Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PERT/CPM and Supplementary Analytical Techniques. An Analysis of Aerospace Usage

Abstract : The rapid pace of technological progress in the last 75 years has caused the development of a number of new management tools, but perhaps the most controversial of these is network based management. Two closely related methods exist, the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and the Critical Path Method (CPM). These methods are often spoken of today as one, called PERT/CPM. Two important analytical techniques often used with PERT/CPM are Cost Duration Analysis (CDA) and Critical Resource Analysis (CRA). PERT, CPM, CDA, and CRA have gone through many changes since they were developed in the late 1950's, and the current theoretical and mathematical approaches to them can be quite complex. This theory tends to dominate published material in the network management field, there being little documentation of practical applications of PERT/CPM. This disparity was investigated in the aerospace industry in this thesis.
Design of surfaces with mechanical nanoheterogeneities for a better control of cell-material interactions

Growing cells are sensitive to the chemical composition, the topography and the mechanical properties of their substrate surface. Chemical composition and topography of surfaces used to interact with biological matter become more and more controlled, either at a supra- or at a subcellular level. However, control of the mechanical properties of a surface at the subcellular scale remains challenging. The aim of this study is to prepare surfaces presenting mechanical cues at the nanometer scale and to evaluate cell behavior in contact with these surfaces. The adopted strategy consists in coating a substrate showing rigid topographic nanostructures with a thin layer of an elastomer. This soft layer ensures the homogeneous chemistry and topography of the surface, while the rigid structures underneath provide mechanical contrast. Colloidal lithography using 500 nm silica beads is developed in order to create a defined rigid topography with a relatively ordered pattern over wide areas. When thin films of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) are spin-coated on top of the silica colloids, limited roughness but significant mechanical heterogeneities were revealed using atomic force microscopy, by acquiring height images and mapping force-distance curves. Preosteoblasts, myoblasts and gingival fibroblasts were cultured on the obtained substrates. The results show that cell behavior is affected by the presence of embedded rigid colloids in the soft PDMS layer in a cell type-dependent manner. Cell proliferation always reaches its maximum on heterogeneous substrates, while on homogeneous PDMS substrates with different stiffness, each cell type proliferates the best for a specific stiffness. This suggests that on mechanically nanoheterogeneous substrates, cells can make use of areas of the most favorable stiffness, which will then control their response.
Statistical simulation, calibration and analysis of 0.25 CMOS technology

A statistical simulation flow for the characterization and analysis of 0.25 CMOS technology is presented. The simulation tools PDFAB, Tsuprem4 and Medici were used in this work. The simulation tools were calibrated to the Etest data and their capability to predict were verified. The statistical input parameters were collected from actual manufacturing distributions. Simulation results showed very good agreement with the manufacturing data.
Winding factors and Joule losses of permanent magnet machines with concentrated windings

The torque to MMF ratio of a permanent magnet machine with concentrated windings is normally much lower than for the more traditionally used distributed windings. BLDC and AC machines with concentrated windings usually have a slot pitch of only 2/3 the length of the pole pitch, which results in a poor fundamental winding factor of 0,866. This can be compared to the ideal winding factor of one, which can easily be acquired using distributed windings. However, by choosing better combinations of the pole and slot numbers for a machine with concentrated windings, the winding factor can be substantially increased. Moreover, it is also possible to achieve low cogging torque without skewing, simply by selecting appropriate combinations. The presented theory includes both single- and double-layer configurations of concentrated windings. The theory is verified by using FEM analysis. This paper describes methods for designing high performance permanent magnet machines with concentrated windings.
Comparison of torque responses of the interior permanent magnet motor under PWM current and direct torque controls

This paper compares the conventional CRPWM torque control scheme (in the rotor reference frame) for interior PM synchronous motor drives with the direct torque control scheme which operates in the stator reference frame. The direct torque control scheme, controls the stator flux vector directly in the stator reference frame as a means to control torque. It has several advantages such as elimination of the mandatory rotor position sensor, stator to rotor transformation and closed-loop PWM current controller networks/software. The elimination of certain hardware/software and of the inevitable delays inherent in these networks potentially results in a much faster dynamic torque response than that which is obtained with PWM current control. This paper examines the response times of torque for the two schemes through analysis, modelling and experimental studies, and compares the two strategies of torque control.
Implementation and Evaluation of Autonomous Multi-Track Fader Control

A new approach to the autonomous control of faders for multi-track audio mixing is presented. The algorithm is designed to generate an automatic sound mix from an arbitrary number of monaural or stereo audio tracks of any sample rate, and to be suitable for both live and post-production use. Mixing levels are determined by the use of the EBU R-128 loudness measure, with a cross-adaptive process to bring each track to a time-varying average. A hysteresis loudness gate and selective smoothing prevents the adjustment of intentional dynamics in the music. Realtime and off-line software implementations have been created. Subjective evaluation is provided in the form of listening tests, where the method is compared against the results of a human mix and a previous automatic fader implementation.
Image Identification And Restoration In The Subband Domain

When faced with a large support point spread function (PSF), the iterative expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm, which is often used for PSF identification, is very sensitive to the initial PSF estimate. To deal with this problem, the authors propose to do EM image identification and restoration in the subband domain. After the image is first divided into subbands, the EM algorithm is applied to each subband separately. Since the PSF can be taken to have smaller support in each subband, these subbands should be less of a problem with the EM model identification. They also introduce an adaptive subband EM method for use in the upper frequency subbands.
Fabrication of a high-aspect-ratio stainless steel shadow mask and its application to pentacene thin-film transistors

A high-aspect-ratio and high-resolution stainless steel shadow mask for organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) has been fabricated using a new method which combines micro-electro-discharge machining (micro-EDM) and electrochemical etching (ECE). First, square holes are serially machined using micro-EDM. Then, the ECE process is used to reduce the spacing of holes, which can be reduced down to 3.6 µm. Using this method, a 95 µm thick stainless steel shadow mask can be fabricated with a wall 3.6 µm in width and 150 µm in length. The aspect ratio of the wall is about 26. Source and drain electrodes of OTFTs were successfully patterned on a pentacene active layer through the fabricated shadow mask, and the fabricated pentacene TFTs had good output characteristics.
Series SEPIC implementing voltage-lift technique for DC-DC power conversion

The voltage-lift technique is an effective method that could be applied in electronic circuit design. A set of positive output DC-DC converters applying series SEPIC implementing voltage-lift techniques is introduced. Compared with the prototype of the SEPIC converter, these converters can perform positive to positive DC-DC voltage increasing conversion with higher voltage transfer gains. They are different from other existing DC-DC step-up converters and possess obvious advantages, mainly including fewer switches, clear conversion processes and a high output voltage with small ripples. Since the proposed converters avoid using transformers and cascade connection, relative simple structures are beneficial to potential practical applications in future. A detailed theoretical analysis for continuous and discontinuous conduction modes is given. Both simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the main characteristics.
Weighted Deep Neural Network Based Clinical Decision Support System for the Determination of Fetal Health

Healthcare industry is undergoing changes at a tremendous rate due to healthcare innovations. Predictive analytics is increasingly being used to diagnose the patient’s ailments and provide actionable insights into already existing healthcare data. The paper looks at a decision support system for determining the health status of the foetus from cardiotographic data using deep learning neural networks. The foetal health records are classified as normal, suspect and pathological. As the multiclass cardiotographic datset of the foetus shows a high degree of imbalance a weighted deep neural network is applied. To overcome the accuracy paradox due to the multiclass imbalance, relevant metrics such as the sensitivity, specificity, F1 Score and Gmean are used to measure the performance of the classifier rather than accuracy. The metrics are applied to the individual classes to ensure that the positive cases are identified correctly. The weighted DNN based classifier is able to classify the positive instances with Gmean score of 91% which is better than than the SVM classifier.
Characterization of the Pediatric Shoulder’s Resistance to Lateral Loading Conditions

Current efforts to prevent injury to children in car accidents involve the use of pediatric anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) which are designed based on data from adult post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) and animal surrogates, rather than from data obtained directly from the pediatric population. In this study, the force-deflection characteristics of the pediatric and adult shoulder were measured directly using a combination of optical motion capture, resistive loading, and electromyography (EMG). The right shoulder of nine adult volunteers and ten pediatric volunteers was quasi-statically displaced using a hand-held force applicator in both medial and posteromedial directions. Each subject had reflective markers placed on the upper right arm, both acromions, the manubrium, and both epicondyles of the right elbow. The motions of the reflective markers were tracked using an eight-camera Vicon motion capture system. Surface EMG electrodes were applied to the latissimus dorsi, upper trapezius, anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid, biceps brachii, and pectoralis major to measure the level of muscle activity during loading. Three to five tests were performed for each loading direction and in both relaxed and tensed states. The resulting force-deflection curves were normalized and then shoulder stiffness was calculated. Shoulder stiffness in the medial direction could not be obtained since less than 2 mm of shoulder deflection was recorded in the medial loading direction prior to the data being truncated due to subject tilting. The shoulder stiffness in the posteromedial direction was found to be 3.8 N/mm for the 50th male, 2.4 N/mm for the 10 year old age group, and 3.7 N/mm for the 6 year old group in the relaxed condition. In the tensed condition, posteromedial shoulder stiffness was found to be 9.7 N/mm for the 50th male, 4.1 N/mm for the 10 year old age group, and 5.0 N/mm for the 6 year old age group. Statistical analyses were performed and it was found that adults had a significantly higher shoulder stiffness than the children. Tensed shoulder stiffness was found to be greater than relaxed shoulder stiffness for all age groups (p < 0.001).
Digital MEMS switch for planar photonic crossconnects

In conclusion we have demonstrated fully nonblocking 16/spl times/16 switches in a single chip solution using MEMS fabricated by a surface micro-machining. We have shown how the critical mechanical elements of the MEMS-cell have been chosen to achieve large mechanical movement, high angular repeatability of the movement, and high reliability of the actuation mechanism, which translated into low loss and high reliability of the packaged component. Test results for these components have been presented.
A Report on the Tick Burden, Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Anaplasma Marginale in the Blood Samples of Cattle Collected from District Layyah in Punjab (Pakistan)

Back ground: Anaplasmosis is known as yellow bag or yellow fever and it is a tick borne disease caused by obligate intercellular gram negative bacteria, Anaplasma marginale. Aim: Present study is reporting seasonal prevalence, epidemiology and phylogeny of Anaplasma marginale in three cattle breeds from District Layyah, Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Methods and results: A total of 844 blood samples (Cross = 300, Holstein Friesian = 244, Sahiwal breed = 300) from apparently healthy cattle on seasonal basis were collected along with epidemiological data. Results: Polymerase chain reaction generated 265 base pair amplicon specific for Major surface protein–1b encoding gene of Anaplasma marginale in 8.6% (73/844) of enrolled cattle. Highest prevalence was observed during autumn (18.3%) followed by summer (9.7%) and winter season (7.1%). Holstein Friesian breed was most susceptible to A. marginale infection (13.1%) followed by Sahiwal (7.6%) and cross breed (6%). Representative amplified partial gene sequences of A. marginale were submitted to GenBank (Accession numbers MK032842 and MK032843). Its phylogenetic analysis had shown similarities with sequences submitted by other countries. 37/844 (4.3%) Giemsa stained blood smears were found positive for Anaplasma spp. Analysis of epidemiological factors revealed that female cattle and farm with water supply from pool, farms where other dairy animals and dogs were living with cattle and dogs having ticks load on them had significant association with A. marginale prevalence. It was observed that white blood cell, lymphocytes (%), Monocytes (%) heamatocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were significantly disturbed in A. marginale positive than negative cattle. Conclusion: We recommend that this PCR protocol should be used for the detection of A. marginale in livestock for their proper diagnosis and treatment.
A New Response Surface Method for Structural Reliability Analysis

The response surface method is adopted to analyze the structural reliability. This paper presents a new response surface method with the uniform design method to predict the failure probability of structures. It is the response surface method based on Fourier orthogonal basis function (RSM-Fourier). To reduce computational costs in structural reliability analysis, approximate Fourier response surface functions for reliability assessment have been suggested. The method involves the selection of training datasets for establishing a model by the uniform design points, the approximation of the limit state function by the trained model and the estimation of the failure probability using first-order reliability method (FORM). The proposed method is applied to examples, compared with other methods to demonstrate its effectiveness.
A novel MRAS current-based sensorless vector controlled PMLSM drive for low speed operation

A novel model reference adaptive system (MRAS) current-based estimator for permanent magnet linear synchronous machines has been developed to estimate the speed and stator resistance during low speed operation. The inclusion of stator resistance estimation Is crucial because the sensorless drive's stability is sensitive to any stator resistance mismatch particularly at low speed operation. The estimator is derived according to Lyapunov's second theorem to ensure stability of the sensorless drive under all operating conditions. Stability of the proposed estimator Is always well preserved even at motoring and regenerating regions, which is verified by extensive simulations and experimental results. Detailed study on the stability of the MRAS current-based estimator has been carried out to prove the stability of the designed estimator for various operating modes.
Characteristics of Ebola Virus Disease Survivor Blood and Semen in Liberia: Serology and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)

Ebola virus (EBOV), species Zaire ebolavirus, may persist in the semen of male survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD). We conducted a study of male survivors of the 2014–2016 EVD outbreak in Liberia and evaluated their immune responses to EBOV. We report here findings from the serologic testing of blood for EBOV-specific antibodies, molecular testing for EBOV in blood and semen, and serologic testing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in a subset of study participants. We tested for EBOV RNA in blood by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and for anti-EBOV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for 126 study participants. We performed PBMC analysis on a subgroup of 26 IgG-negative participants. All 126 participants tested negative for EBOV RNA in blood by qRT-PCR. The blood of 26 participants tested negative for EBOV-specific IgG antibodies by ELISA. PBMCs were collected from 23/26 EBOV IgG-negative participants. Of these, 1/23 participants had PBMCs that produced anti-EBOV-specific IgG antibodies upon stimulation with EBOV-specific glycoprotein (GP) and nucleoprotein (NP) antigens. The blood of EVD survivors, collected when they did not have symptoms meeting the case definition for acute or relapsed EVD, is unlikely to pose a risk for EBOV transmission. We identified 1 IgM/IgG negative participant who had PBMCs that produced anti-EBOV-specific antibodies upon stimulation. Immunogenicity following acute EBOV infection may exist along a spectrum, and absence of antibody response should not be exclusionary in determining an individual’s status as a survivor of EVD.
İşitme Engelliler Okullarında Bilgi ve İletişim Teknolojilerinin Öğretim Amaçlı Kullanımının İncelenmesi

This study was performed to determine the hearing impaired students’ use of information and communication technology for teaching in elementary and secondary schools. The study was designed as a case study in the academic year 20132014 at a Deaf Studying in Elementary and Middle School. The sample of the study constitute 40 hearing impaired students and 15 teachers. The data were collected with observations, semi-structured interviews, reflective journals as commonly used in qualitative research methods. In order to ensure the validity and reliability of research data has resorted to strategies such as diversity. Descriptive analysis and content analysis were used to analyze the data. According to the findings, information and communication technologies are increasing the motivation of hearing impaired students that facilitate the course offerings for students with disabilities and students. Current lack of technological infrastructure and computer games as a means of seeing the students are shown as the main problem. At the end, producing content for the use of information and communication technology in the curriculum framework for the hearing impaired has emerged as the basic proposal. The results of the education of hearing impaired of information and communication technologies is expected to contribute on the use of correct and conscious
Gain analysis of higher-order-mode amplification in a dielectric-implanted multi-beam traveling wave structure

A multi-beam traveling wave amplifier designed with an overmoded staggered double grating array was examined by small signal analysis combined with simulation. Eigenmode and S-parameter analyses show that the 2 cm long slow wave structure (SWS) has 1–5 dB insertion loss over the passband (TM31 mode) with ∼28% cold bandwidth. Analytic gain calculation indicates that in the SWS, TM31-mode is amplified with 15–20 dB/beam at 64–84 GHz with three elliptical beams of 10 kV and 150 mA/beam, which was compared with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. PIC analysis on the analysis of instability with zero-input driving excitations demonstrated that background noises and non-operating lower order modes are noticeably suppressed by implanting equidistant dielectric absorbers; the overmoded structure only allowed the desired 3rd order mode to propagate in the structure. The designed circuit structure can be widely applied to multi-beam devices for high power RF generation.
Time domain inverse scattering for a buried homogeneous cylinder in a slab medium using NU-SSGA

A time-domain inverse scattering technique for reconstructing a buried homogeneous cylinder with arbitrary cross section in a slab medium is proposed. For the forward scattering, the FDTD method is employed to calculate the scattered E fields. Base on the scattering fields, these inverse scattering problems are transformed into optimization problems. The non-uniform steady state genetic algorithm (NU-SSGA) is applied to reconstruct the location shape and permittivity of the two-dimensional homogeneous dielectric cylinder. The NU-SSGA is a population-based optimization approach that aims to minimize the objective function between measurements and computer-simulated data. A set of representative numerical results is presented for demonstrating that the proposed approach is able to efficiently reconstruct the electromagnetic properties of homogeneous dielectric scatterer even when the initial guess is far away from the exact one. In addition, the effects of Gaussian noises on the image reconstruction are also investigated.
High temperature, high power density packaging for automotive applications

The automotive industry is pushing power electronic packaging to higher operating and heatsink temperatures while still requiring very high power densities due to limited space. Currently, the power electronics that is implemented within the engine compartment of the vehicle must operate with heatsink temperatures of approximately 85/spl deg/C and this temperature can be expected to increase to 125/spl deg/C in the near future. The high temperature operation of the power electronic structure is fundamentally limited by the employed materials maximum temperatures. A packaging concept is introduced that describes a structure realisation that enables the materials to operate at high ambient temperatures without exceeding their individual maximum temperatures. This in turn allows the complete power electronic structure to operate at a higher system temperature. In this paper, the packaging concept that can be used to meet these difficult requirements of high temperature and high power-density is introduced, discussed and implemented. Two case studies are considered and implemented to illustrate the packaging concept.