Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eigenstrain Techniques for Modeling Adaptive Structures: II. Active Damping

This is the second paper, in a two-part series, that demonstrates the utility of Eshelby’s eigenstrain techniques for modeling adaptive structures. The first paper addressed adaptive stiffening (Alghamdi and Dasgupta, 2000). The objective of this second paper is to model adaptive damping. Distributions of small active piezoceramic devices embedded in the adaptive structure are treated as elastic heterogeneous inclusions. Sensors are treated as elastic heterogeneities subjected to external loads, whereas actuators are modeled as elastic heterogeneities subjected to both external loads and internal induced strains caused by the converse piezoelectric effect. The coupled electromechanical boundary value problem is solved using a generalized form of Hamilton’s principle where the energy functional is evaluated using the eigenstrain method. System dynamic equations are developed for active damping and a numerical solution to the variational problem is obtained by using the Raleigh-Ritz approach. Numerical results are verified experimentally using a cantilever beam with distributions of embedded piezoelectric (PZT-5H) mini-devices. A significant amount of damping is achieved for low volume fraction of devices and good agreement is obtained between numerical and experimental results. The eigenstrain technique is demonstrated to be a capable three-dimensional tool for modeling adaptive structures with embedded distributions of mini-devices.
Effects of gelam honey on oxidative stress in lung cancer cells

Gelam honey was reported to exhibit anti-oxidative, anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory properties against many types of cancer. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Gelam honey on the oxidative stress level of human lung cancer cells. IC50 of Gelam honey was identified by treating A549 cells with different doses of honey (50-200 mg/ml). The cells were divided into four groups and induced with stress using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accordingly: control, H2O2, Gelam honey, H2O2 + Gelam honey. After 24 hrs of treatment, oxidative stress markers such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl, were determined. Induction of oxidative stress significantly increased the levels of MDA (p<0.05) but had no effect on protein carbonyl levels. Treatment with Gelam honey was found to reduce MDA levels (p<0.05) in A549 cells exposed to H2O2 but had no effect on the level of protein carbonyl. Interestingly, Gelam honey treatment alone had no effects on the levels of MDA and protein carbonyl. In conclusion, Gelam honey reduces lipid peroxidation but not protein oxidation in human lung cancer cells subjected to oxidative stress.
Chemical Influences on Ice Crystal Growth from Vapor

We present an investigation of chemical influences on the growth of ice crystals from water vapor. In one set of experiments, we grew ice crystals in a vapor diffusion chamber, observing crystal morphologies at temperatures from 0 C to -25 C in different background gases and with a variety of gaseous chemical additives. In a second set of experiments, we measured ice crystal growth rates at -5 C and -15 C in a free- fall flow chamber, using normal laboratory air and ultra-clean nitrogen gas, both with and without chemical additives. Conclusions from these experiments include: 1) In nitrogen gas at a pressure of one atmosphere, no tested chemical additives at concentrations below 10 ppm produced any observable changes in ice crystal growth morphologies; 2) Growth in ultra-clean nitrogen gas was not significantly different from growth in ordinary laboratory air; 3) Chemical additives affected plate-like dendritic growth at -15 C more readily than growth at higher temperatures; 4) Chemical additives tended to promote the growth of columnar crystals over plate-like crystals; 5) Ice growth in air, nitrogen, helium, argon, hydrogen, and methane gases at a pressure of one atmosphere yielded essentially the same temperature-dependent crystal morphologies. (The figures in this paper have been reduced in size to facilitate rapid downloading. The paper is available with higher resolution figures at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/publist/kglpub.htm, or by contacting the authors.)
The status of threatened bird species in the Hunter Region

Many bird species listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (collectively referred to as “threatened”) under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) have been recorded within the Hunter Region. The majority are resident or regular migrants. Some species are vagrants, and some seabirds regularly present are not reliant on the Region for survival. The authors have reviewed the regional status of all species, with particular focus on the residents and regular visitors. The conservation status for each species is given, including where relevant the status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) review. Recent records for the Region are compared with previous periods, local threats are reviewed and the outlook for each species is discussed.
Geometry and vertical extent of the late Weichselian ice sheet in northwestern Oppland County, Norway

The position of the ice margin during the last deglaciation is well known in Scandinavia, in particular during the Younger Dryas (YD) chronozone from when large ice marginal deposits easily can be traced at or close to the Norwegian coast. However, inland of the YD marginal deposits, the vertical extent and geometry of the Scandinavian ice sheet is still debated. In this study we have used detailed Quaternary geological mapping to reconstruct the ice sheet surface and slope in core areas around the valleys of Gudbrandsdalen, Romsdalen, Eikesdalen/Litledalen and around lake Aursjoen. In these areas we typically find morphologically distinct lateral moraines at 1300–1500 m a.s. l. , which slope down towards the coast and seem to correlate with two known YD stages. By using slope and spatial pattern of the lateral moraines we infer a maximum elevation of the YD ice sheet in central areas around Dombas to be at around 2000 m a.s. l. , and mostly lower at 1800 m.a.sl. during significant portions of the YD chronozone. Most inland areas in Norway were thus ice covered during YD, except for high peaks in for example Dovre, Rondane and Jotunheimen, which acted as accumulation area nunataks. Our data also show that the first order ice divide during this stage was situated over Jotunheimen from where significant ice streams emanated and were flowing down into the major valleys and out towards the coast. We stress that this study is preliminary, lacking absolute dates of the lateral moraine zones, but the spatial pattern is very consistent and correlates well with known glacial stages. A dating campaign is underway to elucidate the precise timing of these glacial events, but the picture emerging from this work shows the importance of careful Quaternary geological mapping to understand past ice-sheet configurations.
Changes in the shape of cloud ice water content vertical structure due to aerosol variations

Changes in the shape of cloud ice water content (IWC) vertical structure due to variations in Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depths (AODs), Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) absorptive aerosol optical depths (AAODs), and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) CO (an absorptive aerosol proxy) at 215 hPa are calculated in the Tropics during 2007–2010 based upon an analysis of DARDAR IWC profiles for deep convective clouds. DARDAR profiles are a joint retrieval of CloudSat-CALIPSO data. Analysis is performed for 12 separate regions over land and ocean, and carried out applying MODIS AOD fields that attempt to correct for 3-D cloud adjacency effects. The 3-D cloud adjacency effects have a small impact upon our particular calculations of aerosol–cloud indirect effects. IWC profiles are averaged for three AOD bins individually for the 12 regions. The IWC average profiles are also normalized to unity at 5 km altitude in order to study changes in the shape of the average IWC profiles as AOD increases. Derivatives of the IWC average profiles, and derivatives of the IWC shape profiles, in percent change per 0.1 change in MODIS AOD units, are calculated separately for each region. Means of altitude-specific probability distribution functions, which include both ocean and land IWC shape regional derivatives, are modest, near 5 %, and positive to the 2σ level between 11 and 15 km altitude. Similar analyses are carried out for three AAOD and three CO bins. On average, the vertical profiles of the means of the derivatives based upon the profile shapes over land and ocean are smaller for the profiles binned according to AAOD and CO values, than for the MODIS AODs, which include both scattering and absorptive aerosol. This difference in character supports the assertion that absorptive aerosol can inhibit cloud development.
Relationship Between Soil Erodibility and Topsoil Aggregate Stability or Carbon Content in a Cultivated Mediterranean Highland ( Aveyron , France ) arthès ?

In the Rougiers de Camarès area (in the south of France), hillslopes are very susceptible to water erosion. This is the result of physical features (steep slopes, soft bedrocks, thin soils), climatic aggressiveness (frost, storms), as well as farming systems (intensive tillage, short crop cycles, land consolidation). The objective of this work was to study the relationships between soil erodibility, macroaggregate stability, and carbon content of surface samples (0-10 cm), in a Rougiers Entisol (Lithic Udorthent) under various management practices (flat or raised moldboard ploughing, superficial tillage, direct drilling, with inputs in the form of mineral fertilizers or sheep manure). The soil erodibility was assessed by field rainfall simulation (60 mm h-l) on manually retilled bare dry soil; water-stable macroaggregation (>0.2 mm) was assessed by wet-sieving, after immersion in water. Runoff,
The influences of absorptive capacity and social capital on knowledge transfer

This study investigated the current business practices in Japanese electrical and electronics manufacturing subsidiaries as well as the influences of both absorptive capacity and social capital on knowledge transfer within the firms’ intra-MNC network in the wake of full AFTA implementation in 2018. Results showed that employees are generally satisfied with the current practices in these subsidiaries with relation to the eight dimensions being studied; learning system, training, communication, reward, promotion, compensation, trust and centrality. This study also found that absorptive capacity has definite but small relationship with knowledge transfer, while social capital bears much more substantial relationship with the former.
Dual-band Circular Polarizer and Linear Polarization Transformer Based on Twisted Split-Ring Structure Asymmetric Chiral Metamaterial

In this paper, a bi-layer twisted split-ring structure asymmetric chiral metamaterial was proposed, which could achieve circularly polarized (giant circular dichroism efiect) wave with dual bands and linear polarization transformation (giant optical activity) with asymmetric transmission wave emissions simultaneously from linearly polarized incident wave at microwave frequencies. Experiment and simulation calculations are in good agreement, indicating that the dual-band circular polarizer features high conversion e-ciency around 5.32GHz and 6.6GHz in addition to large polarization extinction ratio of more than 16dB, while cross linear polarization transformation with asymmetric transmission is observed around 10.52GHz. The transformation behavior for both circular and linear polarizations could be further illustrated by simulated surface current and electric fleld distributions. The proposed asymmetric chiral metamaterial structure could be useful in designing novel EM or optical devices, as well as polarization control devices.
Mechanical properties of non-accreting neutron star crusts

The mechanical properties of a neutron star crust, such as breaking strain and shear modulus, have implications for the detection of gravitational waves from a neutron star as well as bursts from soft Gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs). These properties are calculated here for three different crustal compositions for a non-accreting neutron star that results from three different cooling histories, as well as for a pure iron crust. A simple shear is simulated using molecular dynamics to the crustal compositions by deforming the simulation box. The breaking strain and shear modulus are found to be similar in the four cases, with a breaking strain of ∼0.1 and a shear modulus of ∼10 30 dyne cm −2 at a density of ρ = 10 14 gc m −3 for simulations with an initially perfect body-centred cubic (BCC) lattice. With these crustal properties and the observed properties of PSR J2124−3358, the predicted strain amplitude of gravitational waves for a maximally deformed crust is found to be greater than the observational upper limits from LIGO. This suggests that the neutron star crust in this case may not be maximally deformed or it may not have a perfect BCC lattice structure. The implications of the calculated crustal properties of bursts from SGRs are also explored. The mechanical properties found for a perfect BCC lattice structure find that crustal events alone cannot be ruled out for triggering the energy in SGR bursts.
Identifying the Individual Differences Among Students During Learning and Teaching Process by Science Teachers

It is important for teachers to know variables such as physical characteristics, intelligence, perception, gender, ability, learning styles, which are individual differences of the learners. An effective and productive learning-teaching process can be planned by considering these individual differences of the students. Since the learners' own learning speeds and interests vary, these characteristics should be taken into consideration by the teacher. The aim of this research is to determine how science teachers are bringing out the individual differences of students during the learning-teaching process. Qualitative research method is used in this research and case is designed according to phenomenology. According to research findings, half of interviewed science teachers stated that individual differences are important for determining the learning styles of students. Again, half of the teachers emphasized that students identify their individual differences with the help of tests, homeworks and activities during the teaching and learning process. Teachers also stated that in order to design the learning-teaching process appropriate to the individual differences of the learners, the learners would make active participation in the lesson and the individual differences could be supported by increasing the experiment and school trips.
Psychosocial support for children in the Republic of South Sudan: an evaluation outcome

This paper describes an exploratory outcome evaluation of War Child Holland's psychosocial support intervention I DEAL, a life skills intervention aimed at improving the ability of children and young people affected by armed conflict in the Republic of South Sudan to ‘deal’ with their daily lives. The specific objectives were to assess whether I DEAL is consistent with local perceptions of wellbeing, and to explore the outcomes, as well as the factors that influence outcomes of this intervention. The research was conducted using mixed methods, with a focus on qualitative and participatory methods: group exercises, individual goal setting (N = 110) and interviews (N = 62). To triangulate findings from children, interviews were held with teachers (N = 7), facilitators (N = 5), and parents (N = 11). It was found that the content of the intervention was consistent with children's perceptions of wellbeing. Specific outcomes that were reported by children and confirmed by facilitators, teachers and parents included decreased fighting and improved relationships with peers and parents. Findings suggest that I DEAL positively affect children's social coping skills and has the potential to improve children's emotional coping skills and classroom performance.
Contingent Factors and Integrated Cost Control System: Effect on Non-Financial Performance

The functionality of the integrated system has been explained from various theoretical bases. This study evaluated the influence of contingent factors (cost control structure and lines of authority) on integrated cost control system’s (cost control-information technology control applications) effect on corporate non-financial performance. The study relied on data gathered from 156 target respondents (operational managers, selected from accounting unit and IT resource unit) in 141 listed firms that actively traded in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) market during and shortly after the global financial meltdown (2006-2010). Data were analysed using multiple and hierarchical regression. The result revealed that cost control structure and lines of authority as contingent factors had modest significant influence (∆ R 2 = 0.118)) on integrated cost control system on firm’s effect on non-financial performance. The implication of the result, is that, firms with undefined internal cost control structure and lines of authority might need to give a consideration to these organisational factors, as these reflected significantly on the integrated systems efficiency.
Effect of topography on glossiness and surface color for a 5052 aluminum alloy

This paper is investigated experimentally about the effect of topography to the glossiness and surface color in order to characterize a surface texture of aluminum alloy 5052. The surfaces of specimens are machined by using a vertical milling machine, a horizontal milling machine and a shaping machine. Four kinds of specimens are machined by each machine so that the arithmetical mean roughness value, Ra, is less than 1 μm at four cutting conditions. From the results of experiments, the glossiness values of the vertical milling surface and the horizontal milling surface were about the same value, meanwhile the glossiness value of the shaping surface was less than half the value of the others. The surface color of specimens was gray. Especially, The lightness value of surface color, L*, of the horizontal milling surface was the highest value. The surface color was whitish gray of all machined surface. Based on those experimental results, it was summarized that the surface texture of specimen machined various machine could be characterized by the glossiness and surface color. These results could be an effective indicator in choosing the most proper machining method to add value to surface texture.
Oocyte Quality and Subsequent In Vitro Maturation of Sheep Oocyte-Cumulus Complex from Ovary with Presence and Absence of Corpus Luteum

In vitro maturation is the crucial step for in vitro embryo production. It needs a large number of oocytes as source gamet cells recovered. The present study is aimed to assess the influence of corpus luteum on the average number oocytes harvested, COCs quality and subsequent maturation of immature oocytes recovered from sheep ovaries. Sheep ovaries were collected from local slaughterhouse and COCs were collected by using slicing method. Collected COCs were graded into three categories dependent upon cumulus cells surrounding them and the homogenous of cytoplasm. COCs were maturated in maturation media at 5% CO2 for 24 hours. Maturation of oocytes evaluated base on the expansion of cumulus cells and extrusion of the first polar body. There was significantly higher on average of COCs harvested from ovaries with corpus luteum compared without corpus luteum. The presence of Corpus luteum did not affect the COCs quality and ability to reach the maturation stage. However, there was a dramatic effect of cultured COCs quality on maturation rate both groups. Collectively, these results indicate that COCs quality is the main factor affecting the subsequent of oocytes matured in vitro. Keywords: Corpus luteum; cumulus oocyte complex; in vitro maturation; maturation rate; ovaries
Factors affecting natural regeneration of Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii in a subalpine silvicultural systems trial

An experiment was established in 1991-1992 in northern British Columbia to investigate factors influencing natural regeneration rates of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. ) in three stand structures created by harvesting. Harvest treatments were a 32-ha clearcut, 0.2-ha patch cuts, and single-tree selection. Cone crop periodicity was independent of harvesting system. Natural seedfall was higher in the selection treatment and small patch cut than the clearcut treatment every year. Five years after harvest, the selection and patch cut treatments had 7 times as many spruce germinants and 10 times as many subalpine fir germinants as the clearcut treatment. Seed availability appears to be the primary limiting factor for establishment of both subalpine fir and spruce in the clearcut treatment. For spruce establishment in the selection and small patch cut treatments, availability of both seed and mineral soil seedbeds were limiting factors, while for subalpine fir, germinant establishment appears primarily limited by availability of disturbed forest floor seedbeds. Foresters could increase opportunities for natural regeneration in these subalpine forests by ( i) modifying harvest patterns to enhance conifer seed distribution over harvested areas and (ii) applying seedbed preparation treatments prior to anticipated heavy seedfalls.
Does bank efficiency matter? Market value relevance of bank efficiency in Australia

The stochastic frontier analysis is employed to investigate efficiency of publicly listed Australian banks over the period 1985 to 2008. The results suggest that technical, cost and profit efficiency of Australian banks have improved over time. Large banks have attained a higher level of cost efficiency but a lower level of technical efficiency compared to small banks. No substantial difference between the two groups is found in terms of profit efficiency. A panel regression of bank stock return on bank efficiency suggests that an improvement in technical, cost or profit efficiency contributes to the market value of a bank. Thus, the shareholder wealth maximization goal is aligned with the goal of maximizing bank efficiency in the Australian context.
Effect of Credit Management on Firm Profitability: Evidence Savings and Credit Co-Operatives in Kenya

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of credit management (CM) on the firm’s profitability.The study used explanatory research design to establish causal effects of credit management on the firm profitability. The study targeted all the Sacco’s within Uasin Gishu County. The study employed structured questionnaires as the instruments for data collection. Data was analyzed and presented with the aid of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), which provided descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that credit debt collection, credit risk assessment, credit granting decision, credit debt collection and credit policy play an important role in improving firm profitability. Thus management needs to put in place sound credit management to prevent late payment by debtors hence an increase in profitability. It is also prudent for the management of SACCOs to ensure an efficient credit policy and also give assurance to the stakeholders on the SACCOs ability to meet its financial obligations as when due either in favorable or unfavorable economic conditions. The study affirmed a strong support for the argument that credit granting decision affects firm profitability at a high rate and thus management should be willing to implement it in order to increase financial viability. SACCOs should ensure that debts are paid in time so that they cannotface financial constraints due to bad debts.