performance for Small- and Medium-Sized Fashion Companies: Roles of Organizational Values and Business Model Innovation

The objective of this study was to examine how corporate sustainability can raise the level of corporate financial performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the fashion industry by considering the roles of organizational values and business model innovation in forming corporate sustainability. It is meaningful to explore the role of corporate sustainability in SMEs as well as fashion companies considering the recent growth of SMEs in the fashion industry. Practitioners (N = 218) working for SMEs located in South Korea participated in an online survey. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in three organizational values of SMEs: flexibility value, rational value, and hierarchical value. While flexibility has contributed to forming business model innovation and sustainability, having a rational value has impacted business model innovation and financial performance. A hierarchical value affected only corporate sustainability. However, business model innovation did not show any significant impact on corporate sustainability or financial performance. Finally, corporate sustainability positively influenced financial performance only for SMEs that had experience practicing at least three sustainable activities. These results have implications for how SMEs manage sustainability to enhance financial performance.
Graphene-alumina nanostructured hybrid: synthesis with use dodecylamine and physicochemical properties

Abstract Combination of sol–gel and sonochemical techniques is suggested for producing a nanostructured graphene–alumina hybrid, which is a promising raw material for manufacturing fine-grained ceramics. This study focuses on the use of dodecylamine both in the sol–gel synthesis of Al-containing particles and in sonochemical graphene exfoliation. It has been shown that, when forming graphene–alumina composite in a reaction mixture of Al-containing sol and graphene suspension, graphene sheets take part as a template in the formation of a hybrid structure. Graphene sheets orient sol particles on their surface due to van der Waals interaction and control growth and direction of oligomeric gel chains. The graphene sheets limit the growth of Al-containing particles, which leads to an increase in the specific surface of the hybrid as compared to an alumina powder sourced from the same sol. The proposed approach enables the preparation of chemically homogeneous composite nanopowders with uniform distribution of components.
P-cresol and Indoxyl Sulfate Impair Osteogenic Differentiation by Triggering Mesenchymal Stem Cell Senescence

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients obtained high levels of uremic toxins progressively develop several complications including bone fractures. Protein-bound uremic toxins especially p-cresol and indoxyl sulfate are hardly eliminated due to their high molecular weight. Thus, the abnormality of bone in CKD patient could be potentially resulted from the accumulation of uremic toxins. To determine whether protein-bound uremic toxins have an impact on osteogenesis, mesenchymal stem cells were treated with either p-cresol or indoxyl sulfate under in vitro osteogenic differentiation. The effects of uremic toxins on MSC-osteoblastic differentiation were investigated by evaluation of bone phenotype. The results demonstrated that p-cresol and indoxyl sulfate down-regulated the transcriptional level of collagen type I, deceased alkaline phosphatase activity, and impaired mineralization of MSC-osteoblastic cells. Furthermore, p-cresol and indoxyl sulfate gradually increased senescence-associated beta-galactosidase positive cells while upregulated the expression of p21 which participate in senescent process. Our findings clearly revealed that the presence of uremic toxins dose-dependently influenced a gradual deterioration of osteogenesis. The effects partially mediate through the activation of senescence-associated gene lead to the impairment of osteogenesis. Therefore, the management of cellular senescence triggered by uremic toxins could be considered as an alternative therapeutic approach to prevent bone abnormality in CKD patients.
Global stability of a fractional-order logistic growth model with infectious disease

Infectious disease has an influence on the density of a population. In this paper, a fractional-order logistic growth model with infectious disease is formulated. The population grows logistically and divided into two compartments i.e. susceptible and infected populations. We start by investigating the existence, uniqueness, non-negativity, and boundedness of solutions. Furthermore, we show that the model has three equilibrium points namely the population extinction point, the disease-free point, and the endemic point. The population extinction point is always a saddle point while others are conditionally asymptotically stable. For the non-trivial equilibrium points, we successfully show that the local and global asymptotic stability have the similar properties. Especially, when the endemic point exists, it is always globally asymptotically stable. We also show the existence of forward bifurcation in our model. We portray some numerical simulations consist of the phase portraits, time series, and a bifurcation diagram to validate the analytical findings.
Analysis of Proteoglycan Content and Biomechanical Properties in Arthritic and Arthritis-Free Menisci

Studies on osteoarthritis of the knee have examined isolated aspects of the meniscus biomechanically and histologically, but not the difference between instantaneous modulus (IM) in healthy and diseased samples. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference in the biomechanical behavior and proteoglycan content between arthritic and arthritis-free menisci. In addition, the relationship between the biomechanical behavior and proteoglycan content should be investigated. A novel indentation-based method was used, which allows the mapping of the entire meniscus, without damaging it for histological examinations. A total of 26 arthritic and 14 arthritis-free samples were examined in the present study. A Mach-1 Model V500css test machine was used for biomechanical testing. A position grid was placed over each sample allowing all measurements (indentation test and thickness measurements) to be taken at the same position. All sections were then graded for Safranin O staining intensity for proteoglycan content. The maximum applied load of our arthritic samples above the posterior horn was statistically significantly higher (p = 0.01) at 0.02 ± 0.02 N than the maximum applied load of the arthritis-free samples at 0.01 ± 0.01 N. The proteoglycan content of the meniscus, evaluated by the Safranin O score, correlated statistically significantly with the maximum applied load over the entire meniscus (p = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.06–0.71). The present study showed that in the final stage of gonarthritis, the attenuation behavior of the meniscus was significantly lower compared to the arthritis-free knee. The mapping of IM and histological examination of the meniscus showed a direct correlation between changes in proteoglycan content and altered mechanical properties of the meniscus in gonarthritis.