Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Online Bridging Program for new international palliative medicine fellows: development and evaluation

Objectives International medical graduates (IMGs) who pursue additional training in another country may encounter unique challenges that compromise their learning experience. This paper describes the development of an Online Bridging Program in the Division of Palliative Care at the University Health Network Toronto and examines its effectiveness in improving IMGs’ readiness for Canadian fellowship training. Methods The annual Online Bridging Program was developed to help new IMGs transitioning to Canadian palliative fellowship using Kern’s framework for curriculum development. Following a needs assessment, eight online modules with weekly live sessions were developed and underwent external content validation and usability tests. After each iteration, the programme was improved based on participant feedback. Evaluation was conducted first through an online survey immediately on completion of the programme and then through qualitative interviews 6 months into the fellowship. The interviews were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s model for thematic analysis. Results Nine IMGs participated in the Online Bridging Program from 2018 to 2020. All nine participated in the survey and eight in the interviews. Responses to the online survey were almost unanimously positive, suggesting its effectiveness in assisting the IMGs’ transitions into fellowship. The interviews revealed four major themes: the importance of combining online modules and live sessions, reducing the fellows’ anxiety and easing the transition into their new role, an improved overall learning experience and recognising online format limitations. Conclusion The Online Bridging Program effectively eased IMG palliative medicine fellows’ transition into training and enhanced their learning experience.
GRAM

This article presents GRAM (<underline>G</underline>PU-based <underline>R</underline>untime <underline>A</underline>daption for <underline>M</underline>ixed-precision) a framework for the effective use of mixed precision arithmetic for CUDA programs. Our method provides a fine-grain tradeoff between output error and performance. It can create many variants that satisfy different accuracy requirements by assigning different groups of threads to different precision levels adaptively at runtime. To widen the range of applications that can benefit from its approximation, GRAM comes with an optional half-precision approximate math library. Using GRAM, we can trade off precision for any performance improvement of up to 540%, depending on the application and accuracy requirement.
Electronic nose evaluation of volatile emission of Chinese teas: from leaves to infusions

Summary An electronic nose can be used to discriminate tealeaf quality, but to the best of the author's knowledge, studies that address the changes in electronic sensor signals between tea leaves and infusions are not available. In this framework, this preliminary work compared the volatile emissions of leaf samples belonging to the basic Chinese teas (white, yellow, green, oolong, black and pu erh) with those of their respective infusions using an electronic nose. Different signal responses were qualitatively and quantitatively obtained from the sensors both for the tea leaves and their respective infusions, showing that the leaf aroma is not transferred as it is into the beverage. The teas were grouped according to the different fermentation techniques based on the percentage variations in the sensor contributions to the complete description of the volatile profiles. The results indicated that the electronic nose is a suitable tool to monitor the volatile emission differences that occur between leaves and infusions in different tea types.
Effect of surface treatment on SrTiO3: An x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic study

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the reoxidation kinetics of both mechanically and chemically polished as well as freshly fractured SrTiO3 surfaces. X‐ray take‐off angles were varied in order to resolve surface contributions from those further into the sample. Most surfaces were found to have Sr/Ti ratios that varied significantly from the stoichiometric ratio of 1. Only the oxygen peaks were found to be take‐off angle sensitive. We tentatively identify both adsorbed hydroxyl and carbonate O 1s levels as these angle sensitive peaks, indicating that hydroxyl adsorption occurs very rapidly.
AROMATIZATION OF PROPYLENE OVER HZSM-5: A DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS (DOE) APPROACH

Aromatization of propylene was performed in a continuous reactor over HZSM-5 catalysts. A full-factorial design of experiments (DOE) methodology identified the effects of temperature (400°–500°C), Si:Al ratio (50–80), propylene feed concentration (8.9–12.5 mol.%), and catalyst amount (0.2–1.0 g) on propylene conversion as well as the yields of benzene, toluene, p-xylene, o-xylene (BTX), and total BTX. The Si:Al ratio and amount of the HZSM-5 catalyst influenced all of the responses, while temperature affected all the responses except the yield of p-xylene. An increase in feed concentration significantly increased the yields of benzene, toluene, and total BTX. An interaction between propylene feed concentration and catalyst amount influenced the yields of benzene, toluene, and total BTX. This interaction indicated that a higher feed concentration promotes aromatization at higher catalyst concentrations. By contrast, the interaction of Si:Al ratio with propylene feed concentration was found significant for p-xylene and o-xylene yields, but not for benzene and toluene, suggesting that xylenes are synthesized on different sites than those for benzene and toluene. These interaction effects demonstrate how the use of DOE can uncover significant information generally missed using traditional experimental strategies.
Rheology of a twin liquid crystalline polymer

Phase transitions of a twin liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP), which was synthesized from 44 (4'-alkoxybenzoyl)oxy) benzoyl chloride and a,w-dihydroxy-telechelic polytetrahydrofuran, have been de- termined by measurements of linear viscoelastic properties. In the phaseseparated mesophase state, the TLCP displayed high elasticity to small-amplitude deformation, due to mesogen-induced physical cross-linking. As the strain amplitude increased, shear thinning affected both dynamic and steady flow properties. This effect is assumed to be due to a reduction of tie molecules and an increase of loops in the physical network. If the average shear rate of oscillatory flow was defined as Td = 4yow/2a, a good agreement of v*(? d) = ~(4) was found in the shear thinning region and the high shear rate plateau. After shear thinning a TLCP, structural recovery took several days, unless the sample was temporarily heated to the isotropic state. However, above the clearing temperature of about 65 OC, the polymer became single phased and showed rheological behavior typical for a polymeric melt of low molecular weight.
Life cycle assessment of crystalline photovoltaics in the Swiss ecoinvent database

This paper describes the life cycle assessment (LCA) for photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the new ecoinvent database. Twelve different, grid‐connected photovoltaic systems were studied for the situation in Switzerland in the year 2000. They are manufactured as panels or laminates, from monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon, installed on facades, slanted or flat roofs, and have 3 kWp capacity. The process data include quartz reduction, silicon purification, wafer, panel and laminate production, mounting structure, 30 years operation and dismantling. In contrast to existing LCA studies, country‐specific electricity mixes have been considered in the life cycle inventory (LCI) in order to reflect the present market situation. The new approach for the allocation procedure in the inventory of silicon purification, as a critical issue of former studies, is discussed in detail. The LCI for photovoltaic electricity shows that each production stage is important for certain elementary flows. A life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) shows that there are important environmental impacts not directly related to the energy use (e.g., process emissions of NOx from wafer etching). The assumption for the used supply energy mixes is important for the overall LCIA results of different production stages. The presented life cycle inventories for photovoltaic power plants are representative for newly constructed plants and for the average photovoltaic mix in Switzerland in the year 2000. A scenario for a future technology (until 2010) helps to assess the relative influence of technology improvements for some processes. The very detailed ecoinvent database forms a good basis for similar studies in other European countries or for other types of solar cells. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A view of reactions at mineral surfaces from the aqueous phase

Abstract The processes by which a metal-oxygen bond dissociates in aqueous complexes are discussed and the reactions related to more complicated pathways of mineral dissolution. The dissolution of oxide minerals, and in fact many other classes of surface reactions, can be viewed as a ligand-exchange reaction because the bridging oxygens that link the metal to the mineral are progressively replaced by non-bridging functional groups. These ligand-exchange reactions are accelerated by protonations, hydroxylations and ligand substitutions that modify the lability of surface oxygens, but always at specific sites. Molecular information is important because reactions at some sites retard rates while reaction at other sites enhance them. Virtually all of the important variables that affect these reaction rates are local.
Effects of various essential oils on chemical and sensory characteristics and activity of probiotic bacteria in drinking yoghurt.

In this research, the effects of various essential oils including; mint (Mentha spicata), bee balm (Mentha longifolia), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and ziziphora (Ziziphora tenuior L) as well as the concentration of high methoxyl pectin (stabilizer) on quality, sensory, rheological and microbiological characteristics of probiotic drinking yoghurt was investigated. Drinking yoghurt was prepared according to standard method with different essential oils. Acidity, pH, serum separation, rheological and sensory properties and viability of probiotics bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobactrium animalis subsp. lactis) in final products were assessed at a 7 days interval during the storage period (28 days). The results showed that high methoxyl pectin prevented serum separation in drinking yoghurt at a level of 0.5% and were effective at this concentration without any undesirable effect on the taste and odour of the product. A gradual increase in acidity (from 0.75 to 1.2) was observed whereas a decline in pH (from 4.3 to 3.77) was noted in all the samples. Considering the sensory effect of the essential oils, the best treatment with overall acceptability was obtained in samples with ziziphora essential oils. Number of probiotics culture in all samples decreased during storage (from 2.5×109 and 1.1×109 at first day to 7.9×106 and >106 for Bifidobactrium animalis and Lactobacillus acidophilus, respectively) and significant difference were observed between all samples and control (P< 0.05). Probiotic drinking yoghurt containing mint essential oils had the highest viable count of probiotic bacteria (7.9× 106) and samples with eucalyptus exhibited lowest viable count of probiotic bacteria (1.6× 106) at end of storage time. Bifidobactrium animalis subsp. lactis seemed more stable than Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Purification of Aqueous Solution from Ni ( II ) Ions Using Commercial and Bitter Orange Leaves Activated Charcoal

The purification of diluted aqueous solution from toxic Ni (II) ion was investigated using commercial and bitter orange leaves activated charcoal as adsorbents through batch method. The contact times between the adsorbents and adsorbate at 298 K and pH of 5 were studied. The percentage metal removal approached equilibrium within 75 min on Commercial and 90 min on prepared charcoal surfaces. The experimental data of the metal removal equilibrium were correlated by either the Langmuir or Freundlich equations. Results indicate that the Langmuir model gave a better fit to the experimental data than the Freundlich equation. Kinetic processes of Ni adsorption on Commercial and prepared charcoal were described by applying pseudo-first-order and pseudosecond-order rate equations which that the adsorption process obey pseudo-second-order rate equation.
Anisotropic volume conduction in biological media

A method for solving the potential distribution in a multi-layer anisotropic concentric spherical volume conductor, which has recently been described in the literature, has been tested and found to be numerically unstable. In this paper it is demonstrated how these numerical difficulties can be avoided. Moreover, the method is extended by lifting the previously imposed restriction on the innermost region to be isotropic. A convergence criterion for determining the required number of terms in the final series expansion is proposed. The influences of radial and tangential conductivity values of the skull and brain tissue on the dipole induced potential are investigated.
Ordering of (Cr,V) Layers in Nanolamellar (Cr0.5V0.5)n+1AlCn Compounds

Nanolamellar MAX phase compounds (Cr0.5V0.5)n+1AlCn are formed with n = 1, 2 and 3, and their 300 K structure is studied in detail by high-resolution neutron diffraction. While the n = 1 compound is found to have complete disordering of vanadium and chromium in the metallic layers, the n = 2 and 3 compounds show strong tendency for these elements' ordering, with the layer in the 2a(0,0,0) site of (Cr0.5V0.5)3AlC2 fully occupied by vanadium. The thermal expansion dependency of temperature is also studied by neutron diffraction for 2 < T < 550 K, revealing a negligible thermal expansion below 100 K for all of the compounds.
Raman spectra of CuO nanocrystals

CuO nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a one-step solid-state reaction under ambient conditions. Three pellet samples with different grain sizes were obtained by annealing at high temperature. The room temperature Raman spectra of these samples show that as the grain size decreases, the Raman peaks shift to lower wavenumber and become broader owing to size effects. The dependences of the Raman spectra on the wavelength of the excitation laser and temperature were also investigated. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of Various Litter Amendments on Ammonia Volatilization and Nitrogen Content of Poultry Litter

Ammonia volatilization from poultry manure contributes to atmospheric N pollution, negatively affects poultry performance, and decreases the fertilizer value of manure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of alum [Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ·14H 2 O], liquid alum, high acid alum (A7), aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O), fly ash, Poultry Litter Treatment (PLT), and Poultry Guard (PG) litter amendments on NH 3 volatilization and N contents in litter. Two laboratory studies were conducted for 42 d each. The treatments in experiment 1, which were mixed in the upper 1 cm of litter, were 4 g of alum, 8 g of alum, 8.66 g of liquid alum, 17.3 g of liquid alum, 11.2 g ofA7, 22.4 g ofA7, 4 g of PG, 4 g of PLT, 4 g of fly ash, and 4 g of AlCl 3 /100 g of litter. The treatments for experiment 2 were identical to experiment 1, except the fly ash treatment was dropped and an additional 4 g of alum/100 g of litter treatment was added, which was incorporated totally within the litter. The various rates of dry alum, liquid alum, and A7 significantly decreased NH 3 volatilization compared with the controls, with reductions ranging from 77 to 96% for experiment 1 and from 78 to 96% for experiment 2, respectively. Poultry Litter Treatment decreased NH 3 volatilization by 76 and 87% for experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Aluminum chloride decreased NH 3 volatilization by 48 and 92% for experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Litter treated with alum, liquid alum, A7, PLT, and AlCl 3 had a lower pH and a greater N content than the controls in experiment 1 and 2. In contrast, PG and fly ash resulted in a greater pH and were ineffective in decreasing NH 3 volatilization and increasing N contents in experiment 1. However, in experiment 2, PG was effective in reducting NH 3 loss. In this study, the decreased NH 3 volatilization was chiefly associated with reduction in litter pH.
Binary doped polypyrrole and polypyrrole/boron nitride nanocomposites: preparation, characterization and application in detection of liquefied petroleum gas leaks

We report an electrical conductivity based rapid response liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensor using binary doped polypyrrole and polypyrrole/boron nitride (PPy/BN) nanocomposites as the conductive material. Binary doped PPy and PPy/BN nanocomposites have been synthesized using a chemical oxidative in situ polymerization method using FeCl3 as an oxidant in the presence of camphorsulfonic acid (CSA). A PPy/BN nanocomposite has also been synthesized using a chemical oxidative in situ polymerization method using FeCl3 as an oxidant. PPy/FeCl3/CSA, PPy/BN/FeCl3 and PPy/BN/FeCl3/CSA were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy. On the basis of these results, the well-organized structural nanocomposites were successfully prepared owing to specific interactions between the PPy and the BN nanosheets. The results indicated that the morphology and electrical properties of the nanocomposites were significantly influenced by the BN nanosheet loading and CSA. Transformation of non-conducting PPy/BN/FeCl3 into conducting PPy/BN/FeCl3/CSA was also observed. Addition of CSA caused a significant increment in electrical conductivity due to binary doping of the nanocomposites. The as-prepared PPy/FeCl3/CSA and PPy/BN/FeCl3/CSA nanocomposites were studied for the change in their electrical conductivity on exposure to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ambient air at room temperature with the possible use as a sensor for detection of LPG leaks.
PETRA

Emerging byte-addressable Non-Volatile Memories (NVMs) enable persistent memory where process state can be recovered after crashes. To enable applications to rely on persistent data, durable data structures with failure-atomic operations have been proposed. However, they lack the ability to allow users to execute a sequence of operations as transactions. Meanwhile, persistent transactional memory (PTM) has been proposed by adding durability to Software Transactional Memory (STM). However, PTM suffers from high performance overheads and low scalability due to false aborts, logging, and ordering constraints on persistence. In this article, we propose PETRA, a new approach for constructing persistent transactional linked data structures. PETRA natively supports transactions, but unlike PTM, relies on the high-level information from the data structure semantics. This gives PETRA unique advantages in the form of high performance and high scalability. Our experimental results using various benchmarks demonstrate the scalability of PETRA in all workloads and transaction sizes. PETRA outperforms the state-of-the-art PTMs by an order of magnitude in transactions of size greater than one, and demonstrates superior performance in transactions of size one.
The flux of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere in 1980 due to changes in land use: geographic distribution of the global flux

Recent analyses of land-use change in the tropical regions and in the temperate and boreal regions of the earth were combined to yield a global estimate of 1.0 - 2.6 x 10I5 g C for the net release of carbon to the atmosphere in 1980 from changes in land use. Deforestation in the tropics accounted for nearly all of the flux; the net release of carbon from temperate and boreal regions was only 0.1 x loi5 g C. The average global value of 1.8 x IOl5 g C in 1980 was distributed geographically among tropical countries and other regions on the basis of deforestation rates and carbon stocks. The net release of carbon from changes in land use worldwide is inconsistent with the results of geochemical models of the carbon cycle. The discrepancy is smaller than in previous analyses, but is large enough to exceed the errors of the analysis. Possible explanations for the discrepancy include the possibility of a net accumulation of carbon in undisturbed ecosystems as a result of C02 fertilization or changes in climate. Even if the terms of the global carbon equation were to appear balanced at present, current knowledge is insufficient to predict whether terrestrial ecosystems will act as a positive or negative feedback on the anticipated C0,-caused global warming.
Analysis and Correction of the Attack against the LPN-Problem Based Authentication Protocols

This paper reconsiders a powerful man-in-the-middle attack against Random-HB# and HB# authentication protocols, two prominent representatives of the HB family of protocols, which are built based on the Learning Parity in Noise (LPN) problem. A recent empirical report pointed out that the attack does not meet the claimed precision and complexity. Performing a thorough theoretical and numerical re-evaluation of the attack, in this paper we identify the root cause of the detected problem, which lies in reasoning based on approximate probability distributions of the central attack events, that can not provide the required precision due to the inherent limitations in the use of the Central Limit Theorem for this particular application. We rectify the attack by employing adequate Bayesian reasoning, after establishing the exact distributions of these events, and overcome the mentioned limitations. We further experimentally confirm the correctness of the rectified attack and show that it satisfies the required, targeted accuracy and efficiency, unlike the original attack.
Do Not Neglect The Periphery?! – The emergence and diffusion of radical innovations

While innovations have been acknowledged as a key factor for economic growth, it appears that they are unique features of central actors. Recently, especially the outstanding opportunities arising from rather radical innovations have been highlighted. These kinds of innovations combine knowledge pieces that have not been combined before and consequently create something radically new. While the influence of firms’ network position on innovativeness in general has already been investigated, it remains to be researched in the context of radical innovations. We address this research gap by empirically investigating the influence of firms’ network position on the emergence and diffusion patterns of radical innovations. By analysing a unique dataset evidence is found that central firms are essential drivers of the emergence and diffusion of radical innovations. However, the results also indicate that under certain conditions (e.g. high knowledge diversity) also peripheral firms can contribute to the emergence of radical innovations.