Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analytical Expressions of Drainable and Fillable Porosity for Layered Soils Under Shallow Groundwater Environments

This study presents the analytical expressions of drainable and fillable porosity for layered soils under shallow groundwater environments. The expressions of drainable porosity λd and fillable porosity λf for two‐layered soils are first derived with water table depth change ∆d→0 under dynamic soil moisture conditions. The expressions of λd and λf consider the dynamic soil moisture conditions through the assumption of vertical fluxes in the unsaturated zone, varying as functions of water table elevation h. The analytical expressions of λd and λf have the same formula form but different values under evapotranspiration and recharge conditions, which is also verified using the numerical calculation. The case comparisons indicate that the vertical distribution of soil layers and the fluxes have significant effects on the performance of λd and λf. Our proposed expressions could effectively characterize the effects of soil layering and vertical fluxes on λd and λf. They could improve the accuracy of the previous expressions for single‐layer soils, and complement the lack of description for layered soils under dynamic soil moisture conditions in previous expressions. Furthermore, under the hydrostatic assumption (static equilibrium of soil water pressure distribution) in the unsaturated zone, the expressions of drainable porosity λd* and fillable porosity λf* for two‐layered soils with large water table fluctuations are derived based on λd and λf (asterisks in λd* and λf* is to distinguish them from λd and λf derived based on ∆d→0). Verification with drainage experimental data indicates that the proposed expressions can be extended to well capture the λd* and λf* changes for two‐layered soils. Application scenarios suggest that our analytical expressions of drainable and fillable porosity are useful to improve the application performance of related subsurface modeling and groundwater estimation for layered soils under shallow water table environments.
Performance Analysis of SWIPT- Enabled Cooperative NOMA System with Partial Relay Selection

Recently, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting (EH) techniques are applied in cooperative communication systems for 5G and beyond wireless communications. To exploit the benefits of the aforementioned techniques, we investigate the performance of a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT)-enabled cooperative NOMA system with decode-and-forward (DF) relaying technique. We consider a scenario, where a base station (BS) communicates with two users with the help of one EH relay, which is selected out of multiple relays using partial relay selection (PRS) scheme. The selected relay harvests energy through RF signals received from BS using a time-switching-based relaying (TSR) EH protocol. Furthermore, the relay utilizes the harvested energy from BS to forward the decoded information to the mobile users. The performance of the proposed system model is analyzed by deriving closed-form expressions for outage probability, ergodic capacity, energy efficiency, and overall system throughput over Rayleigh fading channels. Since perfect channel state information (CSI) and successive interference cancellation (SIC) are not practically possible at the receiver nodes in the proposed system model, we have also considered the effects of imperfect CSI and SIC on the system performance. Finally, Monte-Carlo simulations are presented to verify the correctness of the analytical expressions.
Prediction of Production Line Status for Printed Circuit Boards

This paper focuses on the problem of predicting production line status for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The problem contains three prediction tasks regarding PCB producing process. Firstly, data exploration is carried out and it reveals several data challenges, including data imbalance, data noise, small sample size, and component difference. To predict production line status for components of PCBs using records of inspection on pins, we proposed two possible feature extraction methods to compress the pin-level data into component-level. A statistical feature extraction method, which retrieves descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, maximum, and minimum of pins on the same component, is applied to Task 1, while a PinNumber-based feature extraction method, which keep original values for 2-pin components, is applied to Task3. In addition, a neural-net model with feeding imbalance control is established for Task 1. and a random forests model is applied for both Task 2 and Task 3. Moreover, a threshold moving technique is proposed to optimize the threshold selection. Finally, the result shows that our models achieved f1-scores of 0.44, 0.54, and 0.71 on the test set for the three tasks, respectively.
Effects of spatial fragmentation on the elevational distribution of bird diversity in a mountain adjacent to urban areas

Abstract The biodiversity in mountainous ecosystems is high but is threatened by rapid environmental change. Urbanization and other anthropogenic factors in the mountains can affect land use and spatial fragmentation. Moreover, patterns of habitat are closely related to elevation and have a major effect on montane biodiversity. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of spatial fragmentation on the vertical distribution pattern of bird diversity by characterizing the structure of the bird community, species diversity, and landscape factors at different altitudes. From 2016 to 2019, this study made a four years of continuous monitoring of the breeding birds. The result indicated that Mount Tai harbored a high bird diversity. Bird richness, abundance, and Shannon‐Wiener index decreased with latitude in Mount Tai monotonically. Moreover, the structure of bird communities varied along altitudinal gradients, and some special species were supported in different elevational bands due to the environmental filtering. Road density, number of habitat patches, patch density, and the percentage of forest were significantly related to bird diversity. Sufficient habitat and more patches in the low‐mountain belt supported higher bird diversity. The middle‐mountain belt and high‐mountain belt showed contrasting patterns. Our results highlight the effects of on‐going urbanization and human activities on montane biodiversity and emphasize the need for artificial habitats in the mountains to be managed.
Semisupervised learning for machine translation

Statistical machine translation systems are usually trained on large amounts of bilingual text which is used to learn a translation model, and also large amounts of monolingual text in the target language used to train a language model. In this chapter we explore the use of semi-supervised methods for the effective use of monolingual data from the source language in order to improve translation quality. In particular, in this work we use monolingual source language data from the same domain as the test set (without directly using the test set itself) and use semisupervised methods for model adaptation to the test set domain. We propose several algorithms with this aim, and present the strengths and weaknesses of each one. We present detailed experimental evaluations using French–English and Chinese– English data and show that under some settings translation quality can be improved.
Hybrid Optical-Electrical Data Center Networking: Challenges and Solutions for Bandwidth Resource Optimization

Fast optical switching (FOS) is the most promising technology for data center networks (DCNs) to meet data rate requirements beyond 800 Gb/s, considering its transparent modulation format, low power consumption and dense port integration. However, FOS, leveraging optical packet switching (OPS) technology, is hardly compatible with the electrical switches that are widely used in the current hybrid optical/electrical switching data center networks (Hoe-DCNs). The diversity of topologies and multi-switching granularity increases the risk of service disruption and reduces bandwidth efficiency. Based on the IP-over-OPS system, we propose bandwidth resource optimization techniques with the aid of hybrid polling contention resolution and microsecond-level load balancing in Hoe-DCNs. We first present an optical switching architecture to show its performance characteristics in the context of nanosecond-level FOSs in terms of resource management and setup optimization. Based on the fabricated FOS structure, we discuss the emerging problem of packet contention and introduce a bufferless scheduling solution. The characteristics of load balancing for Hoe-DCN are then investigated and evaluated by simulating Hoe-DCNs. Finally, the numerical results are given and analyzed based on a large-scale DCN testbed.
A Comprehensive Study on ARM Disassembly Tools

Embedded devices are becoming ubiquitous, and ARM is becoming the dominant architecture for them. Meanwhile, there is a pressing need to perform security assessments for these devices. Due to different types of peripherals, emulating the software, i.e., firmware, of these devices in scale is challenging. Therefore, static analysis is still widely used. Existing works usually leverage off-the-shelf tools to disassemble stripped ARM binaries and (implicitly) assume that reliably disassembling binaries is a solved problem. However, whether this assumption really holds is unknown. In this paper, we conduct the first comprehensive study on ARM disassembly tools. Specifically, we build 1,896 ARM binaries (including 248 obfuscated ones) with different compilers, compiling options, and obfuscation methods. We then evaluate them using eight state-of-the-art ARM disassembly tools (including both commercial and noncommercial ones) in three different versions on their capabilities to locate instruction boundary, function boundary, and function signature. Instruction and function boundary are two fundamental primitives that the other primitives are built upon while function signature is significant for control flow integrity (CFI) techniques. Our work reveals some observations that have not been systematically summarized and/or confirmed. For instance, we find that the existence of both ARM and Thumb instruction sets, and the reuse of the BL instruction for both function calls and branches bring serious challenges to disassembly tools. Our evaluation sheds light on the limitations of state-of-the-art disassembly tools and points out potential directions for improvement.
On Testing for Discrimination Using Causal Models

Consider a bank that uses an AI system to decide which loan applications to approve. We want to ensure that the system is fair, that is, it does not discriminate against applicants based on a predefined list of sensitive attributes, such as gender and ethnicity. We expect there to be a regulator whose job it is to certify the bank’s system as fair or unfair. We consider issues that the regulator will have to confront when making such a decision, including the precise definition of fairness, dealing with proxy variables, and dealing with what we call allowed variables, that is, variables such as salary on which the decision is allowed to depend, despite being correlated with sensitive variables. We show (among other things) that the problem of deciding fairness as we have defined it is co-NP-complete, but then argue that, despite that, in practice the problem should be manageable.
The energy band gap of the manganese oxide pyramidal nanostructures

In this paper, we report on the number of nanorods changing in the structural and optical properties of manganese oxide pyramidal nanostructures with a square cross-section deposited on the glass substrate. The structural and optical properties of the manganese films were investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed manganese oxide pyramidal nanostructures with 10, 9, and 8 nanorods that have Mn3O4, Mn3O4, and Mn2O3 phases, respectively. The optical measurement for manganese oxide thin films showed the transmittance and the energy band gap in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The transmittance decreases with increasing the number of nanorods. In addition, the optical band gap increases from 2.64 eV to 2.88 eV with increasing the number of nanorods.
Adaptive Salp Swarm Algorithm for Optimization of Geotechnical Structures

Based on the salp swarm algorithm (SSA), this paper proposes an efficient metaheuristic algorithm for solving global optimization problems and optimizing two commonly encountered geotechnical engineering structures: reinforced concrete cantilever retaining walls and shallow spread foundations. Two new equations for the leader- and followers-position-updating procedures were introduced in the proposed adaptive salp swarm optimization (ASSA). This change improved the algorithm’s exploration capabilities while preventing it from converging prematurely. Benchmark test functions were used to confirm the proposed algorithm’s performance, and the results were compared to the SSA and other effective optimization algorithms. A Wilcoxon’s rank sum test was performed to evaluate the pairwise statistical performances of the algorithms, and it indicated the significant superiority of the ASSA. The new algorithm can also be used to optimize low-cost retaining walls and foundations. In the analysis and design procedures, both geotechnical and structural limit states were used. Two case studies of retaining walls and spread foundations were solved using the proposed methodology. According to the simulation results, ASSA outperforms alternative models and demonstrates the ability to produce better optimal solutions.
Conceptual retrieval for unique entities does not require proper names

ABSTRACT When asked to describe unique entities by providing specific, identifying information, people typically include proper names for other, related concepts (e.g. song titles when describing a musician). Here, we investigated whether proper names are necessary to accurately describe famous persons and places. Participants (healthy adults, N = 39) were shown names of famous persons or landmarks and asked to provide uniquely-identifying information about each, without using proper nouns. Their performance was compared to individuals who were unrestricted in proper noun use in this task. The current participants, who were prevented from using proper names, performed similarly to comparison participants who could use proper names. Additionally, the current participants performed significantly better than participants with damage to the left temporal pole (who have impaired proper noun retrieval due to their brain damage). These findings indicate that retrieval of proper nouns is not necessary to correctly identify and define semantically unique entities.
Nisin and Nisin Probiotic Disrupt Oral Pathogenic Biofilms and Restore Their Microbiome Composition towards Healthy Control Levels in a Peri-Implantitis Setting

Peri-implantitis is characterized by chronic inflammation of the peri-implant supporting tissues that progressively and irreversibly leads to bone loss and, consequently, implant loss. Similar to periodontal disease, oral dysbiosis is thought to be a driver of peri-implantitis. However, managing peri-implantitis with traditional treatment methods, such as nonsurgical debridement or surgery, is not always successful. Thus, novel strategies have been proposed to address these shortcomings. One strategy is the use of probiotics as antimicrobial agents since they are considered safe for humans and the environment. Specifically, the probiotic Lactococcus lactis produces nisin, which has been used worldwide for food preservation. The objective of this study was to determine whether nisin and the wild-type (WT) nisin-producing L. lactis probiotic can disrupt oral pathogenic biofilms and promote a healthier oral microbiome within these oral biofilms on titanium discs. Using confocal imaging and 16S rRNA sequencing, this study revealed that nisin and WT L. lactis probiotic disrupt oral pathogenic biofilms in a peri-implantitis setting in vitro. More specifically, nisin decreased the viability of the pathogen-spiked biofilms dose-dependently from 62.53 ± 3.69% to 54.26 ± 3.35% and 44.88 ± 2.98%, respectively. Similarly, 105 CFU/mL of WT L. lactis significantly decreased biofilm viability to 52.45 ± 3.41%. Further, both treatments shift the composition, relative abundance, and diversity levels of these biofilms towards healthy control levels. A total of 1 µg/mL of nisin and 103 CFU/mL of WT L. lactis were able to revert the pathogen-mediated changes in the Proteobacteria (from 80.5 ± 2.9% to 75.6 ± 2.0%, 78.0 ± 2.8%, and 75.1 ± 5.3%, respectively) and Firmicutes (from 11.6 ± 1.6% to 15.4 ± 1.3%, 13.8 ± 1.8%, and 13.7 ± 2.6%, respectively) phyla back towards control levels. Thus, nisin and its nisin-producing L. lactis probiotic may be useful in treating peri-implantitis by promoting healthier oral biofilms, which may be useful for improving patient oral health.
Total Phenolic Content, Biomass Composition, and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Marine Microalgal Species with Potential as Aquaculture Feed

There has been growing interest in microalgal biomolecules for health and cosmetics, as well as in the use of microalgae as aquaculture feed due to the need to replace fishmeal and fish oil with sustainable yet equally nutritious alternatives. Aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of five marine microalgal species, namely Chlorella minutissima, Dunaliella salina, Isochrysis galbana, Nannochloropsis oculata and Tisochrysis lutea, for the co-production of antioxidants and aquaculture feed. Batch cultivation was performed under saturating light intensity and continuous aeration. Freeze-dried biomass was extracted sequentially with water and methanol and evaluated for phenolic content and antioxidant activity, as well as proximate composition and fatty acid profile. Methanolic extracts of C. minutissima presented the highest phenolic content, measured with the Folin–Ciocalteu assay, and antioxidant activity. However, HPLC and LC-MS showed the presence of non-pigment compounds only in T. lutea. Total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were correlated to chlorophyll content. N. oculata and T. lutea were rich in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, respectively, as well as in protein. In conclusion, N. oculata and T. lutea are suitable candidates for further optimization, while the data presented suggest that pigment effects on the Folin–Ciocalteu method require reconsideration.
Decoding the Effect of Hydrostatic Pressure on TRPV1 Lower-Gate Conformation by Molecular-Dynamics Simulation

In response to hydrostatic pressure, the cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is essential in signaling pathways linked to glaucoma. When activated, TRPV1 undergoes a gating transition from a closed to an open state that allows the influx of Ca2+ ions. However, the gating mechanism of TRPV1 in response to hydrostatic pressure at the molecular level is still lacking. To understand the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the activation of TRPV1, we conducted molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations on TRPV1 under different hydrostatic pressure configurations, with and without a cell membrane. The TRPV1 membrane-embedded model is more stable than the TPRV1-only model, indicating the importance of including the cell membrane in MD simulation. Under elevated pressure at 27.6 mmHg, we observed a more dynamic and outward motion of the TRPV1 domains in the lower-gate area than in the simulation under normal pressure at 12.6 mmHg. While a complete closed-to-open-gate transition was not evident in the limited course of our MD simulations, an increase in the channel radius at the lower gate was observed at 27.6 mmHg versus that at 12.6 mmHg. These findings provide novel information regarding the effect of hydrostatic pressure on TRPV1 channels.
Implementasi Power BI Untuk Dashboard Analisis Hasil Rating dan Review Produk Elektronik di Lazada.com

Abstract : Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membuat sistem dashboard yang dapat menganalisis dan memantau hasil rating dan review konsumen terhadap produk elektronik yang di jual di situs marketplace Lazada.com. Beberapa penelitian lainnya telah banyak yang menyatakan bahwa terdapat pengaruh atau hubungan antara hasil rating dan konten review yang ditulis oleh konsumen setelah barang diterima. Komponen rating dan review ini sangat mempengaruhi minat pembeli lainnya sebelum melakukan transaksi. Hal ini juga dapat menjadi faktor kenyamanan online dan kepuasan tersendiri untuk pelanggan saat bertransaksi di Lazada.com. Dengan menggunakan open data online di tahun 2019, para calon pembeli dan penjual dapat merencanakan jenis produk elektronik apa yang bisa mereka beli atau dijual dengan minat yang tinggi. Produk elektronik ini telah dikategorikan menjadi 5 jenis kategori, yaitu harddisk eksternal, laptop, smart-tv, flash drives, dan televise digital. Sistem Dashboard yang dibangun ini mengolah data sebanyak 203.787 baris data dengan 15 kolom dalam bentuk file excel. Proses pengolahan data yang dilakukan diantaranya adalah proses ETL (Extract Transform Load) melalui SQL Server 2018 kemudian dilanjutkan dengan import data dan pembuatan sistem dashboard melalui Power BI. Sistem Dashboard untuk menganalisis dan memantau hasil rating dan review produk elektronik ini menampilkan Grafik Jumlah Transaksi berdasarkan kategori produk elektronik, Matriks Jumlah Rating per kategori, Grafik Analisis Review Positif dan Review Negatif Konsumen yang mengandung kata dasar tertentu, seperti “bagus, mantap, good, ok” dan “tidak sesuai, pengiriman lama”. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa terdapat Total Review Positif dengan prosentase 98,9%, sedangkan Total Negatif hanya 1,02%, dengan jumlah review null sebanyak 96.03K baris data dari total data keseluruhan sebanyak 203.79K baris data. Sistem Dashboard ini diuji melalui uji coba penerimaan pengguna dengan hasil uji scenario terhadap grafik dan diagram yang ditampilkan seluruhnya berjalan dengan hasil Passed (berhasil), sehingga hasil analisis ini dapat dijadikan acuan bagi para calon penjual atau pembeli apabila ingin melakukan proses transaksi jual beli di Lazada.com, dapat menentukan jenis kategori produk yang mana yang memiliki rating dan review konten yang bagus.