Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Importance of modelling shear effects for flexure of laterally loaded polymer piles

ABSTRACT Polymer pile products are currently being used in marine environments in pile-supported fender systems due to their superior resistance to this environment over traditional materials. The piles in fender systems are laterally loaded elements, which dissipate energy through flexure. Due to the anisotropic nature of the polymer materials, shear deformations can become significantly large. The goal of this analytical study was to use material properties found in the literature to determine the significance of flexural shear deformations. It was ultimately found that the shear effects in these materials are significant. The significance varies based on the stiffness of the soil. The greater the stiffness, the more influence the shear has on the total deformation. Due to the interdependent nature of the observed results, it is recommended that the shear effects must always be considered when designing with currently available polymer piles.
How Post 90’s Gesture Interact with Automobile Skylight

ABSTRACT It is widely acknowledged that skylight matters a great deal to an automobile. The development of automobile and glass intelligentization allows the functions of skylight to be integrated, intelligentized and diversified. At present, however, there are few studies on skylight gesture interaction, which explains why we decided to conduct this study. By building a psychological model and using qualitative techniques, we acquired data from 20 young Chinese drivers to delve into their gesture interaction preferences, needs and pain points. In the end, we posited a set of design criteria: simplified learning procedure, exact meaning, precise feedback, optimum control, habitual use and system integrity. Overall, our design involves 17 gesture actions suitable for automobile skylight, with 11 maneuverable gesture actions passing the usability test. The qualified actions constitute the basis of skylight interactive gesture design.
Biobased plastic: A plausible solution to carbon neutrality in plastic industry

Biobased plastic combined with plastic recycling could be a plausible solution for achieving carbon neutrality by plastic industry. Herein we use production data, emission factors, and future plastic demands (2021-2060) to build a model, evaluating carbon neutrality under five scenarios. Our simulation indicates that carbon neutrality can be achieved by 2060 when biobased plastics takes 90% of plastic production with near 50% of recycling ratio. The amount of carbon captured through photosynthesis surpasses that of carbon released through plastic life cycle. Recycling reduces virgin plastic production, which is the primary carbon source. A one-fold increase in the use of recycled plastics could lead to a three-fold reduction of virgin plastic production. Existing plastics stored 6.82 giga tons of carbon (GtC) in 2020, serving as an artificial carbon reservoir never recognized before. This carbon reservoir will expand to 23.0 and 27.4 GtC under 22% and 50% recycling scenarios, respectively, by 2060.
Effect of Ducted Multi-Propeller Configuration on Aerodynamic Performance in Quadrotor Drone

Motivated by a bioinspired optimal aerodynamic design of a multi-propeller configuration, here we propose a ducted multi-propeller design to explore the improvement of lift force production and FM efficiency in quadrotor drones through optimizing the ducted multi-propeller configuration. We first conducted a CFD-based study to explore a high-performance duct morphology in a ducted single-propeller model in terms of aerodynamic performance and duct volume. The effect of a ducted multi-propeller configuration on aerodynamic performance is then investigated in terms of the tip distance and the height difference of propellers under a hovering state. Our results indicate that the tip distance-induced interactions have a noticeable effect in impairing the lift force production and FM efficiency but are limited to small tip distances, whereas the height difference-induced interactions have an impact on enhancing the aerodynamic performance over a certain range. An optimal ducted multi-propeller configuration with a minimal tip distance and an appropriate height difference was further examined through a combination of CFD simulations and a surrogate model in a broad-parameter space, which enables a significant improvement in both lift force production and FM efficiency for the multirotor, and thus provides a potential optimal design for ducted multirotor UAVs.
An Ultrawideband and High-Aperture-Efficiency All-Dielectric Lens Antenna

A lens antenna (LA) with the characteristics of ultrawide band and high aperture efficiency is proposed in this letter. Moreover, the proposed lens is automatically designed by the genetic algorithm (GA) and finite-different time-domain method, which provides a convenient solution for lens designing. Compared to the feeding ridged horn, the measured gains of the LA are enhanced by 4.4–7.4 dB in the 6–18 GHz band, and the measured aperture efficiencies are also increased by 10%–33% in the band. The maximum aperture efficiency is 92.4% at 6 GHz. Moreover, the 1 dB steady gain band is 13–18 GHz (up to 32.3%). The all-dielectric structure can be easily manufactured using three-dimensional printing technology, which endues the lens with the advantages of low cost, light weight, and easy fabrication.
Meniscus treatment: biological augmentation strategies: a narrative review

Objective An up-to-date description on the biological augmentation strategies for meniscal repair procedures was performed to highlight the main preclinical and clinical evidence available in the literature. Background Meniscal repair is a key surgical procedure to preserve as much meniscal tissue as possible to limit the development of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Unfortunately, the results of meniscal repair procedures are not always satisfactory, reporting an overall risk of failure of 25%, likely conditioned due to the poor vascularization of the meniscal tissue. For this reason, several biologic augmentation techniques have been developed to improve the meniscal healing process, ranging from mechanical stimulations to biological products. Methods A literature review was conducted on the main biological augmentation procedures combined to the meniscal repair process. A description of the rationale, surgical technique, and preclinical and clinical evidence was performed. Conclusions Mechanical stimulations and fibrin clot were the first techniques applied showing several limitations and not exciting results. Recently, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) augmentation to meniscal repair is slowly spreading in the clinical practice. Early evidence from comparative studies showed a significantly lower failure rate in patients treated with PRP augmentation compared with controls. Conversely, the current few and low-level data on mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) for meniscal augmentation repair make this a promising but anecdotal topic. Further high-quality clinical studies are needed to support and guide the use of biological strategies for the augmentation of meniscus repair, PRP.
Influencers' intimate self-disclosure and its impact on consumers' self-brand connections: scale development, validation, and application

PurposeThis study develops and validates a scale to measure social media influencers' intimate self-disclosure (SMIs' ISD), by accessing consumer perceptions of the intimacy levels of SMIs' self-disclosure. The authors further evaluate the extent to which SMIs' ISD fosters consumers' self-brand connections via consumer-SMI parasocial relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe scale was developed through item generation, purification, and validation. First, items were generated from existing scales and revised based on feedback provided by experts. The items were subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using an online survey with 433 participants. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the predictive power of SMIs' ISD on parasocial relationships and self-brand connections.FindingsThe results suggest that the perceived SMIs' ISD is a unidimensional construct. As proposed, SMIs' ISD enhances consumer-brand connections through the underlying mechanism of consumers' sense of being in a parasocial relationship with an SMI.Originality/valueThis study advances self-disclosure and influencer marketing literature by addressing the lack of measures on SMIs' ISD from a consumer perspective and the scarcity of empirical understanding of how brands can profit from SMIs' capabilities to make intimate self-disclosure. Based on the literature review, this study is the first to empirically consider factual, emotional, and cognitive intimacy to develop scale and demonstrate the importance of SMIs' ISD in developing consumers' self-brand connections.
Superposition‐based concurrent multiscale approaches for poromechanics

Superposition‐based concurrent multiscale approaches for poromechanical problems aimed at resolving localized fluid flow and deformation of a solid skeleton including its possible fracture are developed. The main departure of the proposed formulation is that the primary unknowns in the coupling zone, the solid displacement u and pore pressure p, are discretized by possibly different numerical models. Two discretization schemes are studied: (i) superposition of two or more finite element (FE) discretizations of the Biot's u‐p model of a porous medium, and (ii) superposition of the peridynamics (PD) discretization of the fractured solid phase on the FE discretization of the Biot's u‐p model of a porous medium. In the latter case, the total stress of the fluid–solid mixture in the coupling domain is derived from the effective stress obtained from the combined PD and finite element method solutions while the pore pressure is obtained from the FE solution. The accuracy of the superposition‐based concurrent multiscale method is studied on several benchmark problems including the classical Terzaghi's one‐dimensional consolidation problem, the two‐dimensional strip footing problem, and the pressure‐ and fluid‐driven fracture propagation problem in saturated porous media. The main hydraulic fracture characteristics, including complex crack paths and fluid flow patterns, have been found to be reasonably well reproduced by the proposed method.
Climate history of the principality of Transylvania during the Maunder Minimum (MM) years (1645–1715 CE)

Abstract. This paper deals with the climate in the former Grand Duchy of Transylvania, now one of the three major geographical provinces of Romania, within the so-called Maunder Minimum (MM) (1645–1715), an astrophysically defined part of the Little Ice Age (LIA), which was characterized by reduced solar activity. The historical data from Transylvania are compared with that from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This comparison for the period 1645–1715 shows good agreement but also reveals geographic characteristics of the region. For the first time, we present here a comparison between the four geographic areas in text and tabular form. Quotes from mostly German-language sources are reproduced in English translation. Furthermore, we examine for a longer period (1500–1950) the extent to which the climate of Transylvania might have been affected by long-term fluctuations in solar activity, as deduced from isotopic reconstructions from ice cores. This comparison suggests a certain solar influence but the agreement is not very pronounced. Future investigation in a pan-European context is needed to reach reliable statements. Some results are unexpected – like an unusually small number of severe winters during the last decades of the MM, where extreme cold was restricted to a few years, like the extreme winters 1699/1700 and 1708/1709.
Upper Level Cyclonic Vortices in the Vicinity of Northeast Brazil: Climatology and Analysis
 of the Isentropic Potential Vorticity

Upper level cyclonic vortices (ULCVs) are cold core systems that develop in the middle and upper troposphere and may cause changes in surface atmospheric conditions. There are ULCVs of tropical and subtropical/extratropical origin. The focus of the present study is the tropical ULCVs, which occur in the vicinity of the Northeast Brazil (NEB), and have little extensive literature. Therefore, the goals of this study are to identify the cases of ULCVs occurring near the NEB in the austral summer months between 2006 and 2019, to obtain a description of the average characteristics of these systems and an association of the location of the ULCVs with the precipitation anomalies in the NEB. In addition, the contribution of intrusion of isentropic potential vorticity (IPV) to the genesis of these systems is investigated. The ULCVs were identified through visual analysis of atmospheric circulation and zonal deviation of air temperature in 200 hPa obtained from the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The results indicate the occurrence of 175 cases in the study period, most frequently in the months of December (65 cases) and January (58 cases). ULCVs provide precipitation in the regions under their edges and dry conditions under their center. Consequently, when the center of these systems occurs on the NEB, they usually contribute to negative precipitation anomalies in the region. In the analysis of IPV associated with ULCVs, it is suggested that IPV can be a mechanism that contributes to the formation of ULCVs.
Comparative Leaf Anatomy of Grasses (Poaceae)
in Faisalabad Region of Pakistan

Grasses are of great importance for sustainable food production in different ecosystems. Leaf anatomical studies of grasses are the indicator for adaptation of grasses in different areas of the world. The present research study was conducted to evaluate the diversity of leaf anatomical adaptations in different grass species from Faisalabad region in Pakistan. Thicker epidermis in Paspaledium flavidium, Setaria pumila and Eleusine indica is the adaptation to survive under water stressed environments such as drought and salinity. Larger cortical cell area in Setaria verticillate, Digitaria sanguinalis and Eleusine indica is a sign of their wide distribution in a variety of environmental conditions. Eragrostis tenella and Desmostachya bipinnata with significantly larger vascular bundle is the better adaption to a variety of environments. Different species of grasses showed variable responses in their anatomical characters. These variations help to evaluate the adaptation of grasses in varying climatic conditions and their ability to tolerate abiotic stress (i.e., drought and salinity) which are common in this region in natural habitats of grasses.
Characterization of Electromagnetic Device by Means of Spice Models

— In this paper, the lumped parameter circuital approach devoted to the simulation of massive, conductive, and ferromagnetic cores including eddy currents and nonlinearity is presented. In the first part of the paper, the circuit analogies devoted to the simulation of magnetic structure coupled with external electrical and eventually mechanical equations are summarised. The two techniques are known in the literature as reluctance-resistance and permeancecapacitance analogies. In particular, it is put in evidence the exploitation of the gyrator component in the modelling of the coupling among magnetic and electrical quantities. The originality of this paper consists in demonstrating for the first time that the rotator-capacitor approach is very suitable for simulations in spice environment and the solution is validated on real applications. Following the circuital approach, the effect of the conductivity and nonlinear magnetic behaviour of the magnetic branches is formalized and introduced in the model. The simulation of the conductivity behaviour, which introduces in massive cores significant eddy current effects, is modelled according to the two possible analogies: the reluctance and the permeance-capacitor model. Under sinusoidal steady-state behaviour, energy aspects related to the two models are then presented and discussed. The nonlinearity is taken into account through the fixed-point technique which is suitable for a lumped circuit representation. The full circuital approach is then adopted for the simulation of the real electromechanical actuator under transient and sinusoidal steady-state behaviour conditions. The simulated result is then compared with numerical finite element and experimental result
Critical Success Factors in Accepting Technology in the Classroom

The adoption of technology may be a necessary condition, but it is not sufficient for the digital transformation, seen as the mobilizing challenge to do something new and different. Without a strategic vision, we take the risk of acquiring resources to do the same as before, essentially changing the format. This inability imprisons the school to inconsequential models, resources and strategies. Interdisciplinary, social and project-based learning that augmented and virtual reality, internet of things, robots, and artificial intelligence and digital assistants can bring to teaching, where are they? But also mobile, games, simulators and multimedia can influence the routine by inspiring collaborative creativity. On the other hand, the pandemic, in terms of the adoption of technology, constitutes a kind of insurrection against the fatalism that it is not possible to restart the system, that is, rethink the school. This study aims to investigate the degree of acceptance and use of technology by teachers in middle school and high school education and their approaches in the classroom. As a methodological support to this study, the model “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology” (UTAUT)) was used and a questionnaire applied to teachers at our school, ob-taining 90 responses. The investigation revealed that the performance expectancy and the ICT compatibility have a greater significant positive influence on the motivation and involvement of teachers. The study also clarifies that teachers intend to use ICT and that they see in them a different di-dactic tool that allows different approaches, thus increasing the quality of teaching and learning.
CEO Tenure and Recall Risk Management in the Consumer Products Industry

Firms dread product recalls. Consequently, firm leaders may take steps to avoid recalls when possible, or to avoid the blame for them when there is someone else to blame. We analyze how the appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO) for a firm in the consumer product industry influences the hazard of subsequent recalls initiated by that firm. Using 25 years of consumer product industry data, including 125 publicly traded firms that experienced 307 new CEOs and 584 voluntary recalls from 1992 to 2016, we find a unique recall pattern following new CEO appointments. The hazard of a recall is high immediately following a new CEO appointment, and then decreases significantly until the next CEO is appointed. We contend that the high hazard of a recall early in CEO tenure may be due to the attribution of blame to the prior CEO. We find evidence to support this contention by showing that the increase in recalls is even higher when the prior CEO was forced out. We also propose that the low hazard of a recall later in CEO tenure may be explained by recalls that can be more easily hidden, allowing them to go unannounced. We find evidence supporting this contention by showing that the decrease in recalls late in a CEO's tenure is stronger when recalls are more discretionary. We conclude with one firm governance recommendation and four regulatory policy recommendations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The Effect of Femoral Nerve Block Versus Adductor Canal Block on the Quality of early Recovery after Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty, a retrospective Study

Background Multimodal pain analgesia strategies are common in perioperative management of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), although the role of adductor canal blocks (ACB) versus femoral nerve block on early postoperative recovery for revision knee surgery is not investigated. Aim The purpose of this study is to independently evaluate the effect of ACB on short-term postoperative outcomes including (1) length of stay (LOS), (2) postoperative narcotic utilization, and (3) function with physical therapy in revision TKA. Methods We retrospectively identified a cohort study of consecutive 40 patients from January 2021 to July 2021 who had undergone unilateral revision TKA using a single-shot ACB (19 patients) vs femoral nerve block (21 patients) under spinal anesthesia ( hyperbaric 0.5% Marcaine 2.5 ml and 20 microgram fentanyl) in addition to a standardized multimodal pain analgesia protocol. These 2 groups were compared using independent sample t-tests with primary end points of interest being distance ambulated after surgery, and inpatient narcotic use. Results Quadriceps strength was better preserved in adductor group than in femoral group. Walking meters and going upstairs were better results in adductor group. IV morphine consumption within the first 48 hours period were less in adductor group comparing to femoral group. Conclusion Adductor nerve block showed better early recovery in revision TKA when comparing to femoral nerve block (FNB).
Potencial agronómico, productivo, nutricional y económico de cuatro genotipos de maíz forrajero en el valle de Chancay, Perú

El objetivo de la investigación fue comparar las características agronómicas, productivas, nutricionales y económicas de cuatro genotipos de maíz forrajero: INIA 617 Chuska, M28T Marginal 28 Tropical, Atlas 777 e INIA 619 Megahíbrido, en el valle de Chancay - Perú. Para ello, se estableció cuatro repeticiones por genotipo; cada repetición en un surco de 29 m de longitud, con distanciamientos 0.85 m. entre surco, 0.30 m. entre golpe de siembra y utilizando tres semillas/golpe en cada repetición. Las características agronómicas se evaluaron a los 93 días de siembra, mientras que el rendimiento productivo, nutricional y económico fueron estimados a los 110 días post siembra. Los genotipos INIA 617 y M28 alcanzaron la mayor altura de planta, mientras que el N° hojas/planta y N° mazorcas/planta fueron similares en todos los genotipos. El mayor rendimiento de forraje verde, proteína, grasa y ceniza del genotipo atlas 777 se reflejó en su tendencia de mejor potencial lechero y utilidad. No hubo diferencias significativas para el rendimiento de materia seca entre los cuatro genotipos. Entre los genotipos cosechados en estadio maduro, la tendencia de mayor contenido en CNF del INIA 617 se relaciona con la tendencia de mejor potencial lechero, mientras la tendencia de mayor contenido en fibra del M28T sugiere menor disponibilidad de nutrientes y se relaciona con el menor potencial lechero mostrado.
Adoption of Chatbots for Learning among University Students: Role of Perceived Convenience and Enhanced Performance

With the advent of internet and exponentially growing smartphone market, chatbots are becoming popular and are being widely used for interactions in varied fields. This study investigated the usage of chatbots for educational/learning purpose by university students. Wide research has been done exploring usage of chatbots in service industry; still there is vacuum regarding usage of chatbots in education for effective learning. Using path analysis, the study demonstrates validation of two newly added constructs as an extension in Technology Adoption Model and tries to understand the antecedents for intension to adopt chatbots. This study is of utmost importance to researchers, policy makers, system designers for e- learning platforms, teachers, and students in order to make learning effective.