Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust 2D Mapping Integrating with 3D Information for the Autonomous Mobile Robot Under Dynamic Environment

In order to move around automatically, mobile robots usually need to recognize their working environment first. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) has become an important research field recently, by which the robot can generate a map while moving around. Both two-dimensional (2D) mapping and three-dimensional (3D) mapping methods have been developed greatly with high accuracy. However, 2D maps cannot reflect the space information of the environment and 3D mapping needs long processing time. Moreover, conventional SLAM methods based on grid maps take a long time to delete the moving objects from the map and are hard to delete the potential moving objects. In this paper, a 2D mapping method integrating with 3D information based on immobile area occupied grid maps is proposed. Objects in 3D space are recognized and their space information (e.g., shapes) and properties (moving objects or potential moving objects like people standing still) are projected to the 2D plane for updating the 2D map. By using the immobile area occupied grid map method, recognized still objects are reflected to the map quickly by updating the immobile area occupancy probability with a high coefficient. Meanwhile, recognized moving objects and potential moving objects are not used for updating the map. The unknown objects are reflected to the 2D map with a lower immobile area occupancy probability so that they can be deleted quickly once they are recognized as moving objects or start to move. The effectiveness of our method is proven by experiments of mapping under dynamic indoor environment using a mobile robot.
Egypt’s feminist counterpublic: The re-invigoration of the post-revolution public sphere

This study examines the current feminist counterculture movements which appears to be reinvigorating the Egyptian public sphere. The study argues women in particular have been able to find themselves alternative ways to develop a discourse focused on a desire for social changes around which they can unite. In focusing on lifestyle issues that normally are discussed only in small private spheres, they are able to challenge norms while not provoking the state or security apparatus and avoiding becoming part of the polarised political environment. This article explores the dynamics and motivations of these groups through a case study of three of the networked feminist movements. Our data from semi-structured interviews with the founders show that they grew from networks to movements which then evolved in order to be sustainable. This article argues that through the process of their evolution, these movements are helping strengthen the public sphere and enhance Egyptian democracy.
Characterization and potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on rice seedling growth and the effect on Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Rahma H, Nurbailis, Kristina N. 2019. Characterization and potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on rice seedling growth and the effect on Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Biodiversitas 20: 3654-3661. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), a major limiting factor in rice production, and the use of resistant Xoo varieties have failed to control the bacterial pathogens as well as increased yield. It is due to the diversity in pathotypes, caused by environmental factors, the nature of resistant variety used, and gene mutation. The aims of this study were to select rhizobacterial strains with the potential of suppressing Xoo growth and promoting the growth of rice seedlings. This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) using seven rhizobacterial isolates selected through a dual culture test, with four replications. There were four isolates that potential in inhibiting the growth of Xoo, namely KJKB5.4, LMTSA5.4, Bacillus cereus AJ34, and Alcaligenes faecalis AJ14, with inhibition diameters greater than 11.50 mm. Rhizobacterial supernatant of 4 potential isolates has a zone of inhibition ranging from 12.25 to 24.00 mm. Four potential isolates were also able to solubilize phosphate, produce indole acetic acid (IAA) growth hormone, and siderophore, as well as enhance the growth of rice seedlings. Based on the nucleic acid sequencing of LMTSA5.4, KJKB5.4, and RK12 isolates were identified as Stenotrophomonas malthopilia strain LMG 958 (99.13%) accession NR 119220.1, Stenotrophomonas pavanii strain LMG 25348 (95.84%) accession NR 118008.1 and Ochrobactrum ciceri strain ca-34 (92.91%) accession NR115819.1.
MEASURING INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN PAKISTAN: PARAMETRIC AND NON-PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS

The present study estimates inequality of opportunity for Pakistan by using parametric and non-parametric analysis. Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Surveys of two time periods, 2005-06 and 2010-11, have been utilized. Father’s education, mother’s education, father’s occupation, region of residence, and gender have been used as the circumstance variable while labour earnings and household income per capita are outcome variables. Three indices of Generalized Entropy measures have been utilized to estimate inequality of opportunity. Results depict that inequality of opportunity in labour earnings declines by 11 percentage points in Pakistan, during study period. The inequality of opportunity, for household income per capita, declines by 16 percentage points for Pakistan. Among all circumstances, gender is the highest contributor followed by region of residence, father’s education, and father’s occupation.
A VARIATIONAL APPROACH TO IMPULSIVE STURM-LIOUVILLE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH NONLINEAR DERIVATIVE DEPENDENCE

We study the existence and multiplicity of solutions for a class of impulsive Sturm-Liouville differential equations with nonlinear derivative dependence. By applying a critical point theory, we give some criteria to guarantee that our impulsive problem has at least three solutions under rather different assumptions and an exact interval of parameter λ. AMS Subject Classification: 34B15, 34B18, 34B24, 34B37, 58E30
Monte Carlo Analysis of Gathering and Scattering Behavior Generated by Gravitational Particle Swarm Algorithm

In this study, we propose a novel multimodal optimization (MMO) algorithm, gravitational particle swarm algorithm (GPSA). This replaces the global feedback term of a classical particle swarm optimization with a term that introduces inverse-square gravitational force between particles. We analyze GPSA’s search behavior by Monte-Carlo simulation and evaluate its search performance for a one-dimensional MMO problem. It is shown that our GPSA’s particles exhibit gathering and scattering behavior, based on which our GPSA was able to ﬁnd 83% of the optimal solutions without using any algorithmic clustering procedures.
Quality Reporting of Environmental Information by Saudi Agricultural Companies: Water Information Disclosure

The objective of the study is to examine the quality of environmental reporting specifically the water information disclosed by food and agriculture Saudi listed companies. The study used qualitative content analysis of the annual reports of 16 food and agriculture companies over four years. The study used GRI standards for measuring the quality reporting of water information. The study found that most of the companies do not provide information total water used, reused or recycled. The study shows that stakeholders have difficulty or impossible to make any assessment or monitoring on the companies’ environmental performance (water information) on these types of reports. The study give an implication to Saudi government to make an impose regulation request the companies especially food and agriculture companies to provide sufficient information on water consumption.
The Impact of the Ease Doing Business Indicators on Foreign Direct Investment in the European Transition Economies

Abstract The objective (aim) of this paper is to explore the impact of the Ease of Doing Business Indicators on FDI on transition economies in Europe. Authors have used the dynamic panel methodology, by using three methods: Pooled Ordinary Least Square (POLS), Fixed Effect (FE), and Two Step-System Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimation techniques. By referring to the GMM technique, it can be seen that variables such as: Starting a Business, Registering property, Getting electricity and Resolving insolvency have a positive and significant impact in attracting FDI in 16 European transition countries, while variables as: Dealing with construction permits, Getting credit, Paying taxes, Protecting minority investors, have shown negative impact, whereas Trading Across Border and Enforcing contracts have not shown any impact on attracting FDIs in European transition countries. This paper contributes to the enrichment of existing literature in this field by using these three methods.
University of Birmingham Design of active Nickel single-atom decorated MoS2 as a pH-universal catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

: MoS 2 has been considered as a potential alternative to Pt-based catalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the presence of the inactive in-plane domains limits their surface area specific activity of the catalyst. Here, we demonstrate a new approach for activating these inactive sites and therefore dramatically enhancing the activity. We discover that decorating single Ni atom on MoS 2 can increase the HER activity in both alkaline and acidic conditions. Experimental and theoretical results indicate that single Ni atom modifiers are inclined to single dispersion in the S-edge sites and H-basal sites of MoS 2 , resulting in a favorable change in the adsorption behavior of H atoms on their neighboring S atoms and subsequently the HER activity. Consequently, the single-Ni-atom decorated MoS 2 (Ni SA -MoS 2 ) achieved cathodic current density of 10 mA cm -2 at overpotentials of 98mV and 110 mV in 1 M KOH and 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 , respectively. The dispersion of the Ni single atoms in the Ni SA -MoS 2 is unaffected upon 2000 cycles in both acidic and alkaline conditions. This single atom decorating approach presents a facile and promising pathway for designing active electrocatalysts for energy conversion and storage.
A STUDY OF COMPLEX ALUMINUM-PHOSPHATES CATALYSTS BY METHOD OF INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

Es werden Thesen von Berichten und Artikeln von Teilnehmern der internationalen wissenschaftlich-praktischen Konferenz «Aktuelle Themen im Kontext der Entwicklung der modernen Wissenschaften», am 23 Januar 2019 in Dresden vorgestellt. Die Sammlung richtet sich an Studierende, Doktoranden, Bewerber, junge Berufstätige, Lehrer, Forscher und andere interessierte Personen sowie an ein breites Spektrum von Lesern.
Spectroscopic and molecular modeling investigations on heat induced behaviour of soy proteins

Soy protein derivatives are widely used in food industry. Because structural properties of proteins vary with the environment conditions, thermal processing might be useful for modulating proteins functionality. The effect of thermal treatment at temperatures ranging from 25 to 100°C on soy proteins behaviour was tested using fluorescence spectroscopy and in silico techniques. Experimental tests were carried out at pH 4.5 and 7.0. Intrinsic fluorescence of proteins was monitored for probing the dynamics of Trp and Tyr microenvironments, such as to estimate the eventual conformation changes. Shifts of the maximum emission were recorded with pH change and temperature increase, and were associated to proteins structure alteration. Synchronous spectra indicated maximum and minimum fluorescence intensity of both chromophores at 70°C and 90°C, respectively, attributed to denaturation of the main soy proteins. Further molecular dynamics simulations, performed at single molecule level to complement the experimental results, indicated higher structural stability at 100oC of glycinin trimer compared to the β-conglycinin trimer.
POWER SPECTRUM ANALYSIS OF SEISMIC DATA FOR AN EARTHQUAKE USING BARTLETT ALGORITHM

Earthquakes are the unforeseeable disasters in nature. During earthquake energy is released suddenly into earth’s lithosphere and creates seismic waves. Explosion that propagates through earth layers produce seismic signals using a transmitter. Hence, seismic signals are highly contaminated with noise. Signal to noise ratio of seismic signal is very low. Pre-processing techniques like FIR band filter is used in order to increase its SNR and to reduce the noise. In this paper Bartlett’s method is implemented in frequency domain to analyse power spectrum of the seismic signal. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Volume 114 No. 1
Value Speculation through Equality Prediction

Modern context-based value predictors tightly associate recurring values with instructions and contexts by building confidence upon them. However, when execution monotony exists in the form of intervals, the potential prediction coverage is limited, since prediction confidence is reset at the beginning of each new interval. In this paper, we address this challenge by introducing the notion of Equality Prediction (EP), which represents the binary facet of value prediction. Following a twofold decision scheme (similar to branch prediction), EP makes use of control-flow history to determine equality between the last committed result read at fetch time, and the result of the fetched occurrence. When equality is predicted with high confidence, the read value is used. Our experiments show that this technique obtains the same level of performance as previously proposed state-of-the-art context-based predictors. However, by virtue of better exploiting patterns of interval equality, our design complements the established way that value prediction is performed, and when combined with contemporary prediction models, improves the delivered speedup by 19% on average.
Daytime aerosol optical depth above low-level clouds is similar to that in adjacent clear skies at the same heights: airborne observation above the southeast Atlantic

Abstract. To help satellite retrieval of aerosols and studies of their radiative effects, we demonstrate that daytime aerosol optical depth over low-level clouds is similar to that in neighboring clear skies at the same heights. Based on recent airborne lidar and sun photometer observations above the southeast Atlantic, the mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) difference at 532 nm is between 0 and −0.01, when comparing the cloudy and clear sides, each up to 20 km wide, of cloud edges. The difference is not statistically significant according to a paired t test. Systematic differences in the wavelength dependence of AOD and in situ single scattering albedo are also minuscule. These results hold regardless of the vertical distance between cloud top and aerosol layer bottom. AOD aggregated over ∼2∘ grid boxes for each of September 2016, August 2017 and October 2018 also shows little correlation with the presence of low-level clouds. We posit that a satellite retrieval artifact is entirely responsible for a previous finding of generally smaller AOD over clouds (Chung et al., 2016), at least for the region and time of our study. Our results also suggest that the same values can be assumed for the intensive properties of free-tropospheric biomass-burning aerosol regardless of whether clouds are present below.
Industrial wastewater remediation using Hematite@Chitosan nanocomposite

The emission of heavy metals into the environment may be natural or anthropogenic (Taghipour and Mosaferi, 2013). Anthropogenic impacts including industrial discharge, domestic sewage, non-point source runoff and atmospheric precipitation are the main sources of toxic heavy metals that enter aquatic systems ﴾Langston et al., 1999﴿. Heavy metals are bio-accumulated in living organisms when taken up and stored more than softened (metabolized) or excreted (Gupta, 2013). Heavy metals toxicity has been reportable to be caused by completely different means; e.g., from contamination of drinking-water (Pb pipes), high air concentrations close to emission sources (thus enter into soil) or from food chain. The heavy metals are poisonous as the result of the bio-accumulation (Lenntech, 2012; Gupta, 2013 & Chibuike and Obiora, 2014). The Nile in Egypt facing major environmental problems associated with the dispersal or disposal of agricultural, industrial and urban wastes generated by human activities (Abdel-Mohsien and Mahmoud, 2015). ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Received: Nov. 24, 2019 Accepted: Dec. 29, 2019 Online: Jan. 2020 _______________
Potential in Vitro Elicitation of Secondary Metabolite Using Sodium Azide in Tissue Culture of Nigella sativa and Its Eeffect on DNA Damage Inhibition

Nigella sativa (NS) is an effective medicinal plant possessing noteworthy antioxidant property. In NS, there are more than hundred phyto-chemicals reported, out of which thymoquinone is the utmost active phyto-constituent having sturdy antioxidative property. Thymoquinone is a cyclicdione, when reacts with sodium azide, converts into α-azido ketones i.e its analogs which Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 19 January 2020 doi:10.20944/preprints202001.0217. v1 © 2020 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license. are handy with extensive range of reactions. Sodium azide induces stress in plants thereby, modulating the antioxidant system. The present investigation was planned to elucidate the effect of sodium azide at different concentrations (5μM, 10μM, 20μM, 50μM, 100μM and 200μM) on its secondary metabolites (mainly thymoquinone) in NS callus culture extract (NSE). The results showed sodium azide effect on thymoquinone content and a concentration dependent boost in antioxidant property. It was also observed that thymoquinone content and percent yield (analyzed by RP-HPLC; Reverse PhaseHigh Performance Liquid Chromatography) were minimum (0.033±0.006% and 0.420±0.045%, respectively) at 200 μM sodium azide used. Whereas, antioxidant activity (analyzed by DPPH; 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) was found to be maximum (3.873±0.402%) at same dose. Further, analysis was done for inhibition of oxidative DNA damage at different concentrations of sodium azide on NSE, maximum inhibition of DNA damage (0.243±0.017%) was found at 200 μM concentration of sodium azide. When correlated, strong positive correlation was observed between percent yield and percent thymoquinone, antioxidant property and inhibition of DNA damage. Whereas, strong negative correlation was observed between percent yield and antioxidant property, percent thymoquinone and antioxidant property, percent thymoquinone and inhibition of DNA damage. The findings evidently point out that the content of thymoquinone, antioxidant property and inhibition of DNA damage was affected by sodium azide.
The Influence of External Contingency Factors and Activity-Based Costing Implementation on Organizational Performance

The Activity-Based Costing (ABC) system continues to gain attention due to the increasing challenges in the current business environment. This situation motivated the researchers to examine external contingency factors (environmental uncertainty (EU) and market orientation (MO)) that influence ABC implementation and the possible effects of ABC implementation on organizational performance. This study also examines the mediating effect of ABC implementation on the relationship between external contingency factors and organizational performance in a developing economy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 114 manufacturing companies in Iraq. The data was analyzed using PLS3-SEM, and the results revealed that EU and MO have a positive and significant effect on ABC implementation, and that ABC implementation has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance. Furthermore, this study establishes the mediating role of ABC implementation on the relationship between external contingency factors and organizational performance.
Triadimefon increases drought tolerance through the regulation of photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in rapeseed at bolting stage

Drought is a major abiotic factor limiting agricultural crop production. The focus of this study was the effect of triadimefon (TDM) on rapeseed photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in response to drought stress. Results showed that TDM increased plant dry mass per plant and reduced the damage to photosynthetic processes by regulating stomatal and nonstomatal factors, inducing photosynthetic pigment synthesis, and improving photosynthetic activity. Chloroplast degradation and senescence was reduced in rapeseed leaves with TDM under drought stress. TDM restored structural connections between chloroplasts and cell membranes and modified the chloroplasts - from slightly elongated ellipses to archetypical ellipses. TDM also regulated enzymatic activity of sugar metabolism. These results indicate that TDM improved drought tolerance through the regulation of photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolic pathways in rapeseed at the bolting stage, thereby increasing biomass under drought stress.
Nature Connection in Early Childhood: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Study

There have been calls to reconnect children with nature, both for their own wellbeing, as well as for ecological sustainability. This has driven the growth of outdoor and nature-schools for all ages, but especially in the early childhood education sector. However, to date, there has not been a quantitative study that looks at whether these settings actually promote nature connection. This paper aims to examine the role of nature nurseries in the promotion of connection to nature, when compared to traditional nurseries. Data were collected on the nature connection, using the Connection to Nature Index for Parents of Preschool Children, of 216 children aged 1–8 years, 132 of whom attended nature nurseries while the rest attended traditional nurseries. Duration and frequency of attendance, sex, and parental nature connection were also reported. Statistical analyses were conducted for overall nature connection scores, individual dimension sub-scores and, for the children who attended nature nursery, against predictors. Results indicate that attending a nature nursery is associated with higher nature connection. Predictors for children’s connection to nature were parental nature connection, and total time spent in attendance of an outdoor nursery. This suggests a dose-response style relationship between attendance and nature connection. Implications for real-life applications are put forward and further research directions are explored.