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Identifying the technical and tactical characteristics of Olympic medallists in karate
Get PDFThis study primarily aimed to conduct an observational analysis of Olympic finalists’ performance to determine the patterns and characteristics of karate at the highest level of competition. Due to the need for a complete analytical system, we can use this study to create useful information about the planning process based on winning strategies. The research is based on an analysis of athletes who go to the final of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Thirty fights in the male competition were analysed. Prevalence, percentage frequency, and nonparametric tests were used (Fisher’s exact test, the likelihood ratio test, and Pearson’s chi-square test) for data analysis. Quantity indicators showed that male karate athletes tend to use upper limb karate techniques (53.70%) more than lower limb (35.65%) and a combination (upper and lower or lower and upper limb 10.65%). The difference in scoring by two tactical models of attack and counterattack was significant, and 69.2% of the points were scored by attacking. Moreover, the results suggest a predominant scoring technique using the Kisami-Tsuki model has the highest number of attacks. Considering these characteristics can provide important indicators for technical and tactical coaches and physical trainers to design special training conditions for their athletes
Are Foundation Models the Next-Generation Social Media Content Moderators?
Get PDFRecent progress in artificial intelligence (AI) tools and systems has been significant, especially in their reasoning and efficiency. Notable examples include generative AI-based large language models (LLMs) like Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3.5 (GPT-3.5), GPT-4, and Gemini, among others. In our work, we evaluated the effectiveness of fine-tuned deep learning models compared to general-purpose LLMs in moderating image-based content. We used deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks, ResNet50, and VGG-16, trained them for violence detection on an image dataset, and tested them on a separate dataset. The same test dataset was also evaluated using Large Language and Vision Assistant (LLaVa) and GPT-4, two LLMs that can process images. The results demonstrate that VGG-16 model had the highest accuracy at 0.94, while LLaVa had the lowest at 0.66. GPT-4 showed superiority over LLaVa with an accuracy value of 0.9242. LLaVa recorded the highest precision of all models
Cross Laminated Timber
No full textCross Laminated Timber, also known as CLT or X-lam, is an engineered timber product with a minimum of three cross-bonded layers. At least one layer is orthogonally oriented to the two adjacent layers of timber board
Seasonal habitat use and diel vertical migration in female spurdog in Nordic waters
Get PDFBackground Studying habitat use and vertical movement patterns of individual fish over continuous time and space is innately challenging and has therefore largely remained elusive for a wide range of species. Amongst sharks, this applies particularly to smaller-bodied and less wide-ranging species such as the spurdog (Squalus acanthias Linnaeus, 1758), which, despite its importance for fisheries, has received limited attention in biologging and biotelemetry studies, particularly in the North-East Atlantic.Methods To investigate seasonal variations in fine-scale niche use and vertical movement patterns in female spurdog, we used archival data from 19 pregnant individuals that were satellite-tagged for up to 365 days in Norwegian fjords. We estimated the realised niche space with kernel densities and performed continuous wavelet analyses to identify dominant periods in vertical movement. Triaxial acceleration data were used to identify burst events and infer activity patterns.Results Pregnant females frequently utilised shallow depths down to 300 m at temperatures between 8 and 14 °C. Oscillatory vertical moments revealed persistent diel vertical migration (DVM) patterns, with descents at dawn and ascents at dusk. This strict normal DVM behaviour dominated in winter and spring and was associated with higher levels of activity bursts, while in summer and autumn sharks predominantly selected warm waters above the thermocline with only sporadic dive and bursts events.Conclusions The prevalence of normal DVM behaviour in winter months linked with elevated likely foraging-related activity bursts suggests this movement behaviour to be foraging-driven. With lower number of fast starts exhibited in warm waters during the summer and autumn months, habitat use in this season might be rather driven by behavioural thermoregulation, yet other factors may also play a role. Individual and cohort-related variations indicate a complex interplay of movement behaviour and habitat use with the abiotic and biotic environment. Together with ongoing work investigating fine-scale horizontal movement as well as sex- and age-specific differences, this study provides vital information to direct the spatio-temporal distribution of a newly reopened fishery and contributes to an elevated understanding of the movement ecology of spurdog in the North-East Atlantic and beyond
Assessing the risk of pedestrian crossing behavior on suburban roads using structural equation model
Get PDFWhile pedestrian crashes on suburban roads have received more attention over recent years, the role of pedestrian crossing risk in areas adjacent to pedestrian crossing facilities, such as pedestrian overpasses, has been neglected. Most pedestrians in suburban areas tend to avoid pedestrian overpasses, exhibiting crossing behaviors that increase the likelihood of pedestrian-involving crashes. As a result of the presence of overpasses, drivers may think that there are no pedestrians in the surroundings, so they choose a speed based only on the prevailing traffic and road environment without accounting for potential interactions with pedestrians. Consequently, crashes will occur, with pedestrians typically being the most seriously affected casualties. In this study, using video recordings from a suburban road in Amol-Babol, Iran, the risk of pedestrian crossing behavior in areas near pedestrian overpasses is investigated. The speed selection behavior of drivers in these areas has also been examined using speedometer cameras. To quantify the level of risk for pedestrians when interacting with approaching vehicles during the crossing movements, the post encroachment time (PET) was used as a surrogate safety measure. Based on critical thresholds of PET, three different risk levels were identified using a K-means algorithm: high, medium, and low risk. To identify the elements affecting the risk of pedestrian crossing behavior, structural equation models were estimated for all three risk levels. The results showed that human factors, relating to both drivers and pedestrians, have a dominant impact on pedestrian safety, especially in high and medium risk contexts. Road and vehicle factors were also found to have statistically observable effects on pedestrian safety, but to a milder extent compared to human factors. The findings of this study highlight the need for intervening in several aspects of vehicle-pedestrian interactions with critical importance for pedestrian safety, including road users’ performance and compliance, state of alertness, and interaction with road infrastructure
Implications of newly developed SNPs for conservation programmes for the threatened Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) in Oman
Get PDFConservation of elusive species affected by habitat degradation, population fragmentation and poaching is challenging. The remaining wild populations of a desert-adapted ungulate, Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana), within Oman are small and fragmented. The appropriateness of captive insurance populations for reinforcing existing, or establishing new, wild populations remains uncertain for Oman due to ambiguity regarding their genetic provenance. For effective management of this threatened species, it is essential to assess the genetic relationships between the wild and captive populations, and to investigate hybridisation with domestic goats (Capra hircus). We identified 5,775 high-quality SNPs using double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD), to assess genetic structure, gene flow and divergence between Oman’s wild populations of Nubian ibex and in captivity, which are likely of North African provenance. We detected hybridisation with goats in captivity and recommend that genetic assessments of captive individuals are routinely used to evaluate their suitability for conservation programs. Building on previous mitochondrial evidence, substantial nuclear divergence (FST = 0.540) was found between wild Oman and captive populations, providing further evidence that Nubian ibex may be composed of multiple species and urgently needs a taxonomic review. Additionally, an appropriate insurance population should be established for Oman’s threatened wild population. The data provided here will be invaluable for developing marker systems to assess wild populations using low-quality DNA from non-invasive sampling. Consequently, it will support further research into Nubian ibex throughout their range and highlights the need to integrate genetic information for effective conservation management of Nubian ibex
A narrative review on vital criteria of fungal dyes as dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)
Get PDFThe main two reasons for the shift to renewable energy are the depletion and the harmful effects of non-renewable energy, such as burning coal and fossil fuels. As a result, the use of solar cells as renewable energy resources, that prioritise high efficiency while lowering production costs, can provide a promising future for sustaining energy resources. Solar cells have been developed starting with the monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cells (first generation), non-crystalline and thin film solar cells (second generation) and organic solar cells (third generation). The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is a new type of solar cell that has gained popularity due to its ability to convert energy at a low cost, ease of fabrication, and non-toxic nature. This paper explores the use of fungal colours as natural dyes for DSSC due to their wide range of colours, large yields, sustainable supply and non-toxic. Natural fungal colours can be extracted using proper extraction conditions and methods. Although fungal dyes have several limitations like instability, non-resistance to harsh conditions, colour loss during processing or storage and limited profitable yield, they still have promising future prospects to overcome the poor interaction of natural sensitizer with semiconductor together with other advantages of fungal colour. DSSC with dye from crude extracts from Cortinarius fungi exhibited the highest efficiency of 0.64% among reported DSSC with fungal dye
Analyzing meteorological parameters using Pearson correlation coefficient and implementing machine learning models for solar energy prediction in Kuching, Sarawak
Get PDFSolar energy is one of the clean renewable energy sources that can offset the rising consumption of fossil fuels. However, the meteorological parameters, such as solar irradiance, ambient and solar module temperatures, relative humidity, etc., constantly change,and so does the solar power generation. Such variations cause instability in the power grid operation due to injecting an unpredicted amount of power. Hence, solar energy prediction models capable of learning from past weather data and predicting future energy generation are highly desired for grid operation and planning. The objective of this study is to determine the suitable meteorological parameters for the solar energy prediction model based on the Pearson correlation coefficient and to implement themin different machine learning models. It is found in this study that five meteorological parameters, namely Air temperature, cloud opacity, global tilted irradiance, relative humidity, and zenith angle,correlate highly with solar energy generation. Later, based on the correlations, four machine-learning models were implemented to predict the solar power for Kuching, Sarawak. The accuracy of the models is measured through standard matrices such as root mean square error, mean square error, mean absolute error, and R-squared value
The festival industry and gender inequality: the case of Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city
Get PDFThis paper explores issues women face in achieving leadership positions in the festivals sector, and their experiences of gender inequality. The setting is Edinburgh, the UK's leading festivals' tourism destination. Underpinned by feminist research, this study involved semi-structured interviews, including visual methods, with 33 women. Participants were employees or freelance workers in Edinburgh's festivals. Findings were diverse, specific to the individual participants, but some themes were recurrent. Women who had worked in the industry throughout their career reported that while the representation of women leaders in Edinburgh's festivals sector has improved, some aspects remain challenging. This study is the first to consider women's roles and leadership experiences in Edinburgh's festivals and contributes to existing literature in the field of tourism and event studies specifically in terms of gender stereotypes and inequalities in the festivals sector
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