Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrically tunable microwave devices using BST-LTCC thick films

The thesis describes electrically tunable microwave devices utilising low sintering temperature, screen printable Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) thick films. The work has been divided into two parts. In the first section, the fabrication and microwave characterisation of BST material based structures compatible with Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic technology (BST-LTCC) are presented. Three different fabrication techniques, namely: direct writing, screen printing and via filling techniques, were used for the realisation of the structures. A detailed description of these fabrication techniques is presented. The dielectric properties such as relative permittivity, static electric field dependent tunability and loss tangent of BST-LTCC structures at microwave frequencies were characterised using coplanar waveguide transmission line and capacitive element techniques. The measured dielectric properties of BST-LTCC structures realised with the different fabrication methods are presented, compared and discussed. The second section describes tunable microwave devices based on BST-LTCC structures. A frequency tunable folded slot antenna (FSA) with a screen printed, integrated BST varactor is presented. The resonant frequency of the FSA was tuned by 3.2% with the application of 200 V external bias voltage. The impact of the BST varactor on the total efficiency of the antenna was studied through comparison with a reference antenna not incorporating the BST varactor. A compact, frequency tunable ceramic planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) utilising an integrated BST varactor for mobile terminal application is presented. The antenna's resonant frequency was tuned by 3% with an application of 200 V bias voltage. Frequency tunable antennas with a completely integrated electrically tunable BST varactor with silver metallisation are introduced in this work for the first time. The integration techniques which are described in this thesis have not been previously reported in scientific literature. The last part of the thesis presents a microwave delay line phase shifter operating at 3 GHz based on BST-LTCC structures. The figure of merit (FOM) of the phase shifter was measured to be 14.6 °/dB at 3 GHz and and the device employs a novel structure for its realisation that enabled the required bias voltage to be decreased, while still maintaining compliance with standard screen printing technology. The performance of the phase shifter is compared and discussed with other phase shifters realised with the BST thick film process. The applications of BST-LTCC structures were demonstrated through frequency tuning of antennas, varactors, and phase shifters. The low sintering temperature BST paste not only enables the use of highly conductive silver metallisation, but also makes the devices more compact and monolithic.
A business analytics capability framework

Business analytics (BA) capabilities can potentially provide value and lead to better organisational performance. This paper develops a holistic, theoretically-grounded and practically relevant business analytics capability framework (BACF) that specifies, defines and ranks the capabilities that constitute an organisational BA initiative. The BACF was developed in two phases. First, an a priori conceptual framework was developed based on the Resource-Based View theory of the firm and a thematic content analysis of the BA literature. Second, the conceptual framework was further developed and refined using a three round Delphi study involving 16 BA experts. Changes from the Delphi study resulted in a refined and confirmed framework including detailed capability definitions, together with a ranking of the capabilities based on importance. The BACF will help academic researchers and industry practitioners to better understand the capabilities that constitute an organisational BA initiative and their relative importance. In future work, the capabilities in the BACF will be operationalised to measure their as-is status, thus enabling organisations to identify key areas of strength and weakness and prioritise future capability improvement efforts.
Assessing Influence of Ozone in Tomato Seed Dormancy Alleviation

The study was made on the role of ozone (O3) gas treatment on seeds of Lycopersicon esculentum cv. PKM1 (tomato) to release dormancy in advance. The experimental conditions followed a complete factorial design with 3 independent factors, i.e. A faster start of germination in T2 treatment (98% - 99%) was observed than in other treatments (T1, T3 and T4) compared to control seeds by measuring seedling growth rate on 5th day after treatment. Never the less a too long and high concentration of O3 treatment seemed to be penalizing on germination rate whereas low O3 concentration (T2) for a moderate time interval (20 min) seemed to be most beneficial. The treated seeds were stored, checked 1, 3, 6 months later and found that, the seeds have retained their accelerated germination efficiency. In particular 1T2 (1 month storage), 3T2 (3 month storage) had maximum germination rate among all the stored treated seeds, but 6T2 (6 month storage) didn’t show sustained germination acceleration efficiency. Therefore it was found that when time prolongs, O3 treatment loss its effect steadily and the germination efficiency of all the treatments are more or less same at six months after treatment. It is hypothesized that the application of O3 acts as an important phenomenon in accelerating seed germination by breaking the dormancy in advance which is associated with reduced level of ABA in O3 treated seeds.
Status of very high-gradient cavity tests

Accelerating gradients in excess of 100 MV/m are essential for future multi-TeV linear colliders in order to limit their overall length and cost. Experience has shown that to obtain such high gradients with normal-conducting (nc) structures requires operation at a relatively high frequency. A brief review of the very high gradient test work being carried out around the world will be presented with special emphasis being placed on the effect of frequency on the maximum achievable gradient. In the framework of the CLIC study at CERN, evidence has been found during high gradient tests at 30 GHz that part of the limitation on gradient is due to the choice of copper as the standard cavity fabrication material. To support this hypothesis, a breakdown mechanism leading to material destruction is presented together with a review of results and experience obtained with alternative materials. High-gradient test cavities are built covering a wide range of designs from single-cell standing-wave (SW) geometries to multi-cell travelling wave (TW) geometries. High-gradient tests are performed at different frequencies using, as a consequence, different types of power sources and different criteria for the conditioning procedure. These differences make it difficult to compare results, draw conclusions or even to extract scaling laws. It is therefore useful to adopt a phenomenological approach,
A study on the pattern of skin diseases among migrant labourers visiting a teaching hospital

Background: Skin diseases are quite common among migrant workers, yet little research has been done to determine their prevalence and risk factors. Poor living conditions, over-crowding, low standards of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation make them even more vulnerable. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and pattern of skin infections among migrant labourers and their relationship with selected socio-demographic factors.Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was carried out among 300 temporary migrants visiting dermatology OPD of A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences teaching hospital. The duration of study was two months. All patients were diagnosed clinically by qualified dermatologists and supported by relevant investigations.Results: Most of the migrants were males (62%) while remaining (38%) were females. Majority of the migrants (42.3%) belonged to 20-40 years age group. Infectious skin diseases were found among 64.3% of the study subjects while 34.7% of them had non-infectious skin diseases. The lesions were mainly over head and neck (23.3%) followed by abdomen (23%), upper limbs (21.3%) and lower limbs (21.3%). Conclusions: The study revealed a high prevalence of infectious skin diseases among the migrant workers.
On the Quantum Instability of Attractive Bose Systems

We explore the zero-temperature behavior of an assembly of bosons interacting through a zero-range, attractive potential. Because the two-body interaction admits a bound state, the many-body model is best described by a Hamiltonian that includes the coupling between atomic and molecular components. Due to the positive scattering length, the low-density collection is expected to remain stable against collapse despite the attraction between particles. Although a variational many-body analysis indicates a collapsing solution with only a molecular component to its condensate at low density, the expected atomic condensate solution can be obtained if the chemical potential is allowed to be complex valued. In addition to revealing two discrete eigenfrequencies associated with the molecular case, an expansion in small oscillations quantifies the imaginary part of the chemical potential as proportional to a coherent decay rate of the atomic condensate into a continuum of collective phonon excitations about the collapsing lower state.
Art and humanities in undergraduate student education.

This paper discusses the development and implementation of arts based activities into the clinical curricula of undergraduate students in far west New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It also highlights the mutual benefits of the value adding experience to both the arts community and the student body. The model of community engagement described in this paper can be used by others, whether in a rural/remote or urban setting to develop inclusive programs. The paper lists key steps to successful implementation of an arts based set of activities into clinical education.
The Impact of Negative Endorser Information and their Facial Appearance on Advertising Effectiveness for Profit and Not-for-Profit Organizations

ABSTRACT This study compared consumer reactions to positive and negative information about endorsers. We analysed the effects of positive versus negative publicity about a fictitious male or female endorser with either a cold or warm facial appearance in two conditions: an ad for a profit organization and an ad for a nonprofit organization. The results show that consumers’ attitude toward the ad and the brand/charity organization is negatively affected by negative information about the endorser. Moreover, the impact of negative information of the same endorser is significantly greater for ads of profit organizations than for ads of not-for-profit organizations, especially for endorsers with a warm facial appearance. These results suggest that the risk of negative endorser information is much higher for profit organizations than for not-for-profit organizations.
Professional Development of Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers for Collaboration with Parents

With initial education, practice and life long learning, educational staff develop knowledge, skills, abilities, as well as values and attitudes necessary for holistic approach to child development. Beliefs and attitudes can significantly determine how an individual will act. Therefore, in order to determine the differences in child-rearing beliefs and the image of the child between parents in teaching and non-teaching professions, a survey was conducted on a sample of 544 respondents with completed tertiary education. The sample consisted of 247 parents in teaching professions (kindergarden teachers, teachers, pedagogues) and 297 parents in non-teaching professions (economics, law, healthcare, engineering). The general hypothesis of this research was that there is no difference in child-rearing beliefs and the image of the child between parents in teaching and non- teaching profession. However, the results have revealed some differences. Kindergarden and elementary school teachers, more so then respondents of other professions, think that it is not necessary at all to use corporal punishment, but to be more actively involved instead and use induction in the upbringing of children. They also have a more contemporary view of the image of the child. Based on all obtained results, it is possible to conclude that educational staff should be more engaged in the development of parental competence.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF ORGANISATIONAL OUTCOMES.

The impact of sexual harassment on the performance of organisations may have taken its toll while remaining an open secret. Females have traditionally been on the receiving end of this harassment and the present study acknowledges this reality. To this end, this study explored the extent to which sexual harassment predicted organisational variables such as job satisfaction, turnover intentions and organisational commitment among a sample of female bank employees. Several theories indicate a link between sexual harassment and these organisational variables and they include attribution theory (Heider, 1958; Kelley, 1967; Weiner, 1985) as well as perspectives drawn from the sources of power (French & Raven, 1959). The study sample was composed of 103 women who responded to items in the following instruments: Sexual Harassment Scale (SHS), Intention to Turnover Scale (ITS) and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. It was discovered that most sexually harassed females were predominantly younger and of lower status in the organisation. Sexual harassment was also a strong predictor of turnover intentions among female employees. These findings were discussed in the light of prevailing studies and the appropriate theoretical backdrop.
Public knowledge, risk perception, attitudes and practices inrelation to the swine flu pandemic: A cross sectionalquestionnaire-based survey in Bahrain

Introduction/Objectives: On 10 August 2010 World Health Organization announced that H1N1 influenza virus had moved into the post-pandemic period and hence it is time for countries to evaluate their response to the pandemic. Many studies have been done about the public perception and behaviours toward H1N1 influenza in the western world; however none has been done so far in the Gulf countries. Therefore, this paper investigates the general public knowledge, risk perception, preventive behaviours and practices during the H1N1 pandemic in Kingdom of Bahrain, as a model for the Gulf countries. Methods: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional questionnaire based survey on 771 Bahraini individuals. Results: Despite that the public showed strong adherence to the personal protective hygiene measures, most of them underestimated the threat of H1N1 pandemic as evident in their knowledge of previous pandemics or in their susceptibility perception. Furthermore, misconceptions and wrong beliefs were common, which indicates a gap in the knowledge and practice of the public. For example, most of the public were against taking H1N1 Influenza vaccine and their negative intension was based on the alleged side effects of the vaccine. Conclusion: This study provides a baseline for an ongoing surveillance programme to help the local authorities in improving their pandemic preparatory plans, especially the governmental educational and media campaign.
On the Debt Capacity of Growth Options

If debt capacity is defined as the incremental debt optimally associated with an additional asset, then the debt capacity of growth options is negative. The underinvestment costs of debt increase and free cash flow benefits of debt fall with additional growth options. Thus, if firm value increases with additional growth options, then not only does leverage decline but the firm's optimal total debt level declines as well. This result implies a negative relation between book leverage and growth options and provides a new economic interpretation of book leverage regressions.
Digital Footprints: Opportunities and Challenges for Online Social Research

Online interaction is now a regular part of daily life for a demographically diverse population of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. These interactions generate fine-grained time-stamped records of human behavior and social interaction at the level of individual events, yet are global in scale, allowing researchers to address fundamental questions about social identity, status, conflict, cooperation, collective action, and diffusion, both by using observational data and by conducting in vivo field experiments. This unprecedented opportunity comes with a number of methodological challenges, including generalizing observations to the offline world, protecting individual privacy, and solving the logistical challenges posed by “big data” and web-based experiments. We review current advances in online social research and critically assess the theoretical and methodological opportunities and limitations. [J]ust as the invention of the telescope revolutionized the study of the heavens, so too by renderin.
Investigating Discrepancies in Program Quality Related to Youth Volleyball Athletes ’ Needs 1 Support 2 3 4

15 Program quality has been outlined as an important predictor of positive outcomes in youth 16 development programs; however, little evidence exists to support this, particularly within sport. 17 Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between researcherand 18 coach-assessed program quality scores as they relate to youth volleyball athletes’ basic needs 19 support. Design: Observational data and self-report data were gathered from coaches and youth. 20 Researchers completed 84 observations using a measure of program quality across 14 teams. 21 Coaches completed the same measure at the end of the season and 138 athletes (Mage = 14.50) from 22 the 14 teams completed a self-report questionnaire pertaining to needs support. Data were analyzed 23 using polynomial regressions with response surface methodology. Results: Athletes’ needs support 24 was significantly (p < .001) associated with all domains of researcherand coach-assessed program 25 quality (i.e., safe environment, supportive environment, interaction, engagement), and between 20 26 and 35% of the variance in athletes’ needs support was explained by these variables. The degree of 27 discrepancy between researcherand coach-assessed program quality increased when progressing 28 through three domains of program quality (safe environment, supportive environment, engagement). 29 Response surface methods indicated that as the degree of agreement increased between researchers’ 30 and coaches’ ratings of the safety of the environment, supportiveness of the environment, and 31 opportunities for engagement, so did athletes’ basic needs support scores in a linear fashion. 32 Conclusions: Practical implications surrounding coach education and the importance of knowledge 33 translation between academics and practitioners are noted, and future research directions are 34 discussed. 35
Organic Nitrogen Mineralization Rate in Sewage Sludge‐Amended Mine Soil

Abstract This study was carried out on lignite mine tailings at Meirama (north‐western Spain). A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of amending lignite mine spoil with municipal sewage sludge at rates of 5, 25, and 50 Mg ha−1 triplicate samples of soil, and each treatment was incubated from 0 to 90 days at constant moisture and temperature (85% air relative humidity and 25°C). Each sewage sludge dose was packed into PVC columns and inserted vertically into the recipient containing the upper layer of mine soil. A set of the incubated columns was removed at 15, 45, and 90 days, and the soil underlying each column was sampled for analysis. Nitrogen (N) mineralization rate and the evolution of soil pH, C/N ratio, organic matter, total N, organic‐N, NO3 −‐N, and NH4 +‐N content were measured. Sewage sludge application produced an immediate increase of the inorganic N at all dosage levels, mainly in the ammonium form. The nitrogen mineralization in the amended soils was higher than in the control soil, mainly in the case of those treated with 25 Mg ha−1. The net mineralized organic N was always positive, except at the end of the period of incubation in the 5 Mg ha−1sewage sludge treated soil. The nitrogen mineralization rate, calculated as a decrease in the organic nitrogen content, overestimates the amount of inorganic nitrogen that is available. The measurement of the cumulative amount of NH4 +‐N and NO3 −‐N provided a much lower estimation of N mineralization under incubation conditions.
Effects of calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide on the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of soybean straw

A study was conducted to investigate changes in chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of calcium oxide (CaO) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2 ) treated soybean straw (SBS). CaO and Ca(OH) 2 were applied to 500 g dry matter (DM) of chopped SBS at rates of 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 g kg-1 DM with water (500 g kg -1 DM) and sealed for 30 days. In vitro digestibilities were determined after incubating samples in buffered rumen fluid for 48 h using
Physicians’ Instructions to Patients Regarding Medications in a Saudi University Hospital

Objectives: To estimate the proportion of patients who received instructions regarding their medications’ functions, methods of administration, dosages, adverse effects, drug-drug interactions, as well as to identify the sources of knowledge concerning medications’ instructions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) in the out-patient pharmacy in 2013. The data collection method includes personal interview with patients who are randomly selected from adults above 18 years of age. The interview was conducted among patients and any person who attends the consultation. Results: The sample was 274 patients. Patients who received instructions for drugs’ functions 208 (75.9%), method of administration 229 (83.6%), doses of drugs 220 (80.3%), drugs’ adverse effects 47 (17.1%), and drug-drug interactions 41 (15%). Sources of medications’ instructions were physicians (73.6%), pharmacists (42.3%), patient information leaflets (PILs) (40.5%) and family or friends (12.8%). Conclusion: The provided instructions about prescribed medications to patients in KKUH were incomplete that may lead to therapeutic failure.
A proof of the Landau-Ginzburg/Calabi-Yau correspondence via the crepant transformation conjecture

We establish a new relationship (the MLK correspondence) between twisted FJRW theory and local Gromov-Witten theory in all genera. As a consequence, we show that the Landau-Ginzburg/Calabi-Yau correspondence is implied by the crepant transformation conjecture for Fermat type in genus zero. We use this to then prove the Landau-Ginzburg/Calabi-Yau correspondence for Fermat type, generalizing the results of A. Chiodo and Y. Ruan.