Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modification and Validation of GLEAMS for Prediction of Phosphorus Leaching in Waste-Amended Soils

Excess phosphorus applied to soils with low P adsorption capacities can enter surface water via leaching and subsurface transport, thereby negatively impacting water quality. Computer simulation models can be used to describe the effects of management practices on P leaching losses, provided the models are appropriately validated. The objectives of this research were to modify and validate P subroutines in the GLEAMS (Groundwater Loading Effects of Agricultural Management Systems) model to more accurately reflect P sorption and desorption, and then use the modified model to determine crop and waste management effects on long-term P leaching losses below the root zone of a grazed pasture with >20-year history of swine lagoon liquid application and considerable P buildup in the soil profile. GLEAMS was modified with the Langmuir equation to partition labile P between adsorbed and solution phases. The modification improved predictions of percolate P concentrations and soil P accumulation in acid sandy soils receiving waste-based P additions. The modification also increased model sensitivity to changes in crop and P management. The modified model predicted that P-based swine lagoon liquid applications would decrease P leaching by >20 kg ha-1 year-1 compared to N-based applications. Eliminating all P applications decreased the predicted P leaching losses by less than 1 kg ha-1 year-1 compared to P-based swine lagoon liquid application. Results show that P can continue leaching from P-saturated soils even in the absence of P additions.
The Relationship between Hand Force Direction and Posture during Two-Handed Pushing Tasks

Posture and external loads such as hand forces have a dominant effect on ergonomic analysis outcomes. Accurate job analyses require accurate representation of working postures and knowledge of external loads. The effects of hand force location, magnitude, and direction on whole-body posture for standing tasks were quantified in a motion-capture study of 20 men and women with widely varying body size. A subset of the data was analyzed to study the relationship between hand force direction and posture during two-handed pushing tasks performed with and without a constraint on hand force direction. Analyses demonstrated that force direction is a significant determinant of posture, and that pushing postures are consistent with several biomechanical principles.
On the difficulty of inventing an economical sea wave energy converter: A personal view

Sea waves are a promising potential source of renewable energy, but the technology has not yet settled down to one or two basic forms as has happened with most major inventions. New ideas continue to arise, and no general agreement about how to proceed seems to be emerging. Moreover, although practicable wave energy converters (WECs) have been developed, they are not as economical as might have been hoped. This paper explores a particular aspect of the cost problem. Broadly speaking, the costs of WECs are high because they deal with large forces moving slowly. It is reasonable to expect that where a working surface can be identified, the bigger its area is relative to the overall surface area and the faster the surface moves, the more economical it is likely to be. This suggests two criteria for an economical WEC: a large working area relative to its size and a high ratio of the speed of that surface to the particle speed of the wave. The second criterion indicates a resonant system, and this paper is confined to WECs that have quasi-resonant working surfaces (QR WECs). The quasi- is because the mechanics involved is not quite that of classical resonance. Promising types are listed in four groups according to the source of reaction, because this is generally the most difficult function to provide in QR WECs. Other types of WEC are left out, most often because they do not meet the criteria of a strongly coupled working surface and resonance, and usually require large amounts of material. While size is not uniquely related to cost, WECs using much material are likely to be expensive.
View of Climate Changes Based on the Wavelet Analysis of Solar Intensity

View of Climate Changes Based on the Wavelet Analysis of Solar Intensity The view of existing tendencies in climate changes proposed by the authors is based on the available facts. Earlier, cyclic behaviour of the world's river flows was discovered, which was found to correlate with the cycles of solar intensity. Similar correlation was revealed by the authors for global temperature anomalies. Based on the wavelet analysis it became possible to notice a phase inversion in these processes, which, in the authors' opinion, could be associated with re-magnetisation of the Sun. This, for example, explains the hitherto inexplicable interruption in the temperature rise during the 1950-70-ies. The authors stress that the processes of global climate changes are of ambiguous character, being consisted of the natural and the anthropogenic components. Skatiens Uz Klimata Izmaiņām, Izmantojot Saules Intensitātes Veivletanalīzi Publikācijā autori, balstoties uz pieejamiem faktiem, parāda klimata izmaiņas tendences. Līdz šim, pētot upju caurplūdumus, tika pielietota spektrālā analīze, kura ļāva atklāt šo parādību ciklisku raksturu. Salīdzinot to ar Saules intensitātes analīzes datiem, atklājas interesantas likumsakarības. Analogiska pieeja izmantota, analizējot temperatūras izmaiņas. Pateicoties veivletanalīzei, izdevās atklāt procesa fāzes apvērsumu, kas, pēc mūsu domām, ir saistīts ar Saules pārmagnetizēšanos. Tas izskaidro līdz tam nesaprotamu temperatūras paaugstinājuma pārtraukumu no 1950. gada līdz 1970. gadam. Analizējot šīs parādības, uzmanība vērsta uz procesu izmaiņu divslāņaino raksturu, kas sastāv no divām komponentēm - dabiskās un antropogēnās.
Electromagnetic Transmission through a Filled Slit in a Conducting Plane of Finite Thickness, TE Case

A solution is developed for computing the transmission characteristics of a slit in a conducting screen of finite thickness placed between two different media. The slit may be filled with Iossy material while the two regions on either side of the screen are assumed Iossless. A magnetic line source excitation is used (TE case) which is parallel to the axis of the slit. The equivalence principle is invoked to replace the two slit faces by equivalent magnetic current sheets on perfect electric conductors. Two coupled integral equations containing the magnetic currents as unknowns are then obtained and solved for by the method of moments. Pulses are used for the expansion and testing functions. Quantities computed are equivalent magnetic currents, the transmission coefficient, the gain pattern, and the normalized far field pattern.
Design and facilities management in a time of change

The development of facilities management over the last 20 years is reviewed. A parallel and similarly retrospective view is taken of developments in office design. There is some reason to believe that both movements have been a failure for the same reason – an exaggerated notion of the importance of cost cutting leading to the predominance of supplying side values rather than serving the real interests of increasingly demanding views. More optimistically, it is agreed that, if both facilities managers and designers (including architects) were to give proper attention, in a period of particularly rapid change, to user interests, then considerable and beneficial innovation would become possible.
An exploratory study of ERP implementation in Saudi Arabia

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is being implemented by many organisations as a potential solution to their businesses. In spite of its appeal, ERP has challenges and difficulties in its realisation, especially in developing countries. In this article, existing trends and success factors for ERP implementation in Saudi Arabia is investigated. The results of this study apply, to a large extent, to other developing countries in the Middle East and other oil producing countries. The study captures the best implementation practices, difficulties encountered, critical success factors and benefits realised. Most organisations suffer serious time and/or cost overruns in ERP implementation. Management commitment and the existence of a clear strategic objective were found to be critical for the success of the ERP implementation. Change management programmes and extensive training were found to be essential for smooth implementation process.
Personal Curriculum: Worklife Learning Pathways and VET

To understand, evaluate and enhance how vocational education and training (VET) contributes to individuals’ development ultimately requires appraising those contributions across their life courses. How VET assists and supports them through key transitions offers a means to appraise its contributions. Here, the concept of a personal curriculum is introduced and evoked to capture the worklife pathways individuals take and the contributions that VET can and should make. Drawing on a current project elaborating individuals’ worklife history it is found that three interdependent contributions arise: the person, educational provisions (widely defined) and those from ‘community’. The concept of personal curriculum and factors shaping are advanced here.
Inventing and Reinventing SCRUM in Five Companies

In recent months, a wide range of publications—Software Development, IEEE Software, Cutter IT Journal, Software Testing and Quality Engineering, and even The Economist— have published articles on agile software development methodologies, reflecting a growing interest in these new approaches to software development (Extreme Programming, Crystal Methodologies, SCRUM, Adaptive Software Development, Feature-Driven Development and Dynamic Systems Development Methodology among them). In addition to these "named" methodologies, scores of organizations have developed their own "lighter" approach to building software. The formation of the Agile Alliance by a group of expert consultants and authors on development process has fueled increasing interest in ways to deliver quality software in short, fixed delivery schedules, under severe time to market pressures (Fowler and Highsmith 2001).
Development of moodle-based e-learning as a mathematics learning media to improve student learning outcomes in integral materials

This study aims to: (1) develop e-learning in mathematics, especially integral material for class XI students; (2) to determine the feasibility of e-learning products; and (3) to determine student achievement after using e-learning. This type of research is Research and Development (R&D), which is adapted from the Alessi and Trollips model. The development procedure includes planning, design, and development. This study shows the following results; (1) E-learning products can be developed by an online learning management system (LMS) created with Moodle application software; (2) e-learning products in mathematics have met the criteria and are suitable as learning media based on validation from media experts, material experts, and students. The average score of the media experts was 3.95 in the good category, the average score of the material experts was 4.5 in the very good category, while the average score of the students’ assessment was 4.27 in the very good category; (3) the process of learning mathematics using e-learning can be considered more effective which is indicated by the increase of student achievement. The increase in student learning achievement can be seen from the average scores of the pretest and posttest results, namely 66.57 and 90.57, with the percentage of student learning completeness of 100%.
Activated Sludge Properties After Ultrasonic and Thermal Treatments and Their Potential Influence on Dewaterability

Two excess sludge reduction processes (ultrasounds and thermal) were studied with specific attention to some physico-chemical characteristics of treated sludge. Several parameters were monitored and discussed in respect to process efficiency and implications to dewaterability of excess sludge generated. Release of biopolymers, floc size reduction, transfer of ionizable functional groups in the liquid fraction and decrease of relative hydrophobicity were observed. According to the applied treatment, these modifications may improve or worsen the sludge dewaterability properties.
World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention

This paper is a synopsis of a major report by the WHO which collates information on crashes worldwide. It summarises the key findings and the recommendations of the report. The central theme of the Report is the burden of road traffic injuries and the urgent need for governments and other key players to increase and sustain action to prevent road traffic injuries. The specific objectives are: to describe the burden, intensity, pattern and impacts of road traffic injuries at global, regional and national levels; to examine the key determinants and risk factors; to discuss interventions and strategies that can be employed to address the problem; and to make recommendations for action at local, national and international levels. Key findings include: road traffic injuries are a huge public health and development problem predicted to worsen if appropriate action is not taken; the majority of road traffic injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries; road safety should be addressed using a "systems approach;" road safety is a shared responsibility and public health has a key role to play; and road traffic injuries can be prevented. The Report concludes by offering six recommendations: identify a lead agency in government to guide the national road traffic safety effort; assess the problem, policies and institutional settings; prepare a national road safety strategy and plan of action; allocate financial and human resources to address the problem; implement specific actions to prevent road traffic crashes, minimize injuries and their consequences, and evaluate the impact of these actions; and support the development of national capacity and international co-operation.
Gamification: experts expect ‘game layers’ to expand in the future, with positive and negative results

The word “gamification” has emerged in recent years as a way to describe interactive online design that plays on people’s competitive instincts and often incorporates the use of rewards to drive action—these include virtual rewards such as points, payments, badges, discounts, and “free” gifts; and status indicators such as friend counts, retweets, leader boards, achievement data, progress bars, and the ability to “level up. ” Tech stakeholders and analysts generally believe the use of game mechanics, feedback loops, and rewards will become more embedded in daily life by 2020, but they are split about how widely the trend will extend. Some say the move to implement more game elements in networked communications will be mostly positive, aiding education, health, business, and training. Some warn it can take the form of invisible, insidious behavioral manipulation.
Synthesis and applications of new left handed microstrip lines with complementary split-ring resonators etched on the signal strip

A new type of left handed microstrip lines implemented by means of complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs) is proposed. The CSRRs are etched on the signal strip alternating with series gaps. Additionally, shunt connected stubs are introduced for the first time to the previous structure. The combination of these three elements, that is, the series gaps, the CSRR and the shunt inductance, enhances design flexibility. By this means, the ground plane is left unaltered and narrow band artificial transmission lines with good performance and compact dimensions can be synthesised. The lumped element equivalent circuit model of the structure is proposed and validated. To demonstrate the applicability of these new left handed transmission lines, two compact microwave components have been designed and fabricated: (i) a narrow band power divider and (ii) a band pass filter. The resulting power divider is 75% smaller than the conventional implementation and 50% smaller than previous power dividers implemented by means of CSRRs. The band pass filter performance is comparable to that of previous CSRR-based filters with ground plane etching, whereas its size is smaller. This work represents a significant progress on the design of microwave components based on CSRRs, that is, the approach is opened to those systems where the ground plane cannot be etched.
FTA Motives in South Korea: is an FTA a way to increase general welfare or to meet political interest?

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate South Korea’s free trade agreement (FTA) initiative with priority given to the government’s motives under the institutional structure. Two broad approaches have elaborated political leaders’ motives for making a particular trade policy. The social concerns approach assumes that trade policy reflects political leaders’ welfare concerns for the general public and its desire to achieve various national and international goals. In contrast, the self-interest approach presumes that political leaders tend to support a particular trade policy depending on whether the policy increases or decreases their real political incentives. By investigating structural changes of the FTA agency in South Korea, this study found that FTA motives work in different ways under different institutional structures.
Review of research on the effects of noise on cognitive performance 2017-2021

Corresponding to the topics of Team 4 of the International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN), a literature review is presented covering the years 2017 to 2021 with a focus on the effects of noise on cognitive performance and the methods used to study these effects. We used sound or noise and cognitive performance as well as several related terms in the search string. Using a stepwise procedure, we reduced 1410 records to 70 reports for inclusion in the literature overview. Since task-irrelevant background speech is considered one of the main acoustical challenges for work-places at which predominantly cognitive performance must be achieved, we included 8 further cognitive-psychological reports, which explored how and why task-irrelevant background speech and its characteristics affect cognitive performance. Thus, the overall amount of included reports in the present literature overview is 78, each reporting at least one original empirical dataset on the effects of noise on cognitive performance. We analysed the results of the selected 78 empirical reports and discussed the main trends in terms of topics and methodologies.
Blockchain in energy : a new paradigm for Local Energy Communities (LEC) of the 4IR

The development of renewable energy sources into the energy sector introduced a rapid shift from traditional centralized energy systems to distributed energy systems. DES are more open to competitive auction-based energy supply with constant interaction between the main power utilities and participants of independent power producing plants. However, these energy systems requires increased reliance on advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and so forth which is on the cusp of innovations in blockchain development. Blockchain technology provides improved visibility, transparency, better organization as well as data exchange across boundaries, which result in more acute decision making and increased system operating efficiency. This article provide an overview on how blockchain would work in relation to energy and how we can use it to optimize transaction procedures among energy participants within the fast growing and distributed energy sector and the emergent Local Energy Communities (LEC).
Controlling Robots Using Thai Speech Recognition

Maximum security is essential for a robotic device to achieve its optimum control. In this research, we present robotic motions, controlled by technological speech recognition techniques, using commands of Thai Speech Recognition (TSR). Examples of such speech words used are; Sai, Khwa, Na, Lang Khun, Long and Yood, which are the equivalent English language representations for; turn left, turn right, forwards, backwards, upwards, downwards, and stop, respectively. The speech commands are independent for any particular user and so, as a result, they are highly beneficial for general and practical use. The three main important parts of this paper comprise; Pre-processing, Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), and Back Propagation Neural Network (BPN). The experimental results, when reviewed, exhibit results showing that the average accuracy percentages are equal to 71.00% for female commands, and 70.00% for male commands, respectively.
Opinion to Emotion Mining: A Sentiment Analysis towards Super Typhoon Ompong

Twitter as one of the microblogging websites has gained its popularity dues to ease sharing of contents in various forms, which include text, images, and links. Social media users post and share real-time messages about their opinions or comments on a variety of topics, express their typhoon. The Supertyphoon Ompong has been considered a powerful typhoon that struck the island of Luzon on September 15, 2018. It has been the strongest typhoon to strike Luzon since Typhoon Megi in 2010. With this, many tweets have been generated expressing people’s real-time reactions and opinions whether it is positive, negative, or neutral regarding this phenomenon. Owing to the increasing high coverage and impact of Twitter, opinions of people on some issues and their emotion towards the super typhoon ompong were shared through social media can be significantly influenced. It is in this context, that the researchers conducted this study to perform the opinion to emotion mining based on the sentiment analysis towards super typhoon ompong were data was generated and collected through a post and message on Twitter. Specifically, it sought to determine the sentiments before, during, and after the landfall; and perform data visualization using a word cloud.
Electrically steerable cylindrical microstrip array antenna

A novel electronic beam steering is achieved by varying the amplitude of each radiating element in a microstrip array on a curved surface. PIN diodes are used to turn on the radiating patches facing in the intended direction while turning off all other patches. Since the amplitude‐varying antenna does not use expensive phase shifters, the resultant beam‐steering system is much less expensive than conventional phased‐array antennas. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 36: 386–387, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10771
Garlic for arterial hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. Review of literature studies and clinical studies

Garlic is a widely known and widely used plant. Due to its taste, it is used in the preparation of many dishes. Garlic is also used in the treatment of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. There are many chemical compounds in garlic, but those responsible for its health-promoting effect include, first of all, those containing sulfur. These compounds are characterized by many mechanisms of action, such as antioxidant, cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Many mechanisms of action of organosulfur compounds influencing the regulation of blood pressure and lipid metabolism have been demonstrated. Many clinical studies and meta-analyses are assessing the effect of garlic on blood pressure and lipid profile in various groups of patients in the literature. This article aims to present the current knowledge on the influence of garlic on blood pressure and lipid metabolism.