Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Family of Transformerless Quadratic Boost High Gain DC-DC Converters

This paper presents three new and improved non-isolated topologies of quadratic boost converters (QBC). Reduced voltage stress across switching devices and high voltage gain with single switch operation are the main advantages of the proposed topologies. These topologies utilize voltage multiplier cells (VMC) made of switched capacitors and switched inductors to increase the converter’s voltage gain. The analysis in continuous conduction mode is discussed in detail. The proposed converter’s voltage gain is higher than the conventional quadratic boost converter, and other recently introduced boost converters. The proposed topologies utilize only a single switch and have continuous input current and low voltage stress across switch, capacitors, and diodes, which leads to the selection of low voltage rating components. The converter’s non-ideal voltage gain is also determined by considering the parasitic capacitance and ON state resistances of switch and diodes. The efficiency analysis incorporating switching and conduction losses of the switching and passive elements is done using PLECS software (Plexim, Zurich, Switzerland). The hardware prototype of the proposed converters is developed and tested for verification.
Who Sells During A Crash? Evidence from Tax-Return Data on Daily Sales of Stock

Using U.S. tax-return data containing the universe of individual taxable stock sales from 2008 to 2009, we examine which individuals increased their sale of stocks following episodes of market tumult. We find that the increase was disproportionately concentrated among investors in the top 1 and top 0.1% of the overall income distribution, retired individuals, and individuals at the very top of the dividend income distribution. Our estimates suggest that, following the day when Lehman Brothers collapsed, taxpayers in the top 0.1% sold $1.7 billion more in stocks than individuals in the bottom 75%. This difference is equal to 89% of average daily sales by taxpayers in the top 0.1%.
How Forward‐Scattering Snow and Terrain Change the Alpine Radiation Balance With Application to Solar Panels

Rough terrain in mid‐ and high latitudes is often covered with highly reflective snow, giving rise to a very complex transfer of incident sunlight. In order to simplify the radiative transfer in weather and climate models, snow is generally treated as an isotropically reflecting material. We develop a new model of radiative transfer over mountainous terrain, which considers for the first time the forward scattering properties of snow. Combining ground‐measured meteorological data and high resolution digital elevation models, we show that the forward scattering peak of snow leads to a strong local redistribution of incident terrain reflected radiation. In particular, the effect of multiple terrain reflections is enhanced. While local effects are large, area‐wide albedo is only marginally decreased. In addition, we show that solar panels on snowy ground can clearly benefit from forward scattering, helping to maximize winter electricity production.
El Niño, La Niña, and the Forecastability of the Realized Variance of Heating Oil Price Movements

We use the heterogenous autoregressive (HAR) model to compute out-of-sample forecasts of the monthly realized variance (RV) of movements of the spot and futures price of heating oil. We extend the HAR–RV model to include the role of El Niño and La Niña episodes, as captured by the Equatorial Southern Oscillation Index (EQSOI). Using data from June 1986 to April 2021, we show evidence for several model configurations that both El Niño and La Niña phases contain information useful for forecasting subsequent to the realized variance of price movements beyond the predictive value already captured by the HAR–RV model. The predictive value of La Niña phases, however, seems to be somewhat stronger than the predictive value of El Niño phases. Our results have important implications for investors, as well as from the perspective of sustainable decisions involving the environment.
The effect of oyster shell powder and rice husk ash on the pyrolysis of rice husk for bio-oil

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of oyster shell powder (OSP) and rice husk ash (RHA) on the pyrolysis of rice husk (RH) for bio-oil. The present study focuses on the effect of catalysts on pyrolysis of RH for bio-oil and the quantity of bio-oil produced. The results showed that both OSP and RHA could improve the yield and quality of bio-oil, and the catalytic effect of OSP was better than that of RHA. With the content of the two catalysts increased, the net increase range of bio-oil yield decreased gradually. With 3 wt. % of OSP or 2 wt. % of RHA, the yield of bio-oil achieved to 57.06% and 56.07% respectively, which increased by 6.03% and 4.20% compared to that of single pyrolysis of rice husk. Both OSP and RHA can increase the bio-oil heating value and decrease the acid value. With the presence of 1–5 wt. % of OSP or RHA in the RH pyrolysis process, the heating value of the bio-oil can be increased by 5.04–10.25% and 4.32–5.78%, the acid value of the bio-oil can be decreased by 5.30–13.54% and 9.81–33.01%, respectively. OSP was better than RHA on the heating value improvement, while RHA was superior to OSP in decreasing the acid value. The gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of bio-oil composition indicated that the formation of phenols, acids and ketones compounds were inhibited and alcohols and furan compounds were promoted with the addition of OSP and RHA catalysts. The study made the catalytic pyrolysis process more favorable for the production of high heating value fuel.
U-Shape by Quadratic Equation: A Best-fit for Modelling Hemodynamic Changes in the DCCS Task

General Linear Modelling (GLM) has been widely employed to estimate the hemodynamic changes evoked by cognitive processing, which are more likely to be nonlinear than linear. First, this study re-analyzed the fNIRS data (N = 38, Mage = 5.0 years, SD = 0.69 years, 17 girls) collected in the Mixed-Order Design Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task. The results indicated that the quadratic equation was better than GLM to model HbO changes in this task. Second, analysis of a new set of data indicated that the Habit-DisHabit design of DCCS was more effective in identifying the neural correlates of cognitive shifting than the Mixed-Order Design. Third, this study found that the Non-users were more attentive and engaged than the Heavy-users, with a slower but more steady increase of brain activation in BA8 and BA9.
Primary Brainstem Lymphoma: A Population-Based Study

Background Primary brainstem lymphoma (PBSL) is rare and malignant. An understanding of this disease is lacking. We aimed to characterize clinical features, estimate survival, and explore survival-related factors of PBSL. Methods Patients with a histological diagnosis of primary lymphoma in the brainstem (C71.7) from 1975 to 2016 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Log-rank tests and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to identify survival-related factors. Results PBSL constituted 2.7% of brainstem malignancies. The median age of the PBSL patients was 59.5 years. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n = 49, 84.5%) was the most prevalent histology among the 58 cases with reported specific lymphoma subtype. The majority of PBSLs were localized (n = 46, 52.3%), at low Ann Arbor Stage (I/II, n = 63, 70.5%), and presented as a single primary (n = 71, 80.7%). Chemotherapy was applied in 50 (56.8%) cases. Three-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were 42.7% and 53.5%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that independent predictive/prognostic factors for OS were age (P = 0.004), tumor number (P = 0.029), and chemotherapy (P = 0.001); DSS-related factors only included age (P = 0.014) and chemotherapy (P = 0.008). Conclusions We estimated survival rates for PBSL patients. Factors associated with OS and DSS were also identified. Our findings addressed the importance of chemotherapy in treating PBSL patients.
Oviposition site selection and attachment ability of Propylea quatuordecimpunctata and Harmonia axyridis from the egg to the adult stage

Surface features of plants can influence the searching efficiency and survival of predatory insects. Surfaces act as barriers preventing attachment of both phytophages and also their insect predators. In this regard, we focused on the oviposition site selection and the attachment ability of all life stages (eggs, larvae, imagines) of two common ladybird species, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata and Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), on artificial and natural substrates with different surface features and properties (roughness, wettability). Both species preferred a hydrophilic surface as the oviposition site and this can be correlated with the better performance of both larvae and adults on these substrates compared with hydrophobic ones. The egg glue of both ladybird species can wet hydrophobic surfaces such as those of many plant leaves and also with prominent 3D wax coverage. The surface roughness has an important role in the oviposition site selection in P. quatuordecimpunctata, but not in H. axyridis. The oviposition preference for smooth surfaces in P. quatuordecimpunctata could be due to better performance of larvae on smooth substrates compared with rough ones. The egg glue of both species can adapt to artificial and natural surfaces characterized by different asperity sizes faithfully replicating their shape, except for very high asperity sizes or big trichomes. The results of the present research can shed light on the mechanical ecology of the evolutionary successful Coccinellidae and may aid in the development of suitable substrates for coccinellid egg‐laying, in order to improve the mass rearing technique of species used in biological control.
Toward Population-Level Biohybrid Systems: Bioinspiration and Behavior

For biohybrid systems involving robot interactions with a large and varied population of animals, it could be beneficial to deploy a morphologically and behaviorally varied population of robots into the environment, for successful interactions across the full diversity of the relevant biological population. In this paper, we briefly summarize our work in two areas integral to this effort: (1) computational investigations of bioinspired methods for retaining population-level variance under evolution; and (2) quantitative evolutionary analysis of genetics and morphology. We also consider ideas for Cognitive Science-inspired work in designing goal-directed behaviors for the robots in biohybrid systems. Based on the underlying idea that robot designs with deeper roots in biology can result in more effective biohybrid systems, our perspectives and approaches could illuminate new commonalities between evolved robot populations and evolved biological populations, which would ideally improve the robots as tools for scientific insight into animals, their behaviors, and their environments.
Numerical Investigation of Air Movement on Laboratory Scale Psychrometric Chamber

Higher energy demands in favorable energy prices increasing people's affordability of the cooling devices, causing most building and residential areas to wear air conditioning systems. Higher energy saving, efficiency, and eco-friendly equipment have become a challenge for manufacturers and researchers. Also, Indonesia's government rules the energy efficiency by SKEM (Minimum Standard of Energy Performance) by air conditioning equipment's labeling. In this study, the use of perforated ceiling was selected due to the excellent air distribution performance of the panels. This study analyzes the air circulation distribution (air loop) in a psychometric chamber using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), especially placing the air conditioner test unit. The numerical studies are performed with porous media models. A CFD model was used to analyze the air distribution in the psychrometric chamber. The simulation results show that the higher value of C1 resulted in a higher value of velocity. Furthermore, the pressure drop in the test chamber did not show any significant influence. In all cases, the influence of C1 value did not significantly affect the air movement in the test chamber.
New insights on the interfacial tension of electrochemical interfaces and the Lippmann equation

The Lippmann equation is considered as universal relationship between interfacial tension, double layer charge, and cell potential. Based on the framework of continuum thermo-electrodynamics, we provide some crucial new insights to this relation. For general interfaces such that the local curvature radius is large compared to the Debye length, we apply asymptotic analysis methods to obtain the Lippmann equation. We give precise definitions of the involved quantities and show that the interfacial tension of the Lippmann equation is composed of the surface tension of our general model, and contributions arising from the adjacent space charge layers that can only lower the interfacial tension. Moreover, it turns out that surface reactions can be consistently incorporated into the Lippmann equation, provided that there is no charge transfer from one side of the interface to the other. We apply the model to curved liquid metal electrodes and compare our model to experimental data of several mercury–electrolyte interfaces. We obtain qualitative and quantitative agreement in the 2 V potential range for various salt concentrations.
From Sustainable Development Goals to Sustainable Cities: A Social Media Analysis for Policy-Making Decision

The United Nations (UN) adopted the seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) in early September 2015. One of these goals is SDG 11, which refers to the sustainable cities and communities. In this context, local governments face the challenge of aligning with this objective. As a result, they are increasing outreach to their organizational boundaries to involve citizens in policy making and strategy development, continually listening to citizens’ voices. One of the methods citizens use to express themselves is social media. This paper will emphasize social media platforms and specially Twitter to explore the public discourse about cities in the context of SDG 11. We applied descriptive quantitative and qualitative analysis to analyze the tweets that include terms and hashtags referring to the SDG 11. The data analysis process is composed of three major procedures: 1-Engagement analysis, 2-Trends based analysis and 3-Data Insights. Our results show that: 1-the COVID’19 pandemic negatively impacted users engagement towards SDG 11, 2-new technologies such AI and IoT are gaining more importance to help cities reach SDG 11, and 3-the SDGs are related and one SDG can impact other SDGs.
Integrated nutrient management as a sustainable strategy to recover a decayed Pear (Pyrus communis) orchard

Integrated Nutrition Management (INM) is a concept developed during the last decade in fruit agroecosystems based on the application of organic matter, biostimulants, and adjusted chemical fertilization to improve soil quality, plant rhizogenesis, and nutrition. Nevertheless, there are few studies on the application of the INM concept on the recovery of decayed orchards. The present study was focused on the evaluation of the effects of INM on soil and plant quality changes as recovery indicators of a decayed pear orchard. Two treatments (T 1 : conventional, T 2 : INM) were evaluated under three tree vigor levels, during two growing seasons. Old pear trees were used in a factorial experiment of two treatments (control and INM) x three vigor levels, based on a previous aerial Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) image. Soil properties, nutrient leaf contents, and NDVI were evaluated. Soil chemical and biological properties and their spatial variability were determined after two and fi ve years of treatment application, respectively. The INM improved β -glucosidase activity, reduced bulk density, and increased soil porosity. Furthermore, nutrient indices (NDVI x N, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, and B) were significantly increased under INM. After two years, soil chemical properties and root density were improved by INM. A significantly higher yield, soil organic matter, soluble C, and dehydrogenase activity was observed with INM after five growing seasons. The results indicated that INM is a sustainable alternative for recovering decayed orchards, through the inclusion of good-quality organic matter within the management program.
The Impact of Post-Harvest Traditional Technologies on Nutritional Value and Antioxidant Activity of Seeds Kernels “akpi” of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)

Proximate composition (moisture, protein, total dietary fibre, lipids, ash, phenolic compounds, acidity and pH), minerals (K, Ca, Mg, P, Cl and K) and trace elements (Fe, Zn) were determined in Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Pierre ex Pax seeds kernels found in six producing areas of Cote d’Ivoire (West Africa). There were significant differences between the Ricinodendron heudelotii seeds kernels samples for all the parameters studied; in addition, both the locality of production and the Ricinodendron heudelotii seeds kernels extraction systems showed a noteworthy influence on the mineral and element composition of the seeds kernels. The seeds kernels from Ricinodendron heudelotii were rich in lipids (47.8-54.8%), protein (23.4-28.3%) and energy (159.2-267.0 kcal/100g). Phosphorus (1.8-2.3%) was the predominant mineral. Polyphenols (54.56-156.8 mg/100g) and oxalates (382.6-593.3 mg/100g) were the main phytochemical compounds identified. It is worth mentioning that, the consumption of seeds kernels may contribute relatively high intake levels of lipids, protein, phenolic compounds, mineral and micronutrient (K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn). Application of multidimensional scaling (MDS) correctly classified the seeds kernels from Ricinodendron heudelotii according to the kernels extraction into four extraction system: Agboville1-Bondoukou diagram, Agboville2-Vavoua diagram, Divo diagram and Lakota diagram.
A Review of Cook-Cottone's Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Body as a Resource in Recovery

Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Body as a Resource in Recovery by Catherine Cook-Cottone provides over its 13 chapters a theoretical framework and practice recommendations for infusing embodiment in eating disorder treatment via her Embodied Approach to Treating Eating Disorders model. Part 1 of the book provides an overview of the model and Part 2 provides a framework for integrating the model into treatment, using several aspects of embodiment. Cook-Cottone includes numerous resources in the book to support counsellors in integrating this model into practice. For clinicians working with clients struggling with disordered eating or eating disorders, Cook-Cottone’s book provides an engaging addition to eating disorders treatment.
How Capability Reconfiguration in Coping With External Dynamism Can Shape the Performance of the Vietnamese Enterprises

The purpose of this study is to examine the direct and moderating effects of internal endowment and external dynamism on capability reconfiguration, which in turn has a positive impact on a firm’s post-reconfiguration performance. A researcher-designed survey questionnaire was developed based on multiple works and subsequently administered with a final sample of 266 Vietnamese small and medium enterprises engaged in manufacturing industries. As a result, we find that internal endowment and external dynamism positively impact a firm’s capability reconfiguration and post-reconfiguration performance consequently. This empirical research provides four major contributions that supplement the extant literature. First, the internal endowment sponsored by resource abundance and absorptive capacity enables both a firm’s capability evolution and capability substitution. Second, the external dynamism in terms of market turbulence, technology turbulence, and competitive intensity directly affects the enterprise’s capability reconfiguration and positively moderates the relationship between internal endowment and capability reconfiguration. Third, this study demonstrates that the firm’s engagement on capability reconfiguration once in line with external and internal factors can help maintain its post-reconfiguration performance. Finally, the primary data collected in Vietnam offers a firsthand investigation of the catching-up economy to be compared with the research findings available in developed countries.
The straw man effect: Partisan misrepresentation in natural language

Political discourse often seems divided not just by different preferences, but by entirely different representations of the debate. Are partisans able to accurately describe their opponents’ position, or do they instead generate unrepresentative “straw man” arguments? In this research we examined an (incentivized) political imitation game by asking partisans on both sides of the U.S. health care debate to describe the most common arguments for and against ObamaCare. We used natural language-processing algorithms to benchmark the biases and blind spots of our participants. Overall, partisans showed a limited ability to simulate their opponents’ perspective, or to distinguish genuine from imitation arguments. In general, imitations were less extreme than their genuine counterparts. Individual difference analyses suggest that political sophistication only improves the representations of one’s own side but not of an opponent’s side, exacerbating the straw man effect. Our findings suggest that false beliefs about partisan opponents may be pervasive.
Measuring the Gap: Predictions of Nonsuicidal Self-injury, Substance Misuse, and Health-risk Sexual Behavior via Dual Systems Theory

ABSTRACT The dual systems theory of health risk behaviors posits that maladaptive behaviors during late adolescence and early adulthood are the result of differential developmental trajectories of a cognitive control system and socioemotional system. The divergence or “gap” between these two systems was modeled as two Latent Gap Scores (LGS) in a sample of college undergraduates (N = 7,109) and associations with health risk behavior were tested. Robust associations were found between these latent scores and engagement in substance misuse, risky sexual behavior, and non-suicidal self-injury. These results provide support for dual systems theory and represent a novel assessment of personality factors with respect to engagement in health-risk behaviors.
Toward a Bidirectional and Co-Constructed Mentorship: Rethinking the Mentor and Student–Teacher Relationship

Cooperating teachers are vital in the professional development of teacher candidates. Yet, little research has been done to explore the generative and bidirectional nature of mentoring in the context of a student teaching-mentoring dyad—including the ways that teacher candidates are vital to the professional development of cooperating teachers. This case study addresses this gap by exploring the realized potential of adopting a transformative activist stance in relation to the mentoring of a preservice teacher candidate. The strategic partnering of a veteran teacher (Rick) and undergraduate teacher candidate (Daniel)—both committed to culturally sustaining pedagogies—created an opportunity to reimagine the student teaching experience in one English language arts classroom. Through collaborative reflection and artifact analysis, we examine our roles in contributing to bidirectional mentorship that stressed innovative collaboration rather than adaptation to existing power differentials.