Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a Multi-Zone Model for NOx Formation in Diesel Engines

This thesis work is the last part of the Master of Science education in mechanical engineering at KTH, Stockholm. The aim of this project was the development of a Multi-zone model for NOx formation in Diesel engines. Because of the stringent emission legislations, great effort is made to decrease the fuel consumption and the harmful emissions of internal combustion engines. Computer simulations play a decisive role in this context because they substitute the expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests. The model is based on a multi-zone approach and uses the wellknown Extended Zeldovich Mechanism which gives a relation to calculate the NO formation rate using the concentration of different gas species involved in the process. All the most important phenomena involved in the Diesel combustion have been modelled. A special attention is then paid to the equilibrium concentration calculation; this is a significant part of the model which strongly influences the following steps. A Simulink model has also been developed. This second version is based on the previous model and it is made especially to allow the connection with other external softwares, GT-power in this case. Simulink gives the possibility to create a model which, using look-up tables instead of iterative functions, can be faster and easier to handle if compared to the MATLAB code. The model has been validated with test sessions on a single cylinder engine based on a heavy duty SCANIA D12 6-cylinder Diesel engine. This work has finally given a model which seems accurate and precise enough to be used as a tool in the simulation of Diesel engine NOx emissions.
Resource Situation as Determinants of Academic Staff Productivity in Nigerian Universities

This study examined the resource situation factors as determinants of academic staff productivity in Nigerian Universities. The study used descriptive r esearch design of the expost facto survey type. Data were collected from a sample of 2700 respondents consisting of academic staff and undergraduate students of Nigerian Universities usi ng multistage, stratified and purposive random sampling techniques. Pearson product moment correlation and t-test statistics were employed to test the three formulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of si gnificance. The study revealed that academic staff in the Nigerian Universities was productive and res ource situation factors such as physical, human and material resources determines the academic staf f productivity. It is therefore recommended that the management and owners of Universities should facilitate better productivity on the parts of academic staff of Nigeria Universities by making more provision for essential resources needed by them to carry out their duties more effectively.
Eco-Driving: Pilot Evaluation of Driving Behavior Changes Among U.S. Drivers

Among several strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, “eco-driving” is one that had not received much attention in the United States (U.S.) until recently. The core of eco-driving programs is to provide drivers with a variety of advice and feedback to minimize fuel consumption while driving. The advice and feedback can be provided through various means including website or brochure, class or training, and in-vehicle driving aids. This study evaluated how an on-board eco-driving device that provides instantaneous fuel economy feedback affects driving behaviors, and consequently fuel economy, of gasoline-engine vehicle drivers in the U.S. under real-world driving conditions. The results from 20 samples of drivers in Southern California show that on average the fuel economy on city streets improves by 6% while the fuel economy on highways improves by 1%. According to responses to the questionnaire at the end of the study period, this group of drivers is willing to adopt eco-driving practices in the near future (mean score of 7.4 out of 10). In fact, 40% of them have already practiced ecodriving, and that penetration rate could go up to 95% if the gasoline price increases to $4.4 per gallon.
Commercial Chatbot: Performance Evaluation, Usability Metrics and Quality Standards of Embodied Conversational Agents

The aim of this paper is to explore commercial applications of chatbots, as well as to propose several measurement metrics to evaluate performance, usability and overall quality of an embodied conversational agent. On the basis of these metrics we examine existing Polish-speaking commercial chatbots that a) work in the B2C sector, b) reach the widest possible range of users, and c) are presumably the most advanced commercial deployments of their creators. We analyse various aspects of functioning of each embodied conversational agent: visual look, form of implementation on the website, speech synthesis unit, built-in knowledge base (with general and specialized information), presentation of knowledge and additional functionalities, conversational abilities and context sensitiveness, personality traits, personalization options, emergency responses in unexpected situations, possibility of rating chatbot and the website by the user. Our study reveals the current condition of Polish market of commercial virtual assistants and emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional evaluation of any commercial chatbot deployment.
Improving distributed innovation processes in virtual organisations through the evaluation of collaboration intensities

Distributed innovation processes (DIPs) are considered a new option to handle both the growing complexity of new products and services and the speed in which they need to be brought to the market. Apparently, DIPs – if conducted in a complementary way – have a positive influence on the innovation cycle regarding quality and development times. However, research has paid little attention to DIPs in collaborative networks (CNs) in the past. CNs, one of them being highly dynamic virtual organisations, could provide an ideal foundation for such DIPs. With the presentation of the collaborative network relationship analysis and the analysis of collaboration intensities, this research gap will be addressed. It is shown that a qualitative planning of collaboration intensities can support the management of innovation networks. Case studies from the business sector demonstrate the applicability. Finally, an example illustrates the underlying mechanisms. This article is an extended version of the paper ‘Managing distributed innovation processes in virtual organizations by applying the collaborative network relationship analysis’ presented at PRO-VE’09 (Eschenbächer, J., Seifert, M., and Thoben, K.-D., 2009. Managing distributed innovation processes in virtual organizations by applying the collaborative network relationship analysis. In: L.M. Camarinha-Matos, I. Paraskakis, and H. Afsamarnesh, eds. Leveraging knowledge for innovation in collaborative networks. Chennai: IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, 13–21).
Analysis and modeling of impulsive noise in broad-band powerline communications

Contrary to many other communication channels, the powerline channel does not represent an additive white Gaussian noise environment. In the frequency range from several hundred kilohertz up to 20 MHz, it is mostly dominated by narrow-band interference and impulsive noise. In particular, the impulsive noise introduces significant time variance into the powerline channel. Spectral analysis and time-domain analysis of impulsive noise give some figures of the power spectral density as well as distributions of amplitude, impulse width, and "interarrival" times in typical powerline scenarios. Furthermore, the impulse rate and the disturbance ratio of the scenarios are examined. Finally, a statistical model of the time behavior of random impulsive noise based on a partitioned Markov chain is developed, which is suitable for implementation in computer-based communication system simulations.
Roles of Land and Topography on Propagating Convective Systems During the Heavy Rainfall Event of the 2002 Jakarta Flood, Indonesia

The movement direction of propagating convective systems originating from both inland and offshore over the north coast of West Java in Indonesia is determined primarily by the prevailing wind. However, the role of a land-sea contrast and a rugged topography over southern West Java is also expected to affect propagating convective systems by increasing land-sea breezes and enhancing upward motion. These hypotheses are tested using a weather prediction model incorporating convection (up to 3 km height) to simulate the heavy rainfall event during 26–29 January associated with the 2002 Jakarta flood. First, we addressed the influence of land-sea contrast and topography on the local circulation, particularly in the area surrounding Jakarta, by replacing the inland topography over western Indonesia (96°–119°E, 17°S–0°) with a water body with an altitude of 0 m. We then compared the results of model simulations with and without topography. The results show that the main role of the topography here is enhancing the upward motion and generating a deep convective cloud in response to the land-based convective system during 26–27 January 2002, which then continuously and rapidly propagates offshore due to the cold pool mechanism. Furthermore, the land-sea contrast has a significant role in increasing sea breeze under the rapidness of the landward propagation system during 28–29 January 2002, which was strengthened by the gravity waves and resulted in early morning convection over coastal regions.
Investigation Into Motivation Types of Saudi and Chines EFL Learners and Gender Role Differences

This study investigates motivation types of Saudi and Chines EFL learners and gender role differences. I selected these two groups because they constituted the most dominant groups that study English abroad. The descriptive and correlational approaches were used to examine the participants’ motivation by collecting the data through questionnaire and interviews. Twenty-five Saudi and Chinese college level English language students were selected as samples for collecting data for answering the research questions. The findings showed that both groups have extrinsic and intrinsic motivation as well integrative and instrumental motivation. The Chinese group’s intrinsic motivation is stronger than the extrinsic motivation.
Design and Implementation of a New Multilevel DC-Link Three-phase Inverter

This paper presents a new configuration for a three-phase multilevel voltage source inverter. The main bridge is built from a classical three-phase two-level inverter and three bidirectional switches. A variable DC-link employing two unequal DC voltage supplies and four switches is connected to the main circuit in such a way that the proposed inverter produces four levels in the output voltage waveform. In order to obtain the desired switching gate signals, the fundamental frequency staircase modulation technique is successfully implemented. Furthermore, the proposed structure is extended and compared with other types of multilevel inverter topologies. The comparison shows that the proposed inverter requires a smaller number of power components. For a given number of voltage steps N, the proposed inverter requires N/2 DC voltage supplies and N+12 switches connected with N+7 gate driver circuits, while diode clamped or flying capacitor inverters require N-1 DC voltage supplies and 6(N-1) switches connected with 6(N-1) gate driver circuits. A prototype of the introduced configuration has been manufactured and the obtained simulation and experimental results ensure the feasibility of the proposed topology and the validity of the implemented modulation technique.
Centering Black feminist thought in nursing praxis

Abstract Femininity and whiteness dominate Western nursing, silencing ontologies and epistemologies that do not align with these dominant norms while perpetuating systemic racism and discrimination in nursing practice, education, research, nursing activism, and sociopolitical structures. We propose Black feminist thought as a praxis to decenter, deconstruct, and unseat these ideologies and systems of power. Drawing from the work of past and present Black feminist scholars, we examine the ontological and epistemological perspectives of Black feminist thought. These include (i) the uniqueness and particular experiences of people, (ii) the acceptance of ontological and epistemological pluralism of truths and ways of knowing, and (iii) the mandate for equity in the health, social, political, and environmental structures of society. By focusing our attention on lived experiences and voices of those systematically excluded in nursing practice, education, research, and society, Black feminist thought offers an anticolonial, antiracist, and antidiscriminatory foundation for more effectively upholding nursing's disciplinary mandate for social justice and equity.
Beyond the Call of Duty: Building on Othermothering for Improving Outcomes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

© 2015 Flowers & Palmer 59 A critical component of the campus environment that leads to increased levels of social and academic integration for students is faculty and student interaction (Pascerella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005). Specifically, research has indicated that faculty and student interactions positively affect students’ satisfaction with their collegiate experience (Astin, 1984/1999). In addition, frequent interactions between faculty and students positively correlate with various academic outcomes including college GPA, degree attainment, persistence, and post-undergraduate aspirations (Astin, 1984/1999). Moreover, increased student-faculty interaction is proven to expand students’ general ways of thinking, strengthen problem-solving skills, and broaden conceptualization of various life goals and aspirations (Astin, 1984/1999; Ancis, Sedlacek, & Mohr, 2000). These positive outcomes resulting from sustained faculty and student interaction have the potential to increase student graduation rates and broaden the skillsets of our workforce (Palmer & Wood, 2012; Strayhorn, 2008). This article will attempt to provide insight into ways that historically black colleges and universities could improve their graduation rates; through Journal of African American Males in Education Spring 2015 Vol. 6 Issue 1
Susceptibility Pattern of Bacterial Isolates from Dental Caries Patients Attending Clinic at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria

This study was carried out to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates from dental caries patients attending the clinic at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria. A total of 223 bacteria samples (Streptococcus mutans = 151; Streptococcus sobrinus = 36; Lactobacillus acidophilus = 22; Streptococcus salivarius = 10; Streptococcus mitis = 4) were collected from the patients. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was done by single disc agar diffusion method on 24 antibiotics; selected into eight different groups of 3 according to action, community usage, and generation. The average group susceptibility of antibiotics to all bacterial isolates were 25.71%, 53.81%, 13.75%, 32.74%, 10.76%, 8.52%, 0.60% and 64.42% for group 1 to 8 respectively. Specifically, the most potent antibiotic in the different groups of antibiotics was Amoxicillin (42.60%), Unasyn (78.03%), Chloramphenicol (37.67%), Erythromycin (74.44%), Streptomycin (28.70%), Cefotaxime (18.39%), Pefloxacin (1.79%) and Clindamycin (96.41%). There was total resistance of all isolates to Cotrimoxazole, Neomycin, Ciprofloxacin, and Ofloxacin. The overall sensitivity of each isolated bacterial to the 24 antibiotics was 26.27%, 26.62%, 22.73%, 32.50%, and 28.13% for Strep. mutans, Strep. sobrinus, L. acidophilus, Strep. salivarius and Strep. mitis respectively. Considering the overall low sensitivity of dental caries isolates to the overall 24 antibiotics, there is a need for antibiotic susceptibility screening before an antibiotic prescription for the treatment of dental caries.
Analysis and Modelling of Experimental Doubly-Spread Shallow- Water Acoustic Channels

A~sI? Qc~- This paper investigates the characteristics of the shallow water acoustic channel as a medium for digital coma munications. Experimental measurements are presented for such channels exhibiting depths of up to 50 m and ranges between to 500 m and 10 km. Results include measured impulse responses extracted via channel soundings using chirp-hased pilot signals. Time dispersion and frequency selectivity measures such as the rms delay spread and the coherence bandwidth of the multipath channel are used to characterize the channels under investigation. Additionally, analysis of the temporal variabiIity using the Doppler spectrum of the distinct spectral components present in the received signal is presented. Furthermore, a simulator for a stochastic channel model is proposed based on autoregressive type filters for capturing the temporal dynamics of the channel. Results demonstrate that the proposed simulator may be utilized effectively in simulations of shalIow-water channels. I. INTRODUCTION It is well-known that propagation of acoustic signals in shallow water channels is dominated by severe intersymbol interference due to the time varying multipath arrivals. Additionally, frequency dispersion in conjunction with the Iimited bandwidth available aggravate the situation [Z]. In this paper, we present experimental channel sounding results that are inherent in designing receiver methodologies for overcoming the above mentioned signal transmission impairments. The remainder of this paper is organised as follows. Section II briefly describes the sea-trial experiment. Section III provides the background methodology required for the channel soundings. In Section IV, the channel analysis is presented. In Section V, the parametric modelling of the strongest propagation path is introduced. Finally, conclusion are summarized in Section VI. 11. EXPERIMENT DESCRIPTION The recorded signals were acquired during sea-trials conducted in the North Sea a few miles of the UK coast. The receive array employed consisted of eight omni-directional transducers comprising a horizontal plane of four elements and it vertical plane to investigate spatial and temporal correlations. The transmitter was positioned at 5m distance from the seabed. The transmitter power was fixed at 186 dB llpa maximally band-limited to 4 kHz. The measurements were made in channels exhibiting depths up to 50 m and ranges between 500 m and 10 km.
Audit indicators and financial performance of manufacturing firms in Nigeria

This study investigated audit Indicators and financial performance of manufacturing firms in Nigeria during the period 2003-2020 (18 years). The researcher used three firms Unilever Nigeria Plc. , Beta Glass Plc. and Meyer Plc. The dependent variable was measured with earnings per share (EPS), while the independent variables were measured with auditor's independence (AUIND), Audit Firm Size (AUSZ), Audit Committee (AUCMT), audit committee financial expertise (AUCFE). Time-series data were used and the researcher obtained it from the annual report and account of the firms under study. The estimation technique was Ordinary least square (OLS), normality, serial correlation, and heteroskedasticity test was carried out with the aid of E-views 9 statistical package. The study found that audit committee (AUCMT) and audit committee financial expertise (AUCFE) have a significant impact on earnings per share of Unilever Nigeria Plc as the p-value t-statistics is below 5% significant level. Also, the Audit Committee (AUCMT), audit independence (AUIND) and audit committee financial expertise (AUCFE) have a significant impact on earnings per share of Beta Glass Plc and Meyer Plc as the p-value t-statistics are below 5% significant level. Globally the p-value of the three manufacturing firms understudy is below 5% significant level.
The correlation between Serum phospholipase A2 receptor antibody and clinicopathological features in patients with membranous nephropathy

Objective: To assess the correlation between Serum phospholipase A2 receptor antibody and clinicopathological features in patients with membranous nephropathy. Method: The patients being hospitalized for renal biopsy were selected in this study from January 2016 to January 2018. And normal controls were randomly selected; all the patients were divided into idiopathic membranous nephropathy and non-idiopathic membranous nephropathy groups; patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy were divided into three groups, namely stage I, stage II and stage III; using software for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 357 patients were enrolled, including 155 patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy, 183 patients with non-idiopathic membranous nephropathy, and 19 cases for normal controls. The average age of the idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) group is higher than that of the membranous nephropathy group (P = 0.01). Different pathological stages of idiopathic membranous nephropathy general clinical characteristics analysis results showed that the age, cys c, serum creatinine (Scr) in stage III membranous nephropathy group were higher than those of the stage I and II membranous nephropathy (P values were 0.003, 0.000 and 0.000 respectively); titers of serum phospholipase A2 receptors antibody with stage II and III membranous nephropathy higher than the stage I membranous nephropathy group (P = 0.006); serum albumin (Alb) levels correlated inversely with serum anti-PLA2R antibody titers (rs = –0.234, P = 0.003), serum antiphospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibody titer level in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy was significantly higher than that in patients with non-membranous nephropathy (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Baseline titer of serum anti-PLA2R antibody is negatively correlated with Alb in the IMN patients，and serum anti-PLA2R antibody level in patients with stage I IMN was significantly lower than stage II and III IMN patients.
Competing in the information age: Urban regeneration and economic development practices in the city of sheffield, United Kingdom

IT is commonly argued that the continuous developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) are playing an important role in the changes occurring within the various social, economic, and political relationships underpinning urban life. The notion of an “informational city” serves a very useful purpose of expressing the structural shifts and many phenomena observable in current patterns of urban development, although it can be challenged theoretically and empirically. It is also important to bear in mind the contested relationships and divergent experiences that occur at the local level as a “new geography” emerges alongside the “new economy. ” Such changes in spatial relations are analyzed in this paper, and in particular relate to the wider notion of industrial restructuring, associated with the collapse of “traditional” industries such as shipbuilding, textiles, coal mining, and steel making. The paper assesses practices in the city of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, taking note of the remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of some “rustbelt” regions during the 1990s, where the benefits arising from the application of ICTs are often portrayed as offering urban planners new opportunities to address uneven spatial development. Castells