Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Utilisation of Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) for Geological Structures Mapping in Rock Mass: A Review

Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) is an in-situ geophysical method widely used in environmental, engineering and hydrogeological explorations due to cost, time, and data coverage efficiency. Traditionally, geotechnical parameters such as discontinuities properties are obtained from rock samples acquired from a borehole. However, it only provides a single information point, costly and time-consuming. Thus, an approach using electrical resistivity to detect the presence of geological structure in a rock mass is an alternative method that can be applied. Discontinuities in rock mass include joints, bedding planes, blasting cracks, fractures, faults, and folds. This paper aims to present the utilisation of geoelectrical resistivity imaging for geological structures mapping in rock mass based on the review from previous research. The Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) method is an effective tool to obtain structural differentiation of geological medium by interpreting 2D and even 3D electrical resistivity models. Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) is an automated data acquisition system, inversion codes, non-invasive and user-friendly. The raw data received from data acquisition was analysed using Res2DINV software. The data inversion was done by applying the robust method and finite element grid to accommodate the steep topography. The data interpretation included numerical modelling to assess the suitability of all used electrode arrays in relation to the geological setting.
Gravitational waves in general relativity XV. The loss-free case

In Maxwellian electrodynamics, the linearity of the theory permits the superposition of equal advanced and retarded waves. This results in the source of the radiation suffering no loss of energy. This paper aims to look at the applicability of this analysis to the theory of gravitation. Without loss of energy, such a system can be stationary. To study this situation, a slightly azimuth–dependent stationary rotating cylindrical system is examined in the vacuum outside the bounded source. It is shown that imposing time independence on the metric in a co–rotating frame leads to a 'critical circle' where the coordinates attain the speed of light. This divides space into an inner zone where the vacuum field equations are elliptic and an outer one where they are hyperbolic. Retaining the azimuth–dependent terms only to first order, the angular dependence can be Fourier analysed. For each Fourier component, a set of ordinary differential equations describes the field throughout empty space. This set links the inner zone surrounding the source with the outer (wave) zone. The asymptotic behaviour in the wave zone is studied and the inner zone is looked at for slowly rotating sources. The validity of the analysis is discussed and it is hoped that this approach will illuminate more realistic situations.
Marching Algorithms for Elliptic Boundary Value Problems. I: The Constant Coefficient Case

Several new fast direct methods for solving constant coefficient elliptic boundary value problems are presented. The methods make extensive use of the algebraic properties of the modified Chebyshev polynomials $S_n (x)$ and $C_n (x)$, which allow us to obtain operation counts of $O(n^2 )$ or $O(n^2 \log _2 ({n / k}))$ for solving problems on an $n \times n$ grid. The algorithms are shown to be numerically stable by giving a Wilkinson-style error analysis. Previously studied fast direct methods, and shooting and multiple shooting techniques are related to the algorithms.
Benthic Macroinvertebrates Assemblages in the Fish Pond

Overall, small holder of fish farmers in Kelantan in particular does not monitor their pond water quality to maintain fish health due to tedious and expensive work. Hence, this study was proposed to identify the assemblages of benthic macroinvertebrates at the fish pond for potential as a tool for water quality assessment via biological indicator. The study area was in one of the small holder fish pond at Gua Musang, Kelantan, Malaysia. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected monthly from March to August 2021. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected by using a heavy-duty D-frame dip net combined with a bag-shaped. The ecological indices were calculated (Shannon diversity index, Margelef’s richness index, Pielou’s evenness index, and Simpson’s dominance index). Results showed a total of 356 individuals from 27 taxa of aquatic insects were collected. Corixidea (Hemiptera) recorded high abundance in July 2021. Even though there were differences in the abundance of benthos for monthly sampling, the season was only a part of the factors that might contribute, however the other factors cannot be neglected such as food availability, water quality and substrates composition conditions. Hopefully the findings could be used by the small holders to assess their pond water quality effectively with minimum cost.
Sound in context: Acoustic communication and soundscape research at Simon Fraser University

Research activities at Simon Fraser University over the past 25 years that bridge environmental acoustics and music are summarized, including soundscape studies, acoustic communication, soundscape composition, and the granulation of sampled sound. Gaps in traditional disciplinary approaches in dealing with environmental sound are identified, and an acoustic communicational model is proposed as an interdisciplinary alternative. Sound examples drawn from the author’s compositions, and the work of R. Murray Schafer, Hildegard Westerkamp and the World Soundscape Project will be included.
Are remote mental healthcare interventions cost-effective? A systematic review of economic evaluations of remote mental healthcare

Background Remote interventions known as telemental health care increased in use due to the COVID-19 pandemic when social distancing requirements were in place. Whilst there is some evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness of telemental health prior to the pandemic, there is a need for further evaluation due to the increase in remote care. Aims To systematically review the literature to explore whether remote mental health care interventions are cost-effective in terms of incremental cost per quality adjusted life year and in relation to condition specific outcomes compared to usual care or an alternative intervention. Method A multilayer search strategy was conducted to build on the searches of a previous systematic review, as well as including grey literature and economic models. Six databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and EconLit) were searched for literature relating to the cost effectiveness of telemental health. Quality appraisal was conducted for all included studies, and findings were synthesised using narrative synthesis. Results 7386 studies were identified of which 59 met our inclusion criteria and were included in the synthesis of findings. 45 studies were rated as very good or excellent quality. Of the 59 included studies, 40 indicated that the telemental health intervention was cost-effective, whilst a further 16 suggested the intervention had potential to be cost-effective, but there was some uncertainty in the findings. Three studies reported that the intervention was not cost-effective. Conclusions This evidence will be used to inform practice in the UK as we respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eccentricity error compensation for geometric camera calibration based on circular features

Circular features are very common in geometric camera calibration. The projection of a circular feature is generally a deformed ellipse, not a true ellipse, due to the presence of lens distortion. The center of the deformed ellipse, obtained by fitting the boundary points with an ellipse, does not necessarily coincide with the distorted point corresponding to the center of the undistorted projection of the circular feature. An eccentricity error will be introduced if the two points are considered to be coincident. In this study three main factors that affect the amount of the eccentricity error are discussed, including the form and amount of lens distortion, the size of the circular feature and the tilt of the supporting plane. Then, an effective geometric camera calibration method is proposed where the eccentricity error is compensated by establishing the correspondence between the estimated model position and the real position of the fitted center of the deformed ellipse. Both simulation and measurement data verify the existence of the eccentricity error and the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Axisymmetric Vibrations of Circular Plates on Tensionless Elastic Foundations

At first the static solution is obtained and contact radius is determined. Later, this is used as an initial configuration of the forced vibrations. The forced vibrations are assumed to be due to the time dependency of the load. The solution is carried out by Galerkin's method and by using modal functions of the completely free plate. Numerical results are illustrated in figures for stepwise change of the loading
Design of squeezing

The design of squeezing by a time-dependent harmonic oscillator is considered. The predetermined general time-dependent squeezing transformations are taken as the starting point from which the time evolution operator U(t,0) and then the corresponding time-dependent Hamiltonian are derived. The technique of integration within an ordered product of operators and the coherent-state representation are used in the intermediate derivations, where U(t,0) is obtained as an operator image of the classical symplectic transformation in phase space by a phase-space integral over coherent states.
A simulation study of imputation techniques in linear quadratic and kernel discriminant analyses

The problem of incomplete training data crops up fairly frequently in discriminant analysis. A time-honoured solution is to impute (fill in) data to the missing values. Working under the assumption that missing values are missing at random (MAR), this paper examines the effects of imputed values on the classification performance of linear (LDF)-, quadratic (QDF)-, and kernel (KDF)-discriminant functions. Five deterministic imputation techniques are studied and the problem of correctly implementing these techniques is addressed using normal and non-normal data. Monte Carlo results indicate that imputed values do not affect the underlying assumptions of discriminant analyses and, as the proportion of missing values increases, the efficiency of imputation techniques depends on the implementation procedure used.
New time-dependent photorefractive three-dimensional model : application to self-trapped beam with large bending

We propose a powerful method to numerically solve the propagation of light in a photorefractive medium in the presence of both applied field and photogalvanic nonlinearity. This time-dependent full three-dimensional model is successfully applied to explain large self-bending of a solitonlike beam observed in biased undoped lithium niobate crystals. It reveals that charge saturation is at the origin of beam bending. The numerical results give deep insight of the formation dynamics in agreement with experiments and depict the trajectory of the induced waveguide inside the crystal.
Gamma frequency sensory stimulation in mild probable Alzheimer’s dementia patients: Results of feasibility and pilot studies

Non-invasive Gamma ENtrainment Using Sensory stimulation (GENUS) at 40Hz reduces Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology such as amyloid and tau levels, prevents cerebral atrophy, and improves behavioral testing performance in mouse models of AD. Here, we report data from (1) a Phase 1 feasibility study (NCT04042922, ClinicalTrials.gov) in cognitively normal volunteers (n = 25), patients with mild AD dementia (n = 16), and patients with epilepsy who underwent intracranial electrode monitoring (n = 2) to assess safety and feasibility of a single brief GENUS session to induce entrainment and (2) a single-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2A pilot study (NCT04055376) in patients with mild probable AD dementia (n = 15) to assess safety, compliance, entrainment, and exploratory clinical outcomes after chronic daily 40Hz sensory stimulation for 3 months. Our Phase 1 study showed that 40Hz GENUS was safe and effectively induced entrainment in both cortical regions and other cortical and subcortical structures such as the hippocampus, amygdala, insula, and gyrus rectus. Our Phase 2A study demonstrated that chronic daily 40Hz light and sound GENUS was well-tolerated and that compliance was equally high in both the control and active groups, with participants equally inaccurate in guessing their group assignments prior to unblinding. Electroencephalography recordings show that our 40Hz GENUS device safely and effectively induced 40Hz entrainment in participants with mild AD dementia. After 3 months of daily stimulation, the group receiving 40Hz stimulation showed (i) lesser ventricular dilation and hippocampal atrophy, (ii) increased functional connectivity in the default mode network as well as with the medial visual network, (iii) better performance on the face-name association delayed recall test, and (iv) improved measures of daily activity rhythmicity compared to the control group. These results support further evaluation of GENUS in a pivotal clinical trial to evaluate its potential as a novel disease-modifying therapeutic for patients with AD.
Patterns of antiemetic medication use during pregnancy: A multi-country retrospective cohort study

Objective To compare patterns in use of different antiemetics during pregnancy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, between 2002 and 2014. Methods We constructed population-based cohorts of pregnant women using administrative healthcare data from five Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan), the Clinical Practice Research Datalink from the United Kingdom, and the IBM MarketScan Research Databases from the United States. We included pregnancies ending in live births, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, or induced abortion. We determined maternal use of antiemetics from pharmacy claims in Canada and the United States and from prescriptions in the United Kingdom. Results The most common outcome of 3 848 734 included pregnancies (started 2002–2014) was live birth (66.7% of all pregnancies) followed by spontaneous abortion (20.2%). Use of antiemetics during pregnancy increased over time in all three countries. Canada had the highest prevalence of use of prescription antiemetics during pregnancy (17.7% of pregnancies overall, 13.2% of pregnancies in 2002, and 18.9% in 2014), followed by the United States (14.0% overall, 8.9% in 2007, and 18.1% in 2014), and the United Kingdom (5.0% overall, 4.2% in 2002, and 6.5% in 2014). Besides use of antiemetic drugs being considerably lower in the United Kingdom, the increase in its use over time was more modest. The most commonly used antiemetic was combination doxylamine/pyridoxine in Canada (95.2% of pregnancies treated with antiemetics), ondansetron in the United States (72.2%), and prochlorperazine in the United Kingdom (63.5%). Conclusions In this large cohort study, we observed an overall increase in antiemetic use during pregnancy, and patterns of use varied across jurisdictions. Continued monitoring of antiemetic use and further research are warranted to better understand the reasons for differences in use of these medications and to assess their benefit-risk profile in this population.
A novel customer churn prediction model for the telecommunication industry using data transformation methods and feature selection

Customer churn is one of the most critical issues faced by the telecommunication industry (TCI). Researchers and analysts leverage customer relationship management (CRM) data through the use of various machine learning models and data transformation methods to identify the customers who are likely to churn. While several studies have been conducted in the customer churn prediction (CCP) context in TCI, a review of performance of the various models stemming from these studies show a clear room for improvement. Therefore, to improve the accuracy of customer churn prediction in the telecommunication industry, we have investigated several machine learning models, as well as, data transformation methods. To optimize the prediction models, feature selection has been performed using univariate technique and the best hyperparameters have been selected using the grid search method. Subsequently, experiments have been conducted on several publicly available TCI datasets to assess the performance of our models in terms of the widely used evaluation metrics, such as AUC, precision, recall, and F-measure. Through a rigorous experimental study, we have demonstrated the benefit of applying data transformation methods as well as feature selection while training an optimized CCP model. Our proposed technique improved the prediction performance by up to 26.2% and 17% in terms of AUC and F-measure, respectively.
A novel hybrid optimization enabled robust CNN algorithm for an IoT network intrusion detection approach

Due to the huge number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices within a network, denial of service and flooding attacks on networks are on the rise. IoT devices are disrupted and denied service because of these attacks. In this study, we proposed a novel hybrid meta-heuristic adaptive particle swarm optimization–whale optimizer algorithm (APSO-WOA) for optimization of the hyperparameters of a convolutional neural network (APSO-WOA-CNN). The APSO–WOA optimization algorithm’s fitness value is defined as the validation set’s cross-entropy loss function during CNN model training. In this study, we compare our optimization algorithm with other optimization algorithms, such as the APSO algorithm, for optimization of the hyperparameters of CNN. In model training, the APSO–WOA–CNN algorithm achieved the best performance compared to the FNN algorithm, which used manual parameter settings. We evaluated the APSO–WOA–CNN algorithm against APSO–CNN, SVM, and FNN. The simulation results suggest that APSO–WOA–CNf[N is effective and can reliably detect multi-type IoT network attacks. The results show that the APSO–WOA–CNN algorithm improves accuracy by 1.25%, average precision by 1%, the kappa coefficient by 11%, Hamming loss by 1.2%, and the Jaccard similarity coefficient by 2%, as compared to the APSO–CNN algorithm, and the APSO–CNN algorithm achieves the best performance, as compared to other algorithms.
Neuromuscular characteristics of agonists and antagonists during maximal eccentric knee flexion in soccer players with a history of hamstring muscle injuries

Background Muscle strain injuries (MSIs) in the hamstrings are among the most prevalent injuries in elite soccer. We aimed to examine the relation between biomechanical maladaptation in eccentric strength and neuromuscular factors separated by their time and frequency domains. Methods 20 elite soccer players with a previous history of unilateral MSI in the M. biceps femoris (BF) long head and 20 without MSI participated. Knee flexion torques, rate of torque development (RTD) and electromyographic signals (EMG) of the BF, the M. semitendinosus (SMT) and knee extensors were obtained during unilateral maximal eccentric knee flexions performed at slow (30°/s) and fast (120°/s) angular speeds. Root mean squares and mean power frequency (MF) was calculated. Results In the group with a history of MSI, reduced maximal eccentric flexion torque (slow eccentrics -8±11, p<0.05; fast eccentrics -18±13 N*m, p<0.05) and RTD (-33±28 N*m/s, p<0.05; -95±47 N*m/s, p<0.05) concomitantly occurred with diminished agonistic myoelectrical activities (-4±5% of MVC, p<0.05; -10±7% of MVC, p<0.05) and MFs (-24±13 Hz, p<0.05; -24±18 Hz, p<0.05) in the BF. Simultaneously, antagonistic myoelectric activity was elevated (+4±3% of MVC, p<0.05; +3±3% of MVC, p<0.05) in MSI affected legs as compared to unaffected legs for both eccentric contractions. Deficits in myoelectrical activity (r2 = 0.715, p<0.05; r2 = 0.601, p<0.05) and MF (r2 = 0.484, p<0.05; r2 = 0.622, p<0.05) correlated with deficits in maximal torque in the affected leg in the MSI group. Analysis of SMT demonstrated no significant differences. Conclusion Positive relationships between neuromuscular deficits and the reduced eccentric strength profile underpin neuronal inhibition after MSI. This persistent involvement of dysfunctional synergist and antagonist neural hamstring function in strength weakness is of clinical relevance in sports medicine for prevention and rehabilitation.
PNPLA3 allele frequency has no impact on biliary bile acid composition or disease course in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis

Background and aims Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to bile duct strictures, cholestasis, and biliary cirrhosis. PNPLA3 (patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3), regulates cellular lipid synthesis by converting lysophosphatidic acid into phosphatidic acid. Isoleucine mutation to methionine at position 148 (I148M) causes a loss of this function. Only two studies, with contradictory results, have evaluated the role of PNPLA3 in PSC. The rs738409(G) variant of PNPLA3 has been associated with an increased risk for transplantation in male patients with dominant strictures (DS). The study aimed to evaluate the PNPLA3 allele frequency effect on the clinical outcomes, progression, and prognosis of PSC. Furthermore, we analyzed the impact of PNPLA3 on phospholipid and bile acid composition to evaluate the effect of the PNPLA3 status on UDCA response. Patients and methods We recruited 560 patients prospectively and collected clinical and laboratory data as well as liver histology and imaging findings. PNPLA3 (CC, CG, GG) alleles were analyzed with TaqManTM. We also analyzed bile acids (BA), cholesterol and phospholipids and individual BA from a sample aspirated during endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC). Results Among the recruited patients, 58.4%, 35.7% and 5.9% had the wild (CC), heterozygous (CG) and homozygous (GG) alleles, respectively. The PNPLA3 haplotype did not impact bile composition or individual BA. In addition, we found no differences in age at diagnosis, disease progression, liver fibrosis or survival between the cohorts. Conclusions The PNPLA3 I148M variant had no significant impact on on bile composition, including UDCA content, clinical outcomes, progression of liver fibrosis, hepatobiliary cancer risk, liver transplantation, or overall survival.