Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The urban ground-to-ground radio-frequency channel : measurement and modeling in the ultrahigh frequency band

Ground-to-ground radio communication and sensing within the urban environment is challenging because line of sight between transmitter and receiver is rarely available. Therefore, radio links are often critically reliant on reflection and scattering from built structures. Little is known about the scattering strength of different buildings or whether such differences are important to the urban ground-to-ground channel. We tested the hypotheses that (1) diffuse scattering from built structures significantly impacts the urban channel and (2) scattering strength of urban structures varies with surface roughness and materials. We tested these hypotheses by measuring urban channels in Concord, New Hampshire, and Boston, Massachusetts, and via channel-modeling efforts with three-dimensional representations of the urban environment. Direct comparison between measured and modeled channels suggest that both of these hypotheses are true. Further, it appears that ray-tracing approaches underestimate the complexity of urban channels because these approaches lack the physical processes to correctly assess the power incident on and scattered from built structures. We developed a radio-geospatial model that better accounts for incident power on both directly visible and occluded buildings and show that our model predictions compare more favorably with measured channels than those channels predicted via typical ray-tracing approaches. DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. All product names and trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners. The findings of this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents. DESTROY THIS REPORT WHEN NO LONGER NEEDED. DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE ORIGINATOR. ERDC/CRREL TR-20-8 iii
Perception of Teachers on Effectiveness of Online Learning in the wake of COVID-19 Pandemic

The rapid surge of digital technology coupled with Internet connectivity into the learning environment; provide remarkable opportunities for 21 st century blended learning approaches. Whereas digital infusion into teaching is important, facilities need to be in place and teachers‟ must be ready with adequate skills. In line with this observation, this study sought to establish the perception of teachers on the effectiveness of online learning in the wake of the pandemic. The study explored the underlying factors that influence effective online learning. The study employed descriptive survey design; with target population of 150 teachers randomly sampled. The study used survey questionnaire as the main instrument to collect data. Data analysis relied on descriptive and inferential statistics, with data presented using tables. The study results found the teachers had positive perception to online teaching despite many challenges that hampered its effectiveness. Recommendations advocate for mainstreaming online learning into the education curriculum.
Poor-man’s model of hollow-core anti-resonant fibers

We investigate various methods for extending the simple analytical capillary model to describe the dispersion and loss of anti-resonant hollow-core fibers without the need of detailed finite-element simulations across the desired wavelength range. This poor-man’s model can with a single fitting parameter quite accurately mimic dispersion and loss resonances and anti-resonances from full finite-element simulations. Due to the analytical basis of the model it is easy to explore variations in core size and cladding wall thickness, and should therefore provide a valuable tool for numerical simulations of the ultrafast nonlinear dynamics of gas-filled hollow-core fibers. © 2018 Optical Society of America
INFLUENCE OF MULCHING SYSTEMS ON SOIL TEMPERATURE, PRODUCTION AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY UNDER TRICKLE IRRIGATION SYSTEM

The aim of this research is to study the influence of different mulching materials on soil surface temperature, water use efficiency and production. Two field experiments were conducted at the Research Farm of Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt, during the summer of 2016 and the winter 2017 growing season in a sandy soil under trickle irrigation system. Six treatments transparent polyethylene sheets, rice straw, maize straw and control were investigation in the field. The results showed that there were more increases in soil temperature under plastic mulch than under others treatments. The recorded soil surface temperature was lowest under rice straw mulch during both summer and winter seasons. The field investigation revealed that, the highest grain yield and water use efficiency of maize was obtained during summer which were 9563 kg ha-1 and 1.54 kg m-3, respectively under rice straw mulch. During winter, faba bean gave the highest values of seed yield and water use efficiency 7521 kg ha-1 and 2.20 kg m-3, respectively were achieved under transparent plastic mulch followed by rice straw mulch. Mulching method can help to improve yield of crops. It was recommended that, using 8 Mg ha-1 rice straw mulch in both summer and winter conditions was the best for soil temperature. It is also more attractive option by its very cheap and ease in availability and is environmental friendly.
Effects of exogenous glycine betaine on the physiological indexes of soybean seedlings under NaCl stress

Effects of exogenous glycine betaine on some physiological indexes of soybean variety Zhechun NO.3 seedlings under NaCl stress were studied.The photosynthetic pigments content,proline content,malondialdehyde accumulation(MDA),soluble sugar content,relative electric conductivity and root activity of soybean seedlings were investigated.The results showed that exogenous betaine significantly increased the photosynthetic pigments and soluble sugar content,decreased proline and MDA accumulation,reduced the relative electric conductivity of soybean leaves,and enhanced root activity of soybean seedlings,which indicated that the application of exogenous betaine could enhance the photosynthetic activity of soybean leaves,improve the osmoregulatory ability of seedlings,alleviate the damages caused by NaCl stress,and then improve the salt tolerance ability of soybeans.
Cumulative Damage Evaluation of RC Bridge Piers subjected to Multiple Earthquakes

Successive earthquakes of Kocaeli and Duzce within three months indicated that even the survived lifeline structures such as bridges under the former event may have damage or collapse potential under the latter event due to their possible stiffness degradation. It is thus important that a rigorous seismic analysis of such structures should account for the effect of prior earthquake damage. For this purpose, nonlinear seismic analysis of a reinforced concrete bridge structure has been carried out under both single and multiple earthquake ground motions. Behavior and response evaluation of the bridge piers subjected to such motions have been discussed in terms of using both flexure-axial and flexure-shear-axial interaction models. Analytical results show that the stiffness degradation under multiple earthquake ground motions is more pronounced than that under single earthquake ground motion. In addition, comparison of the response without and with shear demonstrates that shear deformation is of significance. The response with shear exhibits the increase in displacement demand and decrease in lateral force carrying capacity, leading to a decrease in energy dissipation capacity. It is concluded that seismic analysis of reinforced concrete bridge structure should account for the effect of multiple earthquake ground motions to assess the demand on such structure properly.
COVID-19 screening, prognosis and severity assessment with biomarkersfor management of patients

This global epidemic of coronavirus that we are currently experiencing, need an over view on the biological markers that allow the monitoring of COVID-19 disease. After a synopsis of the clinical characteristics and the management of patients, we propose a literature review of the diagnostic tests which include molecular and serological diagnosis. The aim of this document is to show the biological markers involved in screening, triage and prognosis, which involves white blood cells, platelets, Ddimer, CRP and fibrinogen. While acknowledging that these parameters are not exhaustive, they nonetheless represent essential biological markers for the management of this epidemic
Human Embryonic Stem Cells-Constitutive Gene Expression and Differentiation Towards Definitive Endoderm and Posterior Foregut Endoderm Norrman, Karin

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Responses to reviews of “Technical Note: Equilibrium droplet size distributions in a turbulent cloud chamber with uniform supersaturation” by Krueger (acp-2019-932)

In page 14, line 4, the author cites Rogers and Yau (1989) and explains that the critical radius for injected NaCl particles is about r 0. 6μm. I think the same textbook also gives an estimation of the critical supersaturation for those particles and I expect it to be about S 0.1%. On the other hand, according to Figure 6, the inferred nominal mean supersaturations for the Pi-chamber experiments with two largest number densities of cloud droplets are smaller than 0.01% (Snominal < 0.01%). This seems somehow strange, because aerosol particles cannot be activated to cloud droplets if the supersaturation Snominal is much smaller than the critical supersaturation S . Does the author have possible explanations for this apparent discrepancy? If so, providing those explanations in the manuscript might be helpful for readers.
Enhancing the Educational Activities of Law Students as One of the Ways to Improve Efficiency and Quality of the Professional Training

The article urges the problem of enhancing the academic activity of law students as one of the ways of improving the efficiency and quality of professional training. The nature and structure of academic activity of future lawyers are covered. Thus, academic activity is a form of a human activity, which structure is viewed through the prism of mastering a set of knowledge and methods of activity, moral and ethical values, as well as social relations. Academic activity of student youth promotes mastering of basic methods and practical experience of solving professional problems, development of planetary thinking and creativity, that is, it is a professional-oriented activity. In order to enhance the academic activity of law students, the features of its structure were investigated. In particular, the following components were selected: motivational, cognitive and practical. A questionnaire on the topic “Why did I choose the profession of a lawyer? ” was conducted. The pedagogical experiment and psychological research based on two methodologies, Ilyina's "Motivation to study in higher educational institutions" and Ayzenko's method of figurative thinking "Find regularity", have been involved. An assessment of the impact done by interactive teaching methods of students, who are studying at the National Aviation University, the specialty "Law", has also been provided. The main ways to solve the problem of intensifying the educational activities of future lawyers have been identified. They include the development of communication, mental processes, motivation to study, active involvement of students in educational activities, and taking responsibility for studying in the higher educational establishment. Problems of interaction between teachers and students while training and increasing students' independence need further development.
The Effects of Common Vetch Grain (Vicia Satıva) on Some Blood, Rumen Parameters and Rumen Protozoa in Lambs

This study investigated the effect of different levels of common vetch (CV) grain feed on some blood and rumen parameters and rumen protozoa in lambs consuming sainfoin hay (SH). In the study two-month-old weaned, SH consumed, 36.25 ± 2.49 kg average body weight (BW), twenty-four female lambs were used. Ration groups were established as follows; In the first group (C, control), 2% SH and 0.00% CV of the lamb's live weight (LW) were adopted while in the second group, 1.25% SH and 0.75% CV ( CVI) and in the third group, 0.5% SH and 1.50% CV (CVII) were adopted. Blood and rumen fluid samples were taken twice, once at the beginning of the study and once on the 30th day of the study. Although there were statistical differences in some of the parameters investigated in the study, all blood and rumen parameters were within the normal limits specified for lambs in the literature. In this study, it was concluded that feeding the lambs that are consuming SH with CV 1.5% of their live weight did not have a negative effect and the total ration can be formed using both SH and CV.
Collective action for inclusive value-chain innovation: Implementation and results of the Participatory Market Chain Approach

Research and development approaches that incorporate elements of collective action, agricultural innovation systems, and value-chain development (VCD) are increasingly popular, but there has been little systematic analysis of their use and results. In this paper, we analyze experiences with a participatory approach for stimulating inclusive innovation in agricultural value chains, known as the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA). Guided by a conceptual framework for analyzing PMCA interventions, we examine cases where the PMCA was applied in value chains for aquaculture, coffee, organic and typical regional products, potatoes and vegetables in Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Indonesia, Nepal, Peru and Uganda. We find that the uses and results of the PMCA were strongly influenced by attributes of the external environment, the targeted value chain and the intervention in which the PMCA was applied. The PMCA has generally produced the most significant results where: (a) the agricultural and policy environment favored agricultural innovation and VCD; (b) the value chain offered significant potential for value addition or cost reduction; and (c) the PMCA was implemented with a high degree of fidelity to its basic principles in the context of a broader development effort. The active involvement of diverse stakeholders – not only smallholder producers but entrepreneurs along the value chain and relevant service providers – was crucial for stimulating innovation. Because innovation processes are complex and emergent in nature, local teams needed to develop flexible implementation plans and procedures that were adjusted over time in response to emerging opportunities and results. And because the PMCA requires the active engagement of value-chain actors and service providers with diverse, sometimes conflicting, interests, effective facilitation was crucial to the success of PMCA interventions. We found significant benefits of the PMCA frequently emerged long after the intervention had been implemented. This finding highlights the value of assessing interventions that support inclusive innovation several years after project funding ends. Notwithstanding the demonstrated utility of the PMCA in stimulating inclusive innovation in agricultural value chains, the approach has only achieved limited use beyond its original developers. This finding also reflects the both the lack of institutional support and an effective scaling strategy for the PMCA and the enduring challenges to mainstreaming participatory systems approaches in agricultural research and development organizations.
Induksi Kalus dari Eksplan Daun In Vitro Keladi Tikus (Typhonium sp.) dengan Perlakuan 2,4-D dan Kinetin

Rodent tuber (Typhonium sp. ) belongs to Araceae that has a potential as medicinal plant. This procedure takes a long periode to produce a large quantity of plant. Therefore, an in vitro propagation using callus culture is necessary to solve this problem. This research aimed to determine the best concentration of 2,4-D and kinetin to induce callus of in vitro leaf rodent tuber explants . This research used in vitro leaft explants of rodent tuber with MS medium. The design used is Randomize Group Design with 10 treatment . The results showed that explants could not produce callus, the explants response just a swelling leaf explants . The treatment that could give up to 100% swelling response was 2.4- D 0.5 mg / L dan 1 mg / L and the combination treatment 0.5 mg / L 2.4-D + 0.3 mg /L kinetin, 0.5 mg / L 2.4-D + 0.5 mg / L kinetin and 1.5 mg / L 2.4-D + 0.5 mg / L kinetin. The treatments that could maintain 66.67% explants growth was the combination 0.5 mg / L 2.4-D + 0.5 mg / L kinetin and 1 mg /L 2.4-D + 0.5 mg / L kinetin .
The Footloose Entrepreneur Model with Three Regions

We study an analytically solvable version of Krugman’s Core-Periphery model extended to three regions. This is the 3-region Footloose Entrepreneur model based on the 2region version by Forslid and Ottaviano (2003). Solvability is achieved by employment of the skilled inter-regionally mobile work-force in the fixed costs and the unskilled immobile work-force in the variable costs of the manufacturing firms. This enables us to obtain real wages as explicit functions of the spatial distributions of skilled workers in the three regions. The main aim of this work is to study long-run equilibria of the model in terms of skilled workers’ migration, which is based on indirect utility differentials as given by differences in inter-regional real wage differences. For this purpose, we focus on the analysis of stability of three types of equilibria: concentration, total and partial dispersion. The first corresponds to full agglomeration of industry in one region, the second refers to an equalized spatial distribution of skilled workers across the three regions and the third pertains to a situation whereby skilled workers are equally dispersed in two of the three regions. We show analytical and numerical evidence in that the latter configuration is always unstable. We also compare our results concerning concentration and total dispersion with those of the 2-region model. Finally, we discuss the existence and robustness of bifurcations in our 3-region model.
Investigations on the effect of Wall thickness on magnetic adhesion for Wall climbing robots

The focus of this work is to investigate the adhesion characteristics of a permanent magnet arrangement over ferromagnetic surfaces for wall climbing robot applications. The changes in wall thickness affect the adhesion characteristics of the robot, this in turn influences the payload and alters the operating conditions. The effect of varying the wall thickness on the adhesion strength of a wall-climbing robot is an area barely investigated and this is being explored in this work. A two-dimensional model of the adhesion mechanism and the ferromagnetic surface is developed and simulated in this study. The adhesion characteristics are studied for different thicknesses of the ferromagnetic surface with different grades of the magnet. Two different standoff distances which comprise the gap between the magnet and the surface to be inspected are investigated therein. Experimental studies are also carried out to measure the performance, and the results show a strong correlation with the simulation results. Simulation with experimental validation of magnetic adhesion presented will provide better insights into magnetic wall climbing systems.
Hinde, S. J., Smith, T. J., & Gilchrist, I. D. (2017). In search of oculomotor capture during film viewing: Implications for the balance of top-down and bottom-up control in the saccadic system. Vision

In the laboratory, the abrupt onset of a visual distractor can generate an involuntary orienting response: this robust oculomotor capture effect has been reported in a large number of studies (e.g. Ludwig & Gilchrist, 2002; Theeuwes, Kramer, Hahn, & Irwin, 1998) suggesting it may be a ubiquitous part of more natural visual behaviour. However the visual stimuli used in these experiments have tended to be static and had none of the complexity, and dynamism of more natural visual environments. In addition, the primary task in the laboratory (typically visual search) can be tedious for the participants with participant’s losing interest and becoming stimulus driven and more easily distracted. Both of these factors may have led to an overestimation of the extent to which oculomotor capture occurs and the importance of this phenomena in everyday visual behaviour. To address this issue, in the current series of studies we presented abrupt and highly salient visual distractors away from fixation while participants watched a film. No evidence of oculomotor capture was found. However, the distractor does effect fixation duration: we find an increase in fixation duration analogous to the remote distractor effect (Walker, Deubel, Schneider, & Findlay, 1997). These results suggest that during dynamic scene perception, the oculomotor system may be under far more top-down control than traditional laboratory based-tasks have previously
Inequality and the Coronavirus: Socioeconomic Covariates of Behavioral Responses and Viral Outcomes Across Us Counties

Not much is obvious about how socioeconomic inequalities impact the spread of infectious diseases once one considers behavioral responses, correlations among multiple covariates and the likely non-linearities and dynamics involved. Social distancing responses to the threat of catching COVID-19 and outcomes for infections and deaths are modelled across US counties, augmenting epidemiological and health covariates with within-county median incomes, poverty and income inequality, and age and racial composition. Systematic socioeconomic effects on social distancing and infections emerge, and most effects do not fade as the virus spreads. Deaths, once infected, are less responsive to socioeconomic covariates. Richer counties tend to see greater gains in social distancing and lower infection rates, controlling for more standard epidemiological factors. Income poverty and inequality tend to increase the infection rate, but these effects are largely accountable to their correlation with racial composition. A more elderly population increases deaths conditional on infections, but has an offsetting effect on the infection rate, consistent with the behavioral responses we find through social distancing.
Liver iron concentrations and urinary hepcidin in β-thalassemia

Patients with β-thalassemia, like those with genetic hemochromatosis, develop iron overload due to increased iron absorption, and their iron burden is further exacerbated by transfusion therapy. Hepcidin, a hepatic hormone, regulates systemic iron homeostasis by inhibiting the absorption of iron from the diet and the recycling of iron by macrophages. In turn, hepcidin release is increased by iron loading and inhibited by erythropoietic activity. Hepcidin deficiency is the cause of iron overload in most forms of hereditary hemochromatosis. We sought to determine hepcidin’s role in the pathogenesis of iron overload in β-thalassemia.