Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishment of Structural and Elastic Properties of Titanate Compounds Based on Pb, Sn and Ge by First-Principles Calculation

Structural, electronic, and optical properties of PbTiO3, SnTiO3, and GeTiO3 tetragonals (P4mm, 99 space group) were investigated using density functional theory as implemented in pseudo-potential plane wave in CASTEP computer code. The calculated equilibrium lattice parameter, electronic band structure, and optical properties for PbTiO3 (reference compound) are in good agreement with the available experiment data. The result also shows that GeTiO3 has a higher tetragonality (c/a=1.18) compared with SnTiO3 (c/a=1.15) and PbTiO3 (c/a=1.05). Calculations of the elastic constants of PbTiO3, SnTiO3, and GeTiO3 tetragonals show that they are mechanically stable. The electronic band structure shows that PbTiO3 has higher indirect band gap at X-G compared with SnTiO3 and GeTiO3, as explained in detail by the optical properties of ATiO3 (A=Pb, Sn, Ge) through the refractive index and absorption coefficient.
When scientists play: how toy models in science help us understand the world

In science toy models are developed and explored ubiquitously. Their study aims either at making a puzzling phenomenon comprehensible or at learning about the core mechanisms behind more complex models. Model building is a core skill of the theoretician. Not any model is a good tool, it is only those models that meet certain standards. Models should contain the essence of a physical problem, and be mathematically tractable. Toy models meet these standards. In this thesis I argue that with a toy model at hand a theorist may set out to understand the phenomenon under study. But how do toy models function in order to help theorists gain understanding? To answer this question I take three steps. The first one is an illustrative one: I analyse three case studies, the Lotka-Volterra model of predator-prey dynamics, Schelling’s chequerboard model of residential segregation and the Ising model of second-order phase transitions. From these case studies I extract four functions that toy models can perform, namely representation of a type of phenomenon, theoretical exploration, pedagogical usage, and substantiating arguments that effect hypothesis revision. Second, as a preliminary argument I analyse in virtue of what toy models are particularly apt to perform these functions. I argue that the core properties in furnishing the representative functions are their high level of idealisation and their mathematical structure. The exploratory and pedagogical functions require the mathematical tractability (exact solvability) and the open domain of application that are characteristic of toy models. Thus the properties and functions of toy models are linked. The functions toy models and my analysis of how their properties afford these functions form the basis of my main thesis: by studying a toy model a scientist can understand the type of phenomenon it represents. Thus she gains partial understanding of the elements of the type. Prior to the argument I need to clarify the notions of explanation, understanding and intuition. With the notion of understanding as qualitative knowledge at hand the thesis follows. In order to make sense of how the sharable representation of a toy model results in understanding as a private cognitive category I draw on cognitive science. In particular, I show how the model of mental models for toy modelling as a cognitive process suits the problem perfectly and is able to connect the core aspects of understanding: recognition of a pattern, and association of a model with other concepts. With the distinction between the sharable external and the private internal representation of a toy model can we make sense of how toy models function as guides for scientific progress.
Economic and environmental impacts of alternative routing scenarios in the context of Chinas belt and road initiative

This paper provides an empirical study of combined land ocean transport within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The analysis is based on primary data in each transport activity taking place between Yiwu and Madrid. Five scenarios are modelled using alternative transport routes. Optimal choices for multi-modal transport combinations with regards to both economic and environmental perspectives are identified. By investigating freight transport from Yiwu to Madrid using the Yixinou line, the results suggest that the BRI has significant potential to reduce the cost of freight transport from China to Europe.
Role of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in the Treatment of Myasthenia Gravis: A Tertiary Hospital-Based Observational Study

This study aimed to analyze the experience related to the indication, complication, and outcome of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) in Myasthenia gravis (MG). Plasma exchange is the therapeutic modality established in MG with a positive recommendation based on a strong consensus of class 3 evidence. A total of 15 patients of MG were submitted to a total of 17 cycles and 65 sessions of TPE. It was performed using a single volume plasma exchange with intermittent cell separator (Hemonetics) by Femoral or central line access and scheduled preferably on alternate day intervals. The immediate outcome was assessed shortly after each session and the overall outcome at discharge. A total of 26 patients of MG were admitted to our hospital during the study period of two years.15 (57.69%) patients had TPE performed with a mean age of 32 years (M: F = 3: 1). The mean number of TPE sessions was 4.2 (SD±1.2), volume exchange was 2215 ml (SD±435), the overall incidence of adverse reaction was 21.7%. All patients had immediate benefits from each TPE cycle. Good acceptance of the procedure was observed in 78.3% of patients. TPE may be considered as one of the treatment options, especially in developing countries like ours, as it is relatively less costly but as effective for myasthenic crisis as
Revised electromagnetism-like mechanism for flow path design of unidirectional AGV systems

The flow path design problem is one of the most important issues of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system design and control. A revised electromagnetism-like mechanism is proposed to solve the flow path design problem of unidirectional AGV systems under a reconfigurable manufacturing system environment in this paper. First, the formal model considering both loaded and empty travels is given. Then the preprocessing procedure for the guidepath network is proposed to improve the feasibility of solution and to reduce the computational complexity. In the revised electromagnetism-like mechanism, particles are encoded discretely, and Hamming distance based reduced variable neighbourhood search is adopted in the local search procedure. To reduce computation, only the best particle is searched in the local search procedure. In the moving procedure, each element of a particle is moved according to the ordering probability strategy. To verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, several computational experiments are carried out. The computational results show that the proposed algorithm is efficient, which is able to obtain optimal solutions to small scale problems and near optimal ones to large scale problems within reasonable computation time.
Phase shifted FBG fabricated with arc discharge erasing technique

An Arc Discharge Erasing (ADE) technique was proposed to erase the refractive index modulation at selective area in Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) and was taken to fabricate Phase Shift FBGs (PSFBGs). The ADE effect and the PSFBGs fabrication technology was demonstrated experimentally first. The capability and fabrication technique was investigated and the full control of the transmission spectral characteristics of PSFBGs, including the peak wavelength position, intensity and bandwidth, was demonstrated. To get optimum technique parameters, the experimental studies were done under different discharge electric current, time and position, and the effect of annealing processing were investigated experimentally too. With this technique, an in-line distributed feedback fiber laser with 1.16 kHz line-width was made.
Insights into the mixing efficiency of submesoscale Centrifugal-Symmetric instabilities

Submesoscale processes provide a pathway for energy to transfer from the balanced circulation to turbulent dissipation. One class of submesoscale phenomena that has been shown to be particularly effective at removing energy from the balanced flow are centrifugal-symmetric instabilities (CSIs), which grow via geostrophic shear production. CSIs have been observed to generate significant mixing in both the surface boundary layer and bottom boundary layer flows along bathymetry, where they have been implicated in the mixing and watermass transformation of Antarctic Bottom Water. However, the mixing efficiency (i.e. the fraction of the energy extracted from the flow used to irreversibly mix the fluid) of these instabilities remains uncertain, making estimates of mixing and energy dissipation due to CSI difficult.In this work we use large-eddy simulations to investigate the mixing efficiency of CSIs in the submesoscale range. We find that centrifugally-dominated CSIs (i.e. CSI mostly driven by horizontal shear production) tend to have a higher mixing efficiency than symmetrically-dominated ones (i.e. driven by vertical shear production). The mixing efficiency associated with CSIs can therefore alternately be significantly higher or significantly lower than the canonical value used by most studies. These results can be understood in light of recent work on stratified turbulence, whereby CSIs control the background state of the flow in which smaller-scale secondary overturning instabilities develop, thus actively modifying the characteristics of mixing by Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Our results also suggest that it may be possible to predict the mixing efficiency with more readily measurable parameters (namely the Richardson and Rossby numbers), which would allow for parameterization of this effect.
A compact tunable bandpass filter with high selectivity and low insertion loss using novel CRLH cell

This paper presents the realization of a tunable bandpass filter with high selectivity and low insertion loss using one tunable composite right/left-handed (CRLH) cell. The tunable CRLH cell is proposed with varactor diodes loaded both on series and shut circuits. Two shut circuits are designed to form the needed paralleled CR and LL, by which two transmission zeros beside the passband are obtained at the same time. Each varactor diode is shunted by a lumped capacitor for lower insertion loss. The filter is tuned by only one DC bias, which results in easily control and compact size. The measured results agree well with the simulated results, and a tunable range of the center frequency from 1.75 to 2.25 GHz is achieved in measurement with the insertion loss less than 2.5 dB.
Dynamic behaviour of concrete in biaxial compression

Thoroughly understanding the behaviour of concrete in dynamic loading is an issue of great significance in civil engineering. However, our knowledge is limited by a lack of dynamic experiment database, especially that collected by dynamic multiaxial tests. Biaxial compressive experiments on 100 mm concrete cubes were performed using a servo-hydraulic multiaxial testing system designed and manufactured at Dalian University of Technology, China. The specimens were loaded in biaxial stress states. The lateral pressure was maintained at a fixed proportion to the axial load, with the stress ratios of 0:1, 0·25:1, 0·5:1, 0·75:1, 1:1 respectively. The strain rate varied from 10−5/s to 10−2/s. From the test results it is revealed that the dynamic strength increases as the strain rate increases, while the damage pattern and the ultimate strength are closely related to the magnitude of lateral pressure exerted on the specimen. The shapes of stress–strain curves of the specimens at different strain rates are similar.
Measurement of the relative position of the femoral head center, greater trochanter, and lesser trochanter.

BACKGROUND Understanding the relationship between the greater trochanter, the lesser trochanter, and the femoral head center is helpful to achieve satisfactory lower limb length in hip arthroplasty, and it may be more important when the contralateral side of the surgical hip cannot be referenced. This work aims to measure the relative position of the femoral head center, the greater trochanter, and the lesser trochanter, and analyze the relationship between these anatomical landmarks. METHODS The femoral head diameter (D), the linear distance (G) from the femoral head center (C) to the greater trochanter, and the linear distance (L) from the femoral head center to the lesser trochanter were measured by pelvic X-ray. The basic information of the data was analyzed, the ratios of G to D and L to D were calculated, the functional relationship between the data was analyzed after the factors of gender and age were included, and the 95% reference intervals of the basic data and ratio data were calculated. RESULTS A total of 97 patients with 194 hips were enrolled in this study. The diameter D was 5.08±0.43 cm, the distance G was 4.68±0.45 cm, and the distance L was 4.28±0.49 cm. The G/D ratio was 0.92±0.07, and the 95% reference range was 0.78-1.06. The L/D ratio was 0.84±0.08, and the 95% reference range was 0.68-1.00. Gender (g) was included in the regression analysis, and the regression equations G =1.890+0.536*D and L =1.129+0.620*D were obtained. Age was not related to the distances G and L. CONCLUSIONS The basic data of G, D, and L was measured, and the relationship between these anatomical landmarks was analyzed.
Exploring the internationalization of Malaysian contractors: the international entrepreneurship dimension

The internationalization of construction companies is a subject of enduring interest among construction management scholars. The internationalization pattern of Malaysian contractors was explored, this time mainly using the international entrepreneurship body of literature as the theoretical basis. In doing so, the focus of the internationalization process was on the entrepreneurs or top management. Data were collected with a postal questionnaire survey and follow‐up semi‐structured interviews. The findings underscore the importance of the entrepreneurs’ decision in the surveyed firms’ internationalization trajectory. Top management’s perception of how their companies might benefit from internationalization was the highest ranked foreign market entry consideration. Top managements’ initial and subsequent motivation also fashioned their companies’ degree of internationalization and tactics for securing contracts. The characteristics of the entrepreneurs which drove their companies to internationalize were also captured. The international entrepreneurship domain continues to expand into previously uncharted areas. As such there is potential to uncover even more interesting findings from future research endeavours on international contractors using the international entrepreneurship approach.
Relationship between corporate governance and firm performance: Metadata analysis for M&A participating firms

This paper is an attempt to overview the academic literature on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market and further focuses on the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and firm performance in M&A participating firms by systematizing the existing knowledge and further deriving specific implications for the future work scope. M&A market experiences trillions of USD dollar deals on yearly basis. Therefore, M&A becomes the highly studied area by the researchers for analysis of different combinations between CG, firm performance, takeovers, mergers, acquisitions, etc. In this paper, the research has been carried out as a structural assessment of the past fourteen years of research on different CG variables and firm performance. Further, it has been observed that the majority of research has been conducted to identify the impact of specific bid characteristics of CG on firm performance however; there is a dearth of study to analyze the relation between CG and firm performance for the firms actively participating in M&A market as an acquirer or as a target. In lieu of this, the paper has extracted the prospective area of the study and provided a path towards future research. This review will be useful for academicians and researchers working in the area of CG and M&A, and firm performance
Design Thinking: Exploring Values and Effects from an Innovation Capability Perspective

ABSTRACT The concept of Design Thinking (DT) is becoming widespread and is seen as improving firm innovativeness. However, studies of the potential value of DT are scarce in the areas of both design and innovation research. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding through investigating how companies that use DT in practice perceive the value it creates in their organizations. The paper builds on an interview study of large organizations in Germany and the US. We find that although some firms identified outcome-related values (such as new ideas, better products), many also underlined other benefits, more related to longer-term effects on competences, innovation processes and the mindset of company employees. We argue that for a company with a strategic intent to be more innovative, DT can be exploited in the development of long-term innovation capability through its contribution to the dimensions of resources, processes and mindset. We also propose the framework of innovation capability to discuss the values and effects of using DT.
Clinical Outcome and 8-Year Follow-Up of Alveolar Bone Tissue Engineering for Severely Atrophic Alveolar Bone Using Autologous Bone Marrow Stromal Cells with Platelet-Rich Plasma and β-Tricalcium Phosphate Granules

Background: Although bone tissue engineering for dentistry has been studied for many years, the clinical outcome for severe cases has not been established. Furthermore, there are limited numbers of studies that include long-term follow-up. In this study, the safety and efficacy of bone tissue engineering for patients with a severely atrophic alveolar bone were examined using autogenous bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), and the long-term stability was also evaluated. Methods: BMSCs from iliac bone marrow aspirate were cultured and expanded. Then, induced osteogenic cells were transplanted with autogenous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and β-tricalcium phosphate granules (β-TCP) for maxillary sinus floor and alveolar ridge augmentation. Eight patients (two males and six females) with an average age of 54.2 years underwent cell transplantation. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events. Radiographic evaluation and bone biopsies were performed to evaluate the regenerated bone. Results: The major population of transplanted BMSCs belonged to the fraction of CD34−, CD45dim, and CD73+ cells, which was only 0.065% of the total bone marrow cells. Significant deviations were observed in cell growth and alkaline phosphatase activities among individuals. However, bone regeneration was observed in all patients and the average bone area in the biopsy samples was 41.9% 6 months following transplantation, although there were also significant deviations among each case. No adverse events related to the transplants were observed. In the regenerated bone, 27 out of 29 dental implants were integrated. Dental implants and regenerated bone were stable for an average follow-up period of 7 years and 10 months. Conclusions: Although individual variations were observed, the results showed that bone tissue engineering using BMSCs with PRP and β-TCP was feasible for patients with severe atrophic maxilla throughout a long-term follow-up period and was considered safe. However, further studies with a larger number of cases and controls to confirm the efficacy of BMSCs and the development of a protocol to establish a reproducible quality of stem cell-based graft material will be required.
Behavior of Steel Beam to Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Column Connections after Exposure to Fire

A nonlinear finite-element analysis (FEA) model was developed in this paper based on the elastoplastic finite-element theory to analyze the load versus deformation relation of steel beam to concrete-filled steel tubular column connections. Six tests on steel beam to concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) column connections using external ring after exposure to the ISO-834 standard fire were used to verify the theoretical model. The test parameters included the column cross-sectional type, the fire duration time, the level of axial load in the column, and the beam-column strength ratio. Each test specimen consisted of a CFST column and two steel beam segments in cruciform arrangement to represent an interior joint in a building. Three of the six composite connection specimens had circular cross sections and three had square cross sections. Five of the test specimens were simultaneously exposed to the standard ISO-834 fire condition. After they had cooled down to room temperature, each was tested under a cons.
What Do the Soldiers Say?

Doctrinally, the U.S. Army determines the readiness of company-sized and battalionsized units by assessing them in four areas: personnel, equipment on hand, equipment serviceability, and training to meet mission-essential tasks. Surprisingly, these assessments do not include factors identified in surveys, personal interviews, and observational accounts of soldiers regarding what prepares them for combat and contributes to their combat effectiveness. Among the more prominent of these factors are the quality of small (primary) group relationships and the competencies of unit leaders. The present study considers these factors in addition to doctrinal readiness assessments. Soldier perceptions combined with doctrinal assessments (1) more readily differentiated the readiness of units; (2) were associated with independently derived soldier perceptions of fellow soldiers, leaders, and equipment being prepared for combat operations; and (3) implied interventions to improve specific unit activities.
Epidemiological, Clinical, Laboratorial and CT Imaging Features of Hospitalized Patients with Initially Negative Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in China

Purpose The main objective of this study was to decipher the general epidemiology, clinical characteristic, laboratory finding and chest computed tomography (CT) imaging features of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients whose initial detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)is negative. Methods Nearly 100 confirmed cases admitted to The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 18th January to 26th February, 2020, were screened. Clinical records, laboratory results and CT images were reviewed for nine COVID-19 patients with initially negative RT-PCR detection. Results Fever and cough were common, and one patient merely present gastrointestinal symptoms. Increasing CRP and decreasing ALB were showed in nearly half of the patients among negative detection and return to normal level after real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results converted from positive to negative. Left lower lobe was affected nearly in all the patients. A patient received oxygen support timely according his high Mulbsta score. Conclusion Our study elucidated on the clinical features of hospitalized patients with initially negative detection of SARS-CoV nucleic acid. Patient merely with symptoms associated with digestive system should be screened for COVID-19. CT scan and repeated RT-PCR are two powerful diagnostic tools. Mulbsta score assessing in the early stage enhances the confidence of severity evaluation in physician.