Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interfaces in Oxides Formed on NiAlCr Doped with Y, Hf, Ti, and B

Abstract This study applies atom probe tomography (APT) to analyze the oxide scales formed on model NiAlCr alloys doped with Hf, Y, Ti, and B. Due to its ability to measure small amounts of alloying elements in the oxide matrix and its ability to quantify segregation, the technique offers a possibility for detailed studies of the dopant’s fate during high-temperature oxidation. Three model NiAlCr alloys with different additions of Hf, Y, Ti, and B were prepared and oxidized in O2 at 1,100°C for 100 h. All specimens showed an outer region consisting of different spinel oxides with relatively small grains and the protective Al2O3-oxide layer below. APT analyses focused mainly on this protective oxide layer. In all the investigated samples segregation of both Hf and Y to the oxide grain boundaries was observed and quantified. Neither B nor Ti were observed in the alumina grains or at the analyzed interfaces. The processes of formation of oxide scales and segregation of the alloying elements are discussed. The experimental challenges of the oxide analyses by APT are also addressed.
More Reasons to Move: Exercise in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders

1 Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, 3 Centro Universitário La Salle (Unilasalle) Canoas, Canoas, Brazil, 4 Department of Health Service and Population Research, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), London, United Kingdom, 5 Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
JPEG-like Image Compression using Neural-network-based Block Classification and Adaptive Reordering of Transform Coefficients

The research described in this thesis addresses aspects of coding of discrete-cosinetransform (DCT) coefficients, that are present in a variety of transform-based digital-image-compression schemes such as JPEG. Coefficient reordering; that directly affects the symbol statistics for entropy coding, and therefore the effectiveness of entropy coding; is investigated. Adaptive zigzag reordering, a novel versatile technique that achieves efficient reordering by processing variable-size rectangular sub-blocks of coefficients, is developed. Classification of blocks of DCT coefficients using an artificial neural network (ANN) prior to adaptive zigzag reordering is also considered. Some established digital-image-compression techniques are reviewed, and the JPEG standard for the DCT-based method is studied in more detail. An introduction to artificial neural networks is provided. Lossless conversion of blocks of coefficients using adaptive zigzag reordering is investigated, and experimental results are presented. A versatile algorithm, that generates zigzag scan paths for sub-blocks of any dimensions using a binary decision tree, is developed. An implementation of the algorithm based on programmable logic devices (PLDs) is described demonstrating the feasibility of hardware implementations. Coding of the sub-block dimensions, that need to be retained in order to reconstruct a sub-block during decoding, based on the scan-path length is developed. Lossy conversion of blocks of coefficients is also considered, and experimental results are presented. A two-layer feedforward artificial neural network trained using an error-backpropagation algorithm, that determines the sub-block dimensions, is described. Isolated nonzero coefficients of small significance are discarded in some blocks, and therefore smaller sub-blocks are generated.
What Explains Dissent on the High Court of Australia? An Empirical Assessment Using a Cointegration and Error Correction Approach

This article examines the factors influencing the annual dissent rate on the High Court of Australia from its first full year of operation in 1904 up to 2001 within a cointegration and error correction framework. We hypothesize that institutional factors, socioeconomic complexity, and leadership style explain variations in the dissent rate on the High Court of Australia over time. The institutional factors that we consider are the Court's caseload, whether it had discretion to select the cases it hears, and whether it was a final court of appeal. To measure socioeconomic complexity we use the divorce rate, urbanization rate, and real GDP per capita. Our main finding is that in the long run and short run, caseload and real income are the main factors influencing dissent. We find that a 1 percent increase in caseload and real income reduce the dissent rate on the High Court of Australia by 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, holding other factors constant.
Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests and culture for determining Salmonella status of a pig herd

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Salmonella ELISA tests and a culture technique to determine Salmonella status using samples collected from commercial herds. Faecal samples from 15 finisher pigs on each of 40 swine farms were cultured for Salmonella. Sera from the same 600 pigs were analysed for the presence of antibodies to Salmonella by means of two different ELISA kits Salmotype (Salmotype® Labordiagnostik, Leipzig, Germany) and IDEXX (Herdchek* Salmonella; IDEXX Laboratories, Schiphol-Rijk, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands). The Salmotype ELISA test demonstrated a moderate ability to differentiate culture-positive pigs from culture-negative pigs while IDEXX was relatively poor in classifying those pigs correctly (The area under the curves were 0·79 and 0·65 for Salmotype and IDEXX respectively). The maximum value of sensitivity plus specificity was gained at the cut-off optical density (OD) [ges ]25% for Salmotype (sensitivity 0·65, specificity 0·84) and at the OD [ges ]9% for IDEXX (sensitivity 0·59, specificity 0·69). The maximum herd sensitivity and herd specificity was 0·64 (95% CI 0·49–0·79) and 0·72 (95% CI 0·59–0·86) for the Salmotype test and 0·73 (95% CI 0·59–0·87) and 0·62 (95% CI 0·47–0·77) for the IDEXX. Culture and the ELISA tests showed fair agreement at the herd level (κ=0·3, P<0·05). Likewise there was significant disagreement between the two ELISA tests at the pig level, but very good agreement between the two ELISA tests (κ=0·8, P<0·0001) at the herd level. The coating antigens in Salmotype and IDEXX represent only 48% of the antigens of Salmonella isolated in our study and need to be revised based upon the Salmonella serovar distribution in Ontario.
Congestion Game With Agent and Resource Failures

Motivated by practical scenarios, we study congestion games with failures. We investigate two models. The first model is congestion games with both resource and agent failures, where each agent chooses the same number of resources with the minimum expected cost. We prove that the game is potential and hence admits at least one pure-strategy Nash equilibrium (pure-NE). We also show that the Price of Anarchy and the Price of Stability are bounded (equal to 1 in some cases). The second model is congestion games with only resource failures (CG-CRF), where resources are provided in packages, and their failures can be correlated with each other. Each agent can choose multiple packages for reliability’s sake and utilize the survived one having the minimum cost. CG-CRF is shown to be not potential. We prove that it admits at least one pure-NE by constructing one efficiently. Finally, we discuss various applications of these two games in the networking field. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper studying congestion games with the coexistence of resource and agent failures, and we give also the first proof of the existence of a pure-NE in congestion games with correlated package failures.
International research study of public procurement

In this chapter we examine the specific issue of public procurement, its importance to local, regional, national, and international economies as evidenced in a unique international comparative research study – the International Research Study of Public Procurement (IRSPP). First the public procurement literature is examined. Then the story of IRSPP is told – why and how it was formed, and the five phases of research that have been conducted to date since 2003. The phases build on prior phases as knowledge and priorities for research have unfolded. To date IRSPP has contributed to knowledge and changed public procurement practice internationally, specifically relating to understanding international differences and similarities, understanding sectoral issues, examining capacity and capability, exploring the strategic role of public procurement in supporting and delivering economic stimulus packages, and examining how governments can improve engagement of small to medium enterprises in government procurement contracts. It is concluded that it is not necessarily the case that the developed world is outperforming less developed nations; powerful lessons have been learnt from developing nations in terms of their ability to use public procurement as a lever of economic and societal reform and integrate it more fully in government policy and practice.
Benefits and Costs of Legal Restrictions on Personal Loan Markets

TRANSACTIONS in personal loan markets have long been subjected to government regulation, including interest rate ceilings and restrictions on the type of remedies that creditors may invoke against borrowers who default. While interest rate ceilings have been an object of considerable academic inquiry, the economic effects of restricting creditor remedies (CR) have been generally neglected.1 This paper examines the theoretical role of CR in the credit transaction and then presents a detailed empirical analysis of the effect of restricting CR on credit supply and demand. The term "creditor remedies" refers to a number of different arrangements that facilitate the collection of interest and principal on loans that are in default. Although there are important institutional and legal differences among various CR, they all provide lenders with contingent claims against either the borrower's income or his or her assets that may be exercised in the event of default. Prohibiting or limiting the use of CR restricts the range of these contingent claims. Though all states ban the use of some CR, there is considerable variation among the states in the regulation of most types of CR. A Trade Regulation Rule, which will impose greater uniformity in legal restrictions of credit practices, has recently been passed by the Federal Trade Com-
Delayed Myelination in an Intrauterine Growth Retardation Model Is Mediated by Oxidative Stress Upregulating Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4

Abstract Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with neurological deficits including cerebral palsy and cognitive and behavioral disabilities. The pathogenesis involves oxidative stress that leads to periventricular white matter injury with a paucity of mature oligodendrocytes and hypomyelination. The molecular mechanisms underlying this damage remain poorly understood. We used a rat model of IUGR created by bilateral ligation of the uterine artery at embryonic Day 19 that results in fetal growth retardation and oxidative stress in the developing brain. The IUGR rat pups showed significant delays in oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination that resolved by 8 weeks. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), which inhibits oligodendrocyte maturation, was elevated in IUGR brains at postnatal time points and returned to near normal by adulthood. Despite the apparent recovery, behavioral deficiencies were found in 8-week-old female animals, suggesting that the early transient myelination defects have permanent effects. In support of these in vivo data, oligodendrocyte precursor cells cultured from postnatal IUGR rats retained increased BMP4 expression and impaired differentiation that was reversed with the BMP inhibitor noggin. Oxidants in oligodendrocyte cultures increased BMP expression, which decreased differentiation; however, abrogating BMP signaling with noggin in vitro and in BMP-deficient mice prevented these effects. Together, these findings suggest that IUGR results in delayed myelination through the generation of oxidative stress that leads to BMP4 upregulation.
Circuit weight training vs jogging in metabolic risk factors of overweight/obese women.

BACKGROUND Resisted and aerobic exercises are recommended to reduce weight and improve health, but which exercise modality offers the best results is still unclear. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to compare circuit weight training (CWT) with jogging (JOGG) on multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD), metabolic risk factors and fitness of overweight and obese women (body composition, lipid profile, uric acid, glucose, metabolic equivalent (MET), heart rate, blood pressure, flexibility, resting energy expenditure (REE) and nitrogen balance (NB)). METHODS Fifty women were randomly divided in two groups, but only 26 finished it: CWT (n=14; 36+/-12 years old; body mass index, BMI=32+/-7 kg/m(2)) and JOGG (n=12; 37+/-9; BMI=29+/-2). The first month of training consisted of 60 min x 03 days/week and the second month of training consisted of 04 days/week for both protocols and a dietary reeducation. RESULTS Both groups reduced total body mass, fat body mass, BMI, plasma uric acid and increase in MET (p<0.05); there was no change in lean body mass, REE and resting heart rate. CWT reduced total cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, NB and increased flexibility; JOGG reduced waist/hip ratio, glucose, systolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Both protocols improved CVD and metabolic risk factors. The CWT presented favorable changes regarding lipid profile and flexibility; JOGG on glucose, waist/hip ratio and blood pressure. These results suggest that resisted exercise combined with aerobics should be considered for obese people. Nevertheless, regarding some basal differences between the groups , it was not possible to conclude that changes were due to exercise type or intra-group variability.
Composite Alpha Factor and Portfolio Rebalance on Factor Tilts

Quantitative fund managers often combine factors to build “composite alpha factor” in their portfolio construction process. In this paper we use several factors to explain stock returns, and then calculate both expected return and risk of portfolio based on those factors. First, we calculate optimal alpha weights for composite alpha factor by static solution. In this calculation, we use covariance matrix of factor returns and correlation of factor exposures in addition to expected values of factor returns. Second, supposing time variability of factor exposures, we calculate optimal alpha weights for composite alpha factor and optimal rebalance volume for factor tilt portfolio by dynamic solution under existence of trading costs. Next, using historical data in Japanese equity market, we show numerical example of composite factor from three factors by static solution. And we show how much we have to adjust portfolio for typical factors by dynamic solution when we consider time variability of factor exposures. Our results suggest that we should use dynamic solution when we adopt factors whose exposures change fast.
Radiation-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate onto PE/PP nonwoven fabric and its modification toward enhanced amidoximation

A nonwoven fabric made of polypropylene coated by polyethylene was used as the trunk polymer in the preparation of a highly efficient new adsorbent. Metal ion uptakecapacityhasbeenaimedtobeincreasedbyintroducing double amidoxime groups per repeating unit of the chains grafted to trunk polymer. The base polymer was irradiated by electron beams with a dose of 200 kGy under N2 atmosphere and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was grafted onto irradiated nonwoven fabric. Grafting conditions were optimized, and GMA-graftedpolymerwas modified with 3,3 0 -iminodipropio- nitrile in ethanol at 808C. GMA grafting (150%) was deter- mined to be the optimum degree given that higher extent of grafting rendered the materials brittle. Pendant nitrile groups were then amidoximated by using 6% hydroxylamine in methanol-water mixture (1 : 1). The all-polymeric structures were characterized by using FTIR, SEM, and thermal analysis methods, confirming the grafting, modification, and amid- oximation stages gravimetrically, spectroscopically, and visu- ally. 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 105: 1551-1558, 2007
A Review of Personality Research in the Tourism and Hospitality Context

ABSTRACT Most commentators agree that human relations are central to tourism and hospitality. Different personalities thus display different reactions to the same task. This article provides an overview of prior studies on personality in the context of tourism and hospitality. Using EBSCOHost's Hospitality & Tourism Index, the largest online database for tourism and hospitality research, we analyzed published articles on the topic. Broadly speaking, prior studies can be grouped into the seven dimensions of disposal, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive, social, and adjustment in personality research, plus brand personality. Interestingly, our results show although the Internet has become one of the major marketing channels for hospitality and tourism, only a small number of published articles are related to consumers' online behavior. We thus propose that this area be further researched in the future.
A Blind $I/Q$ Imbalance Compensation Technique for Direct-Conversion Digital Radio Transceivers

Although the quadrature mixing radio front-end offers an attractive way to perform frequency translation, its image-rejection capability is severely affected by the gain and phase imbalances (I/Q imbalances) between its two analog signal paths. Digital signal processing techniques have widely been proposed to compensate for these mixer imperfections. Of these techniques, the class of blind compensation techniques seems very attractive since no test signals are required. This paper presents a novel I/Q imbalance extraction technique that uses a Cholesky decomposition of the received signal's covariance matrix to extract the exact imbalances of the front-end. An analysis is also presented on extracting and separating the imbalances of a cascaded imbalanced modulator and demodulator. Both a block-based and an adaptive variant of the technique are proposed, and a performance evaluation over multipath channels is presented.
The interactions of mothers with eating disorders with their toddlers: identifying broader risk factors

ABSTRACT The connection between maternal eating disorders and feeding and eating problems among their children has been substantially demonstrated. This pilot study focused on the interactions between mothers with eating disorders and their toddlers in non-feeding situations. Twenty-eight dyads of mothers with prenatal eating disorders and their toddlers were compared to a case-matched control group with no eating disorder. Maternal current eating and co-occurring psychopathology, children’s symptoms and mother–child interactions were measured. Mothers with eating disorders were less sensitive to their children, tried to control their children’s behaviors more, and were less happy during mother–child interactions. The children in the maternal eating disorder group were rated as less responsive to their mothers and their mothers also reported more behavioral problems than those in the control group. Findings imply that maternal eating disorders may be linked with a wide range of adverse maternal and child behaviors beyond those associated with eating.
Early neurological stability predicts adverse outcome after acute ischemic stroke

Background Deterioration in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) in the early days after stroke is associated with progressive infarction, brain edema, and/or hemorrhage, leading to worse outcome. Aims We sought to determine whether a stable NIHSS score represents an adverse or favorable course. Methods Brain magnetic resonance images from a research cohort of acute ischemic stroke patients were analyzed. Using NIHSS scores at baseline and follow-up (day 3–5), patients were categorized into early neurological deterioration (ΔNIHSS ≥ 4), early neurological recovery (ΔNIHSS ≤ −4) or early neurological stability (ΔNIHSS between −3 and 3). The association between these categories and volume of infarct growth, volume of swelling, parenchymal hemorrhage, and 3-month modified Rankin Scale score were evaluated. Results Patients with early neurological deterioration or early neurological stability were less likely to be independent (modified Rankin Scale = 0–2) at 3 months compared to those with early neurological recovery (P < 0.001). Patients with early neurological deterioration or early neurological stability were observed to have significantly greater infarct growth and swelling volumes than those with early neurological recovery (P = 0.03; P < 0.001, respectively). Brain edema was more common than the other imaging markers investigated and was independently associated with a stable or worsening NIHSS score after adjustment for age, baseline stroke volume, infarct growth volume, presence of parenchymal hemorrhage, and reperfusion (P < 0.0001). Conclusions Stable NIHSS score in the subacute period after ischemic stroke may not be benign and is associated with tissue injury, including infarct growth and brain edema. Early improvement is considerably more likely to occur in the absence of these factors.
Management of Snake Bite in India.

I is a country known to the western population as a country of snake charmersand snake over centuries . Despi te generation after generations some families in our country who play with snakes(snake charmers), we fail to protect the community from snake bite which requires atleast education of the common people, how to protect themselves from snake bite as well as what to do after the bite has occurred. The estimated death in India is 50,000/ yr , an underest imate because of lack of proper registrat ion o f snakeb i te . The persons or population at risk of snakebite in our country is around 50 million people which may occur any time in the life. There are large number of conflicting protocolsfor dealing with first aid and treatment. In 2004,WHO established a snakebite Treatment Group,whose role was to develop recommendations toreduce mortality according to international norms.A primary recommendation was to establish asingle protocol for both first-aid and treatmentwhich c o n t a i n e d e v i d e n c e b a s e d procedures and was relevant to the Indian context. In July 2006, A National Snakebite Conference was convened,including Indian and International experts. Moreover publications issued by the WHO RegionalOff ice for South-East Asia, written and edited byDavid A.Warrell in the year 2015 and enduringefforts of the scientist and doctors working indifferent regions of India is the back bone of this Editorial.We have treated about 10000 cases of snake bitepatients in Medical Col lege Hospitals , K o l k a t a , Ta r a k e s w e r R u r a l Hospitals andSeba NursingHome, Tarakeswar, Hooghly, West Bengal, SRIHospitals, Betai, Nadia, West Bengal since 1987.