Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compact dual-band monopole antennas with high port isolation

A compact dual-band MIMO antenna with high port isolation is proposed. The proposed antenna is basically composed of two folded monopoles and is designed to operate at 2.4/5.6 GHz. The high isolation is achieved by introducing two transmission lines on the top surface of the substrate and etching two slots on the ground. The measured isolation between the two monopoles is higher than 25 dB in both bands. The measured impedance bandwidths (|S11|<−10 dB) of the proposed antenna are 2.26–2.5 GHz and 5.41–5.79 GHz, respectively. The predicted results are compared with the measured data and good agreement is found.
Management Strategies to Reduce Effects of Thermal Stress on Lactating Dairy Cattle

Two strategies to reduce impact of heat stress on high producing dairy cows were examined. The first was to recalculate the temperature-humidity index (THI) using high producing dairy cows under diurnal summer conditions. This re-evaluation confirmed that current THI values underestimate the severity of heat stress levels. Therefore, cooling of dairy cattle during warm summer months should begin at a THI of 68. Previously, a THI equal to or greater than 72 has been used to define onset of heat stress. This study demonstrated that a THI greater than or equal to 68 is sufficient to increase body heat storage, respiration rate, skin evaporative heat loss, declines in feed intake and milk yield. A second objective involved three studies carried out to evaluate use of niacin in dairy cow rations to improve evaporative heat loss and resistance to heat stress. Niacin is known to cause intense vasodilation in human and lab species. We hypothesized that increasing vasodilation would improve evaporative heat loss in dairy cows. In the first niacin study, supplementation of lactating dairy cows with an encapsulated rumen by-pass form of niacin (NIASHURETM; Balchem Corporation, New Hampton, NY) at a dose of 12 g/d proved effective in alleviating some affects of heat stress during mild thermal stress. We hypothesized that encapsulated niacin would induce vasodilation effects documented in humans and lab animals increasing evaporative heat loss. Past research demonstrated that the possible mechanism for vasodilation affects seen by niacin were most likely due to prostaglandin D secretions. Niacin may act through increased prostaglandin D and E production and secretion by Langerhans cells which then act upon vascular endothelial prostaglandin D receptors to increase vasodilation. No studies have evaluated impact of encapsulated niacin on milk yield and composition during periods of thermal stress under commercial dairy conditions. The objective of the last study
Staff and student perceptions of internationalisation

This paper presents a case study of staff and student perceptions of internationalisation in a UK university and explores the implications of the find- ings for the operationalisation of a transformative internationalisation strategy. The paper replicates the methodology employed by Robson and Turner (2007) in a humanities faculty to elicit data in a science faculty. Data from staff and students reveals limited awareness of the university's long-standing internationalisation strategy. Findings suggest that participating staff have a rather narrow perception of internationalisation as a market driven strategy which is mainly related to the recruitment of international students. Their comments focused largely on the im- pacts of this recruitment strategy on their preferred academic work (and research in particular). Data from focus groups and a small-scale survey suggest that stu- dents were not aware of the internationalisation strategy, nor of the potential benefits of receiving an internationalised education, but were moderately enthusi- astic about the possibility of having an internationalised experience once it was explained to them. The paper reflects on these findings in relation to the concept of transformative internationalisation and offers recommendations to facilitate staff and student engagement with the internationalisation strategy as a means to achieve sustained institutional change.
Reactive power optimization by genetic algorithm

This paper presents a new approach to optimal reactive power planning based on a genetic algorithm. Many outstanding methods to this problem have been proposed in the past. However, most of these approaches have the common defect of being caught to a local minimum solution. The integer problem which yields integer value solutions for discrete controllers/banks still remain as a difficult one. The genetic algorithm is a kind of search algorithm based on the use of natural selection and genetics. This can search for a global solution using a multiple path and treat the integer problem naturally. The proposed method was applied to practical 51-bus and 224-bus systems to show its feasibility and capabilities. Although this method is not as fast as sophisticated traditional methods, the concept is quite promising and useful. <<ETX>>
On steering wobble oscillations of motorcycles

Abstract The paper is aimed at an improved understanding of steering wobble oscillations of motorcycles through simulation. The background to the problem is discussed first. Then, an existing mathematical model of a manoeuvring motorcycle and rider is extended to include a yaw freedom for the upper body of the rider. The rider upper body and arm structural parameters are chosen in the light of newly published results from the testing of human subjects in a driving simulator, with forced motion of the steering wheel by means of an electric motor. Results show that steering wobble oscillations grow more vigorously as their amplitude increases beyond a few degrees of steering and that the stabilizing influence of the rider's tensing his/her muscles in response to a growing wobble problem is small. The work supports the idea that any machine which has a very lightly damped wobble mode at some operating condition may be made unstable by an unusual set of initial conditions and that the natural response of the rider to the problem will be largely ineffective. This idea is closely aligned with anecdotal accounts from general motorcycle usage.
Optimization of limestone sawing using circular saws with reference to unit wear and energy

Natural stone processing operations use different methods and machines; however, the circular sawing machines are widely used in natural stone processing since they can be used flexibly. The wear on the diamond segments on the sawblade and energy consumption are the important parameters for these machines. Unit wear and unit energy should be minimized and the sawing rate should be maximized for optimum sawing condition. In this study sawing tests were performed on limestone samples using a fully automatic circular sawing machine. The tests were conducted at different peripheral speeds and advance rates. For each sawing test, the segment wear and consumed energy were measured. The statistical software, Design Expert 7.0 was used to analyze the test data. The new sawability charts for wear and energy were developed. The unique aspect of this study is to determine the optimum circular sawing performance with the special software and this technique also provides the prediction of unit wear and unit energy for selected sawing condition.
Microwave phase-noise influence on Josephson-junction array voltage standards

In this paper we analyze the influence of the microwave phase noise on the Josephson-junction array (JJA) reference voltage in order to investigate the limit of the contribution to the voltage fluctuations. In the framework of a simple model introduced for this purpose, we found that the spectrum of the fractional voltage fluctuations is equal to the spectrum of the fractional frequency fluctuations assuming a band-limited noise process. On the other hand, the standard deviation of the voltage across the JJA is not only related to the noise spectrum but also to the ratios between the bandwidths of the free-running oscillator, the control loop, and the voltage measuring system, three different measurement situations are considered by referring to different locking conditions of the Gunn oscillator. A value of /spl sigma//sub v//V(n)/spl sime/6/spl times/10/sup -12/ is calculated for a fully phase-controlled Gunn oscillator, while the value /spl sigma//sub v//V(n)/spl sime/3/spl times/10/sup -10/ is the approximate estimate for the case of a frequency-controlled Gunn oscillator, suggesting that the phase-controlled method of stabilization is best suited for direct comparisons of JJA voltage standards. An implementation of a phase-controlled microwave source is also presented.
The 4-Year Experience with Implementation and Routine Use of Pathogen Reduction in a Brazilian Hospital

(1) Background: We reviewed the logistics of the implementation of pathogen reduction (PR) using the INTERCEPT Blood System™ for platelets and the experience with routine use and clinical outcomes in the patient population at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital of São Paulo, Brazil. (2) Methods: Platelet concentrate (PC), including pathogen reduced (PR-PC) production, inventory management, discard rates, blood utilization, and clinical outcomes were analyzed over the 40 months before and after PR implementation. Age distribution and wastage rates were compared over the 10 months before and after approval for PR-PC to be stored for up to seven days. (3) Results: A 100% PR-PC inventory was achieved by increasing double apheresis collections and production of double doses using pools of two single apheresis units. Discard rates decreased from 6% to 3% after PR implementation and further decreased to 1.2% after seven-day storage extension for PR-PCs. The blood utilization remained stable, with no increase in component utilization. A significant decrease in adverse transfusion events was observed after the PR implementation. (4) Conclusion: Our experience demonstrates the feasibility for Brazilian blood centers to achieve a 100% PR-PC inventory. All patients at our hospital received PR-PC and showed no increase in blood component utilization and decreased rates of adverse transfusion reactions.
Analysis of Two‐Way Acting Composite

An ultimate strength analysis procedure was formulated for five full-scale, two-way slabs tested to failure. The concrete slabs were reinforced with composite corrugated cold-formed steel decking. Three slabs contained supplementary reinforcing in the form of welded wire fabric. Nominal out-to-out plan dimensions of the slabs were 16 ft by 12 ft (4.88 m by 3.66 m). All slabs were subjected to four symmetrically placed, concentrated loads. Ultimate failure occurred by a shear-bond action initiated by slippage between the steel deck and the concrete. The analysis procedure was founded on the principles of yield-line theory and of shear-bond regression analysis. A collapse mechanism established by yield-line procedures was utilized to determine the effective load-carrying-segment width of the slabs. A shear-bond regression analysis was used on the effective width to predict the total shear force distributed to the reactive edge perpendicular to the deck corrugations. The shear existing along the sides of the effective load-carrying segment was subsequently added to the shear-bond component to give the predicted ultimate load for each slab. The calculated load agreed very closely (within 9%) with the experimental ultimate for all five slabs.
Comparison of Site-Specific and Conventional Uniform Irrigation Management for Potatoes

Site-Specific Irrigation Management (SSIM) can be defined as irrigation management (depth, timing) based on crop need to defined sub-areas of a field referred to as management zones. Implementation of SSIM will require additional irrigation system hardware, labor, and information on soil and/or plant water status in each management zone. Costs associated with these additional requirements will need to be offset by increased receipts from improved crop yield and quality in order for the technology to be adopted by producers. The potential for SSIM to increase crop yield, quality, and economic return has not been evaluated in field studies. Crops such as potatoes, for which yield and quality are highly sensitive to soil water availability, are most likely to show an economic benefit from site-specific irrigation management. A two-year field study was conducted to evaluate the potential for SSIM to increase yield and quality of potatoes relative to Conventional Uniform Irrigation Management (CUIM). Near real-time soil water content was used to schedule irrigations under both irrigation management treatments. Field average water application was nearly the same for the irrigation management treatments, 503 mm (19.8 in.) in 2001 and 445 mm (17.5 in.) in 2002. In both study years, tuber yield distributions trended 4% greater under site-specific irrigation management but were not significantly different (p < 0.05). Total tuber yield per unit of water applied from irrigation and precipitation was 4% greater in 2001 and 6% greater in 2002 under SSIM. Based on a local tuber quality adjusted potato processing contract price structure, the trend in gross income averaged across the field site was $159/ha ($65/acre) greater with SSIM. This increase in gross income is likely about half the actual cost of commercial site-specific irrigation technology. The required 3- to 5-year crop rotation for potato disease management means that the site-specific irrigation system needs to be mobile or an economic benefit must also be realized from other crops in the rotation. The economic benefit of SSIM needs to be increased or realized for other crops in the rotation for it to be an economically viable technology in potato production systems in Idaho.
Prevention of Head Injuries to Car Occupants: An Investigation of Interior Padding Options

Head injuries to car occupants resulting from crashes on Australian roads are a major cause of death and permanent brain damage. This report evaluates the benefits that would be likely to accrue from the use of padding materials to reduce the severity of impacts to the head. A review of the international literature was conducted to examine the range of possible countermeasures, with particular reference to padding the upper interior of the passenger compartment. Three sets of data analyses were then carried out: first, a summary of objects typically struck by the head in a representative sample of crashes; secondly, an examination of actual brain injuries sustained in a sample of crashes, and an assessment of likely outcomes had the objects struck by the head been padded; and finally, a HARM analysis to estimate the cost of head injuries and the likely financial benefits from various countermeasures. Results indicate that there is considerable potential for reducing the severity and consequences of impacts to the head by padding the upper interior of the passenger compartment. The total annual benefit of this measure, in terms of reduced HARM, would be about $123 million, or $154 per car (with a 5 percent discount rate). However, an even greater level of protection would be provided by the use of protective headwear. The total benefits associated with headwear in the form of a soft shell bicycle helmet were estimated to be $380 million (assuming a fully airbag equipped fleet), or $476 per car ($626 for cars without airbags).
Mobile working with Connexions

This paper presents a definition of mobile working. The paper looks at mobile and remote working and then the benefits are of these forms of working. It also outlines the limitations of mobile and remote working. The paper goes on to detail the type of mobile working used by Connexions (an organisation that formerly titled the Tyne and Wear Careers Service) what hardware and software are used by the company and how it is used. The paper concludes by identifying what the future holds for Connexions with this form of working. It argues that the staff expectations are not fully met by the technology now available.
Establishment and First Year Yield of Interseeded Alfalfa as Influenced by Corn Plant Density and Treatment with Prohexadione, Fungicide and Insecticide

Interseeding alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) into a silage corn (Zea mays L.) companion crop can increase the yield and profitability of forage production and reduce the risk of nutrient and soil loss from cropland, but unreliable establishment of alfalfa hampers the adoption of this practice on dairy farms. This study evaluated plant survival, foliar health, and dry matter yields of two alfalfa varieties when established in corn sown at populations ranging from about 47,500 to 100,000 plants per ha−1 and when treated with prohexadione (PHD), PHD followed by fungicide and insecticide (PHD-FI), or not treated with agrichemicals. The plant density of alfalfa during establishment was adversely impacted by above average precipitation and high corn populations, but substantially improved by PHD-FI treatment, which limited alfalfa etiolation, disease, and defoliation. First-cut dry-matter yields of interseeded alfalfa after corn were maximized at a stand density of approximately 200 plants m−2 or 850 stems m−2 and total first year yield exceeded conventionally spring-seeded alfalfa by 59 to 75%. Overall, our results indicated that PHD-FI treatment promoted good establishment and subsequent forage production of interseeded alfalfa. Applications of PHD-FI must, however, be fine-tuned, and additional management practices must be developed to ensure both good yields of corn silage and reliable establishment of interseeded alfalfa, especially during wet growing conditions.
Factors associated with changes in the objectively measured physical activity among Japanese adults: A longitudinal and dynamic panel data analysis

Factors associated with dynamic changes in the objectively measured physical activity have not been well understood. We aimed to 1) evaluate the longitudinal change in the physical activity trajectory according to sex which is associated with age and to 2) determine the factors associated with the dynamic change in physical activity-related variables across a wide age range among Japanese adults. This longitudinal prospective study included 689 Japanese adults (3914 measurements) aged 26–85 years, whose physical activity data in at least two surveys were available. Physical activity-related variables, such as intensity (inactive, light [LPA; 1.5 to 2.9 metabolic equivalents (METs)], moderate-to-vigorous [MVPA; ≥3.0 METs]), total energy expenditure (TEE), physical activity level (PAL), and step count, were evaluated using a validated triaxial accelerometer. Statistical analysis involved the latent growth curve models and random-effect panel data multivariate regression analysis. During a mean follow-up period of 6.8 years, physical activity was assessed an average of 5.1 times in men and 5.9 times in women. The profiles for the inactive time, LPA (only men), MVPA, step count, PAL, and TEE showed clear curvature, indicating an accelerated rate of change around the age of 70. In contrast, other variables exhibited minimal or no curvature over the age span. The MVPA trajectory was positively associated with alcohol consumption, hand grips, leg power, and trunk flexibility and negatively associated with age, local area, body mass index (BMI), comorbidity score, and heart rate over time. Our results indicated that the physical activity trajectory revealed clear curvature, accelerated rate of change around the age of 70, and determined physical health and fitness and BMI as dynamic factors associated with physical activity changes. These findings may be useful to help support populations to achieve and maintain the recommended level of physical activity.
3-D Audio in the Fighter Cockpit Improves Task Performance

A flight simulator experiment was conducted to explore the benefits of 3-dimensional (3-D) audio to support in-cockpit tasks regarding performance and workload. In half of the conditions, 1 or 2 tasks requiring information from a head-down display (HDD) were supported by 3-D audio. The performance on several tasks improved when 3-D audio was present, whereas no negative performance effects were found. Furthermore, the frequency of eye movements to the HDD was reduced more than 50% in all 3-D audio conditions. Physiological measures were not affected, indicating that mental effort was the same in all conditions. Only a small reduction in subjective workload in some 3-D audio conditions was observed. Pilots were also able to process the information from 2 independent 3-D auditory displays that were present at the same time. The results show that pilots can perform flight and in-cockpit tasks more efficiently when they are supported by 3-D audio.
Seismic response of a case study soft story frame retrofitted using a GIB system

This paper presents results from a numerical investigation into the seismic retrofit of a soft story frame using a novel gapped‐inclined brace (GIB) system. The GIB system consists of a pinned brace and a gap element that is added to the first story columns of the frame. The inclusion of GIB elements in addition to increasing the lateral capacity of columns at the first story increases the post‐yield stiffness ratio of the system and reduces the P‐delta effects on the columns, while not increasing the first story lateral resistance or stiffness. This allows for the isolating benefits of the soft story to protect the upper floors of the structure from damage while avoiding excessive deformations and reducing the propensity for collapse.
Empirical model of a current-limiting fuse using EMTP

An empirical model is discussed for research on current-limiting (CL) fuses used in distribution system applications. The main characteristic of a CL fuse is that it develops a voltage at its terminals which reduces the amount of energy generated in the protected equipment during a fault. The various stages of fuse operation are modeled using electric components. The model is of limited use, but its simplicity enables a nonexpert to use it without spending months to learn and program a sophisticated model. The model makes it possible to establish which closing angle of source voltage will produce the greatest of I/sup 2/t, assuming a melting time shorter than a quarter of a cycle. The model can also show how the let-through value of I/sup 2/t will be influenced by the voltage versus time profile of the fuse voltage. The electromagnetic transient program, EMTP, proved a useful tool for this development. >
BIM for facility management: a review and a case study investigating the value and challenges

For many years the issue of how to run buildings efficiently and effectively has posed a considerable challenge. This debate has had renewed significance since the emergence of Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes and the proposition that BIM information, captured during the facilities lifecycle, can help improve the efficiency of Facility Management (FM). Using this proposition as a starting point, the overarching aim of this paper is to investigate the value-adding potential of BIM and the challenges hindering its exploitation in FM. The literature review showed the BIM value adding potential stems from improvement to current manual processes of information handover. It also adds improvement to the accuracy of FM data and increases the efficiency of work orders execution, in terms of speed, to accessing data and locating interventions. It was also revealed that there is lack of real world case studies, especially in the case of existing buildings, despite new constructions representing a small percentage of the total building stock in a typical year. The case study was conducted on an existing asset composed of 32 non-residential buildings in Northumbria University’s city campus. This was done to empirically investigate the value of BIM in a specific FM function (i.e. space management). The results provided evidence of the value of BIM in improving the efficiencies of FM work orders and the accuracy of geometric information records.