Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of DC/DC Converter in MPPT Based PV System

The power generation using Photovoltaic (PV) cell is the best alternative developing for fossil fuel since it does not have pollution issues. This paper focuses on performance of Cuk and Single Ended Primary Inductance Current (SEPIC) converter, used in MPPT based PV system. Perturb and Observe (P&O) Technique used to generate duty cycle of converters. The simulation is carried out using MATLAB/Simulink and it has been observed that the SEPIC converter produces better result compared to the Cuk converter.
Relationship between domain structure and film thickness in epitaxial PbTiO_3 films deposited on MgO(001) by reactive sputtering

The epitaxial PbTiO_3 thin films of different thickness were prepared on MgO(001) substrates by the reactive direct-current magnetron sputtering. The volume fraction of c domains, α, which was measured by x-ray diffractometry, increased rapidly from zero with the film thickness, being saturated at about 90% above 100 nm. The films were annealed in a PbO atmosphere at 700 °C for 8 h, and they were used to study the composition change in the Pb/(Pb + Ti) ratio and the relaxation of the residual intrinsic stress. The relationship between change of α and composition was weak. The stress state was calculated through the finite-element method. As for the small thickness, the tensile epitaxial stress overwhelmed compressive intrinsic and thermal stresses, and the domain structure was a -domain oriented. As for the large thickness, the compressive intrinsic stress together with the thermal stress overcame the tensile epitaxial stress, and the population turned into c domain.
Assessment of the real estate benefits due to accessibility gains brought by a transport project: the impacts of a light rail infrastructure improvement in the Hauts-de-Seine department

This paper estimates the real estate benefits due to accessibility gains brought by a light rail infrastructure (the T2 tramway, in the Hauts-de-Seine). According to Urban Economics, the accessibility improvements resulting from a transport project will influence the residential location choices of households, and eventually the land rents at equilibrium will include the valuation of accessibility gains made by these households. Apart from accessibility, housing choice also depends on other characteristics: internal characteristics and external (environmental) characteristics. To take into account all these determinants, we have estimated a hedonic price function of residential properties econometrically. The data used are sales of residential dwellings in the Hauts-de-Seine department, population census and other sources, from 1993 to 2004, to take into account anticipation and learning effects. The hedonic price function obtained allows us to measure implicit or ‘hedonic’ prices of dwellings with a given group of characteristics, and isolates the pure effect of each characteristic on the price of a dwelling. The results show that the T2 tramway accessibility improvements are capitalized into the housing prices. To measure this capitalization into real estate, we calculate the prices of dwellings with and without these accessibility gains. For the whole department, we estimate a capitalization around 3%.
Student Characteristics and E-textbook Experiences : The Direct and Moderating Effects of Technology Savvy and Gender

The adoption of e-textbooks in universities by the majority of students has yet to materialize, requiring a better understanding of the differences among users to cater for their different needs. The main focus of this study is to examine the role of technology savvy in terms of the experiences, skills and self-efficacy of students in using information technologies. It is hypothesized that technology savvy directly affects major e-textbook experiences, including perceived e-textbook helpfulness, student involvement and learning outcome, as well as moderates the relationships among them. Based on the data gathered through a survey, the results suggest that the e-textbook experiences of students vary significantly across technology veterans and novices, suggesting a salient direct effect of technology savvy on e-textbook experiences. Also, the mediating relationship between e-textbook helpfulness and learning outcome through student involvement is stronger for technology veterans than novices, suggesting a salient moderating effect of technology savvy on the relationships among e-textbook experiences. An additional comparison based on gender is performed to find out whether the gender stereotyping regarding technology usage holds true for the new generation of students in the use of e-textbooks. The results show that gender does not fully account for the differences in etextbook experiences, and its moderating effect on their relationships is not as strong as that of technology savvy. To enhance the adoption of e-textbooks, therefore, it is important for publishers and instructors to customize training and support for students at different levels of technology savvy.
PREDICTING RECYCLING BEHAVIOR BY INCLUDING MORAL NORMS INTO THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR

The theory of planned behavior is a popular and well grounded model of predicting and explaining behavior; however, some researchers propose that in the case of sustainable behavior the model could benefit from the inclusion of moral norms as an additional variable. A paper-and-pencil survey has been carried out to test the assumption that the addition of moral norms can improve the theory of planned behavior in the case of recycling behavior. A sample of 142 university students participated in the study, their mean age was 20 years (SD = 2.5). Participants filled in questionnaires that measured constructs of the theory of planned behavior and moral norms regarding recycling. The results have shown that in the case of recycling behavior, the addition of moral norms to the theory of planned behavior increases the amount of explained behavioral variance. These findings suggest that when using the theory of planned behavior for recycling and perhaps sustainable behavior in general, researchers should consider adding moral norms as an additional predictor of behavioral intention and perhaps behavior as well.
COAL MINING OPERATIONS AND ITS IMPACT ON SECTORAL AND REGIONAL AREA: EVIDENCE OF EAST KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA

Mining sector plays important roles for Indonesian economic performance, especially in East Kalimantan. This study investigates: (a) whether economic linkages of the mining sector related with other economic sectors in East Kalimantan, (b) who gets benefit from such mining activities; (c) how is the impact of mining sector for rural and urban households; and (d) what happens if coal mining, oil and gas productions are completely depleted. The quantitative analysis framework using Input-Output and Social Accounting Matrix Tables in period 2009-2010 has been implemented as main data set. The result shows that mining sector was underdeveloped sector in East Kalimantan, including Kutai Kartanegara district. Activities from mining sector tended to give benefit for the owners of capital, which is larger than that benefit for workers employed. Structural Path Analysis (SPA) shows that urban households gain the greatest advantages from the activities of this sector. The result also shows that the total output decreased by 65.12% when the mining, oil and gas dissapeared. A drastic reducing income after mining and oil and gas era will have an impact on the decline in the purchasing power in the region. However, the interesting finding of this research shows that the loss of mining and oil or gas sectors actually increases the strength of employment multiplier by 19%.
Accounting diversity and the implied cost of capital in Europe

This study employs a “capitalised expected earnings” valuation model to infer the discount rate as a proxy for the ex-ante cost of equity capital, taking into consideration the properties of earnings using analysts' earnings forecasts. Focusing on the principal financial markets in Europe, the sample includes both internationally cross listed equities and other equities that are traded only on the issuer's domestic stock exchange. In general, it is found that implied discount rates in European countries are relatively homogeneous across markets. However, the differences that are found across firms suggest a lower cost of capital for international firms than for those firms that only issue equity domestically. With regard to the impact of international accounting differences, estimates of the cost of capital derived from the capitalisation of expected growth in earnings suggest a degree of homogeneity amongst risk premia in Europe.
Orofacial Injuries in Women Victims of Domestic Violence: Integrative Literature Review

The issue domestic violence against women has become more visible in our society, regardless of social class, age, ethnicity or educational level. There are numerous cases of violence against women in forensic services, most of which consisting of lesions produced by forceful action. The objective of this article is to investigate the occurrence of orofacial injuries in female victims of domestic violence, the observation of the most commonly affected parts of the body and the offender’s profile. This is an integrative literature obtained through databases SCIELO, LILACS, PubMed, Medline, and Bireme, covering national and international studies published along the years from 1993 to 2013. The keywords used were: violence against women, domestic violence, orofacial injuries and maxillo-facial trauma in the period between 2011 and 2013. It has been observed that the progressive increase in violence against women has become the target of several investigations, and the biggest offender in most cases is the partner/spouse or ex-partner, and the most affected area is the face, because besides the painful symptoms felt, there is aesthetic involvement , which will also affect the victim psychologically. The profile shows women victims, mostly women from the periphery of the city, presenting injuries or blunt cut in regions of the lips, eyelids and orbits without compromising function or permanent 2 Brazilian Journal of Forensic Sciences, Medical Law and Bioethics 4(1):1-11 (2014) M. S. Pereira et al. weakness. Combating violence against women requires the integration of numerous political, legal, and especially cultural factors so that violence can be eradicated from society. It is noteworthy that both clinicians and experts have serious responsibilities in the analyses of maxillo-facial lesions, where a mistake at any stage of the evaluation of lesions (clinical or forensic) may unfairly reflect the application of criminal punishment. Thus, it is believed that the study about violence against women brings together a new concept of prevention, recognizing the compromised ones that sociability is the key part in re-establishing a new family life.
On fundamental limits to glacier flow models: computational theory and implications

Abstract No single flow model can simulate all possible glaciers and ice sheets without violating fundamental tenets of computational science. The root cause is not one of numerical sophistication, precision or accurate initial conditions. Instead, using flow and transport as data transmission, glaciers inadvertently function as information processors. This computational capability confers a level of complexity that inherently limits our ability to accurately and efficiently predict glacier flow and therefore, for example, to forecast those aspects of climate systems that depend on glaciers. In particular, even with considerable future advancements in glacier physics, computational theory shows that no dramatic improvements in numerical speed are likely when compared to today’s glacier models. Therefore, to increase speed and resolution, the next generation of climate and sea-level models must rely on simulations tailored to specific ice-sheet geometries rather than general-purpose glacier flow models. However, because glaciers process information, entirely new computation-theoretic advances in glaciology are possible, and concepts from information entropy may help to define new glacier scaling relationships and identify which geometries will be most problematic for modeling.
DEMOCRACY AND GROWTH: A RELATIONSHIP REVISITED

A considerable theoretical and empirical literature failed to reach consensus on the relevance of the nature of political regimes for economic performance. Research on democracy's effect on growth is inconclusive. At the same time, a few studies and cases find authoritarianism to display growth-enhancing attributes. This paper revisits the issue, finding that the debate severely lacks an appropriate description of pertinent characteristics of the sociopolitical environment. Using the framework of the neoclassical growth theory, a model is augmented with a more comprehensive representation of the political economy. It assumes a nonlinear relationship between regime type and economic growth, and introduces the concept of initial democratic capital. The results suggest that democracies are more conducive to growth, particularly in the presence of a tradition of democracy. Sociopolitical stability is also shown to be a necessary complementary condition. Economic freedom and high-level human capital are found favorable for growth. Democracy and economic freedom exhibit diminishing marginal returns for growth. The results are robust to different specifications of the model.
Enhancing Livestock Productivity in the Desert Ecologies of Pakistan: Setting the Development Priorities

Livestock is now sharing by more than 53 percent of total agricultural value added in Pakistan. Identifying and developing the potential areas of livestock production is part of the overall development strategy for this sector while rural poverty alleviation is a major concern of Pakistan’s overall development policy. Our major livestock production systems are grazing, stall-fed and grazing-cum-stall-fed based. Gra zing based livestock farming is economical and customary system in mountainous, rainfed, deserts and salinity affected areas. The livestock herders of desert areas deserve special attention of the policy-makers because of their most deprived living conditions as majority is living below poverty line by all poverty measuring standards. The present study is aimed to generate an updated synthesis based on empirical knowledge about status of livestock farming in desert ecologies of Pakistan. The results show that the average herd sizes maintained by the herders is fairly large to cover losses due to drought, disease and other epidemics. The human and physical capital endowments of the farmers are generally poor. Other common characteristics are: major dependence on natural vegetation with limited supply of fodder, more physical exertion of animals during grazing, poor animal health, practicing natural method of breeding, low milk and meat productivity, highly limited livestock and milk marketing opportunities, etc. The stall feeding is mainly composed of dry stalks and straws of different crops along with a small quantity of food grains. On marketing side, because of location and lack of infrastructure support, milk marketing opportunities are meager, therefore, it is converted into desi ghee—a value added and preserved form which is sold in nearby town markets. In marketing of live animals, the farmers are always exploited by beoparies. On average herd size, the net monthly income in Cholistan desert from cattle (for milk), sheep and goats farming (for meat purpose) was Rs 10128, Rs 990 and Rs 508, respectively; for Thal desert the corresponding estimates were Rs 457, Rs 359 and Rs 552, respectively; and for Tharparkar, the corresponding estimates are Rs 918, Rs 3221 and Rs 331, respectively. There is a strong need of prioritising development efforts for desert ecologies. High priority areas include efforts for increasing availability of rangeland vegetation and green fodder, improvement in the genetic potential of local livestock breeds, provision of more efficient livestock health coverage, and establishment of milk collection centres of milk processing plants. The low priority areas include designing regulatory framework for milk and livestock marketing, programs for human capacity building, facilitating through institutional credit, and different incentives for the veterinary staff posted in such areas.
Optimality criteria of hybrid inflation-price level targeting (outdated version)

A HIGHLY IMPROVED VERSION OF THIS PAPER CAN BE FOUND AT http://english.mnb. hu/Kiadvanyok/mnben_mnbfuzetek/mnben_elozo/mnben_WP_2010_8 This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the relative performance of inflation targeting, price level targeting, and hybrid targeting of them in a simple three-period steady state to steady state economy facing transmission lag, and derives optimal policies implementing commitment solution under all set of hybrid expectations, social preference, and cost-push shock persistence. The main intention of the examination is to reveal the nature of the interrelations between economic and policy parameters.
Multiobjective optimization of reflector’s shape

Constructing an objective with a higher number of objective functions may turn out to be necessary, especially when an objective with a single target function, supplemented with relevant constraints, fails to describe the posed problem in a proper way. Taking into account a higher count of criteria, which are usually contradictory to each other and are mutually incalculable, causes a situation where they cannot be brought down to a single, scalar criterion. Instead of a single objective function (1), a vector of functions is obtained and a search for the optimal compromise among them is under way [1].   ) x ( F ),. , x ( F ), x ( F ) x ( F m 2 1  (1) Increasing the number of objective functions increases the objective's difficulty. The designer should properly define the problem by introducing relevant expressions that can be described in a natural manner. Multiobjective optimization consists in minimizing or maximizing the vector of objective functions, which is subject to constraints (2). ) x ( F max min n R x , subject to
Towards an environmental awareness model integrating formal and informal mechanisms – Lessons learned from the Demise of Nortel

This case study uses multiple lines of enquiry to better understand how Nortel went from being a ‘global powerhouse’ at the turn of the century to filing for bankruptcy just nine years later. It tracks competitive intelligence as well as other environmental awareness capabilities of the company and theorizes on how they have contributed to its rise and fall. The findings suggest that Nortel was a company with significant environmental awareness capability in the early 90’s that had all but lost this competency by the year 2000, which impacted their ability to make decisions consistent with a changing environment. Through interviews with 48% of all Nortel officers that were there during the period of interest as well as other stakeholders, the researchers identify a two-layer typology that includes a set of cognitive factors as well as three broad categories of monitoring practices that can help companies better understand their environment: 1) formal external monitoring practices, such as competitive intelligence units; 2) informal external monitoring practices such as board meetings with members with industry connections and knowledge, and 3) internal monitoring practices with external insight capability, such as performance management reviews and accounting reports. Cognitive factors identified include decision maker orientation, as either technical or business, internal vs., internal focus, cognitive complexity and open mindedness.
Exploring juvenile golden eagles' dispersal movements at two different temporal scales

The spatial distribution of populations is the result of individuals' movements. In territorial species, the spatial dynamics of populations is to a large degree shaped by individuals' ranging behaviour during their juvenile dispersal. Here we use information on juvenile golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) tracked by satellite telemetry, to explore the effects of daily behavioural decisions on their dispersal strategy during their first year of life. When analysed on a biweekly basis, the large-scale movements of golden eagles did not differ from a correlated random walk (CRW) model of dispersal. Although in the long term such a strategy maximises the acquisition of information on good hunting areas, finding a mate and a vacant territory in a landscape, it is expensive in terms of energy requirements. At the finer scale of daily foraging movements, movement patterns were non-random, probably reflecting animals' oriented movements towards sites with high chances of successful hunting. We suggest that the key issue to take into account when exploring the factors determining individuals' dispersal strategies is how strongly the daily movements are influenced by an active search for food. This is to a large degree determined by food availability and individuals' ability to accumulate reserves. In our case, the individuals with the lowest proportion of foraging habitats within their dispersal areas showed large-scale movements more restricted than expected from a CRW. Also, distances covered by individuals in their biweekly movements were both larger and more variable in winter, when food availability diminishes.
Influence of imperfections on carbon nanotube properties

Theoretical and experimental research of polymer and other composites, up to now, have shown that carbon nanotubes as a reinforcement significantly improve the mechanical properties of aforementioned composites (Tserpes et al, 2008, Li & Chou, 2006), thanks to its extremely high tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. However, different defects within nanotube structure such as vacancy defects, or waved shape of the nanotube, can greatly influence the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube and thus, decrease the final mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced composites (Motamedi et al, 2012, Farsadi et al, 2013). In this paper, the properties of straight and waved carbon nanotubes are investigated and compared using finite element method. Also, different vacancy defects are considered and presented on straight and waved carbon nanotubes, armchair and zig-zag pattern.
Evolution and function of the insect hexamerins

Hexamerins are hemocyanin-related haemolymph proteins that are widespread in insects and may accumulate to extraor­ dinarily high concentrations in larval stages. Hexamerins were originally described as storage proteins that provide amino acids and energy for non-feeding periods. However, in recent years other specific functions like cuticle formation, transport of hormones and other organic compounds, or humoral immune defense have been proposed. During evolution, hexamerins diversified according to the divergence of the insect orders. Within the orders, there is a notable structural diversification of these proteins, which probably reflects specific functions. In this paper, the different possible roles of the hexamerins are reviewed and discussed in the context of hexamerin phylogeny.