Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sulfur transformations in early diagenetic sediments from the Bay of Concepcion, off Chile

Despite the recognition that both organic sulfur and pyrite form during the very early stages of diagenesis, and that the amount of H{sub 2}S generated in bacterial sulfate reduction primarily limits their formation, the mechanisms and the active species involved still are not clear. In this study, we quantified the major forms of sulfur distributed in sediments to assess the geochemical mechanisms involved in these transformations. XANES spectroscopy, together with elemental analysis, were used to measure sulfur speciation in the organic-rich sediments from the Bay of Concepcion, Chile. Organic polysulfides constituted the major fraction of the organic sulfur, and occurred maximally just below the sediment surface (1--3 cm), where intermediates from H{sub 2}S oxidation were likely to be generated most abundantly. Sulfonates, which could be formed through the reactions of sulfate and thiosulfate, also showed a sub-surface maximum in the vicinity of the ``oxic-anoxic interface``. These results strongly suggest a geochemical origin for organic polysulfides and sulfonates, and illustrate that intermediates from H{sub 2}S oxidation play a dominant role in incorporating sulfur into organic matter. Pyrite was absent in the surficial layer, and first appeared just below the H{sub 2}S maximum, where organic polysulfides began to decrease in abundance. From these results, we argue, that an iron monosulfide precursor formed first from reactions with H{sub 2}S, and then reacts with organic polysulfides, completing the synthesis of pyrite in the sediment column.
Sexual dimorphism of head size in Gallotia galloti: testing the niche divergence hypothesis by functional analyses

1. Two often cited hypotheses explaining sexual head size dimorphism in lizards are: sexual selection acting on structures important in intrasexual competition, and reduction of intersexual competition through food niche separation. 2. In this study some implicit assumptions of the latter hypothesis were tested, namely that an increase in gape distance and bite force should accompany the observed increase in head size. These assumptions are tested by recording bite forces, in vivo, for lizards of the species Gallotia galloti. In this species, male lizards have significantly larger heads than female conspecifics of similar snout–vent length. 3. Additionally, the average force needed to crush several potential prey species was determined experimentally and compared with the bite force data. This comparison clearly illustrates that animals of both sexes can bite much harder than required for most insect food items, which does not support the niche divergence hypothesis. The apparent ‘excess’ bite force in both sexes might be related to the partially herbivorous diet of the animals. 4. To unravel the origin of differences between sexes in bite capacity, the crushing phase of biting was modelled. The results of this model show different strategies in allocation of muscle tissue between both sexes. The origin of this difference is discussed and a possible evolutionary pathway of the development of the sexual dimorphism in the species is provided.
Interaction design, pedagogical practice, and emancipation

In November 2007, the Research platform M3 [man medium machine]/the School of Communication, Technology & Design at Sodertorn University College arranged, in collaboration with the ITU, Oslo University, a two-day workshop on the theme Interaction Design in Pedagogical Practice. There were 15 position papers submitted to the workshop, representing 15 different universities from four countries. Out of these, we now have the privilege to publish four of them in this special issue of the Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, together with a debate article. They are, in their own respect, modest witnesses, of the need for this dialogue between interaction design and pedagogical practice.
A Study on Performance Evaluation for Electrocardiography Signal Measurement Electrode based on Conductive Fabric )

Recently, as we move toward a society with an increasingly aged population, wearable U-health devices in various shapes with smart wear have been developed in order to conveniently measure health variables without using hands in daily life or at home. However, the problem is that only supply of the wearable U-health devices is focused and its applicable devices are studied and developed, which has resulted in lack of awareness of importance of performance evaluation. In this study, two electrodes were fabricated using conductive fabric which can be used as electrode if attached to wearable U-health devices or smart wear in order to measure ECG signal. Two electrodes those were fabricated using conductive fabric were compared the correlation, impedance and CMRR with patch typed Ag-AgCl electrode-normally used for measurement of ECG signal, so that the study would find out if the fabricated electrode can be used with the wearable U-health devices by testing and evaluating performances.
Reduce IoT Cost and Enable Scaling Through Open Wireless Sensor Networks

For decades, operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) enterprise groups have evolved their respective technologies and methods for handling business needs. On manufacturing floors, OT dominates due to its exceptional reliability, but IT excels at aggregating data for analysis and action. Manufacturing efficiency could greatly benefit from IT practices, but a range of issues inhibit adoption, including a general lack of open solutions in OT. Tied to this, wired sensor technologies dominate OT manufacturing environments, in part because there are currently no open, low-power wireless standards in the OT world.
Experimental Study of Filtration of Fiber Suspensions: Part II: Combined PIV and Pressure Drop Measurements

The filtration of a fiber suspension has been studied experimentally. Typical application where pressure filtration occurs are: papermaking, air cleaners, production of composite materials, etc. In particular, in papermaking, the quality of the final product depends on the fiber orientation and mass distribution in the filtered materials Micro-variations of there properties can strongly affect the quality of the final product and they can occur during filtration, thus it is important to predict how this can happen. However, this is not an easy task, first because the filtered cake is a non-homogeneous compressible porous media, second because the filtration flow is non-stationary, since the cake is continuously evolving in time. Therefor in this work we focus on the filtration flow through formed steady fiber networks. For each grammage (i.e. mass of fibers per unit area), we simultaneously measure the pressure drop across the network and velocity field on top and below the fiber network using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Compression of the fiber network can also be extracted form the PIV images normalized filtration resistance was found to be decreasing with increasing network thickness, as well as network compressibility. From the PIV data the influence of the formed fiber network on the flow field was analyzed and characteristic scales of the flow structure are quantified.
Where Is The Walrasian Auctioneer For Agricultural Markets? An Examination Of The Marketing Institution

In the classical development of economic equilibrium and efficiency, transaction costs are seldom considered. This study develops a micro- market model of an agricultural market based on quality differences. The study then develops a model of market structure based on the New Theory of the Firm. Using the two models, we draw conclusions about economic potential for E-Commerce.
Blood pressure determinants. Part II. Application of some physical laws in the hemodynamics of cardiovascular system

Praca udowadnia uzytecznośc praw fizyki w zakresie charakterystyki ukladu krązenia i ciśnienia tetniczego. Autorzy skoncentrowali sie na zagadnieniach związanych z dynamiką krązenia krwi, w tym na zjawiskach zachodzących przy tradycyjnym pomiarze ciśnienia tetniczego. Pojecia impedancji naczyniowej, podatności naczyn oraz pulsacyjnego przeplywu krwi przedstawiono w kontekście ich praktycznego zastosowania w diagnostyce i leczeniu nadciśnienia tetniczego oraz niewydolności serca, a takze jako wykladniki o znaczeniu rokowniczym.
Thermodynamics of nonconvergent cation ordering in minerals : II . Spinels and the orthopyroxene solid solution

A linear term in the order parameter, Q, has been added to a normal Landau free energy expansion to describe the thermodynamics of nonconvergent cation ordering in normal and inverse spinels and in the orthopyroxene solid solution. The excess free energy due to ordering, with respect to a fully disordered state, is given by G: -hQ + tLa(T T)Q, + lecQ6. Using published experimental data for Q as a function of temperature, T, and, for the excess enthalpy as a function of B, values for the Landau coefficients have been determined. For NiAlrOo, these are h --69400, a : 444, T": 686 K, and c : 7 680 000; for MgAl,O4, /l : 8580, a : 19.7, T. : 395 K, and c : 16400;and for EnroFs,o, h : 7750, a :22.5, T": 195 K, and c: l2l00,with h and c expressed in units of J/mol, and a in J/mol.K. The observed a coefficients differ from the values that would be expected if the entropy changes were exclusively configurational and due to long-range ordering. In the case of NiAl2O4, the large additional excess entropy is consistent with the suggestion that some other process accompanies Ni-Al ordering. For MgAlrOo, a reduced excess entropy would be consistent with some short-range ordering. For EnroFsro, an apparently additional entropy could be accounted for by nonconfigurational contributions, though the uncertainty propagated from calorimetric data is large. Nonlinear compositional dependence for the a and c coefficients allows the effects of Mg-Fe2+ ordering on the mixing properties of the enstatite-ferrosilite solid solution to be assessed quantitatively, though a fully analytical description has not been derived. The Landau expansions are compared with more widely used models of nonconvergent ordering. The principal differences are in the simplification ofthe excess entropy description (S a Q2) and in the extension of the description of excess enthalpy to three terms, one linear in Q, the second quadratic in Q arrd one higher order term. In principle, both configurational and nonconfigurational entropy contributions can be accounted for.
Bulk gravitational field and dark radiation on the brane in a dilatonic brane world

We discuss the connection between the dark radiation on the brane and the bulk gravitational field in a dilatonic brane world model proposed by Koyama and Takahashi where the exact solutions for the five dimensional cosmological perturbations can be obtained analytically. It is shown that the dark radiation perturbation is related to the non-normalizable Kaluza-Klein (KK) mode of the bulk perturbations. For the de Sitter brane in the anti-de Sitter bulk, the squared mass of this KK mode is $2 H^2$ where $H$ is the Hubble parameter on the brane. This mode is shown to be connected to the excitation of small black hole in the bulk in the long wavelength limit. The exact solution for an anisotropic stress on the brane induced by this KK mode is found, which plays an important role in the calculation of cosmic microwave background radiation anisotropies in the brane world.
Synergistic effect and condition of pegylated interferon α with paclitaxel on glioblastoma

Glioblastomas are highly vascularized tumors and anti-angiogenic strategy is one of the most promising therapeutic approaches to treat brain tumors. Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) as a single agent or combined with standard chemo-therapy has been shown to inhibit various tumors, but the effect of combination anti-angiogenic therapy on brain tumors has not been well studied. We determined the optimal dose and schedule of pegylated IFN-alpha (PEG-IFN-alpha) against U-87MG human glioblastoma cells growing orthotopically in nude mice, since several clinical trials reported that PEG-IFN-alpha administered at higher or lower doses was less effective. The group treated two times per week with injections of 10 KU of PEG-IFN-alpha for 4 weeks showed significant decreases in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Moreover, the optimal dose and schedule of PEG-IFN-alpha determined in this study and combined with paclitaxel treatment potently inhibited tumor growth in vivo. The mechanisms of the significant therapeutic effects were most likely caused by directly inhibiting cell proliferation and angiogenesis, and rendering apoptosis increased. Specifically PEG-IFN-alpha/paclitaxel combination induced apoptosis of tumor-associated endothelial cells more than that of tumor cells. These results suggest that optimal biological dosage and scheduling of PEG-IFN-alpha and paclitaxel combination is a potent strategy for glioblastoma patients as a new synergistic anti-endothelial treatment.
Baby Skyrme model, near-BPS approximations, and supersymmetric extensions

We study the baby Skyrme model as a theory that interpolates between two distinct BPS systems. For this a near-BPS approximation can be used which, however, involves a small deviation from each of the two BPS limits. We provide analytical explanation and numerical support for the validity of this approximation. We then study the set of all possible supersymmetric extensions of the baby Skyrme model with ${\cal N}=1$ and the particular ones with extended ${\cal N}=2$ supersymmetries and relate this to the above mentioned almost-BPS approximation.
Octupole correlations in the structure of 0$_2 ^+$ bands in the N=88 nuclei $^150$Sm and $^152$Gd

Knowledge of the exact microscopic structure of the 0 1 + ground state and ﬁrst excited 0 2 + state in 150 Sm is required to understand the branching of double β decay to these states from 150 Nd. The detailed spectroscopy of 150 Sm and 152 Gd has been studied using ( α ,xn ) reactions and the γ -ray arrays AFRODITE and JUROGAM II. Consistently strong E 1 transitions are observed between the excited K π = 0 2 + bands and the lowest negative parity bands in both nuclei. These results are discussed in terms of the possible permanent octupole deformation in the ﬁrst excited K π = 0 2 + band and also in terms of the “tidal wave” model of Frauendorf.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN REMOTELY SENSED FOREST STRUCTURE AND BIOMASS: FOURIER STRUCTURE FROM LiDAR AND InSAR AND PENETRATION AT MICROWAVE FREQUENCIES

This paper proposes the correlation of biomass with Fourier transforms of LiDAR and InSAR vegetation density measurements at vertical and horizontal Fourier spatial frequencies, as a means to estimate biomass. It further suggests that each Fourier frequency of leaf area density could be modeled as a harmonic oscillator, in which leaf area itself provides a restoring force to constrain it to some nominal value. Preferred Fourier frequencies for tropical forest stands at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, with vertical wavelengths of 12 to 18 m and 5-7m are shown from LIDAR as an update to previous work. These two wavelengths are close to the average height and crown depth of forest stands measured. As an example of different kinds of modeling, it is suggested that biomass be considered a complex quantity with amplitude representing the usual biomass, and the phase representing some undetermined characteristic of the forest. Finally, since structure-based biomass estimation will presumably improve with signal penetration, a diffraction calculation of penetration through holes at L- and C-band shows that the diffractive component of penetration from C-band is greater than or equal to that at L-band, countering to some extent the lower penetration at C-band due to the frequency dependence of water's extinction.
Environmental/Economic Operation Management of a Renewable Microgrid with Wind/PV/FC/MT and Battery Energy Storage Based on MSFLA

fluctuations. The presented optimization framework is based on multiobjective modified shuffled frog leaping algorithm (MSFLA). To solve environmental/economic operation management (EEOM) problem using MSFLA, a new frog leaping rule, associated with a new strategy for frog distribution into memeplexes, is proposed to improve the local exploration and performance of the ordinary shuffled frog leaping algorithm. The proposed method is examined and tested on a grid-connected MG including fuel cell, wind turbine, photovoltaic, gas-fired microturbine, and battery energy storage devices. The simulation results for three scenarios involving the economic operation management of MG, environmental operation m anagement of MG, and environmental/economic operation management of MG are presented separately. The obtained results compared with results of well-known methods reported in the literature and prove the efficiency of the proposed approach to solve the both single objective and multiobjective operation management of the MG.
Recent Trends in Intergovernmental Relations

In this essay, the authors explore trends in intergovernmental relations (IGR) by analyzing recent education policies—No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core State Standards, and local empowerment policies. Identifying a resurgent role for local actors in education policy, the authors argue that recent federal efforts to exert more control have in many ways strengthened the influence of local actors by providing avenues for school districts and other local “non-system” players to challenge traditional governance arrangements. In a similar vein, because the federal government’s ability to achieve its goals rests primarily on actions of local players, federal policies have in the course of implementation strengthened the hand of many local actors. Based on their analyses, the authors stress that IGR is not a zero-sum game. As one level gains power in certain domains, other levels may simultaneously acquire power in the same or different domains. The authors further argue that relations among federal, state, and local governments are bidirectional. Federal policy often requires states and districts to alter local policies, and conversely, decisions made by states and districts can also influence federal decisions. The authors begin the essay with an overview of the intergovernmental landscape, followed by an analysis of current education policies to illustrate the ways in which local actors have retained and asserted significant control over schooling, despite the expanded federal role in education policy. The essay concludes with questions for future research and practice.
Miniature Magnetic Film Glass Core Helical Antenna Array

This study demonstrates the operation of a miniaturized version of a helical antenna array. Axial mode helical antenna was designed with a magnetic film glass composite core. The usual axial mode air core antennas are usually bulky and consume unnecessary space in the applications. This is overcome by the magnetic film core antenna which is basically smaller compared to the traditional mode. This magnetic film antenna has been designed to operate at a frequency of 2.44 GHz. This version has shown 80% reduction in volume compared to the conventional air-core antenna. This particular antenna is used as 2×2 and 4×4 arrays which show a three-fold gain over the single antenna. Therefore, we have achieved high gain along with the miniaturization of the antenna by using the glass core.
FireViz: A Personal Firewall Visualizing Tool

In this thesis, I present FireViz, a personal firewall visualizing tool. FireViz visually displays activities of a personal firewall in real time. The primary goal of FireViz is to educate typical computer users of the security threats their computers are exposed to when connected to a network and expose any potential loop holes in the firewall’s security policies. To this end, FireViz presents a novel visualization paradigm that provides users with an informative yet non-intrusive interface to their network and firewall. FireViz achieves this by incorporating a peripheral mapping of the network on the user’s screen and displaying network events along this periphery. Information about network events is encoded visually to help users develop a more intuitive model of the network at a low cost. The peripheral nature of FireViz along with the use of non-modal visual displays allows users to easily understand network events without obstructing their primary tasks. The visualization is also capable of highlighting exceptional events that may represent potential threats without relying on the end user to understand any threat model. Thus, FireViz aims to provide users with a superior framework for understanding the network security model and achieving improved system security in the process. Thesis Supervisor: Robert C. Miller Title: Assistant Professor
Shivers and Timbres

Most people report that listening to music sometimes creates chills—feeling goose bumps and shivers on the neck, scalp, and spine—but some people seem to never experience them. The present research examined who tends to experience music-induced chills and why. A sample of young adults completed measures of chills, the Big Five domains, and their music preferences, habits, and experiences. Latent variable models found that openness to experience was the strongest predictor of the typical experience of chills during music. Several mediation models considered likely mediators of this effect. Openness to experience predicted music preferences, particularly for reflective and complex genres, but genre preferences did not in turn predict chills. In contrast, several markers of people’s experience and engagement with music in everyday life, such as listening to music more often and valuing music, did mediate openness's effects. Some implications for bridging state and trait approaches to the chills experience are considered.
Risk management and corporate governance in the Lebanese Islamic banking industry

Despite recent growth in the Islamic banking industry, little is known on the best practices in its risk management. This paper examines the risk management systems of Islamic banks in Lebanon. Using a survey technique, it shows the diversity of risks faced by Islamic banks. It also confirms the importance of good corporate governance as a tool which is associated with the implementation of best practices in risk management.
7 Interventions for water provision

This chapter provides a summary of the interventions that are available to improve water provision to communities using small-scale systems. This chapter is intended for policy analysts who are new to the area of water supply management and who want to learn more about the range of issues that they may need to take into consideration when making policy decisions. The chapter covers three topics: water interventions; education and community training; and policy and planning. It offers only a brief summary of these topics – a comprehensive review of current knowledge and practice is beyond the capacity of this book – but we have endeavoured to include easily accessible references that provide further details. In contrast to the small amount of technical detail that we have included, the scope of this chapter is made deliberately broad in order to include interventions that cover the range of challenges that face both developed and developing