Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advances in Methods for Service Life Prediction of Building Materials and Components : Final report. Activities of the CIB W80

The development of service life product standards and standardization of service life design and planning of buildings and constructed facilities are key elements for achieving . Sustainable Construction. The technical committee CIB W80 has focused over the past decade, on the development of knowledge in support of such standards and design methods and it has been the prime purveyor of fundamental information on the service life prediction of building materials and components. A final report is provided of work completed in the most recent work programme covering the period between 2002-2005. Advances in three areas of estimating the service life of building products components or systems are outlined. These include the factorial method, an engineering design approach and reliability-based methods. As well, a summary is given of work carried out in related areas, including environmental factors. Additional information is provided on failure mode effects analysis and its use in the building industry. Insights are provided into the collaborative efforts and related activities within ISO TC 59 SC14 - "Design life" and the Performance based building (PeBBu) thematic network initiative focused on "Construction materials" of the fifth EC framework on Competitive and Sustainable Growth.
Scale and Innovation During Two U.S. Breakthrough Eras

The relationship between scale and innovation is central to R&D-based growth. This paper uncovers new empirical evidence using comprehensive data on U.S. R&D firms active during the interwar and post-WWII eras. Variability in the nature of innovation is shown to be a primary determinant of the scale effect with novel innovation scaling at approximately half the rate of normal technological discoveries. This result holds across time and for different firm types (public, private and external finance dependent). The findings help to explain why novel innovations tend to be developed in such unpredictable ways.
Three-Dimensional Aero-Thermal Optimization of Film Cooling in a High Pressure Turbine

Development of effective discrete film cooling is recognized as an essential task in gas turbine design since it has been shown necessary to ensure an acceptable turbine component life-time. Traditional design of film cooling schemes is driven by a single objective, maximizing the cooling performance. The aerodynamic penalty resulting from the coolant injection is generally neglected. Achieving an aero-thermal design of film cooling is a challenging task as it is based on two competing objectives; attaining a high thermal protection of the airfoil from the hot mainstream gas usually results in deteriorating the aerodynamic efficiency. The present research addresses this challenge and investigates the complex flow underlying the aero-thermal interaction on a film cooled airfoil. The simultaneous effects of film coolant flow parameters and film hole geometric variables on the aerodynamic loss and the cooling effectiveness are examined. Trends in design variations to minimize the aerodynamic penalty, while maintaining a high cooling performance are established. The research objective is achieved by implementing an automated optimization procedure that consists of a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm coupled with an artificial neural network. The latter is used to provide prediction of the objective function at every optimization iteration and reduces computation time. It is constructed based on numerical flow simulations where the three dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved. The optimization methodology is applied on a typical high-pressure turbine with two staggered rows of discrete film cooling on the suction side. The Pareto front of optimal solutions is generated. The thermal, aero-thermal, and aerodynamic optimums are identified and investigated numerically. A subsonic wind-tunnel facility available in Concordia University is used to re-create experimentally the optimum design points. Measured experimental data allowed verification of the CFD model, and substantiated the optimization methodology as a reliable design tool for film cooling in turbomachinery applications.
An Evaluation of a Strength Qualities Assessment Method for the Lower Body

ABSTRACT The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate an assessment method for the lower body and its ability to detect training induced changes in athletes. A repeated measures study design was used to assess reliability; in addition several longitudinal single subject case-studies are reported, justifying the sensitivity of the test to detect training induced changes. Inter-day reliability of the measures was assessed with repeated measures 48 h apart and the detection of training induced changes was evaluated by tracking athletes over a normal conditioning period which included resistance and sport specific training. Peak force for the isometric mid-thigh pull was 2879±613 N and 1988±412 N for the squat jump, resulting in a mean Dynamic Strength Deficit of 0.70±0.10. The coefficient of variation ranged from 2.01-3.19 % and intra-class correlation coefficients of 0.952-0.987 were observed. For athletes involved in lower-body maximal strength training, their pre and post measurements recorded changes in isometric mid-thigh pull peak force (215-362 N), and changes in the Dynamic Strength Deficit ratio (0.03-0.14) that exceeded the measures technical error. The Dynamic Strength Deficit ratio, is a reliable means of assessing an athlete‘s strength qualities, and comparisons of the force measures appear to be a valid means to detect training induced changes in athletes. Keywords
Application access for chromatic color detection

The process of identifying specific examples of an item inside an image or video is referred to as “object detection,” and it is one of the computer vision techniques. When individuals look at pictures or movies, they are able to recognize and find things that are of interest to them. The primary goal of the field of object recognition is to achieve this level of intelligence via the use of a computer. Image segmentation and blob analysis, which uses simple object properties such as size, shape, or color, and Feature-based object detection, which uses feature extraction, matching, and RANSAC to estimate the location of an object, are two of the many common techniques that are used in conjunction with deep learning and machine learning-based object detection. There are also many other common techniques that are used in conjunction with deep learning and machine learning-based object detection. The most challenging aspects of object detection are the processes of categorizing things and pinpointing their locations. When seen from a different perspective, the same object might seem to be completely different. Detection algorithms have a tough time distinguishing between various things at different scales and perspectives since the sizes and proportions of items almost always alter. The camera input would be used to determine an object’s shape, according to this project’s proposal. Circle, square, and triangle are the three distinct shapes that we are determining an item to be right now. The finished result is shown in MATLAB’s graphical user interface (GUI). The productive identification process is carried out with the assistance of MATLAB. Using the SFTA Algorithm, the application extracts features from the specific image of a video. The neural network algorithm is used to classify the image of video. Image segmentation and image detection are two examples of related computer vision methods that are inextricably intertwined with object recognition. These techniques allow us to better comprehend and analyze the situations shown in movies and still photographs. It has been determined whether or not the suggested system is suitable. Because of this, the testing has shown that the suggested system generates generally accurate indications of real performance at a rate of 99.4%.
Teamworking : history, development and function : a case study in Welsh local government

Teamworking has been a fashionable management idea in the redesign of work for over half a century. After being observed in UK manufacturing environments in 1950s, the concept has developed and spread widely across industries and international contexts. Today, surveys suggest that management practitioners across all sectors are enthusiastically adopting teamworking initiatives. However, empirical research has not kept pace with the diffusion of team ideas in different contexts. There has been relatively little attention to the concept in service industries and particularly in public services. This study takes up the challenge of exploring team ideas in new contexts, conducting a case study within the UK local Government. An ethnographic approach is adopted to enable the collection and analysis of detailed descriptive data. Central concerns include the way in which teamworking is used as a vehicle for organisational change and how employees experience management attempts to implement teamworking. The study findings suggest that there is as much interest in the idea of teamworking in local Government as in traditional team contexts. In the case study, teamworking was used as part of a wide ranging strategy of organisational transformation. More specifically, it was used by senior management as a way to legitimise strategic change and provide a soft veneer to a more demanding performance regime. The ambitious variety of new team initiatives led to considerable implementation problems and resistance from workers. Particular levels of management were seen to be trapped between the old approach and the new team discourse. The study presents a warning for the advocates of teamworking in appreciating senior management motivations for introducing change and considering the unappealing detail when implementing and maintaining teamworking systems.
Potentials of NPK and Organic Fertilizers on Growth Performance of Cashew （Anacardium occidentale L,） Seedlings on Degraded Typic Alfisol Soils in Ibadan, Nigeria

Sequel to complaints by cashew farmers on poor establishment rate of cashew seedlings on rehabilitated moribund cashew plantations in south western Nigeria, a fertilizer trial involving the use of organic materials (cow-dung, poultry droppings, cocoa and kola pod husks) compared to NPK and control (no fertilizer) treatments was conducted on the growth performance of cashew seedlings at Ibadan, Nigeria. The fertilizers were applied to supply 15 g N seedling -1 in 3 replications. Cashew seedling growth parameters and dry matter yield were determined. Fertilizers resulted to consistently general higher plant height, girth, number of leaves and leaf area compared to NPK and control. The differences in the mean values were however not significantly different for girth but it was significant (P ≤ 0.5) for plant height, number of leaves and leaf area, while there was no particular regular trend for plant number of branches. Plant root lengths were significantly higher using the organic fertilizers than NPK and control. Similar trend was obtained in the dry weight values for plant leaf, stem, root and total dry matter yield. There was however no consistent significant effect on NPK usage over control for all the parameters. It was therefore deduced that optimal growth performance and better establishment of cashew seedlings could be obtained with the use of organic fertilizers rather than inorganic fertilizer. The use of cocoa pod husk followed by cow-dung and poultry droppings were outstanding in better growth and dry matter yield performance of cashew seedlings and were advised for this purpose.
The Necessity Analysis of Development Waterproofing Materials and Methods of Construction Technologies for Green Roofs

The need for this study must be considerable. as being activate of green roofs research that the organization and construction obtain access to more development technologies. Nevertheless, the green roofs system has begun to apply since 1980`s, the green roofs technology was restricted to develop without verification of technologies such as a load or water leakage. There is a limit as urethane waterproofing to almost domestic waterproofing materials and methods of construction for general green roofs. The introduction of materials and methods of construction which are appropriated to property of green roofs could be a decisive factor in a long-range durability and economical maintenance cost, moreover, it support to variety construction system and organization. This present paper describes a necessity of waterproofing and root barrier system is one of the sub-organization based on green roofs construction. which have enormously large impact on the durability.
Evaluation of a highway improvement project on Florida key deer

Author(s): Braden, Anthony W. ; Lopez, Roel R. ; Roberts, Clay W. ; Silvy, Nova J.; Owen, Catherine B. ; Frank, Philip A. ; Davis, Donald S. | Abstract: Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) are a concern in the recovery of the endangered Florida Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) on Big Pine Key, Florida. Since the 1960s, nearly half of the total deer mortality has been attributed to DVCs; the majority of these mortalities occurring along the United States Highway 1 (US 1) corridor. In 2002, the Florida Department of Transportation completed modifications to a 2.6-km segment of the US 1 corridor that included fencing, experimental deer guards, and underpasses designed to prevent deer entry into the roadway and minimize DVCs. We evaluated the effectiveness of highway modifications in reducing Key deer-vehicle collisions pre- and post-project using long-term mortality data. Overall US 1 DVCs remained unchanged due to DVC increases along the unfenced section of US 1 on Big Pine Key; even though highway modifications (i.e., deer guards, fencing, and underpasses) reduced Key deer-vehicle collisions by 83–95 percent both post-project years. Experimental deer guards minimized deer crossings to six deer crossings the first post-project year and three crossings the second year. As a result, we recommend experimental deer guards in combination with fencing (and underpasses when applicable) can benefit wildlife in urban/suburban settings while maintaining human safety.
THE INELASTIC ANALYSIS OF BEAM-SLAB HIGHWAY BRIDGE SUPERSTRUCTURES

The report desribes an analysis scheme to predict the overload response of simple span beam-slab type highway bridges with reinforced concrete deck slab and reinforced or prestressed concrete I- or rectangular beams. The analysis scheme is based on completed research on reinforced and prestressed concrete beams, and reinforced concrete slabs, reported in "The Inelastic Analysis of Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Beams" by J.M. Kulicki and C.N. Kostem (Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 378-B.1, Lehigh University, 1972) and "The Inelastic Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Slabs" by W.S. Peterson, C.N. Kostem and J. M. Kulicki (Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 378B.3, Lehigh University, 1974), respectively. For a full understanding of the contents of the reported investigation, a study of these reports is needed. The analysis scheme assumes that the superstructure can exhibit material nonlinearities while remaining geometrically linar. It is also assumed that the inelastic response of the superstructure is governed by the flexural bahavior, i.e. excluding the effects of transverse and torsional shear. The developed scheme utilizes finite element displacement method, discretizing the superstructure into layered beam and plate bending elements. The method is compared against five full scale bridge tests. In all cases a good agreement was observed from the elastic regime up to the collapse of the super structure. The presented method is intended to be employed by engineers as a tool to predict the overload response of the superstructures. Through the employment of the appropriate failure and serviceability criteria, policy decisions not investigated herein, the rating of the bridges for various overload configurations can be undertaken. /Author/
Conceptual Design Tool for Fuel-Cell Powered Micro Air Vehicles

Abstract : A conceptual design tool was built to explore power requirements of a hybrid-power system for Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) comparable in size to the Cooper's Hawk. An inviscid aerodynamic code, Athena Vortex Lattice (AVL), and a motor-propeller analysis code, QPROP, provide overall lift, drag, and thrust data for power-required calculation as functions of many variables to include mass, platform geometry, altitude, velocity, and mission duration. Phoenix Technologies? Model Center was used to integrate multi-disciplinary components that employ specific power and specific energy of two power sources to determine power system mass required for a designated mission. The tool simulated a mission for the fixed wing Generic Micro Aerial Vehicle (GenMAV), and relative sizing between a high specific power source and a high specific energy source was investigated. Current small fuel cell technology provides inadequate specific power. It was found that a MAV-sized fuel cell-battery hybrid-power system would not perform better than a pure battery or battery-battery power system. A feasible fuel cell capability requirement of at least 325 W/kg matched with at least 921 W-hr/kg was identified as a fuel cell - Li-Po solution for a defined 30 min mission resulting in reduced power system mass compared to using only Li-Po batteries.
Summertime aerosol volatility measurements in Beijing, China

Abstract. Volatility plays a key role in affecting mass concentrations and the lifetime of aerosol particles in the atmosphere, yet our knowledge of aerosol volatility in relatively polluted environment, e.g., north China, remains poor. Here aerosol volatility in Beijing in summer 2017 and 2018 was measured using a thermodenuder (TD) coupled with an Aerodyne high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and a soot particle AMS. Our results showed overall similar thermograms for most non-refractory aerosol species compared with those reported in previous studies. However, high mass fraction remaining and NO+/NO2+ ratio for chloride and nitrate, each above 200 ∘C, indicated the presence of considerable metallic salts and organic nitrates in Beijing. The volatility distributions of organic aerosol (OA) and four OA factors that were resolved from positive matrix factorization were estimated using a mass transfer model. The ambient OA comprised mainly semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs; 63 %) with an average effective saturation concentration (C*) of 0.55 µg m−3, suggesting overall more volatile properties than OA in megacities of Europe and the US. Further analysis showed that the freshly oxidized secondary OA was the most volatile OA factor (SVOC = 70 %) followed by hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA). In contrast, the volatility of more oxidized oxygenated OA (MO-OOA) was comparable to that of cooking OA with SVOC on average accounting for 60.2 %. We also compared the volatility of ambient and black-carbon-containing OA. Our results showed that the BC-containing primary OA (POA) was much more volatile than ambient POA (C*=0.69 µg m−3 vs. 0.37 µg m−3), while the BC-containing SOA was much less volatile, highlighting the very different composition and properties between BC-containing and ambient aerosol particles.
A water tunnel flow visualization study of the vortex flow structures on the F/A-18 aircraft

The vortex flow structures occurring on the F/A-18 aircraft at high angles of attack were studied. A water tunnel was used to gather flow visualization data on the forebody vortex and the wing leading edge extension vortex. The longitudinal location of breakdown of the leading edge vortex was found to be consistently dependent on the angle of attack. Other parameters such as Reynolds number, model scale, and model fidelity had little influence on the overall behavior of the flow structures studied. The lateral location of the forebody vortex system was greatly influenced by changes in the angle of sideslip. Strong interactions can occur between the leading edge extension vortex and the forebody vortex. Close attention was paid to vortex induced flows on various airframe components of the F/A-18. Reynolds number and angle of attack greatly affected the swirling intensity, and therefore the strength of the studied vortices. Water tunnel results on the F/A-18 correlated well with those obtained in similar studies at both full and sub scale levels. The water tunnel can provide, under certain conditions, good simulations of realistic flows in full scale configurations.
Feasibility of in vivo Magnetic Induction Tomography in Rabbits

Background: As a non-contact, non-invasive medical imaging technique, magnetic induction tomography (MIT) can measure the conductivity distribution inside the human body. Numerical calculation and physical phantom tests have showed the accuracy of MIT in principle. However, very few human studies have limited the development and application. At the key stage before clinical trials, animal experiment will be an effective method to verify the feasibility of in vivo detection the conductivity variation inside of biological body. Methods: An abdominal subcutaneous injection rabbit model was used to simulate the local conductivity perturbation by injecting a 0.9% NaCl solution along with in vitro heparinized blood step by step. An insulated and sliding operation console was built to carry out the animal tests. An improved 16-channel MIT data acquisition system was used to record the data at 13.56 MHz and 4 seconds per frame. A series of time-difference reconstructed images, relative to non-injection, were obtained by the regularized Newton-Raphson algorithm for every 3 mL of injection. Results: 15 rabbits were divided by two groups. Six rabbits were injected with 0.9% NaCl solution and nine rabbits were injected with the in vitro heparinized blood. The target with an increased conductivity distribution can clearly be observed in all the reconstructed images. The maximum target value in each image increased with the injection dosage. The slopes of the regressive line for the mean of maximum target value in two groups were statistically different. Conclusion: Local conductivity perturbation inside of the rabbits is able to be reconstructed. The position and conductivity difference relative to the surrounding tissue of the target can be reflected correctly. This preliminary rabbit test shows the feasibility of the in vivo application for MIT and will be the basis for further animal tests and clinical trials in the future.
High-power microwave sources and technologies

Foreword by Dr. Delores Etter. Preface. Acknowledgments. List of Contributors. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations. Introduction. HPM Sources: The DOD Perspective. Gigawatt--Class Sources. Pulse Shortening. Relativistic Cerenkov Devices. Gyrotron Oscillators and Amplifiers. Active Plasma Loading of HPM Devices. Beam Transport and RF Control. Cathodes and Electron Guns. Windows and RF Breakdown. Computational Techniques. Alternative Approaches and Future Challenges. Index. About the Editors.