Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-proportionality and thermoluminescence of LSO:Ce

This work presents the results from experiments performed on Lu/sub 2/SiO/sub 5/:Ce (LSO:Ce). It looks for potential correlations of light yield non-proportionality and other scintillation properties including intrinsic energy resolution with thermoluminescence properties. Samples were chosen from various crystal batches that were known to have significantly different properties. Single crystal LSO:Ce samples were coupled to an XP2020Q photomultiplier and to large area avalanche photodiodes and measured as a function of gamma-ray energy between 14.7 and 1770 keV at room temperature and also near liquid nitrogen temperature. In order to explain the experimental results obtained from spectrometric methods, the properties of the samples were further studied using thermoluminescence techniques within the temperature range from 250 to 600 K. The relationships between data obtained from these two types of experiments are reported.
Fabrication of magnetic bio-Au nanoclusters by using SlaA-layer ghosts of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius as a template

Gold nanoparticles with a size of about 2.5 nm were produced using the SlaA-layer ghosts of the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius as a template. These archaeal bio-Au nanoparticles differ significantly from those of the bacterial bio-Au nanoparticles produced earlier on the Slayer of Bacillus sphaericus. The archaeal Au nanoparticles consist exclusively of Au(0), while the bacterial ones represent a mixture of Au(0) and Au(III). The most impressive feature of the archaeal Au nanoparticles is that they are paramagnetic, in contrast to the bacterial ones and also to bulk gold which are diamagnetic. As demonstrated by SQUID magnetometry, the archaeal bio-Au possesses an unusually large magnetic moment of about 0.1 μ B/Au atom. HR-TEM combined with EDX analysis revealed that the archaeal Au nanoparticles are linked to sulfur atoms. The latter originate from the thiol groups of the cystein amino acid residues which are characteristic for the SlaA-layer of S. acidocaldarius but absent in the S-layer of B. sphaericus.
Urban Expansion in Ethiopia from 1987 to 2017: Characteristics, Spatial Patterns, and Driving Forces

Rapid urban growth in major cities of a country poses challenges for sustainable development. Particularly in Africa, the process of rapid urbanization is little understood and research is mostly limited to single cities. Thus, this study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of the growth and spatial patterns of urban development in the three major cities of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Adama, and Hawassa) from 1987 to 2017. Also, the applicability of diffusion and coalescence theory on the evolution of these cities has been tested. Remote sensing and GIS technologies were combined with spatial metrics and morphological analysis was employed to undertake this study. The result revealed that all the studied cities experienced accelerated growth in the urbanized areas, but the cities with a larger initial urbanized size were associated with lower expansion rates. Differences in extent and direction of expansion in each city were mostly related to physical features, urban master plans, and policies, with an increase in the irregularity and dispersion of urban growth, representing strong evidence of urban sprawl. The spatiotemporal analysis confirmed that the urbanization processes of Addis Ababa and Adama were consistent and Hawassa city diverged from expectations based on diffusion and coalescence theory. In general, large cities with strong economic growth in a country fail to effectively control the scattered nature of urban growth, thus requiring aggressive policy intervention. The approach used in this study permits a deeper exploration of urban development patterns and the identification of priority areas for effective urban planning and management.
Effect of Malalignment on Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)

Total knee replacement is an effective treatment for knee arthritis. While the majority of Total Knee Arthroplasties (TKAs) have proved promising long-term results, however, up to 25% of patients remain dissatisfied with the outcome of surgery at 1 year. A lack of connection between surgeons and patients in evaluating the outcome of (TKA) has led to the development of a Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) to evaluate these procedures. Implant malalignment has been involved as a contributing factor to less successful outcomes. In this review we tried to explain the evolution of the PROM concept and its different types and explaining the relationship between limb and component malalignment and PROM.
Prison law and human rights in post-communist Romania: Staff attitudes toward change

Previous research has documented the crucial role that the perceptions and attitudes of prison staff play in everyday prison practice and the treatment of prisoners. The current study follows this contention in order to investigate how prison staff in Romania perceive the outcomes of the recently adopted prison law advocating the principle of humanization and the protection of prisoners’ rights. Specifically, drawing from Jacobs’ (1980) early study on the impact of the prisoners’ rights movement, the effects of the prison law on: (1) prisoners; (2) prison practice and management; and (3) prison staff are investigated from the perspective of a sample of approximately 300 staff members. Whether these perceptions vary across specific socio-demographic groups, occupational categories and groups defined by their level of job satisfaction, punitive attitudes and commitment to custodial role is also examined. We conclude by arguing that, although time is needed to thoroughly assess the prison law’s effects, surveying prison staff’s opinions and perceptions about its outcomes is nevertheless legitimate, because how staff members feel, experience and perceive these outcomes and whether the balance inclines toward the positive aspects or toward the negative ones are crucial for the success or, on the contrary, the failure of an ongoing implementation of those reforms.
A new passive filter design method for overvoltage suppression and bearing currents mitigation in a long cable based PWM inverter-fed motor drive system

High-frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) in inverter-fed induction motor drive systems are widely used in industrial applications because of their flexible speed control and energy efficiency. However, high-frequency pulses induce overvoltage spikes to the motor via long cable. Such phenomenon would cause serious deterioration of the motor and cable. A passive overvoltage suppression techniques of low-loss “RL-plus-C” filter has been proposed recently. It has not only some merits of simple structure, low cost, and good robustness, but also a significant merit of low power dissipation. Based on the design method of “RL-plus-C” filter, this paper presents a new passive filter design method which can both eliminate voltage surges and greatly reduce inverter-induced bearing currents. The theoretical analysis and the design method are introduced in detail. Simulation results are good agreement with the theoretical analysis.
Partial replacement of corn by soybean hulls in high-grain diets for feedlot sheep

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the partial replacement of corn grains by soybean hulls, in high-grain diets, and its effect on the feeding behavior and ruminal fermentation parameters of feedlot sheep. Eight rumen-cannulated crossbred sheep were assigned to four treatment groups composed of a control, to fed a diet of 50% corn silage and 50% concentrate, and to three groups fed high-grain diets, as follows: 85% corn (Diet85), 75% corn plus 10% soybean hulls (Diet75), and 65% corn plus 20% soybean hulls (Diet65). High-grain diets reduced rumination time and provided a higher degradation of feed dry matter, a higher-propionic acid concentration, a lower-acetic acid concentration, a lower methane and carbon dioxide gas production, and a lower ruminal pH value. Diet65, with 20% soybean hulls, promoted an increase in the acetic acid proportion, with a reduction in the CO2:CH4 ratio. At the end of in vitro incubation, the pH value was higher for the control diet, and it was lower for Diet85. The inclusion of soybean hulls does not change methane production and dry matter degradation, and it can be used to substitute up to 20% of corn grain in high-grain diets.
Metaheuristics for Vehicle-Routing Problems Arising in Sustainable Logistics

This thesis addresses several challenges for sustainable logistics operations and investigates (1) the integration of intermediate stops in the route planning of transportation vehicles, which especially becomes relevant when alternative-fuel vehicles with limited driving range or a sparse refueling infrastructure are considered, (2) the combined planning of the battery replacement infrastructure and of the routing for battery electric vehicles, (3) the use of mobile load replenishment or refueling possibilities in environments where the respective infrastructure is not available, and (4) the additional consideration of the flow of goods from the end user in backward direction to the point of origin for the purpose of, e.g., recapturing value or proper disposal. We utilize models and solution methods from the domain of operations research to gain insights into the investigated problems and thus to support managerial decisions with respect to these issues.
High Susceptibility to Cry1Ac and Low Resistance Allele Frequency Reduce the Risk of Resistance of Helicoverpa armigera to Bt Soybean in Brazil

The Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), was recently introduced into Brazil, where it has caused extensive damage to cotton and soybean crops. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, which expresses the Bt protein Cry1Ac, was recently deployed in Brazil, providing high levels of control against H. armigera. To assess the risk of resistance to the Cry1Ac protein expressed by MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean in Brazil, we conducted studies to evaluate the baseline susceptibility of H. armigera to Cry1Ac, in planta efficacy including the assessment of the high-dose criterion, and the initial resistance allele frequency based on an F2 screen. The mean Cry1Ac lethal concentration (LC50) ranged from 0.11 to 1.82 μg·mL−1 of diet among all H. armigera field populations collected from crop seasons 2013/14 to 2014/15, which indicated about 16.5-fold variation. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean exhibited a high level of efficacy against H. armigera and most likely met the high dose criterion against this target species in leaf tissue dilution bioassays up to 50 times. A total of 212 F2 family lines of H. armigera were established from field collections sampled from seven locations across Brazil and were screened for the presence of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean resistance alleles. None of the 212 families survived on MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean leaf tissue (estimated allele frequency = 0.0011). The responses of H. armigera to Cry1Ac protein, high susceptibility to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, and low frequency of resistance alleles across the main soybean-producing regions support the assumptions of a high-dose/refuge strategy. However, maintenance of reasonable compliance with the refuge recommendation will be essential to delay the evolution of resistance in H. armigera to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean in Brazil.
Distribution, diversity and abundance of ferns in a tropical university campus.

This study assessed the diversity and abundance of ferns species in ten 10 m × 10 m plots which were established each, in less disturbed forest, most-disturbed forest and urbanized areas within the main campus of Universiti Sains Malaysia. Distance of at least 50 m was maintained between plots in each study site. The life forms of the fern species were documented together with their relative abundances. Also, diversity indices of the study sites such as Shannon index, Simpson index, Margalef index and Fisher’s alpha were determined. Non-asymptotic rarefaction-extrapolation analysis was carried out to determine the significance differences between the species richness of each study site. One way anova using pairwise permutation test was done to determine the significance differences between the diversity indices in the sites. A total of twenty-three fern species belonging to 14 families were identified. The most abundant ferns are Lindsaea napaea (63.4% in less-disturbed forest), Pyrrosia lanceolata (36.0% in most-disturbed forest and 47.0% in urbanized area). Urbanized area was observed to have more epiphytic ferns while less-disturbed forest was more popupated by terrestrial ferns. The most accommodating host tree with the highest number of epiphytic fern species is Samanea saman. The result of rarefaction-extrapolation analysis showed that less-disturbed forest is significantly richer in species than the other sites while the diversity indices of more-disturbed forest and urbanized area are significantly higher than less-disturbed forest. This was attributed to the common fern species which were found almost in all plots sampled in the more-disturbed sites. The Shannon index in all the sites was less than 2. Therefore, Rahmad, Z. B. and Akomolafe, G. F. 1876 Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sc. 41 (4): 1875-1887 (2018) Universiti Sains Malaysia campus having a low diversity of ferns could be regarded as a disturbed environment due to the high level of developments in it.
Diversity/multiplexing tradeoff in ISI channels

This paper computes the optimal diversity multiplexing curve for intersymbol interference (ISI) channels and reveal it equals the matched filter bound. A simple transmission scheme that achieves this bound is presented and analyzed. The scheme provides a tractable method of extracting maximal diversity gain for any spatial multiplexing gain, when communicating over multipath fading channels.
The Distinctive Features of Women in the Australian Bankruptcy System: An Empirical Study

According to data published by the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA), Australian women and men offer strikingly similar reasons for their entry into bankruptcy. Yet a more detailed analysis of AFSA’s data indicates that women and men often go bankrupt in very different social and economic circumstances. This empirical study draws upon a unique dataset, obtained from AFSA, containing the deidentified records of more than 28,000 individuals. It also draws upon a series of focus groups with the staff of three non-profit organisations, including financial counsellors and consumer solicitors. It finds that, in general, women in bankruptcy are likely to be economically disadvantaged, relative to men, as measured by income, access to wages, reliance on government benefits, real estate ownership and utilities debt. It also finds that women in bankruptcy are much more likely than men to be single with dependants, and that these women experience a greater degree of gendered disadvantage than other women in the bankruptcy system.
Predicting the Aqueductal Cerebrospinal Fluid Pulse: A Statistical Approach

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pulse in the Aqueduct of Sylvius (aCSF pulse) is often used to evaluate structural changes in the brain. Here we present a novel application of the general linear model (GLM) to predict the motion of the aCSF pulse. MR venography was performed on 13 healthy adults (9 female and 4 males—mean age = 33.2 years). Flow data was acquired from the arterial, venous and CSF vessels in the neck (C2/C3 level) and from the AoS. Regression analysis was undertaken to predict the motion of the aCSF pulse using the cervical flow rates as predictor variables. The relative contribution of these variables to predicting aCSF flow rate was assessed using a relative weights method, coupled with an ANOVA. Analysis revealed that the aCSF pulse could be accurately predicted (mean (SD) adjusted r2 = 0.794 (0.184)) using the GLM (p < 0.01). Venous flow rate in the neck was the strongest predictor of aCSF pulse (p = 0.001). In healthy individuals, the motion of the aCSF pulse can be predicted using the GLM. This indicates that the intracranial fluidic system has broadly linear characteristics. Venous flow in the neck is the strongest predictor of the aCSF pulse.
Effects of Choir Spacing and Riser Step Heights on Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of SATB Choir Sound Acquired From Four Microphone Positions in Two Performance Halls

We assessed the effects of singing in two venues on acoustic and perceptualmeasures of performances by an SATB choir (N = 28) as it sang in three spacing conditions, on two different riser unit heights, with data acquired from four microphone locations in each hall. Among primary acoustic results, long-term average spectra measures yielded a systematic pattern of significant contrasts between close and spread spacing conditions, with decreasing high-frequency energy as space between singers increased, regardless of venue, riser unit, or microphone location. Unlike previous findings with 12-in. (0.30-m) riser step heights, a doubled 16-in. (0.41-m) height did not enhance this pattern. Primary perceptual results were as follows: (a) All choristers (100%) thought spread singer spacing facilitated best hearing of their own voices in relation to the rest of the ensemble. (b) Nearly all singers (96%) reported their most comfortable vocal production in spread spacing. (c) All choristers thought the doubled riser step heights influenced choral sound, but 78% described vocal production as most comfortable with spread spacing on the regular riser unit. We discuss results in terms of implications for choral pedagogy and directions for future research.
FRAUD TRIANGLE PADA PERILAKU KECURANGAN AKADEMIK (Studi Pada SMK Negeri 10 Surabaya)

This study aims to determine the factors that influence academic fraud behavior of students of SMK Negeri 10 Surabaya. The population in this study is all students of class XI Accounting at SMK Negeri 10 Surabaya academic year 2016-2017 which amounted to 116. Determination of samples using Slovin technique obtained sample size as much as 90. Data analysis used is path analysis withSPSS 23. The results of this study indicated that pressure does not affect academic fraud behavior. Opportunity and rationalization have a positive effect on the academic fraud behaviors of the students of SMK Negeri 10 Surabaya.
Matching is as easy as matrix inversion

We present a new algorithm for finding a maximum matching in a general graph. The special feature of our algorithm is that its only computationally non-trivial step is the inversion of a single integer matrix. Since this step can be parallelized, we get a simple parallel (RNC2) algorithm. At the heart of our algorithm lies a probabilistic lemma, the isolating lemma. We show other applications of this lemma to parallel computation and randomized reductions.
Relations between Preschool Children’s Fine Motor Skills and General Cognitive Abilities

ABSTRACT An increasing number of findings suggest that cognition is grounded in sensorimotor experiences. Research suggests that fine motor skills (FMS) link to cognitive abilities. Existing studies, however, lack conceptual and methodological differentiation regarding FMS and little is known about the directional nature of links. In study 1, we measured three types of FMS, namely dexterity, grapho-motor skill, speed-dominated FMS in a sample of preschool children (n = 78) aged 4.42 years, and analyzed their links with nonverbal reasoning and general knowledge. Factor analyses verified the existence of these three distinct subsets of FMS. A unique link was found for dexterity and reasoning after controlling for age, attention and processing speed. In study 2, using a cross-lagged-panel design with two measurement points one year apart in preschool (n = 84), a cross-lagged link from four-year-old children’s dexterity to their reasoning skills at age five was demonstrated. Findings support the idea of FMS being involved in the development of cognitive abilities.
Attitudes, Practices and Knowledge of Communities Towards Climate Change Around Lake Mburo National Park Uganda: A Gender Centered Analysis

The study was done to assess gender dimensions in relation to climate change attitudes and adaptation strategies among small holder crop farmers, pastoralists and ago-pastoralists of Isingiro and Kiruhura districts, among communities surrounding Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda. The study contributes to the theoretical and conceptual discourse on climate change and varied gender responses. Through the lenses of gender socialization, the study reviewed men and women’s attitudinal responses to climate change: a pragmatic research paradigm was used based on a thematic review model. Participatory methods and a questionnaire were used to collect data. Both sexes (99.5%) observed signs of climate change. The major causes of climate change were cutting of trees (39%, p<0.001), drainage of swamps (21.9%, p<0.01), use of solar panels (16.7%) and a curse from God (14.3%). More men (46.9%) than women (31.2%) (p<0.001) said that cutting of trees was the cause of climate change. A highly significant (p=0.003) more women (19.4%) said the curse from God was a cause. The other causes mentioned had no gender differences. The major observed ecological effect of climate change was drought (39%, p<0.001), followed by shifts of crop growing seasons (21.9%, p=0.01), increase in crop diseases and pests (13.5%) and soil erosion (11.3%). Significantly (p=0.0001) more men (18.4%) said soil erosion was the ecological effect of climate change than women (4.4%). There were no significant differences in gender responses identifying coping mechanisms to deal with the effects of climate change. The findings indicate that there were no salient climate change coping strategies adopted. On a low scale, communities, migrated to the neighboring districts and around LMNP in search of pasture and water; found alternative sources of income, sold cattle at salvage prices and reduced daily meals taken. In conclusion, the 1 Nagasha et al.: Attitudes, Practices, and Knowledge of Communities towards Climate Change around Lake Mburo National Park Uganda: A Gender-centered Analysis Published by Digital Scholarship @ Texas Southern University, 2019 African Social Science Review Volume 10, Number 1, Spring 2019 40 communities were aware that there was climate change but had no sustainable coping strategies adopted; hence the study recommends communal education on how to cope with climate change effects using a gender approach.
4D tracking with ultra-fast silicon detectors

The evolution of particle detectors has always pushed the technological limit in order to provide enabling technologies to researchers in all fields of science. One archetypal example is the evolution of silicon detectors, from a system with a few channels 30 years ago, to the tens of millions of independent pixels currently used to track charged particles in all major particle physics experiments. Nowadays, silicon detectors are ubiquitous not only in research laboratories but in almost every high-tech apparatus, from portable phones to hospitals. In this contribution, we present a new direction in the evolution of silicon detectors for charge particle tracking, namely the inclusion of very accurate timing information. This enhancement of the present silicon detector paradigm is enabled by the inclusion of controlled low gain in the detector response, therefore increasing the detector output signal sufficiently to make timing measurement possible. After providing a short overview of the advantage of this new technology, we present the necessary conditions that need to be met for both sensor and readout electronics in order to achieve 4D tracking. In the last section, we present the experimental results, demonstrating the validity of our research path.