Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aggregation behavior and reactivity of N-alkyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(2,3-epoxy propyl) ammonium chloride

Abstract A series of epoxy-functionalized quaternary ammonium surfactants consisting of different alkyl chains (C10–C18) were synthesized. Their aggregation behaviors in aqueous solution, as well as antibacterial activity and reactivity were investigated. The cmc, γcmc, πcmc, pc20 and cmc/c20 suggested that the presence of epoxy group increased the surface activity of ADEAC. This is ascribed to the hydrogen bonding effect between the adjacent hydrophilic groups. The surface activity increased with the increase of hydrocarbon chain length. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the micellization process was entropy-driven at high temperature, and enthalpy-driven at low temperature. The activation energy of conductance and micelle aggregation number were also calculated. The antibacterial activity of ADEAC against Gram-negative bacteria was stronger than that for Gram-positive ones, and N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(1,2-epoxy propyl) ammonium chloride showed the most effective antibacterial activity. The synthesis of N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-N-(1,2-epoxy propyl) ammonium chloride (HDEAC) modified chitosan demonstrated the reactivity of HDEAC. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Trade Networks and Natural Disasters: Diversion, Not Destruction

We study how international trade networks react to natural disasters. We combine exhaustive firm-to-firm trade credit and disaster data and use a dynamic differences-indifferences identification strategy. We establish the causal effect of natural disasters abroad on the size, shape and quality of the French exporters’ international trade networks. We find strong and permanent negative effects on French suppliers’ exports and trade credit sales to affected destinations. This effect operates exclusively through a reduction in the number of buyers, particularly among those with good credit ratings. This induces a negative shift in the distribution of the quality of firms in the destination affected by the natural disaster. On the supplier side, we find that large multinationals divert trade toward unaffected destinations, leaving their overall export level to be mostly unaffected. Trade diversion is higher for large multinationals trading more homogeneous products.
Platypus: A Central Bank Digital Currency with Unlinkable Transactions and Privacy-Preserving Regulation

Due to the popularity of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies, the increasing digitalization of payments, and the constantly reducing role of cash in society, central banks have shown an increased interest in deploying central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) that could serve as a digital cash-equivalent. While most recent research on CBDCs focuses on blockchain technology, it is not clear that this choice of technology provides the optimal solution. In particular, the centralized trust model of a CBDC offers opportunities for different designs. In this paper, we depart from blockchain designs and instead build on ideas from traditional e-cash schemes. We propose a new style of building digital currencies that combines the transaction processing model of e-cash with an account-based fund management model. We argue that such a style of building digital currencies is especially well-suited to CBDCs. We also design the first such digital currency system, called Platypus, that provides strong privacy, high scalability, and expressive but simple regulation, which are all critical features for a CBDC. Platypus achieves these properties by adapting techniques similar to those used in anonymous blockchain cryptocurrencies like Zcash to fit our account model and applying them to the e-cash context.
Effects of Teacher and Peer Mediation on Students’ Self-Efficacy Belief About Their Extensive Reading Practice: In Case of Asossa Preparatory School

This study investigated the EFL students’ self-efficacy belief about extensive reading through mediated teaching reading mode. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. Two intact grade 11 classes were purposively selected and randomly assigned into experimental (N=30) and control (N=30) group. Five capable peers were selected from the experimental group along with their EFL teacher to serve as mediators while this was not done in the control group. Pre-intervention questionnaire and pre-test were administered to both groups to see if they had the same self-efficacy belief about extensive reading and the ability in reading. The groups were also given a post-intervention questionnaire and post reading test to determine the extent students become positive self-efficacious and their reading skill was improved. SPSS 20 was used to analyze the collected data. From independent sample test, pre-intervention questionnaire and pre-test results indicated that both group students held similar perceived self-efficacy belief about extensive reading and had similar ability in reading skills. Whereas the paired sample t-test proved that there was a significant mean score difference within the experimental group students, but there was no within the control group. The study concluded that the intervention positively changed the students’ self-efficacy belief about extensive and improved their reading skill. It was recommended that EFL teacher need to play effective role in mediating students to raise their self-efficacy belief through extensive reading. Similarly, using more capable peers was an important measure in supporting peer learners. Independent samples t-test was conducted to evaluate the existing EFL teachers’ practice of using extensive reading (PER) strategy during teaching. In the same vein, this test was run to see the self-efficacy belief the two group students held (SSEB) about extensive reading prior to the intervention.
Synthesis of 1,5-diphenylcarbazide-immobilized alginate/pectin films for colorimetric detection of Cr(VI)

An optical sensor for colorimetric detection of Cr(VI) has been synthesized by immobilizing 1,5-diphenylcarbazide (DPC) into alginate/pectin films. The addition of cationic surfactant (CTAB) was used to increase the effectiveness of DPC immobilization by forming hydrophobic-ion pairs. At optimum condition, the films has good selectivity for Cr(VI) compare to other interference metals. The formation of violet color in the films showed its potential application for visual colorimetric detection of Cr(VI). The developed films in this study was found to be simple, rapid and sensitive sensor for direct determination of Cr(VI) with detection limit as low as 0.233 mg L–1 and time response was 8 minutes.
A survey on mean glandular dose from full-field digital mammography systems, operate using Mo/Mo and W/Rh target/filter combinations

We had conducted a survey on Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) from Full-Field Digital Mammography systems (FFDM) operate using Molybdenum/Molybdenum (Mo/Mo) and Tungsten/Rhodium (W/Rh) target/filter combinations. A survey was carried out at two randomly selected mammography centres in Malaysia, namely National Cancer Society and International Islamic University of Malaysia. The first centre operates using a W/Rh, while the second centre operates using an Mo/Mo target/filter combinations. On the basis of recorded information, data on mammographic views, MGD, age and Compressed Breast Thickness (CBT) were recorded for 100 patients, for each mammographic centre respectively. The MGD data were analyzed for variation with age group, with 5 years increment. The MGD data were also analyzed for variation with CBT, with 5 mm increment. We found that for both CC and MLO views, FFDM systems operated using Mo/Mo and W/Rh target/filter combinations present the same trend on MGD. The average MGD decreases as age increases. While average MGD increases with the increasing of CBT. However, FFDM system operates using Mo/Mo gives higher MGD as compared with FFDM system operates using W/Rh
Final Safety Analysis Report. SNAP III Thermoelectric Generator

The SNAP-III thermoelectric generator procedures power from the decay heat of 2100 curies of Po/sup 210/. This generator is to be used as a source of auxiliary power in a terrestrial satellite. For purposes of analysis, the satellite system postulated is launched from the Pacific Missile Bange into a 275- statute mile polar orbit with an orbital lifetime of about 1 year. Po/sup 210/ is an alpha emitter having a half life of 138 days and alpha and gamma decay energies of 5.3 and 0.8 mev, respectively. It is a natural component of the earth's crust, as a member of the uranium disintegration series. Sampling of polonium in the biosphere was conducted specifically for this program to determine background radiation levels. Since the fuel is primarily an alpha emitter, there is no direct radiation problem. An analysis was performed to determine the ability of the fuel container to withstand the various thermal, mechanical, and chemical forces imposed upon the generator by vehicle failures. Where theoretical analysis was impossible and experimental evidence was desired, capsules and generators were tested under simulated missile-failure conditions, Thus, the safety limits of SNAP-III in a satellite application were defined. SNAP-III is designed to be aerothermodynamicallymore » consumed on reentry into the earth's atmosphere so that the polonium will be dispersed as aerosols in the upper stratosphere. Since heating rates will be lower for aborts occurring prior to orbiting, 65 abort cases have been considered to define the general consequences of vehicle failures. The spatial and temporal relations of vehicle aborts are summarized in cartographic and tabular form. (auth)« less
Can Gender Ideologies Account for Regional Variation of the Gender Pay Gap in Germany?

Research often invokes gender disparities in wage-determining characteristics to explain gender pay gaps. However, the to extent to which these gender disparities and gender pay gaps vary across contexts has received less attention. Therefore, I analyze how regional gender ideologies predict gender pay gaps in two ways: As directly affecting gender pay gaps and as indirectly predicting gender pay gaps through intermediate gender disparities in wage-determinants. The analyses are based on German survey data (SOEP 2014-2018) supplemented with regional-level statistics. First, I leverage regional differences in predictors of gender ideologies to estimate region-specific gender ideologies. Mapping these gender ideologies across Germany reveals substantial regional variation, which exceeds the known difference between East and Western Germany. Second, multi-level models provide region-specific gender disparities in wage-determinants and gender pay gaps. They show that in regions where traditional gender ideologies are wide-spread, women have less labor market experience and are less likely to work full-time or in supervising positions. Traditional gender ideologies thereby indirectly contribute to a higher gender pay gap by inducing gender disparities in labor market outcomes.Even after accounting for such disparities in wage-determinants, a considerable gender pay gap persists in regions with relatively more traditional gender ideologies. This points to a direct effect of gender ideologies on adjusted gender pay gaps which might base on gender ideologies inducing women’s pay discrimination or gender-divergent wage expectations and negotiations.
Appraisal of Ferry Terminals Design Compliance to Guidelines for Universal Accessibility in Lagos State Nigeria

Accessibility of public buildings has been an issue of global interest and importance in the society in recent times. It has been promoted by the need to ensure universal equality and end discrimination of persons either based on size, ability and mobility disorder. Given the important role of water transportation in aiding mobility, movement of goods and services in coastal cities such as Lagos, this study reviewed the compliance of design, construction and operation of Ferry Terminals towards accessibility of users. The research adopts the case study approach and interviews in appraising the three existing Ferry Terminals in Lagos State, Nigeria for accessibility compliance. The case study involved observation and evaluation of the facilities, and the interviews focused on 18 of the ‘facilities operators and passengers’ about their experiences of associated facilities. Findings from the study revealed poor compliance to accessibility in both the external and internal environments. As such, there is a high degree of limitation in use of the facilities for all facets of water travel; from building approach; waiting, boarding and disembarking areas. Existing facilities have inadequate accessibility and are below standards to ensure use by all and without discrimination or segregation of users. It is therefore imperative for Ferry terminal buildings and amenities to be accessible in effectively enabling all users achieve true mobility in barrier-free environments that foster user-comfort through the adoption and application of universal design principles.
Wind-tunnel results for a modified 17-percent-thick low-speed airfoil section

Wind-tunnel tests were conducted in the Langley low-turbulence pressure tunnel to evaluate the effects on performance of modifying a 17-percent-thick low-speed airfoil. The airfoil contour was altered to reduce the pitching-moment coefficient by increasing the forward loading and to increase the climb lift-drag ratio by decreasing the aft upper surface pressure gradient. The tests were conducted over a Mach number range from 0.07 to 0.32, a chord Reynolds number range 1.0 x 10 to the 6th power to 12.0 x 10 to the 6th power, and an angle-of-attack range from about -10 deg to 20 deg.
Oral Sugar Clearance in Patients with Various Types of Prosthodontic Reconstructions - An In Vivo Study

Oral Sugar Clearance in Patients with Various Types of Prosthodontic Reconstructions – An In Vivo Study Keerthna.M, Dhanraj.M 1Post-graduate student, Department of Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha University, SIMATS, Chennai, India. 2Head of Department, Department of Prosthodontics and Implant dentistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha University, SIMATS Chennai, India.
Implementing Lean and Agile Software Development in Industry

Background: The software market is becoming more dynamic which can be seen in frequently changing customer needs. Hence, software companies need to be able to quickly respond to these changes. For software companies this means that they have to become agile with the objective of developing features with very short lead-time and of high quality. A consequence of this challenge is the appearance of agile and lean software development. Practices and principles of agile software development aim at increasing flexibility with regard to changing requirements. Lean software development aims at systematically identifying waste to focus all resources on value adding activities. Objective: The objective of the thesis is to evaluate the usefulness of agile practices in a large-scale industrial setting. In particular, with regard to agile the goal is to understand the effect of migrating from a plan-driven to an agile development approach. A positive effect would underline the usefulness of agile practices. With regard to lean software development the goal is to propose novel solutions inspired by lean manufacturing and product development, and to evaluate their usefulness in further improving agile development. Method: The primary research method used throughout the thesis is case study. As secondary methods for data collection a variety of approaches have been used, such as semi-structured interviews, workshops, study of process documentation, and use of quantitative data. Results: The agile situation was investigated through a series of case studies. The baseline situation (plan-driven development) was evaluated and the effect of the introduction of agile practices was captured, followed by an in-depth analysis of the new situation. Finally, a novel approach, Software Process Improvement through the Lean Measurement (SPI-LEAM) method, was introduced providing a comprehensive measurement approach supporting the company to manage their work in process and capacity. SPI-LEAM focuses on the overall process integrating different dimensions (requirements, maintenance, testing, etc.). When undesired behavior is observed a drill-down analysis for the individual dimensions should be possible. Therefore, we provided solutions for the main product development flow and for software maintenance. The lean solutions were evaluated through case studies.
Molecular dynamics simulation of drug resistance in HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase

The emergence of drug resistant strains of HIV represents a major challenge in the treatment of patients who contract the virus. We investigate the use of classical molecular dynamics to give quantitative and qualitative molecular insight into the causes of resistance in the two main drug targets in HIV, protease and reverse transcriptase. We initially establish a simulation and free energy analysis protocol for the study of resistance in protease. Focusing on the binding of the inhibitor lopinavir to a series of six mutants with increasing resistance we demonstrate that ensemble simulations exhibit significantly enhanced thermodynamic sampling over single long simulations. We achieve accurate and converged relative binding free energies, reproducible to within 0.5 kcal mol^-1. The experimentally derived ranking of the systems is reproduced with a correlation coefficient of 0.89 and a mean relative deviation from experiment of 0.9 kcal mol^-1. Our protocol is then applied to investigate a patient derived viral sequence for which contradictory resistance assessments for lopinavir were obtained from existing clinical decision support systems (CDSS). Mutations at only three locations (L10I, A71I/V and L90M) in uenced the ranking. Free energies were computed for HXB2 wildtype sequences incorporating each mutation individually and all possible combinations, along with the full patient sequence. Only in the case of the patient sequence was any resistance observed. This observation suggests an explanation for the discordance found using the CDSS. The effects on drug binding of the mutations at positions 10, 71 and 90 appear to be highly dependent on the background mutations present in the remainder of the sequence. In preparation for the extension of our simulation and free energy protocol to reverse transcriptase the impact of binding both natural DNA substrates and two non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) class drugs on the dynamics of reverse transcriptase are investigated. Free energies of both inhibitors (efavirenz and neviripine) are determined which are seen to be independent of the subdomain motions of the protein observed during simulation. Preliminary calculations of the free energies for a set of NNRTI resistant mutants bound to efavirenz are also presented.
RESILIENT RESPONSE OF RAILWAY BALLAST

The resilient responses of five typical open-graded aggregate materials (dolomitic limestone, blast-furnace slag, granitic gneiss, basalt, and gravel) that are used for railway ballast were measured in a triaxial cell. Three levels of compaction and seven stress levels were used. The results were used in regression analyses to develop equations relating the resilient modulus of a specimen to its first stress invariant. They were also used in correlation analyses attempting to relate the resilient response to the physical properties (particle index, specific gravity, Los Angeles abrasion, gradation, flakiness, soundness, and crushing index), but no consistent relations were established. It is concluded that (a) the resilient response of a specimen is essentially independent of its stress history, (b) the resilient moduli of no. 4 and no. 5 ballast-gradation specimens are usually lower than that of a well-graded aggregate, (c) the resilient moduli of open-graded ballast materials are virtually insensitive to changes in gradation or compaction level and (d) the variable that most directly influences the resilient moduli of granular materials is stress level. /Author/
Strapping yarns - why people do and do not wear seat belts

Failure to wear seat belts has been found to contribute to high numbers of fatalities or serious injuries. This project collates existing research and undertakes new research to improve understanding of this issue. The main aims were to identify who does not wear a seat belt and to outline reasons for failure to wear one, in order to provide a better understanding of attitudes towards wearing seat belts. Broad aims included gaining understanding of who does or does not wear a seat belt; analysis of the motivations behind conscious decisions to wear or not wear a seat belt; acquiring a better understanding of the habitual behaviour regarding the use of seat belts; and identification of opportunities to influence behaviour which might be exploited by communications campaigns. Further objectives included the investigation of factors such changes in usage; vehicle type; journey purpose; perceptions of risk and enforcement; motivational imperatives such as want, need, effort and remembering; conscious decision versus unconscious habit; effects of behaviour following journey interruption; consequences most likely to motivate people such as accidents or fines. Existing data were reviewed, followed by qualitative research into reasons why people do and do not wear seat belts and research into who are seat belt wearers and inconsistent wearers, followed by a discussion and implication of findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Early regeneration following the presalvage cutting of hemlock from hemlock-dominated stands

Live overstory hemlock were cut from three hemlock hardwood stands on the watershed of the Barkhamsted Reservoir in northwestern Connecticut. The presalvage cuttings occurred during a hemlock looper outbreak and in anticipation of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) infestation. All merchantable and accessible hemlock trees were cut, as were a smaller quantity of other species. The stands were harvested in 1992, 1994, and 1995? 96. Over- and understory vegetation were surveyed in the harvested stands and in three nearby uncut, control stands in 1996. Findings suggest that the cut stands will regenerate to hardwoods in the near term. Hemlock regeneration was minimal and insufficient to replace harvested trees. Presalvage cutting of hemlock from hemlock-dominated stands, which typically lack sufficient advance hemlock regeneration, will contribute to the loss of the cover type due to HWA-caused mortality.