Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparative study on Turn Model Routing Algorithms Applied to Mesh Topology Network-on-Chip

The enormous increase in the number of transistors on the same chip and the increase of the size of system itself, lead to many challenges to the implementation of system on chip (SoC). These challenges are solved using the network on chip (NoC) methodology. NoC routing is one of the most important challenges that affect the whole performance of the system. Routing can affect the latency of the network as well as the entire throughput of the network. In this paper, a comparative study is performed on XY routing algorithm (deterministic routing algorithm), fully adaptive XY routing algorithm (fully adaptive routing algorithm) and two partially adaptive routing algorithms (the odd even (OE) routing algorithm and the abacus turn model (AbTM) routing algorithm) on four traffic patterns. Booksim simulator is used in this work. The AbTM proved to be the best routing algorithm for the performance of the NoC in terms of latency and throughput. The AbTM settles the network to maximum even adaptiveness among all its routers.
Eichmann em Jerusalém: um relato sobre a banalidade do mal

Eichmann em Jerusalém é fruto da análise do julgamento do nazista Adolf Eichmann em 1961. Hannah Arendt fora enviada pelo jornal New Yorker para cobrir o julgamento que, ao final, resultou na sua obra mais polêmica e que mais tarde levou à própria decadência da aceitação da autora nas comunidades judaicas, na Europa e nos Estados Unidos.
Skills acquisition in Cameroon: How well does the secondary school curriculum equip school leavers for employment?

The growing need for the secondary education system to produce school leavers with capabilities in terms of skills and attitudes useful for solving youth unemployment challenges has prompted education reforms in Cameroon. Many school leavers, especially those from the secondary general education sector in the country after completing various levels are not easily integrated into the job market due to their lack of employable skills that were not imbibed into them during their training (Esongo, 2017). Despite the government’s efforts at restructuring the educational system and redefine its goals to address youth unemployment and social development, recent evidence suggests that Cameroon has achieved little success (Ibid). The ways in which vocational education can be incorporated in the curriculum of schools have been under-researched in Cameroon and stands as the need for vocational education, rather than a constitutive part of the curriculum development process. My research aims to fill the gap by exploring the perceptions of stakeholders in education for developing a broad-based curriculum that incorporates employability skills at the secondary school level. A qualitative case study approach through interviews and questionnaires was applied in this study. The findings indicated that there is a significant relationship between curriculum development, employability skills acquisition, youth unemployment and the efficiency of the school system. It is thus recommended that the government and education authorities should further refine their focus on needed skills to strengthen and enhance youth unemployment; and thus, provide additional positive outcomes for students by enhancing future curriculum development grounded in practice.
Identifying effects of farm subsidies on structural change using neural networks

Farm subsidies are commonly motivated by their promise to help keep families in agriculture and reduce farm structural change. Many of these subsidies are designed to be targeted to smaller farms, and include production caps or more generous funding for smaller levels of activity. Agricultural economists have long studied how such subsidies affect production choices, and resulting farm structure. Traditional econometric models are typically restricted to detecting average effects of subsidies on certain farm types or regions and cannot easily incorporate complex subsidy design or the multi-output, heterogeneous nature of many farming activities. Programming approaches may help address the broad scope of agricultural production but have less empirical measures for behavioral and technological parameters. This paper uses a recurrent neural network and detailed panel data to estimate the effect of subsidies on the structure of Norwegian farming. Specifically, we use the model to determine how the varying marginal subsidies have affected the distribution of Norwegian farms and their range of agricultural activities. We use the predictive capacity of this flexible, multi-output machine learning model to identify the effects of agricultural subsidies on farm activity and structure, as well as their detailed distributional effects.
Delay-dependent stability for load frequency control with constant and time-varying delays

Load frequency control (LFC) requires transmission of remote measurements to the control center and of control signals from the control center to the plant. Constant delays exist in the dedicated communication channel and an open communication network introduces time-varying delays. Those delays would degrade the dynamic performance of LFC and even cause instability. This paper investigates the delay-dependent stability of the LFC scheme by adopting a delay-dependent criterion and linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The maximal delay time which allows a power system with a LFC scheme embedded to retain stable is defined as the delay margin for stability analysis. A proportional-integral (PI) controller using the area control error (ACE) as input signal is employed in the LFC scheme. Special attention is paid to the relationship between the gains of PI controller and the delay margin. Case studies are carried out based on one-area and two-area LFC schemes to demonstrate the effectiveness of the criterion. Both constant and time-varying delays are considered. Moreover, the accuracy of the criterion used is also verified by simulation studies.
Molecular identification of sex in the monomorphic breed of pigeons

In many avian species, especially in monomorphic species and breeds, sex identification creates a serious problem, as they do not show any phenotypic differences. One of such breeds is the Wroclaw Meat Pigeon. In this study, molecular identification of sex with P2 and P8 primers used for the CHD1 (chromo-helicase-DNA-binding-protein) gene amplification was performed. Peripheral blood samples were analyzed from 46 birds, and their DNA was isolated with the phenol-chloroform method. The fragments (370 bp CHD1-Z; 350 bp CHD1-W) obtained from the PCR were cut with the BsuRI. Only the sequence in the Z chromosome was cut into fragments of 305 and 65 bp by the restriction enzyme. The difference between CHD1-Z and CHD1-W was visualized in 3% agarose gel. A single band was identified as male, whereas two bands (plus 1 invisible) were identified as female. Consequently, 23 specimens in each sex were identified.
Wearable Skin-Worn Enzyme-Based Electrochemical Devices: Biosensing, Energy Harvesting, and Self-Powered Sensing

Integrating enzymes with wearable electrochemical systems delivers extraordi-nary functional devices, including biosensors and biofuel cells (BFCs). Strategies employing enzyme-based bioelectronics represent a unique foundation of wearables because of specific enzyme recognition and catalytic activities. Therefore, such electrochemical biodevices on various platforms, e.g., tattoos, textiles, and wearable accessories, are interesting. However, these devices need effective power sources, requiring combining effective energy sources, such as BFCs, onto compact and conformal platforms. Advantageously, bioenergy-harvesting BFCs can also act as self-powered sensors, simplifying wearable systems. Challenges pertaining to energy requirements and the integration of biocatalysts with electrodes should be considered. In this chapter, we detail updated advancement in skin-worn devices, including biosensors, BFCs, and self-powered sensors, along with engineering designs and on-skin iontophoretic strategies to extract biofluids. Crucial parameters including mechanical/material aspects (e.g., stretchability), electrochemistry, enzyme-related views (e.g., electron shuttles, immobilization, and behaviors), and oxygen dependency will be discussed, along with outlooks. Understanding such challenges and opportunities is important to revolutionize wearable devices for diverse applications.
Effects of corporate social responsibility activities for refugees

Purpose When in the Summer of 2015 unprecedented numbers of refugees traveled through Austria, not only public and governmental authorities were challenged to provide support, but also the business sector. Various companies responded to the challenge by organizing relief actions, among them Austrian Federal Railways (OEBB). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of this initiative on stakeholder perceptions and behavior. Design/methodology/approach The case of OEBB served as the research context. Data were collected by means of an online survey in May of 2016, about eight months after the initiative. Findings Almost half of the participants mentioned OEBB’s activities for refugees in an unaided recall task. Unaided corporate social responsibility (CSR) awareness is related to people’s issue involvement and reminiscence of specific activities and communication measures. People unaidedly recalling the initiative expressed a significantly better CSR image and identification with the company; they also expressed a stronger intention to speak positively (positive word of mouth) about the company’s CSR activities. CSR image and attitude toward the initiative mediates this effect. Research limitations/implications The study stresses the importance of CSR awareness and communication. The non-representative sample does not allow general inferences. Originality/value This research uses an actual case to test the effectiveness of CSR activities and communication in the context of a highly critical situation, and sheds light on the mediating processes that drive the effects. The study extends existing knowledge from experimental studies.
Deaths in custody in Australia: a quantitative analysis of coroners’ reports

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a large-scale documentary analysis of all publicly available coroners’ reports on deaths in custody released between 1991 and 2016. The research was undertaken to mark 25 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. We collected quantitative data from 505 reports including characteristics of deceased persons, causes of death, type of custody and the state or territory in which they died. We found that Australian states and territories differ substantially in their reporting practices, and official information on deaths in custody remains difficult to access. Our results indicate trends that require further research. For example, despite the significant increases in the Indigenous and female prison populations in recent years, women and Indigenous people were under-represented amongst our sample of deaths in custody. We found that they were more likely to have died in police custody than in prisons. We also found that indigenous status was often not reported by coroners.
Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures and Corporate Performence: Evidence from the Listed Companies in Bangladesh

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research becomes a burning issue to the academics in the last three decades both in developed and developing countries. This study aims at examining the possible effect of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures (CSRD) on corporate performances based on five key dimensions of CSR, among the public listed companies in Bangladesh. We have considered the Return on Equity (ROE) and leverage ratio as the proxy of dependent variable-corporate performance. Five dimensions of the CSR practices namely, environment, employee, social and community services, product and customer are considered as the proxy of independent variable - CSRD. To determine the CSRD practices of the listed company a three scale content analysis having fifty seven items has been used. To conduct the study, a sample of 196 Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) listed companies from seventeen industries has been scrutinized. In our study, we have found significant relationship between the proxy variables of corporate performances and key dimensions of the CSR practices. We have found that the listed companies disclose more information concerning to the employee related CSRD and less information on environment related CSRD. Out of five proxy variables of CSRD, the employee related CSRD and the environment related CSRD has positive impact on corporate performance while the social and community service related CSRD, product related CSRD and customer related CSRD has no significant relationship on corporate performance. The findings of the study show that CSR practices are value relevant in developing countries like Bangladesh. The findings of the study contribute to the literature of CSR in the way that more CSR disclosing companies are performing well in recent days. These findings will encourage the corporate people to involve in more CSR activities as it ensures the sustainability of corporate performances.
Recent Progress in Cathode Materials for Thermal Batteries

Thermal batteries are reserve batteries with molten salts as an electrolyte, which activates at high temperature. Due to their excellent reliability, long shelf life, and mechanical robustness, thermal batteries are used in military applications. A high-performance cathode for thermal batteries should be considered in terms of its high capacity, high voltage, and high thermal stability. Research progress on cathode materials from the recent decade is reviewed in this article. The major directions of research were surface modification, compounding of existing materials, fabrication of thin film cathode, and development of new materials. In order to develop a high-performance cathode, a proper combination of these research directions is required while considering mass production and cost.
Redirecting Leviathan: discovering local room to manoeuvre in US-Mexico border policy

ABSTRACT How do local authorities find room to manoeuvre in the implementation of immigration policies when they are deprived of formal authority? Most scholarship on this topic posits the formal devolution of implementation power as the main determinant of such variation. This paper presents a comparative case analysis that illustrates the possibility of local reinterpretation and redirection of national-level policy even in circumstances where local actors enjoy no formal authority. When the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was given unprecedented powers to construct barriers on the southern border in 2006, actors in one South Texas county succeeded in convincing DHS to re-define the ‘border wall’ as flood protection on the Rio Grande River, while their counterparts in the adjacent county did not. We find that this was a result of differential capacities to coordinate within and across local institutions to convince federal authorities of the mutual benefits of agreeing to a local alternative. The possibility of ‘implementation brokerage’ – and its basis in local elites’ practices and habits of policy implementation – are considered in light of their implications for the sources and processes of local divergence in immigration policy implementation.
CRISPR-Cas9 Transfection Optimization and Use in a Forward Genetic Screen to Identify Telomere Length Maintenance Genes

CRISPR-Cas9 Transfection Optimization and use in a Forward Genetic Screen to Identify Telomere Length Maintenance Genes Kelsey Phillips Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, BYU Master of Science Mutations in the telomere length maintenance pathway can lead to a spectrum of diseases called telomere syndromes, however, the pathway is not fully understood and there may still be unknown components. We designed a forward genetic screen to identify new genes involved in telomere length maintenance. Of the top ranked genes, ZNF827, a zinc finger protein, is the most promising candidate gene. The possible discovery of a new component involved in telomere length maintenance increases our understanding of the pathway and opens new avenues of research. Recent advances in molecular biology techniques, such as the use of RNA-guided nuclease CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9), have made screens like this possible. Cas9 is a nuclease that uses a guide RNA(gRNA) to direct its endonuclease activity. The use of Cas9 has revolutionized the field of genome engineering, providing scientists with more efficient methods to knockout and modify genomes. We sought to optimize CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to make it as widely accessible as possible. We compared plasmid, ribonucleoprotein (RNP), and RNA only lipid-mediated transfection of CRISPR-Cas9 into cell lines using a novel reporter system to measure genome editing efficiency. All methods were successful to some extent, however, RNP lipofection was the most efficient and has many advantages over other methods. We also found that short homology arms of 30-35bp on donor templates was able to mediate site specific editing. These methods should broaden the accessibility of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.
Forecasting and Backtesting of VaR in International Dry Bulk Shipping Market under Skewed Distributions

It is extremely important to model the empirical distributions of dry bulk shipping returns accurately in estimating risk measures. Based on several commonly used distributions and alternative distributions, this paper establishes nine different risk models to forecast the Value-at-Risk (VaR) of dry bulk shipping markets. Several backtests are explored to compare the accuracy of VaR forecasting. The empirical results indicate the risk models based on commonly used distributions have relatively poor performance, while the alternative distributions, i.e. Skewed Student-T (SST) distribution, Skewed Generalized Error Distribution (SGED), and Hyperbolic distribution (HYP) produce more accurate VaR measurement. The empirical results suggest risk managers further consider more flexible empirical distributions when managing extreme risks in dry bulk shipping markets.
Emotional scaffolding in early childhood education

ABSTRACT Emotions can either help or hinder students’ learning. This is especially true in early childhood education. This article analyzes data on how two early childhood teachers account for students’ emotions in their teaching, a process we call “emotional scaffolding. ” These teachers use emotional scaffolding for three main instructional purposes: 1) to create an emotional climate in their classrooms; 2) to manage students’ excitement levels; and 3) to maintain students’ interest in classroom learning. This article differentiates emotional scaffolding within instruction in early childhood education from other uses of the label found in the literature. Lastly, the article suggests a framework for researchers to use to analyze emotional scaffolding in early childhood classrooms.
Analytical Modelling of Voltage Balance Dynamics for a Flying Capacitor Multilevel Converter

This paper presents a strategy for the analytic determination of the natural voltage balancing dynamics of flying capacitor converters. The approach substitutes double Fourier series representations of the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) switching signals into a nonlinear dynamic circuit model of the converter. The result reduces to a linearized state-space model that can be readily solved, with the Fourier solution coefficients defining the state-space matrix terms. The solution can be readily developed for converters of any level, and allows rapid analytical investigation of the dynamic (and static) balancing behavior over a wide range of conditions. Furthermore, the approach allows powerful strategies such as root locus to be used to investigate the converter's performance as a function of changes in parameters such as modulation index and load. The analysis approach has been fully verified by comparing it against experimental results on a low voltage prototype converter.
Sensorless control of single switch based switched reluctance motor drive using neural network

Neural networks (NNs) have proved to be useful in approximating non-linear systems and in many applications including motion control. Hitherto NNs advocated in switched reluctance motor (SRM) control have a large number of neurons in the hidden layer. This has impeded their real time implementation with DSPs at high speeds because of the high number of operations required by the NN controller and insufficiency of available time between two sampling intervals for computation and control. One of the ideal applications of NNs in SRM control is in rotor position estimation using only SRM current and or voltage signals. Elimination of rotor position sensors is absolutely required for high volume, high speed and low cost applications of SRM, say, in home appliances such as in vacuum cleaners. In this paper, through simulation and analysis, it is derived and demonstrated that a minimal NN configuration is attainable to implement rotor position estimation in SRM drives. The neural network was trained and implemented with an inexpensive DSP microcontroller for performance evaluation. Neural network training data, current i, and flux-linkage /spl lambda/, has been obtained directly from the system during its operation and was verified using finite element analysis (FEA) tools. Further the chosen method is implemented on a single switch converter driven SRM with two phases. This configuration of the motor drive is chosen because it is believed that this is the lowest cost variable speed machine system available. The theoretical results are correlated experimentally with this converter and machine configuration in order to demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach for the development of low cost motor drives.