Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A first-principle study of the adsorption behavior of NO gas molecules on pristine and Al-doped penta-graphene

Penta-graphene (PG) has a large ratio of surface to volume and an intrinsic quasi-direct band gap that may benefit for the application of semiconductor sensors. In order to investigate the adsorption behavior of nitric oxide (NO) molecule on the surface of PG, in this study, the adsorption energy, charge transfer and adsorption distance of NO at different locations of pristine and Al-doped PG are investigated by the means of first principle calculations. Results show that the orientation of NO gas molecule has obvious influence on the adsorption behavior in some way. Compared with the pristine PG system, the Al-doped PG system has much higher adsorption energy and shorter adsorption distance. Moreover, the simulation result of total electron density of NO gas on Al-doped PG shows that chemical bonds may exist in the process of NO molecular adsorption, while NO molecule is physically adsorbed on the pristine PG. Furthermore, the result of density of states (DOS) shows that orbital hybridization could be formed between NO and Al-doped PG, indicating that the chemical adsorption occurs.
Economic Crisis and Elasticities of Car Fuels: Evidence for Spain

This paper provides an updated calculation of the price and income responsiveness of Spanish consumers of car fuels, with an explicit exploration of the effects of the current economic crisis. We examine separate gasoline and diesel demand models using a set of estimators, including generalized method of moments and bias-corrected dynamic fixed-effect models, on a panel of 16 Spanish regions over the 1999-2011 period. The paper confirms the persistence of rather low own-price elasticities both for diesel and gasoline and both in short and long runs. It also shows that the crisis has slightly increased the price elasticity of demand, with a higher effect on gasoline than on diesel. On the contrary, the crisis has hardly affected the income elasticity of car-fuel demand. These updated results are obviously relevant for the current Spanish debate on the design and implementation of energy, environmental, fiscal and distributional policies. Moreover, given the duration and extent of the Spanish economic crisis, our conclusions may be also interesting and useful from an international perspective.
The pharmacokinetics and safety of idelalisib in subjects with moderate or severe hepatic impairment

Idelalisib, a phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase delta (PI3Kδ) inhibitor, is metabolized primarily by aldehyde oxidase to form GS‐563117, an inactive metabolite, and is metabolized to a lesser extent by cytochrome P450 3A and uridine 5′‐diphospho‐glucuronosyltransferase 1A4. In a mass balance study, the orally administered idelalisib dose was recovered mainly in feces (∼78%). This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics and safety of a single 150‐mg dose of idelalisib in subjects with moderate or severe hepatic impairment and in age‐, sex‐, and weight‐matched, healthy controls. The idelalisib maximum observed plasma concentration was generally comparable in subjects with moderate or severe hepatic impairment versus healthy controls, whereas the mean area under the curve was higher (58% to 59%). GS‐563117 exposures were lower in impaired versus healthy control subjects, likely because of lower formation in the setting of liver impairment. Exploratory analyses indicated no relevant relationships between idelalisib or GS‐563117 plasma exposures and Child‐Pugh‐Turcotte scores. Single oral doses of idelalisib 150 mg were well tolerated, with most treatment‐emergent adverse events (AEs) and laboratory abnormalities being grades 1 or 2 in severity. As such, no dose adjustment was required when initiating idelalisib treatment in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment, although close monitoring for potential AEs is recommended.
Event-Trigger Strategy Design and Its Comparative Study for Dynamic State Estimation in Power Systems

The wide area measurement systems (WAMS) plays a critical part in power system reliability. Among all the WAMS applications, the dynamic state estimation (DSE) gathers all the data from the phasor measurement units (PMU) through the communication link so that the real-time wide area monitoring is facilitated at the application server to capture the dynamics of every generators. However, the DSE inevitably suffers from the communication link congestion and latency due to the explosive increase of grid size. To deal with this problem, this paper designs the event-trigger cubature Kalman filter (ETCKF) as an effective solution to get the communication burden relieved, by transmitting only the PMU measurements containing innovation. In order to provide the design-oriented strategy, various kinds of event-trigger strategies are evaluated in view of the estimation performance under the same communication rate. Finally, the standard IEEE 39-bus system is under test to verify the feasibility of ETCKF and the performance of various strategies.
Rahnuma: hypergraph-based tool for metabolic pathway prediction and network comparison

SUMMARY We present a tool called Rahnuma for prediction and analysis of metabolic pathways and comparison of metabolic networks. Rahnuma represents metabolic networks as hypergraphs and computes all possible pathways between two or more metabolites. It provides an intuitive way to answer biological ques- tions focusing on differences between organisms or the evolution of different species by allowing pathway-based metabolic network comparisons at an organism as well as at a phylogenetic level. AVAILABILITY Rahnuma is available online at http://portal.stats. ox.ac. uk:8080/rahnuma/.
Design and evaluation of a wireless power transfer system with road embedded transmitter coils for dynamic charging of electric vehicles

The cruising range of an electric vehicle (EV) can be greatly extended by a dynamic wireless charging system because the battery can be charged while the vehicle is moving. However, the investment in infrastructure can be enormous and has to be reduced to implement the system. This paper presents the design of a wireless power transfer system with road embedded transmitter coils to facilitate dynamic charging of EVs. A 30 cm by 1.6 m transmitter coil, which is relatively long compared with the 40-cm-diameter circular receiver coil, has been designed to reduce the cost of the transmitter circuit. A prototype transmitter coil has been embedded into a road for evaluation of its characteristics. The measured coupling coefficient of the transmitter and receiver coils is as small as 0.09 because of the asymmetry between the coils. Compensation circuits for the transmitter and receiver coils have been designed and optimized for such a small coupling coefficient condition. The designed dynamic charging system can transfer more than 1 kW of electric power with more than 90% efficiency. Five transmitter circuits have been embedded into a road surface for testing. Cement asphalt mortar was used to construct the road surface in this study to avoid damaging the transmitter coils by high temperature and high pressure during the construction work. The designed receiver circuit has been installed on a compact 2-seater EV. A demonstration was conducted to show that the retrofitted EV can successfully receive electric power transferred from the road.
Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Enteritidis on currency.

The fate of foodborne pathogens Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Enteritidis on coin surfaces was determined at room temperature (25 degrees C). A five-strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 or Salmonella Enteritidis of approximately 5 x 10(4) CFU was applied to the surfaces of sterile U.S. coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters) and to the surfaces of two control substrata (Teflon and glass coverslips). During storage at room temperature, E. coli O157:H7 survived for 7, 9, and 11 days on the surfaces of pennies, nickels, and dimes and quarters, respectively. However, the pathogen died off within 4 to 7 days on both the Teflon and glass surfaces. Salmonella Enteritidis survived for 1, 2, 4, and 9 days on the surfaces of pennies, nickels, quarters, and dimes, respectively. Unlike E. coli O157:H7, survival of Salmonella Enteritidis was greatest on both Teflon and glass coverslips, with more than 100 cells per substratum detected at the 17th day of storage. Results indicate that coins could serve as potential vehicles for transmitting both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Enteritidis.
Assessing the Effect of Public Subsidies on Firm R&D Investment: A Survey

This survey examines the empirical literature on the relationship between public R&D subsidies and private R&D investment over the past five decades. The survey reveals a considerable heterogeneity of empirical results that cannot be explained fully by methodological issues. We aim to provide further explanations of the possible causes of that heterogeneity. In particular, we emphasise a set of issues that, in our view, are critical to understanding the potential effect of public R&D subsidies on private R&D spending. Special attention is paid to the dynamic aspects and composition of firm R&D, the constraints faced by the firm (such as financial constraints), and the amount and source of public subsidies. None of these issues have been investigated in depth. We formulate a set of research assumptions to guide future empirical research in this field.
Averaging Across Asset Allocation Models

Summary Combination of asset allocation models is rewarding if (i) the applied risk function is concave and (ii) there is no dominating model. We show that most common risk functions are either concave or at least concave in common applications. In a comprehensive empirical study using standard asset allocation models we find that there is no constantly dominating model. The ranking of the models depends on the data set, the risk function and even changes over time. We find that a simple average of all asset allocation models can outperform each individual model. Our contribution is twofold. We present a theory why the combined model is expected to dominate most individual models. In a comprehensive empirical study we show that model combinations perform exceptionally well in asset allocation.
The role of adipokines in developmental programming: evidence from animal models

Alterations in the environment during critical periods of development, including altered maternal nutrition, can increase the risk for the development of a range of metabolic, cardiovascular and reproductive disorders in offspring in adult life. Following the original epidemiological observations of David Barker that linked perturbed fetal growth to adult disease, a wide range of experimental animal models have provided empirical support for the developmental programming hypothesis. Although the mechanisms remain poorly defined, adipose tissue has been highlighted as playing a key role in the development of many disorders that manifest in later life. In particular, adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin, primarily secreted by adipose tissue, have now been shown to be important mediators of processes underpinning several phenotypic features associated with developmental programming including obesity, insulin sensitivity and reproductive disorders. Moreover, manipulation of adipokines in early life has provided for potential strategies to ameliorate or reverse the adverse sequalae that are associated with aberrant programming and provided insight into some of the mechanisms involved in the development of chronic disease across the lifecourse.
Immunophenotypic characterization of myelomonocytic cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

Summary. Infections, an important determinating factor in the clinical course of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), result in activation of myelomonocytic cells. In this study we demonstrate activation‐associated immunophenotypic changes of cell surface antigens on monocytes and granulocytes observed in two groups of MDS patients, one with low and another one with high clinical risk, and compared them to healthy individuals. Significantly changed expression of the complement receptors 1 (CD35) and 3 (CD11b), the Fcγ receptor I (CD64), the leucocyte‐homing receptor (CD44) and the activation associated membrane proteins CD67 and M5 were found on monocytes and/or granulocytes of MDS patients. In low‐risk MDS patients we observed activation‐associated phenotypic changes only in monocytes, whereas in high‐risk MDS patients, both monocytes and granulocytes showed such changes. Additionally, we performed respiratory burst experiments and observed an impaired response of monocytes and granulocytes derived from MDS patients. Despite the fact that all patients were free of infection by clinical criteria, cell surface phenotyping as well as the reduced respiratory burst capacity of myelomonocytic cells suggests in vivo preactivation of these cells.
Backpack Use in Children

Purpose: This article describes backpack use and incidence of back pain in children. Methods: A convenience sample of 345 children, grades five through eight, served as subjects. A written questionnaire was developed to gather information on demographics, leisure activity level, bag type, locker use, students' perceptions of bag weight and comfort, and students' reports of history of back pain. Scales were provided for students to weigh themselves with and without backpacks. Results: Younger children carried proportionally greater backpack loads. Percentage of body weight by grade was as follows: fifth grade = 19%, sixth grade = 21 %, seventh grade = 14%, and eighth grade = 15% body weight. Fifty‐five percent of all subjects carried a load greater than 15% of their body weight, and one third of students reported a history of back pain. Percentage of body weight carried, however, was not significantly related to history of back pain. Conclusion: Concerns raised by parents and professionals that children are carrying heavy loads are justified; however, the relationship between heavy carrying load and back pain needs further elucidation. Recommendations for physical therapy, backpack safety, and injury prevention are provided. (Pediatr Phys Ther 2002;14:122‐131)
Post-bailout Ireland as the Poster Child for Austerity

nous, and the net stock of both foreign and domestic bonds hold by residents is B . Imports make up a fixed share m of income and the real exchange rate is fixed. Assuming a target wealth of W , and an autoregressive wealth accumulation process W = β W –1 + ɣ ( G + X ), where wealth accumulates according to a country’s export profile, we can define a stability condition in government expenditure and changes in government debt such that ΔB = 0. In the steady state, Godley and Rowthorn (1994) show that government expenditures evolve (relative to exports) according to:
Apoptotic Cell Death and Impairment of L-Type Voltage-Sensitive Calcium Channel Activity in Rat Cerebellar Granule Cells Treated with the Prion Protein Fragment 106–126

Prion diseases are neurodegenerative pathologies characterized by the accumulation, in the brain, of altered forms of the prion protein (PrP), named PrP(Sc). A synthetic peptide homologous to residues 106-126 of PrP (PrP106-126) was reported to maintain the neurodegenerative characteristics of PrP(Sc). We investigated the intracellular mechanisms involved in PrP106-126-dependent degeneration of primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons. Prolonged exposure of such neurons to PrP106-126 induced apoptotic cell death. The L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channel blocker nicardipine reproduced this effect, suggesting that blockade of Ca(2+) entry through this class of calcium channels may be responsible for the granule cell degeneration. Microfluorometric analysis showed that PrP106-126 caused a reduction in cytosolic calcium levels, elicited by depolarizing K(+) concentrations in these neurons. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated that PrP106-126 and nicardipine selectively reduce the L-type calcium channel current. These data demonstrate that PrP106-126 alters the activity of L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels in rat cerebellar granule cells and suggest that this phenomenon is related to the cell death induced by the peptide.
Efficient Control of a Piezoelectric Linear Actuator Embedded Into a Servo-Valve for Aeronautic Applications

Inside a direct-drive servo-valve (DDV), the motion of the spool controlling the direction of the hydraulic fluid flow is directly actuated by an electrical motor. Due to the small stroke needed, it is possible to use a linear amplified piezoelectric actuator directly connected to the spool. The aim of this paper is to investigate how to design the power and control electronics of a DDV based on a linear amplified piezoelectric actuator to take full advantage of such a motor. In particular, it will be shown that the voltage applied on the piezoelectric stacks may be successfully controlled by use of four-quadrant choppers with the benefits that the injected electrical charge stored in their capacity can be recovered. This leads to the low-consumption scheme presented which can be easily fed by a boost converter from the aircraft 28 Vdc.
Civil conflict and education: how does exposure to civil conflict affect human capital accumulation? Evidence from standardized exit exams in Colombia

The objective of this research is to better understand the relationship between civil conflict and the educational achievement of students who take part in the formal education system in Colombia through the use of econometric tools. The results suggest that it is possible that students who are facing difficulties associated to the internal armed conflict successfully continue with their studies, but they need a special follow up. Policy makers should work in the creation of new and better incentives to retain these students. More governmental resources should be spent in order to meet their special needs (i.e. psychological help, school supplies, special remedial tutorials) and supervise their academic progress at educational institutions.
Shear Wave Imaging of the heart using a cardiac phased array with coherent spatial compound

The concept of coherent compound for diverging waves is proposed to make Shear Wave Imaging at very high frame rate (up to 4000 images/sec) with a conventional cardiac phased array probe non invasively in a beating human heart. The first goal of this study was to demonstrate the improvement of the imaging performances based on spatial coherent compound with diverging wave. We show here that this technique allows tracking the shear waves with a good temporal resolution and a good signal to noise ratio which leads to a precise estimation of the local medium stiffness. The amelioration is quantified in gel and pig heart. Finally, the feasibility of this technique in vivo in a human heart is shown and shear wave velocity during diastole is estimated in the anterior wall of the left ventricle.
A Complex Least Squares Enhanced Smart DFT Technique for Power System Frequency Estimation

A complex-valued least-squares (CLS) framework is proposed in order to enhance the accuracy of the smart discrete Fourier transform (SDFT) algorithms for power system frequency estimation in the presence of noise and harmonic pollution. It is first established that the underlying time-series relationship among the consecutive DFT fundamental components employed by the original SDFT algorithms does not hold when noises or unexpected higher order harmonics are present, resulting in suboptimal estimation performances. To eliminate these adverse effects on the frequency estimation, the degree of the relationship breakdown is next quantified via a model mismatch error vector. The CLS technique is then employed to minimize the mean-square model deviation when the SDFT voltage modelling is suboptimal. The proposed CLS-enhanced SDFT (CLS-SDFT) methods are shown to be more accurate than the original ones in heavily noisy and harmonic-distorted environments, typical scenarios in online frequency estimation. The benefits of the SDFT framework are verified by simulations for various power system conditions, as well as for real-world measurements.
The Implicit Price of Aquatic Grasses

ABSTRACT Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay is well below half of its historic levels, largely due to excessive nutrient and sediment loads degrading water quality. SAV provides important ecosystem functions, many of which are beneficial to local residents. To understand the implicit value residents place on SAV and the ecosystem services it provides, we undertake a hedonic property value study using residential transactions in 11 Maryland counties adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay. These data are matched to highresolution maps of SAV coverage. We pose a quasi-experimental comparison and examine how the prices of homes near the waterfront vary with the presence of SAV. On average, waterfront and near-waterfront homes within 200 meters of the shore sell at about a 6.5% premium when SAV is present. Applying these estimates to the 185,000-acre SAV attainment goal suggests total property value gains on the order of $436 million. JEL Codes: Q51, Q53.
Video data and video links in mediated communication: what do users value?

Abstract Most studies of video-mediated, computer-supported cooperative work have investigated the impact of video conference communication links between users. Fewer studies have explored the use of multimedia systems which provide video data. In our study, the perceived benefits of these two sorts of video provision have been directly compared. We explored how users rate the value and usefulness of video links and video data in the same collaborative task, where the video links and data were delivered at different frame rates. Our comparisons of the perceived relative values of teledata and telepresence are based on the responses of 117 users each of whom took part in a session lasting around 45 min in one of the two simulations. Both studies manipulated the quality of multimedia delivery for telepresence and teledata in the same way. The simulations were: (i) the Travel Service Simulation where participants plan a holiday itinerary and (ii) the Financial Service Simulation where participants choose a property and arrange an appropriate mortgage. Participants produced very similar ratings for the perceived quality of the telepresence and the teledata. Subjects across both studies were also in broad agreement on the relative usefulness of the various kinds of multimedia data, teledata being regarded as generally more useful than telepresence. Subjects in both studies tended to rank teledata high in terms of (a) what was most useful, (b) what was the most important feature to preserve and (c) what was the most important to improve. For these multimedia customer services, teledata is more highly valued by users than telepresence. Within such complex multimedia applications, the indication for service delivery then is that, if bandwidth is limited, it would be better assigned to teledata services than to telepresence.