Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of carbon-mineral composites and graphene

Abstract С/Al2O3 and C/MgO carbon-mineral composites were synthesized by propane decomposition over Al2O3 at 600–650 °C and MgO carbonization in 1,3-butadiene at 600 °C. The synthesized carbon-mineral composites were studied by EPR, XRD and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that a mosaic structure of carbon clusters was formed on the internal surface of the oxides and gradually grew until it covered its whole surface. A method for synthesis of graphene materials by using MgO as a template followed by its dissolution in hydrochloric acid was suggested. A maximum was observed on the dependence of the graphene surface area on the carbon concentration in the composites. The highest specific surface area of the synthesized graphene about 1800–1900 m2/g was observed for the samples obtained from C-MgO composites containing 8–10 wt. % C.
Elemental composition and moisture prediction in manure by portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy using random forest regression.

Manure elemental composition determination is essential to develop farm nutrient budgets and assess environmental risk. Portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometers could facilitate hazardous waste-free, rapid, and cost-effective elemental concentration determinations. However, sample moisture is a problem for elemental concentration determination by X-ray methods. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of sample moisture content, predict moisture content, and correct for moisture effect on elemental concentration determinations in livestock manure. Oven-dried manure samples (n = 40) were ground and adjusted to five moisture ranges of (w/w moisture) <10%, 10-20%, 20-30%, 40-50%, and 60-70%. Samples were scanned by PXRF for 180 s using a vacuum (<1,333 Pa) and without a filter. The presence of moisture negatively affected elemental determination in manure samples. Calibrations (n = 200) were prepared using random forest regression with detector channel counts as independent variables. A three-step validation was performed using all the data, random cross-validation and external validation. The back end of the spectrum (14-15 keV) had strong predictive power (r2 = .98) for moisture content. The random forest approach increased r2 between PXRF and wet chemical methods from <. 66 to >. 90 for P, K, and Mg and from . 78 to . 98 for Fe, compared with linear, nonlinear, and Lucas-Tooth and Price equations. These results indicated that elemental concentration can accurately be measured in dried and moist manure samples using PXRF and expands the potential applications of PXRF to in situ elemental determinations for agricultural and environmental samples.
Performance Analysis of MISINR User Association in 3-D Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

The continuously growing mobile traffic demand is pushing wireless networks to dense heterogeneous architectures with different types of base stations (BSs). In such dense heterogeneous networks (HetNets), especially in the high-rise building 3-D environment, the users need to determine which BS to be associated with before communication. Different user association schemes lead to different system performance. In this paper, a maximum instantaneous signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (MISINR) user association scheme is studied in the dense urban environment. A general 3-D model is utilized to model the dense urban HetNets deployed in the high-rise buildings. The coverage probability and average user rate are theoretically derived by using stochastic geometry in a general case and an interference-limited case, respectively. Numerical and simulation results demonstrate that the MISINR user association scheme has the best performance compared with other two association schemes in 3-D HetNets. From the results, it is interesting to observe that the expressions of coverage probability and average user rate can be simplified to closed-forms in the interference-limited case.
Optimum design of 6‐18 GHz ultra‐wideband microstrip filters with arbitrary source and load impedances by the least mean squares Method

In this article, the method of least mean squares (LMS) is employed to design ultra‐wideband (UWB) filters with various input and output port impedances in 6‐18 GHz frequency range. Optimization process on the circuit dimensions is done by MATLAB and AWR microwave office softwares utilizing exact closed‐form relations for microstrip transmission lines and microstrip T‐junction discontinuities. The advantages of this method are its simplicity, fast design time, including impedance matching. Two design examples are depicted in the article. To validate the designed structures, the circuit model results are compared with full‐wave analysis and measurements. The first design example corresponds to equal source and load impedances. For this design, maximum measured transmission coefficient in the frequency range 5.9‐16.6 GHz is obtained as −12 dB, upper out‐of‐band rejection around image frequency is better than −17 dB and lower out‐of‐band rejection at 5 GHz is obtained better than −30 dB. The second design example describes the case of unequal source and load impedances.
Silver Nanoparticles Capped with p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid as a Colorimetric Sensor for the Determination of Paraquat

Highly stable silver nanoparticles capped with p-hydroxybenzoic acid were synthesized by reducing silver ion with p-hydroxybenzoic acid and used for the detection of paraquat. The synthesized silver nanoparticles, which are yellow, exhibited an absorption peak at 420 nm when measured with a UV-visible spectrophotometer due to the surface plasmon resonance. In the presence of paraquat, the color of silver nanoparticles changed from yellow to purple accompanied by the appearance of a new peak at 580 nm in addition to the peak at 420 nm. In order to obtain optimum experimental conditions, temperature, and time of reaction were optimized, and the ratio of absorbance obtained at 580 nm and 420 nm (A 580 /A 420 ) were monitored. The A 580 /A 420 is proportional to the concentration of paraquat. Under the most favorable condition, the calibration curve showed a high level of linearity ranging from 6.0 × 10 –4 to 1.0 × 10 –3 M, and the detection limit was found to be 8.30 × 10 –6 M. Silver nanoparticles capped with p-hydroxybenzoic acid was found to be useful for the colorimetric determination of paraquat in the aqueous medium.
Optimization of Extended CHP Plants with Energy Storages — an Open-Source Approach

An extended CHP system in a characteristic future market situation with a share of 50% electric energy provided by renewable energy sources is analysed using the open energy modelling framework oemof. Cost-optimal plant configurations are computed based upon assumptions for investments costs and energy prices. The results show that thermal storages are always integrated in the optimum plant layout with little sensitivity to all assumptions. A storage for electrical energy is only considered if sufficiently high price periods occur in the electric energy market. This result is highly sensitive to assumptions regarding storage cost and energy prices. The model is made available open-source for further use.
Programmable metamaterials with digital synthetic impedance circuits for vibration control

This paper studies a new type of smart metamaterial consisting of piezoelectric actuators and digital synthetic impedance circuits (digital circuits). The digital circuit contains a micro-controller. By programming the micro-controller, the circuit can establish any desired impedance between the terminals of the connected piezoelectric patch, therefore to program the dynamical behaviors of the designed metamaterial. In this sense, a programmable metamaterial is studied. Experiments are conducted to study its programmable dynamical behaviors, with a particular focus on vibration reduction. Numerical simulations are also done in this work to qualitatively verify the experimental results. Different design methods are used to customize the dynamical behaviors of the designed metamaterial. Results demonstrate that the proposed smart metamaterial can be flexibly programmed online to reduce vibration at desired frequencies or within a large frequency band. The proposed programmable metamaterial conception can be naturally extended to other kinds of structures like plates and shells, they are promising components in the future adaptive structures.
A development study of pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with chronic lung disease in Uganda

Background: Chronic lung disease (CLD) is a growing burden in Uganda. There is no useful treatment, but sufferers have poor health status and often are stigmatised. We aimed to test feasibility of a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme in Kampala, Uganda, and adapted traditional PR for patients with post-TB lung disease and COPD. Methods: In a development study, respiratory specialists, nurses and physiotherapists formed a PR team. The exercise regime was based on conventional PR; the education programme covered normal lungs, post TB damage and COPD including breathlessness, exercise, nutrition, smoking and drug treatments. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the programme included recruitment, retention and outcome measures including exercise capacity and health status questionnaires. Results: In March 2015- December 2015, 4 groups were conducted. In total we screened 193 (Post-TB 113 and 80 COPD) patients, 72 were assessed 46 were suitable and 44 started rehab (17 male; mean age 44 years, range 17-83) with 42 (95%) completing and 39 followed 6 weeks after. Main outcomes in Table 1. Conclusion: PR is feasible and appears effective in CLD and post TB patients in Uganda, but an adequately powered controlled trial is needed to confirm this. PR offers a new and sustainable therapy for the neglected problem of chronic lung disease in low to middle income countries. This study provides patient and stakeholder feedback to inform design and implementation of a full trial planned for Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Flow and spawning habitat relationships for Dolly Varden: Understanding habitat–population dynamics in the Canadian Western Arctic

Northern form Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma malma) have been designated as a species of Special Concern in Canada due to declines in population abundance and potential threats. Concern over detrimental effects of low flows on population abundance prompted research on how variability in discharge regimes influence habitat availability. Habitat suitability indices for prespawning and spawning adult anadromous Dolly Varden from two streams were integrated into a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic habitat model to assess the effect of flow variability on usable habitat. Regional hydrographs were used to identify an ecologically relevant range of flows that provided optimal spawning habitat for these populations and examine the relationship between abundance and discharge. Adults spawned in the tail end of pools at moderate water depths and water velocities, and used pebble‐ to cobble‐sized substrate for building redds; whereas, prespawning adults occupied deeper pools with moderate velocities and used cobble for cover. Model outputs showed that spawning habitat availability was optimized at flow rates between 1.6 and 3.0 m3/s and between 1.0 and 6.0 m3/s in Fish Hole Creek (FHC) and Little Fish Creek, respectively. A positive relationship between flows during the fall spawning period and abundance of the FHC population suggests that higher flows coinciding with optimal habitat availability may have contributed to positive recruitment. To strengthen and refine this habitat–population relationship for Dolly Varden in this area requires investigation of a broader suite of variables associated with environmental regimes and physical habitat in reaches used for spawning.
Positive Approaches to Dementia Care (3rd Edition), Una Holden and Robert T. Woods, London: Churchill Livingstone, 1995

As in the past with their 1982 book, Reality Orientation, these authors have provided a very readable and useful text well grounded in research, offering therapies which build on the remaining positive attributes of the confused person. However this book, in contrast to the 1982 text which focused solely on Reality Orientation, maintains the position that each client is an individual and as such, requires individually specific therapies. This leads to the philosophical stand that various approaches are complementary to each other, not in competition — an approach which will be applauded by the numerous clinicians who have found this to be a fact in practice. The book begins with an excellent brief overview of memory and learning, personality and adjustment, the current state of play in dementia research, and past and present approaches used in dementia care. A detailed section on how positive approaches work in practice and theory is then offered. Reality Orientation, as the most researched method, is discussed in great detail and the result is a very readable, solidly researched discussion on the results of the use of positive approaches for clients, carers and institutions. The reader is directed through what has often been a controversial discussion to be lead to the conclusion, based on research, that positive approaches offer significant changes both at client, staff and institutional levels. The debate on the practical significance of those changes is also noted. This section offers research results from a number of studies and is a must for researchers in the area and for managers of institutions that care for those with dementing illnesses. A brief overview of other complementary approaches including behaviour modification, reminiscence, validation therapy, and resolution therapy is included in this section. Part 2 offers an in depth guide to the practical application of positive therapy approaches based on values and principles concerning worth, humanity and dignity for sufferers disabled by dementia. This section includes an overview chapter on implementing an integrated approach to therapy, a very useful and detailed chapter on possible assessment measures, and one which included ideas for group work which practitioners will find particularly useful. A further excellent chapter, based on research studies, describes effective environmental and basic personal interaction approaches which are helpful in the care of persons with dementia. This book will be extremely useful for all professionals who diagnose, treat or care for persons with dementia, particularly those in institutional settings. All carers, clinicians, therapists, nurses, counsellors, educators and those interested in the betterment of caring for persons with dementia will also enjoy the convincing arguments offered in this book.
The multiparameter t’distribution

This research paper stands for an extension to the multivariate t? distribution introduced in 1954 by Cornish, Dunnett and Sobel, namely the multiparameter t? distribution. This distribution is expressed in two different ways. The first way invests the mixture of a normal vector with a natural extension to the Wishart distribution, that is the Riesz distribution on symmetric matrices. The second one rests upon the Cholesky decomposition of the Riesz matrix. An algorithm for generating this distribution is investigated using the Riesz distribution arising obtained through not only the distribution of the empirical normal covariance matrix for samples with monotone missing data but also through Cholesky decomposition. In addition, Some fundamentals properties of the multiparameter t? distribution such as the infinite divisibility are identified. Besides, the Expectation Maximization algorithm is used to estimate its parameters. Finally, the performance of these estimators is assessed by means of the Mean Squared Error between the true and the estimated parameters.
Strengthening Mortality Statistics for Health Programs in Malaysia: Lessons from the Field

Malaysia is one of a few Asian countries with a longstanding history of vital registration systems. Yet, issues with data quality have limited the utility of available vital statistics for public health policy, program evaluation, and research [1,2]. Although death registration is complete for states located on Peninsular Malaysia, the problem of marginal underreporting of deaths still persists in the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak [3]. However, initiatives have been recently launched by the Malaysian National Registration Department [Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN)] to resolve issues with registration rules and infrastructure in these states. The more significant concern lies with the poor quality of registered causes of death. About 50% of all deaths in Malaysia occur in hospitals and are registered with medically certified causes, which are of good quality. However, the remaining deaths that occur at home are registered with causes reported by family members. For statistical purposes, these are termed as “nonmedically certified deaths. ” Each year, only about a third of these deaths are reported to be from specific causes, and the remaining 65–70% of these deaths are registered annually with vague and ill-defined causes including “old age,” “heart failure,” and “sudden death” [3]. These limitations in vital registration data necessitated the use of generic model-based adjustments to fill these data gaps, while estimating national mortality and burden of disease estimation for the years 2000 and 2008 [4,5]. These persistently high proportions of illdefined causes can still be observed even for the most recent period from 2009 to 2017 (Figure 1).
Smart and Sustainable Cities: The Main Guidelines of City Statute for Increasing the Intelligence of Brazilian Cities

The regulation of urban property use is a fundamental instrument for the development of cities. However, most of the norms that set general guidelines for urban policy predate the transformations that the smart city concept has brought about in the way cities are appropriated and perceived by society, and even today, studies on how these regulations collaborate to make cities smarter and more sustainable. This work contributes to filling this gap by investigating the main guidelines of the Brazilian City Statute that have the greatest potential to contribute to having smarter and more sustainable Brazilian cities. To prioritize the sixteen guidelines of the City Statute, the methodology used consisted of a survey carried out with professionals working in the concerned field. The results show that the sixteen guidelines were evaluated as important for increasing the intelligence of cities, of which five were evaluated as having the most priority, these five were related to the governance of cities. Considering the scarcity of resources in Brazilian cities, these five guidelines contribute so that municipal governments can direct their efforts towards what has the most priority.
The Roles of Network Analyses in Optimizing the Number and Locations of Fire Brigade Posts in Mitigating Peatfires

Quick responses in managing peatfire disasters in Indonesia are one key success in mitigating and controlling the risk of peatfire disasters. The aim of this study was to simulate and identify the optimum numbers and locations of fire brigade posts for improving their response times in mitigating peatfire events in Bengkalis Island, Riau, Indonesia. Network analyses were applied in the case of peatfire events on this island. The results of this study may assist local governments and fire brigade teams in developing a strategy to manage peatfires systematically. Hence, the results may contribute to the body of knowledge as a reference in systematically controlling peatfire disasters elsewhere in the world. This study proposed five steps in the identification of appropriate locations of fire brigade posts and performs two main steps to achieve this objective: (i) evaluating existing fire brigade posts’ service coverages; and (ii) developing three scenarios for simulating additions of one, two, and three posts. The results of this study improve fire brigade dispatch time performances as well as expand their service coverage areas from 40.7% to 62.4% within 60 minutes of dispatch time.
Packet Delivery Ratio Fingerprinting: Toward Device-Invariant Passive Indoor Localization

Passive indoor localization for mobile Wi-Fi devices, e.g., smartphones, has attracted increasing attention from research communities recently. Existing passive localization techniques leverage received signal strength (RSS) of packets transmitted by target Wi-Fi devices and do not require a dedicated software installed on the devices. However, RSS-based passive localization techniques: 1) are device dependent, which results in poor localization accuracy for a wide variety of mobile devices and 2) cannot perform real-time passive localization. In this article, we present a novel passive localization technique, namely, packet delivery ratio (PDR) fingerprinting, to address these problems. In PDR fingerprinting, the lowest-power and highest-modulation scheme (LPHMS) is proposed to generate device-invariant PDR, which replaces RSS to construct fingerprints, to achieve device-invariant localization accuracy. Moreover, instead of passively monitoring packets rarely sent by mobile devices, in PDR fingerprinting, access points (APs) actively transmit request-to-send (RTS) frames to trigger target devices to reply clear-to-send (CTS) frames to calculate PDR. The RTS/CTS mechanism enables PDR fingerprinting to perform real-time localization. We have conducted extensive experiments in a real-world testbed. The experimental results demonstrate that PDR fingerprinting presents a competitive localization accuracy compared to RSS-based passive fingerprinting methods but is device invariant.
Privacy Concerns of Overweight Adults to use Wearable Devices for Sustained Health Monitoring

The market for wearable devices that can be used for sustained health monitoring purposes is continuously growing within the healthcare sector. However, to function effectively, these devices must collect a large amount of data from the users. There are privacy concerns that may inhibit the behavioural intention of overweight adult to use wearable devices for health monitoring in the long term. This study examined the privacy factors influencing the behavioural intention of overweight adult to make use of wearable devices of sustained health monitoring. The study made use of a qualitative research approach with an interview design. A purposive sampling technique was used to select and interview twenty overweight adults (aged 18-59 years) who are using wearable devices in East London, South Africa. The Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) framework was adopted as the underlying research theory in this study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data provided by participants. The results found that there were 4 levels of privacy concerns among users. Some users were very concerned that their data was collected by the device manufacturing, while others had not concern at all. Some users had privacy concerns, but did not think that the data collected would be useful to a third party and finally some users did have privacy concerns, but indicated that the benefit of using a wearable device outweighed their concerns and they would continue to use the device. The recommendation of the study is that users must educate themselves about what data is collected and how it will be used by third parties.