Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvement of diesel injector nozzle test techniques

Due to changes in the characteristics of the fuel equipment during operation, a considerable part of the life cycle of locomotive engines operate under increased fuel consumption, and thermal voltage, which often causes degraded environmental performance and reduced engine capacity and, as a result, low efficiency of the locomotive. A reserve for improving the performance of the diesel plant and the diesel locomotive in general is the implementation of measures to prevent changes in the characteristics of the fuel system, for example, the development of clean-in-place technique of fuel systems from carbon deposits. In order to determine the effectiveness of such measures, it is necessary to apply new quality control methods of fuel atomization. The article offers a more informative method for evaluating the quality of fuel atomization, which can be used in locomotive depots during research and development work. The method consists of microphotography of the drops of sprayed fuel followed by microscopic analysis and processing of the results using special software. It is proposed to process the results of injectors testing using a statistical method, taking into account the parameters according to the Rosin-Rammler dependence for the relative total curve. As a result of the work, it became possible to develop requirements and implement technical improvements to the test stands for fuel equipment of diesel locomotives.
THE WAYS THE THEORY OF PHYSICS EDUCATION CAN EVOLVE

Theory of physics education, as well as our Journal of Baltic Science Education, made a significant step over the last 20 years. Twenty years ago, formal physics education had a one-and-a-half century of development; JBSE was just an idea to be turned into the 1st issue in 2002. In this article, I would like to mention some of the great steps physics education made in the last decades and some open questions for the nearest future. I would like to apologize to the readers from the field of biology, chemistry or primary science education - unlike in my previous articles in this Journal (Demkanin, 2013; Demkanin, 2018), here I focus on physics education.
Participation in Digital Citizen Science

Maria Victoria Palacin Silva Participation in Digital Citizen Science Lappeenranta 2020 100 pages Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 935 Diss. Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT ISBN 978-952-335-590-3, ISBN 978-952-335-591-0 (PDF), ISSN-L 1456-4491, ISSN 1456-4491 Digital platforms are playing an important role in shaping current scientific, social, and policy developments. Participatory science, in particular, has risen in popularity through the incorporation of digital citizen science platforms to facilitate the observation of social and environmental phenomena. However, sustaining participatory actions in the long term remains a major challenge in citizen science projects. Prior research has focused on two main areas to overcome this: 1) investigations into people’s motivations to engage in citizen science initiatives and 2) the design of incentive mechanisms to support people’s engaged action. Yet, the former relies on self-reported data, thus missing the link between self-reported motives and concrete actions. The latter works on the assumption that reward-centric mechanisms may enhance participation, though the effectiveness of such mechanisms has been proven to undermine sustained participation in other types of volunteering initiatives. This doctoral thesis addresses this research gap by advancing our understanding of what motivates people to participate in a sustained manner in digital citizen science initiatives. This exploratory work was done through a critical analysis of literature and practice reports, and the design of case studies and localized action research interventions. This research finds that in order to sustain participation in digital citizen science, human values must be considered when designing and evaluating the processes, tools, and incentive mechanisms. This thesis offers three key major contributions to human-computer interaction research and digital citizen science: a) it illustrates the different forms of participation in digital citizen science; b) analyzes the use and limitations of incentive mechanisms in digital citizen science; and c) it advances the understanding of the motivations that drive participation in digital citizen science (beyond self-reports) by leveraging on theories and instruments from social psychology, thereby adding new evidence on the link between values’ orientations and online behaviors.
Sharenting and parents’ digital literacy: an agenda for future research

ABSTRACT The responsibility for protecting children in the digital environment is perceived to be that of parents who are provided with multiple guidelines for monitoring children’s screen time and online use. The societal understanding that parents are responsible for supervising– and controlling– their children’s online behaviour is clear. As a result, studies have tended to focus on parents’ digital literacy in relation to these policing and managing responsibilities. A growing body of research, however, has examined parents’ behaviour creating their own digital narratives using personal information and photographs of their children through ‘sharenting’. This paper contrasts parents’ digital literacy as publishers of personal information and narratives with their designated role in policing and managing their children’s media use. Parental power in this context inevitably extends to the control of their children’s privacy, however our study indicates breaches of children’s privacy by ‘sharenting’ practices is frequently not recognised or fully understood by parents.
On the understanding of damping capacity in SMA: From the material thermomechanical behaviour to the structure response

Superelastic Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) provide a high damping capacity due to the hysteretic motion of the inter-phase boundaries during the martensitic transformation. They have demonstrated their ability to control vibrations of SMA-based Civil Engineering and Aerospace structures. In order to improve existing damping devices, characterization of SMA damping capacity is necessary, despite the lack of a standard procedure. Classical characterizations such as tensile or torsion tests on SMA samples are very attractive, the fact that they are common and simple to process. Furthermore, environment and loading conditions are quite easy to control. Different energy-based formulations have been proposed in the literature to explicitly predict SMA damping capacity from the hysteretic mechanical behaviour. The aim of this paper is to classify commonly used formulations from the literature, using a new thermomechanical vibration numerical model of a SMA beam structure. Thus, three energy-based predictions of SMA intrinsic damping ratio measured at the material scale are compared to the damping ratio measured from the free vibration signal at the SMA beam structure scale, taken as the objective reference. The formulation proposed by Piedbœuf and Gauvin provided a better match in three study-cases.
Measuring variability and association for categorical data

Abstract The quantification of the variability of the categorical data is an important topic not only in statistics, but also in many other disciplines. We suggest different variability measures to describe the variability of categorical data. In our approach, any set of categorical data for a determinate categorical variable is treated as a fuzzy set. Therefore, measuring the variability of categorical data is the same as measuring its fuzziness. Different measures of association between two categorical variables are also proposed. The measures can be easily applied to categoric random variables.
Ground state of random copolymers and the discrete random energy model

We propose and investigate a modification of the random energy model where the energies of different states are still independent random values but may take only discrete values. This model appears naturally in studies of random heteropolymers with monomers of two types. We calculate the probability that the ground state of such a polymer is nondegenerate and test this result against a lattice model of a heteropolymer with exhaustively enumerated conformations. The theory is in excellent agreement with numerical experiment. Our results imply that the lower the energy of the ground state the less probable that it is degenerate. The probability of degeneracy decays exponentially as ground state energy decreases.
Cardiovascular Health and Near Visual Impairment Among Older Adults in the Republic of Congo: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND Visual impairment (VI) and determinants of poor cardiovascular health are very common in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, we do not know whether these determinants are associated with VI among older adults in this region. This study aimed at investigating the association between the determinants of poor cardiovascular health and near VI among older adults living in Congo. METHODS Participants were Congolese adults aged 65 or older included in Epidemiology of Dementia in Central Africa-Follow-up population-based cohort. Near VI was defined as visual acuity less than 20/40 measured at 30 cm. Associations between determinants of poor cardiovascular health collected at baseline and near visual acuity measured at first follow-up were investigated using multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS Among the 549 participants included, 378 (68.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 64.9%-72.7%]) had near VI. Of the determinants of poor cardiovascular health explored, we found that having high body mass index of at least 25 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.25-3.68), diabetes (OR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.06-4.25) and hypertension (OR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.02-2.64) were independently associated with near VI. CONCLUSIONS Several determinants of poor cardiovascular health were associated with near VI in this population. This study suggests that promoting good cardiovascular health could represent a target for VI prevention among older adults.
Biscoumarin Derivatives as Potent anti-Microbials: Graphene Oxide Catalyzed Eco-Benign Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Docking Studies

Abstract A heterogeneous, inexpensive and eco-friendly graphene oxide (GO) catalyst empowered the formation of bioactive biscoumarin derivatives involving domino Knoevenagel–Michael condensation using 4-hydroxycoumarin and aromatic aldehydes in H2O: EtOH solvent system. The prepared GO was well characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In this efficient, green, and sustainable one-pot synthesis, the target products were obtained in excellent yields (76–97%) in short reaction time (10–20 min.) and the catalyst can be easily recoverable and reusable for five consecutive cycles. Moreover, the use of economical and easily available substrate, low catalyst loading, shorter reaction time, gram scale applicability and high atom economy are the additional advantages of this greener approach. The inhibitory activity of the synthesized compounds was tested against two species of Gram-negative bacteria (E.Coli MTCC 46 and P. aeruginosa MTCC 2488), two species of Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus MTCC 6980 and B. megaterium MTCC) and fungus (A. niger MTCC 1344) using the broth microdilution method. The electron withdrawing substituents like -CN, –F, and –Cl exhibited excellent activity against gram negative bacteria as compared to gram positive bacteria. Additionally, in silico studies were carried out on the selected DNA gyrase (1KZN) and human lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase CYP51 (3LD6) to study the docking interactions of the synthesized compounds. It was observed that out of all the docked compounds, 4e (−23.966 kcal/mol) and 4i (−24.976 kcal/mol) showed highest docking score against 1KZN and 3LD6 protein, respectively. Graphical Abstract
Poly(l-Lactic Acid)/Poly(Butylene Succinate) Biobased Biodegradable Blends

Abstract Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) are biodegradable, compostable, and biocompatible polymers that can be produced from annually renewable resources. These properties made them popular in environmentally friendly applications, and their industrial usage and production have grown in the latest years. However, both polymers have a few drawbacks that have limited so far their use: PLLA is hard and brittle with a slow crystallization rate, whereas PBS is ductile, has fast crystallization kinetics, but low modulus. The complementarity of their properties makes their blending a unique opportunity to exploit the favorable properties of the two polymers, which raised considerable research efforts in recent years on blends made of PLLA and PBS. Unfortunately, literature data on PLLA/PBS blends often report contradictory results on miscibility of the two polymers, as well as on the influence of composition on material properties: this creates confusion, complicating their exploitation. As an effort to elucidate miscibility and properties of the blends as function of composition, a critical analysis of the available research results on blends made of PLLA and PBS is provided in this review. The aim is to highlight the potentiality of PLLA/PBS blends, whose properties can be tailored by fine-tuning the composition.
Pre and Post examination evaluation of MCQs and SEQs Items in Undergraduate MBBS mock examination.

ABSTRACT. Objectives: To evaluate the quality of MCQs and SEQs pre and post Mock examination of physiology and biochemistry and correlation between the scores of both at private medical college Lahore. Study Design: Descriptive study and convenient sampling was done. Setting: Fatima Memorial College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore. Period: September 2016 to September 2017. Material & Methods: 149 students in Physiology and 143 in biochemistry took Mock examination. 45 MCQs and 9 SEQs each in biochemistry and physiology were prepared according to the table of specification provided by University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore, Pakistan. Item assessment according to Blooms taxonomy was done and item flaws identified with cover test done for structural validity of the paper before the exam by two medical educationists. Item analysis with difficulty index, discrimination index and distraction efficiency were done post examination. Results: 84.4% in physiology and 51.1% in biochemistry were of recall type (C1 level according to Blooms taxonomy), and 58% SEQs in physiology and 50% in biochemistry were C1. 20% and 28% MCQs in physiology and biochemistry respectively pass cover test and were without item writing flaws. Difficulty index shows that 53.3% in physiology and 48.8% in biochemistry needs modifications. 48.8% of MCQs in physiology and 15.5% in biochemistry need modification in discriminatory index. Similarly 59.5% and 64.0 % of MCQs had functional distractors in physiology and biochemistry respectively. Conclusion: The study concluded that Mock examination in subjects of physiology and biochemistry had item writing flaws, more MCQs were of C1 level and showed majority items in good difficulty, discriminatory index with two third functional distractors were present
The Mediating Effect of Insecure Adult Attachment on the Relationship between Smartphone Addiction and Self-Directed Learning in University Students

(1) Purpose: This study aimed to explore the mediating effect of insecure adult attachment on the relationship between smartphone addiction and self-directed learning in university students. (2) Methods: In total, 235 university students participated in this study. Data analysis was carried out through a three-stage verification procedure: Sobel test using technical statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. (3) Results: Smartphone addiction was positively correlated with insecure adult attachment, attachment anxiety, and self-directed learning, whereas self-directed learning had a significant negative correlation with insecure adult attachment and attachment anxiety. Insecure adult attachment had a mediating effect on the relationship between smartphone addiction and self-directed learning. (4) Conclusion: Higher levels of smartphone addiction indicated higher levels of insecure adult attachment and reduced self-directed learning ability. Therefore, while the prevention of smartphone addiction is critical for improving self-directed learning skills, programs should be developed to foster the formation of secure adult attachment among university students.
Accuracy in the chromatographic determination of extreme enantiomeric ratios: A critical reflection

The chromatographic quantitation of very low amounts of an enantiomer in the presence of its antipode can be an extraordinary challenge. If resolution of the peaks is not complete even at extreme mass ratios an integrator will yield inaccurate results due to geometric effects. A given resolution can be adequate for peaks of similar size but result in severe overlap if one of the signals is markedly smaller. If tailing occurs, which is more the rule than the exception, the problem is especially severe for last eluted small peaks. Additional obstacles are detector nonlinearity and other sources of unsatisfactory calibration curves, overloading phenomena, and the possible lack of standards of highest optical purity. These problems have been studied by computer simulations and the liquid chromatographic separation of (R,S)-phenylethyl naphthoic acid amide on a chiral stationary phase. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Modeling dynamic patterns from COVID-19 data using randomized dynamic mode decomposition in predictive mode and ARIMA

The aim of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the new Corona virus (Covid-19) dynamics directly from the raw data reported by World Health Organization. We provide a high fidelity mathematical model, fast and computationally inexpensive for modeling the evolution of the pandemic worldwide and we develop an effcient tool for medium term prediction of pandemic dynamics, including infection spreading. We illustrate the excellent behavior of the non-intrusive reduced order model by performing a qualitative analysis.
Hapten Design and Development of Polarization Fluoroimmunoassay for Nonylphenol

Polyclonal antibodies to nonylphenol (NP), raised against two different haptenic derivatives were characterized by a rapid, homogeneous polarization fluoroimmunoassay (PFIA). The first hapten, ω-(4-hydroxyphenyl)nonanoic acid (NP9), was designed to mimic the linear NP isomer and contains hydroxyphenyl and linear alkyl chain moieties of the NP molecule. The second hapten, 4-aminophenol (4AP), contains the hydroxyphenyl moiety of NP molecule alone and thus potentially mimics various phenolic compounds with different side chain structures. A number of fluorescent labeled antigens (tracers) with various structures of the spacer arm between the antigen and the fluorescent dye was synthesized and used to optimize the competitor structure for NP-specific PFIA. The most sensitive assay with limit of detection (LOD) and IC50 values of 8 and 53 mg L–1, respectively, was obtained when anti-NP9 antibody and NP9-labeled antigen were used. Anti-NP9 resulted in more specific assay, where the cross-reactivity toward the relative phenolic compounds did not exceed 5%. Anti-4AP displayed substantial recognition of several bis-substituted phenols, including 2-amino-4-chlorophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol.
Quantum Mechanical Calculation of Coupling Constants in the Configurational Analysis of Flexible Systems: Determination of the Configuration of Callipeltin A

An integrated NMR-quantum mechanical (QM) approach, relying on the comparison between calculated and experimental J-values, was applied to the analysis of the relative configuration of four amino acid units (known as AGDHE, D-aThr1, D-aThr2 and β-OMeTyr) contained in callipeltin A, a cyclopeptide endowed with a powerful inhibitory activity on the cardiac sodium/calcium exchanger and also showing interesting antiviral and antifungal properties. In this paper we report the first example of the application of this method to a real case, which allowed the assignment of the relative configuration of the β-OMeTyr residue and the revision of the configuration of the Thr2 unit in callipeltin A. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Ascorbic acid functionalized gold nanoparticles as a probe for colorimetric and visual read-out determination of dichlorvos in environmental samples

We report a facile, rapid, selective and sensitive colorimetric method for the detection of dichlorvos based on the aggregation of ascorbic acid (AA) capped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) induced by dichlorvos. The influence of AA concentration on the UV-visible absorption spectra and the color of AA–Au NPs was investigated. In the presence of dichlorvos, the UV-visible spectrum of AA–Au NPs was red-shifted from 525 nm to 620 nm, indicating that the aggregation of AA–Au NPs was induced by dichlorvos via hydrogen-bonding between AA–Au NPs and dichlorvos, which results in a change in color from cherry red to purple that can be monitored by UV-visible spectrophotometer or the naked eye. The limit of detection was found to be 42.94 μM, and good recoveries in the range of 90.0–101.2% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of <0.85%. The method was successfully applied to detect dichlorvos in water (tap, river and canal), apple and wheat samples.
Trajectory analysis at intersections for traffic rule identification

ABSTRACT In this paper, we focus on trajectories at intersections regulated by various regulation types such as traffic lights, priority/yield signs, and right-of-way rules. We test some methods to detect and recognize movement patterns from GPS trajectories, in terms of their geometrical and spatio-temporal components. In particular, we first find out the main paths that vehicles follow at such locations. We then investigate the way that vehicles follow these geometric paths (how do they move along them). For these scopes, machine learning methods are used and the performance of some known methods for trajectory similarity measurement (DTW, Hausdorff, and Fréchet distance) and clustering (Affinity propagation and Agglomerative clustering) are compared based on clustering accuracy. Afterward, the movement behavior observed at six different intersections is analyzed by identifying certain movement patterns in the speed- and time-profiles of trajectories. We show that depending on the regulation type, different movement patterns are observed at intersections. This finding can be useful for intersection categorization according to traffic regulations. The practicality of automatically identifying traffic rules from GPS tracks is the enrichment of modern maps with additional navigation-related information (traffic signs, traffic lights, etc.).