Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Control of the impedance bandwidth of wideband planar monopole antennas using a beveling technique

Wideband planar monopole antennas have recently been proposed for use on digital mobile terminals. The square planar monopole is the simplest to analyze, and suffers little degradation of radiation pattern within the impedance bandwidth. The addition of a bevel on one or both sides of the feed probe is shown to increase the bandwidth with good control of the upper edge frequency. The impedance bandwidth ratio for this antenna is shown to vary from 2:1 to 6:1, which can be controlled by beveling the planar geometry. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 30: 229–232, 2001.
TLEFuzzyNet: Fuzzy Rank based ensemble of Transfer Learning models for Emotion Recognition from Human Speeches

Human speech is not only a verbose medium of communication but it also conveys emotions. The past decade has seen a lot of research going on with speech data which becomes especially important for human-computer interaction and also healthcare, security and entertainment. This paper proposes the TLEFuzzyNet model, a three-stage pipeline for emotion recognition from speech. The first stage includes feature extraction by data augmentation of speech signals and extraction of Mel spectrograms, followed by the use three pre-trained transfer learning CNN models namely, ResNet18, Inception_v3 and GoogleNet whose prediction scores are fed to the third stage. In the final stage, we assign Fuzzy Ranks using a modified Gompertz function which gives the final prediction scores after considering the individual scores from the three CNN models. We have used the Surrey Audio-Visual Expressed Emotion (SAVEE), the Ryerson Audio-Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song (RAVDESS) and the Berlin Database of Emotional Speech (EmoDB) datasets to evaluate the TLEFuzzyNet model which has achieved state-of-the-art performance and is hence a dependable framework for Speech emotion recognition(SER). All the codes are available using GitHub link: https://github.com/KaramSahoo/SpeechEmotionRecognitionFuzzy.
Using Movement Games in Physical Education Class to Improve Physical Fitness and Stabilize Vestibule for Children Aged 6 to 7 years

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of motor games to improve physical fitness and vestibular stability in primary school students aged 6-7 years. The study was carried out based on semi-boarding primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study was carried out with 142 students in grade 1 and grade 2, who are divided into four groups (male and female experimental group; male and female control group). The indicators of fitness status and vestibular stability of 6-7-year-old students before and after using motor games during PE lessons showed superiority compared to the control group. The study showed positive effects of guiding motor games and outdoor games on fitness status and vestibular stability. The indicators of fitness and vestibular stability of students in the experimental group are higher than the control group and their reliability (р< 0.05). Therefore, it is important to research and select the movement games suitably for the characteristics and interests of students and organize their application in practice. In reality, through the process of using conventional scientific research methods in the field of physical education, this study has selected four new movement games to help develop physical fitness and vestibular stability for primary school students aged 6-7 years old in Ho Chi Minh City and apply it in practice. The study process is carried out in two forms: Educational outdoor activities and extracurricular activities in the Physical Education period. The initial results of the application showed that the selected motor games have developed physical strength, stabilized the vestibule for primary school students aged 6-7 in Ho Chi Minh City, and created excitement in the physical education classes for primary school students.
Assessing key factors impacting the performance and productivity of oil and gas projects in Alberta

Significant cost overruns and schedule delays on oil and gas projects in Alberta have been of great concern for many companies. The industry has indicated a need for public data to verify anecdotal conclusions that labor productivity is the root cause behind project performance problems. In this paper, a sample of 37 Alberta oil and gas projects was ana- lyzed. The findings provided evidence that poor planning and inadequate project scope definition gave rise to project cost and schedule performance problems, while labor productivity is merely a proximate cause. High correlations are revealed between deficient project performance and factors such as low percent engineering completed before construction start, low estimation accuracy of field productivity rates, unit costs, crew sizes, and indirect costs. The results also emphasized a need to increase the level of implementation of best management practices to ameliorate the effects of the challenging project en- vironments.
Distribution system reliability worth analysis with the customer cost model based on RBF neural network

Reliability worth analysis is an important tool for distribution systems planning and operations. The interruption cost model used in the analysis directly affects the accuracy of the reliability worth evaluation. In this paper, two interruption cost models including an average or aggregated model (AAM), and a probabilistic distribution model (PDM) are proposed by using the radial basis function (RBF) neural network with orthogonal least-squares (OLS) learning method. The residential and industrial interruption costs in AAM and PDM were integrated by the proposed neural network technique. A Monte-Carlo time sequential simulation technique was adopted for worth assessment. The technique is tested by evaluating the reliability worth of a Taipower system for the installation of disconnected switches, lateral fuses, transformers, and alternative supplies. The results show that the two cost models result in very different interruption costs, and PDM may be more realistic in modeling the system.
Analysis and Design of Microirrigation Laterals

A method was developed for the design of microirrigation laterals based on the required average emitter discharge and the required uniformity of water application. The finite-element method was used to analyze the hydraulics of a lateral. The golden section search was employed to find the operating pressure head of the lateral that can produce the required average emitter discharge along the lateral. Analytical results show that the lateral length for the required uniformity of water application may have three solutions and the diameter may have two solutions when laterals are laid on sloped fields. The design procedure was implemented. When the required average emitter discharge, the required uniformity of water application, one parameter—either the lateral length or diameter, and other conditions are given, then the unknown parameter, the best submain position (paired laterals), and the operating pressure head can be accurately obtained using personal computers. A flowchart of the computer program for design of the length of paired laterals is included.
Insights on the Inhibitory Power of Flavonoids on Tyrosinase Activity: A Survey from 2016 to 2021

Tyrosinase is a multifunctional copper-containing oxidase enzyme that initiates melanin synthesis in humans. Excessive accumulation of melanin pigments or the overexpression of tyrosinase may result in skin-related disorders such as aging spots, wrinkles, melasma, freckles, lentigo, ephelides, nevus, browning and melanoma. Nature expresses itself through the plants as a source of phytochemicals with diverse biological properties. Among these bioactive compounds, flavonoids represent a huge natural class with different categories such as flavones, flavonols, isoflavones, flavan-3-ols, flavanones and chalcones that display antioxidant and tyrosinase inhibitor activities with a diversity of mechanistic approaches. In this review, we explore the role of novel or known flavonoids isolated from different plant species and their participation as tyrosinase inhibitors reported in the last five years from 2016 to 2021. We also discuss the mechanistic approaches through the different studies carried out on these compounds, including in vitro, in vivo and in silico computational research. Information was obtained from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct. We hope that the updated comprehensive data presented in this review will help researchers to develop new safe, efficacious, and effective drug or skin care products for the prevention of and/or protection against skin-aging disorders.
Application of modem synthesis to aircraft control: Three case studies

The role of feedback control in the solution of aircraft stability and control problems is discussed. It is argued that this role is becoming more and more important and is a key to meeting performance objectives for new aircraft. As a consequence, the control engineer must develop control laws for applications with many, sometimes conflicting, control objectives and stringent safely requirements. In the past, predominantly classical synthesis techniques have been used in industry to develop control laws for aircraft. However, the so-called modern synthesis techniques that are claimed to improve quality and reduce development cost are having increased practical use in industry. Modern synthesis techniques thai offer significant promise of practical applications are discussed briefly, and three case studies of their application to aircraft control problems are presented. The first example involves the redesign of an autopilot control law to improve stability and reduce sensitivity to plant parameter variations. A much improved control law was developed, flight tested, and implemented in the autopilot of the Boeing 767 commercial transport airplane. The second and third examples address the development of control laws for aircraft that rely extensively on feedback control to furnish satisfactory stability and control characteristics. These two applications are typical of the next generation of transport aircraft that will rely extensively on feedback control to improve fuel efficiency. The control laws gave the airplane flight characteristics that are Superior to those of current airplanes. The solutions presented could have been obtained using classical synthesis techniques. However, the modern approach reduced the number of design iterations required and appeared to produce belier control laws for a given level of practical experience of the control engineer. In our opinion, this approach to control law synthesis will play an increasingly important role in control design for present and future aircraft. Implemented in a user-friendly engineering workstation environment, these techniques offer improvement in quality and reduction in development cost, and for some applications, particularly to future high-performance aircraft, only the modern multiloop synthesis techniques will offer practical and cost-effective solutions.
Neuropsychological Characterization of Aggressive Behavior in Children and Adolescents with CD/ODD and Effects of Single Doses of Medications: The Protocol of the Matrics_WP6-1 Study

Aggressive behaviors and disruptive/conduct disorders are some of the commonest reasons for referral to youth mental health services; nevertheless, the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in real-world clinical practice remains unclear. In order to define more appropriate targets for innovative pharmacological therapies for disruptive/conduct disorders, the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) funded the MATRICS project (Multidisciplinary Approaches to Translational Research in Conduct Syndromes) to identify neural, genetic, and molecular factors underpinning the pathogenesis of aggression/antisocial behavior in preclinical models and clinical samples. Within the program, a multicentre case-control study, followed by a single-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, randomized acute single-dose medication challenge, was conducted at two Italian sites. Aggressive children and adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were compared to the same age (10–17 y) typically developing controls (TDC) on a neuropsychological tasks battery that included both “cold” (e.g., inhibitory control, decision making) and “hot” executive functions (e.g., moral judgment, emotion processing, risk assessment). Selected autonomic measures (heart rate variability, skin conductance, salivary cortisol) were recorded before/during/after neuropsychological testing sessions. The acute response to different drugs (methylphenidate/atomoxetine, risperidone/aripiprazole, or placebo) was also examined in the ODD/CD cohort in order to identify potential neuropsychological/physiological mechanisms underlying aggression. The paper describes the protocol of the clinical MATRICS WP6-1 study, its rationale, the specific outcome measures, and their implications for a precision medicine approach.
Youth radicalization and violent extremism: a study of pathways in the post-war context of Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT The article intends to explore the pathways from youth radicalization into violent extremism in the post-war context of Sri Lanka based on the qualitative evidence collected from four provinces in 2018. Our results show that lack of opportunities, fragmented social and ethnic identity, complex identity formation, corruption, low quality of governance, marginality in economic and political spheres, ethnoreligious politics, and securitization of state appear to be key potential driving factors that are more likely to propel radicalization and violent extremism in the post-war scenario. The article finds the causal mechanism among the potential push factors and how each of these drivers are interconnected and influence one another negatively. Based on the evidence, we argue that no single pathway implicates radicalization into violent extremism –various forms of vulnerabilities, including individual, group, and socio-economic and political, are more likely to increase the propensity to radicalization. It informs that post-war Sri Lanka’s youth radicalization into violent extremism is multifaceted, contextually driven, and constantly evolving and exist in a complex reality. In deeply divided societies, collective crisis plays a critical role in radicalization, suggesting that policy measures considering violence prevention must pay attention to address community grievances and marginalization.
Markets for Fuel-Cell Auxiliary Power Units in Vehicles: Preliminary Assessment

Fuel cells are widely expected to replace internal combustion engines in vehicles. However, their high initial costs preclude their introduction into the mass market for some time. A new approach is needed that focuses on niche markets. The potential use of fuel cells in auxiliary power units (APUs) on board various types of automobiles and trucks— in luxury passenger automobiles, law enforcement vehicles, contractor trucks, specialized utility trucks, recreational vehicles, refrigerated trucks, and line-haul heavy-duty trucks—is explored. Power requirements, volume and weight targets, costs, market sizes, and potential benefits for several fuel cell technologies and fuels are analyzed. The attributes of market applications are matched with fuel cell attributes to assess the market potential of fuel-cell APUs. Although data are insufficient and more analysis is needed, several market applications apparently could play key roles in introducing fuel cell technologies to the transportation sector.
Ovicidal, Larvicidal and Pupicidal Efficacy of Crude Methanol and Hexane Extract of Urtica massaica Mildbri on Anopheles gambiae Giles

This study was designed to evaluate ovicidal, larvicidal and pupicidal potency of methanol and hexane extracts of leaves, stems and roots of Urtica massaica Mildbr. against aquatic stages of Anopheles gambiae Giles. The effectiveness of the extracts was evaluated using the WHO protocol. One-way analysis of variance was performed for statistical justifications of the insecticidal property of the extracts with p considered significant at p < 0.05. It was found that potency of extracts was dose dependent. Extracts from the stem were more potent than the roots or leaves. Mortalities of the aquatic stages were however, significantly different (p < 0.05) irrespective of stage. Third larval instars (L3s) were more susceptible than eggs or pupae. Doses of 80 cm/100ml (s/w) and above matched the WHO > 80% mortality for an effective insecticide. It was concluded that higher doses of the crude extracts of U. massaica were potent against An. gambiae.
Manufacturing exports and institutional qualities in Central Asian countries

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates the export values of manufactured goods for the Central Asian countries using a gravity trade model and investigates the roles of institutional qualities in manufacturing exports based on the World Governance Indicators. The findings of this study are summarized as follows. With Kazakhstan being a benchmark country, the remaining four Central Asian countries have downward deviations in manufacturing exports and institutional qualities. Then, the institutional qualities such as control of corruption, government effectiveness and rule of law are identified to be the major factors to explain the differences in the manufacturing exports’ performances.
Factors Influencing Employee Productivity – A Saudi Manager’s Perspective

This study provides an in-depth exploration of the employee, managerial, and organizational factors that influence employee productivity from a Saudi manager’s perspective. A generic qualitative design with thematic analysis of 17 in-depth interviews with Saudi managers from different industries is employed. The findings demonstrate that the employee factors relate to the employee’s perceived personal gain of being productive and their sense of ethical responsibility to do so. Also, the managerial factors encompass aspects that are in the manager’s control and relate to the manager’s attitude towards and familiarity with their employees, responsible behavior, communication of company goals and strategies, time spent on personal evaluations of employees, and attention for employee recognition. Lastly, the organizational factors make working for a company (un)attractive and refer to tangible benefits, work flexibility, professional development opportunities, and the physical environment. The study offers insights for Saudi managers and companies on how employee productivity can be increased.
Effectiveness of Utilizing Computer Assisted Instruction in Teaching CAD to Engineering Students

This paper presents the results of an experimental study to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing computer-assisted instruction (CAI) as a stand-alone educational tool to teach computer-aided drafting (CAD) in engineering and technology programs. While the literature is rich with research in the field of evaluating CAI as a supplementary educational tool [11], a very limited number of publications dealt with evaluating CAI as a stand-alone system [7, 16, 9]. Also, none of the published studies focused on engineering or engineering technology education utilizing CAD systems. In this way, the present study serves as benchmark in devising a system to evaluate the effectiveness of CAI modules as a stand-alone instructional tool in engineering and technology education. In the present study, the students’ cognitive performance was measured in an entry-level CAD course. The participating students were divided into two groups: 1) the Primary Experimental group, which received only the CAI module as their sole source of instruction. This group was strictly involved in self-learning, self-paced instruction with minimum interaction with the instructors or lab assistants during the length of the study. 2) The Control group, which received only conventional instruction (lectures, handouts, textbook, and lab workbook) with all the necessary support from the instructors and lab assistants. A pilot study was conducted to pre-test the measuring instrument and the grading procedures as well as the methodology of assigning the students into groups. It was concluded one semester prior to the start of the main experiment. The main study was conducted over a period of three regular semesters with a new set of two groups of students selected for each semester. At the end of each experiment, the students were given a test (the measuring instrument) that was identical for both groups. The test results were tabulated and analyzed statistically. Statistical analysis of the data collected indicated that the group of students who received conventional instruction performed better than those receiving only computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Since several factors could have contributed to these findings, a major significance of the current study is that it demonstrates the necessity to conduct similar studies at different institutions in order to evaluate the effectiveness of CAI technology as it becomes more prevalent in engineering education programs [13]. Copyright © 2004 by ASME
A contribution for modeling controlled and uncontrolled AC/DC converters in harmonic power flows

The main object of this paper is to present a sequential method of adjusting the operating point of power converters within the framework of harmonic power flows. To do this, a unified formulation of previous work in the frequency domain has been developed, resulting in a set of compact and powerful analytical expressions for AC and DC magnitudes. Special attention has been paid to uncontrolled rectifiers. The proposed sequential method offers a more flexible and modular framework where AC and/or DC magnitudes can be used for defining the operating point. Moreover, it provides better convergence properties for iterative harmonic analysis (IHA). Newton's method or Gauss's method can be applied for IHA without special considerations. Finally, the solution obtained has been verified by means of time domain simulation and measurements.
Switched reluctance motors with segmental rotors

The magnetic design of switched reluctance motors is examined and an alternative design presented in which the rotor is made from a series of discrete segments. Single-phase machines are initially examined and design rules established. Predictions of airgap force density are presented as a function of electric loading and compared with toothed rotor equivalents. It is shown that much greater force densities are theoretically possible with the segmental design. The authors then proceed to apply the concepts developed to a three-phase configuration, which shows particular advantages. Measured test results from a three-phase machine are presented and compared with a conventional switched reluctance motor of the same dimensions, revealing both the advantages and disadvantages of the segmental rotor configuration.