Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catchword: Blockchains and Enterprise Modeling

In this catchword article we describe the current technological opportunities that are available through blockchain technologies and outline how the field of enterprise modeling can contribute to these developments as well as benefit itself from them. For this purpose, we discuss the technical foundations of blockchains and derive a framework for relating both sides. Finally, it is reported about recent approaches that already engage in these opportunities.
Fluidized Bed GAC Filtration for the Control of Ozone Residuals

Abstract A laboratory scale study was conducted in order to investigate upflow granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration for the removal of aqueous ozone. The experimental results showed that fluidized bed GAC filtration operated at hydraulic loadings of 60 — 100 m/h is a promising process for the safe destruction of ozone residuals at the end of ozone contactors. The key parameters in terms of ozone destruction are empty bed contact time, the specific ozone destruction capability of the different GACs and the specific surface of the carbon. Ozone removal in such filters was well described with first order kinetics and external mass transfer was not limiting. Under given conditions in terms of ozone influent concentration, GAC granulometry, GAC density and bed depth, hydraulic loading and available headloss have to be traded off in order to design a well adapted and robust system.
Agroindustry Residues as a Source for Cellulose Nanofibers Production

Our study was motivated by the large amount of crop residues produced in Brazil, which represent underutilized waste biomass and a serious threat to the environment because of the landfilling. For example, even though the corn crop is not popular in Brazil, it is produced in the area of around 18-20 million hectares with an average production of 5-6 t ha. That is the reason to seek for the crop residues value-added applications as proposed in the present study. Four Brazilian crop waste biomass: orange bagasse, corn husks, sugarcane straw and coffee residues were used for cellulose nanofibers (CNF) production. CNFs were prepared using alkali treatment, followed by bleaching with sodium chlorite and extraction with oxalic acid. All steps were applied under moderate conditions of temperature and pressure, such as temperature of 120 °C and below, water solutions with chemicals’ concentrations lower that 10% and short sonication pulses. CNFs with diameters in the range 50-70 nm were obtained and products from orange bagasse and corn husks presented high crystallinity indexes (CI), 0.72 and 0.75, respectively. The highest CNF yield was obtained from corn husks (38.5%) followed by sugarcane straw (24.0% with CI of 0.69). CNFs obtained from coffee residues showed a CI value of 0.65 after two bleaching steps. Different CNF morphologies were obtained according to the raw material. The four-crop waste biomass can be considered as excellent starting materials for CNF production in the four-steps process that adds new value to agro-industrial waste and might bring great economical valorization to Brazilian crops production.
Response of Soil Chemical Properties to Rhizobium and Rock Phosphate Fertilizer Application under Green - Grams in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

Soil fertility decline is one of the major constraints in agricultural productivity. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in legumes can offer a cost-effective and sustainable means towards soil fertility management. There is limited information on green-gram BNF enhancement through Rhizobium inoculation with rock phosphate fertilizer. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Rhizobium and rock phosphate fertilizer application on soil chemical properties under green-gram varieties. The study was carried out at Chuka university horticultural research farm in two seasons (November 2019 - January 2020 and February - April 2020). A factorial experiment of 2 x 2 x 2 was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). There were three factors; varieties (N26 and KS20), rock phosphate (0 and 30 kg P ha-1) and Rhizobium inoculation (0 and 100 g ha-1) making a total of eight treatments which were replicated three times. Soil sampling and analyses were done for soil pH, fixed-N, total nitrogen (TN), exchangeable cations (EC), available Phosphorous (P), total organic carbon (TOC), and exchangeable potassium (K) before planting and after harvesting of green-grams for the two seasons. Data was analysed using GENSTAT 15th edition (P≤0.05). Results from both seasons indicated that combined application of rock phosphate at 30 kg P ha-1 and Rhizobium inoculation at 100 kg ha-1 showed significant (P≤0.05) higher increase in soil chemical properties over other treatments. However, treatment R1P1KS20 recorded significantly higher results in soil pH (7.54), TN (0.58%), TOC (3.45%), P (68.20 ppm) and EC (0.95 CmolKg-1), fixed-N (0.50%) and K (1.75 CmolKg-1). On the other hand treatment R0P0N26 recorded significant (P≤0.05) lower results in soil pH (5.23), TN (0.04%), TOC (1.86%), P (8.76 ppm), EC (0.21 CmolKg-1) and K (0.58 CmolKg-1). Therefore, Rhizobium inoculation in green-grams in combination with rock phosphate is an important legume nitrogen fixation enhancement method. This method is cost effective for farmers in sustainably supplementing nitrogen and phosphorous in their farms for improved soil fertility management. Based on the findings, combining Rhizobium 100g ha-1 and rock phosphate 30 kg P ha-1 with variety KS20 were recommended for a sustainable soil fertility management in Tharaka Nithi County.
A field-measurements-based LoRa network planning tool

Long range (LoRa) transmission technology enables energy-constrained devices such as the tiny sensor systems used in internet-of-things applications that are distributed over wide areas while still being able to establish appropriate connectivity. This has resulted in the development of an exponentially increasing number of different solutions and services based on LoRa, be they dedicated to the long-term monitoring of distributed plants and infrastructures or to human-centred applications such as safety-oriented sensor systems for use in the workplace. In dense LoRa networks, predicting the number of supported nodes in relation to their position and the propagation environment is essential for ensuring reliable and stable communication and minimising costs. In this paper, after comparing different path loss models based on a field measurement campaign for LoRa received signal strength indicator values within a university campus, two main modifications of the LoRa simulator tool were implemented. These were aimed at improving the accuracy of the prediction of the number of sustainable nodes in relation to the target data extraction rate set. The simulations based on field measurements demonstrated that through an improved path loss evaluation and the use of three gateways, the number of nodes could be increased theoretically from around 100 to around 6,000.
Ageing-Related Gait Adaptations to Knee Joint Kinetics: Implications for the Development of Knee Osteoarthritis

The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) increases with ageing and this research aimed to identify gait adaptations that could reduce OA by investigating ageing effects on knee joint biomechanics. Participants were 24 healthy young males (18–35 yrs) and 14 healthy older males (60–75 yrs). Three-dimensional motion capture (Optotrak) and walkway-embedded force plates (AMTI) recorded their natural preferred-speed walking and the following parameters were computed: knee adduction moment, knee joint vertical force, foot contact angle, toe-out angle, foot centre of pressure displacement, time to foot flat, step length, step width and double support time. A 2 × 2 (age × limb) repeated measures mixed model analysis of variance design determined main effects and interactions. Pearson’s correlations between knee kinetic parameters and stride phase variables were also calculated. Both knee adduction moment and vertical joint force were larger in the older group. Relative to the young controls, older individuals showed a longer time to foot flat, less toe-out angle and wider steps. Correlation analysis suggested that reduced toe-out angle and increased step width were associated with lower knee adduction moment; furthermore, knee joint vertical force reduced with greater step length. Future research could focus on intervention strategies for managing excessive knee joint stresses to prevent the ageing-related development of knee OA.
Emergence of complex socioeconomic networks driven by individual and collective interests

Jaime Iranzo ,1,2 Federico Pablo-Martí ,3 and Jacobo Aguirre 4,5,6,* 1Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)–Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Madrid, Spain 2Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain 3Complex Systems in Social Sciences Group, Universidad de Alcalá, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain 4Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC), Madrid, Spain 5Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC. c/ Darwin 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain 6Centro de Astrobiología CSIC-INTA, Ctra de Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
Performing Beethoven’s musical dynamics

Twentieth-century musicology frequently invoked the music of Beethoven to validate its work-centred, textualist and structuralist agenda. This article re-orients Beethoven’s music towards the performance studies paradigm, which places the music making body and material contexts of performing at the centre of its disciplinary epistemology, by weaving a novel discursive context around the composer’s unusual dynamics markings. Through a historical case study of the premiere of his Op. 70 No. 2 piano trio, I explore the connections between the performance experience of Beethoven’s dynamics and some of the philosophical and cultural discourses emerging in Europe during the early nineteenth century on the body and the self, and thereby construct novel meanings for his expressive performance practice. By bringing together interdisciplinary historical scholarship, phenomenological reflection, analytical thought and practice-based enquiry, I open up a neglected area of research that lies at the intersection of the performance experience of musical dynamics, sensory history and somatic musical archeology.
Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction and Chromatography Separation of Polysaccharides from the Base of Flammulina velutipes Stipe

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to the extraction of polysaccharides from the base of Flammulina velutipes stipe. Results showed that the optimum extraction parameters were ultrasonic power 680 W, time 19.8 min, the ratio of water to raw material 28 mL/g, and the yield of polysaccharides was 16.20%. After separation by DEAE cellulose-52 and Sephadex G-100 size-exclusion chromatography, three main fractions, FVSP -1, FVSP -2, and FVSP -3, were obtained. The relative molecular weights of which were 21 kDa, 224 kDa, 357 kDa, respectively, and all the three fractions were heteropolysaccharides with a glucan as backbone chain.
Population status and trend of the threatened ivory gull Pagophila eburnea in Svalbard

The ivory gull Pagophila eburnea is a high-Arctic seabird associated with sea ice throughout the year. It breeds at high latitudes, mostly in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic. It is rare (<11500 breeding pairs globally) and remains one of the most poorly known seabirds in the world. Although Svalbard (Norway) supports breeding populations of international significance, the population trend in the region was unknown prior to this study. We conducted annual surveys of known breeding sites from 2006 to 2019 to estimate the size of the ivory gull population in Svalbard and to assess the population trend. We visited 117 colonies, 60 of which were new discoveries during this study. All breeding sites were situated in cliffs, and no ground-breeding ivory gulls were found. Based on the most complete survey in 2019, we estimated the Svalbard breeding population to be between 1500 and 2000 breeding pairs. We recorded an overall 40% decline in the number of breeding ivory gulls, but the trends varied significantly among colonies. The inter-annual fluctuations in the number of breeding pairs were not synchronous among colonies, which can be explained by the movements of adult breeding birds between colonies. The current decline in the Svalbard ivory gull population could be related to the ongoing decline in sea ice extent and quality in the Barents Sea. It may also be driven by ecological changes along the migration routes or at the wintering grounds, as hypothesized for the Canadian breeding population.
Lockdown captivity: the wish to break out and travel

ABSTRACT Not being able to travel an unprecedented condition for many. This paper focuses on the sense of being trapped in lockdown and having to adapt to new – non-tourist – roles. The aim is to conceptualize the lockdown captivity phenomenon and to propose this concept as measurable, and relevant to tourism. Using an adapted role captivity scale, we provide empirical findings on the impact on individuals of losing their tourist role. This study is part of a wider research project on the travel related cognitive and affective dimensions experienced during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Risk Assessment of Metal Leaching into Groundwater from Phosphate and Thermal Treated Sediments

Beneficial reuse as an alternative to disposal is increasingly being considered in management of contaminated sediments dredged from harbors. The risk of metal leaching into groundwater in reuse of phosphate and thermal treated sediments was assessed with sequential extraction, synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP), and leaching as a function of pH and liquid to solid ratio (L/S). Sequential extraction revealed that phosphate addition at 5% by dry weight, followed by calcination at 700°C reduced metal association with exchangeable/carbonate and organic phases and increased that with sparingly soluble residuals. Over the pH range 4 to 9, metal leachability varied by two to four orders of magnitude while varying L/S over 5 to 100 showed little difference. The SPLP revealed that risk to groundwater criteria based on applying a dilution attenuation factor (DAF) of 13 (New Jersey) to groundwater quality levels were achieved. Risk criteria based on a DAF of 1 (Florida and Wisconsin) were exceeded fo.
May the bots be with you! Delivering HR cost-effectiveness and individualised employee experiences in an MNE

Abstract Using an in-depth qualitative case study design, focusing on a significant global technology consulting multinational enterprise’s (MNEs) subsidiary in India, this research analyses interview, documentary and observational data for insights on the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in human resource management (HRM). By developing HRM-focused, AI-enabled applications, the MNE improved HR cost-effectiveness and offered a hyper-personalised and individualised employee experiences. Employing the theoretical lenses of individualisation of HRM practices, AI-mediated social exchange, job signalling and person-organisation fit theories, this research explains employees’ experience of HRM practices and its impact on their attitudes and behaviours. Ten interviews were conducted with global technology leaders, champions of innovation, senior HR leaders and employees, including those engaged in the design and implementation of HR-focused AI applications. Findings suggest the use of AI-enabled bots, virtual, digital and personal assistants for carrying out a range of HRM tasks, such as routine, analytical, interactional and communicative tasks involving employees. A diverse set of HRM-focussed AI applications operant at this MNE contributed to its HR cost-effectiveness and enhanced the overall employee experience, thereby resulting in improved levels of employee commitment, satisfaction and reduced employee turnover behaviour. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.
How to improve patient experience of compassion through nursing: Development of an on-job mentorship programme in a tertiary care hospital, Pakistan

Background Evidence suggests improvement in nursing staff satisfaction, competence, and retention after implementation of evidence-based mentorship programmes. When guided by a framework of compassion, mentoring as a caring action can not only build healthy, transformative relationships and energize the workplace environments but a similar behavior is reciprocated to patients which subsequently can drive patient experience of care. However, examples of on-job mentorship programs for nurses in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are limited owing to human and financial constraints. Objective The current study describes the development of a feasible an on-job nursing mentorship program using a compassionate framework aimed at improving nurses’ experience and thus enhancing patient experience from a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Methods The intervention package was built by a team composed of service and nursing leadership, director patient experience of care and a compassion specialist using a theory of change model. The package followed a series of steps that were based on the principles of implementation science, a) identification of a framework, b) creating a working group and c) multiple meetings to frame the model followed by implementing the preconditions for roll-out of the programme. Results The intermediate outcome was to have nurses demonstrate skills of compassion with the eventual outcome of improving the patient's experience of compassion. The pre-conditions were identified as: recruitment of staff with appropriate skills for pediatric care, precision of compassionate experience definition, creation of a compassionate culture and development of competent head nurses as supervisor. In order to ensure the pre-conditions, various interventions were planned and some were implemented through the course of designing. These involved, creation of space to talk about compassionate skills with staff, provide trainings and on-job coaching, revising career ladder of supervisors, inclusion of pediatric compassion specific nursing education service orientation program, recognition of efforts and promotion of compassionate values in numerous communication platforms, arrangement of training workshops, creation of checklists and development of dashboards. Conclusion The approach helped to delineate feasible pathways for an on-job compassionate mentorship programme through strengthening routine supervision leading to improved patient experience of care in the pediatric service.
Progress in Optimization of Physical Vapor Deposition of Thin Films

In this chapter, the current state of the art in optimization of thin film deposition processes is discussed. Based on the reliable and credible published results, the study aims to identify the applications of various optimization techniques in the thin film deposition processes, with emphasis on physical deposition methods. These methods are chosen due to their attractive attributes over chemical deposition techniques for thin film manufacturing. The study identifies the critical parameters and factors, which are significant in designing of the optimization algorithms based on the specific deposition methods. Based on the specific optimization studies, the chapter provides general trends, optimization evaluation criteria, and input-output parameter relationships on thin film deposition. Research gaps and directions for future studies on optimization of physical vapor deposition methods for thin film manufacturing are provided.
Postural Evaluation in Sports and Sedentary Subjects by Rasterstereographic Back Shape Analysis

Posture is defined as the position of the body in space, the aim of which is to maintain balance, both in static and dynamic conditions. Our purpose was to study various postural variables involved in postural adaptations of athletes practicing symmetric and asymmetric sports at professional level. Methods: Patients include sedentary subjects, competitive athletes practicing symmetrical and asymmetrical sports. Postural evaluation of the three different groups was performed using the rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D. Results: 157 subjects were recruited. From the comparison between subjects playing symmetrical and asymmetrical sports, arises a statistically significant difference on cervical (p = 0.041) and lumbar (p = 0.047) flèche of Stagnara, with higher values for symmetrical athletes’ group. Hemipelvis torsion (p = 0.031) and lumbar flèche (p ≤ 0.001) of Stagnara are higher in symmetrical athletes’ group (sedentary). Hemipelvis torsion, cervical and lumbar flèche resulted to be higher among athletes (sedentary) (p = 0.016, p = 0.003, p = 0.027). Conclusions: In addition to the competitive sports’ medical examination, a screening with rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D is suggested to all sedentary subjects, without serious skeletal pathologies which want to start athletic activity. Rasterstereographic-system Formetric-4D is also suggested to all athletes practicing sports, with the aim to identify eventual unknown postures, consequent to reiterated repetition of specific movements.
Electrospray ion source: another variation on the free-jet theme

Solutions passed through a small capillary at 2-10 kV relative to ground are electrosprayed into a bath gas to form a gaseous dispersion of ions that is expanded into vacuum in a small supersonic free jet. A portion of the jet is passed through a skimmer to form a molecular beam that contains a variety of ionic species. Mass spectrometric analysis reveals that these species include solute cations in aggregation with solvent molecules and/or nonionized solute species. The nature of the product ions depends upon the composition and feed rate of the original solution, the temperature and composition of the bath gas, and the voltage applied to the capillary. The exploratory experiments reported here suggest that this novel ion source may be useful for producing in vacuo a wide variety of cluster ions for examination by various spectroscopic techniques. Also inviting is the prospect of extending the applicability of mass spectrometric analysis to large organic molecules that are too complex, too fragile, or too nonvolatile for ionization by more conventional methods. Another intriguing possibility is to use the technique on probing the microscopic structure and properties of solutions.
Barrier Function-Based Adaptive Sliding Mode Control for Application to Vehicle Suspensions

A barrier function-based adaptive sliding mode control (SMC) strategy is proposed for the vehicle active suspension system in this article. The barrier function-based adaptive law is applied to design the sliding mode controller, which can ensure the finite-time convergence of the suspension system. Meanwhile, the proposed adaptive law can achieve greatly chattering reduction without requiring the prior information of the upper bound of system uncertainties. Furthermore, the time-delay estimation technique is applied to design the simple and efficient model-free controller. Therefore, the proposed controller has the strong robustness against the nonlinearities and uncertainties of the active suspension system, and it is very practical in actual scenarios. In addition, considering the transient and steady-state performance of the active suspension system, a prescribed performance function is adopted to constrain the vehicle displacement with its convergence rate, maximum overshoot, and steady-state value. Finally, compared with the conventional SMC and PD control, comparative experiments of a quarter-car active suspension platform are performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.