Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Key Factors for Assessing Small and Rural Municipalities’ Readiness for Smart City Implementation

The concept of a ‘smart city’ is now commonly used to describe the use of various digital and other technologies, to collect data to provide information that can be used to manage resources efficiently and provide a better standard of living for the citizens. Small and rural municipalities in developing countries face growing challenges in managing their resources, to provide basic services such as housing, education, transport, health, water and electricity to the citizens. This research is aimed at identifying key factors that could assist small and rural municipalities to assess their readiness for smart city implementation. A systematic literature review methodology was employed to provide an exhaustive summary of substantiated research relevant to the research aim and to synthesize key factors that are crucial to assess small and rural municipalities’ readiness. This study was conducted between January and July 2022. As a contribution, this study identified and synthesized key factors to be addressed when determining a municipality’s readiness to become a smart city. Through the use of ATLAS.ti to analyze the data, the study identifies the following key factors: infrastructure, the environment, skills, innovation, technology, the economy, citizens, culture, finance, the public sector, private organizations, data, management, policies, internet connectivity, education and energy. Advancing these key elements should also help small and rural municipalities, who are not yet ready to actuate a smart city, to prepare for such an endeavor, in order to address service delivery issues, the economy and the quality of life of their citizens.
Accuracy assessment of widely used orbit error approximations in satellite altimetry

Abstract Orbit error simulations have shown that the orbit error can be assumed to be a slowly varying sine wave with a predominant wavelength comparable to the earth's circumference. Thus, one can derive analytically the error committed in representing the orbit error along a segment of the satellite ground track by a bias; by a bias and a tilt (linear approximation); or by a bias, tilt and curvature (quadratic approximation). The result clearly agrees with what is obvious intuitively; i.e., 1) the fit is better with more parameters, 2) as the length of the segment increases, the approximation gets worse. But more importantly, it provides a quantitative basis to evaluate the accuracy of past results and, in the future, to select the best approximation according, to the required precision and the efficiency of various approximations. Furthermore, the same formulas can determine the percentage of oceanic signal at each spatial scale that could be mistakenly removed by a particular orbit error representatio.
Controlling ultrashort intense laser pulses by plasma Bragg gratings with ultrahigh damage threshold

Propagation of ultrashort intense laser Pulses in a plasma Bragg grating induced by two counterpropagating laser pulses has been investigated. Such a plasma grating exhibits an Ultrawide photonic band gap, near which strong dispersion appears. It is found that the grating dispersion dominates the dispersion of background plasma by several orders of magnitude. Particle-in-cell (PIC) Simulations show light speed reduction, pulse stretching, and chirped Pulse compression in the plasma grating. The nonlinear coupled-mode theory agrees well with the PIC results. Because the plasma grating has a much higher damage threshold than the ordinary optical elements made of metal or dielectric, it can be a novel tool for controlling femtosecond intense laser pulses.
Thermal Resistivity at Interfaces between Metal and Dielectric Films at 1.5° to 4.2°K

Measurements of the thermal resistivity at interfaces between metal and dielectric thin films and a bulk substrate are reported. The thin‐film structures are representative of a variety of superconducting devices with electrically insulated components. Results were obtained for single and multiple layers from 1.5° to 4.2°K. The magnitude of the observed values are within the range of the Little formulation if only longitudinal phonon contribution is considered. The temperature dependence is approximately T−2.5. The thermal resistivities decreased with increasing heat flux and temperature difference. The resistivity of multiple‐layered structures was considerably less than the sum of the resistivities of each layer measured separately. This is consistent with wave propagation through layered media. No appreciable effect of film thickness was noted in the 0.2‐ to 2‐micron range.
High-Resolution Observations of Methyl Cyanide (CH3CN) toward the Hot Core Regions W51e1/e2

We have detected strong methyl cyanide (CH3CN) emission lines from the hot core regions W51e1 and W51e2, using the BIMA Array. This is the first survey of CH3CN toward W51 to utilize both 3 mm (J = 5-4 and 6-5) and 1 mm (J = 12-11, 13-12, and 14-13) transitions as probes of the physical and chemical conditions present in these regions. The emission reveals molecular clumps centered on the ultracompact H II regions found by Zhang and colleagues. The CH3CN lines show large optical depths in the lower K transitions toward both regions in W51. To determine the true kinetic temperatures, densities, and column densities of the emitting regions W51e1 and e2, statistical equilibrium models were used to calculate the relative populations of each energy level. The best fit to the observed spectra toward W51e1 is given by a temperature of 123(11) K, a hydrogen density of 5(1) × 105 cm-3, and a total methyl cyanide column density of 1.4(1) × 1016 cm-2. The uncertainties describe a nominal 90% confidence interval for the last digit given. The best fit to the observed spectra toward W51e2 is given by a temperature of 153(21) K, a hydrogen density of 5(2) × 105 cm-3, and a total methyl cyanide column density of 3.8(7) × 1016 cm-2. Our observations indicate that CH3CN can be used as a good probe of the physical conditions present in hot molecular cores and as a tracer of hard-to-detect large molecular species. Despite the differences in molecular structure and chemical formation mechanisms, methyl cyanide (CH3CN), ethyl cyanide (CH3CH2CN), and acetic acid (CH3COOH) are found to have similar abundances toward the W51e1 and e2 regions. In contrast, for a column density of CH3CN more than 15 times smaller than the column density of HCOOCH3 the integrated line flux is more than 7 times larger. Thus, because CH3CN lines are easy to detect, it appears to be a much better tracer of CH3CH2CN and CH3COOH than HCOOCH3.
Optimization of conductivity in p-type GaN∕InGaN-graded superlattices

Carrier transport simulations show that significantly improved vertical and lateral electrical conductivity (σV and σL) can be achieved in p-type GaN∕InGaN superlattices utilizing composition-graded p-InGaN layers. Compared to typical modulation-doped superlattices, the barrier height and the sheet-hole density in the p-InGaN wells were, respectively, more than eight times lower and 2.6 times higher. This achievement is due to the combination of a number of factors, including polarization charge distribution in the graded layers, an adjusted Mg-doping profile, and a shallower acceptor activation energy in InGaN. The optimized superlattice design leads to an improvement of more than eleven orders of magnitude in σV compared to typical superlattices while maintaining a value for σL that is better than that of bulk p-InGaN. Both σV and σL are found to improve at higher temperatures in the optimized structure.
Digital Transformation and Within-Firm Pay Gap: Evidence from China

ABSTRACT This paper examines the effect of digital transformation on pay gap between executives and employees using a large panel of listed companies in China spanning 2013–2020. Baseline results show that digital transformation of enterprises can largely increase the pay gap. Mechanism tests show that the digital transformation of enterprises increases the income of executives and ordinary employees, and the income of executives is increasing faster than ordinary employees. Furthermore, employee’s skill level is an important influence mechanism of the effect of digital transformation on within pay gap. Heterogeneity analysis finds that this effect is more pronounced in firms with fierce industry competition, traditional firms, large firms, and firms with lower shareholdings of executives. Lastly, we find that the pay gap induced by digital transformation enhances corporate performance. Overall, this study complements the determinants of compensation structure from a new perspective of digital transformation.
Solving traveling salesman problems by combining global and local search mechanisms

In this paper an evolutionary algorithm for the traveling salesman problem is proposed. The key idea is to enhance the ability of exploration and exploitation by incorporating global search with local search. A new local search, called the neighbor-join (NJ) operator, is proposed to improve the solution quality of the edge assembly crossover (EAX) considered as a global search mechanism in this paper. Our method is applied to 15 well-known traveling salesman problems with numbers of cities ranging from 101 to 3038 cities. The experimental results indicate that the neighbor-join operator is very competitive with related operators surveyed in this paper. Incorporating the NJ into the EAX significantly outperforms the method incorporating 2-opt into the EAX for some hard problems. For each test instance the average value of solution quality stays within 0.03% from the optimum. For the notorious hard problem att532, it is able to find the optimum solution 23 times in 30 independent runs.
High Prevalence and Genetic Variability of Hepatozoon canis in Grey Wolf (Canis lupus L. 1758) Population in Serbia

Simple Summary There are a number of different animal species that can be infected by Hepatozoon canis, but the most common are domestic and wild carnivores. This study presents the first results of the occurrence, distribution, and diversity of H. canis in Serbia and contributes to the limited knowledge regarding the role of grey wolves in the enzootic cycles of this pathogen. Based on a comparison with previously published data, we found a higher prevalence and higher genetic diversity of H. canis. The obtained results showed an overall high prevalence of the pathogen, with 57.94% of tested animals positive for H. canis, while genetic analysis of a sequenced fragment of the 18S ssrRNA gene showed variability at five positions leading to five sequence types present in grey wolves, where only two were previously known of. In addition to the known patterns of transmission of this pathogen, through tick ingestion during grooming or the transplacental route, the high diversity of H. canis in Serbia could be explained by the diet of grey wolves in this area. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism of transmission, the potential source of infection, and the impact of this pathogen on wild carnivores. Abstract Wild canids are globally recognised as hosts and reservoirs of a large number of ecto- and endoparasites. Data that reveal the importance of the grey wolf (Canis lupus L.1758) in the spread of hepatozoonosis are very scarce. There are a large number of different potential host species that can be infected by Hepatozoon canis, but the most common are domestic and wild carnivores, such as dogs, jackals, foxes, and wolves. In this study, the epidemiological significance of the grey wolf as a host for the pathogen was analysed for the first time in Serbia, as well as the genetic variability of H. canis. The presence of H. canis in wolf spleens has been demonstrated using molecular methods. A total of 107 wolf spleen samples from 30 localities in Serbia were analysed. The presence of H. canis was confirmed in 62 (57.94%) individuals from 26 out of 30 localities. According to the analysis, the sampled H. canis sequences were found to be characterised by a certain heterogeneity. Based on five mutated nucleotide sites in the sequences, H. canis could be divided into five sequence types, S1 to S5. The five sequence types can potentially circulate in grey wolf populations as well as among other domestic and wild canids. This study is the first confirmation of the presence of H. canis in grey wolf populations in Serbia. Considering that the role of this vector-borne disease is poorly researched in wild carnivores, it is very important to indicate the role of this species in the circulation of this pathogen in natural ecosystems.
A Comparative Study of Three Approaches to Fibre’s Surface Functionalization

Polyester-based scaffolds are of research interest for the regeneration of a wide spectrum of tissues. However, there is a need to improve scaffold wettability and introduce bioactivity. Surface modification is a widely studied approach for improving scaffold performance and maintaining appropriate bulk properties. In this study, three methods to functionalize the surface of the poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) PLCL fibres using gelatin immobilisation were compared. Hydrolysis, oxygen plasma treatment, and aminolysis were chosen as activation methods to introduce carboxyl (-COOH) and amino (-NH2) functional groups on the surface before gelatin immobilisation. To covalently attach the gelatin, carbodiimide coupling was chosen for hydrolysed and plasma-treated materials, and glutaraldehyde crosslinking was used in the case of the aminolysed samples. Materials after physical entrapment of gelatin and immobilisation using carbodiimide coupling without previous activation were prepared as controls. The difference in gelatin amount on the surface, impact on the fibres morphology, molecular weight, and mechanical properties were observed depending on the type of modification and applied parameters of activation. It was shown that hydrolysis influences the surface of the material the most, whereas plasma treatment and aminolysis have an effect on the whole volume of the material. Despite this difference, bulk mechanical properties were affected for all the approaches. All materials were completely hydrophilic after functionalization. Cytotoxicity was not recognized for any of the samples. Gelatin immobilisation resulted in improved L929 cell morphology with the best effect for samples activated with hydrolysis and plasma treatment. Our study indicates that the use of any surface activation method should be limited to the lowest concentration/reaction time that enables subsequent satisfactory functionalization and the decision should be based on a specific function that the final scaffold material has to perform.
The role of clouds in the radiative balance of the atmosphere and their effects on climate

Recent measurements of the reflection (back-scattering), transmission and absorption of solar radiation and also the emission and absorption of terrestrial infrared radiation by liquid-water and ice-crystal clouds are reviewed. The measurements are made by a suite of radiometers on board the Meteorological Office flying laboratory operating at visible, infrared and microwave wavelengths. Values of radiative properties such as cloud reflectance/albedo transmittance, absorptance and optical depth derived from these measurements are compared with corresponding theoretical and model computations. The radiometric measurements are interpreted in terms of simultaneous measurements of cloud height, thickness, temperature, the liquid-water and ice contents of the cloud, the concentration, size and shape of the cloud droplets and ice crystals. The limitations and uncertainties of the radiometric and microphysical measurements, and the deficiencies of the models are described. The effects of clouds on the Earth's radiation budget, and hence on the global climate, are discussed, together with their influence on model predictions of global warming attributed to emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO 2 and methane.
On the Number of Points of Some Hypersurfaces in Fnq

For generalized Reed-Muller codes, whenqis large enough, we give the second codeword weight, that is, the weight which is just above the minimal distance, and we also list all the codewords which reach this weight. To do this we have to study the number of points of some hypersurfaces and some arrangements of hyperplanes. We also present some properties of the Mobius function of these arrangements.
Surface layer activation technique for monitoring and in situ wear measurement of turbine components

Surface layer activation (SLA) is an advanced radionuclide approach for monitoring and measuring material loss due to wear, erosion, and corrosion. In this technique, a minute quantity of radionuclides is induced on the surface of the wearing part. The part is then installed in its normal position or in a test configuration. The gamma ray intensity of this material is monitored externally, in situ, and on-line while the system is functioning under normal operating conditions. The decrease in gamma ray intensity after correction for natural decay halflife results in a direct measure of the wear. The detection system can easily measure a 1% decrease in activity. For a depth of activity of 10 fun, this results in a sensitivity of 0.1 fim or about 10 /ig/cm weight loss. Three recent applications of the SLA technique, two in turbine engines and one in materials testing which is applicable to turbine engines, are presented.
Embedding neurophysiological signals

Neurophysiological time-series recordings of brain activity like the electroencephalogram (EEG) or local field potentials can be decoded by machine learning models in order to either control an application, e.g., for communication or rehabilitation after stroke, or to passively monitor the ongoing brain state of the subject, e.g., in a demanding work environment. A typical decoding challenge faced by a brain-computer interface (BCI) is the small dataset size compared to other domains of machine learning like computer vision or natural language processing. The possibilities to tackle classification or regression problems in BCI are to either train a regular model on the available small training data sets or through transfer learning, which utilizes data from other sessions, subjects, or even datasets to train a model. Transfer learning is non-trivial because of the non-stationary of EEG signals between subjects but also within subjects. This variability calls for explicit calibration phases at the start of every session, before BCI applications can be used online. In this study, we present arguments to BCI researchers to encourage the use of embeddings for EEG decoding. In particular, we introduce a simple domain adaptation technique involving both deep learning (when learning the embeddings from the source data) and classical machine learning (for fast calibration on the target data). This technique allows us to learn embeddings across subjects, which deliver a generalized data representation. These can then be fed into subject-specific classifiers in order to minimize their need for calibration data. We conducted offline experiments on the 14 subjects of the High Gamma EEG-BCI Dataset [1]. Embedding functions were obtained by training EEGNet [2] using a leave-one-subject-out (LOSO) protocol, and the embedding vectors were classified by the logistic regression algorithm. Our pipeline was compared to two baseline approaches: EEGNet without subject-specific calibration and the standard FBCSP pipeline in a within-subject training. We observed that the representations learned by the embedding functions were indeed non-stationary across subjects, justifying the need for an additional subject-specific calibration. We also observed that the subject-specific calibration indeed improved the score. Finally, our data suggest, that building upon embeddings requires fewer individual calibration data than the FBCSP baseline to reach satisfactory scores.
Effects of viscosity ratio and three dimensional positioning on hydrodynamic interactions between two viscous drops in a shear flow at finite inertia

Drops driven toward each other by shear at finite inertia follow two distinct types of trajectories. Type I trajectory is similar to the one in Stokes flow where drops slide past each other. However, at finite inertia, drops display a new type II trajectory, where they reverse their paths. Increasing viscosity ratio results in a transition from type II to type I trajectory. The transition is caused by decreased drop deformation and increased alignment with the flow at higher drop viscosity; both decrease the zone of reversed streamlines that accompanies a drop at finite inertia. The transition is delineated in a phase diagram of Reynolds number and viscosity ratio for different capillary numbers. The critical viscosity ratio, where a type II transitions into type I, increases with Reynolds number except at higher capillary numbers, where the critical viscosity ratio shows a slight nonmonotonic variation with Reynolds number. Also, it is nonmonotonic with capillary numbers in that for a fixed Reynolds numb.
Systematic effects in lens inversions - Aleph(1) exact models for 0957 + 561

Due to the careful study of its VLBI structures, the gravitational lens 0957+561 is the most accurately characterized of the lens candidates. Nonetheless, the observational data supplies only five firm constraints, compared to a minimum of nine free parameters in simple models for the lens using an elliptical galaxy and an elliptical cluster both with fixed radial structure. This paper examines the systematic variations between models for the lens potential that satisfy the constraints exactly.
Advances in Cellular Reprogramming-Based Approaches for Heart Regenerative Repair

Continuous loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs) is one of the fundamental characteristics of many heart diseases, which eventually can lead to heart failure. Due to the limited proliferation ability of human adult CMs, treatment efficacy has been limited in terms of fully repairing damaged hearts. It has been shown that cell lineage conversion can be achieved by using cell reprogramming approaches, including human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), providing a promising therapeutic for regenerative heart medicine. Recent studies using advanced cellular reprogramming-based techniques have also contributed some new strategies for regenerative heart repair. In this review, hiPSC-derived cell therapeutic methods are introduced, and the clinical setting challenges (maturation, engraftment, immune response, scalability, and tumorigenicity), with potential solutions, are discussed. Inspired by the iPSC reprogramming, the approaches of direct cell lineage conversion are merging, such as induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (iCMs) and induced cardiac progenitor cells (iCPCs) derived from fibroblasts, without induction of pluripotency. The studies of cellular and molecular pathways also reveal that epigenetic resetting is the essential mechanism of reprogramming and lineage conversion. Therefore, CRISPR techniques that can be repurposed for genomic or epigenetic editing become attractive approaches for cellular reprogramming. In addition, viral and non-viral delivery strategies that are utilized to achieve CM reprogramming will be introduced, and the therapeutic effects of iCMs or iCPCs on myocardial infarction will be compared. After the improvement of reprogramming efficiency by developing new techniques, reprogrammed iCPCs or iCMs will provide an alternative to hiPSC-based approaches for regenerative heart therapies, heart disease modeling, and new drug screening.
Properties of an Interconnected Porous Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 Ceramic

A Pb(Zr, Ti)O3+0.5 Nb2O5 ceramic composite transducer exhibiting 3–3 connectivity was prepared by conventional powder methods. The dielectric, elastic and piezoelectric properties were measured. It exhibits a large piezoelectric voltage output coefficient (g-constant) of 130×10-3 V·m/N. Utilizing the new material, hydrophone sensitivity was increased to nearly four times that of normal Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 ceramics.