Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An efficient method for characterizing time-evolutional interface state and its correlation with the device degradation in LDD n-MOSFETs

A new characterization method is proposed to study the relationship between the hot-carrier-induced interface state N/sub it/(x) and the device drain current degradation of submicron LDD n-MOSFETs. In this method, by making use of the conventional charge pumping measurement in combination with the power-law dependence of interface damages on stress time, the spatial distribution N/sub it/(x) and the effective damaged length L/sub dam/ can be easily extracted. The time evolution of the interface state generation and its correlation with the device degradation can then be well explained. It is worthwhile to note that this newly developed method requires no repetitive charge pumping measurements, and hence avoids he likely imposition of re-stress on tested devices. By combining the characterized L/sub dam/ and N/sub it/ quantitatively, the results show that the damage at L/sub dam/ and V/sub GS//spl ap/V/sub DS//2 is most highly localized among various stress biases, which can explain why the generated interface states will dominate the device drain current degradation at this bias after long-term operating conditions.
Musical Education and Rhythm Understanding

Abstract Previous researches have provedthat music education ignites brain activity. The paper shows the relation between musical education taken before and rhythm comprehending performance as a brain activity, the research was made on Turkish Folk Dancers. In the present research, -total ten participants (8 participants from Hoy-Tur Folk Dance Ensemble and 2 participants from Karagöz Folk Dance Ensemble)- five participants who have not been musical-trained and five dancers who have been musical trained were included. Each participant was asked to repeat the sample rhythm that had been recorded before. The developed software that is based on beat tracking on energy flux of audio signals algorithm compared participants’ rhythms and sample rhythm with respect to their energy and timing rate and informedthat musical-trained dancers are more successful than non-trained ones with about 84% (percent) and 82% (percent) rates respectively.
The effect on model identifiability of allowing different relocation rates for live and dead animals in the combined analysis of telemetry and recapture data

Models are described for the joint analysis of live-trapping and radio telemetry data from a study on black bears (Ursus americanus) in which all animals received ear tags and a subset also received radio tags. Concerns about bias in survival estimates led to investigation of identifiability and estimator precision for a series of models that allowed differenttelemetry relocation rates for living and dead animals, in addition to emigration and seasonal variation in survival. Identifiability was determined by showing that the expected information matrix was nonsingular. Models with fidelity constant across time, and with the same degree of time specificity for survival rates and relocation rates for dead animals, were determined to be nonidentifiable. More general models, with a greater degree of time specificity for survival rates, were near-singular, and estimators under these near-singular models had poor precision. Analysis of data from the study on black bears illustrated that estimates of survival have poor precision when relocation rates are estimated separately for live and dead animals. It is recommended that the effort expended to relocate both living and dead animals be consistently high in each telemetry survey, so that relocation rates will be high and constant across time and mortality status.
Genetic variability in yam cultivars from the Guinea-Sudan zone of Benin assessed by random amplified polymorphic DNA

1 Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Bénin. 2 Technology and Agrarian Development Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 3 Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 4 Laboratoire de Biochimie et de Biologie Moléculaire, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Bénin. 5 Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey – Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Bénin.
Porosity-Size Relationship of Drilling Mud Flocs: Fractal Structure

The porosities of flocs formed from a used drilling mud were determined by measuring sizes and settling speeds of individual flocs. These flocs were produced in a Couette-type flocculator under a variety of combinations of fluid shear and solid concentrations. In the calculation of floc porosities, a floc settling model was employed that can consider the effects of creeping flow through a floc on its settling speed. Results show that floc structure can be well described as a fractal with a fractal dimension of 1.53–1.64 for the floc size range tested. The effects of flocculation conditions, such as fluid shear and solid concentration, on floc porosity and structure were examined. It was found that floc porosity and fractal dimension were not influenced by solid concentration, but they increased as fluid shear decreased. Empirical expressions for the porosity of drilling mud flocs are obtained from both the floc settling model and Stokes’ law. For solid volume fraction in flocs, the relative difference between these two expressions could be as much as 38%. However, the fractal dimensions estimated based on the two settling models are nearly the same.
An Updated 2017 Astrometric Solution for Betelgeuse

We provide an update for the astrometric solution for the Type II supernova progenitor Betelgeuse using the revised Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data (HIAD) of van Leeuwen, combined with existing VLA and new e-MERLIN and ALMA positions. The 2007 Hipparcos refined abscissa measurements required the addition of so-called Cosmic Noise of 2.4 mas to find an acceptable 5-parameter stochastic solution. We find that a measure of radio Cosmic Noise should also be included for the radio positions because surface inhomogeneities exist at a level significant enough to introduce additional intensity centroid uncertainty. Combining the 2007 HIAD with the proper motions based solely on the radio positions leads to a parallax of mas ( pc), smaller than the Hipparcos 2007 value of 6.56 ± 0.83 mas ( pc). Furthermore, combining the VLA and new e-MERLIN and ALMA radio positions with the 2007 HIAD, and including radio Cosmic Noise of 2.4 mas, leads to a nominal parallax solution of 4.51 ± 0.80 mas ( pc), which, while only different from the 2008 solution of Harper et al., is 2. 6σ different from the solution of van Leeuwen. An accurate and precise parallax for Betelgeuse is always going to be difficult to obtain because it is small compared to the stellar angular diameter ( mas). We outline an observing strategy utilizing future mm and sub-mm high-spatial resolution interferometry that must be used if substantial improvements in the precision and accuracy of the parallax and distance are to be achieved.
Modeling aggregate dynamics of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and their interactions with a pelagic food web

The Marmara Sea is a semi-enclosed basin linked to the Black and Aegean Seas by the Strait of Istanbul (Bosphorus) and the Strait of Canakkale (Dardanelles). It possesses a two-layer stratified system that is characterized by roughly 20 m thick low salinity (24 ± 3 psu) upper layer water mass of the Black Sea origin overlying a more saline (~38.5 psu) Mediterranean water mass that attains a temporally uniform temperature of ~ 14.5C. The upper layer with relatively low temperature of 6-7C and high salinity of 25-27 psu may deepen to 25m during winter whereas the upper 15m layer may warm up to 26C and freshen to 21 psu during summer (Fig. S1 and Fig. S2). The distinctly different upper and lower layer water masses are separated by the 15-20 m thick interface having a strong density contrast of ~5-8 kg m.
VOCATIONAL APTITUDE FOR YOUNG UNEMPLOYED

The aim of this study is presenting the structure and fundamental characteristics of a Mixed Experience Program Training and Employment whose overall objective was to introduce teenagers who live in rural areas by providing training activities necessary for this. This study provides an assessment of the impact and satisfaction of certain educational activities has had on the students participating in this program as protagonists of the teaching/ learning. Participants were 40 students, aged between 16 and 24 years old in rural areas of the province of Malaga, without previous employment and without qualification. The data show that the program has been a successful experience that has helped to facilitate labour insertion of participating pupils. The data show positive attitudes in students towards the use of new technologies like the Internet to facilitate their learning and that most of the activities they have been very satisfactory.
Application of a Structural Support Vector Machine Method to N-gram Based Text Classification in Serbian

The paper presents classification results that were obtained using the Support Vector Machine method (SVM) over a hierarchically organized corpus of documents in Serbian. Two techniques derived from the SVM with structural output have been applied: multiclass flat classification and hierarchical classification. A common representation model of a document and a class or a hierarchy of classes the document belongs to, specific for this form of the SVM method, is based on different length byte n-grams. Four tf-idf statistics have been used that define significance of an n-gram for a specific document. The described techniques and statistics have been tested on a hierarchically structured subset of the Ebart corpus of newspaper texts. The results obtained for both types of classifiers are similar for the corpus as a whole, while hierarchical classifier performs better for most specific classes with a small number of texts.
3D DATA ACQUISITION FOR INDOOR ASSETS USING TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING

The newly development of technology clearly shows an improvement of three-dimension (3D) data acquisition techniques. The requirements of 3D information and features have been obviously increased during past few years in many related fields. Generally, 3D visualization can provide more understanding and better analysis for making decision. The need of 3D GIS also pushed by the highly demand of 3D in geospatial related applications as well as the existing fast and accurate 3D data collection techniques. This paper focuses on the 3D data acquisition by using terrestrial laser scanning. In this study, Leica C10 terrestrial laser scanner was used to collect 3D data of the assets inside a computer laboratory. The laser scanner device is able to capture 3D point cloud data with high speed and high accuracy. A series of point clouds was produced from the laser scanner. However, more attention must be paid during the point clouds data processing, 3D modelling, and analysis of the laser scanned data. Hence, this paper will discuss about the data processing from 3D point clouds to 3D models. The processing of point cloud data divided into pre-processing (data registration and noise filter) and post-processing (3D modelling). During the process, Leica Cyclone 7.3 was used to process the point clouds and SketchUp was used to construct the 3D asset models. Afterward, the 3D asset models were exported to multipatch geometry format, which is a 3D GIS-ready format for displaying and storing 3D model in GIS environment. The final result of this study is a set of 3D asset models display in GIS-ready format since GIS can provides the best visual interpretation, planning and decision making process. This paper shows the 3D GIS data could be produced by laser scanning technology after further processing of point cloud data.
Small , Medium and MicroEnterprises ( SMMEs ) in Rural South Africa : An Explorator y Study of Stokvels in the Nailed Local Municipality , North West Province

This article examined the prevalence of the credit rotating system which is referred to as stokvels as a source of financing small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa. This paper investigated the activities of stokvels in the Naledi Local Municipality and determined how much of the funds saved through the scheme are used to establish and support SMME activities. The qualitative method of research in the form of focus group interviews was used to explore the activities of four stokvels in the Naledi Local Municipality . It was found that a lot of money is raised through the stokvels in the Naledi Local Municipality but almost all the money is used for household consumption. Based on the findings recommendations are made to policy makers on how savings from stokvels can be used as one of the funding sources for SMMEs in South Africa.
The electric dipole moment of the electron

Recent experimental progress in the search for atomic electric dipole moments (EDMs) {ital d}{sub {ital A}} of cesium and thallium leads in particular to a substantially increased sensitivity to a possible electron EDM {ital d}{sub {ital e}} compared with existing upper bounds. Further considerable improvement in the measurement of {ital d}{sub Tl} is likely. After a brief synopsis of the theory of atomic EDMs, the authors discuss---in view of the expected experimental sensitivity to {ital d}{sub {ital e}}---the predictions for the electron EDM in various models of {ital CP} violation.
Exporting against Risk? Theory and Evidence from Public Export Insurance Schemes in OECD Countries

This paper endeavours to find out in how far public export insurance schemes foster international trade. Thereto, a gravity equation is derived, which accounts for the risk of financial losses in case firms contract defaulting foreign buyers. Empirical results suggest that OECD countries issuing trade credits with generous state-guarantees did not, during the 1999 to 2005 period, witness more exports towards politically and commercially more unstable low-income countries. Rather, publicly indemnified trade finance has promoted exports, to a modest degree, towards high and middle-income countries, where financial intermediaries and markets provide viable alternatives to hedge against payment risks.
Green's function calculations for semi‐infinite carbon nanotubes

In the modeling of nanoscale electronic devices, the non‐equilibrium Green's function technique is gaining increasing popularity. One complication in this method is the need for computation of the “self‐energy” functions that account for the interactions between the active portion of a device and its leads. In the one‐dimensional case, these functions may be computed analytically. In higher dimensions, a numerical approach is required. In this work, we generalize earlier methods that were developed for tight‐binding Hamiltonians, and present results for the case of a carbon nanotube. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Factors generating and transmitting the financial crisis: The role of incentives: securitization and contagion

This contribution attempts to explain the recent financial crisis and the subsequent Great Recession from the point of view of incentives that change as a consequence of securitization and contagion processes. It provides a critical analysis of the basic principles of the Asymmetric Information Approach and its two branches that view differently the evolution of banking and the role of securitization in it. The former focuses on its impact on the traditional model of commercial banking, whereas the latter sees the role of securitization in the emergence of a parallel banking system (shadow banking). This divergence between the two approaches leads to different policy implications that can be drawn from the analysis of the crisis, advocating respectively the elimination (or heavy mitigation) of securitization and shadow banking, and the strict regulation of shadow banking and all the credit transfer processes. The paper is organized in three parts: the first finds out the crisis and the contagion within the financial system; the second is focused on the securitization process, describing the agents involved and the associated risks; finally, the third part is devoted to the theoretical analysis, particularly within the asymmetric information framework.
Multidisciplinary Optimization in Services Management

Optimization methods may be applied to the services operations management. A comprehensive objective function (a cost-function to be minimized) leads to a multidisciplinary optimization, considering all aspects of a services business unit. However, this introduces a very large number of variables (examples with tens of thousands of variables are presented), making classical optimization methods inadequate. The paper introduces the use of genetic algorithms and illustrates it in two examples: air transport and leisure services. Multidisciplinary optimizations may play a crucial role in the success of any services business, and genetic algorithms are the most adequate computation resource in this type of optimizations.
Species Identification Using DNA Barcoding on Processed Panga Catfish Products in Viet Nam Revealed Important Mislabeling

Nucleotide sequences of the Cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene and Cytochrome b were analyzed for Ö10 processed fish products collected from supermarkets in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The similarity between our results and published data from the NCBI and BOLD was compared to identify species. This molecular analysis showed that the common names of only 4 of these products matched with their corresponding scientific names. The other six were mislabeled with an important mislabeling from P. hypophthalmus into P. boucourti. Although no commercial frauds were found in these mislabelled products, the correct scientific names of fish species should be labelled for the processed products as they are in supermarkets.
Relative body sizes of neonatal marine mammals

I compared relative neonatal body masses of cetaceans and pinnipeds with those of terrestrial mammal groups. At any given adult body mass, neonatal mass was greater in cetaceans than in any other order (including pinnipeds) and neonatal mass was greater in pinnipeds than in fissipeds. I propose a number of alternative or complementary explanations for these differences.
Distortions in firm selection during recessions: a comparison across European countries

Recent evidence documents the weakness of market selection based on productivity differentials and the absence of cleansing during recessions. This paper argues that a possible explanation lies in the role of competitive rents, i.e., market advantages due to idiosyncrasies of the firm’s demand. Competitive rents allow firms to sustain profit independently of their internal efficiency, creating a selection advantage. During an economic recession, this advantage increases because competitive rents operate as a resilience factor. The process of firm selection can thus be distorted with relatively inefficient firms that manage to survive. These predictions are tested on a sample of French, Italian, and Spanish manufacturing firms, looking at the selection that took place during the Great Recession. Ceteris paribus, firms with competitive rents are less likely to exit than firms without competitive rents. This effect is stronger in countries more severely impacted by the downturn. The implications of these results for policy interventions to sustain aggregate productivity growth are discussed.
Fuzzy rough sets, gradual decision rules and approximate reasoning (Mathematical Programming Concerning Decision Makings and Uncertainties)

We have proposed a fuzzy rough set approach without using any fuzzy logical connectives to extract gradual decision rules from decision tables. In this paper, we discuss the use of these gradual decision rules within modus ponens and modus tollens inference patterns. We show that these patterns are very similar and, moreover, we generalize them to formalize approximate reasoning based on the extracted gradual decision rules. We demonstrate that approximate reasoning can be performed by manipulation of modifier functions associated with the gradual decision rules.
Clustering by Pairwise Similarity by QILIN LI

An era of big data has arrived without doubt because of advancements in sensing and storage technologies and dramatic growth in digital applications. Such growth in the amount of data, as well as the variety of data, poses huge demand for the development of automatic data analysis, classification, and retrieval techniques. Clustering is one of the most active area in the scope of data analysis. Clustering, also known as cluster analysis, is the formal study of methods and algorithms for grouping, or clustering, objects according to measured or perceived intrinsic characteristics or similarities. Clustering does not use category labels that tag objects with prior identifiers. The absence of category information distinguishes data clustering (unsupervised learning) from classification or discriminant analysis (supervised learning). This thesis focuses one of the hot areas of clustering: the image clustering. Specifically, we aim at using clustering method to deal with semantic learning and manifold learning problems in image analysis. The goal of image clustering is to gather all images into clusters such that the images in each cluster provide essentially the same, or highly related, information. The generated clusters provide a concise summarization and visualization of the image content that can be used for different tasks, such as image retrieval. Traditionally, researchers do not care too much about what kind of information is shared in image clusters, as long as the images appear similar in each cluster. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing effective methods for content-based image retrieval (CBIR). It reflects the face that a more desirable retrieval system should be able to deal with semantic query. Instead of using image as a query, a more effective way from user’s perspective is querying by the nature language description of the image. The challenge here is to learn high-level semantic concepts from low-level visual features, which is known as the “semantic gap” problem. Another problem in image clustering is to define the underlying manifold structures in a image space. Image data are normally represented by a high-dimensional feature space, resulting in poor performance of Euclidean space based clustering methods. Manifold learning has been proven to significantly improve performance in many image tasks. Since the manifolds are usually of a much lower dimension than the orig-
Exploring the Influences of a Partner-Based Teacher Credential Program on Candidates’ Performance Outcomes

The study compared candidates in a 4-year undergraduate program for secondary mathematics and science teaching, based on the UTeach model, with candidates in a 1-year postbaccalaureate program at the same institution. Candidates in the undergraduate program participated in a partnership of university mathematics, science, and education departments and intensive field-based experiences in high-needs schools. We conjectured that this approach would better prepare prospective teachers to develop beginning teacher competencies. Analysis of the Performance Assessment for California Teachers Teaching Event identified few differences between candidates in both groups. Surveys revealed significant differences between candidates’ perceptions of their preparation for teaching. These findings suggest that different program models can offer differential support to prospective teachers but how the program features are enacted influences the impact that these programs have on teacher preparation.