Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Successful Collaborative Project Management: Insights From Malaysian Construction Industry

Project management (PM) has garnered significant attention from both academia and business stakeholders to understand the factors that contribute to the success of project delivery. Despite years of accumulated experience and a significant increase in the number of certified project managers, the success rate of construction projects remains relatively low. This study aims to explore possible determinants for collaborative project management success and validate the framework in the context of the Malaysian construction industry. Specifically, the study tested project management maturity
Numerical modeling of micro-particle migration in channels

: Physicochemical forces exert non-neligible effects on the migration of micro-particles in channels. Experiments, analytical and non-resolved computational fluid dynamics models have failed to decipher the dynamic behaviors of these particles when carried by fluid flow. In this paper, particle-scale numerical simulation is conducted to study the adhesive micro-particle migration process during duct flow in channels with a large characteristic dimension ratio and those with relatively small such ratio based on the coupled lattice Boltzmann method-discrete element method. The interaction between particle and fluid flow is dealt with by the immersed moving boundary condition. For micro-particle migration in duct flow, the effects of hydrodynamic force, adhesive force and particle concentration on the aggregation of particles are investigated. Based on the concept of hydrodynamic and adhesive force ratio, a stable aggregation distribution map is proposed to help analyze the distribution and size of the formed agglomerates. For micro-particle migration in channels with small characteristic dimension ratio, the general particle migration process is analyzed, which includes single particle retention, followed by particle capture, and the migration of large agglomerates. It is concluded that two factors accelerate single particle retention in a curved channel. Moreover, it is established that higher fluid flow rate facilitates the formation of large and compact agglomerate, and blockage by this can cause severe damage to the conductivity of the channel.
Low-resource ASR-free Keyword Spotting Using Listen-and-confirm

We present listen-and-confirm (LAC), a human-in-the-loop approach for improving extremely low-resource convolutional neural network-based (CNN) keyword spotting (KWS). LAC interactively presents short audio segments, detected by the KWS, to a human evaluator who confirms whether or not the keyword is present. These LAC responses are used to adjust the CNN training targets and then obtain an improved KWS. Experiments were conducted in English, for controlled experimentation, and Bambara, a severely under-resourced Malian language reflecting the true operational setting in which the KWS is currently used for humanitarian support. Relative improvements in mean precision of 38.18 and 21.62%, respectively, for English and Bambara were achieved for an audio query-by-example task after incorporating feedback from 50 LAC evaluations per key-word type. As a key finding, we show that LAC improves keyword spotting performance even when the human evaluator is completely unfamiliar with the target language. Therefore, LAC can be used to support rapid KWS development in a completely new language.
Depersonalization of Speech Using Speaker-Specific Transform Based on Long-Term Spectrum

This paper introduces a novel approach for hiding personal information in speech signals. The proposed approach applied a transform warping function, which is obtained from a long-term linear prediction spectrum individually for each speaker. The depersonalized speech was compared with the often used technique based on vocal tract length normalization. The proposed approach performs wider manipulation of fundamental frequency and provides higher intelligibility by 5% in clean speech and by 8% for signal-to-noise ratio 5 dB. It also significantly alters the derived glottal pulses, making them difficult to use for personality analysis. Speech intelligibility index and glottal pulse distortion are new aspects in the field of voice depersonalization.
ALTERNATIVE ORIGINS FOR NANNOBACTERIA-LIKE OBJECTS IN CALCITE

More than 40 calcite-precipitation experiments were performed under sterile conditions in order to investigate the origins of 25–300 nm spherical-, rod-, and ovoid-shaped objects that have been widely interpreted as evidence of nanometer-scale life (i.e., nannobacteria). Individual experiments included the addition of soluble organic compounds, common species of eubacteria, or phage-induced eubacterial lysates. These experiments indicate that many of the nanometer-scale objects have inorganic or nonnannobacterial origins. In the precipitation experiments, calcite formed euhedral crystals 50–800 nm in diameter and smaller (<50 nm) anhedral or rounded particles or protocrystals. The small anhedral or rounded solids resembled nannobacteria. The relative amount of anhedral or rounded calcite was greatest in experiments with a dissolved organic component. These controlled experiments are in accord with observations that rounded nanometer-scale objects are more common in minerals formed in organic-rich environments. Bacterial fragments occur as rounded to irregularly shaped particles that included cell-wall fragments, expulsed cytoplasm, and relict capsules that also closely resembled nannobacteria. Acid etching of the large euhedral crystals produced in the precipitation experiments also resulted in the formation of nanometer-scale features that resembled nannobacteria in natural carbonates. The shapes of the etching artifacts vary as a function of the strength of the acid and the duration of etching. Much caution is advisable in interpreting the origin of rounded features <50 nm.
Large surface velocity fluctuations of Biafo Glacier, central Karakoram, at high spatial and temporal resolution from optical satellite images

Abstract Despite global warming and unlike their Himalayan neighbours, glaciers in the Karakoram mountains do not show signs of significant retreat. Here we report high velocity variations of Biafo Glacier, central Karakoram, which occurred between 2001 and 2009 and which indicate considerable dynamics in its flow behaviour. We have generated a dense time series of glacier surface velocities, based on cross-correlation of optical satellite images, which clearly shows seasonal and interannual velocity variations, reaching 50% in some places. The interannual velocity variations resemble the passing of a broad wave of high velocities, with peak velocities during 2005 and some diffusion down-glacier over a period of at least 4 years. High interannual velocity variations are also observed at other glaciers in the vicinity, suggesting a common cause, although these appear to partly comprise longer acceleration phases. Analysis of weather station data provides some indications of meteorological conditions that could have promoted sustained sliding events during this period, but this does not explain the wave-like nature of the acceleration at Biafo Glacier, and the regular, protracted velocity changes.
Internal and External Determinants of Bank Syariah Indonesia Capital Gain during the Pandemic

This paper seeks to confirm and explain the relationship between internal factors of stock-lagged return and trading volume and external factors of composite price on returns of Bank Syariah Indonesia or BRIS. We collect the daily financial data of BRIS stock, Indonesia composite index, gold price, exchange rate, and Bank of Indonesia's deposit rate from the Refinitiv database. We obtained 1,230 time-series data to be analyzed further by implementing time-series analyses. Our research shows that the autoregressive integrated moving average (1,1,0) is the best model for univariate and multivariate analysis. Our study finds that lagged return has a negative effect on the bank’s daily return while trading volume has a positive impact on daily return. Our research reveals that composite price has the same effect as trading volume on daily return. Investors, especially short-term traders, may use our findings to formulate a different strategy for dealing with the volatility of Bank Syariah Indonesia stock. Our research contributes to the investment field by developing a new measurement for predicting the bank’s return when conducting short-term trading.
Hop Italian Domination in Graphs

Given a simple graph $G=(V(G),E(G))$, a function $f:V(G)\to \{0,1,2\}$ is a hop Italian dominating function if for every vertex $v$ with $f(v)=0$ there exists a vertex $u$ with $f(u)=2$ for which $u$ and $v$ are of distance $2$ from each other or there exist two vertices $w$ and $z$ for which $f(w)=1=f(z)$ and each of $w$ and $z$ is of distance $2$ from $v$. The minimum weight $\sum_{v\in V(G)}f(v)$ of a hop Italian dominating function is the hop Italian domination number of $G$, and is denoted by $\gamma_{hI}(G)$. In this paper, we initiate the study of the hop Italian domination. In particular, we establish some properties of the the hop Italian dominating function and explore the relationships of the hop Italian domination number with the hop Roman domination number \cite{Rad2,Natarajan} and with the $2$-hop domination number \cite{Canoy}. We study the concept under some binary graph operations. We establish tight bounds and determine exact values for their respective hop Italian domination numbers.
Species Identification of Potential Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Malaysian Fermented Food Based on 16S Ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Sequences

Taxonomic identification of potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented foods is essential as the microorganisms’ benefits are varied and often strain-specific. Using biochemical and physiological methods alone is inadequate to precisely distinguish each strain. In this study, molecular techniques were employed in the identification of 17 LAB isolated from three Malaysian fermented foods: belacan (BE), bosou (BO), and budu (BUM). The respective sizes of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products from the isolates were approximately 1500 bp and 750 bp when amplified with the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene primers. The phylogenetic analysis using both gene sequences revealed that all BE and BO isolates were identified as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, while all BUM isolates were identified as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. Both 16S rRNA and ITS genes could disclose the identity of the isolates up to the species level. In summary, the use of the ITS gene in conjunction with the 16S rRNA gene can help with the more effective identification of potential probiotic LAB strains isolated from fermented food.
Molecular dynamics simulation of the heterostructure of the CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy under an impact load

There have been numerous experimental studies conducted on the CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloys (HEAs) at the macroscopic level. However, it is challenging to quantitatively analyze the shock behavior of the HEAs from a microscopic level through experiments. In this study, we construct single-crystal, twin-crystal, multilayer, hole, and two-phase structures of the CoCrFeMnNi HEAs using the molecular dynamics method. The effects of impact loading on the microscopic level are investigated for CoCrFeMnNi HEAs with different structures. By analyzing the evolution of their microstructure and the changes in physical parameters, the response laws and propagation characteristics of shock waves in various heterogeneous of CoCrFeMnNi HEAs are revealed at the atomic scale.
Disinformation Perception by Digital and Social Audiences: Threat Awareness, Decision-Making and Trust in Media Organizations

The effects of disinformation in the media and social networks have been extensively studied from the perspective of reception studies. However, the perception of this media phenomenon expressed by different types of audiences in distant geographic locations and with different media cultures has hardly been addressed by experts. This theoretical review study aims to analyze the relationship between the actual level of disinformation and the perception expressed by the audiences themselves. The results of the study reveal, firstly, that users of social networks and digital media do not perceive being surrounded by an excessively worrying volume of disinformation, a fact that contrasts with the data recorded, which are visibly higher. This situation reveals that the audience tends to normalize disinformation, which is intensively consumed on a daily basis and does not seem to worry the public in general terms, although some differences can be detected depending on variables such as gender, age or education. On the other hand, paradoxically, audiences visibly express rejection attitudes towards the channels that disseminate false information, with media outlets being the least trusted, despite recognizing that social networks are the place where more disinformation is generated and circulated at the same time.
A multi-sensor study of conditions leading to the formation of a cyclone over the Arabian Sea during 5–9 May 2004

The present study investigates the conditions leading to the formation of a cyclone over the Arabian Sea using in situ, buoy, Argo floats, island, satellite, reanalysis and blended datasets. Cyclogenesis parameters, such as the sea-surface temperature (SST), the mid-tropospheric relative humidity (MTRH), the relative vorticity (RV) and the vertical wind shear (VWS), were examined. Furthermore, the variability of different parameters from satellite data, such as the SST, the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), the precipitable water (PW), the rainfall rate and wind speed (WS), were also investigated from the pre-disturbance stage to the cyclonic stage. An analysis of the dynamic and thermodynamic cyclogenesis parameters from the reanalysis data showed that the MTRH, RV and PW increased dramatically from the pre-disturbance stage to the depression stage by 150%, 530% and 32%, respectively. It is envisaged that better spatial and temporal satellite estimates of the OLR, SST, PW, blended Objectively Analyzed air–sea Flux (OAFlux) project, European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) data products and new tools, such as moored buoys and Argo floats, would be useful for the study of cyclones over the Arabian Sea.
KERNEL EMPIRICAL ORTHOGONAL FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF 1992-2008 GLOBAL SEA SURFACE HEIGHT ANOMALY DATA

Linear empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is extended to a kernel version. Results of kernel EOF (kEOF) analysis from the last 17 years have been obtained from analyzing 3 degree longitude and 2 degree latitude, 65 degrees South to 65 degrees North joint TOPEX and JASON-1 monthly sea surface height (SSH) anomaly data over the period 1992-2008. Preliminary analysis shows some interesting features related to large scale ocean currents and particularly to the pulsing of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Large scale ocean events associated with the ENSO related signals are conveniently concentrated in the first SSH kEOF modes.
Site effect evaluation using spectral ratios with only one station

The spectral ratio technique is a common useful way to estimate empirical transfer function to evaluates site effects in regions of moderate to high seismicity. The purpose of this paper is to show that it is possible to estimate empirical transfer function using spectral ratios between horizontal and vertical components of motion without a reference station. The technique, originally proposed by Nakamura to analyze Rayleigh waves in the microtremor records, is presented briefly and it is discussed why it may be applicable to study the intense S-wave part in earthquake records. Results are presented for three different cities in Mexico: Oaxaca, Oax. , Acapulco, Gro. , and Mexico City. These cities are very different by their geological and tectonic contexts and also by the very different epicentral distances to the main seismogenic zones affecting each city. Each time we compare the results of Nakamura's technique with standard spectral ratios. In all three cases the results are very encouraging. We conclude that, if site effects are caused by simple geology, a first estimate of dominant period and local amplification level can be obtained using records of only one station.
New General Analytical Solution for Infiltration Structures Design

AbstractThis paper develops an analytical solution to assist in designing and sizing stormwater infiltration structures. As original elements, our solution allows to estimate the hydraulic head in the infiltration structure as a function of (1) storm temporal dynamics, making use of an appropriate intensity duration frequency (IDF) curve, (2) the model adopted to describe the response of the catchment to a given input rainfall, and (3) the evolution of the wetted front advancing in a homogeneous soil where the infiltration device is located. Our solution allows highlighting the effects of the various simplifications associated with existing formulations employed in the common engineering practice. Our results indicate that typically adopted methodologies based on the assumptions of a uniform infiltration rate and/or negligible flow rate along the lateral surface of the structure may lead to overestimating the key design parameters.
Investigating the physiological role of S199A and S199D mutants of PHF6 protein in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background/aim T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a form of leukemia characterized by the proliferation of immature T lymphocytes. NOTCH1 is one of the most frequently mutated genes in T-ALL. NOTCH1 expression in T-cell development depends on plant homeodomain finger protein 6 (PHF6), which plays a tumor suppressor role in T-ALL. Several studies have shown that PHF6 expression is essential for NOTCH1 expression. Therefore, whether posttranslational modification of PHF6 plays a role in the regulation of NOTCH1 expression and T-ALL cell line proliferation was investigated herein. Materials and methods The amino acid sequence of PHF6 was analyzed and it was found that a putative protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation motif RDRS199 was conserved in several vertebrate species and the S199 site was expected to be phosphorylated according to the PhosphoSite database. Therefore, an eukaryotic expression vector of human PHF6 was constructed, and the codon 199 was changed to the codon encoding the nonphosphorylatable alanine and the phosphorylation-mimicking aspartic acid via site-directed mutagenesis. After confirming the ectopic expressions of the PHF6 vectors by western blot analysis, the effects of these proteins were identified on the NOTCH1 expression using western blot analysis, leukemic cell proliferation using MTT assay, and expressions of the cell surface markers of T-cells using flow cytometry. Results The ectopic expression of wild-type PHF6 stimulated the formation of CD4 + T-cells. While the expression of the wild-type PHF6 suppressed the growth of the leukemic cell line, this effect was diminished in both the alanine and aspartic acid mutants of PHF6. In addition, both mutants also seemed to negatively affect the NOTCH1 expression, although the effect of the alanine mutant was more severe. Conclusion Taken together, the different biological activities exerted by the conserved S199 phosphorylation-site mutants shown in this study implicate that signaling pathway(s) leading to differential phosphorylation of this residue may have a substantial effect on the activity of PHF6, and thus may constitute a potential therapeutic target in T-ALL.
Log-ratios and geochemical discrimination of Scottish Dalradian limestones: a case study

Abstract Geochemical data are used widely to help correlate lithostratigraphical sequences, particularly where they are unfossiliferous and/or affected by metamorphism and deformation. In this study, geochemical data for variably impure metamorphosed limestones from the Neoproterozoic — Cambrian Dalradian Supergroup of Scotland have been used to aid lithostratigraphical discrimination and correlation in a region where apparently similar sequences crop out in widely separated regions affected by major deformation. The key problem in the statistical analysis of geochemical data is that the data are constrained to a constant sum and cannot, therefore, be analysed in raw form by conventional statistical techniques. To overcome this problem, the data have been transformed into log-ratios. Subsequent statistical analysis of the transformed data focuses on determining the simplest sub-composition that effectively discriminates between the limestones. The results show that the Fe2O3-MgO-CaO subcomposition is sufficient in this regard, with the additional benefit that it reflects the composition of the carbonate component in the limestones. Mann-Whitney tests of the log-ratio Fe2O3/MgO show that limestones from most different lithostratigraphical levels are statistically different from each other at high levels of significance. The results have clarified interpretations of the lithostratigraphy and subsequent interpretations of the tectonic history of the region.
Effect of Different Occlusal Tooth Forms of Mandibular Overdenture Retained by an Immediate Loaded Single Implant on the Masticatory Efficiency and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

Aim: To study the masticatory efficacy and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of participants wearing a mandibular overdenture retained by an immediate loading single implant with different occlusal tooth forms. Materials and Methods: For this nonrandomized controlled trial study, 27 edentulous participants were selected and randomly divided into three groups (n = 9) based on occlusal tooth forms of the mandibular implant overdenture (MIOD). Group I: participants received an MIOD with an anatomical tooth form; Group II: participants received an MIOD with a semianatomical tooth form; and Group III: participants received an MIOD with a nonanatomical tooth form. For each participant, a single implant (screw root form) was inserted into the midline of the mandibular ridge to support the MIOD. For each group, the masticatory efficiency was evaluated after 3 months, and the OHRQoL of the participants was evaluated after 3 and 6 months. One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test were used for data analysis (P < 0.05). Results: The masticatory efficiency of the anatomic and semianatomic tooth forms was higher than that of the nonanatomic (P < 0.05). Moreover, the improvement in the participants’ OHRQoL in the anatomic group was more significant than that of other groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There was a greater improvement in masticatory efficiency and participants’ OHRQoL when fitted with an anatomic tooth form mandibular overdenture retained by an immediate loading single implant than with a semianatomic or nonanatomic tooth form.