Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Dynamics Studies on the Prediction of Interface Strength of Cu (metal)-CuZr (metallic glass) Metal Matrix Composites

The aim of this investigation is to predict the interface strength of metal (Cu-matrix)–metallic glass (Cu50Zr50-reinforcement) composites via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Simulation box size of 100 A (x) × 110 A (y) × 50 A (z) is used for the investigation. At first Cu–Cu50Zr50 crystalline model is constructed with the bottom layer (Cu) of 50 A and the top layer of 60 A (Cu50Zr50) in height along y–direction. Thereafter, Cu50Zr50 metallic glass is obtained by rapid cooling at a cooling rate of 4 × 1012 s-1. The interface model is then equilibrated at 300 K for 500 ps to relieve the stresses. EAM (Embedded Atom Method) potential is used for modelling the interaction between Cu–Cu and Cu–Zr atoms. The fracture strength of Cu–Cu50Zr50 model interface is determined by tensile (mode–I) and shear (mode–II) loading. Periodic boundary conditions are applied along z–direction for shear while along x– and z–directions for tensile tests. A timestep of 0.002 ps is used for all the simulations. Tensile and shear tests are carried out at varying strain rates (108 s-1, 109 s-1 and 1010 s-1) and temperatures (100K, 300 K and 500 K). The interface model is allowed for full separation under both the deformation modes. It is found that tensile as well as shear strength decrease with increase in temperature and increase with strain rate, as expected. Further, the maximum stress in shear is smaller than that in tensile at all strain rates and temperatures. Critical observations of the obtained results on Cu–Cu50Zr50 composites indicate better shear strengths as compared to the results of metal (matrix)-ceramic (reinforcement) composites available in the literature. Hence it can be concluded that metallic glass acts as a better reinforcement material than the popular ceramic reinforcements.
Real-Time Characterization of Electrospun PVP Nanofibers as Sensitive Layer of a Surface Acoustic Wave Device for Gas Detection

The goal of this work has been to study the polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers deposited by means of the electrospinning technique for using as sensitive layer in surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The electrospinning process of the fibers has been monitored and RF characterized in real time, and it has been shown that the diameters of the fibers depend mainly on two variables: the applied voltage and the distance between the needle and the collector, since all the electrospun fibers have been characterized by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Real-time measurement during the fiber coating process has shown that the depth of penetration of mechanical perturbation in the fiber layer has a limit. It has been demonstrated that once this saturation has been reached, the increase of the thickness of the fibers coating does not improve the sensitivity of the sensor. Finally, the parameters used to deposit the electrospun fibers of smaller diameters have been used to deposit fibers on a SAW device to obtain a sensor to measure different concentrations of toluene at room temperature. The present sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity, good linearity and repeatability, and high and fast response to toluene at room temperature.
The Gini Coefficient: An Application to Greece

The Gini coefficient is a measure of income inequality. In this study we show that it needs to be adjusted to be a correct measure of income inequality. The result is that decomposition is possible even without the interaction effect. The requirement however, is that there are data on individual incomes. Secondly, the approach is applied to Greece. Third, there is the last section indicating extensions.
An Inter-Institutional and Inter-Disciplinary Collaborative Learning to in-silico Motif Discovery in Molecular Sequences

Collaborative learning boosts student involvement and engagement to be responsible and accountable for the success of their own learning. However, developing critical collaborative skill is imperative for students to allow them to work in a collaborative environment. The proposed research followed an inter-institutional and inter-disciplinary collaborative approach where staff and students of Computing and Biotechnology Departments of two different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Sultanate of Oman, collaboratively worked on solving a biological problem computationally. Ideas and information amongst students and staff were exchanged through social media platforms. Finally, the research outcome of the collaborative effort resulted in the development of a software which is freely accessible. The research paper describes the basis of setting up a collaborative research, implementation of the problem statement, final outcome of the collaboration, learner attributes achieved, challenges faced, and recommendations to the significance of inter-departmental collaborative efforts in HEIs.
Constant Proportion Portfolio Insurance Under Regime Switching Exponential L evy Process

The constant proportion portfolio insurance is analyzed by assuming that the risky asset price follows a regime switching exponential Levy process. Analytical forms of the shortfall probability, expected shortfall and expected gain are derived. The characteristic function of the gap risk is also obtained for further exploration on its distribution. The specific implementation is discussed under some popular Levy models including the Merton’s jump–diffusion, Kou’s jump–diffusion, variance gamma and normal inverse Gaussian models. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the implication of the established results.
High performance work practices in Albania

In this article, HRM practices - articulated as HRM for high performance work practices – are studied in Albanian companies. From a pre-study, the indication was that HRM is still in an early stage of development. A questionnaire based survey and interviews were conducted to substantiate this premise. The empirical results show that indeed HRM is not well developed. The data also reveal only minor differences between foreign owned companies and Albanian companies and between small and larger companies. The results of the study should be understood in the context of the Albanian small economy, slowly picking up. It is concluded that developing HRM high performance work practices has considerable potential for Albanian companies, and that employers’ associations and universities should play a role as HRM champions. HRM also deserves much more academic attention.
How does patent litigation influence dynamic risk for market competitors

AbstractMany recent studies have discussed the appropriateness of various patent measurement indicators, as well as the differences in the positioning of patented technologies, while there is little discussion on the risk transmission of enterprises when faced with infringement litigation. This study used the bivariate EGARCH (Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity) model with DCC (Dynamic Conditional Correlations) to investigate the dynamic risk transmission of patent litigation between market competitors in the smartphone industry. Empirical results revealed that when facing lawsuits from market challengers, the market leader faces fewer risks when handling patent infringement litigations. In addition, the risk reactions of competitors during patent wars may widely differ. Investors should consider the patent infringement litigations when measuring the dynamic risks of share prices, and determining the optimal configuration of asset portfolios in response.
Network cracks-based wearable strain sensors for subtle and large strain detection of human motions

As an imitation of human skin's tactile sensing ability, flexible and stretchable strain sensors are highly desirable because of their various applications in health monitoring, robotics, and human–machine interfaces. However, it is still a big challenge to fabricate strain sensors with both high sensitivity and broad sensing range. Herein, we report a simple, low cost and scalable fabrication strategy to construct high performance strain sensors based on network cracks formed in multilayer carbon nanotubes (CNTs) films/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites. The microscopic thickness of multilayer CNTs can be precisely controlled to tune the formation of network cracks in CNTs films/PDMS composite, which is critical for simultaneously amplifying the sensitivity signal and sensing range of strain sensors. The optimized CNTs films/PDMS composite under appropriate stretching would fracture into gaps, islands, and bridges connecting separated islands. The formed network cracks easily, resulting in both high gauge factor (maximum value of 87) and a wide sensing range (up to 100%) of the strain sensor, which allows the detection of strain as low as 0.007% with excellent stability (1500 cycles), making it suitable for both subtle and large strain detection, including subtle signals of artery pulses, music vibration and large scale motions of joint bending.
Validations of a Model to Estimate Thermal Conductivities of Ceramics

The Effective Medium Theory Model (EMTM) used in this work is based on the assumption that every phase of the matrix is embedded in a homogeneous medium with conductivity keff to be determined self-consistently. It is based on dilute spherical inclusions of one phase embedded in a matrix of a second phase. Several Samples of composite ceramics that are mechanically strong, relatively non-porous and anisotropic have been investigated. A comparison between the measured data and the results predicted by EMTM were made to validate the model for these ceramic samples. In particular, we investigate the effect of mineralogy (constituents) in ceramics and their spatial distribution profile to validate the homogeneity conditions of the model. Preliminary indicators of validation were used to check the bulk and surface homogeneities. This can be done either by roughly estimating Wiener bounds or by examining microscopically the surfaces of the samples. It turns out that the EMTM is a suitable one to estimate keff provided that the homogeneity conditions are satisfied.
Triacylglycerols and fatty acids composition of egusi seed oil ( Cucumeropsis Mannii Naudin )

Triacylglycerols were determined from a Cameroonian (African) white egusi seed oil ( Cucumeropsis Mannii Naudin ) using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. The fatty acid composition of two types of seed (red and white) is obtained by capillary gas chromatography. The study of the triacyiglycerol composition obtained in white egusi seed oil revealed that only nine triacylglycerols were present in amounts above 1% (area). The first five triglycerides represent more than 80% of the total triacylglycerols, and the major triacyiglycerol was palmitoyldilinoleoylglycerol, accounting for 23.6% of the oil. This oil contains a high proportion of linoleic acid (60% wt/wt).
A Longitudinal Effect of Intergenerational Support on Psychological Well-Being of Rural Elderly

Using the data from a 5-wave longitudinal survey “Well-being of Elderly in Anhui Province, China” conducted in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012 by the Institute for Population and Development Studies of Xi’an Jiaotong University. This study employs Hierarchical Linear Models to analyze longitudinal effect of intergenerational support on the psychological well-being of the rural elderly. The results show that intergenerational financial support, assistance with household chores provided to adult children, receiving personal care, and emotional support between the elderly and children promoted psychological well-being of the elderly, however receiving assistance with household chores from adult children decreased psychological well-being of the elderly. This study suggests that family intergenerational support, which is mainly needs based, and conditional on culturally prescribed expectations, can enhance psychological well-being of the elderly in rural. This study reflects influential mechanism of intergenerational support on the psychological well-being of rural elderly. In the background of rural labor migration, what the author finds, for us to understand effects of intergenerational support from the different family structure on the rural elderly’s health, make public policy analysis or construct social support system, has certain practical significance.
Evolution of locomotor trends in extinct terrestrial giants affected by body mass

It is generally accepted that bone morphology may be influenced by functional bone strains or stresses (McMahon, 1973, 1975a, b; Alexander, 1977; BertramB Biewener, 1990; Christiansen, 1999, 2002a, b). However, the problem as to which specific mechanical characteristics are most relevant remains open (e.g., Rubin & Lanyon, 1984; Fritton et al., 2000; Biewener, 2000, 2005). Aiming to establish correlations between structural proportions and posture of mammalian limbs coping with body’s locomotory functions, including support of mass in the gravitational field, scaling studies of limb long bones in terrestrial mammals have been subject to long standing debate and controversy (Biewener, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2005; Biewener et al., 1983; Biewener & Taylor, 1986; Selker & Carter, 1989; Bertram & Biewener, 1990, 1992; Christiansen, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002a, b, 2007; Farina et al., 1997; Carrano, 1998, 1999, 2001; Currey, 2003; Kokshenev, 2003; Kokshenev et al., 2003). The exploration of basic concepts of stability of ideal and non-ideal solid cylinders loaded in non-critical, transient and near critical mechanical regimes, mapped to arbitrary loaded curved limb long bones, resulted in a number of mechanical patterns of similarity in long bones adjusted to their design (Kokshenev, 2007). Established under fairly general assumptions, the proposed scaling rules (for peak longitudinal-bone and transverse-bone elastic forces and momenta, compressive and shear strains, corresponding to axial and non-axial bending and torsional components of tensorial stress) congruent with bone allometry explained the two basic patterns of functional stresses in vivo revealed in the limb bones of fast running terrestrial mammals by Rubin & Lanyon (1982, 1984). The theoretically established patterns of bone design (Kokshenev, 2007) have been also tested (Kokshenev & Christiansen, 2010) by the surprisingly varied differential scaling of the limb long bones in Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants. These terrestrial giants have more upright limb bones to vertical, notably much more upright propodials (humerus and femur), which are held at a distinctly greater angle compared to the ground than is the case in other large, quadrupedal mammals. Studies of their locomotor mechanics have also indicated differences from other terrestrial mammals, in that fast locomotion is ambling with no suspended phase in the stride, but with duty factors exceeding 0.5 (Alexander et al., 1979; Hutchinson et al., 2006). The theoretical predictions 3
Group Heterogeneity and the Gender Earnings Gap in Mexico

This study analyzes the role of group heterogeneity on the gender earnings gap in Mexico. Using individual level data from the Encuesta nacional de empleo urbano, an additively decomposable index of the extent of gender unexplained wage inequality is estimated. The Jenkins index is larger for those with lower levels of education, those with a college/ university degree, and those relatively older and with more labor market experience. The index is also inversely related to firm size and larger in the private and informal sectors. There is also some evidence of significant regional differences in unexplained gender wage inequality. The results are robust to alternative assumptions about employer discrimination aversion and suggest that group-specific public policy measures would be more effective than programs targeting women as a whole, if the goal is to reduce gender pay inequities as delineated in Mexico’s National Development Plan 1995-2000.
Average pay in banks: do agency problems and bank performance matter?

We study the determinants of average pay across all levels of staff seniority for UK banks between 2003 and 2012. We show that pay is affected by agency problems but not by bank operating performance. Average pay does not depend on accounting outcomes at the bank level. By contrast, average pay is positively affected by the presence of a Remuneration Committee and the proportion of Non-Executives on the Board. These findings contribute to the existing literature in two ways. First, this is the first empirical study to directly compare the relative explanatory power of two theories of the determinants of bank pay (governance structures and bank performance). By finding empirical support for one theory but not the other, we identify dysfunctions in the determination of pay in banks. Second, our study considers a broader set of bank employees than any earlier research in this field, allowing us to identify more general patterns. Our results have practical implications for bank shareholders and regulators, suggesting the need for greater transparency in governance of bank pay.
Anti-diabetic potential of crude extracts of medicinal plants used as substitutes for Swertia chirayita using in vitro assays

Swertia chirayita is a highly traded medicinal plant of Nepal widely used for its anti-diabetic potential. In this study, two herbs (Swertia nervosa and Andrographis paniculata) often used as adulterants and substitutes of Swertia chirayita were analyzed for their antioxidant activity, a-glucosidase inhibitory potential and total phenolic content and compared with that of Swertia chirayita. Aqueous and 12% ethanolic extracts of the three herbs showed moderate to high antioxidant activity and moderate a-glucosidase inhibitory potential. HPLC/ DAD revealed the presence of swertiamarin and mangiferin in all the Swertia species, while Andrographis paniculata contained cinnamates such as cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid. The antioxidant activity and a-glucosidase inhibitory potential was evident in the two herbs indicating their relevance as substitutes for Swertia chirayita for potential early stage management of type-2 diabetes and related complications.
Land use practices in Caprivi’s changing political environment

This paper presents an account of developments that led to present land use practices in the eastern parts of Caprivi and the eﬀ ects these practices have on the ecosystem. In the pre-colonial period (–1890), the early inhabitants of east of the Kwando River were hunters and gatherers. Climatic and hydrological conditions enabled the ﬁ rst Bantu communities to practice settled subsistence agriculture in the 18th and 19th centuries, a time when the Lozi and the Kololo kings ruled this area. Its location between perennial rivers made eastern parts of Caprivi good and easily defensible grazing area. Peripheral location and prevalence of malaria and cattle diseases made the area less tempting for European and South African farmers, but also made the colonial administration of east of the Kwando River diﬃ cult for Germany 1890–1915 and South Africa 1915–1990. The paper reviews published works and government documents, which is combined with ﬁ eld observations and aerial photos of the area. In particular, our analysis focuses on Salambala conservancy because of its successes and many controversies. The analysis shows that indeed, enactments of law did not address land use in the manner that would have led to ful ﬁ lment of the needs of subsistence farmers until Namibia’s independence in 1990. Nowadays, almost the whole area is still intensively used for small-scale subsistence farming and agricultural practices have remained traditional. The article describes the eﬀ orts of previous administrations and outlines several factors that accounts for present-day land use practices. This account concludes that intensiﬁ cation of grazing and clearing
An Adapted Multiway Tree with Holder-chain for Large Scale P 2 P VoD System

Peer-to-Peer Video-on-demand (P2P VoD) systems have attracted great interest in research community. Many hybrid methods have been proposed to provide high-quality video-on-demand services to support VCR-like operations, which can scale to large population of users. In this paper, we propose a hybrid overlay DONet-AMT, which combines DONet and an adapted multi-way tree. DONet is applied to distribute the video segments efficiently. The adapted multiway tree consists of two layers: a complete multi-way tree and holder-chain, which can support efficient VCR-like operations. Our scheme can ensure that every video segment has k (typically k≥4) replicas at least when the number of peers is large enough, and thus guarantees high data availability. Finally, the performance analysis shows that DONet-AMT can provide better VoD services than DONet-VoD.
High-resolution wave model validation over the Greek maritime areas

Abstract. The increasing maritime activity can be seriously affected by severe weather and sea conditions. To avoid serious damages to ships, marine structures and humans, a good weather and wave forecast is of primary importance. In general the meteorological and the wave models are used to produce forecasts at large scale like the global or the medium-size inner seas. For much smaller environments like the Greek maritime areas, characterized by complicated features like the orography and the presence of islands, the modelisation becomes a not simple task. This study is devoted to the validation of the performance of the WAM wave model over the Ionian and Aegean Seas. The period of validation refers to the first 12 months of operational use of the model at the National Observatory of Athens. The wave model is applied at a resolution of 1/16 degrees and is driven by the 10 m wind, produced by the BOLAM meteorological model operationally run over the same area. Two different sources of data have been used for the verification of the model results. The first dataset is provided by a network of buoys deployed over the Greek maritime areas and the second consists of altimeter data, provided by the OSTM/Jason-2 satellite platform. Although the study area is characterized by complex topography and a large number of islands, the implementation of the WAM model provides very encouraging results. In general, with the exception of the two buoys located in the Ionian Sea, the WAM model tends to underestimate the wave energy in the region of the Aegean Sea. The comparison with the altimeter data shows that the model has a tendency to overestimate the height for waves lower than 2.5 m and to underestimate the waves higher than 3 m.