Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging Analysis of Transformer Insulation at Weakest Region: Dielectric Parameters Extraction via Immune Optimization

The conventional method is insufficient for determining the worst aging state of traction transformer oil-paper insulation due to the nonuniform aging. To address this issue, an extended relaxation distribution model based on multipopulation immune algorithm (ERD-MPIA) is proposed. This work collects frequency-domain spectroscopy (FDS) on the oil-paper system in a variety of nonuniform aging phases. Then, the MPIA is used to optimize the ERD model to establish the appropriate relaxation parameters for characterizing the worst aging stages. The verification results demonstrate that ERD-MPIA is capable of accurately decoupling the FDS of oil-paper systems subjected to nonuniform aging, allowing for the determination of the ideal relaxation parameters. Additionally, a distinct association is discussed between the relaxation parameters and the worst aging states. In that regard, the findings are expected to evaluate and detect the worst aging states of the traction transformer insulation system.
An in-depth investigation into high fluence femtosecond laser percussion drilling of titanium alloy

High fluence femtosecond laser percussion drilling has a potential to produce micro holes for cooling purpose in turbine blades made of titanium alloys due to its short interaction time with the material. For an in-depth investigation, numerical simulation is carried out using 2D axi-symmetric two-temperature and heat conduction models in tandem, mimicking the laser percussion drilling. Moving mesh approach in finite element based COMSOL Multiphysics software is used to arrive at the crater geometry during the ablation process. The heat conduction model provides the value of surface temperature after each pulse. Taking temperature-dependent thermo-physical and optical properties with intraband absorption effect, the simulations are carried out on a 2 mm thick Ti6Al4V plate for 1–15 pulses with fluence in the range of 0.84 to 8.4 J cm−2. For comparison, the simulation results based on room temperature properties are also included. Validation experiments are carried out and the crater morphology is measured using laser scanning confocal microscope. The overall average absolute deviations of the results for crater diameter and depth are within 20% and 40% respectively. The proposed simulation approach is robust and can be used to investigate multi pulses laser ablation process in any other applications.
A new class of robust ratio estimators for finite population variance

It is a general practice to use robust estimates to improve ratio estimators using functions of the parameters of an auxiliary variable. In this study, a new class of robust estimators based upon the minimum covariance determinant (MCD) and the minimum volume ellipsoid (MVE) robust covariance estimates have been suggested for estimating population variance in the presence of outlier values in the data set for the simple random sampling. The expression for the mean square error (MSE) of the proposed class of estimators is derived from the first degree of approximation. The efficiency of the proposed class of robust estimators is compared with some competing estimators discussed in the literature, and found that proposed estimators are better than other mentioned estimators here. In addition, real data set and simulation studies are performed to present the efficiencies of the estimators. We demonstrate theoretically and numerically that the proposed class of estimators performs better than all other competitor estimators under all situations.
Leadership outcomes and transformational leadership of Georgia golf course superintendents

GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS by MATTHEW ALLEN LENHARDT (Under the Direction of John C. Ricketts) ABSTRACT The primary objective of this study was to describe the leadership behaviors of Georgia’s golf course superintendents, describe the outcomes generated by these behaviors, and determine a relationship between transformational leadership behaviors and leadership outcomes. Quantitative data was collected using Kouzes and Posner’s (2007) Leadership Practices Inventory questionnaire and researcher-adapted perceived outcome questions from part of Bass and Avolio’s (1994) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). After data analysis, it was determined that Modeling the Way was the transformational leadership behavior most widely used, followed closely by Enabling Others to Act. Outcomes of Effectiveness and Extra Effort scored similar and rated significantly higher than Satisfaction, with the highest correlation between Modeling the Way and Effectiveness. Recommendations include the need for an increased awareness of the benefits of improving leadership behavior in the golf course industry and participation in leadership enhancement workshops by the superintendent and employee to increase transformational leadership behaviors and satisfaction outcome.
Morphological studies and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by zinc sulfide nanoparticles

"We report the preparation, morphological and photocatalytic studies of zinc sulfide nanoparticles from zinc(II) dithiocarbamate precursors. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns were index to the wurtzite crystalline phase of zinc sulfide while transmission electron microscopy micrographs revealed spherically shaped particles with sizes in the range 2.8 to 5.2 nm. The ZnS nanoparticles were used as photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue with degradation efficiency of 71.41% for ZnS1 and 85.95% for ZnS2 nanoparticles at pH 9.43. The effect of catalyst concentration, pH, radical scavengers, and hole (h+ ) scavengers on the photodegradation of methylene blue dye were evaluated. "
Tesla Motors: Intellectual property, open innovation, and the carbon crisis

This paper will consider Tesla Motors, and evaluate its statements in respect of intellectual property, open innovation, and climate change. It is worth situating the story in the context of the growing literature on intellectual property and clean technologies. This paper has five parts. First, it considers Tesla Motors’ shifting strategies in respect of patent law, policy, and practice. Second, the paper explores Tesla Motors’ embrace of an open source philosophy. Third, it analyses the larger issues about business development. Fourth, the paper examines Tesla Motors’ use of trade mark law and related rights in its marketing and branding. Fifth, this paper concludes by considering Tesla Motors in light of larger initiatives in respect of clean technologies, renewable energy and climate change. Of particular note is sustainable transportation; the development of a Gigafactory; and Elon Musk’s complementary work at SolarCity in promoting solar technologies.
Constraints Perceived by Small Scale Goat Farmers of Kamrup, Kamrup Metro and Morigaon Districts of Assam

The present study was conducted to know the constraints perceived by the small scale goat farmers of Kamrup, Kamrup Metro and Morigaon districts of Assam. The data obtained on various constraints perceived by the goat farmers under the study were tabulated and analyzed statistically by using Garrett’s Ranking Technique. The study was conducted at Goat Research Station, Assam Agricultural University, Burnihat, Kamrup Metro, Assam during the years, 2020-21 and 2021-22. For the purpose the research station prepared a questionnaire for surveying and data collection about various constraints faced by the goat farmers and entrepreneurs of three districts viz. Kamrup, Kamrup Metro and Morigaon who visited the station during the period for seeking advises and taking training on Scientific goat rearing and management. The farmers were asked to identify the constraints he/ she and their fellow farmers of their villages faced with respect to rearing of goats in their locality and to rank the constraints from 1 to 13 according to the seriousness of the constraints faced by them. The higher incidence of diseases was the major constraints of goat farmers with mean score of 77.66 and ranked first among the constraints in goat rearing. Scarcity of feed and fodder (63.76), lack of knowledge on scientific goat farming (63.25) and inadequate veterinary facilities (61.07) were ranked second, third and fourth major constraints, respectively. Similarly, high rate of kid mortality, lack of grazing land and scarcity of breedable male goat (buck) were ranked fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively as constraints in goat rearing. Non-availability of nutrient rich fodder trees/grasses, inbreeding, recurrent flood and lower sale prices of goats were some other constraints for the goat farmers surveyed during the study. From the study, it can be concluded that the small scale goat farmers of the districts of Kamrup, Kamrup Metro and Morigaon have a lot of constraints in goat rearing, the major being the incidence of diseases and scarcity of feed and fodder.
An Updated Review on the Psychoactive, Toxic and Anticancer Properties of Kava

Kava (Piper methysticum) has been widely consumed for many years in the South Pacific Islands and displays psychoactive properties, especially soothing and calming effects. This plant has been used in Western countries as a natural anxiolytic in recent decades. Kava has also been used to treat symptoms associated with depression, menopause, insomnia, and convulsions, among others. Along with its putative beneficial health effects, kava has been associated with liver injury and other toxic effects, including skin toxicity in heavy consumers, possibly related to its metabolic profile or interference in the metabolism of other xenobiotics. Kava extracts and kavalactones generally displayed negative results in genetic toxicology assays although there is sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity in experimental animals, most likely through a non-genotoxic mode of action. Nevertheless, the chemotherapeutic/chemopreventive potential of kava against cancer has also been suggested. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have evaluated the effects of flavokavains, kavalactones and/or kava extracts in different cancer models, showing the induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and other antiproliferative effects in several types of cancer, including breast, prostate, bladder, and lung. Overall, in this scoping review, several aspects of kava efficacy and safety are discussed and some pertinent issues related to kava consumption are identified.
Impact of the Temperature in the Evaluation of Battery Performances During Long-Term Cycling—Characterisation and Modelling

This paper presents the results regarding the thermal characterisation and modelling of high energy lithium-ion battery cells at both room (25 °C) and cycling (35 °C) temperatures. In this work two types of Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries are studied: a fresh (or uncycled) and an aged (or cycled) battery cells. The ageing of the studied NMC battery cells is achieved by means of accelerated ageing tests (i.e., repetition of numerous charge and discharge cycles) at 35 °C cycling temperature. Temperature at the surface of the battery cells is characterised, with a set of three discharge current rates 0.3C (i.e., 6 A), 1C (i.e., 20 A) and 2C (i.e., 40 A), and the evolutions at three different locations on the surface of the battery cells namely, at the top, in the center and at the bottom regions are measured. In addition, temperature and ageing dependent electrochemical-thermal modelling of the uncycled and cycled battery cells is also successfully accomplished in case of both room and cycling temperatures. Numerical simulations were carried out in case of high 2C constant current rate, and the assessment of the modelling accuracy by comparison of the predicted battery cells voltage and temperature with respect to the experimental data is further presented. With this paper, thermal performances of battery cells prior and after long-term cycling are evaluated at the cycling temperature, next to the ambient temperature. Hence, thermal characterisation and modelling results are more closely reflecting that encountered by the battery cells in real cycling conditions, so that their performances are believed in this way to be more objectively evaluated.
Transmission gate-based 9T SRAM cell for variation resilient low power and reliable internet of things applications

Higher variation resilience, lower power consumption, and higher reliability are the three principal design metrics for designing a static random-access memory (SRAM) cell. The most intuitive way to achieve lower power consumption is voltage scaling. However, voltage scaling at nanometre technology nodes leads to degradation in the robustness of the SRAM cell and decreased data stability. It is proved that conventional 6T SRAM fails to maintain its stability in scaled technology, particularly in the deep-subthreshold regime. Furthermore, SRAM cells utilising techniques such as read decoupling, for achieving reliable read operation, tend to increase leakage current resulting in higher hold power, which contributes a major portion to the total power consumption in modern internet of things devices. To cater to the requirements of higher robustness and lower hold power dissipation, a transmission gate-based 9T SRAM is proposed, which achieves these requirements at the cost of slightly higher read and write access time. The simulations are performed utilising a 16-nm complementary metal oxide semiconductor model.
Self‐control impacts symptoms defining Internet gaming disorder through dorsal anterior cingulate–ventral striatal pathway

Self‐control is important for long‐term success and could be a protective factor against maladaptive behaviours such as excessive gaming activity or Internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, the neurobiological basis of self‐control and its relationship to IGD remain elusive. Using resting‐state fMRI data from 89 participants aged from 18 to 26, we found that self‐control and the number of IGD symptoms (IGD‐S) were positively and negatively correlated with functional connectivity between right ventral striatum (rVS) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), respectively. A mediation analysis indicated that self‐control influenced IGD‐S partially through the rVS‐dACC connectivity. In addition, step‐wise regression analyses revealed that the rVS connectivity in a reward‐anticipation limbic pathway contributed to IGD‐S but not self‐control, independent of the dACC pathway. These results suggest that the cingulate–ventral striatal functional connectivity may serve as an important neurobiological underpinning of self‐control to regulate maladaptive behaviours such as these manifesting IGD through striatal circuitry balance.
Surgery for endocarditis in patients with bicuspid aortic valves

Background The objective of this study is to investigate clinical outcomes in patients with bicuspid aortic valves (BAV) after surgical treatment for endocarditis. Methods This was a population-based, observational cohort study, conducted on all patients who received aortic valve surgery for native or prosthetic valve endocarditis at Karolinska University Hospital between 2002–2020. Baseline characteristics and postoperative complications were collected from the institutional surgical database and patient medical charts. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. We used unadjusted and adjusted Cox regression to determine the association between valve morphology and long-term mortality. Results Of the 338 patients, 122 (36%) had a BAV and 216 (64%) had a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). The mean follow-up was 5.8 years (maximum 18.4 years). Survival rates at one, five, ten and 14 years were 88%, 81%, 78% and 76% versus 85%, 69%, 58% and 43%, in BAV and TAV patients, respectively [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.39–1.05]. In patients with native valve endocarditis, those with BAV had lower all-cause mortality compared to those with TAV (adjusted HR 0.44; 95% CI: 0.22–0.89), despite having a higher prevalence of perivalvular abscess (40% versus 22%, respectively, in BAV and TAV patients). In patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis, original valve morphology did not affect all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.94; 95% CI: 0.64–5.87). Conclusions In patients with native valve endocarditis, a BAV was associated with improved survival after surgical treatment. In patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis, survival was not affected by the original valve morphology of the patient.
Ventilation inlets design based on ventilation performance assessment using a dimensionless time scale

Ventilation configurations greatly influence indoor airflow and pollutant dispersion. This work aims to investigate the effect of vent inlet size (indicated as size ratio D/L, inlet vent length to the cubic root of the room volume) on ventilation performance. A dimensionless time scale ratio (proportional to R i / α , Richardson number Ri, mass flux ratio α) was proposed to represent ventilation performance assessment. Both methods of experiment and simulation were employed. Studies were conducted for five configurations with various inlet sizes (i.e. D/L ratios equal to 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1) under three different air change rates per hour (ACHs; 4, 10 and 16). When keeping the same ACH, the smaller the inlet size (0.2 to 0.6), the larger the inlet ventilation rate. The larger the ACH, the smaller the average CO2 concentration at the outlet, but not within the occupied zone (for D/L ratios of 0.8 and 1, CO2 concentration firstly decreased with ACH of 10 and then increased with ACH of 16). The results demonstrated that R i / α is smaller for cases with a small size ratio (with the critical value below 10−3) than with larger ones, showing a better pollutant removal performance. These findings can facilitate and improve the initial design for building ventilation.
Assessment of the quality of hand dug well used for drinking and agricultural activities at Blama, Small-Bo Chiefdom, Eastern, Sierra Leone

This research investigates the microbial and physicochemical characteristics of five local hand dug wells used for drinking and agricultural activities in Blama, Small-Bo Chiefdom, in the Kenema District, Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. These five local hand-dug wells were randomly selected based on the availability of water in them throughout the year. The physical characteristics examined are: pH, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, total dissolve solid (TDS); and the chemical characteristics, such as: Residual chlorine (R. Chorine), magnesium, potassium, nitrite, iron, fluoride, ammonia, copper; and the microbial characteristics include: Total coliforms, fecal coliform and non-fecal coliform. Samples were collected in 500 ml sterilized plastic containers and transported to the laboratory, within 30 min. The results analysed indicate that the physical and chemical characteristic are within the WHO guideline limits for safe drinking water. However, a large amount of non-Faecal coliform was recorded in all the water samples analysed which exceed the World Health Organization standard for non-faecal coliform ((<10), and with no presence of residual chlorine. It can therefore be concluded that the water sample analyzed was potable and fit for drinking and agricultural activities.
The effect of business strategy, innovation, organizational culture on the performance of micro small medium enterprises (MSMES) moderated by financial literature

This research purpose is to empirically analyze the effect of business strategy, innovation, organizational culture, on the performance of MSMEs moderated by financial literacy in Banten Province. This study uses a sample of Small and Medium-scale SMEs in Banten Province. The data used is primary data. The data in the study were obtained from the results of questionnaires distributed to 100 MSME entrepreneurs in Banten Province both directly and online through the google form. Structural Equation Modeling is used as an analysis with the help of Smart SPSS software version 25. The results of this study indicates that Business Strategy, Innovation, and Organizational Culture have a positive effect on the performance of MSMEs in Banten Province, and Finacial Literacy able to moderated Business Strategy, Innovation, and Organizational Culture on performance of MSMEs in Banten Province.
Deep Learning Based Computer Generated Face Identification Using Convolutional Neural Network

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) describe an emerging generative model which has made impressive progress in the last few years in generating photorealistic facial images. As the result, it has become more and more difficult to differentiate between computer-generated and real face images, even with the human’s eyes. If the generated images are used with the intent to mislead and deceive readers, it would probably cause severe ethical, moral, and legal issues. Moreover, it is challenging to collect a dataset for computer-generated face identification that is large enough for research purposes because the number of realistic computer-generated images is still limited and scattered on the internet. Thus, a development of a novel decision support system for analyzing and detecting computer-generated face images generated by the GAN network is crucial. In this paper, we propose a customized convolutional neural network, namely CGFace, which is specifically designed for the computer-generated face detection task by customizing the number of convolutional layers, so it performs well in detecting computer-generated face images. After that, an imbalanced framework (IF-CGFace) is created by altering CGFace’s layer structure to adjust to the imbalanced data issue by extracting features from CGFace layers and use them to train AdaBoost and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB). Next, we explain the process of generating a large computer-generated dataset based on the state-of-the-art PCGAN and BEGAN model. Then, various experiments are carried out to show that the proposed model with augmented input yields the highest accuracy at 98%. Finally, we provided comparative results by applying the proposed CNN architecture on images generated by other GAN researches.
Image Captioning with Style Using Generative Adversarial Networks

Image captioning research, which initially focused on describing images factually, is currently being developed in the direction of incorporating sentiments or styles to produce natural captions that reflect human-generated captions. The problem this research tries to solve the problem that captions produced by existing models are rigid and unnatural due to the lack of sentiment. The purpose of this research is to design a reliable image captioning model that incorporates style based on state-of-the-art SeqCapsGAN architecture. The materials needed are MS COCO and SentiCaps datasets. Research methods are done through literature studies and experiments. While many previous studies compare their works without considering the differences in components and parameters being used, this research proposes a different approach to find more reliable configurations and provide more detailed insights into models’ behavior. This research also does further experiments on the generator part that have not been thoroughly investigated. Experiments are done on the combinations of feature extractor (VGG-19 and ResNet-50), discriminator model (CNN and Capsule), optimizer (Adam, Nadam, and SGD), batch size (8, 16, 32, and 64), and learning rate (0.001 and 0.0001) by doing a grid search. In conclusion, more insights into the models’ behavior can be drawn, and better configuration and result than the baseline can be achieved. Our research implies that research in comparative studies of image recognition models in image captioning context, automated metrics, and larger datasets suited for stylized image captioning might be needed for furthering the research in this field.