Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classification of Knee Osteoarthritis Severity Using Modified Masks to Preprocess X-ray Images in a Deep Learning Model

We propose a concise approach to facilitate the deep learning model for medical image classification of knee osteoarthritis severity. The characteristics of the input X-ray images are sharpened by a modified 5×5 mask before training and testing in this work. We compare the inference accuracies of two experiments using the same architecture with images sharpened and not sharpened respectively. And we find it tangible that the former performs much better than the latter. This technique could also be helpful when applied onto the edge devices for object detection and image segmentation.
Effectiveness of pyriproxyfen-controlled release block against larvae of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a commercially available pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator (IGR) on the larvae of a dengue vector, Ae. aegypti. The study site was the surrounding area of the Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Kuala Lumpur (N03°10.167’, E101°41.919’). Pyriproxyfen-controlled release blocks with dosages of 10% w/w and 20% w/w were used to treat a set of earthen jars placed outdoors. Untreated jars were also set up as controls. Fifty laboratory-bred 2 nd instar larvae were introduced into each earthen jar and observed daily. The number of adults that emerged was recorded and the larval mortality was calculated. The indicators of effectiveness of IGR for these studies were: (i) duration of effectiveness, and (ii) percentage of emergence inhibition (EI). There was a significant difference in the number of emerged adults obtained from the untreated and treated earthen jars up to 25 weeks (p<0.05). The duration of effectiveness of pyriproxyfen caused 80% emergence inhibition in earthen jars treated with 10% w/w and 20% w/w pyriproxyfen up to 22 and 25 weeks, respectively. Pyriproxyfen-controlled release block is an effective method of controlling mosquito larvae for several months. The method of application of the block is simple and straightforward and can therefore be used easily.
Personality Traits and Work Engagement: A Case Study on Female Bank Employees in Banking Sector

The purpose of the present study is to explore whether there is any qualifying relationship between personality traits and work engagement, also, the level of work engagement and big five personality traits among female employees in Himachal Pradesh. Relevant data through questionnaire was collected from 150 female employees working in 3 different Public sector banks namely State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and UCO Bank in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The results of the study specified that there were a significant positive relationship between work engagement and big five personality traits. Extraversion, Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness were significantly related to work engagement and its dimensions namely vigor, dedication and absorption whereas neuroticism was found to be negatively related to the work engagement and the three dimensions of it. The level of work engagement was high in public sector whereas extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness were average except the agreeableness trait of personality was high. The relationship among conscientiousness, neuroticism and burnout
The impact of CSR and green investment on stock return of Chinese export industry

Abstract A green and sustainable business environment has gained the attention of recent researchers and policymakers due to environmental and social issues globally. Therefore, the present research investigates the impact of corporate social responsibilities (CSR), green investment, green credit, and assets return on the stock return of the Chinese export industry. This study has taken the ten top export companies from China using the database of the Shanghai stock exchange. This study collected data from financial statements and stock exchange databases from 2009 to 2020. This study has used panel data analysis techniques such as robust standard error and fixed effect model (FEM) to examine the relations among the variables. The results revealed that CSR, green investment, green credit, and return on assets have a significant and positive association with the stock return of selected industries. These results imply that CSR instigates higher financial performance in the export industry; thus, improving CSR and sustainable financing promote socio-economic and societal development.
Validation of Noninvasive Remote Dielectric Sensing System to Quantify Lung Fluid Levels

Background: The accuracy of the remote dielectric sensing (ReDSTM) system, which is a noninvasive electromagnetic-based technology to quantify lung fluid levels, particularly among those with small body size, remains uncertain. Methods: Hospitalized patients with and without heart failure underwent assessment of lung fluid levels with ReDS and successive chest computed tomography imaging. We performed a correlation analysis of the ReDS measurement, representing lung fluid levels, and computed tomography-derived high attenuation area percentage, which also provides a spatial quantification of lung fluid level. Results: A total of 46 patients (median 76 years old, 28 men), including 28 patients with heart failure, were included. The median ReDS value was 28% (interquartile: 23%, 33%), and the median percentage of high attenuation area was 21.6% (14.4%, 28.5%). ReDS values and percentage of high attenuation area were moderately correlated (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), irrespective of the existence of heart failure. ReDS value independently predicted the percentage of high attenuation area seen on computed tomography (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The ReDS system may be a promising, noninvasive tool to quantify fluid lung levels, as validated by comparison with chest computed tomography imaging. Further studies are warranted to validate the utility and applicability of this technology to a variety of clinical scenarios.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE INTENTION TO QUIT FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSION AMONG VOCATIONAL TEACHERS

This paper aimed to explore the variables that influenced the intention to quit the teaching profession among vocational teachers. Moreover, the researchers examined the differences in the perception of the levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction among vocational teachers in Thailand. The target population comprised vocational teachers from public colleges in Thailand with a total number of 29,915. The stratified random sampling technique was used for selecting the samples. The data collection involved self-report surveys from 510 vocational teachers from 55 vocational colleges in Thailand's metropolitan, north, northeast, east, and south. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the possible relationships among the variables and identify the significant variables. The findings reported that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were moderate while personal accomplishment was at a high level. Job satisfaction was the strongest predictor of the intention to quit. In addition, three components of burnout influenced the intention to quit among the vocational teachers: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. For the implication, this study recommended a practical application in the dimension of policy improvement concerning teachers' welfare. It emphasized the need to develop programs supporting teachers' mental health to reduce burnout and increase job satisfaction.
Color and antibacterial activity of annatto extracts at various pH of distilled
water solvent and extraction temperature

Annato (Bixa orrelana L.) has been renowned as a tropical plant rich in carotenoid pigments such as nonpolar bixin and polar norbixin. This study was aimed to obtain natural colorant and antimicrobials from annatto extracts. The extraction was carried out by maceration for 10 mins using distilled water as the extraction solvent at various pH and extraction temperatures. The variations of solvent pH used in this research were 4, 7, and 9, while that of extraction temperatures were 70, 80, and 90oC. The potential of annatto extract as an antimicrobial agent was tested by analyzing the extract's ability to inhibit pathogens and its phytochemical compounds. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used as the pathogenic bacteria by using the agar diffusion method. The color of annatto extracts was measured using Munsel Chard to determine the level of hue (color), value (brightness), and chroma (intensity), as well as maximum absorbance. The results showed that all extracts have the potential to inhibit E. coli and S aureus (weak-moderate). The observed annatto extracts had different color intensities as indicated by the hue, value, and chroma and a maximum absorbance at a wavelength of 400 nm.
Concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in blood of the Spanish population: Temporal trend

The present article reviews the human biomonitoring studies conducted in Spain to assess exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In general terms, important variations in POPs concentrations between Spanish regions and specific populations were observed, while no associations between exposure to POPs and adverse health outcomes were found. Moreover, occupational exposure seems not to be a risk factor with regards to POPs exposure in the Spanish population. The present review highlights the importance of conducting human biomonitoring studies to find possible associations between POPs and adverse health effects.
Studies on a Novel Bioreactor Design for Chondrocyte Culture

A bioreactor system plays an important role in tissue engineering and enables reproduction and controlled changes in the environmental factor. The bioreactor provides technical means to perform controlled processes in safe and reduced reproducible generation of time. Cartilage cells were grown in vitro by mimicking the in vivo condition. The basic unit of cartilage, that is, chondrocyte, requires sufficient shear, strain, and hydrodynamic pressure for regular growth as it is nonvascular tissue. An attempt has been made to design a novel airlift reactor for chondrocyte culture, and the reactor has been evaluated for its performance. The design includes internal loop wavy riser airlift reactor for chondrocyte culture with 5% CO2 sparging which gives a good yield of chondrocyte after 28 days. The wavy riser provides more surfaces for collision of fluid flow so to create the turbulence. Also, the horizontal semicircular baffles create an angle of 180° which helps in high shear rate. The optimized L/D ratio of the designed airlift reactor (for chondrocyte culture) is 5.67, and it also exhibits good mixing performance.
Postgraduate Research Supervision: A Process of Knowledge Management

Knowledge-based industries are increasingly becoming a key part of our industrial landscape. The changing environment has profound implications for research education/training in universities where knowledge business dominates. The central issue confronting research supervisors is how to achieve quality, effectiveness and productivity of their work in the new changing environment. This paper aims to develop an innovative model using knowledge management approach to research supervision to address the central issue.
Study on the longitudinal control analysis of a driver of a heavy-duty vehicle following another vehicle

This article is concerned with the behavior of drivers of heavy-duty vehicles in following the preceding cars. It has been analyzed using a driver model. We first focus on a way for drivers to obtain information so that they can longitudinally control their vehicles. The model is used to describe the two kinds of control methods for drivers; the first is feed-forward, and the second is feed-back. Using multiple regression analysis, the feed-forward model was constructed taking the time-delay and the cut-off frequency of information into consideration. A feed-back model for information that cannot be described by feed-forward control was also constructed. Using a combination of the feed-forward and the feed-back model, a fore-and-aft control model was constructed, and we found that the driver model could provide a good description of the actual driver behavior. Finally, major factors involved in getting control information to the driver are clarified using factor analysis.
Unlearning Machine Learning: The Challenge of Integrating Research in Business Applications

2 Abstract: New applications of Machine Learning, a branch of Artificial Intelligence, have earned billions of dollars for businesses that have cleverly used them. Business professionals in Finance, Marketing, Operations and Logistics and even Strategy are avidly using machine learning applications. In a range of activities from planning for a new product to reorganising supply chains, businesses have a huge stake in research in this field. Yet there has been little evaluation of usefulness of current research and the direction in which it is proceeding. The use of ever more complex algorithms has made machine learning a high-tech highbrow area of research, but robustness and external validity are yet to be established. Focusing on the elegance of the solution is leading researchers towards less-important questions, while there is an unfulfilled need to look at areas which are probably more relevant from the point of view of business.
Thermal-mechanical modeling and analysis of spindle-tapered roller bearing system

# Abstract— Tapered roller bearing (TRB) has been widely used in rotating machinery because of its high-load-carrying capacity. However, occurrence of high temperature inside TRB, due to the long contact lines between rollers and races and the large sliding friction between roller ends and guide flanges, often becomes a great challenge to utilization of TRB. This paper investigates the thermal behavior of a spindle-TRB system with consideration of rotational speed and radial load. To this end, first, a thermo-mechanical model of rotor-bearing system is developed to provide the frictional heat generation, heat transfer procedure, thermal expansion and transient temperature of the system components. Then, the spindle system thermal behavior is evaluated systematically. Simulation results show the high dependence of temperature on bearing loads, rotational speed. Finally, the steady-state temperature of the system is validated with existing experimental data.
Real-Time LIDAR-Based Urban Road and Sidewalk Detection for Autonomous Vehicles

Road and sidewalk detection in urban scenarios is a challenging task because of the road imperfections and high sensor data bandwidth. Traditional free space and ground filter algorithms are not sensitive enough for small height differences. Camera-based or sensor-fusion solutions are widely used to classify drivable road from sidewalk or pavement. A LIDAR sensor contains all the necessary information from which the feature extraction can be done. Therefore, this paper focuses on LIDAR-based feature extraction. For road and sidewalk detection, the current paper presents a real-time (20 Hz+) solution. This solution can also be used for local path planning. Sidewalk edge detection is the combination of three algorithms working parallelly. To validate the result, the de facto standard benchmark dataset, KITTI, was used alongside our measurements. The data and the source code to reproduce the results are shared publicly on our GitHub repository.
Exploring the distribution of city street greenery from eye-level: an application of Baidu Map panoramic images data

ABSTRACT Increasing attention has been paid to the analysis of street greenery using the Green View Index (GVI). Current methods of vegetation extraction are not suitable for processing large amounts of data. This study introduces Visible Difference Vegetation Index (VDVI) to process Baidu Map panoramic static images which is relatively convenient for GVI calculation. The method is used to analyse the spatial distribution of street greenery in Guangzhou city in China. The results show that: (1) The spatial distribution of GVI values in Guangzhou show obvious agglomeration. (2) The average level and evenness of street greenery distribution is analysed. Tianhe and Yuexiu districts had high levels of evenly distributed street greenery; Liwan, Haizhu, Huangpu, and Panyu districts had good levels of street greenery but uneven distributions; Baiyun and Nansha had low levels of street greenery. (3)There is a significant correlation between road grade, house price, building age, land use and GVI values, which reveals the driving factors of GVI value distribution in Guangzhou. The GVI calculation method in this method is relatively convenient and accurate. GVI can be a new evaluation tool for street greenery in urban planning, additionally used as an index for urban environmental research.
Results of public assessment of influence factors on the formation of the brand of the institution of higher education in the pharmaceutical direction

The aim of the article is to study the attitude of target audiences to the brand of a higher education institution, taking into account the specifics of the educational services provided to them and the specifics of the educational services market. Methods of the research: theoretical (analysis and synthesis of scientific literature and normative sources, generalization, analytical, comparative and logical), empirical (descriptions, comparison, questionnaires, mathematical and statistical). Materials: questionnaires of respondents, which were applicants, students, alumni and employees of NUPh. Results of the research. According to students, the most significant factors are positive reviews about HEI (14 % of respondents), the quality of educational services and the involvement of well-known scientists and practitioners (12 % each), the presence of scientific schools, traditions and the active participation of the institution in public life (11 % each factor). For applicants, an important place is occupied by the state status of a higher education institution, positive reviews about it and high quality of educational services (13 % for each factor). The advantages that graduates of the prestigious HEI have after graduation are a high level of theoretical knowledge (89 % of respondents) and practical skills (85 %), a high level of competitiveness in the labor market (81 %). Among the main directions for the development and improvement of the educational brand, the interviewed NUPh employees noted the constant improvement of the quality of educational services (91 % of the respondents), the intensification of international cooperation (86 %), the active involvement of practitioners and scientists in the scientific, volunteer and cultural life of the institution (79 %). Conclusions. It has been proven that an important component of the brand of a higher education institution is an educational service; image of educational services; the benefits to be provided by the brand owner to consumers of educational services. The most significant factors of popularity and positive attitude towards NUPh and the advantages received by graduates after graduation have been established. A conclusion was made about the high level of corporate culture in HEI, the important elements of which are the presence of the NUPh development strategy, the introduction of effective management technologies and the creation of conditions for the self-realization of employees
Malunion fracture of supracondylar femur sinistra with post traumatic arthritis and stiffness at genu sinistra: a case report

Post-traumatic osteoarthritis could emerge immediately after an injury or one year after a bone fracture, ligament injury, and meniscal tears. In this case report, we present a 30 years old male who previously suffered from joint injury and thus lost the ability to flexion. This patient has already under went internal bone implantation surgery involving the implantation but was removed due to pain, and there was protruding implant on the left knee. On physical examination, there was varus deformity with flexion ranged between 0-5°. On radiological examination, malunion and narrowing of the joint surface were, as shown, clinically inhibit the flexion of the knee. We diagnose the patient with malunion supracondylar femur sinistra and post traumatic osteoarthritis genu sinistra. Liberation procedure (soft tissues release) and osteotomy of the distal femur were performed on this patient. On post-op radiological examination, the implant successfully widens the joint surface and holds the fracture fragment after it was reduced. The joint was immediately mobilize using the machine. It was shown that in a relatively short period, the range of motion could reach 90°. Three months post-op, evaluation was done, and it was clearly shown that the range of motion had not decreased.
Changes in weight and body composition after initiating insulin therapy and their relationship with metabolic control during the first year of type 1 diabetes in adults. InLipoDiab1 Study

Introduction. As in the general population, an increase in the incidence of overweight has been observed in individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Nevertheless, weight gain in this group may contribute to the deterioration of the metabolic management. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the body weight and body composition after initiating insulin therapy and to assess their relationship with the metabolic management during the first year of T1DM in adults.Material and Methods. The prospective analysis included 139 adults patients with newly diagnosed T1DM, treated with Intensive functional insulin therapy (IFI) from the onset of the disease (age 26.3 ± 5.9 years). Patients were assessed at the time of the diagnosis and after 12 months. Metabolic parameters, including the HbA1c and lipid profile were investigated. The group was divided according to weight gain during the follow-up period.Results. Weight gain was observed in 68.3% of participants (n = 95). In most cases an increase in body fat was found (41% vs 59% p = 0.01). Changes in the body weight corresponded to significant changes in body composition. Conversely, HbA1c decreased during the follow-up in all groups. The highest reduction was observed in a group with “excessive weight gain”. Additionally, a significant increase in high density lipoproteins was observed in each group. However, weight gain was not accompanied by a deterioration of the lipid profile.Conclusions. Weight gain is a considerable problem among adults with newly diagnosed T1DM and is connected mainly with an increase of adipose tissue above the normal range. Changes in the body weight, associated with body composition changes, did not result in the dysfunctions of the metabolic management.
A sensitive electronic capacitance measurement system to measure the comb drive motion of surface micromachined MEMS devices

We have developed a method to measure the displacement of a MEMS comb drive using a probe station, by monitoring the minute capacitance changes between the fingers due to the motion. Probe station measurements of the capacitance changes of small comb drives are usually hampered by the relatively large parasitic capacitances present. This can be reduced by using a proper measurement layout design for minimal on-chip capacitance, in combination with a resonant LCR-circuit to counteract the effect of the probe station cable capacitance. The method results in a measurement that, after averaging, enables us to see the motion of a MEMS comb drive with 4 nm peak-to-peak noise sensitivity, corresponding to a capacitance change around 10 aF. Both the effect of comb drive lateral motion and that of levitation are observed.