Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of NaOH treatment on mechanical strength of banana/epoxy laminates

The present study is focused on studying the effect of alkali treatment on the mechanical properties of banana fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. Four batches of samples were prepared with respect to the percentage of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the treatment solution (0%, 2.5%, 4.5%, and 6.5%). Later mechanical tests such as tensile, compressive, and interlaminar shear tests were conducted on the prepared composite specimens to determine the influence of alkali treatment on the mechanical characteristics. The test results indicate an overall improvement in all the mechanical properties due to the fiber treatment. Moreover, the samples made from the fiber treated with 4.5% of NaOH solution indicated the highest tensile strength and compressive strength, with an overall increment of 24.2% and 34.8% in tensile and compressive strengths, respectively, when compared with the untreated sample. A linear increment in interlaminar strength is observed with a maximum value of 25.4 N/mm2 for the sample made from the fiber treated with 6.5% of NaOH solution. This increase is due to the fiber flattening process which increases the bonding surface at the interface.
Zeolite-Assisted Shear Exfoliation of Graphite into Few-Layer Graphene

A novel method is presented to prepare few-layer graphene (FLG) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) by using a simple, low-cost and energy-effective shear exfoliation assisted by zeolite and using a cappuccino mixer to produce shear. We propose that the exfoliation of natural graphite flakes can be achieved using inelastic collisions between graphite flakes and zeolite particles in a dynamic colloidal fluid. To confirm the exfoliation of FLG, spectroscopy and morphological studies are carried out using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, the obtained graphene shows a linear flow of current and low resistance. The proposed method shows great promise for the industrial-scale synthesis of high-quality graphene with potential applications in future graphene-based devices, and furthermore, this method can be extended to exfoliate inorganic layered materials such as BN and MoS2.
Fast Obstacle Detection for Monocular Autonomous Mobile Robots

This paper proposes a monocular vision based obstacle detection algorithm for autonomous mobile robots. Our main algorithm consists of two stages. In the first stage, we use an inverse perspective mapping (IPM) based method for detecting small portions of an obstacle in the input image. In the second stage, we perform image abstraction and geodesic distance computation for segmenting the obstacle. We use the simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC) superpixel algorithm for decomposing the image into basic elements that preserve relevant structure, but abstract undesirable detail. The source superpixel for geodesic distance computation is selected according to semi-local texture features. Then we compute the obstacle score for accurate segmentation. Experimental results have shown that our proposed method achieves accuracy comparable to the state-of-the-art method, with more than 7 times faster computation.
H2O-Centered Education: Helping Education Excellence Flow More Freely

U.S. colleges and universities have been demonstrably ineffective at facilitating scholarship among their students. To become effective, psychological science suggests institutions must tap students’ intrinsic motivations and address their core values from Day 1 through graduation. This article describes a science-based, integrated set of solutions, labeled H2O-centered education, which creates and sustains instructional environments in which students develop and implement well-defined goals aligned with their intrinsic motivations and values, and the institution’s goals. The objective of H2O-centered education is to create educational environments that tap students’ genuine interest, resulting in meaningful student self-exploration and development and enduring and transferable learning.
Attributions of People with Intellectual Disabilities of Their Own or Other Clients’ Challenging Behavior: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

ABSTRACT Introduction: As opposed to studies focusing on staffs’ attributions of challenging behavior (CB), relatively few studies have looked at how people with intellectual disabilities (ID) attribute such behaviors themselves, and a systematic overview is currently lacking. The aim of this review was to synthesize the evidence from qualitative studies on the attributions people with ID have concerning their own or other clients’ CB. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in Embase, Medline Ovid, Web of science, Cochrane CENTRAL, PsychINFO Ovid, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if they focused on people with ID who report on attributions of their own or other clients’ actual CB. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Result: A total of 10 studies were included. Three main types of factors subdivided in 13 sub-types were reported by clients as potential causes of CB: interpersonal factors (1 support staff, 2 other clients, 3 general, 4 life history), environmental factors (1 ward, 2 social exclusion, 3 situational factors) and intrapersonal factors (1 syndrome or diagnosis, 2 medical or physical symptoms, 3 psychological reasons, 4 emotions and feelings, 5 coping, 6 other). Conclusions: This thematic synthesis shows that clients with ID report a diverse range of attributions regarding their own or other clients’ CB. This spectrum can be used as a framework for interpreting CB and for the development of appropriate support systems for people with ID demonstrating CB.
A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF STUDY ABROAD PROCESS EVALUATION

This paper reports the reliability of training data for developing an automatic evaluation method that measures the probability of success in study abroad programs. Although the previous evaluation method demonstrated acceptable accuracy, i.e., moderate correlation between the measured and observed data, the reliability of the training data remains unaddressed. The training data consist of 334 students' answers to ten multiple-choice questions and six open-ended questions about the study abroad experience. The reliability was examined using Cronbach α coefficient for the internal consistency that referred to whether students' answers demonstrate similar results for questions. The examination showed contradictory results between data types: the reliability was empirically satisfactory for the length of open-ended answers, but unsatisfactory for the other types of data such as answers to multiple-choice questions and word-choice in open-ended questions. The results suggest the need for minimizing the influence from students’ subjective judgment in multiple-choice questions and word-choice in open-ended questions.
Simplified expressions for dynamic behavior of cylindrical shells uncoupled and coupled with liquids

The dynamic behavior of cylindrical shells is essential in many practical applications. These include in-vacuum and coupled vibrations of structures with contained fluids. Closed-form solutions are extremely complex since they involve many terms and algebraic operations that require numerical solvers. In this work, a simplified closed-form solution for the free vibration analysis of an empty or filled with an inviscid and incompressible fluid cylindrical tank is presented. The proposed analytical method is developed for a simply supported cylindrical shell, based on an energy formulation obtained with variational calculus, and provides explicit expressions for natural frequencies, which can be easily programmed in a spreadsheet. The fluid is represented by an acoustic cavity, modeled by the wave equation, and the fluid-structure interaction is reduced to an added mass of fluid in the uncoupled shell equations of motion. A finite element model was built using ANSYS software to validate the proposed procedure. The natural frequencies and mode shapes were studied, and the results obtained are consistent with analytical, numerical and experimental results.
A short review: Potential use of plastic waste as adsorbent for various pollutants

This paper reviews on the performance of different plastic waste as value-added adsorbent under different environmental pollution. As adsorbent, it should tender the uppermost rates of pollutant removal, cost-effective and easy to obtain. The first part of this paper discussed on the concept of adsorption process. Since adsorbents assortment is the key for adsorption study, the adsorption of dissimilar types of pollutants by different kind of plastic waste as an adsorbent are then reviewed in the following part. The use of different plastic waste of various types includes plastic carrier bag, coffee cup, plastic container and food packaging which are made from polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride and low-density polyethylene are highlighted in this paper. The advantageous of each plastic waste as adsorbent are discussed. It was found that they possess most excellent performance on the potential adsorption of pollutants in various environmental pollutants. It is believed that using of plastic waste not only provides a novel potential way to utilize waste plastics, but also put forward a facile sustainable approach in remediating environment pollution.This paper reviews on the performance of different plastic waste as value-added adsorbent under different environmental pollution. As adsorbent, it should tender the uppermost rates of pollutant removal, cost-effective and easy to obtain. The first part of this paper discussed on the concept of adsorption process. Since adsorbents assortment is the key for adsorption study, the adsorption of dissimilar types of pollutants by different kind of plastic waste as an adsorbent are then reviewed in the following part. The use of different plastic waste of various types includes plastic carrier bag, coffee cup, plastic container and food packaging which are made from polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride and low-density polyethylene are highlighted in this paper. The advantageous of each plastic waste as adsorbent are discussed. It was found that they possess most excellent performance on the potential adsorption of pollutants in various environment.
Computational Explorations of Cognitive Development

Many of the problems of children's cognitive development have been difficult and longstanding. Among these are issues of how children represent knowledge, whether stages exist, and how children achieve transitions between stages. Despite a century of scientific evidence on child development, comprehensive theoretical understanding of these issues has remained elusive. Part of the reason is that the problems of psychological development are too complex for traditional verbal theories of development. Nonetheless, it has become clear in recent years that considerable leverage on these problems can be gained by applying computational modeling, particularly using artificial neural networks. This is because computational modeling is a good way to capture complex processes, neural networks capture developmental phenomena in a natural way, and successful models can be examined in detail to discover insights into the phenomena that they simulate (Shultz, 2001).
Parameters Estimation and Prediction of Water Movement and Solute Transport in Layered, Variably Saturated Soils Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter

The parameters of water movement and solute transport models are essential for the accurate simulation of soil moisture and salinity, particularly for layered soils in field conditions. Parameter estimation can be achieved using the inverse modeling method. However, this type of method cannot fully consider the uncertainties of measurements, boundary conditions, and parameters, resulting in inaccurate estimations of parameters and predictions of state variables. The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is well-suited to data assimilation and parameter prediction in Situations with large numbers of variables and uncertainties. Thus, in this study, the EnKF was used to estimate the parameters of water movement and solute transport in layered, variably saturated soils. Our results indicate that when used in conjunction with the HYDRUS-1D software (University of California Riverside, California, CA, USA) the EnKF effectively estimates parameters and predicts state variables for layered, variably saturated soils. The assimilation of factors such as the initial perturbation and ensemble size significantly affected in the simulated results. A proposed ensemble size range of 50–100 was used when applying the EnKF to the highly nonlinear hydrological models of the present study. Although the simulation results for moisture did not exhibit substantial improvement with the assimilation, the simulation of the salinity was significantly improved through the assimilation of the salinity and relative solutetransport parameters. Reducing the uncertainties in measured data can improve the goodness-of-fit in the application of the EnKF method. Sparse field condition observation data also benefited from the accurate measurement of state variables in the case of EnKF assimilation. However, the application of the EnKF algorithm for layered, variably saturated soils with hydrological models requires further study, because it is a challenging and highly nonlinear problem.
International Law as an Adaptation Measure to Sea-level Rise and Its Impacts on Islands and Offshore Features

Climate change-induced sea-level rise will result in the partial or complete inundation of low-lying coastal areas and insular features. The consequences of this include the loss of baselines from which maritime zones are established. The loss of baselines raises a number of legal questions, in particular concerning the legal status of maritime entitlements and in some cases the potential loss of statehood. Solutions proposed include maintaining existing baselines or outer limits of maritime zones, or the construction de novo of artificial islands. This article examines the current state of international law under the international climate-change regime and the law of the sea in relation to adaptation and adaptive measures, such as maintaining of baselines, island fortification and the construction of artificial islands. In addition, the article explores the question as to whether measures such as maintaining baselines would constitute adaptive measures under the existing climate-change regime.
REINFORCEMENT CORROSION AND THE DURABILITY OF CONCRETE BRIDGES.

Corrosion can arise in most parts of a bridge substructure or superstructure and usually results from the use of de-icing salts. Substructure corrosion is often associated with leaking joints, faulty drainage or salt spray from traffic. General corrosion is found on substructures and although this is a relatively slow process, producing only small reductions in bar cross-section, it causes substantial disruption of the concrete cover. Localized corrosion has occurred on unwaterproofed decks and is much more rapid than general corrosion; it leads to substantial local reductions in bar cross-section. This form of corrosion is not easy to detect visually because it is not always associated with concrete disruption or rust staining and, in any event, the deck is covered with asphalt surfacing. Several site investigation tests are available. When used together they can usually locate corroding reinforcement, determine its type and causes and estimate its rate, thus providing the information required to specify repairs. The threshold concentration of chlorides in concrete bridges of 0.35% has not proved a reliable basis for predicting corrosion. Likely explanations are that chloride contamination is associated with relatively high concentrations of the more-damaging free chloride ion. Localized anodes also sometimes protect the surrounding steel from effects of high chloride levels. The repair of chloride-contaminated bridges is difficult. Repair of corroding areas is generally effective, but the development of anodes in the concrete adjacent to the repair can lead to further damage. Cathodic protection appears to be the most promising method of overcoming this problem, although further development is needed before it can be applied effectively. (Author/TRRL)
ESCASEZ DE REGISTROS DE PECARÍ LABIADO (Tayassu pecari) EN UN SECTOR DE ALTO VALOR DE CONSERVACIÓN DE LAS YUNGAS AUSTRALES DE ARGENTINA

Decline of white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) in a high conservation value area in Southern Yungas of Argentina. In Argentina, white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) is categorized as Endangered since its distribution was reduced by 63% and its populations are fragmented. Our objectives were to determine group size and to compare camera trapping rate of white-lipped peccary between two areas in the Southern Yungas of Argentina where the species is distributed. In this study, we recorded the smallest group size (10 ± 8 whitelipped peccary/group) compared to other sites in the Neotropics. Camera trapping rate was significantly higher in the southeastern area than in the northern area. The low camera trapping rate of white-lipped peccary in the northern area (214.68 ± 927.39 vs. 0.13 ± 1.69, W = 5501, p < 0.0001) is striking given that the species was frequent to record in this area a few years ago. The information obtained in this work allows to have a current estimate of the conservation status of white-lipped peccary in the two areas of Southern Yungas of Argentina. Palabras claves: cámara trampa, Neotrópico, tasa de captura, unidad de conservación.
Math Technology: Assessing the Educational Value of a Supplemental Practice Program

The purpose of this action research project was to determine if the use of a supplemental computerized math practice program increases student achievement in the fractions domain for fifth graders. Two fifth grade math classes received the same classroom instruction. However, one class also utilized a computerized program three times per week for 20-30 minutes over a six-week period. Data was collected through quantitative preand post-assessments, quantitative survey questions, and qualitative student responses. Analysis of the data collected suggests that using the supplemental computerized math program, Front Row Education, in addition to regular classroom instruction, increases student achievement in the fractions domain at the fifth grade level.
Post-Correlation Analysis for Shake Table Test of Square Liquid Storage Tank

In this study, a post-correlation analysis for shaking table test of square water storage tank is presented for the use of advances in earthquake-resistant design of liquid storage tank. For this purpose, the ANSYS CFX program is selected for the CFD analysis. Sensitivity analysis for resonant sloshing motion in terms of grid size and turbulence model suggested that (1) horizontal grid size as well as vertical grid size is a key variable in the sloshing analysis, and (2) the SST turbulence model is best for the sloshing analysis. Finally, correlation analyses for a non-resonant harmonic input and scaled earthquake excitation of the El Centro (1940) NS component are carried out using the grid and turbulence model established through the post-correlation analysis for the resonant motion. As a result, sloshing time histories by the CFD analysis agreed very well with the test results.
The Impact of Bank Loan on Executive Perquisites under the Background of Post-Split-Share Reform

Executive Perquisites are agency cost and harm the interests of shareholders. After the split share reform, the first largest shareholder has decreasing his shares and the problem of executives’ expropriation has been more prominent. This paper uses the data of Chinese listed firms during 2006 to 2017 and investigates the corporate governance effect of bank loan on executive perquisites. The results show that bank loan can constraint the executive perquisites which have corporate governance effects; the corporate governance effect of bank loan has more prominent in Non-SOEs than in SOEs; and the corporate governance effect of bank loan has more prominent in the listed firm with higher proportion of share of the first largest shareholder. So the conclusions provide empirical evidence not only for the discussion of commercial bank reform but also for the corporate governance reform of Chinese listed firms under the financial systems of main bank financing.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF PORT CITIES: LOCAL CULTURE AND THE POST-INDUSTRIAL MARITIME CITY

Regardless of size or location, port cities were strongly affected by industrial decline and forced to reinvent themselves. The port city we once knew was coined by a particular identity and culture, but now a new type of maritime city emerges with high-tech production, research institutions, tourism, leisure and other services. So, the port city in western countries underwent serious changes in its historic development path. In this process of transformation, one of the most important challenges was and is to change thinking and mentalities. The more distinctive the port city, the more exclusive and specialised its profile, culture and character – products of a historic legacy of maritime trading, seafaring, shipbuilding and all their related productive and service capacities – the greater the difficulty of responding to these challenges. Nonetheless, the changing patterns of local structures reflect essential elements and expressions of a typical local culture. The following reflections will argue that (1) “local culture” forms a third factor besides the socio-economic structures and the institutional system, which strongly determines the local development; (2) this “local culture” is more or less a common characteristic of port cities all over Europe and in the western industrialised parts of the world, which have their roots in the European history (i.e. in USA or Australia) and (3) even today the typical maritime “local culture” plays an important role for the development of the postmodern port city, in spite of the strong forces of globalisation. Local culture affects the process of transformation by various functions. Hence, the typical development paths of port cities are not just pure adaptations to global dynamics. They are more an expression of a certain cultural autonomy reproducing the individuality and the diversity of port cities as well as their differences to the territorial, inland towns.
Propuestas sobre sanciones y multas en el mercado eléctrico chileno

Se reporta una comparacion internacional de esquemas de sanciones y multas por infracciones a las regulaciones en mercados electricos, particularmente en el ambito de la seguridad de abastecimiento y los cortes en el suministro electrico. Se comparan las regulaciones de Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Espana, Inglaterra-Gales, Nueva Zelanda y Estados Unidos. Se ilustra y comparan ejemplos especificos de apagones y las sanciones que se aplicaron. Se entrega una vision sobre las obligaciones explicitas que, de acuerdo a cada legislacion, tienen los participantes del mercado, particularmente en lo referente a la seguridad del suministro. Se describe y expone de modo general las atribuciones de los organismos administrativos sancionadores/reguladores. Se analizan las distintas modalidades de sanciones aplicadas con motivo del incumplimiento de las obligaciones, los montos de sanciones y sus criterios de aplicacion y cuantificacion. Se revisan los procedimientos de aplicacion de sancion e instancias de apelacion. Por ultimo, se realizan propuestas para mejorar el esquema en aplicacion en Chile, donde se ha elegido un camino sancionador con multas extendidas a todos los actores, que no tiene paralelo en las regulaciones y legislaciones revisadas.