Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Permutation Entropy and Complexity Analysis of Large-scale Solar Wind Structures and Streams

In this work, we perform a statistical study of magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind at 1 au using permutation entropy and complexity analysis, and the investigation of the temporal variations of the Hurst exponents. Slow and fast wind, magnetic clouds, interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME)-driven sheath regions and slow-fast stream interaction regions (SIRs) have been investigated separately. Our key finding is that there are significant differences in permutation entropy and complexity values between the solar wind types at larger timescales and little difference at small timescales. Differences become more distinct with increasing timescale, suggesting that smaller-scale turbulent features are more universal. At larger timescales, the analysis method can be used to identify localized spatial structures. We found that except in magnetic clouds, fluctuation are largely anti-persistent and that the Hurst exponents, in particular in compressive structures (sheaths and SIRs) exhibit a clear locality. Our results shows that, in all cases apart from magnetic clouds at largest scales, solar wind fluctuations are stochastic with the fast wind having the highest entropies and low complexities. Magnetic clouds in turn exhibit the lowest entropy and highest complexity, consistent with them being coherent structures in which the magnetic field components vary in an ordered manner. SIRs, slow wind and ICME sheaths are intermediate to magnetic clouds and fast wind, reflecting the increasingly ordered structure. Our results also indicate that permutation entropy - complexity analysis is a useful tool for characterizing the solar wind and investigating the nature of its fluctuations.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND SECTORAL FDI INFLOWS IN CHINA: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

In this paper, for the first time, we investigate the relationship between infrastructure and sectoral distribution of FDI inflow in China. We use the Estimating Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound testing and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) procedures of estimation. To unmask the shortcomings in the previous literature, we use a composite index of infrastructure with more than 30 indicators. The results show that there is a long-run relationship between sectoral FDI and infrastructure. A bidirectional causal relationship is confirmed by using VECM. However, we find unidirectional causality between the primary sector's FDI and infrastructure, and it is running from infrastructure to primary sector FDI. The inclusion of control variables, e.g., institutional quality, trade openness, and domestic investment, is robust in our analysis. The positive role of infrastructure in the sectoral distribution of FDI inflows is of utmost importance for policymakers and Chinese-government. Several policy implications are given in our study.
Monolithic 3-terminal perovskite/silicon HBT-based tandem compatible with both-side contact silicon cells: a theoretical study

The heterostructure bipolar transistor solar cell architecture offers an attractive route to realize monolithic 3-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells compatible with both-side contact Si photovoltaic technologies. Essentially, the HBT implements two counter series diodes with the common third terminal realized at the interface between the two diodes through an interdigitated contact. Concrete design solutions require optimizing the HBT multilayer stack for maximum power conversion efficiency of the intrinsic cell and designing appropriate layouts for the current collecting grid of the middle terminal. In this work, we develop a modeling framework that combines electro-optical simulations of the intrinsic tandem stack with circuit-level simulations to quantify the impact of shadow and resistive losses associated with the metal contacts on the scalability of the cell size. We present a design of a HBT with homojunction silicon bottom cell that can surpass 40% efficiency with a perovskite bandgap of 1.55 eV, i.e. much higher than the limit efficiency of a series connected tandem with the same material system. Then, we explore the implications of the middle contact in terms of interdependence between the subcells and parasitic losses, by considering a top interdigitated layout and cell architectures with both homojunction and heterojunction silicon cells. We show that in most configurations proper grid design can enable the scaling up of these devices to large areas, and that the scalability can be markedly improved, especially for the case of Si heterojunction bottom cells, by developing a layout with overlapped grids.
Comparison of the CatBoost Classiﬁer with other Machine Learning Methods

—Machine learning and data-driven techniques have become very famous and signiﬁcant in several areas in recent times. In this paper, we discuss the performances of some machine learning methods with the case of the catBoost classiﬁer algorithm on both loan approval and staff promotion. We compared the algorithm’s performance with other classiﬁers. After some feature engineering on both data, the CatBoost algorithm outperforms other classiﬁers implemented in this paper. In analysis one, features such as loan amount, loan type, applicant income, and loan purpose are major factors to predict mortgage loan approvals. In the second analysis, features such as division, foreign schooled, geopolitical zones, qualiﬁcation, and working years had a high impact on staff promotion. Hence, based on the performance of the CatBoost in both analyses, we recommend this algorithm for better prediction of loan approvals and staff promotion.
Family tak (cid:1) aful purchase intentions in Bangladesh: the mediating role of attitude and saving motives and the moderating role of religiosity

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to predict family tak (cid:1) aful purchase intentions (FTPIs) using an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) with relevant mediating and moderating factors. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a survey of 384 Muslim employees who work in both government and private organizations. This study used partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) for hypothesis testing, predictive relevance and measuring the effect size of the model. Findings – The study found that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), saving motives (SM), promotional campaign (PC) and religiosity (RG) directly contribute to the prediction of FTPIs. Furthermore, ATT and SM partially mediate between PC and FTPI. Moreover, RG significantly moderates the association between ATT, SN, SM and FTPI, while RG insignificantly moderates the link between PBC and FTPI. Practicalimplications – This study provides insightinto understandingthe factors leadingto an enhanced understanding of FTPI in a country where the industry is growing very fast. Further, the study suggests informative and persuasive promotions to encourage FTPI in Bangladesh and similar countries. Originality/value – This study provides insights into previously unaddressed FTPI among Muslim employees in Bangladesh and similar countries. Prior work on determining FTPI has not focused on promotional campaigns and saving motives, and thus, this study has extended TPB to understand the phenomenon.
MIT Open Access Articles Spatiotemporal Patterns of Urban Human Mobility

The modeling of human mobility is adopting new directions due to the increasing availability of big data sources from human activity. These sources enclose digital information about daily visited locations of a large number of individuals. Examples of these data include: mobile phone calls, credit card transactions, bank notes dispersal, check-ins in internet applications, among several others. In this study, we consider the data obtained from smart subway fare card transactions to characterize and model urban mobility patterns. We present a simple mobility model for predicting peoples’ visited locations using the popularity of places in the city as an interaction parameter between diﬀerent individuals. This ingredient is suﬃcient to reproduce several characteristics of the observed travel behavior such as: the number of trips between diﬀerent locations in the city, the exploration of new places and the frequency of individual visits of a particular location. Moreover, we indicate the limitations of the proposed model and discuss open questions in the current state of the art statistical models of human mobility.
From an initial transient‐state to a steady‐state in metamorphic reactions: An experimental approach in the system dolomite‐quartz‐H2O

Abstract We carried out hydrothermal experiments in the system dolomite‐quartz‐H2O to track the temporal change in reaction rates of simultaneous reactions during the development of reaction zones. Two types of configurations for the starting materials were prepared: dolomite single crystals + quartz powder + water and quartz single crystals + dolomite powder + water, both sealed separately in gold capsules. Runs at 0.1GPa and 600°C with cold seal pressure vessels gave the following results. (i) In short duration (45–71 h) runs metastable layer sequences involving wollastonite and talc occur in the reaction zone, whereas they disappear in longer duration (168–336 h) runs. (ii) The layer sequence of the reaction zones in short duration runs differs from place to place on the dolomite crystal even in the same run. (iii) The diversity of layer sequences in the short duration runs merges into a unique layer sequence in the longer duration runs. (iv) The reaction zone develops locally on the dolomite crystal, but no reaction zone was observed on the quartz crystal in any of the runs. The lines of evidence (i)–(iii) show that the system evolves from an initial transient‐ to a steady‐state and that the kinetic effect is important in the development of reaction zones. A steady diffusion model for the unique layer sequence Qtz/Di/Fo + Cal/Dol + Cal/Dol shows that the Dol + Cal layer cannot be formed by diffusion‐controlled process and that the stability of the layer sequence Qtz/Di/Fo + Cal/Dol depends not only on L‐ratios (a = /LCaOCaO and b = /LMgOMgO) but also on the relative rate P = (−2ξ1 − ξ2)/(–ξ1 − 2ξ2) of competing reactions: Dol + 2Qtz = Di + 2CO2 (ξ1) and 2Dol + Qtz = Fo + 2Cal + 2CO2 (ξ2). For smaller P the stability field will shift to higher values of a and b. The steady diffusion model also shows that the apparent‐non‐reactivity on the quartz surface can be attributed to void formation in a large volume fraction in the diopside layer.
Computed tomography-based imaging biomarker identifies coal workers’ pneumoconiosis

Rationale: The increase in the incidence and the diagnostic limitations of pneumoconiosis have emerged as a public health concern. This study aimed to conduct a computed tomography (CT)- based quantitative analysis to understand differences in imaging results of pneumoconiosis according to disease severity. Methods: According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) guidelines, coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) are classified into five categories. CT images were obtained only at full inspiration and were quantitatively evaluated for airway structural variables such as bifurcation angle (θ), hydraulic diameter (Dh), wall thickness (WT), and circularity (Cr). Parenchymal functional variables include abnormal regions (emphysema, ground–glass opacities, consolidation, semi consolidation, and fibrosis) and blood vessel volume. Through the propensity score matching method, the confounding effects were decreased. Results: Category 4 demonstrated a reduced θ in TriLUL, a thicker airway wall in both the Trachea and Bronint compared to Category 0, and a decreased Cr in Bronint. Category 4 presented with higher abnormal regions except for ground–glass opacity and a narrower pulmonary blood vessel volume. A negative correlation was found between abnormal areas with lower Hounsfield units (HU) than the normal lung and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity, with narrowed pulmonary blood vessel volume which is positively correlated with abnormal areas with upper HU than the normal lung. Conclusion: This study provided valuable insight into pneumoconiosis progression through a comparison of quantitative CT images based on severity. Furthermore, as there has been paucity of studies on the pulmonary blood vessel volume of the CWP, in this study, a correlation between reduced pulmonary blood vessel volume and regions with low HU values holds significant importance.
Preliminary exploratory impact assessment of short-lived pollutants over the Danube Basin

This report is presented as deliverable D2.3 of work package 2 of the Danube Air Nexus. It presents the results of an exploratory impact assessment of short-lived air pollutant emissions on human health, crop production and near-term climate with a focus on the Danube basin. We use a global reduced-form source receptor air quality model TM5-FASST and a recent global pollutant emission inventory (HTAP V2, 2014) to make an attribution by sector of the various impacts and to explore the challenges and opportunities for possible. Preliminary results show that trans-boundary pollution is significantly contributing to population exposure to PM2.5 in the Danube area. Dominating polluting sectors are residential sector and agriculture. We estimate that annually 170000 premature mortalities can be attributed to PM2.5 pollution in the Danube area, and annual crop losses add up to an economic value of nearly 1 billion US$. This analysis is a first step in a more detailed, country-wise analysis that will be carried out as a follow-up of this report, with an improved version of the model and specifically designed scenarios for the Danube Basin.
Collective Initial Excitation-Based Distributed Composite Adaptive Coverage Control With Application to a Network of Drones

In this letter, a collective initial excitation (C-IE) based distributed adaptive coverage control algorithm for a mobile sensor network (MSN) is proposed. The information exchange between agents is leveraged to collectively achieve the C-IE condition for parameter convergence. The C-IE condition is an extension of the previously established IE condition to the multi-agent setting. The C-IE has been shown to be milder than the collective persistence of excitation (C-PE), which is considered the state-of-the-art for parameter convergence in a multi-agent setting. In this letter, we present the first-of-its-kind composite control law that guarantees exponential convergence of the combined cost of coverage and parameter estimation. Simulation and experimental results involving multiple drones further validate the efficacy of the proposed concept.
Risk-Aware Deep Reinforcement Learning for Robot Crowd Navigation

Ensuring safe and efficient navigation in crowded environments is a critical goal for assistive robots. Recent studies have emphasized the potential of deep reinforcement learning techniques to enhance robots’ navigation capabilities in the presence of crowds. However, current deep reinforcement learning methods often face the challenge of robots freezing as crowd density increases. To address this issue, a novel risk-aware deep reinforcement learning approach is proposed in this paper. The proposed method integrates a risk function to assess the probability of collision between the robot and pedestrians, enabling the robot to proactively prioritize pedestrians with a higher risk of collision. Furthermore, the model dynamically adjusts the fusion strategy of learning-based and risk-aware-based features, thereby improving the robustness of robot navigation. Evaluations were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the proposed method in both low- and high-crowd density settings. The results exhibited remarkable navigation success rates of 98.0% and 93.2% in environments with 10 and 20 pedestrians, respectively. These findings emphasize the robust performance of the proposed method in successfully navigating through crowded spaces. Additionally, the approach achieves navigation times comparable to those of state-of-the-art methods, confirming its efficiency in accomplishing navigation tasks. The generalization capability of the method was also rigorously assessed by subjecting it to testing in crowd environments exceeding the training density. Notably, the proposed method attains an impressive navigation success rate of 90.0% in 25-person environments, surpassing the performance of existing approaches and establishing itself as a state-of-the-art solution. This result highlights the versatility and effectiveness of the proposed method in adapting to various crowd densities and further reinforces its applicability in real-world scenarios.
Pragmatic physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to support clinical implementation of optimized gentamicin dosing in term neonates and infants: proof-of-concept

Introduction Modeling and simulation can support dosing recommendations for clinical practice, but a simple framework is missing. In this proof-of-concept study, we aimed to develop neonatal and infant gentamicin dosing guidelines, supported by a pragmatic physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling approach and a decision framework for implementation. Methods An already existing PBPK model was verified with data of 87 adults, 485 children and 912 neonates, based on visual predictive checks and predicted-to-observed pharmacokinetic (PK) parameter ratios. After acceptance of the model, dosages now recommended by the Dutch Pediatric Formulary (DPF) were simulated, along with several alternative dosing scenarios, aiming for recommended peak (i.e., 8–12 mg/L for neonates and 15–20 mg/L for infants) and trough (i.e., <1 mg/L) levels. We then used a decision framework to weigh benefits and risks for implementation. Results The PBPK model adequately described gentamicin PK. Simulations of current DPF dosages showed that the dosing interval for term neonates up to 6 weeks of age should be extended to 36–48 h to reach trough levels <1 mg/L. For infants, a 7.5 mg/kg/24 h dose will reach adequate peak levels. The benefits of these dose adaptations outweigh remaining uncertainties which can be minimized by routine drug monitoring. Conclusion We used a PBPK model to show that current DPF dosages for gentamicin in term neonates and infants needed to be optimized. In the context of potential uncertainties, the risk-benefit analysis proved positive; the model-informed dose is ready for clinical implementation.
Heterotrophic leaching of metals from Indian chromite mining overburden

Abstract The chromite mines spread over Sukinda ultramafic belt of Odisha, India, generate huge amount of overburden loaded with chromium along with nickel, iron and cobalt. During the present study, heterotrophic and acidogenic microbes inherent to the area (eight fungi and three bacteria) were isolated and identified as suitable for leaching of metal values from overburden samples. Fungal isolates in general, were found to be better leaching agents as compared to the bacteria. Aspergillus niger mut. schiemanni SUK101, the most potent isolate leached 54.1% Ni, 29.4% Cr, 22.1% Fe and 25.1% Co, whereas, Pseudomonas sp. SUK201 leached only 15% Ni, 6.01% Cr, 5.29% Fe and 4% Co. Time course studies showed promising metal solubilisation by A. niger SUK101, which could be a potential agent for bioleaching.
Food Security and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in Eastern Ethiopia

Agricultural sector remains the main source of food and income for most rural communities in Ethiopia. Being dependent mainly on rainfall, this sector has been affected by climate change. Hence, employing adaptation strategies within the agricultural sector to climate change is vital to ensure food security and care for the livelihoods of farmers. Food security and adaptation are among the options to abate the negative impact of climate changes. This study has analyzed factors influencing the impact of climate change on food security and adaptation choices by farm households in eastern Ethiopia. The study used data obtained from 330 household heads randomly and proportionately sampled from two agroecologies in East Hararghe Zone of Oromiya Region and Dire Dawa Administration, Ethiopia. The study used a univariate profit model and multinomial logistic regression model to identify factors affecting food security and the choice of adaptation strategies to climate change. As food security indicator, calorie intake per adult equivalent per day was considered for adaptation strategies; changing planting date, irrigation water use, soil and water conservation, and crop variety selection were considered. The result indicated that farmers in the study area are vulnerable to climate change and the factors determining the choice of climate adaptation options were determined by sex of household head, family size, education status of household head, Agroecology, distance to market, cultivated land, credit access, decreasing precipitation and change of temperature. Policy thrust should focus on linking farmers to fertilizer usage, credit access and social participation as well as in creating awareness of climate change.
Geometrical spreading and Q of Pn waves: An investigative study in eastern Canada

Station site effects, uncertainties in seismic source spectrum, and instrument response errors are among the well-known frequency-dependent contaminating factors that limit the reliability of short-period Q measurements of regional phases. For the Pn wave, a regional phase of importance for both magnitude determination and nuclear test ban verification, the problem is made worse by the added uncertainty of its geometric spreading function. For realistic earth models, the Pn geometric spreading function is likely to depart drastically from that expected of canonical head waves. The extent of this departure is sensitively dependent upon the regional crust/mantle structure, making geometric spreading assumption a conspicuous source of disagreement among the published Pn attenuation (QPn) estimates. We describe a technique, referred to here as the extended reversed two-station method (RTSM), for simultaneous determination of QPn and geometrical spreading function. The formulation, being designed to bring about direct cancellation of the contaminating source, station and instrument effects, is a reliable tool for mapping the Pn propagation characteristics over continental paths, long and short. The extended RTSM has been tested using Pn spectral amplitude data derived from seismic records of the Eastern Canada Telemetered Network (ECTN). We find the spreading rate coefficient n in the power-law representation of the geometric spreading (d−n, d being epicentral distance) to be frequency dependent, increasing from 1.11 at 1 Hz to 1.77 at 20 Hz. Our QPn model in eastern Canada takes the form of QPn = 189f0.87. The results from eastern Canada suggest that: (a) there exists a significant positive velocity gradient in the uppermost mantle (≧ 0.0037 sec−1); (b) the regionally recorded Pn waves are dominated by the superposition of a series of interfering diving waves bent by the velocity gradient and internally reflected at the underside of the Moho discontinuity; and (c) the very strong frequency-dependence of QPn we found in this study region may not be unique among low-attenuating shield and platform regions.