Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review with checklist of monocot in the herbarium of Iraq Natural History Museum

This study was conducted to make an inventory of the monocot plants that were collected before and now which stored in the herbarium of Iraq Natural History Museum for identifying them. The herbarium contains avery large and varied number of plants from different parts in Iraq and for different and varied environments. The plants collected, arranged and identified using taxonomic keys specific to these families. Currently, the plant samples are in the herbarium of Iraq Natural History Museum to be an important scientific reference for all researchers inside and outside the country. With the identification of botanical scientists for each family, gender and year in which it was first diagnosed.
Effects and Applications of Music Therapy on Psychological Health: A Review

Throughout its long history, music has played an indispensable role in our life. Listening to music enables us to relax and calm down, and composing and playing music have been good ways to express our feelings and emotions. Music therapy has been set up to cure more people systematically. In this study, we reviewed the history of music therapy and have focused on several aspects of our psychological health that have been influenced by it. Several treatment therapies related to music therapy have been discussed. In conclusion, music therapy has brought a tremendous impact on people's psychological health, enabled patients to suffer less pain, anxiety, and feeling stressful and thus improves our emotional states, bringing psychological health to the patients.
Usability of Functional Electrical Stimulation in Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Post-Stroke Patients: A Narrative Review

Stroke leads to significant impairment in upper limb (UL) function. The goal of rehabilitation is the reestablishment of pre-stroke motor stroke skills by stimulating neuroplasticity. Among several rehabilitation approaches, functional electrical stimulation (FES) is highlighted in stroke rehabilitation guidelines as a supplementary therapy alongside the standard care modalities. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive review regarding the usability of FES in post-stroke UL rehabilitation. Specifically, the factors related to UL rehabilitation that should be considered in FES usability, as well a critical review of the outcomes used to assess FES usability, are presented. This review reinforces the FES as a promising tool to induce neuroplastic modifications in post-stroke rehabilitation by enabling the possibility of delivering intensive periods of treatment with comparatively less demand on human resources. However, the lack of studies evaluating FES usability through motor control outcomes, specifically movement quality indicators, combined with user satisfaction limits the definition of FES optimal therapeutical window for different UL functional tasks. FES systems capable of integrating postural control muscles involving other anatomic regions, such as the trunk, during reaching tasks are required to improve UL function in post-stroke patients.
An Improved Binomial Distribution-Based Trust Management Algorithm for Remote Patient Monitoring in WBANs

A wireless body area network (WBAN) is a technology that is widely employed in the medical sector. It is a low-cost network that allows for mobility and variation. It can be used for long-distance, semiautonomous remote monitoring without interfering with people’s regular schedules. Detection devices are embedded in the human body in a simple WBAN configuration to continuously screen physiological boundaries or critical pointers. Confidence among shareholders (for example, medical care suppliers, clients, and medical teachers) is recognized as an essential achievement factor for data stream reliability in such an organization. Given the inherent characteristics of remote locations, it is critical to exercise confidence and security when conducting remote comprehension testing. In the present scenario, WBAN has majorly contributed towards healthcare and its application in medical services. Solid correspondence systems are frequently used to address trust and security concerns on WBANs. In terms of purpose, we present in this study a communication approach built on trust to protect the WBAN’s integrity and confidentiality. For ensuring authenticity, an enhanced bilingual distribution-based trust-management system (PDATMS) approach is used, while a cryptographic system is used to maintain anonymity. A MATLAB simulator is used to evaluate the performance of the recommended program. The recommended approach, according to the release information, improves accuracy by 96%, service delivery rate by 99%, throughput by 99%, as well as confidence, while reducing average latency.
A low-leakage and NBTI-mitigated N-type domino logic

NBTI-induced transistor aging has become a prominent factor affecting the reliability of circuits. Reducing leakage consumption is one of the major design goals. Domino logic circuits are applied extensively in high-performance integrated circuits. A circuit technique for mitigating NBTI-induced degradation and reduce standby leakage current is presented in this paper. Two transistors are added to the standard domino circuit to pull both the dynamic node and the output up to VDD, which puts both the keeper and the inverter pMOS transistor into recovery mode in standby mode. Due to the stack effect, leakage current is reduced by the all-0 input vector and the added transistors. Experimental results reveal up to 33% NBTI-induced degradation reduction and up to 79% leakage current reduction.
A Study On Learner Readiness For MobileLearning At Open University Malaysia

Prior to embarking on mobile learning, a study was conducted to determine the readiness of learners at the Open University Malaysia (OUM), Malaysia’s first open and distance learning university. The study conducted in the last quarter of 2008 attempted to determine, among others, the extent of ownership of a mobile phone, readiness to be a mobile learner as indicated by questions such as willingness to buy a new mobile device and preparedness to subscribe to additional mobile services, types of materials they would like to receive and their perceptions about m-learning. Out of a total of 6,000 questionnaires distributed, 2,837 were returned. The respondents were from 31 learning centres from all parts of the country. Most of the respondents were between 31 and 35 years old and were largely undergraduates. The findings indicate that almost all (98.91 percent) learners at OUM have a mobile phone and that 82.84 percent of the respondents can imagine themselves learning through mobile devices. When further questioned, 47.98 percent of the learners stated they would be ready for m-learning within six months and another 15.73 percent believed they will be ready within 6 to 12 months. In other words, 63.71 percent of students are ready for m-learning within the next 12 months. The paper highlights the findings and implications to the m-learning project at the university
Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy after Implementation of a Mass Vaccination Campaign

An online cross-sectional study on COVID-19 vaccination adhesion was conducted in Portugal nine months after vaccination rollout (September–November 2021). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with hesitancy to take the COVID-19 vaccine in the community-based survey, “COVID-19 Barometer: Social Opinion”. Hesitancy was 11%; however, of those, 60.5% stated that they intended to take the vaccine. Hesitancy was associated with factors such as lower monthly household income; no intention of taking the flu vaccine this year; perceived reasonable health status; having two or more diseases; low confidence in the health service response; worse perception of the adequacy of anti-COVID-19 government measures; low or no perceived risk of getting COVID-19; feeling agitated, anxious or sad some days; and lack of trust in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. Confidence in vaccines, namely against COVID-19, is paramount for public health and should be monitored during vaccination rollout. Clear communication of the risks and benefits of vaccination needs improvement to increase adherence and public confidence.
Da P&D à inovação: desafios para o setor elétrico brasileiro

In Brazil, companies operating in the electricity sector must invest at least 1% of their net operating revenues in R&D and energy efficiency programs. This obligation challenges their capacity to manage their research and innovation efforts. As these companies belong to a supplier-dominated sector, they face constraints related to the generation of innovations: often the results of R&D projects are not implemented. This situation reveals not only problems in the sector innovation policy, but also the absence of robust mechanisms to support companies in decisions that can help them generate benefits from research. This work presents a tool developed for the Brazilian electricity companies aiming to characterize and propose solutions to overcome and/or prevent scientific and technology, market and management gaps likely to occur in R&D projects in order to enlarge the appropriation, adoption and diffusion of their results, and the generation of positive impacts.
ANTENNA: A Tool for Visual Analysis of Urban Mobility based on Cell Phone Data

Nowadays, the collection of data from ubiquitous urban sensors, such as smartphones, can be used to analyse, understand, and profile urban mobility. This analysis requires dynamic, autonomous, and effective ways to parse, reduce and retrieve mobility patterns from large heterogeneous datasets. In this design study, we present ANTENNA, a visual analysis tool that allows the identification and analysis of urban mobility patterns based on mobile cell phone data. In particular, we present a visualization that is prepared for multiple scenarios of analysis, providing specific visualization approaches for different sets of tasks. We developed diverse visualization models to characterise interand intra-urban mobility. To validate ANTENNA, we conducted user tests with experts of different domains. The results suggest the appropriateness and usefulness of ANTENNA for each of the presented usage scenarios.
Trust Region based MPS Method for Global Optimization of High Dimensional Design Problems

Mode Pursing Sampling (MPS) was developed as a global optimization algorithm for design problems involving expensive black-box functions. MPS has been found to be effective and efficient for problems of low dimensionality, i.e., the number of variables is less than 10. This work integrates the concept of the trust region into the MPS framework so that MPS can be applied to solve high dimensional optimization problems. Two trust regions are defined and their sizes are dynamically adjusted. Within each trust region, the search follows the traditional MPS process. Preliminary testing shows encouraging results.
Contributions for the Understanding of the São Pedro do Sul (North of Portugal) Geohydraulic and Thermomineral System: Hydrochemistry and Stable Isotopes Studies

São Pedro do Sul thermomineral aquifer system is located in the North of Portugal. Hydrogeochemistry and isotopic studies were conducted in order to improve knowledge of this groundwater system, known since ancient Roman times for their therapeutic properties. One thermomineral spring (NT) and three boreholes (AC1, SDV1 and SDV2) have a mean temperature around 68 °C. Currently, these waters are mainly used in thermal spas and for geothermal energy supply. Major cations and anions were used to identify and characterize different water types and sub-systems. Stable isotopes composition, δ18O and δ2H, have been used to determine the origin and have been used as a first approach to estimate the mean preferential recharge altitude of thermomineral water. The results suggest a single aquifer system with a relative composition of cations and anions and similar mineralization values. δ18O and δ2H values indicate a meteoric origin with no significant evaporation before infiltration. Besides, the isotopic composition points to recharge areas located at altitudes of about 1000 m a.s. l. This suggests a recharge area in the Freita/Arada mountains located NW of the thermomineral poles.
Intégration des travailleurs immigrants en milieu rural : défis et perspectives

Cet article porte sur l’intégration des travailleurs immigrants dans des secteurs non urbains. Différentes études portent sur les travailleurs immigrants; par contre, peu se sont intéressées à l’intégration en dehors des grands centres. Les réalités étant différentes, il est difficile d’inférer les résultats de ces études dans les milieux ruraux. Il s’agit d’une étude qualitative portant sur l’intégration en entreprise, mais également sur l’intégration dans la communauté. En effet, les entrevues que nous avons réalisées nous ont amenés à inclure la nécessité d’intégrer non seulement le travailleur, mais également toute sa famille dans la nouvelle communauté d’accueil. Cette étude préliminaire ouvre la porte à une série d’études pour essayer de mieux comprendre comment nous pouvons faire, autant les entreprises que la collectivité, pour faire en sorte d’assurer une intégration plus harmonieuse des nouveaux travailleurs immigrants et de leurs familles et de s’assurer qu’ils demeurent en poste.
Analysis of the Future Potential of Autoencoders in Industrial Defect Detection

We investigated the anomaly detection behaviour of three convolutional autoencoder types a “standard” convolutional autoencoder (CAE), a variational convolutional autoencoder (VAE) and an adversarial convolutional autoencoder (AAE) by applying them to different visual anomaly detection scenarios. First, we utilized our three autoencoder types to detect anomalous regions in two synthetically generated datasets. To investigate the convolutional autoencoders’ defect detection performances “in the industrial wild”, we applied the models on quality inspection images of non-defective and defective material regions. We compared the performances of all three autoencoder types based on their ability to detect anomalies and captured the training complexity by measuring the time needed for training them. Although the CAE is the simplest model, the trained model performed nearly as well as the more sophisticated autoencoder types, which depend on more complex training processes. For data that lacks regularity or shows purely stochastic patterns, all our autoencoders failed to compute meaningful results.
Preliminary Report on Intestinal Flora Disorder, Faecal Short-Chain Fatty Acid Level Decline and Intestinal Mucosal Tissue Weakening Caused by Litchi Extract to Induce Systemic Inflammation in HFA Mice

Certain foods are known as “heating” foods in Chinese medicine. Over-consumption of these foods can lead to symptoms known as “heating up”. These symptoms have been shown to be symptoms of systemic low-grade inflammation. However, the mechanism by which these foods cause inflammation is not clear. In this preliminary study, we investigated dysbacteriosis of the gut microbiota as a possible cause of inflammation by litchi, a typical “heating” food. A human flora-associated (HFA) mouse model (donor: n = 1) was constructed. After gavaging the mice with litchi extract suspension at low, medium and high doses (400, 800, 1600 mg/kg·d−1, respectively) (n = 3) for 7 days, the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, gut microbiota, the concentration of SCFAs and the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier were measured. The results revealed significant increases in the abundance of Prevotella and Bacteroides. A significant increase in the abundance of Bilophila and a decrease in Megasomonas was observed in the high-dose group. High-dose litchi intervention led to a decrease of most SCFA levels in the intestine. It also caused a more than two-fold increase in the serum TNF-α level and LPS level but a decrease in the IL-1β and IL-6 levels. Medium- and high-dose litchi intervention caused widening of the intestinal epithelial cell junction complex and general weakening of the intestinal mucosal barrier as well as reduced energy conversion efficiency of the gut microbiota. These data suggest that litchi, when consumed excessively, can lead to a low degree of systematic inflammation and this is linked to its ability to cause dysbacteriosis of the gut microbiota, decrease SCFAs and weaken the intestinal mucosal tissues.
ADAM17 Is an Essential Factor for the Infection of Bovine Cells with Pestiviruses

The entry of BVDV into bovine cells was studied using CRIB cells (cells resistant to infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus [BVDV]) that have evolved from MDBK cells by a spontaneous loss of susceptibility to BVDV. Recently, larger genetic deletions were reported but no correlation of the affected genes and the resistance to BVDV infection could be established. The metalloprotease ADAM17 was reported as an essential attachment factor for the related classical swine fever virus (CSFV). To assess whether ADAM17 might be involved in the resistance of CRIB-1 cells to pestiviruses, we analyzed its expression in CRIB-1 and MDBK cells. While ADAM17 protein was detectable in MBDK cells, it was absent from CRIB-1 cells. No functional full-length ADAM17 mRNA could be detected in CRIB cells and genetic analysis revealed the presence of two defective alleles. Transcomplementation of functional ADAM17 derived from MDBK cells in CRIB-1 cells resulted in a nearly complete reversion of their resistance to pestiviral infection. Our results demonstrate that ADAM17 is a key cellular factor for the pestivirus resistance of CRIB-1 cells and establishes its essential role for a broader range of pestiviruses.
A Numerical Study on Assessing Trusted Brand for Container Shipping Companies by Using Fuzzy MCDM Approach

The main purpose of this paper is to develop a fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to assess the trusted brand for container shipping companies and to illustrate the computing process by using a numerical study. Firstly, some of the theoretical methodologies used in this research are introduced. Secondly, a step-by-step fuzzy MCDM algorithm, including five systematic procedures, is proposed. Finally, a hypothetical and numerical example of assessing trusted brand is studied to demonstrate the computational process of the proposed fuzzy MCDM algorithm. Besides, the merit of this paper with its methodologies can be employed as a practical tool for empirical application in the future study.
Modélisation du transfert thermique dans un modèle Eléments Discrets

In this work we propose to study the dynamical evolution of he at transfer in a multi-contact system. From the thermal point of view, the bibliographical analysis has sho wn the importance of interfaces between two bodies in contact. The aim of this work is to better understand heat t ransfer in a system composed of a large number of particles with the presence of air. Heat transfer requires c detection between particles and the determination of convectif flow. Therefore, we propose to use the Discrete E lements Method based on the Contact Dynamics method and on the bipotential method.
Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Monocentric Case Series and Systematic Review of the Literature

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory and immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS), commonly affecting young adults and potentially associated with life-long disability. About 14 disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) are currently approved for the treatment of MS. However, despite the use of highly effective therapies, some patients exhibit a highly active disease with an aggressive course from onset and a higher risk of long-term disability accrual. In the last few years, several retrospective studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews have investigated autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) as a possible therapeutic option in order to address this unmet clinical need. These studies demonstrated that AHSCT is a highly efficacious and relatively safe therapeutic option for the treatment of highly active MS. Particularly, over recent years, the amount of evidence has grown, with significant improvements in the development of patient selection criteria, choice of the most suitable transplant technique and clinical experience. In this paper, we present six patients who received AHSCT in our MS center and we systematically reviewed recent evidence about the long-term efficacy and safety of AHSCT and the placement of AHSCT in the rapidly evolving therapeutic armamentarium for MS.
A Quantitative Study of Influencing Factors on Crowd Participation in a Crowdsourcing Project for Consumer Product Design

Nowadays, crowdsourcing has become a popular concept and is widely used in many social, economical and technological areas. For consumer product design, crowdsourcing is implemented extensively with many cases. Although there has been a lot of research on the application of crowdsourcing for product design, the big picture of how factors influence the participartion of individuals from the crowd in a crowdsourcing project for product design has not yet been understood. This paper aims to investigate the relationships of crowd participation and influencing factors including: process, product, and reward. To do this, we conducted a survey on a crowd of engineering individuals and analyzed the collected data with data mining techniques. Main findings include the relationships of crowd participation versus process, product, and reward factors as well as regression models to predict crowd participation.
Integrated use of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner with some insecticides for the management of bollworms on cotton

Field studies were conducted for three years (1991–93) to determine the effectiveness of ‘Dipel 8L’ (Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) var. kurstaki serotype 3ab) against bollworm complex of american cotton (cv. LH 886). Earias species, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) and Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders constituted bollworm complex at Ludhiana during 1991–93 and Mukatsar in 1993 where these trials were conducted. Bt alone and as alternate sprays as well as tank mixture with some insecticides was evaluated and compared with fixed spray schedule of recommended insecticides and untreated control. Bt (750 ml/ha) in alternation with endosulfan (2.5 I/ha) or its tank mixture with fenvalerate (250 ml/ha)lendosulfan (2.5 I/ha)/quinalphos (2 I/ha) was effective and comparable with recommended spray schedule of insecticides in respect of bollworm damage and seed cotton yield. The increase in seed cotton yield with alternate sprays of Bt and endosulfan was 52.1 per cent. Bt alme did not prove better than recommended insecticidal treatment for bollworm control in cotton. The number of sprays of synthetic organic insecticides were reduced from six to three when given in alternation with Bt sprays. Thus, the use of Bt (‘Dipel 8L’) in alternation with endosulfan or as tank mixture with fenvalerate/endosulfan/quinalphos is suggested for effective management of bollworms in cotton.