Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semantic segmentation of buildings in remote sensing images based on dual-path network with rich-scale features

Abstract. To solve the problems of low utilization of spatial features and incomplete contour segmentation in building semantic segmentation of remote sensing images, a building semantic segmentation method in remote sensing images based on dual-path with rich-scale features is proposed. In the shallow spatial path of proposed method, Res2Net module and inception module are used to extract shallow rich scale features to avoid improper use of shallow features affecting segmentation results. In the deep semantic path, ResNet50 combined with hybrid dilated convolution is used as the backbone network, and the obtained high-level semantic features are pooled by a spatial pyramid to capture the deeper multi-scale features. Finally, a new feature fusion module is designed to assign weights to feature maps of different levels extracted from two paths. Experimental results on WHU and Massachusetts building datasets show that the proposed method has higher building extraction accuracy and better generalization ability compared with other semantic segmentation networks.
Attapulgite Nanorods Incorporated MXene Lamellar Membranes for Enhanced Decontamination of Dye Wastewater

Due to its unique physical and chemical properties, MXene has recently attracted much attention as a promising candidate for wastewater treatment. However, the low water permeation flux of MXene membrane remains a challenge that has not been fully solved. In this study, attapulgite was used to increase the flux of MXene membrane through a facile one-pot method, during which the MXene nanosheets were self-assembled while being intercalated by the attapulgite nanorods to finally form the composite membranes. Under optimal conditions, an increase of water permeation flux of 97.31% could be observed, which was attributed to the broadened nano-channel upon the adequate intercalation of attapulgite nanorods. Its permeation flux and rejection rate for methylene blue (MB) were further studied for diverse applications. In contrast to bare MXene, the permeation flux increased by 61.72% with a still high rejection rate of 90.67%, owing to the size rejection. Overcoming a key technique barrier, this work successfully improved the water permeability of MXene by inserting attapulgite nanorods, heralding the exciting prospects of MXene-based lamellar membrane in dye wastewater treatment.
Efficient collision detection for animation and robotics

We present efficient algorithms for collision detection and contact determination between geometric models, described by linear or curved boundaries, undergoing rigid motion. The heart of our collision detection algorithm is a simple and fast incremental method to compute the distance between two convex polyhedra. It utilizes convexity to establish some local applicability criteria for verifying the closest features. A preprocessing procedure is used to subdivide each feature's neighboring features to a constant size and thus guarantee expected constant running time for each test. The expected constant time performance is an attribute from exploiting the geometric coherence and locality. Let n be the total number of features, the expected run time is between $O(\sqrt{n})$ and O(n) depending on the shape, if no special initialization is done. This technique can be used for dynamic collision detection, planning in three-dimensional space, physical simulation, and other robotics problems. The set of models we consider includes polyhedra and objects with surfaces described by rational spline patches or piecewise algebraic functions. We use the expected constant time distance computation algorithm for collision detection between convex polyhedral objects and extend it using a hierarchical representation to distance measurement between non-convex polytopes. Next, we use global algebraic methods for solving polynomial equations and the hierarchical description to devise efficient algorithms for arbitrary curved objects. We also describe two different approaches to reduce the frequency of collision detection from$$N\choose2$$pairwise comparisons in an environment with n moving objects. One of them is to use a priority queue sorted by a lower bound on time to collision; the other uses an overlap test on bounding boxes. Finally, we present an opportunistic global path planner algorithm which uses the incremental distance computation algorithm to trace out a one-dimensional skeleton for the purpose of robot motion planning. The performance of the distance computation and collision detection algorithms attests their promise for real-time dynamic simulations as well as applications in a computer generated virtual environment.
Feasibility of generating an artificial burst in a turbulent boundary layer, phase 2

Various drag accounts for about half of the total drag on commercial aircraft at subsonic cruise conditions. Two avenues are available to achieve drag reduction: either laminar flow control or turbulence manipulation. The present research deals with the latter approach. The primary objective of Phase 2 research was to investigate experimentally the feasibility of substantially reducing the skin-friction drag in a turbulent boundary layer. The method combines the beneficial effects of suction and a longitudinally ribbed surface. At a sufficiently large spanwise separation, the streamwise grooves act as a nucleation site causing a focusing of low-speed streaks over the peaks. Suction is then applied intermittently through longitudinal slots located at selected locations along those peaks to obliterate the low-speed regions and to prevent bursting. Phase 2 research was divided into two tasks. In the first, selective suction from a single streamwise slot was used to eliminate either a single burst-like event or a periodic train of artificially generated bursts in laminar and turbulent boundary layers that develop on a flat plate towed in a water channel. The results indicate that equivalent values of the suction coefficient as low as 0.0006 were sufficient to eliminate the artificially generated bursts in a laminar boundary layer.
EMPIRICAL STUDY OF COMPLIANCE WITH OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION: A CASE STUDY OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE

In general, the construction industry is one of the world’s occupational settings that has high incidents of fatalities and injury rates. Developing countries, Ghana inclusive are faced with much more challenges to effective management of occupational health and safety due to the increasing rate of industrialization and weak occupational health and safety framework. The study aims to examine compliance with occupational health and safety legislation in construction sites in Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative research strategy. Two hundred and one (201) members of construction companies and One hundred and forty-three (143) officers of Regulatory Institutions (RIs) responded to the questionnaires distributed. The findings indicated that construction companies had achieved improved H&S standards compliance because; employees use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) effectively, construction companies allow labour interactions, observe H&S provisions in contract conditions and other relevant safety regulations, control noxious or offensive and highly flammable substances on site. It is recommended that the government adequately resourced Regulatory Institutions (RIs) to effectively carry out their mandate to significantly reduce risk and accidents on construction sites. Keywords: Health and Safety, Construction, Compliance, Accidents, Ghana.
Seismic trace interpolation with nonstationary prediction-error filters

Theory predicts that time and space domain prediction-error filters (PEFs) may be used to interpolate aliased signals. I explore the utility of the theory, applying PEF-based interpolation to aliased seismic field data, to dealias it without lowpass filtering by inserting new traces between those originally recorded. But before theoretical potential is realized on 3-D field data, some practical aspects must be addressed. Most importantly, while PEF theory assumes stationarity, seismic data are not stationary. We can divide the data into assumed-stationary patches, as is often done in other interpolation algorithms. We interpolate with PEFs in patches, and get near-perfect results in those parts of the data where events are mostly local plane waves, lying along straight lines. However, we find that the results are unimpressive where the data are noticeably curved. As an alternative to assumed-stationary patches, I calculate PEFs everywhere in the data, and force filters which are calculated at adjacent coordinates in data space to be similar to each other. The result is a set of smoothly-varying PEFs, which we call adaptive or nonstationary. The coefficients of the adaptive PEFs constitute a large model space. Using SEP’s helical coordinate, we precondition the filter calculation problem so that it converges in manageable time. To address the difficult problem of curved events not fitting the plane wave model, we can control the degree of smoothness in the filters as a function of direction in data coordinates. To get statistically robust filter estimates, we want to maximize the area in data space over which we estimate a filter, while still approximately honoring stationarity. The local dip spectrum on a CMP gather is nearly constant in a region which is elongated in the radial direction, so I estimate PEFs that are smooth along radial lines but which may vary quickly with radial
The Association between Adherence to Oral Antihyperglycemic Agent and HbA1c Level

Adherence to taking medication is essential for patients with chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). There have been many studies about the association between medication adherence and HbA1c levels, but few have used Adherence Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) questionnaire and Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) method to measure adherence in Indonesian population. The aim of this study were to assess the association of medication adherence to HbA1c levels and compare two methods of adherence measurements. This research was conducted at Pasar Minggu Public Health Center, Jakarta using a cross-sectional design. The adherence assessment was conducted using a validated Indonesian version of the ARMS questionnaire and compared to the pharmacy refill adherence method using the PDC calculation. One hundred twenty-seven T2DM patients (75.6% female) with mean age of 58.69 years were recruited. The proportion of adhere patients as measured by ARMS was only 39.4% (50/127). Meanwhile, the proportion of adhere patients as measured by PDC was 77.2% (98/127). Adherence by both measurement showed significant association s with HbA1c <7% (ARMS, OR 4.000 (95% CI 1.705 – 9.386 ) , p = 0.002; PDC, OR 5.674 (95% CI 1.266 – 25.438), p = 0.024). After controlled by covariates, the result remained significant (ARMS, a OR 4. 281 (95% CI 1.78 5 – 10.267, p = 0.00 1 ; PDC, a OR 5. 83 (95% CI 1.287 – 2 6.4 05), p = 0.02 2). Adherence and HbA1c levels was significantly associated even after controlling covariates. ARMS and PDC generated different proportions of adhere patients and may indicate the need of combining the two methods in measuring adherence.
A View of the M81 Galaxy Group via the Hα Window

We present images for 36 galaxies of the M81 Group obtained in the Hα line. Estimates of the Hα flux and star formation rate (SFR) are now available for all the known members of the group with absolute magnitudes down to MB = -10 mag. The character of distribution of the galaxies over three parameters, MB, SFR, and total hydrogen mass, permits us to draw the following conclusions as to the evolutionary status of the group population: (1) Spiral and irregular-type galaxies have time to generate their luminosity (baryon mass) during the cosmological time T0 = 13.7 Gyr, but dwarf spheroidal objects are capable of reproducing only ∼5% of their observed luminosity. (2) S and Im/blue compact dwarf (BCD) galaxies possess a supply of gas sufficient to maintain their observed SFRs only during the next T0 yr, while dIrr and dSph populations have a mean gas depletion time of about 3T0. (3) There is indirect evidence that the star formation in Im/BCD and dIrr galaxies proceeds in a mode of vigorous burst activity rather than in the form of a sluggish process. We note that the dwarf tidal system near NGC 3077, the Garland, has the highest SFR per unit luminosity among 150 galaxies of the Local Volume with known SFRs. Being averaged over the local "cell of homogeneity" of 4 Mpc in diameter around M81, the rate of star formation of the group, SFR = 0.165 M⊙ yr-1 Mpc-3, proves to be 5-8 times higher than the average global rate at z = 0.
Using the Information Harm Triangle to Identify Risk-Informed Cybersecurity Strategies for Instrumentation and Control Systems

Abstract The Information Harm Triangle (IHT) is a novel approach that aims to adapt intuitive engineering concepts to simplify defense in depth for instrumentation and control (I&C) systems at nuclear power plants. This approach combines digital harm, real-world harm, and unsafe control actions (UCAs) into a single graph named “Information Harm Triangle. ” The IHT is based on the postulation that the consequences of cyberattacks targeting I&C systems can be expressed in terms of two orthogonal components: a component representing the magnitude of data harm (DH) (i.e., digital information harm) and a component representing physical information harm (PIH) (i.e., real-world harm, e.g., an inadvertent plant trip). The magnitude of the severity of the physical consequence is the aspect of risk that is of concern. The sum of these two components represents the total information harm. The IHT intuitively informs risk-informed cybersecurity strategies that employ independent measures that either act to prevent, reduce, or mitigate DH or PIH. Another aspect of the IHT is that the DH can result in cyber-initiated UCAs that result in severe physical consequences. The orthogonality of DH and PIH provides insights into designing effective defense in depth. The IHT can also represent cyberattacks that have the potential to impede, evade, or compromise countermeasures from taking appropriate action to reduce, stop, or mitigate the harm caused by such UCAs. Cyber-initiated UCAs transform DH to PIH.
Connectivity-preserving distributed algorithms for removing links in directed networks

Abstract This article considers the link removal problem in a strongly connected directed network with the goal of minimizing the dominant eigenvalue of the network’s adjacency matrix while maintaining its strong connectivity. Due to the complexity of the problem, this article focuses on computing a suboptimal solution. Furthermore, it is assumed that the knowledge of the overall network topology is not available. This calls for distributed algorithms which rely solely on the local information available to each individual node and information exchange between each node and its neighbors. Two different strategies based on matrix perturbation analysis are presented, namely simultaneous and iterative link removal strategies. Key ingredients in implementing both strategies include novel distributed algorithms for estimating the dominant eigenvectors of an adjacency matrix and for verifying strong connectivity of a directed network under link removal. It is shown via numerical simulations on different type of networks that in general the iterative link removal strategy yields a better suboptimal solution. However, it comes at a price of higher communication cost in comparison to the simultaneous link removal strategy.
Nonlinear Volterra equations for heat flow in materials with memory

Abstract : Consider the nonlinear Volterra equation u(t) + (b*Au) not an element of f(t). This paper discusses existing and recent results for the following problems concerning this equation the global existence and uniqueness of solutions and their continuous dependence on the data; the boundedness and asymptotic behavior as t approaches infinity in th special cases when X = H is a real Hilbert space and A is either a maximal monotone operator on H or A is a subdifferential of a proper, convex, lower semicontinuous function; and the existence, boundedness, and asymptotic behavior of positive solutions in the general settting. The theory is used to study one possible model problem for heat flow in a material with 'memory' which can be transformed to the equivalent from of the equation under physically reasonable assumptions; the latter provide a motivation for the natural setting of much of the theory developed here.
Effect of Phthalates and Their Substitutes on the Physiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Phthalates are used in a variety of applications—for example, as plasticizers in polyvinylchloride products to improve their flexibility—and can be easily released into the environment. In addition to being major persistent organic environmental pollutants, some phthalates are responsible for the carcinogenicity, teratogenicity, and endocrine disruption that are notably affecting steroidogenesis in mammals. Numerous studies have thus focused on deciphering their effects on mammals and eukaryotic cells. While multicellular organisms such as humans are known to display various microbiota, including all of the microorganisms that may be commensal, symbiotic, or pathogenic, few studies have aimed at investigating the relationships between phthalates and bacteria, notably regarding their effects on opportunistic pathogens and the severity of the associated pathologies. Herein, the effects of phthalates and their substitutes were investigated on the human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in terms of physiology, virulence, susceptibility to antibiotics, and ability to form biofilms. We show in particular that most of these compounds increased biofilm formation, while some of them enhanced the bacterial membrane fluidity and altered the bacterial morphology.
Optimization of a Calcium-Based Treatment Method for Jellyfish to Design Food for the Future

Edible jellyfish are a traditional Southeast Asian food, usually prepared as a rehydrated product using a salt and alum mixture, whereas they are uncommon in Western Countries and considered as a novel food in Europe. Here, a recently developed, new approach for jellyfish processing and stabilization with calcium salt brining was upgraded by modifying the pre-treatment step of freshly caught jellyfish and successfully applied to several edible species. Treated jellyfish obtained by the application of the optimized version of this method respected both quality and safety parameters set by EU law, including no pathogenic microorganisms, absence or negligible levels of histamine and of total volatile basic nitrogen, no heavy metals; and the total bacterial, yeast, and mold counts were either negligible or undetectable. Jellyfish treated by the presented method exhibited unique protein content, amino acid and fatty acid profiles, antioxidant activity, and texture. The optimized method, initially set up on Rhiszostoma pulmo, was also successfully applied to other edible jellyfish species (such as Cotylorhiza tuberculata, Phyllorhiza punctata, and Rhopilema nomadica) present in the Mediterranean Sea. This study discloses an innovative process for the preparation of jellyfish-based food products for potential future distribution in Europe.
Remote monitoring system for livestock environmental information based on LoRa wireless ad hoc network technology

: The environmental quality of livestock houses is key to livestock breeding and directly affects the growth and health of animals. To target the characteristics of long application cycles and large coverage areas for environmental monitoring in large-scale livestock breeding, the current study designed a remote monitoring system to provide livestock environmental information based on LoRa wireless ad hoc network technology. The system consisted of collection terminals, control terminals, LoRa gateways, and Alibaba Elastic Compute Service. It realized real-time collection, wireless transmission, storage of multi-sensor node data, and remote control. The system was not limited by the selected time or region, because data interaction was achieved by accessing cloud servers using GPRS technology. Users could browse and obtain data from computers and a WeChat mini program from any location with network coverage. Additionally, the system used the improved receiver-based auto rate (RBAR) rate-adaptive algorithm in the LoRa wireless communication component. After application on a dairy farm, the results showed that the whole system collected 6140 sets of environmental data from four dairy houses. The packet loss rate was less than 1% within a communication distance of 604 m, and the communication success rate was greater than 99%. The control instructions were real-time and accurate, and the response time was less than 10 s, which met the remote control needs of large farms. The system provided powerful data and technical support for precision animal production.
Electronic Transport and Thermopower in 2D and 3D Heterostructures—A Theory Perspective

The impact of interfaces and heterojuctions on the electronic and thermoelectric transport properties of materials is discussed herein. Recent progress in understanding electronic transport in heterostructures of 2D materials ranging from graphene to transition metal dichalcogenides, their homojunctions (grain boundaries), lateral heterojunctions (such as graphene/MoS2 lateral interfaces), and vertical van der Waals heterostructures is reviewed. Work on thermopower in 2D heterojunctions, as well as their applications in creating devices such as resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs), is also discussed. Last, the focus turns to work in 3D heterostructures. While transport in 3D heterostructures has been researched for several decades, here recent progress in theory and simulation of quantum effects on transport via the Wigner and non‐equilibrium Green's functions approaches is reviewed. These simulation techniques have been successfully applied toward understanding the impact of heterojunctions on transport properties and thermopower, which finds applications in energy harvesting, and electron resonant tunneling, with applications in RTDs. In conclusion, tremendous progress has been made in both simulation and experiments toward the goal of understanding transport in heterostructures and this progress will soon be parlayed into improved energy converters and quantum nanoelectronic devices.
Applications of Parallel and Vector Algorithms in Nonlinear Structural Dynamics Using the Finite Element Method

Abstract : This research is directed toward the numerical analysis of large, three dimensional, nonlinear dynamic problems in structural and solid mechanics. Such problems include those exhibiting large deformations, displacements, or rotations, those requiring finite strain plasticity material models that couple geometric and material nonlinearities, and those demanding detailed geometric modeling. A finite element code was developed, designed around the 3D isoparametric family of elements, and using a Total Lagrangian formulation and implicit integration of the global equations of motion. The research was conducted using the Alliant FX/8 and Convex C240 supercomputers. The research focuses on four main areas: Development of element computation algorithms that exploit the inherent opportunities for concurrency and vectorization present in the finite element method; Comparison of the preconditioned conjugate gradient method to a representative direct solver; Investigation of various nonlinear solution algorithms, such as modified Newton-Raphson, secant-Newton, and nonlinear preconditioned conjugate gradient; and, Discovery of an accurate, robust finite strain plasticity material model.