Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effecting Durable Change

Interventions for voluntary proenvironmental behavior change usually target a limited number of behaviors and have difficulties in achieving durable change. The EcoTeam Program (ETP) is an intervention package that aims to overcome these flaws. Through a combination of information, feedback, and social interaction in a group—the EcoTeam—participants focus on the environmental consequences of their household behavior. The 3-year longitudinal study found that ETP participants (N= 150) changed half of the 38 household behaviors examined, with corresponding reductions on four physical measures of resource use. These improvements were maintained or enlarged 2 years after completion of the ETP, amounting to savings from 7% on water consumption to 32% on solid waste deposition. A detailed analysis of one behavior, means of transportation, suggests that change can be predicted from the interplay between behavioral intention and habitual performance before participation, and the degree of social influence experienced in the EcoTeam during participation.
Generic helical edge states due to Rashba spin-orbit coupling in a topological insulator

We study the helical edge states of a two-dimensional topological insulator without axial spin symmetry due to the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. Lack of axial spin symmetry can lead to so-called generic helical edge states, which have energy-dependent spin orientation. This opens the possibility of inelastic backscattering and thereby nonquantized transport. Here we find analytically the new dispersion relations and the energy dependent spin orientation of the generic helical edge states in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling within the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model, for both a single isolated edge and for a finite width ribbon. In the single-edge case, we analytically quantify the energy dependence of the spin orientation, which turns out to be weak for a realistic HgTe quantum well. Nevertheless, finite size effects combined with Rashba spin-orbit coupling result in two avoided crossings in the energy dispersions, where the spin orientation variation of the edge states is very significantly increased for realistic parameters. Finally, our analytical results are found to compare well to a numerical tight-binding regularization of the model.
Linear Parameter-Varying Control of Complex Mechanical Systems

Abstract In standard linear fractional representation (LFR)-based linear parameter-varying (LPV) modeling the size of the (diagonal) scheduling block depends on the number of scheduling parameters and their repetitions, which in turn influences both the complexity of synthesis conditions and the computational load during online implementation of LPV controllers. A modeling framework motivated by, but not limited to, mechanical systems is proposed, where the size of the scheduling block depends on the system's physical degrees-of-freedom. The scheduling block then turns out block-diagonal and can be parameterized in an affine or rational manner. This parameterization yields less complex LFRs when considering the example of a three degrees-of-freedom robotic manipulator, for which then full-block multipliers are tractable and also necessary in synthesis. Synthesis and both simulation and experimental implementation results indicate that the novel rational LPV controller provides improved performance at both reduced implementation and synthesis complexity as compared to an affine LPV controller.
Author ' s personal copy An investigation of visual contour integration ability in relation towriting performance in primary school students

A previous study found a visual deficit in contour integration in English readers with dyslexia (Simmers & Bex, 2001). Visual contour integration may play an even more significant role in Chinese handwriting particularly due to its logographic presentation (Lam, Au, Leung, & Li-Tsang, 2011). The current study examined the relationship between children’s performance in visual contour (VC) integration and Chinese handwriting. Twenty students from grade 3 to grade 6 were recruited (M = 9.51, SD = 1.02) from a mainstream primary school using the convenience sampling method. Ten students were identified by teachers as having handwriting problems, and the other 10 were typical students. Participants performed the VC tasks and their handwriting performance was assessed by a Chinese Handwriting Assessment Tool (CHAT) in a classroom setting. Correlation analyses revealed that VC accuracy was significantly and negatively correlated with on paper time and total writing duration. t-Test analyses revealed statistically significant differences in VC accuracy between students with typical and poor handwriting, with consistently better VC accuracy performance in all conditions in the typical handwriting group. The results may have important implications for interventions aiming at improving children’s handwriting. 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel. : +852 2766 6715; fax: +852 2330 8656. E-mail address: Cecilia.li@polyu.edu. hk (Cecilia W.P. Li-Tsang).
Frequency-Reconfigurable Pixel Slot Antenna

A new frequency-reconfigurable antenna structure which we denote as a pixel slot antenna is proposed and studied in this communication. The antenna makes use of a canonical switched slot element that is concatenated together to form various radiating structures. The resonant path of the pixel slot antenna can be a conventional slot or a slot plus a loop, so higher degrees of freedom in generating various resonant frequencies is achieved. The maximum-to-minimum achievable resonance values of a demonstrated 4-switch single-pixel slot antenna are 3.30 GHz to 1.56 GHz in which the feed mechanism remains unchanged. Other frequency tuning ranges are also achievable by changing the switch allocation along the slot structure. We also provide a model for the RF MEMS switches which can improve the simulation accuracy of the reconfigurable antenna simulation results.
A Community Well-Being Model: Considering AUDIT Scores and Social Class in non-Hispanic White and American Indian College Students

Although American Indian (AI) ethnic/racial identity and lack of social support have been linked with alcohol use problems in AI populations, little research has examined the impact of socioeconomic status, or the protective benefits of high ethnic identity with strong social connection in AI samples. This study developed and investigated a latent construct labeled community well-being (CWB) and tested it as a predictor of scores on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) in a sample of non-Hispanic White (NHW) and AI college students with consideration of selfreported childhood social class (birth to 18). Using structural equation modeling (SEM) this study tested the hypothesis that CWB and AUDIT scores would be negatively associated among both AI and NHW college students. We further hypothesized that among AI college students the relationship between CWB and AUDIT scores would be moderated by level of cultural identity. Secondary data analysis with NHW and AI
Matrix exponential based electromagnetic transients simulation algorithm with Krylov subspace approximation and accurate dense output

The ever-increasing scale of system interconnection and diverse dynamic time constants of power equipment pose challenges to power system electromagnetic transients simulation algorithm. In this paper, an advanced numerical integration method based on matrix exponential operator is proposed. Krylov subspace approximation is utilized to effectively reduce the problem dimension, and an accurate dense output formula is established to enable the method adopting larger simulation step size and revealing higher frequency dynamic details simultaneously. Accuracy, numerical stability and computation efficiency is demonstrated through numerical case studies.
CMOS LNA Design for Ultra Wide Band - Review

Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) functions important role in receiver designs. In, microwave receiver LNA circuit plays important role in quality factor of receiver. At radio frequency range, trade-off characteristics like gain, noise figure, stability, power consumption and complexity forces designer for various circuit's simulation for optimizing those. An LNA design presents a considerable challenge because of its simultaneous requirement for high gain, low noise figure, good input and output matching and unconditional stability at the lowest possible current draw from the amplifier. For short range and high data rate wireless applications UWB technology offers a promising solution to the radio frequency. As LNA is most important block included in the UWB front-end RF receiver, we focused this paper on review of LNA design using CMOS technique.
A Comprehensive End-to-End Lag Model for Online and Cloud Video Gaming

To further the knowledge of basic game mechanics and improve future video game Quality of Experience (QoE) studies we present a model and simulation for End-to-End (E2E) lag in networked and cloud computer games. E2E lag describes the latency between a user’s action and the display of the action’s results on the screen, thus providing both a basic measure for interactivity and a fundamental parameter to derived QoE metrics. In contrast to E2E lag models that focus on the network Round-Trip Time (RTT), the presented work also factors in the game’s tickrate and framerate (and codec latencies in the case of cloud games). This reveals side effects that can entirely mask the network delay’s contribution to the total lag, an important notion to consider for future game studies.
Development of co-operative control algorithm for parallel HEV with electric booster brake during regenerative braking

In this study, a co-operative regenerative braking control algorithm for the HEV with an electric booster brake was proposed and its performance was evaluated. A dynamic model for the electric booster brake system was derived to develop the electric booster brake performance simulator and its performance was investigated. In addition, a dynamic model for the 6-speed AT-based hybrid vehicle was established to develop a performance simulator, and it was combined with the electric booster brake performance simulator. Considering the electric booster structure, a strategy was proposed to distribute the braking force and regenerative braking force using the electric booster. A co-operative control algorithm was proposed, wherein the regenerative torque is cut off to ensure ride comfort and maintain the braking force during downshift for braking, and then the regenerative torque is controlled considering the electric booster brake response characteristic. The combined performance simulator was used to evaluate the performance of the electric booster brake and the co-operative control algorithm, and the results indicated that the desired braking force was maintained and that the deceleration change decreased.
Evaluación luriana de la afasia para el portugués brasileño

Muchos de los pacientes que sufren lesiones cerebrales desarrollan algun tipo de afasia. En el marco de la neuropsicologia brasilena se dispone de pocos instrumentos adecuados para la evaluacion y el diagnostico neuropsicologico de pacientes afasicos. De hecho, el “Sistema de Evaluacion de Tests Psicologicos” (SATEPSI, por su nombre en portugues) del Consejo Federal de Psicologia brasileno no lista ninguno. Esta situacion dificulta la creacion de programas de intervencion adecuados y coherentes con las dificultades del paciente. Se presenta una propuesta de adaptacion de un instrumento de evaluacion de los procesos neuropsicologicos que subyacen al lenguaje para el portugues en su variante brasilena. Se considera que la prueba presentada es util para la evaluacion neuropsicologica de pacientes adultos que sufren de trastornos adquiridos del lenguaje, ya que ofrece informacion importante para disenar una intervencion eficaz. Palabras clave: evaluacion neuropsicologica; afasia; portugues brasileno.
BER and PAPR analysis of MIMO OFDMA and SCFDMA system using different diversity techniques

The multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) concept and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) combination has been perceived as the most auspicious system to attain high transmission data rate and mitigate inter-symbol interference (ISI). However, high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) in OFDMA causes non-linearity at the receiving end of the system. Thus, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SCFDMA) technology is used to compensate this issue. This study evaluates the performance of both OFDMA and SCFDMA system based on the bit error rate (BER) and PAPR values. A comparison of space-time (ST), space-frequency (SF), and space-time-frequency (STF) block coding has been conducted for both systems to achieve better system performance. The best diversity scheme to implement in OFDMA and SCFDMA system in order to minimize PAPR and BER were investigated. From the analysis, the space-time-frequency block coding (STFBC) shows better performance in both MIMO SCFDMA systems. The result obtained that the SCFDMA system can improve the performance of BER and PAPR about 42% and 47% with diversity technique.
Averaging on Dynamic Networks

In dynamic networks, the topology of the nodes in a network or links connecting these nodes changes with time. This can be due to mobility, link failure, or nodes failure. We are interested in this paper to study consensus on dynamic networks. Most of the work on consensus in dynamic network settings consider fixed number of nodes that are trying to reach agreement in the presence of either mobility or non-robust links (so only the links are dynamic) [1]. Average consensus on these networks is modeled following a random adjacency matrix An×n(k) where n is the number of nodes and is fixed while the elements of this matrix are random (being for example i.i.d. at every iteration k). The study of consensus on that model is reduced to studying the convergence of the backward product of random matrices. Some papers give sufficient conditions on the weight matrices at every time iteration that guarantee convergence, others use coefficient of ergodicity as a tool to show the convergence of their system to consensus [2]. However, little study has been made on networks with dynamic number of nodes. In the latter case, the dimensions of the adjacency (and weight) matrices can be unbounded, and thus the traditional tools for studying the consensus are not applicable. We refer in this report to this type of networks : nodes arrive and leave as in a queuing system. We would like to study the effect of averaging in these networks, and to see if the nodes could actually reach consensus.
Drosophila Genomes by the Baker's Dozen

People who cannot cope with confusion should not be in genomics.Mary-Claire King (August 24, 2007, speaking at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA) WHAT a wonderful time to be a biologist! This month we celebrate the publication of the “complete” genomic sequences of 10 species of
Development of Heat Transfer Surface Area Enhancements: A Test Facility for New Heat Exchanger Designs

Enhancing the heat transfer surface by usage of cellular metal structures, such as foams or wire structures, might allow enlarging the surface area, increasing the heat transfer coefficients, decreasing the material utilization, and enabling the flexibility of different geometrical dimensions. However their manufacturing and assembling in a large heat exchanger for performance testing and optimizing can be costly. Therefore a test rig was constructed for experimental characterization of heat transfer surface area enhancements. Heat exchanger samples with dimensions in the centimeter range can be measured. The fluid flow and heat transfer features of a micro pin fin wire structure made from copper by soft-soldering were experimentally characterized under steady-state forced air convection. The results are compared to performance characteristics of louvered fins. Heat transfer coefficients of the pin fins are twice as high as for the louvered fins. The relative expanded uncertainty of the Nusselt number is ±7%.
The analysis of patients' airflow with respect to early detection of sleep apnea

The paper discusses the analysis of the respiratory events of sleep apnea patients. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the patient's airflow. As a result of the conducted analysis we proposed an algorithm which establishes an individual respiratory pattern for each subject. The algorithm could be implemented in the measurement — control system which manages the prosthetic device applying positive airway pressure. Its implementation could allow for a precise prediction of an upcoming apnea episode which in consequence prevents airway from collapsing.
An antipodal Vivaldi antenna for ultra-wideband system

Vivaldi antenna is a traditional ultra-wideband(UWB) antenna, and this paper focuses on designing its structural parameters properly to balance the bandwidth, gain, cross-polarization and other key parameters. By studying the effects of various parameters on the antenna performance, a compact Vivaldi antenna for ultra-wideband system is designed and realized. The antenna has a small size, high gain and small cross-polarization characteristics compared with the antannas in the relevant references, and it can meet the requirements of UWB system.
Novel Nutrition Profiling of New Zealanders’ Varied Eating Patterns

There is increasing recognition that the relationship between nutrition and health is influenced by complex eating behaviors. The aims of this study were to develop novel nutrition profiles of New Zealanders and to describe the prevalence of these profiles. Observational, cross-sectional data from the Sovereign Wellbeing Index, 2014 was used to develop the profiles in an a-priori process. Descriptive prevalence for the total data (N = 10,012; 4797 males; 18+ years) and profiles were reported. Nutrition question responses were presented as: Includers (consumed few time a week or more), Avoiders (few time a month) and Limiters (not eaten). Fruit or non-starchy vegetables were Included (fruit: 83.4%, 95% confidence interval (CI: 82.7, 84.1); vegetables: 82.6% (81.8, 83.4)) by the majority of the sample. Also Included were confectionary (48.6% 95% CI (47.6, 49.6)) and full sugar drinks (34.3% (33.4, 35.2)). The derived nutrition profiles were: Junk Food (22.4% 95% CI (21.6, 23.3)), Moderator (43.0% (42.1, 44.0)), High-Carbohydrate (23.0% (22.2, 23.8)), Mediterranean (11.1% (10.5, 11.8)), Flexitarian (8.8% (8.2, 9.4)), and Low-Carbohydrate (5.4% (4.9, 5.8)). This study suggests that New Zealanders follow a number of different healthful eating patterns. Future work should consider how these alternate eating patterns impact on public health.
Service class-aided scheduling for LTE

LTE (Long Term Evolution) supports QoS (Quality of Service) with several service classes. For each class of traffic, a big difference exists on BER (Bit Error Rate) requirement. This leads to a considerable difference in transmission power for various classes of traffic. In this paper, a novel scheduler is designed and proposed for LTE which supports CoS (Class of Service) with the consideration of priority as well as target BER. By the CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) and QCI (QoS Class Identifier), a minimum transmission power is assigned from the target BER for each class of traffic per each user. Hence, with the other information such as user's used rate in the past and the priority of traffic, the probability of occupying channels is determined. The simulation results of Service Class scheduling are compared with that of Maximum Rate and Proportional Fair. The results show that the service class-aided scheduling can improve the throughput of whole system significantly.
Inattentive and Contented: Relationship Commitment and Attention to Alternatives

Commitment to a relationship is affected by the quality of one's alternatives to that partnership, but one must be aware of those alternatives in order for them to be influential. In a study of the links between attention to one's alternatives and relational outcomes, participants described their relationships, inspected slides of attractive opposite-sex targets, and, 2 months later, reported whether their relationships had ended. Satisfaction with, investment in, commitment to, and adjustment in a dating relationship were negatively correlated with reports of vigilance toward desirable alternatives to that relationship. In the lab, those who had earlier claimed to be attentive to alternatives really did spend more time inspecting pictures of attractive opposite-sex targets. Moreover, there was no better predictor of relationship failure than high attentiveness to alternatives. Inattentiveness may be a maintenance mechanism that helps to preserve and protect desirable relationships. Even if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, happy gardeners will be less likely to notice.
Accuracy investigation of the de-embedding technique using open and short patterns for on-wafer RF characterization

Accurate de-embedding technique to remove the effect of pads is highly desired in on-wafer RF characterization, especially in the millimeter wave band. There are several calibration techniques such as TRL, Through-Only, Multi-Line, the method using Thru and Line patterns, etc. But the most commonly used technique is the de-embedding technique using open and short patterns, referred to as the open-short de-embedding technique. One of disadvantages of the open-short de-embedding technique is that pads are approximated by an equivalent circuit model, whose accuracy may be not sufficiently high. This paper investigates the accuracy of the open-short de-embedding technique through numerical simulations and measurements. It was found that the accuracy of the open-short de-embedding technique is high when lengths of the open and short patterns are small. The propagation constant of a guided microstrip line was extracted from measured data, and results of numerical simulations were verified.
An empirical investigation into e‐shopping excitement: antecedents and effects

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the antecedents of online shopper excitement, its consequences for behavioural intentions as expressed by intent to return, and positive word‐of‐mouth communication.Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model is developed based on the literature. Instrument item scales to measure all constructs in the model were as informed by the literature and adapted from prior studies. An online structured questionnaire survey was sent by e‐mail to a UK consumer panel (n=626). The results were analysed using LISREL 8.7. Findings – Convenience, involvement, attributes of the web site and merchandising all collectively influence shopper excitement. The attributes of the web site and merchandising directly influence intent to return. E‐shopper excitement leads to positive word‐of‐mouth (WOM) and increases the intent to return.Research limitations/implications – The study may be limited in that no differentiation is made between the types of goods that e‐consumers purchased. A fut.