Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topological Insulator Materials

Topological insulators represent a new quantum state of matter which is characterized by peculiar edge or surface states that show up due to a topological character of the bulk wave functions. This review presents a pedagogical account on topological insulator materials with an emphasis on basic theory and materials properties. After presenting a historical perspective and basic theories of topological insulators, it discusses all the topological insulator materials discovered as of May 2013, with some illustrative descriptions of the developments in materials discoveries in which the author was involved. A summary is given for possible ways to confirm the topological nature in a candidate material. Various synthesis techniques as well as the defect chemistry that are important for realizing bulk-insulating samples are discussed. Characteristic properties of topological insulators are discussed with an emphasis on transport properties. In particular, the Dirac fermion physics and the resulting peculiar qu.
Fabrication of photo-crosslinked and RGD modified ECM-based hydrogels for functional cartilage tissue engineering

1 TABLE OF CONTENTS . 3 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES . 5 CHAPTER ONE: THE SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH PROGRESS . 6 1.1 Overview . 6 1.2 Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel . 7 1.3 RGD peptide and extracellular matrix (ECM) components . 8 1.4 Cartilage tissue engineering . 10 1.5 Research aims . 11 CHAPTER TWO: SYNTHESIS OF CELL RESPONSIVE ECM-BASED HYRDROGELS . 13 2.
Improving Performance of Wastewater Sector via Private Sector Participation

It has been heavily argued municipal wastewater infrastructures in China are currently facing great challenges of low efficiency and poor performance while thousands of wastewater treatment plants were constructed during the past decade. In addition to raise funds needed for expanding the coverage of infrastructure, it is also believed that the participation of private sectors could help improve the management as well as the performance of facilities. Eight years later since Chinese Government called for the marketization reform of public sectors (including water, wastewater, transportation, etc.) and introducing private sectors to invest, operate and manage wastewater infrastructures, emphases of the reform have shifted from raising funds to both funds and efficiency/performance improvement. This paper reviews the development of private sector participation in China’s water sector to date, and analyzes in details the innovative PPP development in Hunan Province, which has successfully raised fund needed, expanded wastewater infrastructure coverage, and improved integration of wastewater governance. It illustrates that the improvement of wastewater sector performance could come along the private sector involvement in some conditions.
The Study of Risk-Weighted Assets on the Affecting of Loan Exposure Valuation toward Credit Default

The objective of this research is to build a theoretical and an empirical model of Risk-weighted assets in banking industry. This study is very important for the banks because in uncertainty of environment, the banks must prudently when lend the money to the counterparty, so the default risk could be minimized. This study also wanted to investigate and test empirically direct and indirect effects of; first, Exposure Valuation to Credit Default, second, Loan Exposure Valuation to the Risk-weighted assets, third, the Risk-weighted assets to Credit Default at the local bank that listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange period 2008 – 2012.The Structural Equation Modeling by Amos Software 21.00 used to analysis data which result have a high goodness of fit, and the test of simultaneous and individual test proved significant with coefficient 0.60. The result of analysis shows that; first, Loan Exposure valuation not significantly positive influence to Credit Default, second, Loan Exposure valuation significantly positive influence to Risk-weighted assets, third, the Risk-weighted assets significantly positive influence to Credit Default, So the mediating effect of Risk - weighted assets on the affecting of Loan Exposure valuation toward Credit Default more strength than direct effect of Exposure Valuation to Credit Default.This study recommends about the importance of Valuation Exposure of Loan precisely such as; realized of credit, investment, placement, and to manage or control Risk-weighted assets to obtain a low risk that a low credit default also. Keywords: Loan, Exposure, Valuation, Risk, Default
UNCERTAINTY AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF NATURAL VENTILATION IN HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BUILDINGS

Quantification of natural ventilation rates is an important issue in HVAC system design. Natural ventilation in buildings depends on many parameters whose uncertainty varies significantly, and hence the results from a standard deterministic simulation approach could be unreliable. This study performed uncertainty analysis to predict natural airflow rates. The paper presents relevant uncertainty in model parameters such as meteorological data, building properties (leakage areas of windows, doors, etc.), etc. Uncertainties of the aforementioned parameters were quantified based on data available from literature and on-site visits. The Monte-Carlo method with Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) was used for uncertainty propagation. The CONTAMW was chosen to simulate natural ventilation phenomena in a high-rise apartment building that is typical of residential buildings in Korea. It is shown that the uncertainty propagated through this process is not negligible and may significantly influence the prediction of the airflow rates. In the paper, the result of a sensitivity analysis is also addressed.
The effects of an adaptive directional BEAM microphone on the mismatch negativity responses of cochlear implant users in noise

To investigate the effects of noise on mismatch negativity (MMN) responses and the possible benefits of an adaptive directional BEAM microphone in noise during MMN recordings, and to compare the cochlear implant-evoked potential results with normal hearing subjects. Materials and methods: /da/ and /di/ speech stimuli were used to elicit MMN responses in 11 Freedom cochlear implant users and in 11 normal hearing subjects. Speech noise was delivered at 80 dB sound pressure level (-10 dB signal-to-noise ratio). All subjects were tested in quiet and noisy conditions. To compare the microphone effects, MMN responses for the cochlear implant group were recorded with an omnidirectional and adaptive directional BEAM microphone mode in noise. Results: The MMN responses of the cochlear implantees and the normal hearing group were remarkably similar in terms of latency, amplitude, and morphology in both quiet and noisy conditions. MMN peak latencies were significantly prolonged in the noisy conditions compared to the quiet conditions for both groups. There was a significant decrease in MMN latencies when using an adaptive directional microphone in noise. Conclusion: MMN could be a useful tool to evaluate postoperative cortical auditory performance. BEAM technology provides an ease of discrimination similar to quiet settings for cochlear implant recipients in noisy environments (BEAM and Freedom are trademarks of Cochlear Limited).
Hands-free device control using sound picked up in the ear canal

Hands-free control of unmanned ground vehicles is essential for soldiers, bomb disposal squads, and first responders. Having their hands free for other equipment and tasks allows them to be safer and more mobile. Currently, the most successful hands-free control devices are speech-command based. However, these devices use external microphones, and in field environments, e.g., war zones and fire sites, their performance suffers because of loud ambient noise: typically above 90dBA. This paper describes the development of technology using the ear as an output source that can provide excellent command recognition accuracy even in noisy environments. Instead of picking up speech radiating from the mouth, this technology detects speech transmitted internally through the ear canal. Discreet tongue movements also create air pressure changes within the ear canal, and can be used for stealth control. A patented earpiece was developed with a microphone pointed into the ear canal that captures these signals generated by tongue movements and speech. The signals are transmitted from the earpiece to an Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) through a wired connection. The UMPC processes the signals and utilizes them for device control. The processing can include command recognition, ambient noise cancellation, acoustic echo cancellation, and speech equalization. Successful control of an iRobot PackBot has been demonstrated with both speech (13 discrete commands) and tongue (5 discrete commands) signals. In preliminary tests, command recognition accuracy was 95% with speech control and 85% with tongue control.
Modeling and Simulation of Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Controller in Simulink

The principle and structure of linear active disturbance rejection controller(LADRC) are analyzed, and the algorithm of the controller is clarified and the parameter setting process is simplified. Completing the creation and packaging of functional modules of linear active disturbance rejection controller by Simulink modeling idea and creating a module library of linear active disturbance rejection controller. The validity of linear active disturbance rejection controller and the effectiveness of the modeling method are described by linear active disturbance rejection control simulation of a second—order nonlinear time—varying object.
Understanding the Trends in Income, Consumption and Wealth Inequality and How Important are Life-Cycle Effects?

Rising inequality in income, wealth and consumption has received a good deal of public attention in the past years. At the same time, also macroeconomists are more and more interested in inequality as they have expanded their models to incorporate heterogeneity in the household sector. We supply these models with empirical benchmarks for their calibration and contribute to the understanding of the reasons underlying the trends in inequality. Specifically, we employ a variance decomposition and estimate life-cycle profiles of inequality in income, consumption and wealth based on two measures of inequality. We deepen the discussion on wealth inequality by evaluating the relative importance of savings, portfolio choice and inheritances for the accumulation of wealth. To do so, we project active and passive savings based on the observed saving and investment behavior of synthetic cohorts from the German Income and Expenditure Survey (EVS).
The Role of Mites in Bark and Ambrosia Beetle-Fungal Interactions

Insects share complex interactions with mites and fungi that range from obligate mutualisms to antagonistic relationships. These multitrophic interactions often result in changes to the host environment and population dynamics of the insect. Here, we review Scolytidae and Platypodidae beetles (bark beetles and ambrosia beetles, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and their micro-organismal interactions with mites and fungi. Many bark beetles and ambrosia beetles are closely associated with mutualistic fungi used as a food source. These fungi are carried by the beetles in specialized pockets called “mycangia. ” In addition to beetle-specific fungi, secondary fungi are often vectored by mite populations phoretic on the beetles. These secondary introductions create a complex fungal micro-biome within the host tree of the associated Scolytid beetles, with a myriad of consequences to beetle success and tree mortality. In this chapter, we provide a detailed review of specific beetle-fungal and mite-fungal associations, mutualistic and antagonistic effects of these fungal relations, and ecological and evolutionary consequences of beetle-fungal-mite relationships within the host complex.
Effects of Password Type and Memory Techniques on User Password Memory

COPYRIGHT 2016 BY PSI CHI, THE INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY IN PSYCHOLOGY (VOL. 21, NO. 4/ISSN 2164-8204) ABSTRACT. In an attempt to examine factors that increase the likelihood of remembering a user password, the memory technique of chunking was tested on different password types. College students, aged 18 to 22, used a given login (username and password) to play a 3-round word scramble game online. The type of password (multiword passphrase and standard password) was manipulated, as well as the strategy for remembering (chunking or no chunking). After the last round, participants’ memory for passwords was tested. Results showed that the effect of chunking on memory for passwords depended on the type of password. Chunking had a negative impact on memory for multiword passphrases but a positive impact on memory for standard passwords, F(1, 53) = 12.74, p = . 001, partial η2 = . 20. Implications regarding the use of memory techniques in user interfaces to improve memory for passwords and the impact of such techniques on personal and professional use are discussed. Effects of Password Type and Memory Techniques on User Password Memory
Global reconnection topology as inferred from plasma observations inside Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices

Abstract. During a long lasting period of northward interplanetary magnetic field and high solar wind speed (above 700 km/s), the Cluster spacecraft go across a number of very large rolled-up Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) vortices at the dusk magnetopause, close to the terminator. The peculiarity of the present event is a particular sequence of ions and electrons distribution functions observed repeatedly inside each vortex. In particular, whenever Cluster crosses the current layer inside the vortices, multiple field-aligned ion populations appear, suggesting the occurrence of reconnection. In addition, the ion data display a clear velocity filter effect both at the leading and at the trailing edge of each vortex. This effect is not present in the simultaneous electron data. Unlike other KH studies reported in the literature in which reconnection occurs within the vortices, in the present event the observations are not compatible with local reconnection, but are accounted for by lobe reconnection occurring along an extended X-line at the terminator in the Southern Hemisphere. The reconnected field lines "sink" across the magnetopause and then convect tailward-duskward where they become embedded in the vortices. Another observational evidence is the detected presence of solar wind plasma on the magnetospheric side of the vortices, which confirms unambiguously the occurrence of mass transport across the magnetopause already reported in the literature. The proposed reconnection scenario accounts for all the observational aspects, regarding both the transport process and the kinetic signatures.
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture

Analyses were performed to test the relationship between retail beef yield percentage (RBY) and real time ultrasound measurements taken at weaning, entry to ﬁnishing and preslaughter for animals ﬁnished under pasture and feedlot conditions to meet domestic, Korean and Japanese market speciﬁcations. The ﬁrst analysis tested the power of live animal measurements (scanned P8 fat depth, scanned eye muscle area and liveweight) to predict RBY and contrasted this with a model containing these live animal measurements plus a term ( HERD × KILL ) which accounted for all known classiﬁcation variables. This indicated that scanned P8 fat depth, measured at slaughter, was the most useful predictor of retail beef yield, accounting for 52% of the variation in RBY for the equation containing live animal measurements alone. The power of live animal measurements to predict RBY decreased as the time between scanning and slaughter increased. Models which included HERD × KILL predicted RBY accurately (accounting for 82–86% of the variation in RBY), but live animal measurements contributed little to this result, accounting for only 8% of the variation in RBY for measurements at slaughter in the presence of the HERD × KILL term. A second analysis examined whether market category, ﬁnishing regime or breed classiﬁcations consistently inﬂuenced the relationship between the measured traits and RBY at the 3 scanning times. The magnitude of the variation between signiﬁcantly different coefﬁcients (for scanned P8 fat depth, scanned eye muscle area and liveweight) was generally small, though the results suggested that in some instances, developing separate equations for animals of different classiﬁcations would marginally improve the accuracy of RBY prediction. The ﬁnal analysis investigated the improvement in RBY prediction when measurements from entry to ﬁnishing were included with those taken before slaughter. H ERD × KILL was included in the model to account for all known classiﬁcation variables. Measurements of both P8 fat depth and EMA from the earlier measurement time were signiﬁcant predictors of RBY in the presence of the corresponding measurement at slaughter, but accounted for an increase in R 2 of only 0.0007. It was concluded that a single scan and liveweight measurement, close to slaughter, would provide the best live animal measurements for RBY prediction, and that no improvement in accuracy would be achieved by additional scans taken earlier in an animal’s life
The Role of Imatinib Methanesulfonate Salt-Mediated Reduction of Hippocampal Amyloid-Beta in the Hyperphosphorylation of Tau

For years, the prevailing hypothesis in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has proposed a unified mechanism where deposition of amyloid-beta in the brain induces stress responses that lead to tau-pathologies and ultimately cognitive decline. However, despite extensive research on the disease, the exact mechanism of its onset remains unknown. Previous research in our lab has shown that imatinib-methanesulfonate (IM) lowers the amount of central Aβ and rescues cognitive function following a bout of inflammation. The present study aims to expand our understanding of how IM affects AD pathology and further examine the link between Aβ and tau. We hypothesized that prior and coadministration of IM with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) would eliminate elevations in hyperphosphorylated tau (ptau) by reducing production of Aβ. Our results showed that, despite its poor ability to penetrate the blood brain barrier, peripheral treatment with IM reduces levels of central ptau even in the presence of LPS-induced inflammation. Furthermore, total tau was significantly decreased following fourteen consecutive days of IM administration. These results lead us to propose that the expression of tau following LPS administration may be a protective measure by hippocampal neurons to compensate for the loss of the microtubule-stabilizing protein due to phosphorylation.
Effect of low fat high protein diets in the presence of Arabic gum on weight loss of obese rats.

Obesity is considered a serious disease affecting a large population worldwide. The present work was conducted to study the effect of low fat high protein diets in the absence or presence of Arabic gum on weight loss, some nutritional and biochemical parameters of obese rats. Normal male's albino rats (49) of Sprague Dawley Strain weighted 130 ± 5 g. were used in this study. The rats were divided into two main groups. The first main group (7 rats) fed on basal diet as a control negative group. The second main group (42 rats) were fed on high fat diet (HFD) for four weeks to induce obesity. After this period, the mean values of serum cholesterol, triglycerides and body weight gain were determined in the first and second main group to ensure obesity induction. The rats in the second main group was divided into seven subgroups (n=7rats) as follow: Subgroup (1) were fed on HFD as a control positive group, subgroup (2) were fed on HFD containing 5% Arabic gum AG, subgroups (3 and 4) were fed on low and very low caloric diets respectively [through the replacement of some dietary fat (saturated fat) with protein], subgroups (5 and 6) were fed on low fat high protein diets respectively and containing the same amount of AG used in subgroup (2),. The results in this study revealed that, the mean value of feed intake, body weight gain relative, liver weight decreased in all treated groups, as compared to obese groups. The mean values of serum glucose, leptin hormone, all lipid fractions (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, the ratio between LDL-c/HDL-c and VLDL-c), kidney functions (uric acid, urea nitrogen and creatinine) and liver enzymes (aspartate amino transferase AST, alanine amino transferase ALT and alkaline phosphatase ALP) decreased significantly p<0.05 in all tested groups, while HDL-c increased in all treated groups, as compared to the obese group (control +ve group). The best results recorded for the groups treated with low and very low fat high protein diets containing AG. It is concluded supplemented rat high protein low fat diet with Arabic gum improvedthe nutritional and biological parameters of obese rats.
The Three As of Government Formation: Appointment, Allocation, and Assignment

How does the Prime Minister organize her government so that she can implement her policy agenda? In our model, a Prime Minister appoints individuals to her cabinet, allocates their portfolios, and assigns their policy tasks-that is, she decides the relevant jurisdiction of departments and the type of proposals a minister can make. Upon appointment, ministers obtain expertise on policies specific to their jurisdiction and strategically communicate this information to the Prime Minister before a policy is implemented. Assignment allows the Prime Minister to implement her agenda even when she is constrained to appoint ministers whose policy preferences are far from her own. A Prime Minister weakly prefers a diverse cabinet. In equilibrium, the Prime Minister is indifferent between delegating policy or implementing policy herself.
A fast and simple document classification algorithm for gene symbol disambiguation

Izvleček. Razdvoumljanje simbolov genov je raziskovalno zelo aktualno področje. Največji problem predstavlja ločevanje med besednimi simboli, ki označujejo gene oz. njihove produkte ter simboli, ki se nanašajo na ostale biomedicinske koncepte (npr. CT, MR). V članku predstavimo hiter in preprost pristop k razdvoumljanju, ki temelji na razvrščanju MEDLINE® zapisov v genetsko in negenetsko domeno, ob predpostavki, da se simboli v genetski domeni najverjetneje nanašajo na gene. Algoritem sloni na statistični primerjavi domensko reprezentativnih korpusov zgrajenih na osnovi MeSH® deskriptorjev. Metoda je jasno razumljiva, preprosta za implementacijo ter računsko nezahtevna. Točnost razvrstitve, merjena na validacijski množici podatkov, je znašala 0,91. Algoritem je implementiran kot pomožni sistem za razdvoumljanje simbolov genov v sistemu za odkrivanje dejanskih ali potencialnih zakonitosti iz bibliografskih podatkov BITOLA.
Nonconcordant links with homology cobordant zero-framed surgery manifolds

We use topological surgery in dimension four to give sufficient conditions for the zero framed surgery manifold of a 3-component link to be homology cobordant to the 3-torus, which arises from zero framed surgery on the Borromean rings, via a topological homology cobordism preserving the homotopy classes of the meridians. This enables us to give new examples of 3-component links with unknotted components and vanishing pairwise linking numbers, such that any two of these links have homology cobordant zero surgeries in the above sense, but the zero surgery manifolds are not homeomorphic. Moreover the links are not concordant to one another, and in fact they can be chosen to be height n but not height n+1 symmetric grope concordant, for each n which is at least three.