Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Impact of Electrode Microstructure on Redox Flow Battery Performance Using a Multiphysics Pore Network Model

The redox flow battery is a promising energy storage technology for managing the inherent uncertainty of renewable energy sources. At present, however, they are too expensive and thus economically unattractive. Optimizing flow batteries is thus an active area of research, with the aim of reducing cost by maximizing performance. This work addresses microstructural electrode optimizations by providing a modeling framework based on pore-networks to study the multiphysics involved in a flow battery, with a specific focus on pore-scale structure and its impact on transport processes. The proposed pore network approach was extremely cheap in computation cost (compared to direct numerical simulation) and therefore was used for parametric sweeps to search for optimum electrode structures in a reasonable time. It was found that that increasing porosity generally helps performance by increasing the permeability and flow rate at a given pressure drop, despite reducing reactive surface area per unit volume. As a more nuanced structural study, it was found that aligning fibers in the direction of flow helps performance by increasing permeability but showed diminishing returns beyond slight alignment. The proposed model was demonstrated in the context of a hydrogen bromine flow battery but could be applied to any system of interest. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0721910jes]
The Role of Extranets in Delivering Customer Service

Within supply chain management customer service has long been recognized as a key driver of positive evaluation and future demand. However, metrics continue to emphasize operational flows, largely paying lip service to service outcomes. Emergent models of inter-organizational collaboration demand a relationship-based approach, of which service is a key component. Extranet technology emerges as eminently suited to the task, with recent literature suggesting that companies employing extranets offer a better level of customer service than those who do not. The current empirical study of I.T. distributors in Greece confirms service as a differentiator - perceived levels of service are higher where extranets are exploited. Overall, findings suggest that information about operational flows is valued highly, whether or not extranets are employed in its provision. The cost of establishing and maintaining extranets emerges as a barrier to participation. It appears, therefore, that within this particular context, though service is recognized as an essential component of supply chain management, operational metrics remain paramount to distribution partners.
An International Analysis of the Quality of Open Government Data Portals

National governments are increasingly aware of the importance of carrying out Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives for the provision of public sector information and for use and reuse without restriction or charge by society. Therefore, the aim of this article is to examine and compare the quality of the OGD portals created by national governments, in terms of three analytical aspects: function, semantics, and content, and to identify the impact of diverse factors on the quality of these portals. The results obtained show there is considerable heterogeneity among OGD portals, reflecting the lack of harmonization and the need for quality standards. In this regard, the quality of the OGD portals examined is only at an intermediate level and is affected by the level of Internet penetration and the economic capacity of each country.
Statistical construction learning: Does a Zipfian problem space ensure robust language learning?

One of the key mysteries of language development is that each of us as learners has had di¤erent language experiences and yet somehow we have converged on broadly the same language system. From diverse, noisy samples, we end up with similar competence. How so? Some views hold that there are constraints in the learner’s estimation of how language works, as expectations of linguistic universals pre-programmed in some innate language acquisition device. Others hold that the constraints are in the dynamics of language itself – that language form, language meaning, and language usage come together to promote robust induction by means of statistical learning over limited samples. The research described here explores this question with regard English verbs, their grammatical form, semantics, and patterns of usage. As a child, you engaged your parents and friends talking about things of shared interest using words and phrases that came to mind, and all the while you learned language. We were privy to none of this. Yet somehow we have converged upon a similar-enough ‘English’ to be able to communicate here. Our experience allows us similar interpretations of novel utterances like ‘‘the ball mandoolz across the ground’’ or ‘‘the teacher spugged the boy the book. ’’ You know that mandool is a verb of motion and have some idea of how mandooling works – its action semantics. You know that spugging involves some sort of transfer, that the teacher is the donor, the boy the recipient, and that the book is the transferred object. How is this possible, given that you have never heard these verbs before? Each word of the construction contributes individual meaning, and the verb meanings in these Verb-Argument Constructions (VACs) is usually at the core. But the larger configuration of words has come to carry meaning as a whole too. The VAC as a category has inherited its schematic meaning from all of the examples you have heard. Mandool inherits its interpretation from the echoes of the verbs that occupy this VAC – words like come, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Flipped Instruction Methods and Digital Technologies in the Language Learning Classroom

The flipped classroom methodology is one of the latest innovations in the field of education, challenging traditional notions of the classroom experience. Applying this methodology to language learning has the potential to further engage students and drive their understanding of key concepts. Flipped Instruction Methods and Digital Technologies in the Language Learning Classroom explores the latest educational technologies and web-based learning solutions for effective language learning curricula. Featuring emergent research on critical topics and innovations in the field of education, this publication is an essential resource for educators, administrators, instructional designers, pre-service teachers, and researchers in the field of education.
Supporting the Join Operation in a NoSQL System - Mastering the internals of Cassandra

The join operation is one of the most valuable operations found in traditional database management systems. With this operation, it is possible to join data from multiple tables. Today, most NoSQL systems do not support the join operation. One of the reasons for why these systems do not support this operation is that it is too time-consuming when the data is replicated across multiple nodes. However, it is possible to accomplish the same result with two other options, denormalizing of the data or joining at the application level. Denormalizing will result in more redundant data and both options will involve the user more in the execution of join. Support for the join operation in the query language of a NoSQL system may ease the change of database system for some users that only wants to use a NoSQL system where data can be joined. This thesis presents an implementation of the equijoin in Cassandra since the two other options shown above are already covered by others. Cassandra is a NoSQL system classified as an extensible record store that is quite similar to the relational model used by, for example, MySQL. This implementation shows how the parsing, preparation and execution of the query are performed. Enabling support for queries that can be written in Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is done in the parsing step. A way of finding the join order that allows only one read of the table from memory or disk is also implemented. This join order is also slightly optimized where selections in a where clause are executed early on in the execution step. During execution, the nested loop join is used to accomplish the process of joining tables. The implementation of join in Cassandra shows a significant worse execution time than MySQL. One of the problems with Cassandra is the underlying architecture that is not designed for the purpose of joining data from multiple tables. However, this thesis shows that it is possible to support the join operation in Cassandra, but it still need some further work to execute within a reasonable time.
Use of tablets in primary and secondary school - a case study

Norwegian schools are increasingly implementing tablets in school and there seems to be a need for more research within this area to examine how this implementation affects pupils’ learning processes. This article focuses on the use of tablets in pupils’ learning and the extent to which pupils become more involved in the planning, implementation and assessment of their learning. We used a qualitative research approach and case study to investigate six classes at three different schools: four classes in one primary school and one class each in two secondary schools. Our sample included 134 pupils and 14 teachers. Fieldwork involving observations, interviews and surveys (quasi statistics) was carried out to examine the research questions. The case study shows that tablets play a certain role in pupils’ learning processes, especially in the achievement of learning goals and access to the Internet. However, there is a clear diversity in how the pupils use the tablets in their learning processes, in particular a difference between primary and secondary school. The practical implications of the study indicates that the challenges lie in changing teachers’ practice by implementing a digital didactic method that provides the teacher with a greater understanding of, and better opportunity for, interaction with pupils during the learning process.
Teacher-student Relationship and SNS-mediated Communication: Perceptions of both role-players

Teacher-student relationships are vital for academic and social development of students, for teachers’ professional and personal development, and for having a supportive learning environment. In the digital age, these relationships can extend beyond bricks and mortar and beyond school hours. Specifically, these relationships are extended today while teachers and students communicate via social networking sites (SNS). This paper characterizes differences between teachers (N=160) and students (N=587) who are willing to connect with their students/teachers via Facebook and those who do not wish to connect. The quantitative research reported here within is based on data collection of personal characteristics, attitudes towards Facebook, and perceptions of teacher-student relationship. Findings suggest differences in characteristics of the two groups (willing to connect vs. not willing to connect) within both populations (teachers and students). Also, in both populations, those who were willing to connect, compared to those who were not willing to connect, present more positive attitudes towards using Facebook for teaching/learning and are more opposed to a banning policy of student-teacher SNS-based communication. We also found that students who were willing to connect showed a greater degree of closeness with their teachers compared to those who were not willing to connect. This study may assist policymakers when setting up regulations regarding teacher-student communication via social networking sites.
Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: An Experimental Study with Turkish EFL Learners

This study investigates the two types of second language vocabulary learning in an experimental design. 21 Turkish EFL learners were divided into two treatment groups. The definition group learned vocabulary through definitions of the words whereas a context group learned through a reading text. The vocabulary learning levels were checked through both recognition and recall tasks with post-tests given just after the treatment and retention-tests given two weeks after the treatment. The results of the 2X2 Mixed design A"OVA showed that the context group outperformed the definition group in both recognition and recall tasks for both post-test and retention test.
QED's in $2{+}1$ dimensions: complex fixed points and dualities

We consider Quantum Electrodynamics with an even number $N_f$ of bosonic or fermionic flavors, allowing for interactions respecting at least $U(N_f/2)^2$ global symmetry. Both in the bosonic and in the fermionic case, we find four interacting fixed points: two with $U(N_f/2)^2$ symmetry, two with $U(N_f)$ symmetry. Large $N_f$ arguments suggest that, lowering $N_f$, all these fixed points merge pairwise and become complex CFT's. In the bosonic QED's the merging happens around $N_f\sim 9{-}11$ and does not break the global symmetry. In the fermionic QED's the merging happens around $N_f\sim3{-}7$ and breaks $U(N_f)$ to $U(N_f/2)^2$. When $N_f=2$, we show that all four bosonic fixed points are one-to-one dual to the fermionic fixed points. The merging pattern suggested at large $N_f$ is consistent with the four $N_f=2$ boson $\lra$ fermion dualities, providing support to the validity of the scenario.
Type-I and type-II topological nodal superconductors with s -wave interaction

Topological nodal superconductors with protected gapless points in momentum space are generally realized based on unconventional pairings. In this work we propose a minimal model to realize these topological nodal phases with only $s$-wave interaction. In our model the linear and quadratic spin-orbit couplings along the two orthogonal directions introduce anisotropic effective unconventional pairings in momentum space. This model may support different nodal superconducting phases characterized by either an integer winding number in BDI class or a ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ index in D class at the particle-hole invariant axes. In the vicinity of the nodal points the effective Hamiltonian can be described by either type-I or type-II Dirac equations, and the Lifshitz transition from type-I nodal phases to type-II nodal phases can be driven by external in-plane magnetic fields. We show that these nodal phases are robust against weak impurities, which only slightly renormalizes the momentum-independent parameters in the impurity-averaged Hamiltonian, thus these phases are possible to be realized in experiments with real semi-Dirac materials. The smoking-gun evidences to verify these phases based on scanning tunneling spectroscopy method are also briefly discussed.
Automated support for the Design and Analysis of Security Protocols

This paper presents a user friendly formal specification language, called LS , for defining security properties. The language is intended for use in defining and specifying applications with security requirements in a unified framework. The longterm goal of the work is to establish the basic building blocks for an extensible language that can be used in practice, both in the context of standardizations and as a tool for describing high level security requirements in concrete applications.
The nature and origin of categorical colour perception : cross-cultural and interference task approaches

The current thesis presents a series of experiments examining the relationship between language and colour cognition. The main focus is on the categorical perception (CP) of colour, the finding that discrimination of colours that straddle a category boundary is more accurate than within category colour discrimination. It has recently been argued that CP is not a perceptual effect, but rather a direct effect of language due to the comparison of stimulus labels (Roberson & Davidoff, 2000). The current thesis tests this account in a series of colour discrimination tasks with verbal and visual interference, a visual search task and a cross-cultural comparison of speakers of languages that make different categorical colour distinctions. The results of the colour discrimination tasks suggest that the effect of verbal interference on CP is dependent on task design. CP was found to survive verbal interference when the type of interference was not predictable, suggesting that the task was open to encoding strategies. CP did not survive when the colour target was presented with incongruent Stroop interference. An account of CP is proposed in which target name generation is necessary for CP. However, incongruent Stroop interference at test stimuli presentation did not selectively affect CP, suggesting that the process leading to CP is more complex than a simple matching-to-labels account would suggest. Target name generation may activate or reinforce a category code, which in turn facilitates cross-category discrimination. However, as evidence for CP was also found in the visual search task - suggesting that CP can be a perceptual effect - the account of CP proposed here may be specific to certain types of tasks only. The possibility that CP is a memory effect due to a shift towards prototype (Huttenlocher, Hedges & Vevea, 2000) was also considered. The findings presented here suggest that CP is dissociated from a shift towards prototype. The cross-cultural comparison of English and Owambo speakers on a triads and a visual search task allowed a further test of the role of language in colour CP. Language effects were found on both tasks, however, the differences were not all predicted by differences in colour naming. The results suggest that the representation of colour may also differ cross-culturally. Overall, the results presented here suggest that colour perception is not independent of colour language.
An Associational Examination of the CaptialCube Effect Context for the MPV over the Linguistic Partitions: Testing Sensitivity & Specificity

In this third examination of the CapitalCubeO Market Navigation Platform [CCMNP] we have selected the previously vetted set of embedded variables: Market Performance Variables [MPV] for their Linguistic Qualifiers [LQ] considering their directional market effects or MPV[LQ[{ Neutral : Unfavorable : Favorable }]]. In the testing, we are interested in the Sensitivity and the Specificity of these vetted variables over the annual S&P500 Panel from 2005 to 2013. The inference framework employed a Median Split: High or Low for each of the 13 MPV tested and a random selection to avoid the FPE-jeopardy that is part of the Chi2 testing model. We used the Tamhane & Dunlop cut-off to identify Chi2 cells effects of interest and used these to develop the Sensitivity and the Specificity tests. Results: We were able to reject the a priori Nulls proffered for the testing protocols indicating that one may reject the supposition that the labeling of the LQ is formed by random processes in the CCMNP.
Mannan rich fraction from yeast modulates inflammatory responses in intestinal cells (HT-29) exposed toEscherichia coli

Mannan from yeast has been demonstrated to limit infection in animals susceptible to gastrointestinal infection, including pigs, poultry and cows, by blocking the mechanism by which gram-negative bacteria adhere to and invade the intestines. EnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) cause post weaning diarrhoea (PWD) which results in poor weight gain and potential death at great economic cost to the farmer. A mannan rich fraction (MRF) was assessedin vitrofor its impact on ETEC infection of HT-29 intestinal cell line. Gene expression markers for inflammation (TNFαandIL-1β) and TLR4 (TICAM-1andLY96) associated recognition of bacteria were significantly elevated following exposure toE. colialone, but not in combination with MRF compared to the control. HT-29 cells exposed to MRF alone demonstrated significantly reduced expression of immune signalling genesIRAK1,IRF7andJUNwhen compared to the control. HT-29 cell protein abundance for TNFα and TLR4 associated proteins were significantly increased in response toE. coliexposure alone while no significant change was observed for MRF treatment withE. coliinfection.E. coliadhesion to HT-29 cells was significantly decreased with addition of MRF compared toE. coliinfection alone. The action of MRF demonstrated its potential capacity to limit infection on anin vitrolevel through blocking bacterial interaction with the intestines that leads to infection as marked by a reduction in proinflammatory responses. MRF on its own demonstrated potential anti-inflammatory effects on intestinal cells with the reduction of proinflammatory responses observed.
Utility-based categorization

The ability to categorize and use concepts effectively is a basic requirement of any intelligent actor. The utility-based approach to categorization is founded on the thesis that categorization is fundamentally in service of action, i.e., the choice of concepts made by an actor is critical to its choice of appropriate actions. This is in contrast to classical and similarity-based approaches which seek logical completeness in concept description with respect to sensory data rather than action-oriented effectiveness. Utility-based categorization is normative and not descriptive. It prescribes how an intelligent agent ought to conceptualize to act effectively. It provides ideals for categorization, specifies criteria for the design of effective computational agents, and provides a model of ideal competence. A decision-theoretic framework for utility-based categorization which involves reasoning about alternative categorization models of varying levels of abstraction is proposed. Categorization models that are too abstract may be blind to details that are critical for selecting the most appropriate action. On the other hand, categorization models that are too detailed may be too expensive to process or may contain information not critical for selecting the most appropriate action. Categorization models are, therefore, evaluated on the basis of the expected value of their recommended action, taking into account the associated resource consumption. A knowledge representation scheme, known as probabilistic conceptual networks, has been developed to support the dynamic construction of models at varying levels of abstraction. This knowledge representation scheme combines the formalisms of influence diagram from decision analysis and inheritance/abstraction hierarchy from artificial intelligence. An incremental approach to categorical reasoning which involves the dynamic construction and refinement of categorization models is also developed. Models may be improved by incrementally making the concepts under consideration in the model either more abstract or more detailed. The expected increase in value of the recommended actions due to model improvement can be calculated and used to direct and control the direction of model improvements. By applying the principle of decision-theoretic control, a resource-constrained agent can iteratively decide between continuing to improve the current level of abstraction in the model, or to act immediately.