Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Heterogeneous Peroxymonosulfate Activation by MOF-Derived Magnetic Carbonaceous Nanocomposite for Phenol Degradation

Degradation efficiency and catalyst stability are crucial issues in the control of organic compounds in wastewater by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). However, it is difficult for catalysts used in AOPs to have both high catalytic activity and high stability. Combined with the excellent activity of cobalt/copper oxides and the good stability of carbon, highly dispersed cobalt-oxide and copper-oxide nanoparticles embedded in carbon-matrix composites (Co-Cu@C) were prepared for the catalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The catalysts exhibited a stable structure and excellent performance for complete phenol degradation (20 mg L−1) within 5 min in the Cu-Co@C-5/PMS system, as well as low metal-ion-leaching rates and great reusability. Moreover, a quenching test and an EPR analysis revealed that ·OH, O2·−, and 1O2 were generated in the Co-Cu@C/PMS system for phenol degradation. The possible mechanism for the radical and non-radical pathways in the activation of the PMS by the Co-Cu@C was proposed. The present study provides a new strategy with which to construct heterostructures for environmentally friendly and efficient PMS-activation catalysts.
Exploring Different User Interfaces for Automatic Tracking of Free Weight Exercises Using Computer Vision

: Several research studies have shown the importance of physical exercise. The global gym and fitness industry faced a transition from traditional gyms to virtual fitness training during the pandemic lockdowns. A proliferation of applications is available to provide different digital gym experiences. Advagym is one example that uses sensors to track and give feedback to gym goers. Sony’s R&D Center Lund Laboratory has developed a Camera-based Tracking System (CTS) which aims to offer an automatic free weight exercise tracking solution with Advagym. The main goal of this paper is to align the Advagym application combined with CTS for free weight exercise (FWE) tracking and to conduct a comparative study of four different user interfaces presenting FWE tracking to increase the user experience. The main contribution of this paper is to elucidate knowledge about which UI feedback of FWE given for the “gym-goer” was preferred.
Metagenomic Sequencing Reveals the Taxonomic and Functional Characteristics of Rumen Micro-organisms in Gayals

As a semi-wild breed, Gayals have a strong fiber degradation capacity, which is unique to the microbial structure and function of their rumen. In this study, the unique rumen microbial composition and function of Gayals were investigated by metagenomic sequencing, with the Yunnan yellow cattle as the control. We compared the differences in rumen micro-organisms between Gayals and the Yunnan Yellow cattle, and the results showed that there were differences in bacteria, archaea and fungi between Gayals and the Yunnan Yellow cattle, while no significant abundance changes were observed in the protozoa. In addition, the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (1.06) in Gayals was higher than that of the Yunnan Yellow cattle (0.66). Three enzymes (PTA, ACH and FTHFS) related to the acetate production pathway and five enzymes (BHBD, THL, PTB, BK and BCACT) involved in butyric acid production were annotated in this study. The CAZymes search results showed that the abundance of GH5, GH26, GH94, CBM11 and CBM63 in Gayals was higher than in the Yunnan Yellow cattle (p < 0.05). Furthermore, this research constructed a model of rumen micro-organisms degrading fibers according to the characteristics and differences in the rumen microbiota structures and functions of the two breeds. This study expands our knowledge of the rumen microbiota and the mechanisms of fiber degradation in Gayals.
Fast equilibrium reconstruction (FASTEQ) for the control in real time of MHD instabilities in FTU tokamak

Control of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities as the (Neoclassical) Tearing Modes ((N)TM) is one of the major issues for the plasma confinement. Electron Cyclotron (EC) waves are a powerful tool to stabilize the more dangerous (2,1) and (3,2) resistive modes. In FTU a new two-mirrors EC launcher [1], allowing poloidal and toroidal steering in real time, can be used combined with an automatic controller based on an a-priori estimate by raytracing of the EC deposition radius (rdep) and of the deposition location measurement (rmhd) by data processing with Bayesian filtering. In this way we get information of the “mean value” of both rdep and rmhd at any time and we are able to decide how to react for the stabilization of these modes adjusting the EC injection angles of the new launcher. To achieve this goal it is important to evaluate rdep in plasma by fast ray tracing in real time. A procedure for a fast equilibrium (FASTEQ) is proposed, based on a large database of FTU equilibria, with plasma boundaries provided by magnetic measurements and plasma axis from the barycentre of the electron temperature profile obtained by a 12 channels polychromator. Shafranov shift, ellipticity, triangularity and electron density and temperature profiles are best fitted from many FTU equilibria for different plasma scenarii. A first offline benchmark of this procedure has been made comparing many equilibria provided by ODIN code [2] and fast/offline rdep (using ECWGB code [3]) calculations. A second benchmark has been carried out with an equivalent fast code obtained as a reduced procedure of ODIN resolving the Grad–Shafranov equations in real time [4]. The good agreement of the results from this latter comparison encourages to take into account both these fast codes in the automatic controller. Results from the benchmarks are discussed.
Comparing Lifestyle Modifications and the Magnitude of Their Associated Benefit on Cancer Mortality

Many cancers are associated with poor diet, lack of physical activity, and excess weight. Improving any of these three lifestyle factors would likely reduce cancer deaths. However, modifications to each of these—better nutrition, enhanced activity and fitness, and loss of extra body fat—have different effect sizes on cancer mortality. This review will highlight the relative benefit that each lifestyle change, enacted prior to a diagnosis of cancer, might impart on cancer-related deaths, as well as attempt to quantify the changes required to derive such a benefit. The review relies primarily on epidemiological data, with meta-analyses serving as the backbone for comparisons across interventions and individual studies within the larger meta-analyses providing the data necessary to form more quantitative conclusions. The reader can then use this information to better understand, recommend, and implement behaviors that might ultimately reduce cancer mortality. Of all the interventions, it seems clear that exercise, specifically improving cardiorespiratory fitness, is the best way to decrease the risk of dying from cancer.
FINITE ELEMENT GALERKIN SOLUTIONS FOR THE NONLINEAR FREE SURFACE PROBLEMS

Numerical computations for the water-wave free surface prob- lem have been extensively studied. But the corresponding numerical analysis have been rarely worked out because of nonlinearity of free surface conditions. We discuss the numerical solutions of a semi-discrete finite element Galerkin method and a Crank-Nicolson type fully discrete one to solve the water-wave problem. Their stability and convergence are discussed and the error estimate of the potential function is expressed in terms of the kinematic free bound- ary and the potential function on the free boundary given by the Bernoulli's condition.
Using clustering algorithm to validate the golf backswing action simulated by microsoft Kinect motion-sensing photography

: While most golfers concern about the path that golf club travels on swing plane or the angle of the club face when addressing, rather the detrimental part may lie in golfer’s body rotation. This research delineate a measure in capturing golfer’s swing motions in which the Kinect motion tracking by Microsoft is adopted to validate the proposed measure. Subjects were hired to perform golf swings in front of the Kinect skeleton tracking system where subject’s 20 joint positions were recorded. The derived data were analyzed with ANOVA and multivariate clustering. Without clustering, the three investigated factors (gender, age and experience) depicted no impacts on subject’s swing performance. With the clustering, the differences were revealed in the light of the resulted two groups for distinguished characteristics. One group of less golﬁng experience which was mainly composed of female, younger and less golﬁng practice subjects achieved lower scores on swing correctness. Another group of experienced one which was with majority of male, senior and longer golﬁng tenure achieved higher swing scores. This research contributes in proposing an analysis framework that reveals the embedded information of golf swing motion. Implications for athletic practices were drawn accordingly.
Design and application of fast matching method based on support point expansion

To construct a high qualitative disparity space image in stereo vision,a fast global optimal matching algorithm based on Gibbs Random Field(GRF) model was proposed.In this algorithm,the relationship between a space point and its neighborhood was described by using the GRF,and an improved Graph Cut method was used to calculate the matching relationship of the neighborhoods and to obtain the density disparity space image of a scene.Firstly,a set of matching points with distinct matching relationship was calculated,and named them as support points.Then,these support points were taken for the center and their neighborhood spaces were expanded.The improved Graph Cuts algorithm was used to match the expanded neighborhood spaces,and then set the neighborhood points that meet matching degree as new support points.Repeating the above steps and extending progressively,until the expansion of the neighborhood covered the entire the scene image and the density disparity map of the image pair was obtain finally.Experimental results show that this method has good speed consistency on the disparity map of the different scenes,and the matching time is about 0.8-1.2 s.For reflecting the practical value of the algorithm,the proposed algorithm was adopted to construct the disparity map of a real scene on the binocular vision test bed Smart Eye Ⅱ,and good reconstruction results were obtained.
Guided-Wave Properties of Slow-Wave Substrate-Integrated Waveguide Patterned with Non-Uniform Metasurface Unit Cells with Various Degrees of Rotation

A novel slow-wave waveguide structure is proposed, the guided-wave properties of which can be controlled by the rotation of nonuniform metasurface elements loaded on the surface of the substrate-integrated waveguide. The proposed nonuniform metasurface unit cell can exhibit anisotropic guided-wave parameters of interest, i.e., equivalent permittivity and permeability along the transverse direction that are different from those along the longitudinal direction. Such characteristics suggest different propagation behaviors along different directions. Therefore, the equivalent permittivity and permeability change as the proposed nonuniform cross-unit cell rotates through various angles, which would modify the guided-wave properties as well. In this way, the cutoff frequency and phase constant of the proposed anisotropic SW-SIW can be controlled flexibly by rotating the patterned metasurface unit cells over different angles. Several SW-SIW experimental prototypes with different rotation angles are implemented, and their respective measured results are in good agreement with their simulated counterparts. Thereby, the proposed method can provide more flexibility for designing and controlling an anisotropic SW-SIW.
Inconsistencies in Pregnant Mothers’ Attitudes and Willingness to Donate Umbilical Cord Stem Cells: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from Saudi Arabia

The collection and storage of umbilical cord stem cells (UCSCs) have a crucial role in improving and expanding stem cell-based therapies, which are becoming popular in Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries. Many patients and families in Saudi Arabia depend on private cord banks in foreign countries to purchase stem cells, which has financial and medical implications. The current study aims at determining the predictors of current registration status and willingness to donate cord blood stem cells among expectant mothers in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study collected data from 714 expectant mothers from all thirteen regions of Saudi Arabia in December 2022. The online survey questionnaire assessed women’s awareness, direct and indirect exposure to stem-cell therapy, sources of knowledge, willingness, reluctance, and current registration status to donate cord blood. Although women demonstrated higher acceptance and lower rejection towards the donation of UCSCs, just one percent (n = 7; 1%) of expectant mothers in this sample are registered with the Saudi Stem Cell Registry. Overall, 48% indicated their willingness to register in the future. Both correlational analysis and multiple regression analysis demonstrated that awareness significantly predicted willingness to donate (p < 0.01), and rejection attitudes were negatively related to willingness to donate (p < 0.001). Although the mean scores on acceptance were high, they were not found to be significantly associated with willingness to donate. Prior direct and indirect exposure to stem cell therapy appeared to be the strongest predictor of pregnant women’s willingness to register (p < 0.001). Findings suggest that acceptance attitudes do not have a symmetrical relationship with intention. Women’s prior exposure to stem cell therapy was the most significant factor; therefore, findings demonstrate that currently women are relying on their firsthand experience to decide about cord blood donation rather than the information obtained from other sources, such as social media and the internet. Though attitudes were not identified as significant predictors in the statistical models, awareness was a relevant factor, and the findings signify increasing awareness in various target populations to enhance the probability of intention to donate cord stem cells.
Development of a Fuzzy Logic Controller for a Distillation Column using Rockwell Software

Development of a Fuzzy Logic Controller for a Distillation Column using Rockwell Software Muhammad Shoaib Nizami Advisor: University of Guelph, 2011 Professor Simon X. Yang In this thesis, an alternative control method based on Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) is proposed to keep the product composition of a distillation column constant. This study compares a proposed FIS with traditional PID (proportional, integral, derivative) control technique and analyzes the results. The FIS is applied to the control of the tray temperature of the distillation column by using indirect feed split control structure to modulate the steam flow with management of the tray temperature. In turn, this modulation maintains the composition of product at specified levels. Rockwell fuzzy designer is used to develop the fuzzy logic controller. Both a fuzzy logic controller and a PID controller are downloaded in the Rockwell ControlLogix L62 process controller. Chemstations Chemcad simulation software is used to run the distillation column simulations. Simulation results are programmed into L62 process controller to behave as a dynamic distillation column. Results show that the proposed fuzzy logic controller is more tolerant to disturbances in the feed flow and feed composition of the distillation column than the PID controller.
Stakeholders’ perceptions of urban regeneration: the case of Kis-Pongrác in Budapest

Urban regeneration has been seen as the saving grace for cities, bringing hopes of rejuvenating their social environment, renovating their dilapidated buildings and revitalising local urban economies. To implement urban regeneration programs, governments have collaborated with various stakeholders for area-based initiatives. The paper aims to investigate the participatory, integrated approach in Hungary from the perspective of the key stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in a localised case study. Thus, the main objective is to identify the challenges within urban governance of a post-socialist which hindered the development of an integrated and participatory stakeholder engagement approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders that were then subject to thematic analysis. In the case study, findings provided critical insights into the interaction between stakeholders’ engagement and these projects. The findings also included the challenges that stakeholders experienced with the project and the need for long-term stakeholder collaboration between the residents, civil society and the government. It is hoped that the findings of this study are not only of interest to urban planners and how beneficial it is for the long-term to include local people in all the different stages of the program, but also to local academia to realise the significant role they can play in contributing towards the success of urban regeneration in their local communities plus in other regions through the sharing of their local urban regeneration outcomes to other academics.
Evaluation of Optical-Flow-Based Feature Matching for Underwater Vehicle’s Displacement Estimation

In this work, the pyramidal optical flow approach was utilized to match features from a video sequence captured by an underwater vehicle, and its effect on the feature-based estimation of the vehicle’s displacement was examined. The performance of the pyramidal optical flow method on feature matching is evaluated in comparison with the conventional brute-force method. The evaluation is based on seafloor videos taken by the deep-towed vehicle Fiber-optical Instrumentation Towed System (FITS), which is equipped with a downward-looking camera for seafloor imaging, at a depth of around 800 meters off southwestern Taiwan. The displacement derived by the FITS’s high-accuracy Doppler velocity log (DVL) navigation is used as a benchmark for comparison. Considering that the richness of seafloor features and image enhancement are influential factors in feature matching, the effectiveness of the pyramidal optical flow approach on the estimation of a vehicle’s displacement is evaluated in combination with the factors of seafloor-feature richness and image enhancement. Two videos were utilized in the evaluation; one is feature-rich and the other feature-poor. Each video lasts 108 seconds and was recorded towing the vehicle FITS five meters above the seafloor at a speed of about 0.5 meter per second. Seafloor image enhancement is carried out using the CLAHE (Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization) method.
Reprojecion In The Projection Domain For A Limited-view Fan-beam CT Reconstruction

An improved method is proposed for fan-beam computed tomographic (CT) reconstruction from data with limited views. Compensation for the missing projections for fan-beam CX can be pamaUy accomplished by using the coincident ray as suggested by Nasi et al. or by an interpolation technique using circular sample theory. In this paper, the authors propose a more accurate compensation method for the missing projections whether the coincident ray pairs exist or not. The fan-beam reprojection algorithm, which is the inverse operator of the convolution Nter. was extended from the projection space iteration reconstructionreprojection (PSIRR) in parallel beam geometry proposed by Kim et al. In addition, this algorithm was validated by applying the Shepp-Logan phantom with strip integrals for a computer simulation in the equiangular fan-beam CT geometry.
The Influence of Radiosonde “Age” on TRMM Field Campaign Soundings Humidity Correction

Abstract Hundreds of Vaisala sondes with an RS80-H Humicap thin-film capacitor humidity sensor were launched during the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) field campaigns (1999) Large Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere (LBA) experiment held in Brazil and the Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX) held in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Six humidity error correction algorithms were used primarily for applying system-bias correction to RS80-H humidity data. All TRMM field campaign Vaisala humidity soundings were corrected for dry bias using this algorithm. An overall improvement of 3% RH for daytime and 5% RH for nighttime soundings was achieved. Sonde age was ascertained using respective serial numbers (in this case the range is 0.06–2.07 yr) and used in the algorithm for calculation of sensor aging error and chemical contamination errors. Chemical contamination error is also found to be a dominant error source. Daytime sensor-arm heating for the first 50 s of the sonde launch is found to bear a cosine variat.
Verbal, Figural, and Arithmetic Fluency of Children with Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implantation gives children with prelingual severe hearing loss and deafness the opportunity to develop their hearing abilities, speech, language, cognitive abilities and academic skills with adequate rehabilitation. The aim of the research was to analyze verbal, figural and arithmetic fluency and their interrelationship in children with a cochlear implant (CI) and children with normal hearing (NH). A total of 46 children with CI and 110 children with NH, aged 9 to 16, participated in the research. Verbal fluency was assessed using phonemic and semantic fluency, and non-verbal fluency using figural fluency. Arithmetic fluency was assessed using simple arithmetic tasks within the number range up to 100. The results showed that children with CI achieved poorer results in phonemic fluency (z = −4.92; p < 0.001), semantic fluency (z = −3.89; p < 0.001), figural fluency (z = −3.07; p = 0.002), and arithmetic fluency (z = −4.27; p < 0.001). In both groups, a positive correlation was obtained between the measured modalities and types of fluency. In the group of children with CI, a sex difference was obtained on the phonemic fluency test, in favor of girls. The age of children with CI was correlated with arithmetic fluency. Verbal, figural and arithmetic fluency of children with CI speak in favor of the importance of early auditory and language experiences.
Effective Sequential Pattern Mining Algorithms for Dense Database

Sequential pattern mining is very important because it is the basis of many applications. Although there has been a great deal of effort on sequential pattern mining in recent years, its performance is still far from satisfactory because of two main challenges: large search spaces and the ineffectiveness in handling dense data sets. To offer a solution to the above challenges, we have proposed a series of novel algorithms, called the LAst Position INduction (LAPIN) sequential pattern mining, which is based on the simple idea that the last position of an item, fi, is the key to judging whether or not a frequent k-length sequential pattern can be extended to be a frequent (k+1)-length pattern by appending the item fi to it. LAPIN can largely reduce the search space during the mining process, and is very effective in mining dense data sets. Our experimental data and performance studies show that LAPIN outperforms PrefixSpan (5) by up to an order of magnitude on long pattern dense data sets.