Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prospects for Nonlinear Laser Diagnostics in the Jet Noise Laboratory

Two experiments were conducted to test whether optical methods, which rely on laser beam coherence, would be viable for off-body flow measurement in high-density, compressible-flow wind tunnels. These tests measured the effects of large, unsteady density gradients on laser diagnostics like laser-induced thermal acoustics (LITA). The first test was performed in the Low Speed Aeroacoustics Wind Tunnel (LSAWT) of NASA Langley Research Center's Jet Noise Laboratory (JNL). This flow facility consists of a dual-stream jet engine simulator (with electric heat and propane burners) exhausting into a simulated flight stream, reaching Mach numbers up to 0.32. A laser beam transited the LSAWT flow field and was imaged with a high-speed gated camera to measure beam steering and transverse mode distortion. A second, independent test was performed on a smaller laboratory jet (Mach number < 1.2 and mass flow rate < 0.1 kg/sec). In this test, time-averaged LITA velocimetry and thermometry were performed at the jet exit plane, where the effect of unsteady density gradients is observed on the LITA signal. Both experiments show that LITA (and other diagnostics relying on beam overlap or coherence) faces significant hurdles in the high-density, compressible, and turbulent flow environments similar to those of the JNL.
Working Paper 12-13 - Is offshoring driven by air emissions? Testing the pollution haven effect for imports of intermediates

Over the last couple of decades, trade liberalisation has progressed and environmental regulations have become more stringent, in particular regarding emissions of air pollution. This has raised the fear in developed countries that emission-intensive activities are increasingly carried out abroad. This paper develops an approach for testing whether emission-intensive industries have greater shares of imported intermediate materials. The test is applied to the Belgian manufacturing sector for the years 1995-2007. Emissions of three types of air pollutants are analysed: greenhouse gases, acidifying gases and tropospheric precursor gases. The results provide evidence that industries with a high intensity in acidifying gas emissions (SO2, NOX and NH3) tend to import a greater share of intermediate materials. This is likely to be linked to the stricter enforcement of regulations for air quality, which act upon acidifying gases. There is no such evidence in the results for emissions of tropospheric precursor gases and in particular of greenhouse gases. Regarding the latter, despite stringent regulations, enforcement appears to be less strict.
ACCIDENT PREDICTION MODEL AT UN-SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS USING MULTIPLE REGRESSION METHOD

Nowadays, accident increased relatively from year to year although many programs have been carried out by the authority in order to reduce the number of accident. In Johor areas, seventeen accident hotspots have been identified in the state. The road accident increase proportionate to growth in population, economic in development, industrialization and motorization that encountered by the country. The roadway geometric and traffic condition are among important factors in causes to traffic accidents. Field work is carried out to collect data such as traffic volume, mean speed of vehicles, lane width, shoulder width, lane used, number of intersection and also number legs intersection at the selected locations. Metrocount and odometer were used for this purpose. By considering the factors that contribute to the accident, this study was carried out to develop the accident prediction model using Multiple Regression approach. Accident prediction models are invaluable tools that have many applications in road safety analysis. In accident analysis, statistical models have been used in highway and traffic safety studies. From the results shows that accident point weigtage can be explained by increase of traffic volume and vehicle speed in Federal Route 001 and Federal Route 024 are the contributors to traffic accidents. Meanwhile, an increment of lane width and shoulder width will reduce the weighting point rates Finally, the Accident Prediction Model developed in this study not only can be used to reduce the number of accidents in the future but also for intersection treatment or upgrading. Using the model, appropriate design parameters of un-signalized intersection could be specified.
Effect of melatonin application around immediate implants

Background: The aim of the current study was designed to evaluate the clinical and radiographic effects of the melatonin gel around immediately placed dental implants in maxillary anterior teeth. Methods: Fourteen patients were selected from those who attended the outpatient clinics of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Al-Azhar University Hospitals. Group A: beta tricalcium phosphate bone graft mixed with melatonin gel was packed around the implant to fill the buccal gap. For Group B: beta tri calcium phosphate bone graft mixed with saline was packed around the implant to fill the buccal gap. PRF membrane is prepared to cover the graft. Results: Implant stability showed increasing value in both groups a higher mean value was recorded in group A. Increased bone density throughout follow-up period.at 3 months follow-up, a higher mean value was recorded in group A, with a significant difference. Conclusion: Melatonin achieve increased bone density and stability in the healing period. Immediate post extraction implant offers patient satisfaction due to less time and less pain.
Evaluation of Emerging Technologies for Traffic Crash Reporting

An evaluation was performed of the effect of emerging technologies on traffic accident reporting. The technologies evaluated were standard laptop and pen-based portable computers, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), computer-based accident diagramming, and various forms of computer-based data entry (e.g., optical character recognition vs. keyboard entry). Data on the use of traditional paper forms were also collected so that comparisons could be made between the use of computers and paper forms. Technologies were evaluated for their effect on accuracy and completeness of data, speed of data entry, practicality (e.g., ease of learning, ease of use), and sturdiness of equipment. Costs of hardware and software used are also provided. The report describes the implementation of these technologies at four sites: (1) Des Moines and West Des Moines, Iowa; (2) Trenton, New Jersey; (3) Thurston County, Washington; and (4) Dane County, Wisconsin. The report provides the results of analyses of the effects of the technologies, describes problems encountered in implementing and using them, and includes recommendations for future implementation.
ANALYSIS OF THE PASSIVE SAFETY OF MOTORCYCLES USING ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS AND CRASH TESTS

Based on information in DEKRA accident reconstruction expertises, 302 motorcycle accidents were analysed which occurred within the period 1989 to 1996 in Germany. Among them were 46 accidents involving motor scooters. The accident analysis results (eg distribution of accident types, motorcycle movement before crash, movement of the riders after the crash) are described and commented upon to supplement and update findings already published earlier in relation to actual accident occurrences involving motorcycles. In particular, there is a discussion of collision configurations and collision velocities together with the injuries of the rider (injured body parts, causes of the injuries). In addition, the collision configurations and collision velocities in accidents involving cars and motorcycles are compared with the crash test configurations described in ISO/DIS 13232. In accordance with ISO/DIS 13232, four crash tests were carried out in which motorcycles collided with the side of cars. In two tests the car was stationary before the collision; in two other tests a collision of two moving vehicles was simulated. A Hybrid III pedestrian dummy (50th percentile male) was used as the motorcycle rider. In conclusion, against the background of actual accident occurrences and the test results, the current position with regard to the passive safety of motorcycles is described and pointers given toward possibilities for improvement. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD E102514.
Optimization of Hybrid Propulsion Systems

Powertrain hybridization permits the benefits of more than one power source to be integrated and exploited for a beneficial effect on an objective, such as reduction of fuel consumption or emissions. Due to their operating profiles however, marine hybrid vessels do not exhibit much opportunity for free energy recuperation. Fuel savings can be realized by bettering component operating points, yet this requires correct sizing matched to the expected usage. In this paper, a multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to optimally size propulsion components in order to minimize fuel consumption as well as installation weight for a hybrid motor yacht operating on a day cruise scenario.
ROAD SAFETY ISSUES FOR THE DESIGN OF BUS PRIORITY SCHEMES

In 1987 the London Accident Analysis Unit (LAAU) published a study of the safety implications of with-flow bus lanes (see IRRD 810564). In order to assess the safety of all types of bus priorities, the Transport and Road Research Laboratory commissioned the LAAU to extend its studies to include the following types of measures: i) contra-flow bus lanes; ii) restricted access streets; iii) turning movement concessions; iv) pedestrian crossings in bus lanes; v) siting of bus stops; and vi) taxis in bus priority schemes. The present study was based on all the sites of each type that could be determined from the records of London Regional Transport, the Greater London Council, and local Boroughs. For the first three types of measure, all known sites were surveyed, and for each a detailed inventory of features was compiled in a standard format. In the case of pedestrian crossings in bus lanes, a sample was chosen from those in with-flow and in contra-flow bus lanes. Accident records for each site were analysed using the LAAU database for Greater London. All accidents within a defined area affected by each bus priority measure were extracted for the three-year period to August 1988. A detailed analysis looked at the types, locations, speeds and manoeuvres of any vehicles involved in each accident, and related these to the features of the specific site. A more general comparison was also made of the accident rates of nearby roads without bus priority measures. The study identified several sources of road accident problems, notably with pedestrians in contra-flow bus lanes, and at some pedestrian crossings in both with-flow and contra-flow bus lanes. Over 70% of pedestrian casualties in contra-flow lanes are hit by PSVs in the bus lane; 92% of all pedestrian casualties occur other than at a pedestrian crossing. Comparison with similar roads near the contra-flow lanes studied found no significant difference in the number of accidents per kilometre of road. There was however a relatively high accident risk on the bus lane side of the road compared with the opposite lane(s). About 14% of accidents in contra-flow lanes involved non-permitted vehicles violating the bus lane regulations. On the bus lane side of the road, 77% of accidents occurred at or within 20m of a junction. The rates for all accidents at Zebra and Pelican crossings in with-flow bus lanes were about 75% and 35% higher, respectively, than the Greater London average for all crossings. At Pelican crossings (but not at Zebra crossings) the accident rate was 60% higher on the bus lane side of the road. Restricted access streets and turning movement concessions appeared to create few additional safety problems. The report concludes with guidelines and recommendations for improved design that could reduce accidents in existing or new bus priority measures. As part of the study, a literature search on bus priority measures and safety was carried out on the ACOMPLINE, URBALINE, IRRD
High-Fidelity Aerodynamic Design Optimization of Aircraft Configurations.

With increasing fidelity and efficiency of numerical simulations, it becomes possible to rely on computational simulations and optimization to achieve a better aircraft design. One of the most computationally intensive disciplines is the aircraft external aerodynamic design. Computational fluid dynamics based on Reynold-averaged Navier–Stokes equations is necessary to accurately resolve the flow field in order to achieve a practical design. High-fidelity CFD poses difficulties to numerical optimization due to its high computational cost, especially when large number of shape design variables are used. This thesis presents an approach to compute the gradients of Reynold-averaged Navier–Stokes equation equations with a Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model using a combination of the adjoint method and automatic differentiation algorithms, for use in gradient-based aerodynamic shape optimization. The resulting gradients are accurate, robust, and efficient. A novel multilevel optimization approach is developed to reduce the computational cost by 84.5%. With this state-of-the-art Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes adjoint and aerodynamic shape optimization framework, we performed three high-fidelity aerodynamic design optimization studies in this thesis. The wing of a Boeing 777-sized aircraft is optimized for single and multiple flight conditions. The drag coefficient is minimized with respect to 720 shape design variables, subject to lift, pitching moment, and geometric constraints, using grids with up to 28.8 M cells. Drag coefficient of the optimized design was reduced by 8.5% relative to the initial design. In addition, the multi-modality of this aerodynamic shape optimization problem is examined by starting optimizations from randomly generated initial geometries. All optimal wings had similar airfoil shapes, with a mean difference of 1.2 in. The variation of the merit function between the multiple local optima confirms that these points are indeed local minima, and indicate that the design space consists of a convex bowl with a small flat bottom that is multimodal. The second application is to optimize the aerodynamics of a near-term aircraft retrofit modification: a wing with morphing trailing edge. A
Implementation of Entrepreneurship-Based Learning Management

Entrepreneurship-based learning for early childhood encompasses the teacher's effort to grow and develop entrepreneurial values, through participation in creative and fun activities. This study aims to describe in-depth: (1) learning management, (2) factors that influence entrepreneurship-based learning management in Mata Najwa Kindergarten. Furthermore, data analysis was qualitatively carried out through collection via interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that the 2013 curriculum was integrated with the value of entrepreneurship implementation at the center and supporting activities during planning. Also, evaluations were conducted through daily observations, midterm report cards, and final semester report cards, which serve as obstacles in learning, with there are solutions for obstacles in learning through supporting factors. Therefore, it is anticipated that the study results are taken into consideration for learning innovations in other schools.
Fast Turn-Off Times Observed in Experimental 4H SiC Thyristors

Room temperature measurements of the turn-off time (t(sub q)) are reported for several packaged, npnp developmental power thyristors based on 4H-type SiC and rated 400 V, 2 A. Turn-off is effected by a 50 V pulse of applied reverse voltage, from a state of a steady 1 A forward current. Plots of t(sub q) against the ramp rate (dV(sub AK)/dt) of reapplied forward voltage are presented for preset values of limiting anode-to-cathode voltage (V(sub AK,max)). The lowest t(sub q) measured was about 180 ns. A rapid rise of these t(sub q) curves was observed for values of V(sub AK,max) that are only about a fifth of the rated voltage, whereas comparative t(sub q) plots for a commercial, fast turn-off, Si-based thyristor at a proportionately reduced V(sub AK,max) showed no such behavior. Hence these SiC thyristors may have problems arising from material defects or surface passivation. The influence the R-C-D gate bypass circuit that was used is briefly discussed.
Semi-autonomous navigation of an assistive robot using low throughput interfaces

In this thesis, a semi-autonomous navigation system for assistive robots is presented. Based on a novel human-robot interaction principle, it is particularly well suited to low throughput user interfaces. Indeed, the robotic system automatically stops at locations where a navigational decision has to be made and proposes a meaningful action to its user. He/she then either agrees or disagrees to the proposition; as a consequence the robot respectively executes the selected action or proposes an alternative action. The proposition is chosen so as to minimize the required interactions. The main foreseen application of our navigation system is powered wheelchairs. However, in this thesis, we use a simple differential-drive robot for testing our concept. Furthermore, the system is not dependent of a particular robotic platform, thanks to the decoupling between the low-level platform control we consider as a black-box and the high-level intelligence we focus on. When the robot is evolving in unknown environments, the analysis of its sensory data allows for a correct distinction between different topology types (e.g. crossings). At a topological change, the robot engages a dialog with the human user to select the next direction of travel. In known environments, a provided topological map already contains such places of interest where a human-robot interaction should take place, simplifying thus the robot reasoning. Furthermore, the main advantage of being in a known environment is the opportunity to learn stereotypical user movements, i.e. the user habits. The presented system not only learns the raw trajectories, but also their dependence to contextual information such as the time of the day or specific events (e.g. a phone ring). The system is then able to propose better suited actions or even goal destinations, speeding up the action selection and reducing the required user involvement. As compared to a sustained engagement of the user in case of manual robot control, our system is based on few and simple dialogs of high-level abstraction, the highest level being attained when proposing goal destinations. This contributes to an overall low user engagement. Although our system would be well adapted to commercially available low throughput interfaces such as single switches, voice recognition or sip and puff systems, we explore the use a promising electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-
The development of a multidimensional measure of cohesion for organizational work teams

The research aim was to develop a theoretically-grounded and psychometrically-sound measure of organizational work team cohesion. Carron, Widmeyer and Brawley’s (1985) context-independent conceptual model capturing task, social, team and individual dimensions of cohesion was extended to include the context-dependent dimensions ‘valued roles’, ‘unity of purpose’, ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ cohesion; identified from existing literature and a subject matter experts (SMEs) focus group. This extended model provided the a priori basis for development of the Multidimensional Team Cohesion Scale (MTCS). The MTCS was found to have good content validity with two samples of SMEs and work team representatives. Items were reduced from 219 to 103 using item analytic correlation methods (N=204). Psychometric properties of the MTCS were examined through reliability and construct validity analysis in work teams (N=214). MTCS subscales had excellent reliability α >. 75. Evidence of convergent and divergent validity was obtained through correlation analysis against the GEQ (convergent validity), Reichman’s (1998) Team Performance Questionnaire (TPQ) and Cammann, Fichman, Jenkins and Klesh’s (1983) Overall Job Satisfaction Scale (MOAQ-JSS) (divergent validity). MTCS subscales differentially correlated with team performance and job satisfaction (differential validity). A paired t test applied to a repeat sample (N=90) was used to test differences in cohesion before and after a major reorganization. Independent-sample t tests were conducted to examine differences according to individualand team level characteristics. Subscale differences across age and position (team leader vs. team member) were identified. The factorial validity of the MTCS, examined using principal axis factoring (PAF) and oblimin rotation could not be established due to an insufficient sample size. A norm-referenced scoring mechanism was derived to support interpretation of MTCS scores. The comprehensive methodology adopted in this research and evidence of construct validity provides a sound basis for the continued validation of the MTCS and indicates its practical utility in occupational settings.
Nutrient imbalance in Norway spruce

The studies presented in my thesis indicate that growing Norway spruce in monoculture does not constitute sustainable forest management in a high N and S deposition environment, such as in southern Sweden. The combination of N-induced high growth rates and leaching due to soil acidification causes soil reserves of nutrients to decrease. This will increase the risk of nutrient imbalance within the trees when nutrient demands are not met. The development of nutrient imbalance in Scania, southern Sweden, was shown as negative trends in needle and soil nutrient status from the mid-80s to the present in Norway spruce and Scots pine stands. This imbalance appears to be connected to high levels of N and S deposition. Clear negative effects on tree vitality were found when using a new branch development method. Today, growth and vitality seems to be limited by K, rather than N, in spruce stands older than 40 years. However, younger stands appear to be able to absorb the deposited N without negative effects on growth and vitality. When investigating effects of nutrient stress on tree vitality, indicators such as branch length and shoot multiplication rate, which include effects accumulated over several years, are suitable. Countermeasures are needed in order maintain the forest production at a high level. Positive effects on tree nutrient status after vitality fertilization (N-free fertilization) was shown in two micronutrient deficient stands in south-central Sweden. In addition, tree vitality was positively affected after the application of a site-adapted fertilizer to the canopy. Site-adaption of fertilizers will most likely improve the possibilities of a positive response on tree growth and vitality in declining stands. In a survey of Norway spruce in mixtures with beech, birch, or oak compared to monocultures it was shown that spruce nutrient status was higher in mixtures with deciduous species than in monocultures. By using mixed-species stands the needs for nutrient additions are most likely decreased. Nutrient imbalance may be counteracted by changed forest management and nutrient compensation. However, in the long term N deposition to the forest ecosystems must be decreased in order to maintain the productivity of the forest soils in southern Sweden.