Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ZnO as a cheap and effective filler for high breakdown strength elastomers

Cheap, high-performance dielectric elastomers are in high demand from industry concerning new products based on dielectric elastomer transducers. However, formulating an elastomer that fulfils all the requirements for dielectric elastomers is difficult and, first and foremost, not cheap. In this article, we explore the use of a cheap and abundant metal oxide filler, namely ZnO, as a filler in silicone-based dielectric elastomers. The electro-mechanical properties of the elastomer composites are investigated, and their performance is evaluated by means of figures of merit. Various commercial silicone elastomers and a self-formulated silicone elastomer are utilised as elastomer matrices, the effects of which on the final properties of the elastomer composite are investigated.
Measurement of Benzene in Air by Iranian Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Background: Nanotechnology is a new approach that has been lionized in recent years. One of its applications is its consumption as an absorbent. In this study, the single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were used as an absorbent for sampling benzene in the air. Materials and Methods: For this study, SWCNTs manufactured by Iran and SKC’s activated charcoal were used for sampling benzene vapors. Preparation and analysis of the samples were done by carbon disulfide and GC-FID (gas chromatography-flame ionization detector), respectively Results: The results indicated that the performance of SWCNTs is less than conventional activated charcoal for sampling benzene vapors in the air Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the performance of SWCNTs in the sampling of benzene vapors in the air is very poor and, therefore, cannot be a good alternative to SKC’s activated charcoal.
Foraging efficiency and adjustment of energy expenditure in a pelagic seabird provisioning its chick

Summary 1. Foraging determines the intake of resources that are expended on fitness related activities, and allocation links foraging and life-history traits, but the extent to which individuals are able to adjust energy expenditure according to allocation decisions is still poorly studied. 2. To examine this, we studied for the first time the efficiency of foraging trips (defined as the ratio of energy gained over energy spent while foraging) in a pelagic seabird provisioning its chick by measuring simultaneously the energy flow to the chick, changes in adult body mass and foraging cost using doubly labelled water. The study was performed over two seasons. 3. Blue petrels ( Halobaena caerulea ) alternate between short foraging trips (average 1·9 days, range 1‐4 days) where they maximize food delivery to the chick but loose mass, and long foraging trips (7·3 days, 5‐10 days) where they increase in mass. They expend 1·5‐2·2 times more energy per unit of time during short trips (2561 kJ day − 1 kg − 1 , i.e. 3·2 times the resting metabolic rate) compared to long trips (1142‐1676 kJ day − 1 kg − 1 , i.e. 1·4‐2·1 the resting metabolic rate). 4. The currency during long trips is therefore to maximize efficiency, whereas during short trips the currency is to maximize rate of energy delivery to the chick. Maximum efficiency peaks for 6-day trips, i.e. when adult mass gain is highest, foraging costs are lowest and efficiency was extremely low during short trips. A duration of 6 days is therefore the optimal duration of long foraging trips but trips of 7 days were more common. 5. Our study shows that self-feeding during long trips is crucial for the success of short trips because most of the energy used during short trips is probably derived from the energy stored during long trips. Self-feeding during short trips is probably negligible. 6. The study indicates that surprisingly long distance foraging may not always result in higher foraging costs compared to shorter movements. It highlights the predominant role of body store usage as a mechanism for this animal to adjust energy expenditure and energetic efficiency during foraging for allocation purposes.
Temporary agency work and the user firm's productivity: First evidence from German Panel Data

This paper investigates the relationship between the use of temporary agency work and the user firm's productivity. We hypothesise that modest use enhances numerical flexibility and thus productivity, while excessive use mirrors lowproductivity strategies utilising less social and human capital and primarily aims at circumventing labour market regulations. In contrast to the sparse existing literature on this issue, we apply a large panel data set and fixed effects techniques. We find a robust hump-shaped relationship between the extent of temporary agency work use and the user firm's productivity, which corroborates our hypotheses.
Subdimensional Particle Structure of Higher Rank U(1) Spin Liquids

Spin liquids are conventionally described by gauge theories with a vector gauge field. However, there exists a wider class of spin liquids with higher rank tensors as the gauge variable. In this work, we focus on (3+1)-dimensional spin liquids described by U(1) symmetric tensor gauge theories, which have recently been shown to be stable gapless spin liquids. We investigate the particle structure of these tensor gauge theories and find that they have deep connections with the “fracton” models recently discovered by Vijay, Haah, and Fu. Tensor gauge theories have more conservation laws than the simple charge conservation law of rank 1 theories. These conservation laws place severe restrictions on the motion of particles. Particles in some models are fully immobile (fractons), while other models have particles restricted to motion along lower-dimensional subspaces.
Pre-competitive anxiety and self-confidence in pan american gymnasts

This study aimed to examine the intensity and direction of pre-competitive anxiety indicators (both somatic and cognitive), as well as self-confidence, in gymnasts participating in the 2011 Pan American Games. Sixty male and female artistic gymnasts participated, with ages ranging from 15 to 30 years (M = 21.04 years, SD = 4.016). The Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R, Andrade, Lois, & Arce, 2007; Cox, Martens, & Rusell, 2003) and the direction scale by Jones and Swain (1992) were both administered. The results revealed that the intensity and direction of cognitive anxiety were positively correlated with the intensity and direction of somatic anxiety (r = .55 and r = .53, respectively), while self-confidence was negatively correlated with the intensity of cognitive anxiety (r = - 305) and also predicted it (β = - .192). Women reported significantly higher perceived somatic anxiety levels (2.79) than men (2.48). In conclusion, high levels of self-confidence decreased the perception of cognitive anxiety as being debilitative to gymnasts competing at the Pan American level.
Syllabification, stress and derivation by phase in Ojibwa *

This paper provides evidence that word-internal syntax can play a crucial role in the determination of phonological well-formedness. The focus is on an apparent paradox in Ojibwa; the language both avoids and tolerates vowels in hiatus. Adopting the theory of word structure promoted by Distributed Morphology, we argue that V-V sequences are tolerated at the juncture between phases, as the latter are defined by Chomsky (1999) and further elaborated by Marvin (2002) among others. Otherwise such sequences are systematically avoided. The apparent paradox is a consequence of the fact that only the elements within a phase are evaluated to determine the well-formedness of syllables and feet. Derivation by phase also provides insight into two strategies for avoiding vowels in hiatus, vowel loss and consonant epenthesis. We argue that vowel loss emerges at the stage when vocabulary items are inserted into a phase (i.e. at spell-out), while consonant epenthesis occurs after spell-out. Consonant epenthesis is also demonstrably linked to a requirement that certain morphemes must be moved (i.e. cliticized) at the PF interface to avoid the formation of sub-optimal stress feet. Cliticization has consequences for the hypothesis that phases are impenetrable.
Catalytic decomposition of N 2 O over CeO 2 promoted Co 3 O 4 spinel catalyst

A series of CeO2 promoted cobalt spinel catalysts were prepared by the co-precipitation method and tested for the decomposition of nitrous oxide (N2O). Addition of CeO2 to Co3O4 led to an improvement in the catalytic activity for N2O decomposition. The catalyst was most active when the molar ratio of Ce/Co was around 0.05. Complete N2O conversion could be attained over the CoCe0.05 catalyst below 400 8C even in the presence of O2 ,H 2O or NO. Methods of XRD, FE-SEM, BET, XPS, H2-TPR and O2-TPD were used to characterize these catalysts. The analytical results indicated that the addition of CeO2 could increase the surface area of Co3O4, and then improve the reduction of Co 3+ to Co 2+ by facilitating the desorption of adsorbed oxygen species, which is the rate-determining step of the N2O decomposition over cobalt spinel catalyst. We conclude that these effects, caused by the addition of CeO2, are responsible for the enhancement of catalytic activity of Co3O4. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Verbal reports about causal influences on social judgments: Private access versus public theories.

Female subjects were asked to make four judgments about a young woman after reading her "job application portfolio. " Five characteristics of the young woman were manipulated orthogonally (e.g., physical appearance, academic credentials). Subjects were asked to report how each of the five manipulated factors had influenced each of their judgments. "Observer subjects," who had access only to very impoverished descriptions of each of the five factors, were asked to predict how each of the factors would influence each of the judgments. Results showed that (a) subject reports about the effects of the factors on the judgments were in general highly inaccurate; (b) observer predictions were extremely similar to subject reports; (c) for the single judgment for which subjects showed substantial accuracy (a judgment about intelligence), observer predictions were as accurate as subject reports. The results indicate that whatever introspective access to cognitive processes may exist, it is not sufficient to produce generally accurate reports about such processes, nor even to produce reports that differ much from those of poorly informed outside observers. Reports about cognitive processes may be based less on introspection than on a priori causal theories about the effects of particular stimuli on particular responses.
Measuring sky view factor of urban canyons using hacked Gopro hemispheric video processing

Increased urbanisation and densification is producing urban fabric with increasingly deep 'urban canyons', trapping longwave radiation and contributing to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. With global temperatures along with heat related mortality predicted to increase, there is a critical need to understand urban canyons and heat retention in cities. Methods for analysing urban canyon through Sky View Factor (SVF), an established contributing parameter in the prediction of UHI, have until now been limited to relatively manual, time intensive calculations using individual points of assessment from still photographs. This paper describes a method for rapidly capturing the extent of urban canyon enclosure by way of mobile video SVF processing. A lightweight GoPro™ video camera was hacked to capture on-the-go 180° hemispherical (fisheye) video. This video was analysed using our custom pixel-based image processing tool calculating SVF. This SVF analysis was synchronised with logged GPS, air temperature, humidity and light levels data captured by linked Bluetooth sensor and smartphone to record city wide urban canyon and atmospheric longitudinal cross-sections. The approach is inexpensive and has potential for continuous, detailed, city wide data collection by mounting on public transport. This investigation provides a new, rapid analysis tool for urban researchers enabling further study of the relationship between urban heat retention and urban form.
Effect of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretch Techniques on Trained and Untrained Older Adults

The effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on joint range of motion (ROM) for older adults are unknown, and few studies have investigated changes in joint ROM associated with age. This study examined PNF stretch techniques’ effects on knee-joint ROM in trained (T) and untrained (UT) older adults. Knee-joint ROM was tested in T and UT adults age 45‐55 and 65‐75 years using 3 PNF stretch techniques: static stretch (SS), contractrelax (CR), and agonist contract-relax (ACR). The 45‐55 UT group achieved significantly more ROM than did the 65‐75 UT group, suggesting an agerelated decline in ROM. The 65‐75 T group achieved significantly greater knee-extension ROM than did their UT counterparts, indicating a trainingrelated response to PNF stretch techniques and that lifetime training might counteract age-related declines in joint ROM. The ACR-PNF stretch condition produced 4‐6° more ROM than did CR and SS for all groups except the 65‐75 UT group, possibly as a result of lack of neuromuscular control or muscle strength. ■
The application of computational electromagnetics to microwave dielectric gauging

Gauging of dielectrics the accurate evaluation of material properties and geometrical dimensional measurement are discussed first, followed by application of computational electromagnetic methods including FEM, FDTD and TLM for the simulation and evaluation of properties as well as for the design of devices and testing configurations. Microwave microscopy is used for testing in dielectrics in an open antenna configuration. This is followed by modeling and application of closed and open resonant structures for material properties determination and finally an open resonant structure for accurate determination of rubber thickness in an industrial sensor is described. The use computational electromagnetic tools is seen as indispensable for the design of these testing geometries.
A multistatic synthetic aperture sonar to detect a cylinder lying on a rough interface: experimental results

Monostatic Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) are high resolution systems for target imaging which are now of common use in the underwater acoustics domain. The objective of this work was to analyse what kind of information should be obtained from a multistatic SAS system. This idea has been applied in radar but very few works exist in the underwater acoustics domain. The applications could be detection and identification of buried mines or mines lying on the seabed and divers detection for harbour protection. These applications deal with the problem of target detection and identification near a rough surface. To show what can be obtained with a multistatic SAS processing, we have performed an experiment with a circular cylinder of 1 cm diameter lying on a rough interface made of sand grains of 1 mm diameter. Measurements were performed in a tank with both a multistatic and a monostatic SAS systems. The signal used to insonified the target area was a short impulse with a 2 MHz central frequency which correspo.
Regional climate impacts of a biofuels policy projection

The potential for regional climate change arising from adoption of policies to increase production of biofuel feedstock is explored using a regional climate model. Two simulations are performed using the same atmospheric forcing data for the period 1979–2004, one with present‐day land use and monthly phenology and the other with land use specified from an agro‐economic prediction of energy crop distribution and monthly phenology consistent with this land use change. In Kansas and Oklahoma, where the agro‐economic model predicts 15‐30% conversion to switchgrass, the regional climate model simulates locally lower temperature (especially in spring), slightly higher relative humidity in spring and slightly lower relative humidity in summer, and summer depletion of soil moisture. This shows the potential for climate impacts of biofuel policies and raises the question of whether soil water depletion may limit biomass crop productivity in agricultural areas that are responsive to the policies. We recommend the use of agronomic models to evaluate the possibility that soil moisture depletion could reduce productivity of biomass crops in this region. We conclude, therefore, that agro‐economic and climate models should be used iteratively to examine an ensemble of agricultural land use and climate scenarios, thereby reducing the possibility of unforeseen consequences from rapid changes in agricultural production systems.
On the Effects of Albedo Increase through Reflective Roofing on Philippine Urban Atmospheric Temperature: Real-Time Parameter Inputs

With global warming as one of the major concerns today, people try to find ways to control factors that affect atmospheric temperature. One of which is surface albedo. Akbari, et al. (2009), asserts that the use of modern reflective roofing and pavement materials can increase urban surface albedo by 0.1. This study utilized an agent-based simulation model in an experiment to verify whether this increase would bring about significant cooling of Philippine urban atmosphere. Real data obtained from reliable sources were used to set parameter values in the model. Simulation results showed that if the current levels of CO2 concentration and cloud cover would persist, such increase in albedo is not enough to significantly lower urban atmospheric temperature.
On The Characterization, Use and Wastewater Detoxification Potential of Pyrolyzed Moringaoleifera Pods and Shells PART B: Sorption Isotherm, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic study

In this study, previously estimated tannery effluent with high pollutant (Cr) load of 987 mg/L was detoxified using pyrolysed Moringaoleifera Pods(PMOP)and Shells (PMOS). A performance assessment of the gained and characterized adsorbents was based on equilibrium, rate and thermodynamic studies.An investigation was carried out on equilibrium studies using isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin isotherm models). The maximum adsorption capacity of PMOS is 277.3 mg/g. Sorption rate is best explained using the Pseudo-second order kinetic model with diffusion through the liquid film surrounding the solid sorbent. Comparison of performance with commercially available activated carbon shows no statistical significance at p< 0.05.
Antioxidant Potential, Hypoglycemic Effect and Safety of Ajuga chamaecistus Ging. ssp. tomentella (Boiss.) Rech. f. Aerial Parts

Background and objective: Ajuga species(Lamiaceae) are traditionally used in the treatment of jaundice, joint pain, sciatic nerve, and diabetes in different countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities and safety of Ajuga chamaecistus ssp. tomentella. Methods: Antioxidant activity, radical scavenging effect, and total phenolics content of the aqueous and methanol extracts were assessed using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and Folin-Ciocalteu methods. Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice were studied in separate groups comprising aqueous and methanol extracts (200, 400, 800 mg/kg), metformin (500 mg/kg) and a negative control group. Results: The n-butanol fraction showed the most phenolics content (26.5 mg GAE/g of extract) and the highest antioxidant power) 346.7 mmol FeІІ/g of extract) as well as the most considerable radical scavenging activity (IC50=15.34 µg/mL). In STZ-diabetic mice, repeated oral administration of all doses of extracts showed a significant decrease in plasma glucose levels after 3, 14 and 28 days. The results of acute toxicity study showed that the ethanol extract was non-toxic up to the dose of 6000 mg/kg. Based on the sub-chronic toxicity results, a significant decrease in cholesterol and triglyceride was observed after using the extract (1000 mg/kg) for 23rd and 45th days. Histopathology of animal tissues revealed no significant differences in animal tissues between treated and control groups after 23 and 45 days. Conclusion: our study indicated the antioxidant potential, safety and hypoglycemic effect of A. chamaecistus ssp. tomentella extracts.
Darwin's Unfinished Symphony: How Culture Made the Human Mind

Darwin’s Unfinished Symphony: How food and culture made . Darwin's Unfinished Symphony makes a compelling case that elegantly seats humans within the natural world, while at the same time explaining our peculiar uniqueness. " – Joseph Henrich, Science "This well-researched book establishes how cognitive processes are essential for 'cumulative' learning, finding links 'between teaching, language, and cumulative culture'.
Disability caused by post-stroke visual impairment as an underestimated clinical problem — case report

Ischaemic cerebral stroke is a common complication following cardiovascular diseases. In everyday clinical practice, visual field defects are diagnosed in approximately one in four ischaemic stroke patients. The incidence of cerebral stroke manifesting only with visual defects is higher than might be expected. Post-stroke visual impairment is associated with deteriorated quality of life of the affected, can lead to partially reduced self-reliance, and imposes job changes. We present a case of a 46-year-old male with visual field impairment secondary to cerebral ischaemia, to highlight this important issue.
An Examination of the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Style.

The intention of this study is to broaden the knowledge base of HRD through the investigation of the relationships between emotional intelligence, and leadership style. This study was conducted using a correlational research design. Two surveys were administered: The MSCEIT (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002) and the MLQ5x (Bass & Avolio, 2000) to the 151 managers of CSW and their subordinates. No relationship was found between the various dimensions of emotional intelligence and leadership style.
Scoliosis Imaging : What Radiologists Should Know 1

Scoliosis is defined as a lateral spinal curvature with a Cobb angle of 10° or more. This abnormal curvature may be the result of an underlying congenital or developmental osseous or neurologic abnormality, but in most cases the cause is unknown. Imaging modalities such as radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging play pivotal roles in the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of scoliosis, with radiography having the primary role and with MR imaging or CT indicated when the presence of an underlying osseous or neurologic cause is suspected. In interpreting the imaging features of scoliosis, it is essential to identify the significance of vertebrae in or near the curved segment (apex, end vertebra, neutral vertebra, stable vertebra), the curve type (primary or secondary, structural or nonstructural), the degree of angulation (measured with the Cobb method), the degree of vertebral rotation (measured with the Nash-Moe method), and the longitudinal extent of spinal involvement (according to the Lenke system). The treatment of idiopathic scoliosis is governed by the severity of the initial curvature and the probability of progression. When planning treatment or follow-up imaging, the biomechanics of curve progression must be considered: In idiopathic scoliosis, progression is most likely during periods of rapid growth, and the optimal follow-up interval in skeletally immature patients may be as short as 4 months. After skeletal maturity is attained, only curves of more than 30° must be monitored for progression.