Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Multiprocess IRT Model With Ideal Points for Likert-Type Items

For surveys of complex issues that entail multiple steps, multiple reference points, and nongradient attributes (e.g., social inequality), this study proposes a new multiprocess model that integrates ideal-point and dominance approaches into a treelike structure (IDtree). In the IDtree, an ideal-point approach describes an individual’s attitude and then a dominance approach describes their tendency for using extreme response categories. Evaluation of IDtree performance via two empirical data sets showed that the IDtree fit these data better than other models. Furthermore, simulation studies showed a satisfactory parameter recovery of the IDtree. Thus, the IDtree model sheds light on the response processes of a multistage structure.
Computational intelligence in medical decision support-a comparison of two neuro-fuzzy systems

One of two aims of this paper is to briefly present two different types of neuro-fuzzy systems (neuro-fuzzy classifiers for the purposes of decision support, especially in medical domains) representing two main directions of synthesizing artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic within one, hybrid, neuro-fuzzy system. The second aim of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis of both proposed neuro-fuzzy systems and three other methodologies (rough-set inspired classifier, Quinlan's rule model and rule induction system CN2) applied to the common data set coming from the field of veterinary medicine and describing different aspects of selecting surgical and nonsurgical cases in the domain of equine colic. Three independent but cooperating subsystems predicting surgical or nonsurgical types of lesions as well as final outcomes of treatment have been designed and tested with the use of particular approaches.
Picoliter liquid handling at gas/liquid interface by surface and geometry control in a micro-nanofluidic device

In micro- and nanofluidic devices, highly precise fluidic control is essential. Conventional mechanical valves in microchannels and nanochannels have size limitations, whereas hydrophobic (Laplace) valves are generally difficult to use for low-surface-tension liquids. In the present study, we developed a method for handling picoliter volumes of low-surface-tension liquids in a micro-nanofluidic device. The proposed Laplace valve is based on the pinning effect. A fused silica micro-nanofluidic device that includes a picoliter chamber whose geometry was designed to induce capillary pinning was designed and fabricated. The measured Laplace pressure of a lysis buffer (surfactant) was consistent with the calculated pressure, indicating successful fabrication and hydrophobic surface modification. The working principle of the Laplace valve was verified. The Laplace valve maintained the lysis buffer at the gas/liquid interface for 60 min, which is sufficiently long for cell lysis operations. Finally, replacement of liquids in the picoliter chamber using the valve was demonstrated. The proposed method will contribute to basic technologies for fluidic control in micro- and nanofluidic devices, and the proposed Laplace valve can be used for low-surface-tension liquids. In addition, the developed valve and picoliter chamber can be utilized for the interface in single-cell lysis, which will facilitate the development of single-cell analysis devices.
Research of RFID Intelligent Access Control System in the Internet of Things

Traditional access control system is relatively simple, low efficiency, small storage capacity, which can not meet the initiative, timeliness, and flexibility requirements of security technology in the Internet of Things. To solve this problem, this paper researches and designs the intelligent access control system based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The system consists of an access control management system and an access controller. The system can not only be used as the import and export of safety management, but also contribute to the internal order management, achieve effective control and management of access control region.
Charge control of three-phase buck PWM rectifiers

Charge control of three-phase buck PWM rectifiers is proposed in this paper. It controls precisely the average input phase currents to track the input phase voltages by sensing and integrating only the DC rail current, realizes six-step PWM, and features simple implementation, fast dynamic response, excellent noise immunity, and is easy to realize with analog circuitry and integrate. The concept, implementation, and design guidelines are addressed. Simulation and preliminary experimental results are given. Also discussed are the potential extension of the proposed control scheme to realize different PWM patterns, and its applications to various three-phase buck rectifier-based systems.
Impact of Total Quality Management on Operational Performance

The study explores the impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) practices on operational performance using a sample of 279 in Sri Lankan large scaled manufacturing organizations. Two hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The study showed that TQM practices have a positive impact on operational performance and all the six TQM indicators individually have positive impacts on operational performance. This study suggests that the large scaled manufacturing organizations in Sri Lanka will be able to increase the operational performance during their peak seasons by implementing TQM while facing the competitiveness in the market place.
Synthesis of Sb2S3 NRs@rGO Composite as High-Performance Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have drawn interest as a lithium ion battery (LIB) alternative owing to their low price and low deposits. To commercialize SIBs similar to how LIBs already have been, it is necessary to develop improved anode materials that have high stability and capacity to operate over many and long cycles. This paper reports the development of homogeneous Sb2S3 nanorods (Sb2S3 NRs) on reduced graphene oxide (Sb2S3 NRs @rGO) as anode materials for SIBs. Based on this work, Sb2S3 NRs show a discharge capacity of 564.42 mAh/g at 100 mA/g current density after 100 cycles. In developing a composite with reduced graphene oxide, Sb2S3 NRs@rGO present better cycling performance with a discharge capacity of 769.05 mAh/g at the same condition. This achievement justifies the importance of developing Sb2S3 NRs and Sb2S3 NRs@rGO for SIBs.
The impact of quality considerations on material flow in two-stage inventory systems

Supply chain management literature calls for coordination between the different members of the chain. Inventory models achieve this coordination along a supply chain by making the lot size at an upstream entity an integer multiplier of the lot size at the adjacent downstream entity. Such models assume that all components produced are of acceptable quality and may cause suppliers to produce larger quantities than what is optimal. In this paper, we formulate and solve two-stage supply chain inventory models in which the proportion of defective products increases with increased production lot sizes. We show that quality considerations can lead to significant reduction in production lot sizes. In addition, the models show that most benefits to the supply chain are attained from the suppliers producing on a just-in-time basis rather than delivering to their customers just-in-time. We derive closed-form expressions for the optimal lot sizes for a two-stage supply chain under deterministic and then stochastic demand and illustrate the models with numerical examples.
Estimating the transmission advantage of the D614G mutant strain of SARS-CoV-2, December 2019 to June 2020

Introduction The SARS-CoV-2 lineages carrying the amino acid change D614G have become the dominant variants in the global COVID-19 pandemic. By June 2021, all the emerging variants of concern carried the D614G mutation. The rapid spread of the G614 mutant suggests that it may have a transmission advantage over the D614 wildtype. Aim Our objective was to estimate the transmission advantage of D614G by integrating phylogenetic and epidemiological analysis. Methods We assume that the mutation D614G was the only site of interest which characterised the two cocirculating virus strains by June 2020, but their differential transmissibility might be attributable to a combination of D614G and other mutations. We define the fitness of G614 as the ratio of the basic reproduction number of the strain with G614 to the strain with D614 and applied an epidemiological framework for fitness inference to analyse SARS-CoV-2 surveillance and sequence data. Results Using this framework, we estimated that the G614 mutant is 31% (95% credible interval: 28–34) more transmissible than the D614 wildtype. Therefore, interventions that were previously effective in containing or mitigating the D614 wildtype (e.g. in China, Vietnam and Thailand) may be less effective against the G614 mutant. Conclusion Our framework can be readily integrated into current SARS-CoV-2 surveillance to monitor the emergence and fitness of mutant strains such that pandemic surveillance, disease control and development of treatment and vaccines can be adjusted dynamically.
Virtual Design of the Working Device for Flood-Prevention of Cluthing and Casting Excavator

With the development of governing the Yellow River by the technology,it is inevitable to research the construction equipment to adapt to flood-prevention work. The cluthing and casting excavator for flood-prevention is produced under such kind of background. This equipment based on the working device of backhoe track hydraulic excavator was improved, the computer technology is introduced in the design of working device which can be for three-dimensional modeling,assembly and motion simulation analysis. The virtual design by Pro/E for the structural and motion of produces can short the design and manufacture time and cut down the cost, thus it can save the massive funds.The completive power of society is strengthen.
Development and Technology of HTS Transformers

With the improvement of high temperature superconductor (HTS) practical performance, research and application development of HTS transformers have been progressed actively in the world. The current focus on the applied superconducting technology for HTS transformers has been moving to the industrial preparations from its laboratory research stage, and the technology has been well verified for practical applications from small to large scales. This paper provides a comprehensive and analytic summary on the development of HTS transformers with regard to various HTS power transformers and HTS traction transformers. Common configurations and main benefits of HTS transformers are also presented in the paper.
Reliability of low temperature poly-silicon TFTs under inverter operation

We have studied the reliability of low-temperature polycrystalline-silicon thin-film-transistors (TFTs) under dynamic bias stress using a CMOS inverter circuit. A remarkable decrease in the mobility and the ON-current was observed in n-channel TFTs under dynamic stress. The degradation depends strongly on the falling edge of the voltage pulse and the number of pulses. Observation by emission microscopy revealed that hot electrons were generated around the edge of the drain region in the n-channel TFT. We also confirmed that TFTs with lightly doped drain were less degraded. Based on these experimental results, a new degradation model was proposed. The model suggests that upon the gate voltage drop, electrons move rapidly to the drain, thus, becoming hot and creating electron traps in the grain boundaries around the drain. Consequently, the ON-current is decreased.
Uso de internet para conocer parejas sexuales y/o románticas: preferencias en función del género y de tener o no pareja estable

Una de las principales motivaciones para consumir cibersexo es conocer a otras personas con fines románticas y/o sexuales. Parece que el género podría ser importante a la hora de modular la realización de este tipo de Actividad Sexual Online (ASO); sin embargo, los datos son escasos y no siempre apuntan a la misma dirección. Así mismo, tampoco se ha estudiado ampliamente el impacto que puede tener el hecho de tener una relación estable sobre el consumo de este tipo de ASO. Por ello, el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la influencia del género y tener o no pareja estable sobre el uso y la selección de ASOs que impliquen la interacción sexual y/o romántica con otros usuarios online. Para ello, 120 personas de entre 18-48 años (59.17% mujeres, 40.83% hombres; 56.65% sin pareja estable, 43.35% con pareja estable) cumplimentaron un cuestionario sobre conductas y prácticas sexuales online. El flirteo e insinuaciones a terceros es la ASO interactiva más común en hombres (55.1%) y mujeres (45.1%). Los hombres tienden a preferir aquellas ASO interactivas que buscan establecer contacto sexual offline, mientras que las mujeres presentan preferencia por el cibersexo online. Sin embargo, las diferencias de género solo son estadísticamente significativas para la búsqueda de pareja sexual online (χ2= 3.870; p=.049). El consumo de cibersexo interactivo es muy común en personas con una relación estable (89.5%-92.9%), de forma que no se aprecian diferencias estadísticamente significativas respecto a los solteros para ninguna ASO. Este trabajo nos ha permitido demostrar que el género se constituye como un claro factor modulador en el uso y la selección de ASOs para conocer a gente con fines sexuales y/o románticos. No obstante, parece que el hecho de tener o no pareja estable no es un factor explicativo de este uso.
Performance Analysis of the Location Estimation System Using an Enhanced Superposition Scheme for the Baseline Area

This study aims to suggest a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) based superposition location estimation algorithm (SLEA) in consideration of indoor and outdoor radio environments in a wireless sensor network and to analyze its performance based on the embodied test bed. The result showed that the precision in SLEA location estimates was better than that of existing trilatelation-utilized methods. In particular, the improvement in the precision of location estimation was quite significant when information on the reference distance and the propagation constant were applied real time. To verify the simulation result in an actual environment, an experiment on location estimation was conducted at two spots (indoor and outdoor) in an environment similar to the simulation by means of Zigbee Remote Control according to IEEE 802.15. 4.
The slope effect of a capacitive resonator profile fabricated by a DRIE process on the performance of an MEMS disk resonator

The thickness of a capacitive disk resonator can be increased by selecting a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process for reducing motional resistance. However, the DRIE process sometimes causes MEMS capacitive resonators to have a non-ideal profile. In this paper, the slope effect of a resonator profile fabricated by a DRIE process on the capacitance, electrostatic force, electrical stiffness, motional resistance and output current of the capacitive resonator is analyzed. The relation curves between these parameters and the sloped angle are obtained theoretically. The results show that the capacitance, electrostatic force, electrical stiffness and output current decrease as the sloped angle increases, but the motional resistance obviously increases. By capturing the electric field distribution of a capacitive resonator with different ratios of the gap to thickness by using FEM software ANSYS, the effects of slope angle and thickness on the natural frequency of the resonator are investigated. The analyzed results can provide the theoretical basis for designing high-performance MEMS disk resonators fabricated by the DRIE process.
Assessment of the Effects of Road Geometry onIrish Accident Rates and Driving Behaviour

The following thesis documents the work carried out throughout two main experiments. The first experiment analyses driver crash data and extracts from it accidents that may have occurred as a result of road segments with bad geometry. A visualisation and analysis of this crash data is presented to better determine the relationship ‘if any’ between road geometry and accident points. The second experiment then examines driver behaviour on road segments that also contain bad bends using a purpose built driving simulator. This experiment is ‘driver centric’ as it measures behaviour such as eye movement. Both experiments examine contrasting Irish roadways with an aim to better understand the driver when negotiating various geometries. Findings from the crash data analysis initially show the majority of accidents occurring on straight segments of the road types examined. However, when these accident frequencies are normalised against the percentage of road that consist of straights and bends, interesting signals appear on road types that combine sharp bends with higher road speed limits. Results from driver eye behaviour analysis show drivers fixating on regions of the road based on visible geometry or available sight distance. For example, drivers fixate on areas at the road bend while negotiating sharp bends and fixate further on or above the road surface when traversing straight segments.
Synthesis and Characterization of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles from Aqueous Extract of Cyanotis tuberosa (Roxb.) Schult. & Schult. F. and Analysis of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity

Cyanotis tuberosa (Roxb.) Schult. & Schult.f family Commelinaceae is traditionally used as ethnomedicine for curing several health problems in India. In this study copper oxide CuONPs were synthesized using C. tuberosa tubers aqueous extract. The biosynthesized CuONPs were characterized using an Ultra violet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infra Red spectroscopy, X-RAY Diffraction Analysis, Scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained from SEM showed that the copper oxide nanoparticles were a face-centered cubic crystal structure. The characterization of the biosynthesized CuONPs through EDS also indicated that the reaction product was composed of highly pure CuO NPs. The invitro antimicrobial activity of different concentrations of green synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles of C. tuberosa showed that the highest inhibition zone was observed on Klebsiella pneumonia (15.25 mm). Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of green synthesized CuONPs of C. tuberosa tubers aqueous extract was also tested the highest percentage activity was exhibited at 100 μg/ml CuONPs (56.32). The human cancer cell line was used for cytotoxicity analysis at 48 hrs of incubation period, a significant abatement in cell viability was observed against the treated cell lines. The study concludes that the C. tuberosa tubers aqueous extract can be successfully used for the synthesis of CuONPs that exhibit effective in vitro anti-bacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activity.
Temperature sensitivity of strained multiple quantum well long-wavelength semiconductor lasers: root cause analysis and the effects of varying device structure

In the past twenty years there has been considerably effort spent in attempting to explain the temperature dependence of the threshold current (Ith) of InGaAsP-InP based semiconductor lasers. These efforts and the mechanisms which have been presumed responsible for this temperature dependence are reviewed. An alternate means of analyzing the threshold current temperature dependence of these lasers, based on a parameter Tmax (rather than the conventional To) is proposed, and a relationship between the parameter Tmax and adjustable device structural and material parameters is presented. Numerous experimental results are analyzed to evaluate the effects of: internal absorption loss; Auger recombination; carrier leakage; and, optical gain on the temperature dependence of InGaAsP-based lasers. It is concluded that the dominant effect on the threshold current temperature sensitivity stems from the temperature dependence of the optical and differential modal gain.
Sunrise, the world's first solar-powered airplane

The design, construction, and flight tests of the world's first solar-powered airplanes, Sunrise I and Sunrise II, are discussed. Sunrise I made its first solar flight on November 4,1974, and demonstrated for the first time that an airplane could fly on solar power alone. Sunrise I made scores of flights during the winter of 1974 and spring of 1975, finally being damaged in a windstorm. An improved version, Sunrise II, constructed in the summer of 1975, first flew on September 12. Sunrise II was 13% lighter, was aerodynamical! } cleaner, and had 33% more power than Sunrise I. Sunrise II was prepared for a high-altitude attempt to 50,000 ft on September 27, 1975. The aircraft climbed at a rate of 8,000 ft/h and was expected to reach 50,000 ft in 6 h. At an altitude of 17,200 ft, the command and control system failed, the aircraft was severely damaged, and the flight test program was terminated.
A phase-change type micropump with aluminum flap valves

In this paper, a phase-change type micropump is presented. This micropump consists of a pair of aluminum flap valves and a phase-change type actuator. The actuator is composed of a heater, a silicone rubber diaphragm and a working fluid chamber. The diaphragm is actuated by the vaporization and the condensation of the working fluid. The micropump is fabricated by the anisotropic etching, the boron diffusion and the metal evaporation. The dimension of the micropump is 8.5 mm × 5 mm × 1.7 mm. The forward and the backward flow characteristics of the flap valve illustrate the appropriateness as a check valve. The flow rate of the micropump is measured for various voltages, frequencies and duty cycles of the square-wave input. When the square-wave input voltage of 10 V is applied to the heater, the maximum flow rate of the micropump is 6.1 μl min−1 at 0.5 Hz and the duty ratio of 60% for zero pressure difference. The maximum backward pressure when the flow rate is zero is 10 mm H2O.
Common mode rejection ratio in differential amplifiers

The common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of a differential amplifier (DA) using a single operational amplifier and an instrumentation amplifier (IA) using three operational amplifiers is analyzed, and the complete equations are derived for the case when op amps have finite differential and common mode gains. Amplitude and phase measurements support the theoretical predictions. It is concluded that, at low frequencies, for the single-op-amp DA the use of a trimming potentiometer is better than relying on low-tolerance resistors, because of the higher CMRR achieved. The DA yields a fixed 90 degrees phase shift for the CMRR at frequencies above 1 kHz. For the three-op-amp 1A, it is important that the input buffers are coupled and that they are built from a matched op amp pair. The best CMRR is obtained when the differential gain is concentrated in the input stage, but in any case it decreases at frequencies above 1 kHz because of the reduced CMRR for the differential stage at these frequencies. >
Malassezia restricta Pneumonia in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: First Report of Two Cases

Emerging fungal infections are a major challenge in solid organ transplantation (SOT) and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. We report two cases of Malassezia restricta pneumonia in SOT recipients. Infections were diagnosed with molecular analysis and histology. Patients were treated with antifungal therapy and have fully recovered.