Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AdaMM-DepthNet: Unsupervised Adaptive Depth Estimation Guided by Min and Max Depth Priors for Monocular Images

Unsupervised deep learning methods have shown impressive results for the challenging monocular depth estimation task, a field of study that has gained attention in recent years. A common approach for this task is to train a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) via an image synthesis sub-task, where additional views are utilized during training to minimize a photometric reconstruction error. Previous unsupervised depth estimation networks are trained within a fixed depth estimation range, irrespective of its possible range for a given image, leading to suboptimal estimates. To overcome this suboptimal limitation, we first propose an unsupervised adaptive depth estimation method guided by minimum and maximum (min-max) depth priors for a given input image. The incorporation of min-max depth priors can drastically reduce the depth estimation complexity and produce depth estimates with higher accuracy. Moreover, we propose a novel network architecture for adaptive depth estimation, called the AdaMM-DepthNet, which adopts the min-max depth estimation in its front side. Intensive experimental results demonstrate that the adaptive depth estimation can significantly boost up the accuracy with a fewer number of parameters over the conventional approaches with a fixed minimum and maximum depth range.
Design and Implementation of an Autonomous Electric Vehicle for Self-Driving Control under GNSS-Denied Environments

In this study, the hardware and software design and implementation of an autonomous electric vehicle are addressed. We aimed to develop an autonomous electric vehicle for path tracking. Control and navigation algorithms are developed and implemented. The vehicle is able to perform path-tracking maneuvers under environments in which the positioning signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) are not accessible. The proposed control approach uses a modified constrained input-output nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) for path-tracking control. The proposed localization algorithm used in this study guarantees almost accurate position estimation under GNSS-denied environments. We discuss the procedure for designing the vehicle hardware, electronic drivers, communication architecture, localization algorithm, and controller architecture. The system’s full state is estimated by fusing visual inertial odometry (VIO) measurements with wheel odometry data using an extended Kalman filter (EKF). Simulation and real-time experiments are performed. The obtained results demonstrate that our designed autonomous vehicle is capable of performing path-tracking maneuvers without using Global Navigation Satellite System positioning data. The designed vehicle can perform challenging path-tracking maneuvers with a speed of up to 1 m per second.
Making a water market intermediary: the China Water Exchange

ABSTRACT Market intermediaries play a crucial role in stitching together necessary actors for effective systems of exchange. However, there is limited understanding of how intermediaries emerge, and contribute to, water market development. This article explains how the China Water Exchange, the country’s first and only national-level water trading platform, was catalysed by a top-down imperative consistent with China’s water governance reform path. It shows how its genesis, objectives and functions reflect the congruence of goals between its key actors, and their struggles and efforts to build trust. Our focus on interorganizational dynamics adds a new perspective to understanding water market intermediaries.
Making Diversity Research Matter for Social Change: New Conversations Beyond the Firm

This paper argues that, to fulfil the ambition to foster equality and social justice, diversity research should move outside the empirical and ideational boundaries of the firm, which have historically limited our knowledge production on diversity and social change. We first look back at 30 years of diversity research, reflecting on how the main theories, concepts and models of diversity are entangled with four root images of the firm – a neutral container, an economic entity, a cultural entity and a space of inequality – which have fundamentally shaped and limited our way of thinking about forms of action to achieve social change. We then present four illustrations of diversity research that broaden our empirical and ideational horizon: the global garments value chain; the gig economy; a public library; and a dance organization. These examples show new re-conceptualizations of diversity and open up possibilities for new conversations and politics of action to make diversity research matter for social change.
Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies: A Systematic Review of Latest Trends and Themes

Meeting current needs while not sacrificing the future ability to do so as a key sustainability concept is becoming more challenging than ever, with the increasing population rate, energy poverty, global warming, and surging demand for products and services. Manufacturing is in a prime position to address this challenge, with its significant economic contribution to the global GDP and its high influence over the environment and humanity. Sustainable manufacturing technologies research is growing to support our journey towards sustainable development. This article undertook the systematic review of state-of-the-art sustainable manufacturing technologies literature, evidencing the latest themes and trends in this important research avenue. Descriptive and thematic analyses were performed, synthesising the latest advancements in the field. Sustainable manufacturing processes, especially sustainable machining, was established as a key theme, including research endeavours of elimination of lubricants. Various manufacturing systems and process sustainability assessment technologies were noted. Sustainability indicators addressed were critically evaluated. As an outcome, a conceptual framework of sustainable manufacturing technology research was constructed to structure the knowledge acquired and to provoke future thinking. Finally, challenges and future directions were provided for both industrial and academic reader base, stimulating growth in this fruitful research stream.
Theoretical study on the phase stability, elasticity, hardness and electronic structures of Ni–P compounds

ABSTRACT A systematic investigation concerned with phase stability, elastic properties, hardness and relevant electronic structure of Ni–P compounds (Ni3P, Ni12P5, Ni2P, Ni5P4, NiP, NiP2 and NiP3) was carried out using first principles calculations. The calculated results show that the Ni–P compounds have strong hardness, ranging from 7.80–14.54 GPa. Also, the hardness values gradually increase with the P content. Electronic structure analysis shows that the strong Ni–P and part of P–P hybrid orbitals play important roles in the hardness of these compounds. The calculated elastic constants indicated that the Ni3P, Ni12P5 and NiP2 phases are significantly anisotropic, the NiP and Ni2P exhibit some anisotropy, while the Ni5P4 and NiP3 show a relatively isotropic character. At last, the properties of these Ni–P compounds including lattice constants, thermodynamic stability, elastic constants Cij, bulk modulus B, shear modulus G, Young's modulus E and Poisson's ratio ν have been calculated.
A meta‐analysis of the effects of fragmentation on the megadiverse herpetofauna of Brazil

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the primary causes of global population decline of amphibians and reptiles. In Brazil, that hosts an extraordinary herpetofaunal richness, amphibians and reptiles are clearly undersampled among vertebrate groups in fragmentation research. This bias may underestimate the effects of fragmentation on herpetofauna in this megadiverse country. Here, we conducted an exhaustive literature review to evaluate the effects and patterns of fragmentation on amphibians and reptiles in Brazil. We analyzed 55 papers between 1994 and 2020, comprising 350 cases of the effect (positive, negative, or neutral) of a given fragmentation metric on a particular biological response. Forest biomes (Amazon and Atlantic Forest) were largely overrepresented in relation to non‐forest biomes, comprising 82% of studies. We also found a disproportional prevalence of fragmentation articles on amphibians (75%). Among lower taxonomic groups, Anura and Testudines were significantly overrepresented, whereas Caudata and Crocodylia were neglected. Fragment size reduction, habitat degradation, habitat loss, and matrix contrast were the most studied metrics (70% of studies), while single‐species abundance was the most considered response (59%). The effects of fragmentation were not statistically different between amphibians and reptiles. In general, the impacts were predominantly negative or neutral, while positive effects were infrequent or even non‐existent. Our findings suggest that amphibians and reptiles respond similarly and may not be as vulnerable to fragmentation. We call future research to consider non‐forest biomes and less‐studied taxonomic groups (e.g., Squamata) to fully understand the effects of fragmentation on the megadiverse Brazilian herpetofauna and to take well‐informed conservation actions.
Habitual and meal-specific carbohydrate quality index and their relation to metabolic syndrome in a sample of Iranian adults

Maryam Majdi Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9945-7785 Hossein Imani Tehran University of Medical Sciences Elham Bazshahi Tehran University of Medical Sciences Fatemeh Hosseini Tehran University of Medical Sciences Kurosh Djafarian Tehran University of Medical Sciences Azadeh Lesani Tehran University of Medical Sciences Zahra Akbarzade Tehran University of Medical Sciences Sakineh Shab-Bidar (  s_shabbidar@tums.ac.ir ) Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Surface Area and Porosity of Nanotubes Obtained from Kaolin Minerals of Different Structural Order

Mesoporous materials with pore diameters in the range 2–50 nm forming tubular or fibrous structures are of great interest due to their unique properties. Because they are commonly used as sorbents and catalyst carriers, knowledge of their surface area and porosity is critical. A modified intercalation/deintercalation method was used to increase the efficiency of nanotube formation from kaolin-group minerals which differ in terms of their degree of structural order. Unlike previous experiments, in the procedure adopted in the present study, methanol was used instead of 1,3-butanediol for grafting reactions and octadecylamine intercalation was also performed. The samples were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The specific surface area and porosity of previously described and newly formed materials were investigated by N2 adsorption/desorption. Compared to results described earlier, the percent yield of nanotubes obtained in the present study was significantly greater only in the case of ‘Maria III’ kaolinite, which has high structural order. This increase was obtained mainly by the grafting reaction with methanol. Highly ordered stacking of kaolinite-methanol intercalates was noticed and, thus, the amine intercalation was more efficient. In particular, the use of long-chain octadecylamine significantly increased the nanotube yield. The grafting reaction with methanol procedure yielded fewer nanotubes, however, when applied to poorly ordered samples (‘Jaroszów’ kaolinite and ‘Dunino’ halloysite). In the case of the ‘Maria III’ kaolinite, the diameter of the rolled layers observed by TEM was ~30 nm and corresponded to average diameters of newly formed pores (DmN) determined using N2 adsorption/desorption, confirming that nanotubes contributed to an increase in surface area and total pore volume. In the case of ‘Jaroszów’ kaolinite and ‘Dunino’ halloysite mainly macropores (DmN > 100 nm) and mesopores (20 nm > DmN > 40 nm) were formed. The pores were attributed to interparticle and interaggregate spaces in the stacks of platy particles and to the small relative number of nanotubes.
1-D HEC-RAS modelling and the vulnerability level assessment of Belik River sub-watershed

Restoration of sub-watershed needs a comprehensive point of views because the climate change factors could affect any environment aspects inside it. The paper investigates the Belik River sub-watershed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The research aims to analyze the characteristics of the river in the study area and to assess its vulnerability level. The observation employs HEC-RAS supporting tool to simulate 1-D frames of the river to visualize the characteristics of the river. Then, the vulnerability level is evaluated by field survey to conclude the restoration strategy in the sub-watershed. There are two findings in this research: first, the river has a high level of vulnerability to the water-related disaster and second, the sub-watershed is classified as high-risk level of the endangered environment. Hence, the proposed restoration strategy is compulsorily needed to mitigate and to rehabilitate the sub-watershed. To conclude, the Belik River sub-watershed could be categorized as a red zone of high-risk level towards environmental vulnerability to flooding, contaminants, aquatic habitat, and social prosperity.
Political interest, recognition and acceptance of voting responsibility, and electoral participation: young people’s perspective

ABSTRACT In March 2018, Maltese parliament effectuated a constitutional amendment by which voting rights were conferred on circa. 8,000 younger citizens aged sixteen and seventeen. Concerns over the integrity of this decision primarily emanated from the prevalent portrayal of young people as politically apathetic citizens with no appreciation for the responsibility implicit in voting. This widely aired apprehension served to motivate the present study, in which the validity of these concerns was determined through measurement of young people’s levels of interest in politics, their recognition and acceptance of voting responsibility, and their intended electoral participation. The research’s objectives were accomplished through a quantitative methodology and the involvement of 143 of the newest members of the electorate. Results revealed that participants predominantly maintained moderate levels of political interest and high levels of recognition and acceptance of voting responsibility. Moreover, the greater number of participants expressed intentions to vote in the upcoming general and European Parliamentary elections. The study’s outcomes bolstered the integrity of parliament’s decision to extend the franchise to younger citizens and simultaneously undermined the legitimacy of certain opposing arguments.
Efficiency of different methods of potassium determination in some selected soils of Bangladesh

Distribution of different forms of potassium was studied in somesoils from different agro-climatic regions of Bangladesh which are under intensive cultivation. All the forms of K in the study were directly related with one another. The highest exchangeable K was found in calcareous alluvium (Saline) soil. In twelve selected soils with three levels of K (0, 100 and 300 mg kg−1) were studied in a pot experiment with rice (var. BR 11) as a test crop to findout a suitable K determination method by correlating the soil K values with the dry matter yield and K uptake. The data show that NH4OAc and boiling HNO3 extractable K had the highest correlation coefficients with the dry matter yield (r = 0.802 and 0.729) and the K uptake (r = 0.859 and 0.870) by the rice plants.
Application of machine learning for drone classification using radars

Drone classification based on radar return signal is an important task for public safety applications. Determining the make or class of a drone gives information about the potential intent of the UAV. We present a novel method for classifying commercially available drones based on their radar return signal, using a convolutional neural network. Our approach achieves 0.46 mean Average Precision (mAP) on a simulated dataset at 5 dB SNR.
Diel and lunar variation in diving behavior of rough‐toothed dolphins (
 
 Steno bredanensis
 
 ) off Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi

Observational studies describe rough-toothed dolphins ( Steno bredanensis ) actively foraging during the day on epi-pelagic species. Using data from depth-transmitting satellite tags deployed on nine individuals off Kaua ʻ i, we investigated diving behavior and the effects of lunar phase and solar light levels on vertical movements. Overall, tagged rough-toothed dolphins primarily used near-surface waters, spending between 83.6% and 93.7% of their time in the top 30 m of the water column. When diving, grand mean, median, and maximum dive depths were 76.9 m, 67.5 m, and 399.5 m, although individuals were in water with depths from approximately 700 – 1,450 m. Dive rates varied by time of day, being lowest during the day and at dawn and highest at dusk and night. Dives were deepest ( M = 133.7 m, SD = 52.6 m, median = 106.5 m) and longest ( M = 4.0 min, SD = 0.4 min, median = 4.0 min) at dusk, suggesting dol-phins were taking advantage of prey rising to the surface in response to reduced light levels. Lunar phase indirectly affected diving, with deeper and longer dives occurring with increasing illumination. The variations in dive behavior across solar and lunar cycles indicate diving patterns shift based on the distribution of prey.
Towards a Qualitative Model of Religious Worship Experiences: Perceived encounters with the divine in the ritual context of musical devotion practices

The current qualitative study investigates how religious experiences, in this case subjectively perceived encounters with the divine in worship practices, are induced and experienced by believers under the influence of music. Fifteen worship experts (worship leaders and pastors known to engage in this spiritual state in music) were recruited from Pentecostal and charismatic churches. A qualitative model for religious worship, incorporating essence, meaning, music, method, and experience is proposed. It shows that there is not just ‘one’ religious experience in worship but that there are many of them (a preliminary typology is attempted). There is a feedback loop between the music, the focus on the divine and the mental associations that can strengthen or weaken the experience. The role of music in worship, two approaches to religious experiences (i.e., the sui generis and the attribution theory), and the possibilities for future research are discussed.
Downscaling of climate change scenarios for a high resolution, site–specific assessment of drought stress risk for two viticultural regions with heterogeneous landscapes

Abstract. Extended periods without precipitation observed for example in Central Europe including Germany during the seasons from 2018 to 2020, can lead to water deficit and yield and quality losses for grape and wine production. However, irrigation infrastructure is largely non–existent. Regional climate models project changes of precipitation amounts and patterns, indicating an increase in frequency of occurrence of comparable situations in the future. In order to assess possible impacts of climate change on the water budget of grapevines, a water balance model was developed, which accounts for the large heterogeneity of vineyards with respect to their soil water storage capacity, evapotranspiration as a function of slope and aspect, and viticultural management practices. The model was fed with data from soil maps (soil type and plant available water capacity), a digital elevation model, the European Union (EU) vineyard–register, observed weather data and future weather data provided by regional climate models and a stochastic weather generator. This allowed conducting a risk assessment of the drought stress occurrence for the wine–producing regions Rheingau and Hessische Bergstraße in Germany on the scale of individual vineyard plots. The simulations showed that the risk for drought stress varies substantially between vineyard sites but might increase for steep–slope regions in the future. Possible adaptation measures depend highly on local conditions and to make targeted use of the resource water, an intense interplay of different wine-industry stakeholders, research, knowledge transfer, and local authorities will be required.
Relative Stabilities of Low Index and Stepped CeO2 Surfaces from Hybrid and GGA + U Implementations of Density Functional Theory

The relative stability of nine different well defined CeO2 surfaces has been studied by periodic density functional calculations using GGA + U and B3LYP exchange-correlation functional. Both methods consistently predict that CeO2(111) is the most stable surface and also provide a consistent picture of the most stable surfaces which indeed are in agreement with previous studies based on empirical interatomic potentials. The facility of ceria surfaces to undergo a redox process has been investigated by forcing spin-polarized solutions, which lead to the occupancy of Ce 4f orbitals. These calculations provide evidence that surfaces with low-coordinated Ce cations are likely to be reduced more easily than regular low-index Miller surfaces.
Effects of Least Cost Homemade Ration on Growth Performance of Sasso and Indigenous Breeds of Chicks

The objective of this study was to develop the least-cost starter’s diet and evaluated its effect on the growth performance of Sasso breeds and Indigenous ecotype of chicks under the local condition of the South Gondar Zone. The effects of substitution of different levels of commercial starters ration with homemade diet on the growth performance of Sasso and Indigenous chicks were studied in Hiruy Abaregay village of Farta district. The research area is 586km distant from the capital city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 510 Sasso T-44 and 90 Indigenous local ecotypes day-old chicks were randomly divided into five groups, each with 102 and 18 chicks, respectively. These were assigned into five treatments in which 100 (T1), 75 (T2), 50 (T3), 25 (T4), and 0% (T5) of commercial starter’s diet in factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with 3 replications for 60 days feeding period. The results obtained indicated that increased levels of substitution of a commercial diet with a homemade diet significantly depressed (p<0.001) mean daily feed consumption and retention of dry matter, nitrogen, and metabolizable energy. Growth rate as measured by mean daily weight gain, mean final body weight, and total feed consumption and feed cost were significantly miserable (p<0.001) in an increased homemade diet. On the contrary, there was an increase in feed conversion ratio and fiber content in high-level dilution of starter’s commercial diet with a homemade diet. However, the groups of chicks on 0, 25, and 50% commercial Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 9 April 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202104.0251. v1 © 2021 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license.
Schottky barrier diodes fabricated on high-purity type-IIa CVD diamond substrates using an all-ion-implantation process

We fabricated a Schottky barrier diode (SBD) on ion-implanted diamond substrates. The SBDs contained lightly doped regions under the Schottky electrodes and heavily doped regions beneath the Ohmic contacts. The current remained below 6.4 × 10−11 A at reverse biases of up to 10 V, but increased sharply at a forward bias of −3.5 V. The Schottky barrier height and ideality factor under forward bias were estimated to be 1.1 eV and 10, respectively. The hole concentrations obtained by measuring the capacitance at various supplied voltages were in good agreement with the values obtained from the Hall effect measurements.