Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advanced soft robot modeling in ChainQueen

Abstract We present extensions to ChainQueen, an open source, fully differentiable material point method simulator for soft robotics. Previous work established ChainQueen as a powerful tool for inference, control, and co-design for soft robotics. We detail enhancements to ChainQueen, allowing for more efficient simulation and optimization and expressive co-optimization over material properties and geometric parameters. We package our simulator extensions in an easy-to-use, modular application programming interface (API) with predefined observation models, controllers, actuators, optimizers, and geometric processing tools, making it simple to prototype complex experiments in 50 lines or fewer. We demonstrate the power of our simulator extensions in over nine simulated experiments.
NURSE’S SAFETY ATTITUDES AS PERCEIVED BY GERIATRIC PATIENTS IN HOMECARE INSTITUTIONS

The corona virus pandemic this year has given everyone bizarre health situations and an incommensurate danger, especially to the geriatric patients’ health, living conditions, interrelationships and overall well-being (Adhikari et al., 2020). No one knows how long this will last or when it will stop; its spread has affected many lives especially geriatric patients living in homecare institutions. The purpose of this study is to determine the nurse’s safety attitudes in times of pandemic as perceived by the geriatric patients in home care institutions. Data were gathered using an adapted and modified questionnaire entitled, “Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety” from the research study of Alvin C. Ogalesco and Janet B. Lim of the University of Texas, for whom the authors were asked permission for its use. The research results showed: that most of the geriatric patients were 60 to 69 years old, female, married, and stayed for 0 to 9 years in the homecare institution; a very much evident nurse’s safety attitudes was noted as perceived by the geriatric patients in terms of cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspects; and that there were significant differences between the nurse’s safety attitudes when the respondents were grouped according to their gender, civil status and length of stay in the institution. It was recommended that: geriatric patients should view old age as an opportunity for continuous development, satisfaction, and well-being; and that nurses must always carry with them their best safety attitudes while taking care of them, keeping in mind all these characteristics especially on critical times like the pandemic; they must also become more sensitive to the needs of the geriatric patients, focusing on counseling them to become aware of the necessary steps to avoid infection during the pandemic; accept their limitations and mental health management.
Blame avoidance, scapegoats and spin: Why Dutch politicians won’t evaluate ZBO-outcomes

Despite high expectations about the results of agencification and a legal obligation to evaluate executive agencies, ministers and MPs seem not very interested in evaluating agencies’ results. Hood’s theory on blame avoidance is used to explain the lack of evaluation in the case of the Dutch ZBOs. Only one in seven ZBOs is evaluated as frequently as mandated. Findings show that ZBO evaluations are more an administrative than a political process. Reports do not offer hard evidence and are seldom used in parliamentary debates. There are no clear patterns as to which ZBOs are evaluated more, or less, often.
A New Approach for a Unified Architecture for Type IV DCT/DST with an Efficient Incorporation of Obfuscation Technique

This paper aims at solving one challenging problem in designing VLSI chips, namely, the security of the hardware, by presenting a new design approach that incorporates the obfuscation technique in the VLSI implementation of some important DSP algorithms. The proposed method introduces a new approach in obtaining a unified VLSI architecture for computing type IV discrete cosine transform (DCT-IV) and type IV discrete sine transform (DST-IV), with an efficient integration of the obfuscation technique, while maintaining low overheads. The algorithms for these two transforms were restructured in such a way that their structures are fairly similar, and thus they can be implemented on the same VLSI chip and on the same hardware with very few modifications, with the latter being attributed to the pre-processing and post-processing stages. The design proposed uses the regular and modular structures, which are named quasi-correlation, and the architecture is inspired by the paradigm of the systolic array architecture. Thus, the introduced design benefits the security, for the hardware, and also the advantages introduced by the use of the regular and modular structures. A very efficient, unified VLSI architecture for type IV DCT/DST can be obtained, which allows the computation of the two algorithms on the same hardware, allowing an efficient incorporation of the obfuscation technique with very low overheads, and it can be very efficiently implemented, offering high-speed performances and low hardware complexity, with the latter being attributed to the efficient use of the hardware resources for the computation of these two algorithms.
Which Jobs for Which Boys? Party Finance and the Politics of State Job Distribution in Africa

Much of the literature on clientelism views the distribution of state jobs in the same way it does other forms of clientelistic exchange: as a mechanism of political mobilization. Despite its prevalence, this perspective does not account for the services that job recipients frequently provide to their political principals beyond the one-time exchange of political support. Drawing on extensive data from Benin and Ghana, including a comprehensive database of minister biographies, surveys of bureaucrats, administrative data, and elite interviews, this article argues that leaders distribute and manage state jobs in ways that enable them to extract and control state money for political financing. Whether incumbent leaders extract state resources themselves, delegate to elite party agents, or co-opt and coerce bureaucrats to divert money to the party shapes which jobs they distribute politically and to whom. The findings suggest that jobs are substantively different from other currencies of clientelistic exchange.
Systems thinking to facilitate “double loop” learning in tourism industry: a COVID-19 response strategy

Abstract It is evident there is an urgent need for tourism companies to build highly responsive learning systems to adapt to COVID-19 threats and beyond. As such, only learning tourism companies that promote inquiry, challenging current actions, and departing away from adopted assumptions will be able to survive. However, there is paucity of studies exploring effective learning methods in tourism companies to adapt to unpredictable crisis consequences. This study argues that systems thinking approach for service delivery design can operationalize double loop learning in tourism companies of finding alternative service offerings. An exploratory case study was conducted in a leading cruise group company in Vietnam. Results show that systems thinking activated double-loop learning by promoting three different drivers: systematic judges and acts, problem-based task force teams, and service innovation. This paper theorizes systems thinking with double-loop learning as an organizational means to help tourism companies survive during COVID-19 global tragedy, and to transform their service offerings. It also extends current understanding of tourism companies’ organisational learning by incorporating double loop learning with structural design issues based on the lens of organic structures and introduces managers of tourism companies to the significance of organic structures for competitive advantage creation during crisis.
Diversity, divergence and density: How habitat and hybrid zone dynamics maintain a genomic cline in an intertidal barnacle

As within‐species genomic data have been shown useful in interpreting broader biogeographic trends, we analysed the mode of population genomic isolation involved in a well‐studied intertidal genomic cline to better understand the mechanisms maintaining it. These results were interpreted in the context of spatial variation in habitat use and availability as well as likely fitness consequences for hybridization between the two lineages.
Nonlinear learning‐based model predictive control supporting state and input dependent model uncertainty estimates

While model predictive control (MPC) methods have proven their efficacy when applied to systems with safety specifications and physical limitations, their performance heavily relies on an accurate prediction model. As a consequence, a significant effort in the design of MPC controllers is dedicated to the modeling part and often requires advanced physical expertise. In order to facilitate the controller design, we present an MPC scheme supporting nonlinear learning‐based prediction models, that is, data‐driven models with probabilistic parameter uncertainties. A tube‐based MPC formulation in combination with an additional implicit state and input constraint forces the closed‐loop system to be operated in domains of sufficient model confidence, thereby ensuring asymptotic stability and constraint satisfaction at a prespecified level of probability. Furthermore, by relying on tube‐based MPC concepts, the proposed learning‐based MPC formulation offers a general framework for addressing different problem classes, such as economic MPC, while providing a general interface to probabilistic prediction models based, for example, on Bayesian regression or Gaussian processes. A design procedure is proposed for approximately linear systems and the efficiency of the method is illustrated using numerical examples.
Decomposition Pathways for Aqueous Hydroxylammonium Nitrate Solutions: a DFT Study

Hydroxylammmonium nitrate (hydroxylamine nitrate, HAN) is one of the most promising candidates as a replacement for commonly used liquid mono-propellants such as hydrazine. The reaction pathways involved in the initial and the catalytic decomposition of HAN in aqueous solution were determined using quantum chemistry calculations incorporating solvent effects. Optimized structures were obtained for the reactants, products and transition states at the ωB97XD/6-311++G(d,p)/SCRF = (solvent = water) level of theory and the total electron energies of these structures were calculated at the CBS-QB3 level of theory. In the initial decomposition, the ion-neutral NH3OH-HNO3 reaction, the neutral-neutral NH3O-HNO3 reaction and the HNO3 self-decomposition pathways were all found to have reasonable energy barriers, with values of 91.7 kJ/mol, 88.7 kJ/mol and 89.8 kJ/mol, respectively. The overall reaction resulting from any of these pathways can be written as: HAN → HONO + HNO + H2O. The ionic reaction is dominant during the initial decomposition of HAN in aqueous solution because NH3OH and NO3 are the major species in such solutions. We also developed six catalytic mechanisms and each of these schemes provided the same global reaction: NH2OH + HONO → N2O + 2H2O. The t-ONONO2 oxidizing scheme is the most plausible based on the energy barrier results.
AI-based audit of fuzzy front end innovation using ISO56002

Purpose This paper aims to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) audit tool for auditing text-based evidence and determine its efficiency and effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach A manual audit checklist and an AI audit tool are developed with fuzzy front-end (FFE) from Innovation Management System Standard (IMSS) as the audit scope, First, a manual audit of five organisations is conducted to determine their compliance scores. The transcripts of the audit are recorded which are used by the AI audit tool to assign compliance scores for the same organisations. The effectiveness and efficiency of the AI audit tool are determined by comparing their results with the manual audit. Findings This paper demonstrates the development of the FFE AI audit tool which led to 92% improved efficiency while being 95% effective compared to a human auditor. Practical implications The publication of new financial and non-financial standards (such as ISO56002: IMSS) have implications for internal auditing (IA). The scope of IA must expand to include new standards while remaining efficient. Emerging technologies, such as AI help achieve this. Even though the use of AI in financial auditing is widely studied, it has not received similar attention in non-financial auditing. This paper develops a non-financial AI audit tool to audit an essential component of the IMSS, the FFE of innovation and determine its efficiency and effectiveness. Originality/value The study develops an FFE AI audit tool for the first time. The methodology used has practical and academic implications for the use of AI in non-financial auditing.
Understanding the brand and website effects of online loyalty: a mediation perspective

ABSTRACT This study examines the factors leading to online loyalty, in terms of brand effects (i.e. brand innovativeness and brand love) as well as website effects (i.e. visual appeal, perceived enjoyment, and trust). To collect data, an online survey was administered to 229 e-commerce customers of a leading multinational footwear company in Bangladesh. The findings showed the positive effects of brand innovativeness on brand love, trust, and visual appeal. Perceived enjoyment displayed a positive effect on trust, while visual appeal demonstrated a positive effect on perceived enjoyment and trust. The findings highlighted the importance of brand innovativeness and visual appeal in predicting impulse purchase, while brand love and trust influenced both word of mouth and purchase intention. Further discussion and implications are presented.
Incorporating heterogeneity of travelers’ preferences into the overall hostel performance rating

Hostels have become a very popular form of accommodation and their varieties have grown steadily in recent years. To ensure the sustainability of this business model, it is necessary to understand the main drivers influencing travelers to choose a hostel accommodation. For this purpose, we conducted an online survey using convenience sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Respondents' preferences to six hostel attributes (cleanliness, location, staff, atmosphere, facilities, and cancellation policy) were determined using discrete choice analysis. Sample results showed that the most important attributes are cleanliness and location, while the atmosphere is the least important one. However, widespread heterogeneity in preferences was observed, and cluster analyzes identified three distinct groups of travelers: “cleanliness sticklers”, “location demanders” and “party seekers”. Facilities and atmosphere were found to be very important attributes for particular clusters. These findings can help design a marketing strategy for each of the identified segments to ensure sustainable business. Finally, we have proposed a new approach to calculating the hostel overall rating based on attribute importance, which shows much better discriminatory power compared to the traditional average-based approach.
Eksistensi Pelaku Usaha Sektor Informal Offline dan Online di Tengah

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk eksistensi pelaku usaha sektor informal offline dan online di tengan pandemi covid 19. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif dengan pengumpulan data menggunakan observasi dan wawancara. Analisis data yang digunakan yaitu data reduction, data display dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian yang diperoleh Sektor informal online merupakan jalan yang harus ditempuh, untuk tetap melaksanakan usaha dan memenuhi kebutuhan keluarga, sehingga dapat dikatakan sektor informal di masa pandemi covid-19 lebih eksis dibandingkan dengan sektor informal offline. Penjualan secara offline tetap dilakukan sebagian masyarakat karena adanya keterbatasan dalam penggunaan teknologi, selain itu banyak masyarakat melakukan penjualan secara online dan tidak offline, akan tetapi tidak jarang masyarakat juga melakukan usaha secara offline dan online. Sistem penjuan offline dan online yang dilakukan secara bersamaan agar kegiatan masyarakat sektor informal tetap berjalan sebagai mana mestinya. Mau tidak mau, suka atau tidak suka masyarakat harus mampu menjalankan usaha secara offline dan online ditengan pandemi dan juga kemajuan teknologi.
Input Parameters for the Mechanistic-Empirical Design of Full-Depth Reclamation Projects

Cold recycling technologies such as full-depth reclamation (FDR) are sustainable and cost-effective techniques for pavement rehabilitation that reduce environmental impacts and construction costs and time. The limited information available on the material properties of FDR mixtures and their characterization in mechanistic-empirical (M-E) pavement design hinders the full deployment of FDR. Previous research has found current M-E default values to be non-representative and overly conservative, leading to an underestimation of the true performance capabilities of FDR materials. To address this gap, this paper analyzes the performance of 11 FDR sites constructed throughout Colorado, U.S., and compares their long-term performance with M-E predictions. The objective of this paper is to recommend input values for the M-E design of FDR base materials that result in reliable predictions of FDR long-term performance. The analysis includes both non-stabilized and emulsion-stabilized FDR projects. Both initial International Roughness Index (IRI) and resilient modulus were found to have a significant impact on M-E predictions and were calibrated in a two-step process. The proposed input parameters lead to a conservative design of FDR projects and result in improved IRI predictions compared with the ones derived from current design criteria. With the current design parameters, IRI predictions were, on average, overestimated by 51 in. /mi, whereas the proposed input parameters make it possible to reduce this difference to 17 in. /mi. Future research is needed to improve current models in M-E pavement design software to adequately model cold in-place recycled layers such as FDR.
Characteristics of Hot Water Extracts from the Bark of Cultivated Willow (Salix sp.)

Willow bark is a rich source of heterogeneous polyphenolic compounds and a potential feedstock for biorefinery processes aiming at chemicals and fiber production. Here, mild hot water treatment of willow hybrid Karin was studied to find a practical means of isolating its non-cell-wall components for their utilization in a willow biorefinery proposed to aid valorization of the willow biomass. A short aqueous treatment of the bark at 80 °C liberated the extract in >20% yield under unpressurized conditions. The extract was characterized using mainly gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques. Authentic analytes were applied to confirm the identification and quantification of the main components that were picein, (+)-catechin, triandrin, glucose, and fructose. Fructose was converted into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in an acidic treatment which led to its condensation with the phenolic components and formation of a recalcitrant precipitate that should be avoided.
The resilience of soil organic carbon stocks under contrasting hill country pasture management practices

In 2020 we measured the stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations and stocks under contrasting hill country pasture regimes, by sampling three slope classes and three aspect locations on each of three farmlets of a long-term phosphorus fertiliser and sheep grazing experiment. The farmlets included no annual phosphorus (NF), 125 kg of single superphosphate/ha (LF), or 375 kg superphosphate/ha (HF) that has been applied on an annual basis since 1980. Results from the 2020 sampling event were added to previous results reported from soil samples collected in 2003 and 2014. The SOC concentrations in the topsoil (0-75 mm depth), ranging from 4.23 to 5.99% across all slopes and aspects of the farmlets, fell within the normal range (≥3.5 and <7.0%) required for sustaining production and environmental goals. A trend was shown for greater SOC stocks in the topsoil in the HF farmlet (34.0 Mg/ ha) compared with the other two farmlets (31.6 Mg/ha), but this trend was not evident in the deeper soil layers (75-150, 150-300, 0-300 mm). Under the current conditions, topographical features such as slope and aspect had a more profound influence on SOC stocks than management history.
A Comparison of the Variability and Changes in Global Ocean Heat Content from Multiple Objective Analysis Products During the Argo Period

Ocean heat content (OHC) is key to estimating the energy imbalance of the earth system. Over the past two decades, an increasing number of OHC studies were conducted using oceanic objective analysis (OA) products. Here we perform an intercomparison of OHC from eight OA products with a focus on their robust features and significant differences over the Argo period (2005-2019), when the most reliable global scale oceanic measurements are available. For the global ocean, robust warming in the upper 2000 m is confirmed. The 0-300 m layer shows the highest warming rate but is heavily modulated by interannual variability, particularly the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The 300-700 m and 700-2000 m layers, on the other hand, show unabated warming. Regionally, the Southern Ocean and mid-latitude North Atlantic show a substantial OHC increase, and the subpolar North Atlantic displays an OHC decrease. A few apparent differences in OHC among the examined OA products were identified. In particular, temporal means of a few OA products that incorporated other ocean measurements besides Argo show a global-scale cooling difference, which is likely related to the baseline climatology fields used to generate those products. Large differences also appear in the interannual variability in the Southern Ocean and in the long-term trends in the subpolar North Atlantic. These differences remind us of the possibility of product-dependent conclusions on OHC variations. Caution is therefore warranted when using merely one OA product to conduct OHC studies, particularly in regions and on timescales that display significant differences.