Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contact in a viscous fluid. Part 2. A compressible fluid and an elastic solid

A lubrication theory is presented for the effect of fluid compressibility and solid elasticity on the descent of a two-dimensional smooth object falling under gravity towards a plane wall through a viscous fluid. The final approach to contact, which takes infinite time in the absence of both effects, is determined by numerical and asymptotic methods. Compressibility can lead to contact in finite time either during inertially generated oscillations or if the viscosity decreases sufficiently quickly with increasing pressure. The approach to contact is invariably slowed by allowing the solids to deform elastically; specific results are presented for an underlying elastic wall modelled as a foundation, half-space, membrane or beam.
A heuristic approach to minimising maximum lateness on a single machine

This paper focuses on the problem of scheduling on a single machine to minimise the maximum lateness when each job has a different ready time, processing time, and due date. A simple procedure is developed to find a better solution than the early due date (EDD) algorithm. The new algorithm suggested in this paper is called Least Slack Time - Look Ahead (LST-LA), which minimises the maximum lateness problem. Computational results show that when the number of jobs increases, LST-LA outperforms EDD.
Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) – Technological properties, adhesion behaviour and colour stability with and without coatings of the red heartwood

Le hetre (Fagus sylvatica L.) est une espece d'arbre populaire important en Europe. La presence du coeur rouge provoque une reduction notable de la valeur economique des grumes qui en sont atteintes. Les causes de l'apparition du coeur rouge sont bien connues mais les etudes scientifiques sur le comportement technologique et mecanique du hetre a coeur rouge sont cependant rares. La presente etude a pour but d'etablir des bases solides pour la caracterisation des proprietes technologiques du hetre a coeur rouge que sont le comportement au collage et la stabilite de teinte. Il n'existe aucun indice selon lequel les proprietes technologiques et mecaniques du hetre a coeur rouge different de celle du hetre normal. Pour ce qui est du comportement au collage, les resultats sont identiques alors que pour la stabilite de la teinte la difference a l'etat frais de sciage entre le hetre normal et le hetre a coeur rouge diminue apres un certain temps d'exposition.
Arabic as a Second Language Listening Comprehension: Instruction and Assessment

The purpose of this paper is to present some instructional ideas for listening comprehension in Arabic as a second language (ASL) and their alignment with listening assessment. Among the suggestions are using spoken texts as instructional input, introducing the microand macro markers and providing students with authentic listening texts. In addition, the paper also highlights the importance of awareness-raising on the differences between spoken and written language among ASL learners. To expand the extant of the scope of possible instructional ideas for ASL listening, the discussion on pre-teaching of listening input and its connection to learners’ schemata is also included. To consolidate the discussion on instructional ideas, communicative reciprocal listening instruction is recommended for ASL listening instruction. Apart from instructional ideas, suggestions on how to develop a ‘considerate’ ASL listening assessment that is in alignment with classroom instruction are also presented in this paper.
Diadromous life cycle and behavioural plasticity in freshwater and estuarine Kuhliidae species (Teleostei) revealed by otolith microchemistry

Otolith microchemistry and microstructure were examined in juveniles of 3 Kuhlia species (Teleostei) from fresh and brackish environments in order to examine their migratory histories. All species presented with strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) and barium:calcium (Ba:Ca) profiles in the inner region of the otoliths that suggested an obligatory marine larval phase. At approximately 0.3 to 0.6 mm from the otolith core, all individuals showed a sharp increase in Ba:Ca ratios that were generally associated with variation in the Sr:Ca ratio, indicating recruitment into rivers. Microchemical profiles in the outer region of the otoliths indicated a freshwater habitat for most K. rupestris and K. sauvagii and an estuarine habitat for most K. munda. Microstructure analyses validated the presence of an otolith check mark deposited during the habitat shift in K. rupestris and K. sauvagii, but not in K. munda. We hypothesise that this difference was due to lower osmotic stress for the fish moving from the sea to estuaries than from the sea to freshwater. This study demonstrated the ability of otolith multi-elemental microchemistry and microstructure to provide important insights on life history traits of species that lack basic biological information, such as those in the genus Kuhlia. The information provided in this study is critical for the conservation and management of these species. © Inter-Research 2012.
A Novel Mesomorphic Homologous Series of Ester Derivatives p(pâ-n-Alkoxy Benzoyloxy) Î²-Phenyl Ethyl Benzoates

A novel homologous series of 11 ester derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated for mesogenic behaviour. The methoxy to butyloxy homologues are nonmesomorphic, whereas the pentyloxy to hexadecyloxy derivatives are enantiotropically mesomorphic in character. The hexyloxy to dodecyloxy homologues exhibit smectogenic and nematogenic both character but pentyloxy, tetradecyloxy and hexadecyloxy homologues exhibit only nematogenic character . An odd–even effect is not observed N-I transition curves. The average smectic and nematic thermal stabilities are 194.5 oC and 197.1oC, respectively. Smectogenic phase lengths vary from 17 oC(C12) to29 oC(C8) and the nematogenic phase lengths vary from 10 oC(C16) to 27 oC(C6) . The series is predominantly nematogenic and partly smectogenic with considerable mesophase length and a middle-ordered melting type. The liquid crystal properties of the novel series are compared with other structurally similar Series. The texture of the nematic phase is a threaded or Schlieren type, and that of smectic phase shows the smectic A type as determined by optical polarizing microscopy. Analytical data support the molecular structures in all cases.
ANALYZING THE EFFECTIVINESS OF A PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAM TARGETING AT-RISK OPIOID ABUSE PATIENTS

The effectiveness of a prescription drug monitoring program in coordination with a prescription opioid recidivism program was examined at a semi-rural community hospital. Patients were identified by a multi-disciplinary committee to be at-risk for opioid misuse or abuse, and were denied prescription opioids. Patients were considered eligible for the program if they had over 12 emergency department visits in the previous 12 months, or 6 visits in the previous 6 months, depending on how long the hospital had records on a patient. Patients who were placed in the prescription opioid recidivism program could not receive opioids at this hospital. The number of visits these patients had in subsequent 12 month periods was examined. Of the 298 patients enrolled in the recidivism program, 95% of them would see a reduction in the number of emergency department visits made in the 12 months following enrollment in the recidivism program. This resulted in a savings of $2.5 million in operations for the hospital. The use of prescription drug monitoring programs to combat the opioid epidemic shows potential as a solution, but needs to be examined further to determine how effective these systems can be. ANALYZING PDMPS AND OPIOID USE v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 1 LITERATURE REVIEW . 4 HISTORY OF OPIOIDS . 4 OPIOIDS IN MODERN MEDICINE . 6 OPIOID EPIDEMIC IN THE UNITED STATES . 8 INTERVENTIONS . 15 METHODS . 18 RESULTS . 24 PRE-INTERVENTION . 24 POST-INTERVENTION . 25 DISCUSSION . 27 CONCLUSION . 31 TABLES & FIGURES . 33 TABLE 1A . 33 TABLE 1B . 34 TABLE 2 . 35 TABLE 3 . 36 FIGURE 1 . 37 FIGURE 2 . 38 REFERENCES . 39 APPENDIX . 44 ANALYZING PDMPS AND OPIOID USE
The Sooner, the Better? – Venture Capital Exit Decisions in IPOs

Although venture capital (VC) exits have been studied for over 20 years, major drivers are still in question. We examine the determinants of exit timing in initial public offerings (IPOs). The results from a proprietary dataset of 292 U.S. VC-backed IPOs from 1991 to 2008 imply that VC firm characteristics and fund dynamics have a significant influence on the exit extent and may not always be in line with limited partners’ interests. In particular, first-time funds keep their shares longer after an IPO, whereas funds satisfied with current fund performance cash out soon after the end of the lockup period.
An Approach to Understand the Role of Identity in Engineering Leadership

In order to most effectively contribute to the development of solutions to society’s greatest challenges, engineers must learn to lead the interdisciplinary teams required to develop these solutions. However, most undergraduate engineering programs do little to develop leadership skills in their students. Perhaps, one reason for this gap between needs and education is a conflict between the development of an engineering identity and a leadership identity. To date, the literature contains little work that illustrates the role leadership concepts play in the formation of an engineering identity. Therefore, more work is needed to understand the formation of a leadership identity within the formation of an engineering identity. Together, these development processes constitute the formation of engineering leaders. This paper presents the methods underway to validate and refine a proposed theoretical model of engineering leadership identity development. This model can be used to reshape existing engineering leadership education programs and integrate leadership into the engineering curriculum in an innovative manner. The model starts with a fundamental assumption that the engineering leadership formation process is, at its core, an identity development process. This assumption is also central to two established theoretical perspectives that informed the construction of this model. Lave and Wenger’s (1991) communities of practice model argues that the development of a professional identity is the outcome of learning within a community of practice, and is frequently used to explain the process by which undergraduates develop a sense of engineering identity. The communities of practice model is then combined with Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, and Osteen’s (2005) Leadership Identity Development Model to outline how engineering students might cultivate a self-concept as a leader. A key argument within this model is that college students develop a personal sense of leadership as an identity when they view leadership as a process, not merely a position. This paper first explains the development of this theoretical model of engineering leadership identity development combining the literature from engineering identity development, leadership identity development within collegiate populations, and engineering leadership. Following this explanation, this work focuses on the methods developed and currently being deployed to validate and refine the model, including initial findings from this research.
COMPUTATION OF MODAL RADIATION THROUGH AN ENGINE EXHAUST ON ADAPTIVELY REFINED MESHES

This paper outlines the method of a block-structured adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) and its application to the computation of noise radiation from a realistic engine exhaust geometry with flow. The computational model described allows acoustic waves, propagating inside the bypass duct of a generic aircraft engine, to be admitted into a computational domain that includes the aft duct section, the exit plane of the duct, and the jet flow immediately downstream. Other than working on a uniformly fine mesh, the computational mesh is adaptively refined as the propagation and radiation of acoustic waves with the aim of reducing the number of computational cells and improving the computational efficiency. The method is mainly consisted of three parts: an AMR framework to manage adaptively refined meshes; a range of $4^{th}$-order schemes to compute the near-field acoustic propagation and radiation; and an integral surface for predicting far-field directivity. Propagation inside the duct, diffraction at the lip of the duct and propagation into the near field is firstly modeled by the linearised Euler equations. Hydrodynamic instabilities are discovered in the exhaust mean flow and are leading to overwhelm the acoustic solutions. In order to suppress this kind of non-physical instabilities, the original linearised Euler equations are replaced with the acoustic perturbation equations, which have been extended in the cylindrical coordinates for this case. The effect and the accuracy of the acoustic perturbation equations are validated by comparing to solutions of the linearised Euler equations through a case study of the radiation of single spinning mode from a generic engine bypass duct. The quality of the proposed AMR method is also illustrated. For this case the computational efficiency of AMR is compared with that computed on a uniformly fine mesh. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the current adaptive mesh refinement algorithm.
On the Construction of a Color Model for Real-time Visual Moving Objects Segmentation

A color model, called RGB-Ellipse, is developed in this paper. The proposed color model takes advantages of CIE-L*a*b*94 and CMC(l:c) in determining color differences. Furthermore, the transformation between RGB and RGB-Ellipse is linear. As a result, we are able to manipulate the noise tolerance processing as well as the computation efficiency in dealing with color differences. By using the above features, we develop a real-time moving objects segmentation scheme. The developed segmentation scheme consists of two main steps: (1) region seed determination and region growing and (2) region-based change detection and background update. The results from a visual surveillance system are given to highlight the value of the proposed color model and moving objects segmentation scheme.
Facade Segmentation with a Structured Random Forest

Abstract. In this paper we present a bottom-up approach for the semantic segmentation of building facades. Facades have a predefined topology, contain specific objects such as doors and windows and follow architectural rules. Our goal is to create homogeneous segments for facade objects. To this end, we have created a pixelwise labeling method using a Structured Random Forest. According to the evaluation of results for two datasets with the classifier we have achieved the above goal producing a nearly noise-free labeling image and perform on par or even slightly better than the classifier-only stages of state-of-the-art approaches. This is due to the encoding of the local topological structure of the facade objects in the Structured Random Forest. Additionally, we have employed an iterative optimization approach to select the best possible labeling.
Impact of Music Intervention on the Psychological Distress of College Students: An Analytical Study

Aim : The main aim of the study was to find out whether the music intervention has any impact on the level of psychological distress of college students. Design: An experimental group design was administered. The dependent variables were the participants’ pre-post difference in scores of depression, anxiety, stress and psychological distress. The independent variable was music intervention. Participants: The participants of the present study consisted of 40 college students from different colleges in Trivandrum using purposive sampling method. 20 college students were selected for music intervention based on their willingness for attending the intervention. 20 college students were kept as control group. Measures: The measures used for the present study were Personal data schedule, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) developed by Lovibond, S.H. & Lovibond, P.F (1995) and Music intervention CD. Data analysis: The suitable statistical technique done to interpret the data was Wilcoxon Paired Signed Rank Test. The analysis is done using SPSS version 20. Results: The findings of the present study revealed the effect of music intervention in reducing the psychological distress of college students . This clearly indicates music intervention can be used in colleges for the psychological well being of college students.
Salivary Platelet Activating Factor Levels in Periodontal Disease

Abstract : Platelet activating factor (PAF), a potent phospholipid inflammatory mediator is found in normal human saliva. This study sought to evaluate possible relationships between salivary PAF levels and periodontal disease. One ml of mixed saliva was collected from 69 untreated subjects presenting for evaluation at the UTHSC dental hygiene or periodontal clinic. After phospholipid extraction and fractionation by thin layer chromatography, salivary PAF activity was determined by platelet bioassay. PAF activity, estimated relative to that of authentic PAF (1-O-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (C16:O-AGEPC), was expressed in C16:O-AGEPC fmole equivalents/ml saliva; tracer amounts of H3- AGEPC included in all samples prior to initial extraction were used to calculate PAF recovery. Subjects were subdivided into 6 similarly sized groups according to disease severity (based on probing depths). The healthiest group, Gp 1, had 4 mm probing depths in 50% of the sites. Correlation was found between the number of bleeding sites and the 6 groups. PAF levels generally increased from Gp 1 to Gp 6, with 1 levels (2,365 + or = 900 C16:O-AGEPC fmole equivalents/ml) being significantly lower than Gps 5 and 6 (10,489 + or = 1,775 and 10,251 + or = 3,075, respectively). The findings indicate that salivary PAF levels correlate with periodontal status and suggest that this phospholipid inflammatory mediator may play a role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.
Vertical motion of ionization induced by the linear interaction of tides with planetary waves

Abstract. Experimental findings have shown that travelling planetary waves modulate the occurrence of mid-latitude sporadic-E-layers. Using a simple quantitative model, we analyse the effects of the linear interaction between tides and planetary waves on ion motion. Besides an expected variation of the dumping height, it is found that the boundaries of the oscillations induced by the descending semidiurnal tide are significantly modified by the presence of the planetary wave. The height variations of the ionisation cause planetary wave modulations of the metallic ion content in the background plasma density. This could explain the long-term variation found in the occurrence of strong Es layers. The fact that the dumping height variations are strongly influenced by the tidal phase velocity and amplitude, together with the variability of the metallic ion content, could contribute to the understanding of the sporadic nature of the E-layers. Key words. Ionosphere (Ionosphere-atmosphere interactions; Mid-latitude ionosphere)
Ge25Ga1.7As8.3S65 GLASS DOPED WITH Pr 3+ FOR 1.3 μm OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS

The absorption spectra in the visible and near IR regions for Ga0.017Ge0. 25As0.083S0. 65 doped with Pr ions are investigated. The visible luminescence from Pr ions embedded in Ga0.017Ge0. 25As0.083S0. 65 glass hosts at room temperature and at T=10 K is reported, when pumping with an Ar-ion laser at λ=488 nm. Fluorescence emissions at around 1300 and 1500 nm was observed for Pr doped glasses with wavelength pumping at 950 nm. The energy transfer of the absorbed light in the broad band Urbach region of the host glass to the Pr is suggested for increasing the emission efficiency. The investigated Ga0.017Ge0. 25As0.083S0. 65 glasses doped with Pr are promising materials for optical amplifiers operating at 1300 and 1500 nm telecommunication windows.
Market Competition and Share Prices: The Case of the Airbus-Boeing Duopoly 1

There is an extensive literature dealing with the share price reaction of competing companies within the same sector upon the announcement of important information. Our article studies announcements of new airplane orders and measures their impact on the share prices of the relevant airplane maker and its competitor. Our research is the first, to our knowledge, to examine the repercussions of events that have a direct impact on the profits of companies within the same sector. We put forth a series of hypotheses on the share price reaction of Boeing and EADS (parent company of Airbus) to their own order announcements and to those of their competitor while assuming, for the sake of simplicity, an absence of strategic effects. Our sample covers the period from the stock market debut of EADS in July 2000 to 31 December 2005. We show that the share price reactions conform to what one would expect, and we observe that the estimation of market reaction to new airplane order announcements is of reasonable amplitude. Moreover, it appears that the hypothesis of an absence of strategic effects is accepted. Our study highlights the difficulty of deducing the valuation the market makes of sales, even very big ones, from only the study of share prices.
Nonlinear Model Based Predictive Control using Fuzzy Models and Genetic Algorithms

Nonlinear model base predictive control (MBPC) is one of the most powerful techniques in process control, however, two main problems need to be considered : obtaining a suitable nonlinear model and an efficient optimization procedure. In this paper, fuzzy Takagi-Sugeno (TS) models are used for nonlinear systems modeling and the optimization routine is based on genetic algorithms(GAs). First a fuzzy TS model of the non-linear system is derived from input-output data by means of fuzzy clustering and least squares parameter estimation. Next, the fuzzy model is used in an MBPC structure where the critical element is the optimisation routine which is nonconvex and thus difficult to solve. A genetic algorithm based approach is proposed to deal with this problem. The efficiency of this approach had been demonstrated with a simulation example.