Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of modulation techniques for two-level voltage source inverters

A detailed comparative study of modulation techniques for single and three phase dc-ac inverters is presented. Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation, Triplen Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation, Space Vector Modulation, Selective Harmonic Elimination and Wavelet Modulation are assessed and compared in terms of maximum fundamental output, harmonic performance, switching losses and operational mode. The presented modulation techniques are applied to single and three phase voltage source inverters and are simulated using SIMULINK. The simulation results clarify the inverter performance achieved using the different modulations techniques.
Black carbon concentrations and mixing state in the Finnish Arctic

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosol composition was measured using a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) in the Finnish Arctic during winter 2011–2012. The Sammaltunturi measurement site at the Pallas GAW (Global Atmosphere Watch) station receives air masses from different source regions including the Arctic Ocean and continental Europe. The SP2 provides detailed information about mass distributions and mixing state of refractory black carbon (rBC). The measurements showed widely varying rBC mass concentrations (0–120 ng m−3), which were related to varying contributions of different source regions and aerosol removal processes. The rBC mass was log-normally distributed showing a relatively constant rBC core mass mean diameter with an average of 194 nm (75–655 nm sizing range). On average, the number fraction of particles containing rBC was 0.24 (integrated over 350–450 nm particle diameter range) and the average particle diameter to rBC core volume equivalent diameter ratio was 2.0 (averaged over particles with 150–200 nm rBC core volume equivalent diameters). These average numbers mean that the observed rBC core mass mean diameter is similar to those of aged particles, but the observed particles seem to have unusually high particle to rBC core diameter ratios. Comparison of the measured rBC mass concentration with that of the optically detected equivalent black carbon (eBC) using an Aethalometer and a MAAP showed that eBC was larger by a factor of five. The difference could not be fully explained without assuming that only a part of the optically detected light absorbing material is refractory and absorbs light at the wavelength used by the SP2. Finally, climate implications of five different black carbon mixing state representations were compared using the Mie approximation and simple direct radiative forcing efficiency calculations. These calculations showed that the observed mixing state means significantly lower warming effect or even a net cooling effect when compared with that of a homogenous aerosol containing the same amounts of black carbon and non-absorbing material.
Giant ionospheric disturbances observed with the SuperDARN Hokkaido HF radar and GPS network after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

Giant ionospheric disturbances induced by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake (Mw 9.0) on 11 March 2011 are studied by using data from the SuperDARN Hokkaido HF radar and GPS receiver network (GEONET) in Japan. The HF radar observations revealed strong disturbances to the north of Hokkaido that propagated northward at velocities of 6.7–1.8 km/s triggered by northward-propagating seismic surface waves. An induction magnetometer in Hokkaido recorded part of the seismic wave propagation from the epicenter. After the passage of the 6.7–1.8 km/s waves the radar observed northward-propagating disturbances (343–136 m/s) due to atmospheric gravity waves (AGW) perhaps excited near the epicenter. Interestingly, the radar first detected peculiar disturbances with periods of about 2–4 min caused by the acoustic resonance. GEONET, which covers the area on the south of the radar field of view, provided total electron content (TEC) data. Comparisons between radar and TEC observations indicate the following: (1) 6.7–1.8 km/s waves observed with the radar do not always have counterparts in TEC. (2) Acoustic waves of 1.3–0.7 km/s identified in TEC are not observed with the radar. (3) Disturbances caused by both AGW and acoustic resonance are simultaneously discernible in both TEC and radar data.
An Experimental Test of a Search Model under Knightian Uncertainty

This paper's objective is to design a laboratory experiment to explore the effect of Knightian uncertainty on a subject's search behavior in a finite sequential search model. Our finding is that the average search duration is shorter when there is Knightian uncertainty in the sense that the true point distribution is unknown to subjects, compared to when the point distribution is known. We also find direct evidence that subjects reduce their own reservation point when there is ambiguity about the point distribution. These results support the implication of Nishimura and Ozaki (2004). Moreover, ambiguity notably affects the search behavior of risk averse subjects, but not of either risk neutral or risk prone subjects.
The effectiveness of different visual skills training programmes on elite cricket players

The effectiveness of visual training interventions for athletes has been questioned over the last few years. Few studies have shown the potential for generic visual skills to improve visual performance in sport while most interventions seem to be unsuccessful. There is a paucity of studies involving elite performers exposed to visual training programmes, which are becoming popular in the sporting domain. This study aimed to investigate the effect of visual training on visual and cricket skills compared to a control intervention. Twenty-four male county cricket players were pre- and post-tested on 14 visual and 7 cricket tasks. Participants were randomly divided into four groups and underwent a six-week visual training programme consisting of either practical drills (P), online training (O), Nintendo Wii games (W), or a control intervention (C). Analysis showed all experimental groups significantly improved from pre- to post-test, whereas the C group showed no significant improvement. The three vision training methods implemented were able to improve visual and cricket skills more than being exposed only to a control intervention. This supports suggestions that visual skills can improve through training. The improvement in cricket skills observed in this study suggest that improvements in visual skills might influence AƒÂ¢A‚Â€A‚Â˜on-fieldAƒÂ¢A‚Â€A‚Â™ improvements in performance.
Comparison of similarity coefficients based on RAPD markers in the common bean

The alterations caused by eight different similarity coefficients were evaluated in the clustering and ordination of 27 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars analyzed by RAPD markers. The Anderberg, simple matching, Rogers and Tanimoto, Russel and Rao, Ochiai, Jaccard, Sorensen-Dice, and Ochiai II's coefficients were tested. Comparisons among the coefficients were made through correlation analysis of genetic distances obtained by the complement of these coefficients, dendrogram evaluation (visual inspection and consensus fork index - CIC), projection efficiency in a two-dimensional space, and groups formed by Tocher's optimization procedure. The employment of different similarity coefficients caused few alterations in cultivar classification, since correlations among genetic distances were larger than 0.86. Nevertheless, the different similarity coefficients altered the projection efficiency in a two-dimensional space and formed different numbers of groups by Tocher's optimization procedure. Among these coefficients, Russel and Rao's was the most discordant and the Sorensen-Dice was considered the most adequate due to a higher projection efficiency in a two-dimensional space. Even though few structural changes were suggested in the most different groups, these coefficients altered some relationships between cultivars with high genetic similarity.
Grazing management influences the dynamics of populations of Stylosanthes hippocampoides ( Oxley fine stem stylo )

This paper describes a study to identify those factors which control the persistence of the subtropical legume Stylosanthes hippocampoides, formerly S. guianensis cv. Oxley (fine stem stylo). The dynamics of S. hippocampoides populations was recorded in permanent quadrats at 2 stocking rates in a grazing study conducted between 1987 and 1992 in south-eastern Queensland. Density of mature plants fluctuated between 10 and 60 plants/m2 during the 5 years with the major contributing factors being variations in seedling recruitment and survival, which, in turn, reflected the size of the soil seed bank and seasonal rainfall. Plant density was consistently higher at the lower stocking rate of 1 beast/ 1.5 ha compared with 1 beast/1 ha; however, the effect of stocking rate was minor compared with fluctuation due to seasonal variation in rainfall. The maximum life span of the original plants exceeded 5 years, while the survival of seedling cohorts was strongly impacted by seasonal rainfall. Total exclosure from grazing during summer increased the size of the soil seed bank although a precise time period during summer was not identified, while grazing at the lower stocking pressure produced the same outcome. It was concluded that the large seasonal variation that occurs in S. hippocampoides density is driven by large seasonal variation in seedling recruitment, which, in turn, is influenced by the size of the soil seed bank. Introduction Stylosanthes hippocampoides, formerly S. guianensis cv. Oxley (fine stem stylo), is a short-day flowering, subtropical legume, which is well adapted to less fertile, well drained sandy soils of the subcoastal areas of south-eastern Queensland, especially in the Burnett district (Stonard and Bisset 1970; Bowen 1980; Cameron 1987). Oversowing S. hippocampoides into native pastures has resulted in substantially greater cattle liveweight gains than from native pasture (Bowen and Rickert 1979; Rickert et al. 1981; Jones and Mannetje 1997). Large variation in the contribution of S. hippocampoides to pasture composition is a feature of these oversown pastures despite the improvement in animal liveweight gain (Stonard and Bisset 1970; Bowen and Rickert 1979). Little is known of the dynamics of populations of this species and Rickert and Prinsen (1981) concluded that studies of individual plant longevity and of soil seed reserves needed to be undertaken to identify those factors which control the persistence of S. hippocampoides. This paper reports a study undertaken to examine the dynamics of S. hippocampoides by monitoring seedling recruitment and plant survival in relation to the soil seed bank at 2 stocking rates between 1987 and 1992.
Production of dihydroabikoviromycin by Streptomyces anulatus: production parameters and chemical characterization of genotoxicity

The Streptomyces strain Streptomyces anulatus JH801 showed submerged sporulation and production of a genotoxic activity. The genotoxin production of this strain was found to be correlated to morphology and is likely to be related to sporulation. The influence of the medium on genotoxin production was investigated. Genotoxin production and sporulation were not inhibited by glucose, but were negatively affected by low ammonia concentrations. No correlation was found between genotoxin production and other morphological parameters such as total hyphal length and total average tip number. Bioassay‐directed fractionation of the chloroform extract of S. anulatus JH801 resulted in the isolation of dihydroabikoviromycin. This compound shows selective activity towards DNA repair‐deficient Escherichia coli. The isolation and structure of this genotoxin are reported.
Exports, Imports, and Economic Growth in South Asia: Evidence Using a Multivariate Time-series Framework

This paper examines the export-led growth hypothesis for the five largest economies of the South Asian region using a multivariate time-series framework. The South Asian countries present an interesting case study in view of their increasing outward orientation and adoption of export promotion policies as part of their growth strategies. A key feature of the study is the explicit incorporation of imports in the analysis to make allowance for their role in the export-economic growth relationship. While controlling for imports, the results indicate bi-directional causality between exports and output growth in Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka in the short-run. The study finds long-run equilibrium relationships among exports, imports, and output for Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, for India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, no evidence of a long-run relationship among the relevant variables is found. These results are in contrast to some earlier work that found the export-led growth hypothesis to be a long-run phenomenon for all countries in the region
Effect of food binders on the textual and sensory characteristics of ice cream

Ice cream was produced using local food binders namely: Afzelia africana, Deuterium microcapum and Taro tuber to find a suitable replacer for carboxylmethyl-celleuose (CMC). Results showed that, though viscosity, efflux time and foam stability increased with increase in A. africana, D. microcapum and T. tuber local food binder concentrations, they were significantly (p 0.7% concentration was found to be the best local food binder to replace CMC in ice cream.
Health Promotion Behaviors of Turkish Women

Background: Exploration of health promotion practices of women will help community nurses when educating and counseling these individuals about health-promoting activities. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe health-promoting life-style behaviors of 210 Turkish women and to compare them with those reported from other published studies that used Health-Promoting Life-style Profile. Methods: Sample of this descriptive study included 210 women aged 15-65 years. Data were collected using a questionnaire about sociodemographic features developed by the investigators and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile. T test and Anova test were used for group comparisons. Results: The women included in this study got the highest scores of interpersonal support and self-actualization. However, their total Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile and other subscale scores were generally the same as those reported from other studies and they had the lowest scores of exercise. Education made a statistically significant contribution to exercise, health responsibility and stress management scores (p<0.01). Women with broken marriages need more interpersonal support (p<0.05). Low family income has a negative effect on health behaviors of women (p<0.01). Conclusion: In view of the results, we can suggest that community nurses should be aware of culture, beliefs, and values of the community for which they provide care and make effort to promote health behaviors of women. Culture, Women, Health promotion, Public health nursing, Women’s health.
Evolution of asymmetry in sexual isolation: a criticism of a test case

Arnold and co-workers (1996) developed a quantitative model of mating preference, the triple Gaussian model, which predicts a quadratic relationship between asymmetry in sexual isolation and evolutionary (behavioural) divergence. They used a salamander mating data set to contrast this and alternative models (Kaneshiro and mating propensity models) to explain the causes of asymmetry in sexual isolation. However, they estimated asymmetry in sexual isolation and behavioural divergence from the same mating pairs, whereas they should have used genetic divergence to estimate independently the evolutionary divergence (genetic divergence between the same salamander species was available; Tilley et al., 1990). I show here that their measure of behavioural divergence is actually an estimate of sexual isolation, and that the quadratic relationship predicted by their model is also expected whenever asymmetry is unrelated to sexual isolation. It can be concluded that the triple Gaussian model cannot presently be distinguished from alternative models.
The Sharpe Ratio

Over 25 years ago, in Sharpe [1966], I introduced a measure for the performance of mutual funds and proposed the term reward-to-variability ratio to describe it (the measure is also described in Sharpe [1975] ). While the measure has gained considerable popularity, the name has not. Other authors have termed the original version the Sharpe Index (Radcliff [1990, p. 286] and Haugen [1993, p. 315]), the Sharpe Measure (Bodie, Kane and Marcus [1993, p. 804], Elton and Gruber [1991, p. 652], and Reilly [1989, p.803]), or the Sharpe Ratio (Morningstar [1993, p. 24]). Generalized versions have also appeared under various names (see. for example, BARRA [1992, p. 21] and Capaul, Rowley and Sharpe [1993, p. 33]).
Informed and Uninformed Opinions on New Measures to Address Climate Change

Climate engineering (CE) and carbon capture and storage sub-seabed (CCS-S) are currently controversially debated options to address climate change. Our paper provides empirical evidence on the public perception of two different CE measures, namely, stratospheric sulphate injection (SSI) and afforestation, as well as CCS-S. Using data from a novel large-scale survey, we analyse the determinants of acceptance of these measures in Germany. We also provide experimental evidence on how additional information on these measures changes the respondents' acceptance. We show that the acceptance differs strongly between the three measures. Afforestation is strongly favoured over CCS-S and SSI. This ranking holds independent of the amount of information provided. For all three measures, we find that, on average, additional information decreases acceptance. However, the sign and the strength of the information effect strongly depend on personal characteristics, such as gender and risk attitude.
New Insights into the Diagnosis and Management of Pregnancy-Related Diabetes Insipidus

Diabetes insipidus in pregnancy (diabetes insipidus gravidarum, gestational diabetes insipidus or pregnancy-related diabetes insipidus) is considered to be a rare disease complicating up to 1 in 25000-30000 pregnancies; however, emerging evidence suggests that often the disease is under-diagnosed (Aleksandrov et al., 2010). As stated by the Italian E. Momigliano, in 1929, in his first monograph on 31 cases of pregnancy-related diabetes insipidus (Momigliano, 1929), the disease may occur in an apparently healthy woman, during any stage of pregnancy, usually in the latter half, or may aggravate during pregnancy when previously diagnosed. As a paradox, the disorder may disappear days to weeks after delivery, or may alleviate, or remain unaltered (Bleakley, 1938). Moreover, aggravated recurrence of the disorder in successive pregnancies is recognized (Blotner & Kunkel, 1942). Interest towards pregnancy-related diabetes insipidus revived about 20-30 years ago, once it became apparent that this clinical condition is closely associated with liver disease, HELLP syndrome and the wide spectrum of preeclampsia, all with potentially serious consequences on the maternal course of gestation and fetal health and development. The aim of the present book chapter is to review the body water homeostasis during pregnancy as well as to insist on clinical conditions associated with the occurrence of diabetes insipidus in pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Not only true gestational diabetes insipidus will be addressed but, notably, maternal hypothalamic-pituitary diseases associated with diabetes insipidus presenting high incidence during pregnancy and the postpartum period will be detailed. It is the author’s hope that at the end of the chapter, the reader will find answers to hot questions on the intimate mechanisms facilitating gestational diabetes insipidus, the need to screen or not for alterations in water metabolism in pregnant women at risk, the challenges in differential diagnosis of arginin-vasopressin (AVP) disturbances in a pregnant women and the associated clinical conditions including preeclampsia, acute fatty liver and HELLP (Hemolysis-Elevated Liver enzymes-Low Platelets) syndrome. In addition, etiological considerations on AVP deficiency or defective hormone action in the fetus and neonate will be made.
Investigating Strategic Renewal of Five Large Dutch Financial Services Firms

How do large well-established firms renew themselves in an increasing turbulent environment? Is there a generic pattern of change or is each change journey rather idiosyncratic? We posed five questions about the nature of renewal patterns. First, how do firms combine external versus internal initiatives in a trajectory of strategic renewal? Second, how does the balance of competence building and competence leveraging evolve in a trajectory of strategic renewal? Third, what are the sequences of action in a strategic renewal process? Fourth, do firms differ regarding speed of their renewal processes? Finally, do different strategic renewal trajectories give rise to different of similar outcomes? Using a simple framework and new metrics we described and analyzed the strategic renewal journeys of the five largest financial service firms in the Netherlands during the period 1990-1997. We found equifinality in viable trajectories of strategic renewal. In four out of five firms, they result in similar outcomes due to mimetic behaviour. Nonetheless, one firm showed deviant strategic behaviour.
Effects of economic growth in the behavior of sticky costs of companies belonging to BRICS countries

Costs tend to increase more when activities are still in the ascendant. The behavior of costs to business needs to be controlled and managed, so there is the maintenance of competitiveness organizational capacity, whether in times of economic crisis or during boom times. Despite that, few studies are dedicated to evaluate the effects of economic growth on the behavior of costs. This study investigates the effects of economic growth in the behavior of sticky costs of companies belonging to the BRICS countries, noting periods of prosperity and recession. The research population comprises companies listed on the stock exchange of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. The survey sample comprised 66 companies in Brazil, 19 in Russia, 150 in China and 25 in South Africa, totaling 260 companies. The study period was from 2004 to 2013, in which criteria have been established to delineate the effects of economic growth in the behavior of the costs of companies in periods of economic growth and recession. The results indicate that the costs have asymmetric behaviors in certain accounts and also vary in relation to different economic environments related companies located in the BRICS countries. This evidence support the conclusion that the asymmetric costs behavior occurs differently between BRICS, indicating that the costs of asymmetry level can vary systematically between the cost accounts, business, different industries and countries. It was noted that in economic prosperity period the cost increase is less than in a decrease in response to changes in demand in the same proportion. In the period of economic recession the decrease of costs is less than its increase.