Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Piezoelectric transduction of flexural modes in pre-stressed microbeam resonators

This paper reports on the optimization of the design of piezoelectric transducer elements integrated on doubly-clamped microbeam resonators utilized as (bio)chemical sensors. We report and emphasize the often forgotten influence of membrane stresses on defining the dimensions and optimal position of the piezoelectric transducer elements. The study takes into account stress induced structural changes and provides models for the equivalent motional parameters of resonators with particular shapes of the transducers matching the flexural modes of vibration. The above is analyzed theoretically using numerical models and is confirmed by impedance measurements and optical measurements of fabricated doubly-clamped beam resonators. We propose various transducer designs and highlight the advantages of using higher order vibration modes by implementing specially designed mode matching transducer elements. It is concluded that the paper describes and highlights the importance of accounting for the membrane stresses to optimize the resonator performance and the low power in electronic feedback of resonating sensing systems.
Swapping-based Data Sanitization Method for Hiding Sensitive Frequent Itemset in Transaction Database

—Sharing a transaction database with other parties for exploring valuable information becomes more recognized by business institutions, i.e., retails and supermarkets. It offers various benefits for the institutions, such as finding customer shopping behavior and frequently bought items, known as frequent itemsets. Due to the importance of such information, some institutions may consider certain frequent itemsets as sensitive information that should be kept private. Therefore, prior to handling a database, the institutions should consider privacy preserving data mining (PPDM) techniques for preventing sensitive information breaches. Presently, several PPDM methods, such as item suppression-based methods and item insertion-based methods have been developed. Unfortunately, the methods result in significant changes to the database and induce some side effects such as hiding failure, significant data dissimilarity, misses cost, and artificial frequent itemset occurrence. In this paper, we propose a swapping-based data sanitization method that can hide the sensitive frequent itemset while at the same time it can minimize the side effects of the data sanitization process. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods in terms of minimizing the side effects.
THE PROFITABILITY OF THE WEEKEND EFFECT: EVIDENCE FROM THE TAIWAN MUTUAL FUND MARKET

In this research we first investigated the day-of-the-week effect in the Taiwan mutual fund market. The results revealed significantly negative Monday returns and positive Friday returns. This weekend effect did not vary greatly between the early and later periods of the month. In the absence of transaction costs, weekend trading strategies, both simple and complex, can increase returns and moderate risk. Finally, the pattern triggered by macroeconomic news can only partially subsume the weekend effects of fund returns.
Pinnae Movement of Captive Asian Elephants Weakly Affected by Environmental Factors

Ear flapping is believed to be a behavioural mechanism to reduce heat in elephants. We examined the effects of temperature, humidity and body size on pinnae movement of elephants. Percentage of elephants flapping ears and individual ear flapping rate was determined every 10 minutes. Both factors were positively correlated with the ambient temperature and negatively correlated with relative humidity. Larger elephants flapped ears more frequently than smaller elephants.
A Fusion Navigation of Double Laser Radar for Intelligent Vehicle

A navigation method is presented for intelligent vehicle based on fusion of double laser radar. Given laser radar model and road curb model, road curbs are detected by one laser radar tilt-mounted on the intelligent vehicle, and they restrict the vehicle to travel inside the road surface. First, obstacle information from two laser radar are unified to same reference frame and fused, then they are implemented using angle potential field method, the best navigation angle is computed under the road curb restriction. Experiments show the algorithm works well in spite of road-boundary has regular shape or not, and is free from the impact of height difference of the road curb and road surface.
Abstractive Summarizer – A meaningful gist

— Abstractive method of Text Summarization means generating a smaller and readable summary texts that captures the context of the source text in a lesser readable text form. The produced summaries contain new expressions and texts that might not be in the original paragraphs. Summaries play a vital role for readers who regularly reads and search for documents. We have created a model using Deep Learning and LSTM which generates a short abstractive summary. This process requires a lot of theoretical implementations and challenges which need to be overcome which a discussed in details in this paper.
Simulation de l’évolution du climat aux échelles globales et régionales

In support of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that should appear in early 2007, modelling groups world-wide have performed a huge coordinated exercise of climate change runs for the 20th and 21st century. In this paper we present the results of the two french climate models, from CNRM and IPSL. In particular we emphasise the progress made since the previous IPCC report and we identify which results are comparable among models and which strongly differ.
Design of a steerable launcher for the ECH system on KSTAR

105/140Ghz dual frequency gyrotron is used in KSTAR tokamak for an electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH). The ECH launcher consists of a fixed mirror, a steering mirror, cooling systems and some mechanical component for a steering mirror. We have designed the fixed ellipsoidal focusing mirror for an efficient heating and localized control. The beam radius using the existing ECH launcher system is about 45 mm at the resonance layer. On the other hand, the modified launcher mirror reduces the beam size at the resonance layer for incident RF beam to 38 mm. The design results showed good agreement compared with the computation and simulation results. Since the distance between the corrugated waveguide and the fixed focusing mirror is fixed, it is difficult to more reduce the beam size. However, reduced beam size is small enough to localize MHD control and heating.
Reliability of Goldberg Scoring System in the Radiographic Evaluation of Bony Union after Bone Grafting

Background Evaluation of bony union after bone grafting is very important in orthopedic surgery. The aim of this study was to verify inter- and intraobserver reliability of the Goldberg scoring system for radiographic evaluation of bony union after bone grafting in various situations of animal models. Methods Twenty-seven male C57/BL6 mice, which lack the ability to synthesize galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (GalT KO mice), and 9 C57/BL6 mice carrying a wild-type gene were used as animal models. We divided the mice into four groups. In group 1, syngenic bone grafting and intramedullary fixation were performed (9 wild type C57BL/6 mice). In group 2, allogenic bone grafting was performed (9 GalT KO mice). In group 3, an alpha-galactosidase-treated porcine xenograft was transplanted into the femur to reduce the antigenicity (9 GalT KO mice). In group 4, a non-treated porcine xenobone grafting was performed (9 GalT KO mice). The level of radiographic bony union (Goldberg method) was assessed by three orthopedic surgeons. Intra- and interobserver reliability for radiographic evaluation was assessed. Results In the Goldberg scoring system, most of the radiographic measurements showed substantial to almost perfect intraobserver reliability. The total score showed substantial intraobserver reliability. The kappa coefficient (κ) of the first examiner was 0.603, the κ of the second examiner was 0.790, and the κ of the third examiner was 0.758. The scoring system showed substantial interobserver reliability. The κ of the first session was 0.641 and the κ of the second session was 0.649. Conclusions The Goldberg scoring system is a reliable tool for radiographic evaluation of bony union after bone grafting.
Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among the marine fishers of Maharashtra State of India: An online cross-sectional Analysis

The knowledge, awareness, and practices (KAP) about COVID-19 among the marine fishers who are engaged in the high-risk occupations and depend on the vulnerable sources of income in the Maharashtra state of India, were investigated to understand the behavioral changes and vulnerability among the respondents because of COVID-19. Data were collected through an online survey from 1st July to 30th July 2020 during the first peak of COVID-19 in the study area by using the questionnaire. Authors based on the latest recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the questionnaire and covered the KAP aspects under study. The questionnaire was administered through Google form link and the link was disseminated through social media such as Facebook and What’s App. The completed responses (n = 533) received from the eligible sample, excluding those outsides of the fisher community and duplicate entries were considered for analysis. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyze the data. Among the respondents, 447 men (83.86%) and 86 women (16.14%), with a mean age of 45.4 years (M = 45.4, SD = 1.18). The results revealed that 70.92% of respondents perceived a low risk of infection because of COVID-19 with M = 1.77 and SD = 0.583, but authors found the perceived severity score high (M = 3.95, SD = 1.21) among the 60.97% of respondents. Around 95% of respondents were aware of the COVID-19, while almost all respondents knew the medium of infection and symptoms of COVID-19. The behavior of respondents towards COVID-19 infection was positive and was following sufficient precautionary measures suggested by WHO to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the demographic features of respondents like age, education were significantly contributing to the KAP of the fisher community. The results confirmed the importance of KAP which is reflected in the behavioral responses of the fishers while tackling the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The results regarding the risk perception, severity, KAP about COVID-19 provide a collective understanding of the emerging infectious disease among the marine fishers of Maharashtra state of India.
670nm photobiomodulation modulates bioenergetics and oxidative stress, in rat Müller cells challenged with high glucose

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common complication of diabetes mellitus, is associated with oxidative stress, nuclear factor-κB (NFκB) activation, and excess production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Muller glial cells, spanning the entirety of the retina, are involved in DR inflammation. Mitigation of DR pathology currently occurs via invasive, frequently ineffective therapies which can cause adverse effects. The application of far-red to near-infrared (NIR) light (630-1000nm) reduces oxidative stress and inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we hypothesize that 670nm light treatment will diminish oxidative stress preventing downstream inflammatory mechanisms associated with DR initiated by Muller cells. In this study, we used an in vitro model system of rat Müller glial cells grown under normal (5 mM) or high (25 mM) glucose conditions and treated with a 670 nm light emitting diode array (LED) (4.5 J/cm2) or no light (sham) daily. We report that a single 670 nm light treatment diminished reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and preserved mitochondrial integrity in this in vitro model of early DR. Furthermore, treatment for 3 days in culture reduced NFκB activity to levels observed in normal glucose and prevented the subsequent increase in ICAM-1. The ability of 670nm light treatment to prevent early molecular changes in this in vitro high glucose model system suggests light treatment could mitigate early deleterious effects modulating inflammatory signaling and diminishing oxidative stress.
A Probability Method for Transmission and Distribution Outage Calculations

This paper shows how probability arithmetic can be applied to the historic failure rates of components to calculate the expected outage frequencies and durations at any point in an electric system. Calculations reveal the portions of time that a number of items will be subjected to simultaneous occurrences. In turn, these can be related to simultaneous conditions that must prevail for power to flow in series and parallel combinations of system components. These principles are demonstrated by samples that employ equipment outage rates developed for the author's company. It is possible actually to verify the method by comparing the calculations with actual experience.
Estimation régionale de quantiles de crues par l'analyse des correspondances

In this study, the problem of regional flood estimation at ungauged sites is examined in the metric space defined by the application of correspondence analysis to physiographic and climatic characteristics of drainage basins. The selection of this technique was dictated by its highly descriptive ability and the stability of the results it yields. The transposition of flood quantiles at an ungauged site is carried out via the corresponding weighted averaged quantiles observed at s neighboring sites (s fixed). The fundamental question regarding the optimal size of the neighborhood to be used in flood estimation at a particular site is addressed in the discussion of results obtained from the application of the methodology to the drainage basins in the province of Ontario, Canada. In addition to identification of dependence structures between the characteristics of the drainage basins considered, the correspondence analysis allows to identify homogeneous groups within which floods at an ungauged site are represented satisfactorily by the weighted averages of floods observed at neighboring sites. Comparison between results obtained and those from multiple regressions on the ensemble of basins shows that the proposed methodology can be adequately used to estimate flood quantiles.
Jujube metabolome selection determined the edible properties acquired during domestication.

Plants supply both food and medicinal compounds, which are ascribed to diverse metabolites produced by plants. However, studies on domestication-driven changes in the metabolome and genetic basis of bioactive molecules in perennial fruit trees are generally lacking. Here, we conducted multidimensional analyses revealing a singular domestication event involving the genomic and metabolomic selection of jujube trees (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.). The genomic selection for domesticated genes was highly enriched in metabolic pathways, including carbohydrates and specialized metabolism. Domesticated metabolome profiling indicated that 187 metabolites exhibited significant divergence due to directional selection. Malic acid was directly selected during domestication, and the simultaneous selection of specialized metabolites, including triterpenes, consequently lead to edible properties. Cyclopeptide alkaloids (CPA) were specifically targeted for the divergence between dry and fresh cultivars. We identified 1,080 significantly associated loci for 986 metabolites. Among them, 15 triterpenes were directly selected at six major loci, allowing the identification of a homologous cluster containing seven 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs). An OSC gene was found to contribute to the reduction in the content of triterpenes during domestication. The complete pathway for synthesizing ursolic acid was dissected by integration of the metabolome and transcriptome. Additionally, an N-methyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of CPA and responsible for inter-cultivar content variation was identified. This study promotes our understanding of the selection process of the global metabolome since fruit tree domestication and facilitates the genetic manipulation of specialized metabolites to enhance their edible traits.
Design and Construction of a Water Scrubber for the Upgrading of Biogas

This paper discusses the results of studies conducted on raw biogas produced from a prototypic biogas production plant located at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. This setup consists of a mixing chamber, a biogas digester and a stabilizing unit, locally designed and fabricated. It further discusses preliminary and detailed design coupled with the construction of an effective and efficient technology used in purifying raw biogas generated from the prototypic biogas production plant; this technology is otherwise known as the Water Scrubbing technology. The Scrubbing system consists of the Water scrubber with iron wool packed bed connected to a 500 litre water tank, and two tyre tubes which were used in storing the pre scrubbed (raw) biogas and the scrubbed (purified) biogas. The water scrubber has an inlet for the entry of the raw biogas and a discharge for the exit of the scrubbed biogas. Raw biogas from the plant was stored in a tyre tube and directly fed into the Water scrubber housing the iron wool packed bed, the purified biogas from the exit was also collected into another tyre tube. The samples of the gas mixture were taken before and after scrubbing and analyzed with Pascal Manometric Glass Tube technique. Results indicated that methane content of the scrubbed/ purified biogas was raised from 58% to 82% due to the reduction of Carbon dioxide and Hydrogen Sulphide. CO2 was reduced from 31% to 14% while H2S was reduced from 1% to 0.4%. The corresponding Energy content of the purified biogas was evaluated to be 41MJ/kg which is higher than that of the raw biogas which was evaluated to be 29MJ/kg.
Associations of Oral Contraceptives with Mammographic Breast Density in Premenopausal Women

Background: We investigated the associations of oral contraceptives (OC) with percent breast density (PD), absolute dense area (DA), nondense area (NDA), and a novel image intensity variation (V) measure in premenopausal women. Methods: This study included 1,233 controls from a nested case–control study within Nurses' Health Study II cohort. Information on OCs was collected in 1989 and updated biennially. OC use was defined from the questionnaire closest to the mammogram date. PD, DA, and NDA were measured from digitized film mammograms using a computer-assisted thresholding technique; the V measure was obtained with a previously developed algorithm measuring the SD of pixel values in the eroded breast region. Generalized linear regression was used to assess associations between OCs and density measures (square root–transformed PD, DA, and NDA, and –untransformed V). Results: OC use was not associated with PD [current vs. never: β = −0.06; 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.37–0.24; past vs. never: β = 0.10; 95% CI, −0.09–0.29], DA (current vs. never: β = −0.20; 95% CI −0.59–0.18; past vs. never: β = 0.13; 95% CI, −0.12–0.39), and NDA (current vs. never: β = −0.19; 95% CI, −0.56–0.18; past vs. never: β = −0.01; 95% CI, −0.28–0.25). Women with younger age at initiation had significantly greater V-measure (<20 years vs. never: β = 26.88; 95% CI, 3.18–50.58; 20–24 years vs. never: β = 20.23; 95% CI, −4.24–44.71; 25–29 years vs. never: β = 2.61; 95% CI −29.00–34.23; ≥30 years vs. never: β = 0.28; 95% CI, −34.16–34.72, Ptrend = 0.03). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that an earlier age at first OC use was associated with significantly greater V. Impact: These findings could guide decisions about the age for OC initiation.
Screening for cognitive impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus: Application of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in a Greek patient sample

Background Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Given that extensive neuropsychological testing is not always feasible in routine clinical practice, brief cognitive screening tools are desirable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a screening tool for CI in SLE. Methods Consecutive SLE patients followed at a single centre were evaluated using MoCA and an extensive neuropsychological test battery (NPT), including the Digits Forward and Digits Backwards, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Memory Test, Trail Making Test, Stroop Colour-Word Test, Semantic and Phonetic Verbal Fluency tests and a 25-problem version of the General Adult Mental Ability test. The criterion validity of MoCA was assessed through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses using three different case definitions: i) against normative population data, ii) and iii) against average performance of a comparison group of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, to adjust for possible confounding effects of chronic illness and inflammatory processes on cognitive performance. The effect of patient-related (age, years of education, anxiety, depression, fatigue and pain) and disease-related (activity, damage, age at diagnosis, disease duration, use of glucocorticoid, psychotropic and pain medication) parameters on the MoCA was examined. Results A total of 71 SLE patients were evaluated. MoCA significantly correlated with all NPT scores and was affected by education level (p < 0.001), but not by other demographic or clinical variables. The optimal cutoff for detecting CI, as defined on the basis of normative population data, was 23/30 points, demonstrating 73% sensitivity and 75% specificity. A cutoff of 22/30 points, using neuropsychological profiles of the RA group as inflammatory disease controls, exhibited higher sensitivity (100%, based on both definitions) and specificity (87% and 90%, depending on the definition). The standard cutoff of 26/30 points displayed excellent sensitivity (91–100%) with significant expenses in specificity (43–45%). Conclusion The MoCA is an easily applied tool, which appears to be reliable for identifying CI in SLE patients. The standard cutoff score (26/30) ensures excellent sensitivity while lower cutoff scores (22–23/30) may, also, provide higher specificity.
Methodological framework for development of competence standards for optical diagnosis in gastrointestinal endoscopy: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Position Statement

Optical diagnosis has an increasingly important role in current endoscopy practice because of the development of advanced imaging techniques and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI). Accurate optical diagnosis is an important skill to guide clinical decisions in endoscopy [1]. Accurate optical diagnosis helps in choosing the appropriate resection method and surveillance interval, thereby avoiding underand overtreatment, and saving costs. ESGE has developed a core curriculum for optical diagnosis practice across Europe for high quality optical diagnosis training [1, 2]. The development of easy-to-measure competence standards that are focused on Methodological framework for development of competence standards for optical diagnosis in gastrointestinal endoscopy: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Position Statement