Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Customer-Specific Robotic Attendant for VR Simulators

With regard to virtual reality (VR) simulators, direct guidance is needed due to the complex procedures and safety of customers compared with simple coin-op amusement games. However, it is difficult for human attendants to repeatedly guide the customer with a high level of service quality. In this article, we propose a new type of robotic attendant for VR simulators, which provides personalized high-quality services and automatically operates the VR simulators in VR theme parks. In addition, the robotic attendant improves customer satisfaction by providing personalized services based on the estimation of the customer’s age, gender, and game progress. Finally, we experimentally show that the personalized services provided by the robotic attendant improve customer satisfaction. The results of the satisfaction questionnaire and independent-samples t-test validate our proposed scheme. Note to Practitioners—This article was motivated by the high operating costs of VR theme parks as the VR industry grew. At current VR theme parks, human attendants provide one-on-one services to their customers on how to operate the simulator. Therefore, we automate the abovementioned procedure to reduce operating costs and increase turnover rate and ticket sales at the same time. In addition, we also seek to improve customer satisfaction as well as automatic operation. In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the proposed robotic attendant uses camera images to obtain the age and gender of the customer and uses the game data to track game progress. Then, the robotic attendant provides customer-specific voice services using personal information. Experimental results show that the personalized services provided by the robotic attendant improve customer satisfaction.
On the use of a cascaded convolutional neural network for three-dimensional flow measurements using astigmatic PTV

Many applications in chemistry, biology and medicine use microfluidic devices to separate, detect and analyze samples on a miniaturized size-level. Fluid flows evolving in channels of only several tens to hundreds of micrometers in size are often of a 3D nature, affecting the tailored transport of cells and particles. To analyze flow phenomena and local distributions of particles within those channels, astigmatic particle tracking velocimetry (APTV) has become a valuable tool, on condition that basic requirements like low optical aberrations and particles with a very narrow size distribution are fulfilled. Making use of the progress made in the field of machine vision, deep neural networks may help to overcome these limiting requirements, opening new fields of applications for APTV and allowing them to be used by nonexpert users. To qualify the use of a cascaded deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for particle detection and position regression, a detailed investigation was carried out starting from artificial particle images with known ground truth to real flow measurements inside a microchannel, using particles with uni- and bimodal size distributions. In the case of monodisperse particles, the mean absolute error and standard deviation of particle depth-position of less than and about 1 μm were determined, employing the deep neural network and the classical evaluation method based on the minimum Euclidean distance approach. While these values apply to all particle size distributions using the neural network, they continuously increase towards the margins of the measurement volume of about one order of magnitude for the classical method, if nonmonodisperse particles are used. Nevertheless, limiting the depth of measurement volume in between the two focal points of APTV, reliable flow measurements with low uncertainty are also possible with the classical evaluation method and polydisperse tracer particles. The results of the flow measurements presented herein confirm this finding. The source code of the deep neural network used here is available on https://github.com/SECSY-Group/DNN-APTV.
iPad® Video Prompting to Teach Cooking Tasks to Korean American Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In response to the growing necessity for considering the cultural and contextual needs of youth with disabilities in experimental studies, this study examines the effectiveness of an intervention package consisting of video prompting with a system of least prompts and reinforcement on Korean American adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Through the replication of procedures used in a study by Mechling et al. (2008), the current study examined the effects of self-directed video prompting with a system of least prompts and verbal praise on completion of three preferred cooking tasks by three Korean American male adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. A single-case multiple probe design replicated across three cooking tasks was used. Results indicated the correct completion of multi-step cooking tasks increased with the intervention package and was maintained seven weeks following intervention across three participants. Discussion and implications for future research and practice are presented.
Correlation on Students Commitment and Satisfaction in Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Galileo Batam Indonesia

Education at the college level is now supposed to get attention, especially related to the students who are in the college environment. The commitment and satisfaction of students who are in college are beneficial to create a college environment as expected. For that, a study needs to be run to investigate the commitment and satisfaction of students in a college environment, especially in the environment of Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi (STIE) Galileo Batam. Research is given attention to student commitment and satisfaction. This research is a quantitative study involving 33 respondents from students residing in the environment of STIE Galileo. The research aims to investigate the relationship between commitment and satisfaction. The questionnaire is used to collect research data, then in sports with SPSS statistics. Correlation analysis is performed to ensure the relationship between commitment and satisfaction. The correlation test results showed that the relationship of commitment and satisfaction was positive and significant and the relationship is in a strong category. It is necessary to be noticed, and future research should consider other variables that are not explored in this research, such as motivation, environment, and more significant sample quantities and analysis tools such as; SEM SmartPLS and SEM Amos. In addition, future researchers can revisit from a demographic standpoint.
Using data walls to display assessment results: a review of their affective impacts on teachers and students

ABSTRACT Data walls are a data use practice increasingly being adopted in western, Anglophone countries to display student academic achievement data. The purpose of data walls is to improve teaching and learning by helping teachers and/or students to identify patterns of growth and achievement, set goals, and plan instructional interventions or self-regulate. This paper presents a systematic review of 30 empirical studies to explore how data wall use affectively impacts students and teachers, as well as related effects on their privacy and motivation. The review found that data wall displays elicited a range of positive and negative emotional responses, depending on variables such as the display’s location, contents, and associated social practices. Data walls were reported as enhancing motivation by helping stakeholders to sustain focus on and track progress towards goals, or by fostering comparison and competition. Data walls where class and/or individual students’ data could be identified, for example, through names, pictures, or small sample size, also generated concerns around privacy. These issues highlight the need to consider how data wall use aligns not only with relevant legislation, but also community expectations.
Systemic Parathyroid Hormone Enhances Fracture Healing in Multiple Murine Models of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multisystemic disease that afflicts more than 415 million people globally—the incidence and prevalence of T2DM continues to rise. It is well‐known that T2DM has detrimental effects on bone quality that increase skeletal fragility, which predisposes subjects to an increased risk of fracture and fracture healing that results in non‐ or malunion. Diabetics have been found to have perturbations in metabolism, hormone production, and calcium homeostasis—particularly PTH expression—that contribute to the increased risk of fracture and decreased fracture healing. Given the perturbations in PTH expression and the establishment of hPTH (1–34) for use in age‐related osteoporosis, it was determined logical to attempt to ameliorate the bone phenotype found in T2DM using hPTH (1–34). Therefore, the present study had two aims: (i) to establish a suitable murine model of the skeletal fragility present in T2DM because no current consensus model exists; and (ii) to determine the effects of hPTH (1–34) on bone fractures in T2DM. The results of the present study suggest that the polygenic mouse of T2DM, TALLYHO/JngJ, most accurately recapitulates the diabetic osteoporotic phenotype seen in humans and that the intermittent systemic administration of hPTH (1–34) increases fracture healing in T2DM murine models by increasing the proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells. © 2020 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The Relationship of Subjective Well-Being in Residents’ Perceptions of the Impacts of Overtourism in the City of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Tourism is an expanding sector, and it is one of the priorities of individuals seeking leisure. While the activity is developing rapidly, the increase in the flow of tourists in localities has interfered with the residents’ subjective well-being, generating a feeling of “excess of tourism. ” Overtourism is associated with destinations that suffer from the tension of tourism when the maximum number of people who can visit a tourist destination at the same time is exceeded. Therefore, this study aims to correlate the relationship between the subjective well-being of the residents of Blumenau and the perceptions of excessive tourism in their territory of residence. To this end, a survey was carried out, with a quantitative approach with 400 residents of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The survey results demonstrate that the subjective well-being of the autochthonous population correlates with tolerance to overtourism. Thus, the research has practical and managerial implications for tourist destinations. Managers must develop means for the subjective well-being of the population to be high, thus contributing to the decrease in the feeling of overtourism.
Factors Influencing Attitudes of Students Toward ERP Systems as Computer-Aided Learning Environments

The labour market requires the knowledge and skills for usage of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions from graduates of business studies – future employees. Because ERP solutions are the most frequently used business software in organisations in all industries, more and more schools are incorporating them in their courses. Teaching real business case problem-solving in classrooms, using these solutions require innovative and adapted teaching methods. Because of this, schools need to know what the attitudes of students toward these solutions are. The main objective of the chapter is, therefore, the identification of important external factors that contribute to the acceptance of ERP solutions among economic and business studies students and that shape student intentions to use this knowledge in the future. The conceptual model of our research is based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), extended by identified important external factors that refer to students' characteristics, organisational-process characteristics, as well as system and technological characteristics.
ANDALIMAN FRUIT EXTRACT (ZANTHOXYLUM ACANTOPHODIUM) AND IT’S EFFECT ON PREECLAMPSIA AS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Objective: This study is the first study to test the effect of andaliman on preeclampsia. This study aims to discover whether andaliman fruit extract (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium DC) affects the level of TNF α and IL-6 in preeclamptic LPS Induces mice Methods: This study uses analytical research with quasi-experimental research design in laboratory rats (Micetus Norvegicus) pregnant females given andaliman extract (zantoxylumacantophodium) at doses of 100 mg and 200 mg per day. The study design allowed the researchers to measure the effect of treatment (intervention) in the experimental group by way of comparing the experimental group and control group. This design allows the researcher to determine the extent or extent of the change. The treatment of all samples was carried out simultaneously and during the treatment, it was observed using the type of Postest Only Control Group. Results: Andaliman has been shown to reduce TNF-α levels in preeclampsia mice. The mean TNF-α in the K-, P1, P2 and K+ groups was 84.4; 90.1; 95.1; 109.7 (P<0.001). Andaliman has been shown to reduce IL-6 levels in preeclampsia rats. The mean IL-6 in the K-, P1, P2 and K+groups was 16.7; 67.5; 18.8; 21.1 (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study proves that there are anti-inflammatory effects possessed by the extract of Andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium), thus showing a decrease in proinflammatory cytokine levels, namely TNF-α, IL6. This study also has a good clinical outcome after administering Andaliman extract (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium), where there are improvements in blood pressure, cystole-diastole, MAP and decreased urinary protein in research subjects with preeclampsia.
The moderating effects of psychosocial factors on achievement gains: A longitudinal study.

The moderating effects of motivation, social control, and self-regulation in predicting academic achievement were examined in grades 11-12 for 3,281 7th 9th graders. Standardized assessments of college readiness and student self-reported measures of psychosocial factors were used in the study. The results showed that females in grades 7-9 scored higher than males for motivation and self-regulation. In predicting later achievement in grades 11-12, motivation and social control moderated prior achievement, while self-regulation moderated both sex and prior achievement. Particularly among female students, effects of self-regulation were positive for high-achieving females (percentile rank ≥ 95) and negative for low-achieving females (percentile rank ≤ 5) in predicting achievement in grades 11-12. The phenomenon known as the “Matthew Effect” and implications for classroom teachers and educational policymakers are discussed.
Mechanisms of Hdac2 function in the regulation of adult cardiac hypertrophy and embryonic myocyte proliferation

HDACs can modify the structure and function of chromatin to regulate gene expression and can also modify many non-histone proteins that regulate cell function and signaling. HDACs have attracted increasing interest because they are involved in a variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes including stem cell maintenance, differentiation, cancer, inflammation and cardiac diseases. In the absence of Hdac2, mice display myocyte hyper-proliferation during embryonic development and resistance to cardiac hypertrophy in adulthood. This doctoral dissertation examines the function of two Hdac2 downstream targets, Inpp5f and Gata4, in regulating adult cardiac hypertrophy and embryonic myocyte proliferation, respectively. My results suggest that Inpp5f is an important endogenous modulator of the cardiac response to stress. I also performed studies to show that, in the absence of Hdac2 in the embryonic heart, hyper-acetylated Gata4 is responsible for myocyte hyper-proliferation. These findings provide a framework for understanding the role of Hdac2 in embryonic heart development and adult cardiac diseases.
Motion of an arbitrarily shaped particle in a density stratified fluid

In this work, we theoretically investigate the motion of an arbitrarily shaped particle in a linear density stratified fluid with weak stratification and negligible inertia. We calculate the hydrodynamic force and torque experienced by the particle using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. We analyse our results for two classes of particles (non-skew and skew) depending on whether the particle possesses a centre of hydrodynamic stress. For both classes, we derive general expressions for the modified resistance tensors in the presence of stratification. We demonstrate the application of our results by considering some specific examples of particles settling in a direction parallel to the density gradient by considering both the limits of high ($Pe\gg 1$) and low ($Pe\ll 1$) Péclet numbers. We find that presence of stratification causes a slender body to rotate and settle along the broader side due to the contribution of the hydrostatic torque. Our work sheds light on the impact of stratification on the transport of arbitrarily shaped particles in density stratified environments in low-Reynolds-number regimes.
The carotenoid‐based plumage coloration of adult Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus correlates with the health status of their brood

The Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus is a passerine bird in which both sexes provide substantial care to the offspring and display conspicuous carotenoid-based plumage coloration. It has been shown that carotenoid-based coloration in birds reflects both individual quality and foraging ability. Because the body condition of nestlings usually depends on the capacity of their parents to feed them, I predicted that, independent of sex, those individuals with the most exaggerated carotenoid-based plumage coloration should raise offspring in better health. I found that although, in my study population, the smallest females were paired with the largest males, the brightest females were paired with the brightest and most intensely coloured males. I used body condition and T-cell-mediated immune response of nestlings as measures of their health status. Generalized mixed models showed that brighter and more-yellow adults reared offspring in better than average condition and immune response. Older males and smaller females were also able to raise offspring with better immune response. All these results suggest that the carotenoid-based plumage coloration of parents is somehow linked with individual quality, as it presents a significant and positive correlation with the health status of their growing chicks. Thus, the brightest and more intensely coloured individuals raised the healthiest offspring.
Do optical sensor readings change throughout the day? An evaluation of two sensor systems

Abstract Optical sensors are useful tools for rapid and periodic assessment of plant nutritional status. However, the utility and potential of these sensors may be reduced if their readings change throughout the day. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effects of time of day on measurements of the SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter and the GreenSeeker throughout the bean crop cycle. The treatments consisted of time of day for sensor measurements (8:00, 12:00, and 16:00 h) throughout six dates over the crop cycle. The results showed that measurements from the SPAD-502 and the GreenSeeker significantly changed according to time of day. The SPAD index at 16:00 h showed the lowest coefficient of variation (CV, 2.5%) and was on average, 3.05 ± 0.43, and 1.12 ± 0.25 SPAD units higher when compared to readings obtained at 8:00 and 12:00 h. Differently, the NDVI from the GreenSeeker showed the lowest CV (4.34%) at 8:00 h and was, on average, 0.06 ± 0.028 and 0.03 ± 0.01 units higher than measurements taken at 16:00 h and 12:00 h, respectively. Furthermore, the different times of sensor measurements present variations in air temperature and solar radiation, which directly influence the leaf water content and paraheliotropic movements. Thus, the indices from both sensors tend to show a high variability during different times of the day. Therefore, it is essential to create a consistent sampling protocol to reduce the variability of sensor measurements during the crop cycle.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling and Field Applications of Non-Powered Hydraulic Mixing in Water Treatment Plants

In this study, non-powered hydraulic mixing with three layers of baffles and holes was evaluated as an alternative to vertical shaft impellers in a rapid mixing process through both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and field applications. From the CFD modeling, the turbulence (i.e., vortex rings) caused by excess kinetic energy between the inlet and second-layer baffle ensures rapid mixing of the coagulants throughout the total water flow and overcomes the damping effect of the components in a mixing basin. Although optimal inlet velocity needs to be investigated for sufficient mixing between coagulants and pollutants in raw water with relatively low energy consumption and maintenance costs, non-powered hydraulic mixing developed in this study was proved to create strong turbulence and can be applied in any water treatment plants that involves coagulation-flocculation processes. Based on the comparison of the water quality between two water treatment plants using identical raw water and coagulant operated from 2014 to 2016, no difference in water quality of treated water indicated that non-powered hydraulic mixing can be replaced with vertical shaft impellers, hence, both energy consumption and maintenance costs can be reduced. Further study is warranted to optimize non-powered hydraulic mixing for the tradeoff between mixing efficiency and energy consumption in the water treatment plants.
Where did all the trees come from? A novel multispecies approach reveals the impacts of biogeographical history and functional diversity on rain forest assembly

We take advantage of next generation sequencing‐based technology to assess how landscape‐level dynamics, biogeographical history and functional factors shape the distribution of genetic diversity in rain forest trees. To achieve this, we explore chloroplast genomic diversity and divergence patterns across multiple, co‐distributed species from three major centres of rain forest diversity.