Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radicalization of Homegrown Sunni Militants in the United States: Comparing Converts and Non-Converts

Are the mechanisms and processes that lead to radicalization different for Muslim converts and non-converts in the United States? While many scholars attempt to explain why people violently radicalize, the theories are diverse and most treat converts and non-converts the same. This study answers this question by categorizing the many radicalization theories into three levels of analysis so that cases of radicalization can be analyzed across and within disciplines. Out of 83 cases studies, individual-level factors are more prevalent among converts than non-converts. Group-level processes similarly affect both groups. Mass-level mechanisms are not significant factors in radicalization.
Adenosine Receptors Modulate the Exogenous Ketogenic Supplement-Evoked Alleviating Effect on Lipopolysaccharide-Generated Increase in Absence Epileptic Activity in WAG/Rij Rats

It has been previously demonstrated that KEKS food containing exogenous ketogenic supplement ketone salt (KS) and ketone ester (KE) decreased the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-generated increase in SWD (spike-wave discharge) number in Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) rats, likely through ketosis. KEKS-supplemented food-generated ketosis may increase adenosine levels, and may thus modulate both neuroinflammatory processes and epileptic activity through adenosine receptors (such as A1Rs and A2ARs). To determine whether these adenosine receptors are able to modify the KEKS food-generated alleviating effect on LPS-evoked increases in SWD number, an antagonist of A1R DPCPX (1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine; 0.2 mg/kg) with LPS (50 µg/kg) and an antagonist of A2AR SCH58261 (7-(2-phenylethyl)-5-amino-2-(2-furyl)-pyrazolo-[4,3-e]-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine; 0.5 mg/kg) with LPS were co-injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) on the ninth day of KEKS food administration, and their influence not only on the SWD number, but also on blood glucose, R-beta-hydroxybutyrate (R-βHB) levels, and body weight were measured. We showed that inhibition of A1Rs abolished the alleviating effect of KEKS food on LPS-generated increases in the SWD number, whereas blocking A2ARs did not significantly modify the KEKS food-generated beneficial effect. Our results suggest that the neuromodulatory benefits of KEKS-supplemented food on absence epileptic activity are mediated primarily through A1R, not A2AR.
A New Method for Solid Acid Catalyst Evaluation for Cellulose Hydrolysis

A systematic and structure-agnostic method for identifying heterogeneous activity of solid acids for catalyzing cellulose hydrolysis is presented. The basis of the method is preparation of a supernatant liquid by exposing the solid acid to reaction conditions and subsequent use of the supernatant liquid as a cellulose hydrolysis catalyst to determine the effects of in situ generated homogeneous acid species. The method was applied to representative solid acid catalysts, including polymer-based, carbonaceous, inorganic, and bifunctional materials. In all cases, supernatant liquids produced from these catalysts exhibited catalytic activity for cellulose hydrolysis. Direct comparison of the activity of the solid acid catalysts and their supernatants could not provide unambiguous detection of heterogeneous catalysis. A reaction pathway kinetic model was used to evaluate potential false-negative interpretation of the supernatant liquid test and to differentiate heterogeneous from homogeneous effects on cellulose hydrolysis. Lastly, differences in the supernatant liquids obtained in the presence and absence of cellulose were evaluated to understand possibility of false-positive interpretation, using structural evidence from the used catalysts to gain a fresh understanding of reactant–catalyst interactions. While many solid acid catalysts have been proposed for cellulose hydrolysis, to our knowledge, this is the first effort to attempt to differentiate the effects of heterogeneous and homogeneous activities. The resulting supernatant liquid method should be used in all future attempts to design and develop solid acids for cellulose hydrolysis.
LOW-FREQUENCY PHENOMENA ASSOCIATED WITH VESSELS MOORED AT SEA

The influence of the low-frequency-wave-drifting force on the motions of moored vessels and the loads in the mooring system is demonstrated from results of model tests in irregular waves. The origin of the wave drifting force is discussed and methods for calculating the mean drifting force are reviewed; and an existing method using the mean drifting force in regular waves is generalized. Some remarks are added concerning effects that have not been accounted for in existing calculation methods. Graphs and equations show data.
Inelastic displacement ratios for soil–structure systems allowed to uplift

The simultaneous effects of soil–structure interaction, foundation uplift and inelastic behavior of the superstructure on total displacement response of soil–structure systems are investigated. The superstructure is modeled as an equivalent single‐degree‐of‐freedom system with bilinear behavior mounted on a rigid foundation resting on distributed tensionless Winkler springs and dampers. It is well known that the behavior of soil–structure systems can be well described using a limited number of nondimensional parameters. Here, by introducing two new parameters, the concept is extended to inelastic soil–structure systems in which the foundation is allowed to uplift. An extensive parametric study is conducted for a wide range of the key parameters through nonlinear time history analyses. It is shown that while uplifting soil–structure systems experience excessive displacements, in comparison with systems that are not allowed to uplift, ductility demand in the superstructure generally decreases owing to foundation uplift. A new inelastic displacement ratio (IDR) is proposed in conjunction with a nonlinear static analysis of uplifting soil–structure systems. Simplified expressions are also provided to estimate the proposed IDR. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Optimal reduction of the influence of RF feed cables in small antenna measurements

A genetic algorithm is applied to optimize the size and location of a sleeve, which reduces parasitic currents on the surface of the feed cable of a mobile handset antenna, so that the influence of the RF cable on the radiation pattern is minimized. The pattern is calculated by the electric-field integral equation (EFIE) method in each iteration of the genetic algorithm. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 25: 194–196, 2000
Artificial Intelligence Supports Decision Making during Open-Chest Surgery of Rare Congenital Heart Defects

The human right ventricle is barely monitored during open-chest surgery due to the absence of intraoperative imaging techniques capable of elaborating its complex function. Accordingly, artificial intelligence could not be adopted for this specific task. We recently proposed a video-based approach for the real-time evaluation of the epicardial kinematics to support medical decisions. Here, we employed two supervised machine learning algorithms based on our technique to predict the patients’ outcomes before chest closure. Videos of the beating hearts were acquired before and after pulmonary valve replacement in twelve Tetralogy of Fallot patients and recordings were properly labeled as the “unhealthy” and “healthy” classes. We extracted frequency-domain-related features to train different supervised machine learning models and selected their best characteristics via 10-fold cross-validation and optimization processes. Decision surfaces were built to classify two additional patients having good and unfavorable clinical outcomes. The k-nearest neighbors and support vector machine showed the highest prediction accuracy; the patients’ class was identified with a true positive rate ≥95% and the decision surfaces correctly classified the additional patients in the “healthy” (good outcome) or “unhealthy” (unfavorable outcome) classes. We demonstrated that classifiers employed with our video-based technique may aid cardiac surgeons in decision making before chest closure.
Stigmatized Campaign Practices and the Gendered Dynamics of Electoral Viability

What happens when a traditional source of political capital becomes a health hazard? Stigmatized electoral practices, such as vote buying, are a double-edged sword: While these strategies may signal candidates’ electoral strength, they may also entail reputational costs. In normal times, street campaigns are a non-stigmatized electoral practice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, they imposed health risks. Employing data from a national survey experiment conducted in Brazil prior to the 2020 municipal elections (N = 2025), we extend research on the employment of stigmatized campaigns and the gendered dynamics of electoral viability. We find that voters evaluate candidates who engage in face-to-face activities as less electorally viable and report lower intent to support them. These dynamics do not impact all candidates equally: Voters more harshly punish women candidates who conduct street campaigns than men, leading women to lose the advantage they have over men when both employ non-stigmatized campaign practices.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy for Huge Lumbar Disc Herniation with Complete Dural Sac Stenosis via an Interlaminar Approach: An Observational Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) is a minimally invasive spinal surgery for huge lumbar disc herniation (HLDH). The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term clinical effectiveness of PELD for HLDH with complete dural sac stenosis via an interlaminar approach. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 56 patients diagnosed with HLDH with complete dural sac stenosis and treated with PELD via an interlaminar approach. Numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), and modified Japanese orthopedic association (mJOA) were used to evaluate preoperative conditions as well as outcomes at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. At the final follow-up, the clinical effects were evaluated using modified MacNab criteria. Results All patients were followed for at least 12 months. At 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, the NRS and ODI scores were significantly decreased, and the mJOA score significantly increased compared with preoperative results (P<0.001). According to the Macnab criteria at the final follow-up, it was excellent in 42 patients (75%), good in 9 (16.1%), and fair in 5 (8.9%). The overall clinical satisfactory rate was 91.1%. Conclusion Our study results suggest that percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID) is available for the treatment of HLDH with complete dural sac stenosis, whose benefits are rapid recovery, complete removal of the herniated disc, effective spinal canal decompression, fewer complications, and significant relief of clinical symptoms.
Antecedents Factors Affecting Alignment and Its Impact to Organizational Performance in Universities

Business and Information Technology (IT) alignment involves applying IT in an appropriate and timely way, in harmony with business strategies, goals and needs. Prior research argues that achieving alignment contributes immensely to ensuring that IT investments improve organisational performance. One important issue in business–IT alignment study is the absence of alignment. Findings indicate that there are many factors/variables that consistently enhance business-IT alignment. By identifying factors to achieve business-IT alignment, the problem on the absence of alignment could be addressed. Due to the complexity of business-IT alignment, there is possibility that successful alignment focuses on managing specific alignment dimension by investigating factors that encourage particular dimension. Past studies have shown the relationship between business-IT alignment and organizational performance. However, only few researchers tried to relate between the factors with organizational performance. Literature on alignment discovered that there seems to be confusion in clarifying the business-IT alignment concept. Based on this gap, this paper examines problem and issues on alignment, identify, analyze and discuss factors affecting alignment, then categorize the constructs identified into dimensions and propose a model for alignment in universities. The study contributes to the formation of a theoretical model influencing alignment dimension that has impact on organizational performance. The model is important to provide empirical evidence that confirms the importance of categorizing factors into dimensions in achieving business-IT alignment and their influence on universities’ performance.
Polyhydroxybutyrate-Based Nanocomposites for Bone Tissue Engineering

Bone-related diseases have been increasing worldwide, and several nanocomposites have been used to treat them. Among several nanocomposites, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-based nanocomposites are widely used in drug delivery and tissue engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, PHB use in bone tissue engineering is limited due to its inadequate physicochemical and mechanical properties. In the present work, we synthesized PHB-based nanocomposites using a nanoblend and nano-clay with modified montmorillonite (MMT) as a filler. MMT was modified using trimethyl stearyl ammonium (TMSA). Nanoblend and nano-clay were fabricated using the solvent-casting technique. Inspection of the composite structure revealed that the basal spacing of the polymeric matrix material was significantly altered depending on the loading percentage of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nano-clay. The PHB/OMMT nanocomposite displayed enhanced thermal stability and upper working temperature upon heating as compared to the pristine polymer. The dispersed (OMMT) nano-clay assisted in the formation of pores on the surface of the polymer. The pore size was proportional to the weight percentage of OMMT. Further morphological analysis of these blends was carried out through FESEM. The obtained nanocomposites exhibited augmented properties over neat PHB and could have an abundance of applications in the industry and medicinal sectors. In particular, improved porosity, non-immunogenic nature, and strong biocompatibility suggest their effective application in bone tissue engineering. Thus, PHB/OMMT nanocomposites are a promising candidate for 3D organ printing, lab-on-a-chip scaffold engineering, and bone tissue engineering.
Ab initio and group theoretical study of properties of the C2CN carbon trimer defect in h-BN

Omid Golami, 2 Kenneth Sharman, 2 Roohollah Ghobadi, 2 Stephen C. Wein, 2 Hadi Zadeh-Haghighi, 2 Claudia Gomes da Rocha, Dennis R. Salahub, 2, 3 and Christoph Simon 2 Institute for Quantum Science and Technology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 Department of Chemistry, CMS Centre for Molecular Simulation, and Quantum Alberta, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 (Dated: October 20, 2021)
Using the Milliken Moment Method and dynamic simulation to evaluate vehicle stability and controllability

The Milliken Moment Method (MMM) effectively organises kinematically constrained vehicle test results. The authors present a method for evaluating vehicle handling; assessing the overall performance capability with the MMM then using the closed-loop dynamic simulation to determine how much of that performance is used for a real manoeuvre. By mapping the simulation data onto the yaw moment-lateral acceleration diagram from the MMM, this method explicitly quantifies the tradeoff between vehicle controllability and stability. Results from a design case study and comparison of the stability measure to phase plane analysis are presented and show the potential efficacy of the proposed approach.
How economic freedom affect the ease of doing business? Cross-country quantile regression mixture approach

The s ignificance of the Economic Freedom Index (EFI) dimensions as influencing fac tors of the Ease of Doing Business Index (EDB) has been increasing in recent years. The main purpose of this study is to examine the nexus between the dimensions of EFI and EDB using 160 countries between 2017 and 2019. Considering that the impact of EFI dimensions on the different levels of EDB may differ, the Quantile Regression Mixture Model approach is applied in this study. Thus, the impact of the dimensions of EFI on EDB will be analyzed in different quantiles. The results show that there are five different clusters where the impact of the dimensions of EFI on EDB are differentiated. The major finding of this study is that Property Rights, Trade Freedom, and Business Freedom are the most important factor affecting EDB. As a result of the study, it is shown that different action plans should be created for each cluster to
A simple model for extraction of interface state density of a Schottky barrier diode using reverse bias C-V plots

The reverse bias 1/C 2 vs. V plots of Schottky barrier diodes are studied here. The expressions for the slope and voltage intercept of Schottky diodes, as given in the literature, are approximated to obtain a general expression relating the diffusion potential, slope and voltage intercept of 1/C 2 vs. V plots. The expressions for the interface state density are derived. The simulated results are compared with those available in the literature. The validity of our model is established with reasonable accuracy. Based on the model, the characteristics of 1/C 2 vs. V plots are studied with variations in the interface oxide thickness and temperature.
Algorithmic Fairness in a Technology-Based World

Algorithmic fairness is an umbrella term encompassing the way in which machine-learning models classify information and ultimately make decisions sans human intervention. This literature review seeks to break the field into its sub-components and delve into the research being done in each. Outside of explaining the big-picture state of research, particular attention will be given to the current methods for defining, and then realizing fairness constraints through key algorithms at each stage of the machine-learning workflow. The associated trade-offs involved in increasing the perceived “fairness” of an algorithm from a social and mathematical perspective, as well as the different contexts with which fairness manifests itself will be addressed. Application areas and existing case studies will be discussed to convey the real-world impacts decision-making algorithms are increasingly involved in across a range of domains.
Turn it off and on again: characteristics and control of torpor

Torpor is a hypothermic, hypoactive, hypometabolic state entered into by a wide range of animals in response to environmental challenge. This review summarises the current understanding of torpor. We start by describing the characteristics of the wide-ranging physiological adaptations associated with torpor. Next follows a discussion of thermoregulation, control of food intake and energy expenditure, and the interactions of sleep and thermoregulation, with particular emphasis on how those processes pertain to torpor. We move on to review the evidence for the systems that control torpor entry, including both the efferent circulating factors that signal the need for torpor, and the central processes that orchestrate it. Finally, we consider how the putative circuits responsible for torpor induction integrate with the established understanding of thermoregulation under non-torpid conditions and highlight important areas of uncertainty for future studies.
Effect of Ventilation and Atmospheric Ammonia on the Health and Performance of Broiler Chickens in Summer

This study was carried out during summer season on two broiler buildings with a capacity of 10000 each one. The first building with natural ventilation while the second was recently renovated with dynamic ventilation system composed of 10 ventilators with a capacity of 5000 m 3 /hour/unit. The results of this experiment showed that ammonia concentration was higher in the building with natural ventilation during various breeding phases. The average concentration of ammonia in the building with natural ventilation was already higher than standard levels from the third week of breeding (16.5 ppm) and reached higher and alarming levels at the seventh week (31.5ppm). Dynamic ventilation in the second building made possible decrease in this concentration that reach 19.5 ppm at the fourth week and 13.50 ppm at the end of breeding (week7). The variation of the ammonia levels in the building with dynamic ventilation is in close relationship to the ventilation flow and working time of the extractor fans. Mortality in the building with natural ventilation was twice higher than that with dynamic ventilation (10.5 vs. 4.5%). The presence of dynamic ventilation has also positively influenced the performance parameters of chicken. The day56, live weight of broiler chickens in the poultry house of dynamic ventilation was superior to that of broiler chickens in building of natural ventilation (1870 vs.1682 gr). This is confirmed by better feed conversion (1.98 vs. 2.66). In the building with natural ventilation, examination of 50 chickens shows the presence of conjunctivitis in animals (20%).
Flutter Analysis for Turbomachinery Using Volterra Series

The objective of this paper is to describe an accurate and efficient reduced order modeling method for aeroelastic (AE) analysis and for determining the flutter boundary. Without losing accuracy, we develop a reduced order model based on the Volterra series to achieve significant savings in computational cost. The aerodynamic force is provided by a high-fidelity solution from the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations; the structural mode shapes are determined from the finite element analysis. The fluid-structure coupling is then modeled by the state-space formulation with the structural displacement as input and the aerodynamic force as output, which in turn acts as an external force to the aeroelastic displacement equation for providing the structural deformation. NASA’s rotor 67 blade is used to study its aeroelastic characteristics under the designated operating condition. First, the CFD results are validated against measured data available for the steady state condition. Then, the accuracy of the developed reduced order model is compared with the full-order solutions. Finally the aeroelastic solutions of the blade are computed and a flutter boundary is identified, suggesting that the rotor, with the material property chosen for the study, is structurally stable at the operating condition, free of encountering flutter.
The Case Against Coplanar Pedals in Automobiles

Speed of movement is only one of several critical variables in the design of foot controls, and it should not be used in isolation to dictate automobile design recommendations. Although studies have shown that movement times between the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal are somewhat faster when both pedals are in the same plane, more inclusive human factors analyses reveal that there are several important reasons to locate the brake pedal above the accelerator pedal.