Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated Design of Steel Castings : Case Studies

A methodology for steel casting design for performance has been developed where local stress concentrations due to anomalies in the metal, multi-axial fatigue calculations based on the local stresses, and the fatigue properties of the steel are employed. In this paper the methodology is applied to two castings as “what-if” case study demonstrations that address the question, “will discontinuities from the casting process be of concern in this design? ”. If discontinuities are of concern, either the casting design or the casting process must be modified. The casting design is provided by an industry partner through solid CAD models, design loads, boundary conditions and material property data. Casting process models of the rigging, and casting conditions, are also provided by the industry partner. In each case study, the casting process is modeled using MAGMAsoft to determine porosity discontinuities, and the porosity is mapped to the nodes of a finite element stress model of the casting using MAGMAlink. Finite element stress analyses (FEA) are performed without and with the use of porosity dependent elastic properties varying locally at the FEA nodes. Results of the stress analyses are imported into a commercial multiaxial fatigue life model (fe-safe) to predict the fatigue life of the part without and with porosity dependent strain-life properties. By comparing the part performance with and without porosity, an engineering decision can be made to remedy the porosity or not. In one case study, the porosity is found to not lower the predicted fatigue life below the runout condition of 5 million cycles. While in the other case study, porosity is predicted at three locations. Cut sections at those locations verified the porosity prediction. At one of the three locations, the stress is low and the porosity has no adverse effect. While at the other two locations the porosity is of concern, lowering the predicted life of the component below the runout condition.
Extended Holographic Ricci Dark Energy in Chameleon Brans-Dicke Cosmology

In the present work, we have studied some features of the generalized Brans-Dicke (BD) model in which the scalar field is allowed to couple nonminimally with the matter sector. Extended holographic Ricci dark energy (EHRDE) has been considered in the above framework of BD cosmology. Some restrictions have been derived for the BD parameter , and a stronger matter-chameleon coupling has been observed with the expansion of the universe. In this framework, the equation of the state parameter of EHRDE has behaved like quintom. Also, we have reconstructed the potential and coupling function for BD model for the EHRDE. It has been observed that the potential function is increasing as the matter-chameleon coupling is getting stronger.
Floquet chiral edge states in graphene

We report on the emergence of laser-induced chiral edge states in graphene ribbons. Insights on the nature of these Floquet states is provided by an analytical solution which is complemented with numerical simulations of the transport properties. Guided by these results we show that graphene can be used for realizing non-equilibrium topological states with striking tunability: While the laser intensity can be used to control their velocity and decay length, changing the laser polarization switches their propagation direction.
EVALUATION OF ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY OF FICUS HISPIDA LINN LEAVES IN TRITON WR-1339 (TYLOXAPOL) INDUCED HYPERLIPIDEMIA IN MICE Research Article

Antihyperlipidemic activity of the methanolic plant extract of Ficus hispida Linn . f. leaves was evaluated against elevated cholesterol, triglycerides level in Triton – WR 1339 (Tyloxapol) induced hyperlipidemic mice model. Administration of the leaf extract of Ficus hispida at doses of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg respectively, showed a significant reduction in serum lipid parameters such as Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, VLDL and LDL level as compared to the Tyloxapol treated control group, indicating that the leaf extract of Ficus hispida possessed Antihyperlipidemic properties.
On Utilizing Grounded Theory in Business Doctoral Research: Guidance on the Research Design, Procedures, and Challenges

Grounded theory is a powerful and rigorous theory building methodology that has attracted considerable interest in business research; however, it is a challenging endeavour especially for novice researchers and in particular at the doctoral level. Although several researchers have attempted to clarify the cannons of various grounded theory approaches, still there is a shortage in guidance for doctoral students who wish to apply grounded theory for their studies. Using an example from a grounded theory business doctoral thesis, this paper provides a guide on the research design and utilisation of the Straussian grounded theory at doctoral level. In doing so, the paper discusses the rationale, features, and benefits of grounded theory. Using an example from corporate governance research, the paper illustrates how the procedures of data analysis (coding), theoretical memoing, and theoretical sampling are applied to systematically generate a grounded theory. Finally, the paper discusses major challenges to utilising grounded theory and how these can be addressed by doctoral researchers. This paper provides a clear and pragmatic exposition that can be useful to guide doctoral researchers who are interested in utilizing the Straussian approach of grounded theory in their studies.
Modelling the Neolithic dispersal in northern Eurasia

Comprehensieve lists of radiocarbon dates from key Early Neolithic sites in Central Europe belonging to the Linear pottery Ceramic Culture (LBK) and early pottery-bearing cultures in the East European Plain were analysed with the use of the x2 test. The dates from the LBK sites form a statistically homogeneous set, with a probability distribution similar to a single-date Gaussian curve. This implies the rate of expansion of the LBK in Central Europe being in excess of 4 km/yr. Early potter-bearing sites on the East European Plain exhibit a much broader probability distribution of dates, with a spatio-temporal trend directed from the south-east to the north-west. The rate of spread of pottery-making is in the order of 1 km/yr, i.e., comparable to the average expansion rate of the Neolithic in Western and Central Europe.
Adaptive Second-Order Sliding Mode Control Design for a Class of Nonlinear Systems with Unknown Input

An adaptive second-order sliding mode controller is proposed for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown input. The proposed controller continuously drives the sliding variable and its time derivative to zero in the presence of disturbances with unknown boundaries. A Lyapunov approach is used to show finite time stability for the system in the presence of a class of uncertainty. An illustrative simulation example is presented to demonstrate the performance and robustness of the proposed controller.
Silvopasture principles and potential in Saskatchewan

Silvopasture is a concept in which woody species are intentionally combined with forage crops and livestock in a production system that optimizes the productivity or the economic benefits of the trees and the animals in a sustainable way. A review is presented of silvopasture research relevant to Saskatchewan conditions. In particular, silvopasture principles, as they apply to the co-management of animals with planted or natural forest stands will be explored. Silvopasture practices that are more or less commonly found in Canada include: the use of livestock to control weeds in new plantations; the planting or management of trees and shrubs as livestock windbreaks or for shade; and livestock grazing in natural deciduous, conifer or mixed forests.
Disclosure, Ownership Structure and Bank Risk: Evidence from Asia

We investigate the impact of the interaction of disclosure and ownership structure on bank risk. Using a sample of 209 commercial banks from Asia during the 2004-2010 period, we find that disclosure is negatively associated with income volatility and that such an impact is stronger in the presence of block holders and institutional ownership and weaker with insider or government ownership. Our results also provide evidence that better disclosure ensures greater stability as measured by individual bank default risk. Furthermore, a deeper investigation shows that disclosure on income statement, loans, other earning assets, deposits, and memo lines plays a stronger role in limiting risk than disclosure on non-deposit liabilities.
On vertical variations of gas flow in protoplanetary disks and their impact on the transport of solids

A major uncertainty in accretion disk theory is the nature and properties of gas turbulence, which drives transport in protoplanetary disks. The commonly used viscous prescription for the Maxwell-Reynolds stress tensor gives rise to a meridional circulation where flow is outward near the midplane and inward away from it. This meridional circulation has been proposed as an explanation for the presence of high-temperature minerals (believed to be of inner solar system provenance) in comets. However, it has not been observed in simulations of magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) turbulence so far. In this study, we evaluate the extent to which the net transport of solids can be diagnostic of the existence of meridional circulation. To that end, we propose and motivate a prescription for MHD turbulence which has the same free parameters as the viscous one. We compare the e ects of both prescriptions on the radial transport of small solid particles and find that their net, vertically integrated radial flux is actually quite insensitive to the flow structure for a given vertical average of the turbulence parameter , which we explain. Given current uncertainties on disk turbulence, one-dimensional models are thus most appropriate to investigate radial transport of solids. A corollary is that the presence of hightemperature material in comets cannot be considered an unequivocal diagnostic of meridional circulation. In fact, we argue that outward transport in viscous disk models with inward net accretion is more properly attributed to turbulent di usion rather than to the mean flows of the gas.
Effect of Garlic Extract (Allium Sativum) on Lipid Profile of Wister Rats

Lipid profile in Wister rats was investigated after administration of different concentration of aqueous extract of Allium sativum. The animals were divided into five (5) groups of five rats in each group, and were given different concentrations of the extract for three weeks. Thereafter, plasma lipid profiles were assayed. The result of comparing the mean total cholesterol (T. CHOL), triglyceride (TG), Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and control levels with those of the test groups A, B, C and D showed great decrease except in group D where there was an increase in mean LDL. The decrease in mean T.CHOL in group A and C were significant while decrease in T.CHOL in group B and D were not significant when compared with T.CHOL of Control samples at p< 0.05. The decrease in TG was significant in all test groups when compared with Control TG samples at p< 0.05, while the decrease in LDL in group D was not significant when compared with the LDL control samples at p< 0.05. The mean HDL of the test group showed a great increase when compared with the mean Control and the increase observed was significant when compared with the Control HDL at p< 0.05. The findings reveal that garlic bulb extract causes a significant reduction in some lipid profile parameters (p< 0.05) especially TG and an increase in HDL. These findings therefore suggest that the administration of Allium sativum extract could prevent plasma lipid related disease especially those associated with cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis.
Linear versus nonlinear causality for DAX companies

This study provides empirical evidence of the joint dynamics between stock returns and trading volume using stock data for DAX companies. Our research confirms the hypothesis that traditional linear causality tests often fail to detect some kinds of nonlinear relations, while nonlinear tests do not. In many cases, the test results obtained by use of empirical data and simulation confirm a bidirectional causal relationship, while linear tests did not detect such causality at all.
The (Un)Importance of Unemployment Fluctuations for Welfare

This paper develops a real business cycle model with labor market search and matching frictions, which endogenously links both the cyclical fluctuations and the mean level of unemployment to the aggregate business cycle risk. The key result of the paper is that business cycles are costly for all consumers, regardless of their wealth, yet that unemployment fluctuations themselves are not the source of these costs. Rather fluctuations over the cycle induce higher average unemployment rates as employment is non-linear in job-finding rates and past unemployment. We first show this result analytically in special cases. We then calibrate a general equilibrium model with risk-averse asset-holding and liquidity-constrained workers to US data. Also under these more general circumstances, business cycles mean higher unemployment for all workers. The ensuing cost of cycles rise further for liquidity-constrained agents when replacement rates are lower or when workers' skills depend on the length of (un)employment spells.
Baroreceptor activation therapy for treatment-resistant hypertension

Background: Baroreceptor activation therapy (BAT) is proposed for patients with treatment-resistant hypertension (TRH), aiming at reducing blood pressure by electrically stimulating the carotid baroreflex. Method: A systematic search in four databases yielded 416 records. Seven publications were included for the analysis and synthesis of the evidence: one RCT on the first generation device, one crossover trial and five observational before-after case series. Results: No comparative evidence was available for the second generation device. One case series (n=44) showed a reduction of the 24-hours blood pressure by 8mmHg with a follow-up of six months. The RCT on the first generation device did not show significant differences in the blood pressure reduction between the sham and the intervention group. No evidence on mortality, morbidity or quality of life as compared to standard treatment was available. The quality of evidence was very low. Conclusion and recommendation: Given the current paucity of evidence, BAT can currently not be recommended for inclusion in the Austrian benefit catalogue.
Thermoelastic stress analysis of composite granular materials

The study deals with the stress distribution in two-dimensional "composite" granular media, i.e. built with cylinders made of different materials. Several non-cohesive granular materials were prepared from cylinders in polyoxymethylene (POM) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). After compaction to reach static configuration, infrared thermography was applied to measure the temperature changes under cyclic loading in confined compression. Stress paths were then revealed by thermoelastic stress analysis. Results are analyzed in terms of statistical distribution of the stress level in the granular material.
The role of semen parameters in pregnancy of women having intrauterine insemination

1 Nilgun Turhan1, Muzeyyen Uyanık2, Aydin Kosus3, Nermin Kosus3, Aslıhan Pekel4, Ergun Uyanık5 1Bayındır Hospital, Obs&Gyn, İstanbul, 2Medicana Hospital, Obs&Gyn, Bursa, 3Self Employed, Obs&Gyn, Ankara, 4Medical Park Hospital, Embriology, Ankara, 5Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, Obs&Gyn, Bursa, Turkey The role of semen parameters in the likelihood of pregnancy The role of semen parameters in pregnancy of women having intrauterine insemination
FeedNetBack D03.04 -Wireless Transmission for Control

This report documents the research work carried out for Task 3.3. on wireless transmission for control. The main objective is to study and develop physical layer communication strategies which are adapted to fit a given control application. Accordingly, most of the work deal with reliable wireless transmission strategies under strict delay constraints. Five different approaches are taken. First, two novel transmission schemes for communication over unknown fading channels using non-orthogonal CDMA transmission for multi-sensor and/or multi-agents systems are proposed and discussed. Second, two novel instantaneous source coding mappings for a distributed source-channel coding problem are proposed, based on the study on the Cramer-Rao lower bound and the impact of the stretch factor. The scheme can be used to reduce transmission rate or mitigate the effects of the channel noise in the case of analog transmission. Next, a low-delay cooperative relaying strategy is proposed with an instantaneous mapping function which compresses all received signals in an orthogonal multiple-access relay channel. The optimization of the function results in non-linear mappings which in general outperform linear mappings. Further, the fundamental trade-off between reliability and delay is studied. To this end, upper bounds on the average error probability for sequential coding for the bidirectional broadcast channel with streaming sources are derived and the existence of a deterministic code is proved. Lastly, causal anytime codes based on unequal error protection using Luby transform codes for transmission over symmetric discrete memoryless channel are proposed and analytical upper-bounds on the end-to-end distortion of two anytime transmission schemes are derived.
School-Based Management Effects on Educational Outcomes : A Literature Review and Assessment of the Evidence Base

School-based management (SBM) has been present in schools around the worid for well over three decades. SBM reforms range from those granting full autonomy over all school matters, to smaller-scale reforms that grant schools only limited autonomy. This paper presents a review of the literature and an assessment of the evidence base regarding the effects of school-based management on various educational outcomes. It finds that only a handful of the studies reviewed use strong empirical methods to support their results. A small number of these more rigorous studies support the claims that SBM improves access to schooling and slightly reduces dropout and repetition rates. Evidence on SBM effects on student achievement is mixed.
Spatiotemporal variation in seed dispersal and recruitment near and far from Pinus halepensis trees.

Spatiotemporal variation in the wind-generated dispersion pattern of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) seeds was examined by placing seed traps up to 110 m away from a small, isolated stand in Israel during six successive dispersal seasons. Subsequent re- cruitment was surveyed two years later. Of the 5487 seeds, 97% were trapped #20 m from the nearest adult tree. Seasonal dispersal curves were consistently right-skewed and lep- tokurtic. The inverse power law and the negative exponential model accounted for a similar fraction of the variation in the number of dispersed seeds at different distances (79-86% and 76-88%, respectively). Seed dispersal rates varied significantly among seasons. Eighty saplings (3-5 yr old) became established during the three years of the study, most within 15 m of the nearest canopy, some farther away, and none directly under the tree canopies. The estimated probability of seed survival to sapling stage increased significantly with increasing distance from adults, as predicted by the escape hypothesis. Winds varied significantly between seasons, generating significant interseasonal variation in seed deposition patterns far from, but not near to, adult trees. Coefficients of variation of seed dispersal rates were lower near adult trees than farther away. Both Moran's I correlograms and partial Mantel tests revealed interseasonal consistency in seed deposition patterns for the total study area and for the area near adult trees but showed considerable variation farther away. We suggest that the low spatiotemporal variation near adults and the high variation far away act to intensify the effects of predation (by increasing the efficiency of predators near adults and reducing it far away) and competition (by increasing the intensity of seedling competition near adults and reducing it far away) in structuring the observed survivorship curve predicted by the escape hypothesis.
HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON DIETARY MUSHROOM AND OXYTETRACYCLINE IN BROILER CHICKEN

This study planned to seek clarity of the comparative alterations after addition of mushroom extract or dried form and oxytetracycline as feed additives. One hundred and twenty, one day old, chickens were divided into 6 equal groups. Group I: control group fed on balanced commercial ration. Group II: treated group fed on balanced commercial ration supplied with oxyteyracyeline20% as a growth promoter in a dose of 250mg/kg ration for 5 weeks (from 1 day old chick till the end of the 5 th week of the experiment. Group III, IV, V and VI treated group fed on balanced commercial ration supplied with mushroom extract in a dose of 0.5 gm/kg ration, dried powdered mushroom in a dose of 11.75 (M1), 17.5(M2) and 23.5 (M3) gm/kg ration, added after 1 st week and for 3weeks respectively. Five random samples of whole blood and serum were taken from all experimental groups at 2 nd , 4 th and 6 th weeks for investigation of some hematological and biochemical parameters. The results of erythrogram revealed a significant increase in RBCs count, Hb and PCV in mushroom treated group. Concerning leukogram results, there was lymphocytosis in mushroom treated groups while lymphopenia in oxytetracycline treated groups. AST was significantly increased in oxytetracycline treated groups only. Total protein and albumin were significantly decreased in both mushroom and oxytetracycline treated groups. Total cholesterol level was significantly decreased in mushroom treated group, while creatinine and uric acid showed insignificant changes in both groups. It concluded that mushroom in the form of extract and dried powder as feed additives could be used as alternative for antibiotics as growth promoter with a good efficacy and wide safety range.
Online Neural Automatic Post-editing for Neural Machine Translation

English. Machine learning from user corrections is key to the industrial deployment of machine translation (MT). We introduce the first on-line approach to automatic post-editing (APE), i.e. the task of automatically correcting MT errors. We present experimental results of APE on English-Italian MT by simulating human post-edits with human reference translations, and by applying online APE on MT outputs of increasing quality. By evaluating APE on generic vs. specialised and static vs. adaptive neural MT, we address the question: At what cost on the MT side will APE become useless? Italiano. L’apprendimento automatico dalle correzioni degli utenti è fondamentale per lo sviluppo industriale della traduzione automatica (MT). In questo lavoro, introduciamo il primo approccio on-line al post-editing automatico (APE), ovvero il compito di correggere automaticamente gli errori della MT. Presentiamo risultati di online APE su MT da inglese a italiano simulando le correzioni umane con traduzioni manuali già disponibili e utilizzando MT di qualità crescente. Valutando l’APE su MT neurale generica oppure specializzata, statica o adattiva, affrontiamo la domanda di fondo: a fronte di quale costo sul lato MT l’APE diventerà