Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Expressive Art Therapy Group to Reduce Stress Level in Mothers of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

—Children with neurodevelopmental disorders often need intense help or assistance in carrying out their daily activities. Children’s difficulties in communication, socialization, certain characteristics, and maladaptive behaviors become the frequent stressor factors. Consequently, mothers who are responsible to nurture children with neurological development disorders are prone to experience continuous stress, in their life. The continuous stress experienced by mothers lead to variety of negative emotions. Many studies emphasized on the importance of paying special attention to mothers’ stress. However, interventions concerning the stress experienced by the parents, especially mothers are still insufficient. This quasi-experimental research with one group pretest-postest design aims to prove the effectiveness of expressive art therapy group to reduce participants' stress level. The participants in this study were six mothers, that have direct involvement in daily nurturance of children with neurodevelopmental disorder. Differences in stress levels were evaluated based on the pretest and postest scores, using the Perceived Stress Scale-10. The result of the statistical test proves that seven sessions of expressive art therapy group is effective to reduce the stress level of participants. Additionally, the intervention provides opportunities for participants to release their emotional tension, explore themselves, express their emotion, identify their challenges, find solutions and insights. In the end, participants are able to change their responses and reactions in a positive way and improve their interpersonal relationship.
Environmental and geographical factors affecting the Iberian distribution of flightless Jekelius species (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae)

The degree of influence of environment, location and geography on the distribution of closely‐related Jekelius nitidus and Jekelius hernandezi, coleopteran species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, was examined. Niche envelope model predictions of probable absence points were based on available presence information. Presence–absence information for each of the two species was logistic‐regressed against climate, altitude, lithology, spatial and river basin variables from each of 100 km2 UTM Iberian Peninsula squares. Models predict that environmental conditions are suitable for both species in an area larger than that in which they have been found. The best‐fitting environment model for J. nitidus, based on summer precipitation, area underlain by siliceous rocks, area with siliceous sediments and aridity index, explains more than 81% of total deviance. The final model, which includes spatial and river basin variables, accounts for nearly of 89% of total deviance. The best‐fitting environment model for J. hernandezi, based on the area underlain by calcareous rocks, summer precipitation, aridity index, altitude and minimum annual temperature, explains 63% of total deviance. The final model based on both spatial and river basin variables accounts for nearly 70% of total deviance.
Age at first increment formation and validation of daily growth increments in golden perch (Macquaria ambigua: Percichthyidae) otoliths

Abstract The micro‐increments in otoliths from a series of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) larvae of up to 15 days known age (n = 124, total length (TL) 4.14 to 10.0 mm) were examined and counted to establish the age at formation of the first increment, and periodicity of formation of subsequent increments. The regression of true age on increment count (true age = 3.54 +1.36 × increment count) was significant (r2 = 0.78, P < 0.001) and the slope of the overall regression (1.36 day–1) was not significantly different to 1 (t = 0.09, P = 0.05). First increment formation occurred from day 3 in some larvae, and was completed by day 13 in all larvae. A median estimate for age at first‐increment deposition was 6.0 days, when 50% of the daily sample (n = 10 fish) had at least one increment. However, solving the regression for age when increment number equaled 1.0 provided an estimate of mean age at first‐increment deposition of 4.9 days. Our study validated daily growth increment deposition for golden perch larvae over the first 15 days of development and cautions that age at first‐increment formation varied within a single cohort of larvae by 10 days (i.e., youngest larvae 3 days, oldest larvae 13 days old).
Determinants of Deposit Mobilization in the Case of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Selected Branches

Deposit mobilization is among one of the primary activities of banking system. Banks mobilize financial resource required for investment and economic growth from households, business, corporate bodies and government. To be effective, competitive in the market and maintain liquidity identifying factors affecting deposit mobilization is crucial. With this in mind the objective of this study is to identify determinants of bank deposit mobilization in the case of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. To achieve this objective primary data collected through distributing 238 valid questionnaires to selected customers of the bank is primarily used. To complement primary data, secondary data is also used to some extent. Data analysis is handled quantitatively through the help of SPSS. The study findings shows that branch expansion, variety of services offered by the bank, confidentiality of customer information, trust on banking system and saving habits are found to be significant variables affecting deposit mobilization. More over interest rate and inflation are also among significant macroeconomic factors affecting deposit mobilization. Based on these findings recommendations are also forwarded. Keywords: Bank Deposit, Commercial Banks DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-13-04 Publication date: May 31 st 2020
Top-Down Fabricated Reconfigurable FET With Two Symmetric and High-Current On-States

We demonstrate a top-down fabricated reconfigurable field effect transistor (RFET) based on a silicon nanowire that can be electrostatically programmed to p- and n-configuration. The device unites a high symmetry of transfer characteristics, high ON/OFF current ratios in both configurations and superior current densities in comparison to other top-down fabricated RFETs. Two NiSi2/Si Schottky junctions are formed inside the wire and gated individually. The narrow omega-gated channel is fabricated by a repeated SiO2 etch and growth sequence and a conformal TiN deposition. The gate and Schottky contact metal work functions and the oxide-induced compressive stress to the Schottky junction are adjusted to result in only factor 1.6 higher p- than n-current for in absolute terms identical gate voltages and identical drain voltages.
Haptic Intracorporeal Palpation Using a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot: A User Study

Objective: Intraoperative palpation is a surgical gesture jeopardized by the lack of haptic feedback which affects robotic minimally invasive surgery. Restoring the force reflection in teleoperated systems may improve both surgeons’ performance and procedures’ outcome. Methods: A force-based sensing approach was developed, based on a cable-driven parallel manipulator with anticipated seamless and low-cost integration capabilities in teleoperated robotic surgery. No force sensor on the end-effector is used, but tissue probing forces are estimated from measured cable tensions. A user study involving surgical trainees (n = 22) was conducted to experimentally evaluate the platform in two palpation-based test-cases on silicone phantoms. Two modalities were compared: visual feedback alone and both visual + haptic feedbacks available at the master site. Results: Surgical trainees’ preference for the modality providing both visual and haptic feedback is corroborated by both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Hard nodules detection sensitivity improves (94.35 ± 9.1% vs 76.09 ± 19.15% for visual feedback alone), while also exerting smaller forces (4.13 ± 1.02 N vs 4.82 ± 0.81 N for visual feedback alone) on the phantom tissues. At the same time, the subjective perceived workload decreases. Conclusion: Tissue-probe contact forces are estimated in a low cost and unique way, without the need of force sensors on the end-effector. Haptics demonstrated an improvement in the tumor detection rate, a reduction of the probing forces, and a decrease in the perceived workload for the trainees. Significance: Relevant benefits are demonstrated from the usage of combined cable-driven parallel manipulators and haptics during robotic minimally invasive procedures. The translation of robotic intraoperative palpation to clinical practice could improve the detection and dissection of cancer nodules.
Designing an AB2-Type Alloy (TiZr-CrMnMo) for the Hybrid Hydrogen Storage Concept

The hybrid hydrogen storage method consists of the combination of both solid-state metal hydrides and gas hydrogen storage. This method is regarded as a promising trade-off solution between the already developed high-pressure storage reservoir, utilized in the automobile industry, and solid-state storage through the formation of metal hydrides. Therefore, it is possible to lower the hydrogen pressure and to increase the hydrogen volumetric density. In this work, we design a non-stoichiometric AB2 C14-Laves alloy composed of (Ti0.9Zr0.1)1.25Cr0. 85Mn1.1Mo0. 05. This alloy is synthesized by arc-melting, and the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors are evaluated in a high-pressure Sieverts apparatus. Proper thermodynamic parameters are obtained in the range of temperature and pressure from 3 to 85 °C and from 15 to 500 bar: ΔHabs. = 22 ± 1 kJ/mol H2, ΔSabs. = 107 ± 2 J/K mol H2, and ΔHdes. = 24 ± 1 kJ/mol H2, ΔSdes. = 110 ± 3 J/K mol H2. The addition of 10 wt. % of expanded natural graphite (ENG) allows the improvement of the heat transfer properties, showing a reversible capacity of about 1.5 wt. %, cycling stability and hydrogenation/dehydrogenation times between 25 to 70 s. The feasibility for the utilization of the designed material in a high-pressure tank is also evaluated, considering practical design parameters.
Environmental correlates of herpetofaunal diversity in Costa Rica

Abstract: Disentangling local and historical factors that determine species diversity patterns at multiple spatial scales is fundamental to elucidating processes that govern ecological communities. Here we investigated how environmental correlates may influence diversity at local and regional scales. Primarily utilizing published species lists, amphibian and reptile alpha and beta diversity were assessed at 17 well-surveyed sites distributed among ecoregions throughout Costa Rica. The degree to which regional species diversity patterns were related to environmental variables and geographic distance was determined using Canonical Correspondence Analysis and Mantel tests. Amphibian alpha diversity was highest in lowland Pacific sites (mean = 43.3 species) and lowest at the high elevation site (9 species). Reptile alpha diversity values were high for both lowland Atlantic (mean = 69.5 species) and lowland Pacific (mean = 67 species) sites and lowest for the high elevation site (8 species). We found high species turnover between local sites and ecoregions, demonstrating the importance of beta diversity in the determination of regional diversity. For both amphibians and reptiles, beta diversity was highest between the high-elevation site and all others, and lowest among lowland sites within the same ecoregion. The effect of geographic distance on beta diversity was minor. Ecologically significant climatic variables related to rain, temperature, sunshine and insolation were found to be important determinants of local and regional diversity for both amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica.
Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Urban Traffic Light Control in Vehicular Networks

As urban traffic condition is diverse and complicated, applying reinforcement learning to reduce traffic congestion becomes one of the hot and promising topics. Especially, how to coordinate the traffic light controllers of multiple intersections is a key challenge for multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL). Most existing MARL studies are based on traditional $Q$-learning, but unstable environment leads to poor learning in the complicated and dynamic traffic scenarios. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-agent recurrent deep deterministic policy gradient (MARDDPG) algorithm based on deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm for traffic light control (TLC) in vehiclar networks. Specifically, the centralized learning in each critic network enables each agent to estimate the policies of other agents in the decision-making process and each agent can coordinate with each other, alleviating the problem of poor learning performance caused by environmental instability. The decentralized execution enables each agent to make decisions independently. We share parameters in actor networks to speed up the training process and reduce the memory footprint. The addition of LSTM is beneficial to alleviate the instability of the environment caused by partial observable state. We utilize surveillance cameras and vehicular networks to collect status information for each intersection. Unlike previous work, we have not only considered the vehicle but also considered the pedestrians waiting to pass through the intersection. Moreover, we also set different priorities for buses and ordinary vehicles. The experimental results in a vehicular network show that our method can run stably in various scenarios and coordinate multiple intersections, which significantly reduces vehicle congestion and pedestrian congestion.
Nonlinear Allometric Equation for Crop Response to Soil Salinity

Crop response to soil salinity has been extensively studied, from empirical works to modelling approach, being described by different equations, first as a piecewise linear model. The equation employed can differ with actual response, causing miscalculation in practical situations, particularly at the higher extremes of the curve. The aim of this work is to propose a new equation, which allows determining the full response to salinity of plant species and to provide a verification using different experimental data sets. A new nonlinear equation is exposed supported by the allometric approach, in which the allometric exponent is salinitydependent and decreases with the increase in relative salinity. A conversion procedure of parameters of the threshold-slope model is presented; also, a simple procedure for estimating the maximum salinity (zero-yield point) when data sets are incomplete is exposed. The equation was tested in a wide range of experimental situations, using data sets from published works, as well as new measurements on seed germination. The statistical indicators of quality (R 2 , absolute sum of squares and standard deviation of residuals) showed that the equation accurately fits the tested empirical results. The new equation for determining crop response to soil salinity is able to follow the response curve of any crop with remarkable accuracy and flexibility. Remarkable characteristics are: a maximum at minimum salinity, a maximum salinity point can be found (zero-yield) depending on the data sets, and a meaningful inflection point, as well as the two points at which the slope of the curve equals unity, can be found.
Calibration and Direction-of-Arrival Estimation of Millimeter-Wave Radars: A Practical Introduction

Have you read everything about direction-of-arrival estimation in textbooks but are still uncertain how to realize it in practice? This tutorial-like article will help to link the theory with a practical approach for direction-of-arrival estimation using millimeter-wave (mm-wave) radar systems, and it deals with arising challenges. Step by step, it is explained how to move from the measured time domain data to the estimated angular position of the target. Since the target angle estimation is usually carried out after range-velocity processing, the required preprocessing steps are described.
Revisão do gênero Aglaoschema Napp (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)

Aglaoschema Napp, 1994 and 17 species are redescribed. Aglaoschema viridipenne (Thomson, 1860) is revalidated and three new synonyms are proposed: Aglaoschema prasinipenne (Lucas, 1857) = A. nigricorne (Bates, 1870) syn. nov. = A. tibiale (Aurivillius, 1920) syn. nov., and Aglaoschema rufiventre (Germar, 1824) = A. erythrogaster (White, 1853) syn. nov. New species described: A. inca sp. nov. (Peru and Colombia), and A. apixara sp. nov. (Brazil). All the species are illustrated and a key is provided.
Torsional vibration absorbers in heavy-duty truck powertrains

The heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers face large challenges when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions from vehicles. The ongoing development of more efficient combustion engines leads to an increase in torsional vibrations. Experience within the industry indicates that the conventional single mass flywheel (SMF) and clutch will not be enough to protect the gearbox and rear driveline from engine induced vibrations in the future; more advanced technology will be needed. The work presented in this thesis focuses on simulation and analysis of torsional vibration absorbers for heavy-duty truck applications. Different multiple-mass flywheels are analysed, including dual mass flywheels (DMFs), power split vibration absorbers (PSVAs) and DMFs combined with tuned vibration absorbers (TVAs). DMFs have been used in smaller vehicles for many years, but the use in heavy-duty commercial applications is to date very limited. The other two vibration absorbers studied in this work have not yet been industrialised. The vibrations absorbers are analysed by means of simulations. Methodologies for efficient simulations in time- and frequency-domain have been developed and are presented in the thesis. The frequency-domain methods used include the harmonic response and a harmonic balance method, combined with an arc-length continuation scheme. For models with many gap-activated springs, a time-domain approach is proposed, where the dynamics problem is reformulated as a linear complementary problem (LCP). A detailed DMF model, including internal parts, friction and clearances, is presented for time-domain studies requiring high accuracy. The model is correlated based on test rig measurements. The torsional vibrations in typical heavy-duty truck powertrains with the different multiple-mass flywheels are simulated in a large engine load and speed range. The results are analysed and compared to corresponding conventional powertrains. It is evaluated how different design parameters affect the torsional vibrations and the feasibility of the concepts for heavy-duty use is studied. The simulations show that the torsional vibration amplitudes are generally significantly lower with a DMF than with an SMF, but under some conditions significant resonance excitation can occur. The PSVA and DMF equipped with a TVA can reduce vibrations further than a corresponding DMF within limited speed ranges, but lead to higher vibration amplitudes outside these ranges.
Confirmation and Control of Glyphosate-Resistant Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) in Tennessee

Abstract Seeds of a suspected glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed biotype from Lauderdale County, TN, were collected from a continuous cotton field in fall 2007 after plants were nonresponsive to multiple glyphosate applications. The objectives of this research were to (1) confirm resistance by quantifying the response of the putative resistant biotype to glyphosate compared to a susceptible biotype from a nonagricultural area, (2) quantify shikimate accumulation over time in both biotypes, and (3) determine the effectiveness of POST-applied herbicides labeled for use in cotton in controlling both biotypes at three growth stages. The susceptible biotype had a 50% lethal dose of 407 g ae/ha of glyphosate compared with 2,176 g/ha for the resistant biotype when treated at the four-node stage, a 5.3-fold level of resistance. The resistant biotype accumulated 3.3- to 9.8-fold less shikimate than the susceptible biotype at 1 to 7 d after treatment. The resistant biotype was less responsive to glyphosate as treatment was delayed past the two-node stage, much more than the susceptible biotype. Glufosinate, MSMA, and diuron controlled both biotypes by at least 90%, regardless of size at application. Prometryn, flumioxazin, carfentrazone-ethyl, fomesafen, and trifloxysulfuron controlled both biotypes by at least 89% when applied at the two-node stage, but control generally diminished with later application timings. Pyrithiobac was not effective in controlling either biotype, regardless of size at application. Hence, there are effective herbicide options for controlling glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed in cotton, and the resistant biotype does not appear to exhibit multiple resistances to other herbicides. Nomenclature: Carfentrazone-ethyl; diuron; flumioxazin; fomesafen; glufosinate; glyphosate; MSMA; prometryn; pyrithiobac; trifloxysulfuron; giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida L. AMBTR; cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L
Being a Reflexive Insider: The Case of Designing Maritime Technology

—This article reports a long-term, multiple-site ethnographic study in which the author cooperated with a heterogeneous group in designing remote-control systems for maritime operations since 2015. The paper reports how the participants were assembled in a network that represented their interests in balancing the relationship between a design and its use. The author asserts that if Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) research aims to shed light on other disciplines, CSCW researchers should be reflexive insiders that first position themselves in such disciplines. Different from the first generation of CSCW researchers, members of the new generation are trained in multiple disciplines, and they have the ability to use their expertise in reducing the gap between CSCW research and engineering practices in various fields. Thus, through reflexive practice, CSCW researchers could connect communities of practice, thus narrowing the distance between humanity and engineering. The paper moves the historical debate on the relationship between ethnography and design toward a new focus on reflective insiders as a method used to support CSCW research outside the CSCW community.