Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Data-Driven Method Towards Minimizing Collision Severity for Highly Automated Vehicles

The deployment of autonomous vehicles on public roads calls for the development of methods that are reliably able to mitigate injury severity in case of unavoidable collisions. This study proposes a data-driven motion planning method capable of minimizing injury severity for vehicle occupants in unavoidable collisions. The method is based on establishing a metric that models the relationship between impact location and injury severity using real accident data, and subsequently including it in the cost function of a motion planning framework. The vehicle dynamics and associated constraints are considered through a precomputed trajectory library, which is generated by solving an optimal control problem. This allows for efficient computation as well as an accurate representation of the vehicle. The proposed motion planning approach is evaluated by simulation, and it is shown that the trajectory associated with the minimum cost mitigates the collision severity for occupants of passenger vehicles involved in the collision.
The nexus between environmental degradation and industrial development in Pakistan and roles of financial development and fossil fuel

The swift escalation in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) has gained universal concern and on the global scale it has gotten the attention of research scholars and policy advisers. The use of fossil fuel in industrial and domestic activities has been labeled as a key cause for the production of GHG in the environment; in the meantime, researches focusing on the impact of fossil fuel on the emission of GHG for developing countries like Pakistan are very rare. The current study applied auto regressive distributed lag model techniques with structural breaks co‐integration technique for investigating the validity of a dynamic link among CO2 and industrial development and capturing the impact of fossil fuel consumption and economic development on Carbon emission. All variables have been discovered to be co‐integrated and the long‐term and short‐term dynamics have indicated the validity of inverted U‐shaped of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis where there has been inverted U‐shaped association among industrial development and CO2 which had also been established by Lind and Mehlum test. The Granger causality indicated unidirectional causality running from fossil fuel to CO2, and bidirectional causalities link between industrial growth and fossil oil and financial development and fossil fuel. For policy drives, current study advises for the use of low carbon emission, green and efficient technologies.
Challenge in Learning English: Understanding Student Resilience

Resilience is the way how an individual deal with obstacles or problems. Some factors influence each student’s resilience, outside and inside of each individual, called as risk and protective factors. This research was aimed to identify the risk and protective factors that affect the student’s resilience. Moreover, the objective was also to find out how those factors affected the student’s resilience. The scope of the research was the student of English Department in the first year that got GPA lowers than 3.00. This case study collected the data by exploring the academic score, conducting biographical research by interviewing the student and the lecturers, and analyzing interview-sessions-diaries of the student. The findings showed that the risk factor affecting the student’s resilience came from the environment, in which the family was less supportive and low expectation. Furthermore, the protective factors which affecting the student’s resilience are low family stress and good child relationship. Dealing with how those factors affecting the student’s resilience, it was found that the less supportive aspect made the student did not bond with parents that caused low surveillance for the student’s achievement. Besides, the low expectation from the family established low resilience.
MUTU KARAGINAN DAN KEKUATAAN GEL DARI RUMPUT LAUT MERAH Kappaphycus alvarezii

The study aim to determine the quality and gel strength of carrageenan produced by red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii . The carrageenan was produced using various concentration, cooking time and water ratio that is 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15% potassium hydroxide; 1, 1.15, 1.25, 1.5, 3 and 4.5%, potassium chloride (KCl); cooking time 2h or 3h; and carrageenan and water ratio, 1:20L or 1:30L The results showed that the best treatment produced the highest gel strength (188.53 g/cm2) with 17.7% moisture content and 19.9% ash content. This condition was achived by mixing 0.15% KOH and 1.25% KCl, cooked for 2h with 1:20 carrageenan to water ratio. Keyword: Carageenan, Kappaphycus alvarezii, seaweed. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menentukan mutu akhir karaginan dari rumput laut merah Kappaphycus alvarezii yang dibuat dengan 5 perlakuan berbeda. Perlakuan variasi konsentrasi pelarut KOH dan KCl, lama pemasakan, dan perbandingan air yang berbeda. Proses ekstraksi karaginan menggunakan pelarut KOH dengan konsentrasi 0,05%, 0,1 %, dan 0,15% sedangkan pelarut KCl dengan konsentrasi 1%, 1.15%, 1.25%, 1,5%, 3%, dan 4,5%, lama permasakan 2 dan 3 jam, dan perbandingan air 1:20 L dan 1:30 L. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa perlakuaan F dengan konsentrasi KOH 0,15 + KCl 1,25 % dan lama pemasakan 2 jam,dan perbandingan karaginan dan air 1: 20 Liter menghasilkan kekuataan gel 188,53 g/cm2, dengan pH 8.04, kadar air 17.75, dan kadar abu 19,99%. Kata Kunci: Karaginan, Kappaphycus alvarezii, rumput laut.
Practice before policy? Unpacking the black box of progressive teaching in Swedish secondary schools

ABSTRACT The aim of the article is to deepen the knowledge of progressivism and how it was manifested in practice in Swedish secondary schools from a teacher perspective before it was prescribed in policy during the reforms of the 1950s. In the current educational debate, progressivism is blamed by some for being the root of a permissive style of education in decline that no longer provides any knowledge to students, and regarded by others as the starting point for the modern form of democratic schooling. The question we pursue is in what way progressive teaching practice existed before policy. We do that by investigating teacher narratives describing their own teaching practices found in a historical archive from 1946. Hence, rather than looking at the policy level as in most studies, we are unpacking the black box of progressive teaching. Through thematic analysis, we investigate 209 secondary teacher narratives from teachers of History, Biology and Mother tongue. We found that the theme of student participation was very frequently reported in 76% of the accounts, while student interaction (33%) and extended classroom (37%) were somewhat less reported. Hence, our study shows that progressive teaching existed in different ways before it appeared in policy.
Effects of Sulfur Passivation on 6H-SiC(0001) Surface and Si/6H-SiC Interface

The un-passivated and passivated 6H-SiC(0001) surface and Si(-220)/6H–SiC (0001) interface are investigated by first-principles calculation based on density functional theory. It is demonstrated that the surface energy of 6H-SiC(0001) surface with seven atom-layers converges well. When the surface is passivated with sulfur(S), the density of states decreases obviously, implying that the passivated 6H-SiC(0001) surface are more stable. Four specific geometry models of Si(-220)/6H–SiC(0001) interface structures with different terminations are chosen. The calculated adhesion energies suggest that, for un-passivated interface, the atomic binding force and interface stability of C-termination interface are stronger than Si-termination interface, while for passivated interface, the tendency is opposite. The calculations about the density of states of un-passivated interfacial suggest that the Si-Si covalent bonds are formed at Si-terminated interface, and that C-Si covalent bonds are formed at C-terminated interface. After the interface is passivated with S atoms, the interaction between Si and S atoms is observed.
Acid Bioleaching of Copper from Smelter Dust at Incremental Temperatures

ABSTRACT Copper smelters produce solid waste streams that pose potential pollution problems because of the dust and metal content. Dust from flash and electric furnace smelters is normally recycled to the smelting process, but this decreases the capacity for concentrate feed, and increases impurities and carryovers in the dust with time. The purpose of this study was to test an acid bioleaching process for recovering copper from a sample of smelter dust. The dust sample contained delafossite, chalcocyanite, and chalcopyrite as the main Cu-minerals. Smelter dust (10% pulp) in acid leach solution was subjected to three microbial cultures in a sequence of 35°C, 50°C, and 70°C incremental temperatures for 2 days each. Up to 83% copper dissolution from the dust was achieved by the combined action of the three-phase bioleaching and chemical leaching over the contact time of 6 days. Chemical acid demand at 70°C solubilized 68% Cu from smelter dust within 2 h, attributed to chalcocyanite dissolution in the dust. The monovalent copper minerals chalcopyrite and delafossite were more recalcitrant than the sulfate phase chalcocyanite. A 16-day bioleaching experiment at 35°C and 50°C yielded copper recoveries, which were comparable to those obtained in the three-phase bioleaching. It was concluded that further increases in copper yields from smelter dust require extended contact time ideally at the extreme thermophilic temperature range and stirred bioreactor conditions to control key parameters.
Risk disclosure behaviour: evidence from the UK extractive industry

PurposeThis paper contributes to risk management research with reference to disclosure of risk specific information within the oil and gas industry. This paper provides empirical evidence regarding voluntary and mandatory disclosure behaviour from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal empirical study examines probabilistic reserve quantum reporting of UK companies, over a time-period spanning voluntary and mandatory disclosure. The researchers analyse disclosure behaviour under voluntary and mandatory time spans using a logistical regression approach to measure determinants of risk reporting. Form of regulation is considered as the fundamental driver for disclosure whilst controlling for other relevant variables. Implications for developing international regulation are presented with suggestions for further research.FindingsMandatory reporting is not seen as a significant influence to disclosure. Degree of risk, quality of audit firms, level of stock exchange and organisational visibility each impact on disclosure. The findings indicate that a mandatory disclosure approach is ineffective, partially explained by mimetic and normative forces and a balancing of agency-related costs and benefits. There is an inverse relationship between level of risk and risk reporting.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralisation of the findings is limited due to the specific context of the extractive industry.Practical implicationsThe paper seeks to inform the International Accounting Standards Board's (IASB) on-going consideration of risk reporting and also its extractive industries deliberations.Originality/valueThe paper provides original insight into the area of risk management with particular focus on risk specificity and quantitative metrics for risk profiling not previously tested. The paper introduces risk profiling as a variable in risk disclosure.
The spatial scaling of food web structure across European biogeographical regions

The species–area relationship (SAR) is one of the most well-established scaling patterns in ecology. Its implications for understanding how communities change across spatial gradients are numerous, including the effects of habitat loss on biodiversity. However, ecological communities are not mere collections of species. They are the result of interactions between these species forming complex networks that tie them together. Should we aim to grasp the spatial scaling of biodiversity as a whole, it is fundamental to understand the changes in the structure of interaction networks with area. In spite of a few empirical and theoretical studies that address this challenge, we still do not know much about how network structure changes with area, or what are the main environmental drivers of these changes. Here, using the meta-network of potential interactions between all terrestrial vertebrates in Europe (1140 species and 67 201 feeding interactions), we analysed network–area relationships (NARs) that summarize how network properties scale with area. We do this across ten biogeographical regions, which differ in environmental characteristics. We found that the spatial scaling of network complexity strongly varied across biogeographical regions. However, once the variation in SARs was accounted for, differences in the shape of NARs vanished. On the other hand, the proportion of species across trophic levels remained remarkably constant across biogeographical regions and spatial scales, despite the great variation in species richness. Spatial variation in mean annual temperature and habitat clustering were the main environmental determinants of the shape of both SARs and NARs across Europe. Our results suggest new avenues in the exploration of the effects of environmental factors on the spatial scaling of biodiversity. We argue that NARs can provide new insights to analyse and understand ecological communities.
Theoretical Studies on the Reactions of Aryl and Hetaryl Thioketones with Nitrilimines

Many synthetic routes to constructing biologically-active heterocyclic compounds are made feasible through the (3 + 2) cycloaddition 32CA reactions. Due to a large number of possible combinations of several heteroatoms from either the three-atom components (TACs) or the ethylene derivatives, the potential of the 32CA reactions in heterocyclic syntheses is versatile. Herein, the 32CA of thiophene-2-carbothialdehyde derivatives and C,N-disubstituted nitrilimines have been studied through density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. In the present study, one-step (3 + 2) and two-step (4 + 3) mechanisms of the addition of the TAC and ethylene derivative have been investigated. In all reactions considered, the one-step (3 + 2) cycloaddition is preferred over the two-step (4 + 3) cycloaddition. The TAC chemoselectively adds across the thiocarbonyl group present in the ethylene derivative in a (3 + 2) fashion to form the corresponding cycloadduct. Analysis of the electrophilic ( and nucleophilic ( Parr functions at the various reaction centers in the ethylene derivative show that the TAC adds across the atomic centers with the largest Mulliken atomic spin densities, which is in total agreement with the experimental observation. The selectivities observed in the title reaction are kinetically controlled.
Optical design of a compact and anastigmatic off-axis three-mirror system using freeform surfaces

Abstract. We present a new optical design of an off-axis three-mirror system (OTS) that is corrected for spherical, coma, astigmatism, and field curvature aberrations. Our design methodology begins using paraxial theory and continues with the third-order approach for a coaxial three-mirror system (CTS) with a wide field of view and high resolution. We propose to use only two optical elements because the primary and tertiary mirrors will be integrated in a single optical element, the secondary mirror will be the other optical element. For our final design, we will use only off-axis surfaces. Thus it will be possible to obtain a compact, light, easy-to-align optical system with high stability. However, when the CTS is transformed into an OTS, new aberrations are generated. The last step in our methodology is to use freeform surfaces to compensate for new aberrations. With this methodology, a limited diffraction system is obtained.
Observation of Natural Course Characteristics of Bietti Crystalline Dystrophy by Fundus Fluorescein Angiography

Background: Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that causes progressive vision loss. Here, 12 patients were followed up for 1–5 years with fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) to clarify BCD disease development and its classification. Methods: FFA images were collected for 12 patients with BCD who visited our clinic twice or more in 5 years. Peripheral venous blood was collected to identify a pathogenic gene related to the clinical phenotype.Results: FFA images identified two BCD types. Type 1 showed retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy at the macular area, followed by choriocapillaris atrophy, then RPE atrophy appeared at the peripheral retina. Type 2 showed RPE atrophy at the posterior pole and peripheral retina, followed by choriocapillaris atrophy around the macula and along the superior and inferior vascular arcades and optic disc nasal side. Then the posterior and peripheral lesions of type 1 and type 2 were extended to the mid-periphery; at last, all the RPE and choriocapillars atrophied, exposed choroid great vessels, but the macular RPE atrophy of type 2 can existed for a long time. Conclusions: The two different BCD development types provide a better understanding of the phenotype and the progression of the disease for a precise prognosis and prediction of pathogenesis.
A Virus-Induced Gene-Silencing Vector Based on a Mild Isolate of Watermelon Mosaic Virus for Reverse Genetic Analyses in Cucurbits

As a response to viral infections, host plants trigger an RNA-mediated gene silencing defense, to which viruses respond with the expression of viral-encoded RNA silencing suppressors. If virus clones are manipulated to include sequences homologous to host endogenous genes, these are also targeted by the plant RNA silencing machinery. This so-called virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has become a powerful technique for reverse genetic analyses in plants, as an alternative to labor-intensive genome transformation. We show that a mild isolate of Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV, genus Potyvirus) can be used as a VIGS vector for reverse genetic analyses in melon. Recombinant WMV clones —in which fragments of the melon Phytoene desaturase (PDS) mRNA were inserted in sense, antisense, and hairpin modalities— induced a distinctive phenotype and significant silencing of the endogenous gene. While the foreign fragments in sense and antisense orientations were stable in the viral progeny, the hairpin was quickly lost. Nevertheless, the hairpin construct triggered a maintained silencing effect comparable to those of the sense and antisense constructs. The suitability of WMV as a VIGS vector was further confirmed targeting melon Magnesium chelatase subunit I (CHLI). These results also support that, although potyviruses express a strong silencing suppressor that usually precludes VIGS, mild isolates of this kind of viruses can be used as VIGS vectors. Finally, to facilitate the use of this new tool by cucurbit geneticists, we describe plasmid pGWMV-VIGS that allows easy cloning fragments of the genes of interest in a single Gibson assembly reaction.
Potential of the Pentacam in Screening for Narrow Angles in Patients with Chronic Angle-Closure Glaucoma

Background: Chronic angle-closure glaucoma (CACG) is a visually destructive disease. Effective management of CACG requires identifying eyes with narrow angle. Objective: To compare pentacam with gonioscopy in detecting narrow angles in eyes with CACG. Method: We enrolled 101 eyes with glaucoma. Gonioscopy was performed on all eyes. Using Shaffer’s grading, subjects were classified into angle closure and open angle. Anterior chamber volume (ACV) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were measured with the pentacam. Receiver operating curve was constructed for each parameter and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Results: Ten eyes (9.9%) were classified as angle closure on gonioscopy. To detect narrow angles, ACV (AUC 0.956; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.894–0.987) performed similar to ACD (AUC=0.930, p=0.33). Using a cutoff of 102 mm3 , ACV had 100% sensitivity and 88.5% specificity for detecting narrow angles in CACG patients. With an ACV cutoff of 102 mm3 , the PPV for detecting angle closure was 48.9% (95% CI, 34.8–68.2), while the NPV was 100% (94.1– 100%), using 9.9% prevalence of angle closure from this study. Conclusion: ACV and ACD measured by the pentacam have the potential to determine narrow angles in eyes with CACG. Keywords: Chronic angle-closure glaucoma, Pentacam HR, Anterior chamber volume, Gonioscopy
Magnetic anisotropy in metallic ultrathin films and related experiments on cobalt films (invited)

Etudes experimentales et theoriques de couches ultraminces de Co prises en sandwich entre Au. Experiences de resonance ferromagnetique revelant la presence d'une anisotropie perpendiculaire superficielle importante. On propose des modeles varies prenant en compte les imperfections des couches
Efficient and Anonymous Authentication for Healthcare Service With Cloud Based WBANs

As a promising technology in the development of human healthcare services, the wireless body area networks (WBANs) technology has attracted widespread attention in recent years from both industry and academia. However, due to the sensitiveness of the medical system and the capability limitation of the wearable devices, security, privacy, and efficiency of the healthcare services in WBANs are remained as major challenges. Although different authentication mechanisms have been designed to meet the challenges in recent years, most of them suffer from some functional defects or security problems. In this article, we firstly provide a review and cryptanalysis on the state-of-the-art authentication scheme. In order to meet the challenges and address the drawbacks in previous works, we then propose a new efficient and anonymous authentication scheme for cloud based WBANs. Through the security analysis, we show that our scheme could overcome the weaknesses in previous schemes and meet all the security requirements. Besides, we show the advantages of the proposed scheme through performance evaluation in terms of functionality features, computation overhead, communication overhead and storage overhead, which shows our scheme is more appropriate for practical applications on healthcare services.
Analysis of an HIV - HCV simultaneous infection model with time delay

A novel mathematical delay model for simultaneous infection of HIV and hepatitis C virus is formulated and dynamically analyzed. Basic properties of the model are established and proved. Basic reproductive threshold is systematically calculated as the maximum of three subthreshold parameters. A disease free equilibrium is determined to be globally asymptotically stable for all values of the delay when the threshold is less than unity. However, when the threshold is greater than one, endemic equilibrium emerged which is shown to be locally asymptotically stable for any length of delay. Although the delay has no effect on stabilities of equilibria points, however, it is found to reduce the infectivity of the viruses as the length of the delay is increased. Epidemiological interpretations of the results and numerical simulations illustrating them are given.