Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ULTRASOUND PROPAGATION IN FRACTURES WITH INTRAMEDULLARY NAILING

Studies on ultrasound (US) propagation in bone tissue have been conducted in view of its ability to stimulate the consolidation process for normal or pathological fracture. However, the action mechanisms of ultrasound, as well as its propagation modes in bone, are still not completely understood. This study evaluated the parameters Integrated Reflection Coefficient (IRC), the Frequency Slope Integrated Reflection (FSIR) and Sound Pressure Level (SPL) through a pulse-echo propagation in a phantom of cortical bone and through 2D computational simulation, including five transverse fracture gaps (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 mm) with and without the presence of an intramedullary nailing (IN). The results showed a correlation between IRC and SPL and these with the size of the fracture and the echoes of the evaluated interfaces, while FSIR helped to identify the presence of IN in combination with other parameters. The simulations followed the trend of the experimental results. It was concluded that the evaluated parameters contributed to the mechanical characterization of the phantom bone conditions evaluated, and points to the achievement of future experiments that include other frequency of ultrasound for analysis of backscatter.
Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Glacial Lakes in the Tibetan Plateau over the Past 30 Years

Abstract. As the Third Pole of the Earth and the Water Tower of Asia, Tibetan Plateau (TP) nurtures large numbers of glacial lakes, which are sensitive to global climate change. These lakes modulate the freshwater ecosystem in the region, but concurrently pose severe threats to the valley population by means of sudden glacial lake outbursts and consequent floods (GLOFs). Lack of high-resolution multi-temporal inventory of glacial lakes in TP hampers a better understanding and prediction of the future trend and risk of glacial lakes. Here, we created a multi-temporal inventory of glacial lakes in TP using 30 years record of satellite images (1990–2019), and discussed their characteristics and spatio-temporal evolution over the years. Results showed that their number and area had increased by 3285 and 258.82 km2, respectively in the last 3 decades. We noticed that different regions of TP exhibited varying change rates in glacial lake size; some regions even showed decreasing trend such as the western Pamir and the eastern Hindu Kush because of reduced rainfall rates. The mapping uncertainty is about 17.5 %, lower than other available datasets, thus making our inventory, a reliable one for the spatio-temporal evolution analysis of glacial lakes in TP. Our lake inventory data are freely available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5574289 (Dou et al., 2021); it can help to study climate change-glacier-glacial lake-GLOF interactions in the third pole and serve input to various hydro-climatic studies.
THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN DISSEMINATING INNOVATIONS IN AGRIBUSINESS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AUSTRALIA AND SRI LANKA

In the wake of the rapid evolution of information technology (IT), including the internet, during the last three decades, much attention has been given to the introduction of IT to the agricultural sector, and to ensuring its adoption by farmers. Given its apparent ability to provide rich information to a large number of people, hopes have been raised about the role of IT as a tool for diffusing innovations in the agricultural sector. This thesis addresses the reality of such a role in Australia and Sri Lanka. Following the broader innovation literature, an innovations systems approach is used, and the key aspects of diffusion stressed are reach, richness and the time taken. The agricultural innovation system (AIS) is seen as a complex interactive system involving actors fulfilling eleven functions – policy, education, finance and credit, marketing, input supply, research, extension and information, logistics, processing and storage, farmers and farm organisations, and consumers. It is clear that the Australian AIS is more effective than its Sri Lankan counterpart in terms of its use of leading-edge technologies, competition in global markets with innovative products, and quick diffusion of research findings to farmers. The use of IT in agribusiness in Australia is quite advanced, although still limited in small firms. While there are many examples of the use of IT for innovation diffusion in Australian agriculture, there is little evidence that this is yet a widely used process for the spread of innovations. The situation in Sri Lanka is quite different, with low levels of computer literacy and usage in the farm sector, with technology transfer ‘across the last mile’ remaining the weakest link in the Sri Lankan AIS. But farmers often go to great efforts to obtain better information, and much attention is being given by the Government and NGOs to the development of wireless networks, telecentres and other methods for promoting IT access and knowledge diffusion in the rural sector in Sri Lanka. Given the heterogeneous nature of the actors in an AIS, together with the importance of tacit knowledge and social and peer groups factors, IT will complement existing methods of innovation diffusion for the foreseeable future, rather than substitute them. Nevertheless, IT is likely to become increasingly important in innovation diffusion in agriculture, in both developed countries and in developing economies such as Sri Lanka. In implementing policies to this end, Sri Lanka must give due attention to the complex interactions between the many players in the AIS, to the role of tacit knowledge and social actors, and to the low level of the IT literacy in the rural sector. While continuing efforts to build relevant infrastructure are essential, these must be supported by measures to strengthen communication between the actors in the AIS, by education and capability development for farmers and by the creation of suitably tailored digital information packages on key issues.
Controlling Oil Production in Smart Wells by MPC Strategy With Reinforcement Learning

This work presents the modeling and development of a methodology based on Model Predictive Control – MPC that uses a machine learning model, based on Reinforcement Learning, as the method for searching the optimal control policy, and a neural network as a proxy, for modeling the nonlinear plant. The neural network model was developed to predict the following variables: average pressure of the reservoir, the daily production of oil, gas, water and water cut in the production well, for three consecutive values, to perform the predictive control. This model is applied as a strategy to control the oil production in an oil reservoir with existing producer and injector wells. The experiments were carried out on a synthetic oil reservoir model that consists in a reservoir with three layers with different permeability and one producer well and one injector well, both completed in the three layers. There are three valves located into the injector well, one for each completion, which are the handling variables of the model. The oil production of the producer well is the controlled variable. The experiments performed have considered various set points and also the impact of disturbances on the production well. The obtained results indicate that the proposed model is capable of controlling oil production even with disturbances in the producing well, for different reference values for oil production and supporting some features of the petroleum reservoir systems such as: strong nonlinearity, long delay in the system response, and multivariate characteristic.
COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY BETWEEN BETYP TAGS AND CONVENTIONAL TAGS

SUMMARY During a tuna tagging program, conducted on board Dakar baitboats in 1999, two types of tags were used: the conventional “spaghetti” tags and the tags used by BETYP tagging program (ICCAT) from “sport fishing” design. Advantages and disadvantages of each type of tags are presented. Statistical analysis are based on GLM and randomization tests. Return rates, recapture’s locations, growth rates and times at liberty are compared between both tags for three tuna species (yellowfin, skipjack and bigeye). Results conclude to a lower efficiency of BETYP tags. For instance, recapture rate and time at liberty for bigeye as well as growth rate for yellowfin are significative ly lower when one uses BETYP tags. However, there is no significative difference between the two types of tags for these parameters for skipjack. Finally, the implementation of BETYP tags is not well suited to intensive tropical tuna tagging programs, as it is then necessary to tag the greatest possible number of fish during a limited time period. RESUME
Built Environment as Determinant of Walking Behavior: Analyzing Nonwork Pedestrian Travel in Portland, Oregon

Much has been written about the connection between land use/urban form and transportation from the perspective of affecting automobile trip generation. This addresses only half the issue. The theoretical advances in land use–transportation relationships embodied in paradigms such as the jobs-housing balance, neotraditional design standards, and transitoriented development rely very heavily on the generation of pedestrian traffic to realize their proposed benefits. The present analysis uses models and data sets similar to those used in previous work for the Portland, Oregon, area but applies them toward analysis of nonwork walking travel. The results suggest that regardless of the effects that land use has on individual nonwork walking trip generation, the impacts take place at the neighborhood level.
Isolated capacitively coupled MOS driver circuit with bidirectional signal transfer

In this paper a driver circuit for isolated control of power-MOS transistors is presented. It provides a bidirectional signal transfer for control and status information that is achieved with a capacitive coupling technique. It features fast switching and active protection of the power MOS without the need of an auxiliary power supply. A hybrid assembly provides high isolation voltage and true safety isolation. Monolithical integration with SOI process technology is also possible. The operation principle and experimental results are presented.
The use of RC4 Encryption for Smart Meters

The electrical power grid is undergoing improvements and is being transformed to theSmart Grid. Smart Grid makes use of two way flow of power and information to better monitor, plan and control the electrical power grid. Advanced communication allow for better service delivery, faster problem detection and correction, and more efficient distribution. However, the same heavy reliance on data that makes smart grid possible is the same source of its vulnerability: cyber attacks and privacy leakages. By accessing information on monitoring such as a household’s power usage, one candeduce when the owners of a home are present and even what electrical equipment they have. Such privacy leakages could be used in planning a breakin. To overcome this, we examine the use of encryption on smart meter data. RC4 stream cipher is used. We show that due to its low computational resources, RC4 is a suitable candidate for encryption.
Relationships Between Seedling Growth Rate and Yield of Maize Cultivars Under Normal and Water Stress Conditions

Effects of water stress on root and leaf growth rates and their relationships with yield under normal and water stress conditions were examined at the Greenhouse and Research Field of Faculty of Agriculture, Kerman University, Iran, using seven maize cultivars including SC-404, SC-704, BC-666, TC-647, DC-370, Jeta and Kordona. During a period of 14 days, water stress at -0.4 MPa was imposed by application of PEG-6000 to the seedlings. The root and leaf growth were measured every day. Leaf and root growth rates were expressed as the slope of the line fitted to the data of length and time. Results showed that water stress inhibited root and shoot growth in all cultivars. Differences were found among cultivars in terms of root and leaf growth rates. Differences were greater under normal compared with water stress condition. In a field experiment during 2007- 2008 growing season, yield performances of the same cultivars were measured under water stress and normal conditions. Correlation coefficients of yield with root (0.54), (0.10) and leaf (0.79), (0.32), (0.91), (0.63) growth rates were stronger under normal compared with water stress condition. Higher grain yield (mean of 10 plants per plot) of cultivars with higher growth rates under normal condition may be attributed to the higher growth rates at the early stages of growth. It could be also indicated that the higher growth rate ability of cultivars decreases when they are exposed to water stress condition.
On the design parameters of flip-chip PBGA package assembly for optimum solder ball reliability

An experimental investigation of the warpage of a flip-chip plastic ball grid array package assembly is presented and a critical deformation mode is identified. The experimental data, documented while cooling the assembly from the underfill curing temperature to -40/spl deg/C, clearly reveal the effect of the constraints from the chip and the PCB on the global behavior of the substrate. The constraints produce an inflection point of the substrate at the edge of the chip. An experimentally verified three-dimensional (3-D) nonlinear finite element analysis proceeds to quantify the effect of the substrate behavior on the second-level solder ball strains. An extensive parametric study is conducted to identify the most critical design parameter for optimum solder ball reliability.
Image Placement Differences Between 1:1 Projection Aligners And 10:1 Reduction Wafer Steppers

The characteristic image placement errors of both 1:1 projection aligners and 10:1 reduction wafer steppers are studied with reference to the overlay difference between them. Analytical models have been developed in recent years which allow the user of these sophisticated aligners to mathematically identify the many components of pattern-to-pattern registration errors. Using these models and experimental data, it is shown how the mixing of the two types of exposure tool can be done successfully. For the fabrication of present generation devices, it is possible to mix steppers using global alignment capability with 1:1 projection aligners. A realistic production overlay budget is developed for 10:1 steppers, 1:1 projection aligners, and for a process which mixes the two.
A new PWM controller with one-cycle response

This paper proposes a new nonlinear control technique that has one-cycle response, does not need a resetable integrator in the control path, and has nearly constant switching frequency. It obtains one-cycle response by forcing the error between the switched variable and the control reference to zero each cycle, while the on and off pulses of the controller are adjusted each cycle to ensure near constant switching frequency. The small switching frequency variation due to changes in the reference signal and supply voltage and delays in the circuit are quantified. Using double-edge modulation, the switching frequency variation is further reduced, thus, the associated signal distortion is minimized. An experimental 0-20 kHz bandwidth 95 W RMS power audio amplifier using the control method demonstrates the applicability of this control technique for high-fidelity audio applications. The amplifier has a power supply ripple rejection (PSRR) of 63 dB at 120 Hz. Additionally, the total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N) is less than 0.07% measured with a power supply ripple of 15%.
Integrating Islamic Values in Teaching English: Lessons Learned from an Integrated Islamic School

Learning English is very closely related to learning western culture, which might contrast with Islamic values, the dominant religion in Indonesia. This study finds merit in finding out the implementation of Islamic values in teaching English at an Integrated Islamic school in Indonesia, where the school chosen curriculum mandated that the subject be integrated with Islamic values since all the students are Muslim. This case study took place at an Integrated Islamic School, and the data were collected through interviewing seven English teachers and conducting a thematic analysis on their lesson plans. All the teachers admitted that integrating Islamic values in the English lesson was essential. Still, the thematic analysis showed that their perceptions about the importance of integrating Islamic values in English learning were not firmly in line with the implementation in the teaching and learning process. The teachers' lesson plans (RPP) did not depict substantial integration of Islamic values. This study recommends the practical ways of integrating Islamic that could improve teachers' understanding of Islamic values in English learning, additionally pointing out a need to develop the curriculum and teaching materials that incorporate Islamic values.
How does renewable energy consumption affect economic growth? Evidence from the European Union countries

Research background: Fossil fuels are used at such a high rate that they are currently being depleted. Moreover, they are associated with a greenhouse effect leading to global warming. Meanwhile, green energy is naturally replenished and fosters sustainable development (Nelson and Starcher, 2015). However, the empirical evidence of the impact of green energy on economic growth is controversial (Adewuyi and Awodumi, 2017; Chen et al., 2020; Destek and Aslan, 2017; Zafar et al., 2018). Purpose of the article: This paper analyses the impact of renewable energy consumption on economic growth in the European Union (EU) countries. This is important in line with the goals of EU to shift towards green energy during the coming years (Directive (EU) 2018/2001). Methods: We use data of the World Bank and Our World in Data over 1990 to 2015 for 28 EU countries. We estimate the impact of renewable energy consumption on the countries’ gross domestic product. The control variables are labor force, research and development, and foreign direct investment. We apply the pooled mean group, mean group, the dynamic fixed effect estimators (Pesaran, 1997; Pesaran et al., 1999), and generalized method of moments (Arellano & Bond, 1991). Findings & Value added: Results show that the renewable energy consumption positively affects economic growth of the EU countries. We contribute by shedding light on the possibility to develop renewable energy, while achieving economic growth. The results have important implications for economic policy.
New Records of Neobenedenia girellae (Hargis, 1955) (Monogenea: Capsalidae) in Marine Ornamental Fish Imported to Yucatan, Mexico

ABSTRACT: We detected Neobenedenia girellae infections in 40 species belonging to 12 families of imported marine ornamental fish from a public aquarium in the Mexican state of Yucatan. A total of 348 fish specimens were examined for monogeneans in January 2018 to December 2020. Monogeneans were corroborated morphologically and molecularly with a partial sequence of 28S (region D1–D3) ribosomal DNA and analyzed in a molecular phylogenetic context in combination with other N. girellae sequences available in GenBank. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the specimen found consistently belonged to the N. girellae clade. High infection parameters were detected of N. girellae in most hosts. This identification is relevant to aquarists and aquaculturists in the Gulf of Mexico because N. girellae is considered highly pathogenic in confined fish. This work demonstrates that the importation of ornamental fish coupled with deficient sanitary measures (lack of quarantine areas in distribution centers) contributes to spread of parasites and their establishment within Mexico.
Study of A High-rise Building Alarm and Linkage System

In this paper, the electrical parts of a high-rise shopping and office buildings are studied. Firstly, according to the division of the load level, the load calculation is carried out with the method of unit capacity, so as to determine the capacity and the current of the load. In accordance with the protection radius of auxiliary line method, through the calculation to determine the required number of detector, to ensure that no dead zone, fire alarm system is studied. In addition, this paper also studies the linkage control system which is composed of the fire pump, the spray pump, the positive pressure air blower, the exhaust fan, the elevator control and so on.
Explanatory model of consumer purchase intention in digital social networks

The present research work addresses the impact of the influence and involvement of online experience exchanges among consumers of digital social networks, the commitment they manifest towards brands and the persuasive attitude towards advertisements. The study is contemplating Veblen social psychological theory as predictors of purchase intention. A theoretical-methodological model was developed at a confirmatory level, which is based on the Motivation, Opportunity, Capability model and the attitude model towards the brand and advertisement, alternative models for measuring purchase intention and commitment. The objective of this research was to evaluate the attitudinal effect of consumers' purchase intention through the engagement model of consumers in digital social networks. The methodology used is quantitative, descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional applied in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Jalisco; Veracruz, Veracruz; Puebla, Puebla; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; Villahermosa, Tabasco. The study population consisted of 140 consumers of cars, in car dealerships and users of social networks. The results of the study, were statistically processed at a confirmatory level, generating the proposed model with Patha analysis and the software SPSS and AMOS version 24.
Aptamer Sandwich Assay for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Antigen

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged at the end of 2019, resulting in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The high transmissibility of the virus and the substantial number of asymptomatic individuals have led to an exponential rise in infections worldwide, urgently requiring global containment strategies. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is the gold standard for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Antigen tests, targeting the spike (S) or nucleocapsid (N) viral proteins, are considered as complementary tools. Despite their shortcomings in terms of sensitivity and specificity, antigen tests could be deployed for the detection of potentially contagious individuals with high viral loads. In this work, we sought to develop a sandwich aptamer-based assay for the detection of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. A detailed study on the binding properties of aptamers to the receptor-binding domain of the S protein in search of aptamer pairs forming a sandwich is presented. Screening of aptamer pairs and optimization of assay conditions led to the development of a laboratory-based sandwich assay able to detect 21 ng/mL (270 pM) of the protein with negligible cross-reactivity with the other known human coronaviruses. The detection of 375 pg of the protein in viral transport medium demonstrates the compatibility of the assay with clinical specimens. Finally, successful detection of the S antigen in nasopharyngeal swab samples collected from suspected patients further establishes the suitability of the assay for screening purposes as a complementary tool to assist in the control of the pandemic.