Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capturing group alignments: Introducing the Government and Armed Actors Relations Dataset (GAARD)

Recent research has generated important new insights into the existence, behavior, and violent consequences of armed actors in civil wars. However, the lack of suitable information on actor relationships with the state means that studies have been forced to assume that armed groups are either pro-government or anti-government and remain that way for the duration of their existence. Both assumptions severely limit our understanding of the armed actors themselves, as well as the violent dynamics they produce. This article introduces the Government and Armed Actors Relations Dataset (GAARD), which provides detailed information on all major armed groups and their fluctuating alignment with the state between 1989 and 2007. GAARD identifies when armed groups fight with or against the government, and when they lack relationships with the government altogether. It further provides information on all changes in group alignments and documents when and how these occurred. We demonstrate that more than 25% of armed groups changed their alignments and showcase how this allows researchers to pursue original research on the drivers, dynamics, and outcomes of civil conflicts.
Kinematics analysis and experimental study on three-dimensional space bending flexible pneumatic arm

A type of three-dimensional space bending flexible pneumatic arm employing axial elongation pneumatic artificial muscles was proposed. It was mainly composed of six pneumatic artificial muscles symmetrically distributed in parallel, and six artificial muscles were fixed 60° each other in space. The elastic skeleton was added among the arm to improve its rigidity and stability. Especially, the driving device of the arm was just the body of the arm. The arm has the advantages of simple structure, convenient manufacture, safety and flexibility, and it can achieve omnidirectional bending movement. According to the static characteristic and deformation of the arm, the kinematics model and the grasping force model of the arm were established. Further, the theoretical model was verified by experiments and then the relations between deforming properties, the working space, the grasping force and air pressure of the arm were obtained. The motion performance experiment of the arm was carried out in a laboratory environment. The experimental results show that the flexible arm has flexible movements, strong adaptive ability, simple control, and certain load capacity when bending.
Investigation of mechanical properties of electrospun poly (vinyl chloride) polymer nanoengineered composite

Nanofiber membranes are extensively used in ultra- and micro-filtration purposes due to their high surface-to-volume ratio. However, nanofiber membranes do not have adequate strength to withstand forces acting on the filter surface, especially when using very low porosity membranes. In this study, PVC nanofiber mats and nanofiber composite membranes were fabricated through electrospinning and solvent casting technology. The membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), porosimetry, and tensile strength tests. Analysis indicated that electrospun mats contain varying pore sizes (nano to micro) whose frequencies within the mat vary with fiber diameter. It was also established that mats fabricated from low solution concentration contain the largest percentage of pores. The mats’ tensile strength varied with fiber packing density, fiber assembly, and the density of fiber-to-fiber contact points. The tensile properties of the nanofiber composite membranes were found to be between those of the constituents and changed with change in the nanofiber layer thickness. The fabricated nanofiber composite membranes are intended for use in applications such as air ultra-filtration, acoustic filtration etc. The high porosity and small mesh pore size of electrospun nanofiber mats allow for removal of ultra-fine particles or microbes from contaminated air, water or other media.
Computational Comparison of Piecewise−Linear Relaxations for Pooling Problems

This work discusses alternative relaxation schemes for the pooling problem, a theoretically and practically interesting optimization problem. The problem nonconvexities appear in the form of bilinear terms and can be addressed with the relaxation technique based on the bilinear convex and concave envelopes. We explore ways to improve the relaxation tightness, and thus the efficiency of a global optimization algorithm, by employing a piecewise linearization scheme that partitions the original domain of the variables involved and applies the principles of bilinear relaxation for each one of the resulting subdomains. We employ 15 different piecewise relaxation schemes with mixed-integer representations and conduct a comprehensive computational comparison study over a collection of benchmark pooling problems. For each case, various partitioning variants can be envisioned, cumulatively accounting for a total of 56 700 relaxations. The results demonstrate that some of the schemes are clearly superior to their c.
Formative work to design a digital learning self-assessment and feedback tool to prevent weight gain among college students

Objective While colleges have implemented brief, tailored interventions for health-risk areas such as alcohol prevention, theoretically-guided digital learning offerings for weight gain prevention have lagged behind in programming and implementation. Thus, the objective was to design and usability test a weight gain prevention digital learning platform for college students with modules targeting key nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Methods Development occurred in iterative phases: formative research, descriptive normative data collection, prototype development, and usability testing. Formative research consisted of background work and survey administration to incoming and current freshmen. Prototype development was guided by theories of behavior change and cognitive processing, and consisted of brief assessment and feedback using written text, graphs, and videos. Iterative usability testing was conducted. Results Current freshmen reported eating more quick order meals per week than incoming freshman, but fewer high-fat snacks and fewer sugary beverages. Current freshmen reported more sedentary time than incoming freshmen. Based on iterative testing results, eight behavioral targets were established: breakfast, high-fat snacks, fried foods, sugary beverages, fruit/vegetables, physical activity, pizza intake, and sedentary behavior. Initial usability testers indicated the modules were easy to understand, held their attention, and were somewhat novel. Analysis of qualitative feedback revealed themes related to content, layout, structure and suggested refinements to the modules. Conclusions A gap exists for evidence-based obesity prevention programs targeted to adolescents as they transition into adulthood. Brief, tailored digital learning interventions show promise towards addressing key behavioral nutrition and physical activity targets among students during the transition to college.
Versatile implementation of a hardware–software architecture for development and testing of brain–computer interfaces

Brain–computer interfaces (BCI) have been focused on improving people’s lifestyles with motor or communication disabilities. However, the utilization of this technology has found news applications, such as increasing human capacities. Nowadays, several researchers are working on probing human capabilities to control several robotic devices simultaneously. The design of BCI is an intricate work that needs a long time to its implementation. For this reason, an architecture to design and implement different types of BCIs is presented in this article. The architecture has a modular design capable of reading various electroencephalography (EEG) sensors and controlling several robotic devices similar to the plug-and-play paradigm. To test the proposed architecture, a BCI was able to manage a hexapod robot and a drone was implemented. Firstly, a mobile robotic platform was designed and implemented. The BCI is based on eye blinking, where a single blinking represents a robot command. The command orders the robot to initiate or stops their locomotion for the hexapod robot. For the drone, a blink represents the takeoff or landing order. The blinking signals are obtained from the prefrontal and frontal regions of the head by EEG sensors. The signals are then filtered using temporal filters, with cutoff frequencies based on delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves. The filtered signals were labeled and used to train a classifier based on the multilayer perceptron (MLP) model. To generate the robot command, the proposal BCI used two models of MLP to ensure the classifier prediction. So, when the two classifiers make the same prediction, within a defined time interval, send the signal to the robot to start or stop its movement. The obtained results show that it is possible to get high precision to control the hexapod robot with a precision of 91.7% and an average of 81.4%.
An experimental test of the habit-goal framework: Depressive rumination is associated with heightened habitual characteristics of negative thinking but not habit-directed behavior control

Habitual thinking may underpin a heightened disposition to engage in rumination in response to negative mood, a widely held notion that has rarely been directly tested. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether rumination is associated with habitual attributes and whether it is related to an imbalance in habit relative to goal-directed behavior control. University students (N=115) completed self-report questionnaires, a rumination induction paradigm and an outcome devaluation task that measures habitual vs goal-directed behavior control. Greater habitual characteristics of negative thinking (e.g., automaticity, lack of conscious awareness, control, and intent) were associated with ruminative brooding but not ruminative reflection and predicted more persistent dysphoric mood following rumination induction. Rumination was not, however, consistently associated with an imbalance in habit versus goal-directed behavior control. These findings indicate that depression vulnerability may be in the form of rumination being habitually triggered (without awareness or intent) with deleterious effects on mood. Although habitual, rumination may not be related to an imbalance in habit relative to goal-directed behavior control. These findings provide support for current theoretical accounts of rumination and set important boundary conditions in the search for specific factors that contribute to rumination as a habit.
Vacuum Coating Technology For Optical Data Storage Media

The manufacture of optical data storage media like CD and DVD has grown into a highly specialized large‐scale industrial production. The following is a retrospective of developments in coating and system technology over the past 20 years. System reliability, stable processes and fast machine cycle times are key elements for efficient replication. Vacuum coating technology in particular contributes to a product‐optimized process. Multilayer systems and the shift to blue laser recording in emerging formats serve to further increase disc storage capacity.
INTERACTION OF OXYGEN WITH CONJUGATED POLYMERS : CHARGE TRANSFER COMPLEX FORMATION WITH POLY(3-ALKYLTHIOPHENES)

Molecular oxygen forms a reversible charge transfer complex (CTC) with poly(3-alkylthiophenes). The complex is weakly bound but possesses a distinct absorption band in the visible region. The electronic properties of the neutral polymer are modulated by the CTC. The extent of modulation of these properties is proportional to oxygen pressure and is fully reversible. Analysis of poly(3-hexylthiophene) field effect transistors under increasing pressures of oxygen shows that the carrier concentration increases, conductivity increases, and the charge carrier mobility is lowered by the formation of the charge transfer complex. The CTC manifests itself as a fluorescence quencher of mobile polaronic excitons, and it explains why oxygen quenches luminescence with much greater efficiency than predicted by a collisional quenching model. Implications of the charge transfer complex on the photochemistry of poly(3-alkylthiophenes) and photosensitization of singlet oxygen are discussed.
Improvement of dimensional stability of nylon‐6 block copolymer using phenolic resin by reaction injection molding

In order to decrease moisture uptake and hence provide rigidity and dimensional stability in a nylon-6 block copolymer (NBC), powdered phenolic resin was incorporated into the formulation as a filler and processed by reaction injection molding. A novolac resin was cured with hexamethylenetetramine to produce the phenolic resin, which was modified with diethylamine in order to remplaced the OH groups by diethylamine groups. 5% by weight of modified and unmodified powdered phenolic resin was used as a filler in the nylon-6 block copolymers, and reinforced-nylon-6 block copolymer plaques were produced by reaction injection molding at 145°C. The materials were characterized by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), and their flexural modulus, impact test, and dimensional stability were evaluated. In unmodified phenolic-resin-reinforced nylon-6 block copolymer, water absorption was decreased by 90% compared with the NBC without filler. Two mechanisms of interaction between the NBC and the phenolic resin have been proposed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 70: 1811–1816, 1998
Synthesis of a Novel Series of 6,6'‐Disubstituted 4,4'‐Bipyrimidines by Radical Anion Coupling: New π‐Accepting Ligands for Coordination Chemistry

A new family of 6,6'-disubstituted 4,4'-bipyrimidine ligands has been prepared and characterized. The reduction potentials of the new ligands, as determined by cyclic voltammetry, indicate that these new ligands are considerably better π-acceptors than the ubiquitous 2,2'-bipyridine ligand, and are even superior to the parent unsubstituted 4,4'-bipyrimidine ligand. The substituents in 6,6' positions of the 4,4'-bipyrimidine also cause a red-shift in the ππ* and nπ* absorptions throughout the UV region. The X-ray crystal structure of one member of the family of bipyrimidines demonstrates that the aryl substituents may lie coplanar with the pyrimidine rings in the solid state. The additional electron delocalization afforded by the aryl substituents on the pyrimidine rings contribute to the better π-accepting ability of these compounds. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005)
Organo-mineral associations in temperate soils: Integrating biology, mineralogy, and organic matter chemistry

We summarize progress with respect to (1) different approaches to isolate, extract, and quantify organo-mineral compounds from soils, (2) types of mineral surfaces and associated interactions, (3) the distribution and function of soil biota at organo-mineral surfaces, (4) the distribution and content of organo-mineral associations, and (5) the factors controlling the turnover of organic matter (OM) in organo-mineral associations from temperate soils. Physical fractionation achieves a rough separation between plant residues and mineral-associated OM, which makes density or particle-size fractionation a useful pretreatment for further differentiation of functional fractions. A part of the OM in organo-mineral associations resists different chemical treatments, but the data obtained cannot readily be compared among each other, and more research is necessary on the processes underlying resistance to treatments for certain OM components. Studies using physical-fractionation procedures followed by soil-microbiological analyses revealed that organo-mineral associations spatially isolate C sources from soil biota, making quantity and quality of OM in microhabitats an important factor controlling community composition. The distribution and activity of soil microorganisms at organo-mineral surfaces can additionally be modified by faunal activities. Composition of OM in organo-mineral associations is highly variable, with loamy soils having generally a higher contribution of polysaccharides, whereas mineral-associated OM in sandy soils is often more aliphatic. Though highly reactive towards Fe oxide surfaces, lignin and phenolic components are usually depleted in organo-mineral associations. Charred OM associated with the mineral surface contributes to a higher aromaticity in heavy fractions. The relative proportion of OC bound in organo-mineral fractions increases with soil depth. Likewise does the strength of the bonding. Organic molecules sorbed to the mineral surfaces or precipitated by Al are effectively stabilized, indicated by reduced susceptibility towards oxidative attack, higher thermal stability, and lower bioavailability. At higher surface loading, organic C is much better bioavailable, also indicated by little 14C age. In the subsurface horizons of the soils investigated in this study, Fe oxides seem to be the most important sorbents, whereas phyllosilicate surfaces may be comparatively more important in topsoils. Specific surface area of soil minerals is not always a good predictor for C-stabilization potentials because surface coverage is discontinuous. Recalcitrance and accessibility/aggregation seem to determine the turnover dynamics in fast and intermediate cycling OM pools, but for long-term OC preservation the interactions with mineral surfaces, and especially with Fe oxide surfaces, are a major control in all soils investigated here.
A simple label-free electrochemical aptasensor for dopamine detection

A simple, label-free electrochemical biosensor based on a dopamine (DA) DNA aptamer immobilized on a Au electrode through the Au–S bond was developed. Methylene blue (MB) was used as the intercalating probe, and DA was sensitively and selectively detected. The developed electrochemical DA aptasensor showed a good linear response to DA from 5–150 nmol L−1 as well as having a low detection limit of 1.0 nM (S/N = 3). The biosensor also exhibited satisfactory selectivity and could be successfully used to detect DA in human blood, suggesting that the aptasensor is a promising application for the analysis of DA in real clinical samples.
Electromagnetic fields in ferrite ellipsoids

It is pointed out that the derivation of the field in a ferrite, when immersed in a uniform field, from a knowledge of the demagnetizing factors is logically unjustifiable, since these quantities depend on a knowledge of the internal fields. The internal fields should logically be calculated from the magnetic potential equation by the application of suitable boundary conditions. Results of such calculations are given for spheres, rods of circular or elliptical cross-section, longitudinally or transversely polarized, and disks polarized perpendicularly or parallel to their planes. Some of these results have been previously reported, but are included here for the sake of completeness; the majority, however, are believed to be original. The demagnetizing factors are also deduced from the fields.
Stratospheric aerosol measurements in the Arctic winter of 1996/1997 with the M-55 Geophysika high-altitude research aircraft

In-situ aerosol measurements were performed in the northern hemispheric stratosphere up to altitudes of 21 km between 13 November 1996 and 14 January 1997, inside and outside of the polar vortex during the Airborne Polar Experiment (APE) field campaign. These are measurements of particle size distributions with a laser optical particle counter of the FSSP-300 type operated during 9 flights on the Russian M-55 high-altitude research aircraft Geophysika. For specific flights, the FSSP-300 measurements are compared with balloon-borne data (launched from Kiruna, Sweden). It was found that the stratospheric aerosol content reached levels well below the background concentrations measured by the NASA operated ER-2 in 1988/89 in the northern hemisphere. During the APE campaign, no PSC particle formation was observed at flight altitudes although the temperatures were below the NAT condensation point during one flight. The measured correlations between ozone and aerosol give an indication of the subsidence inside the 1996/97 polar vortex. Despite the lower aerosol content in the winter 1996/97 compared to the 1989 background, the heterogeneous reactivity of the aerosol (as calculated from the measured data with additional model input) is comparable. This is due to the dependency of the reactive uptake coefficients on the atmospheric water vapor content. Under the described assumptions the reaction rates on the background aerosol are significantly smaller than for competing gas phase chlorine activation, as can be expected for stratospheric background conditions especially inside the polar vortex.
Hot‐electron induced passivation of silicon dangling bonds at the Si(111)/SiO2 interface

It is demonstrated that pre‐existing silicon dangling bonds in Al‐gate metal‐oxide‐semiconductor capacitors on (111) silicon substrates are passivated during hot‐electron stress, while defects—of an as yet unidentified nature—are simultaneously generated. This degradation behavior mimics the interface degradation caused by atomic hydrogen from a remote plasma, suggesting that hydrogen release by hot electrons leads to interface degradation, but the silicon dangling bond is not the dominant interface defect.
Freezing and Freezing-Thawing Cycles on Textural and Biochemical Changes of Meagre (Argyrosomus regius, L) Fillets During Further Cold Storage

The effects of freezing and freezing-thawing cycles during cold storage have been studied in meagre (Argyrosomus regius) fillets. Fillets were subjected to three conservation protocols: fresh, freezing at –20°C, and repeated freezing-thawing cycles. Fresh fillets were stored (4°C, 15 days), and the same protocol was followed for freezing and freezing-thawing after the freezing period. Freezing and freezing-thawing fillets were softer and presented lower water holding capacity than fresh, mostly attributable to collagen solubilization, and partial myofibrillar protein degradation. Cold storage (4°C) during 15 days caused softening in fresh and frozen fillets attributable to myofibrillar protein hydrolysis. Freezing-thawing cycles increased proteolysis, this leading to unacceptable softening even from early stages of further cold storage, and this was also revealed by SDS-PAGE.
TMEDA Catalyzed Henry (Nitroaldol) Reaction under Metal and Solvent-free Conditions

The Henry (nitroaldol) reaction proceeds under mild conditions with catalytic amount of tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) to afford β-nitro alkanol in considerably excellent yield. Structurally diverse aldehydes react with nitro-methane in presence of 0.3 equiv of TMEDA under solvent-free condition at rt. The low catalytic loading and mild reaction condition are the key features of the catalytic method.