Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rahab the harlot in Severian of Gabala’s De paenitentia et compunctione (de Rahab historia): Paradox, anti-Judaism and the early Christian invention of the penitent prostitute

This article examines the 4th-century CE interpretation of the story of Rahab the Harlot by Severian of Gabala, in his homily, De paenitentia et compunctione (CPG 4186). In this article, a close and critical reading of Severian’s references to the story of Rahab in De paenitentia et compunctione (with some comparative reference to other works of Severian, and also of John Chrysostom and Pseudo-Chrysostom) is provided. It is asked, ‘how and why could a treacherous harlot, a prostitute, who was considered to be the epitome of vice in early Christian moral deliberations, function as an exemplum for Severian? ’ The article firstly asks how Severian deals with the problematic and paradoxical aspects of Rahab, namely, the fact that she was a prostitute and also a liar. Then, it illustrates how Severian transforms Rahab into a Christian heroine and how he deploys these qualities of the transformed Rahab in a potent anti-Judaistic rhetoric. This study is finally concluded with a somewhat broader delineation of the importance of Rahab in the development of a curious Christian cultural and moral trope, namely, the penitent prostitute. Such a study of Rahab is significant not only in that it expands our understanding of the history of women and gender dynamics in early Christianity, but it also elucidates the complex and strategic discursive moves employed by male Christian authors to deal with the seemingly ‘bad girls’ of scripture. Contribution: This article investigates the historical reception of the story of Rahab (Jos 2) in a little-known homily by Severian of Gabala. The focus is how Severian interprets the story and the paradoxical figure that is Rahab, with reference to its use as an anti-Judaistic trope, and its role in the shaping of the cultural phenomenon that is the penitent prostitute in early Christian thought.
Estimation of Active Compounds Quantity from Pharmaceuticals Based on Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba is one of the most important sources of active compounds, mainly flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Due to its importance related to pharmaceutical practice, the making of a qualitative and quantitative method for the detection and quantification of active compounds from Ginkgo biloba pharmaceutical products is desirable. In this study, the content of biological active compounds from Ginkgo biloba products was estimated using cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical determination of active compounds was carried out by using a screen-printed carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes. The studies regarding parameter optimization were made using solutions containing potassium ferrocyanide and catechol, respectively. In both cases, the redox processes of studied compounds was observed, which were controlled by the diffusion phenomenon. We analyzed two pharmaceutical products containing Ginkgo biloba, a RX product (recipe medicine requires a medical prescription to be dispensed) and an OTC (Over-The-Counter, which can be obtained without a prescription) product. The cyclic voltammograms of the two products showed two redox processes due to the antioxidant properties of the products. It was found that the RX product had a greater content of active compounds compared to the OTC product. Therefore, the voltammetric method has great utility for the determination of compounds with redox properties from pharmaceutical products containing Ginkgo biloba.
How the Presence and Size of Static Peripheral Blur Affects Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

Cybersickness (CS) is one of the challenges that has hindered the widespread adoption of Virtual Reality and its applications. Consequently, a number of studies have focused on extensively understanding and reducing CS. Inspired by previous work that has sought to reduce CS using foveated rendering and Field of View (FOV) restrictions, we investigated how the presence and size of a static central window in peripheral FOV blurring affects CS. To facilitate this peripheral FOV blur, we applied a Gaussian blur effect in the display peripheral region, provisioning a full-resolution central window. Thirty participants took part in a three-session, within-subjects experiment, performing search and spatial updating tasks in a first-person, slow-walking, maze-traveling scenario. Two different central window sizes (small and large) were tested against a baseline condition that didn’t feature display peripheral blurring. Results revealed that the baseline condition produced higher levels of CS than both conditions with a central window. While there were no significant differences between the small and large windows, we observed interaction effects suggesting an influence of window size on “adaptation to CS. ” When the central window is small, adaptation to CS seems to take more time but is more pronounced. The interventions had no effect on spatial updating and presence, but were detectable when the blurred area was larger (small central window). Lower sickness levels observed in both window conditions supports the use of peripheral FOV blurring to reduce CS, reducing our dependence on eye tracking. This being said, researchers must strive to find the right balance between window size and detectability to ensure seamless virtual experiences.
New experimental and theoretical tools for studying protein systems with elements of structural disorder

Yuwen, Tairan. PhD, Purdue University, December 2014. New Experimental and Theoretical Tools for Studying Protein Systems with Elements of Structural Disorder. Major Professor: Nikolai R. Skrynnikov. Disordered proteins are one class of proteins which do not possess well-folded threedimensional structures as their native conformations. Many eukaryotic proteins have been found to be fully disordered or contain certain disordered regions. Disordered proteins usually display several characteristic properties, such as increased motional freedom and the conformational heterogeneity caused by that. The elements of structural disorder are commonly involved in many important biological functions and are implicated in many diseases. Therefore, the study of disordered proteins has become one of the most important research topics in recent years. This thesis presents results from three different research projects; the common feature is that all systems being studied contain varying amount of structural disorder. Most results have been obtained based on experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Both are among the most popular biophysical techniques for studying molecular dynamics. The first project investigates the relationship between domain cooperativity and residual dipolar coupling (RDC) parameters based on a series of two-domain chimera proteins with disordered linkers. Many eukaryotic proteins contain multiple domains and their biological functions are closely related to the property of domain cooperativity, which is often regulated by the linker region. Therefore it is necessary to develop suitable tools to characterize linker region properties in order to better understand biological functions of multidomain proteins. The second project is about the development of NMR pulse sequences for studying
Application of the Polymeric Material RIMAMID for Production of Machine Parts

Modern polymeric materials have properties that, in some respects, exceed the properties of traditionally used materials (steel, aluminum and titanium alloys, wood). The uniqueness of the Rimamide polymer material is that it is possible to pre-design the material in such a way as to give the product from it the properties necessary for a particular application. The production of blanks and the use of Rimamide material for the manufacture of sliding and rolling bearings, bushings for wheels and rollers, pulleys, blocks, brackets, wheel hubs, gears, sprockets, gears and worm wheels and other parts to reduce weight, noise and vibrations. The characteristics of the material, examples of the manufacture of blanks, the advantages and disadvantages of the RIMAMID material for the manufacture of machine parts, prospects for use in mechanical engineering are shown. Due to their properties, they can be used in almost all industries. For example, modern aviation and space technology is characterized by the intensive use of new materials, technologies, and promising designs based on them. When using RIMAMID material using antifriction components (molybdenum sulfide, graphite, etc.), the friction coefficient is significantly reduced and the friction units can be operated without lubrication. The main advantages of this material is a low coefficient of friction for steel, which provides a 3-4-fold increase in the service life of parts in the friction units, as well as low weight, high strength, good machinability on metal cutting machines, resistance to aggressive environments, and environmental safety.
The adoption of emerging technology-driven media innovations. A comparative study of the introduction of virtual and augmented reality in the media and manufacturing industries

ABSTRACT Media companies often fail to successfully adopt emergent technology-driven media innovations. In order to analyse the pitfalls of implementation and to identify media-organisation-specific weaknesses, eleven cases from the media and manufacturing industries in Germany that adopted XR (which encompasses virtual, mixed and augmented reality technology) were compared. Several organisational drivers were especially important for successful adoption such as top management support, existence of an innovation champion, fit with the company/innovation strategy, cooperation with internal IT and long-term planning for the build-up of sustainable expertise within the companies. Whereas the media firms profited in some regards from their editorial background (i.e., high motivation of the projects’ innovation champions), the lack of strategic planning and limited internal IT resources were found to hamper a successful adoption.
Antiplatelet therapy for transient ischaemic attacks and acute minor strokes: current best practice and future

In patients presenting with transient ischaemic attack and acute minor noncardioembolic ischemic stroke (NIHSS score ≤3) who did not receive IV alteplase, treatment with dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel, started within 24 hours after symptom onset and continued for 21 days is effective in reducing recurrent ischemic stroke up to 90 days from symptom onset. However, as the long-term risk of major disabling bleeding with aspirin-based antiplatelet treatment is higher in patients aged 75 years or older, routine co-prescription of proton pump inhibitor should be encouraged.
Mechanical Properties of Various Phases on In/Si(111) Surfaces Revealed by Atomic Force Microscopy

In/Si(111) surfaces have a variety of phases, among which 4×1 and √7×√3 show intriguing one-/two-dimensional (1D/2D) electronic properties. Here, we carry out extensive experiments to investigate the mechanical properties of various phases on the surfaces by atomic force microscopy at room temperature. Energy dissipation associated with flexibility is measured at the atomic scale. In the 4×1 phase, dissipation locally increases at the inner parts of couples of In chains, which correspond to mobile In atoms in a dynamical fluctuation model for the phase transition. An extremely large dissipation signal is obtained on the √7×√3 phase, indicating that a single atomic layer of In is weakly attached to the Si substrate, which is consistent with the 2D electronic properties.
Algebraic multigrid for the nonlinear powerflow equations

In a recent article, one of the authors developed a multigrid technique for coarse‐graining dynamic powergrid models. A key component in this technique is a relaxation‐based coarsening of the graph Laplacian given by the powergrid network and its weighted graph, which is represented by the admittance matrix. In this article, we use this coarsening strategy to develop a multigrid method for solving a static system of nonlinear equations that arises through Ohm's law, the so‐called powerflow equations. These static equations are tightly knitted to the dynamic model in that the full powergrid model is an algebraic‐differential system with the powerflow equations describing the algebraic constraints. We assume that the dynamic model corresponds to a stable operating powergrid, and thus, the powerflow equations are associated with a physically stable system. This stability permits the coarsening of the powerflow equations to be based on an approximate graph Laplacian, which is embedded in the powerflow system. By algebraically constructing a hierarchy of approximate weighted graph Laplacians, a hierarchy of nonlinear powerflow equations immediately becomes apparent. This latter hierarchy can then be used in a full approximation scheme (FAS) framework that leads to a nonlinear solver with generally a larger basin of attraction than Newton's method. Given the algebraic multigrid (AMG) coarsening of the approximate Laplacians, the solver is an AMG‐FAS scheme. Alternatively, using the coarse‐grid nodes and interpolation operators generated for the hierarchy of approximate graph Laplacians, a multiplicative‐correction scheme can be derived. The derivation of both schemes will be presented and analyzed, and numerical examples to demonstrate the performance of these schemes will be given.
Effects of maternal genotypic identity and genetic diversity of the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle on associated soil bacterial communities: A field‐based experiment

Abstract Loss of plant biodiversity can result in reduced abundance and diversity of associated species with implications for ecosystem functioning. In ecosystems low in plant species diversity, such as Neotropical mangrove forests, it is thought that genetic diversity within the dominant plant species could play an important role in shaping associated communities. Here, we used a manipulative field experiment to study the effects of maternal genotypic identity and genetic diversity of the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle on the composition and richness of associated soil bacterial communities. Using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) community fingerprinting, we found that bacterial community composition differed among R. mangle maternal genotypes but not with genetic diversity. Bacterial taxa richness, total soil nitrogen, and total soil carbon were not significantly affected by maternal genotypic identity or genetic diversity of R. mangle. Our findings show that genotype selection in reforestation projects could influence soil bacterial community composition. Further research is needed to determine what impact these bacterial community differences might have on ecosystem processes, such as carbon and nitrogen cycling.
The temperature-pressure-volume equation of state of γ-Mg2SiO4

Based on breathing-shell-model MD simulations with quantum correction, we calculated the temperature-pressure-volume (T-P-V) equation of state(EOS) of γ-Mg2SiO4 to be used as a reliable pressure calibration standard at temperatures up to 2000 K and pressures up to 25 - 30 GPa. The simulations use empirical interionic potentials, previously developed for the Mg2SiO4 system to reproduce accurately measured structural and elastic properties. The potentials are applicable not only to γ-Mg2SiO4, but also to α- and β-Mg2SiO4 over wide temperature and pressure ranges. We assessed the accuracy of the resulting T-P-V EOS of γ-Mg2SiO4, by using the recently reported data on simultaneous X-ray measurements of MgO and γ-Mg2SiO4, performed by using synchrotron radiation in a multi-anvil apparatus at high temperatures and pressures. We found that pressures estimated through the MgO EOS presented by Matsui et al. (2000) and those for the γ-Mg2SiO4 EOS agree very well, with the average differences in the estimated pressures between the two EOS’s less than 0.3 GPa at T between 1500 and 2000 K and P between 19 and 23 GPa.
Effects of voluntary R&D disclosure on business performance: empirical evidence from Korean manufacturing firms

ABSTRACT Disclosing research and development (R&D) information to the outside is a business strategy that can influence the growth of a focal firm and the industry to which it belongs. Voluntary R&D disclosure is intentionally carried out in accordance with the firm’s strategic goals, and is made through various disclosure methods. In this study, we analyze the signalling effects of two disclosure methods on business performance: press releases and annual reports. Press releases contain general information related to R&D, while annual reports contain the technological details of R&D. Analysing the firm-level data of 142 firms from 2014 to 2015, we find that voluntary disclosure through annual reports has a positive effect on market share and cash inflow from financing activities, and that press release disclosures exhibit a negative impact on market share. In addition, comparing the effects using elasticity reveals that the annual report is a more effective way to increase market share than a press release is.
Performance Analysis and Optimization of a 6-DOF Robotic Crusher

Considering the complexity of multidimension parameters and the mechanical performance of a 6-DOF robotic crusher, a multiobjective optimization function based on the transmission index and condition number is established. As an important operation in the screw theory, the reciprocal product between the transmission wrench screw of an actuator and the output twist screw of the mantle assembly is used to represent the instantaneous power. The expression of transmission index is derived according to the principle that constraint wrench screws apply no work to the mantle assembly. It can be used as a criterion to evaluate the transmission performance. Then, based on the Jacobian matrix, the equation of condition number is constructed which provides a criterion for evaluating kinematic accuracy. Finally, the workspace and singularity of the 6-DOF robotic crusher are analyzed to verify the rationality of the optimized variables. The results show that the optimized structure can completely crush the material in the workspace and effectively avoid singularity, which provides a basis for practical application.
Addressing Deficit Performance Through Coaching

Resistance from coachees is a problem met by executive coaches in all fields. The continued interest in executive coaching by organisations has seen coaching beginning to be used more widely. An increasing number of low and average performing managers are following their high performing peers into the executive coaching room. One particular challenge facing the coaching psychologist is how to engage individuals where motivation for change is low. This paper draws on a five stage model for behaviour change and an approach developed in the clinical setting which can usefully be applied to executive coaching to help the coaching psychologist address some of these behavioural challenges and add to their core coaching techniques through combining Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques with their existing repertoire of skills. The paper starts with a review of the development of motivational interviewing, before moving to explore the evidence for MI as an intervention, which is largely within the health sector. The paper builds on this evidence by exploring how MI may be applied within nonclinical settings, as a tool to address poor performance resulting from low motivation to change. The paper also suggests other potential uses for MI such as in health coaching around stop smoking campaigns or obesity.
Leveraging machine learning for software redocumentation—A comprehensive comparison of methods in practice

Source code comments contain key information about the underlying software system. Many redocumentation approaches, however, cannot exploit this valuable source of information. This is mainly due to the fact that not all comments have the same goals and target audience and can therefore only be used selectively for redocumentation. Performing a required classification manually, for example, in the form of heuristics, is usually time‐consuming and error‐prone and strongly dependent on programming languages and guidelines of concrete software systems. By leveraging machine learning (ML), it should be possible to classify comments and thus transfer valuable information from the source code into documentation with less effort but the same quality. We applied classical ML techniques but also deep learning (DL) approaches to legacy systems by transferring source code comments into meaningful representations using, for example, word embeddings but also novel approaches using quick response codes or a special character‐to‐image encoding. The results were compared with industry‐strength heuristic classification. As a result, we found that ML outperforms the heuristics in number of errors and less effort, that is, we finally achieve an accuracy of more than 95% for an image‐based DL network and even over 96% for a traditional approach using a random forest classifier.
A New Precursor Integral Method for Solving Space-Dependent Kinetic Equations in Neutronic and Thermal-Hydraulic Coupling System

The accurate prediction of the neutronic and thermal-hydraulic coupling system transient behavior is important in nuclear reactor safety analysis, where a large-scale nonlinear coupling system with strong stiffness should be solved efficiently. In order to reduce the stiffness and huge computational cost in the coupling system, the high-performance numerical techniques for solving delayed neutron precursor equation are a key issue. In this work, a new precursor integral method with an exponential approximation is proposed and compared with widely used Taylor approximation-based precursor integral methods. The truncation errors of exponential approximation and Taylor approximation are analyzed and compared. Moreover, a time control technique is put forward which is based on flux exponential approximation. The procedure is tested in a 2D neutron kinetic benchmark and a simplified high-temperature gas-cooled reactor-pebble bed module (HTR-PM) multiphysics problem utilizing the efficient Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method. Results show that selecting appropriate flux approximation in the precursor integral method can improve the efficiency and precision compared with the traditional method. The computation time is reduced to one-ninth in the HTR-PM model under the same accuracy when applying the exponential integral method with the time adaptive technique.