Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Gamification in Knee Replacement Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial With a Qualitative Approach

Background Exergames can provide encouraging exercise options. Currently, there is limited evidence regarding home-based exergaming in the postoperative phase of total knee replacement (TKR). Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 4-month postoperative home-based exergame intervention with an 8-month follow-up on physical function and symptoms among older persons undergoing TKR compared with home exercise using a standard protocol. In addition, a concurrent embedded design of a mixed methods study was used by including a qualitative component within a quantitative study of exergame effects. Methods This was a dual-center, nonblinded, two-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial with an embedded qualitative approach. This study aimed to recruit 100 patients who underwent their first unilateral TKR (aged 60-75 years). Participants were randomized to the exergame or standard home exercise arms. Participants followed a custom-made exergame program independently at their homes daily for 4 months. The primary outcomes at 4 months were function and pain related to the knee using the Oxford Knee Score questionnaire and mobility using the Timed Up and Go test. Other outcomes, in addition to physical function, symptoms, and disability, were game user experience, exercise adherence, physical activity, and satisfaction with the operated knee. Assessments were performed at the preoperative baseline and at 2, 4, and 12 months postoperatively. Exergame adherence was followed from game computers and using a structured diary. Self-reported standard exercise was followed for 4 months of intervention and physical activity was followed for 12 months using a structured diary. Qualitative data on patients’ perspectives on rehabilitation and exergames were collected through laddering interviews at 4 and 12 months. Results This study was funded in 2018. Data collection began in 2019 and was completed in January 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unavoidable situation in the study for recruitment, data collection, and statistical analysis. As of November 2020, a total of 52 participants had been enrolled in the study. Primary results are expected to be published by the end of 2022. Conclusions Our study provides new knowledge on the effects of postoperative exergame intervention among older patients with TKR. In addition, this study provides a new understanding of gamified postoperative rehabilitation, home exercise adherence, physical function, and physical activity among older adults undergoing TKR. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03717727; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03717727 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/38434
Indefinite metric spaces in estimation, control and adaptive filtering

The goal of this thesis is two-fold: first to present a unified mathematical framework (based upon optimization in indefinite metric spaces) for a wide range of problems in estimation and control, and second, to motivate and introduce the problem of robust estimation and control, and to study its implications to the area of adaptive signal processing. Robust estimation (and control) is concerned with the design of estimators (and controllers that have acceptable performance in the face of model uncertainties and lack of statistical information, and can be considered an outgrowth and extension of (the now classical) LQG theory, developed in the 1950's and 1960's which assumed perfect models and complete statistical knowledge. It has particular significance in adaptive signal processing where one needs to cope with time-variations of system parameters and to compensate for lack of a priori knowledge of the statistics of the input data and disturbances. One method of addressing the above problem is the so-called H∞ approach, which was introduced by G. Zames in 1980 and that has been recently solved by various authors. Despite the "fundamental differences" between the philosophies of the H∞ and LQG approaches to control and estimation, there are striking "formal similarities" between the controllers and estimators obtained from these two methodologies. In an attempt to explain these similarities, we shall describe a new approach to H∞ estimation (and control), different from the existing (e.g., interpolation-theoretic-based, game-theoretic-based, etc) approaches, that is based upon setting up estimation (and control problems) not in the usual Hilbert space of random variables, but in an indefinite (so-called Krein) space.
IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON CORPORATE STRATEGY: A CASE OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN THE BULAWAYO METROPOLITAN PROVINCE IN ZIMBABWE

This study sought to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on corporate strategies of manufacturing companies in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. The study was motivated by the fact that while COVID-19 pandemic has forced manufacturing companies to rethink almost every aspect of their businesses, it has also validated the importance of corporate strategy. The study was guided by the Real Option Theory, which indicates that managers tends to defer investments when uncertainties arise. The interpretivism research philosophy guided this research because the aim was to establish the socially constructed nature of the reality of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the corporate strategies of manufacturing companies in Bulawayo. A qualitative research approach was used which enabled the researchers not to be restricted to specific research questions. The researchers opted for a case study research design where 5 manufacturing companies that constituted 5 cases in the study. This allowed the researchers to gain a sharpened understanding of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the corporate strategies of manufacturing companies in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. A sample of 20 participants, comprising of 5 senior managers and 15 middle managers of manufacturing companies were used in the study. Data was generated through interviews with 5 senior managers and open-ended questionnaires with 15 middle managers of manufacturing companies. The key findings of the study were that COVID-19 pandemic affected the four pillars of corporate strategy of manufacturing companies in Bulawayo in a positive and negative way. The study recommended that manufacturing companies should be flexible in responding to market trends, collaborate with government, establishing a crisis plan and having a collaboration mechanism well in time before the crisis in order to reduce the negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic on their corporate strategies.
SUZAKU OBSERVATIONS OF THREE FeLoBAL QUASI-STELLAR OBJECTS: SDSS J0943+5417, J1352+4239, AND J1723+5553

We present Suzaku observations of three iron low-ionization broad absorption line quasars (FeLoBALs). We detect J1723+5553 (3σ) in the observed 2–10 keV band, and constrain its intrinsic NH column density to NH > 6 × 1023 cm−2 by modeling its X-ray hardness ratio. We study the broadband spectral index, αox, between the X-ray and UV bands by combining the X-ray measurements and the UV flux extrapolated from Two Micron All Sky Survey magnitudes, assuming a range of intrinsic column densities, and then comparing the αox values for the three FeLoBALs with those from a large sample of normal quasars. We find that the FeLoBALs are consistent with the spectral energy distribution of normal quasars if the intrinsic NH column densities are NH > 7 × 1023 cm−2 for J0943+5417, NH>2 × 1024 cm−2 for J1352+4293, and 6 × 1023 cm−2 < NH < 3 × 1024 cm−2 for J1723+5553. At these large intrinsic column densities, the optical depth from Thomson scattering can reach ∼6, which will significantly modulate the UV flux. Our results suggest that the X-ray absorbing material could be located at a different place from the UV absorbing wind, likely between the X-ray and UV emitting regions. We find a significant kinetic feedback efficiency for FeLoBALs, indicating that the outflows are an important feedback mechanism in quasars.
AGN-driven helium reionization and the incidence of extended He iii regions at redshift z > 3

We use hydrodynamic simulations post-processed with the radiative-transfer code RADAMESH to assess recent claims that the low HeII opacity observed in z>3 quasar spectra may be incompatible with models of HeII reionization driven by the observed population of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In particular, building upon our previous work, we consider an early population of sources and start the radiative-transfer calculation at redshifts z>=5. Our model faithfully reproduces the emissivity of optically selected AGNs as inferred from measurements of their luminosity function. We find that HeII reionization is very extended in redshift ({\Delta} z>=2) and highly spatially inhomogeneous. In fact, mock spectra extracted from the simulations show a large variability in the evolution of the HeII effective optical depth within chunks of size {\Delta} z=0.04. Regions with low opacity ({\tau}^{eff}_{HeII}<3) can be found at high redshift, in agreement with the most recent observations of UV-transmitting quasars. At the highest redshift currently probed by observations (z~3.4), our updated model predicts a much lower HeII effective optical depth than previous simulations in the literature relieving most of the tension with the current data, that, however, still persists at about the (Gaussian) 1{\sigma} to 2{\sigma} level. Given the very small number of observed lines of sight, our analysis indicates that current data cannot rule out a purely AGN-driven scenario with high statistical significance.
A Case of an Infantile Lingual Leiomyomatous Hamartoma

Lingual leiomyomatous hamartomas are rare lesions of the tongue with largely unknown mechanisms of formation. These lesions are often asymptomatic, though they may present with symptoms, particularly relating to swallow function. Workup should include imaging of the head and neck, and diagnosis should be made histologically. Treatment is surgical excision. This case is a report of a 4-week-old female who presented for evaluation of an asymptomatic 1 × 1 cm dorsal midline tongue mass discovered at birth. The patient was monitored until the age of 9 months, at which time the mass was surgically excised. The patient had an uncomplicated postoperative course. Pathological analysis yielded a diagnosis of leiomyomatous hamartoma.
Non-well-founded sets

Most of us have learnt to live with the fact that some singular terms do not denote. It would be fun were it otherwise, but no jolly fat man at the North Pole brings presents to good children at Yuletide; the name "Santa Claus" does not denote. Sets and classes may first have presented themselves to us as extensions of predicates, but it seems now the consensus that the paradoxes of set theory show that not all predicates have sets as extensions. Ramsey notwithstanding, many agree with the early Russell, and with Poincare, in seeing an affinity between Russell's paradox and the paradox of the liar. So if the lesson of the paradoxes of set theory is that a predicate need no more have a set as extension than the name "Santa Claus" need denote someone, then perhaps the lesson of the liar paradox is that nothing answers to a liar sentence.i To try this idea out systematically, we want some categories. Some singular terms denote, and "object" is a general term for the sort of thing singular terms succeed in denoting. We may say that there is no object denoted by the name "Santa Claus".
sunglass: a new weak‐lensing simulation pipeline

A new cosmic shear analysis pipeline sunglass (Simulated UNiverses for Gravitational Lensing Analysis and Shear Surveys) is introduced. sunglass is a pipeline that rapidly generates simulated universes for weak-lensing and cosmic shear analysis. The pipeline forms suites of cosmological N-body simulations and performs tomographic cosmic shear analysis using line-of-sight integration through these simulations while saving the particle lightcone information. Galaxy shear and convergence catalogues with realistic 3D galaxy redshift distributions are produced for the purposes of testing weak-lensing analysis techniques and generating covariance matrices for data analysis and cosmological parameter estimation. We present a suite of fast medium-resolution simulations with shear and convergence maps for a generic 100 deg2 survey out to a redshift of z= 1.5, with angular power spectra agreeing with the theory to better than a few per cent accuracy up to l= 103 for all source redshifts up to z= 1.5 and wavenumbers up to l= 2000 for the source redshifts z≥ 1.1. At higher wavenumbers, there is a failure of the theoretical lensing power spectrum reflecting the known discrepancy of the Smith et al. fitting formula at high physical wavenumbers. A two-parameter Gaussian likelihood analysis of σ8 and Ωm is also performed on the suite of simulations, demonstrating that the cosmological parameters are recovered from the simulations and the covariance matrices are stable for data analysis. We find that any residual bias in our calculation is below our uncertainty within the 1σ confidence limits. The sunglass pipeline should be an invaluable tool in weak-lensing analysis.
Methods for calculating nonconcave entropies

Five different methods which can be used to analytically calculate entropies that are nonconcave as functions of the energy in the thermodynamic limit are discussed and compared. The five methods are based on the following ideas and techniques: (i) microcanonical contraction, (ii) metastable branches of the free energy, (iii) generalized canonical ensembles with specific illustrations involving the so-called Gaussian and Betrag ensembles, (iv) the restricted canonical ensemble, and (v) the inverse Laplace transform. A simple long-range spin model having a nonconcave entropy is used to illustrate each method.
Online solution of nonquadratic two‐player zero‐sum games arising in the H ∞  control of constrained input systems

In this paper, we present an online learning algorithm to find the solution to the H ∞ control problem of continuous‐time systems with input constraints. A suitable nonquadratic functional is utilized to encode the input constraints into the H ∞ control problem, and the related H ∞ control problem is formulated as a two‐player zero‐sum game with a nonquadratic performance. Then, a policy iteration algorithm on an actor–critic–disturbance structure is developed to solve the Hamilton–Jacobi–Isaacs (HJI) equation associated with this nonquadratic zero‐sum game. That is, three NN approximators, namely, actor, critic, and disturbance, are tuned online and simultaneously for approximating the HJI solution. The value of the actor and disturbance policies is approximated continuously by the critic NN, and then on the basis of this value estimate, the actor and disturbance NNs are updated in real time to improve their policies. The disturbance tries to make the worst possible disturbance, whereas the actor tries to make the best control input. A persistence of excitation condition is shown to guarantee convergence to the optimal saddle point solution. Stability of the closed‐loop system is also guaranteed. A simulation on a nonlinear benchmark problem is performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transient Expression of Flavivirus Structural Proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana

Flaviviruses are a threat to public health and can cause major disease outbreaks. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a flavivirus, and it is one of the most important causes of viral encephalitis in Europe and is on the rise in Sweden. As there is no antiviral treatment available, vaccination remains the best protective measure against TBE. Currently available TBE vaccines are based on formalin-inactivated virus produced in cell culture. These vaccines must be delivered by intramuscular injection, have a burdensome immunization schedule, and may exhibit vaccine failure in certain populations. This project aimed to develop an edible TBE vaccine to trigger a stronger immune response through oral delivery of viral antigens to mucosal surfaces. We demonstrated successful expression and post-translational processing of flavivirus structural proteins which then self-assembled to form virus-like particles in Nicotiana benthamiana. We performed oral toxicity tests in mice using various plant species as potential bioreactors and evaluated the immunogenicity of the resulting edible vaccine candidate. Mice immunized with the edible vaccine candidate did not survive challenge with TBE virus. Interestingly, immunization of female mice with a commercial TBE vaccine can protect their offspring against TBE virus infection.
Physical Parameters of the Visually Close Binary Systems Hip70973 and Hip72479

Abstract Atmospheric modelling of the components of the visually close binary systems Hip70973 and Hip72479 was used to estimate the individual physical parameters of their components. The model atmospheres were constructed using a grid of Kurucz solar metalicity blanketed models and used to compute a synthetic spectral energy distribution for each component separately, and hence for the combined system. The total observational spectral energy distributions of the systems were used as a reference for comparison with the synthetic ones. We used the feedback modified parameters and iteration method to obtain the best fit between synthetic and observational spectral energy distributions. The physical parameters of the components of the system Hip70973 were derived as = 5700 ± 75 K, = 5400 ± 75 K, log ga = 4.50 ± 0.05, log gb = 4.50 ± 0.05, Ra = 0.98 ± 0.07 R⊙, Rb = 0.89 ± 0.07 R⊙, and π = 26.25 ± 1.95 mas, with G4 and G9 spectral types, and those of the system Hip72479 as = 5400 ± 50 K, = 5180 ± 50 K, log ga = 4.50 ± 0.05, log gb = 4.60 ± 0.05, Ra = 0.89 ± 0.07 R⊙, Rb = 0.80 ± 0.07 R⊙, and π = 23.59 ± 1.00 mas, with G9 and K1 spectral types.
A Weld Surface Defect Recognition Method Based on Improved MobileNetV2 Algorithm

Traditional welding quality inspection methods for pipelines and pressure vessels are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and suffer from false and missed inspection problems. With the development of smart manufacturing, there is a need for fast and accurate in-situ inspection of welding quality. Therefore, detection models with higher accuracy and lower computational complexity are required for technical support. Based on that, an in-situ weld surface defect recognition method is proposed in this paper based on an improved lightweight MobileNetV2 algorithm. It builds a defect classification model with MobileNetV2 as the backbone of the network, embeds a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) to refine the image feature information, and reduces the network width factor to cut down the number of model parameters and computational complexity. The experimental results show that the proposed weld surface defect recognition method has advantages in both recognition accuracy and computational efficiency. In summary, the method in this paper overcomes the limitations of traditional methods and achieves the goal of reducing labor intensity, saving time, and improving accuracy. It meets the actual needs of in-situ weld surface defect recognition for pipelines, pressure vessels, and other industrial complex products.
Transcriptional and Metabolic Characterization of Feeding Ramie Growth Enhanced by a Combined Application of Gibberellin and Ethrel

Feeding ramie cultivars (Boehmaria nivea L.) are an important feedstock for livestock. Increasing their biomass and improving their nutritional values are essential for animal feeding. Gibberellin (GA3) and ethylene (ETH) are two plant hormones that regulate the growth, development, and metabolism of plants. Herein, we report effects of the GA3 and ETH application on the growth and plant metabolism of feeding ramie in the field. A combination of GA3 and ETH was designed to spray new plants. The two hormones enhanced the growth of plants to produce more biomass. Meanwhile, the two hormones reduced the contents of lignin in leaves and stems, while increased the content of flavonoids in leaves. To understand the potential mechanisms behind these results, we used RNA-seq-based transcriptomics and UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomics to characterize gene expression and metabolite profiles associated with the treatment of GA3 and ETH. 1562 and 2364 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from leaves and stems (treated versus control), respectively. Meanwhile, 99 and 88 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were annotated from treated versus control leaves and treated versus control stems, respectively. Data mining revealed that both DEGs and DAMs were associated with multiple plant metabolisms, especially plant secondary metabolism. A specific focus on the plant phenylpropanoid pathway identified candidates of DEGs and DEMs that were associated with lignin and flavonoid biosynthesis. Shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) is a key enzyme that is involved in the lignin biosynthesis. The gene encoding B. nivea HCT was downregulated in the treated leaves and stems. In addition, genes encoding 4-coumaryl CoA ligase (4CL) and trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase (CYP73A), two lignin pathway enzymes, were downregulated in the treated stems. Meanwhile, the reduction in lignin in the treated leaves led to an increase in cinnamic acid and p-coumaryl CoA, two shared substrates of flavonoids that are enhanced in contents. Taken together, these findings indicated that an appropriate combination of GA3 and ETH is an effective strategy to enhance plant growth via altering gene expression and plant secondary metabolism for biomass-enhanced and value-improved feeding ramie.
STRONG FIELD EFFECTS ON EMISSION LINE PROFILES: KERR BLACK HOLES AND WARPED ACCRETION DISKS

If an accretion disk around a black hole is illuminated by hard X-rays from non-thermal coronae, fluorescent iron lines will be emitted from the inner region of the accretion disk. The emission line profiles will show a variety of strong field effects, which may be used as a probe of the spin parameter of the black hole and the structure of the accretion disk. In this paper, we generalize the previous relativistic line profile models by including both the black hole spinning effects and the non-axisymmetries of warped accretion disks. Our results show different features from the conventional calculations for either a flat disk around a Kerr black hole or a warped disk around a Schwarzschild black hole by presenting, at the same time, multiple peaks, rather long red tails, and time variations of line profiles with the precession of the disk. We show disk images as seen by a distant observer, which are distorted by the strong gravity. Although we are primarily concerned with the iron K-shell lines in this paper, the calculation is general and is valid for any emission lines produced from a warped accretion disk around a black hole.
General Doubly Stochastic Maximum Principle and Its Applications to Optimal Control of SPDEs

In this paper, we prove the necessary and sufficient maximum principles (NSMPs in short) for the optimal control of systems described by a quasilinear stochastic heat equation within convex control domains, which all the coefficients contain control variables. For that, the optimal control problem of fully coupled forward-backward doubly stochastic system is studied. We apply our NSMPs to treat a kind of forward-backward doubly stochastic linear quadratic optimal control problems and an example of optimal control of stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs in short) as well.