Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TIME-FREQUENCY PERSPECTIVES IN THE ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF GROUND MOTIONS AND STRUCTURAL RESPONSE

Many Civil Engineering processes are characterized by nonstationary and nonlinear features that are often obscured in more traditional Fourier-based analysis schemes. As these representations provide an averaged-sense of frequency content, they do not distinguish noteworthy frequency components that are of short duration and high-intensity from those arising from persistent, low-amplitude features. The ability to differentiate these contributions is critical, as they can induce drastically different responses in a given structure, motivating this study’s use of frameworks capable of resolving energy content with both frequency and time. In tandem with specified signal processing treatments, this study presents a suite of wavelet perspectives, from wavelet instantaneous frequency spectra (WIFS), which can track evolving frequency content, to instantaneous power spectra, which resolve the relative energy contributions of different frequency bands at “snapshots” in time, and time/frequency energy accumulation rates for recorded ground motions.
THE FINANCIAL BENEFIT OF EARTHQUAKE RETROFITTING IN DIFFERENT HAZARD ENVIRONMENTS

Large seismic events have proven to be amongst the most destructive natural hazards in terms of economic losses. Over the last decades, significant research efforts have been devoted to quantify their potential economic impact. In this context, the objective of this study is three-fold. First, we estimate the seismic risk and the benefit of seismic retrofit in avoiding seismic losses by integrating the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center framework, with the standard actuarial “frequency-severity” method. Second, to quantify seismic risk and compare different effects of structural retrofit we review common risk measures used in the engineering and the insurance industry. Finally, we investigate the sensitivity of the normalized retrofit benefit with respect to the selected risk measures, the hazard levels (e.g. low, medium, high), and the vulnerability models. The results demonstrate that the curve representing the benefit obtained from earthquake retrofit is concave for the risk measures considered in the low exceedance probability range. The concave nature of this curve is almost independent of the hazard environment and the structural characteristics of the considered building. 1Research Associate, ETH Risk Center, Zurich, Switzerland 8092 2Graduate Student, Chair of Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland 8092 3Research Associate, Chair of Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland 8092 4Professor, Chair of Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland 8092 Galanis P, Bodenmann L, Broccardo M, Stojadinovic B. The Financial Benefit of Earthquake Retrofitting in different Hazard Environments. Proceedings of the 11th National Conference in Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA. 2018. Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy June 25-29, 2018 Los Angeles, California The Financial Benefit of Earthquake Retrofitting in Different Hazard Environments P. Galanis, L. Bodenmann, M. Broccardo, B. Stojadinovic
SEISMIC VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF HIGHWAYS AND RAILROADS – APPLICATION TO THE GREAT LISBON AREA

A methodology for the characterization and analysis of the seismic vulnerability of road and railroad networks is presented. It aims at the development of a seismic simulator that allows the seismic damage assessment of such networks in the great Lisbon area in Portugal. Also presented are some criteria for the definition of damage classes associated to the network elements, such as bridges and viaducts, considering the dynamic effects of the structural response, liquefaction and landslide occurrence.
REAL-TIME TAXI DEMAND PREDICTION USING TRANSFER LEARNING

In urban systems, nature, economy, environment, and many other settings, there are multiple simultaneous phenomena happening that are of interest to model and predict. Phenomena of relevance include travel times and travel demand from different transport modes for different areas in a city, infrastructure conditions, weather impacts, parking availability, energy demand, emissions, and so on. For practical and historical reasons, the approach has been to focus on each phenomenon separately, by gathering data, designing and estimating one model with one problem in mind. However, because these scenarios are frequently rich in correlations between those phenomena, knowing the value of one response variable may contribute to improving prediction quality of other response variables.
The combination of TLR‐9 adjuvantation and electroporation‐mediated delivery enhances in vivo antitumor responses after vaccination with HPV‐16 E7 encoding DNA

Therapeutic DNA vaccination is an attractive adjuvant option to conventional methods in the fight against cancer, like surgery radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Despite strong antitumor effects that were observed in small animals with different antigens, DNA‐based vaccines remain weakly immunogenic in large animals and primates compared to protein‐based vaccines. Here, we sought to enhance the immunogenicity of a therapeutic nontransforming cervical cancer DNA vaccine (HPV‐16 E7SH) by introduction of a highly optimized CpG cassette into the plasmid backbone as well as by an optimized DNA delivery using an advanced electroporation (EP) technology. By integrating the means for agent administration and EP into a single device, this technology enables a simple, one‐step procedure that facilitates reproducibility. We found that highly optimized CpG motifs alone triggers an enhanced IFN‐γ and granzyme B response in Elispot assays as well as stronger tumor regression. Furthermore, these effects could be dramatically enhanced when the CpG cassette containing plasmid was administered via the newly developed EP technology. These data suggest that an optimized application of CpG‐enriched DNA vaccines may be an attractive strategy for the treatment of cancer. Collectively, these results provide a basis for the transfer of preclinical therapeutic DNA‐based immunization studies into successful clinical cancer trials.
Antioxidant Capacities of Various Leaves Extracts from Three Species of Legumes and Correlation with Total Flavonoid , Phenolic , Carotenoid Content

The objectives of this research were to study antioxidant capacity from various leaves extracts of legumes using two methods of antioxidant testing which were DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) and correlation of total flavonoid, phenolic and carotenoid content in various leaves extracts of legumes with IC50 of DPPH and EC50 of FRAP antioxidant capacities. Extraction was performed by reflux using different polarity solvents. The extracts were evaporated using rotary evaporator. Antioxidant capacities using DPPH and FRAP assays, determination of total phenolic, flavonoid and carotenoid content were performed by spectrophotometry UVvisible and its correlation with IC50 of DPPH scavenging capacities and EC50 of FRAP capacities were analyzed by Pearson’s method. Ethanolic leaves extract of green bean (GB3) had the lowest IC50 of DPPH scavenging capacity with IC50 1.9 g/ml and the lowest EC50 of FRAP capacity with EC50 46.9 g/ml. Ethyl acetate leaves extract of green bean (GB2) contained the highest total flavonoid (6.7 g QE/100 g), ethanolic leaves extract of green bean (GB3) the highest phenolic content (26.2 g GAE/100 g) and n-hexane leaves extract of soybean (SB1) had the highest total carotenoid 18.42 g BE/100 g. There were negatively and high correlation between total phenolic content in soy bean and peanut leaves extracts with their IC50 of DPPH scavenging activities and EC50 of FRAP capacities. All of leaves extracts from three species of legumes had linear result in DPPH and FRAP assays.
MONOTONIC SHEAR LOADING RESPONSE OF RECONSTITUTED NATURAL SILT WITH INITIAL STATIC SHEAR STRESS

The monotonic shear loading response of reconstituted natural silt with initial static shear bias (α) was investigated using constant-volume direct simple shear (DSS) tests. Natural silt for the present experimental investigation originates from Kamloops benchland deposits, located on the south side of South Thompson River in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Silt specimens initially consolidated to varying vertical effective confining stresses (σ'vc) and initial static shear stresses (τstatic) were subjected to constant-volume monotonic shear loading in different directions with respect to the applied static shear stress. Under similar α values, the shear resistance was found to increase with increasing σ'vc levels and when normalized, the effective stress paths appeared to generally coincide indicating stress history normalizability. Under similar σ'vc values, the shear resistance was observed to increase with increasing α values for specimens where the monotonic shear loading was applied in the same direction as the applied initial static shear stress. This trend was not observed when the test specimens were sheared in an opposite direction to the applied initial static shear stress under similar σ'vc and varying α values. All silt specimens displayed a prominent contractive tendency in spite of variation in the confining stress levels, initial static shear bias levels, and shearing directions, and the behavioral patterns observed for the tested silt material under monotonic DSS loading was found similar to those typically observed for clays. Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2002-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4 (email: priyesh.verma.88@civil.ubc.ca) Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2002-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4 (email: dharmaw@civil.ubc.ca) Verma P, Wijewickreme D. Monotonic shear loading response of reconstituted silt with initial static shear stress. Proceedings of the 11 National Conference in Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA. 2018. Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy June 25-29, 2018 Los Angeles, California Monotonic Shear Loading Response of Reconstituted Natural Silt with Initial Static Shear Stress P. Verma and D. Wijewickreme
EARTHQUAKE LOSS ESTIMATION AND MITIGATION IN EUROPE : A REVIEW AND COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES

The paper contributes to an assessment of the uncertainties involved in the use of current loss modeling methodologies when applied to the estimation of building damage and casualty generation in urban areas. The work derives from studies conducted within the EU-funded LESSLOSS project with the aim of providing a basis for urban planning authorities methods to assess alternative mitigation strategies. Research teams in Istanbul, Thessaloniki and Lisbon developed methods applicable to their own city and building stock. A benchmarking study was then carried out to compare the results of the three approaches when applied to a standardized “urban block”. The paper, presents the results of the benchmarking study, and reviews the differences between the loss estimation approaches used, There are significant differences in surface ground motion, and even greater differences in predicted damage and casualties resulting from the ground motions using the different approaches. The paper discusses possible reasons for these differences and the implications for the estimation of uncertainty in urban loss estimation.
3 D Human Body Reconstruction for Worker Ergonomic Posture Analysis with Monocular Video Camera

In the modular construction industry of Canada, workers experience awkward postures and motions (reaching above shoulder, back bending backward, elbow/wrist flex, etc.) due to improper workstation designs. The awkward postures often lead to worker injuries and accidents, which do not only reduce the productivity but also increases the production cost. Therefore, the ergonomic posture analysis becomes essential to identify, mitigate and prevent the awkward postures of workers when workstation designs are changed. This paper proposes a novel framework to conduct the worker ergonomic posture analysis through the 3D reconstruction of human body from the video sequences captured by a monocular camera. The framework consists of four components: tracking worker of interest; detecting worker joints and body parts; refining 2D worker pose; and generating 3D human body model. The human body model generated from the framework could be used to estimate the joint angles of the workers to identify whether their postures meet the ergonomic requirements. The proposed framework has been tested on real construction videos, and the test results showed its effectiveness.
Effect of Pichia pastoris host strain on the properties of recombinant Aspergillus niger endoglucanase, EglB

Aims: The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is widely used to express foreign proteins fused to secretion signals. As the effect of the expression host on the final protein product is unclear, we compared the properties of an endoglucanase (eglB of Aspergillus niger) expressed in two different P. pastoris strains. Methodology and results: Full-length cDNA encoding endoglucanase of A. niger strain ATCC10574 was isolated and expressed in P. pastoris X33 (the methanol utilisation plus phenotype, Mut) and P. pastoris GS115 (slow methanol utilisation, Mut). EglB-GS115 showed the highest activity and stability at 60 °C while EglB-X33 was most active at 50 °C. EglB-X33 was active towards other substrates such as arabinogalactan, guar gum and locust bean gum besides its specific substrate, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). However, EglB-GS115 was only active on CMC. The affinity of EglBX33 towards CMC (Km = 7.5 mg/mL and specific activity 658 U/mg) was higher than that of EglB-GS115 (Km = 11.57 mg/mL, specific activity 144 U/mg). Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Although eglB was cloned in the same expression vector (pPICZαC), two different characteristics of enzymes were recovered from the supernatant of the different hosts. Thus, expression of recombinant enzyme in different P. pastoris strains greatly affects the physical structure and biochemical properties of the enzyme.
A search for methane in the atmosphere of GJ 1214b via GTC narrow-band transmission spectrophotometry

We present narrow-band photometric measurements of the exoplanet GJ 1214b using the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and the Optical System for Imaging and low Resolution Integrated Spectroscopy instrument. Using tuneable filters, we observed a total of five transits, three of which were observed at two wavelengths nearly simultaneously, producing a total of eight individual light curves, six of these probed the possible existence of a methane absorption feature in the 8770–8850 A region at high resolution. We detect no increase in the planet-to-star radius ratio across the methane feature with a change in radius ratio of ΔR = -0.0007 ± 0.0017 corresponding to a scaleheight (H) change of −0.5 ± 1.2H across the methane feature, assuming a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. We find that a variety of water and cloudy atmospheric models fit the data well, but find that cloud-free models provide poor fits. These observations support a flat transmission spectrum resulting from the presence of a high-altitude haze or a water-rich atmosphere, in agreement with previous studies. In this study, the observations are pre-dominantly limited by the photometric quality and the limited number of data points (resulting from a long observing cadence), which make the determination of the systematic noise challenging. With tuneable filters capable of high-resolution measurements (R ≈ 600–750) of narrow absorption features, the interpretation of our results are also limited by the absence of high-resolution methane models below 1 μm.
2 D AND 3 D VISUALIZATION STRATEGIES FOR DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT

This paper demonstrates how effective visualization strategies and intuitive workflow guidance can support distribution grid operators in coping with tomorrow’s challenges. Firstly, it will describe a methodology for understanding the requirements for Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) from an enduser perspective and illustrate an example outcome which has been evaluated with users. Secondly, it will introduce two new strategies for enhancing situational awareness.
Numerical simulation of the flow past a rotating propeller behind a hull

Aim of this work is the analysis of the flow in the stern region of a fully appended twin–screw hull by an URANSE simulation. The numerical tool consists of a finite volume code, where the convective terms are integrated by a third– order algorithm that, introducing a very small numerical diffusivity, permits to follow the evolution of the tip vortices and their interaction with the rudder. The movement of the propeller is resolved by a dynamic overlapping grids method. The numerical data are first verified and validated by comparison with measurements and then exploited in order to get a deep insight of both the velocity field and the pressure oscillation on the stern vault.
Genetic variability and estimation of effective population sizes of the natural populations of green arowana , Scleropages formosus in Peninsular Malaysia

Microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences were used to assess the genetic variability and to estimate genetic effective population sizes of the natural populations of green arowana in Tasik Bera Lake and Endau River. Nine microsatellite loci were polymorphic in both the Tasek Bera and Endau River populations. Results showed evidence of inbreeding in Tasik Bera and Endau River populations. These two populations also exhibited significant heterozygosity excess (p<0.05), suggesting that these two populations have experienced a reduction in effective population size (Ne). Using mtDNA, haplotype diversity was estimated 1.000 for both the populations and nucleotide diversity was low: 0.004 for Tasik Bera and 0.006 for Endau River. The significantly (p< 0.05) negative Fu’s Fs in Tasik Bera (-4.263) indicated this population has undergone historical expansion and this is possibly the cause of the high mitochondrial gene diversity noticed. The historical and contemporary Ne of both Tasik Bera and Endau River populations based on microsatellite data suggested that the size of the arowana populations reduced drastically but these two populations has not experienced genetic bottleneck yet. Genetic differentiation based on microsatellite and mtDNA data between the arowana from Tasik Beara and Endau River was low. This observation may be resulted from isolations of these two populations due to changes of land mass configurations during glaciation and deglaciation and the accompanying lowering and rising of sea levels during the late Pleistocene era.
Li self-diffusion in garnet-type Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 as probed directly by diffusion-induced 7 Li spin-lattice relaxation NMR spectroscopy

A. Kuhn,1 S. Narayanan,2 L. Spencer,3 G. Goward,3 V. Thangadurai,2 and M. Wilkening1,* 1Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Leibniz University Hannover, Callinstr. 3a, D-30167 Hannover, Germany 2Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 3Department of Chemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street W, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1 (Received 18 November 2010; published 15 March 2011)
EVENT RECOGNITION ON IMAGES USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE AND MULTI-LEVEL HISTOGRAMS OF LOCAL PATTERNS

Event recognition on images plays important role in the context of events search and review, archiving and storage of photos, advertising, media. Paper presents a classification system based on texture features (Multi-Level Histogram of Color Multi-Scale Local Binary Pattern and Local Derivative Pattern) and support vector machine (SVM). For classification process authors use several SVM classifiers and compare their results. Three classifiers are tested: "Liblinear", "LibSVM", "Pagasos". Training and test samples are taken from "MediaEval 2013" set of annotating images. The result precision of event recognition varies from 66.75% to 93.75% and the best classifier in terms of AUC metric is "Liblinear" with local binary pattern. Developed image classification system can be used in many applications, for example in internet services, robotics, automated control systems of technological processes where image scenes should be recognized.
OPTIMISING RESPONSE MATRIX MEASUREMENTS FOR LOCO ANALYSIS

The Linear Optics from Closed Orbit (LOCO) method is a common tool for determining storage ring lattice functions and requires a measured BPM to Corrector response matrix. For very large rings with many correctors, such measurements can be time consuming. The following study investigates how the number of correctors and the signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) affects the LOCO analysis results. For the Australian Synchrotron, the results show that four distributed correctors per plane with a SNR of >1000 is sufficient to fit the betatron functions to an accuracy of less than 0.2%.