Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solar Concentrators

Solar technology offers great potential in terms of supplying the world’s energy needs. However, its current contribution to the world is still limited. The main factor is related to high initial cost of building the system. This paper will provide an up-to-date review of solar concentrators and their benefits to make solar technology affordable. It will also analyse on some of the existing solar concentrators used in the solar technology for the past four decades. The design and performance of each concentrator will be explained and compared.
A new co-located MIMO radar system for multi-target tracking and localization

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) radars are a new generation of radar systems that bring with them many benefits compared to traditional phased-array and multistatic radars. Target localization using MIMO radars with co-located antennas has been recently discussed in the literature. It has been shown that the maximum number of targets that can be uniquely localized in one cell is bounded. This paper presents a new application of MIMO radars in Multi-Target Tracking (MTT) problems. Firstly, the previous model for co-located MIMO radars is modified in order to guarantee the observability in received measurements. Afterwards, it is shown that using prior information about the motion of targets relaxes the limitation on the number of uniquely localized targets. For filtering part, an Un-scented Kalman Filter (UKF) algorithm is used to update states of targets. Simulation results confirm the superiority of proposed approach in estimating states of multi-targets falling in the same resolution cell.
The SCUBA Local Universe Galaxy Survey – II. 450‐μm data: evidence for cold dust in bright IRAS galaxies

This is the second in a series of papers presenting results from the SCUBA Local Universe Galaxy Survey. In our first paper we provided 850-μm flux densities for 104 galaxies selected from the IRAS Bright Galaxy Sample and we found that the 60-, 100-μm (IRAS) and 850-μm (SCUBA) fluxes could be adequately fitted by emission from dust at a single temperature. In this paper we present 450-μm data for the galaxies. With the new data, the spectral energy distributions of the galaxies can no longer be fitted with an isothermal dust model – two temperature components are now required. Using our 450-μm data and fluxes from the literature, we find that the 450/850-μm flux ratio for the galaxies is remarkably constant, and this holds from objects in which the star formation rate is similar to our own Galaxy, to ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) such as Arp 220. The only possible explanation for this is if the dust emissivity index for all of the galaxies is ∼2 and the cold dust component has a similar temperature in all galaxies . The 60-μm luminosities of the galaxies were found to depend on both the dust mass and the relative amount of energy in the warm component, with a tendency for the temperature effects to dominate at the highest L60. The dust masses estimated using the new temperatures are higher by a factor of ∼2 than those determined previously using a single temperature. This brings the gas-to-dust ratios of the IRAS galaxies into agreement with those of the Milky Way and other spiral galaxies which have been intensively studied in the submm.
Fast Approximation Based Combinatorial Optimization Algorithm

Label cost optimization proposes a new improvement in label cost function, improving existing moves of α-expansion algorithm and introducing some new moves for this algorithm. In order to study the performance comparison, different metrics of energy minimization has been considered. An appropriate comparison has been drawn among proposed technique i.e. fast approximation algorithm and previous well known techniques. The objective is to effectively optimize energies so that satisfactory image segmentation can be obtained (represented with different labels respective to different objects). New combinatorial optimization algorithm have been proposed which shows promising experimental results with the new moves, which we believe could be used in any context where α -expansions are currently employed.
Investigating the Effects of Typical Rowing Strength Training Practices on Strength and Power Development and 2,000 m Rowing Performance

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effects of a short-term, strength training intervention, typically undertaken by club-standard rowers, on 2,000 m rowing performance and strength and power development. Twenty-eight male rowers were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. All participants performed baseline testing involving assessments of muscle soreness, creatine kinase activity (CK), maximal voluntary contraction (leg-extensors) (MVC), static-squat jumps (SSJ), counter-movement jumps (CMJ), maximal rowing power strokes (PS) and a 2,000 m rowing ergometer time-trial (2,000 m) with accompanying respiratory-exchange and electromyography (EMG) analysis. Intervention group participants subsequently performed three identical strength training (ST) sessions, in the space of five days, repeating all assessments 24 h following the final ST. The control group completed the same testing procedure but with no ST. Following ST, the intervention group experienced significant elevations in soreness and CK activity, and decrements in MVC, SSJ, CMJ and PS (p < 0.01). However, 2,000 m rowing performance, pacing strategy and gas exchange were unchanged across trials in either condition. Following ST, significant increases occurred for EMG (p < 0.05), and there were non-significant trends for decreased blood lactate and anaerobic energy liberation (p = 0.063 – 0.086). In summary, club-standard rowers, following an intensive period of strength training, maintained their 2,000 m rowing performance despite suffering symptoms of muscle damage and disruption to muscle function. This disruption likely reflected the presence of acute residual fatigue, potentially in type II muscle fibres as strength and power development were affected.
Effects of winding faults on the switched reluctance machine's working performances

The switched reluctance machine (SRM) is considered to be ideal for numerous safety-critical applications (in aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, etc.) where it is desirable that the electrical drive systems to be fault tolerant. The phase independence characteristics of the SRM enable it to operate (at lower power and higher torque ripples) also under partial phase failure conditions. The paper deals with the most frequent faults of the SRMs and their detection. By means of numeric field analysis the effects of winding faults are also investigated. By using advanced co-simulation techniques the dynamic behavior of the SRM in healthy and several faulty conditions are also studied in the paper. The overall conclusions highlight the advantage of using such electrical machines in applications where an unwanted shutdown could have catastrophic effects on the entire system.
New Controls for Combining Images in Correspondence

When interpolating images, for instance in the context of morphing, there are myriad approaches for defining correspondence maps that align structurally similar elements. However, the actual interpolation usually involves simple functions for both geometric paths and color blending. In this paper we explore new types of controls for combining two images related by a correspondence map. Our insight is to apply recent edge-aware decomposition techniques, not just to the image content but to the map itself. Our framework establishes an intuitive low-dimensional parameter space for merging the shape and color from the two source images at both low and high frequencies. A gallery-based user interface enables interactive traversal of this rich space, to either define a morph path or synthesize new hybrid images. Extrapolation of the shape parameters achieves compelling effects. Finally we demonstrate an extension of the framework to videos.
Spatio-temporal trajectory simplification for inferring travel paths

Mining GPS trajectories of moving vehicles has led to many research directions, such as traffic modeling and driving predication. An important challenge is how to map GPS traces to a road network accurately under noisy conditions. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no existing work that first simplifies a trajectory to improve map matching. In this paper we propose three trajectory simplification algorithms that can deal with both offline and online trajectory data. We use weighting functions to incorporate spatial knowledge, such as segment lengths and turning angles, into our simplification algorithms. In addition, we measure the noise degree of a GPS point based on its spatio-temporal relationship to its neighbors. The effectiveness of our algorithms is comprehensively evaluated on real trajectory datasets with varying the noise levels and sampling rates. Our evaluation shows that under highly noisy conditions, our proposed algorithms considerably improve map matching accuracy and reduce computational costs compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
Modification of Hindrance Factor due to the Presence of Charged Surface Heterogeneity

Presence of wall at the vicinity of a moving particle through a flowing or stationary fluid hindered the motion of the particle by implying more drag on it. Presence of charge on the particle alone or on both the wall and particle hinders the motion more due to electrokinetic effect like relaxation and EDL overlap. Presence of charged surface heterogeneity make the scenario worse. A 3D finite element model consisting of Navier-Stokes, Poisson and Nernst-Planck equation has been developed to study the effect of charged surface heterogeneity on the hindrance factor for a charged particle moving along the centerline of a cylindrical channel. It has been found out that presence of charge on the particle increase hindrance factor throughout the whole channel but presence of surface heterogeneity increase the factor at its vicinity only. Effect of solution concentration and separation gap between particle and flagellum are also investigated.
The ESTEEM Architecture for Emergent Semantics and Cooperation in MultiKnowledge Environments

Questo documento costituisce il deliverable DALL2 del progetto Esteem e ha lo scopo di illustrare l’architettura complessiva di un peer Esteem. Tale architettura e stata sviluppata nel corso del progetto con il contributo di tutti i partner e presenta una struttura modulare. In particolare, nel documento, viene fornita una descrizione dei vari componenti dell’architettura e, per ognuno di essi, ne viene descritto il ruolo e il contributo specifico al fine di realizzare collaborazione semantica in sistemi aperti e dinamici caratterizzati da semantica emergente. Contributi distintivi dell’architettura sono relativi a i) un’infrastruttura P2P caratterizzata da overlay multipli per il supporto di comunita semantiche di peer, ii) tecniche per la ricerca di dati e servizi con vincoli dipendenti dal contesto dei peer, iii) tecniche di matching ontologico per valutare il livello di affinita semantica delle risorse condivise dai diversi peer della rete, iv) tecniche per l’integrazione dei dati di tipo trust-aware. Infine, nel documento viene presentato un esempio applicativo ispirato al dominio medico, scelto dal progetto Esteem come scenario applicativo, che permette di contestualizzare le varie tecniche e componenti dell’architettura in un caso concreto.
Leadership Theories : Toward a Relational Model

Introduction Within the context of my Ph.D. dissertation, I am interested in (1) the impact of superiors' management skills and subordinates' working skills on the building of their (hierarchical) relationship and (2) the impact this hierarchical relationship has upon the mental health of workers (i.e. both superiors and subordinates). Research to date has revealed the potentially negative consequences that hierarchical relationships can have on mental health; thus, for example, Brun, Biron, Martel & Ivers (2003) found that poor relations with the supervisor constitutes a significant risk factor for mental health. Leiter and Maslach (2004) report similar findings, that is to say, that the quality of social interactions at work is a major risk factor for mental health. A significant and rather copious body of literature has recently been published concerning our understanding of what constitutes a " good " leader, research which attempts to explore the leader's influence upon subordinates' behavior. As I explore this literature within the context of my own dissertation, I will show that, despite the significant contributions to our understanding of leadership, the very notion of " leadership " is proving to be difficult to define, as researchers are still having trouble arriving at a clear consensus. Nonetheless, the great majority of researchers agree that leadership is a social influenced process (Furnham, 2005). For example, Yulk defines leadership as influence processes 1 affecting the interpretation of events for followers, the choice of objectives for the group or organization, the organization of work activities to accomplish the objectives, the motivation of followers to achieve the objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships and teamwork, and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organization (1994, p. 5). In short, influence, group and goal are the main concepts in leadership theory (Parry & Bryman, 2006). The aim of my dissertation, therefore, is to examine how existing research on leadership can contribute to a greater understanding of the influence that hierarchical relationships have on mental health. Thus, in this first exam, the general objective is to explore how leadership theories are oriented toward these relationships. More precisely, my first exam will attempt to answer the following question: Which theories allow a greater understanding of the relationship between a superior and a subordinate and how the concept of relationship is theorized? In the second exam, I will explain (1) the connection between interpersonal relationship aspects (e.g. emotion, …
Evidence for indurated sand dunes in the Martian north polar region

[1] We investigate the relevance of induration as an explanation for the occurrence of dunes of unusual morphology in the Martian north polar region. The evidence for induration of aeolian deposits on Mars is reviewed. An explanation for rounded, elongated barchans in Chasma Boreale is presented. The role played by induration in the formation of linear dunes is discussed. Our arguments are supported by the results of a computer simulation model.
Harvesting entropy and quantifying the transition from noise to chaos in a photon-counting feedback loop

Significance The unpredictability of physical systems can depend on the scale at which they are observed. For example, single photons incident on a detector arrive at random times, but slow intensity variations can be observed by counting many photons over large time windows. We describe an experiment in which we modulate a weak optical signal using feedback from a single-photon detector. We quantitatively demonstrate a transition from single-photon shot noise to deterministic chaos. Furthermore, we show that measurements of the entropy rate of a system with small-scale noise and large-scale deterministic fluctuations can resolve both behaviors. We describe how quantifying entropy production can be used to evaluate physical random number generators. Many physical processes, including the intensity fluctuations of a chaotic laser, the detection of single photons, and the Brownian motion of a microscopic particle in a fluid are unpredictable, at least on long timescales. This unpredictability can be due to a variety of physical mechanisms, but it is quantified by an entropy rate. This rate, which describes how quickly a system produces new and random information, is fundamentally important in statistical mechanics and practically important for random number generation. We experimentally study entropy generation and the emergence of deterministic chaotic dynamics from discrete noise in a system that applies feedback to a weak optical signal at the single-photon level. We show that the dynamics transition from shot noise to chaos as the photon rate increases and that the entropy rate can reflect either the deterministic or noisy aspects of the system depending on the sampling rate and resolution.
A new soft biometric approach for keystroke dynamics based on gender recognition

Keystroke dynamics allows to authenticate individuals through their way of typing on a computer keyboard. In this study, we are interested in static shared secret keystroke dynamics (all the users type the same password). We present new soft biometrics information which can be extracted from keystroke typing patterns: the gender of the user. This is the first study, to our knowledge, experimenting such kind of information in the field of keystroke dynamics. We present a method for gender recognition through keystroke dynamics with more than 91% of accuracy, on the tested dataset, and we show the improvement on keystroke dynamics authentication method using such kind of information through pattern and score fusion. We obtain a gain of 20% when using gender information against a classical keystroke dynamics method.
dmFSQL: a Language for Data Mining

At present, we have a FSQL server available for Oraclecopy databases which allow us to query a fuzzy or classical database with the FSQL (fuzzy SQL) language for any data type. The FSQL language is an extension of the SQL language, which permits us to write flexible conditions in our queries to a fuzzy or traditional database. In this paper, we proceed to extend FSQL into a new language called dmFSQL (data mining fuzzy structured query language) which can be used to solve real problems of clustering and classification. We consider that this model satisfies the requirements of data mining systems
Solubility of Mixtures Containing Soybean Oil, Ionic Liquid and Methanol

This paper presents data on mutual solubility of the binary (soybean oil + ionic liquid) and ternary (soybean oil + methanol + ionic liquid) systems, where ionic liquid stands for 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate [C4MIM][SCN] or 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C4MIM][NTf2] or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide [C4MIM][DCA] or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C4MIM][PF6] or 1-butyl-3-methyl imida zolium hydrogensulfate [C4MIM] [HSO4] or 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C10MIM][NTf2] or methyltrioctylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [ALIQUAT][NTf2] or methyltrioctylammonium chloride [ALIQUAT][Cl]. Solubilities were determined by the cloud point titration method in the temperature range of 298 K to 343 K. Obtained results suggest that imidazolium based ionic liquids exhibit lower solubility in soybean oil than ionic liquids with the aliquat cation. Thus, aliquat based ionic liquids are good candidate to be used as co-solvents for biphasic (methanol + soybean oil) mixture.
Estimating Crop Coefficients Using Remote Sensing-Based Vegetation Index

Crop coefficient (Kc)-based estimation of crop evapotranspiration is one of the most commonly used methods for irrigation water management. However, uncertainties of the generalized dual crop coefficient (Kc) method of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 56 can contribute to crop evapotranspiration estimates that are substantially different from actual crop evapotranspiration. Similarities between the crop coefficient curve and a satellite-derived vegetation index showed potential for modeling a crop coefficient as a function of the vegetation index. Therefore, the possibility of directly estimating the crop coefficient from satellite reflectance of a crop was investigated. The Kc data used in developing the relationship with NDVI were derived from back-calculations of the FAO-56 dual crop coefficients procedure using field data obtained during 2007 from representative US cropping systems in the High Plains from AmeriFlux sites. A simple linear regression model ( ) is developed to establish a general relationship between a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from a moderate resolution satellite data (MODIS) and the crop coefficient (Kc) calculated from the flux data measured for different crops and cropping practices using AmeriFlux towers. There was a strong linear correlation between the NDVI-estimated Kc and the measured Kc with an r2 of 0.91 and 0.90, while the root-mean-square error (RMSE) for Kc in 2006 and 2007 were 0.16 and 0.19, respectively. The procedure for quantifying crop coefficients from NDVI data presented in this paper should be useful in other regions of the globe to understand regional irrigation water consumption.
Quark Deconfinement in Rotating Neutron Stars

In this paper, we use a three flavor non-local Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, an improved effective model of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) at low energies, to investigate the existence of deconfined quarks in the cores of neutron stars. Particular emphasis is put on the possible existence of quark matter in the cores of rotating neutron stars (pulsars). In contrast to non-rotating neutron stars, whose particle compositions do not change with time (are frozen in), the type and structure of the matter in the cores of rotating neutron stars depends on the spin frequencies of these stars, which opens up a possible new window on the nature of matter deep in the cores of neutron stars. Our study shows that, depending on mass and rotational frequency, up to around 8% of the mass of a massive neutron star may be in the mixed quark-hadron phase, if the phase transition is treated as a Gibbs transition. We also find that the gravitational mass at which quark deconfinement occurs in rotating neutron stars varies quadratically with spin frequency, which can be fitted by a simple formula.