Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of controlled fluid shear on nucleation rates in glycine aqueous solutions

The nucleation of glycine was investigated in supersaturated aqueous solutions exposed to well-controlled fluid shear under isothermal conditions. Shear rates between 25 s–1 and 1000 s–1 were studied using Couette and capillary flow devices. Induction times were obtained from imaging, transmission and scattering measurements, or visual monitoring. Great care was taken to eliminate any seeding in order to avoid secondary nucleation preceding formation of first crystals through primary nucleation. The observed induction times of sheared solutions were considerably lower than those of unsheared solutions. Increasing the average shear rate was found to reduce the mean induction time through a power law relationship. A detailed statistical analysis showed that the number of experimental repetitions used was sufficient to obtain statistically significant trends for the system studied. Induction times appeared to closely follow a probability distribution based on a previously published model of Jiang and ter Hor.
How internal processes benefit from IT investments and therefore enhance company's competitiveness - a case study of Slovenian small and medium sized companies

In the paper we presented a case of how IT impacts business process change and how can this enhance competitiveness. The case deals with implementation of internal server for use of documentation exchange in Slovenian small and medium sized companies and provides a framework of key factors of followed changes in internal processes that enabled better competitive position of the organizations taking part of the study.
Interlamellar space configuration under variable environmental conditions in the case of ni-exchanged montmorillonite: quantitative XRD analysis

Interlamellar space organization of low-charge montmorillonite was studied by modeling of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns recorded under controlled relative humidity (RH) conditions on Ni saturated specimens. The quantitative XRD investigation, based on an indirect method consisting of the comparison of experimental 00l reflections with the other calculated from structural models, is used to characterize eventual nanostructural changes along c* axis of Ni-exchanged montmorillonite. This method allowed us to determine, respectively, the relative layer types contribution, the layer thickness, nanoconfiguration of the interlamellar space, and position, amount, and organization of water molecules and exchangeable cations. Obtained theoretical models exhibit heterogeneous hydration state which is the dominating character detected all over studied cycles. Along RH cycle a modification in the main structure of the host materials is performed and the presence of a mixed layer structure (MLS) is noted. The hydration hysteresis at the low and the high RH range can be explained by fluctuations in the water retention mechanism and hydration heterogeneities created within the smectite crystallite.
North Atlantic warming and declining volume of arctic sea ice

Abstract. Long-term thinning of arctic sea ice over the last few decades has resulted in significant declines in the coverage of thick multi-year ice accompanied by a proportional increase in thinner first-year ice. This change is often attributed to changes in the arctic atmosphere, both in composition and large-scale circulation, and greater inflow of warmer Pacific water through the Bering Strait. The Atlantic Water (AW) entering the Arctic through Fram Strait has often been considered less important because of strong stratification in the Arctic Ocean and the deeper location of AW compared to Pacific water. In our combined examination of oceanographic measurements and satellite observations of ice concentration and thickness, we find evidence that AW has a direct impact on the thinning of arctic sea ice downstream of Svalbard Archipelago. The affected area extends as far as Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. The imprints of AW appear as local minima in sea ice thickness; ice thickness is significantly less than that expected of first-year ice. Our lower-end conservative estimates indicate that the recent AW warming episode could have contributed up to 150–200 km3 of sea ice melt per year, which would constitute about 20% of the total 900 km3yr−1 negative trend in sea ice volume since 2004.
Regional Morphology Empirical Analysis Package ( RMAP ) : Orthogonal Function Analysis , Background and Examples by

PURPOSE: This System-Wide Water Resources Program (SWWRP) technical note describes software for analyzing beach profile and shoreline position data by means of Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). Patterns obtained through EOF analysis can often be related to the physical processes shaping the beach morphology and extend understanding of how the morphology responds to changes in the forcing (e.g., wave and water level conditions) or to anthropogenic activities (e.g., beach nourishment, coastal structures). EOF analysis capability was added to the Regional Morphology Analysis Package (RMAP). After review of the theory and literature, the EOF method is applied to three examples that encompass (1) beach profiles measured through time at a specific location, (2) beach profiles surveyed at various alongshore locations at a specific time, and (3) shorelines measured at different times.
Research on Evaluation on Agility of Agile Supply Chain Network Based on Complex Network Theory

The paper tries to add the network structure factors of agile supply chain network into agility evaluation. The paper firstly presents three concepts including node strength centrality, betweenness centrality, and network centrality. They are used to calculate the weight of node enterprises in the agile supply chain network. And then, a series of agility indicators are designed to evaluate agility of agile supply chain network. AHP is used to calculate the weight of the indicators. Next, these indicators are used to get initial agility evaluation matrix by means of Delphi method, Data Mining, and so forth. Then FCE is used to calculate the membership degree on agility of node enterprises by combining the evaluation matrix with the weight of indicators. Last, the evaluation result of comprehensive agility of agile supply chain network is calculated on the basis of considering the weight of node enterprises. This method can reflect the effect which the network structure of supply chain network makes on the agility of the supply chain network. It is a complement to the current evaluation methods of agility.
Finding an Impact of Preservation Policies: Price Effects of Historic Landmarks on Attached Homes in Chicago, 1990-1999

The impact of landmark designation on prices of the property and its neighbors sits at the core of the policy debate and empirical research on historic preservation. Yet these studies suffer from serious methodological limitations and biases. First, as important unobserved characteristics likely correlate with landmark designation, an omitted-variable bias results. Second, if designations depend on property values or neighborhood housing market conditions, the endogenous selection process further undermines inferences about preservation policies’ effects. This article outlines more robust empirical strategies and presents new evidence on landmark designation effects on property values. For a sample of Chicago home sales during the 1990s, a hedonic price analysis suggests that landmark buildings and districts sell at a small premium. To address the omitted-variable bias, a repeat-sales approach demonstrates significant spillover effects of landmark designation on prices. These estimates are also robust to sample-selection bias and some forms of spatial autocorrelation.
Reversible data hiding algorithm using spatial locality and the surface characteristics of image

In this paper, we propose a very efficient reversible data hiding algorithm using spatial locality and the surface characteristics of image. Spacial locality and a variety of surface characteristics are present in natural images. So, it is possible to precisely predict the pixel value using the locality and surface characteristics of image. Therefore, the frequency is increased significantly at the peak point of the difference histogram using the precisely predicted pixel values. Thus, it is possible to increase the amount of data to be embedded in image using the spatial locality and surface characteristics of image. By using the proposed reversible data hiding algorithm, visually high quality stego-image can be generated, the embedded data and the original cover image can be extracted without distortion from the stego-image, and the embedding data are much greater than that of the previous algorithm. The experimental results show the superiority of the proposed algorithm.
The structure of CEO pay: pay-for-luck and stock-options

We develop a stylized model of efficient contracting in which firms compete for CEOs. The optimal contracts are designed to retain and insure CEOs. The retention motive explains pay-for-luck in executive compensation, while the insurance feature explains asymmetric pay-for-luck. We show that the optimal contract can be implemented with stock-options based on a single performance measure which does not filter out luck. When the capacity to dismiss underperforming CEOs differs across firms, and the ability of different CEOs is more or less precisely estimated ex-ante, endogenous matching between CEOs and firms can explain the observed association between pay-for-luck and bad corporate governance. The model also predicts that an improvement in the governance of badly governed firms has spillover effects that increase CEO pay in all firms.
Construction of High-accuracy Ensemble of Classifiers

There have been several methods developed to construct ensembles. Some of these methods, such as Bagging and Boosting are meta-learners, i.e. they can be applied to any base classifier. The combination of methods should be selected in order that classifiers cover each other weaknesses. In ensemble, the output of several classifiers is used only when they disagree on some inputs. The degree of disagreement is called diversity of the ensemble. Another factor that plays a significant role in performing an ensemble is accuracy of the basic classifiers. It can be said that all the procedures of constructing ensembles seek to achieve a balance between these two parameters, and successful methods can reach a better balance. The diversity of the members of an ensemble is known as an important factor in determining its generalization error. In this paper, we present a new approach for generating ensembles. The proposed approach uses Bagging and Boosting as the generators of base classifiers. Subsequently, the classifiers are partitioned by means of a clustering algorithm. We introduce a selection phase for construction the final ensemble and three different selection methods are proposed for applying in this phase. In the first proposed selection method, a classifier is selected randomly from each cluster. The second method selects the most accurate classifier from each cluster and the third one selects the nearest classifier to the center of each cluster to construct the final ensemble. The results of the experiments on well-known datasets demonstrate the strength of our proposed approach, especially applying the selection of the most accurate classifiers from clusters and employing Bagging generator.
OSTEOCHONDRAL INJURY DURING SIMULATED DROP LANDING COMPRESSION: PRE AND POST IMPACT MICRO-COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

The purpose of this study was to investigate osteochondral injuries due to impact load. Average nominal strain of 34%±5% was applied to equine osteochondral plugs. The deformation of cartilage and bone on one plane was measured using real-time imaging during the impact. High resolution micro-computed tomography prior to and following the loading was used to investigate the extent of the damage to the specimens. The average peak strain in bone and cartilage was 0.11±0.01 and 0.20±0.08, respectively. Microfractures were found in the µCT images in the subchondral bone, ranging from 200µm to 30µm wide. The 3D images of micro-fractures, obtained here, can be used for future studies of bone remodeling as a result of such impact-induced damages. The strain in the bone was significantly large indicating the ability of bone to absorb the impact energy.
Incentives for Journal Editors (Motivations des Directeurs de Revues)

Scholars may become journal editors because editors may generate more citations of their own works. This paper empirically establishes that a scholar's publications are more likely to be cited by papers in a journal that is edited by the scholar. We then test if editors exercise influence on authors to cite editors papers by either pressuring authors (editorpressure hypothesis) or accepting articles with references to the editors papers (editorselection hypothesis), by using the keyword analysis and the forward citation analysis, respectively. We find no evidence for the two hypotheses, which leaves selfselection as a possible cause for the editor effect. JEL classification: J01
Managing IT offshoring projects: an IT governance approach

IT offshoring is often carried out by different stakeholders with different working practices in complex and highly politicized settings, creating team boundaries between the stakeholders. Therefore, IT offshoring requires significant governance and coordination across the different teams. The information technology (IT) governance literature suggest that organizations apply IT governance mechanisms to oversee and coordinate IT-related activities to ensure the attainment of business objectives. Thus, on the basis of IT governance theory, this study seeks to better understand the nature of IT governance mechanisms and how they could be effective in bridging boundaries created during IT offshoring projects. These insights would contribute to the existing IT offshoring and IT governance literature, and help organizations have better understanding on how to manage the different boundaries that may arise during IT offshoring projects in order to achieve favourable offshoring outcomes.
Exploiting value statistics for similar continuing tasks

In this paper, we try to consider interaction design for adaptation from the viewpoint of transfer of knowledge. Advancements in robotics are amazing, and their interaction processes with outside world (including human) are getting to be longer in time scale. We investigate these matters in an abstract agent that faces multiple learning tasks within its lifetime, transferring past learning experiences to improve its performance. We formulize the multitask reinforcement learning problem at first, and then we present two ways of incorporating past learning experiences into the agent's learning algorithm.
Enhancement of Shelf Life of Spent Hen Meat Sausages with incorporation of Ginger Extract

Poultry meat consumption has increased in the country with annual per capita consumption of poultry meat being 1.8kg (FAO, 2013). With increasing number of meat eating consumers, the cost of meat and meat products is also increasing. Hence there is a dire need to harvest every source of meat to its fullest especially those which can reduce the cost, maintain the quality and meet the increasing consumer demand of meat. Spent hen is one of such cheaper meat source. India produces 65.45 billion eggs annually (FAO, 2012) hence large no of spent hen layers are available which makes around 8.0% of total poultry meat in India. The development of comminuted meat products offers an important avenue for the profitable disposal of spent hens. However, meat of spent hen may promote faster oxidation than broiler meat during processing and storage due to higher content of unsaturated fatty acids. Utilization of natural spices and herbs in various forms like powder, extract or essential oils has been well documented for antioxidant properties for inhibiting the growth of many spoilage bacteria and fungi in foods. Due to the adverse side effects of synthetic antioxidant on man, such as mutagenesis and International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 11 (2017) pp. 1124-1130 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Diet and Geophagy Across a Western Amazonian Parrot Assemblage

We identified species‐ and community‐level dietary characteristics for a species‐rich Amazonian parrot assemblage to determine relationships among dietary metrics and use of geophagy sites. Previous studies suggest that soil is consumed at geophagy sites in this region mainly to supplement dietary sodium. We accumulated 1400 feeding records for 16 parrot species over 2 yr and found that seeds, flowers, and fruit pulp featured prominently in diets, while bark, insects, and lichen were consumed in small quantities. Food availability across 1819 trees was measured, and we found that flower availability was highest in the dry season and fruit production peaked in the wet season, but that phenology patterns of the 20 most commonly foraged plant species suggest no serious food bottlenecks. Partitioning of available food resources among the 13 most commonly encountered parrots is suggested by an ordination analysis (DCA), which placed the large macaws (Ara) with the Amazona parrots at the ‘primary forest’ end of a dietary resource axis and four smaller species at the ‘successional forest’ end of the axis. Parrot species associated with successional forest also consumed less plant species overall. Furthermore, these parrot species consuming successional forest resources had higher claylick visitation rates than those consuming primary forest resources suggesting they derive the greatest benefits from soil consumption.
PROTECTIVE ROLE OF TELMISARTAN, CANDESARTAN AND OLMESARTAN ON COLD RESTRAINT STRESS -INDUCED GASTRIC ULCER IN RATS: INFLUENCE OF PPAR Γ MRNA

Certain angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) possess peroxisome proliferators activator receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) activating potency that correlates with their degree of lipophilicity. So, the present study was conducted to evaluate the gastro-protective effect of telmisartan; the well-established ARB with the highest lipophilicity; on cold-restraint stress (CRS) -induced gastric ulcer models in rats, in comparison with other ARBs (candesartan and olmesartan), to justify the possible role of PPAR-γ agonistic activity of ARBs in gastro-protection. Rats were assigned to sham control, cold-restraint stress, telmisartan, candesartan and olmesartan pre-treated groups (10 mg/kg each for 15 days). Pre-treatment with telmisartan, candesartan or olmesartan for 15 days induced elevation in PPAR-γ mRNA associated with an increase in the defensive factors by virtue of its ulcer score, antioxidant enzyme activities as well as the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) level and a decreased in the aggressive factors like malondialdehyde (MDA), free acidity, pepsin, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and TNF-α level. Moreover, telmisartan provided superior gastroprotection to candesartan and olmesartan. In conclusion, telmisartan, candesartan and olmesartan could protect rats' gastric mucosa from CRS –induced ulcerations most possibly through its anti-oxidant activity, anti-secretory actions and enhanced mucosal protection. Activation of PPAR-γ might be one potential AT1-independent mechanism of action that explains the superiority of telmisartan in gastroprotection than candesartan and olmesartan.
ACCEPTANCE AND USAGE OF WEBCASTING AMONG USERS OF SELECTED CYBER CAFÉS IN KLANG VALLEY

The Malaysian public now has access to the Internet not only at home and the workplace, but also at cyber cafes. This study aims to examine the level of acceptance of webcasting among users of selected cyber cafes in the Klang Valley. The specific objectives of the study are: to determine the profile of webcasting users and its usage; to determine the types of webcasting technology most frequently used, level of knowledge of webcasting and the main source of knowledge in becoming aware of webcasting; to determine the acceptance of webcasting among non-users of webcasting; and to determine the relationship between behavioral intention to use and the actual usage of webcasting among users of webcasting. This study used the survey design, using purposive sampling to select the cyber cafes and visitors of these cafes. The findings indicate that usage of webcasting is still relatively low among users of selected cyber cafes in the Klang Valley. Users of webcasting were found to be mostly male, young and relatively well educated with at least a diploma as the highest level of education obtained.
Electromagnetic Absorption by Metamaterial Grating System

Total absorption of electromagnetic waves is demonstrated in a system composed of zero-order metamaterial grating and rearward metamaterial wall. The grating and the wall are separated by an air gap. Two mechanisms are shown to account for this absorption. The flrst one is due to the existence of standing waves in both the grooves of the grating and the air gap. These standing waves trap the electromagnetic waves and induce an oscillating surface charge density on the grating surface. The second one is due to surface plasmons at the interface between the air gap and metamaterial wall, the width of the air gap is a key parameter for the total absorption.
How biological is essentialism

One of the most striking qualities of living things is their constancy over variation, both variation over time and variation over individuals. Thus a newborn infant becomes an adult, a sprout becomes an apple tree, a caterpillar turns into a butterfly—and these are not just accidental, idiosyncratic changes but ones that characterizes the life history of each and every adult human, apple tree, or butterfly. Similarly a hummingbird, ostrich, falcon, and sparrow differ to an extraordinary degree from one to another, yet they all share certain core properties that allow us to say that they are all birds (and that bats are not). An intuitive notion of ''essence" has been posited to account for how humans understand this constancy. According to this view, humans are predisposed to notice that members of a biological kind have a hidden essence that remains unchanged across outward changes such as growth and reproduction (Atran 1990; Pinker 1994). It is thus perhaps not surprising that essentialism has been argued to be a central component of folkbiology, along with structured taxonomies (Atran 1990; Berlin 1978) and causal explanatory frameworks (chapter 11, this volume).
ENERGY-BASED PREDICTION OF LOW-CYCLE FATIGUE LIFE OF CK45 STEEL AND SS316 STAINLESS STEEL

In this paper, low cycle fatigue life of CK45 steel and SS316 stainless steel under straincontrolled loading are experimentally investigated. In addition, the impact of mean strain and strain amplitude on the fatigue life and cyclic behavior of the materials are studied. Furthermore, it is attempted to predict fatigue life using energy and SWT damage parameters. The experimental results demonstrate that increase in strain amplitude decreases fatigue life for both materials, strain amplitude has a remarkable effect on fatigue life, and the impact of mean strain is approximately negligible. Furthermore, the energy damage parameter provides more accurate prediction of fatigue life for both materials. © 2014 IAU, Arak Branch.All rights reserved.