Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Solvents on Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt Oxide ( Co 3 O 4 ) Nanoparticles

We report characteristic of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles prepared by thermal decomposition of Co (Ac)2·4H2O using oleic acid capping agent and NaBH4 reducing agent. Variable in this study is types of solvent: acetone (S1), hexane (S2), and xylene (S3). Physical and chemical properties of the as-prepared Co3O4 samples were investigated by TGA, TEM, BET, XRD, and FT-IR. The form of colloidal suspension using xylene and hexane were well observed. Adding NaBH4 solution, consequently, the pinkviolet solution using these two solvents turned into black due to the oxidation reaction. From XRD result, crystalline structure of Co3O4 nanoparticles prepared by using the three solvent types show the same result indicated as cubic structure with Fd-3m symmetry group and space lattice of 8.06 Å. The particle size of 82.29, 26.83 and 20.59 nm and specific surface area of 7.04, 21.28, and 32.07 m 2 /g were observed for S1, S2, and S3 sample, respectively. In addition, secondary phases were also detected.
Events-To-Video: Bringing Modern Computer Vision to Event Cameras

Event cameras are novel sensors that report brightness changes in the form of asynchronous "events" instead of intensity frames. They have significant advantages over conventional cameras: high temporal resolution, high dynamic range, and no motion blur. Since the output of event cameras is fundamentally different from conventional cameras, it is commonly accepted that they require the development of specialized algorithms to accommodate the particular nature of events. In this work, we take a different view and propose to apply existing, mature computer vision techniques to videos reconstructed from event data. We propose a novel, recurrent neural network to reconstruct videos from a stream of events and train it on a large amount of simulated event data. Our experiments show that our approach surpasses state-of-the-art reconstruction methods by a large margin (> 20%) in terms of image quality. We further apply off-the-shelf computer vision algorithms to videos reconstructed from event data on tasks such as object classification and visual-inertial odometry, and show that this strategy consistently outperforms algorithms that were specifically designed for event data. We believe that our approach opens the door to bringing the outstanding properties of event cameras to an entirely new range of tasks.
İzmir İktisat Dergisi

Innovative firms have a distinct competitive advantage and foreign direct investment is an important channel for technological transfers. The aim of this study is to analyse that foreign direct investment coming into Turkey that affects innovation performance of local and foreign investors. Our analysis covers the period of 1984-2017 and the three types of patent applications (residents, non-residents and total) are used as an indication of innovation in our analysis. The nonlinear ARDL model is applied because the impact of positive and negative shocks that caused foreign direct investments on innovation performance decomposes in short and long term. Analysis results indicate that positive and negative shocks experienced FDI have a greater impact on the innovative performance of local investors than foreign investors.
University of Zagreb

Gas turbine driven pipeline compressor stations employed in existing pipelines and also in those that shall be built due to increasing demand for natural gas present significant potential for production of additional electricity and useful heat by utilizing the waste heat from the gas turbine process. For utilizing the waste heat existing systems are usually upgraded with a heat recovery steam generator, steam turbine and balance of plant equipment, which are used to produce electricity via combined gas and steam cycle process. The thesis analyzes and compares several HRSG configurations both in the terms of thermodynamic and thermoeconomic criteria. In order to find an optimal configuration of a new system an exergo-economic HRSG optimization is conducted for finding the compromise between the exergy losses and investment costs of HRSG surfaces. Initial optimization results show insensibility of the objective function on the cost of surfaces by resulting in zero pinch point. Such result demonstrates low surface costs compared to the cost of exergy losses for given parameters of available flue gases and assumed factors of the objective function. Incorporation of exergy of inlet feed water and outlet gas (which are neglected by author of the selected optimization method) result in max. pinch point and high values of pressure close to critical one. Such result of pressure value is however not feasible for design of the industrial steam turbine. Furthermore tendency of reaching upper limit of pinch point shows inadequacy of this approach. So as to obtain positive but realistic pinch point values a surface exponent is introduced into equation for calculating the HRSG surface cost. Idea is to find the value of the surface exponent obtaining minimal feasible pinch point provided by the heat recovery steam generator manufacturer. Referent minimal feasible pinch point is selected for unfired case. Proper value of the surface exponent is determined on the basic single pressure configuration. Upon defining optimization criteria this value is further used for optimization of other configurations. Predefined single pressure, dual pressure and triple pressure system configurations are further examined in operating regimes of the pipeline compressor station. Thereby are cost of electricity, cash flow and internal rate of return calculated. Comparison of configurations is based on diagram presenting dependency of electricity cost on net system efficiency. Pareto front with respect to both criteria; maximal system efficiency and minimal cost of electricity is constructed. Thereof 2P3 and 3P3 configurations are the closest to the Pareto front whereby the first is characterized by the lowest cost of electricity and the latter by the highest system efficiency. Finally sensitivity analysis has been performed in order to estimate system viability in case of varying fuel prices and CO2 emission certificates. The results of the performed investigation are based on realistic compressor station data and could be used as a guideline for further research and development in this field.
CALCULATIONS OF EFFECTS OF ROTATING INLET DISTORTION ON FLOW INSTABILITIES IN COMPRESSION SYSTEMS

In the present paper calculations are presented to predict the post stall transient behavior and the onset of flow instabilities in axial compression systems with rotating inlet circumferential total pressure distortion. The effects of system parameters and the compressor characteristic are taken into account, and the effects on the boundaries of rotating stall and surge are investigated. It has been found that both the inlet distortion amplitude and rotating frequency have a strong effect on the stability and post stall transient behavior, and the rotating frequency has the same strong influence on the onset of surge as the influence on the onset of rotating stall. But the resonant response frequency (i.e., the rotating frequency of inlet distortion at which the greatest loss of stability occurs) strongly depends on the frequency at which the stall cell rotates. The study of the effects of system parameters shows that the loading and the flow coefficient of the compressor at the design point have a significant effect on the onset of instability, but they have little effect on the propagation speed of rotating stall and the resonant response frequency. The Greitzer B-parameter affects the onset of rotating stall, but it has little effect on the onset of surge. Some qualitative comparisons with available experimental results are made in this paper and show that the results are reliable. NOMENCLATURE Ac compressor duct area a speed of sound B Greitzer B parameter (Eq. (11)) DA inlet total pressure distortion amplitude Fr throttle characteristic function; Fr·'( cf>) (Fig.2) f nondimensional propagation speed of rota ting stall, referred to rotor speed g disturbance of axial velocity coefficient H semi-height of cubic axisymmetric characteristic (Fig.2) m R RKr RKTF t TCR u Vp w
Identification of moving loads using the ℓ1 norm minimization

This contribution deals with the inverse problem of indirect identification of moving loads. The identification is performed based on the recorded response of the loaded structure and its numerical model. A specific feature of such problems is a very large number of the degrees of freedom (DOFs) that can be excited and a limited number of available sensors. As a result, unless the solution space is significantly limited, the identification problem is underdetermined: it has an infinite number of exact, observationally indistinguishable solutions. We propose an approach based on the assumption of sparsity of the excitation, which can be expressed in the form of a requirement of a bounded l1 norm of the solution. As long as the loads are sparse, the approach allows them to be freely moving, without the usual assumption of a constant velocity. We first test the approach in a numerical example with 10% rms measurement noise. A good qualitative agreement of the numerical results allows to proceed with experimental investigations, and the moving load identification is then carried out based on the response measured experimentally on a lab test stand.This contribution deals with the inverse problem of indirect identification of moving loads. The identification is performed based on the recorded response of the loaded structure and its numerical model. A specific feature of such problems is a very large number of the degrees of freedom (DOFs) that can be excited and a limited number of available sensors. As a result, unless the solution space is significantly limited, the identification problem is underdetermined: it has an infinite number of exact, observationally indistinguishable solutions. We propose an approach based on the assumption of sparsity of the excitation, which can be expressed in the form of a requirement of a bounded l1 norm of the solution. As long as the loads are sparse, the approach allows them to be freely moving, without the usual assumption of a constant velocity. We first test the approach in a numerical example with 10% rms measurement noise. A good qualitative agreement of the numerical results allows to proceed with experime.
2D-Crypt: Image Encryption and Decryption in Chaotic Domain

: In this article, performance analysis of image cryptosystem designed based on modified Pseudo Hadamard Transformation (MPHT) and Duffing chaoticsubstitution has been accomplished. Modified Pseudo Hadamard Transformation (MPHT) effectively reduces the redundancy and chaotic Substitution condenses correlation between the adjacent pixels in the cipher image. Standard test images from Computer Vision Group (CVG) are considered for experimental analysis. Immunity against brute force attack is observed for a set of standard test images based on various mathematical analysis. Also better results are obtained for statistical security analysis. About 33.4642% Unified Average Changing Intensity (UACI) and 99.6052% Number of Pixel Changing Rate (NPCR) are obtained for a set of twenty standard images, and they are very close to the ideal value.
Neural network algorithm to retrieve tropospheric ozone from the ozone monitoring instrument: design and validation

This paper reports on the design and validation of a neural network algorithm for tropospheric ozone retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). The neural network combines OMI ultraviolet reflectances with temperature and tropopause pressure information to yield global estimates of the tropospheric ozone column. The algorithm was validated against ozonesonde data and Chemistry/Transport Model (CTM) simulations. The results seem to indicate that the algorithm is able to reproduce the global tropospheric ozone distribution with reasonable accuracy.
Evaluation of Non-Staggered Body-Fitted Grid Based Solution Method in Application to Supercritical Fluid Flows

— The efforts to understand the heat transfer behavior of supercritical water in supercritical water cooled reactor (SCWR) are ongoing worldwide to fulfill the future energy demand. The higher thermal efficiency of these reactors compared to a conventional nuclear reactor is one of the driving forces for attracting the attention of nuclear scientists. In this work, a solution procedure has been described for solving supercritical fluid flow problems in complex geometries. The solution procedure is based on non-staggered grid. All governing equations are discretized by finite volume method (FVM) in curvilinear coordinate system. Convective terms are discretized by first-order upwind scheme and central difference approximation has been used to discretize the diffusive parts. k -ε turbulence model with standard wall function has been employed. SIMPLE solution procedure has been implemented for the curvilinear coordinate system. Based on this solution method, 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code has been developed. In order to demonstrate the capability of this CFD code in supercritical fluid flows, heat transfer to supercritical water in circular tubes has been considered as a test problem. Results obtained by code have been compared with experimental results reported in literature.
Optimization of modular Truss-Z by minimum-mass design under equivalent stress constraint

Truss-Z (TZ) is an Extremely Modular System (EMS). Such systems allow for creation of structurally sound free-form structures, are comprised of as few types of modules as possible, and are not constrained by a regular tessellation of space. Their objective is to create spatial structures in given environments connecting given terminals without self-intersections and obstacle-intersections. TZ is a skeletal modular system for creating free-form pedestrian ramps and ramp networks. The previous research on TZ focused on global discrete geometric optimization of the spatial configuration of modules. This paper reports on the first attempts at structural optimization of the module for a single-branch TZ. The internal topology and the sizing of module beams are subject to optimization. An important challenge is that the module is to be universal: it must be designed for the worst case scenario, as defined by the module position within a TZ branch and the geometric configuration of the branch itself. There are four variations of each module, and the number of unique TZ configurations grows exponentially with the branch length. The aim is to obtain minimum-mass modules with the von Mises equivalent stress constrained under certain design load. The resulting modules are further evaluated also in terms of the typical structural criterion of compliance.
Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009): The apotheosis of heroic anthropology

Claude Levi-Strauss is one of the greatest interdisciplinary writers of the twentieth century whose influence extends far beyond his own discipline of social anthropology. His inquiry illuminates the borderlands between 'primitive' and non-primitive, self and other, myth and history, human and animal, art and nature, and the dichotomies that give structure to culture, society, history and agency. This commemorative article of his legacy assesses disciplinary and interdisciplinary debates influenced by Levi-Strauss's inquiry and methods, and looks at potential challenges for the future. Levi-Strauss's ideas continue to be influential in our assessments of what we mean by culture, values, social organization, including social transformations and cultural ideologies such as ethnocentrism, nationalism, fundamentalism, pluralism, neo-liberalism, post-modernism, relativism, humanism and universalism.
A Compact Helicon Thruster for CubeSat Applications

This paper presents a preliminary experimental characterization of a compact helicon thruster for CubeSat applications operating on argon and water propellants. The helicon is powered by a compact radiofrequency inverter at 46.5 MHz and 88.4 MHz, which can be pulsed to enable efficient helicon generation while maintaining CubeSat attainable power levels. Ion population and electron temperature is approximated using spectroscopy. Ion velocity distributions and beam currents are evaluated using a retarding potential analyzer and guarded faraday probe for both argon and water propellants.
The Use of the ARM WSI to Estimate the Atmospheric Optical Depth at Night

Atmospheric constituents can be studied during the night using the light of stars as radiation source. The Whole Sky Imager, an instrument that shows high accuracy at low levels of illumination and has a wide dynamic range, is used. The digital images obtained are processed to infer the atmospheric extinction coefficient and the star radiance. A study of the accuracy of the star s observations is undertaken. Subsequently, the broadband visible extinction will be calculated using the SBDART atmospheric radiation model, in which the Sun s brightness (visual magnitude, --26) is scaled to match the brightest stars in the image (from Sirius, --1.46, to Polaris, +2.02 visual magnitude). A goodness of fit of the model with observations will be assessed, taking into account various profiles of temperature, pressure, columnar densities of gases, aerosol provenience types etc. Finally, a study of the accuracy of the stars observations with the instrument was undertaken.
LEAN MANUFACTURING IN MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES ( MSE ) : A STUDY IN THE BAKERY SEGMENT

Despite having appeared in a Japanese automobile industry, the Lean philosophy is applied in companies of different sectors today. The aim is to increase the value-added work by eliminating wastes. With cost reduction at the core objective,, where quality is seen as an associated outcome, the Lean Management has been found effective in many businesses of different sizes, including Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). How MSEs of the bakery segment can become more competitive by adapting the Lean philosophy is one of the core concerning problems that has been considered in this research.
Effects of Bene (Pistacia atlantica) on Histopathology of Testis, Sperm Chromatin Quality and Stress Oxidative in Busulfan-Induced Infertile Mice

Background: Some plants stimulate spermatogenesis and increase fertility, while some cause spermatogenesis arrest. So far, the effects of bene (Pistacia atlantica) on male fertility have not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of bene on sperm parameters, testicular histopathology, sperm quality, and oxidative stress in busulfan-induced infertile mice. Methods: Thirty-five male BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to control, sham, busulfan, bene, and bene + busulfan groups. The busulfan group received 10 mg/kg as a single dose and intraperitoneally. The bene group received pellets containing 10% of bene. Another group received 10 mg/kg busulfan and was fed with pellet containing 10% bene. Then, sperms, sperm chromatin quality, testicular histopathology, and oxidative stress levels were studied on the 35th day of the experiment. Results: Busulfan injection resulted in a significant reduction in sperm parameters compared to the control group (p<0.001); it decreased after bene administration (p<0.001). In addition, in the group treated with bene, the sperm count with damaged DNA was reduced and the level of malondialdehyde decreased compared to the busulfan group. A significant increase was observed in the mean level of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes in the bene + busulfan group compared to the busulfan group (p<0.001). The histopathological improvement of the testis was observed in the bene + busulfan group. Conclusion: The administration of 10 mg/kg of bene powder for 35 days reduced the oxidative stress, improved testicular histopathology, sperm chromatin quality, and sperm parameters in the infertile mice model.
Foucault and deaf education in Finland

The influence of Michel Foucault’s thinking in critical disability studies, and to social studies of deafness, can hardly be doubted. Foucault has offered valuable tools for the critical rethinking of deaf education and pedagogy with respect to normalization and disciplinary power , which are integrally related to the historical construction of deafness as deficiency and pathology by modern, medical, and psychological knowledge. This article explores the applicability and critical potential of the Foucauldian concepts of disciplinary power, surveillance, and normalization within the specific context of the history of deaf education in Finland. The article focuses on the modernization of the education of deaf children that began during the latter half of the nineteenth century in Finland, with the influence of oralism – a pedagogical discourse and deaf-education methods of German origin. Deafness was characterized as a pathology or abnormality of the most severe kind. When taken at the general level, Foucault’s well-known concepts are easily applicable to the analysis of deaf education, also in the Finnish context. However, it is argued that things become much more complex if we first examine more closely the roles played by the eye and the ear, by optic and aural experience, in these Foucauldian notions, and if we then relate this enquiry to our analysis of oralist pedagogy and deaf education.
Commercially available Geiger mode single-photon avalanche photodiode with a very low afterpulsing probability

Afterpulsing is one of the main technological flaws present in photon counting detectors based on solid-state semiconductor avalanche photodiodes operated in Geiger mode. Level of afterpulsing depends mainly on type of the semiconductor, doping concentrations and temperature and presents an additional source of noise, along with dark counts. Unlike dark counts which appear randomly in time, aterpulses and are time-correlated with the previous detections. For measurements that rely on timing information afterpulsing can create fake signals and diminish the sensitivity. In this work we test a novel broadband sensitive APD that was designed for sub-Geiger avalanche gain operation. We find that this APD, which has a reach-through geometry typical of single-photon detection photodiodes, can also operate in Geiger mode with usable detection sensitivity and acceptable dark counts level while exhibiting uniquely low afterpulsing. The afterpulsing of tested samples was systematically less than 0.05 percent at 10V excess voltage.