(cherry picked from commit 1a64773)

Fix #1559.

(cherry picked from commit d86c452)

(cherry picked from commit d7ddb8b)

### Description

#1559 and
#1567 are fixed.
Let's release a new version v1.8.1.

### Checklist
- [x] Code compiles correctly
- [x] Created tests which fail without the change (if possible)
- [x] All tests passing
- [x] Extended the README / documentation, if necessary
- [x] Added myself / the copyright holder to the AUTHORS file


<!-- This is an auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai
-->

## Summary by CodeRabbit

- **Bug Fixes**
	- Addressed race condition issues for enhanced stability.

- **New Features**
- Improved database compatibility with charset and collation
adjustments.
- Enhanced security and flexibility through the introduction of new
configuration options.

- **Major Changes**
- Dropped support for older versions of Go (1.13-1.17) to leverage newer
language features.
	- Improved number parsing for efficiency and accuracy.
	- Added configurable logging per connection for better diagnostics.

- **Enhancements**
- Fixed issues with ColumnType.DatabaseTypeName to improve data
handling.
- Introduced connection attributes for more detailed connection
information.

<!-- end of auto-generated comment: release notes by coderabbit.ai -->