Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Augmentation of Plant Growth Attributes, Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and Microbial Population in Custard Apple cv. Balanagar in Response to Azospirillum brasilense and Vermicompost Application in Humid Zone of South Eastern Rajasthan, India

ABSTRACT Field experiments were conducted for two successive seasons July 2018 to November 2018 and July 2019 to November 2019 at the Fruit Instructional Farm, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar district under Rajasthan state of India. The experiment consisted of different treatments of Azospirillum brasilense (AZS) and Vermicompost (V.C.). It was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. The 16 different treatment combinations of AZS and Vermicompost were applied to soil canopy of custard apple cv. Balanagar plants during first week of July 2018 and July 2019 in canopy rhizosphere of black vertisols in custard apple plants. Among different treatment combinations, T10 treatment consisting of AZS @ 50 g + V.C. @10 kg/plant was found relatively better over all other treatments with respect to most of the plant growth characteristics, including soil health properties and microbial population density in soil availability in canopy of custard apple cv. Balanagar plants. The pooled results of two years revealed comparative better plant growth parameters viz. rootstock girth (74.20 mm), scion girth (61.52 mm), plant height attribute (3.46 m), number of nodes per shoot (13.00), number of nodes per branch (86.17), number of shoots per branch (26.00), number of shoots per plant (151.00) have shown augmenting response in improvement of plant growth parameters under T10 treatment (AZS @ 50 g + V.C. @ 10 kg /plant) in custard apple cv. Balanagar plants. However, key soil parameters concerning bulk density (1.32 g/cm3), soil pH (7.39), and electrical conductivity (0.46 dS m−1) reduced significantly under T10 treatment over other treatments. The soil physico-chemical properties especially change in porosity (55.04%), organic carbon (0.55%), available nitrogen content (350.55 kg/ha), available phosphorous content (46.51 kg ha−1) and available potassium content (322.34 kg ha−1), bacterial population (26.67 cfu g−1), fungi population (15.00 cfu g−1) and actinomycetes population (10.00 cfu g−1) have shown tremendous response in improvement of soil parameters under T10 treatment (AZS @ 50 g + V.C. @ 10 kg /plant) with respect to overall soil health.
Nitrogen Fertilization in Soybean: Influence on Nutritional Status, Yield Components and Yield

ABSTRACT Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is what makes soybean economically viable. However, the launch of cultivars, with a high-yield potential and abiotic factors that reduce BNF, raised doubts about the need for nitrogen (N) fertilizers for soybeans. The objective of the research was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen supply, in two application times in furrow starter fertilization and top-dressing. The experimental design was in the 3 × 6 factorial scheme. The treatments consisted of three rates of N at in furrow starter fertilization (0, 10, and 20 kg ha−1 of N), and six rates of N in top-dressing, applied at the soybean R1 stage (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 kg ha−1 of N). The highest rate in furrow starter fertilization of 20 kg ha−1 of N resulted in the increase in the leaf area index (LAI) and specific leaf area (SLA), which are attributes that maximize the absorption of light energy, thus being able to positively influence yield. However, the BNF demonstrated that the strains of the selected Bradyrhizobium are efficient and capable of supplying the required N because the supplementation of nitrogen in furrow and/or top-dressing did not result in significant differences in the yield in relation to inoculated soybean.
Gendered Relational Work: How gender shapes money attitudes and expectations of young adults

ABSTRACT We link the theory of gender performance to the perspective on the social meaning of money and relational work. Using longitudinal Panel Study of Income Dynamics data on young adult women and men, ages 18 through 24 in the US, we examine survey responses to different money-related situations. We question the expected gender-typical meanings of money, offering a more contextual understanding. Specifically, we find that when asked about the present, young women express that they worry more frequently about money than men do. However, when asked about the future – likelihood of having difficulty with financially supporting one’s family and likelihood of having a job that pays well – we find no significant gender differences. Instead, we find expressions of optimism rather than worry by young women and men alike. These results hold when controlling for psychological dispositions, financial obligations, and demographics. Overall, we note the importance of contextually situating ‘gender effects’ in relation to money matters, and call for more sociological research that places gender performance centrally into the analyses of economy and examines gendered relational work across different time orientations.
Linking travel motives to identity and travel behavior of the Australian LGBT market during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Using push-pull and identity-based motivation theory, this study examines the link between the push motives of the LGBT market, their identity, pull activities and travel patterns (location) during COVID-19. With a sample of 473 Australian LGBT travelers, this study identifies four motivation segments (Social Butterflies, Escapists & Safety Seekers, Blurring Binaries and Conformists). These segments differ on their identity (self and social) and travel activity choices, highlighting the heterogeneity within the LGBT market. The findings have implications for designing experiences and their marketing for the different segments of LGBT travelers post COVID-19.
SEPARATION OF COPPER FROM A LEACHING SOLUTION OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS BY USING SOLVENT EXTRACTION WITH D2EHPA

Global generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is increasing quickly. Metals from WEEE can be recovered by using unit operations of chemical engineering. This paper describes a combined hydrometallurgical route (sulfuric oxidant leaching + solvent extraction) to recover copper from printed circuit boards (PCBs). A non-magnetic fraction from comminuted PCBs was used to perform leaching tests at 75oC for 6 hours in an oxidizing media (sulfuric acid + hydrogen peroxide). In order to separate zinc, aluminum, and copper from the leaching liquor, solvent extraction tests were carried out using D2EHPA. Parameters that influence the process, such as pH, extractant concentration, and the aqueous/organic (A/O) ratio were investigated. Solvent extraction experiments were carried out in two stages: i) separation of zinc, aluminum, and residual iron, and ii) copper separation. The results showed that the leaching obtained around 60% aluminum, 94% copper, 76% zinc, 50% nickel and residual iron from the non-magnetic fraction of PCBs. With the solvent experiments, in the first stage, 100 wt. % zinc, iron and aluminum were extracted at pH 3.5, 2:1 A/O, 10 % (v/v) D2EHPA, while, in the second stage 100% of the copper was extracted at pH 3.5, 1:1 A/O, 20 % (v/v) D2EHPA.
LipNotif: Use of Lips as a Non-Contact Tactile Notification Interface Based on Ultrasonic Tactile Presentation

We propose LipNotif, a non-contact tactile notification system that uses airborne ultrasound tactile presentation to lips. Lips are suitable for non-contact tactile notifications because they have high tactile sensitivity comparable to the palms, are less occupied in daily life, and are constantly exposed outward. LipNotif uses tactile patterns to intuitively convey information to users, allowing them to receive notifications using only their lips, without sight, hearing, or hands. We developed a prototype system that automatically recognizes the position of the lips and presents non-contact tactile sensations. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of LipNotif. In the first experiment, we found that directional information can be notified to the lips with an average accuracy of ± 11.1° in the 120° horizontal range. In the second experiment, we could elicit significantly different affective responses by changing the stimulus intensity. The experimental results indicated that LipNotif is practical for conveying directions, emotions, and combinations of them. LipNotif can be applied for various purposes, such as notifications during work, calling in the waiting room, and tactile feedback in automotive user interfaces.
ReflecTrack: Enabling 3D Acoustic Position Tracking Using Commodity Dual-Microphone Smartphones

3D position tracking on smartphones has the potential to unlock a variety of novel applications, but has not been made widely available due to limitations in smartphone sensors. In this paper, we propose ReflecTrack, a novel 3D acoustic position tracking method for commodity dual-microphone smartphones. A ubiquitous speaker (e.g., smartwatch or earbud) generates inaudible Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) acoustic signals that are picked up by both smartphone microphones. To enable 3D tracking with two microphones, we introduce a reflective surface that can be easily found in everyday objects near the smartphone. Thus, the microphones can receive sound from the speaker and echoes from the surface for FMCW-based acoustic ranging. To simultaneously estimate the distances from the direct and reflective paths, we propose the echo-aware FMCW technique with a new signal pattern and target detection process. Our user study shows that ReflecTrack achieves a median error of 28.4 mm in the 60cm × 60cm × 60cm space and 22.1 mm in the 30cm × 30cm × 30cm space for 3D positioning. We demonstrate the easy accessibility of ReflecTrack using everyday surfaces and objects with several typical applications of 3D position tracking, including 3D input for smartphones, fine-grained gesture recognition, and motion tracking in smartphone-based VR systems.
Students’ Acceptance towards Different Online Learning Methods: A Comparison between Two Vietnamese Educational Institutions

∗ This study aims to examine the factors influencing students’ acceptance of the online learning system at two Vietnamese institutions (the Institution of Higher Education (IHE) and the Polytechnic) in which different online learning methods are employed. A total of 3408 students in both institutions were surveyed. The resulting data was analyzed using the technology acceptance model (TAM). Content feature is found to be the most important factor affecting students’ acceptance of the online learning system in the two institutions, but it is more significant for the Polytechnic in which self-developed online courses are employed. The second most critical factor that has a significant impact on students’ perceptions of the usefulness of online learning programs in both institutions is the social factor. In the IHE where readily available massive online courses are applied, this impact is found more strongly. Interest-ingly, we find that only perceived usefulness has significant impact on students’ attitude and intention to use of the online learning systems in both institutions, while perceived ease of use exert no significant impact on these two key variables. Finally, the study offers recommendations on how to enhance students’ acceptance of online learning when the institutions employ different online learning methods.
STRIVE: String-Based Force Feedback for Automotive Engineering

The large potential of force feedback devices for interacting in Virtual Reality (VR) has been illustrated in a plethora of research prototypes. Yet, these devices are still rarely used in practice and it remains an open challenge how to move this research into practice. To that end, we contribute a participatory design study on the use of haptic feedback devices in the automotive industry. Based on a 10-month observing process with 13 engineers, we developed STRIVE, a string-based haptic feedback device. In addition to the design of STRIVE, this process led to a set of requirements for introducing haptic devices into industrial settings, which center around a need for flexibility regarding forces, comfort, and mobility. We evaluated STRIVE with 16 engineers in five different day-to-day automotive VR use cases. The main results show an increased level of trust and perceived safety as well as further challenges towards moving haptics research into practice.
Common Difficulties of Reading Comprehension Experienced by Vietnamese Students

The following paper explores the most challenging reading comprehension problems confronted by freshmen in EFL reading classes. Also, some possible solutions were suggested based on such challenges by the researcher. Fifty freshmen in a private university in Ho Chi Minh City who were undertaking the English Preparation Course with the reading skills were delivered the questionnaires. The questionnaires consisted of five open-ended and closed-ended questions to investigate students' perceptions of their reading comprehension difficulties. Simultaneously, interviews with three lecturers who have experienced teaching reading skills were also conducted to indicate their opinions regarding their students' problems encountering reading comprehension, which would be later used to compare and contrast the students' answers. The study's findings showed that vocabulary and lack of background knowledge were the two most common challenges on reading comprehension faced by students. The results of this study might benefit both lecturers and students in developing their learning and teaching methods in general and in reading skills particularly.
Waning grasslands: a quantitative temporal evaluation of the grassland habitats across human-dominated upper Gangetic Plains, north India

Grassland habitats currently face severe anthropogenic exploitations leading to cascading effects on the survival of grassland-dependent biodiversity globally, particularly in non-protected areas. Significant amount of such biodiversity-rich grasslands in India are found outside protected areas but lack quantitative information on their status. We evaluated the current and historical (30 years) status of the grasslands using a combination of intensive field surveys and GIS tools across one of the most fertile, human-dominated region: the upper Gangetic Plains of north India. On-ground mapping and visual classifications revealed 57% decline in grassland habitats between 1985 (418 km2) and 2015 (178km2), mostly driven by conversion to croplands (74% contribution). Radio-telemetry data from the largest endemic cervid swamp deer (n=2) showed grassland-dominated average home range (50% BBMM) size of 1.02 km2. The animals highly preferred these patches (average Ivlev’s index- 0.85) and showed highest temporal continuity (88%) compared to other LULC classes. Camera trapping within the core habitats suggests critical use of these patches as fawning/breeding grounds. Habitat suitability analysis indicates only ∼18% of the entire area along Ganges is suitable for swamp deer. Accurate mapping (86% accuracy) and characterization of four major grass species revealed a total 144.04 km² vegetation area, dominted by Saccharum sp. (35%). We recommend protection and recovery of these critical grassland patches to maintain ‘dynamic corridors’ and other appropriate management strategies involving multiple stakeholders to ensure survival of this critical ecosystem. Such evaluations, if spatially expanded, would be critical to restore this rapidly vanishing ecosystem worldwide.
StarBeast3: Adaptive Parallelised Bayesian Inference of the Multispecies Coalescent

As genomic sequence data becomes increasingly available, inferring the phylogeny of the species as that of concatenated genomic data can be enticing. However, this approach makes for a biased estimator of branch lengths and substitution rates and an inconsistent estimator of tree topology. Bayesian multispecies coalescent methods address these issues. This is achieved by embedding a set of gene trees within a species tree and jointly inferring both under a Bayesian framework. However, this approach comes at the cost of increased computational demand. Here, we introduce StarBeast3 – a software package for efficient Bayesian inference of the multispecies coalescent model via Markov chain Monte Carlo. We gain efficiency by introducing cutting-edge proposal kernels and adaptive operators, and StarBeast3 is particularly efficient when a relaxed clock model is applied. Furthermore, gene tree inference is parallelised, allowing the software to scale with the size of the problem. We validated our software and benchmarked its performance using three real and two synthetic datasets. Our results indicate that StarBeast3 is up to one-and-a-half orders of magnitude faster than StarBeast2, and therefore more than two orders faster than *BEAST, depending on the dataset and on the parameter, and is suitable for multispecies coalescent inference on large datasets (100+ genes). StarBeast3 is open-source and is easy to set up with a friendly graphical user interface.
Live analysis of position-effect variegation in Drosophila reveals different modes of action for HP1a and Su(var)3-9

Position Effect Variegation (PEV) results from the juxtaposition of euchromatic and heterochromatic components of eukaryotic genomes, silencing genes near the new euchromatin/heterochromatin junctions. Silencing is itself heritable through S phase, giving rise to distinctive random patterns of cell clones expressing the genes intermixed with clones in which the genes are silenced. Much of what we know about epigenetic inheritance in the soma stems from work on PEV aimed at identifying the components of the silencing machinery and its mechanism of inheritance. The roles of two central gene activities – the Su(var)3-9-encoded histone H3-Lysine-9 methyltransferase and the Su(var)205-encoded methyl-H3-Lysine-9 binding protein HP1a – have been inferred from terminal phenotypes, leaving considerable gaps in understanding how PEV behaves through development. Here, we investigate the PEV phenotypes of Su(var)3-9 and Su(var)205 mutations in live developing tissues. We discovered that mutation in Su(var)205 compromises the initial establishment of PEV in early embryogenesis. Later gains of heterochromatin-induced gene silencing are possible, but are unstable and lost rapidly. In contrast, a strain with mutation in Su(var)3-9 exhibits robust silencing early in development, but fails to maintain it through subsequent cell divisions. Our analyses show that while the terminal phenotypes of these mutations may appear identical, they have arrived at them through different developmental trajectories. We discuss how our findings expand and clarify existing models for epigenetic inheritance of heterochromatin-induced gene silencing. Significance Current concepts of epigenetic inheritance are exemplified by Position Effect Variegation, a phenomenon whereby heterochromatin can repress genes in clonal cell lineages. Heterochromatin is required for genome protection as it silences toxic transposable elements and prevents instability of repeat sequences. Histone H3 modified by methylation of Lysine-9 and HP1a are critical components of heterochromatin. Using live cell analysis of PEV in mutants in strains with mutations in Su(var)3-9, which encodes the histone methyltransferase, and Su(var)205, which encodes HP1a, we describe an unexpected dynamism in PEV, challenging current models of epigenetics, and revealing unexpectedly different modes of action of these two fundamental components of heterochromatin.
High-power modelocked thin-disk oscillators as potential technology for high-rate material processing

Abstract High average power femtosecond lasers have made spectacular progress in the last decades – moving from laboratory-based systems with maximum average powers of tens of watts to kilowatt-class mature industrial systems in a short time. The availability of such systems opens new possibilities in many fields; one of the most prominent ones that have driven many of these technological advances is precise high-speed material processing, where ultrashort pulses have long been recognized to provide highest precision processing of virtually any material, and high average power extends these capabilities to highest processing rates. Here, we focus our attention on one high-average power technology with large unexplored potential for this specific application: directly modelocked multi-MHz repetition frequency high-power thin-disk oscillators. We review their latest state-of-the-art and discuss future directions and challenges, specifically with this application field in mind.
Determinants of Adverse Birth Outcome in The West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Regional State, Ethiopia: Unmatched Case-control Study

Abstract Introduction Adverse birth outcome (ABO) can lead to higher rates of poor health and infection for newborns, as well as long-term neurological and health problems. Hence, the aim is to identify determinants of ABOs among mothers who gave birth in hospitals in West Shewa zone, Ethiopia. Material and methods A hospital-based, unmatched, case-control study was conducted from March 5 to July 29, 2020, among 591 mothers (171 cases and 420 controls) who had given birth in hospitals found in West Shewa zone. The questionnaire was collected using census and survey processing system (CS-Pro) version 7.1. The data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS software version 23. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Finally, P-value <0.05 was used to declare and include variables with statistically significant in predicting the outcome variable. Result On multivariate analysis, urban residence (AOR=0.65, 95%, CI=0.43–0.98), lack of family support during child bearing (AOR =5.24, 95% CI=3.16–8.71), pregnancy type (AOR = 4.02, 95% CI: 2.47–6.52), short interpregnancy interval (AOR = 1.43,95% CI= 1.23–4.48), less than four antenatal care (ANC) visits (AOR =1.80,95%CI: 1.17–2.78), and having current obstetric complication (AOR=2.07, 95% CI =1.18–3.61) were significantly associated with adverse birth outcomes. Conclusions Residence, lack of family support during childbearing, pregnancy type, short inter-pregnancy interval, having current obstetric complications, and number of ANC visits were identified as determinants of adverse birth outcome. Therefore, improving family support, increasing inter-pregnancy interval through family planning counselling and provision, and having the recommended ANC follow-up were recommended.