Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A General Stochastic Programming Problem

Stochastic programming problems appear when we make decisions in situations with uncertainty and risk, when any action has an ambiguous outcome and to each solution x = (x1 …, xn) it is possible to associate certain indicators fi (x, ω), i = 1, …, m, that depend on x and on the state of nature ω, which is an element of the probabilistic space (Ω, A, P). Since for any x the value of the objective function f 1 (x, ω) and of the constraints functions f(x, ω), i = 2,… m, will depend on the realization ω, we have great freedom in determining the feasible and the optimal solutions in stochastic programming problems; for example, deciding whether they should be deterministic or have random solutions.
Scaffolds from medical grade chitosan: A good choice for 3D cultivation of mesenchymal stem cells

Chitosan has high biocompatibility, supports proliferation of many cells, and can be a good carrier for various growth factors. However, low attachment ratio and spheroid formation of several stem cell types on plain chitosan scaffolds/films is still a problem. In this study, it was aimed to obtain 3D scaffolds using medical grade chitosan (MC) with a high deacetylation degree (DD ≥ 92.6%) to overcome the spheroid formation of rat adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (rAdMSCs) on control chitosan (C, DD = 75%–85%) scaffolds. Genipin was used as a biological chemical crosslinker, and glycerol phosphate salt was used both as a pH adjusting agent and physical crosslinker. MTT and SEM analyses and live/dead staining indicated the increase in the attachment, cell viability, and proliferation of rAdMSCs on MC scaffolds with or without crosslinking when compared to the cells in spheroid formation on control scaffolds. Moreover, filamentous actin protein organization of rAdMSCs was found to be triggered on the crosslinked MC scaffolds. In conclusion, plain medical grade chitosan scaffolds with or without crosslinking prevented spheroid formation, supported the attachment, proliferation, and organization of rAdMSCs indicating that medical grade type of chitosan scaffolds with high DD can be a very good candidate as 3D carriers in stem cell cultivation.
PVP-microneedle array for drug delivery: mechanical insight, biodegradation, and recent advances

Abstract Microneedle arrays are micron-sized needles usually attached to a supporting base or patch facilitated drug delivery for systemic effects. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a lactam polymer containing an internal amide linkage. Because of its versatility and biocompatibility, it has been widely utilized to treat several skin, bone and eye problems. Due to its specific and unique properties, the researchers realize its utility as a polymer of tremendous potential. PVP-based dissolvable microneedles have widely been utilized as a carrier for delivering DNAs, proteins, vitamins, and several biological macromolecules transdermally. However, it does not get biodegraded into the body. Therefore, the presence of its fragments in the body post-treatment needs proper justification. The adequate justification for the fate of the fragment’s end products in the body will allow even better utilization of PVP. This review analyses and illustrates various experimental findings to highlight the most recent advancements and applications of PVP microneedles in drug delivery systems and cosmetology and the potential for PVP microneedles in treating dermal and systemic disorders. This review presents the expected mode of PVP biodegradation in aqueous and soil environments as a waste material, its inertness, biocompatibility, and the importance of PVP as a fabricating material, pharmaceutical uses, and non-toxic profile. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
An efficient metaheuristic for multi-level reliability optimization problem in electronic systems of the ship

The redundancy allocation problem has usually considered only the component redundancy at the lowest-level for the enhancement of system reliability. A system can be functionally decomposed into system, module, and component levels. Modular redundancy can be more effective than component redundancy at the lowest-level because in modular systems, duplicating a module composed of several components can be easier, and requires less time and skill. We consider a multi-level redundancy allocation problem in which all cases of redundancy for system, module, and component levels are considered. A tabu search of memory-based mechanisms that balances intensification with diversification via the short-term and long-term memory is proposed for its solution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to use a tabu search for this problem. Our tabu search algorithm is compared with the previous genetic algorithm for the problem on the new composed test problems as well as the benchmark problems from the literature. Computational results show that the proposed method outstandingly outperforms the genetic algorithm for almost all test problems.
The Current Status of Breastfeeding Knowledge and Its Influencing Factors in Nursing Undergraduates: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

The aim of this study was to explore the breastfeeding knowledge of nursing undergraduates and the influencing factors. Human milk (HM) is one of the most effective nutritional supplies to improve early development and physical health, but the current status of breastfeeding in China is still not optimal. The breastfeeding knowledge of perinatal women influences their feeding beliefs and behavior. Nursing undergraduates, as core professionals who will care for perinatal women and provide feeding guidance in the future, can significantly affect feeding behavior of mothers and their babies, so their knowledge of breastfeeding may have a potential impact on breastfeeding in China. However, studies on breastfeeding knowledge among nursing undergraduates in China are limited. A convenience sampling method was conducted in four medical universities in China, and eligible nursing undergraduates were selected. An online survey was collected from 5 July 2022 to 5 August 2022. Categorical data were reported as number and percentage, while continuous data were reported as mean ± SD. Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the association between influencing factors and breastfeeding knowledge. The overall mean score of the 460 returned questionnaires was 43.991 out of 100. The pass rate of the questionnaire was only 23.04%. Nursing undergraduates had a relatively better grasp of the benefits of breastfeeding and related advice (correct rates: 67.83%). Birthplace, only child or not, the course in obstetrics and gynecological nursing, the course in pediatrics nursing, and placements in maternity or neonatology units were relevant factors for breastfeeding knowledge (p < 0.05). Nursing undergraduates showed unsatisfactory breastfeeding knowledge. It is urgent to raise the knowledge level of breastfeeding among nursing undergraduates. Medical colleges should optimally structure a curriculum of breastfeeding knowledge. Furthermore, it is also necessary to improve the public’s understanding of breastfeeding and the whole society’s attention to breastfeeding in China.
Mechanical Stabilities and Properties of Graphene-like 2D III-Nitrides: A Review

Mechanical stabilities and properties are critical in real applications of materials, as well as material and machine design. With the success of graphene, graphene-like materials arose tremendous interest in the past few years. Different from bulk materials, two-dimensional (2D) materials have prominent non-linear elastic behaviors. Here, we briefly review the mechanical stabilities and properties of graphene-like 2D III-nitrides, including boron nitride (BN), aluminum nitride (AlN), gallium nitride (GaN), indium nitride (InN), and thallium nitride (TlN). These nitrides are excellent wide band gap semiconductors very suitable for modern electronic and optoelectronic applications. As a result, they play a central role in solid-state light-emitting devices. Their Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, ultimate tensile strength, and elastic limits under various strains are extensively studied, as well as their high-order elastic constants and non-linear behaviors. These studies provide a guide for their practical applications and designs.
Puerarin improves diabetic wound healing via regulation of macrophage M2 polarization phenotype

Abstract Background Skin wound healing depends on the progress of different but overlapping stages of healing, including hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferative and remodeling. Failure of these stages to occur in a timely and gradual manner may result in non-healing pathological wounds. Macrophages and neutrophils have been shown to play an essential role in the inflammatory responses of wound tissue, and their active plasticity allows them to modulate tissue damage and repair functions. The ability of macrophages and neutrophils to regulate the occurrence and resolution of inflammatory processes is essential for the treatment of pathological wound healing. Methods Mice were categorized into negative control, streptozotocin, streptozotocin + puerarin and puerarin groups. The traditional Chinese medicine extract puerarin was selected to treat different groups of mice with a full-thickness skin defect wound. Cells of the RAW264.7 cell line were stimulated under different puerarin conditions. Then, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blot, immunofluorescence and other assays were carried out to explore the effect of puerarin on wound healing and its molecular mechanism. Results Animal experiments found that the wound healing of diabetic mice treated with puerarin was significantly accelerated, and histological analysis found that puerarin treatment markedly decreased the infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils in wound tissue. Through western blot, RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence experiments, it was observed that puerarin treatment remarkably inhibited nuclear factor kinase B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, downregulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines and induced the M2 polarization of macrophages. At the cellular level, we also observed that puerarin improved M2 macrophage polarization and inhibited inflammatory pathway activation in a high-glucose culture. Conclusion Puerarin has a significant therapeutic effect on wound healing in diabetic mice. The therapeutic effect is achieved by regulating macrophage polarization through suppressing NF-κB and MAPK signaling cascades.
Lane-Level Road Map Construction considering Vehicle Lane-Changing Behavior

In recent years, the construction of lane-level road maps has received extensive attention from industry and academia. It has been widely studied because this kind of map provides the foundation for much research, such as high-precision navigation, driving behavior analysis, and traffic analysis. Trajectory-based crowd-mapping is an emerging approach to lane-level map construction. However, the major problem is that existing methods neglect modeling the trajectory distribution in the longitudinal direction of the road, which significantly impacts precision. Thus, this article proposes a two-stage method based on vehicle lane-changing behavior to model the road’s lateral and longitudinal trajectory distributions simultaneously. In the first stage, lane-changing behaviors are extracted from vehicle trajectories. In the second stage, the lane extraction model is established using the weighted constrained Gaussian mixture model and hidden Markov model to estimate lane parameters (e.g., lane counts and lane centerline) on each road cross section. Then accurate and continuous lane centerlines can be constructed accordingly. The proposed method is verified using vehicle trajectory data collected from the crowdsourced platform named Mapillary. The results show that the proposed method can construct lane-level road information satisfactorily.
A systematic review and evaluation of statistical methods for group variable selection

This review condenses the knowledge on variable selection methods implemented in R and appropriate for datasets with grouped features. The focus is on regularized regressions identified through a systematic review of the literature, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. A total of 14 methods are discussed, most of which use penalty terms to perform group variable selection. Depending on how the methods account for the group structure, they can be classified into knowledge and data‐driven approaches. The first encompass group‐level and bi‐level selection methods, while two‐step approaches and collinearity‐tolerant methods constitute the second category. The identified methods are briefly explained and their performance compared in a simulation study. This comparison demonstrated that group‐level selection methods, such as the group minimax concave penalty, are superior to other methods in selecting relevant variable groups but are inferior in identifying important individual variables in scenarios where not all variables in the groups are predictive. This can be better achieved by bi‐level selection methods such as group bridge. Two‐step and collinearity‐tolerant approaches such as elastic net and ordered homogeneity pursuit least absolute shrinkage and selection operator are inferior to knowledge‐driven methods but provide results without requiring prior knowledge. Possible applications in proteomics are considered, leading to suggestions on which method to use depending on existing prior knowledge and research question.
Removing bias for fluctuating asymmetry in meristic characters

AbstractFluctuating asymmetry (FA) in meristic characters is a random difference in count of a character between the right and left sides of an organism. Although FA has been used as an index of developmental instability for more than 30 years, it has not been closely related to the intensity of factors commonly thought to induce instability. The poor relationship could be due to use of biased FA metrics based on differences in bilateral counts, bias introduced by counting errors, low sample sizes, or a truly low correspondence between FA and stressor intensity. I demonstrate why FA metrics based on count differences are inherently biased for meristic characters, develop an unbiased maximum likelihood metric for FA ( $$\hat \sigma _A $$ ), and establish a general method to remove bias caused by counting errors. A likelihood ratio test based on the new metric is nearly as powerful as the F-test, and has a Type I statistical error closer to the nominal level. When applied to bilateral counts of sternopleural bristles in Drosophila, the new metric confirmed previous results based on count differences but removed the concern that the FA estimates were biased by the character mean. Apparent differences in pectoral fin ray FA between rainbow and cutthroat trout disappeared after correction for counting errors.
Coexisting Terahertz and RF Finite Wireless Networks: Coverage and Rate Analysis

Wireless communications over Terahertz (THz)-band frequencies are vital enablers of ultra-high rate applications and services in sixth-generation (6G) networks. However, THz communications suffer from poor coverage because of inherent THz features such as high penetration losses, significant molecular absorption, and severe path loss. To surmount these critical challenges and fully exploit the THz band, we explore a coexisting radio frequency (RF) and THz finite indoor network in which THz small cells are deployed to provide high data rates, and RF macrocells are deployed to satisfy coverage requirements. Using stochastic geometry tools, we assess the performance of coexisting RF and THz networks and derive tractable analytical expressions for the coverage probability and average achievable rate. The analytical results are validated with Monte-Carlo simulations. Several insights are devised for accurate tuning and optimization of THz system parameters, including the THz bias, and the fraction of THz access points (APs) to deploy. The obtained results recognize a clear coverage/rate trade-off where a high fraction of THz AP improves the rate significantly but may degrade the coverage performance. Furthermore, the location of a user in the finite area highly affects the fraction of THz APs that optimizes its quality of service.
Human Health Risk Assessment due to Heavy Metals in Ground and Surface Water and Association of Diseases With Drinking Water Sources: A Study From Maharashtra, India

Background: Contamination of freshwater sources can be caused by both anthropogenic and natural processes. According to Central Pollution Control Board, Maharashtra along with 2 other states, contribute 80% of hazardous waste generated in India, including heavy metal pollution. Hence, it is important to quantify heavy metal concentrations in drinking water sources in such areas. Materials and methods: Water samples were analyzed for toxic elements (F, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Cr) using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) Agilent 7500. Health risks due to ingestion and dermal contact was assessed. A total of 557 people were randomly selected, with consumers from all 4 types of water sources that is surface water, hand pump, wells, and municipal water. Spot urine samples were collected from 47 people after considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Urine was collected for estimating mercury and arsenic levels in the study participants. Results: Arsenic contributes the most health risk from ingestion from water. Among surface water users, 14 people (32%) reported frequent loose stool (P-value < .05) (OR 2.5), and 11 people (23%) reported frequent abdominal pain (OR 1.9). Hand pump and well water users reported frequent abdominal pain (27%) (OR 1.4) and gastric discomfort (31%) (P-value < .05) (OR 3) respectively. The mean value of urinary Hg and As were 4.91 ± 0.280 and 42.04 ± 2.635 µg/L respectively. Conclusion: Frequent loose stool, gastric discomfort, and frequent abdominal pain were associated with the various sources of drinking water. Urine Hg levels were found higher than the NHANES (USA) Survey. It is recommended that frequent monitoring of drinking water should be enforced around the industrial hub, so that appropriate actions can be taken if present in excess.
A Reformist Thought to Fiscal Reform and Budget Management

The Fiscal Reform and Budget Management (FRBM) Act 2003 (and its subsequent amendments) and similar fiscal responsibility laws were legislated to rein in fiscal deficits often driven by factors other than economic imperative. This paper shows that such laws have not promoted counter-cyclical fiscal policy because of a lacuna in design, viz. measurement of fiscal deficit-as-a-share of gross domestic product (GDP). The remedy lies in targeting the cyclically adjusted fiscal deficit-as-a-share-of potential GDP instead, which correctly reflects the true fiscal position, allowing elbowroom for appropriate fiscal action for macroeconomic-stabilisation. The paper discusses ways to institutionalise the same and way forward therein.
Bifurcations associated with a double zero of index two and a pair of purely imaginary eigenvalues

The bifurcation and instability behaviour of a non-linear autonomous system in the vicinity of a compound critical point, involving a pair of purely imaginary eigenvalues and a two-fold zero eigenvalue of index two, are investigated. The analysis is carried out via a systematic perturbation method which embraces a unification technique, leading to a simplified set of differential equations for the analysis of local behaviour. Incipient and secondary bifurcations are explored. The static and dynamic instability boundaries are established. A non-linear control system drawn from electrical network theory is analysed in detail.
Two years follow up study on an ad hoc telephone interpreters' emotional regulation program

The following study shows the main qualitative results obtained by means of a two follow up study with a group of telephone interpreters who previously participated in an ad hoc emotional regulation program designed according to their specific needs.The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the intervention program in the long term.The results demonstrated the positive effect of the program on the interpreters’ lives and on their emotional management.The need of verifying the effect of this kind of programs in order to totally measure their impact through the time is discussed.
Syndromic Testing in Infectious Diseases: From Diagnostic Stewardship to Antimicrobial Stewardship

The implementation into clinical practice of syndromic testing by multiplex polymerase chain reaction allows early etiological diagnosis and paves the way towards timely targeted treatment. However, there is stringent need for diagnostic stewardship, as multiplex testing can also come with a high risk of misdiagnosis if improperly ordered or interpreted. We report two cases that illustrate proper and improper diagnostic stewardship, having important implications for correct patient management and application of antimicrobial stewardship into current clinical practice.
Galois Algebras and Monoidal Functors between Categories of Representations of Finite Groups

Abstract We use relations between Galois algebras and monoidal functors to describe monoidal functors between categories of representations of finite groups. We pay special attention to two kinds of these monoidal functors: monoidal functors to vector spaces and monoidal equivalences between categories of representations. The functors of the second kind induce isomorphisms of character tables. We show that pairs of groups with the same character table obtained in this way are a generalization of the construction proposed by B. Fischer (1988, Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo (2) Suppl.19, 71–77).
The most important thing about science is values

Science is the search for truth about the observable world. But it rests on values. The only thing that can be discovered by observation is the immediate here and now. Otherwise, knowledge about the observable world is based on hearsay, spoken or recorded, about others’ observations. Apart from small and fleeting observations, science rests on trust. Our scientific lives and scientific knowledge depend on choosing who and what to trust. Since we can meet only a few scientists at best, we have to decide whether to trust science as an institution. Science is a good bet because its aim is to create truth, perhaps posthumously; truth is its end as well as its means. In today's world, science is vitally important as a check and balance on democratic power and an object lesson for decision-makers. To do good, honest, science is to support democracy in the face of populism.