Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Composite steel beams using precast concrete hollow core floor slabs

The main aim of this thesis is to develop an insight into the behaviour of composite floors that utilise steel beams acting in combination with precast concrete hollow core floor slabs and to produce design recommendations for use by industry for this type of construction. Full scale bending tests of proprietary precast prestressed concrete hollow core unit floor slabs attached through 19mm diameter headed shear studs to steel Universal Beams (UB) have been carried out to determine the increased strength and stiffness when composite action is considered. The results show the bending strength of the composite beam to be twice that of the bare steel beam, and its flexural stiffness to be more than trebled. In addition to the beam tests, isolated push-off tests and horizontal eccentric compression tests were used to study the horizontal interface shear resistance of the headed studs and the strength of the slab, respectively. Maximum resistances were compared with the predictions of the Eurcode EC4, and a reduction formula for the precast effect derived. In addition to the experimental investigations, finite element (FE) studies were also conducted using the FE package ABAQUS to extend the scope of the experimental work. Results show a 2-dimensional plane stress analysis to be sufficiently accurate, providing the correct material input data obtained from isolated push-off and compression tests are used. The FE model for the composite beam was designed and validated using the full scale beam tests. A parametric study, involving 45 analyses, was carried out to cover the full range of UB sizes and floor depths used in practice. From the finite element work, design charts are formulated which may be used to simplify the design rules. Given the results of this work, a full interaction composite beam design may be carried out using the proposed design equations. The results show that precast slabs may be used compositely with steel UB's in order to increase both flexural strength and stiffness at virtually no extra cost, except for the headed shear studs. The failure mode is ductile, and may be controlled by the correct use of small quantities of transverse reinforcement and insitu infill concrete.
Fabry-Perot Interferometers

This book describes the Fabry-Perot interferometer and its variants as well as its use, optimisation and applications. The author begins with an historical perspective on the development of the instrument. Because of the quantitative uses of the device, the text tends to be mostly mathematical in its treatment. However, there is also much practical detail on the use and optimization of the Fabry-Perot interferometer and discussion of its classical uses (such as in metrology) and its contemporary applications (such as in lasers). In addition the book contains a comprehensive bibliography summarizing the extensive literature on the subject. This book will appeal both to high-resolution practitioners, such as spectroscopists, and to the laser community, since the Fabrv-Perot is not only an integral part of the laser but is also usea to characterize its optical and spectroscopic behaviour.
Pattern of Cognitive Dysfunction and Seizure in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction CNS lupus (also referred to as neuropsychiatric lupus erythematous) 1 with diffuse manifestation appears to be primarily caused by autoantibodies directed to neuronal cells or their products. These autoantibodies are hypothesized to affect neuronal function in a generalized manner. Studies suggest that increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, induction of nitric oxide production, oxidative stress, and excitatory amino acid toxicity also may contribute to diffuse CNS dysfunction in SLE. Patients with acute encephalopathy frequently demonstrate elevated levels of antineuronal antibodies or other evidence of autoantibody production in the cerebrospinal fluid. As in multiple sclerosis, elevated levels of IgG and oligoclonal bands are markers of abnormal autoantibody production within the CNS and are frequently present in CNS lupus with diffuse manifestations. In patients with diffuse CNS lupus who present with primarily psychiatric disease, serum antiribosomal P antibodies appear to be a helpful diagnostic marker. CNS lupus with focal manifestations is most likely to be related to intravascular occlusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is much sensitive than computed tomography (CT) scanning, almost always shows abnormalities characteristics of ischemic damage in these patients. Furthermore, these patients frequently demonstrate significantly elevated serum levels of antiphospholipid antibodies, which are associated with intravascular occlusion. Less commonly, evidence of vasculitis is apparent. This study aims to study the cognitive dysfunction and seizure in SLE.
Effect of different storage conditions on physico-chemical composition and shelf life of persimmon fruit

Persimmon is naturally divulged with bioactive molecules including tannins etc. and its utilization may be helpful to reducing the diabetes mellitus. Therefore this research study was carried out to enhance the shelf life of persimmon fruit at refrigeration and ambient temperature (Temperature 20-23oC Relative humidity 60-63%) during storage. The quality attribute such as weight loss, TSS (°Brix), pH, titrable acidity total tannin (mg/100g) and ascorbic acid were studied at an interval of 3 days for a total period of 12 days. However, the treatment of T5 (sun dried + low density polyethylene) was superior to all other treatments in retention of vitamin C, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total tannin and pH with minimum weight loss compared to control whereas the treatment T6 (oven dried + HDPE) was found better to all other treatments during storage. The treated persimmon fruit have increased storage life as compared to control. Present study was proved helpful to evaluate the effect of storage condition on physico-chemical composition and increase the postharvest life of treated fruits during storage.
E-OWL: A FIRST USABILITY STUDY OF A NEW E-LEARNING PLATFORM FOR DIGITAL NATIVE STUDENTS

In today’s society, whose higher education students are digital natives, the availability of information and communication technologies is a reality. It is pertinent the development of virtual learning environments, which are extremely useful in periods such as of those of a pandemic situation, which force the confinement of people. This article highlights the importance of the use of ICT in educational contexts, in particular, the use of e-learning platforms, in higher education, as support to the teaching/learning process. A literature review was carried out, in order to demonstrate some advantages for the teaching/learning process, both for students and teachers. Thus, the general structure of an e-learning platform, designated E-OWL, to support an area of mathematics at higher education level is described. Also, the opinion of students after having used the platform in an educational context is presented, through an usability study carried out using the SUS method. The results obtained show great satisfaction among students who used the platform, which is naturally a contribution to the improvement of learning and a useful tool in an educational context. This study encourages the use of technologies as a support to the teaching/learning process, promoting more interactive learning environments closer to the students.
Mass Spectrometric Identification of a Novel Factor XIIIa Cross-Linking Site in Fibrinogen

Transglutaminases are a class of enzymes that catalyze the formation of a protein:protein cross-link between a lysine and a glutamine residue. These cross-links play important roles in diverse biological processes. Analysis of cross-linking sites in target proteins is required to elucidate their molecular action on target protein function and the molecular specificity of different transglutaminase isozymes. Mass-spectrometry using settings designed for linear peptide analysis and software designed for the analysis of disulfide bridges and chemical cross-links have previously been employed to identify transglutaminase cross-linking sites in proteins. As no control peptide with which to assess and improve the mass spectrometric analysis of TG cross-linked proteins was available, we developed a method for the enzymatic synthesis of a well-defined transglutaminase cross-linked peptide pair that mimics a predicted tryptic digestion product of collagen I. We then used this model peptide to determine optimal score thresholds for correct peptide identification from y- and b-ion series of fragments produced by collision-induced dissociation. We employed these settings in an analysis of fibrinogen cross-linked by the transglutaminase Factor XIIIa. This approach resulted in identification of a novel cross-linked peptide in the gamma subunit. We discuss the difference in behavior of ions derived from different cross-linked peptide sequences and the consequent demand for a more tailored mass spectrometry approach for cross-linked peptide identification compared to that routinely used for linear peptide analysis.
Exploring the Pronunciation Awareness Continuum through Self-Reflection in the L2 French Learning Process

Second language (L2) researchers have established that examining learners’ awareness of their own learning process and progress is essential. However, learners exposed to the same input in the classroom may differ in the way that they perform. This difference may be due to the way and depth with which learners process the L2 information. The present study explores self-reflection (i.e., introspective verbal reports) to enhance L2 learning, helping learners develop an awareness of learning as a process. This four-semester-long study investigates whether there is a connection between phonological awareness and self-reflection and explores under which conditions self-reflection could be most beneficial for pronunciation. Sixty learners of French, divided into a Treatment group (with self-reflection) and a Comparison group (without self-reflection), were tracked across semesters. Results on pre/post read-aloud tests surrounding pronunciation lessons—on the vowels /y/-/u/ and the use of liaisons—were contrasted with students’ responses to self-reflection questionnaires to explore their learning process. The study revealed that overall, self-reflection led to better learning outcomes, and that a link between attention and understanding may exist, but when this link is absent, learners using self-reflection may not linearly progress.
Isotropic sources and attenuation structure: Nuclear tests, mine collapses, and Q

Isotropic Sources and Attenuation Structure: Nuclear Tests, Mine Collapses, and Q by Sean Ricardo Ford Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics University of California, Berkeley Professor Douglas Dreger, Chair This dissertation investigates two different, but related, topics: isotropic sources and attenuation structure. The first section reports the analysis of explosions, earthquakes, and collapses in the western US using a regional time-domain full waveform inversion for the complete moment tensor. The events separate into specific populations according to their deviation from a pure double-couple and ratio of isotropic to deviatoric energy. We find that in the band of interest (0.02-0.10 Hz) the source-type is insensitive to small velocity model perturbations and several kilometers of incorrect depth when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is greater than 5. However, error in the isotropic moment grows from 50% to 200% as the source depth decreases from 1 km to 200 m. We add an analysis of the Crandall Canyon Mine collapse that occurred on 6 August 2007 in Utah to our dataset. The results show that most of the recorded seismic wave energy is consistent with an underground collapse in the mine. We contrast the waveforms and moment tensor results of the Crandall Canyon Mine seismic event to a similar sized tectonic earthquake about 200 km away near Tremonton, Utah, that occurred on September 1, 2007 demonstrating the low
A Theoretical Terahertz Metamaterial Absorber Structure with a High Quality Factor Using Two Circular Ring Resonators for Biomedical Sensing

Metamaterial absorbers, on account of their inherent property of electromagnetic radiation absorption, have become a center of attraction for many researchers in recent times. This paper proposes a unique design of a terahertz metamaterial absorber that can be used to sense biomedical samples. The proposed design consists of two identical circular ring resonators (CRRs) made of aluminum on top of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate. On account of its high field confinement in the sensing regime, a near-to-perfect absorption rate of 99.50% is achieved at a frequency of 2.64 THz, along with a large quality factor (Q-Factor) of 44. The design is highly sensitive to the refractive index changes in the encompassing medium. Hence, the proposed absorber can be used as a refractive index sensor exhibiting a reasonable sensitivity of 1500 GHz/RIU and a figure of merit (FoM) of 25. The refractive index range has been varied in the range of 1.34 to 1.39. As many biomedical samples, including cancerous cells, reside within this range, the proposed sensor can be used for biomedical sensing applications.
Factors Influencing House Purchase Intention among PKNS Housing Fair Visitors

This study was conducted to understand the factors that influence house purchase intention among consumers visiting PKNS housing fair using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. This study found attitude, quality, location, and advertisement did influence consumer intentions to purchase a house, meanwhile, brand was found to have no relationship on consumer's purchase intention for a house. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data from visitors visiting PKNS property fair and sales gallery. A total of 200 visitors responded to the questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 was used to analyze the data. The findings found that there is a relationship between attitude, quality, and advertisement towards purchase intention. However, brands and locations have no significant relationship towards purchase intention. Finally, this study will serve as a guide for real estate developers in meeting the needs of consumers in obtaining their dream homes.
Small-signal modelling and stability analysis of a traditional generation unit and a virtual synchronous machine in grid-connected operation

The virtual synchronous machine (VSM) concept has emerged as an approach to provide flexible distributed control of power electronic converters interfacing distributed energy resources with the grid. It supports power system operation by providing ancillary services, and facilitates a seamless transition between grid-connected and islanded operation. In this work, previous small-signal modelling and analysis carried out for a VSM implementation has been adapted and expanded to include a synchronous machine (SM) with a control scheme similar to those of traditional generation units and to the one used in the VSM implementation. A nonlinear state-space analytical model has been developed for a traditional power generation unit in grid-connected mode (SM system). The model allows the study of the SM system in similar conditions/context as the grid-connected VSM implementation (VSM system), and facilitates their comparison. Moreover, it can represent the most relevant dynamic characteristics of a round or salient-pole rotor SM, including the amortisseur circuits or the representation of the corresponding damping torque in the swing equation of a reduced-order version of the model. The developed model has been linearised analytically, to obtain the respective small-signal model. The eigenvalue analysis of the modelled systems has indicated that most of the SM system eigenvalues (modes) are slower or not as well damped as the VSM system ones. Moreover, most SM system modes have shown to be relatively fixed and determined mainly by non-tunable parameters. The modelled exciter has presented little capability of increasing the damping of oscillations, and its integral gain has demonstrated to be the tunable parameter that can most easily cause instability in the SM system. The location of the 4 slowest and least damped SM system eigenvalues has shown to be limited by non-tunable parameters, indicating that the performance or robustness of such system cannot be significantly improved. A trade-off has been observed in the placement of the VSM system critical modes: increasing the virtual inductance improves the damping of oscillations, while making the system response slower. However, parametric sweep analysis has indicated that a good compromise between performance and robustness could be achieved by decreasing the virtual inductance and increasing the phase lock loop proportional gain.
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Concrete

This article will discuss a new analytical model for mechanistic-empirical design of pavement structures that promises to provide designers with a powerful tool for optimizing pavement design to meet the desired service lives for concrete pavements. The article shows how the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of pavement concrete has been found to be a very important input parameter in the model, but recent work shows that model calibrations were made with data developed using an incorrect reference CTE value to calibrate the test equipment. The article provides critical background information and instructions for ensuring that future tests and analyses are conducted using correct CTE values.
Diet composition of the African manatee: Spatial and temporal variation within the Sanaga River Watershed, Cameroon

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the diet of African manatees in Cameroon to better inform conservation decisions within protected areas. A large knowledge gap on diet and seasonal changes in forage availability limits the ability to develop informed local management plans for the African manatee in much of its range. This research took place in the Sanaga River Watershed, which includes two protected areas in the Littoral Region of Cameroon: the Douala‐Edea National Park and the Lake Ossa Wildlife Reserve. We analyzed 113 manatee fecal samples and surveyed shoreline emergent and submerged vegetation within the Sanaga River Watershed. We used microhistological analyses to determine the relative contribution of each plant species to African manatee diets and compared across locations and across seasons (wet vs. dry season). We found that the shoreline vegetation is diverse with over 160 plant species, unevenly distributed across space and season, and dominated by emergent vegetation mostly represented by the antelope grass (Echinochloa pyramidalis). We recorded a total of 36 plant species from fecal samples with a spatial and temporal distribution mostly reflecting that of the corresponding shoreline vegetation. African manatees appear to be primarily opportunistically feeding on available vegetation across the seasons and habitat. This work documents the current, but changing, state of plant availability in the Sanaga River Watershed and reports the African manatee diet in Cameroon for the first time. This information can play a critical role in successfully managing the species and these protected areas. If we wish to protect the African manatee and the aquatic ecosystems within the Sanaga River Watershed, we must understand how forage availability changes over time, especially as its waters become nutrient enriched, eutrophic, and exposed to invasive species of plants in a changing world.
The Effects of Contamination and Cleanup on Commercial and Industrial Properties: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Maryland and Baltimore City

This paper applies the travel cost method to visits to cultural sites in Armenia by domestic visitors. Respondents intercepted at four cultural monuments provided information on their visitation patterns, experience at the site, perception of the state of conservation of the monuments, and rating of the quality of the services and infrastructures. We combine actual trips with stated trips under hypothetical programs that would enhance the conservation of the monuments and improve one of (i) the cultural experience at the site, (ii) the quality of the infrastructure, or (iii) the quality of the services, and use the combined actual and stated trips to fit a panel data model. Our investigation shows that that there are significant use values associated with the four study monuments, and that conservation programs and initiatives that improve the cultural experience, or simply make it easier for the respondent to reach and spend time at the monument, are valued by domestic visitors and would encourage higher visitation rates.
COMPARISON OF HYBRID III AND HUMAN CADAVER THORAX DEFORMATIONS LOADED BY A THORACIC BELT

Injuries to the thorax in frontal impact accidents remain an important problem even for restrained occupants. During a frontal accident a significant portion of the forces restraining the occupant pass through the thoracic belt and deform the chest with the possibility of serious thoracic injuries. It is therefore important to understand the deformation of the human thorax when loaded by a thoracic belt and to understand how accurately crash dummies used in standard tests reproduce these deformations. This paper describes results of 19 tests in which a diagonal shoulder belt dynamically loaded the thorax of unembalmed cadavers and dummies (1). In all the tests, thoracic external deformations were measured using string potentiometers and two External Peripheral Instrument for Deformation Measurement (EPIDM) transducers (2).
Elastic Strength Diagnosis of the Dez Concrete Arch Dam Using Thermal Inverse Analysis

AbstractStrength degradation of mass concrete of the Dez concrete arch dam was evaluated using inverse analysis methods. A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model (FEM) was developed here for such an evaluation by considering the effect of interaction between vertical adjacent blocks of the dam. The special attention was paid to the thermal loads. The Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio and thermal expansion coefficient of mass concrete of the dam were selected as variable indices for monitoring the strength degradation of dam concrete in the proposed model. An iterative solution scheme was performed to determine the mentioned indices in such a way that a predefined error function would be minimized. An error function has been considered as the sum of the squares of the errors in the nodes of the mesh. An error in a node was defined as the difference between computed displacement vector based on the developed model and the recorded displacement vector with the instruments located in the dam body.