Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of 3-D Porous Mg/Zn doped Tricalcium Phosphate Bone-Scaffolds via the Fused Deposition Modelling

Three dimensionally interconnected porous resorbable beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) ceramic scaffolds were developed using the indirect fused deposition modelling process. β-TCP was doped with Mg and Zn, separately, to improve its sintering kinetics and facilitate fabrication of viable porous scaffolds. Effects of Mg and Zn on sintering kinetics and densification of β-TCP were studied. Fabricated porous scaffolds were tested for their failure strength under uniaxial compressive loading. Results showed that the scaffolds of Mg doped β-TCP possessed higher compression strength than the structures of Zn doped β-TCP. X-ray powder diffraction technique was used to analyze the phase purity and phase transformation.
Rural-Urban Differences in Consumption Patterns: An Application of QUAIDS

The main focus of this study is to estimate the rural-urban income and own price elasticities across a range of consumption quintiles. The analysis revolves around computation of expenditure/income and price elasticities (own price and cross price) including the compensated and uncompensated elasticities of food items using HIES data (2010-2011). The Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand system is used to estimate the parameters of the food commodity groups and estimation was done by SUR technique. The results of the study showed that the poorest families in Pakistan are the most vulnerable section of the society as their expenditures are greater on food items as compared to the expenditures of richest households taken into analysis. Expenditure elasticity of fruits was found to be highest in both rural and urban sectors and this is reasoned by the current economic scenario in the country where higher tax rates, consumer preferences and low salaries determine what people prefer in food consumption to a greater extent. Lack of dietary diversion is one major reason for such unique consumption patterns across rural-urban households in the country, thus, suggesting that policies inclined towards income will play an important role to achieve the goal of balanced diet prevalence in Pakistan.
The growth characteristics of Fumana procumbens(Dunal) Gren. et Godron under different climatic conditions

Growth characteristics, such as basal stem diameter, total length of wooded branches and root/shoot ratios in different ecological populations of Fumana procumbenswere studied in the perennial open sand grassland Festucetum vaginataeunder different climatic conditions in Hungary. The age of individual plants was determined by counting the annual rings in the basal section of stems. Basal stem diameters and their average yearly increment as well as the total length of wooded branches with individuals of the same age were significantly higher under wet conditions. The close relation of basal stem diameters and branch length with age could be described by linear regression both under wet and dry conditions. There was no significant differences in the root/shoot ratios between the dry and wet sites. Having established a reliable relation between basal stem diameter and age of Fumanaindividuals, authors developed a simple, quick and non-destructive field method for age determination of Fumana.
Reactive transport of 85 Sr in a chernobyl sand column : static and dynamic experiments and modeling

The effects of nonlinear sorption and competition with major cations present in the soil solution on radioactive strontium transport in an eolian sand were examined. Three laboratory techniques were used to identify and quantify the chemical and hydrodynamic processes involved in strontium transport: batch experiments, stirred flow-through reactor experiments and saturated laboratory columns. The major goal was to compare the results obtained under static and dynamic conditions and to describe in a deterministic manner the predominant processes involved in radioactive strontium transport in such systems. Experiments under dynamic conditions, namely flow-through reactor and column experiments, were in very good agreement even though the solid/liquid ratio was very different. The experimental data obtained from the flow-through reactor study pointed to a nonlinear, instantaneous and reversible sorption process. Miscible displacement experiments were conducted to demonstrate the competition between stable and radioactive strontium and to quantify its effect on the Sr retardation factor. The results were modeled using the PHREEQC computer code. A suitable cation-exchange model was used to describe the solute/soil reaction. The model successfully described the results of the entire set of miscible displacement experiments using the
Metabolic control of nitrogen isotope composition of amino acids in macroalgae and gastropods: implications for aquatic food web studies

We investigated the nitrogen isotopic compositions of individual amino acids from brown and red macroalgae and gastropods in a natural marine coastal environment, to further eval- uate them as a tool for ecological studies and to understand the factor(s) controlling the isotopic com- positions in terms of biosynthetic and metabolic processes. The isotopic compositions of 12 amino acids range from -2.1 to + 8.4 ‰ for brown algae, from -3.3 to +12.9 ‰ for red algae, and from -0.6 to +16.6 ‰ for gastropods. The isotopic distributions between algae and gastropods and within algal classes are consistent with those in previous reports, suggesting them to be quite useful for studying food web structure. The nitrogen isotopic variation between amino acids strongly reflects their biosynthetic and metabolic processes. In particular, we suggest here that metabolic fate is an impor- tant factor in producing distinct trophic relationships in nitrogen isotopic compositions between amino acids.
An Omnidirectional Jumper with Expanded Movability via Steering, Self-Righting and Take-off Angle Adjustment

In this paper, we propose an omnidirectional jumper with expanded locomotion capabilities. The mechanisms for four functions—jumping, steering, self-righting and take-off angle adjustment—are designed using only two motors to maximize the jumping performance. Jumping uses the modified active triggering mechanism with one motor. Steering shares this motor and uses the wheel touching the ground. The take-off angle is adjusted by changing the angle between the body and the foot using another motor. Self-righting is possible by utilizing combinations of the movements that occur in the energy storing and angle adjustment processes. With these four functions, the robot is capable of jumping in all directions and can jump anywhere in between the maximum height and maximum distance. It can also jump multiple times by self-righting. The robot, with a mass of 64.4 g, jumps up to 113 cm in vertical height, and 170 cm in horizontal distance. This robot can be deployed to explore various environments. Moreover, the design method to implement more functions than the number of motors can be applied to design other small-scale robots.
What is the effect of supervised group exercise on maternal psychological outcomes and common pregnancy complaints?: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Being pregnant is followed by several physiological changes and pregnancy symptoms, which have the potential to reduce quality of life and well-being for pregnant women. To date, there is scant knowledge about the effect of regular exercise in relation to maternal psychological outcomes and common pregnancy complaints. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of supervised group exercise on psychological outcomes including well-being, quality of life, body-image and pregnancy depression, as well as on commonly reported pregnancy complaints. Method: This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial. One hundred and five previously sedentary primiparous women, mean age 30.7 ± 4 years, were randomized to an exercise group (n=52) or a control group (n=53). The exercise intervention consisted of twelve weeks of supervised group exercise including cardiovascular and strength training, performed twice a week for 12 weeks, starting at mean gestation week 17.7 (SD 4.2). Women in the exercise group were also asked to include 30 minutes of selfimposed physical activity on the remaining weekdays. The control group received usual pre-natal care and was neither encouraged to nor discouraged from exercising. Outcome measures were assessed through standardized interviews preand post-intervention, and included psychological variables related to well-being, quality of life, body image and pregnancy depression, as well as number of women reporting of common pregnancy
Optimal Thermal Energy Storage Heat Sinks for Communication Devices

2 Abstract: A thermal response model for designing optimal thermal energy storage (TES) heatsink utilized for transient electronic cooling is developed by combining Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with Genetic Algorithms (GA). The thermal response model is developed to produce the desired TES heatsink configuration such as fin thickness, fin height and number of fins that yields optimal quality factors namely longest stabilization time and lowest maximum operating temperature to average transition temperature difference. Numerical simulations carried out showed good agreement with TES experimental data available in literature. The data from numerical simulation is then used to train ANN and later the trained ANN is embedded in GA to produce the optimal TES configurations.
The minimal model of the complement of an arrangement of hyperplanes

In this paper the methods of rational homotopy theory are applied to a family of examples from singularity theory. Let A be a finite collection of hyperplanes in Cl, and let M = Cl-UHEA H. We say A is a rational K(w, 1) arrangement if the rational completion of M is aspherical. For these arrangements an identity (the LCS formula) is established relating the lower central series of 7r1 (M) to the cohomology of M. This identity was established by group-theoretic means for the class of fiber-type arrangements in previous work. We reproduce this result by showing that the class of rational K(w, 1) arrangements contains all fiber-type arrangements. This class includes the reflection arrangements of types Al and Bl. There is much interest in arrangements for which M is a K(w, 1) space. The methods developed here do not apply directly because M is rarely a nilpotent space. We give examples of K(w, 1) arrangements which are not rational K(w, 1) for which the LCS formula fails, and K(w, 1) arrangements which are not rational K(w, 1) where the LCS formula holds. It remains an open question whether rational K(w, 1) arrangements are necessarily K(w, 1). l. Introduction. An arrangement of hyperplanes is a finite collection of Clinear subspaces of dimension (1-l) in C1. To such an arrangement A is associated an open 21-manifold, the complement M = Cl-U{HIH E A}. The connections between the topology of M and the combinatorial geometry of A are the source of much current research in this area. The most successful investigations concern the cohomology of M [13, 15], whereas the most difficult unsolved problems involve the homotopy groups of M [5]. In this paper we study the link between cohomology and homotopy provided by Sullivan's theory of minimal models [14]. In [6], a numerical relationship was established between 1(M) and H*(M) for the class of fiber-type arrangements. This LCS formula reads as follows: rI ( 1-tn ) Y7n (M) = PM (-t) n>l where the (>n(M) are the ranks of successive quotients in the lower central series of 1(M)) and PM(t) is the Poincare polynomial of H*(M). Because the sequence (>n(M) is related to the l-minimal model y of M, we conjecture in [5] that the LdS formula holds precisely when R determines H* (M). With the methods developed in this paper we can resolve this conjecture. Specifically, we show (Corollary 3.8) that the LCS formula holds when H*(5°) is isomorphic to H*(M). Arrangements satisfying the latter condition are called rational K(7r, l). Corollary 3.8 may be Received by the editors June 1, 1987. 1980 Mathematicts Subject Clatstsification (1985 Revitsion). Primary 55P62, 57M05; Secondary 06C10. (r)1988 American Mathematical Society 0002-9947/88 $1.00 + $. 25 per page
Susceptibility and Influence in Social Media Word-of-Mouth

Peer influence through word-of-mouth (WOM) plays an important role in many information systems but identification of causal effects is challenging. We identify causal WOM effects in the empirical setting of game adoption in a social network for gamers by exploiting differences in individuals' networks. Friends of friends do not directly influence a focal user, so we use their characteristics to instrument for behavior of the focal user's friends. We go beyond demonstrating a large and highly significant WOM effect and also assess moderating factors of the strength of the effect on the sender and receiver side. We find that users with the most influence on others tend to be better gamers, have larger social networks, but spend less time playing. Interestingly, these are also the users who are least susceptible to WOM effects.
Population density, survival, and rabies in raccoons in an urban national park

Density and survival of a raccoon (Procyon lotor) population in Rock Creek Park, an urban national park inWashington, D.C., were estimated using markrecapture and radio-tracking over an 8-year period following the appearance ofthe mid-Atlantic States (Mid-Atlantic) rabies epizootic. Raccoon density ranged from 333.3 to 66.7/km2 , with an overall parkestimate of 125/km2 . This density places the Rock Creek population within the range of other urban and suburban populationsand is many times greater than raccoon densities reported from other habitats. Density was particularly high in one thin spur ofparkland with the smallest ratio of area to urban edge. Raccoon survival rates were high except among juveniles during therabies epizootic. Data on rabies prevalence from Washington, D.C., indicate a cycle with peaks in 1983 during the initialepizootic and again in 1987 and 1991, a pattern similar to that seen in other carnivores and in rabies models. We found evidenceof decreased raccoon density during and afte.
Dust heating - Photon absorption versus electron collisions

Aims. We investigate and quantify the effects of the electron collisional heating of dust in a hot gas and compare this with photon heating by the interstellar radiation field. Methods. We compare the rate of energy absorption by dust due to electron collisional and photon heating as a function of the physical conditions of the gas and the ambient radiation field. We calculate the resulting dust spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for different environments. Results. We find that electron collisions and grain charging effects in a hot gas (106−107 K) rapidly destroy small carbonaceous particles and result in a minimum particle size of the order of a few nm. The charging due to the emission of secondary electrons is important and leads to high electric potentials, which quickly destroy the small grains by field ion emission. In the case of weak interstellar radiation fields (G0 ∼ 0.1), electron collisional heating can be the dominant heating process and therefore makes an important contribution to the dust thermal emission. Conclusions. Collisions of electrons with dust grains, in a hot gas, lead to important changes in the dust SED, as a result of their high energy input. We find that grain charge effects and accompanying erosion need to be taken into account in the calculation of the dust SED. The power absorbed by the dust as a result of electron collisions in a hot tenuous gas can be larger than that due to photon absorption in the intergalactic medium close to a galaxy where the radiation field is weak (G0 <∼ 0.1).
Digital Video Processing for Engineers: A Foundation for Embedded Systems Design

Any device or system with imaging functionality requires a digital video processing solution as part of its embedded system design. Engineers need a practical guide to technology basics and design fundamentals that enables them to deliver the video component of complex projects. This book introduces core video processing concepts and standards, and delivers practical how-to guidance for engineers embarking on digital video processing designs using FPGAs. It covers the basic topics of video processing in a pictorial, intuitive manner with minimal use of mathematics. Key outcomes and benefits of this book for users include: understanding the concepts and challenges of modern video systems; architect video systems at a system level; reference design examples to implement your own high definition video processing chain; understand implementation trade-offs in video system designs. • Video processing is a must-have skill for engineers working on products and solutions for rapidly growing markets such as video surveillance, video conferencing, medical imaging, military imaging, digital broadcast equipment, displays and countless consumer electronics applications. • This book is for engineers who need to develop video systems in their designs but who do not have video processing experience. It introduces the fundamental video processing concepts and skills in enough detail to get the job done, supported by reference designs, step-by-step FPGA- examples, core standards and systems architecture maps. • Written by lead engineers at Altera Corp, a top-three global developer of digital video chip (FPGA) technology.
Comparison of Metal Artefact Reduction Algorithms from Medicine Applied to Industrial XCT Applications

Artefacts are mainly arising due to scattered radiation and polychromatic nature of industrial X-ray sources which are typically used in X-ray computed tomography (XCT) systems. Artefacts are especially dominant in the case of multimaterial components consisting of low absorbing and metallic parts, which degrade image quality and hinder e.g. proper segmentation, failure analysis or inspection of interfaces. State-of-the-art metal artefact reduction (MAR) methods are either using iterative methods with prior knowledge or sinogram-based inpainting of the raw projection data with deletion of metal traces (from e.g. implants) and the subsequent interpolation of missing data. These approaches have already shown their usefulness in clinical routine and diagnostics by reducing image noise or resolving small structures beside metal parts. Since industrial parts are usually more complex, made of multi-material components such as plastic housings with metal pins or conducting paths made of iron or copper, an even stronger appearance of artefacts as compared to medical data can be observed. Therefore some modifications may be applied to the existing MAR methods. This contribution shows results of sinogram-based correction methods applied to real world parts as well as simulated XCT data from different industrial applications with methodical modifications such as dual energy data as input. Benefits and limitations will be discussed for each task and specimen regarding artefact reduction, gain in information, detectability and image quality.
Critical points and symmetries of a free energy function for biaxial nematic liquid crystals

We describe a general mean field model for the free energy function for a homogeneous medium of mutually interacting molecules, based on the formalism for a biaxial nematic liquid crystal set out by Katriel et al (1986) in an influential paper in Liquid Crystals 1 and subsequently called the KKLS formalism. The free energy is expressed as the sum of an entropy term and an interaction (Hamiltonian) term. Using the language of group representation theory we identify the order parameters as averaged components of a linear transformation, and characterize the full symmetry group of the entropy term in the liquid crystal context as a wreath product SO(3) ≀ Z2. The symmetry-breaking role of the Hamiltonian, pointed out by Katriel et al, is here made explicit in terms of centre manifold reduction at bifurcation from isotropy. We use tools and methods of equivariant singularity theory to reduce the bifurcation study to that of a D3-invariant function on R2, ubiquitous in liquid crystal theory, and to describe the ‘universal’ bifurcation geometry in terms of the superposition of a familiar swallowtail surface controlling uniaxial equilibria and another less familiar surface controlling biaxial equilibria. In principle this provides a template for all nematic liquid crystal phase transitions close to isotropy, although further work is needed to identify the absolute minima that are the critical points representing stable phases.
Predictors of Value for Money in Jamaican All-Inclusive Hotels

This study is motivated by the value percept disparity theory for relating perception to value within the context of customer satisfaction; and utilizes multiple regression modeling to determine the attributes of the allinclusive package that are predictors of ‘value for money’. Despite the obvious importance of value in a tight economic climate, the tourism literature has not discussed key antecedents of service quality or customer satisfaction from the perspective of value. This study has addressed this gap and have found that entertainment package, exposure to culture, quality of food and variation in restaurant are significant determinants of ‘value for money’; while easy access to shop and service at hotel bars are attributes of satisfaction but not predictors of ‘value for money’. It is expected that the model posited will assist management of the all-inclusive hotels with the targeting of satisfaction attributes that are most impactful on value - an issue that has become exceedingly important with the prevailing financial and economic crisis.