Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Multiphase Model for Traffic Safety Evaluation: A Case Study of South Africa

Identification of key indicators that cause safety challenges and vulnerable roads is crucial for improving traffic safety. This paper, therefore, entails to the development of a novel multiphase multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) model to evaluate the vulnerability of urban roads for traffic safety. This was conducted by using data from 17 important roads of a South African city and combining several methods such as CRiteria Importance through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC), data envelopment analysis (DEA), and measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS). Taking the elements of the DEA method, two new approaches for calculating the weights of criteria, the DEA-1 and DEA-2 models, were formed and integrated with the CRITIC method to obtain the final values of criteria weights. The MARCOS method was applied to evaluate 17 alternatives, for each direction separately. The aim of developing such a model is to use the advantages of obtaining objectivity of criteria weights through linear programming and correlation of values of the collected data. Also, the MARCOS method, as one of the newer and applicable methods, provides additional significance. Extensive sensitivity analyses were conducted to validate the model. The findings suggest that there are a certain number of roads that have a high level of safety for both directions, as well as a group of risky roads, which need traffic improvement measures. Thus, the results indicate that the model is sensitive to various approaches and can prioritize vulnerable roads comprehensively based on which safety measures can be taken.
Variational autoencoders for anomaly detection in the behaviour of the elderly using electricity consumption data

According to the World Health Organization, between 2000 and 2050 , the proportion of the world's population over 60 will double, from 11% to 22% . In absolute numbers, this age group will increase from 605 million to 2 billion in the course of half a century. It is a reality that most of them prefer to live alone, so it is necessary to look for mechanisms and tools that will help them to improve their autonomy. Although in recent years, we have been living in a veritable explosion of domotic systems that facilitate people's daily lives, it is also true that there are not many tools specifically aimed at this sector of the population. The aim of this paper is to present a potential solution to the monitoring of activity of daily living in the least intrusive way for people. In this case, anomalous patterns of daily activities will be detected by analysing the daily consumption of household appliances. People who live alone usually have a pattern of daily behaviour in the use of household appliances (coffee machine, microwave, television, etc.). A neuronal model is proposed for the detection of abnormal behaviour based on an autoencoder architecture. This solution will be compared with a variational autoencoder to analyse the improvements that can be obtained. The well‐known dataset called UK‐DALE will be used to validate the proposal.
Increasing the Efficiency of Laboratory Performance by Using the Onboard Dilution Algorithm of the Elecsys Hepatitis B Surface Antigen II Quantitative Assay

Background: The Elecsys hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) II quantitative assay is a newly introduced electrochemiluminescence immunoassay incorporating an initial 1:400 onboard dilution and a simple algorithm to determine HBsAg levels in serum. We evaluated the performance of the Elecsys HBsAg II assay and determined the impact of its initial onboard dilution on laboratory efficiency. Methods: HBsAg levels were determined using both Roche Elecsys and Abbott Architect HBsAg assays. Linearity and precision of the Elecsys HBsAg II assay and its correlation with the Architect HBsAg assay were evaluated. In particular, precision was verified at Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in Seoul, using the same pooled serum controls. The efficiency of the dilution algorithm for both methods was verified using data from 1,848 clinical samples. Results: The Elecsys HBsAg II assay showed a good linearity from 0.1 to 48,000.0 IU/mL and a good correlation (r=0.9998) between expected and measured values. Precision analyses performed at Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital showed excellent performance with coefficients of variation between 1.28% and 6.82%. The values of the Elecsys HBsAg II and Architect HBsAg assays were well correlated (n=506, r=0.987, P ＜ 0.001) and also reliably determined in hepatitis C virus- and hepatitis B virus-co-infected patient sera (n=27). In terms of efficiency, 64.0% of samples provided a final HBsAg result on the first run without the need for further dilution, when using the 1:400 onboard pre-dilution protocol of the Elecsys HBsAg II assay. Conclusions: Given the excellent precision and correlation with the Architect assay, the Elecsys HBsAg II assay showed a potential advantage for laboratory efficiency by significantly reducing the need for retesting samples with high HBsAg levels.
Changing public spaces and urban resilience in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

ABSTRACT The City of Tshwane has experienced significant political, socio-economic and spatial changes. The lives and daily use patterns of different people in the city, as well as public spaces changed. While some people have retreated to semi-privatised space, others are enjoying unrestricted use of space in more traditional parks and quality public spaces in former marginalised areas. This raises questions regarding the impact of these changes on urban resilience, especially in the context of the new Tshwane 2055 vision calling for a “liveable, inclusive and resilient city”. This study analyses six public spaces in three different neighbourhood types in Pretoria and highlights the emergence of three trends - degradation, adaptation and transformation. The paper argues that these trends have implications for urban resilience of both the public space and the immediate surroundings in terms of diversity, intensity, proximity and connectivity in and around these spaces. Limited diversity proximity, intensity and connectivity strain opportunities for adaptation, while radical intervention at a specific point in time can expedite the trajectory of change and bring about rapid transformation. This has implications for urban planning and design in terms of deciding the level, extent and nature of interventions in particular parts of cities.
Trends and Risk Factors for Ciprofloxacin Resistance and Extendedspectrum Beta-lactamase Production in Uropathogens from Urology and Non-urology Outpatients

Cite this article as: Özveren B, Narter KF, Türkeri L, Şahin A. Trends and Risk Factors for Ciprofloxacin Resistance and Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase Production in Uropathogens from Urology and Non-urology Outpatients. J Urol Surg 2021;8(2):135-141. Correspondence: Bora Özveren MD, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Urology, İstanbul, Turkiye Phone: +90 216 649 57 13 E-mail: ozverenb@yahoo.com ORCID-ID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8902-7530 Received: 06.12. 2020 Accepted: 15.01. 2021 Objective: This study aimed to identify the patterns and temporal changes of ciprofloxacin resistance and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in uropathogenic isolates obtained from urology and non-urology outpatients. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, electronic data of urine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test results of samples collected in urology and non-urology outpatient departments from 2008 to 2016 were retrospectively analysed to identify correlations between basic demographic features and clinical settings. Results: Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the most prevalent (70%) uropathogenic isolate in a cohort of 7.973 patients consisting of 82.8% women, 70.7% adults and 15.7% urology outpatients. Overall, resistance to ciprofloxacin was found in 16.3% of the patients. Ciprofloxacin resistance was associated with being male and old, observed more frequently in urology outpatients, detected in 19.2% of E. coli isolates and increased to 54.5% among ESBL-producing bacterial strains (p<0.05). ESBL production was observed in 12% of all isolates. Increased ESBL production was associated with old age and isolates of E. coli and Klebsiella spp. (p<0.05). Statistical analysis using multivariate generalised linear mixed models (mGLMMs) to assess the relationship between the outcomes predicted a significantly higher ESBL production in E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates and in geriatric patients. Furthermore, mGLMM analysis predicted a significantly increased likelihood of ciprofloxacin resistance in older adult male patients, especially in E. coli and Enterococcus spp. isolates. Moreover, a high rate of ESBL production was observed, reaching over 15% in 2015 (p<0.05). The rates of ciprofloxacin resistance remained >10% and peaked in 2015 (20.2%, p<0.001). However, in 2016, the rate of ESBL production and ciprofloxacin resistance started to decline, displaying significance only regarding the latter (p<0.05). Conclusion: Empirical ciprofloxacin treatment of community-acquired urinary tract infections carries a higher risk of an unsuccessful outcome in male, geriatric and urology outpatients. Empirical antibacterial therapy for urological infections in the outpatient setting should be conducted based on patient risk profiles and contemporary local resistance data.
Day-ahead Coordinated Operation of a Wind-Storage System Considering Wind Forecast Uncertainty

This paper proposes an optimal operation for coordinated Battery Energy Storage (BES) and wind generation in a day-ahead market under wind uncertainty. A comprehensive AC Optimal Power Flow (AC OPF) model was established to incorporate wind and storage into a power system. To take into account wind forecast uncertainty, preprocessing technique, time series model, and fast forward selection method were applied for scenario generation and reduction processes. Tests were performed on a modified IEEE 14-bus system and the results show that the use of BESs is an alternative to guarantee a more efficient and flexible operation of wind power plants. Keywords-AC OPF; Battery Energy Storage (BES); operation;
Níveis De Estresse Oxidativo Ao Diagnóstico E Sua Associação Com O Perfil De Sobrevida Em Pacientes Portadoras De Câncer De Mama Operáveis Em Estadios Iniciais: Um Estudo Piloto

High levels of oxidative stress have been associated with a worse prognosis of breast cancer, but its relationship is not known as a possible predictor of survival. In this study we investigated the association between circulating levels of oxidative stress at the time of diagnosis and the survival profile of patients with operable breast tumors. A prospective study was conducted in a population of 606 female patients with early stage breast tumors between the years 2015-2020. Among these patients, 18 died during the study, being paired with 36 patients who remained alive during the study period. Blood samples were collected at diagnosis, and stress levels were quantified by measuring the nitric oxide (NO) metabolites and plasma lipid peroxidation profile. In the death group, a plasma lipoperoxidation profile and high NO levels at diagnosis were observed when compared to the group of living patients. High levels of plasma lipoperoxidation were directly related to the development of metastases in the group of living patients. The results suggest that the increased systemic oxidative profile at the diagnosis observed in patients with breast cancer is directly related to the outcome of death in 5 years.
Chemical potential for simple fluids from equations of state

The chemical potential for both the hard-sphere and the Lennard-Jones systems is calculated from analytical equations of state proposed in the literature and results are compared with data obtained by different authors from computer simulations. Eighteen equations of state for hard spheres, some of them recently published, were considered, and for the Lennard-Jones system three semi-empirical equations and two semi-theoretical ones, one of the latter being proposed by us in a previous work. Good agreement, except for particular expressions and/or particular temperature or density ranges, is found for most cases and for both hard-sphere and Lennard-Jones fluids. Our results indicate that the use of expressions which are more complex than the Carnahan—Starling equation for hard spheres or than our proposal for Lennard-Jones fluids is not needed to obtain the chemical potential accurately.
Populism and Polarization in Comparative Perspective: Constitutive, Spatial and Institutional Dimensions

Abstract Polarization may be the most consistent effect of populism, as it is integral to the logic of constructing populist subjects. This article distinguishes between constitutive, spatial and institutional dimensions of polarization, adopting a cross-regional comparative perspective on different subtypes of populism in Europe, Latin America and the US. It explains why populism typically arises in contexts of low political polarization (the US being a major, if partial, outlier), but has the effect of sharply increasing polarization by constructing an anti-establishment political frontier, politicizing new policy or issue dimensions, and contesting democracy's institutional and procedural norms. Populism places new issues on the political agenda and realigns partisan and electoral competition along new programmatic divides or political cleavages. Its polarizing effects, however, raise the stakes of political competition and intensify conflict over the control of key institutional sites.
Study on the Anti-inflammatory Active Site of Rhizoma Fagopyrum Dibotrys

Objective To search anti-inflammatory active site of Rhizoma Fagopyrum Dibotrys.MethodsDimethyl benzene-induced Swelling of auricle in mice,rat CMC dorsal sac leukoplania,rat voix pedis engorgement caused by albumen were performed,and the content of PGE2 in rat swelling foot caused by albumen was determined markedly.ResultsThe chloroform and Water-left sites had evident inhibitory effects on swelling of auricle in mice;the chloroform,n-butanol and Water-left sites could obviously inhibit rat CMC dorsal sac leukoplania;the choroform had strong inhibitory action on rat voix pedis engorgement;the chloroform,n-butanol,Water-left and water-decoctum sites could decrease the PGE2 content in rat swelling foot.ConclusionThe Rhizoma Fagopyrum Dibotrys.extraction sites as choroform and water-left have significant anti-inflammatory effects.
Government technological capacity and public–private partnerships regarding digital service delivery: evidence from Chinese cities

Governments have increased their collaboration with the private sector regarding public service delivery, and their propensities to do so are largely shaped by their own in-house capacities. In this article, we theorize and analyze whether governments with an extremely low or extremely high technological capacity are more likely to collaborate with third-party platforms in order to jointly provide digital services. We expect there to be a U-shaped relationship between the technological capacity of those governments and their public–private partnership choices. An empirical analysis of digital service delivery across 290 prefecture-level cities in China corroborates this hypothesis. These results deepen our understanding of the competing motivations that drive the public–private partnership process. Points for practitioners Public–private collaboration has been widely adopted to promote digital service delivery. This article confirms the U-shaped relationship between government technological capacity and public–private collaboration in digital service delivery at the city level. To encourage the collaboration, it is crucial to target governments with varying capacities, which seems to be easier in large cities with high administrative rank and that are overall technologically mature and in a competitive environment technologically.
Brexit as ‘politics of division’: social media campaigning after the referendum

ABSTRACT The UK’s referendum on EU membership that resulted in a narrow minority in favour of leave was followed by a leadership vacuum and intense debate about the implementation of the result. The politicization over Brexit resulted in the development of ‘Brexit identities’ of Remainers and Leavers that superseded party identities. We argue that in order to understand how this politicization took place despite a leadership vacuum we firstly need to look beyond the arena of formal party politics to more informal arenas of political contestation on social media, especially Facebook, and secondly understand the linkages between EU and national level politicization that polarised the country around new British-specific identities. Through this, we analyse the ‘politics of division’ not simply as a form of contentious politics driven by political parties, but as a social conflict driven by non-institutionalised groups, grassroots campaigns and ordinary citizens. We find evidence of significant mobilisation that extends beyond the realm of party politics but argue that this mobilisation cannot necessarily be considered entirely ‘grassroots’. Rather, it is driven not just by citizens but also shaped by mainstream and alternative media platforms. The debates cannot, however, be considered purely a form of EU politicization, rather, analysis of Facebook comments shows that politicization over Brexit through these campaigns is primarily contestation over the nature and legitimacy of British democracy. Because of this, we argue that social media is an essential site for the study of EU politicization and political campaigns in general.
Conditions for low-carbon green growth

The movement toward low-carbon human system over the last decade has been remarkable. Numerical scenarios describing future energy and land-use systems that attain climate change mitigation goals have been considered important sources of guidance for climate policymaking. However, no clear strategy for materialising green growth, i.e. vastly reducing greenhouse gas emissions without diminishing economic growth, has been outlined. Here, we describe the conditions needed for green growth under a wide range of carbon budgets. The results indicate that integration of multiple socioeconomic transformative measures would support green growth, including lowering energy demand, shifting to an environmentally friendly food system, technological progress on energy technologies and the stimulus of capital formation induced by green investment. No single measure is sufficient to offset mitigation costs fully, indicating that holistic societal transformation is needed, as the realisation of all measures depends on effective government policies as well as uncertain social and technological changes.
Legumes as Functional Food for Cardiovascular Disease

Legumes are an essential food source worldwide. Their high-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and relatively low-fat content make these an important functional food. Known to possess a multitude of health benefits, legume consumption is associated with the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Legume crude protein isolates and purified peptides possess many cardiopreventive properties. Here, we review selected economically valued legumes, their taxonomy and distribution, biochemical composition, and their protein components and the mechanism(s) of action associated with cardiovascular health. Most of the legume protein studies had shown upregulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor leading to increased binding and uptake, in effect significantly reducing total lipid levels in the blood serum and liver. This is followed by decreased biosynthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. To understand the relationship of identified genes from legume studies, we performed gene network analysis, pathway, and gene ontology (GO) enrichment. Results showed that the genes were functionally interrelated while enrichment and pathway analysis revealed involvement in lipid transport, fatty acid and triglyceride metabolic processes, and regulatory processes. This review is the first attempt to collate all known mechanisms of action of legume proteins associated with cardiovascular health. This also provides a snapshot of possible targets leading to systems-level approaches to further investigate the cardiometabolic potentials of legumes.
USO DE FUNGO DA PODRIDÃO BRANCA NA BIODEGRADAÇÃO DE CORANTE TÊXTIL EM REATOR EM BATELADAS SEQUENCIAIS

Was evaluated the application of immobilized biomass of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in removal of Congo Red (20 mg/L) in sequencing batch reactor, in cycles of 48 h, in the presence of glucose, added to the medium at concentrations of 5 g/L (Stage I) and 1 g/L (Step II). Removals were recorded averages 86% and 97% dye, respectively, in Stages I and II in relation to chromophore; and mean removal of organic matter from 56% (Stage I) and 76% (Stage II). There was formation of by-products and difficulty of rupture of the dye molecule, particularly, to a wavelength related to benzene, checking it if still greater production of manganese peroxidase enzyme in the presence of low concentration of glucose (1 g/L). Was obtained mean removal of 83% and 65% for ammonia and 74%, and 56% for nitrate, respective steps I and II. The fungi population on reactor was predominated in biofilm during the experiment, and was shown to be viable as the removal of color, being necessary the study of strategies that promote greater mineralization of the dye. Key Words: co-substrate, ligninolitc enzymes, enzymatic inhibition, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, sequencing batch reactor, congo red.
Earthquake‐Spawning Faults in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Their Seismic Implications

Quaternary faults run across the Seoul metropolitan area that is the highest population region in the Korean Peninsula. Active fault identification and seismic hazard potential assessment are crucial for public safety. Densely deployed permanent and temporal seismic stations enabled us to detect micro to small earthquakes, allowing us to identify earthquake‐spawning faults in Seoul metropolitan area. The source parameters of 455 earthquakes in 2004–2020 are refined. The Gutenberg‐Richter b value is 0.94. Dominant focal depths are 4–15 km. The focal mechanism solutions of 64 earthquakes are determined using seismic‐wave polarities and amplitude ratios. Strike‐slip earthquakes are dominant in the region. Earthquakes are clustered around the Chugaryeong fault system. The dominant strikes of fault planes range from N20°E to N45°E in the northern and southern Seoul metropolitan areas, suggesting branch fault development locally. The earthquakes in middle‐northern Seoul present N‐S directional strike‐slip motions at depths ∼7.5 km along the Chugaryeong fault, suggesting seismically active near‐vertical faults subparallel with Chugaryeong fault.