Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A numerical tool for evaluating and optimizing multijunction PV systems

Charles, Kevon C. , M.S.E.C. E. , Purdue University, August 2015. Numerical Tool for Evaluating and Optimizing Multijunction PV Systems. Major Professor: Jeffery Gray. Solar energy is one of the most abundant sources of clean renewable energy and is also an important source of electrical energy. Solar energy has the potential of meeting all of the world's energy needs, and has seen substantial growth and development in recent years. Solar cells can convert sunlight directly into electrical energy, and the solar industry has made a great deal of progress in making them less costly and more efficient. The conversion efficiency of solar cells, however, is one of the main factors that limits the solar industry from competing with fossil fuels. Once the efficiency of solar cells is improved, solar energy will have a greater impact on the worlds energy consumption, and hence more clean energy will be consumed. It is known that in order to take full advantage of the solar spectrum, a multijunction PV system has to be implemented in order to absorb more photons. The design of this system is very important in improving the overall conversion efficiency. Choosing the right bandgap energies in a PV system is an important design characteristic that helps improve the performance of solar cells. In this thesis, a numerical tool is designed to determine the bandgap energies that yield the highest possible system power efficiency for a given number of PV junctions. The tool has the ability to simulate PV systems with combinations of junctions that are optically split or in series, as well as electrically independent or in series.
Effect of Electroencephalography Spectral Edge Frequency (SEF) and Patient State Index (PSI)-Guided Propofol-Remifentanil Anesthesia on Delirium After Laparoscopic Surgery: The eMODIPOD Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The effect of SedLine electroencephalography (EEG)-guided anesthetic care on postoperative delirium (POD) has not been studied. Methods: This single-center randomized EEG Monitoring tO Decrease the Incidence of Post-Operative Delirium (eMODIPOD) trial involved 1560 patients aged 50 years or above undergoing laparoscopic surgery. Propofol-remifentanil anesthesia was guided either by SedLine (EEG-guided care, n=779) or not (usual care, n=781). The goal of EEG-guided care was to maintain spectral edge frequency between 10 and 15 and patient state index (PSI) between 25 and 50. The primary outcome was the incidence of POD on postoperative days 1 to 5. The secondary outcomes included emergence delirium, composite moderate-to-severe complications, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, 30-day hospital readmission and all-cause mortality, and intraoperative awareness. Results: Of the 1560 randomized patients, 1545 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. The median propofol administered for anesthesia maintenance was 900 mg and 1000 mg in the EEG-guided and usual care groups, respectively (P=0.21). POD occurred in 1.0% (8/771) and 1.2% (9/774) of patients in the EEG-guided and usual care groups, respectively (risk ratio: 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.35-2.30). There were no between-group differences in all secondary outcome measures. Emergence delirium occurred in 11.8% (91/771) and 13.2% (102/774) of the EEG-guided care and usual care groups, respectively (risk ratio: 0.90; 95% confidence interval: 0.69-1.17; P=0.41). Three patients from each group reported intraoperative awareness. Conclusions: Compared with usual care, SedLine spectral edge frequency-guided and patient state index-guided propofol-remifentanil anesthetic care neither alters anesthetic delivery nor decreases the unexpected low incidence of POD in relatively young Chinese patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery.
Generalised transmission line model for microstrip patches

A transmission line model for microstrip configurations, for which separation of variables is possible, is presented. For this, the patch is modelled as a transmission line joining the radiating apertures. Each section of the transmission line is replaced by a π-network. The effect of apertures in the direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation is included through the complex eigenvalues. The effect of mutual coupling between the radiating edges can be described using variational technique and finally incorporated in the equivalent circuit of the structure. Application of the transmission line method appears to be large. Some patch shapes have been analysed and others indicated.
Longitudinal changes in behaviour, mood and functional capacity in the primary progressive aphasia variants

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative clinical syndrome characterised by a progressive decline in speech and language functions. Deficits in behaviour, mood and functional capacity are reported in PPA but are less well understood. This study examined the PPA variants' profiles on these domains at initial presentation and over time and evaluated their relations to overall cognitive ability. Behaviour, mood and functional capacity were measured annually (over ~6 years) in 145 individuals diagnosed with PPA (41 logopenic [lv‐PPA], 44 non‐fluent [nfv‐PPA] and 60 semantic variants [sv‐PPA]) using the Cambridge Behavioural Inventory‐Revised (CBI‐R) carer questionnaire. Overall cognition was assessed annually with the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination‐III. Distinct profiles were observed across PPA syndromes. Notably, sv‐PPA carers reported greater behavioural, eating and motivational disturbances than the other PPA variants throughout the disease course. Reported memory problems were also greater in sv‐PPA and lv‐PPA than in nfv‐PPA across all time points. These disturbances occurred in the context of the sv‐PPA group demonstrating a slower rate of cognitive decline than the lv‐PPA group and a parallel rate to that found in the nfv‐PPA group. Associations between overall cognition and the CBI‐R domains were trivial at baseline assessment; however, distinct profiles emerged when mapping each syndrome's overall cognitive decline with their behavioural, mood and functional trajectories. Our findings demonstrate that the evolving behaviour, mood and functional capacity profiles of the PPA variants are distinct and extend beyond the primary disorder of language. These findings have important implications for clinical management and caregiver education in PPA.
Autothermal Reforming of Acetic Acid to Hydrogen and Syngas on Ni and Rh Catalysts

The autothermal reforming (ATR) of acetic acid (HAc) as a model bio-oil compound is examined via bench scale experiments and equilibrium modelling to produce hydrogen and syngas. This study compares the performance of nickel (Ni-Al, Ni-CaAl) vs. rhodium (Rh-Al) for particulate packed bed (PPB), and of Rh-Al in PPB vs. Rh with and without Ceria for honeycomb monolith (‘M’) catalysts (R-M and RC-M). All PPB and M catalysts used Al2O3 as main support or washcoat, and when not pre-reduced, exhibited good performance with more than 90% of the HAc converted to C1-gases. The maximum H2 yield (6.5 wt.% of feed HAc) was obtained with both the Rh-Al and Ni-CaAl catalysts used in PPB, compared to the equilibrium limit of 7.2 wt. %, although carbon deposition from Ni-CaAl at 13.9 mg gcat−1 h−1 was significantly larger than Rh-Al’s (5.5 mg gcat−1 h−1); close to maximum H2 yields of 6.2 and 6.3 wt. % were obtained for R-M and RC-M respectively. The overall better performance of the Ni-CaAl catalyst over that of the Ni-Al was attributed to the added CaO reducing the acidity of the Al2O3 support, which provided a superior resistance to persistent coke formation. Unlike Rh-Al, the R-M and RC-M exhibited low steam conversions to H2 and CH4, evidencing little activity in water gas shift and methanation. However, the monolith catalysts showed no significant loss of activity, unlike Ni-Al. Both catalytic PPB (small reactor volumes) and monolith structures (ease of flow, strength, and stability) offer different advantages, thus Rh and Ni catalysts with new supports and structures combining these advantages for their suitability to the scale of local biomass resources could help the future sustainable use of biomasses and their bio-oils as storage friendly and energy dense sources of green hydrogen.
The Impact of Jihadist Foreign Fighters on Indigenous Secular-Nationalist Causes: Contrasting Chechnya and Syria

Jihadist foreign fighters have become common in civil conflicts in Muslim countries. While research exists on the impact they have upon returning home, less attention has been given to their influence on the opposition cause that they mobilize in support of. This article looks at the impact that jihadist foreign fighters on the Chechen and Syrian resistance causes, evaluating their influence on oppositional cohesion and ideology, domestic and international perceptions of the movements, and on governmental narratives regarding the conflicts the foreign fighters engage in. It is concluded that foreign fighters have overwhelmingly damaged the Chechen and Syrian opposition movements, making the likelihood of opposition success more remote.
Low genome‐wide divergence between two lizard populations with high adaptive phenotypic differentiation

Abstract Usually, adaptive phenotypic differentiation is paralleled by genetic divergence between locally adapted populations. However, adaptation can also happen in a scenario of nonsignificant genetic divergence due to intense gene flow and/or recent differentiation. While this phenomenon is rarely published, findings on incipient ecologically driven divergence or isolation by adaptation are relatively common, which could confound our understanding about the frequency at which they actually occur in nature. Here, we explore genome‐wide traces of divergence between two populations of the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus separated by a 600 m elevational gradient. These populations seem to be differentially adapted to their environments despite showing low levels of genetic differentiation (according to previously studies of mtDNA and microsatellite data). We performed a search for outliers (i.e., loci subject to selection) trying to identify specific loci with FST statistics significantly higher than those expected on the basis of overall, genome‐wide estimates of genetic divergence. We find that local phenotypic adaptation (in terms of a wide diversity of characters) was not accompanied by genome‐wide differentiation, even when we maximized the chances of unveiling such differentiation at particular loci with FST‐based outlier detection tests. Instead, our analyses confirmed the lack of genome‐wide differentiation on the basis of more than 70,000 SNPs, which is concordant with a scenario of local adaptation without isolation by environment. Our results add evidence to previous studies in which local adaptation does not lead to any kind of isolation (or early stages of ecological speciation), but maintains phenotypic divergence despite the lack of a differentiated genomic background.
Online Reciprocal Peer Tutoring Approach in Facebook: Measuring Students' Critical Thinking

Critical thinking skills are one of essential employability skills for graduates when entering the workforce. The lack of critical thinking skills among Malaysian graduates is a concern as these skills are important for success in the 21st century. Therefore, this paper aims to study the effects of online reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) through Facebook discussion on students’ critical thinking. In this study, the online RPT approach in Facebook was used to nurture students to think critically. In RPT, the tutor role is switched between participants in each task, giving equal opportunities to all learners to benefit from the tutor and tutee role. This approach was integrated into their learning for 4 weeks to increase students' critical thinking. During the learning process, they need to involve in 4 critical thinking tasks based on Bloom's taxonomy. 29 undergraduate students from the school of education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia completed the validated instrument, Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal test (inference, assumption, deduction, interpretation, evaluation arguments) before and after the treatment. The findings show that it is significantly different in making inference (Z=-3.85, p=. 000
Virtually-Federated Scheduling of Parallel Real-Time Tasks

Federated scheduling is a promising approach to schedule parallel real-time tasks, where each task exclusively executes on a set of dedicated processors. However, federated scheduling suffers significant resource wasting since a task typically only uses part of the processing capacity allocated to it, while the unused part cannot be shared with other tasks. To solve this problem, we present a virtually-federated scheduling approach, which both enjoys the good analyzability of federated scheduling and allows tasks to efficiently share processors with others. The main idea is to construct virtual processors on physical processors, and let a task exclusively execute on a set of virtual processors. As a physical processor is shared by virtual processors, tasks effectively share processors with each other. On the other hand, as each task exclusively executes on its own virtual processor set, the good analyzability of federated scheduling can be carried into to our virtually-federated scheduling approach. We conduct comprehensive performance evaluation to compare our proposed approach with existing methods of different types. Experiment results show that our approach consistently outperforms existing methods to a considerable extent under a wide range of parameter settings.
Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction Based on Magnetic Sulfonated Reduced Graphene Oxide for HPLC–MS/MS Analysis of Illegal Basic Dyes in Foods

In this study, a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) for the determination of illegal basic dyes in food samples was developed and validated. This method was based on Magnetic sulfonated reduced graphene oxide (M-S-RGO), which was sensitive and selective to analytes with structure of multiaromatic rings and negatively charged ions. Several factors affecting MSPE efficiency such as pH and adsorption time were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration curves exhibited good linearity, ranging from 5 to 60 µg/g with correlation coefficients >0.9950. The limits of detection of 16 basic dyes were in the range of 0.01–0.2 µg/L. The recoveries ranged from 70% to 110% with RSD% < 10%. The results indicate that M-S-RGO is an efficient and selective adsorbent for the extraction and cleanup of basic dyes. Due to the MSPE procedures, matrix effect and interference were eliminated in the analysis of HPLC–MS/MS without the matrix-matched standards. Thus, validation data showed that the proposed MSPE–HPLC–MS/MS method was rapid, efficient, selective, and sensitive for the determination of illegal basic dyes in foods.
Incorporation of Zinc into Binary SiO2-CaO Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles Enhances Anti-Inflammatory and Osteogenic Activities

During the healing and repair of bone defects, uncontrolled inflammatory responses can compromise bone regeneration. Biomaterials with anti-inflammatory activity are favorable for bone tissue regeneration processes. In this work, multifunctional Zn-containing mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (Zn-MBGs) exhibiting favorable osteogenic and anti-inflammatory activities were produced employing a sol-gel method. Zn-MBGs exhibited a mesoporous spherical shape and nanoscale particle size (100 ± 20 nm). They were degradable in cell culture medium, and could release Si, Ca, and Zn in a sustained manner. Zn-MBGs also exhibited a concentration-dependent cellular response. The extract of Zn-MBGs obtained by incubation at 0.1 mg/mL (in culture medium) for 24 h could enhance in vitro mineralization, alkaline phosphatase activity, the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, and the production of intracellular protein osteocalcin of rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Moreover, the extract of Zn-MBGs at 0.1 mg/mL could significantly downregulate the expression of inflammatory genes and the production of inducible nitric oxide in RAW 264.7 cells, particularly under stimulation of inflammatory signals interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Zn-MBGs also inhibited the pro-inflammatory M1 polarization of RAW264.7 cells induced by LPS and IFN-γ. In summary, we successfully synthesized Zn-MBGs with concentration-dependent osteogenic and anti-inflammatory activities. Zn-MBGs show their great potential in immunomodulation strategies for bone regeneration, representing a multifunctional biomaterial that can be applied to regenerate bone defects under inflammatory conditions.
Validation of an online protocol for assessing the luminous environment

We developed a web application to investigate online-based experiments for the psychovisual assessment of luminous environments. We reproduced online a laboratory experiment conducted in a virtual environment, in which the luminous environment of an office room lit by different combinations of ambient/task lighting was assessed by observers. A control panel of 30 observers performed both experiments. Statistical analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between data collected in the laboratory and online. In addition, an online-based experiment involving 1114 observers was conducted to study the uncontrolled experimental conditions that may impact results. We show that, by increasing the panel size, bias, mainly related to the perceived contrast and brightness of the display and the brightness of the surrounding area is removed. Findings suggest that 100 observers are enough to remove bias.
A meta-analysis of how the culture and technical development level influence citizens’ adoption of m-government

With the popularity of mobile Internet technology, mobile government has become the mainstream of current government affairs management, which highlights the growing importance of exploring citizens’ intention to adopt m-government. To find the important driving factors of m-government adoption and understand what roles the cultural and technical development level play in it, this study conducted a meta-analysis to search for important factors in m-government adoption from 42 studies from 17 countries. Based on the socio-technical theory, this study applied a meta-regression to explain the differences in the effects of these factors, from the perspective of culture and technical development level. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, social influence, perceived compatibility and trust all play important roles in m-government adoption. Culture and technical development level play moderating roles on the above relationships except for the perceived ease of use–perceived usefulness path. Our findings also reveal that the joint moderating effect of cultural and technical development level can better explain the impact of environmental factors on m-government adoption and consequently provide suggestions for the future implementation of m-government in different countries with diverse cultures. Points for practitioners This study proposes a research model of m-government adoption. Public managers should focus on citizens’ perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, social influence, perceived compatibility and trust, so as to improve citizens’ intention to use. The results also confirm that culture and technical development level have a specific moderating effect on m-government adoption, which means that public managers should not only consider service quality, but also note environmental factors. They especially should consider the flexible mobile government development strategies in different countries.
COMPULSORY LAPTOP PROGRAMS: TEACHERS' RESPONSES TO THE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Laptop Programs 5 Rationale for Study 6 Purpose of the Research 7 Research Questions 8 Primary Questions (PQ) 8 Enabling Questions (EQ) 8 Research Setting 9 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 11 Overview of Chapter 11 The History of Laptop Programs 11 Australia 12 The United States 13 Canada 14 Global Initiatives 14 Policies for Adopting and Implementing Innovations 15 Policy Definitions 16 Adoption and Implementation of Innovations 18 During the Change Process 19 After Realizing Intended Goals and Benefits 20 Adoption and Implementation Models of Educational Innovations 21 The Concerns-based Adoption Model 22 Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Model 25 Adopter Categorization Model 27
The Enthusiasts and the Reluctants of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Cluster Analysis

Addressing vaccine hesitancy has taken on a new sense of urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy research examines demographic correlates of vaccination intent, which could lead to a suboptimal one-size-fits-all strategy. This research aims to offer insights into COVID-19 vaccination promotion by conducting segmentation analyses using psychological and behavioral factors that may correlate with vaccination uptake. The results of two US-based studies identified six segments that differ in perceptions, attitudes, concerns, and behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The segments also differ in vaccination intent (study 1) and actual vaccination rate (study 2), with different factors driving vaccination intent/rates. The implication is that targeted interventions are warranted to increase vaccine uptake. Recommendations on how policy makers may design different interventions and locate the relevant segments to encourage vaccine uptake are discussed.
Computed Effect of Rub-Groove Size on Stepped Labyrinth Seal Performance

A numerical study was undertaken to explore the effects of the size of wear-in rub grooves that are typically cut into the abradable land of stepped labyrinth seals. The elliptic form of the 2-D axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations for compressible turbulent flow were solved. The relationships among the friction coefficient, the leakage Reynolds number, the groove depth and width and the pre-rub radial clearance are examined. It was found that the standard k-, turbulence model and wall functions are effective for computing the friction coefficient and leakage for labyrinth seals with honeycomb land surfaces, both with and without the presence of rub grooves. The so-called rub grooves are the result of labyrinth teeth cutting wear grooves into the abradable surface of the land (stationary housing of the seal). Furthermore, it was found that the case of a small pre-rub tooth radial clearance, a wide rub groove and on intermediate step height is the most sensitive to the presence of a rub groove, with a leakage increase over the no-groove case of about 100 percent and 194 percent for the shallow and deep grooves, respectively. It was also found, for example, that tile leakage varied with pre-rub clearance and groove width, in order from lowest to highest leakage, as: (a)small clearance and narrow groove, (b)small clearance and wide groove, (c)large clearance and narrow groove and (d)large clearance and wide groove.