Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transport properties of pure and doped M NiSn ( M =Zr, Hf)

We have studied the transport properties in a family of pure and doped intermetallics of the form MNiSi (M=Zr, Hf), the structures known as the half-Heusler alloys. We have shown that the transport is very sensitive to structural arrangements of the constituent atoms, and this can be manipulated by annealing, isostructural alloying, and doping. The unusual transport properties are viewed in the context of a semimetal-semiconductor transition that in pure alloys sets in near 150 K. Doping with indium can shift the transition upward towards 200 K. The high-temperature transport is dominated by the presence of heavy electrons that are responsible for surprisingly large values of thermopower. Minute amount of antimony (n-type doping) have a spectacular influence on the nature of transport and drive the electrical resistivity and Hall effect to be metal-like at all temperatures. Sb-doped alloys display very high thermoelectric power factors, but the thermal conductivity is still too high to make the material a prospective thermoelectric.
Impact of COVID-19 on Diabetes

Covids are wrapped, positive single-abandoned RNA infections generally circulated in people and creatures around the world. Albeit most human Covid diseases are gentle, significant flare-ups of two betacoronaviruses, serious intense respiratory condition Covid (SARS-CoV) in 2002–2003 and Middle East respiratory disorder Covid (MERS-CoV) in 2012, have caused destructive pneumonia, with death paces of 10% for SARS-CoV and 36% for MERS-CoV [1]. Albeit the pathophysiological systems are as yet not comprehended, it has been seen that generally serious and deadly cases with COVID-19 have happened in the old or in patients with fundamental comorbidities, especially CVDs, diabetes mellitus, persistent lung and renal sickness, hypertension, and disease [2]. Diabetes and uncontrolled glycaemia were accounted for as huge indicators of seriousness and passings in patients tainted with various infections, including the 2009 pandemic flu A (H1N1), SARSCoV and MERS-CoV. Disease of SARSCoV-2 in those with diabetes perhaps triggers higher pressure conditions, with more prominent arrival of hyperglycemic chemicals, e.g., glucocorticoids and catecholamine’s, prompting expanded blood glucose levels and strange glucose fluctuation. Hypoglycemia has been appeared to activate favorable to incendiary monocytes and increment platelet reactivity, adding to a higher cardiovascular mortality in patients with diabetes. However it remains generally obscure how precisely the provocative and insusceptible reaction happens in these patients just as whether hyper or hypoglycemia may adjust the SARS-CoV-2 destructiveness, or the actual infection meddles with insulin emission or glycemic control.
A New Approach to the Fine Kinney Method with AHP Based ELECTRE I and Math Model on Risk Assessment for Natural Disasters

Natural disasters impose enormous risks on human living and the environment. Researchers have given more attention to evaluating these risks in the context of disasters. Studies focus on the risk assessment of only one of the natural disasters for the regions. However, a risk assessment should be conducted that includes all-natural disasters for these regions. This risk assessment is dealt with by 8 different provinces in the Aegean region of Turkey in the work. A case data (1990-2020) on natural disasters such as earthquake, fire, landslide, flood, storm/typhoon has been considered for the cities covered. By revising the Fine Kinney risk assessment method for natural disasters, a risk score is obtained for each province. Then, the AHP based ELECTRE I method is applied to these provinces. As a result of this method, the riskiest region is obtained. The location of a crisis center in the riskiest region obtained should ensure effective solutions to the regions which are affected by the results of the disasters. Thus, the problem of choosing the most suitable location in the crisis center is handled with a goal programming approach.
The role of metacognition, type of feedback, and kind of incentives for motivation to learn

BACKGROUND Two experiments were designed to investigate the motivational role of the metacognitive self (MCS, meaning self-awareness of biases) and kind of feedback (success vs. failure vs. control group) in willingness to learn. We predict that the condition of failure enhances motivation to learn. Predictions relate to the first experiment and social incentives, not to spatial ones. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE Three hundred ninety-eight participants were individually (in front of a computer with E-Prime) and randomly assigned to experiment 1 of a social task or experiment 2 of a spatial task. Each experiment included three groups: success, failure, and control. The independent variables were metacognitive self (MCS) and type of feedback (success vs. failure vs. control). The dependent variable was the willingness to learn. Logistic regression was applied to investigate the hypothesis that the higher the level of MCS is, the more likely it is that the participants will try to learn. RESULTS As predicted, MCS was positively related to searching for self-diagnostic information in the first experiment. Furthermore, according to expectations, the experiment with a social task showed the main effects of both MCS and type of feedback. The spatial experiment did not reveal significant effects. CONCLUSIONS MCS is positively related to motivation to search for self-diagnostic information, and students are more willing to learn in the face of failure. According to expectations, the experiment with a social task substantiated the motivational role of MCS and the role of negative feedback in willingness to learn.
A Self-Attention-Based I/Q Imbalance Estimator for Beyond 5G Communication Systems

As high-frequency bands are considered for wireless communications, the in-phase and quadrature imbalance caused by the local oscillator and frequency mixer is becoming more severe. This study proposed an I/Q phase imbalance estimator based on the self-attention mechanism, which captures long-range dependencies to learn the relations among the input data symbols. Simulation results showed that the proposed self-attention-based method reduces the estimation error compared with the conventional methods. The proposed method can reduce the required data symbols to estimate the I/Q imbalance by half while achieving better performance at high signal-to-noise ratio regimes.
On the determination of the sound wave parameters during cavitation destruction of loam soil

Finding the values of the frequency and sound pressure of an acoustic wave, which ensures the process of loosening loam soil, is a very important task. We assumed that the value of the average sound pressure at which the intensity of the cavitation process would be maximum is equal to twice the value of the hydrostatic pressure. The minimum radius of the formed bubble is directly proportional to the doubled surface tension of the soil solution and inversely proportional to the ultimate compressive strength of soil. The value of the ultimate compressive strength of loam soil depends on its absolute moisture content. The angular frequency of the sound field is directly proportional to the tillage depth and the ultimate compressive strength of the soil, and inversely proportional to the sound wave propagation speed and the surface tension of the soil solution. With a loam soil density ρ=1554 kg/m3 and a tillage depth h=0.3 m, the average sound pressure was PA=9324 Pa. In the interval of physical ripeness of loam soil, the oscillation frequency of the sound field was in the range of 19 762 to 37 773 s-1.
Analysis of Wood Chip Characteristics for Energy Production in Lithuania

Wood chips and logging residues currently comprise the largest share of biomass fuels used for heat generation in district heating plants and are provided by a variety of suppliers. Ash and moisture contents, as well as the calorific value, may vary considerably depending on the composition of the fuel, seasonality, location, and other factors. This paper provides the summarized results of the main characteristics of wood chip moisture and ash content and calorific value, experimentally tested for a significant range of samples. Chip samples were collected from two district heating companies and tested for a significant range of samples. Chip samples were collected from two district heating companies and tested for a 3-year period. The data on fuel chip prices were taken from the electronic wood chip trading platform. The tests were performed using standard express methods, where two sub-samples were taken and analyzed from every chip sample. It was determined that the moisture content of the wood chips varied from 35% to 45%, the calorific value from 18.4 to 19.6 MJ/kg, and the ash content from 0.5% to 4.5%. The calculated relative expanded uncertainty of the moisture content measurement was ±2.1%, of calorific value—±1.5%, and of ash—±1.0%. The repeatability of the results was estimated as the pooled standard deviation.
Investigation and characterisation of novel poly(ADP-ribose)-binding proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum

The genome is under continual assault from endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage. The cell has therefore evolved a number of pathways to identify, signal, and ultimately repair DNA lesions. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, the addition of multiple ADP-ribose moieties to proteins to form poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) chains, has been implicated in several DNA repair pathways. One function of these PAR chains is to act as a scaffold for the recruitment of downstream repair proteins, suggesting the existence of protein domains that specifically bind PAR. Several of these domains have been identified, the best characterised being the PBZ and macro domains. We utilise in silico genome-wide searches to identify novel proteins containing PAR-binding domains in the simple eukaryotic model organism Dictyostelium discoideum . We identity three proteins with unannotated macro domains in Dictyostelium : DNA ligase III (Lig3), an aprataxin-like protein (APL), which also contains a PBZ domain, and Q54R54. The macro domain of APL was found to be circularly permuted compared to the other human and Dictyostelium macro domains; however, structure prediction by homology modelling indicated that it had retained the structure of a classical macro domain. We performed in vitro PAR-binding assays that indicated that the macro domains of both Lig3 and APL bind to PAR chains. Lig3 is enriched on DNA following the infliction of base damage, indicating its role in the SSBR pathway. However, the dependence of this pathway on PARylation has not been determined. In contrast, APL was found to be enriched on chromatin in response to DNA inter-strand cross-links and S-phase-associated double-strand breaks, which was reduced following mutation of both the PBZ and macro domains of APL. Furthermore, APL was found to be mono-ubiquitinated in response to DNA inter-strand cross-links, an event that is dependent on its macro domain region. These data indicate a role for APL in the repair of DNA inter-strand cross-links, or S-phase associated DNA damage, which would not be predicted from its homology to aprataxin, thereby suggesting a protein with novel characteristics in the DDR in Dictyostelium .
Weight Distributions, Automorphisms, and Isometries of Cyclic Orbit Codes

OF DISSERTATION Weight Distributions, Automorphisms, and Isometries of Cyclic Orbit Codes Cyclic orbit codes are subspace codes generated by the action of the Singer subgroup Fqn on an Fq-subspace U of Fqn . The weight distribution of a code is the vector whose i entry is the number of codewords with distance i to a fixed reference space in the code. My dissertation investigates the structure of the weight distribution for cyclic orbit codes. We show that for full-length orbit codes with maximal possible distance the weight distribution depends only on q, n, and the dimension of U . For fulllength orbit codes with lower minimum distance, we provide partial results towards a characterization of the weight distribution, especially in the case that any two codewords intersect in a space of dimension at most 2. We also briefly address the weight distribution of a union of full-length orbit codes with maximum distance. A related problem is to find the automorphism group of a cyclic orbit code, which plays a role in determining the isometry classes of the set of all cyclic orbit codes. First we show that the automorphism group of a cyclic orbit code is contained in the normalizer of the Singer subgroup if the orbit is generated by a subspace that is not contained in a proper subfield of Fqn . We then generalize to orbits under the normalizer of the Singer subgroup, although in this setup there is a remaining exceptional case. Finally, we can characterize linear isometries between such codes.
Arbeitspapier "Operationalisierung funktionierende Ökologische Infrastruktur"

Die Okologische Infrastruktur (OI) ist fur die Erhaltung und Forderung der Biodiversitat unerlasslich und stellt lebenswichtige Leistungen fur den Menschen bereit. OI basieren auf naturlichen und halbnaturlichen Lebensraumen. Die Entwicklung und der Schutz solcher OI wurden als zentrale Schritte fur den Erfolg der Strategie Biodiversitat Schweiz (SBS) identifiziert. Konzepte wie «Grune Infrastruktur» oder «Naturbasierte Losungen (Nature-based Solutions)», die sich auf OI beziehen, haben sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend etabliert. Ihre teils unterschiedlichen Sichtweisen erschweren jedoch eine klare Anwendung in der Praxis. Dieses Arbeitspapier ist eine literaturbasierte Auslegeordnung und stellt verschiedene Zugange zur Operationalisierung einer «funktionierenden» OI vor. Fur das Projekt ValPar.CH ist das Arbeitspapier eine wichtige Grundlage fur ein gemeinsames Begriffsverstandnis im Projektteam. Das Forschungsteam wird das Funktionieren einer OI sowohl aufgrund okologischer Aspekte (Module A), wie auch basierend auf den gesellschaftlichen und wirtschaftlichen Nutzen der OI (Module B) und deren langfristige Sicherung durch verschiedene «policy»-Mechanismen (Module D) beurteilen. Darauf aufbauen wird das Team Empfehlungen fur die Sicherstellung einer funktionierenden OI erarbeiten. Ecological infrastructure (EI) is essential for the conservation and promotion of biodiversity and provides vital services for humans. EI is based on natural and semi-natural habitats. The development and protection of EI have been identified as key steps for the success of the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy (SBS). Concepts such as "Green Infrastructure" or "Nature-based Solutions", which refer to EI, have become increasingly established in recent decades. However, their partly different perspectives make application in practice difficult. This working paper is a literature-based overview and presents different approaches to the operationalization of a "functioning" EI. For the ValPar.CH project, this working paper is an important basis for arriving at a common understanding of the term within the project team. The research team will assess the functioning of an EI based on ecological aspects (Module A), as well as based on the societal and economic benefits of the EI (Module B) and its long-term safeguarding through different "policy" mechanisms (Module D). Based on this, the team will develop recommendations for ensuring a functioning EI.
Comparison of the Tamsulosin and Tolterodine Effectiveness in Stent-Related Symptoms Reduction

Introduction To compare the effectiveness of tamsulosin and Tolterodine in reducing stent-related symptoms with each other and with the control group we performed this randomized clinical trial. Methods 150 patients after successful first-time transurethral lithotripsy (TUL) for unilateral ureteral stones were elected for the study 17 patients were excluded in the first allocation. Other patients were randomized (With balanced blocked randomization) into three groups. In group 1, 41 patients received Tamsulosin (Omnic) 0.4mg once a day for a month and in group 2, 42 patients received tolterodine (Detrusitol) 2mg once a day for a month. In group 3, which was our control group, 50 patients received a placebo once a day for a month. Clinical stent-related symptoms questionnaires at the first visit (day 10) and before removing themes stent were completed. Two urine tests and an x-ray of the abdomen in the first visit have been performed. Results Despite the remarkable decrease in the severity of stent-related symptoms other than urine urgency in the control group (p-value 0.05). Conclusion The results of our study show that administration of tolterodine and tamsulosin to reduce stent-related symptoms do not have superiority to each other and the control group.
Reactive Task Adaptation of a Dynamic System With External Disturbances Based on Invariance Control and Movement Primitives

This article proposes a general control framework for robot physical contact tasks. To satisfy the tradeoff between safety and performance in the interaction between robots and the environment, multipriority control is regarded as a preemptive strategy for constraint management when unknown disturbances exist. The equality and inequality constraints related to robot safety are enforced by invariance control, while reference profile tracking is accommodated by dynamic movement primitives without violating the higher priority constraints. With this framework, we complete the unification of force control and motion control in robot task execution. The robot thus acquires the capability for strong disturbance rejection and transferrable intelligence between similar tasks. At the same time, a variant linear–quadratic regulator (LQR) is integrated into the framework, which enables the robot to achieve exponential convergence of the tracking error. The proposed approach is tested and evaluated with two types of physical contact tasks, showing a superior control effect and faster convergence than the existing methods.
High-temperature Corrosion Investigation of the Inconel-600 in Molten Sulfate/Vanadate Mixtures Using Electrochemical Techniques

In this paper, the results obtained from polarization curves (PC) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) for Inconel-600 exposed in two different compositions of corrosive molten salts are presented. The Inconel-600 samples were exposed to high sulfate (80 mol% Na2SO4-20 mol% V2O5) and high vanadium (80 mol% V2O5-20 mol% Na2SO4) molten salts at 700 °C during 120 h. Tafel slopes, current densities and corrosion potentials were obtained from polarization curves for both corrosive systems. EIS was used to determine the controlling corrosion mechanism, either charge transfer (activation) or mass diffusion, and the charge transfer resistance Rct. Scanning electron microscopy analysis (images and mappings) showed that Inconel-600 exposed to the high sulfate molten salt suffered inter-granular corrosion, which was due to an oxidation process through the grain boundaries, just below the metal-scale interface; whereas exposed to the high vanadium molten salt, Inconel-600 corroded by means of a generalized corrosion process, which was due to the diffusion of sulfur to the surface and inside the alloy. The corrosion mechanisms suffered by the Inconel-600 in both corrosive molten salts were supported by X-ray diffraction analyses of the corrosion products, which showed the presence of chromium, iron and nickel oxides together with some vanadates as secondary compounds.
Improved wood properties via two-step grafting with itaconic acid (IA) and nano-SiO2

Abstract Itaconic acid (IA) with its trifunctional structure was first introduced into the wood cell lumen and cell wall, which functions as a grafting anchor for fixing various polymers via strong chemical bonds. Then nano-SiO2 was grafted to the IA-modified wood. Field-emission scanning electron microscope revealed that the grafting experiment was successful and that the modified cell wall thickness increased by 65%. The incorporated hydrophobic nano-SiO2 substructure reduced the wood’s hygroscopicity and improved its dimensional stability. The thermal stability of the new composite was also excellent. The presented approach is simple and efficient and the probability is high that it can be up-scaled to a level of a large-scale engineering material.
The Positive Case for a CBDC

Nous discutons des merites de l’emission d’une monnaie numerique de banque centrale (MNBC) sur les plans de la concurrence et de l’innovation. Une MNBC pourrait etre un outil de politique de concurrence efficace pour les paiements, en plus de soutenir le dynamisme de l’economie numerique. Elle pourrait aider a parer aux defaillances des marches et favoriser la concurrence et l’innovation au sein des nouveaux marches des paiements numeriques.
EL net: Ensemble Learning in end-to-end learning

Kednell. et al. [1] propose a robust and real-time monocular six degree of freedom (6-DOF) relocalization system which uses the end-to-end method to regress the 6-DOF pose in the RGB image. However, when the scenes change, PoseNet has huge variance. Ensemble learning can deal with this problem. We propose to use a new end to end camera relocalization method which combines the ensemble learning with PoseNet. In this model we modify the structure of PoseNet and get several different weak models. After that we train these different models and then use ensemble learning to do them together. Experiments show the effectiveness of ensemble learning, compared to previous PoseNet, using ensemble learning can get better result.
Thermal chemical enhancement and influence of fluid flow in transesterification of palm oil

ABSTRACT This paper presents a model describing the effect of mixing intensity, temperature, and hydrodynamic behavior of transesterification process in a batch continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and optimization by ASPEN PLUS. The effect of varying temperature from 50, 60 to 65°C and impeller speed ranging from 150, 350 to 700 revolutions per minute (rpm) were investigated using CFD within ANSYS Fluent 12.1. It was found that the mixing efficiency varies with impeller speed from 150 to 350 rpm for maximum biodiesel (BD) yield. Also, the concentration of BD is higher near the impeller due to high turbulence dissipation rate in the zone near the impellers. It was observed that high reactor temperature results in an increased rate of BD production. The optimal BD production was achieved at 60°C. The optimization shows that the BD purity as high as 96.7% was obtained with the molar ratio of methanol to palm oil of 6:1, catalyst amount 1.0 wt%, a reaction temperature of 333 K, and a reaction time of 100 min. The model results were validated against published literature data and good correlation between model results and experimental data was observed. The model can potentially be used as a tool for design and optimization of a batch CSTR in BD production.
A polybenzimidazole/sulfonated graphite oxide composite membrane for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Polybenzimidazole/graphite oxide (PBI/GO) and PBI/sulfonated graphite oxide composite membranes were prepared for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The membranes were loaded with phosphoric acid to provide suitable proton conductivity. The PBI/GO and PBI/SGO membranes were characterized by XRD which showed that the d-spacing reflection (001) of SGO in PBI matrix was shifted from 2θ = 11°, meaning that the PBI molecules were intercalated into the SGO layers during the membrane preparation process. A low acid loading level reduced the free acid in the membranes which avoided water loss and thus conductivity loss. The ionic conductivities of the PBI/GO and PBI/SGO membranes, with low acid loading, were 0.027 S cm−1 and 0.052 S cm−1 at 175 °C and 0% humidity. Fuel cell performance with SGO/PBI membranes gave a maximum power density of 600 mW cm−2 at 175 °C.