Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Adaptive Model and Occupant Behavior Model in Four Office Buildings in Nagasaki, Japan

A field survey of indoor environmental measurements and questionnaires on thermal sensation, overall comfort, and behaviors was conducted in four office buildings in Japan by visiting each office every month over a duration of more than a year during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The indoor environment was measured concurrently. We obtained 1047 votes from office workers in their 20s to 60s. The regression and Griffiths’ methods were used to calculate the indoor comfort temperature. A logistic regression analysis was used to develop the occupant behavior model. Over 70% of the occupants found the indoor environment comfortable at a mean comfort temperature of 23.2 to 25.9 °C. Gender differences were observed in thermal sensation and overall comfort, but a gender difference was observed only in the cooling mode for the indoor comfort temperature. An adaptive model was developed for the office buildings in Nagasaki city to predict the indoor comfort temperature from the outdoor air temperature. The proportions of heating, cooling, and fan usage can be predicted from the outdoor air temperature using a logistic regression analysis. The adaptive model and occupant behavior model are useful for the indoor temperature control of the existing buildings and thermal simulation of the new building design.
Determination of physical location of fiber Bragg gratings using traversal heat‐induced phase shift

In certain application, the exact location of the grating structure of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is crucial for properly packaging, altering or exploiting the device. This article proposes a simple way to determine the location of FBG by applying heat induced phase shift. A traversing thin heating element is continuously scanned across the FBG while the local optical spectral profile is analyzed. The experiments are performed on an apodised uniform FBG and a chirped FBG. The results show that the symmetry of the local spectral profiles and prominence of the phase‐induced spectral dip can be used to determine the structure center and exact physical location of the apodised FBG. Meanwhile, the location of the linearly chirped FBG can be determined by simply observing the wavelength of the spectral dip.
The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions and Changes to Takeaway Regulations in England on Consumers’ Intake and Methods of Accessing Out-of-Home Foods: A Longitudinal, Mixed-Methods Study

Background: COVID-19 restrictions significantly impacted the operations of fast food and full-service retailers. Full-service retailers were permitted to operate as takeaway outlets without needing to seek formal changes in planning permissions. We conducted a study to determine consumers’ intake and modes of accessing foods from fast food and full-service retailers during various COVID-19 restrictions and changes to takeaway/delivery regulations, as well as their experiences. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal, mixed-methods study comprising three surveys, which examined the intake frequency and modes of accessing retailers, and two rounds of qualitative focus groups, which explored their related experiences. The data were collected at three timepoints (T) from May 2021–March 2022. The participants were adults living in Northern England (n = 701 at T1); a sub-sample participated in the focus groups (n = 22). The intake data were presented descriptively; an ordered logit regression explored the factors associated with the intake frequency. The focus group data were analysed using a framework analysis. Results: The mean weekly intake frequency from fast food retailers at T1, T2, and T3 was 0.96 (SD 1.05), 1.08 (SD 1.16), and 1.06 times (SD 1.12), respectively. For full-service retailers, this was 0.36 (SD 0.69), 0.75 (1.06), and 0.71 (SD 0.99) times, respectively. Food access issues (OR (SE): T1 = 1.65 (0.40), T2 = 2.60 (0.66), T = 2.1 (0.62)) and obesity (T1 = 1.61 (0.31), T2 = 2.21 (0.46), T3 = 1.85 (0.42)) were positively associated with intake from fast food, but not full-service retailers. Delivery services were commonly used to access fast food (30–34% participants), but not full-service retailers (6–10% participants). As COVID-19 restrictions eased, participants were eager to socialise on-premises at full-service retailers. Conclusions: Takeaway/delivery services were seldom used to access full-service retailers, but the use of delivery services to access fast food was high. Policymakers must recognise delivery services as a growing part of the food environment, and the challenges they pose to planning policies for obesity prevention.
Evaluation of the eOSCE for testing clinical skills

The OSCE is a proven instrument for testing practical skills of students, not only in the (veterinary) medical field. At the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation (TiHo), students must complete a 10-week rotation in one of the university’s own clinics during the practical year in the 9th and 10th semesters in addition to other practical training. Within this framework, the first training for acquiring clinical practical skills with a formative examination (OSCE; Objective Structured Clinical Examination) was developed in the Clinical Skills Lab (CSL) in 2014. Since 2018, the TiHo has been the first veterinary medical training institution in Germany to conduct electronic OSCEs (eOSCEs). In the future, eOSCEs will also be introduced as a summative examination at the TiHo. For this reason, students in the practical year of the winter semester 2021/2022 and summer semester 2022 as well as former and current examiners were surveyed regarding their satisfaction with the eOSCE examination format as part of this study. The 175 analyzed questionnaires from students and 27 analyzed questionnaires from examiners showed a high level of satisfaction with the eOSCE overall, but at the same time indicated problems that should be ironed out before it is introduced as a summative examination in the state examination. In addition to its standardization and objectivity, the examination format also convinced with its quality-assurance review procedure and the direct feedback possibility with regard to the students’ performance.
Psychometrické charakteristiky českých verzí vybraných dotazníků generativity: vnitřní konzistence a faktorová struktura

Objectives. Studie se zabýva zakladnimi psychometrickými charakteristikami ceských verzi metod generativity: Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS), Generativity Behavioral Checklist (GBC), Skaly aktualniho generativniho zajmu (Gen-Current), Skaly celoživotniho generativniho zajmu (Gen-Life) a Skaly rodicovskeho generativniho zajmu (Gen-Parental). Subjects and settings. Metody byly předloženy k sebeposouzeni v sesti souborech respondentů ve věku 18 – 93 let; celkem se výzkumu ucastnilo 1259 respondentů. Statistical analysis. Pro odhad reliability byl použit Cronbachův koeficient alfa a McDonaldův koeficient omega; struktura položek LGS, Gen-Current, Gen-Life a Gen-Parental byla ověřovana pomoci konfirmacni faktorove analýzy. Interkorelace subskal Skal generativniho zajmu i jejich korelace s LGS byla zjisťovana pomoci Pearsonova koeficientu korelace. Results. Skaly maji přiměřenou reliabilitu: LGS od 0,77 do 0,84; GBC od 0,78 do 0,93; Gen-Current od 0,90 do 0,91; Gen-Life 0,90 a Gen-Parental 0,86. Průměr faktorových nabojů položek syticich odpovidajici faktory byl u LGS 0,56; u položek Gen-Current byl 0,64; u položek Gen-Life byl 0,63 a u položek Gen-Parental byl 0,60. Interkorelace subskal LGS byla v rozmezi od 0,50 do 0,72; u subskal Gen-Current byla od 0,38 do 0,90; u subskal Gen-Life byla od 0,54 do 0,74 a u subskal Gen-Parental byla 0,80. Korelace s LGS byla nejsilnějsi u Gen-Current (významna u vsech subskal), u Gen-Life byla nevýznamna u Ekologicke generativity. Skala Gen-Parental významně nekorelovala s LGS ani v jedne subskale. Limitation. Použite metody jsou omezeny zejmena kulturni přenositelnosti některých položek.
A Multi-Layer-Controlled Strategy for Cloning and Expression of Toxin Genes in Escherichia coli

Molecular cloning and controlled expression remain challenging when the target gene encodes a protein that is toxic to the host. We developed a set of multi-layer control systems to enable cloning of genes encoding proteins known to be highly toxic in Escherichia coli and other bacteria. The different multi-layer control systems combine a promoter–operator system on a transcriptional level with a riboswitch for translational control. Additionally, replicational control is ensured by using a strain that reduces the plasmid copy number. The use of weaker promoters (such as PBAD or PfdeA) in combination with the effective theophylline riboswitch is essential for cloning genes that encode notoriously toxic proteins that directly target translation and transcription. Controlled overexpression is possible, allowing the system to be used for evaluating in vivo effects of the toxin. Systems with a stronger promoter can be used for successful overexpression and purification of the desired protein but are limited to toxins that are more moderate and do not interfere with their own production.
Spray Prediction Model for Aonla Rust Disease Using Machine Learning Techniques

: Disease prediction in plants has acquired much attention in recent years. Meteorological factors such as: temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, sunshine play an important role in a plan’s growth only if they are present in adequate amounts as required by the plant. On the other hand, if the factors are inadequate, they may also support the growth of a disease in the plants. The current study focuses on the Rust disease in Aonla fruits and leaves by utilizing a real time dataset of weather parameters. Fifteen different models are tested for spray prediction on conducive days. Two resampling techniques, random over sampling (ROS) and synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) have been used to balance the dataset and five different classifiers: support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression (LR), k-nearest neighbor (kNN), decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF) have been used to classify a particular day based on weather conditions as conducive or non-conducive. The classifiers are then evaluated based on four performance metrics: accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score. The results indicate that for imbalanced dataset, kNN is appropriate with high precision and recall values. Considering both balanced and imbalanced dataset models, the proposed model SMOTE-RF performs best among all models with 94.6% accuracy and can be used in a real time application for spray prediction. Hence, timely fungicide spray prediction without over spraying will help in better productivity and will prevent the yield loss due to rust disease in Aonla crop.
Burden of disease and impact on quality of life in chronic back pain – a comparative cross-sectional study of 150 axial spondyloarthritis and 150 orthopedic back pain patients

Objective Chronic back pain (CBP) constitutes one of the most common complaints in primary care and a leading cause of disability worldwide. CBP may be of mechanical or inflammatory character and may lead to functional impairment and reduced quality of life. In this study, we aimed to assess and compare burden of disease, functional capacity, quality of life and depressive symptoms in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients with orthopedic chronic back pain patients (OBP). We further aimed to identify factors associated with quality of life. Methods Cross-sectional survey of a cohort of 300 CBP patients including 150 patients from a University Hospital Orthopedic Back Pain Outpatient Clinic with OBP and 150 patients with confirmed axSpA from a University Hospital Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic. Questionnaire-based assessment of pain character (Inflammatory Back Pain, MAIL-Scale), functional status (FFbH, BASFI), quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref) and depressive symptoms (Phq9) and retrospective medical chart analysis. Results Both, OBP and axSpA patients reported on average intermediate pain levels of mostly mixed pain character. Both groups demonstrated a reduced health-related quality of life and the presence of depressive symptoms. However, axSpA patients reported a significantly better subjective quality of life, more satisfaction with their health status and better functional capacity compared to OBP patients (all p < 0.001). In a multivariate regression model, depressive symptoms, mechanical back pain, pain level and age were negative predictors of subjective quality of life, whereas functional capacity was a positive predictor. Conclusion Chronic back pain was associated with a high morbidity and reduced quality of life regardless of pain character. We identified multiple factors associated with reduced quality of life. Awareness and addressing of these factors may help to overcome unmet needs and improve quality of life for these patients.
A Fully Integrated CMOS Tri-Band Ambient RF Energy Harvesting System for IoT Devices

This article presents a fully integrated tri-band RF energy harvesting system (RFEH) in 65-nm CMOS technology. The system is designed to harvest ambient RF energies at 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz, and 2.4 GHz through a tri-band impedance matching network (IMN), cross-coupled differential-drive (CCDD) rectifier, and an output voltage monitoring circuit to limit the rectified output voltage to 3.3 V. The system achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 30 % across all three frequency bands with a peak of 42.8 %. Furthermore, the system exhibits a peak sensitivity of -20 dBm at an output DC voltage of 1 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V$ </tex-math></inline-formula> output.
Compact Dual-Band Independently Modulated Huygens’ Metasurface for Full-Space EM Wave Manipulation

Huygens’ metasurface (HMS) provides an effective approach for designing high-efficiency metadevices through engineering the interfacial electric and magnetic responses. However, compact Huygens’ meta-atom (smaller than one-third $\lambda _{\text {h}}$ , $\lambda _{\text {h}}$ is the operating wavelength at the higher band of the meta-atom) with dual-band independent modulation capabilities is rarely reported due to the following challenges: 1) the unbalanced electric/magnetic resonances and 2) the coupling between different resonators. In this article, a novel Huygens’ meta-atom with miniaturized structure ( $0.32\lambda _{\text {h}}$ ) and dual-band independent modulating capability is proposed. The proposed meta-atom comprises two modified vertical split ring resonators (MVSRRs) and two planar split ring resonators (SRRs) that are separated by two layers of substrate. The SRRs with smaller stripline widths could generate a relatively weak electric resonances, while the capacitor-loaded MVSRRs with larger stripline widths could generate relatively strong magnetic resonances; hence, two pairs of balanced resonances with moderate intensities are obtained. Moreover, the miniaturization design makes two pairs of resonators should be kept at an adequate distance. The moderate resonance intensities together with adequate distance contribute to a considerably low coupling between them. Hence, the transmission/reflection complex coefficient at the upper/lower band of the proposed meta-atom could be independently engineered. Based on the proposed meta-atom, a full-space metasurface (MS) with a reflective focusing function at 11 GHz and a transmissive orbit angular momentum generation function at 16 GHz is designed, fabricated, and measured. There is a good coincidence between the simulation and measurement. The proposed method opens a new avenue toward designing miniaturized dual-band independently modulated meta-devices based on Huygens’ principles.
Postsecondary Students’ Social Stress and Learning Styles

Postsecondary students can experience anxiety or stress upon initial entry into large campus classrooms or education abroad settings. Social phobia scrutiny fears combined with social interaction anxieties may culminate in social anxiety disorder or social stress. Social stress may negatively affect one’s enjoyment and fulfillment of learning and one’s ability to learn. This study investigated relationships between students’ social stress, educational setting, learning style, and demographics using the Social Phobia Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and the Learning Styles Inventory. Through a multiple correlational design, quantitative analysis revealed that social stress was positively associated with reflective observation and assimilative learning styles, but negatively associated with active experimentation learning styles for 144 students at a large southern US university. Females and on-campus students experienced more social stress than did males or those who participated in education abroad. Multiple linear regression revealed a significant increased level of social stress among minority students. About 18% of the variance in social stress was accounted for by significant independent variables (accommodative and convergent learning styles, being male, and Caucasian). Increased understanding of associations between social stress and learning style will help educators develop learning activities that promote inclusiveness for all. Continued research is needed to learn how to decrease social stressors in postsecondary education, especially for female and minority students to enable equitable learning spaces.
The Changing Religious Space of Large Western European Cities

Throughout history, cities rather than rural areas have been places of religious activity. This also applies to secularisation, i.e. “ negative religious innovation. ” Especially in Western Europe, it was ( and is ) cities where secularisation has been strongest. On the other hand, it is cities where new religious movements can and do grow. With the secularisation thesis losing ground as the dominant explanation for changes on the religious scene, attention is increasingly drawn to these developments even in Western European cities. Following the spatial expansion of major cities in Western Europe in the 19 th century and the first half of the 20 th century, most new churches were built in outlying areas, while many old churches found at central locations have been turned into museums and other tourist sites, often without an active congregation or just with a small one. Religious “ newcomers ” such as Islam and charismatic and evangelical Christian churches often have to resort to the urban periphery. Because their members usually are scattered across a large area within the urban agglomeration, accessibility by car and large parking lots are more important than a central, representative location. Rather than interpreting this observation as an exodus of religion from the centres of life and centres of cities, it should be seen as an adjustment to, and an expression of, changed modern and postmodern lifestyles. secularisation , religious innovation , geography of religion , postsecular cities
Fishing and its social significance on Yam Island

Although geographically part of the low, sandy Central Islands, Yam, like the nearby uninhabited Gebar and Mukar Islands, is basaltic. The reef flat is largely covered with coral rubble and does not appear to be as productive of seafood as the reefs of the other inhabited Central Islands.
Investigation of the structural variations of cellulose microcrystals obtained after acid hydrolysis of waste cotton: a statistical approach

Abstract The intricate and complex network of inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds in cellulose exerts a significant influence on the overall crystallographic structure of the cellulose polymer. Hence, understanding the hydrogen bonding interactions during cellulose hydrolysis is vital for tailoring the degree of crystallinity of cellulose-based materials like cellulose microcrystals (CMCs). In this study, we used a Box–Behnken statistical tool to optimize the experimental parameters for synthesizing CMCs with a high total crystallinity index (TCI). We then used field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate the morphological, chemical, crystalline, and structural changes that occurred in the CMC sample with the highest TCI. Our results showed that the hydrolysis process modified the hydrogen bonding network in cellulose, which resulted in an enhanced TCI. The changes in hydrogen bonding significantly affected CH bending and stretching absorption, resulting in an increased TCI of the cellulose samples. This increased TCI plays a significant role in enhancing the reinforcing properties of CMCs. Our findings highlight new insights into the role of hydrogen bonding in the TCI of CMCs and could lead to the development of new methods for controlling the TCI of cellulose. Highlights of the article Optimization of the acid hydrolysis process of waste cotton using Box–Behnken design to obtain cellulose microcrystals (CMCs). Extraction of the mathematical model that influences the total crystallinity index of CMCs. Investigation of morphological, chemical, crystalline, and structural changes in CMCs. Comparison of hydrogen bonding network between waste cotton fibers and CMCs. Increased TCI enhances CMCs’ reinforcing properties in composites.
The Effect of Rapid Point-of-Care Respiratory Pathogen Testing on Antibiotic Prescriptions in Acute Infections—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract Background Rapid point-of-care testing for respiratory pathogens has gained increasing popularity, but its impact on antibiotic consumption is unclear. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the effect of rapid point-of-care testing on antibiotic prescriptions. Methods The search for this systematic review with meta-analysis was performed in February 2023. Randomized controlled trials investigating the impact of testing for respiratory pathogens in all-aged patients were included regardless of the comparator. The main outcome was the antibiotic prescription rate. Analyses were stratified by test type, test setting, and patient age. A random-effects Mantel-Haenszel model was used to calculate risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Risk of bias was assessed for included studies, and the quality of the evidence was rated according to GRADE. Results A total of 754 abstracts were screened, and 10 studies were included in the analysis. Risk of bias was high in 2, low in 4, and had some concerns in 4 studies. Four studies analyzed influenza and respiratory syncytial virus tests, and 6 studies analyzed multiplex (viral and/or bacterial) testing. The prescription rate was 48.2% (496/1029) in the influenza and respiratory syncytial virus test group and 48.7% (540/1109) in the control group (risk ratio [RR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.92–1.02; moderate-quality evidence). The prescription rate in the multiplex testing group was 54.3% (1554/2859), and it was 57.3% (1336/2326) in the control group (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96–1.04; moderate-quality evidence). In an age-stratified analysis, the prescription rates showed no evidence of a difference (children: RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.81–1.30; adults: RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96–1.01; very low- and moderate-quality evidence). Conclusions We found moderate-quality evidence that rapid point-of-care testing for respiratory pathogens does not decrease the antibiotic prescription rate.