Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase Formation, Microstructure, Electric and Magnetic Properties of NiO Doping in (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Ti0.90Zr0.10)O3 Ceramics

Abstract Lead-free (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Ti0.90Zr0.10)O3-xNiO (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 wt%) ceramics were prepared by the solid-state combustion technique using glycine as a fuel. The effect of NiO doping on the phase formation, microstructure, electrical and magnetic properties of the ceramics was investigated. The powders and ceramics were calcined and sintered at a temperature of 1050 °C and 1450 °C for 2 h, respectively. XRD results showed that all ceramics had coexisting orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. Increasing the amount of NiO doping enhanced the amount of tetragonal phase, as verified by the Rietveld refinement technique. The density values (ρ) and the average grain size rapidly decreased from 5.79 to 4.69 g/cm3 and 37.8 ± 3.6 to 3.0 ± 0.3 µm when NiO doping increased from 0 to 0.8 wt%. The values of the dielectric constant (ε), dielectric loss (tan δ) and remnant polarization (P r) tended to decrease when NiO doping increased. Only the sample with 0.4 wt% NiO exhibited ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature, with a remnant magnetization (M r) and a coercive field (H c) of 1.04 × 10−5 emu/g and 72.55 Oe, respectively.
Dynamic modeling of high frequency resonant inverters for the implementation of closed loop electronic ballasts

A systematic methodology to obtain large signal and small signal models of resonant inverters is presented in this paper. The models are intended to implement electronic ballast operating in closed-loop mode, thus improving ballast performance. A complete example obtaining large and small signal models for an LC parallel resonant inverter is provided, together with some simulation and experimental results, which validate the proposed methodology.
A Multimodal Social Semiotic Analysis of an African Vice President on Twitter

Unlike presidents, who receive a lot of scholarly attention about their communication via social media, there is a paucity of literature on how vice presidents communicate through this platform. The present study employs Kress and Leeuwen’s (2006) social semiotic framework to analyze the representational meanings of images and captions to assess the ideologies and portrayal of power in the tweets of the vice president of Ghana, one of the countries on the African continent heralded for having an exemplary democracy (Sikanku, 2019 ). Findings indicate the portrayals of populism, imperialism, patriotism, and traditionalism in the multimodal discourse of the vice president. The study also assesses his strategic use of Twitter to build credibility and social capital.
A soft-switched, high-frequency resonant rectifier and characteristics of the controlled system

In this paper, a high frequency and soft-switched AC/DC rectifier employing a series-type resonant circuit is proposed to obtain the sinusoidal AC line current. Using the proposed rectifier, the high power factor and low harmonic currents are obtained in the AC line. Furthermore, several advantages such as the high power density and wide output voltage range can also be available. To regulate the output voltage of the proposed circuit, the digital proportional-integral (PI) controller is used whose sampling time corresponds to the zero-crossing point of the AC line voltage. Including this controller, the model for the closed-loop system is developed in order to examine the stability and dynamic characteristics. With this model, the gain of the PI-controller is determined by the pole assignment technique and the closed-loop dynamics is investigated by the root locus plots. A good agreement is made between the simulated and experimental results.
3.1.1 The Impact of IT on Product Architecture and Project Outcomes

Product Architecture and scalable product platforms are primary assets in leveraging R&D resources for continued firm growth. This study explores the impact of information technology (IT) on the development of robust, scalable architecture and their shared product platforms. Over the past twenty years, the implementation of information technology infrastructure and associated tools has transformed how firms approach new product development (NPD). IT solutions have migrated from a focus on detailed engineering design and associated production and launch (i.e. 3D computer‐aided ‐design (CAD) and product lifecycle management systems), to up‐front activities like architecture planning and development. Given the expanding role of IT and digital design tools further up‐front in the NPD process, we investigate their impact on developing robust product architecture. Through an empirical study of 122 firms and follow‐up interviews, we study the impact of IT (ie. digital design tools, IT infrastructure, IT embeddedness) and team collaboration on the efficiency and effectiveness of product architecture and overall project outcomes. The results indicate that a firm's IT infrastructure and team collaboration have strong, significant relationships with the development of an efficient and effective product architecture. The findings also show a strong, positive relationship between product architecture and project outcomes. Specifically, efficient and effective product architecture results in meeting project performance goals.
Effects of silymarin and nano-silymarin on performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal morphology of laying hens during storage

Abstract In this study, nano-silymarin (NSM) was produced and compared with powdered (PSM) and lecithinized silymarin (LSM) on performance and egg quality in late-phase laying hens. Egg quality was assessed using fresh eggs or those stored under different temperatures (25 or 5 °C) for a period of 28 days. Seventy 80-weeks Lohmann LSL-Lite hens were allocated to 7 treatments with 10 replicates for 12 weeks. Treatments included: (1) control diet without silymarin, (2) daily intake of 100 mg PSM/kg body weight (BW), (3) daily intake of 200 mg PSM/kg BW, (4) daily intake of 100 mg NSM/kg BW, (5) daily intake of 200 mg NSM/kg BW, (6) daily intake of 100 mg LSM/kg BW, and (7) daily intake of 200 mg LSM/kg BW. Scanning electron microscopy showed that NSM was produced with size ranges between 5.84-52.86 nm. Bird study showed that egg production, egg weight, and egg mass increased and feed conversion ratio decreased than the control by silymarin supplementation in any form (p < .05). Egg storage increased yolk weight, yolk and albumen pH, and malondialdehyde content and decreased albumen weight and Haugh unit than the fresh egg (p < .05). Silymarin treatment improved Haugh unit, nutrient digestibility, intestinal morphology, and pH of digesta (p < .05). Moreover, the effects of silymarin were more pronounced when converted to NSM or LSM and offered at the highest level (p < .05). Overall, diet supplementation with 200 mg/kg BW of NSM or LSM to improve hen performance and egg quality is asserted by our results. Highlights Egg storage increased the percentage of yolk, yolk and albumen pH, and malondialdehyde concentration. Egg storage decreased the percentage of albumen and Haugh unit. Silymarin improved Haugh unit and apparent ileal nutrient digestibility. Silymarin improved intestinal morphology and pH of digesta. Silymarin as LSM and NSM had better effects on performance, diet digestibility, and intestinal health.
The Strategic Use of Visuals on Facebook: A Multimodal Analysis of Images and Audience Reactions During the Campaign for the 2019 UK General Election

The article studies the images that British political parties posted on Facebook during the 2019 UK elections. Verbal and nonverbal resources in the visuals were examined to look at the following strategies: Broadcasting Policy, Mobilization, Attacking Opponents, and Image Management. Overall, attacking opponents was the most common strategy for verbal and nonverbal resources. Attacks against opponents were also associated with a higher number of likes and shares. A substantial portion of text in the images was used to talk about policies, in particular by the two largest parties, the Conservative Party and Labour Party. Visuals posted on Facebook by the Labour Party generated the highest number of audience reactions. Specific differences among political parties were also analyzed and discussed.
Enhanced Fault Ride-through Scheme for Mitigating Rotor Speed Instability of Doubly Fed Induction Generator Based Wind Farms

This paper analyzes and proposes a novel scheme with suitable control strategy to increase the probability of successful fault ride-through (FRT) as well as to enhance the rotor speed stability of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind farms. The proposed FRT scheme consists of an uncontrolled rectifier, two sets of IGBT switches, a diode and an inductor connected between the rotor circuit and dc link capacitor, in parallel with the rotor side converter of DFIG. In the proposed scheme, during a fault event, the input mechanical energy of the wind turbine is stored as electromagnetic energy in the inductor. Consequently, torque balance between the electrical and mechanical quantities is maintained and the rotor speed deviation is thereby reduced. This results in reduced reactive power requirement and rapid reestablishment of terminal voltage on fault clearance. Moreover, the stored electromagnetic energy in the inductor is transferred into the dc link capacitor on fault clearance; thereby relieving the grid side converter from charging the dc link capacitor. The proposed FRT scheme is validated through an extensive time domain simulation study employing PSCAD/EMTDC software. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed FRT scheme in achieving successful fault ride-through and rotor speed stability of DFIG based wind farms.
Control and protection of HVDC systems with diode valve converter

A HVDC transmission line carrying electric power from power plants in remote areas to urban areas transmits electric power always in the same direction. In such a case, the thyristor valves at the rectifier station can be replaced by diode valves. Although diode valves are less expensive than thyristor valves, the former may be inferior to the latter from viewpoints of valve control and protection. Various control and protection characteristics of the HVDC line using diode valve converters are discussed, such as abnormal voltage suppression in starting condition, coordinated control of the generator and HVDC line, reduction of ground fault current, quick restart, fault protection, etc. It is concluded that the HVDC system using the diode converter as rectifier is promising when the dc power is transmitted only in one direction.
Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Omega-3 Fish Oil Accelerates MyoD and Myogenin Expressions Following Rat Exercise-Induced Muscle Injury Model in a Dose-Dependent Manner

Introduction: Exercise-induced muscle injury stimulates production of proinflammatory cytokines, e.g., TNF-α, resulting in impaired satellite-cell-dependent muscle regeneration. Omega-3 fatty acids emerge to possess anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to analyze the effect of omega-3 fish oil administration on the levels of TNF-α, MyoD and myogenin expressions of satellite cells after injury. Methods: Twenty-nine adult male Wistar rats were randomized into five groups. Except for control groups, the rats underwent single bout of downhill running exercise and three groups were given low-to-high doses of omega-3 fish oil administration 2 hours after exercise. Blood samples were collected after 24 hours to measure the concentration of TNF-α using ELISA and then the soleus muscles were surgically removed after 72 hours to measure mRNA expressions of MyoD and myogenin using RT-PCR. Results: The results showed lower serum levels of TNF-α (166.83 ± 16.15 vs. 132.83 ± 25.44, 125.00 ± 17.26, 99.66 ± 32.00 pg/mL) and higher expressions of MyoD (0.47 ± 0.19 vs. 0.64 ± 0.20, 1.17 ± 0.16, 1.07 ± 0.14) and myogenin (0.45 ± 0.10 vs. 1.82 ± 0.35, 1.50 ± 0.34, 0.76 ± 0.20) in groups given low-to-high doses of omega-3 fish oil supplementation, respectively, compared to exercise group with no supplement at 72 hours after exercise. Conclusion: Our study suggests that omega-3 fish oil supplementation following muscle injury may accelerate myogenin expression and a low dose of supplementation achieves optimal effect in promoting muscle regeneration.
FingerWalk: Controlling Human Gait Animation using Finger Walk on a Multi-touch Surface

This paper proposes analyzing finger touches on a conventional tablet computer to support locomotion control of virtual characters. Although human finger movements and leg movements are not fully equivalent kinematically and dynamically, we can successfully extract intended gait parameters from finger touches to drive virtual avatars to locomote in different styles. User studies with 4 participants show that their finger pattern walk for different gaits such as variants of walking (normal, fast, tip-toe) and running do not show significant variations in temporal profiles. This suggests that the finger walk gestures on multi-touch tablets may have the potential for more universal adoption as a convenient means for end users to control gait nuances of their avatar as they navigate in virtual worlds and interact with other avatars.
A social constructivist approach to the gathering of empirical data

Constructivism offers a paradigm of investigative thinking whereby the researcher journeys with participants into a space of interpreted reality that is as personal and individual as each person in the collective sampling and as diverse as the multiplicity of lived experiences that are profiled. As individuals live in the world of their personal reality each interprets that reality in their own way, leading the researcher towards building a diverse and complex socially constructed landscape that profiles the collective experience without the presumption of universality. By being aware and recognising how one’s own interpretations of lived experience can influence interpretation of the data, the researcher acknowledges, owns, and explicitly deals with personal subjectivity throughout the investigative process.
THE EFFECT OF INNOVATION ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF LISTED BANKS IN KENYA

Globalization has brought about changes in the financial industry thereby markets with fast changing technology must make things happen. Financial Performance and innovation are interrelated in that banks cannot sustain themselves if they fail to embrace innovation in their operations. The main objective of the study was to determine the effect of Innovation on financial performance of listed banks in Kenya. Specifically, the study investigated the effect of product innovation, process innovation, service innovation and institutional innovation on financial performance of listed banks in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The target population included 5 conveniently selected banks out of the 11 listed banks in the Nairobi Security Exchange. These included Equity bank, Kenya commercial bank, Cooperative bank of Kenya, National Bank of Kenya and Barclays Bank of Kenya. The study sample was drawn from the population using stratified random sampling technique with 94 respondents represented by the branch managers drawn from the different banks. The study used both primary data and Secondary data. Data analysis was carried out by use of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics that involved the use of regression analysis to determine the strength of association between the variables. The findings revealed that innovation has a significant effect on financial performance and recommended that banks should adopt innovation to enhance growth, competition, increased productivity and profits.
Lattice Cryptography: A White Paper

Lattice cryptography is a very promising and fast developing area of mathematical cryptography, with many exciting open problems related both to further developing the theoretical foundation of the field, and bringing the existing theoretical work to practice. In recent years, lattice cryptography has already brought on major theoretical surprises, in terms of security (being based on worst-case complexity assumptions), functionality (e.g., the construction of fully homomorphic encryption, a task previously thought to be impossible), and efficiency. Moreover, lattice problems play a fundamental role in many areas of science and engineering, including communication theory, combinatorial optimization, algebraic number theory, crystallography, just to name a few. So, while the current foundational framework of lattice cryptography already offers compelling motivations to further investigate the area and try to bring current theoretical work to practice, there is a great potential for more surprises to come, both within cryptography, and beyond.
NECROPHAGOUS BEETLES ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT ANIMAL CORPSES IN VARIOUS ALGERIAN LOCALITIES

This study presents the results of a work carried out on six biological models: that of a Garenne Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (Mammalia, Liporidae), a Mongoose Egyptian Herpeste ichneumon (Mammalia, Herpestidae) in the region of the Greater Kabylie (Algeria) in 2015 during the spring period (March and April), the common jackal Canis aureus (Mammalia, Canidae) in Tikjda during the autumn season (November and December) of the same year, Rat Rattus norvegicus (Mammalia, Muridae) and the Partridge gambra Alectoris barbara (Aves, Phasianidae) in 2016 during the winter (February and March) in the Kolea region (Tipaza), as well as on a wild boar Sus scrofa (Mammalia, Suidae) in summer 2016 (July and August) around the Djurdjura National Park (Bouira). Only one trapping technique was used in this study. The Barber pots were placed around these six corpses. In the Egyptian mongoose, we captured 500 beetles and 435 coleopterans in the wild rabbit. The Carabidae family are dominant with 27.40% in the Mongoose of Egypt and the Dermestidae family with 22.07% in the Garenne Rabbit. The common jackal with 190 Coleoptera whose Staphylinidae family dominates with 51.58% (98 individuals). 995 Coleoptera identified in the wild boar of which the family Staphylinidae is best represented with 38.39% (382 individuals). Regarding the laboratory rat, we identified 161 Coleoptera and 119 Coleoptera in the Alectoris Barbara. The Staphylinidae family dominates for the two, with 39.13% (63 individuals) and 53.78% (64 individuals) respectively.
Metagenomic Bioprospecting of Uncultivable Microbial Flora in Soil Microbiome for Novel Enzymes

Abstract Soil microorganisms are the well-known and richest source of biocatalysts/enzymes, which plays a vital role in the industrial and agriculture sector. The soil microbes or enzymes from these microbes were known to perform several functions like urea hydrolysis, denitrification, sulfate reduction, promoting plant growth by nitrogen fixation, carbon cycling, organic matter/micronutrient recycling, and removal of metal ions. Soil microbiome studied through traditional microbiological methods failed to cover and extract the whole genetic information of the chosen microbiome, due to the major limitations in mimicking their growth/cultivation conditions. Metagenomics is a molecular tool applied to directly extract and study the genetic material(DNA/RNA) from the chosen microbiome, revealing microbial population and all possible gene information. Two different metagenomic approaches are functional metagenomics and sequence-based metagenomics. This review discusses the overview of functional metagenomics to obtain gene information through functional screening and sequence-based metagenomic approach to directly identify the sequence of DNA that reveals gene information and microbial community/soil microbiome.
The Effects of a Professional Development Program for Technology Integrated Algebra Teaching

This study examined technological pedagogical content knowledge change of middle school mathematics teachers who participated in a professional development program designed to integrate technology into teaching algebra. Twenty-eight middle school teachers from 20 different schools participated in the study. The data collection tools were technological pedagogical content knowledge survey, reflective journals, lesson plans, and program evaluation forms. The data analysis showed that the participants’ technological pedagogical content knowledge increased significantly. In addition, participants wrote lesson plans that included effective use of technology to teach algebra contents. The positive effects of the professional development program seem to be related to the following components of the program: the usability of the program activities in middle school classrooms, program’s focus on using technology in teaching algebra, the introduction of new technological tools and software related to mathematics, and the interactive nature of the program.
Using Timescales of Deficit and Residence to Evaluate Near‐Bottom Dissolved Oxygen Variation in Coastal Seas

We identify the local, vertical and lateral processes that cause bottom oxygen variation, and characterize timescales for each process using oxygen budget analysis based on a coupled physical‐biogeochemical model for the coastal seas in east China. Local oxygen deficit often occurs in the summer season due to the faster local consumption than the vertical replenishment in seasonal timescale. Lateral transport of oxygen‐rich ambient water replenishes local deficit of bottom dissolved oxygen. Competition between local deficit and lateral exchange determines seasonal hypoxia formation and sustainment. Short local consumption timescale is favorable for hypoxia formation, and transient hypoxia often forms when the local deficit and lateral exchange processes act on comparable timescales, such as the East China Sea in which the bottom hypoxia usually lasts for days. Extremely long lateral exchange timescale suggests that dissolved oxygen variation is predominantly controlled by local processes, and short local consumption timescale often causes increasingly severe seasonal hypoxia until the onset of the relaxation of local deficit, such as the bottom hypoxia in the Bohai Sea. Using these timescales to evaluate local deficit relative to vertical and lateral residence time and their variability is a convenient and potentially powerful general mechanistic framework to evaluate strategies to mitigate coastal hypoxia worldwide.
REDUCED WORD ERROR RATES

This paper describes a system developed at NIST to produce a composite Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system output when the outputs of multiple ASR systems are available, and for which, in many cases, the composite ASR output has lower error rate than any of the individual systems. The system implements a "voting" or rescoring process to reconcile differences in ASR system outputs. We refer to this system as the NIST Recognizer Output Voting Error Reduction (ROVER) system. As additional knowledge sources are added to an ASR system, (e.g., acoustic and language models), error rates are typically decrleased. This paper describes a post-recognition process which models the output generated by multiple ASR systems as independent knowledge sources that can be combined and used to generate an output with reduced error rate. To accomplish this, the outputs of multiple of ASR systems are combined into a single, minimal cost word transition network (WTN) via iterative applications of dynamic programming @P) alignments. The resulting network is searched by an automatic rescoring or "voting" process that selects an output sequence with the lowest score.