Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of COVID-19 lockdown measures on health and healthcare services in Uganda

Many countries across the world instituted lockdowns as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, these lockdowns had consequences on health systems. This study explored effects of the COVID-19 lockdown measures on health and healthcare services in Uganda. The qualitative study employed focus group discussions (FGDs), household interviews, and key informant interviews (KIIs) in both an urban (Kampala district) and rural (Wakiso district) setting in central Uganda. Fourteen FGDs were conducted among community members, local leaders, community health workers, and health practitioners. Interviews were conducted among 40 households, while 31 KIIs were held among various stakeholders including policy makers, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector. Data was analysed by thematic analysis with the support of NVivo 2020 (QSR International). Findings from the study are presented under four themes: maternal and reproductive health; child health; chronic disease services; and mental health. Maternal and reproductive health services were negatively affected by the lockdown measures which resulted in reduced utilisation of antenatal, postnatal and family planning services. These effects were mainly due to travel restrictions including curfew, and fear of contracting COVID-19. The effects on child health included reduced utilisation of services which was a result of difficulties faced in accessing health facilities because of the travel restrictions. Patients with chronic conditions could not access health facilities for their routine visits particularly due to suspension of public transport. Depression, stress and anxiety were common due to social isolation from relatives and friends, loss of jobs, and fear of law enforcement personnel. There was also increased anxiety among health workers due to fear of contracting COVID-19. The COVID-19 lockdown measures negatively affected health, and reduced access to maternal, reproductive and child health services. Future interventions in pandemic response should ensure that their effects on health and access to health services are minimised.
Magnetic flux and losses computation in electrical laminations

This paper deals with the numerical computation of the average induction over sheet laminations by solving the magnetic diffusion equation. Different models are used to describe the magnetization law: an anhysteretic law and the static and dynamic hysteresis Preisach models. The computed flux and associated losses are then compared to experimental results for wide frequency range and different magnetization levels.
Cross-validated estimations in the single-functional index model

The functional index model consists in assuming that a functional explanatory variable acts on a scalar response only through its projection on one functional direction. The main aim of this work consists in estimating the unknown link function and the unknown functional index appearing in such a model. To this end, one focuses on an original cross-validation procedure allowing both estimations to be carried out simultaneously. This cross-validated method has several advantages: optimality property with respect to quadratic distances, ease of implementation and large flexibility for fitting and predicting purposes. One emphasizes the good behaviour in practice of the method. Finally, one discusses how such a single-functional index model can also be seen as a way of computing adaptative semi-metrics in the general frame of nonparametric functional regression.
Chemo-rheological equivalence of bitumen between different lab ageing procedures: from binder to mixture

In an attempt to mimic the in-situ ageing of asphalt pavements, the exploration of appropriate laboratory ageing simulations has led to multiple standards on binder level. On asphalt mixture level, however, less consensus exists regarding ageing simulation protocols. This study aims to compare the chemo-rheological performance of bitumen between lab ageing protocols for binders, compacted and loose asphalt mixtures. A bituminous binder was used in bitumen ageing protocols, while it was also used to produce an AC10 mixture that was conditioned as a loose mixture and for compacted cylinders and slabs. Oven ageing of the mixtures was conducted for up to 9 days at 85 °C. The binder testing results, derived from empirical, rheological and chemical tests, indicate that 20 h of PAV ageing yields approximately similar results as 1–2 days of loose mixture oven ageing. Furthermore, in compacted samples, only the outer edge was influenced significantly by oxidative ageing.
Family–SEN School Collaboration and Its Importance in Guiding Educational and Health-Related Policies and Practices in the Hungarian Minority Community in Romania

Special education practice allows for the educational principles of parental involvement, pointing to a common dialogue on health issues and general well-being. Special education professionals primarily empower the families of children with atypical development by relying on the organizational factors of individual support and services. The decision-making/partnering factors of the educational and general health processes, on the other hand, receive less attention. The present study aims to explore the place of the parent–school relationship within the framework of a special educational institution in Romania. Involving Hungarian special education teachers (N = 12) from Romania, we analyze the school involvement of the parents of students with special educational needs in Bihor County, Romania, concerning their children’s academic achievement and well-being. The qualitative research data were recorded through semistructured interviews and were organized through deductive categorization, as well as being analyzed thematically using Atlas.ti. The results highlighted the essential elements of the parent–school relationship, e.g., communication practices, active inclusion programs, support services, and peer acceptance plans. We believe it is important to emphasize that, in the study, families frequently better understood their child’s situation and health-related issues and advocated more effectively for the recognition of their rights. However, as an active player in everyday education, the teacher can better organize development activities for the child’s specific needs and plan complex habilitation/rehabilitation. To sum up, a parent–educator team approach can result in more successful educational and health outcomes, as well as a more accepting social image in the cognitive, emotional, and social development fields.
Urinary Hydration Biomarkers and Water Sources in Older Adults with Neurocognitive Disorder

The risk of dehydration in older adults with neurocognitive disorder (NCD) is controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess hydration status, its determinants, and water intake sources in older adults with NCD. A sample of 30 participants (≥60 years) was included. Sociodemographic, clinical data and one 24-h urine sample were collected. Urinary osmolality, sodium, potassium, volume, and creatinine were quantified. Inadequate hydration status corresponded to urine osmolality > 500 mOsm/Kg, or a negative Free Water Reserve (FWR). Two 24-h food recalls were used to assess dietary intake and water sources. The adequacy of total water intake (TWI) was estimated according to EFSA. The contribution of food and beverages to TWI was calculated, and their associations with the urinary osmolality median were tested. Of the total number of participants, 30% were classified as having inadequate hydration status, with no differences between sexes. Regarding TWI, 68.4% of women and 77.8% of men did not reach the reference values. Water (23%), followed by soup (17%), contributed the most to TWI, while vegetables (2%) and alcoholic/other beverages (3%) contributed the least. According to the median urinary osmolality, there was no significant difference in sociodemographic/clinical characteristics. It is critical not to overlook hydration in this vulnerable population.
Joint Activity Detection and Channel Estimation for Intelligent-Reflecting-Surface-Assisted Wireless IoT Networks

Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) provide the ability to tune the wireless environments by introducing passive scattering elements between the base station (BS) or access points (APs) and users, and it is a promising technology for next-generation wireless networks. In this article, we consider joint activity detection and channel estimation in both centralized and distributed IRS-assisted Internet of Things networks. We determine the explicit distribution for the equivalent channel coefficients from the BS or APs to the users. It is shown that this distribution can be equivalently represented with a Gaussian scale mixture (GSM) model. With the generalized approximate message passing (GAMP) algorithm, the received pilot signals at the BS or APs are decoupled into scalar Gaussian noise corrupted versions of the effective channel coefficients. Subsequently, a minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimate of the effective channel coefficients and threshold detection rules is acquired. Finally, the optimal fusion rule is used to obtain the activity detection results of each user. As an additional low-complexity approach, we approximate the equivalent channel coefficients with a Gaussian approximation (GA) model. We derive the theoretical mean square error for the MMSE estimate of the effective channel coefficients using the GA model and the state evolution equations of the GAMP algorithm, under the assumption that the direct links from the BS to the users can be neglected due to unfavorable propagation conditions. Numerical results show that the GA for the distribution of the equivalent channel coefficients is accurate even for the moderate number of elements at the IRS. And the theoretical mean square error for the MMSE estimate of the effective channel coefficients under the assumption that direct link is negligible is shown to overlap with the corresponding numerical simulations.
Semi‐analytical far field model for three‐dimensional finite‐element analysis

A challenging computational problem arises when a discrete structure (e.g. foundation) interacts with an unbounded medium (e.g. deep soil deposit), particularly if general loading conditions and non‐linear material behaviour is assumed. In this paper, a novel method for dealing with such a problem is formulated by combining conventional three‐dimensional finite‐elements with the recently developed scaled boundary finite‐element method. The scaled boundary finite‐element method is a semi‐analytical technique based on finite‐elements that obtains a symmetric stiffness matrix with respect to degrees of freedom on a discretized boundary. The method is particularly well suited to modelling unbounded domains as analytical solutions are found in a radial co‐ordinate direction, but, unlike the boundary‐element method, no complex fundamental solution is required. A technique for coupling the stiffness matrix of bounded three‐dimensional finite‐element domain with the stiffness matrix of the unbounded scaled boundary finite‐element domain, which uses a Fourier series to model the variation of displacement in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical co‐ordinate system, is described. The accuracy and computational efficiency of the new formulation is demonstrated through the linear elastic analysis of rigid circular and square footings. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Logistics and matter-element models based on firm innovative supply chains

Using the basic theory and techniques of extenics, the conceptualisation of innovative modelling and the matter-element models are discussed in this paper. An enterprise's three stages of innovation (new product development, processes and management) based on the development processes of the product's market life cycle are analysed. New logistics features based on innovative modelling in a supply chain is discussed, and a logistics model with a technical system based on a classified logistics centre is developed. This approach in innovative modelling identifies different results from previous findings. A case study demonstrates the results.
High throughput fabrication of surface gratings on VCSEL using displacement Talbot lithography

In this paper, surface grating Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser(VCSEL) are fabricated by displacement Talbot lithography (DTL) exposure technology, and the effects of process parameters and anti-reflection layers on the quality of fabricated surface grating VCSEL are systematically studied. The experimental results show that this process can fabricate surface grating VCSEL with a depth of 20-150 nm. When the exposure dose is 30 mJ·cm-2, the exposure light intensity is 2 mW·cm-2, and the developing time is 1 min, the results that meet the experimental requirements are obtained. The experimental results show that the method of surface grating VCSEL fabricated by DTL exposure technology can replace EBL exposure technology. It is of great significance to improve the performance of VCSEL.
Analysis of ionization characteristics during single discharge of microcathode arc thruster

In this investigation, to monitor the cathodic ionization process of the microcathodic arc thruster, electrical detection was combined with enhanced ICCD spectroscopic detection to diagnose the cathodic ionization characteristics of microcathode arc thrusters with 1 μs time resolution for examining the microsecond-level discharge process. After we used the titanium ion spectroscopy model to calculate the ion density distribution during the cathode ionization of the microcathode arc thruster, we found that the microcathode arc thruster showed a double peak of titanium ions in one cycle. This phenomenon may be related to the combined effect of arc heat transfer and ion current impact on the cathode during the discharge of the microcathode arc thruster. The results showed that changes in the input energy of the power processing unit can effectively affect the temporal relationship between arc power peak and arc current peak, which in turn affects the ionization of the cathode of the microcathode arc thruster.
Description of Software for Comparative Analysis of Clustering Methods

This paper presents the structure of software for comparative analysis of clustering methods. The entire path of the software is described. It all starts with data extraction. Then the stage of data preparation. The third stage is the stage of normalizing the values. Then comes the fourth stage – the stage of division into clusters. The software uses two clustering methods, namely k-means and agglomerative clustering. The main idea of the k-means method is that the data is randomly divided into clusters, after that the middle of the masses is iteratively recalculated for at least some cluster acquired at the last step, after that the vectors are again divided into clusters in accordance with which of the new centers came out to be closer to the selected indicators. Agglomerative clustering is a type of cluster analysis. The essence of the method is as follows. Several groups are being created. Any group contains one object at the initial stage, after it finds two more similar groups. Binds groups and this process is repeated until a whole group of similar instances is formed. The fifth stage includes quality assessment. For this, the silhouette method is used. The result of the program execution is the division of data into clusters by two algorithms, as well as obtaining an estimate of the quality of clustering.
The Discrimination between Tornadic and Nontornadic Supercell Environments: A Forecasting Challenge in the Southern United States

Abstract Recent results from storm-scale modeling experiments have suggested that the strength of the 3–7-km storm-relative wind plays a very important role in determining whether or not a storm that already exhibits midlevel updraft rotation will, in fact, develop a persistent low-level mesocyclone, a feature commonly observed prior to tornadogenesis. This concept and others are applied to a total of 73 southern U.S. proximity soundings that have been compiled over a 36-yr period, 1960–95, in an attempt to discriminate between tornadic and nontornadic supercell environments. Of the 73 proximity soundings, 45 were classified as southern plains tornadic and 28 were southern plains nontornadic. The results of this study suggest that strength of the 2–9-km storm-relative wind, when used in combination with some measure of thermodynamic instability, or even the energy–helicity index, has proven to be a good indicator of whether or not an environment is supportive of tornadic supercells. Also, the magnitude of.
Permissible Deviation of Rotation Center Based on Fan-Beam Projection ICT System

For ICT wide fan-beam scanning, there is a geometrical supposition that the object rotation center and the radiation source center intersect the image reconstruction center. In practice, the existing intersection deviation has influence on the image reconstruction precision. The image reconstruction mathematical model for shifted rotation center was established, and the relationship between the deviation error and reconstructed image precision was studied by simulation. As a result, for 512×512 CT reconstructed image, there is no distinctive difference between the reference image and the reconstructed image with eccentricity 0.1 pixels; however, with 0.2 pixels or more, the difference is obvious. So, for 512×512 CT image, the maximum permissible deviation of the rotation center is within 0.1 pixel dimension.
Bubble plumes in stratified environments

This paper is concerned with the behaviour of buoyant plumes driven by a source of bubbles. It is shown experimentally that, when a bubble plume rises through a stratified environment, fluid can be transported vertically for some distance and then some of this fluid can leave the plume and spread out horizontally at its own density level. A simple plume model which regards the plume as a single entity is discussed in order to make a first assessment of the effects of gas expansion and bubble slip velocity in this stratified case. However, the experiments reveal a more complicated plume structure in which the bubbles remain in the centre part of the plume, and only the outer part of the plume spreads out into the environment at certain levels. On the basis of these observations a double-plume model is proposed which regards the plume as being composed of two parts: an inner circular plume (which contains all the bubbles of gas) and an outer annular plume.
Effect of current density and stripe height on the amplitude of a dual-synthetic GMR head

The effect of current density and stripe height on the amplitude of a dual-synthetic GMR head is studied experimentally. Heads from the same wafer are lapped to various stripe heights, and their amplitudes are measured using different current densities. It is found that the effect of current density on amplitude is three to four times greater than the effect of stripe height. Consequently, it is inefficient to increase amplitude via stripe height reduction as compared with current density enhancement.
Traffic Flow Indicator: Predicting Jams in a City

Road traffic inside cities is responsible for noise and pollution, that causes health problems, fuel consumption and waste of time in jams. Mitigation solutions are usually used to soften the impact of this problem in most cities. In particular, the city of Lisbon has taken measures to reduce pollution by closing areas of the city to the most polluting cars - the zero emission zones. However, the city still lacks visual analytics support for traffic decisions in real-time. In this paper we present a traffic flow indicator that can indicate the road traffic fluidity inside a region of interest for a given time frame, and integrated it into a interactive dashboard supported by a predictive model. With this solution, decision makers can analyse historical data and predict short-term traffic behaviour.
A Generalized Model for Modern Hierarchical Memory System

Memory system is critical to architecture design which can significantly impact application performance. Concurrent Average Memory Access Time (C-AMAT) is a model for analyzing and optimizing memory system performance using a recursive definition of the memory access latency along the memory hierarchy. The original C-AMAT model, however, does not provide the necessary granularity and flexibility for handling modern memory architectures with heterogeneous memory technologies and diverse system topology. We propose to augment C-AMAT to take into consideration the idiosyncrasies of individual cache/memory components as well as their topological arrangement in the memory architecture design. Through trace-based simulation, we validate the augmented model and examine the memory system performance with insight unavailable using the original C-AMAT model.
The Persistence of State-Listed Endangered and Threatened Seed Plants in Populated Illinois Landscapes

ABSTRACT The state of Illinois has few natural areas remaining due to anthropogenic changes caused by agriculture, industry, and urbanization. This study investigates the seed plants at the greatest risk of extirpation from Illinois, the state-listed endangered and threatened species, and their occurrence relative to land use. The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board and the Illinois Natural History Survey chronicle the occurrence and distribution of state-listed endangered and threatened species. We extracted the number of endangered/threatened species per county from these records. We also calculated the proportion of land cover per county for anthropogenic, non-anthropogenic, and protected areas. Using these data, we modeled the distribution of state-listed endangered and threatened seed plants as a function of land cover and human population density. Our study revealed that many endangered plant species are persisting in counties with high levels of human population density. A high degree of agricultural land cover was negatively associated with the presence of endangered/threatened seed plant species. We provide statistical evidence that endangered/threatened species are persistent in highly populated areas, given that there are protected lands with adequate habitat for them to grow. These results underscore the importance of protecting natural habitats. Urban development has preserved some of these habitats by establishing protected lands that allow the continued existence of many species. The role that protected lands play in the conservation of biodiversity is crucial to prevent extirpation of endangered/threatened seed plant species in Illinois.
Inversion-free multiview subpixel rendering for natural 3D presentation

In this paper, an inversion-free subpixel rendering method that uses eye tracking in a multiview display is proposed. The multiview display causes an inversion problem when one eye of the user is focused on the main region and the other eye is focused on the side region. In the proposed method, the subpixel values are rendered adaptively depending on the eye position of the user to solve the inversion problem. Also, to enhance the 3D resolution without the color artifact, the subpixel rendering algorithm using subpixel area weighting is proposed instead of the pixel values. In the experiments, 36-view images were seen using active subpixel rendering with the eye tracking system in a four-view display.