Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE BEHAVIOUR OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT BY NONLINEAR FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

In this research, axisymmetric finite element method has been carried out to study the behavior of flexible pavement. The asphalt concrete, base course and sub grade have been discretized as four noded isoparametric finite elements. The asphalt concrete and the base course have been idealized as elastic material. The sub grade has been idealized as nonlinear material by Drucker-Prager yield criteria. The nonlinear finite element equation has been solved by Full Newton Raphson Method. Based on finite element analysis pressure vs settlement curve; pressure vs nodal stress curve; pressure vs element stress curve; variation of nodal displacement with decreasing height and variation of element stress with decreasing height have been obtained. Also the comparison of pressure vs settlement curve and comparison of settlement with decreasing height for different properties of soil have been obtained. It has been found that the pressure vs settlement curve; pressure vs nodal stress curve ; pressure vs element stress curve are linear for small pressure range and then it become nonlinear. More nonlinearity is seen at higher pressure. Hence material nonlinearity must be considered while analysing and designing flexible pavements
The Wealthy World's Open-Economy from FDI Inflow Is a Real Thing: Malaysia's Experience

Fiscal policy is one of the popular instruments used by government to provide balance to growth in the national economy and market. In Malaysia's context, fiscal policy is implemented using such as the annual budgets, Malaysia Plans, and multiple stimulus packages aimed at boosting Malaysia's economy especially during the recent lock down which has threatened to cause an economic crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, one of the Malaysian Government's biggest spending using fiscal policy is its development expenditure, and tax is one of the largest contributions used to support this development expenditure. In order to attract investors to Malaysia, critical features such as benefits, facilities, and social welfare have been designed by decision-makers in each formulated policy. Initiatives such as inter-governmental forums, trade agreements and discussions are platforms that can be used to share and respond to economic problems. However, the existence of competition and foreign policy have become major challenges to the country's efforts to attract investors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between Malaysia's federal government development expenditure with foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow, as well as the country's openness towards investment. The two dimensions of asymmetric FDI inflow were analysed to see how they react to government expenditure from 1970 until 2019 using the Linear and Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag method. Findings from the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (NARDL) model indicated that FDI has a positively significant effect on fiscal accumulation for development expenditure. In conclusion, increases in government expenditure increase FDI inflow into Malaysia in both the short- and long-run. Hence, government development expenditure behaviour represents accelerating economic growth in the Malaysian context, and it is proven to have a significant impact towards economic growth in the long-run. This study contributes to empirical literature on the relationship between federal government development expenditure and FDI inflow, particularly the effect of openness to investment into a developing country towards economic growth in the long- run. © 2021 by authors.
Evaluasi Model Kirkpatrick Pelatihan Persiapan Sertifikasi Penyuluh Antikorupsi pada Pusdiklat SDM

Abstrak – Korupsi dapat diartikan sebagai perbuatan yang dilakukan dengan maksud memberikan beberapa keuntungan yang bertentangan dengan tugas dan hak orang lain. Korupsi termasuk kejahatan yang luar biasa, sangat merugikan baik bagi institusi maupun bagi bangsa dan negara. Penelitian ini bertujuan melakukan evaluasi pelatihan persiapan sertifikasi penyuluh antikorupsi pada level 3 dan level 4. Adapun sampel dalam penelitian ini dilakukan di Pusat Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia Kementerian Keuangan. Pengumpulan data yang digunakan melalui metode wawancara dan pengumpulan angket kuesioner. Alat analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis deskriptif dan analisis inferensia. Analisis inferensia menggunakan uji dua beda sampel berpasangan. Hasil yang didapat pelaksanaan pelatihan persiapan sertifikasi penyuluh antikorupsi memberikan perubahan perilaku peserta di tempat kerja. Hal ini dinyatakan dalam hasil survey ditunjukkan dengan hasil rata-rata setelah pelatihan meningkatkan dari sebelum pelatihan. Hal ini diperkuat dengan hasil uji beda baik untuk level 3 maupun level 4 yang signifikan. Dari hasil wawancara diperoleh bahwa alumni dalam tugasnya sehari-hari di kantor juga telah menerapkan nilai-nilai dasar antikorupsi. Perilaku ini dapat menguatkan posisi alumni yang baik. Kata Kunci : antikorupsi, pelatihan dan penyuluhan, uji beda
Valuation of technical fibres in composite applications – A non-linear regression-based approach

Fibre-reinforced composites are an important field of composite research and are used in an enormous range of applications from special high-tech applications such as aeronautics to consumer goods such as sporting goods. The objective of this study is to assess the monetary value of fibres to be used for reinforcement in composites by the relation of price and certain fibre properties. To model this, relationship data from different types of technical fibres were used. An economic approach is used to identify the determinants of fibre value. In total, four regression models were calculated. The models give an impression of the impact of the explanatory variables. This work shows that the evaluation of the economic value of a reinforcement fibre by technical properties is feasible.
A Systematic Study of the Antibacterial Activity of Basidiomycota Crude Extracts

The excessive consumption of antibiotics in clinical, veterinary and agricultural fields has resulted in tremendous flow of antibiotics into the environment. This has led to enormous selective pressures driving the evolution of antimicrobial resistance genes in pathogenic and commensal bacteria. In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted research aiming to develop medical features using natural products that are often competitive with synthetic drugs in clinical performance. Fungi are considered an important source of bioactive molecules, often effective against other fungi and/or bacteria, and thus are potential candidates in the search of new antibiotics. Fruiting bodies of sixteen different fungal species of Basidiomycota were collected in the Italian Alps. The identification of fungal species was performed through Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequencing. Most species belong to genera Cortinarius, Mycena and Ramaria, whose metabolite contents has been scarcely investigated so far. The crude extracts obtained from the above mushrooms were tested for their inhibition activity against five human pathogens: Candida albicans ATCC 14053, C. glabrata ATCC 15126, Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 6571, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883. Twelve crude extracts showed activity against P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. Highest activity was shown by some Cortinarius species, as C. nanceiensis.
A linear high-gain and low-power CMOS UWB mixer

This article presents the design process, and analysis of a high-linearity, high-gain, low-power and inductorless 3.1–4.8 GHz ultra-wideband (UWB) down conversion mixer in a 0.18 μm CMOS process with a 1.8 supply voltage. In the proposed structure, the linearity of the conventional Gilbert cell mixer is increased about 10 dBm without losing the conversion gain using the modified derivative superposition and current-bleeding techniques. Moreover, power consumption of the conventional mixer is significantly decreased. Besides, the conversion gain and S11 of the mixer are hand calculated and the validity of the analytical formulas is verified by simulation results.
A microfabricated hollow cantilever sensor for sub-nanoliter thermal measurements

A novel design for a cantilever thermal sensor is presented, in which a hollow silicon nitride beam structure encloses a microfluidic channel, through which analytes flow. This scheme is readily integrated with microfluidics for sample delivery, and has a sample volume between 20 and 50 picoliters. Measurements are made by detecting the thermally-induced bending of the cantilever due to its bimorph structure. The cantilevers are fabricated in matching pairs to enable inherently referenced measurements, and interdigitated interferometry is used for sensitive position detection. Analytical modeling of the mechanical and thermal response of these devices predicts a thermal power density sensitivity of up to 10-6 A /(W/m 3), and a temperature sensitivity of -300 nm/K at timescales on the order of -10 ns for most measurement situations. The device resolution for AC-modulated measurements at 50-60 Hz is limited by its thermomechanical noise of approximately 10-2 A /Hz"2 . Prototype devices were successfully fabricated using a sacrificial polysilicon process and used to perform a photothermal spectroscopy measurement with the acridine dye proflavine. The observed absorption peak has a signal-to-noise ratio of about four and correlates well with known absorption data for this dye. Thesis Supervisor: Scott R. Manalis Title: Associate Professor of Media Arts & Sciences and Biological Engineering
Exact zero skew

An exact zero skew clock routing algorithm using the Elmore delay model is presented. Recursively in a bottom-up fashion, two zero-skewed subtrees are merged into a new tree with zero skew. The algorithm can be applied to single-staged clock trees, multi-staged clock trees, and multi-chip system clock trees. It is ideal for hierarchical methods of constructing large systems. All subsystems can be constructed in parallel and independently, and then interconnected with exact zero skew. Experimental results are presented. <<ETX>>
Population Imaging of Central Sensitization

Capsaicin applied locally to the skin causes central sensitization that results in allodynia, a state in which pain is elicited by innocuous stimuli. Here, we used two-photon calcium imaging of neurons in the dorsal spinal cord to visualize central sensitization across excitatory interneurons and spinal projection neurons. To distinguish among excitatory neuron subtypes, we developed CICADA, a cell profiling approach that leverages the expression of distinct Gq-coupled receptors. We then identified capsaicin-responsive and capsaicin-sensitized neuronal populations. Capsaicin-sensitized neurons showed emergent responses to low threshold input and increased receptive field sizes consistent with the psychophysical phenomenon that allodynia is observed across an extended secondary zone. Finally, we identified spinal projection neurons that showed a shift in tuning toward low threshold input. These experiments provide a population-level view of central sensitization and a framework with which to model somatosensory integration in the dorsal horn. Highlight Warwick et al. use two-photon calcium imaging coupled with pharmacological profiling to identify neuronal populations in the spinal dorsal horn that mediate capsaicin-induced central sensitization.
Application of data mining techniques for improving customer services

Data mining is the process of discovering interesting knowledge such as patterns, associations, changes, anomalies and significant structures from large amounts of data stored in databases. This helps analyse, understand, or even visualise the huge amounts of stored data gathered from business and scientific applications. A number of data mining applications have emerged for a variety of domains including marketing, banking, finance, manufacturing and health care. In traditional customer service support, most manufacturing companies store their customer service reports - that record machine problems (or fault conditions) and any remedial actions (or checkpoint solutions) taken to rectify the problems - in a customer service database. In addition, for management purposes, structured data on sales, employees and customers are also stored. As such, the customer service database serves as a repository of invaluable information and knowledge that can be utilised to improve customer services. This paper discusses the application of data mining techniques to extract knowledge from a customer service database for improving customer service support.
Association between Water and Energy Requirements with Physical Activity and Fat-Free Mass in Preschool Children in Japan

Water and energy are essential for the human body. The doubly labeled water (DLW) method measures water turnover (WT) and total energy expenditure (TEE), which serves as a benchmark for the adequate intake (AI) of water and estimated energy requirements (EER). The objective of the current study was to examine the association of WT and TEE with physical activity and body composition in Japanese preschool children. We included 41 preschool children (22 girls, 19 boys) aged 3–6 in this study. WT, TEE, and fat-free mass (FFM) were obtained using DLW. Physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer and categorized as light (LPA; 1.5–2.9 Metabolic equivalents, METs) and of moderate-to-vigorous intensity (MVPA; ≥3.0 METs). Exercise duration (Ex) was defined as ≥4.0 METs of physical activity. WT and TEE moderately positively correlated with Ex, but not with LPA. WT moderately positively correlated with BW and FFM while TEE strongly. We established predictive equations for WT and TEE using body weight (BW), FFM, step count, and Ex to guide the AI of water and EER in Japanese preschool children. We found that FFM and step count are the determinants of TEE, and that BW and Ex are the determinants of WT in preschool children.
Automated Assessment of the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta in Parkinson’s Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

The substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta (SNpc) and pars reticulata (SNpr) are differentially affected in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Separating the SNpc and SNpr is challenging with standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows for the characterization of SN microstructure in a non-invasive manner. In this study, 29 PD patients and 28 healthy controls (HCs) were imaged with 1.5T MRI for DTI. Images were nonlinearly registered to standard space and SNpc and SNpr DTI parameters were measured. ANCOVA and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. Clinical associations were assessed with Spearman correlations. Multiple corrections were controlled for false discovery rate. PD patients presented with significantly increased SNpc axial diffusivity (AD) (1.207 ± 0.068 versus 1.156 ± 0.045, p = 0.024), with ROC analysis yielding an under the curve of 0.736. Trends with Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III scores were identified for SNpc MD (rs = 0.449), AD (rs = 0.388), and radial diffusivity (rs = 0.391) (all p < 0.1). A trend between baseline SNpr MD and H&Y change (rs = 0.563, p = 0.081) over 2.9 years of follow-up was identified (n = 14). In conclusion, SN microstructure shows robust, clinically meaningful associations in PD.
Seismic Performance Evaluation and Retrofit of Fixed Jacket Offshore Platform Structures

AbstractIn this study the seismic performances of the fixed-base jacket structures with various bracing configurations were evaluated by nonlinear static and dynamic methods, and the effects of various retrofit schemes were compared. It was observed that the conventional retrofit methods of increasing member size were somewhat effective in increasing the strength of fixed steel jacket platform structures but were not so effective in increasing ductility. However, the ductility of the structures retrofitted with buckling-restrained braces turned out to be increased significantly. In the structures with conventional bracing, plastic hinges or buckling generally occurred at the upper half of the jacket structures. On the contrary, they were more uniformly distributed along the structure height in the structure retrofitted using buckling restrained braces. The capacity curves obtained from incremental dynamic analysis generally corresponded well with those obtained from nonlinear static analysis using a later.
Regenerative frequency divider for 14 sub-band UWB applications

A divide-by-4.5 regenerative frequency divider for multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ultra-wideband (UWB) applications is designed using a 0.18 mum CMOS technology. The divider operates at 7128 MHz and covers 14 sub-bands for a simple PLL-based frequency synthesiser. An efficient regenerative divider technique incorporating one single-sideband mixer increases the linearity and achieves a sideband rejection of 29 dB while consuming 7.3 mA from a 1.8 V power supply.
Quantitative Analysis of Influence Factors on Distribution Efficiency of Agricultural Products: A Case Study using Data Envelopment Analysis

This study aims to investigate the influence factors on the distribution efficiency of agricultural products. Distribution efficiency of agricultural product directly reflects the efficiency of agricultural distribution system. The output and cost in the process of agricultural distribution can be accessed by distribution efficiency. Much work has been done to measured distribution efficiency by single indicator but little work has been done to investigate the multiply indicators and their impacts on the distribution efficiency of agricultural products. Hence, for the first time, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used to assess the influence of multiply indicators on the distribution efficiency of agricultural products. A case study using the historical data has been carried out. The empirical analysis results show that the level of informatization and logistics infrastructure greatly influence the distribution efficiency of agricultural products while the Logistics transportation and the professional level of labors do not promote the efficiency of agricultural distribution system. Hence, useful suggestions could be proposed to provide theoretical reference for the construction of robust and efficient agricultural distribution system.
Temporal and Spatial Changes of Runoff Regime in the Yellow River Basin from 1956 to 2017

The Yellow River is one of the major rivers with severe runoff declines in China, but there are significant differences in runoff changes in the upper and lower reaches of the basin and among different tributaries. However, the characteristic of runoff change and its spatial heterogeneity are not well understood in the whole basin. In this paper, 48 hydrological stations located in the mainstream and major tributaries were selected, and the meteorological and runoff data from 1956 to 2017 were collected. The multi-year and intra-year changes in runoff were analyzed, and then the attribution of climate change and human activity to runoff change was quantified by the climate elasticity coefficients. The results showed that: (1) in the past 60 years, the runoff of the Yellow River showed a serious decrease trend of −8.25 mm/10a. Moreover, most tributaries decreased significantly in runoff with a rate of −1.42 mm/10a to −28.99 mm/10a; (2) for the whole basin, the contribution of climate change and human activity to runoff changes was 13% and 87%, respectively. Moreover, the contribution of the two factors varied considerably in different tributaries. Finally, focusing on different runoff regime and socioeconomic characteristics, this study provided corresponding water resources adaptive management suggestions.
Western Moyamoya Phenotype: A Scoping Review

Moyamoya, a rare angiographic finding, is characterized by chronic and progressive stenosis at the terminal end of the internal carotid artery, followed by collateralization of the cerebral vasculature at the base of the skull. Coined by Suzuki and Takaku in 1969, the term “moyamoya” means a “puff of smoke” in Japanese, a reference to the angiographic appearance of moyamoya collateralization. Moyamoya is most commonly found in East Asian countries, where much governmental and civilian effort has been expended to characterize this unique disease process. However, despite its rarity, the occurrence of moyamoya in Western countries is associated with significant divergence regarding incidence, gender, sex, age at diagnosis, clinical presentation, and outcomes. Here, we attempted to review the Western literature on moyamoya presentation using the PubMed database to characterize the Western phenotype of moyamoya. We were guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). We reviewed papers generated from a search with keywords “moyamoya case report,” those reported from a Western institution, and those reported on a relevant association. Our scoping review demonstrated various clinical associations with moyamoya. Moreover, we summarized the demographic profile and clinical symptomatology, as well as reported disease associations to better elucidate the Western phenotype of moyamoya.
Modeling person-to-person contaminant transport in enclosed environments

Chen, Chun. Ph.D., Purdue University, May 2015. Modeling Person-To-Person Contaminant Transport in Enclosed Environments. Major Professor: Dr. Qingyan (Yan) Chen, School of Mechanical Engineering. It is essential to predict person-to-person contaminant transport in enclosed environments to improve air distribution design and reduce the infection risk from airborne infectious diseases. This study aims to improve and accelerate the simulation of person-to-person contaminant transport in enclosed environments. This investigation first conducted experimental measurements of person-to-person contaminant transport in an office mockup and the first-class cabin of a functional MD82 aircraft. The experimental data of steady-state airflow, temperature, and gas contaminant concentration fields obtained in the office were used to validate the steadystate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. In the aircraft cabin, the transient particle concentrations were measured at the breathing zones of each passenger. The experimental data were used for evaluating the transient particle models in this study. When applying the CFD models, most of the existing studies assumed that the index person coughed or sneezed directly without covering the mouth. In reality, however, people usually cover their mouths with a hand or a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Currently, no simple method is available in the literature for predicting the exhaled airflow from a cough with the mouth covered. Therefore, this study developed simplified models for predicting the airflow on the basis of the smoke visualization experiment. This investigation then applied the developed simplified models to assess the influence of mouth coverings on the receptor’s exposure to exhaled particles. It was found that