Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A simple nonlinear stabilization control of planar vertical take‐off and landing aircraft based on finite‐time control and Controlled Lagrangians

A simple nonlinear stabilization controller for the planar vertical take‐off and landing (PVTOL) aircraft is proposed by employing finite‐time control method and Controlled Lagrangians method in this paper. Compared with other results, the new form of the proposed controller is simpler, the parameters selection of the proposed controller is more flexible and the stability analysis of the closed system is easier. The control strategy consists of two controllers. The first controller is designed based on finite‐time control method to make the states of the fully actuated system converge to zero within a finite time. After that, the system can be simplified to a 2‐DOF underactuated system. And the second controller is designed based on Controlled Lagrangians method to make the states of the underactuated system asymptotically stable. The simulation results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller.
COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF RESPONSIVENESS IN PRE-SERVICE PRESCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY SITUATION (2018-2020)

The global pandemic of Civid-19 has led to significant changes in the transformation of the system of education and teacher training. Regarding the training of prospective preschool teachers at the institutions of higher education, there is a growing need to develop multiple competencies so that a teacher can create an emotionally safe and supervised learning environment. Our study highlights the importance of the responsiveness of preschool teachers in providing supportive responses, responsibility, and guidance regulating children’s emotions in the pedagogical activity. The aim of the study is to analyze and compare the perceptions of students, pre-service preschool teachers, on teachers’ emotional responsiveness before the global pandemic and during the Covid-19 emergency. The materials and methods used in the study include the theoretical method – the analysis of literature - and the empirical method – a survey of 600 part-time students working in pre-school educational institutions in 2018 and in 2020. The survey was conducted online. The data were processed using the software SPSS. The results of the study demonstrate that, generally, the Covid-19 emergency has increased the willingness of prospective preschool teachers to undertake responsibility and leadership in regulating children’s emotions. The students have become more responsible and determined; their understanding of the importance of emotional responsiveness in teacher’s work is higher than before the pandemic
Renal function estimation done by contrast enhanced computed tomography volume percentage: a better cost-effective alternate for renogram values

The most common urological problem reported in the routine practice is obstructive uropathy primarily due to urolithiasis. Studies had shown the incidence of obstructive uropathy varied from 5% to 20% and it is more so in the western countries. In India, no such studies had been conducted to assess the incidence of obstructive uropathy. Based on the duration of onset obstructive uropathy is classified as acute or chronic and based on the side of involvement it can unilateral or bilateral and based on the renal parenchymal involvement it can be ABSTRACT
Soil Fertility Evaluation to Adopt Climate-Smart Agriculture in Mambattu Village, Maduranthakam Block of Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu, India

Assessment of soil fertility is essential to help identify strategies for sustainable agricultural production systems that decrease the negative environmental impact. The objective of this research study is to carry out a preliminary assessment of soil fertility status to adopt climate-smart agriculture to address the climate change challenges that adversely affect crop productivity and livelihoods of the farming community. The research was carried out in Mambattu village, Maduranthakam block of Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu. A systematic set of twenty geo-referenced soil samples were collected from the study village using GPS (Global Positioning System) and analysed for pH, EC, available macro, secondary and micronutrients to develop a credible soil fertility index (SFI). The preliminary fertility data of Mambattu village revealed that the pH of soil samples varied from acidic to alkaline with about 40% as neutral while the electrical conductivity showed non-saline and medium status of Organic Carbon (OC). The soil samples were predominantly sufficient in N and some micro nutrients (Fe, Mn), while medium in S and B and deficient in P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu. Results from initial studies indicate that practices like site specific nutrient management, green manuring, use of organic inputs, use of integrated pest management, seed treatment etc., have a high potential for implementing climate-smart agricultural technologies. Soil fertility evaluation can be an efficient tool to improve soil health which can positively impact crop productivity and be one of the important climate-smart technologies practices adopted by the farmers.
Volume Reduction Provided by Eight Residential Disconnected Downspouts in Durham, North Carolina

AbstractOne major concern of increased development is the proportion of directly connected impervious areas (DCIA) in urbanized watersheds. A cost-efficient opportunity to treat stormwater within existing residential and small-scale commercial developments is to disconnect roof gutter downspouts and direct impervious surface runoff over lawns. Four paired residential downspout disconnection sites in Durham, North Carolina, were studied to quantify volume and peak flow reduction. Hydrologic data were collected from January 22, 2013, to October 8, 2013. For each site, the performance of disconnected downspouts discharging water over existing lawn was compared for three varying factors: slope of lawn, length of run over lawn, and proportion of contributing roof area to receiving lawn area. Data were analyzed from approximately 60 storm events. Performance was evaluated by calculating volume reduction with and without the direct rainfall on the lawn, resulting in cumulative runoff volume reduction ranges of 5.
Determination of Pneumonia in X-ray Chest Images by Using Convolutional Neural Network

: Pneumonia is one of the major diseases that cause a lot of deaths all over the world. Determining pneumonia from chest X-ray (CXR) images is an extremely diﬀicult and important image processing problem. The discrimination of whether pneumonia is of bacterium or virus origin has also become more important during the pandemic. Automatic determination of the presence and origin of pneumonia is crucial for speeding up the treatment process and increasing the patient’s survival rate. In this study, a convolutional neural network (CNN) framework is proposed for detection of pneumonia from CXR images. Two different binary CNNs and a triple CNN are used for determining: ( i ) normal or pneumonia, ( ii ) pneumonia of bacterium or virus origin, and ( iii ) normal or bacterial pneumonia or viral pneumonia. In this approach, CNNs are trained with Walsh functions to extract the features from CXR images, and minimum distance classifier instead of a fully connected neural network is employed for classification purpose. Training with Walsh functions maintains the within-class scattering to be low, and between-class scattering to be high. Preferring the minimum distance classifier reduces the number of nodes used and also allows the network to be controlled with fewer hyperparameters. These approaches bring some advantages to the system designed for the classification process: ( i ) easy determination of hyperparameters, ( ii ) achieving higher classification performance, and ( iii ) use of fewer neurons. The proposed small-size CNN model was applied to CXR images from 1-to 5-year-old children provided by the Guangzhou Women’s and Children’s Medical Center (GWCMC). Three experiments have been conducted to improve the classification performance: ( i ) the effect of different sizes of input images on the performance of the network was investigated, ( ii ) training set was augmented by randomly flipping left to right or down to up, by adding Gaussian noise to the images, by creating negative images randomly, and by changing image brightness randomly ( iii ) instead of RGB CXR images, gray component of the original image and four 2D wavelet images were given as input to the network. In these experiments, no major changes were observed in the classification results obtained by using the proposed CNNs. The proposed method has achieved 100% accuracy for normal or pneumonia, 92% for pneumonia of bacterium or virus origin, and 90% for normal or bacterial pneumonia or viral pneumonia. It is observed that higher classification performances were obtained with approximately five times less parameters compared to the networks that gave the best results in the literature. Thus, the applied CNN model is promising in medicine and can help experts make quick and accurate decisions.
Aquatic oligochaetes (Annelida: Clitellata) in reservoirs in São Paulo State: list of occurrence and ecological observations on the species

Abstract: This work sought the survey of species and information about the distribution of the Class Oligochaeta in reservoirs sampled in the Sediment Quality Monitoring Network of CETESB (Environmental Company of the State of Sao Paulo). As such, this study aimed to inventory the limnic oligochaetes fauna to expand knowledge of the ecology and distribution of this group in reservoirs in the state of Sao Paulo. Ninety replicates were performed in 12 reservoirs in the state of Sao Paulo between 2014 and 2016, using van Veen or Ponar samplers in the sublittoral region, and Ekman-Birge in the deep region. Twenty-eight taxa were inventoried, belonging to the families Naididae and Opistocystidae. The species Dero righii and Pristina longisoma were recorded for the first time in Sao Paulo State, Nais magnaseta and Spirosperma velutina were first recorded in Brazil. The results presented here make this inventory extremely important for understanding the distribution of aquatic oligochaetes throughout the Brazilian territory.
Phosphatase Activities and Available Nutrients in Soil Receiving Pelletized Poultry Litter

Abstract Pelletization of poultry litter can impact availability of inorganic and organic nutrients. We compared the effects of incorporating pelletized poultry litter (PPL) and inorganic fertilizer Osmocote (OSM) applied at rates of 56 (low), 112 (medium), or 168 (high) kg phosphorus (P) · ha−1 on nutrient availability and enzyme activities in a high-P silt loam growing edamame throughout one growing season. Responses in the low rate treatments of both PPL and OSM generally did not differ from the untreated control. Medium and high application rates of both fertilizers increased water-soluble P and Mehlich-3 P and K compared with the control, whereas PPL increased extractable P concentrations compared with OSM, especially at the high rate. Inorganic nitrogen concentration was higher in OSM- than PPL-treated soil, especially as rates increased and during reproductive stages. The high rate of PPL increased dissolved organic C concentrations, but without a clear linear relationship between dissolved organic C and enzyme activities. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were higher initially in PPL treatments than the control and OSM-treated soil. Phosphatases in the high-rate PPL treatments were similar to or lower than the control at V5 to R6 stages and higher than OSM-treated soil at V5 and R6. We conclude that even under high soil test P, soil organisms will increase available P from PPL to an even greater extent than inorganic fertilizer, likely contributing to negative environmental consequences. Nutrient management incorporating PPL in soils should consider both nutrient concentrations and potential for mineralization to release organic nutrients.
Gender Roles and Economic Differentials in Aquaculture of Kainji Lake Basin, Nigeria

The existing power differences among men, women and youths in aquaculture pre-empted the study on gender roles and economic differentials in aquaculture of Kainji Lake Basin, Nigeria. Specifically, the study assessed sources of production resources, gender roles, cost and returns and existing gender gaps in aquaculture. Using a survey design, a two-stage sampling procedure was used to select 81 males and 39 females from a population of 229 fish farmers. Data were presented using descriptive statistics and analyzed with budgetary technique and gender gap ratios. Key result shows that the men and youths had direct access to land through inheritance and purchase while the women (61%) accessed land through a family relation. The men and male youths performed majority of the gender roles involved in preparation of ponds, fingerlings stocking, fish management and post-harvest activities while the women and female youths were actively involved in fish management, liming and grading. Economic indicators show that the men and youths have a higher return on investment than the women implying that such power differences still exist. Hence, it is recommended that women should be organized in groups for empowerment. This will enable them utilize their collective strength through division of labour in fish farming.
Kinetic and Scale-up Investigations of a Michael Addition in Microreactors

Microreactors are an efficient tool for process development and intensification. However, the scale-up from lab studies to small-scale commercial production is challenging, since a change in the channel dimensions requires good knowledge of heat and mass transfer phenomena. In this work, complete process development for an exothermic Michael addition is presented. In a systematic scale-up approach, kinetic studies and experimental characterization of the employed reactors provide key parameters for detailed reactor modelling. The residence time distribution, reactant mixing, and removal of reaction heat are taken into account. It is exemplarily shown how preliminary experiments can be the basis for the prediction of scale-up effects and the development of a continuous production process. Plug flow behavior and short mixing times could be confirmed for all investigated flow reactors. Furthermore, interactions of reaction kinetics and the formation of hot spots in the reactor channel were investigated. For .
Proton disorder in dehydrated hemimorphite - IR spectroscopy and X-ray structure refinement at low and ambient temperatures

Polarized IR absorption spectra of dehydrated hemimorphite single-crystals [Zn_4Si_2O_7(OH)_2] were recorded between 82 and 373 K. The crystal structure, including the proton positions, was refined in space group Imml from single-crystal X-ray data measured at 110 and 298 K. Both methods, as well as electrostatic and crystal chemical considerations, show that the protons of the hydroxide groups are disordered in the structural channels. One proton is located at the line between two O3 atoms (O3•••O3' = 2.99-3.02 A) thus building up a weak H bond. The corresponding O-H stretching band occurs at ~3530 cm^(-1) and is polarized parallel to ɑ. Due to proton-proton repulsion, the O-H vector of the other H atom deviates from the O3—O3' line. As a consequence, the corresponding IR stretching vibration is observed at ~3600 cm^(-1) and components of this band occur parallel to ɑ and c. The disorder is also reflected by the large anisotropic displacement parameter U_(33) of the O3 atom. To test for a possible low-temperature phase transition (similar to that in natural hemimorphite), birefringence values were determined in (010) and (001) sections between 83 and 373 K. However, the smooth curves do not indicate a transition. This is explained by the lack of an additional proton acceptor (05 of the water molecule in hemimorphite) in the dehydrated phase.
An Evaluation of the Acceptability of Smart Eyewear for Plot Diagnosis Activity in Agriculture

Smart glasses could meet the plot diagnosis activity needs in agriculture. Therefore, their acceptability must be evaluated. We conducted user tests with agricultural advisors to assess perceived comfort and user experience. The participants reported comfort issues like and harm problems, and obstruction or disturbance of the visual field. Objective and subjective evaluations were poorer when the device was used in voice mode compared with buttons. Despite these limitations, the participants mentioned the potential benefits of the device for plot diagnosis. Although promising, smart glasses do not yet meet the advisors’ constraints. We propose hardware and software recommendations.
Choice between Acquisition and Joint Venture Based on Financial Statement Comparability

This study examined the relationship between target firms’ financial statement comparability and bidder firms’ boundary decisions. The study used initial public offering (IPO) firms as target firms to test the impact of asymmetric information and signaling on investing bidder firms’ boundary decisions, such as joint ventures or acquisitions. In the IPO market, as an experimental setting, bidder firms are unfamiliar with issuing firms because they have little information about them prior to the IPO. This study argues that IPO firms with higher accounting comparability show lower information asymmetry. Consistent with this argument, we found that IPO firms’ accounting comparability has a positive probability of becoming a target for either a joint venture or acquisition, or an acquisition instead of a joint venture. This study contributes to the literature, financial statement comparability, and joint venture and acquisition decisions to measure the degree to which information asymmetry affects corporate investment strategy using a unique experimental setting of IPO firms.
Recognizing Determinants to Smallholders’ Market Orientation and Marketing Arrangements: Building on a Case of Dairy Farming in Rural Kenya

Smallholder commercialization is central to international development policy and practice. As a result, several arrangements to foster market linkages are being implemented. Especially popular are farmers’ organizations, which are believed to be owned, controlled, and financed by smallholders. As such, their design is considered inclusive given every household in a community is theoretically allowed to become a member, and the governance and management structure encourage participatory decision-making. However, even in the context in which farmers’ organizations are actively promoted, a notable proportion of smallholders may not be able to engage in market-oriented production or may opt for the existing alternative marketing arrangements, as dictated by individual households’ socioeconomic characteristics. Focusing on the case of smallholder farming in Olenguruone, Nakuru county, Kenya, where a donor funded dairy farmers’ cooperative marketing arrangement is promoted alongside existing marketing opportunities, the present research investigated the factors that determine smallholders’ commercial farming orientation and marketing arrangements. It employed a case study approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative research methods for a more complete empirical inquiry. The findings demonstrate that irrespective of the external support provided through marketing opportunities such as farmer organizations, smallholders’ engagement in commercial farming and marketing is dictated by the socioeconomic attributes and market perceptions that are heterogeneous among households in a smallholder community.
Conditional love? Co‐occurrence patterns of drought‐sensitive species in European grasslands are consistent with the stress‐gradient hypothesis

Abstract Aim The stress‐gradient hypothesis (SGH) postulates that species interactions shift from negative to positive with increasing abiotic stress. Interactions between species are increasingly being recognized as important drivers of species distributions, but it is still unclear whether stress‐induced changes in interactions affect continental‐to‐global scale species distributions. Here, we tested whether associations of vascular plant species in dry grasslands in Europe follow the SGH along a climatic water deficit (CWD) gradient across the continent. Location Dry grasslands in Europe. Time period Present. Major taxa studied Vascular plants. Methods We built a context‐dependent joint species distribution model (JSDM) to estimate the residual associations (i.e., associations that are not explained by the abiotic environment) of 161 plant species as a function of the CWD based on community data from 8,660 vegetation plots. We evaluated changes in residual associations between species for pairs and on the community level, and we compared responses for groups of species with different drought tolerances. Results We found contrasting shifts in associations for drought‐sensitive and drought‐tolerant species. For drought‐sensitive species, 21% of the pairwise associations became more positive with increasing CWD, whereas 17% became more negative. In contrast, only 17% of the pairwise associations involving drought‐tolerant species became more positive, whereas 27% became more negative in areas with a high CWD. Additionally, the incidence of positive associations increased with drought for drought‐sensitive species and decreased for drought‐tolerant species. Main conclusions We found that associations of drought‐sensitive plant species became more positive with drought, in line with the SGH. In contrast, associations of drought‐tolerant species became more negative. Additionally, changes in associations of single species pairs were highly variable. Our results indicate that stress‐modulated species associations might influence the distribution of species over large geographical extents, thus leading to unexpected responses under climate change through shifts in species associations.
PROBABILISTIC ANALYSIS OF GENERALISED STATISTIC MODEL FOR MULTIPATH CHANNEL OF SIMO SISTEMS WITH FADING AND CORRELATED SHADOWING

The paper considers the problem of analysis of the information transmission process by multi-element communication systems in presence of a multipath signal propagation channel. To generalize the propagation effects, the model of the κ–μ fading channel with correlated shadowing was assumed, and the technology used for organizing a multi-element system was the SIMO system, equipped with the maximum-ration combiner of the signal on the receiving side. To describe the characteristics of the information transfer process, an approach based on the higher-order statistics of the ergodic capacity was used. Closed-form analytical expressions for arbitrary-order capacity higher-order statistics were obtained for the channel model under consideration. The behavior of the first four statistics (ergodic capacity, its reliability, skewness and kurtosis coefficients) is analyzed depending on the channel parameters (the number of multipath propagation clusters, the ratio of power of the dominant components to the total power of multipath waves, the degree of shadowing of the dominant components, and the shadowing correlation coefficient). Within the framework of the study, 4 distinct situations of the assumed channel model behavior were considered, which significantly differ in their properties. It is noted that, in contrast to the capacity, its higher-order statistics are significantly more sensitive to the channel parameters and, as a result, are more significant indicators of fluctuations in the information transfer rate within the communication channel. The existence of a pronounced extremum (minimum) of the reliability ergodic capacity dependence from the signal-to-noise ratio was established. It should be accounted for in practical applications, when the requirements of the signal-to-noise ratio that guarantees the desired communication link quality are set.