Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progress on the application of ELM control schemes to ITER scenarios from the non-active phase to DT operation

Progress in the definition of the requirements for edge localized mode (ELM) control and the application of ELM control methods both for high fusion performance DT operation and non-active low-current operation in ITER is described. Evaluation of the power fluxes for low plasma current H-modes in ITER shows that uncontrolled ELMs will not lead to damage to the tungsten (W) divertor target, unlike for high-current H-modes in which divertor damage by uncontrolled ELMs is expected. Despite the lack of divertor damage at lower currents, ELM control is found to be required in ITER under these conditions to prevent an excessive contamination of the plasma by W, which could eventually lead to an increased disruptivity. Modelling with the non-linear MHD code JOREK of the physics processes determining the flow of energy from the confined plasma onto the plasma-facing components during ELMs at the ITER scale shows that the relative contribution of conductive and convective losses is intrinsically linked to the magnitude of the ELM energy loss. Modelling of the triggering of ELMs by pellet injection for DIII-D and ITER has identified the minimum pellet size required to trigger ELMs and, from this, the required fuel throughput for the application of this technique to ITER is evaluated and shown to be compatible with the installed fuelling and tritium re-processing capabilities in ITER. The evaluation of the capabilities of the ELM control coil system in ITER for ELM suppression is carried out (in the vacuum approximation) and found to have a factor of ∼2 margin in terms of coil current to achieve its design criterion, although such a margin could be substantially reduced when plasma shielding effects are taken into account. The consequences for the spatial distribution of the power fluxes at the divertor of ELM control by three-dimensional (3D) fields are evaluated and found to lead to substantial toroidal asymmetries in zones of the divertor target away from the separatrix. Therefore, specifications for the rotation of the 3D perturbation applied for ELM control in order to avoid excessive localized erosion of the ITER divertor target are derived. It is shown that a rotation frequency in excess of 1 Hz for the whole toroidally asymmetric divertor power flux pattern is required (corresponding to n Hz frequency in the variation of currents in the coils, where n is the toroidal symmetry of the perturbation applied) in order to avoid unacceptable thermal cycling of the divertor target for the highest power fluxes and worst toroidal power flux asymmetries expected. The possible use of the in-vessel vertical stability coils for ELM control as a back-up to the main ELM control systems in ITER is described and the feasibility of its application to control ELMs in low plasma current H-modes, foreseen for initial ITER operation, is evaluated and found to be viable for plasma currents up to 5–10 MA depending on modelling assumptions.
Enhancing Tanzania ’ s Export Performance through Effective Export Promotion and Support Services

Enhancing Tanzania’s Export Performance through Effective Export Promotion and Support Services An increasing globalization of world markets has resulted in the need for countries to participate in global trade. While many countries in the developing world have successfully been able penetrate in the global market and able to enhance their export performance, Tanzania, like other LDCs has failed to do so. Despite several initiatives taken by the Government to redress this situation there has been trends of stagnation and decline of export performance leading to a negative balance of payment. Existence of an ineffective export promotion programs and inefficient export support services explain this daunting problem. While no studies that have been conducted to investigate the roles of export support and promotion services and their impact on export development. In this study, qualitative and desk research methods were used in exploring the factors affecting performance of the institutional framework for export development. By using the data collected from the field, the study identified the gaps that existed among institutions involved in supporting development of export. Assessment on the effectiveness of the export promotion and support services was made basing on the opinion gathered from users of the services. The paper is based on the research made to 20 manufacturing firms, involving exporters and nonexporters.
Does Enhancing of the Competitiveness Influence on Foreign Direct Investments in Western Balkan Countries

Foreign direct investments present a valuable source of national competitiveness as they have attributes of capital flows provide knowledge and technology transfer from one country to target country. In this paper are used variables defined by World Economic Forum which construct Global Competitiveness Index for assessing competitiveness of the country. The purpose of the research is to examine does the national competitiveness increase enhance the level of FDI flows in transition Western Balkan economies that are not yet full members of European Union. The findings claim that larger increase in FDI per capita stocks in majority analyzed countries would have if making infrastructure more competitiveness, accelerate their technological readiness and improve innovation while certain countries should work on health and primary education and higher education and training. According to the results, there is no correlation between FDI flows and macroeconomic environment, institutions, development of financial markets, good market efficiency, labor market efficiency and business sophistication. Applying benchmark method, it is established the most competitive WB country as benchmark value for other transition countries in its neighborhood for enhancing their competitiveness, specially in the regional market. Also, it is obtained what if analysis to detect potential rise of FDI per capita stocks as a consequence of potential changes in some competitiveness variables. It is also calculated the potential increase in FDI/capita due to similar changes in different competitiveness variables.
Assessing the role of adhesives in durability of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) by fracture mechanics

Abstract This study explored the suitability of fracture toughness properties for durability assessment of wood composite panels by observing changes in fracture toughness during crack propagation following cyclic exposure to moisture conditions. The main objective was to develop a new method for ranking the role of adhesives in the durability of wood-based composites. This new approach was compared to conventional mechanical performance tests, such as observing strength and stiffness loss after exposure. Comparing changes in fracture toughness as a function of crack length after moisture cycling shows that this approach can distinguish different adhesive systems on the basis of their durability, while conventional tests fail in this regard. The most and least durable adhesives (polyvinyl acetate and phenol formaldehyde) could be distinguished based on steady-state toughness alone, but this was not the case for the performance of two other adhesives (emulsion polymer isocyanate and phenol resorcinol formaldehyde). Further analysis of experimental R curves (toughness as a function of crack length) based on kinetics of degradation was able to rank all adhesives confidently. Probably, the failure of conventional tests in this context is that they are based on initiation of failure, while the fracture tests require consideration of fracture properties after a significant amount of crack propagation has occurred.
The Association of Gastritis and Peptic Ulcer With Polymorphisms in the Inflammatory-related Genes IL-4 and IL-10 in Iranian Population

Background & objective: The current study aimed at assessing the relationship between gastritis and peptic ulcer susceptibility and inflammation-related gene polymorphisms in Iranian patients.Gastritis and peptic ulcer are common medical complications with serious outcomes on the quality of life. Inflammatory responses of gastric mucosa are associated with helicobacter pylori, but most infected patients remain asymptomatic. There is strong evidence that inflammatory response is a major part of its etiology. Methods: The current case-control study aimed atexamining genetic polymorphisms in inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-10 using polymerase chain reaction-variable number tandem reaped (PCR-VNTR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP) methods, respectively in 603 genotyped patients admitted to Mohammadi Hospital in Bandar Abbas, Iran(198 patients with gastritis, 84 with peptic ulcer, and 321 patients as controls). Results: No significant associations were detected in genotype and allele frequencies of IL-10 and IL-4 between the case (with gastritis and peptic ulcer) and control groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results of the analyses suggested that these polymorphisms may not predispose the carriers to gastritis and peptic ulcer development.
Analyzing aggregate real exchange rate persistence through the lens of sectoral data

In this paper we analyze the persistence of aggregate real exchange rates (RERs) for a group of EU-15 countries by using sectoral data. The tight relation between aggregate and sectoral persistence recently investigated by Mayoral (2008) allows us to decompose aggregate RER persistence into the persistence of its different subcomponents. We show that the distribution of sectoral persistence is highly heterogeneous and very skewed to the right, and that a limited number of sectors are responsible for the high levels of persistence observed at the aggregate level. We use quantile regression to investigate whether the traditional theories proposed to account for the slow reversion to parity (lack of arbitrage due to nontradibilities or imperfect competition and price stickiness) are able to explain the behavior of the upper quantiles of sectoral persistence. We conclude that pricing to market in the intermediate goods sector together with price stickiness have more explanatory power than variables related to the tradability of the goods or their inputs. K : PPP puzzle, real exchange rates, persistence, heterogeneous dynamics, aggregation bias, nontradability, imperfect competition, pricing-to-market.
Process Contributions to Secondary Inorganic Aerosols during Typical Pollution Episodes over the Pearl River Delta Region, China

The Integrated Process Rate (IPR) analysis embedded in CAMx model was used to quantify contributions from different atmospheric processes to the formations and accumulations of ambient PM_(2.5) and the secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) during two typical particulate pollution episodes in different seasons in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Process analysis results indicated that primary fine particle emissions were the major sources of high ambient PM_(2.5) in urban areas with intensive anthropogenic activities. Aerosol process and advection transport were another two major processes contributing to the increasing PM_(2.5) and SIA over the PRD region. Regarding formation of SIA species, elevations of nitrate and ammonium at Guangzhou (urban), Heshan (rural) and Panyu (suburban) sites were largely associated with aerosol process, while those at Huizhou (urban) site were dominated by advection process, but elevated sulfate concentrations at these four sites were all dominated by advection process. The difference can be attributed to spatial variations of SO_2, NO_x and NH_3 emissions, site locations and meteorological conditions. Advection, aerosol chemistry, deposition and vertical diffusion were important pathways to remove SIA at these four sites. Within the hours with most growing PM_(2.5) concentrations, aerosol process was the most important contributor to the formation of new SIA throughout the entire planetary boundary layer.
Geospatial Analysis of Water Resources for Sustainable Agricultural Water Use in Slovenia

Global population growth has greatly increased food demand. This, in turn, has intensified agricultural production, already the biggest consumer of water in the world [1]. Development of irrigation techniques has contributed to the global food production [2]. However, climate change simulations predict repeated droughts and deteriorating crop production, illustrating the critical need for sustainable irrigation [3]. Thus, a proactive water management strategy is a priority of any government in the world.
Electric Oscillations Generated by Plant Roots and a Possible Feedback Mechanism Responsible for Them

An account is given of rhythmic variations which have been observed in the electric field generated by bean roots growing in water. These electric oscillations which have periods of about 5 min have been studied using apparatus which records automatically at frequent intervals the potential pattern near the root. A description is given of this apparatus and of a very sensitive instrument for recording the rate of elongation of the root.
Stochastic Approximation Methods for Systems Over an InfiniteHorizon

The paper develops efficient and general stochastic approximation (SA) methods for improving the operation of parametrized systems of either the continuous- or discrete-event dynamical systems types and which are of interest over a long time period. For example, one might wish to optimize or improve the stationary (or average cost per unit time) performance by adjusting the systems parameters. The number of applications and the associated literature are increasing at a rapid rate. This is partly due to the increasing activity in computing pathwise derivatives and adapting them to the average-cost problem. Although the original motivation and the examples come from an interest in the infinite-horizon problem, the techniques and results are of general applicability in SA. We present an updating and review of powerful ordinary differential equation--type methods, in a fairly general context, and based on weak convergence ideas. The results and proof techniques are applicable to a wide variety of applications. Exploiting the full potential of these ideas can greatly simplify and extend much current work. Their breadth as well as the relative ease of using the basic ideas are illustrated in detail via typical examples drawn from discrete-event dynamical systems, piecewise deterministic dynamical systems, and a stochastic differential equations model. In these particular illustrations, we use either infinitesimal perturbation analysis--type estimators, mean square derivative-type estimators, or finite-difference type estimators. Markov and non-Markov models are discussed. The algorithms for distributed/asynchronous updating as well as the fully synchronous schemes are developed.
Modelling juvenile-mature wood transition in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) using nonlinear mixed-effects models

Des modeles mixtes non lineaires ont ete utilises avec succes afin d'estimer l'âge (compte depuis la moelle) du passage bois juvenile-bois adulte pour des pins sylvestres provenant de peuplements a croissance lente. Jusqu'a present, des modeles de regression segmentes etaient ajustes individuellement a chaque profil de densite du bois de la moelle a l'ecorce. Le modele mixte non lineaire permet de depasser cette limitation en estimant de maniere efficace et coherente l'âge du point de passage pour l'ensemble de la population echantillonnee. En outre, des variances peuvent etre estimees et les impacts des peuplements et des caracteristiques des arbres sur la forme des profils de densite du bois de la moelle a l'ecorce peuvent etre testes. A cette fin, les profils de densite moyenne de cerne, de densite du bois initial et de densite du bois final de 99 arbres ont ete mesures par exploration microdensitometrique de cliches radiographiques obtenus a partir d'echantillons preleves dans des disques decoupes a 4 metres de hauteur. L'âge compte depuis la moelle du passage bois juvenile-bois adulte a ete identifie a partir de modeles mixtes non lineaires appliques aux profils de densite du bois final. La nature longitudinale des donnees a ete prise en compte. Le modele segmente lineaire quadratique retenu permet d'identifier un âge moyen de passage du bois juvenile au bois adulte de 21,77 ans assorti d'un intervalle de confiance a 5 % de 18,31 a 26,85 ans. Si les impacts des variables caracteristiques des arbres et peuplement sur l'âge de passage bois juvenile-bois adulte n'ont pas ete identifies comme significatifs, le peuplement est apparu avoir un effet sur la forme des courbes d'evolution de la moelle a l'ecorce du caractere considere.
Student Performance Prediction using Machine Learning

- In this paper, a model is proposed to predict the performance of students in an academic organization. The algorithm employed is a machine learning technique called Neural Networks. Further, the importance of several different attributes, or "features" is considered, in order to determine which of these are correlated with student performance. Finally, the results of an experiment follow, showcasing the power of machine learning in such an application.
Dementia caregivers and technology acceptance: Interest outstrips awareness

Issue The demographic aging boom has drastically increased the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or dementia in the United States, which in turn means a greater demand for family caregivers. The disease’s toll weighs heavily on caregivers and their loved ones, and the strains continue to grow as the disease progresses. New technologies include tools that may ease the care burden or address other unmet needs. Despite the potential for these technologies, however, they are not widely used. Many previous studies examining technology use among caregivers have focused primarily on one factor - acceptance - as a dichotomous variable. Method This research addresses a more complex reality and explores caregivers’ awareness of existing technologies and perceptions of emerging technologies to understand acceptance, drawing on 34 in-depth interviews with caregivers. Results & Discussion The results indicate that caregiver awareness of many newer existing technologies was relatively low, but that they did have interest in using emerging technologies to support with care. Interest in these newer technologies was strongly correlated with caregivers’ perceptions of the usefulness of these technologies. The results point to the need for better communication to caregivers about the technologies that exist to assist with care and, in particular, how these technologies may be beneficial. This may be especially critical because some technologies are more likely to be useful to caregivers at different stages of the disease. Early information and education about available technologies may be essential in helping caregivers to plan and prepare to adopt new technologies as they need them.
Quadratic differential equations in ℤ₂-graded algebras

Quadratic differential equations whose associated algebra has an automorphism of order two are studied. Under hypotheses that naturally generalize the cases where the even or odd part of the algebra is one dimensional, the following are examined: structure theory of the associated algebra (ideal structure, simplicity, solvability, and nilpotence), derivations and first integrals, trajectories given by derivations, and Floquet decompositions.
Raynaud’s phenomenon — the clinical picture, treatment and diagnostics

Raynaud’s phenomenon is the triphasic phenomenon which consists of sudden paling of distal parts of the body with the following cyanosis and occurance of erythema in the third stage. This phenomenon is a result of peripheral microcirculation disorder and usually appears after exposure to cold. If the RP is a primary, idiopathic (not associated with other diseases) then the other name for this condition is Raynaud’s disease (80% of RP cases). If the RP is secondary to other medical conditions such as connective tissue disorders, arterial alterations etc., then Raynaud’s syndrome is diagnosed and that is why further diagnostics is required in every case of RP.
Sacrifice Ratios and the Conduct of Monetary Policy in Conditions of Low Inflation

The focus of monetary policy has shifted markedly over the past 15 years away from attempts to fine tune the economy towards the longer-run goal of attaining price stability and creating the necessary conditions for sustainable economic growth. In an attempt to minimise the costs of such a transition, central banks have become more independent and monetary policy more transparent, changes intended to increase the credibility of monetary policy and to reduce short-run sacrifice ratios. However, concerns have been expressed that an environment of price stability and independent central banks may instead lead to higher sacrifice ratios and, perhaps, even higher rates of structural unemployment, because of the increased importance of nominal and real rigidities at low rates of inflation.
A Needs-Based Rheumatologist Education Program on Treating to Target in Psoriatic Arthritis and Spondyloarthropathy: Insights and Challenges

Objectives: To determine if comparative practice data and education for rheumatologists would change physician behavior for monitoring and treating psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). Methods: Participating rheumatologists each performed a chart audit on 20 patients with PsA and SpA. Accredited education (determined by a survey and chart audits) and results of chart audits (comparing to other rheumatologists) were provided for each participant (intervention). Eight months later, a repeat chart audit by each participant was conducted on another 20 PsA and SpA patients. Changes in measurements collected, treatment given and patient characteristics pre and post intervention were analyzed. Results: Nine rheumatologists received the intervention. At baseline, most routinely monitored PsA and SpA for clinical and laboratory markers. In PsA, there was no change post-intervention in performing SJC (96%), TJC (≥91%), ESR (≥70%), CRP (≥73%), and CDAI (25%). In SpA, there were increased measurements of inflammatory markers (54% pre vs. 61% post for CRP), more NSAID use and decreased physical exam measures and HAQ but no significant changes. There were no major treatment differences pre and post intervention including NSAIDs, DMARDs and biologics. Conclusions: The rheumatologists frequently performed measurements of disease activity, did not change significantly with educational intervention so there may have been little room for improvement and many patients were already in a low disease state. Calculation of composite scores did not increase in PsA. The validity of physical exam and BASDAI as a measurement of disease activity were noted as concerns in applying a treat-to-target approach in SpA. Significance and Innovation: This study did not show a significant change in behavior for rheumatologists who had education based on care gaps and needs assessment in psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthropathy. The rheumatologists identified that disease activity is difficult to determine with usual care in SpA and thought some measures lacked validity.