Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Utilitarian Relevance of the Aggregation Theorem

Harsanyi invested his Aggregation Theorem and Impartial Observer Theorem with utilitarian sense, but Sen described them as "representation theorems" with little ethical import. This critical view has never been subjected to full analytical scrutinity. The formal argument we provide here supports the utilitarian relevance of the Aggregation Theorem. Following a hint made by Sen himself, we posit an exogeneous utilitarian ordering that evaluates riskless options by the sum of individual utilities and we show that any social observer who obeys the conditions of the Aggregation Theorem evaluates social states in terms of a weighted variant of this utilitarian sum.
Enamel (glassy) coatings for steel protection against high temperature corrosion

ABSTRACT Vitreous ceramic-like enamel coatings can be applied onto low-alloy and carbon steel components of various configurations, including tubulars, by different cost-effective technological methods achieving thicknesses up to 300 µm. Corrosion resistance of the enamel coatings in acidic environments, boiling brines and high temperature – high pressure (HT-HP) steam with a presence of CO2-H2S containing gases simulating some processes in refinery, oil & gas and geothermal production was tested and evaluated. Specifically, the testing in simulating HT-HP downhole production conditions was conducted for the enamel coatings for the first time. Microstructural examination and analysis of the obtained enamel glassy coatings revealed their insignificant compositional and structural degradation. A high level of steel protection by enamelling in considered environments demonstrated these coatings’ potential for different corrosion-related industrial processes.
The quantum advantage to charging electron spin qubit batteries

Quantum thermodynamics takes over from classical thermodynamics when systems are of the scale of single particles and quantum fluctuations have a noticeable effect. An interesting topic of research of this relatively new field is the quantum battery, which in this thesis consists of an array of N identical electron spin qubits. In an article by Binder et al. [4], it is proven that in theory, an N-times decrease in charging time of the battery is achieved when global operations on qubits are permitted. This thesis investigates if a similar advantage can be achieved by using a local qubitqubit interaction operator on a one-dimensional chain of exchange-coupled electron spin qubits that are driven by microwave radiation in the presence of decoherence. This system is described by a density matrix in order to include the presence of external influences. The time-evolution of the state of the system is calculated by solving the Von-Neumann equation both analytically and numerically, which is then used to calculate the extractable work. It is shown that exchange interaction does not have a direct effect on the extractable work, since it creates entanglement between two states of the same energy level and the operator commutes with the Hamiltonian of the system. The effect of the CNOT gate on the state of the system is then investigated. While it does have an effect on the extractable work, it did not achieve a decrease in charging time. These results are only relevant for the specific system used in this thesis. For other methods and systems, exchange interaction could lead to faster charging.
Analysis of Plasmonic Sensors Performance Realized by Exploiting Different UV-Cured Optical Adhesives Combined with Plastic Optical Fibers

Polymer-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors can be used to realize simple, small-size, disposable, and low-cost biosensors for application in several fields, e.g., healthcare. The performance of SPR sensors based on optical waveguides can be changed by tuning several parameters, such as the dimensions and the shape of the waveguides, the refractive index of the core, and the metal nanofilms used to excite the SPR phenomenon. In this work, in order to develop, experimentally test, and compare several polymer-based plasmonic sensors, realized by using waveguides with different core refractive indices, optical adhesives and 3D printed blocks with a trench inside have been used. In particular, the sensors are realized by filling the blocks’ trenches (with two plastic optical fibers located at the end of these) with different UV-cured optical adhesives and then covering them with the same bilayer to excite the SPR phenomenon. The developed SPR sensors have been characterized by numerical and experimental results. Finally, in order to propose photonic solutions for healthcare, a comparative analysis has been reported to choose the best sensor configuration useful for developing low-cost biosensors.
Influence of planting geometries on tuber yield and profitability of seed potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) in north-western plains of India

The present field experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) seasons of 2018–19 and 2019–20 at ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Regional Station Jalandhar, Punjab to find out the suitable planting geometry and dehaulming date for enhancing the seed potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield and profitability under north-western plains of India. According to the study planting geometry and dehaulming date strongly influenced the seed size tuber yield and quality. Among the different planting geometries, paired row bed planting significantly increased the yield and number of seed size tubers when dehaulming was done after 80–90 days. Maximum gross income, net returns and benefit:cost ratio was also observed under paired row bed planting over the conventional planting geometry. Paired row bed planting increased the tuber yield by 21.7% and benefit:cost ratio by 18.6% over the control. Hence, it is concluded from the experiment that paired row bed planting is found suitable for maximizing the seed size tuber numbers, yield as well as getting the maximum economic returns.
Gradient-based optimization of flow through porous media : Version 3

These notes form part of the course material for the MSc course AES1490 "Advanced Reservoir Simulation" which has been taught at TU Delft over the past decade as part of the track "Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences" in the two-year MSc program "Applied Earth Sciences". The notes cover the gradient-based optimization of subsurface flow. In particular they treat optimization methods in which the gradient information is obtained with the aid of the adjoint method, which is, in essence, an efficient numerical implementation of implicit differentiation in a multivariate setting. Chapter 1 reviews the basic concepts of multivariate optimization and demonsrates the equivalence of the Lagrange multiplier method for constrained optimization and the use of implicit differentiation to obtain gradients in the presence of constraints. Chapter 2 introduces the use of Lagrange multipliers and implicit differentiation for the optimization of large-scale numerical systems with the adjoint method. In particular it addresses the optimization of oil recovery from subsurface reservoirs represented as reservoir simulation models, i.e. space- and time-discretized numerical representations of the nonlinear partial differential equations that govern multi-phase flow through porous media. It also covers the use of robust adjoint-based optimization to cope with the inherent uncertainty in subsurface flow models and addresses some numerical implementation aspects. Chapter 3 gives a brief overview of various further topics related to gradient-based optimization of subsurface flow, such as closed-loop reservoir management and hierarchical optimization of short-term and long term reservoir performance.
Firm’s Climate Change Risk and Firm Value: An Empirical Analysis of the Energy Industry

We explore the impact on firm value by numerous factors in the energy industry using panel data from 2010 to 2020. The analysis employs different econometric methods, including fixed-effects, random-effects, two-stage least squares, and generalized method of moments. Our main variables of interest are firm value, firm-level climate change risk, fixed assets, leverage, dividend yield, market capitalization, and assets tangibility. The result suggests that investors are valuing energy firms less due to their exposure to climate change risk. We found that climate change risk, fixed assets, firm leverage, and assets tangibility are negatively related while market capitalization and dividend yield are positively related to firm value. These findings have important implications for energy firms, policymakers, and investors. Energy firms need to consider climate change risk in their investment decisions to maintain their market value, and policymakers should encourage firms to disclose their climate change risk to improve market efficiency. Finally, investors need to incorporate climate change risk in their investment strategies to mitigate potential financial losses.
EFFECTS OF COLLECTIVE ACTION ON PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN-ONED MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IN SELECTED COUNTIES IN KENYA

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are imperative in boosting manufacturing in Kenya. Stakeholders including the government have advanced initiatives to promote MSMEs by providing affordable loans and developing policies to help them thrive. Despite these efforts, there is sluggishness in the way manufacturing enterprises owned by women perform. Collective action could be employed to reverse this situation considering that most women are good at networking. This study’s objective is to determine the effect of collective action on the performance of women-owned manufacturing enterprises. The study uses the primary data collected by interviewing 55 women who owned enterprises. The women were selected through a simple random sampling technique and a structured questionnaire administered. This data was complemented by published data from government policy documents. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses were done to establish the degree to which collective action influenced how women-owned manufacturing enterprises performed in Kenya. Spearman’s Rank correlation analysis established that collective action was strongly and positively correlated with the performance of women-owned manufacturing enterprises. This was further investigated through regression analysis and it was found that collective action positively affected those enterprises' performance. The study recommends that women who own enterprises in the manufacturing sector should embrace networking through belonging to a group(s) or business organization(s) in order to improve the performance of their enterprises.JEL: L25; J16; D70 Article visualizations:
In vivo prostate cancer research: Key interspecies prostate anatomical features for translation medicine

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a prevalent malignancy affecting men worldwide. Animal models play a crucial role in studying PCa pathology and discovering novel approaches to prevent, detect and treat this disease. However, the challenge of translational medicine is the limited reproducibility and inadequate recapitulation of human conditions in animal models. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the macroscopic and microscopic anatomy of the prostate gland among distinct animal species is essential for better translating research findings to clinical practice. This review aims to compare and describe the macroscopic and microscopic anatomy of the prostate gland in humans, rats, and dogs, emphasizing the relevant features. Despite the anatomical differences between these species, rats are a valuable model to study human prostate diseases, once they share some features implicated in carcinogenesis in humans. Dogs, on the other hand, are considered the best model for studying PCa due to the development of spontaneous cancer with a higher incidence when compared with other animals and the development of bone metastases. Moreover, the lymphatic system and the sentinel lymph node role and mapping are similar in dogs and humans. However, it is important to recognize that no animal model can directly mimic all aspects of PCa as the human prostate is anatomically different from that of rats and dogs. Therefore, it is essential to analyze and understand the intra- and interspecies variability when translating research findings into clinical practice. This review highlights the importance of a thorough understanding of the anatomical differences between the prostate gland in humans, rats, and dogs when selecting the appropriate animal model for studying PCa.
Clocks in Feynman's computer and Kitaev's local Hamiltonian: Bias, gaps, idling, and pulse tuning

We present a collection of results about the clock in Feynman's computer construction and Kitaev's Local Hamiltonian problem. First, by analyzing the spectra of quantum walks on a line with varying endpoint terms, we find a better lower bound on the gap of the Feynman Hamiltonian, which translates into a less strict promise gap requirement for the QMA-complete Local Hamiltonian problem. We also translate this result into the language of adiabatic quantum computation. Second, introducing an idling clock construction with a large state space but fast Cesaro mixing, we provide a way for achieving an arbitrarily high success probability of computation with Feynman's computer with only a logarithmic increase in the number of clock qubits. Finally, we tune and thus improve the costs (locality, gap scaling) of implementing a (pulse) clock with a single excitation.
Effect of Neem Oil Coated and Common Urea with Different Nitrogen Levels on Rice Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in Kaski, Nepal

Rice is the most important staple food crop and plays a vital role in ensuring national food security in Nepal. Rice yield is largely determined by nitrogen management strategy and improving the effectiveness of nitrogenous fertilizer for grain production has long been a challenge. A field experiment was conducted in the sandy loam soil of Lumle, Kaski, Nepal in 2019 and 2020 to assess the effect of neem oil-coated urea (NCU) and common urea (CU) with varying levels of nitrogen (N) on rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The experiment with 7 treatments comprising the combinations of two types of nitrogen source (CU and NCU), three N levels (50, 100, and 150 kg/ha) and one control treatment without N, were allocated in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Increased nitrogen rates up to 100 kg/ha supplied through NCU significantly improved grain yield, yield components, and nitrogen use efficiency of rice. Application of NCU reduced nitrogen fertilizer use by up to 33 % while producing maximum yield and significantly increased agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (ANUE) and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP) compared with CU. This suggests that the use of NCU with an optimum rate can be a viable option for appropriate N management in rice production.
THE IMPACT OF CORPORATE INCOME TAX ON FDI INFLOW IN EMERGING EU ECONOMIES

After global financial crisis, intensive tax policies adjustments were applied in emerging European Union (EU) economies, for the sake of tax competitiveness. In order to ensure that aim, emerging EU economies most often choose the policy of tax reduction and particularly lowering corporate income tax rate. This paper deals with the impact of corporate income taxes on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in selected emerging EU economies (Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia) between two crises (global financial and pandemic), namely, over the period 2010-2019. Using classical panel data models (Fixed Effects and Random Effects model), the research shows that it is expected that corporate income taxes reduction provides FDI inflow. Observing the relationship between other factors (corruption index, competitiveness index and short-term interest rate) and FDI inflows, positive relations are confirmed. Panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) estimator, implemented as robustness check, confirmed the results and conclusions based on FE model. However, negative relationship between corporate income taxes and FDI in the case of PCSE model is only verified in case of Hungary and Latvia, indicating tax competitiveness existence.
Description and reconstruction of microscopic random heterogenous media in order to estimate macroscopic hydraulic functions

This thesis is a contribution to studies in the field of single and two phase flow processes in porous media. It is to be regarded in the context of an upscaling of physical properties: the simulations were performed on a microscopic scale and were compared to measurements on a larger, a so-called continuum scale. The investigated material was a sintered boron silicate glass. Based on the measured pore geometry (with x-ray tomography), a lattice-Boltzmann Navier-Stokes equation solver was used to calculate the velocity field and the hydraulic conductivity. Additionally, the pressure-saturation relation of a primary drainage process was derived from a pore-morphology-based model. For both hydraulic properties, a REV could be defined and the effective values were compared to measured results. The agreement between the simulation and the measurement is not entirely satisfying and the deviations were thoroughly discussed. Surface properties which were not taken into account could be regarded as a major source of error. Further studies required the reconstruction of the measured pore geometry. Different reconstruction algorithms were therefore applied. Similar structures were generated by using a Boolean model and a simulated annealing algorithm using both the Minkowski functionals and the interception length density distribution. The similarity refers to comparable simulated hydraulic properties.
Computational Analysis and Simulation of the Non-Linear Arterial Wall Dynamics with Application to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

BASCIANO, CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY. Computational Analysis and Simulation of the Non-Linear Arterial Wall Dynamics with Application to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. (Under the direction of Clement Kleinstreuer.) The arterial wall is a complex fiber-reinforced composite structure. Its bio-mechanical response is a function of anisotropic material properties, nonlinear behavior, local stimuli, and the related time-dependent decay or remodeling. The purpose of this study is to identify the complexities of the arterial wall and investigate the necessary techniques that will adequately model the wall’s mechanical response. Specific detail will be given to the pathological case of abdominal aortic aneurysms. After a detailed review of the nonlinear theory needed to adequately model the arterial wall, new models for the healthy abdominal aorta and abdominal aortic aneurysm that achieve a new degree of biomechanical realism will be developed and critically compared to the current “state-of-the-art” models. A comparative study of the two prominent abdominal aortic aneurysm models is then conducted via a finite element analysis. The new models of the healthy and aneurysmatic abdominal aortic wall report physiologically realistic loading of the healthy and aneurysmatic arterial wall’s microstructure. Additionally, the macroscopic stress and strain of both models adequately matches experimental data and previous phenomenological models. The comparative study revealed a stark contrast in each model’s stress distribution and radial deformation. Therefore, the work completed within this study provides valuable information to accurately model the abdominal aortic aneurysm wall. Potential applications include enhanced analyses of abdominal aortic aneurysm tissue that have increased clinical applicability and the optimization of endovascular treatment through more realistic computational simulations. COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS AND SIMULATION OF THE NON-LINEAR ARTERIAL WALL DYNAMICS WITH APPLICATION TO ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSMS by CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY BASCIANO A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Science MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Relationship between Inter-Eye Asymmetries in Corneal Hysteresis and Visual Field Severity in Patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

This study investigated the influence of asymmetric corneal hysteresis (CH) on asymmetric visual field impairment between right and left eyes in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) without a history of intraocular surgery. CH, corneal resistance factor (CRF), and corneal compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc) were measured using the Ocular Response Analyzer. Differences between the eyes (right eye–left eye: DIFRL) and CH-based and in target parameters (higher CH eye–lower CH eye: DIFCH) were calculated in the same patient. In 242 phakic eyes of 121 patients, older age (p < 0.001), lower CH (p = 0.001), and lower CRF (p = 0.007) were significantly associated with worse standard automated perimetry (SAP) 24-2 mean deviation (MD). The DIFsRL in axial length (p = 0.003), IOPcc (p = 0.028), and CH (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the DIFRL in SAP24-2 MD, but not in central corneal thickness (CCT), Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) measurement, and CRF. When dividing the patients into two groups based on the median of the CH DIFsCH (0.46), the DIFsCH in CRF (p < 0.001), IOPcc (p < 0.001), CCT (p = 0.004), SAP24-2 MD (p < 0.001), and SAP10-2 MD (p = 0.010) were significantly different between the groups. Large inter-eye asymmetry in CH is an important explanatory factor for disease worsening in patients with POAG.
Phosphates Transfer in Pristine and Modified CJMA-2 Membrane during Electrodialysis Processing of NaxH(3−x)PO4 Solutions with pH from 4.5 to 9.9

Phosphate recovery from different second streams using electrodialysis (ED) is a promising step to a nutrients circular economy. However, the relatively low ED performance hinders the widespread adoption of this environmentally sound method. The formation of “bonded species” between phosphates and the weakly basic fixed groups (primary and secondary amines) of the anion exchange membrane can be the cause of decrease in current efficiency and increase in energy consumption. ED processing of NaxH(3−x)PO4 alkaline solutions and the use of intense current modes promote the formation of a bipolar junction from negatively charged bound species and positively charged fixed groups. This phenomenon causes a change in the shape of current–voltage curves, increase in resistance, and an enhancement in proton generation during long-term operation of anion-exchange membrane with weakly basic fixed groups. Shielding of primary and secondary amines with a modifier containing quaternary ammonium bases significantly improves ED performance in the recovery of phosphates from NaxH(3−x)PO4 solution with pH 4.5. Indeed, in the limiting and underlimiting current modes, 40% of phosphates are recovered 1.3 times faster, and energy consumption is reduced by 1.9 times in the case of the modified membrane compared to the pristine one. Studies were performed using a new commercial anion exchange membrane CJMA-2.