Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON ONLINE LEARNING

The purpose of this paper is to explore students’ views of online learning based on a theoretical framework known as Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). It is mainly qualitative in nature alongside some quantitative data. It examines students’ preference for their choice of learning mode for the post-COVID-19 period or when they are in a position to return to the campus when the pandemic situation improves. They are also asked to provide reasons for their preference. The research data was collected at a local university in Malaysia through an interview with 41 respondents. The results of the research show that the majority of the student respondents prefer to have hybrid learning that offers a combination of online and face-to-face sessions followed by fully face-to-face learning mode. No respondent has opted for fully online learning as their preferred choice of learning mode in the near future. In general, the respondents perceive that online learning is creative, innovative, convenient, time-saving and eco-friendly. However, as emerged in the data, in relation to online learning, students have two major concerns, namely additional cost incurred for the high usage of the Internet data and poor/no Internet connection at rural areas. The findings further reveal that institutional support, technology accessibility and COVID-19 concern are the three external factors that have influenced the respondents’ attitude and intention in using online learning in the near future. Higher institutions thus can play an important role in enhancing students’ online learning by upgrading the existing learning management system and the campus Internet connectivity.
PMU-Based Estimation of Systematic Measurement Errors, Line Parameters, and Tap Changer Ratios in Three-Phase Power Systems

The availability of accurate data is fundamental for several monitoring and control applications of modern power grids. Nevertheless, the knowledge of critical data, such as transmission line and transformer parameters, is often affected by uncertainty. This can lead to important problems in the correct management of the power systems. In spite of a monitoring infrastructure that is being renewed due to new generation devices providing synchronized measurements, the actual values of line parameters and tap changer ratios are still affected by uncertainty sources that need to be properly considered. The behavior of all the elements involved in the measurement chain must be duly modeled. This article proposes an improved method to carry out the simultaneous estimation of line parameters, tap changer ratios, and systematic measurement errors for a three-phase power system. The proposed method is based on the suitable modeling of the measurement chain and three-phase constraint equations (voltage drop and current balance) of all the components involved. Its effectiveness is confirmed by tests performed on an IEEE 14-bus test system reproduced as a three-phase system under different operative conditions.
Dynamic responses due to the Dryden gust of an autonomous quadrotor UAV carrying a payload

Abstract Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used extensively in many applications, such as surveillance, medical transportation and delivery tasks. These applications usually involve an attachment system to connect a payload. However, when connected to such a coupled system, the UAV exhibits lower flight performance mainly due to gust loads. Mathematical modeling is used in this paper to illustrate the comparison between an UAV with a coupled system and a conventional UAV. Proportional Derivative (PD) and Sliding Mode Control (SMC) approaches are used to evaluate the vibrations of the payload, and the UAV trajectory subjected to Dryden gust. This work therefore uses these methods to investigate the dynamic response of a quadrotor-type UAV equipped with a payload and a flexible attachment system.
Combining multi-task autoencoder with Wasserstein generative adversarial networks for improving speech recognition performance

: As the presence of background noise in acoustic signal degrades the performance of speech or acoustic event recognition, it is still challenging to extract noise-robust acoustic features from noisy signal. In this paper, we propose a combined structure of Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network (WGAN) and Multi-Task AutoEncoder (MTAE) as deep learning architecture that integrates the strength of MTAE and WGAN respectively such that it estimates not only noise but also speech features from noisy acoustic source. The proposed MTAE-WGAN structure is used to estimate speech signal and the residual noise by employing a gradient penalty and a weight initialization method for Leaky Rectified Linear Unit (LReLU) and Parametric ReLU (PReLU). The proposed MTAE-WGAN structure with the adopted gradient penalty loss function enhances the speech features and subsequently achieve substantial Phoneme Error Rate (PER) improvements over the stand-alone Deep Denoising Autoencoder (DDAE), MTAE, Redundant Convolutional Encoder-Decoder (R-CED) and Recurrent MTAE (RMTAE) models for robust speech recognition
Health and Mindfulness during the Syndemic of SARS-CoV-2: An Ethnographic Study

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has caused physical and mental health problems for a large part of the population. In this context, the practice of mindfulness has become relevant due to its usefulness in channeling and mitigating these problems. The objective of this article is to know the implications of the practice of mindfulness in physical and mental health in this syndemic period throh the perception of its practitioners. To achieve this purpose, we conducted an ethnographic study with fieldwork in three mindfulness training and practice groups. The techniques used were participant observation, open interview and survey. Participant observation was carried out from October 2019 to November 2021. A total of 22 open interviews were conducted. In addition, 44 surveys were carried out on a total population of 54. From the first sessions, 45.5% stated that they had felt beneficial effects on their health, and 100% perceived benefits in different aspects of their mental and physical health. The techniques perceived as most effective were those that focused on the body and emotions. The usefulness of mindfulness in managing the problems derived from the syndemic was unquestionable for 95.4%. In addition, a strong correlation is observed between the time spent practicing mindfulness and the reduction in the impact of the syndemic on the health of the practitioners.
Centrifugal Microfluidic Integrated Optical System for Sensing Pesticide Residues

We proposed and demonstrated an effective and non-destructive centrifugal microfluidic sensor (CMS) for analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs). The CMS was designed to have a sequential sample injection with two capillary valves. The actuation mechanism of CMS was controlled by centrifugal force, i.e. relative centrifugal force (×g). The OPPs analyte in CMS could be successfully derived into a mixer at 34 g and then spined into a detection reservoir at 537 g. The experiment results indicated that limit of detection for OPPs using CMS was 0.05 ppm, a linear relationship between OPPs logarithmic concentration (ppm) and inhibition rate (%) was 0.9215. Furthermore, series fresh vegetables were extracted and assayed for OPPs residue detection by using CMS. It was effective for OPPs detection. A non-destructive, rapid, reliable, and sensitive approach to OPPs analysis was demonstrated. This in turn opens up opportunities for healthcare applications, notably environmental monitoring, foods safety and other fields.
Air transport and tourism flows to islands: A panel analysis for southern European countries

Air transport is an essential component of the tourism industry, and the number, frequency, and capacity of flight connections may influence the level of tourism demand, especially for island destinations. This paper evaluates the influence of air transport on tourism arrivals to selected islands in seven southern European Union countries to determine the nature of the relationship between tourist arrivals and air transport, specifically, whether air transport services generate tourism demand or merely enable touristic flows. The paper uses panel data and applies an econometric model with justifications for endogeneity and dynamic issues. Results show a moderate impact of transport infrastructures on generating additional tourist arrivals; however, the model shows that air transport is a prerequisite to developing tourism demand and is not the only determinant in increasing tourist arrivals. Tourist arrivals appear more a determinant than a consequence of changes in-flight connections.
Behavioral and socio-economic factors controlling irrigation adoption in Maharashtra, India

ABSTRACT Psychological frameworks are rarely used to understand irrigation adoption behaviour in developing countries. A Bayesian belief network (BBN) model was developed that integrated socio-economic characteristics and psychological factors to understand farmer behaviours with respect to irrigation practices in four districts of Maharashtra, India. Strong norms, risk perceptions of water scarcity, and attitude play roles in the adoption of irrigation technology and practices. Critically, it was found that no one factor can explain adoption behaviour; rather, an ensemble of factors is needed to understand farmer behaviour. A farmer who is highly educated, middle-aged, and moderately wealthy with a significant level of family help and an open well as their main water source, while receiving low promotional information related to water scarcity and irrigation adoption, is most likely to adopt irrigation technology. The application of the BBN in this study enables stakeholders and policymakers to better understand the linkages between different factors and behaviour.
Bamboo Architectonic: Experimental Studies Using Bundled-Bamboo-Split (BBS)

Urban areas have a great role in the climate change. The sector of building construction engage with that issues through environmentally friendly design. Building material is one of the important role on that issue. Bamboo can be regarded as a sustainable construction material. Whilst, bamboo is considered as low-class material, even called as “the poor man timber” by many modern builder. Applying bamboo in contemporary design architecture effectively revamp the bamboo’s image. Nowadays, contemporary bamboo architects are exploring the organic building form, which requires curved structural elements. Sometimes, the natural bamboo’s curvature cannot fulfill the architects’ demands. Therefore, it’s required a technique to curve the element, one of which is using bundled bamboo split (BBS). The research issues are the effect of using BBS to formal-spatial function and mechanical function; and the effect of bamboo species and bundle’s interval to BBS’s compression strength. This experimental research was held in two kinds of experiments. Firstly, design and build experiments: implementing BBS into three types of curve structural elements. Secondly, laboratory-test experiments: comparing BBS’s compression strength based on bamboo species and bundle’s interval. This research could be concluded that (1) considering from formal function, using BBS as the structural element is very beneficial for a building with organic form; (2) considering from spatial function, Using BBS is appropriate to its function as dynamic spatial elements which contribute in creating atmosphere through its texture and color; and (3) considering from mechanical function, the selection of bamboo species and the bundle’s interval will affect the BBS’ compression strength. To get a higher compression strength, BBS can use bambu gombong with smaller bundle’s interval. Due to its compression strength, BBS is not recommended to be structural elements that distribute the pure compression load.
Insight into the Taxonomic Resolution of the Pleosporalean Species Associated with Dead Woody Litter in Natural Forests from Yunnan, China

In the course of investigating the systematics of woody litter micromycete associates in Yunnan Province, China, we found one new species in Phaeoseptaceae, one new genus and three new species in Sulcatisporaceae from 16 specimens collected (ten collections of ascomycetous teleomorphs, four collections of hyphomycetous and two collections of coelomycetes anamorphs) from Ailaoshan, Chuxiong, Diqing, Honghe, Kunming, Lancang, Mengla and Yuxi in Yunnan Province. These taxonomic novelties were recognized with the aid of morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses of multiple gene sequences (non-translated loci and protein-coding regions). Pleopunctum menglaense sp. nov. is accommodated in Phaeoseptaceae (Pleosporales) based on its hyphomycetous anamorph, which is characterized by superficial sporodochia on the host surface, macronematous, mononematous, cylindrical, unbranched, aseptate, hyaline and smooth-walled conidiophores, monoblastic, terminal, hyaline conidiogenous cells, hyaline, muriform α conidia, and brown, muriform β conidia with tri-lobed wing like basal cells. Kazuakitanaka gen. nov. (type: K. yuxiensis) is introduced in Sulcatisporaceae (Massarineae, Pleosporales) for a saprobic ascomycete with teleomorphic and anamorphic (coelomycetous) features. The teleomorph possesses globose to subglobose ascomata with acentric ostiole, a peridial wall of textura angularis to textura prismatica, cylindric-clavate, pedicellate asci with an ocular chamber, and 1–2-septate, hyaline, fusiform, guttulate ascospores with a distinct mucilaginous sheath. The anamorph features pycnidial conidiomata, phialidic, ampulliform to cylindrical, hyaline conidiogenous cells and ampulliform to cylindrical, one-to-three-septate, hyaline, guttulate conidia. Loculosulcatispora was known only from its anamorph of L. thailandica. We observed the teleomorph of Loculosulcatispora hongheensis sp. nov. and amended the generic description of Loculosulcatispora accordingly. Loculosulcatispora hongheensis is characterized by globose to subglobose ascomata with a central ostiole, a peridial wall of textura angularis to globosa, branched, septate, pseudoparaphyses, clavate asci with a short pedicel and a minute ocular chamber and hyaline, fusiform, 1-septate ascospores with a thick irregular mucilaginous sheath. This study provides some insights into the diversity of fungi on dead woody litter in terrestrial habitats.
Development of a Dual-Input Magnetic Gear Train for the Transmission System of Small-Scale Wind Turbines

: Magnetic gear mechanisms have advanced to have a promising future in transmission technology. Previous research indicates that magnetic gear mechanisms might replace mechanical gear mechanisms in some applications. Small-scale wind turbines (SWT) with counter-rotating rotors that were initially ﬁtted by bevel gears are proposed to be replaced by a coaxial magnetic gear train (CMGT). The CMGT is intended for use as a speed multiplier in order to obtain maximum power at low wind speeds, due to its beneﬁcial transmission of power without physical contact. The primary objective of this study is to build a dual-input CMGT that will be employed in the transmission system of small-scale counter-rotating wind turbines. A dual-input CMGT is built through the analytical modeling of an equivalent magnetic circuit (EMC), which aims to predict the magnetic ﬂux density in the air-gaps of CMGT. Several models within design constraints were compared to obtain the optimum design parameters of the preliminary CMGT design resulting from an EMC analysis. The optimized critical design parameters were then selected and analyzed using ﬁnite-element analysis (FEA) to depict the performance of the proposed SWT design. According to the ﬁndings, the developed design can generate an inner air-gap ﬂux density of 0.8314 T and an outer air-gap ﬂux density of 1.0200 T. The model likewise produces promising simulation results with an output transmitted torque in the inner rotor (output link) of 8.7 Nm, 56.9 Nm in the outer rotor, and 48.0 Nm in the carrier with pole-pieces. Thus, this design can generate higher torque than a bevel-geared wind turbine. The speed characteristics are also compromised in order to raise the generator’s rotating speed to generate more power. Finally, this study demonstrates the performance and embodiment design of the proposed SWT using CMGT.
Predicting and Optimizing Multirow Film Cooling with Trenches Using Gated Recurrent Unit Neural Network

The film cooling of cylindrical holes embedded in transverse trenches under superposition has shown promise for protecting the critical components of a high-pressure turbine from thermal damage. To optimize the relevant parameters and provide a suitable film cooling strategy, it is important to predict the effectiveness of lateral-averaged adiabatic film cooling with the trench effect on the surface of a blade. However, high-fidelity semi-empirical correlations for film cooling under superposition conditions with a trench have rarely been examined. This study establishes a gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network model to predict the effectiveness of lateral-averaged film cooling under multiple-row superposition conditions with a trench. In general, a gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network model is built with a large sequence of one-dimensional (1D) parameters, including the depth and width of the trench, compound angle, location of the hole, and blowing ratio. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to provide a training dataset for the model. After careful testing and validation, the results predicted by the GRU agreed well with the CFD results. Moreover, the performance and robustness of the GRU were better than those of other recurrent neural network model, such as the long short-term memory (LSTM) model. Integrated with the GRU model, the sparrow search algorithm was adopted to optimize the parameters of the trench. The film cooling effectiveness of the optimized case improved by 1.6% compared with the best case, 28.5% compared with the worst case in dataset and 23.5% compared with the no-trench case.
Analysis of the Usability of Iron Ore Ultra-Fines for Hydrogen-Based Fluidized Bed Direct Reduction—A Review

This review focuses on the usability of iron ore ultra-fines for hydrogen-based direct reduction. Such technology is driven by the need to lower CO2 emissions and energy consumption for the iron and steel industry. In addition, low operational and capital expenditures and a high oxide yield because of the direct use of ultra-fines can be highlighted. The classification of powders for a fluidized bed are reviewed. Fluid dynamics, such as minimum fluidization velocity, entrainment velocity and fluidized state diagrams are summarized and discussed regarding the processing of iron ore ultra-fines in a fluidized bed. The influence of the reduction process, especially the agglomeration phenomenon sticking, is evaluated. Thus, the sticking determining factors and the solutions to avoid sticking are reviewed and discussed. The essential theoretical considerations and process-relevant issues are provided for the usability of iron ore ultra-fines for hydrogen-based fluidized bed direct reduction.
One or two circular shapes? A binary detection for electrical capacitance tomography sensors

Image reconstruction using engine electrical capacitance tomography sensors rises several drawbacks. Recently, the authors proposed a novel methodology dedicated to a fast detection of the configuration: size and position, of a single circular form using basic algebraic operations. However, this technique is efficient when a single form is present in the sensor cross‐section under interest. The present work proposes 2 different techniques that determine if the sensor cross‐section contains 1 or 2 circular shapes. Both methods are applied to simulated measurements. They operate much differently, and each comes with its own pros and cons. The first method considers that the sensor signal presents an axis of symmetry if a single circular object lies in the sensor. Otherwise, the symmetry is broken. It achieves a recognition rate of 73.9%. In the second method, machine‐learning techniques are used to perform a binary supervised classification. Promising rates of recognition over 99% are obtained. The present study also reveals that a 4‐electrode sensor leads to the best recognition rates with both methods. This result was also established by the authors in a different framework when dealing with physical limitations on spatial resolution in electrical capacitance tomography sensors.
Piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging

Next generation medical imaging technology hinges on the development of cost effective and array compatible transducers making piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) an attractive alternative to the current bulk piezoelectric technology. This thesis aims to realize pMUT potential starting with the development of an effective single cell model that is further scaled to optimize multi-cell elements in a 1D array. In the first half of this work, a transverse mode, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) pMUT plate cell is fabricated using common micro-fabrication techniques and a PZT sol-gel deposition process. Through derivation using a novel Greens function solution technique, an equivalent circuit model with explicitly defined lumped parameters is presented and validated through electrical impedance measurements of fabricated devices and finite element modeling. The equivalent circuit is a crucial design tool as transducer performance metrics, including experimentally validated acoustic domain values, are shown to be defined directly from the lumped parameters. In the second half, figures of merit are identified from these performance metrics and an expanded multi-cell model is employed to strategically target improvements in both bandwidth and coupling while maintaining high pressure output. The resulting, optimized multicell elements in a 1D array are fabricated via a commercially viable, wafer-scale manufacturing process including a novel PZT dry etch. A top-down fabrication approach facilitates achievement of the largest active area of a multi-cell pMUT to date consisting of over 1000 cells in a 200pm x 4mm element footprint, and more substantially, results in the highest electromechanical coupling recorded for a pMUT to date measured at 9 ± 1.4% per element.