Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of shear in the convective boundary layer: analysis of the turbulent kinetic energy budget

Effects of convective and mechanical turbulence at the entrainment zone are studied through the use of systematic Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) experiments. Five LES experiments with different shear characteristics in the quasi-steady barotropic boundary layer were conducted by increasing the value of the constant geostrophic wind by 5 m s-1 until the geostrophic wind was equal to 20 m s-1. The main result of this sensitivity analysis is that the convective boundary layer deepens with increasing wind speed due to the enhancement of the entrainment heat flux by the presence of shear.Regarding the evolution of the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) budget for the studied cases, the following conclusions are drawn: (i) dissipation increases with shear, (ii) the transport and pressure terms decrease with increasing shear and can become a destruction term at the entrainment zone, and (iii) the time tendency of TKE remains small in all analyzed cases.Convective and local scaling arguments are applied to parameterize the TKE budget terms. Depending on the physical properties of each TKE budget contribution, two types of scaling parameters have been identified. For the processes influenced by mixed-layer properties, boundary layer depth and convective velocity have been used as scaling variables. On the contrary, if the physical processes are restricted to the entrainment zone, the inversion layer depth, the modulus of the horizontal velocity jump and the momentum fluxes at the inversion appear to be the natural choices for scaling these processes. A good fit of the TKE budget terms is obtained with the scaling, especially for shear contribution.
Fracture toughness and shear yield strength determination for two selected species of central European provenance

When offcut of wood is formed by shearing, Atkins’s analyses of sawing processes can be applied. Using this modern approach, it is possible to determine the fracture toughness and shear yield strength of wood. This model is only applicable for the axial-perpendicular cutting direction because both of these parameters are suitable for the given direction of cutting edge movement and cannot be considered material constants. Alternatively, these parameters can be recalculated for the perpendicular and axial directions of cutting when the parameters are considered non-variable quantities. The set of data necessary for calculation can be easily obtained while cutting wood with common circular saw blades. It is necessary to ensure a minimum of two levels of workpiece height and two diverse levels of feed speed. The main aim was to develop an alternative methodology for simultaneous determination of wood fracture toughness and shear yield strength for two principal directions regarding wood grains on the basis of cutting tests performed during circular saw blade cutting for two selected wood species of Central Europe provenance, such as spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.).
A Computer Supported Co-Operative Learning Course to Promote the Use of ICT in Practical and Creative Education.

Learning scientists have discovered that deep learning is more likely to occur in complex social and technological environments, one example of this is computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) situations. This was the main guideline when partners of Socrates Comenius 2.1-project FISTE (A Future Way for In-Service Teacher Training Across Europe) started to plan and implement an online-course for European teachers. The result of FISTE partners' collaboration, an online-course called aimed at introducing the course participants, the European teachers, to new opportunities and ideas how to use ICT pedagogically in teaching. This in turn could offer them possibilities for sharing their experiences and good pedagogical practices and also to encourage them to consider the meaning of collaboration in teaching and learning. The course lasted for six months and it included six different units which involved both technical and pedagogical issues considering the pedagogical use of ICT. The experiences the participants and the FISTE-tutors had during the course were mostly positive and encouraging, yet all the people who were involved with the course felt it was quite a challenging experience because it included so many new things to all participants. This paper will present the main principles concerning the course, an overall introduction of the course content and also experiences the participants and the FISTE partners gained during the course as tutors.
THE ISSUES AND BENEFITS OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SYSTEMS DESIGN WITH STANDARD COMPONENTS - AN INDUSTRIAL CASE STUDY

The efficient and economical transformation from a design schema to an embodied design solution containing real components is essential for the success of a product. The ability of the designer to explore an optimum solution is severely frustrated by the analytically intensive and time-consuming aspects of embodying a concept. This is particularly the case where standard components are considered. This paper summarises a new modelling approach that supports the designer during the transformation of a concept to an embodied solution and describes the process of constructing a system model, specifying the desired performance characteristics and what is known as system resolution. In particular an industrial case study is used to demonstrate the capabilities and benefits of the new approach.
Evaluation and comparison of auditory processing problems in temporal lobe epileptic patients and normal subjects with Persian staggered spondaic word test

Background and Aim: Electrical discharges in temporal lobe epilepsy can cause disorders in auditory pathways. Staggered spondaic word test ( SSW) is one of the most common behavioral tests to evaluate the central auditory nervous system. This study aimed to evaluate and compare auditory processing problems in temporal lobe epileptic patients and normal subjects with Persian SSW test. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 25 patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy aged 18-46 years and 25 controls aged 18-42 years using SSW test. Corrected spondaic word test (C-SSW) was compared between groups. Results: Significant differences were found in the mean scores of right non-competitive, left non-competitive, right competitive, left competitive, right ear, and left ear between groups (p<0.05) and there was poor direct relationship between duration of epilepsy and the total score (r=0.38, p=0.04). There were significant correlations between temporal lobe epilepsy and ear effect, order effect, and reversals (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of central auditory processing disorders in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy that is increased with increasing duration of disorder of temporal lobe epilepsy.
Generalized Grouping Regularization for Time Domain Force Reconstruction Problems

Grouping regularization has received attention in recent studies because it offers flexibility and better noise immunity than traditional methods. In this paper, we propose the generalized grouping regularization (GGR). With different parameter settings, GGR provides localization ability, adaptive basis selection ability, and at the same time reconstruct forces in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. And with specific parameter settings, the proposed method degenerates to traditional Tikhonov regularization and compressed sensing. GGR is supposed to serve as the general regularization scheme for time domain force reconstruction problems. A cantilever beam simulation shows its superiority.
What We Know About Wage Adjustment During the 2007-09 Recession and its Aftermath

Aggregate wage growth has remained flat during the 2007-09 recession and its aftermath while unemployment has exhibited substantial swings. Does the low real aggregate wage growth during the recovery indicate a weak labor market beyond what is measured by the official unemployment rate? Aggregate wage growth reflects actual changes of workers' wages, changes in the composition of workers, and changes in the composition of jobs. Some of these changes are related to underlying structural trends in the economy while others constitute the economy's response to the business cycle shocks and are more indicative of cyclical resource utilization in the labor market. Consequently, it is important to look beyond the aggregate statistics to understand the behavior of real wages and its relation to the health of the labor market. In this article, we review recent literature that studies the changes in the components of the aggregate wage over time and, specifically, after the 2007-09 recession.
How do external costs affect pay-as-bid renewable energy connection auctions?

Renewable energy deployment costs comprise both internal generation costs and external location-related infrastructure, environmental and social costs. To minimise generation costs, competitive connection contract auctions are becoming increasingly common. Should external costs have considerable influence on site selection outside of the auction process, optimal bidding strategies may be affected by the resulting re-ranking of winning bids. This paper elicits the impact this may have on optimal bidding behaviour. Specifically, we address the impact internalisation of external costs may have on bidding strategy. With deterministic generation costs, optimal bidding strategies include a markup. The optimal markup is lower if external costs are internalised into the investment decision. If investors have the ability to appropriate rents, due to market dominance or asymmetric information, non-internalised external costs lower markup. Generation cost uncertainty may result in below-cost bidding. This is less likely when externalities are not internalised. For markets where bids are competitively priced, this paper provides evidence to suggest that methods to minimise externalities associated with renewables deployment should be integrated with competitive pay-as-bid auctions.
If You Don't Need to Know, Don't Ask! Does Questionnaire Length Dilute the Stability of Brand Images?

Brand image measurement is the most fundamental building block of strategic marketing decisions in branded industry. Therefore, brand image studies are both regularly conducted and well researched. Nevertheless the measurement tools used are typically not constructed with the scientific rigour needed to generate the most informative results. The aim of this article is to evaluate the effect of one potential weakness: questionnaire length. It is investigated whether questionnaire length influences (1) the initial response rate of assigning attributes to brands, (2) the repeat rate of doing so, and (3) the empirical generalisation proposed by Dall’Olmo Riley et al. (1997) according to which there is a constant relationship between repeat rates and the initial response level. Disciplines Business | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details This article was originally published as: Dolnicar, S & Heindler, M, If You Don’t Need to Know, Don’t Ask! Does Questionnaire Length Dilute the Stability of Brand Images? , CD Proceedings of the 33rd Annual EMAC Conference (European Marketing Academy Conference), University of Murcia, Spain, 18-21 May 2004. This conference paper is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow. edu.au/commpapers/79 If you don’t need to know, don’t ask! Does questionnaire length dilute the stability of brand images?
Effects of Environment in the Microstructure and Properties of Sustainable Mortars with Fly Ash and Slag after a 5-Year Exposure Period

Nowadays, getting a more environmentally sustainable cement production is one of the main goals of the cement industry. In this regard, the use of active additions, like fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag, has become very popular. The behaviour, in the short-term, of cement-based materials with those additions is well-known when their hardening is produced under optimum conditions. However, real structures are exposed to different environments during long periods, which could affect the development of microstructures and the service properties of cementitious materials. The objective of this work is to analyse the effects in the long-term (up to 5 years approximately) produced by the exposure to different non-optimum laboratory conditions in the microstructure, mechanical and durability properties of mortars made with slag and fly ash commercial cements. Their performance was compared to that observed for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mortars. The microstructure has been analysed using mercury intrusion porosimetry. The effective porosity, the capillary suction coefficient, the chloride migration coefficient and mechanical strengths were analysed too. According to the results, mortars prepared using slag and fly ash sustainable commercial cements, exposed to non-optimum conditions, show a good performance after 5-years hardening period, similar or even better than OPC mortars.
A Design of Sine-wave Oscillator Based on an Improved OP-amp Differentiator

By analyzing of typical op-amp differentiator circuit considered the op-amp amplitude-frequency characteristic, we give out a design of sine-wave oscillator based on an improved op-amp differentiator. This oscillator is not only the output sine wave harmonic distortion very low, but also easy to design and easy to trimming to fine. Introduction At present the active RC sine-wave oscillator includes Wien’s bridge oscillator [1] and RC phase shift oscillator. The frequency selecting circuit of Wien’s bridge oscillator is two-order band-pass circuit, and its quality factor is 1/3. The frequency selecting circuit of RC advanced phase shift oscillator is three order high pass circuit. The frequency selecting circuit of RC delayed [2] phase shift oscillator is three-order low pass circuit. Their frequency characteristics are poor, so they output large harmonic component. This paper uses modified active RC differential circuit for frequency selecting circuit. By using the RC phase shift circuit, the phase condition of the oscillator is satisfied [3]. With variable gain amplifier, the amplitude condition and stability condition of the oscillator are also satisfied. The frequency of output sine-wave frequency of the circuit is close to the center frequency of the frequency selecting circuit. The quality factor of the frequency selecting circuit is usually greater than 10, so the output harmonic distortion of sine-wave is very low. The range of oscillation frequency is at least (0.0001~ 0.1) . is op-amp gain bandwidth product. The basic active RC differential circuit Figure 1 is the basic active RC differential circuit [4]. If the amplifier is the ideal op-amp, its transfer function is shown as below: ( ) H s sCR = − (1) Using EWB as simulation software, first-order op-amp model is type of LF353. With simulation of the circuit in Figure 1, we get the amplitude frequency characteristics of the transfer function, as shown in Figure 2. It is the same as the amplitude frequency characteristics of the two band pass filter. The transfer function of the basic active RC differential circuit is derived as follows with Figure 1 ( f0=99.79kHz,Q=39.4,Am=63dB) Figure 2 6th International Conference on Mechatronics, Materials, Biotechnology and Environment (ICMMBE 2016) © 2016. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 515 first-order op-amp model. 0 ( ) 1 p k A s T s = + (2) is the amplifier open-loop gain, 1/Tp is one pole. List current and loop voltage equations:
A 5-GHz radio front-end with automatically Q-tuned notch filter and VCO

A low-voltage receiver front-end for 5-GHz radio applications is presented. The receiver consists of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) with notch filter, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and a mixer. The LNA/notch filter has an automatic Q-tuning circuit integrated with it to provide good image rejection. On-chip transformers are used extensively in the receiver to improve performance and facilitate low-voltage operation. The receiver has a gain of 19.8 dB, noise figure of 4.5 dB, a third-order input intercept point (IIP3) of -11.5 dBm, and an image rejection of 59 dB, and the VCO had a phase noise of -116 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset.
Comparison of several forms of dimension reduction on quantitative morphological features for normal, abnormal and reactive lymphocyte differentiation

in English, 250 words or less): Dimension reduction, or dimensionality reduction, is the process through which the number of variables observed in a study is reduced to a smaller number. The term Lymphoma defines a group of very common white blood cell cancers that affect both adult individuals and children. The correct diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma offers a significant survival rate. The Curse of Dimensionality is a common problem in which additional dimensions in data sets make information sparser. This can be managed by dimension reduction techniques. This study aims to compare the performance of PCA, ICA, Factor Analysis and LDA. LDA, PCA and Factor Analysis are shown to yield good results. A comparative table is given.
The Academic Librarian and Information Technology: Ethical Issues.

Les consequences d'une action dans le domaine de la bibliotheconomie se mesurent a la fois par ses repercussions dans le domaine professionnel et par ses implications face a la societe. Le libre acces a l'information doit etre garanti par les bibliotheques sans que des mesures protectionnistes gouvernementales ou privees viennent interferer dans la diffusion de l'information au moment ou l'evolution de la technologie permet un acces plus rapide et plus direct a l'information
Strategy, Scale or Policy? Exit in the Australian Car Industry

This paper estimates the importance of strategy, scale and policy in determining the pattern of exit in the Australian car industry. Previous studies found only a weak role for strategy in exit from declining industries. Using a new dataset and improvements on the specification used in earlier studies, we find stronger evidence that strategy influences the pattern of exit where economies of scale are less important. Protection is also found to negatively influence the likelihood of exit.
Obstacles to the Promotion of Dialogue between Parents, Children and Health Professionals about Death and Dying in Pediatric Oncology

Despite advances in cancer treatments and improved prognosis, the number of deaths from the disease is high in the world. In Brazil, cancer is the second leading cause of death among children and adolescents, forcing family members, patients and professionals to deal with the issues of human finitude. The multidisciplinary team considers the discussions at the end of life as a difficult task to be performed on pediatric patients. The family is essential to overcome the communication barriers, acting as liaison between the multidisciplinary team and the patient. Children should be invited to participate in the decisionmaking process and their wishes should be honored at the end of life. Professionals should to be able to meet the physical, psychosocial, spiritual, social and cultural rights of patients and families. Discussions at the end of life with pediatric patients are key to promoting a "good death", however there are few studies that address this issue.
A two-fluid actuarial model with an alternating payoff policy

In this paper we consider the model for an actuarial problem dealing with two types of claims and payoffs subject to seasonal switching. Claims are assumed to occur in a fluid fashion whereas payoffs are made at a unit rate so long as claims remain to be paid. The distribution properties of the accumulated claim sizes {Z1(t), Z2(t)} are derived at finite time as well as in steady state. We first investigate this process embedded at the successive switching points. This process is Markovian with independent components. In continuous time the components {Z1(t), Z2(t)} are also independent for each finite t, but are dependent in steady state. Extensions are possible to the case of three or more inputs with release over a sequence of intervals of fixed or variable lengths.
First-principles study on the electronic, optical, and transport properties of monolayer α - and β -GeSe

The extraordinary properties and the novel applications of black phosphorene induce the research interest on the monolayer group-IV monochalcogenides. Here using the first-principles calculations, we systematically investigate the electronic, transport and optical properties of monolayer $\alpha-$ and $\beta-$GeSe, the latter of which was recently experimentally realized. We found that, monolayer $\alpha-$GeSe is a semiconductor with direct band gap of 1.6 eV, and $\beta-$GeSe displays indirect semiconductor with the gap of 2.47 eV, respectively. For monolayer $\beta-$GeSe, the electronic/hole transport is anisotropic with an extremely high electron mobility of 7.84 $\times10^4$$cm^2/V\cdot {s}$ along the zigzag direction, comparable to that of black phosphorene. Furthermore, for $\beta-$GeSe, robust band gaps nearly disregarding the applied tensile strain along the zigzag direction is observed. Both monolayer $\alpha-$ and $\beta-$GeSe exhibit anisotropic optical absorption in the visible spectrum.
Similar impacts of fishing and environmental stress on calcifying organisms in Indian Ocean coral reefs

Calcification and reef growth processes dominated by corals and calcifying algae are threatened by climate and fishing disturbances. Twenty-seven environmental, habitat, and species interaction variables were tested for their influence on coral and calcifier cover in 201 western Indian Ocean coral reefs distributed across ~20° of latitude and longitude and up to 20 m deep. These variables predicted more of the total between-site variance of calcifying organism cover (~50%) than coral cover (~20%). Satellite-derived environmental variables of temperature, light, and water quality predicted more of the coral and calcifier cover than feeding interactions when groups of related variables were analyzed separately. Nevertheless, when simultaneously eva luating all variables, the environmental variables better predicted coral cover, but proxies of feeding interactions better predicted calcifier cover. Coral and calcifier cover were most consistently negatively influenced by sea surface temperature distributions (right skewness), but the orangelined triggerfish Balistapus undulatus consistently had a strong positive association with coral and calcifier cover. Herbivorous fish and Diadematidae sea urchins were not positively associated with coral and calcifier cover. A primary prey of B. undulatus, the rock-boring sea urchin Echinometra mathaei, had a strong negative association with coral cover and particularly calcifier cover. Island reefs had higher calcifier abundance than fringing reefs, which probably results from high Acropora and B. undulatus but low E. mathaei abundance. When comparing all variables and models, these taxonomic associations had more influence than environmental stress variables on calcifiers. Given the important predatory role of B. undulatus in controlling E. mathaei populations, fishing restrictions on this species could help attenuate calcification losses predicted by climate change.