Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of Reconfigurable Antennas as a Solution for Efficiency, Robustness, and Security of Wireless Systems

A Study of Reconfigurable Antennas as a Solution for Efficiency, Robustness, and Security of Wireless Systems Rashid Mehmood Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The reconfigurable aperture (RECAP) is a reconfigurable antenna consisting of a dense array of electronically controlled elements, which can be manipulated to support many antenna functions within a single architecture. RECAPs are explored herein as an enabling technology for future software defined and cognitive radio architectures, as well as compact wireless devices supporting many bands and services. First, the concept of a parasitic RECAP is developed and analyzed for various communication applications. This begins with the analysis of existing RECAP topologies (e.g. planar and parasitic) using a hybrid method combining full wave simulations and network analysis. Next, a performance versus complexity analysis is performed to assess the use of a parasitic RECAP for the most critical communications functions: pattern synthesis, MIMO communications and physical-layer wireless security. To verify simulation results, a prototype parasitic RECAP is also built and deployed in real propagation environments. Given the potential of adaptive and reconfigurable architectures for providing enhanced security, an idealized reconfigurable antenna is analyzed, resulting in the concept of secure array synthesis. The objective is to find optimal array beamforming for secure communication in the presence of a passive eavesdropper in a static line-of-sight (LOS) channel. The method is then extended to the case of multipath propagation environments. The problem is solved by casting it into the form of a semi-definite program, which can be solved with convex optimization. The method is general and can be applied to an arbitrary array topology with or without antenna mutual-coupling. Due to complexity of the problem, initial attention has been restricted to idealized reconfigurable antennas (smart antennas), where excitation amplitude and phase at each element can be controlled independently. Lastly, reconfigurable antennas are investigated as a solution to support the emerging application of over-the-air (OTA) testing in a low-cost and compact way, resulting in the concept of the reconfigurable over-the-air chamber (ROTAC). First, an idealized twodimensional ROTAC is analyzed, revealing that the fading distribution, spatial correlation, frequency selectivity, and multipath angular spectrum can be controlled by proper specification of the random loads. Later, a prototype of ROTAC is built to study the fading statistics and angular characteristics of the multipath fields inside a practical chamber.
A Study on Range - Data Rate Performance of UWB Wireless Communications

Major envisioned commercial Ultra Wideband (UWB) applications are indoor, nonetheless, the suitability of UWB technology for data communication over longer ranges may also have a relevant role in the outdoor wirelesscommunications. In this thesis work we evaluate and compare the achievable range-datarate performance of a reliable UWB communication link for long ranges, considering anImpulse Radio UWB system and the use of M-ary PAM and M-ary PPM modulations. The freespace, lognormal shadowing and two-ray path loss models are considered. We incorporatethe UWB frequency dependency of two different ground reflection materials as well asdifferent electric field polarizations in the two-ray path loss model. Furthermore, the novelrange-data rate performance analysis, evaluation and results are provided for Time-HoppingUWB Multiple Access asynchronous networks. Practical application is provided for a real lifesensor network considering the studied path loss models.Figures and tables with the achievable range-data rate performance of the UWB link areprovided. Novel results of this research work indicate that, complying with the FCC emissionlimits, a reliable outdoor UWB link can be established by compromising between BER, range,and speed of transmission. Furthermore, Time-Hopping UWB can be used for the physicallayer of different outdoor multiple access sensor networks.
AN EVALUATION OF FLOOR RESPONSE SPECTRA FOR ACCELERATION-SENSITIVE NONSTRUCTURAL COMPONENTS SUPPORTED ON REGULAR FRAME STRUCTURES

Title of Thesis: AN EVALUATION OF FLOOR RESPONSE SPECTRA FOR ACCELERATION-SENSITIVE NONSTRUCTURAL COMPONENTS SUPPORTED ON REGULAR FRAME STRUCTURES Kevin Michael Kingston, Master of Science, 2004 Thesis directed by: Dr. Ricardo A. Medina Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering This study evaluates the acceleration response of elastic nonstructural components (NSCs) subjected to earthquake-induced supporting structure motions. The objective is to provide insight into the development of the floor response spectrum (FRS) and its dependence on critical ground motion and structural system parameters such as the ground motion intensity, modal periods of the supporting structure, fundamental period of the NSC, strength of the structure, and location of the NSC with respect to the height of the supporting structure. The focus is on NSCs supported on regular moment-resisting frames. Results indicate that the FRS is highly dependent on the ratio of the period of the NSC to the modal periods of the supporting frame, the level of inelastic behavior of the frames and the location of the NSC. This study demonstrates that in several cases these effects are not adequately represented in floor design spectra recommended by current building codes. AN EVALUATION OF FLOOR RESPONSE SPECTRA FOR ACCELERATIONSENSITIVE NONSTRUCTURAL COMPONENTS SUPPORTED ON REGULAR FRAME STRUCTURES by Kevin Michael Kingston Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science 2004 Advisory Committee: Dr. Ricardo A. Medina (Chair) Dr. Chung C. Fu Dr. Donald W. Vannoy  Copyright by Kevin Michael Kingston 2004 All Rights Reserved
Doing IT: Women Working In Information Technology

From the boom of the 1990s to the bust of early 2000, women have been carving out careers in Information Technology. For these IT workers, it is not just about earning a living but about applying their technological, scientific and engineering skills and knowledge. "Doing IT" demonstrates that women fill a wide variety of these technological occupations, yet continue to face barriers preventing them from reaching their full professional potential. Scott-Dixon examines the IT environment's traditional workplace that keeps gender, race, class, ability and pay inequities firmly in place. Drawing on personal interviews, she shows that despite these barriers, women in IT bring passion to their jobs and draw on their wit, intelligence and creative resourcefulness to shape their career paths. "Doing IT" is an invigorating conversation among women in search of greater employment opportunities.
When you wish upon a blog...: how collaborative information seeking can interleave with CSCW

In this paper, we share our preliminary analyses of a particular case of a self-organizing group that responded to the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster in Japan. The way this group managed to send aid from Finland to Japan is a fascinating case study in computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). However we also see in it many cases of various kinds of collaborative information seeking (CIS), both computer supported and using more traditional resources. At the same time we find it challenging to look at some of these activities from the CIS frameworks that we are familiar with. We believe that exploring some of these issues at the workshop will enable a richer understanding of the range of possible kinds of CIS.
The impact of platform based product variety on product family performance: examining the mediational roles of new product development proficiencies and structural features

In order to satisfy heterogeneous and unstable consumer demands, firms increasingly leverage product development efficiencies by adopting a platform approach, based on cross-sharing of resources, for developing and introducing product variants, constituting a product family. Although the benefits and costs of utilising platform-based product development to increase product variety have been addressed by previous research, there has been little empirical work focusing on the managerial factors that enable firms to successfully develop new products that extend the product family. The current study addressesth e gap in our understandingo f the relationships between a firm's product variety strategy, new product development (NPD) proficiencies and structural features, and product family performance. The current study's findings are based on data collected from a sample of one hundred South-Korean manufacturers in a wide range of assembling industries. When firms expand platform-based product variety, superior predevelopment planning proficiencies in platform projects are essential for securing all dimensions of product family performance (i. e., operational/technical performance, profitability, and market share/sales)P. roduct family successi s also conditional upon highly proficient execution of marketing activities (business and market opportunity analysis and planning, and commercialisation) in both platform and derivative projects. The findings of this research stress the primacy of predevelopment planning and marketing capabilities. In addition, the findings of this research stress specific structural mechanisms (e. g., spatial proximity, formalisation, and organisational modularity), as drivers of product family performance. This study contributes to the understanding of inter-relationship between platform-based product variety, NPD proficiencies and structural features, and product family performance. This study can act as a guide to further studies of platform-based product development, as well as being useful to practitioners who develop product families.
Net Effects of Gasoline Price Changes on Transit Ridership in U.S. Urban Areas

Using panel data of transit ridership and gasoline prices for ten U.S. urbanized areas from 2002 to 2011, this study analyzes the effect of gasoline prices on ridership of the four main transit modes (bus, light rail, heavy rail, and commuter rail) as well as their aggregate ridership. It accounts for endogeneity between the supply of services and ridership, and controls for factors that may influence transit ridership. This study also examines short- and long-term effects and non-constant effects at different gasoline prices. The analysis found varying effects, depending on transit modes and other conditions. Strong evidence was found for positive short-term effects only for bus and the aggregate: a 0.61-0.62 percent ridership increase in response to a 10 percent increase in current gasoline prices. The long-term effects of gasoline prices, on the other hand, was significant for all modes and indicated a total ridership increase ranging from 0.84 percent for bus to 1.16 for light rail, with commuter rail, heavy rail, and the aggregate transit in response to a 10 percent increase in gasoline prices. At the higher gasoline price level of over $3 per gallon, effects were more substantial, with a ridership increase of 1.67 percent for bus, 2.05 percent for commuter rail, and 1.80 percent for the aggregate for the same level of gasoline price changes. A positive threshold boost effect at the $3 mark of gasoline prices was found for commuter and heavy rails, resulting in a substantially higher rate of ridership increase. Results suggest that transit agencies should prepare for a potential increase in ridership during peak periods that can be generated by substantial gasoline price increases over $3 per gallon.
Testing a Model of Consumer Purchase Receptivity Toward Foreign Products

A model assessing consumers’ receptivity to purchasing foreign products is presented and tested. The model includes consumer characteristics, global orientation traits, attitudes toward specific countries and country-of-origin (COO) perceptions to predict receptivity toward purchasing consumer electronic products from four countries. Results from a survey of 200 consumers in the U.S. indicate that attitudes toward foreign countries, COO perceptions and consumer purchase receptivity are related to global orientation traits, although these relationships vary by the countries tested. Multiple regression analyses show that country-of-origin is the best predictor of consumer receptivity to purchase of consumer electronic products for each of the four countries.
Forecasting Stock Market Returns: An Empirical Investigation for United Kingdom

Stock markets play a vital role in the economic development as a transmission mechanism through which savings are mobilized and adequately circulated across various economic sectors with a view to realize comprehensive growth. The current paper aims at identifying those factors that predict the stock market returns. For this purpose, a multivariate panel regression approach is employed. The empirical econometric model of the study is developed at two levels- firm level and macroeconomic level indicators. The annual panel data is constructed for 50 non-financial firms that are listed at London Stock Exchange during the period 2008-2017. We have employed robust Least Square estimation method.The findings showed that among financial performance factors, only net profit margin has significant predicting power for stock market returns. It presented signaling effect of net profit margin that attracts more investments. Moreover, we found that the selected set of macroeconomic factors have significant predicting power for stock market returns. Our paper contributes in the field of corporate finance as point of reference in the literature for the factors that predicts the stock market returns in the context of United Kingdom. In addition, it will eventually attract the attentions of academics, managers, policymakers, and investors.
An analysis using the AIDA model to compare the service level of the bus transportation system and travel behavior

This study focuses on the reaction of the residents during the social experiment of bus transportation service. According to AIDA model proposed in marketing, the reaction consists of several stages. We assume that the reaction in each stage is different from the person who lives where the service level was low and high before the experiment. Specifically, the person who lives where the service level was low does not react well because the service level has been too low to have concern for the bus service. We verify this assumption using the data from the social experiment conducted in Hiraka Town. As a result, this assumption is verified. Thus the disparity of the responsiveness in the service level before the experiment exists. We discussed that it is not fair to use the observed responsiveness for the information basis of the bus transportation service after the experiment because of the disparity.
Spatial Distribution and Factors Associated with Risky Health Behaviour Among Adult Males Aged 15-59 Years in Ethiopia; Generalized Structural Equation Modelling

Background: Alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking are the largest preventable cause of death and important risk factors for a number of non-communicable diseases and cause premature death and many socioeconomic consequences. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the spatial distribution of risky health behaviour and its associated factors among adult males in Ethiopia. Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted among 12,688 men (aged 15–59 years). The distribution of risky health behaviour across the country was observed by ArcGIS software. In SaTScan software, the Bernoulli model was fitted by Kulldorff methods to identify the purely spatial clusters of risky health behaviour. Generalized Structural Equation Model (GSEM) was used to determine factors associated with each domain of risky health behaviour (regular alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking). Results: Risky health behaviour had spatial variation across the country. The primary clusters were located in Tigray, Amhara and north-eastern Benishangul national regional states. Spatial scan statistics identified 118 primary clusters (Log-Likelihood ratio (LLR) =524.8, p < 0.001). Residence, frequency of listening to a radio, occupation and frequency of watching television were significantly associated with drinking alcohol whereas wealth index was associated with tobacco smoking. Age, region, educational status, marital status and religion had association with both domains of risky health behaviour.Conclusion: Risky health behaviour had spatial variation across the country. The national press media in ban of advertising and promotion of alcohol and tobacco should be strengthen. Aggressive health education efforts should be directed toward this high-risk population (Tigray, Amhara and north-eastern Benishangul regional states). Improving risky health behaviour is an important approach to reducing health disparities and for more cost-effective utilization of scarce resources in the public health sector.
Power from the Waves

Preface. 1. : Introduction. 2. : How and why it started. 3. : What is a wave? 4. : From water wheel to gigawatt. 5. : The letter from the Bionics Department. 6. : The catalyst. 6.1: The first big scheme. 6.2: Changing water into air. 6.3: The ship with a broken back. 6.4: The Duck that won't lie down. 6.5: Blow-ups. 7. : Ideas proliferate. 8. : Scuppering the waves. 9. : Norway to the rescue. 10. : Survival of the fittest. 11. : Brussels stumbles into action. 12. : The OSPREY takes off. 13. : The official view. 14. : The future. Appendixes: Wave language. Chronology. Index
Industrial Refrigeration Handbook

Preface. The Field of Industrial Refrigeration. Properties, Cycles and Units. Multistage Systems. Reciprocating Compressors. Screw Compressors. Evaporators--Air Coils and Liquid Chillers. Condensers. Liquid Recirculation. Refrigerant Piping. Vessels. Valves and Refrigerant Controls. Refrigerants. Safety. Electrical Control and Instrumentation. Lubrication and Oil Handling. Conservation, Reclaim, and Storage of Energy. The Refrigeration and Freezing of Food. Refrigeration Load Calculations. Refrigerated Structures. Secondary Coolants--Brines and Antifreezes. Refrigeration Below --40 Degree.
SDN used for policy enforcement in a federated military network.

This thesis looks at how Software-Defined Networking can be used to provide policy enforcement in a federated military network. SDN is a concept in computer networking where the control plane is decoupled from network forwarding devices, and placed in a centralized location. The methodology used in this work includes a literature study, a discussion and the design, implementation and validation of a test bed utilizing the OpenDaylight SDN controller. We have found that SDN can be used for policy enforcement in federated networks, and shown this through programmatically re-assigning a network tunnel to a new path in an automatic fashion using the OpenFlow protocol. Together with the implementation, we have also described through design how groups of tunnels can be moved in the same fashion, while avoiding packet loss.
Sero-epidemiology of rubella in Zambia in the pre-vaccination period (2005 – 2016) as baseline for evaluation of introduction of rubella vaccine into the national immunization program

Background Rubella is highly under-reported in Zambia as in most sub-Saharan countries despite being a disease of major public health concern especially among women of childbearing age. In September 2016, Zambia introduced a combined measles-rubella vaccine in children aged 0-14 years. In this study, we estimated the rubella sero-prevalence and its correlates between 2005 and 2016, a period prior to the introduction of Measles-Rubella vaccine in Zambia to provide baseline reference data for the future evaluation of its impact. Methods In a retrospective study, serum samples collected through the national measles surveillance program that tested negative for measles were examined for rubella IgM antibodies using the Siemens, Enzygnost® ELISA kit at the national measles laboratory accredited by WHO. Data on age, sex, province, year and month of onset were extracted from the surveillance data. Logistics regression analysis was conducted to determine independent predictors of rubella infection. Results Overall, a sero-prevalence of 29.2% (1313/4497) affecting mostly those between 5 and 24 years was determined. Logistics regression results indicated that only age, province, year and month were independently associated with rubella infection. The regional sero-prevalence varied from 21.8 – 37.3% peaking in the hot dry month of October. Logistics regression indicated that those in the age group 10-14 years (AOR=2.43; 95% CI [2.01 - 2.95]) were more likely while those aged <1 year less likely (AOR=0.31; 95% CI [021 - 0.48]) to have rubella compared to those aged 25 years or older. Persons in 2010 were less likely (AOR=0.12; CI [0.05, 0.28]) to have rubella infection compared to those in 2016. While rubella infections were more likely to occur between July and November compared to December, they were less likely to occur between February and May. Conclusions There is evidence that rubella virus was circulating in Zambia between 2005 and 2016 affecting more females than males and persons in the age group 5-24 years with a peak in the hot dry season. It is recommended that immunisation campaigns be targeted in months of lower virus transmission between February and May and in a situation of limited resources to those aged 5-24 years.
Managing Corporate Culture, Innovation, and Intrapreneurship

Preface and Introduction Introducing the Corporate Innovation Process Developing an Innovative Corporate Culture Integrated Strategic Planning for Innovation Continuous Cultural Change and Improvement Changing Organizational Behavior and Structure Reengineering Organizational and Venturing Processes The Corporate Venturing Process Idea Generation: Start Concept Development Concept Evaluation: Finish Concept Development Start Technical Development: Preliminary Design and Review Prototype Build and Test: Final Design and Pilot Production Developing New Business: Launching the New Product Extensions of the Corporate Venturing Process Customizing the Corporate Innovation Process Guidelines for Innovators and Intrapreneurs Appendix: Integrated Venture Map Selected Bibliography Index
Reinforced Concrete with FRP Bars: Mechanics and Design

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 440 fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement for concrete members is about to see full market acceptance and implementation after 22 years. This book is mainly intended for practitioners and the focus is on ACI technical literature that covers the fundamentals of performance and design of concrete members with FRP reinforcement and reinforcement detailing. The book is a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students to guide their studies and creative work. Only internal, nonprestressed FRP reinforcement are included in the book, prestressing and near-surface-mounted reinforcement applications are excluded. The authors of the book assume that the reader is already familiar with concrete as a material and reinforced concrete as a construction technology (i.e., fabrication, analysis, and design). The book is divided into three parts that are described to follow the typical approach to design of conventional reinforced concrete in detail. The first part of the book covers materials and test methods and the second part covers analysis and design. The third part of the book presents some design examples using a two-story medical facility as a case study.