Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing Accuracy and Costs of Revealed and Stated Preferences: The Case of Consumer Acceptance of Yellow Maize in East Africa

For quite a while, stated preferences have been a major tool to measure consumer preferences for new products and services. Revealed preference methods, in particular experimental economics, have gained popularity recently because they have been shown to be more incentive compatible, and therefore more accurate. However, this advantage comes at the expense of higher survey costs. In the developing countries with limited funding for research, it is important to determine whether the extra cost can be justified by the extra gain in accuracy. A survey of 100 farmers was carried out in Western Kenya to determine consumer preference for yellow maize using the contingent valuation, choice experiments and experimental auction methods. Experimental auctions produced the most realistic results for mean willingness to pay. They are also the most accurate at all budget levels, but also the most expensive. Considering their accuracy and realistic results, we conclude that they should be the recommended method in measuring consumer preference in developing countries, since the extra cost is more than recovered by the gain in accuracy.
The Deadlift -Part 1

Historically, athletes and non-athletes alike have used deadlift, to strengthen the hip, thigh, and back musculature[1]. Interestingly, many strength coaches believe the squat and deadlift have very similar characteristics. To the naked eye, the squat and deadlift appear very similar (both exercises involve triple joint extension). However, from a biomechanical point of view, the two lifts are in fact, entirely different. For example, compared to the squat, the deadlift requires force production without the aid of the stretchshortening cycling, so unlike the squat; the deadlift starts with a concentric contraction and ends with an eccentric contraction[2]. Thus, the squat differs because,it allows viscoelastic energy stored in the muscles and tendons on the way down, to be expressed, on the wayup. In contrast,thedeadlift, however, the deadlift starts in a mechanically difficultposition, requiring the lifter to generatethe entire force needed to move the bar off the floor, without the assistance of the stretch shortening cycle[2]. Finally, in the deadlift, the load is applied perpendicular to the bodyand loadedin the horizontally plane, unlike the squat, which is a loaded in the vertical plane [3]. Horizontally loaded movements may be more beneficial for horizontally based sporting movements such as sprinting and long jump, which implies deadlifts may provide a greater transfer effect to these activities[3]. Taken as a whole, the results of this research suggests the biomechanical profile of the squat and deadlift.
One-Bit Sine-Fit

This article introduces a novel procedure for the estimation of the frequency, amplitude, and phase of a sinusoidal signal after one-bit quantization. The estimator requires knowledge of the quantizer threshold but does not require information about the noise probability density function (PDF), possibly affecting measurement results. The threshold must be different from zero for estimating the amplitude but not necessarily for estimating the frequency or the phase. The algorithm requires an irrational value of the ratio between the sinusoidal frequency and the sampling rate. The procedure allows also the estimation of the noise variance and the cumulative distribution function (CDF). Theoretical properties are analyzed, and experimental results are provided to validate the estimation procedure.
Delphinidin and Its Glycosides’ War on Cancer: Preclinical Perspectives

Until now, several studies have looked at the issue of anthocyanin and cancer, namely the preventive and inhibitory effects of anthocyanins, as well as the underlying molecular processes. However, no targeted review is available regarding the anticarcinogenic effects of delphinidin and its glycosides on various cancers and their plausible molecular mechanisms. Considerable evidence shows significant anticancer properties of delphinidin-rich preparations and delphinidin alone both in vitro and in vivo. This review covers the in vitro and preclinical implications of delphinidin-mediated cell protection and cancer prevention; thus, we strongly recommend that delphinidin-rich preparations be further investigated as potential functional food, dietary antioxidant supplements, and natural health products targeting specific chronic diseases, including cancer. In addition to in vitro investigations, future research should focus on more animal and human studies to determine the true potential of delphinidin.
Predictive Lane Change Decision Making Using Bidirectional Long Shot-Term Memory for Autonomous Driving on Highways

This paper presents a lane change decision algorithm for predictive decision-making for an autonomous vehicle using a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) with a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) cell. The proposed decision-making algorithm was trained and validated by driving data collected by vision, laser scanners, and chassis sensors of autonomous vehicles. The input features for the Bi-LSTM based RNN consist of the clearance and relative velocity with the surrounding target vehicles, lane measurements, and the velocity of the autonomous vehicle. The output features are configured to generate the probability of three maneuvers, left lane change, right lane change, and lane-keeping. The Bi-LSTM based RNN is configured to decide in advance two seconds before lane changes by using two seconds of observation. The collected 20,108 datasets were accumulated in global coordinates. After processing and resampling the collected datasets, 1,120, 320, and 160 datasets were generated to train, validate, and test the Bi-LSTM based RNN. The proposed algorithm was evaluated by a case study and a driving data-based prediction accuracy analysis. The results of the predictive lane change decision by the proposed algorithm have been shown to be more accurate and similar to a driver than previous approaches.
Assessing Visual Preferences of the Local Public for Environmental Mitigation Measures of Hydropower Impacts—Does Point-of-View Location Make a Difference?

Hydropower is a highly appreciated climate-friendly source of energy production. However, it has non-negligible negative impacts on the environment and landscape aesthetics where the energy is produced, affecting the recreational interests of the public using the respective local river spaces. The preferences of the local public are increasingly assessed and involved in the planning of mitigation measures for impacted rivers. Aesthetic assessment methods using a common user perspective, i.e., an “on-the-ground” perspective, could potentially be improved by using an aerial perspective facilitated by modern drone technology. Studies on the compatibility of these two perspectives of assessment in terms of public preference elicitation are lacking so far. In river Nea, Norway, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the visual preferences of the local public for different environmental mitigation measures related to weirs, minimum flow, and recreational infrastructure using both perspectives. The results indicate that there exist significant differences in the preferences for scenarios based on the two different visual perspectives, and that a compatibility between them cannot be assumed and therefore requires further investigation. Finally, based on our study setup and previous experience, we outline and propose a standardized procedure for the visualization of mitigation measures as an input to environmental design projects where public perception is incorporated.
EXPERMENTAL MODELS FOR MEMORY IMPAIRMENT

Numerous animal models have been developed and have contributed to the exploration of the pathology of diseases and development of new drug therapies. Memory is the ability to record, retain and recall the data or event of life whenever needed. In the last years, the increasing number of neurological disorders raise a concern, for this, various investigations have been done to postulate the basic mechanisms and signalling molecules and steps involved in the process of the formation of memory and learning. Various neurotoxins have been utilized as an experimental model to study and develop new pathways and specific targets to treat the disorders, but none of them are able to predict all the characteristic features that are involved in the alteration of memory. Toxins being utilized for the different experimental models include scopolamine, ethanol, domoic acid, streptozotocin, okadaic acid, quinolinic acid, paraquat, rotenone, MPTP, methamphetamine, etc. The current study summarizes the toxins from a different sources that could support the investigation to explore the pathology and to develop the target drug delivery for memory impairment, impaired neurodevelopment, diminished intellectual power, and other cognitive disorders like AD, PD, HD, etc.
Lift distribution of washout twist morphing MAV wing

Micro Air Vehicle, or also commonly known as MAV, is a miniature aircraft that has been gaining interest in the industry. MAV is defined as a flying platform with 15cm wingspan and operates at a speed of around 10m/s. Recently, MAV has been exposed with the latest development and link towards the biologically-inspired designs such as morphing wing. Twist morphing wing is one of the latest MAV wing design developments. The application of Twist Morphing (TM) on MAV wing has been previously known to produce better aerodynamic performance. Previous study in washin TM wing has shown a promising possibility of generating higher lift force. Despite the benevolent performance exhibited by the washin TM wing, the lift distribution for the washout type of TM MAV is relatively unknown and still open to be explored. This is probably due to the lack of experimental test rig to produce the washout twist morphing motion on the MAV wing. Therefore, this research aims to produce a special test rig for washout TM wing that is compatible for wind tunnel experimental testing. By using the special test rig, the experimental investigation on the lift performance of washout TM MAV wing can be done. Based on the wing deformation results, it clearly shows that the proposed test rig is capable to produce up to 19.5mm tip deflection at the morphing point, which is also resulting in a significant morphing motion. Higher morphing force induces larger morphing motion. Based on the lift distribution results, they show that the morphing motion has significantly affected the overall lift distribution on the MAV wing. The morphing motion on TM wing has produced at least 17.6% and 5.33% lower CL and CLmax magnitude, respectively, with the membrane wing especially at the pre-stall region. However, the TM wing is still able to maintain the stall angle similar to the baseline wing at αstall= 31°. By maintaining high αstall value with lower CL and CLmax magnitude, TM wing produces more agility for the MAV maneuverability that will be useful for indoor mission or obstacle avoidance flight.
Impact of the Grain for Green Project on water resources and ecological water stress in the Yanhe River Basin

Grain for Green project (GGP) initialed by China government since 1999 has achieved substantial achievements accompanied with surface runoff decrease in the Loess Plateau but impacts of large-scale afforestation on regional water resources are uncertain. Hence, the objective of this study is to explore the impact of land use change on generalized water resources and ecological water stress using blue and green water concept taking Yanhe River Basin as a case study. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is applied to quantify summary of green and blue water which is defined as generalized water resources, ecological water requirement of vegetation (forest and grass), agricultural water footprint and virtual water flow are considered as regional water requirements. Land use types of 1980 (scenario I), 2017 (scenario II) are input in SWAT model while keeps other parameters constant in order to isolate the influence of land use changes. Results show that average annual difference of blue, green and generalized water resources is −72.08 million m3, 24.34 million m3, −47.74 million m3 respectively when simulation results of scenario II subtracts scenario I and it presents that land use change caused by GGP leads to decrease in blue and generalized water resources whereas increase in green water resources. SURQ in scenario I is more than that in scenario IIin all the study period from 1980-2017, green water storage in scenario I is more than that in scenario II in all the study period except in 1998; whereas LATQ in scenario I is less than that in scenario II except in 2000 and 2015, GWQ in 1992, 2000 and 2015, green water flow in 1998. Blue water, green water storage and green water flow in scenario II is less than that in scenario I in the whole basin, 12.89 percent of the basin and 99.21 percent of the basin respectively. Total WF increases from 1995 to 2010 because forest WF increases significantly in this period though agricultural WF and grass WF decreases. Ecological water stress index has no obvious temporal change trend in both land use scenarios but ecological water stress index in scenario II is more than that in scenario I which illustrates that GGP leads to increase of ecological water stress from perspective of generalized water resources
Characteristics of Deep Convective Systems and Initiation during Warm Seasons over China and Its Vicinity

The spatiotemporal statistical characteristics of warm-season deep convective systems, particularly deep convective systems initiation (DCSI), over China and its vicinity are investigated using Himawari-8 geostationary satellite measurements collected during April-September from 2016 to 2020. Based on a satellite brightness temperature multiple-threshold convection identification and tracking method, a total of 47593 deep convective systems with lifetimes of at least 3 h were identified in the region. There are three outstanding local maxima in the region, located in the southwestern, central and eastern Tibetan Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, followed by a region of high convective activities in South China. Most convective systems are developed over the Tibetan Plateau, predominantly eastward-moving, while those developed in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and South China mostly move westward and southwestward. The DSCI occurrences become extremely active after the onset of the summer monsoon and tend to reach a maximum in July and August, with a diurnal peak at 11–13 LST in response to the enhanced solar heating and monsoon flows. Several DCSI hotspots are identified in the regions of inland mountains, tropical islands and coastal mountains during daytime, but in basins, plains and coastal areas during nighttime. DCSI over land and oceans exhibits significantly different sub-seasonal and diurnal variations. Oceanic DCSI has an ambiguous diurnal variation, although its sub-seasonal variation is similar to that over land. It is demonstrated that the high spatiotemporal resolution satellite dataset provides rich information for understanding the convective systems over China and vicinity, particularly the complex terrain and oceans where radar observations are sparse or none, which will help to improve the convective systems and initiation nowcasting.
Recent Progress in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers Recycling: A Review of Recycling Methods and Reuse of Carbon Fibers

The rapid increase in the application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite materials represents a challenge to waste recycling. The circular economy approach coupled with the possibility of recovering carbon fibers from CFRP waste with similar properties to virgin carbon fibers at a much lower cost and with lower energy consumption motivate the study of CFRP recycling. Mechanical recycling methods allow the obtention of chopped composite materials, while both thermal and chemical recycling methods aim towards recovering carbon fibers. This review examines the three main recycling methods, their processes, and particularities, as well as the reuse of recycled carbon fibers in the manufacture of new composite materials.
Muscle attachment sites and behavioral reconstruction: An experimental test of muscle-bone structural response to habitual activity.

OBJECTIVE Behavioral reconstruction from muscle attachment sites (entheses) is a common practice in anthropology. However, experimental evidence provides mixed support for the assumed association between enthesis size and shape with changes in habitual activity. In this study, a laboratory mouse model was used to experimentally test whether activity level and type alters muscle architecture and the underlying bone cross-sectional geometry of entheses in order to assess the underlying assumption that behavioral changes lead to quantifiable differences in both muscle and enthesis morphology. MATERIALS AND METHODS Female wild-type mice were separated into one control group and two experimentally increased activity groups (running, climbing) over an 11-week study period. At the start of the experiment, half of the mice were 4 weeks and half were 7 weeks of age. The postmortem deltoideus and biceps brachii muscles were measured for potential force production (physiological cross-sectional area) and potential muscle excursion (fiber length). Bone cross-sectional geometry variables were measured from microCT scans of the humerus and radius at the enthesis and non-enthesis regions of interest across activity groups. RESULTS Activity level and type altered potential force production and potential muscle excursion of both muscles in the younger cohort. We observed differences in cortical bone geometry in both the humerus enthesis and radius non-enthesis region driven exclusively among the younger wheel-running mice. DISCUSSION These results indicate that in addition to muscle architectural changes, bone structural properties at the enthesis do show an adaptive response to increased activity, such as running but only during earlier development. However, further research is required in order to apply these findings to the reconstruction of living behavior from anthropological specimens.
A semiotic comparison of mass media representations of the swine flu and Covid-19 pandemics: Observing Narcissus Narcosis

This paper compares the coverage of the H1N1 and Covid-19 pandemics in ten prominent US daily newspapers. We selected articles that reference disease-specific keywords, published in the period between the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization and the first peak in laboratory- confirmed cases in the USA (20550 articles on Covid-19 and 1705 articles on H1N1). We analyzed the dataset via topic models and semantic networks, which, in a semiotic approach, are understood as iconic models. As the Covid-19 virus produced the first global pandemic in the age of social media, this comparative analysis illustrates how the news media changed the mediasphere in general. During the H1N1 pandemic (2009-2010), newly emerging social media were not mainstream, having a limited impact compared to 2020 at the outbreak of Covid-19. By 2020, social media have definingly changed the mediasphere. Given their affordance for the virulent transmission of media products, the rise of social media stirred the relativization of knowledge and mistrust towards traditional authority and legacy media. Paradoxically, this both democratizes public debate and opens opportunities for misinformation. In this context, the Covid-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a global infodemic, with adverse impact on global health. While the two pandemics are very different, comparing media representations in their early stages, when the viral spread was unpredictable, offers an insight into how the emergence of social media impacted traditional newspapers’ approach to events of global concern. The analysis reveals that ideological commitments are expressed through the same correlation of topics in both corpora but that, overall, the discourses have different structures. We argue that the remarkable stability of ideological discourses displays what McLuhan termed Narcissus narcosis, namely the numbness experienced socially during media changes.
Absentéisme différencié des femmes et des hommes dans un métier mixte : l’exemple des factrices et des facteurs

Cette these vise a comprendre l’absenteisme differencie des femmes et des hommes dans un metier mixte. Pour cela, cette these a ete realisee dans le cadre d’une collaboration entre la branche Service-Courrier-Colis de La Poste, l’Anact et le Groupe de Recherche en Psychologie Sociale (GRePS – EA 4163) de l’Universite Lumiere Lyon 2, sous forme d’une Convention Industrielle de Formation par la Recherche (CIFRE). La direction de La Poste souhaite mieux comprendre les causes de l’absenteisme et .
Pharmaceutical Applications of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy offers many advantages for a wide range of industrial applications. In combination with multivariate data analysis NIR spectroscopy offers interesting utilization for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The method is fast and non-destructive and can be implemented in process analysis. The review presents recent pharmaceutical applications of NIR spectroscopy, e.g. in raw materials testing, direct analysis of dosage forms, and process monitoring and process control.
Algoritmos Não-Supervisionados para Suporte à Tomada de Decisão e Diagnóstico de Covid-19 usando Dados de Tomografia Computadorizada

A inteligência artificial, mais especificadamente, os algoritmos de aprendizagem profundo e técnicas da teoria de conjuntos Fuzzy tem sido propostos em análises de imagens. Deste modo, as aplicações de aprendizado profundo em imagens médicas pulmonares, tem obtido avanços para detecção de doenças, levando a ensaios clínicos promissores no que diz respeito à triagem e diagnóstico de pacientes com o Covid-19. Assim, imagens de Tomografia Computadorizada (TC), Radiografia Computadoriza (RC) e Ultrassonografia tem sido usadas por especialistas como ferramentas para diagnóstico da Covid-19. No entanto, devido ao número elevado de pacientes e baixa quantidade de profissionais especializados torna-se necessário um sistema de detecção por imagens para auxílio aos profissionais da saúde. Neste cenário, a inteligência computacional, mas especialmente modelos de Aprendizado Profundo do tipo Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) e métodos de classificação não-supervisionados, entre estes em destaque o método K-Means e Fuzzy C-Means, foram utilizados para a classificação de imagens de Covid-19. Para esta finalidade, foi utilizada uma base de dados disponibilizada pela Universidade de São Paulo, contendo 4173 imagens. Os resultados demonstraram a importância da seleção de características através de redes convolucionais. Na aprendizagem não-supervisionada observou-se poucas diferenças para a clusterização utilizando os métodos k-Means e Fuzzy C-Means.