Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PEV charging impact on residential distribution transformer life

Due to the characteristics of electric power generation, transmission and distribution in the U.S., experts have identified the local distribution network as a likely area to be adversely affected by unregulated PEV (Plug-in Electric Vehicle/Electric Vehicle) charging. This paper presents a study performed to assess the impact of PEV charging on a local distribution transformer. Due to the fact that transformer insulation life is mostly affected by the hot-spot winding temperature, a dynamic thermal model was used for prediction of the transformer hot-spot temperature with the information of power load and ambient temperature, thus the aging of insulation can be predicted. Then, with the results from a Monte Carlo-based mass simulation model for PEV energy consumption analysis, different charging scenarios were conducted to study the impact of PEV charging on transformer insulation life.
Feedback - Study and Improvement of the Random Forest of the Mahout library in the context of marketing data of Orange

In the realm of Big Data systems, Hadoop has emerged as one of the most popular systems and a very diverse ecosystem has grown around it, meeting all kinds of functional and technical needs. One niche that should have been a place of choice in this ecosystem is data analytics: ﬁrst because getting value out of large datasets requires efﬁcient Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, second because large clusters with abundant CPUs resources seem like appropriate playﬁelds for ML algorithms which are often very resource-intensive computing tasks. Unfortunately among the myriad of open source projects, there are very few data analytics tools that have been ported to the Hadoop framework. Apache Mahout stands out among those rare initiatives: this project is mainly known for its recommendation application, but it also offers a warehouse of ML algorithms, advertised to run on Map/Reduce. We did investigate the twenty algorithms proposed within Mahout and in this report we focus on the most promising one: the Random Forest implementation. Relying on extensive tests, including speciﬁc marketing data from Orange, we provide an in-depth feedback on the use of this tool, both from a practical and theoretical perspective, and we suggest several improvements.
Characterization, desorption, and mining of phosphorus in noncalcareous sandy soils

In areas with intensive livestock farming, soils have been enriched with phosphorus (P), following heavy applications of animal manure. These soils are a risk for nearby surface waters, as the leaching of P from these soils contributes to eutrophication of these surface waters. This study was set up to better understand the speciation and desorption of P in noncalcareous sandy soils, so as to contribute to the development of management guidelines for these soils.
Reversibility of Airway Obstruction vs Bronchodilatation: Do We Speak the Same Language?

Abstract Airway reversibility test (or bronchodilatation test) is performed routinely in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases. The results of this test may be helpful in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but sometimes bring confusion. Unfortunately, the nomenclature used for test result is not uniform, which also leads to confusion. Next the reader will find an attempt to order the state of affairs and the introduction of a uniform nomenclature, which would be consistent with the logic and allow for unambiguous classification of reversibility test results to facilitate future decisions based on the differential diagnosis.
Late entrant over‐the‐counter and Rx market entry strategies: An investigation in the pharmaceutical industry

Purpose – This paper aims to explore market dynamics and strategic issues that contribute to a late entrant's success in achieving market leadership in the prescription (Rx) and over‐the‐counter (OTC) markets. In the Rx market, consumers must receive physicians' approval before purchasing the product. In the OTC market, consumers make the final drug choice.Design/methodology/approach – Data on sales (both Rx and OTC) and direct‐to‐consumer advertising expenditures for nine gastrointestinal drug products were obtained covering a 17‐year period. Ordinary least squares regression was employed.Findings – The findings show that late‐market entrants, despite existing challenges, can become market leaders. This applies to both the Rx and OTC markets, via varying mechanisms.Originality/value – This study is unique in demonstrating the differential mechanism in achieving market success for late entrants in the Rx and OTC markets.
Investigation of Electrocatalysts Produced by a Novel Thermal Spray Deposition Method

Common methods to produce supported catalysts include impregnation, precipitation, and thermal spray techniques. Supported electrocatalysts produced by a novel method for thermal spray deposition were investigated with respect to their structural properties, elemental composition, and electrochemical performance. This was done using electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Various shapes and sizes of catalyst particles were found. The materials exhibit different activity towards oxidation and reduction of Fe. The results show that this preparation method enables the selection of particle coverage as well as size and shape of the catalyst material. Due to the great variability of support and catalyst materials accessible with this technique, this approach is a useful extension to other preparation methods for electrocatalysts.
Convexifying Positive Polynomials and Sums of Squares Approximation

We show that if a polynomial $f\in \mathbb{R}[x_1,\ldots,x_n]$ is nonnegative on a closed basic semialgebraic set $X=\{x\in\mathbb{R}^n:g_1(x)\ge 0,\ldots,g_r (x)\ge 0\}$, where $g_1,\ldots,g_r\in\mathbb{R}[x_1,\ldots,x_n]$, then $f$ can be approximated uniformly on compact sets by polynomials of the form $\sigma_0+\varphi(g_1) g_1+\cdots +\varphi(g_r) g_r$, where $\sigma_0\in \mathbb{R}[x_1,\ldots,x_n]$ and $\varphi\in\mathbb{R}[t]$ are sums of squares of polynomials. In particular, if $X$ is compact, and $h(x):=R^2-|x|^2 $ is positive on $X$, then $f=\sigma_{0}+\sigma_1 h+\varphi(g_1) g_1+\cdots +\varphi(g_r) g_r$ for some sums of squares $\sigma_{0},\sigma_1\in \mathbb{R}[x_1,\ldots,x_n]$ and $\varphi\in\mathbb{R}[t]$, where $|x|^2={x_1^2+\cdots+x_n^2}$. We apply a quantitative version of those results to semidefinite optimization methods. Let $X$ be a convex closed semialgebraic subset of $\mathbb{R}^n$, and let $f$ be a polynomial which is positive on $X$. We give necessary and sufficient conditions .
Bateman Gradients in Hermaphrodites: An Extended Approach to Quantify Sexual Selection

Sexual selection is often quantified using Bateman gradients, which represent sex‐specific regression slopes of reproductive success on mating success and thus describe the expected fitness returns from mating more often. Although the analytical framework for Bateman gradients aimed at covering all sexual systems, empirical studies are biased toward separate‐sex organisms, probably because important characteristics of other systems remain incompletely treated. Our synthesis complements the existing Bateman gradient approach with three essential reproductive features of simultaneous hermaphrodites. First, mating in one sex may affect fitness via the opposite sex, for example, through energetic trade‐offs. We integrate cross‐sex selection effects and show how they help characterizing sexually mutualistic versus antagonistic selection. Second, male and female mating successes may be correlated, complicating the interpretation of Bateman gradients. We show how to quantify the impact of this correlation on sexual selection and propose a principal component analysis on male and female mating success to facilitate interpretation. Third, self‐fertilization is accounted for by adding selfed progeny as a separate category of reproductive success to analyses of Bateman gradients. Finally, using a worked example from the snail Biomphalaria glabrata, we illustrate how the extended analytical framework can enhance our understanding of sexual selection in hermaphroditic animals and plants.
Loss of Function of a Rice brassinosteroid insensitive1 Homolog Prevents Internode Elongation and Bending of the Lamina Joint

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are plant growth–promoting natural products required for plant growth and development. Physiological studies have demonstrated that exogenous BR, alone or in combination with auxin, enhance bending of the lamina joint of rice. However, little is known about the function of endogenous BR in rice or other grass species. We report here the phenotypical and molecular characterization of a rice dwarf mutant, d61, that is less sensitive to BR compared to the wild type. We cloned a rice gene, OsBRI1, with extensive sequence similarity to that of the Arabidopsis BRI gene, which encodes a putative BR receptor kinase. Linkage analysis showed that the OsBRI1 gene is closely linked to the d61 locus. Single nucleotide substitutions found at different sites of the d61 alleles would give rise to amino acid changes in the corresponding polypeptides. Furthermore, introduction of the entire OsBRI1 coding region, including the 5′ and 3′ flanking sequences, into d61 plants complemented the mutation to display the wild-type phenotype. Transgenic plants carrying the antisense strand of the OsBRI1 transcript showed similar or even more severe phenotypes than those of the d61 mutants. Our results show that OsBRI1 functions in various growth and developmental processes in rice, including (1) internode elongation, by inducing the formation of the intercalary meristem and the longitudinal elongation of internode cells; (2) bending of the lamina joint; and (3) skotomorphogenesis.
Financial Market Diversity and Macroeconomic Stability

Macroeconomic instability has stunted growth in many developing economies in the past two decades. As a result, the governments of these economies are looking for ways to better manage the economic factors that contribute to instability. Encouraging the creation of diverse financial markets, characterized by a wide range of financial institutions, may be one such option for better macroeconomic risk management. Greater institutional diversity could broaden the reach of financial markets, thus reducing liquidity constraints. And diversity may offer some insurance against the fallout from boom-and-bust cycles in each institutional type since each institutional type only covers a limited market segment. But greater institutional diversity could contribute to instability. Many institutions may not fully capture economies of scale, driving up costs and fees for customers and exacerbating liquidity constraints. This may especially be the case if governments try to incentivize the creation of institutions in otherwise underserved markets through regulatory preferences and subsidies. Institutions may also compete for a limited number of creditworthy projects, potentially funding an increasing number of speculative projects. Liquidity constraints and speculation could raise economic instability. And financial market contagion may limit the insurance value of diversified financial markets. We study the link between financial market diversity and economic instability in developing economies for the past few decades, using aggregate data from the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom database, the International Monetary Fund’s International Financial Statistics, the World Bank’s Global Financial Development database, the Bank for International Settlements’ international banking statistics and the BankScope database. We find that financial market diversity matters for economic stability for most subperiods during the past two decades as well as for most regions. Our research particularly suggests that greater diversity is associated with faster growth, larger credit markets, a broader deposit base, and a smaller chance of asset bubbles, all of which could contribute to more stability.
The effectiveness of a sternomastoid muscle flap in preventing post-parotidectomy occurrence of the Frey syndrome.

Among over 350 parotidectomies, the effectiveness of a pedicled sternomastoid muscle flap in preventing post-parotidectomy occurrence of the Frey Syndrome was tested during the past year in a random sampling of 35 patients with such a muscle flap and 35 control patients. Results of the study indicate that the muscle flap, although improving cosmetic defects associated with surgery, is incapable of inhibiting the Frey Syndrome and that other means must yet be devised to prevent the occurrence of gustatory sweating following parotid surgery.
Factors Affecting Intention to Use Facebook-Banking of Generation Y in Vietnam

To succeed in retail banking requires banks to apply often new technologies in their business to satisfy the various demand of a great amount of individual customers. While many banks have a tendency to provide banking technology applications to customers, generation Y is quite the potential customers, particularly a completely new service called Facebook-banking (FB). Therefore, this paper is conducted in order to evaluate the factors influencing the intention to use FB of generation Y (Gen Y). Basing on the Technology Acceptance Model - TAM (Davis, 1989), our research model is recommended with five factors directly or indirectly affecting the intention to use FB of Gen Y. After analyzing the data collected from our survey, we indicate three major factors influencing Gen Y’s intention to use FB in Vietnam. According to the findings, some recommendations are suggested to banks to provide efficient FB services to Gen Y in Vietnam.
An Investigation of the Role of Cross-Border Spillover of Returns and Volatility in the Estonian Stock Market

The paper examines the role of foreign stock marketsA­ price and volatility movements in the price and volatility movements in the Estonian stock market. Using daily log returns from July 8th, 1996 through December 31st, 2003 and applying a VAR-EGARCH framework, the author finds that there is a spillover of returns and volatility from foreign stock markets into the Estonian stock market. It is found that the stock prices in Estonia are influenced by the movement of prices on the markets of Denmark, Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Poland and the U.S.A. In general, the response to exogenous price movements is found to be contemporaneous, same-directional and symmetric, while the revealed impact of exogenous volatility-changes is rather market-specific and often asymmetric. The author also finds that the influence of the Finnish market on the Estonian market has significantly increased after the HEX-Group acquired the majority share in the Tallinn Stock Exchange and the integration of the Estonian stock market with the Finnish stock market began in April 2001.
Toward complex fuzzy logic

Complex fuzzy logic is a postulated logic system that is isomorphic to the complex fuzzy sets recently described in a previous paper. This concept is analogous to the many-valued logics that are isomorphic to type-1 fuzzy sets, commonly known as fuzzy logic. As with fuzzy logics, a complex fuzzy logic would be defined by particular choices of the conjunction, disjunction and complement operators. In this paper, an important assertion from a previous paper, that only the modulus of a complex fuzzy membership should be considered in set theoretic (or logical) operations, is examined. A more general mathematical formulation (the property of rotational invariance) is proposed for this assertion, and the impact of this property on the form of complex fuzzy logic operations is examined. All complex fuzzy logics based on the modulus of a vector are shown to be rotationally invariant. The case of complex fuzzy logics that are not rotationally invariant is examined using the framework of vector logic. A candidate conjunction operator was identified, and the existence of a dual disjunction was proven. Finally, a discussion on the possible applications of complex fuzzy logic focuses on the phenomenon of regularity as a possible fuzzification of stationarity.
Spatially decomposed multigrain MOM problems on NOWs

Integral equations solved by the method of moments (MOM) are an important and computationally intense class of problems in antenna design and other areas of electromagnetics. Particularly when structures become electrically large, MOM solutions become intractable as they lead to large, densely-filled, complex matrices, the solution of which is numerically and computationally intensive. Several numerical techniques have been applied to make these solutions more tractable, notably spatial decomposition and a multigrain method known as reduced current fidelity. This paper investigates the impact of these techniques on parallel computing approaches to solving this class of problem, using networks of workstations (NOWs). The resulting effects on the efficiency and communication patterns of the parallel programs are explored.
Verb Replacer: An English Verb Error Correction System

According to the analysis of Cambridge Learner Corpus, using a wrong verb is the most common type of grammatical errors. This paper describes Verb Replacer, a system for detecting and correcting potential verb errors in a given sentence. In our approach, alternative verbs are considered to replace the verb based on an error-annotated corpus and verb-object collocations. The method involves applying regression on channel models, parsing the sentence, identifying the verbs, retrieving a small set of alternative verbs, and evaluating each alternative. Our method combines and improves channel and language models, resulting in high recall of detecting and correcting verb misuse.
In search of island treasures: Language documentation in the Pacific

The Pacific region is home to about 1500 languages, with a strong concentration of linguistic diversity in Melanesia. The turn towards documentary linguistics, initiated in the 1980s and theorized by N. Himmelmann, has encouraged linguists to prepare, archive and distribute large corpora of audio and video recordings in a broad array of Pacific languages, many of which are endangered. The strength of language documentation is to entail the mutual exchange of skills and knowledge between linguists and speaker communities. Their members can access archived resources, or create their own. Importantly, they can also appropriate the outcome of these documentary efforts to promote literacy within their school systems, and to consolidate or revitalize their heritage languages against the increasing pressure of dominant tongues. While providing an overview of the general progress made in the documentation of Pacific languages in the last twenty years, this paper also reports on my own experience with documenting and promoting languages in Island Melanesia since 1997.
Breaking the size barrier of capacitive MEMS microphones from critical length scale

Based on the synergy of a theoretical one-dimensional (1D) mass-spring-damper model and the experimental validation of fabricated capacitive MEMS microphones fabricated by the PolyMUMPs process, we identify the existence of a critical diaphragm radius which represents the inflection point on the microphone's sensitivity-radius curve. To overcome this miniaturization barrier, we propose a new microphone structure with four folded microbeams. The corresponding sensitivity remains the same, while the radius reduces by 17% in comparison with the previous design.
New index for clustering tendency and its application to chemical problems

The tendency of a multivariate data set to cluster can be quantified by numerical indices. A new clustering index, related to the Hopkins’ statistic, is presented that calculates the degree to which a data set is clustered compared to variables with the same univariate distributions. This new index is shown to provide a more realistic assessment of clustering tendency for real data sets than the standard Hopkins’ statistic. The new index is tested with both artificial and real chemical data sets to investigate its properties.
Attitudes towards information privacy

This paper presents the results of a cross-cultural study into attitudes towards information privacy. Based on an instrument developed and validated by Smith, Milburg and Burke (Smith et al., 1996), this study sets out to measure individual concerns regarding organisational use of information along four dimensions: collection, errors, unauthorised secondary use, and improper access. The survey was completed by 52 undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in an e-commerce security subject at the University of Queensland. Comparisons are drawn between the results of this study and an identical one carried out at the University of North Alabama. Whilst it is too early to draw conclusions about the impact of these attitudes on the success of e-commerce in general, the results should be of interest to those within universities seeking to expand the use of networking technologies for handling sensitive information such as enrolment and fee processing.
Design of a 250 kW, 1200 V SiC MOSFET-based three-phase inverter by considering a subsystem level design optimization approach

Silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor technology has successfully penetrated several silicon (Si) application markets and is gaining momentum due to higher voltage withstand capability, higher switching capabilities (i.e., 100s of kHz), and ability to withstand higher operating temperatures (i.e., more than 200°C). When properly applied, SiC MOSFETs can switch in nanoseconds making this a promising candidate for high-power, high-temperature, highspeed, and high-efficiency power converter applications. In fact, many consider the SiC MOSFET as the most “ideal” power semiconductor switch developed to date. To maximize the benefit of this fast switching power device, it is necessary to exercise extraordinary care when designing the power converter's subsystems. In this paper, an approach based on a subsystem optimization approach is presented wherein the power module, the DC and AC bus structures, the DC link capacitor bank, and the gate driver controls are discussed for a 16 kg, 250 kW all-SiC three-phase inverter.
Experimental study of cognitive aspects affecting human performance in manual assembly

Abstract This study investigate different ways of presenting material and information at workstations while using mixed assembly mode with product variants. The experimental set up annotated an assembly line involving 36 subjects. The material presentation factor involved the use of a material rack compared to using an unstructured kit as well as a structured kit. The information presentation factor involved using a text and number instruction compared to a photograph instruction, and situations with and without component variation were considered. Results show that assembly times and workload ratings were lower when using a kit, whereas using a material rack resulted in perceived decreased workflow and increased stress and frustration. Moreover, assembly times and workload ratings were lower when using photographs, whereas using text and numbers increased mental workload. The results could be useful when planning work places and production systems in order to obtain a better workflow and an increased human performance.