Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polymer/Graphene Nanocomposite: Preparation to Application

Graphene has emerged as a topic of huge scientific interest due to its high surface area, exceptional mechanical properties, electron transfer, and other physical properties. In polymers, this one-atom thick 2D crystal may significantly enhance the physical properties at very small loading level. In this review, essential characteristics of polymer/graphene nanocomposite have been discussed. Moreover, fabrication techniques ( in situ method, solution route, melt technique) frequently employed for polymer/graphene nanocomposite have been discussed. Applications of these nanocomposites in Li-ion batteries, electronic devices, and solar cells have been conversed along with the current challenges associated with processing and scalability of these materials.
Magnetometric resistivity sounding for a conductive bulge earth

We derive an analytical solution of the steady state magnetic field due to a direct current source on a two layered earth with having exponentially varying conductivity. The solution is achieved by solving a boundary value problem in the wave number domain. The Hankel transform is used to transform to the spatial domain. The solutions are expressed in the form of integral expressions. The inversion process via the use of the Newton-Raphson optimization technique is introduced for finding the conductivity parameter of the conductivity variation. The optimal results of our sample test converge very fast to the true values with misfits less than 10−12 (A ·m−1).
Diagnosing of Sustainable Competitive Advantage Using Six Sigma Methodology

In this paper six sigma method for diagnosing the sustainable competitive advantages in organizations was proposed. The study used a survey strategy “self-administered questionnaire”, to collect the primary data. The sample of the targeted population consists of 40 Doctors in public hygienic institutions in Iraq, with various functions and from different managerial levels. The analysis shows that six sigma methods in the organization’s operations should be taken into consideration with necessary adaptation. The research proposes an approach that enables a systematic analysis of six sigma in diagnosing the sustainable competitive advantages in service organizations through the use of a survey strategy, called “self-administered questionnaire”.
Modeling of Oil-Water Emulsion Separation in Ultrasound Standing Wavefield by Neural Network

A new approach has been introduced for separation of oil-in-water emulsion by using ultrasound standing wavefield. A neural networks model was used to simulate changes in the size of droplet during treatment. Model outputs were then validated and generalization capability was evaluated. For each network, the optimum values of isotropic spread were obtained by minimizing the root mean square error and maximizing the corresponding coefficient. It was found that the predicted values were in good agreements with experimental results. Also, increasing voice speed was demonstrated to predict size of emulsion particles more efficiently and accurately.
A dynamic spectrum management algorithm in VDSL systems

A modified iterative water-filling algorithm is proposed in which power from only those subcarriers of the near end user are reduced, which has the worst effect on bit rates of far end users. The power back off from these subcarriers is done by reducing power spectral masks at respective subcarriers. The results after simulating the proposed algorithm give significant performance advantages in terms of data rate over the traditional iterative water-filling algorithm. These results approach the performance of highly complex optimal spectrum management algorithms while maintaining the complexity of the traditional iterative water-filling algorithm.
Alpha Hypersynchrony and Atypical Memory Processes in Soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

1Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada 2Neuroscience & Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada 3Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada 4Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada 5Directorate of Mental Health, Canadian Forces Health Services, Ottawa, Canada 6Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Forecasting for a social network: Trend analysis in 2004 and today

Forecasting, the study of possible future through trend research and analysis, may be applied to design processes in order to guide project decisions. This work examines the use of trend analysis in one case study: youMe, a social networking app for mobile devices, developed in 2004. Design forecasting was an important part of this project, with the research of sociocultural and technological trends. Here, we describe trends identifi ed then, and compare them with the current reality, in order to observe similarities and differences between the then imagined future and the actual situation today and in the recent past, especially when it comes to online behavior and the use of mobile devices. Keywords: design, trends, Forecasting, internet, social networks, mobile devices.
On the impact of modelling tension-compression asymmetry on earing and thickness predictions

ABSTRACT The metallic sheets used in sheet metal forming processes typically exhibit orthotropic behaviour, due to their crystallographic structure and the rolling process from which they are obtained. The yield criteria commonly adopted in the numerical analysis of these processes, assume that the yield surface possesses a point-symmetry with respect to its centre. However, even metallic materials with a cubic structure can present asymmetry between the tensile and the compressive plastic behaviour. Thus, it is important to evaluate the impact of considering the tension-compression asymmetry in the accuracy of the numerical results. The cylindrical cup example is known for being sensitive to both the material yield stresses and r-values in-plane directionalities. In this work, the behaviour of a AA2090-T3 aluminium alloy is described with an orthotropic yield criterion that also enables the description of tension-compression asymmetry. The numerical simulations of a cylindrical cup drawing were performed and the main parameters analysed are the earing profile and the thickness distribution, along the rolling and the transverse directions. The comparison of the experimental and numerical results shows that considering the compression yield stresses is critical to obtain accurate predictions, particularly for the thickness distribution.
Iron at TENATSO site

Impact of dust deposition on Fe biogeochemistry at the Tropical Eastern North Atlantic Time-series Observatory site Y. Ye, C. Völker, and D. A. Wolf-Gladrow Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany Received: 27 February 2009 – Accepted: 23 March 2009 – Published: 17 April 2009 Correspondence to: Y. Ye (ying.ye@awi.de) Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.
THE IMPACTS OF CHANGES IN LAND COVER ON WATER RESOURCES IN THE WESTERN AMAZON

The semi-distributed hydrological model SLURP was applied in the Jamari River basin, Brazil, to investigate the impacts on hydrological processes caused by changes in surface land cover and land use, as well as climate change. Realistic and extreme scenarios of deforestation were analyzed. An increase was found of runoff when deforestation occurred. Since less water is intercepted by canopy, evapotranspiration and groundwater tend to decrease with deforestation. In climate change scenarios, increases in temperature and precipitation tend to increase evapotranspiration and runoff, while decreases in temperature and precipitation tend to increase evapotranspiration and decrease runoff and groundwater flow. During drought, runoff tends to increase remarkably. This suggests that if the annual rate of deforestation stays the same or increases, the socio-environmental problems may worsen during both dry and wet
A HOS-Based Blind Spectrum Sensing in Noise Uncertainty

Spectrum sensing for cognitive radio is a challenging task since it has to be able to detect the primary signal at a low signal to noise ratio (SNR). At a low SNR, the variance of noise fluctuates due to noise uncertainty. Detection of the primary signal will be difficult especially for blind spectrum sensing methods that rely on the variance of noise for their threshold setting, such as energy detection. Instead of using the energy difference, we propose a spectrum sensing method based on the distribution difference. When the channel is occupied, the distribution of the received signal, which propagates under a wireless fading channel, will have a non-Gaussian distribution. This will be different from the Gaussian noise when the channel is vacant. Kurtosis, a higher order statistic (HOS) of the 4 th order, is used as normality test for the test statistic. We measured the detection rate of the proposed method by performing a simulation of the detection process. Our proposed method's performance proved superior in detecting a real digital TV signal in noise uncertainty.
Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution using ghassoul, a low-cost adsorbent.

The present study examined the use of ghassoul, natural clay available in large quantities under the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, for the removal of the basic dye, methylene blue, from aqueous solutions. The effect of initial dye concentrations, agitation time, pH and temperature on adsorption capacities of methylene blue was investigated. The initial pH of the aqueous solution and the change of temperature (25-55 °C) were found to have little effect on the adsorption process. The adsorption was a rapid with 90-99% of the dye removed within the first 10-20 min. The adsorption kinetics are described successfully using a pseudo-second order rate equation and the rate constant decreases with increasing the initial concentration of MB. Experimental and calculated kinetic data for equilibrium are well expressed by Langmuir isotherm. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of ghassoul was determined with the Langmuir equation as well as the pseudo-second-order rate equation and found to be >290 mg dye per gram of the adsorbent. The results indicate that ghassoul could be employed as a low cost alternative to commercial activated carbon in wastewater treatment for the removal of colour and dyes.
Automation and Morals - Eliciting Folk Intuitions: an Experiment

The introduction of ever more capable autonomous systems is moving at a high pace. The technological progress will enable us to completely delegate processes to machines that were once a prerogative for humans. Progress in elds like autonomous driving promises huge bene ts on both economical and ethical scales. Yet, there is little research that investigates the utilization of machines to perform tasks that are in the moral domain. This study explores whether subjects are willing to delegate other-regarding tasks to machines as well as how this decision is evaluated by an impartial observer. We examined two possible factors that might coin attitudes regarding machine use - perceived utility of and trust in the automated device. We found that people are hesitant to delegate to a machine and that observers judge respective delegations relatively critical. Neither perceived utility nor trust, however, can account for this pattern. We thus identify an aversion per se against machine use in the moral domain.
Gelifluction and Thixotropy of Maritime Antarctic Soils: Small‐Scale Measurements with a Rotational Rheometer

Gelifluction, thixotropy and yield stress were measured from < 5 g soil samples taken from Signy, Alectoria, Greenwich, Wiencke and Livingston islands in the maritime Antarctic using a temperature‐controlled rotational rheometer. The small sample size that this method permitted is compatible with sampling from sensitive sample locations. An oscillating 10 Pa shear stress was applied to samples at ‐0.5 kPa water potential. Two freeze‐thaw cycles had temperature ramps from 5°C to ‐10°C over 2 h, followed by ‐10°C to 5°C over 2 h and finally at 5°C for 1 h. At freezing onset, the shear modulus, G, dropped to 4–50 per cent of thawed G, with no differences between locations. At thawing onset, G dropped to 8–32 per cent of thawed G, with significant differences between locations (P < 0.001). Thixotropy was then measured by applying a 2 kPa oscillating shear stress for 10 min, followed by relaxation at 10 Pa for 2 h. The increased shear stress caused G to drop to less than 8 per cent of the pre‐stressed value, with no difference between locations. After 0.1 and 2 h, G was 18–65 per cent and 31–82 per cent of the pre‐stressed value, respectively. A shear ramp determined yield stresses ranging from 494–2217 Pa. These findings demonstrate the potential risk of more frequent freeze‐thaw cycles or the occurrence of thawed soil to the stability of polar soils. Gelifluction through more frequent freeze‐thaw cycles could result in increased slope movement, whereas thixotropy caused by trampling of thawed soils could exacerbate mechanical damage of surface soils. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gender-bias in Education Opportunities for Population Aged 12-18 in Mexico: 1992-2004

There is considerable evidence that resources are not allocated randomly within households, and that resources are unequally distributed within the family in many developing countries. Such an unequal distribution of goods usually takes the form of a bias against females. For example, girls lag markedly behind boys in schooling in many developing countries even though this gender gap has been declining in recent years. Using an OLS-Robust model and a ML-Random Effects model for the years 1992, 1998 and 2004 of ENIGH, we did not find enough statistical evidence to support the idea that poor families, nether in rural nor in urban areas, provide more education to their 12 to 18 years old sons or daughters. In fact, contrary to the common belief, we found that non-poor families, invest more in the education of their daughters, especially in the urban areas. However, this education discrimination against male children has been decreasing over the years. It is also found that female head of households are more likely to have children with higher levels of schooling and that children having both parents at home or having older brothers or sisters present higher levels of educational attainment.
Multi-Relay Selection Strategy for Device to Device Communication

 This paper is supported by National Important special project [2012ZX03003011-005]; NSF funding of China [61171093]; Jiangsu Province Important special project [BK2011027]; School project [NY211033]. Abstract Introducing relaying nodes to D2D (Device to Device) communication system can effectively improve the system performance. However, the quality of direct D2D communication cannot be guaranteed when the users are far from each other, the effect of relaying node becomes particularly important in this case. In this paper, we studied different relaying selection strategies of D2D communication in cellular network, in which we take the mutual interference between the D2D pairs and cellular users into consideration. The selection strategies we proposed can adaptively determine the number of relaying nodes according to specific context. Finally we compare the proposed relaying selection strategy with simulation results and analyze their performances. Index Terms Device to Device (D2D); Relay Selection; Network Lifetime.
Exact travelling wave solutions of a variety of Boussinesq-like equations

In this paper, we obtain exact traveling wave solutions of a variety of Boussinesq-like equations by using two distinct methods with symbolic computation. The Boussinesq equations play an important role in physical applications, such as in nonlinear lattice waves, acoustic waves, iron sound waves in a plasma, and vibrations in a nonlinear string. More precisely, the modified tanh-coth method is employed to obtain single soliton solutions, and the extended Jacobi elliptic function method is applied to derive doubly periodic wave solutions. Further, it is shown that soliton solutions and triangular solutions can be established as the limits of the Jacobi doubly periodic wave solutions. The employed approaches are quite efficient for the determination of the solutions, and are practically well suited for solving nonlinear evolution equations arising in physics.
Effect of weather and the hybrid energy storage on the availability of standalone microgrid

This paper presents a model for availability analysis of standalone hybrid microgrid. The microgrid used in the study consists of wind, solar storage and diesel generator. Boolean driven Markov process is used to develop the availability of the system in the proposed method. By modifying the developed model, the relationship between the availability of the system with the fine (normal) weather and disturbed (stormy) weather durations are analyzed. Effects of different converter technologies on the availability of standalone microgrid were investigated and the results have shown that the availability of microgrid increased by 5.80 % when a storage system is added. On the other hand, the availability of standalone microgrid could be overestimated by 3.56 % when weather factor is neglected. In the same way 200, 500 and 1000 hours of disturbed weather durations reduced the availability of the system by 5.36%, 9.73% and 13.05 %, respectively. In addition, the hybrid energy storage cascade topology with a capacitor in the middle maximized the system availability.
CUSTOMERS’ EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO EMPLOYEES’ DISPLAYED POSITIVE EMOTIONS

The study sought to determine the customers’ emotional responses to employee displayed emotions at lunar parks in Zimbabwe. Hundred adult consumers were surveyed soon after an observation of the employee-consumer interaction. Employee emotional displays were measured using observational methods and customers’ emotional states were assessed using the PAD scale. Bivariate regression analysis was used to analyse data. The study revealed that employee displayed emotions positively influences customers’ emotional states of pleasure, arousal, and dominance. Unlike the findings from previous studies the dominance dimension was found to relevant to the lunar park services.
A CHARACTERIZATION OF THE JUDICIAL ENFORCEMENT OF CONTRACTS IN SPAIN: ANALYSIS WITH FORMALISM INDICES

Djankov et al. (QJE, 2003) proposed a measure of “procedural formalism” of the judicial system for dispute resolution, such as contract enforcement, for a set of 109 countries. They found that their measure was strongly correlated with higher expected duration and complexity of the procedures resulting in higher litigation costs. This paper adapts the indicator proposed by Djankov et al. to the Spanish case and relaxes some of its assumptions. Spain has a multiplicity of procedures (depending, for instance, on the amount in dispute) for the same type of dispute and therefore the different procedures need to be analyzed to obtain a representative result. Two types of disputes are studied (a general dispute for debt collection and a more specific dispute for tenant eviction). In conclusion it can be said that procedural formalism has diminished in the recent decades. The findings of this paper also show that the level of formalism of the Spanish economy is lower than the one obtained by Djankov et al. (2003).
Energy and global warming impacts of HFC refrigerants and emerging technologies: TEWI-III

The use of hydrofluorocarbons (BFCs) which were developed as alternative refrigerants and insulating foam blowing agents to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is now being affected by scientific investigations of greenhouse warming and questions about the effects of refrigerants and blowing agents on global warming. A Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) assessment analyzes the environmental affects of these halogenated working fluids in energy consuming applications by combining a direct effect resulting from the inadvertent release of HFCs to the atmosphere with an indirect effect resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels needed to provide the energy to operate equipment using these compounds as working fluids. TEWI is a more balanced measure of environmental impact because it is not based solely on the global warming potential (GWP) of the working fluid. It also shows the environmental benefit of efficient technologies that result in less CO{sub 2} generation and eventual emission to the earth`s atmosphere. The goal of TEWI is to assess total global warming impact of all the gases released to the atmosphere, including CO{sub 2} emissions from energy conversion. Alternative chemicals and technologies have been proposed as substitutes for HFCs in the vapor-compression cycle for refrigeration and air conditioning and for polymer foams in appliance and building insulations which claim substantial environmental benefits. Among these alternatives are: (1) Hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants and blowing agents which have zero ozone depleting potential and a negligible global warming potential, (2) CO{sub 2} as a refrigerant and blowing agent, (3) Ammonia (NH{sub 3}) vapor compression systems, (4) Absorption chiller and heat pumping cycles using ammonia/water or lithium bromide/water, and (5) Evacuated panel insulations. This paper summarizes major results and conclusions of the detailed final report on the TEWI-111 study.
Life history of American eel Anguilla rostrata: new insights from otolith microchemistry

Temporal patterns in Sr:Ca concentration ratios of American eel Anguilla rostrata otoliths indicate variable patterns of residence in—and migration among—river, estuarine, and marine habitats. Annual growth rates, based on Sr:Ca habitat determinations, increase with increas- ing habitat salinity (fresh water < estuarine < marine) and increasing proportion of residence at higher salinities. Increased annual growth rate reduces the age at maturity because maturity is trig- gered by size rather than age. Our results highlight the importance of brackish and marine waters as areas of eel production. Most eels that recruit to fresh water do so as elvers but some (12 to 25%) recruit as juveniles. After entering fresh water, between 23 and 100% of eels remain exclusively in fresh water. Most inter-habitat migrants make only one such movement before their spawning migra- tion. Exclusively freshwater residence increases with distance upstream. Inter-habitat migrations may produce otolith checks that may be mistaken for annuli and increase the difficulty of age deter- mination. Otolith growth periods may acceptably indicate freshwater or seawater habitat residency durations when the otolith (fish) growth rates in each habitat are similar but not if the growth rates differ greatly. Outlier Sr:Ca values may often depart substantially from a habitat norm but whether they represent a brief habitat transition is uncertain. Ignoring them potentially underestimates, while unnecessarily counting them overestimates, the frequency of inter-habitat movement. Research requirements include determination of the geographic extent and degree of periodic euryhaline migratory behaviour by American eels. Development of a simple, comprehensive residence and inter-habitat migration classification scheme would greatly assist the interpretation and comparison of otolith microchemistry studies.