Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Composite steel-free deck bridges: Numerical modelling and pilot parametric study

During the past decade, composite steel-free deck bridges came to reality in Canada through the construction of five bridges. The new structural system enables the construction of a concrete deck that is totally devoid of all internal steel reinforcement. Traditionally, reinforced concrete bridge decks are designed to sustain loads in flexure. The steel-free deck bridge system develops internal compressive forces "internal arching," which leads to failure by punching shear at substantially higher loads than the flexural design load. The fibre-reinforced concrete deck is usually attached to the steel girders through flexible shear connectors. These steel girders are transversely tied together by steel straps and cross frames. In this paper, the concept of the new bridge system is briefly discussed. The generations of the deck slabs are introduced. Brief outlines of the bridges built to date with this new technology are presented. A three-dimensional finite element model is then proposed to study the behavi.
Advanced Turbulence Modelling and Stress Analysis for the DLR-F6 Configuration

The current DLR Computational Fluid Dynamics validation activities in the framework of the AIAA Drag Prediction Workshop are presented. Since the second workshop in 2003 advanced turbulence models have been integrated in the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver FLOWer. The hybrid SSG/LRR-omega differential Reynolds stress turbulence model is presented, combining the Launder-Reece-Rodi (LRR) model near walls with the Speziale-Sarkar-Gatski(SSG) model further apart by applying Menter's blending function F_1. Menter's baseline omega-equation is exploited for supplying the length scale. The SSG/LRR-omega model is applied to the DLR-F6 aircraft configuration. Results are presented for a target lift computation at C_L = 0.500 and for lift, drag and moment coefficients in a range of incidence from -3 to 1.5 degrees. In addition to the validation activities the possibility of anew wind tunnel testing of the DLR-F6 was investigated. Because a test at a higher Reynolds-number is of interest the mechanical strength of the model was analysed using the Finite-Element-Method software ANSYS.
Short-term probiotic augmentation in depression treatment: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background There is urgent need to develop novel augmentation options for improving inadequate response to antidepressants. Emerging evidence showed that the composition of the gut microbiota is altered in patients with depression and related to their symptoms, suggesting that restoring microbial composition may constitute a promising strategy in depression treatment. This protocol introduces a study design to test the effectiveness of a short-term probiotic augmentation therapy in patients with a current depressive episode. Methods Using a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, the effectiveness of probiotic supplementation will be examined in 60 patients with current severe depressive episodes (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale > 24). Patients will be randomly assigned either to a 4-weeks probiotic or placebo treatment. Assessments will take place at baseline (pre-intervention), at 4 weeks (post-intervention) and at 8 weeks (follow-up) of the study program. The primary study outcome will be depressive symptoms as measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (experts’ ratings), while secondary outcomes include immune signalling and inflammatory processes, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses, neurogenesis, the release of appetite-regulating hormones, the composition of gut microbiota, sleep quality, physical activity and multimodal neuroimaging. Discussion In search for augmentation strategies in depression treatment, this protocol describes a study design to test the effectiveness of a short-term probiotic augmentation therapy in patients with major depressive disorders. We also suggest the assessment of comprehensive secondary outcomes to determine biomarkers for personalized treatment responses and the development of more efficient microbial interventions in major depressive disorders.
Sharpshooter (40%Profenofos and 4% Cypermethrin)-Induced Oxidative Stress Response in African Catfish Clarias Gariepinus

and 4% Cypermethrin)-Induced Oxidative Stress Response Abstract This study was aimed to determine the effect of exposure of juvenile fish Clarias gariepinus (250 ± 1.2 g) to sub lethal doses (0.014 mg/L and 0.036 mg/L) of sharpshooter on the oxidative stress indices; lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities over a period of 15 days exposure in three replicates. The colorimetric analysis of the samples collected on day 1, 5, 10 and 15 for LPO, SOD and CAT showed different effects with time and concentration. The LPO at 0.014mg/L and 0.036mg/L were (8.69±4.002 b2 - 8.390±4.426 b2 ) and (7.275±6.567 b2 - 7.275±2.00 b2 ) showing increase with increasing concentration of pesticide compared with the control (3.030±0.00b2-1.515±2.142b2) respectively. The SOD activity increased (0.317±0.129 b2 -0.433±0.055 b2 ) at 0.036 mg/L with time of exposure and decreased with concentration compared with control (0.491±0.006b2-0.053±0.005b2) respectively. CAT activity over the exposure time of 15 days showed a non - significant decrease from 0.16±0.000b2-0.013±0.00b2 at 0.014 mg/L and 0.014±0.000 b2 –0.011±0.00 b2 at 0.036 mg/L of sharpshooter respectively compared with control (0.013±0.000 b2 ). At days 5 and 10, sub lethal concentration of sharpshooter (0.036 mg/L) gave significant increase in LPO and decrease in SOD and CAT compared with the control respectively. The result suggests that induction of lipid peroxidation and alteration in the antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismutase and catalase) due to the presence of sharpshooter may cause an imbalance in the generation of free radicals and the antioxidants system in juvenile catfish especially at higher concentrations with long exposure.
A Simple Technique for Calculating Shakedown Loads in Pressure Vessels

A fundamental examination has been made of the post-yield behaviour at discontinuities in pressure vessels with a view to determining shakedown loads. The results of this indicate that a simple graphical construction can be devised whereby such loads are easily determined with only a knowledge of the elastic stresses and a yield criterion; in particular, a ‘five line construction’ method is suggested which can be applied to a wide range of engineering stress problems.The method is exemplified by a study of shakedown loads for both flush cylinder-sphere and cylinder-cylinder intersections under internal pressure, and the implications of the results in terms of current design philosophies are discussed.
Miniaturised dual-mode microstrip bandpass filters with wide upper stopband

Dual-mode bandpass filters with miniaturised size and wide upper stopband are presented here. The miniaturisation is realised by resorting to the proposed unilateral and bilateral stepped-impedance open stubs. With adequate design, the loaded capacitance values of a stepped-impedance open stub can achieve 3.2 times the counterpart of a uniform impedance resonator. In addition, the proposed resonator is featured of an additional transmission zero in the upper stopband. To establish the necessary capacitive input/output couplings, filters with only one coupling arm is demonstrated and an enhanced rejection level of the upper stopband is obtained. Results show that the proposed filters cannot only reduce the circuit size up to 68%, but also achieve wide upper stopband as well.
Job design within a human centred (system) design framework

Abstract This paper describes the job design research of the Human Centred Office Systems Project (funded by the SERC/ESRC), which is working with a local government department. The originality of the research involves the application of human centred ideas, which have until recently only been used to address the situation of male skilled workers, eitherin British engineering or Scandinavian contexts. Our approach adapts these ideas in relation to the design of women clerical workers’ jobs. Feminist perspectives on women in work are also drawn upon. This approach represents a break with other research on job design within computerization, most of which has been informed by socio-technical theory and human-computer interaction. We draw upon new case-study research involving design groups who have tackled job design using a bottom-up approach. The study involves women clerical workers, both defining their particular skills and how they would wish a new computer system to complement and enhance them. The met.
Comparison of SWAP and FAO Agro-Hydrological Models to Schedule Irrigation of Wine Grapes

AbstractThis paper compares two agro-hydrological models that are used to schedule irrigation of a typical Mediterranean crop. In particular, a comparison between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) model, which uses a black box approach, and the soil-water-atmosphere-plant (SWAP) model, which is based on the numerical analysis of Richards’ equation, are shown for wine grape. The comparison was carried out for the 2005 and 2006 irrigation seasons and focused on hydrological balance components and on soil water contents. Next, the ordinary scheduling parameters were identified so that the performance of the two models, which aimed to evaluate the seasonal water requirements and the irrigation times, could be assessed. In the validation phase, both of the models satisfactorily simulated the soil water content, and comparable values of cumulative evapotranspiration were obtained. With the goal of recognizing the crop water stress condition in the field, the original algorithm of the FAO model was mod.
Sustainable design and the design curriculum

This paper reports on an initial study that begins the process of considering how design education should deal with the issue of sustainable design specifically in the context of the education of graduate designers in the fields of product, design engineering and interior design. Consideration is given to the development of the design curriculum and the design process. Further, a number of questions related to shaping the future of design and engineering education are also explored. The question this research seeks to address is whether sustainability, or more specifically sustainable design, should or can be an integral part of engineering/product design programmes or whether it should/or can be developed as a separate design discipline, perhaps as a postgraduate extension to the designer’s core skills set? The research also discusses the difference between, ecodesign and sustainable design and the implications of the understanding of this difference for design education.
DC characterization of fully ion-implanted p-n junctions into semi-insulating InP

The forward and reverse characteristics of p/sup +/-n junctions made by Mg and Si implantation and rapid thermal annealing into Fe-doped semi-insulating InP are described. The effects of the Si dose for obtaining the n-type region, the use of P co-implantation for obtaining the p/sup +/ region, and the annealing time are studied. The dominant conduction mechanism at forward bias was found to be recombination in the space-charge region, with ideality factors of n=2 down to 198 K, and temperature dependence with an activation energy of 0.76 eV. The reverse characteristics presented junction breakdown at voltages around -20 V, and were accurately described by a thermally-activated trap-assisted tunneling mechanism. The energy of the corresponding trap, obtained by the fitting of the experimental characteristics, was 0.6 eV, and its origin was tentatively ascribed to the Fe deep acceptor present in semi-insulating InP.
Effects of dielectric charging on fundamental forces and reliability in capacitive microelectromechanical systems radio frequency switch contacts

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) radio frequency switches hold great promise in a myriad of commercial, aerospace, and military applications. In particular, capacitive-type switches with metal-to-dielectric contacts (typically gold-on-silicon nitride) are suitable for high frequency (⩾10GHz) applications. However, the devices are known to be unstable in their performance due to parasitic dielectric charging. Although several authors have previously reported the switch failure along with shifts in pull-down and release voltages due to charging, there is some disagreement and lack of understanding among the various reports. This study uses a switch simulator capable of measuring microscale electrostatic and adhesive forces to investigate charging and its effect on reliability and fundamental forces acting within MEMS capacitive switches. An important advantage of the switch simulator is that it can be actuated with or without a bias voltage. Electrostatic force and dielectric charging increased as surf.
Further report on the higher frequency of withdrawal as contraception among Iranian women: demand for more powerful education programs in health care systems

Background: Family planning has critical role in improvement of various aspects of community health. Owing to the limited and incomplete previously performed studies, the present work was conducted to determine the frequency of contraception methods and most important factors in selection of them among women of Tehran province.Methods: The present assay was designed as analytical and observational cross-sectional study. A questionnaire including 24 questions was filled for 395 women (18-40 years old) refereed to multiple private clinics in three selected strict of Tehran. Questions were designed in order to address the type of contraception method besides multiple social, economic and cultural factors which may affect the selection and demographic characteristics of enrolled samples.Results: The frequency of the type of contraceptive methods was significantly different among women in different age categories (p-value=0.01). Overall rate of using contraceptive methods was 75.2% while remaining of the participants believed in no need for contraception. The most prevalent contraceptive methods were traditional methods (55.9%), modern methods (29.1%), combination of methods (8.1%) and surgery methods (6.8%), respectively. Status of housing was the only factor among economic issues which was meaningfully associated with the selection of the method. Conclusion: High prevalence of natural contraceptive methods even among highly educated women is relying on the demand for more education regarding the selection of best methods based on the background information, obstetrics history, age and economic status of women. Results of the present study can be implicated in further health programs to improve family planning.
Progressive collapse analysis of an RC structure

Progressive collapse denotes a failure of a major portion of a structure that has been initiated by failure in a relatively small portion of the structure. One approach to evaluate progressive collapse of structures is to study the effects of instantaneous removal of a load‐bearing element such as a column. An experimental program is carried out to study the behavior of a 3/8 scaled model of a continuous perimeter beam in a reinforced concrete frame structure following the removal of a supporting column. A detailed finite element model (FEM) is developed and verified to capture the behavior of the beam subjected to large deformation. In order to avoid a detailed FEM of the whole building and to efficiently capture the system response, a three‐dimensional nonlinear model of the structure using beam–column and shell elements is also developed. The two models are integrated through hybrid (substructuring) simulations. The potential progressive collapse of the structure and the dynamic load redistributions following column removals are studied. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparative study of changes across the lifecycle of complex products in a variant and a customised industry

This paper focuses upon investigating the characteristics of engineering changes and identifying the main reasons for changes arising during the different phases of the lifecycle of complex engineering products. Two case studies representing products with different development processes have been selected and change documentation analysed. The two cases selected were: (1) a variant design product, an aeroengine and (2) a customised product, drilling equipment for the oil industry. The change requests were analysed to understand their distribution and motivation across the lifecycle of the two products. The findings show that change requests peak during the manufacturing phase and indicate that the motivation for change varies throughout a product's lifecycle. The results provide insights into the factors to be considered during the development process in order to reduce the number of change requests from the later phases of a product's lifecycle and to support designers to efficiently address the unavoidable change requests. The findings also show that knowledge is transferred implicitly in the customised design case, resulting in very little knowledge of changes transferred to the next generation of products, whereas in the case of the variant design, knowledge can be transferred incrementally to the next generation of products.
Effect of edible chitosan coating on postharvest life of carrot (Daucus carota L.)

The carrot is an important vegetable. Carrot is one of the potential sources of natural phyto pigments and antioxidant nutrient such as lycopene and β-carotene. The present research work was conducted on carrot vegetable. Its main purpose is to decrease their losses and preserve for future use by edible coating that helped to reduce rate of respiration and transpiration, growth of microorganism, improve its color and texture quality attributes. Polyethylene bags maintain the high humidity, reduce weight loss and consequently slow down the drying process. It maintained the organoleptic properties of fruits and vegetables. In experiment edible coating such as chitosan (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% concentration) in 0.25 N HCl, 0.50 ml glycerol and packaging material polyethylene was applied on carrot vegetables in order to evaluate their physico-chemical composition i.e weight loss, moisture loss, total soluble solids, pH, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, and also sensory parameters such as color, flavor, texture, taste and overall acceptability at 4th day intervals during 20 days of storage at ambient temperature.
Substance use in adults of Yazd Greater Area, 2014-2015: A population based study

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs), including substance dependence or abuse, have a tremendous impact on individuals, families, communities, and governments. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SUDs in Yazd Greater Area during 2014-2015.Method: This study uses data from the Yazd Health Study (YaHS) recruitment phase which was conducted from 2014 to 2015, to investigate the epidemiology of SUDs among 20-70 year-old adults. We studied 9965 participants 20-70 years old who lived in Yazd Greater Area. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire. Results: The age-adjusted prevalence of illicit substance use was 6.2% (95% CI: 5%-7.4%). for men and 2.5% (95% CI: 1.7%-3.6%) for women. The substance use was significantly correlated with age (r= -0.29, p=0.006), educational level (r= -0.24, p=0.021), tobacco smoking (r= 0.23, p= 0.001), and sex (r= -0.98, p=0.001), But with hookah smoking had no significant relationship (r= -0.01, p=0.891). 35.6% of those consuming drugs had a previous history of addiction treatment. Also, the prevalence of substance use was greater in elders. Conclusion: This study indicated that the prevalence of substance use in adults of Yazd Greater Area which was correlated to the factors including consumption of cigarettes, age, and sex. The prevalence of various addictions is slightly higher than the rest of Iran.
Riding Out the Storm: Experiences of the Physically Disabled during Hurricanes Bonnie, Dennis, and Floyd

The writers examined the experiences during Hurricanes Bonnie, Dennis, and Floyd of households in eastern North Carolina that included a member with a physical disability and contrasted them with those of other households. The writers utilized data from two phone surveys—one of households after Hurricanes Bonnie and Floyd, the second of households after Floyd. The writers also draw from interviews with physically disabled persons, family members, and informants from county and emergency management agencies. It was found that households with physically disabled members were less likely to evacuate than others. Reasons for not evacuating were directly attributable to a lack of or perceived lack of access to services and assistance. Households with a disabled member were more likely to have experienced damages to their homes in both seasons and to see their homes condemned after Floyd. Damage costs represented a greater proportion of the incomes of households with a disabled member. These data underscore the need for attention by emergency management personnel to three issues: communication and coordination of services, evacuation planning and assistance, and the provision of accessible shelter.
Alveolar Ridge Reconstruction with Titanium Mesh and a Mixture of Autogenous Bone Graft and Algipore

Objective: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of the alveolar ridge reconstruction with titanium mesh and a mixture of autogenous bone graft and bone substitutes (Algipore) in the atrophic mandible. Subjects and Methods: Clinical examination was made to all patients. Preoperative panoramic radiographs and cone beam CT were taken for every patient to determine alveolar bone height& width. The change in the implant stability and bone density was measured using cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) immediately, and after 3, 6 months of healing. All readings were recorded and analyzed statistically. Results: The mean horizontal bone gain was 3.4±2.0mm &the mean vertical bone gain was 5.4±3.4mm after 6 months follow up, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Excellent bone augmentation results both vertically and horizontally except for those of titanium mesh exposure.
Contact hole reticle optimization by using interference mapping lithography (IML)

The theory of interference mapping lithography (IML) is presented for low k1 (k1<0.4) contact hole imaging. IML with a coherent source is shown to be analogous to methods used in creating a Fresnel lens. With IML for a partially coherent source, the interference map is calculated by using the first eigenfunction of the transmission cross coefficient (TCC). From this interference map, clear 0° AFs and for clear 180° AFs are placed in the optimal location. Thus, IML is a method to place AFs via a model. From the interference map, a method for creating a CPL mask is demonstrated. Using IML, techniques to optimize a binary mask or a CPL mask are presented for maximizing the exposure latitude (EL) or depth of focus (DOF). These techniques are verified with simulation. Using IML for maximum EL, a CPL mask with 100nm (k1=0.39) contacts was created and exposed on an ASML /1100 ArF scanner using NA of 0.75 and Quasar illumination (σin=0.72, σout=0.92, span angle=20°). Measurements on the exposed wafers show that IML CPL results in printing 100nm contacts through pitch (200nm minimum pitch to isolated) with 0.45μm DOF at 10% EL.