Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From “Bangtan Boys” to “International Relations Professor”: Mapping Self‐Identifications in the UN’s Twitter Public

Digitalization and social media established world-encompassing publics that engage with international organizations. While scholarship has analyzed how international organizations communicate with such digital publics, this article determines who participates in these publics. We created a novel dataset to map the UN’s digital public on Twitter and analyzed the bios of 243,168 accounts that have interacted with the UN. Members of this public provide self-identifications (such as researcher, consultant, or scientist) that indicate a professional interest in the UN. We analyzed clusters of users that self-identify with similar words. We find high heterogeneity in the UN’s digital public: Clusters of professional, academic, and organizational users suggest that the technocratic history of international organizations reflects in the members of its digital public. At the same time, the digital public of the UN extends to very different groups (human rights activists and K-Pop fans feature in the UN’s public on Twitter). We demonstrate for future research how multiple correspondence analysis can reveal clusters in unstructured biographical data. The article contributes the first analysis of self-identifications in digital publics of global politics.
Constrained Market Share Maximization by Signal-Guided Optimization

With the rapid development of the airline industry, maximizing the market share with a constrained budget is an urgent econometric problem for an airline. We investigate the problem by adjusting flight frequencies on different flight routes. Owing to the large search space of solutions and the difficulty of predicting the market, this problem is in general daunting to solve. This paper proposes a novel two-stage optimization method to address the challenges. On the higher level, we use a signal to guide the optimization process toward a constrained satisfying solution. On the lower level, we consider the consecutive itineraries in real scenarios and model the unseen correlations between routes in itineraries for market share prediction. In theory, we prove the convergence of our optimization approach. In the experiment, we empirically verify the superiority of both our prediction model and optimization approach over existing works with large-scale real-world data. Our code has been released at: https://github.com/codingAndBS/AirlineMarket.
Defect Structures, Electronic Properties, UV–Vis, and EPR Parameters for Rh2+ Centers in LiD: A DFT Study

The defect structures and electronic properties of orthorhombic elongated (OE) and tetragonal compressed (TC) Rh2+ centers in LiD are theoretically studied using Density Functional Theory (DFT) with the periodic CP2K program. The calculations demonstrate obvious differences in defect structure between the two centers. OE center with one next nearest neighbor (nnn) cation vacancy (VLi) in [100] axis shows the Jahn‐Teller elongation of about 0.076 Å along [001] axis, whereas TC center with one nnn VLi in [001] axis exhibits a compression of about 0.049 Å along this direction. The ligand between the central Rh2+ and the VLi is found to move away from the VLi by about 0.038 or 0.035 Å for OE or TC center. The larger magnitude of the overlap population (≈ −0.5907 or −0.5494 e) of the RhD bonds in OE or TC center than that (≈0.2373 e) of the host LiD bonds in pure LiD indicates much stronger covalency of the former. The simulated UV–Vis and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra with the embedded cluster model in ORCA code are consistent with the experimental data. The present results are discussed and compared with those of the previous perturbation calculations.
Economic assessment of the environmental services of PNA Cerro Mohinora, Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua

The Cerro Mohinora Protected Natural Area (PNA) located in Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua, Mexico has ecosystems in a good state of conservation that include trees of genera such as Picea, Abies and Pseudotsuga. The objective was to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) by the visitors through the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) in order to conserve the environmental services (SA) provided by the area and to know their perception of the current state of the Hill. 210 surveys were carried out to simulate a hypothetical market, where they asked what is the maximum amount they would be willing to pay to preserve and/or improve the SA of the PNA. The main results show that 90.48% of the visitors gave a positive WTP, 48.57% of the visitors are local and 55.24% have a university degree. 60.48% of the visitors do ecotourism on the Hill. The main suggestion to improve the area was the maintenance of the roads (55.00%) and the provision of more environmental education (32.69%). The only variable that influenced a positive WTP and that was statistically significant was the “Perception of good ecosystem quality (PGEQ)”. The average WTP calculated was 90.48 MXN, with a minimum and maximum of 68.12 MXN and 97.60 MXN, respectively, and a standard deviation of 5.55 MXN. The WTP should be established according to the number of visitors and use of the place, considering that it currently has no cost and that most visitors are willing to pay to enter and show concern for conservation.
Truncated sequential Monte Carlo test with exact power

Monte Carlo hypothesis testing is extensively used for statistical inference. Surprisingly, despite the many theoretical advances in the field, statistical power performance of Monte Carlo tests remains an open question. Because the last assertion may sound questionable for some, the first goal in this paper is to show that the power performance of truncated Monte Carlo tests is still an unsolved question. The second goal here is to present a solution for this issue, that is, we introduce a truncated sequential Monte Carlo procedure with statistical power arbitrarily close to the power of the theoretical exact test. The most significant contribution of this work is the validity of our method for the general case of any test statistic.
Multi-stream 3D CNN structure for human action recognition trained by limited data

Here, the authors proposed a solution to improve the training performance in limited training data case for human action recognition. The authors proposed three different convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures for this purpose. At first, the authors generated four different channels of information by optical flows and gradients in the horizontal and vertical directions from each frame to apply to three-dimensional (3D) CNNs. Then, the authors proposed three architectures, which are single-stream, two-stream, and four-stream 3D CNNs. In the single-stream model, the authors applied four channels of information from each frame to a single stream. In the two-stream architecture, the authors applied optical flow-x and optical flow-y into one stream and gradient-x and gradient-y to another stream. In the four-stream architecture, the authors applied each one of the information channels to four separate streams. Evaluating the architectures in an action recognition system, the system was assessed on IXMAS, a data set which has been recorded simultaneously by five cameras. The authors showed that the results of four-stream architecture were better than other architectures, achieving 87.5, 91.66, 91.11, 88.05, and 81.94% recognition rates for cameras 0-4, respectively, using four-stream structure (88.05% recognition rate in average).
Co-Electrospun Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Zein Articular Cartilage Scaffolds

Osteoarthritis scaffold-based grafts fail because of poor integration with the surrounding soft tissue and inadequate tribological properties. To circumvent this, we propose electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)/zein-based scaffolds owing to their biomimetic capabilities. The scaffold surfaces were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, static water contact angles, and profilometry. Scaffold biocompatibility properties were assessed by measuring protein adsorption (Bicinchoninic Acid Assay), cell spreading (stained F-actin), and metabolic activity (PrestoBlue™ Cell Viability Reagent) of primary bovine chondrocytes. The data show that zein surface segregation in the membranes not only completely changed the hydrophobic behavior of the materials, but also increased the cell yield and metabolic activity on the scaffolds. The surface segregation is verified by the infrared peak at 1658 cm−1, along with the presence and increase in N1 content in the survey XPS. This observation could explain the decrease in the water contact angles from 125° to approximately 60° in zein-comprised materials and the decrease in the protein adsorption of both bovine serum albumin and synovial fluid by half. Surface nano roughness in the PCL/zein samples additionally benefited the radial spreading of bovine chondrocytes. This study showed that co-electrospun PCL/zein scaffolds have promising surface and biocompatibility properties for use in articular-tissue-engineering applications.
“You are the first person to ask me how I’m doing sexually”: sexual and reproductive health needs and sexual behaviours among migrant people in transit through Panama

Background Unprecedented numbers of migrant people transiting through the Darién Gap at the Panama-Colombia border were recorded in 2021 and 2022. Data on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs and service provision among migrant people in transit is generally extremely sparse. This study aimed to collect personal accounts of sexual behaviours and SRH needs and access to services among migrant people in transit through Panama. Methods We conducted a rapid-assessment qualitative study using semi-structured interviews during June-July 2022. Participants were migrant people in transit at three locations across Panama: (i) at the Migrant Reception Station (MRS) in Darién province at the Panama-Colombia border, (ii) in the city of David near the Costa Rica-Panama border, and (iii) at the Costa Rica-Panama border. Migrant peoples (>18 years) were invited to participate using purposive sampling. Results Overall, 26 adult migrant people (16 men, 10 women) across the three sites participated in the study. We identified three overarching themes from the interviews: (1) increased need for SRH service provision, (2) experiences of sex, relationships, and transactional sex, and (3) vulnerability to exploitation and sexual violence. All accounts reported that no formal SRH care was present during the journey through the Gap and described as inconsistent at the MRS in Darién. Provision of gynaecological or genital examinations, laboratory testing for urinary tract or STI, and prenatal care were mentioned to be the most pressing needs. Participants reported a change in their sexual behaviour while travelling, whether a decline in sexual libido or preference towards short-term partners. Most female participants recounted constantly fearing sexual violence during the journey through the Gap and several respondents reported witnessing incidents of sexual and other forms of violence. Conclusion There are significant unmet needs regarding SRH care during the journey of migrant people transiting through the Darién Gap, at the MRS in the Darién province, and across Panama. Provision of antenatal care, rapid testing for HIV/STI, condom distribution, and care for victims of sexual violence would significantly reduce adverse SRH outcomes and improve the well-being of migrant people, even when in transit.
Ion-channel laser growth rate and beam quality requirements

In this paper, we determine the growth rate of the exponential radiation amplification in the ion-channel laser, where a relativistic electron beam wiggles in a focusing ion channel that can be created in a wakefield accelerator. For the first time the radiation diffraction, which can limit the amplification, is taken into account. The electron beam quality requirements to obtain this amplification are also presented. It is shown that both the beam energy and wiggler parameter spreads should be limited. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of the self-consistent ion-channel laser confirm our theoretical predictions.
Adsorption of Heparin-Binding Fragments of Fibronectin onto Hydrophobic Surfaces

Fibronectin is a multi-domain, extracellular matrix protein that plays a number of biological roles. As the adsorption of fibronectin onto the surface of implanted devices can lead to an inflammatory response or bacterial colonisation, understanding the interaction of fibronectin with material surfaces is important in the design of materials for biomedical applications. This, however, relies on having knowledge of the molecular-scale behaviour of proteins, which is difficult to investigate experimentally. In this paper, we used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorption of heparin-binding fibronectin domains onto hydrophobic surfaces. Despite the high similarity between these, their adsorption differs both in terms of the strength and the specificity of this, indicating that relatively small changes in protein structure can lead to significant changes in adsorption behaviour. This suggests that the interplay between protein structure and surface chemistry is vital for understanding the protein adsorption process and the design of novel biomaterials.
Face Analysis, Description and Recognition using Improved Local Binary Patterns in One Dimensional Space

In this study of biometric system, Improved One Dimensional Local Binary Patterns (I1DLBP) are developed and tested for use in face analysis, description and recognition. The extraction of face’s features is inspired from the principal that the human visual system combines between local and global features to differentiate between peoples. It starts by decomposing the facial image into several blocks with different resolutions. Then, each block is projected in one dimensional space. Next, the developed descriptor is applied on each projected block. Finally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is needed to reduce the dimensionalities of the concatenated vectors from each block and to keep only the pertinent information. K-nearest neighbor (KNN) is used as a classifier. Experiments were carried out under varying conditions in occlusion, rotation and, facial expressions using ORL and AR databases. Results show that the developed feature extraction approach can effectively describe the micro characteristics of the human face and the superiority in comparison to well-known and classical feature extraction descriptors.
Monte Carlo human identification refinement using joints uncertainty

In this work, we propose a new method to re-identify the same individual among different people using RGB-D data. Each human signature is a combination of soft biometric traits. In particular, we extract a color-based descriptor and a local feature descriptor through a Monte Carlo-based algorithm taking into account the uncertainty of human joints and, applied to each descriptor, refines the similarity match against a spatiotemporal database that updates over time. We analyzed the effects of Monte Carlo refinement in terms of the final maximum matching score obtained for the two descriptors. In addition, we tested the performance of the proposed method on a widely used public dataset against one of the best re-identification methods in the literature. Our method achieves an average recognition rate of 99.1 % rank-1 without identification error. Its robustness also makes it suitable for industrial applications.
Digital redesign of analogue dynamic output-feedback controllers for polytopic systems

ABSTRACT This paper is devoted to the problem known as digital redesign, i.e. given a previously designed stabilising continuous-time controller for a continuous-time plant, synthesise a digital controller that provides the hybrid closed-loop system with output trajectories as similar as possible to the continuous-time ones. To accomplish this goal, two distinct optimisation criteria are investigated: (i) the Euclidean norm of the difference between the dynamic matrix of the discretised closed-loop continuous-time system and the dynamic matrix that represents the discretised open-loop system fed back by the designed digital controller; (ii) the norm of the transfer function from the noise input to the error between the outputs of the two systems. As main novelties with respect to the existing results on digital redesign, the proposed conditions can deal with polytopic systems, and can synthesise reduced-order dynamic output-feedback digital controllers as well.
Body composition analysis for non-athlete urban schoolgirls in the pubertal stage

Background and Study Purpose. Body composition analysis by bioimpedance is a modern investigation method that provides additional and relevant information, compared to the classical assessment, based only on BMI levels. The purpose of the research is to compare body composition parameters for secondary school girls, according to the stages of puberty and to identify the differences that appear between these stages. Material and Methods. The investigated group was made up of 115 non-athlete girls from the urban environment, divided into two distinct age categories: 10-12 years/55 cases (Under 12 with age=10.97±0.40, BMI=19.53±3.71, percentiles BMI=65.52± 25.78) and 12-13 years/end of puberty/60 cases (Over 12 with age=12.30±0.30 BMI=20.72±3.62, BMI percentiles=66.13±28.23). The assessment carried out with Inbody 720/Biospace (Korea). Results. Reporting to the percentile ranges indicates the absence of Underweight cases for the Over 12 group and only 7.27% of the Under 12 group falls within these values. In both groups, the Normal Weight class dominates (67.27% for Under 12 and 63.34% for Over 12), and the percentages of Overweight and Obese cases are higher for Over 12 (23.33% and 13.33%, respectively). The distribution according to body composition indicates the slim type for about a quarter of the students of both groups, but also the placement of a large number of subjects in the Chubby/normal type category (29.10% for Under 12 and 20% for Over 12). According to the percentage of mass fat, the Over 12 group has a double percentage of Obesity for high level, compared to Under 12 group (23.33% vs. 10.90%). The Over 12 group has statistically higher values (P<0.05) for body fat mass (BFM), Skeletal lean mass (SLM), fat free mass (FFM), total body water (TBW), Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) and has a much higher number of cases reporting abdominal obesity/ waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (33.34% vs. 14.55%). Conclusions. The analysis of body composition by bioimpedance allowed the precise identification of the ratio between the main components of the body, clearly highlighting the cases with problems related to the very high percentage of fat mass. In this sense, for many girls who fell according to the BMI percentiles in the Normal Weight category, the low percentage of muscle tissue and the excessive amounts of fat generated the reclassification in the Chubby/normal type or Obese/excessive fat type categories. The results confirm the increase in percentages of overweight and obese children for the last stage of puberty.
Ultrasonic enhancement of /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ expressing-cells with targeted contrast agents

Targeted contrast agents have the potential to substantially improve the ability of ultrasound contrast agents to delineate otherwise difficult-to-detect pathologies. In this manuscript, optical microscopy and acoustic backscatter measurements from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) exposed to targeted and control microbubbles illustrate the high affinity of targeted agents for the /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ integrin. Backscatter measurements are provided for cell layers exposed to three types of targeted contrast agents in addition to two controls. Acoustic studies illustrate a backscatter amplitude increase from /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ expressing cells exposed to the targeted contrast agent of up to 13 fold compared to non-targeted agents. Additionally, echo decorrelation is shown to be a function of acoustic pressure and microbubble density. Frequency domain analysis demonstrates that adherent targeted microbubbles exhibit a significantly more narrowband spectrum than free microbubbles. These results suggest that targeted contrast agents may provide additional sensitivity in the detection of tumors, and that adherent contrast agents may be differentiable from free-floating microbubbles.
Malignant Transformation and Long-Term Outcome of Oral and Laryngeal Leukoplakia

Background: Oral or laryngeal leukoplakia has an increased risk for malignant transformation but the risk of the two anatomical sites has not been compared to each other yet. Materials and Methods: Clinical data of 253 patients with leukoplakia (oral = 221 or laryngeal = 32) enrolled from January 1996 to January 2022 were analyzed. One hundred and seventy underwent biopsy and 83 did not. The mean follow-up time was 148.8 months. Risk factors for the malignant transformation of leukoplakia were identified using Cox proportional hazard models. Results: In the oral or laryngeal group, the rate of cancer was 21.7% and 50% (p = 0.002), respectively. The 10-year estimated malignant transformation was 15.1% and 42% (p < 0.0001), respectively. The laryngeal group had an increased risk of malignant transformation (p < 0.0001). The 5-year estimated survival with leukoplakia-associated cancer for the oral or laryngeal group was 40.9% and 61.1% (p = 0.337), respectively. Independent predictors of malignant transformation in the oral group were dysplasia and the grade of dysplasia of the leukoplakia, and in the laryngeal group, dysplasia had a significant impact. The malignant transformation rate was low for oral patients without biopsy or with no dysplasia, 3.9% and 5.1%, respectively. The malignant transformation occurred over 10 years. Conclusions: Patients with dysplastic leukoplakia have an increased risk of malignant transformation, but the risk is higher with laryngeal than with oral leukoplakia. There is no significant difference between the groups regarding survival with leukoplakia-associated cancer. Oral patients with no dysplastic lesions have a low risk of malignant transformation. A complete excision and long-term follow up are suggested for high-risk patients to diagnose cancer in an early stage and to control late (over 10 years) malignant events.
Adaptive Fuzzy Finite-Time Command Filtering Control for Flexible-Joint Robot Systems Against Multiple Actuator Constraints

This brief focuses on the issue of fuzzy finite-time position tracking control for single-link flexible-joint robotic systems subject to multiple actuator constraints. At first, fuzzy logic systems are invoked to estimate completely unknown nonlinear functions, which can appropriately overcome heavy calculations. Next, the inherent computational complexity problem is eliminated via adopting command filter technology and the correlative error compensation mechanism is exploited to mitigate the influence of the errors brought by the filter. Further, the developed controller not only assures the semi-global finite-time stable of the controlled system, but also makes the tracking error enter a small region around the origin within fast finite time. The significance and potential of the presented control technique can be testified through simulation results.