Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BOLTED STEEL CONNECTIONS: TESTS ON T-STUB COMPONENTS

The results of tests on 48 T-stub specimens are presented and discussed. These tests were carried out as part of a SAC Phase Ii project in order to provide insight into the behavior, failure modes, and ductility of these components. The main variables tested include the size of the T-stub, the gauges of the bolts, and the type and diameter of the bolts. The primary intent was to develop a large database to calibrate simplified models suitable for design. In order to develop these models, a comprehensive instrumentation system that could identify the different components of deformation in the individual T-stubs was utilized. Most of the T-stubs failed by net section fracture through the stem and by tension fracture of the bolts, but generally the failure was after significant plastification had occurred. Other failure modes observed included bolt shear and block shear. The results indicate that current design equations provide conservative estimates of the ultimate strength of the T-stubs but that they are not necessarily good predictors of the governing failure modes.
Micro-structured chirped fiber Bragg gratings: toward new spatial encoded fiber optic sensors

In this work, we report on the investigation of in-fiber photonic devices based on microstructured chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs) for sensing applications. The basic device here analyzed consists in a CFBG with single or multiple defects obtained by a deep and localized stripping of the cladding layer along the grating structure. The effect of each local thinning along the grating length, properly exploited, basically enables the formation of one pass-band channel within the pristine grating bandwidth and correspondently in one stop-band out of the pristine grating bandwidth. In addition, due to spatial encoding in chirped gratings, each channel spectral position exclusively depends on the features of its own defect (length, depth of the defect and surrounding refractive index) in a well defined location along the grating. Thus, the spectral properties of each channel are not affected by defects located elsewhere along the grating structure, enabling the possibility to develop independent multipoint sensors by exploiting a single grating device.
Fertility Intentions and Effective Factors at a Glance: A Systematic Review

Background: Persistence of low fertility in many countries has been a research concern during the last two decades. Childbearing decision-making is a complex process, involving many social, economic, political, and personal factors. We aim to provide comprehensive information about the core determinants of fertility intentions Methods: Ovid, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and GOOGLE SCHOLAR was searched for the relevant articles published from 1946 to December 2017. The current systematic review included the original and quantitative longitudinal and cross-sectional studies in English, The subjects of the studies were men and/or women in reproductive age (men aged 18-55 and women aged 18-45). Family planning methods were available in the reference country. Studies with less than 200 participants were excluded. Results: 45 Studies included in the qualitative synthesis.310727 participants included in the analysis. All effective factors in childbearing decision- making were classified into three main categories: Individual factors, Couple Puzzle, and Contextual factors. Factors such as age, religion, education, employment, and economic conditions were classified as individual factors. We also had a special focus on couples. As fertility is a dyadic process, for more emphasis we explained the couple relationship in case of the couple puzzle. Partnership Status, Gender Role Attitudes, Couple Desire, and Partnership Quality are the main aspects of couples puzzle Social network support (interaction within networks of family and friends) and family support environment are associated with childbearing intentions among couples. Conclusion: Further collaborative efforts by researchers and funding agencies will enable us to reveal fundamental mechanisms that affect and control fertility choices at different levels. As there are limited instances of interdisciplinary studies, studying fertility would highly benefit by crossing disciplinary and geographic boundaries. Although native scholars conduct fertility investigations in each country, the majority of research on fertility does not often communicate with one another.
High speed ultrasound monitoring in the field of sports biomechanics

Ultrasonic monitoring allowing the evaluation of the performance of muscles under training has been developed. The monitoring scheme is suitable to determine muscle movement and is based on the measurement of the transit time of longitudinally polarized ultrasound propagating across the observed muscle. Variations of the length of the muscle lead to variations of the lateral extension since the volume of the muscle is conserved. The corresponding variations of the observed time-of-flight result dominantly from the variation of the path length. This allows the time-resolved detection of the movement of the muscles in the path of the ultrasonic beam. In this way not only the degree of contraction or relaxation, but also the speed of these processes can be quantitatively monitored. The muscle thickness has been determined with a resolution of ± 0.02 mm corresponding to about ± 0.2 % of the thickness of the relaxed muscle. This resolution is already in the range of unavoidable uncertainties caused by the surface structure of the individual muscles. Similarly, the already obtained resolution in time corresponds to a fraction 1/750 of the time of the fastest known human muscle movement of 7.5 ms, observed for the full contraction of the eye lid muscle. The time of flight is measured along a line between two electro-acoustic transducers positioned on the skin on opposite sides of the monitored muscle. The transducers can be placed at any desired position but should be positioned such, that no bones or intestines are obstructing the path between them. The time-of-flight from which all other data is derived is observed with the aid of a computer-controlled arbitrary function generator and a synchronized transient recorder. Even in the demonstrated developmental state the equipment is already rather compact (lap-top size) and can be battery operated.
Schottky-capacitance pulse-shaping circuit for high-speed light emitting diode operation

A new pulse-shaping circuit has been designed to increase the performances of large signal modulation of light emitting diodes. It is simply based on a parallel Schottky-capacitance circuit in series with the light emitter. The peak power of the generated optical pulse is shown to be significantly improved compared to the classical resistance-capacitance peaking circuit for sub-nanosecond pulsewidths.
Klang River–Level Forecasting Using ARIMA and ANFIS Models

Selection of the right modeling technique is always a challenging issue because every model can produce only an approximation of the reality it is attempting to illustrate. As a result, model performance in a specific situation is the only criterion that confirms the model's applicability in that particular situation. This study investigated the applicability of the adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models in water‐level modeling. Results showed a definite preference for the ANFIS model against the simple‐ARIMA model, but an updated‐ARIMA model outperformed ANFIS. A mean absolute error of < 1% in each model confirmed the applicability of these models in predicting the water level in the Klang River in Malaysia. On the basis of the obtained prediction accuracy level, the updated‐ARIMA and ANFIS models are introduced as reliable and accurate models for prompt decision‐making, planning, and urgent managing of water resources in crisis.
Numerical Study of the Effect of Multiple Tightly-Wound Vortices on a Transonic Fan Stage Performance

As a result of the new engine design trends, the likelihood of tightly-wound vortices being ingested by the engine rises. Therefore, the risk associated with the ingestion of swirl distortion becomes a major concern.A numerical analysis of the response of a transonic fan stage to the ingestion of different distorted flow patterns is carried out using steady-state CFD. The CFD approach is generated and validated against experimental data for undistorted inlet conditions. Following the validation, a wide range of configurations with vortex flow distortions are analysed and evaluated. The change in global performance is quantified and the flow field is extensively analysed. Consequently, the parameters that have the most critical impact on the performance of the fan stage are identified.The study identifies a close relation between the number of vortices ingested and the change in rotor performance. However, the deviation from the clean rotor performance has been found to be independent of the circumferential distance between vortices. Additionally, the effects of the radial location, polarity and vortex magnitude have been assessed. Ingested co-rotating vortices cause a significant reduction in pressure ratio and corrected mass flow. In contrast, counter-rotating vortices are associated with an increase in the pressure ratio and corrected mass flow. The change in rotor performance increases with the strength. However, a dramatical drop in pressure ratio is observed for counter-rotating vortices when the vortex strength exceeds a critical value.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Fracture Properties of Roller-Compacted Concrete with Virgin and Recycled Aggregates

Roller-compacted concrete (RCC) pavement has renewed interest among designers as a sustainable pavement option with the potential to lower total cement content, incorporate recycled aggregates, reduce road closure time, and decrease total project costs. One main design challenge is whether RCC can achieve the same performance life as conventional portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement with similar slab thickness. This research investigated the strength and fracture properties of RCC containing virgin aggregates and fractionated reclaimed asphalt pavement (FRAP) relative to conventional PCC to address this design challenge. The compressive and split tensile strengths of the RCC mixes showed similar strengths to the same constituents in PCC. RCC containing FRAP had lower strengths than did RCC with virgin aggregates. The critical stress intensity factor and the initial and total fracture energies were not statistically different between the RCC mixes containing virgin and FRAP aggregates. Overall, the RCC fracture properties were found to be significantly higher than those of conventional PCC. At lower stress ratios, RCC fatigue data from laboratory beam tests predict lower fatigue life relative to PCC; this result translates to a thicker RCC pavement. Large-scale testing has shown that the flexural capacity of PCC slabs is strongly related to the concrete fracture properties despite differences in beam flexural strength. Because these RCC fracture properties were shown to be higher than similar constituents used in conventional paving concrete, RCC designs could employ similar PCC fatigue curves for certain conditions, such as when the RCC fracture properties are equivalent to or greater than those of conventional PCC.
Finite Element Analysis of Prestressed and Reinforced Concrete Structures

The paper describes a simple and powerful technique for the discrete modelling of reinforcement in reinforced or prestresed concrete stuructures. Reinforcing elements are modeled independent of the concrete mesh. Perfect or no bond as well as any bond-slip model can easily be represented. The method is successfully tested by performing linear analysis of several reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Cracking, dowel action, and other aspects related to the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete are not considered. The method is sufficiently generic to easily accommodate any material or geometric nonlinearity.
Consideration of Sight Distance in Placement of Concrete Barriers on Horizontal Curves of Roads

Sight distance is an important criterion in highway geometric design. Many design elements, such as horizontal and vertical curvatures and offsets to lateral obstructions, must be checked so that drivers have sufficient sight distance to operate safely. One of the obstacles that can restrict sight distance is the roadside or median concrete barriers that are frequently placed along the road edges for safety. There are common types and dimensions for such barriers, such as New Jersey, F-shape, and constant-slope concrete barriers. Such barriers may cause a significant reduction in the available sight distance on horizontal curves, especially in the lane closest to the barriers. However, there is a clear lack of a reliable, accurate tool to determine the available sight distance when the sight distance is restricted by road barriers in three-dimensional combined alignments. This paper uses a software package previously developed by the authors to examine closely the trends of available stopping sight distance and the effects of the overlapping vertical alignment. The results confirm previous findings that the available sight distance depends on the type of the vertical alignment and the curvature of crest or sag vertical curves overlapping on the horizontal curve. In addition, it is shown that the recommendations in current design guides could lead to barrier placement that compromises the available sight distance. Charts were prepared as an easy-to-use tool to estimate the available stopping sight distance on horizontal curves when overlapping with a specific vertical alignment.
The current distribution and AC resistance of a microstrip structure

The AC resistance of the strip in a microstrip structure is compared with that of an isolated strip for better understanding of the conductor loss mechanism. An analysis is presented of the AC resistance in a microstrip structure for any metallization thickness by deriving the current distribution over the strip cross section. The analysis uses the separation of variables technique and the Green's function method. It shows that the skin current of the strip is concentrated toward the ground plane in a microstrip structure. In the extreme case, the AC resistance of the strip can be twice as high as the AC resistance of the same isolated strip. The imperfect ground plane also adds to the total conductor loss of a microstrip line. For a wide strip over a lossy ground plane at high frequency, the ground plane surface current distribution is concentrated directly under the strip, and the ground plane AC resistance can be as large as the strip AC resistance. Therefore, the total AC resistance at the microstrip line can be four times as high as that of an isolated strip conductor. >
Experimental implementation of spatial H/sub /spl infin// control on a piezoelectric-laminate beam

This paper is aimed to develop a feedback controller that suppresses vibration of flexible structures. The controller is designed to minimize the spatial H/sub /spl infin// norm of the closed-loop system. This technique guarantees average reduction of vibration throughout the entire structure. A feedthrough term is incorporated into the truncated flexible-structure model to compensate for the neglected dynamics in the finite-dimensional model. Adding the feedthrough term reduces the uncertainty associated with the truncated model, which is instrumental in ensuring the robustness of the closed-loop system. The controller is applied to a simply-supported piezoelectric-laminate beam and is validated experimentally to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller in suppressing structural vibration. It is shown that the spatial H/sub /spl infin//. control has an advantage over the pointwise H/sub /spl infin// control in minimizing the vibration of the entire structure. This spatial H/sub /spl infin// control methodology can also be applied to more general structural vibration suppression problems.
Superoxide dismutase gene polymorphism is associated with ischemic stroke risk in the Chinese Han population

Background:Stroke is a serious cardiovascular disease and a major cause of disability and death in both developed and developing countries. Superoxide dismutases (SODs ) are enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of superoxide into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide and play a key role in the antioxidant response. This study explored the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SOD genes and the risk of ischemic stroke (IS) in the Chinese Han population of Dali city.Methods: For this case-control study, we enrolled 144 IS patients and 128 healthy controls. The SNPs rs17880487 and rs80265967 of the SOD1 gene, rs4880 and rs284296 of the SOD2 gene, rs2695232 and rs7655372 of the SOD3 gene were detected via Taqman-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotypes and allele frequencies of the two groups were compared. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression, and environmental factors were corrected with multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: Rs7655372 of SOD3 was associated with a significantly increased risk of IS. Moreover, this the G and GA genotypes of SNP rs7655372 were associated with an increased risk of IS, whereas the A and GA genotypes were risk factors for IS. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that fasting blood glucose level, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, low-density lipoprotein level, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and rs7655372 GA/GG were independent risk factors for IS.Conclusions: The SOD3 gene rs7655372 locus polymorphism is a risk factor for IS, and its frequency in the Chinese Han population of Dali City denotes that this population is at increased risk of IS.
Survey of active power line conditioning methodologies

Active power-line conditioning (APLC) is a concept that can potentially correct network distortion caused by power electronic loads by injecting equal-but-opposite distortion at carefully selected points in a network. Results are presented of an extensive literary survey on the subject of APLCs. Thirty-seven key publications are identified and reviewed. Existing and proposed line-conditioning methodologies are compared, and a list of the advantages and limitations of each is presented. >
NASA systems engineering handbook

From the Publisher: Strengthen your knowledge of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, and build a solid understanding of the technical details and engineering design principles behind the robust new IS-95 digital cellular system standard with this comprehensive reference tool. Based upon the authors' high-impact international training seminars on CDMA system engineering technology, this book helps practicing cellular engineers better understand the technical elements associated with the CDMA system, and how they are applied to the IS-95 standard. Practicing engineers who work with CDMA cellular, PCS, and WLL systems should have this guide close at hand, but even if you're engineering background isn't CDMA-specific, you'll appreciate the book's easy-to-follow, tutorial approach to the technology. Packed with nearly 2,000 equations, and supported by clearly presented, easy-to-understand explanations and examples, it not only shows you how to apply real-world CDMA system design techniques such as cell planning and optimization  it helps you understand the underlying reasons behind particular CDMA system design selections. Specifically, you learn. Proven-under-fire techniques that help you assess system modulation and convolutional code performance, and optimize cellular system and Erlang capacity ? How to design PN code generators for spread-spectrum applications, and how to use masks to control PN code phase ? How you can use RAKE diversity combining techniques to combat fading ? How to control CDMA forward link power allocation to help maximize system capacity An essential reference tool for CDMA system design engineers,service providers consultants, and technical managers, the book also equips R&D professionals with the knowledge they need to develop tools to enhance new or existing CDMA cellular, PCS, and WLL systems.
Sensitivity limits of guided modes in silicon integrated waveguide-based sensors

We present a numerical study of the sensitivity of guided modes due to the presence of small mechanical vibrations. Analysis is performed utilising finite elements method (FEM) with help of both 2D and 3D models, where changes to the field distributions associated with the guided modes are computed in order to read the position of a conducting plate suspended over a waveguide. The sensitivity related to the guided modes is analysed and a possibility to improve the sensitivity by combining the sensing effect of several modes is investigated. By utilizing FEM, the optical response to the system is studied in terms of both indiviudal response to the perturbation and the collective response by using the concept of multimode interference (MMI). The preliminary models predict a theoretical sensitivity limit of 2:4 %/nm in terms of normalised power transmission for a MMI of only 4:1 μm length.
THE EFFECT OF MOISTURE CONTENT UPON THE ELASTICITY OF HARDENED CEMENT PASTE

Synopsis Data on the effect of moisture content upon the axial and lateral elastic compliances of hardened cement pastes with a range of porosities are presented. A number of explanations for the results are examined including one which postulates that calcium silicate hydrate can dehydrate at high humidities. The dehydration mechanism is consistent with the author's results and might help to explain data by other investigators on bulk modulus, shrinkage and sorption behaviour of hardened cement paste.
New Approach for Modeling Progressive Cavity Pumps Performance

The full-length paper introduces a new approach for modeling progressing-cavity-pump (PCP) performance. Slip flow is modeled as the result of rotor movement and differential pressure between cavities. The assumption was made that the slippage gap area depends on stator material. A strong relationship between slippage gap area and differential pressure is demonstrated. Internal stator deformation is identified as the main parameter necessary for predicting elastomer-stator-PCP performance. Although the proposed model is not able to fit data for all PCP models, its results agree with documented PCP-performance theory.
Lift Augmentation on Delta Wing with Leading-Edge Fences and Gurney Flap

A wind-tunnel experiment was conducted on a 60-deg delta wing at low speeds and low angles of attack to determine the lift augmentation effects of the leading-edge fences and a Gurney flap. Lift, drag, pitching moment, and surface pressures were measured, accompanied by vapor and oil-film flow visualizations. Both the leading-edge fences and the Gurney flap increase lift. They are shown to shift the lift curve by as much as 5 and 10 deg, respectively. The fences aid in trapping vortices on the upper surface, thereby increasing suction. The Gurney flap, on the other hand, improves circulation at the trailing edge. The lift augmentation effects of these two devices are roughly additive, resulting in high lift gain