Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Validation of the Melting Process of a Shell and Tube Phase Change Thermal Energy Storage System Using CFD

An experimental investigation was performed on a vertical shell and tube heat exchanger rig to monitor the latent heat storing capacity of the phase change material (PCM) during its melting process. The effectiveness of the PCM was evaluated through the experiment. The replication of the phase transfer phenomena noticed in the experimental works was able to be captured through numerical efforts. Two different three-dimensional numerical models were investigated in the numerical study. It was observed that the convection predicted results closer to the melting process observed in the experiment in comparison to the non-convection model but at the expense of exceeding computational duration. The discrepancy observed in the models established that further work has to be carried out to produce a more robust numerical model to yield results of higher accuracy.
Observed Mitigation of Local Amorphization in Boron-Rich Boron Carbide

Boron carbide is extremely hard but has been shown to undergo stress-induced amorphization when subjected to large nonhydrostatic stresses. This localized amorphization has been associated with the sudden loss of shear strength and poor ballistic performance. Recent quantum mechanics predictions suggest that boron-enrichment may be used to mitigate amorphization in boron carbide. As a means to test this hypothesis, stoichiometric boron carbide (nominally B<sub>4</sub>C) and a novel composition of B-rich boron carbide (nominally B<sub>6.3</sub>C) were investigated. Nanoindentation followed by Raman spectroscopy revealed an obvious reduction in the Raman peaks associated with amorphization in the B-rich material. Transmission electron microscopy observations of the region below the nanoindents facilitated direct observation of amorphization, confirmed the Raman result that amorphization is reduced in the B-rich specimens, and provided additional insight into deformation mechanisms. It is concluded that boron-rich alloys offer one path to mitigating local amorphization in boron carbide.
Climate Change and Long-Horizon Portfolio Choice: Combining Theory and Empirics

We propose a novel approach for measuring the impact of climate change on long-horizon equity risk and optimal portfolio choice. Our method combines historical data about the impact of climate change on return dynamics with prior beliefs elicited from the temperature long-run risk (LRR-T) model of Bansal, Kiku, and Ochoa (2019). Our Bayesian framework incorporates this prior information to obtain more precise estimates of long-term climate risks than existing methods that solely rely on historical data. Compared to the benchmark investor without climate change, we document that the LRR-T Bayesian investor predicts higher equity premia for all investment horizons, with per period variance increasing considerably over the horizon. This results in relatively (high) low allocations to equities in the (short) long run. Investors that optimize between portfolios that are vulnerable and non-vulnerable to climate change only diversify in the long run.
Characterization and Evaluation of Lightweight Fly Ash Concrete Modified with EPS

This research studies the influence of partial substitution of fine aggregate by lightweight expanded polystyrene (EPS) in the behavior of a simple concrete modified with fly ash (FA). Replacement of 10%, 30%, 60% by volume of EPS and 10% FA of cement were used. Destructive and non-destructive tests to cylindrical specimens were carried out to assess physical and mechanical properties such as density, compressive strength, and dynamic modulus of elasticity. Additionally, the cementing material and EPS was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). According to the results, the aggregate percentage substitution range that guarantees a significant reduction in density and a minimum decrease in compressive strength is found between 10% and 30%.
Robot Technologies in Agriculture: A Review

To meet labour shortages in different concerns of agriculture, the world is innovating various technologies to meet the demands for the increasing population. "Robots and AI would now be able to be utilized to direct non-institutionalized undertaking (e.g. natural product picking, specific weeding, crop detecting) recently held for human specialists and at monetarily possible expenses. ” In this paper we shall discuss about various technologies including surveillance, mobile soil sampling, precision seeding and cloud based irrigation technology proposed specially for agricultural application. We shall elaborately learn about the various sensors, programming languages and micro controllers used for the robot locomotion and arm movement also. The main focus of introducing robots in modern agricultural trend is to effectively use natural sources and customize the amount of irrigation water as well as calculate exact amount of fertilizers required by the plant and the soil, reduce human errors and also physical presence of humans on the field.
Multiscale Characterization of Heart Failure

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a progressive irreversible disease associated with contractile dysfunction and heart failure. During dilated cardiomyopathy, elevated diastolic wall strains trigger mechanotransduction pathways that initiate the addition of sarcomeres in series and an overall increase in myocyte length. At the whole organ level, this results in a chronic dilation of the ventricles, an increase in end diastolic and end systolic volumes, and a decrease in ejection fraction. However, how exactly changes in sarcomere number translate into changes in myocyte morphology, and how these cellular changes translate into ventricular dilation remains incompletely understood. Here we combined a chronic animal study, continuum growth modeling, and machine learning to quantify correlations between sarcomere dynamics, myocyte morphology, and ventricular dilation. In an eight-week long volume overload study of n=6 pigs, we found that the average sarcomere number increased by 3.8%/week, from 47 to 62, resulting in a myocyte lengthening of 3.3%/week, from 85 to 108um, while the sarcomere length and myocyte width remained unchanged. At the same time, the average end diastolic volume increased by 6.0%/week. Using continuum growth modeling and Bayesian inference, we correlated alterations on the subcellular, cellular, and organ scales and found that the serial sarcomere number explained 88% of myocyte lengthening, which, in turn, explained 54% of cardiac dilation. Our results demonstrate that sarcomere number and myocyte length are closely correlated and constitute the major determinants of dilated heart failure. We anticipate our study to be a starting point for more sophisticated multiscale models of heart failure. Our study suggests that altering sarcomere turnover -- and with it myocyte morphology and ventricular dimensions -- could be a potential therapeutic target to attenuate or reverse the progression of heart failure.
Epidemics and Informality in Developing Countries

Developing countries are facing the Covid-19 epidemic with particular challenges, such as their economic and labor force composition. In this research I will extend the so-called SIR-macro model with demand and supply effects to study how the size of the informal sector impact the ability of these countries to respond to the epidemic. Lockdown policies are useful to control the health crisis but these are less effective in informal markets. As a result, infection and death rates will not decrease as expected, and since informal activities are not counted in the calculation of the GDP, this would exacerbate the size of the recession. Finally, in order to generate similar results to an economy with only formal markets, the economy with informal markets has to implement more severe containment policies.
Plastic Deformation of Cr Single Crystals in Triple-Q State Compressed at 77 K

A series of compression tests on chromium single crystals at 77 K was carried out in order to investigate the slip activity in the first 2-4% of plastic strain. Macroscopic samples of about 3×3×10 mm were polished mechanically and electrolytically and their orientations prior to and after deformation were determined by electron backscatter diffraction to assess the magnitudes and directions of crystal rotations. The crystals compressed in the direction close to [001] deformed primarily by slip on the most highly stressed (-101)[111] and (101)[-111] systems. Loading the crystals in the directions close to the [011]-[-111] edge of the stereographic triangle resulted in preferential twinning on {112}⟨111⟩ systems. For loading in the center-triangle direction, the slip morphology was dominated by anomalous slip on the low-stressed (0-11) plane in contrast to the prediction of the Schmid law. Diffraction contrast imaging in TEM reveals the presence of [100] screw junctions between intersecting 1/2[111] and 1/2[-111] screw dislocations. Using molecular statics simulations, we show that this junction is not removed under the applied stress. Instead, the three dislocations move on the (0-11) plane, which results in the anomalous slip.
What Are Benefits of Attracting Gambling Investors? Evidence from Stock Splits in China

Analyzing a sample of Chinese firms splitting their stocks via stock dividends and using proprietary trading data to measure investors’ gambling preference, we find that stock splits raise the stocks’ lottery characteristics, making them attractive to gambling investors, who willingly pay higher prices for skewed securities. Split firms also become more risk-taking. Furthermore, their cost of equity declines, largely due to increased gambling investors’ pricing influence. Our findings suggest that firms with weak lottery characteristics and those with inefficient risk sharing, can use stock splits to attract gambling investors to improve risk sharing and to lower their cost of equity.
IoT Based Industrial Equipment Controlling and Parameter Monitoring System

The objective is to design a system, develop and implement the concept of Internet of Things (IoT) that can be used either in home and Industries. A Microcontroller is used which is connected to a Personal Computer (PC), sensors, relay panel and humidity-temperature sensor (DHT 11). The reading of the sensor is displayed on the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen. This reading from sensor is further send to the PC through serial communication. A program executing in the computer is responsible to capture the data from serial port and dump into the data base. The data base is used to store the data permanently. In the client site when we enter the Internet Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) address of the web server fro many remote location, it will send a request to the web server with a specific Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The extension used is Personal Home Page (PHP) so that the server can process the PHP file and transmit the result of PHP site, to the client. The system provides the functionality to control electrical load over the network. When the user clicks on a specific button, i.e., on or off or both buttons, it sends a request to the web server and send signal to the microcontroller through the Universal Serial Bus to Transistor-Transistor Logic (USB-TTL) converter. The Input/output (I/O) pins are also connected to relay driver circuit. The relay driver circuit is controlled by microcontroller I/O pins and it controls an electromagnetic relay. In our circuit we are using two relay driver units.
Factor Analysis of English Communication Competency Among Malaysian Technology Undergraduates

This paper aimed to determine factors influencing English communication competency among Malaysian university undergraduates from technology departments at Universiti Tun Hussain Onn Malaysia (UTHM). A survey was administered to a random sample of 102 undergraduates. Factor analysis was applied to determine the underlying dimensions that influence English competency among the students. The findings revealed four critical factors: mother tongue interference, lack of confidence, lack of practice, and home environment. Thus, students need to be encouraged to communicate in English at the university and home to provide wider language practice opportunities to master communication skills in English and perform well in the technology courses.
Ferrihydrite-associated organic matter (OM) stimulates reduction by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and a complex microbial consortia

Abstract. The formation of Fe(III) oxides in natural environments occurs in the presence of natural organic matter (OM), resulting in the formation of OM–mineral complexes that form through adsorption or coprecipitation processes. Thus, microbial Fe(III) reduction in natural environments most often occurs in the presence of OM–mineral complexes rather than pure Fe(III) minerals. This study investigated to what extent does the content of adsorbed or coprecipitated OM on ferrihydrite influence the rate of Fe(III) reduction by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, a model Fe(III)-reducing microorganism, in comparison to a microbial consortium extracted from the acidic, Fe-rich Schloppnerbrunnen fen. We found that increased OM content led to increased rates of microbial Fe(III) reduction by S. oneidensis MR-1 in contrast to earlier findings with the model organism Geobacter bremensis. Ferrihydrite–OM coprecipitates were reduced slightly faster than ferrihydrites with adsorbed OM. Surprisingly, the complex microbial consortia stimulated by a mixture of electrons donors (lactate, acetate, and glucose) mimics S. oneidensis under the same experimental Fe(III)-reducing conditions suggesting similar mechanisms of electron transfer whether or not the OM is adsorbed or coprecipitated to the mineral surfaces. We also followed potential shifts of the microbial community during the incubation via 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses to determine variations due to the presence of adsorbed or coprecipitated OM–ferrihydrite complexes in contrast to pure ferrihydrite. Community profile analyses showed no enrichment of typical model Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, such as Shewanella or Geobacter sp. , but an enrichment of fermenters (e.g., Enterobacteria) during pure ferrihydrite incubations which are known to use Fe(III) as an electron sink. Instead, OM–mineral complexes favored the enrichment of microbes including Desulfobacteria and Pelosinus sp. , both of which can utilize lactate and acetate as an electron donor under Fe(III)-reducing conditions. In summary, this study shows that increasing concentrations of OM in OM–mineral complexes determines microbial Fe(III) reduction rates and shapes the microbial community structure involved in the reductive dissolution of ferrihydrite. Similarities observed between the complex Fe(III)-reducing microbial consortia and the model Fe(III)-reducer S. oneidensis MR-1 suggest electron-shuttling mechanisms dominate in OM-rich environments, including soils, sediments, and fens, where natural OM interacts with Fe(III) oxides during mineral formation.
Does financial inclusion reduce non-performing loans and loan loss provisions?

We examine whether countries that have high levels of financial inclusion have fewer non-performing loans and loan loss provisions in their banking sectors. The fixed effect panel regression methodology was used to analyse the effect of financial inclusion on bank non-performing loans and loan loss provisions. Using data from 48 countries, we find that greater formal account ownership is associated with high non-performing loans. Bank loan loss provisions are fewer in countries that have high levels of financial inclusion only when financial inclusion is achieved through the combined use of formal account ownership, bank branch supply and ATM supply. Also, non-performing loans are fewer in countries that experience economic boom and high levels of financial inclusion
Influence of Sulphate on the Electronic and Electrochemical Properties of Passive Films Formed on Steel Reinforcing Bars

Reinforced concrete structures are suffering from the application of de-icing salts, particularly due to premature reinforcement corrosion. To understand and, thereby, identify solutions to this problem, a study has been conducted of the chloride- and sulphate-induced instability of the semiconductor passive films formed on carbon and 2304 stainless steel alloys in a simulated concrete pore solution environment. Steels' vulnerability to corrosion when depassivation occurs, typically in the presence of chloride and/or low pH, makes it essential to understand the nature of their passive films in the effort to mitigate the effect of corrosion. The influence of major alloying elements in five different reinforcing bars and testing on different surface roughness was investigated in the first part of the study. In this second part, linear polarization resistance and potentiodynamic cyclic polarization techniques and Mott-Schottky (M-S) analysis were used to investigate the influence of varying ionic concentrations and, thus, pH of simulated concrete pore solutions on passive films formed on duplex 2304 stainless steel and carbon steel reinforcing bars. It was found that chloride ions increased the defect densities of passive films, most significantly in the lower pH solution, while sulphates decreased the densities. This is attributed to the formation of stable solid sulphides of Fe and Ni (as FeS, FeS2, NiS, Ni3S2) in the outer Fe-rich layer of the passive films as predicted by ThermoCalc© calculations.
Regularized limits of Stokes matrices, isomonodromy deformation and crystal basis

In the first part of the paper, we solve the boundary and monodromy problems for the isomonodromy equation of the $n\times n$ meromorphic linear system of ordinary differential equations with Poncar\'{e} rank $1$. In particular, we derive an explicit expression of the Stokes matrices of the linear system, via the boundary value of the solutions of the isomonodromy equation at a critical point. Motivated by this result, we then describe the regularized limits of Stokes matrices as the irregular data $u={\rm diag}(u_1,.,u_n)$ in the linear system degenerates, i.e., as some $u_i, u_j,. ,u_k$ collapse. The prescription of the regularized limit is controlled by the geometry of the De Concini-Procesi wonderful compactification space. As applications, many analysis problems about higher rank Painlev\'e transcendents can be solved. In the second part of the paper, we show some important applications of the above analysis results in representation theory and Poisson geometry: we obtain the first transcendental realization of crystals in representations of $\frak{gl}_n$ via the Stokes phenomenon in the WKB approximation; we develop a wall-crossing formula that characterizes the discontinuous jump of the regularized limits of Stokes matrices as crossing walls in the compactification space, and interpret the known cactus group actions on crystals arising from representation theory as a wall-crossing phenomenon; and we find the first explicit linearization of the standard dual Poisson Lie group for $U(n)$.
Large magneto-optical effect and magnetic anisotropy energy in two-dimensional metallic ferromagnet 
Fe3GeTe2

The recent discovery of long-range magnetic orders in atomically thin semiconductors Cr2Ge2Te6 and CrI3 as well as metal Fe3GeTe2 has opened up exciting opportunities for fundamental physics of two-dimensional (2D) magnetism and also for technological applications based on 2D magnetic materials. Due to their unique metallic nature, atomically thin Fe3GeTe2 films exhibit fascinating properties such as Fermi level-tunable Curie temperature, magnetic anisotropy energy and anomalous Hall effect, thus offering valuable applications for, e.g., voltage-controlled 2D spintronics at room temperature. Nevertheless, to exploit these 2D metallic magnets, the mechanisms that control their physical properties should be well understood. In this paper, based on systematic first principle density functional theory calculations, we study two relativity-induced properties, namely, magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) and magneto-optical (MO) effects, of multilayers [monolayer, bilayer, trilayer, fourlayer and quintlayer] and bulk Fe3GeTe2 and also their connections with the underlying electronic structures of the materials. Firstly, all the considered Fe3GeTe2 structures are found to prefer the out-of-plane magnetization and have gigantic MAEs of ∼3.0 meV/f.u. , being about 20 and 6 times larger than 2D ferromagnetic semiconductors Cr2Ge2Te6 and CrI3, respectively. This gigantic perpendicular anisotropy results from the large magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MCE) which is ten times larger than the competing magnetic dipolar anisotropy energy (MDE) which always favors an in-plane magnetization. The giant MCEs are attributed to the large Te px,y orbital density of states near the Fermi level and also to the topological nodal point just below the Fermi level at the K points in the Brillouin zone. Secondly, 2D and bulk Fe3GeTe2 also exhibit strong MO effects with their Kerr and Faraday rotation angles being comparable or even larger than that of best-known MO materials such as PtMnSb, Y3Fe5O12 and Bi3Fe5O12. The features in the Kerr and Faraday rotation spectra are almost thickness-independent although the Kerr rotation angles increase monotonically with film thickness. The strong MO Kerr and Faraday effects are found to result from the large MO conductivity (or strong magnetic circular dichroism) in these ferromagnetic materials. In particular, the calculated MO conductivity spectra are one order of magnitude larger than that of Y3Fe5O12. The calculated MO conductivity spectra are analysed in terms of the symmetry of the band states and dipole-allowed optical transitions at high symmetry Γ, K and K′ points, which further reveal that atomically thin Fe3GeTe2 films with odd layer-number would exhibit anomalous ferrovalley Hall effect. All these interesting findings thus suggest that 2D and bulk ferromagnetic Fe3GeTe2 are promising materials for high density MO and spintronic nanodevices.
The Crouzeix-Raviart Element for non-conforming dual mixed methods: A Priori Analysis

Under some regularity assumptions, we report an a priori error analysis of a dG scheme for the Poisson and Stokes flow problem in their dual mixed formulation. Both formulations satisfy a Babu\v{s}ka-Brezzi type condition within the space H(div) x L2. It is well known that the lowest order Crouzeix-Raviart element paired with piecewise constants satisfies such a condition on (broken) H1 x L2 spaces. In the present article, we use this pair. The continuity of the normal component is weakly imposed by penalizing jumps of the broken H(div) component. For the resulting methods, we prove well-posedness and convergence with constants independent of data and mesh size. We report error estimates in the methods natural norms and optimal local error estimates for the divergence error. In fact, our finite element solution shares for each triangle one DOF with the CR interpolant and the divergence is locally the best-approximation for any regularity. Numerical experiments support the findings and suggest that the other errors converge optimally even for the lowest regularity solutions and a crack-problem, as long as the crack is resolved by the mesh.