Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of wood fiber characteristics on mechanical properties of wood/polypropylene composites

Commercial wood flour, the most common wood-derived filler for thermoplastics, is produced in a mixture of particle sizes and generally has a lower aspect ratio than wood and other natural fibers. To understand how wood flour and fiber characteristics influence the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites, we first investigated the effect of different sizes of wood flour particles on the mechanical properties of wood-flour-filled polypropylene composites. We then compared the properties of wood-flour-filled composites to those of composites reinforced with refined wood fiber. We also studied the effect of a maleated polypropylene coupling agent on composite properties. Wood flour particles (35, 70, 120, and 235 mesh) were compounded at 40% by weight with polypropylene. Increases in tensile and flexural strength and modulus of the wood flour composites were found to correspond with increases in aspect ratio. Notched impact energy increased with increasing particle size, whereas unnotched impact energy decreased with increasing particle size. Refined wood fiber and 40-mesh wood flour was compounded at 20% and 40% by weight with polypropylene. Wood fiber resulted in higher strengths at both filler levels and higher moduli at the 40% level compared to the strength properties of wood flour composites. The higher aspect ratio of the wood fiber had little effect on impact energy. The maleated polypropylene coupling agent caused greater strength increases in wood fiber composites than in wood flour composites. The coupling agent did not significantly affect tensile or flexural moduli. Our results clearly support the use of higher aspect ratio wood fibers and coupling agents for increasing the strength of wood/plastic composites.
Efficient Data Delivery Mechanism for DistributedStorages

Distributed data servers are used to share data between the users. Federated database technology is used to manage locally stored data with a federated DBMS and provide unified data access. Information brokering systems (IBSs) are used to connect large-scale loosely federated data sources via a brokering overlay. Information brokers redirect the client queries to the requested data servers. Privacy preserving methods are used to protect the data location and data consumer. Brokers are trusted to adopt server-side access control for data confidentiality. Query and access control rules are maintained with shared data details under metadata. A Semantic-aware index mechanism is applied to route the queries based on their content and allow users to submit queries without data or server information. Distributed data sharing is provided with security and privacy using Privacy Preserved Information Brokering (PPIB) scheme. Attribute-correlation attack and inference attacks are handled by the PPIB. PPIB overlay infrastructure consisting of two types of brokering components, brokers and coordinators. The broker’s acts as mix anonymizer are responsible for user authentication and query forwarding. The coordinators concatenated in a tree structure, enforce access control and query routing based on the automata. Automata segmentation and query segment encryption schemes are used in the Privacy-preserving Query Brokering (QBroker). Automaton segmentation scheme is used to logically divide the global automaton into multiple independent segments. The query segment encryption scheme consists of the preencryption and post encryption modules. Site distribution and load balancing schemes are used to enhance the PPIB scheme. Peer workloads and trust level of each peer are integrated with the site distribution process. The PPIB is improved to adopt self reconfigurable mechanism. Automated decision support system for administrators is included in the PPIB
ANALYZING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AS ENDOGENOUS FACTOR IN CORPORATE BRAND MANAGEMENT - A BRAND HIERARCHY PERSPECTIVE

Brand portfolios have attracted increasing attention in the academic discussions, including advertising literature. Considering that brands call for careful management – in relation to which portfolios can function as an efficient vehicle for evaluations and implementation – it is relatively surprising to see how little attention has been paid to legal protection of brands. Such protection is important since branding typically involves codified, visible features that are vulnerable to imitation, and protectable practically only through legal means. Yet intellectual property rights (IPRs) are seldom discussed from brand management perspective, not to mention corporate branding in particular. Also, in the relatively rare occasions where IPRs are considered, typically only trademarks and only product brands are discussed. The purpose of this study is to augment the discussion, and examine the use of variety of IPRs in relation to different brand hierarchies as a part of corporate brand management. In the study we discuss aligning different brand hierarchy strategies and varying IPRs, and consider – through utilizing trademarks as an example – the differences of legal aspects in relation to traditional product-oriented approach and corporate branding. Our findings suggest that product and corporate branding indeed are different in terms of legal protection: not only are possibilities to use IPRs such as trademarks different, but so is also the range of IPRs that can be relied on for branding purposes. Such differences need to be taken into account when brand management is approached – whether from the point of view of advertising or some other area.
Cognitive dimensions of subjective quality of life in Hajdú-Bihar County.

The objective of the present study is an investigation of the objective and subjective factors of life quality. Researchers and political leaders show increasing interest in the question: on what grounds do people judge their quality of life, what satisfies or makes them happy? Do we subconsciously make some kinds of mathematical calculations weighing our results achieved in certain areas of life to assess how we are getting on? Or rather we use one â€œindicatorâ€ (e.g. money, number of friends, professional recognition) and we assess our situation accordingly? These issues necessarily emerge when it comes to the consideration of the quality of life. Among factors determining life satisfaction, earnings, employment, health and relationships play significant roles. Therefore, on the leading edge of this research are primarily the cognitive factors of life quality, i.e. external factors influencing satisfaction. The present study also seeks to identify the role of health tourism in the assessment of the quality of life. Questionnaires were completed in one of the most popular tourist destinations of HajdAo-Bihar County. The 805 local respondents expressed their views primarily about factors determining their well-being and about the impacts of the dominant presence of health tourism on their lives.
Electron microscopy and spectroscopy of all-polymer solar cell active films Correlating fabrication parameters to microstructure

This work concerns the microstructure of all-polymer solar cell active films, where the active film of an all-polymer solar cell is the photoactive polymer layer used to harvest light. The morphology of the active film is important for the efficiency of the solar cells. Both charge separation, facilitated by smaller domains with more interfaces, and charge carrier mobility, improved by crystalline domains in the material, are of importance. The films in this work consist of the two polymers TQ1 and N2200. Active films spin coated from different solvents are compared as well as films with or without thermal annealing. The active films containing both polymers in a bulk heterojunction are also compared to films of a single polymer spin coated from the same solvents. The films were studied by transmission electron microscopy using bright field imaging and electron diffraction. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were also used to image the surface structure of the films. It was found that films of pure N2200 spin coated using ortho-dichlorobenzene or chloroform were crystalline as evidenced by electron diffraction. The films spin coated with ortho-dichlorobenzene showed a fibrillar structure on the surface. This was in agreement with what was previously known about solution processed films of N2200. For the bulk heterojunctions it was found that films spin coated with chloroform crystallised during thermal annealing whereas thermal annealing did not seem to affect the films spin coated with ortho-dichlorobenzene which showed crystalline order in both as-spun and annealed films. The data from the bulk heterojunctions showed that the morphology of the films spin coated with chloroform had features on a smaller length scale when compared to films spin coated with ortho-dichlorobenzene. This will affect the power conversion efficiency of devices made of these films, as both features on a smaller length scale and crystalline domains are favourable.
Complete quantum circuit of Haar wavelet based MRA

AbstractWavelet analysis has applications in many areas, such as signal analysis and image processing. We propose a method for generating the complete circuit of Haar wavelet based MRA by factoring butterfly matrices and conditional perfect shuffle permutation matrices. The factorization of butterfly matrices is the essential part of the design. As a result, it is the key point to obtain the circuits of $$I_{2t} \oplus W \oplus I_{2^n - 2t - 2} $$ In this paper, we use a simple means to develop quantum circuits for this kind of matrices. Similarly, the conditional permutation matrix is implemented entirely, combined with the scheme of Fijany and Williams. The circuits and the ideas adopted in the design are simple and intelligible.
A New Algorithm for Rendering Kissing Schottky Groups

In this paper, we present an algorithm for drawing images of Schottky groups. This algorithm is called an Iterated Inversion System (IIS). It is easy to parallelize and renders images fast. It can be used to render 2-dimensional kissing Schottky groups and also 3-dimensional kissing Schottky groups.
In vitro evaluation of eight plant essential oils for controlling Colletotrichum, Botryosphaeria, Fusarium and Phytophthora fruit rots of avocado, mango and papaya

Sarkhosh A. , Schaffer B. , Vargas A.I., Palmateer A.J., Lopez P., Soleymani A. (2018): In vitro evaluation of eight plant essential oils for controlling Colletotrichum, Botryosphaeria, Fusarium and Phytophthora fruit rots of avocado, mango and papaya. Plant Protect. Sci., 54: 153–162. In vitro efficacy of the essential oils extracted from eight plant species was tested at application rates of 100, 250, 500, 1000, or 2000 μl/l for controlling fruit rots. Results showed a 100% reduction of mycelium growth of colletotrichum, fusarium, Phytophthora, Botryosphaeria after applying thyme or savory oils at all concentrations tested. Mint and cinnamon oils inhibited mycelium growth of the five isolates at application rates of either 1000 or 2000 μl/l. Tea tree, lavender, myrtle, and eucalyptus oils were slightly effective at controlling mycelium growth of each fungus species tested. Savory oil with major constituent of carvacrol 71.2% and thyme oil with major constituent of thymol 73.3% showed the greatest potential of the essential oils tested for use as natural fungicides.
Implications of Auxins in Induction of Adventitious Roots from Leaf Explants of Cannon Ball Tree (Couroupita guianensis Aubl.)

An effective protocol has been developed for the adventitious root culture of Cannon Ball tree (Couroupita guianensis Aubl.) from the leaves of in vitro germinated 30 days’ old seedlings. Seeds germinated on cytokinins and auxins supplemented with Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Half strength MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was found the most suitable for the induction of adventitious roots (92%) from the midrib region of the leaves than the other auxins. The roots were proliferated on half strength MS liquid medium supplemented with IBA 0.5 mg/L. After eight weeks of inoculation the roots in the medium yielded 5.933 ±0.135 gm fresh and 2.731 ±0.010 gm dry biomass of adventitious roots. The growth rate was increased by 8-9 folds in this investigation.
Sympathetic Activity in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Hypertension - Why is a Nitric Oxide-Induced Inhibitory System Up-Regulated in the Sympathetic Center?

In essential hypertension, peripheral sympathetic nerve activity is generally thought to be increased regardless of salt sensitivity or insensitivity. Recent reports suggest that the cause may be abnormal central nervous system enhancement. However, other several reports have shown that a central sympathetic inhibitory system, the neuronal nitric oxide synthase system, may be strongly enhanced in salt-sensitive hypertensive Dahl rats, an animal model of salt-sensitive hypertension. These two facts lead to questions what happens finally in peripheral sympathetic activity and what is the relationship between sympathetic nerves and hypertension. In this review, we will show evidences for enhancement of central sympathetic inhibitory system, putative cause for up-regulation of central neuronal nitric oxide synthase system, and a role of its function, then lastly we consider the relationship between hypertension and sympathetic nerves in a rat model, with a focus on salt-sensitive hypertension.
Testing the ability to store sperm: an experimental manipulation of mating opportunities in the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis

Female common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis ) typically reproduce annu- ally and lay more than one clutch per season. In this study, we tested whether females store sperm between clutches and between years by manipulating mating opportuni - ties of females through appropriate experiments. Our results revealed that females are definitely unable to store sperm for medium or long-term, suggesting they necessary need to repeatedly mate with males to fertilize their eggs. Finally, by comparing our results to other similar multi-clutched species, we conclude that sperm storage prob- ably does not constitute a selective advantage for species with a promiscuous repro- ductive system based on multiple mating in populations with high densities.
Résumé Traitements contemporains pour les traumatismes psychologiques du point de vue des Casques bleus

L’objectif de cette étude phénoménologique herméneutique consiste à examiner les méthodes contemporaines de traitement pour les traumatismes psychologiques du point de vue des Casques bleus. Des données ont été recueillies à l’aide d’entrevues enregistrées sur bande audio et réalisées auprès de dix Casques bleus d’aujourd’hui qui ont été déployés en Somalie, au Rwanda et dans l’ancienneYougoslavie. On a demandé aux participants de décrire l’expérience qu’ils ont vécue lors des différents traitements reçus pour un traumatisme psychologique. On a invité les participants à passer en revue les comptes rendus ayant été faits à partir des transcriptions d’entrevues et à les commenter à des fins de rigueur et de vérification du sens. Une analyse thématique du texte, laquelle a été entreprise en vue d’examiner comment les méthodes contemporaines de traitement aident les Casques bleus à surmonter un traumatisme, a permis de révéler trois thèmes : les médicaments qui ont été les plus utiles, la compréhension de ce qui se passe et l’autoguérison en tant que suite de découvertes. À la suite d’un traumatisme chez les Casques bleus d’aujourd’hui, la nature corporelle de la guérison ne devrait pas être négligée. Il faut entreprendre d’autres études sur l’efficacité des différentes méthodes de traitement des traumatismes psychologiques, y compris les thérapies complémentaires esprit-corps.
The new challenges of innovation: The future of subcontracting facing the threat of the environment

Globalization of the economy and open borders have companies, including subcontractors, facing a great challenge of competitiveness. Such is the case of Tunisian companies. Tunisia has a Mediterranean climate in the North and the East Coast, semi-arid in the interior regions and Saharian in the south. Its closeness to Europe and the cheap manpower are the main assets which made several European companies subcontracted their activities to Tunisian companies. However, with the evolution of the environment these assets have lost their value facing the intensified competition, notably with the emergence of China that subcontracts very cheaply. Tunisian firms are facing a big challenge in trying to attract and retain a client- donor - henceforth is becoming very demanding. Building on the efforts of R&D is now the key to overcoming these difficulties and establish sustainability. Through the study of three cases of Tunisian subcontracted industrial enterprises and an abductive approach, our work reveals that, faced with a perceived as unstable environment, companies find it necessary to accentuate their R&D. The latter manifests itself in the co-conception or attempted inventions under development making it possible to offer new benefits.
Active data-centric framework for data protection in cloud environment

Cloud computing is an emerging evolutionary computing model that provides highly scalable services over highspeed Internet on a pay-as-usage model. However, cloud-based solutions still have not been widely deployed in some sensitive areas, such as banking and healthcare. The lack of widespread development is related to users’ concern that their confidential data or privacy would leak out in the cloud’s outsourced environment. To address this problem, we propose a novel active data-centric framework to ultimately improve the transparency and accountability of actual usage of the users’ data in cloud. Our data-centric framework emphasizes “active” feature which packages the raw data with active properties that enforce data usage with active defending and protection capability. To achieve the active scheme, we devise the Triggerable Data File Structure (TDFS). Moreover, we employ the zero-knowledge proof scheme to verify the request’s identification without revealing any vital information. Our experimental outcomes demonstrate the efficiency, dependability, and scalability of our framework.
Discovery of collimated ejection from the symbiotic binary BF Cygni

Context. Detection of collimated ejection from white dwarfs (WD) in symbiotic binaries is very rare and has employed a variety of methods in X-ray, radio, optical imagery, and spectroscopy. To date, its signature in the optical spectra has only been recorded for four objects (MWC 560, Hen 3-1341, StHα 190, and Z And). Aims. We present the first observational evidence of highly-collimated bipolar ejection from the symbiotic binary BF Cyg, which developed during its current (2006-12) active phase, and determine their physical parameters. Methods. We monitored the outburst with the optical high-resolution spectroscopy and multicolour UBVRCIC photometry. Results. During 2009, three years after the 2006-eruption of BF Cyg, satellite components to Hα and Hβ lines emerged in the spectrum. During 2012, they became stable and were located symmetrically with respect to the main emission core of the line. Spectral properties of these components suggest bipolar ejection collimated within an opening angle of <15 ◦ , whose radiation is produced by an optically thin medium with the emission measure of 1−2 × 10 59 (d/3.8 kpc) 2 cm −3 . Conclusions. Formation of the collimated ejection a few years after the eruption and its evolution on a time scale of years at a constant optical brightness can aid us in better understanding the accretion process during the active phases of symbiotic stars.
Proposing a framework for airline service quality evaluation using Type-2 Fuzzy TOPSIS and non-parametric analysis

This paper focuses on evaluating airline service quality from the perspective of passengers view. Since now a lot of researches has performed in airline service quality evaluation in the world, a little research has been conducted in Iran, yet. In this research, we proposed a framework for measuring airline service quality in Iran. After reviewing airline service quality criteria, we selected SSQAI model because of its comprehensiveness in covering airline service quality dimensions. We redesigned SSQAI questionnaire items to adopt it with Iranian airlines requirements and environmental circumstances in the Iran's economic and cultural context. This study includes fuzzy decision-making theory, considering the possible fuzzy subjective judgment of the evaluators during airline service quality evaluation. Fuzzy TOPSIS have been applied for ranking airlines service quality performances. Three major Iranian airlines which have the most passenger transfer volumes in domestic and foreign flights, were chosen for evaluation in this research. Results demonstrated Mahan airline has got the best service quality performance rank in gaining passengers' satisfaction with delivery of high quality services to its passengers, among the three major Iranian airlines. IranAir and Aseman airlines placed in the second and third rank, respectively, according to passenger's evaluation. Statistical analysis have been used in analyzing passenger responses. Due to abnormality of data, Non-parametric tests were applied. To demonstrate airline ranks in every criterion separately, Friedman test was performed. Variance analysis and Tukey test were applied to study the influence of increasing in age and educational level of passengers' on degree of their satisfaction from airline's service quality. Results showed that age has not significant relation with passenger satisfaction of airlines, however increasing in educational level demonstrated a negative impact on passengers' satisfaction from airline's service quality.
Activity induced phase separation

We consider a mixture of passive (i.e., Brownian) and active (e.g., bacterial or colloidal swimmers) particles, and analyze the stability conditions of either uniformly mixed or phase segregated steady states consisting of phases enriched with different types of particles. We show that in sufficiently dilute mixtures the system behaves as if it were exposed to two separate heat baths of uneven temperatures. It can be described within a second virial approximation neglecting three body and higher order collisions. In this approximation, we define non-equilibrium "chemical potentials" whose gradients govern diffusion fluxes and a non-equilibrium "osmotic pressure", which governs the mechanical stability of the interface.
Two New Case Reports of Propofol Abuse and a Pattern Analysis of the Literature

Propofol has become the most widely used sedation and anesthetic drug worldwide. Previously it was thought to lack abuse and dependence potential. Increased awareness of actual propofol abuse cases, however, is providing greater understanding of the associated (or perceived) motivations and rewards of propofol abuse. We report the details of two new propofol abuse cases including the motivations for choosing this drug, abuse practices, subjective experiences, and outcomes. An exploration of reported objective and subjective patterns in propofol abuse case reports was conducted using a modified process of thematic (pattern) analysis. These patterns include: healthcare providers are the most frequent propofol abusers,