Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surface Modification and Thermal Bonding in COC Polymeric Microfluidic Chip

The field of polymer microfluidics, more broadly termed as ‘Lab on a Chip’ (LOC), is an interdisciplinary effort that combines aspects of physics, chemistry, nanotechnology and biotechnology. Cyclic olefin copolymers (COC) are the most widely used polymers for the fabrication of microfluidic devices due to its excellent transparency, low dielectric loss, low moisture absorption, good chemical resistance and the availability of a variety of grades with different glass transition temperature. Bioadhesion on polymer microchannel surfaces can happen during the separation process due to hydrophobic character of the COC surface. Accumulation of the adhered biomolecules can lead to coagulation, resulting in obstruction in the flow of the liquids through the micro channels thus causing system failure due to channel blockage. Moreover, thermal bonding and surface modification are two major issues in research to enhance the efficiency and performance of bioMEMS. In this study we explore the surface modification process and its influence on the interface bond strength in COC microfluidic chips. Surface modification of COC microchannels was carried out by UV-photografting of hydrophilic monomer and the results were characterized using contact angle and FTIR. The tensile bond strength test results showed significantly increased bond strength values in the modified chips. Moreover, the UV-photografted samples showed excellent hemocompatibility as it inhibits the blood cell adhesion and aggregation.
An Application of Goal Programming: The Best Route to Discover a Wonderful West Sumatera

This study presents an application of nonpreemptive goal programming to find the best route to visit tourist sites in West Sumatera. The goal programming model is constructed based on traveling salesman problem. This study involves seven cities which can be connected by road network in West Sumatera. In this study, two cases are considered with the assumption that the tourists start to self-drive from different city. The results show that the goal programming based on traveling salesman problem model gives a route with minimum distance, time, and traveling cost compared to the traditional route.
Multiple Quantile Modelling via Reduced Rank Regression

Since quantile regression estimator at a fixed quantile level mainly relies on a small subset of the observed data, efforts have been made to construct simultaneous estimation at multiple quantile levels in order to take full advantage of all the observations and improve estimation efficiency. We propose a novel approach that links multiple linear quantile models through imposing a condition on the rank of the matrix formed by all the regression parameters. The approach has the flavor of the reduced rank regression while also shares similarity to the dimension reduction modeling. We develop estimation and inference tools in such models and also study the optimality in terms of asymptotic estimation variance. Simulation experiments are conducted to examine the numerical performance of the proposed procedure. The method is further illustrated in a data example.
Universal law of fractionation for slightly polydisperse systems

By perturbing about a general monodisperse system, we provide a complete description of two-phase equilibria in any system which is slightly polydisperse in some property (e.g., particle size, charge, etc.). We derive a universal law of fractionation which is corroborated by comprehensive experiments on a model colloid-polymer mixture. We furthermore predict that phase separation is an effective method of reducing polydispersity only for systems with a skewed distribution of the polydisperse property.
Multisensor Data Fusion for Human Activity Recognition

Human activity recognition is a well known area of research in pervasive computing, which involves detecting activity of an individual by using various types of sensors. This finds great utility in the context of human-centric problems in the real world not only for purposes of tracking ones daily activities but also in monitoring activities of others like the elderly, patrol officers, etc for purposes of health-care and security. With the growth of interest in AI, such a system can provide useful information to make the agent much more intelligent and aware about the user, thus giving a more personalized experience. Several technologies have been used to get estimates of a person’s activity like sensors found in smartphones(accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer etc.), egocentric cameras, other wearable sensors to measure vital signs like heart rate, respiration rate and skin temperature (apart from the same data provided by smartphones), worn on different parts of the body like chest, wrist, ankles, environment sensors to measure humidity, audio level, temperature etc. The activities that can be recognised are daily activities like walking, lying down, sitting, standing, running, travelling. However, to the best of our knowledge we have come across no work where a fusion of these sensors and egocentric cameras has been put to use. In this paper we explore the suggested fusion of sensors and share the results obtained. Our fusion approach shows significant improvement over using both the chosen sensors independently. Keywords—accelerometer, gyrometer, sensor, smart watch, egocentric, fusion, human activity.
MODEL-INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE FOR DARK ENERGY EVOLUTION FROM BARYON ACOUSTIC OSCILLATIONS

Baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs) allow us to determine the expansion history of the universe, thereby shedding light on the nature of dark energy. Recent observations of BAOs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR9 and DR11 have provided us with statistically independent measurements of H(z) at redshifts of 0.57 and 2.34, respectively. We show that these measurements can be used to test the cosmological constant hypothesis in a model-independent manner by means of an improved version of the Om diagnostic. Our results indicate that the SDSS DR11 measurement of H(z) = 222 ± 7 km s−1 Mpc−1 at z = 2.34, when taken in tandem with measurements of H(z) at lower redshifts, imply considerable tension with the standard ΛCDM model. Our estimation of the new diagnostic Omh2 from SDSS DR9 and DR11 data, namely, Omh2 ≈ 0.122 ± 0.01, which is equivalent to Ω0mh2 for the spatially flat ΛCDM model, is in tension with the value Ω0mh2 = 0.1426 ± 0.0025 determined for ΛCDM from Planck+WP. This tension is alleviated in models in which the cosmological constant was dynamically screened (compensated) in the past. Such evolving dark energy models display a pole in the effective equation of state of dark energy at high redshifts, which emerges as a smoking gun test for these theories.
rystallization and mechanical behavior of the ferroelectric polymer onwoven fiber fabrics for highly durable wearable sensor

The mechanical characterization of the electrospinning polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nonwoven fiber fabrics (NFFs) doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was investigated. Piezoelectric composite nanofibers of the PVDF/MWCNTs were directly electrospun by the hollow cylindrical nearfield electrospinning (HCNFES) without any post-poling treatment. We have made the HCNFES NFFs consisted of high-orderly arranged nanofiber assemblies for further characterizing the effect of MWCNTs filling PVDF nanofibers. An in situ electrical poling and high uniaxial stretching imparted on the polymer jet during the HCNFES process, which naturally align the dipoles in the PVDF crystals and promote the formation of the polar -crystalline phase within the fibers. Moreover, the reinforcement of the HCNFES PVDF nanofibers indicated the improvement in mechanical properties and the degree of high oriented extended-chain crystallites through adding adequate contents of MWCNTs. In the case of alignment of the all-trans polymer chains in the vicinity of MWCNTs along the fiber axis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the strongest diffraction peak of the -crystalline phase. In the comparison of the near-field electrospinning (NFES), the HCNFES nanofibers with smooth surface and smaller diameter can easily form high density structural NFFs. After nano-indentation and tensile strength measurements, the results indicated that the mechanical properties of the HCNFES NFFs are better than the NFES ones. When 16 wt% PVDF solution doped with 0.03 wt% MWCNTs, the results reveal that Young’s modulus, hardness, yield stress, yield strain, ultimate tensile strength, and strain at break of the HCNFES composite NFFs are obviously enhanced to 1.39 GPa, 39.6 MPa, 28 MPa, 48.17 MPa, 3.3%, and 32.5%, respectively. Finally, a flexible wearable sensor made of three-dimensional piezoelectric NFFs was actually experimented. Outstanding mechanical properties with highly deformable of PVDF/MWCNTs composite nanofibers would maintain it to represent great challenges during practical implementation. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Carbon nanotube fibers with martensite and austenite Fe residual catalyst: room temperature ferromagnetism and implications for CVD growth

We report on the room temperature ferromagnetic properties of continuous macroscopic fibers made up of carbon nanotubes grown by floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition. Their ferromagnetic behavior originates from the presence of residual catalyst nanoparticles: martensite with 0.77 wt% C content and FCC Fe. The first is intrinsically ferromagnetic, but the latter only due to severe lattice distortion as a consequence of C supersaturation. The stabilization of martensite and austenite occurs mainly because of the small diameter of the nanoparticles, in the range of 4–20 nm. This is smaller than the embryonic nucleus of the relevant equilibrium phases, but also implies that large C concentrations can build up in FCC Fe before C can be segregated as a stable graphitic nucleus. The room temperature remanence ranges from 10% to 25% and the coercivity from 55 to 300 Oe, depending on the choice of promoter for fiber synthesis (S or Se). Superparamagnetic behavior is only observed in S-grown samples on account of the smaller diameter of residual catalyst particles. The results of this work provide an explanation for the widespread observation of magnetic properties in oxide-free CNT samples produced by catalytic growth under a wide range of synthesis conditions.
Power Conversion Efficiency Temperature Dependence and Current Modulation Limits in a Semiconductor Diode Laser

First developed in 1962 [1], semiconductor diode lasers have developed into one of the most technologically impactful devices of the past 70 years. Today, diode lasers play broad roles in a number of the largest sectors of society, including the telecommunication industry, national defense, industrial fabrication, and optical storage domains [2]. Currently, semiconductor diode lasers are even routinely employed in medicine for processes such as cancer treatment, dental surgery, and wound healing [3]. As a direct result of the extensive utilization of diode lasers, the industry for such devices is now valued at over 8.62B per year [2] and is predicted to reach nearly 12B by the year 2020 [4]. Due to both its technological and economic impacts, it is important that the underlying physics and operational mechanisms of such devices be well understood by individuals across a broad range of sectors. Since its discovery, a substantial number of variants of such devices have emerged. Prompted by the overall inefficiency of the original semiconductor diode laser, current systems such as the quantum cascade and double heterostructure laser have been reported to exhibit conversion efficiencies of up to 50% or greater [5]. More recently, highly compact devices known as vertical-cavity surfaceemitting-lasers, or VCSELs for short, have been demonstrated. In VCSELs and their close relatives, VECSELs (external), the gain medium is orders of magnitude smaller than that found in the original semiconductor laser. In most instances, gain media with thicknesses of 100nm or less are utilized [6]. The present study is motivated by the importance of understanding the operation and environmental dependencies of semiconductor diode lasers. Herein, temperature dependencies of operational parameters such as current and applied voltage are investigated experimentally. Furthermore, applications of such diodes towards communications are considered. Modulation of applied voltage for diode devices is tested in order to gauge potential limits of devices in domains such as the communications industry and other relevant fields.
Reliability of the Turning Point Core Trainer as a Measure of Shoulder Hip Separation Angle, Shoulder Angular Velocity, and Hip Angular Velocity During Volleyball Spiking Actions

Separation of the shoulders and hips is an important contributor for rotational sports such as baseball and golf. Most recent has utilized Motion Capture technology. A new instrument has been developed as a tool to measure separation angle and can also be used to train the core musculature. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the reliability of shoulder hip separation angle (SHSA), shoulder angular velocity (SAV), and hip angular velocity (HAV) as measured using the Turning Point Core Trainer (TP) during volleyball spiking actions. Voluntary participants included 14 collegiate, Division I, female volleyball players from the University of Utah, ranging from 18-30 years of age. Participants completed 10 volleyball spike actions will fastened to the TP. SHSA was calculated at the height of the back swing. Participants were asked to provide maximal velocity during the forward phase thus providing SAV and HAV. Analysis for reliability demonstrated high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients across the 10 SHSA, SAV, and HAV (a =.98; a =.91; a =.94), respectively, indicating excellent internal consistency reliability for the TP. Follow-up research should examine whether or not training female outside hitters to increase SHSA at the top of the back swing, will increase SBV during either DL or DAC spikes. The TP measure of-axial rotation during spiking the internal consistency of the measures was high.
Evidence for Unique Steady-State Flickering Tachyonic Determinist Cyclic Computing Cosmos

The observed fine tuning between Physical dimensionless parameters is interpreted as relations between optimal calculation basis of a Deterministic Grandcosmos Computer. The Eddington's Fundamental Theory is rehabilitated: his Large Number gives a good approximation of the equivalent number of neutrons in the canonical trivial fraction 3/10 of the visible universe critical mass, showing that dark energy is a false problem. The Monster Group cardinal order appears in three c-free dimensional analysis, with the Kotov period involved twice, which confirm the Topological Axis, rehabilitating String Theory, in particular its tachyonic bosonic version. The Carton-Bott periodicity define the gauge bosons (with massive Gluon) from the value n = 30. The unique cosmic hypothesis implies that differential equations must be replaced by integral ones. Indeed, generalized holographic relations ties the cosmic Background wavelength to micro-physics ones. The mathematical constants π, e and γ enter fine-tuning relations with the Hierarchical numbers 137 and 2127, specifying micro-physics main constants and the gravitational constant G to ppb precision (10-9). The formula simplifies by introducing Atiyah constant, and show a 9D reduction to 3D, confirming Superstring Theory. In particular, this unification Physics-Mathematics excludes the non-scientific Multiverse hypothesis.
The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Field in the Starless Core ρ Ophiuchus C

We report 850 μm dust polarization observations of a low-mass (∼12 M⊙) starless core in the ρ Ophiuchus cloud, Ophiuchus C, made with the POL-2 instrument on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) as part of the JCMT B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations survey. We detect an ordered magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky in the starless core. The magnetic field across the ∼0.1 pc core shows a predominant northeast–southwest orientation centering between ∼40° and ∼100°, indicating that the field in the core is well aligned with the magnetic field in lower-density regions of the cloud probed by near-infrared observations and also the cloud-scale magnetic field traced by Planck observations. The polarization percentage (P) decreases with increasing total intensity (I), with a power-law index of −1.03 ± 0.05. We estimate the plane-of-sky field strength (Bpos) using modified Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi methods based on structure function (SF), autocorrelation function (ACF), and unsharp masking (UM) analyses. We find that the estimates from the SF, ACF, and UM methods yield strengths of 103 ± 46 μG, 136 ± 69 μG, and 213 ± 115 μG, respectively. Our calculations suggest that the Ophiuchus C core is near magnetically critical or slightly magnetically supercritical (i.e., unstable to collapse). The total magnetic energy calculated from the SF method is comparable to the turbulent energy in Ophiuchus C, while the ACF method and the UM method only set upper limits for the total magnetic energy because of large uncertainties.
The efficiency of magnetic field amplification at shocks by turbulence

Turbulent dynamo field amplification has often been invoked to explain the strong field strengths in thin rims in supernova shocks ($\sim 100 \, \mu$G) and in radio relics in galaxy clusters ($\sim \mu$G). We present high resolution MHD simulations of the interaction between pre-shock turbulence, clumping and shocks, to quantify the conditions under which turbulent dynamo amplification can be significant. We demonstrate numerically converged field amplification which scales with Alfven Mach number, $B/B_0 \propto {\mathcal M}_{\rm A}$, up to ${\mathcal M}_{\rm A} \sim 150$. This implies that the post-shock field strength is relatively independent of the seed field. Amplification is dominated by compression at low ${\mathcal M}_{\rm A}$, and stretching (turbulent amplification) at high ${\mathcal M}_{\rm A}$. For high $\mathcal{M}_{\rm A}$, the $B$-field grows exponentially and saturates at equipartition with turbulence, while the vorticity jumps sharply at the shock and subsequently decays; the resulting field is orientated predominately along the shock normal (an effect only apparent in 3D and not 2D). This agrees with the radial field bias seen in supernova remnants. By contrast, for low $\mathcal{M}_{\rm A}$, field amplification is mostly compressional, relatively modest, and results in a predominantly perpendicular field. The latter is consistent with the polarization seen in radio relics. Our results are relatively robust to the assumed level of gas clumping. Our results imply that the turbulent dynamo may be important for supernovae, but is only consistent with the field strength, and not geometry, for cluster radio relics. For the latter, this implies strong pre-existing $B$-fields in the ambient cluster outskirts.
The NANOGrav 11 Year Data Set: Pulsar-timing Constraints on the Stochastic Gravitational-wave Background

We search for an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB) in the newly released 11 year data set from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav). While we find no evidence for a GWB, we place constraints on a population of inspiraling supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries, a network of decaying cosmic strings, and a primordial GWB. For the first time, we find that the GWB constraints are sensitive to the solar system ephemeris (SSE) model used and that SSE errors can mimic a GWB signal. We developed an approach that bridges systematic SSE differences, producing the first pulsar-timing array (PTA) constraints that are robust against SSE errors. We thus place a 95% upper limit on the GW-strain amplitude of AGWB < 1.45 × 10−15 at a frequency of f = 1 yr−1 for a fiducial f−2/3 power-law spectrum and with interpulsar correlations modeled. This is a factor of ∼2 improvement over the NANOGrav nine-year limit calculated using the same procedure. Previous PTA upper limits on the GWB (as well as their astrophysical and cosmological interpretations) will need revision in light of SSE systematic errors. We use our constraints to characterize the combined influence on the GWB of the stellar mass density in galactic cores, the eccentricity of SMBH binaries, and SMBH–galactic-bulge scaling relationships. We constrain the cosmic-string tension using recent simulations, yielding an SSE-marginalized 95% upper limit of Gμ < 5.3 × 10−11—a factor of ∼2 better than the published NANOGrav nine-year constraints. Our SSE-marginalized 95% upper limit on the energy density of a primordial GWB (for a radiation-dominated post-inflation universe) is ΩGWB(f) h2 < 3.4 × 10−10.
Daily Volume Forecasting using High Frequency Predictors

Daily volume is an important feature when it comes to financial market structure. Effective daily volume forecasting can help areas such as portfolio management and algorithm trading. Intraday updates of daily volume forecasts can explore high frequency data to provide more accurate forecasts. Previous work on daily volume forecasting usually use Bayesian methods. In our work, we approach the problem of daily volume forecasting using the intraday information. Forecasting is accomplished by the use of two machine learning predictors: Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Partial Least Squares (PLS). We empirically test our method using the top nine high liquidity Bovespa traded stocks. Our metrics are the percentage error and the relative error reduction against a naive strategy. Our results show that SVR and PLS provide accurate forecasts. Moreover, the forecasting accuracy improves throughout the day as more intraday information is available.
Antecedents of Effective Environmental Management in a Hotel Setting: A Test of the Value-Belief-Norm Theory

The purpose of this quantitative study is to test the validity of a behavioral theory in the context of environmental hotel management. The lack of theoretical consideration in previous studies on environmental attitudes of hotel/resort managers warrants an investigation of a theory with the potential to better explain behaviors that support the goals of environment management systems. The goal of this research was to document the values, beliefs, personal norms, and environmental management support behaviors of managers in a hospitality setting to test the behavioral theory. Data were collected from a sample of hotel and resort managers in the Phoenix metropolitan area by using a survey of well-documented items from previous research on the theory. Results suggest the theory is successful in explaining environmental management support behaviors. Implications for practitioners as well as researchers are discussed.
Orbit Determination and Parameter Estimation: Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) Versus Least Squares Orbit Determination (LSQOD)

In the age of intensive exploring of the solar system, many professionals and non-professionals become interested in calculating the basic data regarding the solar system planets. We have considered some concepts of the physical ephemeris calculation for the natural and artificial solar system bodies. As an effective result, during a conference session, we presented an oral explanation of an interactive program for practical calculation of the physical ephemeris of the planets as a problem of general interest. As a specific example, in this article the readers can find the theoretical and practical elements and procedure explanation for two useful methods of the satellite orbit determination: LSQOD and EKF.