Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ZINC CONTAMINATION IS AN UNDERESTIMATED RISK TO AMPHIBIANS: TOXICITY EVALUATION IN TADPOLES OF FEJERVARYA LIMNOCHARIS

Aquatic environments are often contaminated with zinc. Amphibian tadpoles are likely to be exposed to high concentrations of zinc present in these environments. We determined the acute and sub-chronic toxicity of ZnCl2 on Fejervarya limnocharis tadpoles under laboratory conditions. The LC50 values of ZnCl2 were found to be 5.81, 4.32, 3.79 and 3.61 mg/L at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of exposure respectively. Long-term exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of ZnCl2 induced significant mortality in concentration and time dependent manner. Sub-lethal ZnCl2 exposure significantly altered survival, body length and body weight at metamorphosis. Micronucleus test and comet assay indicated the genotoxic potential of ZnCl2. Significant increase in DNA strand break was observed following ZnCl2 exposure equivalent to 1% of the of 24 h LC50 value. The findings indicate possible adverse to tadpoles inhabiting aquatic environments contaminated with zinc. In addition, the findings may be extrapolated to aquatic organisms of similar torphic status.
OLTC Voltage and Reactive Power Control in Area Transmission System for Improvement Line Loss and Voltage Variation

Coordination on load tap changers (OLTCs) voltage and reactive power compensators in area transmission power system is presented to improve efficiency and voltage variation using a novel optimum procedure technique. The novel optimum technique procedure used hybrid differential evolution (HDE) to coordinate the OLTCs setting and reactive power compensation for reducing line losses and voltage change rate. The objection function is selected total line loss under the limited range of OLTCs setting and reactive power compensation. The proposal design method is used to IEEE-30BUS power system to demonstrate the useful method. The result exhibits to less line losses and a little voltage variation.
Pengembangan Model Kriteria Bauran Pemasaran Online Pada Tahap Creativity & Direction Menggunakan Fuzzy Ahp (Studi Kasus: Industri Kreatif Di Indonesia)

Internet berkembang dengan pesat di Indonesia. Perkembangan internet membantu berbagai sektor untuk tumbuh, salah satunya UMKM sebagai salah satu tulang punggung perekonomian Indonesia. Pemanfaatan internet pada UMKM mendorong pemanfaatan pemasaran online. Pemasaran online memberi keuntungan dan kemudahan yang tidak ada pada pemasaran offline. Penggunaan pemasaran online perlu disesuaikan dengan kemampuan dan kebutuhan perusahaan agar pemasaran online yang dilakukan dapat berjalan secara efektif dan efisien. Di Indonesia, pemanfaatan internet pada UMKM cukup rendah disebabkan oleh pengetahuan pelaku usaha yang belum mampu menggunakan internet dalam pertumbuhan UMKM. Pemasaran juga menjadi masalah bagi UMKM dimana 74% UMKM mengalami kesulitan pada akses pemasaran. Masalah tersebut akan menghambat pertumbuhan UMKM. Penelitian ini bertujuan merancang model bauran pemasaran online yang ditujukan pada UMKM dan juga membuat prioritas bauran pemasaran kedalam dua tahap pertumbuhan organisasi, yaitu tahap creativity dan tahap direction. Penelitian dilakukan terhadap 6 partisipan UMKM yang berada pada tahap creativity dan tahap direction melalui wawancara terstruktur untuk mengetahui kriteria bauran pemasaran online dan dilanjutkan dengan penggunaan metode fuzzy AHP dalam menentukan peringkat kriteria. Kesimpulan dari penelitian adalah ditemukan 40 kriteria penting bauran pemasaran online yang terdiri dari 10 kriteria pada dimensi produk, 8 kriteria pada dimensi harga, 10 kriteria pada dimensi tempat dan 12 kriteria pada dimensi promosi. Perbedaan posisi kriteria bauran pemasaran terdapat pada tahap pertumbuhan creativity dan tahap direction.
Institutionalizing Bicycle and Pedestrian Monitoring Programs in Three States

Information about nonmotorized traffic is needed to support management of transportation systems. However, transportation officials across the United States generally have not monitored nonmotorized traffic, and most agencies lack bicycle and pedestrian counts. This paper describes current efforts by the Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to establish programs for monitoring non-motorized traffic. With FHWA principles for traffic monitoring as a framework, this case study summarizes state approaches for initiating monitoring, agency collaboration with local governments, and continuous and short-duration monitoring efforts. Agency protocols for data collection, analysis, and management, including development of factors for purposes such as estimating average daily bicyclists or bicycle miles traveled, are also compared. Agency efforts to demonstrate the effectiveness of monitoring technologies are described. This study reveals similar objectives across states, both similarities and differences in approaches, differing rates of implementation, and similar problems in implementation. The paper summarizes lessons learned and identifies challenges that DOTs will face in institutionalizing the monitoring of nonmotorized traffic.
Higher order correction of electrostatic pressure and its influence on the pull-in behavior of microstructures

In close gap electrostatic microactuators modeling, distributed forces are commonly approximated using a parallel capacitor formula, adequate when the distance between electrodes is much smaller than their length. In the present work, using the perturbation theory, we develop simple expressions for electrostatic pressure with higher order corrections, mainly related to the curvature and slope of the electrode. These approximate expressions are validated through a comparison with analytical solutions for simple geometries as well as numerical results. The influence of the higher order correction on the pull-in behavior is illustrated for a large deflection model of a one-dimensional membrane (string), subjected to electrostatic and uniform mechanical pressure. An analytical solution is built and compared with the numerical solution obtained by the collocation method. The initial curvature of the string has a strong influence on the pull-in behavior. In the case of the nonlinear deflection-dependent tensile force, string bistability is possible.
Haemoglobin sensing with optical spectroscopy during minimally invasive procedures

Many clinical procedures involve the use of minimally invasive devices such as needles and catheters. Providing increased information about tissues that are adjacent to the device tips could reduce the probability of complications in these procedures. Optical fibres are well suited for integration into medical devices and they can be used to provide information relevant to tissue characterisation. This dissertation is centred on the integration of optical fibres into needles and catheters to obtain information about haemoglobin. In two studies, reflectance spectroscopy was performed. Two optical fibre geometries were tested, and for each, Monte Carlo simulations were used to estimate the reflectance values and the pho- ton penetration depths. In the first study, reflectance spectroscopy was performed with a double clad fibre. Experiments using expired human red blood cells were performed to determine the sensitivity of the measurements to oxygen saturation variation at physiological levels. Distinction between normal oxygen saturation values in veins and arteries was possible, making this fibre potentially useful to verify needle placement during a venous catheterisation or during a transseptal puncture. In the second study, two polymer optical light fibres were directly integrated into an epidural catheter. This optical catheter was tested during an ex-vivo swine laminectomy in the lumbar region. Another ex-vivo experiment was performed on chicken wings to discern blood vessels from other tissues. This information could be used during anaesthesic procedures to reduce the risk of toxicity from an intravascular injection. With reflectance spectroscopy, the depth in tissue from which signal is obtained is limited by the inter-fibre distance. This limitation motivated a third study, in which photoacoustic imaging was used to obtain image contrast for haemoglobin. The results of the three studies suggest that the integration of optical fibres into medical devices during minimally invasive procedures can allow for clinically ￼relevant measurements of tissue properties in real-time.
Guava Disease Detection Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks: A Case Study of Guava Plants

Food production is a growing challenge with the increasing global population. To increase the yield of food production, we need to adopt new biotechnology-based fertilization techniques. Furthermore, we need to improve early prevention steps against plant disease. Guava is an essential fruit in Asian countries such as Pakistan, which is fourth in its production. Several pathological and fungal diseases attack guava plants. Furthermore, postharvest infections might result in significant output losses. A professional opinion is essential for disease analysis due to minor variances in various guava disease symptoms. Farmers’ poor usage of pesticides may result in financial losses due to incorrect diagnosis. Computer-vision-based monitoring is required with developing field guava plants. This research uses a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN)-based data enhancement using color-histogram equalization and the unsharp masking technique to identify different guava plant species. Nine angles from 360∘ were applied to increase the number of transformed plant images. These augmented data were then fed as input into state-of-the-art classification networks. The proposed method was first normalized and preprocessed. A locally collected guava disease dataset from Pakistan was used for the experimental evaluation. The proposed study uses five neural network structures, AlexNet, SqueezeNet, GoogLeNet, ResNet-50, and ResNet-101, to identify different guava plant species. The experimental results proved that ResNet-101 obtained the highest classification results, with 97.74% accuracy.
Carbonation of concrete in the tropical environment of Singapore

The experimental investigation was performed to study the influence of unit cement content and w/c ratio on the rate of carbonation under natural exposure in the tropical environment of Singapore together with laboratory accelerated carbonation test. To represent concrete of lean to rich mixes, the cement content in a total of 21 mixtures was varied from 250 to 450 kg/m3, while the w/c ratios ranged between 0.40 and 0.70 with an increment of 0.05. After 14 years of natural exposure, the 28-day compressive strength (f 28) and w/c ratio (w/c) were identified as reliable parameters for estimating the depth of carbonation. However, within the range of values studied, there is no significant effect of the cement content on the carbonation behaviour. The relationship between the 14-year natural exposure and the samples from the 7% CO2 concentration accelerated test were also correlated. Tentative recommendations on the use of the findings in durability design against carbonation for required service life in a tropical environment are proposed.
Case Study of Pedestrian Risk Behavior and Survival Analysis

In order to improve traffic flow, signal-free, grade-separated intersections in Delhi have often replaced signalized intersections. Evaluating the impact of signal free intersections on pedestrians is important when nearly fifty percent fatalities in the city involve pedestrians. Examining a pedestrian sample before and after site reconstruction produces a better understanding of the subsequent changes in pedestrian risk behavior. Strategically placed camcorders viewed pedestrians and approaching traffic. Data reduction measured the accepted time gap of each pedestrian making an unsafe crossing and the average speeds of the approaching vehicle groups. A pedestrian survey provided additional information. Sixty two percent pedestrian accepted gap less than 4 seconds(exposed to high risk) after site reconstruction compared to fifteen percent pedestrian accepting similar gap before the site reconstruction. More than 35 percent of pedestrian stage crossings had accepted gaps less than one second as compared to 6 percent of pedestrian stage crossings before reconstruction. After reconstruction, 22% of pedestrians did not use the pedestrian underpass and continued unsafe crossings at the site. Pedestrian exposure to greater risks of bodily injury and death with site reconstruction occurred despite the presence of an underpass and median barrier. Pedestrians had exposure to higher risks after the construction of the signal-free crossing. Not all pedestrians used the pedestrian subway. The design and location of the pedestrian subway needs modification.
The Study of Strategies in Learning English and English Academic Achievement

English language learning is not a new thing in Indonesia, many people want to learn English for various purposes. However, not all students can easily achieve their goals and follow the learning process. One of the factors is language learning strategy. This research aimed to investigate the students’ English language learning strategies and its correlation with the English academic achievement. Descriptive and correlational design, quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in this research. The students’ English scores on their study report (KHS) and SILL were used as the instrument. The samples of this research were fifty third year students majoring in English at IAIN Samarinda. Moreover, three students were chosen to participate in the semi structured interview. The data of the research were analyzed using descriptive and Pearson Product Moment correlation. The result showed that the most preferred strategy used by the students was social strategy There was a significant correlation between students’ English language learning strategies and English academic achievement (r=.436, p=.001<.05).
Crafting Water Constitutions in California

Water resources must be governed before they can be managed, and the crafting of governance institutions is an ongoing challenge of the human condition. Institutional artisanship requires the availability of tools for institutional design and creation, and a reflective understanding of the use of those tools. Yet neither the tools nor the understanding exist in their entirety before institutional artisans attempt their craft: the tools at hand must be adapted to new purposes, and skill in their use must be learned along the way. Errors are inevitable, but successes are possible. These insights, drawn from Vincent Ostrom’s work on understanding human action, are applied in this paper to the development of institutional arrangements for the management of water resources in California.
Low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) ridge waveguide multiplexers

Compact H-plane ridge waveguide multiplexers and their transitions for LTCC applications are described. Full wave modeling based design procedure was developed. X-band single ridge waveguide contiguous diplexers, triplexers and their transitions were successfully designed and embedded in the LTCC substrate. Good experimental results were obtained, which demonstrated feasibility of integrating 3D filtering structure with planar microwave integrated circuits (MIC) in the multilayer substrates.
On the Use of Reciprocal Filter Against WiFi Packets for Passive Radar

This article derives a novel unified signal processing scheme for WiFi-based passive radar in order to limit its complexity and enhance its suitability for short range civilian applications. To this purpose, the exploitation of a reciprocal filtering (RpF) strategy is investigated as an alternative to conventional matched filtering at the range compression stage. Along with the well-known advantage of a remarkable sidelobes control capability for the resulting range-Doppler response, the use of a RpF is shown to provide additional benefits for the specific sensor subject of this article. Specifically, it allows to streamline the disturbance cancellation stage and to implement a unified signal processing architecture which is capable to handle the different modulation schemes typically adopted in WiFi transmissions. Appropriate adjustments are also proposed to the theoretical RpF in order to cope with the inherent loss in terms of signal-to-noise power ratio. The effectiveness of the proposed signal processing scheme encompassing the RpF strategy is proved against both simulated and experimental datasets.
Executives with Economic Management Education Backgrounds and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from Chinese A-share Markets

ABSTRACT This paper sheds light on the impact of executives’ backgrounds on their firms’ stock price crash risk. Specifically, it finds that hiring executives with economic management education backgrounds can significantly increase firms’ stock price crash risk. Robustness and endogeneity tests confirm this finding. Further analysis reveals that the observed impact is greatest for non-state-owned firms, firms with low management shareholding ratios, and firms facing performance pressure. Hiring chairmen with economic management education backgrounds will carries a higher risk of a share-price crash. These findings enhance understanding of the formation of and factors influencing stock price crash risk.
Estimate the Memory Bounds Required by Shared Variables in Software Transactional Memory Programs

Estimating memory required by complex programs is a well-known research topic. In this work, we build a type system to statically estimate the memory bounds required by shared variables in software transactional memory (STM) programs. This work extends our previous works with additional language features such as explicitly declared shared variables, introduction of primitive types, and allowing loop body to contain any statement, not required to be well-typed as in our previous works. Also, the new type system has better compositionality compared to available type systems.
Impact of interfacial layer and transition region on gate current performance for high-K gate dielectric stack: its tradeoff with gate capacitance

Stacked gate dielectrics are modeled with respect to the impact on the leakage current of interfacial layers and transition regions, considering the tradeoff with the gate capacitance. A Franz 2-band dispersion model is used. Low-EOT and low-gate-current regimes are explored theoretically using reasonable estimates guided by experimental data. Transition layer values of each parameter are qualitatively explored for oxynitride, Si/sub 3/N/sub 4//SiO/sub 2/, and high-K stacks. Higher dielectric constant and more insulating materials are obviously desired for each layer of dielectric; however, the transition region becomes more important as such dielectrics are considered. Higher dielectric constant of interfacial layer is desirable for the low-EOT-low-gate-current requirement.
Improved wire modelling in TLM

An important aspect in the application of transmission-line modelling (TLM) to microwave circuit and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) simulation studies is the accurate modelling of wires and wire-like structures. This paper outlines the cause of errors arising from simplified descriptions often used when modelling wires by integrated solution methods in TLM. It proposes a simple solution which is validated against experimental results for a number of test configurations. >
Industrial Relations Change in the Illawarra Region of NSW: an Insight Into Responses to the Workplace Relations Act

This paper examines the impact of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (WRA) by looking at changes in the behaviour of panel data for workplaces in the Illawarra Region of NSW for the years 1996 and 2004. The results support the proposition that the major impact has been on the level of unionisation and union density in these workplaces. There was virtually no expansion in the use of enterprise bargaining or AWAs, although there was a small but significant increase in nonunion agreement making. Rather than encourage the use of single jurisdictions to register awards and collective agreements, in the Illawarra at least, there was a strong trend to dual State and federal jurisdictions. Thus the WRA has been relatively ineffective in achieving flexibility and decentralised employee relations goals, partly explaining why the stronger Work Choices legislation was introduced in 2005.
Self-assembly of (sub-)micron particles into supermaterials

We review aspects of static self-assembly with regard to the synthesizing of new types of three-dimensional materials made of specifically designed particles in the 100 nm to 10 µm range. Mechanical interconnection technologies based on static friction used in the assembly of macroscopic systems (such as screws and nails) are unsuitable for self-assembly. An analogy of self-assembly with first-order phase transitions is used to argue that self-assembly is a process requiring interfaces separating assembled and disordered regions. Available types of interaction are reviewed with emphasis on scaling. We discuss at some length how interaction and dynamic properties scale with respect to the particle size. Chains of particles seem to be of particular importance as they might form three-dimensional structures similar to proteins. These structures are constrained by the sequence of the particles and by their interactions between themselves and with the solvent. Using chains might provide a viable route to complex, inhomogeneous, supermaterials and systems. Kinetic processes, specifically nucleation and the relationship between self-assembly and thermodynamic phase transitions form a major part of this paper. Finally we review some applications of self-assembly, notably in MEMS, and put forward some ideas for the assembly of new types of (smart) supermaterials with interesting optical, mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties and describe some of the technological challenges we face when attempting to realize these materials and systems thereof.
Assessment of Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Regurgitation by Doppler-Derived Echo Indices: Comparison with Magnetic Resonance Quantification

Reliable quantification of aortic regurgitation (AR) severity is essential for clinical management. We aimed to compare quantitative and indirect echo-Doppler indices to quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters in asymptomatic chronic severe AR. Methods and Results: We evaluated 104 consecutive patients using echocardiography and CMR. A comprehensive 2D, 3D, and Doppler echocardiography was performed. The CMR was used to quantify regurgitation fraction (RF) and volume (RV) using the phase-contrast velocity mapping technique. Concordant grading of AR severity with both techniques was observed in 77 (74%) patients. Correlation between RV and RF as assessed by echocardiography and CMR was relatively good (rs = 0.50 for RV, rs = 0.40 for RF, p < 0.0001). The best correlation between indirect echo-Doppler and CMR parameters was found for diastolic flow reversal (DFR) velocity in descending aorta (rs = 0.62 for RV, rs = 0.50 for RF, p < 0.0001) and 3D vena contracta area (VCA) (rs = 0.48 for RV, rs = 0.38 for RF, p < 0.0001). Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, the largest area under curve (AUC) to predict severe AR by CMR RV was observed for DFR velocity (AUC = 0.79). DFR velocity of 19.5 cm/s provided 78% sensitivity and 80% specificity. The AUC for 3D VCA to predict severe AR by CMR RV was 0.73, with optimal cut-off of 26 mm2 (sensitivity 80% and specificity 66%). Conclusions: Out of the indirect echo-Doppler indices of AR severity, DFR velocity in descending aorta and 3D vena contracta area showed the best correlation with CMR-derived RV and RF in patients with chronic severe AR.