Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘How should my family assistant be?’: initial perceptions about prospective and anticipated use of in-home virtual assistants in an emerging context

ABSTRACT Virtual Assistants (VAs) are at the forefront of state-of-the-art interactions for smart technologies at home. The prospective users’ prior to use perception of such assistants is crucial to discover new possibilities for design and to be able to elicit positive user experiences. However, this has not been investigated in detail within family life in emerging contexts though demand for their ownership increases. This study scrutinises potential users’ initial perceptions about the prospective and anticipated uses of VAs within family life in Turkey, as an emerging context, through in-depth interviews with 15 families. During the interviews, the participant families watched publicly available videos of four different VAs to elicit their perceptions. Results reveal that prospective users’ perceptions and expectations focus heavily on VAs’ possible effects on the family well-being, besides the concerns about usability and issues related to privacy, safety, and security. While proposing VAs for home use in such an emerging market, their potential positive effects on the family well-being should be promoted whereas perceived negative effects should be resolved by considering smartness, personality and trust dimensions. The study reveals relationships between these dimensions and perceptions of and expectations about VA use in home context in an emerging market.
Adaptive Diagonal Loading Technique to Improve Direction of Arrival Estimation Accuracy for Linear Antenna Array Sensors

Diagonal loading is one of the most widely used and effective methods to improve the robustness of both adaptive beamformers and Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation due to the involvement of the sensor received covariance matrix. In addition, subspace-based DOA estimation techniques rely on multiple snapshots to achieve high estimation accuracies. This paper presents the study of a modified diagonally loaded sample covariance matrix for accurate DOA estimation in adverse scenarios. The proposed and novel technique deciphers poor DOA estimation in a low SNR environment by computationally changing the received sample covariance matrix. Our method is computationally simple as it does not require peak searching and does not depend on the coherency of the signal. The efficacy of the proposed method is examined via computer simulation for various sensor array sizes and the number of snapshot samples. Based on our numerical simulation results, our proposed method generally outperforms most state-of-the-art DOA estimators. In a finite number of snapshots and a single signal source, our proposed method performs 9.5% better than the state-of-the-art DOA estimation technique, 2.8% in multiple signal sources, and 8.5% in a single snapshot, single signal source environment of gained DOA estimation performance.
ADHD Children Identification With Multiview Feature Fusion of fNIRS Signals

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It is of great value to find an objective, simple and non-invasive diagnosis method to compliment current diagnostic criteria. A discriminant correlation analysis (DCA) based multi-view feature fusion method combined with support vector machine (SVM) was proposed to identify ADHD children. The functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals from twenty-five ADHD children and twenty-five typically developing children were recorded during an n-back task. The DCA method was used to find a joint feature by fusing the features extracted in 1-back condition and 0-back condition. Then a SVM model was trained with the joint feature to identify the ADHD children. The results showed that the DCA-SVM method could identify the ADHD children with a classification accuracy of 88.0%. Meanwhile, part of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left medial prefrontal cortex, posterior superior frontal cortex and bilateral temporal cortex were more discriminative in 1-back condition, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and part of left medial prefrontal cortex were more discriminative in 0-back condition. Our findings indicated that the DCA-SVM method is promising in clinical diagnosis of ADHD children.
White-Tailed Deer Spatial Distribution in Relation to ‘4-Poster’ Tick Control Devices in Suburbia

Deer are keystone hosts for adult ticks and have enabled the spread of tick distributions. The ‘4-Poster’ deer bait station was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to control ticks feeding on free-ranging deer. Although effective in certain scenarios, ‘4-Poster’ deer treatment stations require the use of bait to attract deer to one location, which may cause increased deer disease transmission rates and habitat damage. To better understand and manage the impact of baited ‘4-Poster’ stations on deer movements, we captured and GPS-monitored 35 deer as part of an integrated pest management project. Fifteen ‘4-Poster’ stations were deployed among three suburban county parks to control ticks. To quantify the effects of ‘4-Poster’ stations, we calculated deer movement metrics before and after feeders were filled with whole kernel corn, and we gathered information on visitation rates to feeders. Overall, 83.3% of collared deer visited a feeder and revisited approximately every 5 days. After feeders were refilled, collared deer were ~5% closer to feeders and conspecifics than before filling. Males used a higher percentage of available feeders and visited them more throughout the deployment periods. Although these nuanced alterations in behavior may not be strong enough to increase local deer abundance, in light of infectious diseases affecting deer populations and effective ‘4-Poster’ densities, the core range shifts and clustering after refilling bait may be a cause for concern. As such, trade-offs between conflicting management goals should be carefully considered when deploying ‘4-Poster’ stations.
Measurement Of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness In Patients Of Unilateral Amblyopia Using Optical Coherence Tomography.

BACKGROUND The retinal changes that develop in the eyes during amblyopia are still unclear. It has been proven that thickness of the nerve fiber layer of the retina is positively correlated with refractive error. The objective of the present study was to measure the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness (RNFLT) using Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) in patients of amblyopia. METHODS A descriptive study was conducted in the Department of LRBT Free Eye Hospital, Lahore for 6 months. After meeting the inclusion criteria, 80 patients (40 amblyopic and 40 normal) were taken and grouped as A and B. Socio-demographic details of all the patients were recorded. They then underwent a complete ophthalmologic evaluation that included BCVA, slit lamp biomicroscopy, OCT examination was carried by TOPCON OCT. Each examination was done using the "fast retinal thickness" protocol for each test eye. Mean RNFLT was calculated for each eye. RESULTS The mean age of patients was 12.58±4.44 years. There were 20 (50%) males and 20 (50%) females. In amblyopic eyes, the mean RNFLT was 125.82±13.06mm while in normal eyes, the mean RNFLT was 94.82±1.11mm. The overall mean RNFLT was significantly higher in amblyopic eyes as compared to normal eyes (p<0.01), as well as significant when data was stratified for age and gender. CONCLUSIONS There was significant difference observed in RNFLT in amblyopic eyes as compared to normal eyes. So, these results can help us to enhance our knowledge and understand the causes of amblyopia hence improving diagnosis and management of disease.
Potential and Challenges of Foam-Assisted CO2 Sequestration

Foam is a promising means to assist in the permanent, safe subsurface sequestration of CO2, whether in aquifers or as part of an enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) process. Here we review the advantages demonstrated for foam that would assist CO2 sequestration, in particular sweep efficiency and residual trapping, and the challenges yet to be overcome. CO2 is trapped in porous geological layers by an impermeable overburden layer and residual trapping, dissolution into resident brine, and conversion to minerals in the pore space. Over-filling of geological traps and gravity segregation of injected CO2 can lead to excessive stress and cracking of the overburden. Maximizing storage while minimizing overburden stress in the near term depends on residual trapping in the swept zone. Therefore, we review the research and field-trial literature on CO2 foam sweep efficiency and capillary gas trapping in foam. We also review issues involved in surfactant selection for CO2 foam applications. Foam increases both sweep efficiency and residual gas saturation in the region swept. Both properties reduce gravity segregation of CO2. Among gases injected in EOR, CO2 has advantages of easier foam generation, better injectivity, and better prospects for long-distance foam propagation at low pressure gradient. In CO2 injection into aquifers, there is not the issue of destabilization of foam by contact with oil, as in EOR. In all reservoirs, surfactant-alternating-gas foam injection maximizes sweep efficiency while reducing injection pressure compared to direct foam injection. In heterogeneous formations, foam helps equalize injection over various layers. In addition, spontaneous foam generation at layer boundaries reduces gravity segregation of CO2. Challenges to foam-assisted CO2 sequestration include the following: 1) verifying the advantages indicated by laboratory research at the field scale 2) optimizing surfactant performance, while further reducing cost and adsorption if possible 3) long-term chemical stability of surfactant, and dilution of surfactant in the foam bank by flow of water. Residual gas must reside in place for decades, even if surfactant degrades or is diluted. 4) verifying whether foam can block upward flow of CO2 through overburden, either through pore pathways or microfractures. 5) optimizing injectivity and sweep efficiency in the field-design strategy. We review foam field trials for EOR and the state of the art from laboratory and modeling research on CO2 foam properties to present the prospects and challenges for foam-assisted CO2 sequestration.
Add and Go: FRET Acceptor for Live-Cell Measurements Modulated by Externally Provided Ligand

A substantial number of genetically encoded fluorescent sensors rely on the changes in FRET efficiency between fluorescent cores, measured in ratiometric mode, with acceptor photobleaching or by changes in fluorescence lifetime. We report on a modulated FRET acceptor allowing for simplified one-channel FRET measurement based on a previously reported fluorogen-activating protein, DiB1. Upon the addition of the cell-permeable chromophore, the fluorescence of the donor-fluorescent protein mNeonGreen decreases, allowing for a simplified one-channel FRET measurement. The reported chemically modulated FRET acceptor is compatible with live-cell experiments and allows for prolonged time-lapse experiments with dynamic energy transfer evaluation.
Instructional School Gardens: Opportunities for and Barriers to Scaling

iv Acknowledgement . vi Dedication . vii List of Tables . xii List of Abbreviations . xiii Chapter I: Rationale for the Study . 1 Edible Schoolyard Pittsburgh . 3 Stakeholder Views . 6 Impacts of Instructional School Gardens . 13 Health impacts. 13 Academic impacts. 17 Environmental education impacts. 19 Social Justice Implications of the Problem of Practice . 21 Timeliness of the Problem of Practice . 23 Evolution of the Research Question . 25 Research Question . 28 Chapter II: Literature Review . 30 History of School Gardens in the United States . 30 Health Impacts of School Gardens . 31 Academic Impacts of Instructional School Gardens . 38 Environmental Education Impacts of School Gardens . 42 Environmental Stewardship . 45 Improvement Inquiry . 50 Opportunities and Barriers for Instructional School Gardens . 55
Selecting for Learning Potential: Is Implicit Learning the New Cognitive Ability?

For decades, the field of workplace selection has been dominated by evidence that cognitive ability is the most important factor in predicting performance. Meta-analyses detailing the contributions of a wide-range of factors to workplace performance show that cognitive ability’s contribution is partly mediated by the learning of task-relevant skills and job-specific declarative knowledge. Further, there is evidence to suggest that this relationship is a function of task complexity, and partially mediated by learning performance in workplace induction and training activities. Simultaneously, evidence is mounting that stable individual differences in implicit learning exist, which are at least partially independent of traditional measures of intelligence. In this article we provide an overview of recent advances in our understanding of implicit learning, outline some of the advantages offered by its measurement, and highlight some of the challenges associated with its adoption as a measure of interest.
Dynamic effects of railway traffic due to lateral motion in long viaducts with high piers

Keywords: abstract ; and high piers or ; arches with heights ; cluding continuous decks with ; earthquake ; eccomas thematic conference ; engineering ; high-speed railway lines often ; in- ; instructions ; lengths of 1000 m ; or more ; proceedings ; requires long slender viaducts ; structural dynamics ; the layout of new Reference EPFL-CONF-227296 Record created on 2017-04-03, modified on 2017-05-12
‘How can you feel guilty for colonialism? it is a folly’: colonial memory in the Italian populist radical right

ABSTRACT This paper draws attention to the role of colonial memory in the Italian populist radical right. Italy’s colonial past has been long confined on the fringes of memory in Italian politics and in the Italian public debate. While recent academic attention has been devoted to the selective colonial memory transpiring from Italian cultural products, scarce attention has been paid to colonial memory in contemporary Italian political parties’ discourse. Therefore, by applying Critical Discourse Analysis to semi-structured interviews with Italian populist radical right representatives from the Lega and Fratelli d’Italia (FdI), this paper aims at investigating which role colonial memory plays in these parties’ discourse. This paper argues that the Lega and FdI reproduce colonial discourse in constructing the image of the contemporary immigrant Other. At the same time, they forge a selective memory of Italy’s colonial past, cleansed from its most controversial aspects.
Artificial light at night: an underappreciated effect on phenology of deciduous woody plants

Abstract Artificial light at night (ALAN), an increasing anthropogenic driver, is widespread and shows rapid expansion with potential adverse impact on the terrestrial ecosystem. However, whether and to what extent does ALAN affect plant phenology, a critical factor influencing the timing of terrestrial ecosystem processes, remains unexplored due to limited ALAN observation. Here, we used the Black Marble ALAN product and phenology observations from USA National Phenology Network to investigate the impact of ALAN on deciduous woody plants phenology in the conterminous United States. We found that (1) ALAN significantly advanced the date of breaking leaf buds by 8.9 ± 6.9 days (mean ± SD) and delayed the coloring of leaves by 6.0 ± 11.9 days on average; (2) the magnitude of phenological changes was significantly correlated with the intensity of ALAN (P < 0.001); and (3) there was an interaction between ALAN and temperature on the coloring of leaves, but not on breaking leaf buds. We further showed that under future climate warming scenarios, ALAN will accelerate the advance in breaking leaf buds but exert a more complex effect on the coloring of leaves. This study suggests intensified ALAN may have far-reaching but underappreciated consequences in disrupting key ecosystem functions and services, which requires an interdisciplinary approach to investigate. Developing lighting strategies that minimize the impact of ALAN on ecosystems, especially those embedded and surrounding major cities, is challenging but must be pursued.
Musculoskeletal Modeling of the Wrist via a Multi Body Simulation

In this study, three different musculoskeletal modeling approaches were compared to each other. The objective was to show the possibilities in the case of a simple mechanical model of the wrist, using a simple multi-body-simulation (MBS) model, and using a more complex and patient-specific adaptable wrist joint MBS model. Musculoskeletal modeling could be a useful alternative, which can be practiced as a non-invasive approach to investigate body motion and internal loads in a wide range of conditions. The goal of this study was the introduction of computer-based modelling of the physiological wrist with (MBS-) models focused on the muscle and joint forces acting on the wrist.
Aconitate Decarboxylase 1 Deficiency Exacerbates Mouse Colitis Induced by Dextran Sodium Sulfate

Ulcerative colitis is a complex inflammatory bowel disorder disease that can induce rectal and colonic dysfunction. Although the prevalence of IBD in Western countries is almost 0.5% of the general population, genetic causes are still not fully understood. In a recent discovery, itaconate was found to function as an immune-modulating metabolite in mammalian immune cells, wherein it is synthesized as an antimicrobial compound from the citric acid cycle intermediate cis-aconitic acid. However, the association between the Acod1 (Aconitate decarboxylase 1)-itaconate axis and ulcerative colitis has rarely been studied. To elucidate this, we established a DSS-induced colitis model with Acod1-deficient mice and then measured the mouse body weights, colon lengths, histological changes, and cytokines/chemokines in the colon. We first confirmed the upregulation of Acod1 RNA and protein expression levels in DSS-induced colitis. Then, we found that colitis symptoms, including weight loss, the disease activity index, and colon shortening, were worsened by the depletion of Acod1. In addition, the extent of intestinal epithelial barrier breakdown, the extent of immune cell infiltration, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in Acod1-deficient mice were higher than those in wild-type mice. Finally, we confirmed that 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI) alleviated DSS-induced colitis in Acod1-deficient mice and decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. To our knowledge, this study is the first to elucidate the role of the Acod1-itaconate axis in colitis. Our data clearly showed that Acod1 deletion resulted in severe DSS-induced colitis and substantial increases in inflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels. Our results suggest that Acod1 may normally play an important regulatory role in the pathogenesis of colitis, demonstrating the potential for novel therapies using 4-OI.
In-cabin Monitoring Based on Millimeter Wave FMCW radar

Accidents caused by people left inside vehicles are drawing attention year by year, so the detection of people inside vehicles is particularly important. Millimeter wave FMCW radar has more advantages than other non-contact devices as well as more adaptability to the working environment while being inexpensive. In this paper, a 60 GHz millimeter wave radar system is built and utilized for in-cabin target detection. An improved Euclidean clustering as well as a state machine approach is used for adaptive monitoring of the different presence of targets, and the effectiveness of the approach is confirmed experimentally.
A Bi-Sliding Mode PI Control of DC-Link Voltage of Three-Phase Three-Wire Shunt Active Power Filter

A novel bi-sliding mode PI control (bi-SMPIC) of the dc-link voltage of a three-phase three-wire shunt active power filter (APF) is proposed in this article. One SMPIC having an improved reaching law function in the reaching phase can make the speed of the state variables reaching the sliding surface approach zero. The other SMPIC possessing an improved reaching law function with a boundary layer in the sliding phase can render the state variables asymptotically stable at the origin of the sliding surface. Thus, the proposed bi-SMPIC can effectively reduce system chattering. Moreover, it is proven that the system has reachability and asymptotic stability. Further, a formula for determining the PI control parameters is obtained. From the formula, the proposed bi-SMPIC can have ideal control effects in both the reaching phase and the sliding phase. Finally, the high control performance of the bi-SMPIC is confirmed by both experimental and simulation results.
The Effects of Terrain Properties Upon the Small Crater Population Distribution at Giordano Bruno: Implications for Lunar Chronology

The distribution of impact craters on the ejecta of Giordano Bruno, a recent (<10 Ma) 22‐km diameter crater within the lunar highlands, exhibits substantial variations. We surveyed craters D ≥ 10 m across a 1,323 km2 area of Giordano Bruno's ejecta and compared the distribution of craters with variations in thermophysical properties derived from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Diviner instrument. We used Diviner‐derived rock abundance and nighttime regolith temperatures along with thermal model‐predicted surface temperatures for a diversity of terrains to identify and isolate areas of the ejecta based on thermophysical properties such as bulk density and thermal conductivity. We found that thermophysical properties of the ejecta vary considerably both laterally and vertically, and consistently differ from typical regolith, indicating the presence of higher thermal inertia materials. Crater‐size frequencies are significantly lower in areas with terrain properties exhibiting higher: rock abundance, nighttime temperatures, and/or modeled thermal inertia. This discrepancy in crater distribution increases for craters smaller than ∼25 m. These thermophysical variations indicate changes in the mechanical properties of the target materials. We suggest that these variations—specifically, terrain‐dependent crater scaling variations and impactor‐scale heterogeneities in material properties such as the presence or absence of large boulders—may influence crater diameters or inhibit crater production altogether in Giordano Bruno's ejecta; furthermore, these factors are size‐dependent.
Influence of the Cumulative Incidence of COVID-19 Cases on the Mental Health of the Spanish Out-of-Hospital Professionals

This study aimed to analyze the psychological affectation of health professionals (HPs) of Spanish Emergency Medical Services (EMSs) according to the cumulative incidence (CI) of COVID-19 cases in the regions in which they worked. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed, including all HPs working in any EMS of the Spanish geography between 1 February 2021 and 30 April 2021. Their level of stress, anxiety and depression (DASS-21) and the perception of self-efficacy (G-SES) were the study’s main results. A 2-factor analysis of covariance was used to determine if the CI regions of COVID-19 cases determined the psychological impact on each of the studied variables. A total of 1710 HPs were included. A third presented psychological impairment classified as severe. The interaction of CI regions with the studied variables did not influence their levels of stress, anxiety, depression or self-efficacy. Women, younger HPs or those with less EMS work experience, emergency medical technicians (EMT), workers who had to modify their working conditions or those who lived with minors or dependents suffered a greater impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in certain regions. These HPs have shown high levels of stress, anxiety, depression and medium levels of self-efficacy, with similar data in the different geographical areas. Psychological support is essential to mitigate their suffering and teach them to react to adverse events.