pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Modeling of the Division Point of Different Propagation Mechanisms in the Near-Region Within Arched Tunnels

An accurate characterization of the near-region propagation of radio waves inside tunnels is of practical importance for the design and planning of advanced communication systems. However, there has been no consensus yet on the propagation mechanism in this region. Some authors claim that the propagation mechanism follows the free space model, others intend to interpret it by the multi-mode waveguide model. This paper clarifies the situation in the near-region of arched tunnels by analytical modeling of the division point between the two propagation mechanisms. The procedure is based on the combination of the propagation theory and the three-dimensional solid geometry. Three groups of measurements are employed to verify the model in different tunnels at different frequencies. Furthermore, simplified models for the division point in five specific application situations are derived to facilitate the use of the model. The results in this paper could help to deepen the insight into the propagation mechanism within tunnel environments
Sectoral Equity Returns in the Euro Region: Is There any Room for Reducing the Portfolio Risk?

The economic integration among Euro members has important
consequences for the factors driving asset pricing and asset
trading within the financial markets. In particular, since the start of the Euro, cross-country equity index correlations in the region have showed upward trends and domestic investors have allocated their portfolios mostly inside of the  region. This paper studies the impact of these recent structural changes on the Euro-wide sectoral equity indices. We modeled the return and volatility of the Euro sector equity indices between years 1992 and 2007. We documented that aggregate world equity or global sector equity indices have not been affecting the sector equity
indices since the beginning of the Euro. Aggregate Euro stock index, however, still has been affecting most of the sector equity indices, even though its effect has been declining remarkably for some sectors. In particular, we found that financial sector indices (financial services, insurance, and banking) are being affected increasingly by the aggregate Euro  equity index fluctuations after the start of the Euro. However, some ``basic industry sector'' indices, including basic resources, food and beverage, health-care, retail services, and oil & gas  had
become less dependent to the aggregate Euro index within the same period, suggesting that diversification across these sectors within the region would be much more effective tool for reducing portfolio risk.
Microdata Imputations and Macrodata Implications: Evidence from the Ifo Business Survey

A widespread method for now- and forecasting economic macro level parameters such as GDP growth rates are survey-based  indicators which contain early information in contrast to official data. But surveys are commonly affected by nonresponding units which can produce biases if these missing values can not be regarded as missing at random. As many papers examined the effect of nonresponse in individual or household surveys, only less is known in the case of business surveys. So, literature leaves a gap on this issue. For this reason, we analyse and impute the missing observations in the Ifo Business Survey, a large business survey in Germany. The most prominent result of this survey is the Ifo Business Climate Index, a leading indicator for  the German business cycle. To reflect the underlying latent data generating process, we compare different imputation approaches for longitudinal data. After this, the microdata are aggregated and the results are compared with the original indicators to evaluate their implications on the macro level. Finally, we show that the bias is minimal and ignorable.
Risk attitudes and Medicare Part D enrollment decisions

The new Medicare Part D program provides prescription drug coverage for older Americans through highly subsidized and tightly regulated plans offered by private insurance firms. For most eligible individuals without coverage from other sources, obtaining Part D coverage would be rational, but it requires active enrollment and plan choice decisions. We investigate if non-enrollment in Medicare Part D can partly be explained by risk aversion. Data are taken from a national online survey conducted just after the introduction Part D. The survey included a context-free and a context-related hypothetical lottery to measure an individual’s attitude towards risk. Respondents who are risk tolerant according to these measures were significantly less likely to enroll in Part D. We also illustrate that hypothetical choice questions designed to elicit risk attitudes are subject to reference-point effects. Even minor differences in the priming of respondents can result in potentially misleading conclusions about the role of risk aversion in the insurance decisions.
Thermo-oxidative aging of epoxy coating systems

tThe thermo-oxidative behavior of unformulated (unfilled) samples of epoxy coatings has been studiedat five temperatures ranging from 70◦C to 150◦C. Two epoxy networks based on diglycidyl ether ofbisphenol A (DGEBA), respectively, cured by jeffamine (POPA) or polyamidoamine (PAA) were compared.Infrared spectrophotometry (IR), differential scanning (DSC) and sol–gel analysis (SGA) were used tomonitor structural changes.Thermal oxidation leads to carbonyl and amide formation in both systems. POPA systems appear moresensitive to oxidation than PAA ones. Thermal oxidation leads to predominant chain scission as evidencedby the decrease of glass transition temperatures (Tg) and increase of sol fraction
Parameter identification of a thermodynamic model for superelastic shape memory alloys using analytical calculation of the sensitivity matrix

IThis paper presents an identification procedure for the parameters of a thermodynamically based constitutive model for Shape memory Alloys (SMAs). The proposed approach is a gradient-based method and utilizes an analytical computation of the sensitivity matrix. For several loading cases, including superelasticity, that are commonly utilized for the model parameters identification of such a constitutive
model, a closed-form of the total infinitesimal strain is derived. The partial derivatives of this state variable are developed to find the components of the sensitivity matrix. A LevenbergeMarquardt algorithm is utilized to solve the inverse problem and find the best set of model parameters for specific SMA materials. Moreover, a pre-identification method, based on the second derivative of the total strain components is proposed. This provides a suitable initial set of model parameters, which increases the
efficiency of the inverse method. The proposed approach is applied for the simultaneous identification of the non-linear constitutive parameters for two superelastic SMAs. The comparison between experimental and numerical curves obtained for different temperatures shows the capabilities of the developed
identification approach. The robustness and the efficiency of the developed approach are then experimentally validatedIIME
Application of Some Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in the Development of Biosensors at Carbon Film Electrodes

Two room temperature ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate, were employed for enzyme immobilization in a new sol-gel matrix and, for the first time, were successfully applied as electrolyte carriers in a biosensing system. The new sol-gel matrix, based on 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide mixtures, did not crack even after several weeks when kept dry, and exhibited similar analytical properties to aqueous sol-gel based glucose biosensors. The linear range was up to 1.1 mM of glucose, sensitivity was 62 nA mM-1 and the limit of detection was 28.8 muM. The optimum ionic liquid electrolyte carrier was found to be 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate, where the biosensor was made by electrodeposition of the redox mediator, poly(neutral red), and the enzyme was immobilized by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. The results showed that application of room temperature ionic liquids to biosensors is very promising and can be further exploited.http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elan.20070408
Estimation of ecological exergy using weighing parameters determined from DNA contents of organisms – a case study

We studied the changes of exergy and specific exergy with data of benthic macrofauna communities, periodically sampled along an estuarine gradient of eutrophication in the Mondego estuary (Western Portugal). Exergy estimates were calculated from organism biomass, based on weighing factors for the relative content of exergy per unit of biomass determined from DNA contents of organisms. Results were discussed in terms of both the macrofauna biomass production and the structural organisation of the system. Estimates for the exergy indices provided useful indications for the evaluation of environmental impact due to the eutrophication process. Different average values for the indices of exergy and specific exergy were estimated relatively to areas with different levels of eutrophication, in the ‘spatial’ gradient of eutrophication. Higher exergy levels and lower exergy content per unit of biomass (specific exergy) were associated to populations more stabilized or areas less perturbed. Additionally, the index of specific exergy seemed capable of providing indications for the qualitative alterations in the communities (in temporal and spatial terms) that go in the direction of the observations made in this ecosystem.http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:102039260418
Relationship between Microstructure and Magnetic Domain Structure of Nd-Fe-B Melt-Spun Ribbon Magnets

The relation between the microstructure, observed using an electron probe microanalyzer, and the domain structure, observed using a Kerr microscope, was established to evaluate the effects of hot rolling and the addition of Ti-C on the c-axis orientation and the magnetization process of hot-rolled Nd-Fe-B-Ti-C melt-spun ribbons. The addition of Ti-C promotes the c-axis orientation and high coercivity in the ribbons. Elemental mapping suggests a uniform elemental distribution; however, an uneven distribution of Ti was observed in an enlarged grain with Ti-enriched points inside the grain. The reversal domains that nucleated at the Ti-enriched point inside the grain cause low coercivity
Diffusion-limited characteristics of mechanically induced currents in polypyrrole/Au-membrane composites

A mechanically induced current (MIC) in a polypyrrole/Au-coated membrane (PPy/Au-membrane) composite with various surface morphologies was investigated, and the electrolyte conditions were determined in an electrochemical cell. A MIC was induced on porous PPy/Au-membranes with a thin layer of PPy. Conversely, relatively small MICs were observed in non-highly porous films such as freestanding films and PPy/Au-membranes with thick PPy deposits. A MIC smaller by one order of magnitude was also observed in a Au-membrane without PPy. These results indicated that the MICs was due to a charging phenomenon in both the redox and the double layer capacitances. The MIC also varied with supporting electrolyte and their concentration. The MIC was strongly reduced in solutions with diluted electrolytes and with bulky cationic electrolytes, indicating that the number and the penetration speed of mobile ions limited the magnitude of the MIC. These characteristics indicated that the MIC was essentially a diffusion limited current. A two-electrode MIC cell was also configured to investigate a power generation film in a normal saline solution, which can possibly be utilized for biomedical applications
The development of the French executive: endogenous Americanization

In the context of current debates about the presidentialization and personalization of politics, this review discusses the Americanization of presidential politics in France. Two specific areas are reviewed: the personalization of French presidential elections, and the presidentialization of the executive decision-making process. The discussion focuses on a set of features that are usually associated with the US system, such as the relatively recent adoption of primary elections, the programmatic differences between presidential candidates and their parties, and their increasingly centrist policies. By contextualizing this analysis within the development of the Fifth Republic, we emphasize the endogenous roots of the apparently Americanized practices of the French executive and their full adaptation to the French institutional context
Aluminium incorporation in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures: a comparative study by ion beam analysis and X-ray diffraction

The Al content in AlxGa1 − xN/GaN heterostructures has been determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and contrasted with absolute measurements from ion beam analysis (IBA) methods. For this purpose, samples with 0.1bxb0.3 grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition on sapphire substrates have been studied. XRD and IBA corroborate the good epitaxial growth of the AlGaN layer, which slightly deteriorates with the incorporation of Al for xN0.2. The assessment of Al incorporation by XRD is quite reliable regarding the average value along the sample thickness. However, XRD analysis tends to overestimate the Al fraction at low contents, which is attributed to the presence of strain within the layer. For the highest Al incorporation, IBA detects a certain Al in-depth compositional profile that should be considered for better XRD data analysis
Dynamics and stability of radiation-driven double ablation front structures.

The dynamics of double ablation front (DAF) structures is studied for planar targets with moderate atomic number ablators. These structures are obtained in hydrodynamic simulations for various materials and laser intensities and are qualitatively characterized during the acceleration stage of the target. The importance of the radiative transport for the DAF dynamics is then demonstrated. Simulated hydrodynamic profiles are compared with a theoretical model, showing the consistency of the model and the relevant parameters for the dynamics description. The stability of DAF structures with respect to two-dimensional perturbations is studied using two different approaches: one considers the assumptions of the theoretical model and the other one a more complete physics. The numerical simulations performed with both approaches demonstrate good agreement of dispersion curve
Effects of dietary sources of vegetable fats on performance of dairy ewes and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in milk.

Two experiments were carried out to study the effects of supplementing the ration of lactating ewes with vegetable fats (sunflower oil, SO or hydrogenated palm oil, HPO; HIDROPALM (R)) on diet digestibility, milk yield and milk composition, and on the concentration of the conjugated linoleic acid (CIA) C18:2 cis-9 trans-11 and C18:1 trans-11 (vaccenic acid, VA) and other main fatty acids in milk fat. Treatments involved a control diet, without added oil, and 2 diets supplemented with either 12 g/kg SO or 12 g/kg HPO on a dry matter (DM) basis. In the first experiment, 6 non-pregnant, non-lactating Lacaune ewes were used following a 3 x 3 replicated Latin Square design. Addition of vegetable fat supplement to the diet increased digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP), but did not affect that of the ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) or acid detergent fibre (ADF). In the second experiment, 60 Lacaune dairy ewes mid-way through lactation (120 +/- 12 days in milk, 0.98 +/- 0.03 kg/day average milk yield) were divided into three equal-sized groups each of which was assigned to one of the three experimental diets for 4 weeks. Compared with the control treatment, supplementation with H PO increased milk yield and energy-corrected milk. But neither vegetable fat supplement modified percentages of fat and protein in milk. Supplementation with HPO increased C14:1, C16:1 and C16:0 content and reduced C18:0 and C18:1 cis-9 content in milk fat. Supplementation with SO increased the VA content in milk fat by 36% and that of cis-9 trans-11 CLA by 29% in comparison with the control diet. Supplementation with HPO led to milk fat with 15% more cis-9 trans-11 CLA than control milk. In conclusion, adding a moderate dose of HPO or SO to the diets increased CIA concentration in milk fat. Nevertheless, supplementation with SO was more effective than HPO in increasing CLA concentration in milk fat and reducing the atherogenicity index, improving milk quality from the human health standpoint
Soiling and other optical losses in solar-tracking PV plants in Navarra

Field data of soiling energy losses on PV plants are scarce. Furthermore, since dirt type and accumulation vary with the location characteristics (climate, surroundings, etc.), the available data on optical losses are, necessarily, site dependent. This paper presents field measurements of dirt energy losses (dust) and irradiance incidence angle losses along 2005 on a solar-tracking PV plant located south of Navarre (Spain). The paper proposes a method to calculate these losses based on the difference between irradiance measured by calibrated cells on several trackers of the PV plant and irradiance calculated from measurements by two pyranometers (one of them incorporating a shadow ring) regularly cleaned. The equivalent optical energy losses of an installation incorporating fixed horizontal modules at the same location have been calculated as well. The effect of dirt on both types of installations will accordingly be compared
Superplastic deformation of directionally solidified nanofibrillar Al2O3-Y3Al5O12-ZrO2 eutectics

Nanofibrillar Al2O3–Y3Al5O12–ZrO2 eutectic rods were manufactured by directional solidification from the melt at high growth rates in an inert atmosphere using the laser-heated floating zone method. Under conditions of cooperative growth, the ternary eutectic presented a homogeneous microstructure, formed by bundles of single-crystal c-oriented Al2O3 and Y3Al5O12 (YAG) whiskers of ≈100 nm in width with smaller Y2O3-doped ZrO2 (YSZ) whiskers between them. Owing to the anisotropic fibrillar microstructure, Al2O3–YAG–YSZ ternary eutectics present high strength and toughness at ambient temperature while they exhibit superplastic behavior at 1600 K and above. Careful examination of the deformed samples by transmission electron microscopy did not show any evidence of dislocation activity and superplastic deformation was attributed to mass-transport by diffusion within the nanometric domains. This combination of high strength and toughness at ambient temperature together with the ability to support large deformations without failure above 1600 K is unique and shows a large potential to develop new structural materials for very high temperature structural applications
Effect of van der Waals interaction on the properties of SnS2 layered semiconductor

Nowadays, dispersion correction applied on layered semiconductors is a topic of interest. Among the known layered semiconductors, SnS2 polytypes are wide gap semiconductors with a van der Waals interaction between their layers, which could form good materials to be used in photovoltaic applications. The present work gives an approach to the SnS2 geometrical and electronic characterization using an empirical dispersion correction added to the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof functional and subsequent actualization of the electronic charge density using the screened hybrid Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof functional using a density functional code. The obtained interlayer distance and band-gap are in good agreement with experimental values when van der Waals dispersion forces are included
Synchronization during an internally directed cognitive state in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment: a MEG study

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a stage between healthy aging and dementia. Functional connectivity is widely used to study the brain activity during resting state or cognitive tasks. We aimed to determine the functional connectivity changes required to deal with an Internally Directed Cognitive State (IDICS) in healthy aging and MCI. This task differs from the most commonly employed in Magnetoencephalograpy (MEG)/ Electroencephalography (EEG), since inhibition from external stimuli is needed, and it allows the study of this control mechanism in healthy and pathological aging. To this end, MEG signals were acquired from 32 healthy individuals and 38 MCI patients, both in resting state and while performing a subtraction task of two levels of difficulty. Phase Locking Value (PLV) was calculated for five frequency bands: delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma. Synchronization patterns changed in both groups while performing the task. MCI patients presented higher connectivity changes than those in the control group, and this was related to a lower cognitive performance. In particular, in MCIs a hypersynchronization in delta, theta, beta and gamma bands was found, which reveals an abnormal functioning in this group. Contrary to controls, MCIs presented a lack of synchronization in the alpha band which may denote an inhibition deficit. Additionally, the magnitude of connectivity changes rose with the task difficulty in controls but not in MCIs, in line with the CRUNCH model (Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis)
Input States for Quantum Gates

We examine three possible implementations of non-deterministic linear optical cnot gates with a view to an in-principle demonstration in the near future. To this end we consider demonstrating the gates using currently available sources such as spontaneous parametric down conversion and coherent states, and current detectors only able to distinguish between zero or many photons. The demonstration is possible in the co-incidence basis and the errors introduced by the non-optimal input states and detectors are analysed
MPGD's spatial and energy resolution studies with an adjustable point-like electron source

11th Vienna Conference on Instrumentation (February 2007) , to appear in the Proceedings (NIM A)International audienceMicropattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD), like Micromegas or GEM, are used or foreseen in particle physics experiments for which a very good spatial resolution is required. We have developed an experimental method to separate the contribution of the transverse diffusion and the multiplication process by varying the number of primary electrons generated by a point-like source. A pulsed nitrogen laser is focused by an optical set-up on the drift electrode which is made of a thin metal layer deposited on a quartz lamina. The number of primary electrons can be adjusted from a few to several thousands on a spot which transverse size is less than $100 \mu m$ RMS. The detector can be positioned with an accuracy of $1\mu m$ by a motorized three dimensional system. This method was applied to a small Micromegas detector with a gain set between $10^3$ and $2.10^4$ and an injection of 60 to 2000 photoelectrons. Spatial resolutions as small as $5\mu m$ were measured with 2000 primary electrons. An estimation of the upper limit of the relative gain variance can be obtained from the measurements
Sustained fecal-oral human-to-human transmission following a zoonotic event

Bacterial, viral and parasitic zoonotic pathogens that transmit via the fecal-oral route have a major impact on global health. However, the mechanisms underlying the emergence of such pathogens from the animal reservoir and their persistence in the human population are poorly understood. Here, we present a framework of human-to-human transmission of zoonotic pathogens that considers the factors relevant for fecal-oral human-to-human transmission route at the levels of host, pathogen, and environment. We discuss current data gaps and propose future research directions