Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vibration Study in Human-Car Seat System: Overview and a Novel Simulation Technique

This paper will propose a complete solution with a novel simulation set up to get the final vibration data of seated human body inside an automobile structure without carrying out measurement tests. Furthermore, it will improve the existing technology in assessing the dynamic interaction between the human body and a car seat subjected to different conditions and establish a clear idea about the vibration effects, vibration transmissibility, damping, variable stiffness, natural frequencies, modal analysis, random vibration, harmonic aspects, mode superposition, response spectrum, transient effects etc. The research will provide a novel solution of the entire system rather than focussing only on a very specific portion of the system, thus, trying to close the gap in present technological areas and omitting the time consuming and expensive testing methods in the modern industries. This research will contribute a cutting edge landmark by providing a simulation model to predict final vibration level inside the human body and car seat to avoid the time consuming and expensive testing methods. It will help better understanding the impact and estimation of the vibration level inside the car seat and occupant human body. The non-linear dynamic aspects and efforts will be made to understand, characterize and optimize the level of vibration by establishing a computational simulations model of the car seat and the occupant to match the experimental results. Some technologies have been achieved to judge the dynamic interaction between the human body and a car seat, though such technologies cover only either vibration effects or dynamics or measurement techniques or small portion of the car and human body without considering all the real life factors like pre-stressed bodies, variable stiffness, equivalent stiffness and damping factors based on the behaviour of the human muscles, bones and postures. So, efforts will be made to establish numerical and simulation models for the non-linear bio-dynamics of the seated human body, polyurethane foam cushions, dynamic contacts between the human body and the seat, occupant under the real life car motion, vibration testing of the car seat and finally, to provide a comprehensive solution to judge the vibration levels, which eventually will lead the various industries to avoid the time consuming and expensive testing methods.
Screening Flavonoids for Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase Identified Baicalein as the Most Potent Inhibitor

Screening phenolic and polyphenolic compounds for inhibitory activity against electric eels acetylcholinesterase (AChE) identified baicalein, a major flavone derived from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis, as the most potent inhibitor with IC50 (concentration required for 50% inhibition) of 0.61 µM. None of the hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids screened showed inhibitory activity measured at 100 µM. Structure-activity relationships based on IC50 values of the active flavonoids showed that inhibitory activity (a) required the unsaturated 2-phenyl-chroman structure, (b) has strong requirement for the A-ring A5-OH, A6-OH and A7-OH groups (b) does not depend on B-ring hydroxyl groups, and (d) was reduced by bulky sugar substitution of the saturated C-ring C3-OH. Enzyme kinetic analysis showed that baicalein is a mixed inhibitor of AChE with K1 (equilibrium constant of dissociation of the inhibitor bound enzyme complex) and K2 (equilibrium constant of dissociation of the inhibitor bound enzyme-substrate complex) of 0.91 and 1.98 µM, respectively.
Wear of Flame-Sprayed Ni-Cr-B-Si Powder Coating on Journal for Seal Contact

Flame-sprayed techniques is used in this paper to coat Ni-Cr-B-Si powder on low-carbon steel or bearing steel materials of the journal surface. The wear tester is used to explore material properties of the binding capability, surface hardness, wear and friction within each layer depth. The normal force is applied in addition to the cladding layer by not only using bearing ball but also oil seal pieces, to explore rubber material of oil seal contact journal. In experiments to explore the material and processing conditions affect the microstructure and hardness of the cladding layer, and at the same hardness, surface roughness to affect the performance of the mill run.The results showed that spraying Ni-Cr-B-Si alloy powder in mild steel sheet to melt and run, cladding layer and the substrate has a uniform distribution of fine abrasive particles and binding effect, causing the substrate surface hardness (HRC) about promotion 10 times. While, if sprayed Ni-Cr-B-Si alloy powder to steel panels bearing surface because the surface coated compact structure, can reduce the surface roughness and the coefficient of friction, and more improve the wear resistance of the cladding layer.
In Vitro Digestibility and Rumen Fermentation of Grass or Rice Straw Basal Diet With or Without Complete Rumen Modifier Supplementation

An in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the supplementation of complete rumen modifier (CRM) to elephant grass or rice straw basal diet. CRM is feed additive consisting of a mixture of defaunator, methanogenesis inhibitor and bacterial growth factors. The diet was formulated in iso energetic and iso protein contained CP 16% and ME 2.3 MJ/kg. The diet was fermented for 48 hours under anaerobic condition at 39 °C. Experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in 2×2 factorial arrangement using 2 levels of type of basal diet (Napier grass and rice straw) and 2 levels of CRM supplementation (0 and 2%). The parameters recorded were apparent digestibility of grass substrate, gas production, methane production and bacterial and protozoal counts. Total gas and methane produced during incubation was recorded at 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 36 and 48 hours. Results from the study show that DM and OM digestibility, bacterial and protozoal population were significantly affected by the interaction between CRM supplementation and type of basal diet. CRM supplementation in rice straw basal diet increased DM and OM by 27% and 23,48% respectively, but it did not increase in grass basal diet. Bacterial population was increased by CRM supplementation in grass basal diet, in contrast, in rice straw basal diet, CRM supplementation decreased bacterial population. Whereas protozoal population was decreased both in grass and rice straw basal diet, the decreased was about 63.26% and 64% respectively for grass and rice straw basal diet. Methane production tended (P<0.07) to decrease by CRM supplementation in rice straw basal diet. From this study, it can be concluded that CRM supplementation was able to improve the fermentability of rice straw basal diet and tended to decrease proportion of methane production. CRM supplementation did not have any effect on grass basal diet.
Genetic variation and population structure of moose (Alces alces) at neutral and functional DNA loci

Genetic variation was examined for moose (Alces alces) from Riding Mountain, Isle Royale, and Pukaskwa national parks; northwestern, Nipigon, northeastern, and central Ontario; New Brunswick; and Newfoundland. The national parks were identified as maintaining potentially different local selection pressures due to the absence of hunting and the presence or absence of the parasite Parelaphostrongylus tenuis. Genetic variation was estimated using neutral DNA markers, assessed by multilocus DNA fingerprinting and five microsatellite loci, and the functional antigen binding region (ARS) (exon 2) of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene DRB. There was discordance in the allelic diversity observed at the neutral loci compared with the MHC DRB locus in a number of populations. Ontario populations demonstrated higher levels of variability at the neutral loci and relatively low levels at the DRB locus. Conversely, the Isle Royale population has the lowest genetic variability, consistent with a historic sm.
The DAX and the Dollar: The Economic Exchange Rate Exposure of German Corporations

This paper examines the economic exposure of German corporations to changes in the DM/US-dollar exchange-rate. Our work contributes to the existing body of literature in the following ways. Firstly, we point out conceptual problems of previous attempts to estimate economic exposure. Secondly, we find that German firms are significantly exposed to changes in the DM/US-dollar rate. However, our results are unstable over time.
Selfless Offspring: Filial Children and Social Order in Medieval China

Both Western and Chinese intellectuals have long derided filial piety tales as an absurd and grotesque variety of children's literature. ""Selfless Offspring"" offers a fresh perspective on the genre, revealing the rich historical worth of these stories by examining them in their original context: the tumultuous and politically fragmented early-medieval era (AD 100-600). At a time when no Confucian virtue was more prized than filial piety, adults were moved and inspired by tales of filial children. Men eager to earn the regard of their peers avidly read them and even asked to be buried with them. Imperial princes authored collections to burnish their credentials, and elite families used them to justify their position in society. In a period of weak central government and powerful local clans, the key to preserving a household's privileged status was maintaining a cohesive extended family. Keith Knapp begins this far-ranging and persuasive study by describing two related historical trends that account for the narrative's popularity: the growth of extended families and the rapid incursion of Confucianism among China's learned elite. Extended families were better at maintaining their status and power, so patriarchs found it expedient to embrace Confucianism to keep their large, fragile households intact. Knapp then focuses on the filial piety stories themselves - their structure, historicity, origin, function, and transmission - and argues that most stem from the oral culture of these elite extended families. After examining collections of filial piety tales, known as ""Accounts of Filial Children"", he shifts from text to motif, exploring the most common theme: the ""reverent care"" and mourning of parents. In the final chapter, Knapp looks at the relative burden that filiality placed on men and women and concludes that, although women largely performed the same filial acts as men, they had to go to greater extremes to prove their sincerity.
A front-tracking shock-capturing method for two gases

We present a new high-order front-tracking method for hyperbolic systems of conservation laws for two gases separated by a tracked contact discontinuity, using a combination of a high-order Godunov algorithm and level set methods. Our approach discretizes the moving front and gas domains on a Cartesian grid, with control volumes determined by the intersection of the grid with the front. In cut cells, a combination of conservative and non-conservative finite volume quadratures provide small-cell stability. Global conservation is maintained using redistribution. We demonstrate second-order convergence in smooth flow and firstorder convergence in the presence of shocks.
Hedging and non-hedging trading strategies on commodities using the d-Backtest PS method. Optimized trading system hedging

Modern trading systems are mechanic, run automatically on computers inside trading platforms and decide their position against the market through optimized parameters and algorithmic strategies. These systems now, in most cases, comprise high frequency traders, especially in the Forex market.In this research, a piece of software of an automatic high frequency trading system was developed, based on the technical indicator PIVOT (price level breakthrough). The system made transactions on hourly closing prices with weekly parameters optimization period, using the d-Backtest PS method.Through the search and checking of the results, two findings for optimization of trading strategy were found. These findings with the order they were examined and are presented in this paper are as follows: (1) the simultaneous use of “long and short” positions, with different parameters in a hedging account, acts as a hedging strategy, minimizing losses, in relation to a “long or short” in a non-hedging account for the same time period and (2) there is weak correlation of past backtesting periods between the same systems, if they are configured for “long and short” trades, or for just “long” or for just “short”.
Analyzing Enron Data: Bitmap Indexing Outperforms MySQL Queries bySeveral Orders of Magnitude

FastBit is an efficient, compressed bitmap indexing technology that was developed in our group. In this report we evaluate the performance of MySQL and FastBit for analyzing the email traffic of the Enron dataset. The first finding shows that materializing the join results of several tables significantly improves the query performance. The second finding shows that FastBit outperforms MySQL by several orders of magnitude.
The Factors Influencing Taxpayers' Acceptance of E-Taxation System

E-taxation is one of the most popular e-government services. Most countries are focused on implementing an e-taxation system. The success of an e-taxation system depends on the taxpayers’ acceptance of it. The taxpayers’ intention to use an e-taxation system is determined by various factors. This chapter, based on empirical data collected from a survey of 505 respondents in Turkey, seeks to identify the factors that influence the taxpayers’ acceptance of e-taxation system. It test various constructs of the UTAUT model – performance expectancy, trust perception, perceived risk, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions – on Turkish taxpayers’ intention to use the e-taxation system. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the effects of these variables on intention to use. The results indicate that performance expectancy and perceived risk have a significant impact on behavioral intention and that effort expectancy and facilitating conditions have a significant impact on intention to use.
Rôle et devenir de PML lors de l’infection par l’EMCV

PML et les corps nucleaires (CN) sont impliques dans la defense antivirale. En effet, notre equipe a montre que la surexpression de PMLIII confere la resistance au virus de la stomatite vesiculaire, au virus de l'influenza, au virus foamy mais pas au virus de l’encephalomyocardite (EMCV). J’ai montre dans mon travail de these que l’EMCV contrecarre le pouvoir antiviral de PMLIII en induisant sa degradation par un processus dependant du proteasome et de SUMO. Cependant, les cellules de souris invalidees pour PML sont plus sensibles a l’infection par l’EMCV que les cellules issues de souris parentales. Pour determiner l’isoforme de PML responsable de cet effet antiviral, j’ai analyse l’effet des sept isoformes de PML (PMLI-VII) et j’ai montre que seule l’expression en stable de PMLIV confere la resistance a l’EMCV en sequestrant la polymerase virale 3Dpol au sein des CN PML. De plus la depletion de PMLIV augmente la production de l’EMCV dans les cellules traitees par l’interferon. Ces donnees indiquent le mecanisme par lequel PML confere la resistance a l’EMCV et revelent que PML est l’une des proteines mediatrices des effets anti-EMCV de l’interferon.
Global Commodity Chains and the Marxian Law of Value

This paper develops a Marxian critique of the "global commodity chain" (GCC) paradigm. It is argued that this approach fails to provide an actual explanation of the phenomenon it sets about to investigate. Instead, it offers a typological description of the immediate manifestations of the determinations at stake. As a consequence, the GCC approach one- sidedly conceptualises the relations among individual capitals within a commodity chain as the simple result of relations of power (or co-operation), that is, of direct social relations. By contrast, this paper argues that the latter are concrete mediations of the inner laws regulating the indirect social relations among individual capitals: the process of global competition through which the formation of the general rate of profit asserts itself. On this basis, it develops an alternative account of the social determinations underlying the genesis, structure and evolving configuration of GCCs as an expression of the unfolding of the Marxian "law of value".
Tracing mantle sources and Samoan influence in the northwestern Lau back‐arc basin

Helium isotopes are commonly used as a diagnostic fingerprint of Samoan mantle in the northern Lau Basin, but the extent of input from Samoan sources can only be clearly resolved by coupling 3He/4He with other geochemical tracers such as trace elements and other isotope systems. We present new major element, dissolved volatile (H2O, CO2, S, Cl, F), trace element, and Sr‐Nd‐Pb‐Hf isotope data for new samples from the NW Lau Basin from five distinct regions (Rochambeau Rifts (RR), Northwest Lau Spreading Center (NWLSC), Peggy Ridge (PR), Lau Extensional Transform Zone (LETZ), and Central Lau Spreading Center (CLSC)) that range from distinctively elevated to normal mid‐ocean ridge basalt3He/4He. Helium isotopes variations are not correlated with radiogenic isotopes or trace element abundances. Our new data suggest two‐component mixing of MORB‐like mantle with an enriched mantle source, similar to Samoa, although consideration of a complete regional data set suggests there may be other sources of heterogeneity in the mantle beneath NW Lau. Models of mantle potential temperature (Tp) and primary melt equilibration temperatures indicate similar Tp of ∼1400°C for NW Lau, suggesting no strong temperature gradient. The pressure of melt equilibration deepens toward the north (∼1.1–1.2 GPa at PR, LETZ, CLSC; ∼1.3–1.4 GPa at RR, NWLSC), consistent with melting mantle of a constant Tp but variable H2O content. Samoan and MORB‐like sources are clearly present beneath the NW Lau basin, but geochemical diversity among the existing data suggest that more than two mantle sources may contribute to mantle enrichment beneath NW Lau.
Exceptional Tone Spreading and F0 Peak Alignment

Kim, Sung-A. 2008. Exceptional Tone Spreading and F0 Peak Alignment. Linguistic Research 25(1), 1-23. The paper seeks to conduct a phonetic assessment of exceptional tone spreading by comparing tone spreading cases in Yoruba, Yao, and South Kyeongsang Korean. The tone alternations in the three languages have been analyzed as a rightward tone spreading in previous studies. A major finding in the present study is the asymmetric behavior of high tones in the languages: Unlike the tone alternation in Yoruba, those in Yao and South Kyeongsang Korean deserve an account in terms of phonetic implementation of high tone rather than phonological analysis of tone spreading with exceptional conditions. In the experiments, native speakers’speech data were pitch tracked and measurement was conducted on fundamental frequency (f0 henceforth) of pitch peak and on the time points of offset and onset of tone bearing syllables. A regression model revealed that there were no significant differences between non-spreading and spreading contexts with regard to the prediction of the location of f0 peak in Yao and South Kyeongsang Korean, while there was a significant difference in the case of Yoruba. The result evidences the claim that there is no spreading in Yao and South Kyeongsang Korean. The phenomenon previously considered as a phonological spreading in the two languages may result from f0 peak lagging. (Kyung Hee University)
A physical reconstruction of cosmic ray intensity since 1610

[1] The open solar magnetic flux has been recently reconstructed by Solanki et al. [2000, 2002] for the last 400 years from sunspot data. Using this reconstructed magnetic flux as an input to a spherically symmetric quasi-steady state model of the heliosphere, we calculate the expected intensity of galactic cosmic rays at the Earth's orbit since 1610. This new, physical reconstruction of the long-term cosmic ray intensity is in good agreement with the neutron monitor measurements during the last 50 years. Moreover, it resolves the problems related to previous reconstruction for the last 140 years based on linear correlations. We also calculate the flux of 2 GeV galactic protons and compare it to the cosmogenic 10 Be level in polar ice in Greenland and Antarctica. An excellent agreement between the calculated and measured levels is found over the last 400 years.
How do millennials' wine attitudes and behaviour differ from other generations?

Using several extensive data sets we analyse how Millennials wine behaviour differs from other generations in Australia and compare these findings to previous results from other countries. Millennials appear to drink wine less frequently, consume it more often in social on-premise settings, have a slightly higher willingness to pay, and consume a higher share of white wine than other generations. Most of these differences can be linked to an age effect suggesting their wine behaviour will change overtime. This research adds to generation-based research in wine marketing and contributes to the question of whether generational differences are similar in different markets or country-specific.
Community participation and ecological criteria for selecting species and restoring natural capital with native species in the Sahel

Combining community needs and preferences with dryland plant expertise in order to select suitable native species for large‐scale natural capital restoration is the approach that has been successful in the Sahel as part of Africa's Great Green Wall program. In order to increase plant diversity and restore degraded land, we investigated four cross‐border regions of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all located in dryland ecosystems of the Sahel. In 120 beneficiary village communities, with a total population of over 50,000 farmers, including 51% women, participatory diagnostic meetings were conducted, leading to the selection of 193 plant species, most of which were mainly used for food, medicine, fodder, and fuel. Of these, 170 were native and considered suitable for enriching and restoring those village lands. The most environmentally well‐adapted and economically relevant species were prioritized, quality seeds were collected, and nursery seedlings produced under technical supervision of villages. From 2013 to 2015, 55 woody and herbaceous species were planted to initiate restoration of 2,235 ha of degraded land. On average, 60% of seedlings survived and grew well in the field after three rainy seasons. Due to its multiple uses, including gum arabic production, Acacia senegal was preferred by local people in most cases, accounting for 30% of seedlings planted. Such promising results, in an effort to restore degraded land for and with the help of thousands of farmers, could not have been achieved without the combination of scientific plant expertise and efficient rural capacity development, underpinned by high levels of community engagement.
Portfolio optimisation models and properties of return distributions

Mean-risk models have been widely used in portfolio optimisation. However, such models may produce portfolios that are dominated with respect to second order stochastic dominance and therefore not optimal for rational and risk-averse investors. This paper considers the problem of constructing a portfolio which is nondominated with respect to second order stochastic dominance and whose return distribution has specified desirable properties. The problem is multi-objective and is transformed into a single objective problem by using the reference point method, in which target levels, known as aspiration points, are specified for the objective function values. A model is proposed in which the aspiration points relate to ordered return outcomes of the portfolio return. The model is extended by additionally specifying reservation points, which act pre-emptively in the optimisation. The theoretical properties of the models are studied. The performance of the models on real data drawn from the Hang Seng index is also investigated.