Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Case Study of University–Industry Collaboration for Sustainable Furniture Design

This paper describes the importance of including a Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach for successful university–industry collaboration. We detail user surveys and user evaluation techniques to engage end-users for the rejuvenation of manufacturing industries through sustainable product development. There are numerous studies describing the importance of university–industry collaboration; however, very few portray the detailed working relationships necessary to fulfil both the university and the industry agenda. This paper explores a joint project between a prominent Melbourne-based university and a government organisation from Malaysia. The intention was to innovate a range of furniture for Malaysian dormitories to stimulate the local manufacturing sector and provide high-value product applications for Malaysia’s abundant timber sector. By detailing a HCD approach, we reveal how to better direct the design outcomes to accurately reflect the research intent. This is detailed through a case study showing how the research data was translated into final product concepts influenced by end-users and collaboration with the industry stakeholders. The resulting products are a range of sustainable, modular dormitory furniture with a direct route to market. Finally, we provide the lessons learned and suggestions for developing sustainable products through university–industry collaboration.
A CASE STUDY OF ELASTIC CONCRETE DECK BEHAVIOR IN A FOUR-SPAN PRESTRESSED GIRDER BRIDGE: FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS. INTERIM REPORT

The feasibility of eliminating the top mat of steel reinforcement in a concrete bridge deck was investigated using a finite element model. The elimination of the top level of steel is possible because of the flexibility of the girders. Girder deflections reduce the magnitude of maximum tensile and compressive stresses in the transverse directions. It is desirable to eliminate or reduce the amount of steel present in the top of the deck because this steel is subjected to corrosion from deicing chemicals. The deck is supported on precast concrete girders which represents a more severe case than a deck supported on steel girders. A linear elastic finite element model was used to investigate the behavior of the bridge deck when loaded with a 92-kip tandem-axle truck with 24-kip axle weights. The analysis results confirm that the elimination of the top mat of reinforcing steel is feasible. This reinforcement technique is being used in one span of a bridge under construction in early 1993. The test structure has been instrumented with strain gages in the experimental and control sections in order to validate the finite element model.
Vertical structure of the flow due to waves and currents - Laser-doppler flow measurements for waves following or opposing a current

Changes in the mean horizontal-velocity profile in combined wave-current motion, outside the bottom boundary-layer, are essential for the correct prediction of cross-shore sediment transport outside the surf zone and the transport of dissolved matter, e.g. Klopman (1992). To be able to verify mathematical and numerical models (see Klopman, 1992) experimental data is needed. This is especially the case with the vertical structure of the wave and turbulence Reynolds stresses where data is lacking. For this reason, a laboratory experiment was conducted to study the flow kinematics under combined wave-current motion, for waves propagating in the current direction and for waves opposing the current. The wave-current facility in which the tests have been carried out is equipped with two computer-controlled wave boards, one generating waves and the other absorbing waves. Both wave boards have active wave-absorption systems which eliminate spurious waves. A constant discharge was provided by a flow-circulation circuit. Special care was taken in the design of the inflow and outflow structures, in order to introduce the current smoothly into the channel and to minimize unwanted reflections of the waves at the inflow and outflow. Flow velocities were measured in one vertical cross-section of the channel, with two laserDoppler velocimetry (LDV) systems, mounted at a fixed distance above each other. Water surface elevations were measured with six resistance-type wave-height meters, and the discharge was measured with an electro-magnetic flow (EMF) meter. Tests were performed with mono-chromatic, bi-chromatic and random waves without current, following the current and opposing the current. Also a test series was performed for a steady current without waves.
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis, Is the difference of clinical outcomes depend on the source?

Background and Study Aims Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is the most common gastroenterological emergency in patients with cirrhosis; It increases the hospital length of stay (LOS), and Chance of 30-day hospital readmission. It has not been clarified if there is a difference in the prognosis of UGIB in cirrhosis depending on the source of bleeding. We aimed to investigate clinical outcomes in patients with cirrhosis with either acute variceal bleeding (AVB) or non-variceal bleeding (NVB) and risk factors for prolonged hospital LOS in both groups.Patients and Methods From July 2016 to January 2017, all adult eligible patients hospitalized with cirrhosis and UGIB were enrolled in the retrospective study, we assessed clinical outcomes in both groups and factors associated with prolonged hospital LOS.Results Of the 608 patients included in the study, 416 had variceal and 192 non-variceal bleeding. Mortality was higher in AVB group compared to NVB (12.5% vs. 8.3%, P= 0.023). There was a trend towards increased the length of hospital stay for those who had an AVB compared to NVB (5.84±2.16 vs. 4.33±1.18, p=0.001). Rate of hospital Readmission was also higher in the AVB group. Risk factors for prolonged hospital LOS were in hospital rebleeding, presence of Hepatic encephalopathy or ascites, higher MELD score and Patients with child score B, C.Conclusion Patients with cirrhosis and AVB have higher mortality rate, longer hospital LOS and re-hospitalization rate than those with NVB.
DEFINITION AND DETERMINATION OF CHARACTERISTIC SOIL PROPERTIES

The fundamental soil parameter used in EC7 "Geotechnics" is the characteristic value Xk from which the design value Xd is derived. These soil parameters are defined and compared to today's practice. A simple approach, derived from fundamental statistics and probability concepts, is proposed for the selection of the characteristic values. The approach presented in this paper is based entirely on today's practice. It offers an extension to incorporate experience or judgmental knowledge as well as test values to produce characteristic values Xk. The resulting characteristic values are equally valid using the EC7 approach as well as for today's method. The proposed equation is derived from fundamental concepts of statistics and probability, yet the design engineer does not need to acquire those concepts to successfully employ the method presented. An illustrative example to demonstrate the application of the method is given.
Motivation and Efficiency of Quality Management Systems Implementation: a Study of Lithuanian Organizations

The article presents the results of the study about the motives and efficiency of Quality Management System (hereafter, Quality System—QS) implementation in Lithuanian companies that have obtained ISO 9000 certificates. Thirty-one Lithuanian companies (24% of all certified companies at the time of the research) have presented the answers to the prepared questionnaire. The main purpose of the questionnaire was to find out why Lithuanian companies seek the implementation and certification of QS in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 9000 series of standards and what has changed after the QS implementation. Furthermore the results of the research were compared with similar studies performed in the other European countries. The performed research revealed that the implementation of QS mostly results in the benefits of an intangible nature that are internal to the company. In addition, although the main reasons to start implementing QS are the expectations of the external advantages, the implementation results mostly in the increase of internal benefits such as an improvement in the definition of the responsibilities and obligations of the employees, a decrease in the non-conformities, better communication among the employees, and increased efficiency.
An assessment of trailing edge noise measurement techniques

of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy AN ASSESSMENT OF TRAILING EDGE NOISE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES By Christopher John Bahr May 2010 Chair: Louis N. Cattafesta, III Major: Aerospace Engineering Aircraft noise is a subject of great concern, both to aircraft designers and community planners. As air travel becomes more prevalent and populations near airports increase, noise generated by aircraft during take-off and landing must be addressed. To this end, much research has gone into quantifying and reducing the strength of major contributors to aircraft noise, such as jet engines, high-lift devices and landing gear. However, as these sources are reduced, a new tier of sources grows in relative importance. Trailing edge noise is the next major noise source which needs to be addressed if aircraft designers wish to continue their trend of making quieter aircraft with each new generation. This noise source, due to the scattering of pressure fluctuations in the wing boundary layer and near wake by the rear edge of the wing, is not fully understood, even after over thirty years of research. While theoretical models exist, developing measurement tools to validate the models is not a trivial task. Experiments performed decades ago, which were thought to have provided satisfactory data to designers, are now found to have significant flaws in their results due to instrumentation limitations. Modern experimental methods can readily show the weaknesses in the older analysis techniques, but no comprehensive set of new tools is currently available for quantifying and analyzing trailing edge noise.
Very Small Satellite Design for Space Sensor Networks

An investigation of very small satellite miniaturisation techniques is presented, focusing on enabling sub-kilogram technologies targeted at space sensor network applications. Distributed space mission concepts are emerging for scientific and remote sensing applications requiring massively distributed systems, analogous to proliferating terrestrial wireless sensor networks. This particular architecture will enable observation of real-time multi-point phenomena. Space economics and environmental concerns dictate a cost-effective mass-producible low-mass satellite for brief but essential missions in low Earth orbit. Existing and emerging very small satellite technologies have been investigated, assessed, and compared, where power generation and payload volume are the key performance metrics. Two novel design methodologies have been developed, simulated, and verified through functional and environmental testing of hardware. SpaceChip, inspired by the satellite-on-a-chip vision, is a monolithic heterogeneous system-on-a-chip integration approach. SpaceChip proves widely applicable to sensor networks in hostile environments, including space, which require simple sensors and sub-kilometre separations. Five SiGe BiCMOS prototype chips have been fabricated which show promising results for two previously undeveloped subsystems. A method has been investigated for on-chip series connection of solar cells yielding a 3.4% efficient system-on-a-chip power supply. Furthermore, an environmentally-tolerant microprocessor design technique was developed that verifies the synergy of radiation hardening by design and asynchronous logic. PCBSat is proposed as a satellite-on-a-PCB miniaturisation approach focused on deriving the smallest practical satellite within the context of space sensor networks and constrained to the use of commercial components, processes, and deployment systems. The concept has been validated by flight model development and test, measuring 10x10x2.5 cm and 300 grams, for $10,000 to orbit in quantity. PCBSat emerges as an optimal tradeoff between cost and performance. A case study investigation of ionospheric plasma depletions, known to cause problematic navigation and communication outages, provided a comparison vehicle of all technologies considered in this effort. A demonstration mission based on PCBSat has been selected by NASA for launch in 2010. This research has advanced the state-of-the-art by providing new demonstrated cost-effective miniaturisation approaches enabling sensor network architectures.
Development and Improvement of Optical Tracking Methods towards Registering the Deformations of 3D Non- Rigid Bodies in Real Time for Augmented Reality Applications

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that aims to embed virtual objects in the real world, showing to the user the set of objects (virtual and real) as a single world. For that purpose, it is necessary to offer a perfect alignment between virtual and real objects, which increases the effectiveness of AR. The solution to this problem is known as tracking. The object tracking consists in determining at any time the position and orientation of the camera relative to the scene. Optical sensors are most commonly used to overcome the tracking problem due to their low cost implementation. However, it is often difficult to provide robustness, accuracy and low computational cost at the same time. This thesis tackles the improvement and development of the main optical tracking techniques, primarily focused on detecting the deformations of the bodies. First, it has been achieved the tracking of rigid and non-rigid planar surfaces through a monocular camera, and then, the object deformation estimation with a more complex device as a RGB-D camera has been developed. Surface tracking systems such as those based on markers have the problem of not being able to handle occlusions. Thus, this thesis raises a new marker design that offers robustness against occlusions. Furthermore, in order to handle the deformations of surfaces, a solution that recovers the camera pose and the non-rigid surface simultaneously is proposed. Continuing with the deformation handling, it has also developed a robust tracking system for reconstructing the 3D shape of deformable objects using two different physical formulations. One offers a correct physical behaviour with a low computational cost, whereas the other achieves higher levels of accuracy at the expense of higher processing time. In addition, all the presented solutions have the common factor that all are executed in real time, which is a key property for a fluently visual feedback of an AR application
Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A 6 Months Prospective Study

Objective: Intra-Articular (IA) injection of polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) is a possible treatment for symptomatic Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a single injection of 6 ml intra-articular PAAG over 26 weeks. Methods: Open-label study in patients with symptomatic and radiographically confirmed knee OA . Primary outcome was change in WOMAC pain after 13 weeks. Secondary outcomes were WOMAC stiffness and function subscales, Patient Global Assessment of disease impact (PGA) and proportion of OMERACT-OARSI responders. Follow-up time points were 4, 13 and 26 weeks. Results: 49 patients (31 females) received PAAG, with 48 patients completing the 13 and 46 the 26 weeks assessments. Mean change in WOMAC pain after 13 weeks was -18.3 points [95% CI-23.4 to -13.3]; P<. 0001 and at 26 weeks -20.8 points [95% CI -26.3 to -15.3]; P<0.0001 with similar benefits for WOMAC stiffness, physical function, and PGA. After 13 weeks 64.6% were OMERACT-OARSI responders and this was maintained at 26 weeks. During the 13 weeks, 18 patients reported 23 adverse events, 13 of which were related to PAAG, none severe. Two serious adverse events, atrial fibrillation and gastrointestinal pain, were assessed as ‘not related’ to PAAG. Conclusions: PAAG can be delivered in a single 6 ml injection and this non-randomized trial in patients with knee OA demon-strated beneficial clinical effects at 13 and 26 weeks. No serious adverse events were seen with PAAG. These encouraging results need to be confirmed in controlled studies.
A non-contact geomatics technique for monitoring membrane roof structures

This thesis presents research carried out to monitor the behaviour of membrane structures, using the non-contact geornatics techniques of terrestrial laser scanning and videogrammetry. Membrane structures are covers or enclosures in which fabric surface is pre-tensioned to provide a stable shape under environmental loads. It is most often adopted by structural engineers as the solution to the roof of a building. Membrane structures resist extemally-imposed loads by a combination of curvature and tension of the highly flexible fabric membrane. However, collapse may occur if the real deflections exceed the designed tolerances. In order to avoid such failures in the future, a generic monitoring system, incorporating in-house software for observing and analysing the behaviour of existing membrane structures, was developed. This system has been applied to observe three different types of as-built membrane structures, with two primary issues investigated and resolved. The first aspect of the research was devoted to determining differences which exist between the designed model and the finished structure. To address this issue, terrestrial laser scanning was applied to generate the as-built model of the membrane structure. Statistical comparisons were then performed between the resultant scanned model and the designed mathematical model. The disparities were determined, allowing the factors causing these differences to be further explored. The second research issue investigated the effects of loading on the displacement of the membrane roof. A videogrammetric monitoring system employing stereo CCD video cameras was used to observe the movements of the membrane roofs. In order to accommodate constraints at the test site, a non-contact control method and structured light targeting were adopted in the monitoring scheme. Once the processing was completed, displacements occurring over time were determined. Investigations on the three types of finished membrane structures have been successfully achieved, proving the system to be a viable metrology tool for structural engineers involved in monitoring real-world membrane structures. The system effectively fulfilled the requirements for understanding the interaction of membrane surface geometry, applied loads and structural response. The information acquired by the system offers great potential to collaborating engineers who are involved in the design and refinement of such structures.
Uomo al centro del progetto. Design per un nuovo umanesimo. Man at the centre of the project. Design for a new humanism

Design intended and used as a flexible tool for interpreting che changes in contemporary society. Such is the basis of this publication summarising the research directions of the Turin Politecnico group, which are many faceted but have a common aim: man, the man in subject of design work, that is, at the centre of design. Good design has always paid special attention to the final user, but in this case man, the inhabitant and user, is the stated focus of the design and of the present and future designer, who is directed by way of research aimed at a new cultural humanism.
Control Performances of Friction Pendulum and Sloped Rolling-Type Bearings Designed with Single Parameters

Owing to quite different features and hysteretic behavior of friction pendulum bearings (FPBs) and sloped rolling-type bearings (SRBs), their control performances might not be readily compared without some rules. In this study, first, on the premise of retaining the same horizontal acceleration control performance, the effects arising from different sloping angles and damping forces on the horizontal maximum and residual displacement responses of SRBs are numerically examined. For objective comparison of passive control performances of FPBs and SRBs, then, some criteria are considered to design FPBs with the same horizontal acceleration control performance by referring to the designed damping force and the maximum horizontal displacement response of SRBs under a given seismic demand. Based on the considered criteria, the passive control performances of FPBs and SRBs under a large number of far-field and pulse-like near-fault ground motions are quantitatively compared. The numerical comparison results indicate that the FPB models might potentially have better horizontal acceleration and isolation displacement control performances than the SRB models regardless of whether they are subjected to far-field or near-fault ground motions, while the opposite tendency is observed for their self-centering performances, especially when the SRB model designed with a larger sloping angle or a smaller damping force.
USER ACCEPTANCE AND IMPACTS OF NEW MULTIMODAL TRAFFIC INFORMATION SERVICES IN BAYERNINFO

In the pilot project BAYERNINFO a supra-regional traffic information system consisting of a state-wide traffic information center, two regional information centers serving the Munich and Nuremberg metropolitan areas, and an electronic timetable information subsystem (EFA-Bavaria) is installed in Bavaria/Germany. The capabilities of this multi-modal information system were demonstrated using a portable mobility planner (PTA) and the Internet/WWW. Based on experts and end user discussion groups, surveys, field trials, market potential studies and simulation tools user benefits and cost-effectiveness of the integrated traffic information system developed within BAYERNINFO were determined and evaluated. This paper summarizes the achievements and evaluation results