Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation Modulates Neural Processing of Sensory and Motor Circuits, from Potential Cellular Mechanisms to Behavior: A Scoping Review

Abstract Noise introduced in the human nervous system from cellular to systems levels can have a major impact on signal processing. Using transcranial stimulation, electrical noise can be added to cortical circuits to modulate neuronal activity and enhance function in the healthy brain and in neurologic patients. Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is a promising technique that is less well understood than other non-invasive neuromodulatory methods. The aim of the present scoping review is to collate published evidence on the effects of electrical noise at the cellular, systems, and behavioral levels, and discuss how this emerging method might be harnessed to augment perceptual and motor functioning of the human nervous system. Online databases were used to identify papers published in 2008–2021 using tRNS in humans, from which we identified 70 publications focusing on sensory and motor function. Additionally, we interpret the existing evidence by referring to articles investigating the effects of noise stimulation in animal and subcellular models. We review physiological and behavioral findings of tRNS-induced offline after-effects and acute online benefits which manifest immediately when tRNS is applied to sensory or motor cortices. We link these results to evidence showing that activity of voltage-gated sodium ion channels might be an important cellular substrate for mediating these tRNS effects. We argue that tRNS might make neural signal transmission and processing within neuronal populations more efficient, which could contribute to both (1) offline after-effects in the form of a prolonged increase in cortical excitability and (2) acute online noise benefits when computations rely on weak inputs.
An assessment of the economic value of clusters and their influence on companies in the Serbian transition economy

Th is is a study of clusters and their infl uence on companies and the environment in Serbia, with the aim of ana- lysing information regarding companies, clusters and the process of cluster development in Serbia. Some of the most inter- esting features for Serbian companies were drawn out and presented in order to identify and analyse similar processes and externalities in future research about Serbian companies. In order to create a comprehensive study, both quantitative and qualitative research methods have been applied. In total, thirty-nine companies have been surveyed in fi ve Serbian clusters, gaining useful answers regarding companies which joined the clusters and the expectations and aspirations of cooperation within each cluster. Th e research methodology was analysed in-depth and valuable conclusions have been drawn. Often, Serbian companies did not start cooperating through an awareness of the benefi ts that clusters can off er, but rather out of the need to overcome certain common legal and business problems. Th e majority of the companies within the clusters are micro and small companies, without research and development (R&D). Th is study showed that even clusters in Serbia do not have an R&D division, leading us to the conclusion that companies need to improve their internal knowledge manage- ment, support innovations and invest in new material and product development.
Building Schools That Are Responsive To Student Learning

Abstract: This study analyzed perceptions regarding newly created facilities to staff and student needs and the enhancement of learning. Inclusion of future occupants in the planning was rare. This study investigated: 1. perceptions of the educational structure’s ability to meet the programming needs of students; 2. perceptions of the building’s impact on the academic achievement of students; 3. the role of evaluation in planning of the school building; 4. perceptions regarding the responsiveness of the facility; and, 5. differences in perception between the participating districts. Findings indicate significant differences in perceptions regarding the responsiveness of the new facility. Responses revealed district size was a critical factor in the use of a facility task force. Formal evaluations of building designs were conducted only after the buildings were occupied. Building Schools That Are Responsive To Student Learning Building Schools That Are Responsive To Student Learning “We shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us”
Influence of diode reverse recovery on the operation and design of high-frequency rectifiers

Diode reverse recovery can cause anomalies in high-frequency rectifier operation, including self-sustaining quasiperiodic oscillations. The output voltage can increase considerably beyond that predicted by the usual analysis. This nonlinear effect is analysed using a recently developed piecewise-linear diode model. The theoretical results are confirmed by experiments. Design guidelines are presented to avoid overvoltage and instability in practical power converters.
Highly stretchable conductive fabric using knitted cotton/lycra treated with polypyrrole/silver NPs composites post-treated with PEDOT:PSS

Flexible sensors and wearable electronics have become important in recent years. A good conductive and flexible textile is needed to develop a commercial wearable device. Conductive polymers have generally been used with limitation in reducing the surface resistance to a certain amount. In this research, a method for fabricating a stretchable highly conductive cotton/lycra knitted fabric is introduced by treating the fabric with polypyrrole (PPy), silver nanoparticles (SNPs) composites, and post-treating with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Polypyrrole and SNPs were in situ fabricated on the cotton/lycra fabric by consecutive redox reaction of silver nitrate and pyrrole and finally covered by PEDOT:PSS solution through dip-coating. The coated textile was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray mapping, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed PPy-SNPs (P-S) composites on the fabric surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results, X-ray mapping, EDAX, and XRD analysis also confirmed the P-S composites and PEDOT:PSS polymeric layer on the fabric. Morphological observation showed a layer of PEDOT:PSS on the P-S caused the higher connection of coating on textiles which resulted in the higher electrical conductivity (43 s/m). Also morphological observations showed penetration of the silver particles inside fibers which represented improving in attachment and stability of the coating on the fibers. Further, the electrical conductivity of PPy-SNPs-PEDOT:PSS coated textile increased under the tension. Hence, the stretchable and highly conductive knitted cotton/lycra fabric has potentiality to be used for fabricating the flexible sensors or wearable electronics.
Dimethyl Ether as the Next Generation Fuel to Control Nitrogen Oxides and Particulate Matter Emissions from Internal Combustion Engines: A Review

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a new generation fuel produced from natural gas and coal. This fuel can be used directly to a conventional internal combustion (IC) engine without any significant modifications. The main advantage of DME combustion in IC engines is the low NOx and particulate emissions compared with the fossil liquid fuel. Thus, the usage of DME in IC engines is potentially to improve engine efficiency and reduce emissions in the future with minimum attempts. This paper offers a comprehensive review of some topics related to DME as an alternative fuel for IC engines and efforts to increase its utilization to meet high efficiency and low emissions regulations in the future.
Optimising MIMO DFE for systems with spatial loading

Transmission over MIMO channels with channel state information available at the transmitter is considered. This enables optimisation of the rate and power distribution over the parallel subchannels in the transmission system (loading). It is shown that spatial loading provides substantial gains and give an algorithm to calculate the matrix filters required for decision feedback equalisation (DFE) in systems with loading.
Burnout syndrome and workplace violence among nursing staff: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Among healthcare professionals, nursing workers are the most prone to becoming victims of workplace violence and present the highest burnout levels. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between burnout syndrome and workplace violence among nursing workers. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study carried out at a teaching hospital in southern Brazil. METHODS: This study involved 242 nursing workers. We collected data over a six-month period using a sociodemographic and occupational survey, the Survey Questionnaire Workplace Violence in the Health Sector and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey. For occupational violence, we selected the Survey Questionnaire Workplace Violence in the Health Sector. Burnout syndrome was evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey. The data were analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Categorical variables were described as absolute and relative frequencies and numerical variables in terms of central trend and dispersion measurements. For data analysis, we applied descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The multiple models indicated that the workers who had experienced verbal abuse, physical violence and concern about workplace violence over the past 12 months had significantly higher chances of presenting high emotional exhaustion (P < 0.05) and depersonalization (P < 0.05) and low professional accomplishment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Occurrence of violence significantly increased the chances of great emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and low professional achievement, within burnout syndrome. Therefore, workplace violence prevention strategies need to be put in place to provide workers with a safe workplace in which to conduct their activities.
Overview of current legislation, experiences and existing scenarios on allowing the sale of tobacco products only in tobacco stores: a scoping review protocol

This article presents the scoping review protocol on allowing the sale of tobacco products only in tobacco stores in Brazil. It is based on the hypothesis that limiting the sale of tobacco products only in tobacco shops would significantly prevent initiation and encourage cessation, thus reducing smoking prevalence and passive smoking in Brazil. The protocol aims to document the processes involved in the planning and methodological approach of an extensive scoping review, guided by Joanna Briggs Institute’s manual. The review protocol was prepared following PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. It was registered in the Open Science Framework.
Strategies for reducing employee turnover and increasing retention rates of quantity surveyors

Quantity surveyors (QS) play an important role in the construction industry. There is therefore a need to reduce their job turnover, by minimizing their intention to quit the job (turnover intention) and improving their job satisfaction. Turnover intention was operationalized as the number of years QS are likely to remain in the profession (Y1) and in their present firms (Y2). The aims are to investigate job and jobholder characteristics that significantly affect Y1 and Y2; and provide recommendations to reduce QS’ turnover intentions. Using questionnaire survey, data were collected via e-mail from randomly selected QS in Singapore. Correlation analysis revealed that to reduce turnover, QS should be given competitive monetary and non-monetary benefits, and autonomy in decision making. To reverse turnover intention of well-performing QS who are ensconced in their firms, firms could enrich QS’ jobs so that their growth needs are met and they feel a sense of accomplishment. Certain characteristics of QS and their jobs give rise to job satisfaction, and therefore designing quantity surveying jobs that take in these characteristics may decrease turnover intention. The relevant characteristics that should be included in the design of QS’ jobs to increase retention rates are task significance, autonomy and feedback.
Three simple steps to improve the interpretability of EEG-SVM studies

Research in machine-learning classification of electroencephalography (EEG) data offers important perspectives for the diagnosis and prognosis of a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions, but the clinical adoption of such systems remains low. We propose here that much of the difficulties translating EEG-machine learning research to the clinic result from consistent inaccuracies in their technical reporting, which severely impair the interpretability of their often-high claims of performance. Taking example from a major class of machine-learning algorithms used in EEG research, the support-vector machine (SVM), we highlight three important aspects of model development (normalization, hyperparameter optimization and cross-validation) and show that, while these 3 aspects can make or break the performance of the system, they are left entirely undocumented in a shockingly vast majority of the research literature. Providing a more systematic description of these aspects of model development constitute three simple steps to improve the interpretability of EEG-SVM research and, in fine, its clinical adoption.
Development of the hybrid structure for the barrel module of the ATLAS silicon microstrip tracker

A novel hybrid structure for the barrel module of the ATLAS Semiconductor Tracker (SCT) is developed. The hybrid carries 12 bare readout chips totaling 1536 channels. A flexible copper-polyimide 4-layer lamination is used as a basic circuit. The circuit is re-enforced by two carbon-carbon bridges coated with Parylene polymer. The hybrid staffed by resistors, capacitors and pitch adaptors undergoes heat cycling and quality inspections. The hybrid after chip mounting and wire bonding is placed over the top and bottom sides of the module assembly with no direct contact to silicon sensors. Some twenty full-fledge modules with active silicon strip sensors were assembled Their electrical, mechanical as well as thermal performances of the module are proven to be excellent.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Empathy Training on Empathy Skills, Life Satisfaction, and Relationship Quality for Chinese Adolescents and Their Mothers: A Mixed Methods Study

Using a pre- and post-test design, this study examined the changes in empathy skills, life satisfaction, and relationship quality among mainland Chinese adolescents (ages 13–15 years) and their mothers (N = 108 dyads) following an empathy training intervention. Participants completed a 20-day empathy training, including two in-person group training sessions and daily journals on assigned topics. Participants’ mother-child relationship quality, mother-child conflict, life satisfaction, and empathy skills were measured three times, and selected participants were interviewed to explore their experience of the training. The research procedure followed protocols that were approved by an Institutional Review Board. ANOVAs were used to examine quantitative data and inductive analysis was used for qualitative data. The findings suggest that after the training, both adolescents and mothers reported significant benefits in mother-child relationship quality and life satisfaction. However, participants’ empathy skills (i.e., perspective taking and empathic concern skills) did not change. Possible mechanisms of the observed changes included the empathy skills (e.g., perspective taking skills) learned through the training and the reciprocal nature of positive changes within the mother-child dyad. The current study suggests that empathy training may benefit adolescents and their mothers, both within the relationship and in their general life satisfaction.
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials

Covering basic physical concepts, experimental methods, and applications, this book is an indispensable text on the fascinating science of magnetism, and an invaluable source of practical reference data. Accessible, authoritative, and assuming undergraduate familiarity with vectors, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, this textbook is well suited to graduate courses. Emphasis is placed on practical calculations and numerical magnitudes – from nanoscale to astronomical scale – focussing on modern applications, including permanent magnet structures and spin electronic devices. Each self-contained chapter begins with a summary, and ends with exercises and further reading. The book is thoroughly illustrated with over 600 figures to help convey concepts and clearly explain ideas. Easily digestible tables and data sheets provide a wealth of useful information on magnetic properties. The 38 principal magnetic materials, and many more related compounds, are treated in detail.
MXenes—A New Class of Two-Dimensional Materials: Structure, Properties and Potential Applications

A new class of two-dimensional nanomaterials, MXenes, which are carbides/nitrides/carbonitrides of transition and refractory metals, has been critically analyzed. Since the synthesis of the first family member in 2011 by Yury Gogotsi and colleagues, MXenes have quickly become attractive for a variety of research fields due to their exceptional properties. Despite the fact that this new family of 2D materials was discovered only about ten years ago, the number of scientific publications related to MXene almost doubles every year. Thus, in 2021 alone, more than 2000 papers are expected to be published, which indicates the relevance and prospects of MXenes. The current paper critically analyzes the structural features, properties, and methods of synthesis of MXenes based on recent available research data. We demonstrate the recent trends of MXene applications in various fields, such as environmental pollution removal and water desalination, energy storage and harvesting, quantum dots, sensors, electrodes, and optical devices. We focus on the most important medical applications: photo-thermal cancer therapy, diagnostics, and antibacterial treatment. The first results on obtaining and studying the structure of high-entropy MXenes are also presented.
LiDAR-Based Object-Level SLAM for Autonomous Vehicles

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is an essential technique for autonomous driving. Recently, combining image recognition technology to generate semantically meaningful maps has become a new trend in visual SLAM research. However, in the field of LiDAR SLAM, this potential has not been fully explored. We propose a novel object-level SLAM system using 3D LiDARs for autonomous vehicles. We detect and track poles, walls, and parked cars, which are common along urban roads. This paper presents how we process the measurement data of three different shapes of objects to build a graph-based optimization system and facilitate the geometric distribution of poles to detect loops. Experiments were carried out on datasets collected with a test vehicle in city traffic. The results show that our object-level SLAM system can build precise and semantically meaningful maps and produce more accurate pose estimations compared to the state-of-the-art systems on our datasets.
Simultaneous Actuation and Localization of Magnetic Robots Using Mobile Coils and Eye-In-Hand Hall-Effect Sensors

Large workspace localization of magnetic robots is important for medical applications. This paper presents a novel localization strategy to achieve simultaneous localization and actuation of magnetic robots using hall-effect sensors. We integrate 25 sensors into a sensing probe and mount it on to the mobile-coil system, which realizes accurate sensing and actuation of magnetic devices within a cylindrical workspace of ϕ500 mm×150 mm. Simulation results show the average localization error using the proposed method is 1.7 mm. A verification experiment is conducted to prove the design advantages; Another two experiments are conducted to demonstrate the simultaneous actuation and localization of a torque-driven robot and a force-driven floating robot respectively. For the force-driven floating robot, the average variation between the localization results and the desired trajectory is less than 2 mm.
Effects of Contact Pressure in Reflectance Photoplethysmography in an In Vitro Tissue-Vessel Phantom

With the continued development and rapid growth of wearable technologies, PPG has become increasingly common in everyday consumer devices such as smartphones and watches. There is, however, minimal knowledge on the effect of the contact pressure exerted by the sensor device on the PPG signal and how it might affect its morphology and the parameters being calculated. This study explores a controlled in vitro study to investigate the effect of continually applied contact pressure on PPG signals (signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 17 morphological PPG features) from an artificial tissue-vessel phantom across a range of simulated blood pressure values. This experiment confirmed that for reflectance PPG signal measurements for a given anatomical model, there exists an optimum sensor contact pressure (between 35.1 mmHg and 48.1 mmHg). Statistical analysis shows that temporal morphological features are less affected by contact pressure, lending credit to the hypothesis that for some physiological parameters, such as heart rate and respiration rate, the contact pressure of the sensor is of little significance, whereas the amplitude and geometric features can show significant change, and care must be taken when using morphological analysis for parameters such as SpO2 and assessing autonomic responses.
ICT enabled education and ICT driven e-learning strategies: Benefits and setbacks in Nigeria education system

Education is perceived here as schooling as well as the processes involved in gaining new knowledge, skills and attitude for the positive development of the beneficiary and that of the society. The use of technology that enables communication and the electronic capture, processing and transmission of information in education is an innovation that many nations across the globe struggle to achieve. This paper centres on ICT enabled education and ICT driven e-learning strategies: benefits and setbacks in Nigeria education system. It is in fact among the academic struggle to bring to the lime-light, the knowledge of ICT to scholars especially in the domain of education. The paper captured interesting discussion on the concept of information and communication technology including the various approaches in ICT enabled education. To further extend the knowledge of the audience, ICT driven teaching and learning strategies and the benefits of ICT applications in education were also covered. Specifically, ICT benefits to students and parents as well as setbacks of ICT use in education were explicitly highlighted. The paper concludes that the use of ICT in education is gradually taking shape in some tertiary institutions in Nigeria. On the other hand, ICT use is sparingly observed in the secondary and primary schools. The paper recommends amongst other measures that the federal republic of Nigeria should come up with strong policy on ICT use in the education system.
Flow-induced vibration in Hard Disk Drives

The paper introduces and discusses the impact of flow induced vibrations on the performance of Hard Disk Drives (HDD). Two major flow structure interactions of HDDs, flow-induced disk flutter and flow-induced vibration of head gimbal assembly, are discussed. Methods of visualising, measuring and predicting flow field in HDDs are first introduced. Subsequently, methodologies are discussed aiming at measuring disk flutter, calculating the effects of disk flutter on track mis-registration and reducing the effects of disk flutter. Lastly, future research topics on airflow in HDDs are discussed.