Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Layered Textures for Image-Based Rendering

An extension to texture mapping is given in this paper for improving the efficiency of image-based rendering. For a depth image with an orthogonal displacement at each pixel, it is decomposed by the displacement into a series of layered textures (LTs) with each one having the same displacement for all its texels. Meanwhile,some texels of the layered textures are interpolated for obtaining a continuous 3D approximation of the model represented in the depth image. Thus, the plane-to-plane texture mapping can be used to map these layered textures to produce novel views and the advantages can be obtained as follows: accelerating the rendering speed,supporting the 3D surface details and view motion parallax, and avoiding the expensive task of hole-filling in the rendering stage. Experimental results show the new method can produce high-quality images and run faster than many famous image-based rendering techniques.
The impact of COVID-19 on professional development for physiotherapists in Lagos, Nigeria

Background Continuous professional development is important to maintain standards of care in the healthcare sector. However, in Lagos, Nigeria, the additional burden of COVID-19 and limited resources may provide separate challenges for physiotherapists’ continuous professional development (CPD). Objectives To examine the availability and perceived quality of continuous professional development opportunities for physiotherapists working before and during the pandemic in Lagos, Nigeria. Method A qualitative study was conducted with 10 conveniently sampled physiotherapists, recruited via email. Interviews took place via Zoom, and the video function was utilised. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews using a pilot tested interview, and was transcribed and analysed thematically. Results The main method of workplace teaching pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 was bedside teaching (BT), which most participants received. Pre-COVID-19, the main barrier to receiving teaching was a lack of national guidelines providing specific details on CPD. During COVID-19, the main barrier was the difficulty of increased online teaching instead of teaching on real life patients. The main barriers for non-workplace CPD pre-COVID-19 were a lack of availability of learning opportunities and monetary cost of conferences. This was partially combatted by the increasing trend of online learning events during the pandemic, which increased access to non-workplace learning opportunities. Conclusion Because of COVID-19, most CPD learning opportunities for physiotherapists in Lagos, Nigeria, were online, increasing overall accessibility. Adequate training to improve utilising online learning resources as well as specific guidelines for workplace physiotherapists CPD in Nigeria should be implemented and promoted to improve confidence and quality of care. Clinical implications Key insight into the CPD experiences of physiotherapists currently working in Lagos, Nigeria, which can guide policies and improve clinical outcomes.
A Proposal of an Axial-Flux Permanent-Magnet Machine Employing SMC Core With Tooth-Tips Constructed by One-Pressing Process: Improving Torque and Manufacturability

This study aims to improve the torque performance and manufacturability of axial-flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machines. Hence, we propose a novel AFPM machine that employs a soft magnetic composite (SMC) core with tooth-tips constructed by a one-pressing process and die. In this paper, the proposed AFPM machine is compared to two conventional AFPM machines using an SMC core. One of them has open-slot structure without tooth-tips. Another model employs an SMC core with tooth-tips pressed by a conventional pressing process that requires multiple operations and dies. As a result of the comparison, the proposed AFPM machine realizes a much higher torque than the two conventional machines. Additionally, the manufacturability of an SMC core with tooth-tips pressed by the proposed method is superior to the conventional one because the proposed structure can be realized by the one-pressing process and die. Furthermore, two prototypes of the proposed AFPM machine and the conventional one with an open-slot structure are fabricated, and then, they are compared by experiments. Consequently, the proposed AFPM machine achieves a 15.7% higher torque than that of the conventional machine using an open-slot structure. Finally, this paper presents an improved design of an AFPM machine with SMC cores using the proposed pressing process. As a result, the proposed AFPM realizes a 20% larger torque than that of a conventional model employing an open-slot structure.
A novel path generation method for robotic measurement with local pruning and collision-free adjustment

Robotic measurement is an essential task during downtime in the nuclear power underwater environment. However, the narrow operating space of the underwater nuclear environment brings about an enormous challenge about the efficiency and safety of robotic measurement. This paper proposes a novel path-generation method with local pruning and collision-free adjustment. The proposed method increases the distance between the path and obstacles and reduces the number of collision detections. This core idea is to calculate extreme value points and path feature points as well as the collision-free adjustment for a smooth path. Firstly, the path is divided into subintervals where interval’s endpoints are the extreme value points. Next, the path points are distinguished by path feature points in each subinterval. A two-level connection strategy is proposed to connect the path points among path feature points within the constraints of curvature and density. Then, the smooth path is adjusted to avoid obstacles. The use of extreme value points and path feature points contributes to increasing the efficiency of path generation and improving the safety of the robotic measurement. Simulations and practical experiments are carried out to validate the feasibility of the proposed method over another method. Path safety index (PSI) is defined to measure the distance between path and obstacles. The efficiency of path generation is improved by up to 101% and PSI is improved by up to 20.75%.
Properties of Nanogenerator Materials for Energy-Harvesting Application

Advancements in nanotechnology and materials science have led to the development of a variety of nanogenerator materials with improved properties, making energy harvesting technologies increasingly viable for various applications, such as powering wearable devices, remote sensors, and even small electronic gadgets in the future. The evolution of hybrid materials consisting of polymers and nanoparticles as efficient energy harvesters and energy storage devices is in high demand nowadays. Most investigations on organic ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) as a polymer host of polymer nanocomposite devices were primally focused on the β phase due to its excellent electrical properties for various application purposes. Nanofiller is also introduced into the polymer host to produce a polymer nanocomposite with enhanced properties. A brief description of various physical quantities related to ferroelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric effects and Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC) for energy harvesting applications in nanogenerator materials is presented. This article explores the different materials and uses of various nanogenerators. It explains the basics of the pyroelectric effect and the structure of pyroelectric nanogenerators (PNGs), as well as recent advancements in micro/nanoscale devices. Additionally, it discusses how the performance of ferroelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric, and TSC are impacted by the annealing treatment of P(VDF-TrFE) polymer.
Geotechnical assessment and management of 148 landslides triggered by a major storm event in Wollongong, Australia

On the 17th August 1998 a severe rainfall event occurred over a widespread area of the City of Wollongong. During this storm, 1 person drowned and an estimated $50 to $100 million damage was caused to the City of Wollongong. Road access to the City was cut by raised water levels and debris flows covering and or scouring road and rail routes for up to 36 hours following this event. A geotechnical team of 3, including the first author, was organised at very short notice during the response phase of the emergency operations on the early morning of the 20th August by the Local Emergency Management Officer of the Wollongong City Council. This team was organised with a Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology weather forecast in hand of a further deterioration of the weather conditions expected during the next few days. In the weeks after the storm event the team inspected 191 geotechnical problem sites. The team assisted the emergency services by visually inspecting reported cases of slope instability, whilst a separate team looked at flooding and hydrological problems. The geotechnical team also determined action plans for hazard and risk assessment that included referral of sites to relevant authorities, as appropriate. A Hazard Consequence Matrix based Risk Assessment approach, in accordance with the AS/NZS 4360:1995 Risk Management Standard was adopted for the qualitative risk assessment work. A comprehensive database of site, visit, photograph and map information was collated for documentation and future reference.
Influence of MODIS-Derived Dynamic Vegetation on VIC-Simulated Soil Moisture in Oklahoma

AbstractSoil moisture–vegetation interactions are an important component of land–atmosphere coupling, especially in semiarid regions such as the North American Great Plains. However, many land surface models parameterize vegetation using an interannually invariant leaf area index (LAI). This study quantifies how utilizing a dynamic vegetation parameter in the variability infiltration capacity (VIC) hydrologic model influences model-simulated soil moisture. Accuracy is assessed using in situ soil moisture observations from 20 stations from the Oklahoma Mesonet. Results show that VIC simulations generated with an interannually variant LAI parameter are not consistently more accurate than those generated with the invariant (static) LAI parameter. However, the static LAI parameter tends to overestimate LAI during anomalously dry periods. This has the greatest influence on the accuracy of the soil moisture simulations in the deeper soil layers. Soil moisture drought, as simulated with the static LAI parameter,.
HAITI EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: REVIEW OF THE REMOTE SENSING ROLE

Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake on 12 January 2010. The immediate response to the disaster was a real turning point concerning the availability, dissemination and licensing of a huge quantity of geospatial data. Timely triggering of the Earth Observation satellites, and absence of cloud cover, allowed to acquire very high-resolution optical satellite imagery (spatial resolution up to 0.5m) over the main affected areas within a few hours of the disaster, while the whole country coverage was completed in a very short time span. Furthermore in the following days aerial imagery, high resolution SAR radar imagery as well as thermal and LiDAR data were widely acquired. The paper will show how well established remote sensing techniques allowed to carry out earthquake damage assessment in a very short time, exploiting the synergic capabilities of geospatial tools and instruments such as EO satellites, Web mapping, GIS software and volunteer mapping. In a few days several map products based on the aforementioned analysis were delivered to end users: a review of the different types and purposes of this products will be provided and discussed. An assessment of the thematic accuracy of remotely sensed based products will be carried out on the basis of a review of the several available studies focused on this issue, including the main outcomes of a validation based on a comparison with in-situ data performed by the authors.
Effects of naturally occurring bubbles on multibeam sonar operations

The acoustic effects of bubbles can have a major impact on hydrographic operations using multibeam sonars and on the quality of the data they produce. It is well-known that bubble sweepdown, bubbles entrained beneath the hull due to high ship speeds or heavy weather, is a significant problem, and means to mitigate the effects are sought. The bubble problem discussed in this paper has a different source - one which hydrographers have not yet taken into account. The bubbles that cause this problem are those naturally occurring in the sea. Natural bubbles exist in the ocean due to many causes such as breaking waves, rip currents carrying bubbles produced in surf zones out into deeper waters, impact of rain drops, swim bladders of sea life, and gas hydrates bubbling up from the seafloor. This paper discusses the characteristics of bubbles caused by breaking wind waves and rip currents and their effects on multibeam-sonar operations.
Development of a Full Orientation Flight Robotics: Dynamics Modeling, Analysis, and Control Design

In this paper, a novel multi-rotor flight configuration, namely Full Orientation Flight RObotics (FOFRO), is developed. Different from the well-known quadrotor, the proposed multi-rotor-driven FOFRO is able to achieve arbitrary flight pose in a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) space. Therefore, the demands of flight flexibility and maneuverability can be greatly improved. On the basis of the designed prototype, the 6-DoF governing equations based on quaternion attitude kinematics are derived. Owing to the existence of the multi-rotor-driving redundancy, the optimal control allocation algorithm is further proposed to address the inverse mapping problem between the control signal channels and the actuator driving force channels. The algorithm provides a minimum-energy-consumption solution for a rotor speed to compose the designed control force under the satisfaction of practical physical constraints. To ensure the flight robustness in the realistic scenarios, a robust super-twisting sliding model controller is adopted to against unknown external disturbances. A numerical simulation is performed to illustrate the flight properties of the proposed FOFRO and to validate the feasibility of the proposed optimal control allocation algorithm. Simulation results also reveal that the proposed FOFRO can achieve arbitrary flight pose demands in the 6-DoF space, which demonstrate the high mobility of the proposed FOFRO.
Hypertension in Individuals with Normal-Weight Obesity and Normal-Weight Central Obesity: A Study on Sunni Muslims of Uttar Pradesh, North India

In practice, individuals who are found normal through various adiposity indicators are screened out from the risk of obesity and subsequently from other cardiometabolic syndromes like hypertension. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine the prevalence of hypertension among individuals having normal-weight obesity (NWO) and normal-weight central obesity (NWCO). In the present study, Cross-sectional data of 214 participants (100 males and 114 females) were collected using purposive sampling. Adiposity indices like body mass index (BMI), percent body fat (PBF), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Individuals were then categorized into NWO and NWCO. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were also measured. All the data were analyzed using SPSS software. The prevalence of generalized obesity measured through BMI and PBF were 15% and 69.6% respectively. Central obesity measured through WC, WHR, and WHtR was 33.6%, 60.3%, and 11.2%, respectively. The prevalence of NWO in the total population was 21.9%. On the other hand, the prevalence of NWCO was 3.3%, 21.5%, and 12.1% as per WC, WHR, and WHtR respectively. The mean value of SBP and DBP was higher in individuals with NWO and NWCO. Preventive, interventional, and community-specific studies on NWO, NWCO, and their association with hypertension should be taken up by researchers who will help our policymakers in managing hypertension.
Identification and uncertainty analysis of soil water retention models using lysimeter data

The water retention characteristic is one of the fundamental properties that control water movement in unsaturated soils. Because of the complexity and heterogeneity of soil properties, variability and uncertainty of this property has long been a key issue in understanding the relationship between water content and matric pressure. Although considerable progress has been achieved in understanding spatial and local variability, discussions have primarily been based on deterministic analyses. Misleading conclusions can result since the derived variability cannot often be discriminated from uncertainties in model parameters, structure, and observed data. Using a combined deterministic and stochastic analysis, this paper addresses the variability of the retention characteristic in association with the uncertainty of water retention models. Calibrated against two sets of lysimeter data observed over 2 years, the analysis yields insights into the physical changes in the system, and model performance is significantly improved when these effects are explicitly included.
REMOTE SENSING OF CLEAR-WATER, SHALLOW, GRAVEL-BED RIVERS USING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY

The digital elevation model (DEM] quality that can be obtained from a digital photogrammetric survey of a reach of the clear water, shallow, gravel-bed North Ashburton River, New Zealand is assessed. An automated correction procedure is used to deal with point errors associated with submerged topography, based on a correction for refraction at an air-water interface. The effects of collection parameter variation upon DEM quality are also considered. The accuracy and precision of DEMs of submerged topography are evaluated using an independent data set. Results show that digital photogrammetry, if used in conjunction with image analysis techniques, can successfully be used to extract high-resolution DEMs of gravel riverbeds, but that the quality of submerged topographic representation is heavily dependent upon the water depth at the time of image acquisition. It is suggested that differences between the digital photogrammetric surface and the "actual" riverbed surface (as determined by terrestrial ground survey] will, in part, reflect the problem of defining what is the true elevation of a gravel-covered surface. A digital photogrammetric survey will generally see the tops of gravel cobbles, while a hand-held survey staff will tend to record the elevation between stones. The nomenclature of errors is also discussed, and it is concluded that the measure of surface quality adopted should be consistent with the application for which the DEM is to be used.
OAM-beams prospects in sensing applications based on microring resonators

This paper analyzes the prospects for applying optical beams carrying orbital angular momentum (vortex beams) for sensing. We give short retrospectives on environmental properties one can measure with vortex beams, such as liquids turbulence, temperature, and movement. We also propose a new method based on photonic integrated circuits for determining liquids’ refractive index and turbulent properties using vortex beams. The essence of the method is to measure the refractive index and detect the vortex order simultaneously. The developing sensor consists of two microring resonators: a vortex emitter, which also acts as a refractive index-based temperature sensor, and a receiver. This method can potentially increase the measurements’ accuracy and measure the liquid’s turbulence.
Influence of age and fitness level on immune responses of T and NK cells in healthy physically active subjects after strenuous aerobic exercise: a cross-sectional study

Aim The aim of this study is to analyze whether immune responses after strenuous exercise are influenced by chronological age and fitness level in physically active healthy men. Methods Cross-sectional study with a sample of 32 physically active men. Participants were divided into two groups based on chronological age (younger: age 21.8 ± 1.8 vs. older: age 34.6 ± 8.3) and subsequently regrouped and divided based on fitness level (More conditioned: excellent and superior VO2max vs. Less conditioned: VO2max: weak, regular and good). Fitness was classified according to VO2max levels obtained by a treadmill test using a gas analyzer. Before and immediately after the ergospirometry test, blood samples were collected for evaluation of immunological markers: leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes and subpopulations. Results Chronological age had a moderate effect on CD3+CD4+ lymphocyte count (effect size: 0.204) and CD4/CD8 ratio (effect size: 0.278), favoring older subjects. The level of physical fitness had no significant effect on the analyzed immunological markers. Conclusions Immune responses observed immediately after strenuous exercise may be more dependent on chronological age than on fitness level in healthy, physically active men.
Warped motion prediction beyond AV1

In AV1 local warped motion mode, the warped motion parameters of the current block are derived by fitting a model to nearby motion vectors using least-squares. This paper extend this mechanism to add two new warped motion modes ( called WARP_EXTEND and WARP_DELTA), which provide different ways to compute a local warped motion model. In the proposed WARP_EXTEND mode, a warped motion model is constructed by smoothly extending the motion of neighboring blocks into the current block, with modification based on the signaled motion vector. In the proposed WARP_DELTA mode, at first, the parameters of the warped motion model of the current coding block is predicted from the previously encoded/decoded blocks. Then the difference between the current block model parameters and the predicted model parameters are signaled. For each block, a warped motion reference list ( WRL) is maintained to store all of the predicted model parameters. The WRL is generated from the corner motion vectors (MVs) and from the warped motion model of the spatial neighboring blocks. A model parameter bank is also maintained to store the model parameters of the previously decoded blocks of the current frame. If there are not enough candidates from the spatial neighborhood to fill the WRL, the warped motion models from the model parameter bank are inserted to the WRL. Besides WARP_EXTEND and WARP_DELTA modes, this paper also proposes a separate single reference prediction mode where motion vector (MV) of the current block is predicted from the WRL. The simulation results show -1.18% (YUV) and -1.53%(YUV) compression gain as compared to the existing AV1 warped motion in random access and low delay configurations, respectively.
Reflectivity method for geomechanical equilibria

SUMMARY It is shown that the block LU decomposition of the transfer and scattering matrix convert these matrices into each other. This allows to introduce a generalization of the Kennett reflectivity method, which is applicable to arbitrary systems of linear differential equations. The introduced method is convenient to analyse equilibria, where the governing matrix is degenerate. The resulting algorithm is compact and numerically stable. To illustrate the concept, we consider elastic equilibrium of a layered medium. We also derive closed-form expressions for a quasi-stationary poroelastic case taking into account solid–fluid and electrokinetic coupling.