Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heating of refractory cathodes by high-pressure arc plasmas: II

Solitary spots on infinite planar cathodes and diffuse and axially symmetric spot modes on finite cathodes of high-pressure arc discharges are studied in a wide range of arc currents. General features are analysed and extensive numerical results on planar and cylindrical tungsten cathodes of atmospheric-pressure argon arcs are given for currents of up to 100 kA. It is shown, in particular, that the temperature of cathode surface inside a solitary spot varies relatively weakly and may be estimated, to the accuracy of about 200–300 K, without actually solving the thermal conduction equation in the cathode body. Asymptotic behaviour of solutions for finite cathodes in the limiting case of high currents is found and confirmed by numerical results. A general pattern of current–voltage characteristics of various modes on finite cathodes suggested previously on the basis of bifurcation analysis is confirmed. A transition from the spot modes on a finite cathode in the limit of large cathode dimensions to the solitary spot mode on an infinite planar cathode is studied. It is found that the solitary spot mode represents a limiting form of the high-voltage spot mode on a finite cathode. A question of distinguishing between diffuse and spot modes on finite cathodes is considered.
Alcoholic Dementia in the Context of an Entropy of Neuron- Glial Network of a Brain

According to data of epidemiological researches, the incidence in population of an alcoholism among the full age population is up to 10%. It has a special medico-social significance in connection with steady body height of these indexes with distribution on a teenage age. It is difficult to estimate social consequences of development of the neuropsychological violations arising at the same time. Will not be larger exaggeration to assume that decrease in level of violent crime in lack of an alcoholism would make not less than 70%. One of the leading symptoms of alcoholic damage of a brain is the progressing violation of intellectual functions against the background of the expressed deviant behavior [1,2]. According to various authors these violations come to light in 50-70% of cases and in 10% of cases they have the expressed character reaching degree of a dementia [3-5]. At the same time it is considered that a dementia, the bound to alcoholism, makes up to 10% of all cases of a dementia, especially at persons of a young age. Research objective
Educational Effectiveness of Sesame Street: A Review of the First Twenty Years of Research, 1969-1989.

In this report, we review Sesame Street research studies that focused on the educational effectiveness of the series and provide a summary and synthesis of the results of the research. By educational effectiveness, we mean effectiveness in those areas related to beginning schooling, to the early years of children's formal education. An important goal of Sesame Street was to help children prepare for their initial school experience by exposing them to a variety of rich and appealing examples. Studies that attempt to provide evidence about the successes and/or failures of Sesame Street in that effort are the focus of this review.
Nonstationary Cointegration in the Fractionally Cointegrated VAR Model

We consider the fractional cointegrated vector autoregressive (CVAR) model of Johansen and Nielsen (2012a) and make two distinct contributions. First, in their consistency proof, Johansen and Nielsen (2012a) imposed moment conditions on the errors that depend on the parameter space, such that when the parameter space is larger, stronger moment conditions are required. We show that these moment conditions can be relaxed, and for consistency we require just eight moments regardless of the parameter space. Second, Johansen and Nielsen (2012a) assumed that the cointegrating vectors are stationary, and we extend the analysis to include the possibility that the cointegrating vectors are non‐stationary. Both contributions require new analysis and results for the asymptotic properties of the likelihood function of the fractional CVAR model, which we provide. Finally, our analysis follows recent research and applies a parameter space large enough that the usual (non‐fractional) CVAR model constitutes an interior point and hence can be tested against the fractional model using a Chi‐squared‐test.
Inducing the β-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) - a review

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a versatile material with numerous applications in many fields of industry and science. The extent of applications, ranging from approved contact materials in the food industry to monitors for respiration and heart-rate in medicine, drives the research and development by the materials science community. The largest limiting factor when using PVDF in applications where its piezo- and pyroelectricity is important, is the amount of the highly polar crystalline β-phase in the material. PVDF is polymorphic and usually crystallizes from melt or solution into the non-polar α-phase, which is of little use in piezoelectric applications. Many studies have therefore aimed at increasing the amount of the β-phase crystal structure in the material. Cold drawing of α-phase PVDF, poling in high electric fields, copolymerization with trifluoroethylene, and inclusion of different types of additives to PVDF have been studied using both experimental and computational techniques. This review presents the current status and understanding of these processes, and summarizes results from previous stud- ies. © Global Scientific Publishers 2015.
Active Control of Lateral Vibrations in a Railway Carriage

As trains are continually designed for higher and higher speeds the problems of railway carriage vibration are on the increase. Lateral vibrations in a railway carriage are noticeable to passengers if the vibration frequencies are lower than approximately 20 Hz. Below this frequency discomfort is a common problem for the passengers and below approximately 1 Hz motion sickness is a problem. The passive solution of stiffening the carriage chassis to shift the vibrational frequencies higher up results in inflated manufacturing and running costs, and opposes higher travel speeds due to increased weight. Semi-passive solutions such as modifying the structural dynamics of the carriage body by decoupling heavy underfloor equipment do not reduce the vibrations sufficiently. However, by appending a multi-reference feedforward active vibration control system, one way expect a substantial reduction in the lateral vibration level. Using a dynamic computer model of a railway carriage simulating the lateral vibration, and using as input bogie acceleration data measured on a running train, multiple-input/single-output coherence spectra were shown to constitute a suitable set of reference signals for an active control system. Control simulations based on the Feedforward Multiple-Input/Single-Output Filtered-x LMS Algorithm are carried out using different reference signal combinations. The control results indicate lateral vibration attenuation on the order of 15dB at the objective frequency of 10Hz.
Bounded Controllers for Decentralized Formation Control of Mobile Robots with Limited Sensing

This paper presents a constructive method to design bounded cooperative controllers that force a group of N mobile robots with limited sensing ranges to stabilize at a desired location, and guarantee no collisions between the robots. The control development is based on new general potential functions, which attain the minimum value when the desired formation is achieved, and are equal to infinity when a collision between any robots occurs. Smooth and p times differential jump functions are introduced and embedded into the potential functions to deal with the robot limited sensing ranges. Formation tracking is also considered.
Detecting Large Chromosomal Modifications Using Short Read Data From Genotyping-by-Sequencing

Markers linked to agronomic traits are of the prerequisite for molecular breeding. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data enables to detect small polymorphisms including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short insertions or deletions (InDels) that can be used, for instance, for marker-assisted selection, population genetics, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Here, we aim at detecting large chromosomal modifications in barley and wheat based on GBS data. These modifications could be duplications, deletions, substitutions including introgressions as well as alterations of DNA methylation. We demonstrate that GBS coverage analysis is capable to detect Hordeum vulgare/Hordeum bulbosum introgression lines. Furthermore, we identify large chromosomal modifications in barley and wheat collections. Hence, large chromosomal modifications, including introgressions and copy number variations (CNV), can be detected easily and can be used as markers in research and breeding without additional wet-lab experiments.
Parallel Algorithms for Mining Large-scale Time-varying ( Dynamic ) Graphs

Real complex systems are inherently time-varying and are modeled as temporal graphs (networks). Examples include social, transportation, and many forms of biological networks. Due to the advancement of data and computing technology, the modern world generates a huge volume of network data with detailed information on the time of occurrence and duration of each link. However, standard graph metrics introduced so far in complex network theory are mainly suited for static graphs, i.e., graphs in which the links do not change over time. It is only recently that the problem of mining temporal graphs has drawn considerable attraction. In this paper, we present a brief overview of our ongoing work on designing scalable parallel algorithms for mining large timevarying networks. We have been working on devising highperformance computing (HPC) techniques for this data-intensive computation using diverse platforms, e.g., shared-, distributedmemory, and hybrid systems.
Growth, Development and Genetic Characteristics of Physarum polycephalum Amoebae Able to Grow in Liquid, Axenic Medium

Amoebae from natural isolates of Physarum polycephalum, unlike the plasmodial phase, are unable to grow in axenic medium. A mutant strain of amoebae, CLd-AXE, can be cultured in the liquid, semi-defined medium used for plasmodial culture but lacks some of the properties required for studies of development and gene expression. From crosses of CLd-AXE with wild-type amoebae, new amoebal strains able to grow in axenic medium have been isolated; some of these can also undergo the reversible amoeba-flagellate transformation and apogamic plasmodium development in axenic conditions. Amoebae maintained in active growth in liquid culture for several months showed little change in their properties. Subcultures made with diluted inocula indicated that the same growth rate was achieved even when single amoebae were inoculated in liquid medium. All strains produced colonies with high efficiency when replated on bacterial lawns. Measurements of DNA content by flow cytometry indicated that the majority of amoebae in liquid cultures were haploid. Homozygous diploid amoebae constructed from one strain grew less well than the haploid cells. Genetic analysis of crosses suggested that amoebae able to grow in liquid axenic medium fell into one major phenotypic class with respect to growth rate, and that mutation at only one or two loci was necessary to allow amoebae to grow in axenic medium. Diploid, heterozygous amoebae constructed by mating a mutant with a wild-type strain were unable to grow in axenic medium, indicating that at least one of the putative axe alleles was recessive.
Principle and application of plant mutagenesis in crop improvement: a review

ABSTRACT The first step in plant breeding is to identify suitable genotypes containing the desired genes among existing varieties, or to create one if it is not found in nature. In nature, variation occurs mainly as a result of mutations and without it, plant breeding would be impossible. In this context, the major aim in mutation-based breeding is to develop and improve well-adapted plant varieties by modifying one or two major traits to increase their productivity or quality. Both physical and chemical mutagenesis is used in inducing mutations in seeds and other planting materials. Then, selection for agronomic traits is done in the first generation, whereby most mutant lines may be discarded. The agronomic traits are confirmed in the second and third generations through evident phenotypic stability, while other evaluations are carried out in the subsequent generations. Finally, only the mutant lines with desirable traits are selected as a new variety or as a parent line for cross breeding. New varieties derived by induced mutatgenesis are used worldwide: rice in Vietnam, Thailand, China and the United States; durum wheat in Italy and Bulgaria; barley in Peru and European nations; soybean in Vietnam and China; wheat in China; as well as leguminous food crops in Pakistan and India. This paper integrates available data about the impact of mutation breeding-derived crop varieties around the world and highlights the potential of mutation breeding as a flexible and practicable approach applicable to any crop provided that appropriate objectives and selection methods are used.
Peridynamic Analysis of Marine Composites under Shock Loads by Considering Thermomechanical Coupling Effects

Nowadays, composite materials have been increasingly used in marine structures because of their high performance properties. During their service time, they may be exposed to extreme loading conditions such as underwater explosions. Temperature changes induced by pure mechanical shock loadings cannot to be neglected especially when smart composite materials are employed for condition monitoring of critical systems in a marine structure. Considering this fact, both the thermal loading effect on deformation and the deformation effect on temperature need to be taken into consideration. Consequently, an analysis conducted in a fully coupled thermomechanical manner is necessary. Peridynamics is a newly proposed non-local theory which can predict failures without extra assumptions. Therefore, a fully coupled thermomechanical peridynamic model is developed for laminated composites materials. In this study, numerical analysis of a 13 ply laminated composite subjected to an underwater explosion is conducted by using the developed model. The pressure shocks generated by the underwater explosion are applied on the top surface of the laminate for uniform and non-uniform load distributions. The damage is predicted and compared with existing experimental results. The simulation results obtained from uncoupled case are also provided for comparison. Thus the coupling term effects on crack propagation paths are investigated. Furthermore, the corresponding temperature distributions are also investigated.
A method to leverage legacy Oracle Forms applications in an SOA

In the last couple of years, Service Orientated Architecture (SOA) has gained a lot of momentum as a promising concept for IT systems. Vendors and organizations are adopting this technology in hope of creating more flexible and maintainable IT systems. While SOA looks like a very desirable architecture, most organizations do not start with a clean slate, but instead have made large investments in older technology, which usually does not integrate well with SOA. Many of these organizations face a dilemma with respect to the choice between keeping these outdated systems or replacing them with something new. According to market research, thousands of organizations are facing this problem with respect to applications that have been developed using the Oracle Forms application development framework. Now that Oracle is adopting SOA for new products (and newer version of existing products), customers feel pressure to adopt SOA, and need to decide what to do with existing Forms applications. While a lot of research has been done on replacing or re-engineering legacy systems, these approaches are often infeasible because of the costs and risks involved. Because these approaches have been developed using a technical viewpoint and hence do not take into account the particular business problems that need to be solved, they often cannot predict the actual business benefits the approach will deliver. The decision support method presented in this thesis takes a business-oriented viewpoint and helps organizations find a solution which solves the business problems it is actually facing because of the system. To this end, the method directs participants to analyze why exactly the system does not fulfill a particular business requirement, and to find a solution that solves this problem. Since this research acknowledges that legacy applications should be abandoned in the medium to long term, the emphasis lies on finding solutions that either require little investments in the legacy system, or enable a gradual transition towards a more modern application. The method has been validated using a small scale scenario based on a real case. While the findings show the method fills a gap in Oracle's Unified Method and is valid, more research is necessary to create a mature and well-tested method.
Auxin-induced nanoclustering of membrane signaling complexes underlies cell polarity establishment in Arabidopsis

Cell polarity is fundamental to the development of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms, yet the mechanism of its establishment remains poorly understood. Here we show that signal-activated nanoclustering of membrane proteins and a cytoskeleton-based feedback loop provide an important mechanism for the establishment of cell polarity. The phytohormone auxin promoted sterol-dependent nanoclustering of cell surface transmembrane receptor-like kinase 1 (TMK1) to initiate cell polarity during the morphogenesis of Arabidopsis puzzle piece-shaped leaf pavement cells (PC). Auxin-triggered nanoclustering of TMK1 stabilized flotillin-associated ordered nanodomains, which were essential for auxin-mediated formation of ROP6 GTPase nanoclusters that act downstream TMK1 to promote cortical microtubule ordering. Mathematical modeling further demonstrated the essential role of this auxin-mediated stabilization of TMK1 and ROP6 nanoclusters, and predicted the additional requirement of ROP6-dependent cortical microtubules for further stabilization of TMK1-sterol nanodomains and the polarization of PC. This prediction was experimentally validated by genetic and biochemical data. Our studies reveal a new paradigm for polarity establishment: A diffusive signal triggers cell polarization by activating cell surface receptor-mediated lateral segregation of signaling components and a cytoskeleton-mediated positive feedback loop of nanodomain stabilization. Highlights Sterols are required for cell polarity in Arabidopsis leaf epidermal cells Auxin promotes lipid ordering and polar distribution of ordered lipid nanodomains at the plasma membrane (PM) Auxin stabilizes sterol-dependent nanoclustering of transmembrane kinase (TMK1), a PM auxin signal transducer Auxin-induced TMK1 nanoclustering is required but insufficient for cell polarization Microtubule-based feedback stabilization of the auxin-induced TMK1 nanodomains can generate cell polarity
Assessing Haplotype-based Methods for Genomic Prediction in Holstein Cattle and Major Swine Breeds in Canada

ASSESSING HAPLOTYPE-BASED METHODS FOR GENOMIC PREDICTION IN HOLSTEIN CATTLE AND MAJOR SWINE BREEDS IN CANADA Zahra Karimi Advisor: University of Guelph, 2018 Professor Flávio S. Schenkel Genomic evaluations typically rely on methods using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes. Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (GBLUP) using haplotypes (GHAPBLUP) rather than individual SNPs (GSNPBLUP) may improve genomic prediction reliability (r) because haplotypes are usually “multi-allelic” and, therefore, are more informative than individual SNPs, which are bi-allelic. The main objectives of this thesis were to assess haplotype-based approaches for genomic evaluation of economically important traits in Canadian Holstein cattle and in 3 major Canadian swine breeds (Duroc, Yorkshire and Landrace) using GBLUP. To achieve this, a total of 57 traits with various heritability levels in Holstein cattle were analyzed and predictions were validated using either an individual SNP-based relationship matrix (GSNP) or haplotype-based relationship matrices (GHAP) with different fixed-length haplotypes in GBLUP. The gain in reliability (r) and reduction in bias by using GHAPBLUP with 5-SNP haplotype blocks were increased slightly when predicting moderate to high-heritability traits compared to the use of GSNPBLUP. No gain was observed for low-heritability traits. The alternate methods for constructing GHAP were evaluated for genomic prediction of few selected important traits using either 50K or imputed 333K SNP genotypes in Holstein cattle. A combination of LD-based and 5-SNP fixed-length haplotype blocks was found to be the best method for haplotype-based genomic prediction. In swine, GHAP based on various fixed-length haplotypes were assessed for a few selected economically important traits, using imputed 70K SNP data in 3 major Canadian purebred pigs. Overall GHAPBLUP increased r and reduced biases compared to GSNPBLUP across breeds and traits considered (from -0.7 to 8.2% points, and from 0.03 to 0.11 points, respectively). In contrast to Holstein cattle, longer haplotype blocks resulted in higher r compared to the shorter ones. In conclusion, using haplotype to build up the genomic relationship matrix for genomic prediction leads to slightly higher prediction reliability and less bias for most of the traits analyzed compared to individual SNP-based models. The results from GHAPBLUP in pigs were more promising than in dairy cattle and, therefore, the use of haplotypes may be a more relevant alternative to individual SNPs in genomic evaluation of pigs.
Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) Characterization of Neolamarckia Cadamba Genetic Resources

Neolamarckia cadamba (Kadam) genetic resources were characterised Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) traits based on International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants12 guidelines. Twenty-five clones of kadam were characterised based on the morphological characters of leaf and bark with 12 descriptors. Among these 12 descriptors, 9 were qualitative traits viz., leaf shape, Leaf base shape, apex shape, leaf margin, leaf venation, base symmetry, Waxiness in upper side of leaf, bark colour and bark texture and 3 were quantitative characters viz., leaf length, leaf breath, leaf petiole length. The study exhibited significant variations among the genetic resources investigated for various DUS traits, which could act as reference traits for developing variety to protect the genetic resources through Intellectual Property Rights.