Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repair or buy a new one? The environmental consequences for electronics

It's a dogma that a long product lifetime is always an environmental benefit. But this is not always so in the case of electronics. The electronics sector contains active products, i.e. they consume electricity during use. A lower energy consumption in a new product may therefore "pay" for the total "fixed burden" of producing and disposing both the new and old products. The dynamics of this mechanism has been investigated by an LCA screening of four product groups: televisions, PCs, mobile phones and frequency converters. Two product generations into the future were included in terms of the prevailing expectations for technological innovation. The environmental effects of new technology on these four product groups were assessed to determine the best environmental choice between the following two scenarios: buy a new product and dispose of the old one, or, prolong the life of the product through repair. This paper discusses methods and results, including the best purchase strategy or the best repair strategy.
Analysis of factors affecting log band saw capacity.

Nacrtak The goal of this research was to measure the capacity of the log band saw by monitoring the sawing process per operation for each log and to determine what the influencing factors were and their effect on the technological capacity of the log band saw, based on recorded and processed data. The analysis of the recorded data shows that the processed log volume, whose increase also increases the saw capacity, has the most important effect on log band saw capacity. It is imperative to take into account the volume of logs being processed when calculating the capacity of the log band saw. When monitoring the work of the operator, the use of fixed norms is not recommended and it is imperative that norms are connected to the volume of logs being processed.
Optimization of wideband fiber optic hydrophone probe for ultrasound sensing applications

Rupa Gopinath Minasamudram Under the supervision of Afshin S Daryoush, PhD Acoustic characterization of medical ultrasound devices is needed for optimization of image quality in diagnostic applications and to ensure their safety and effectiveness in therapeutic applications. New generation of acoustic transducers operating at fundamental frequency 15 MHz are being developed and FDA requires that as many as 8 harmonics are considered for real-time pressuretime waveform measurements in dispersive nonlinear medium. Therefore, hydrophone probes are required to perform characterization of the acoustic output of these devices at least up to 100 MHz in terms of frequency response. The primary goal of this thesis is to develop a Fiber Optic Hydrophone Probe (FOHP) for spatial averaging free characterization of ultrasound field till 100 MHz. Spatial averaging free design of the sensor is based on optimization of fiber geometry to achieve an active fiber dimension of the order of 7 μm to be comparable with half of the acoustic wavelength at 100 MHz. An innovative aspect of this work includes the development of a semi-empirical model for extraction of complex refractive index at optical wavelengths of 980 nm, 1480 nm and 1550 nm and stress-strain relationship of thin film gold for thickness ranging from 2nm35nm. These are indispensable in modeling and optimization of 100 MHz FOHP in calculation of optimized pressure to voltage responsivity.
The economic aspect of reliability in distribution system planning

A distribution system planning procedure to handle reliability not only as an important type of analysis but as an integrated part of the cost minimization problem is described. The reliability is described as an operating cost by evaluating the cost of nondelivered power (NDP) and nondelivered energy (NDE). Reported case studies show that the economic assessment of reliability is of great importance in distribution system automation and design. The case studies show that the cost of outages tends to dominate the total costs even when the specific costs of outages (NDP/NDE) are quite low. Distribution planning studies also reveal that uncertain outage cost premises may be investigated and compensated by sensitivity analyses, helping the planner to achieve a safer design strategy. In case of costs of outages, the planning approach described makes it possible to establish a level of distribution system reliability that balances private and socio-economic cost/benefit criteria. >
Using Architecture Pedagogy to Enhance Engineering Education

Based on evidence, numerous advisory boards and scholars insist engineering education must change (NSB, 2007; McKenna, Froyd, King, Litzinger, & Seymour, 2011) and that hands-on, inquiry-driven, project-based learning pedagogies can enhance STEM education (Boyer & Mitgang, 1996). These pedagogies have formed the core of architectural education since the Renaissance and have been in continuous use since that time. As such, engineering educators can benefit from observing how architecture students learn and understanding how they are taught. Likewise, architecture can benefit from applying the group-based learning strategies employed by engineering teachers who use studentcentered, project-based pedagogies. Trans-disciplinary approaches hold particular merit.
Some design aspects of tapered and straight stator pole 6:4 switched reluctance machine

This paper describes the design optimisation of a 6:4 medium power (50 kW) switched reluctance motor (SRM) with tapered and straight stator poles. The finite element analysis method (FEM) is directly used in the optimisation algorithm to optimise the machine in multidimensions. The optimisation is focused on the maximisation of the average phase-torque/copper losses of the machine. The static torque characteristics of both the tapered and the straight pole SRMs have been compared. It is found that tapering the stator poles improves the peak torque and average torque of the SRM significantly while the torque ripple is found to be very much the same for both machines.
Simulation of skin effect via separated representations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply the method of separation of variables to obtain the current distribution in the slot of an electrical machine, taking into account the skin effect. Design/methodology/approach A slot in an electrical machine, filled with a solid conductor, and fed with an externally imposed density current, presents a current distribution that depends on the skin effect. The magnetic potential vector is formulated and solved using a separate representation as a finite sum of unidimensional (space and time) functions, taking into account the boundary conditions. The proposed method obtains the transient and permanent distribution of the current in the interior of the slot, both in transient and steady regime, and the results at the end of the transient are compared with the analytic ones in permanent regime. Findings The magnetic potential vector in the interior of a slot filled with a solid conductor can be expressed as a finite sum of just 16 modes, which capture the evolution of the field during the transient and permanent regime. These modes are expressed as the product of space and time functions, which have been obtained automatically by the separation of variables algorithm. Instead of solving multiple field problems, one for each time instant, the proposed method just solves two single variable differential equations, one in the time domain and other in the spatial one. Research limitations/implications The application of the proposed method to non sinusoidal currents, such as those generated by variable speed drives, would allow to compute the field taking into account both the very small time scale of the pulse width modulation pulses, in the range of kiloHz, and the wide time scale of the currents envelope, in the range of 0 100 Hz. Extension to 2D and 3D spatial configurations is also under consideration. Originality/value Using the method of separation of variables to solve electromagnetic problems provides a new method which can simplify and speed up the computation of transient fields in multidimensional time and space domains.
Active catheter, active guide wire and related sensor systems

Active catheters and active guide wires which move like a snake utilizing distributed shape memory alloy actuators have been developed for catheter-based minimally invasive diagnosis and therapy. Active catheters and guide wires can have bending, torsional and extending mechanisms. Communication and control IC chips in the active catheter reduce the number of lead wires for control. An ultra miniature fiber-optic pressure sensor, a forward-looking ultrasonic probe and a magnetic position and orientation sensor have been developed for multifunctional catheters and multifunctional guide wires. These moving mechanisms and several sensors, which are equipped near the tip of the catheter and guide wire can provide detail information near the tip and enable doctors to perform delicate and effective catheter intervention.
Integrated Electronics to Control and Readout Electrochemical Biosensors for Implantable Applications

Biosensors can effectively be used to monitor multiple metabolites such as glucose, lactate, ATP and drugs in the human body. Continuous monitoring of these metabolites is essential for patients with chronic or critical conditions. Moreover, this can be used to tune the dosage of a drug for each individual patient, in order to achieve personalized therapy. Implantable medical devices (IMDs) based on biosensors are emerging as a valid alternative for blood tests in laboratories. They can provide continuous monitoring while reduce the test costs. The potentiostat plays a fundamental role in modern biosensors. A potentiostat is an electronic device that controls the electrochemical cell, using three electrodes, and runs the electrochemical measurement. In particular the IMDs require a low-power, fully-integrated, and autonomous potentiostats to control and readout the biosensors. This thesis describes two integrated circuits (ICs) to control and readout multi-target biosensors: LOPHIC and ARIC. They enable chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetrymeasurements and consume sub-mW power. The design, implementation, characterisation, and validation with biosensors are presented for each IC. To support the calibration of the biosensors with environmental parameters, ARIC includes circuitry to measure the pHand temperature of the analyte through an Iridiumoxide pH sensor and an off-chip resistor-temperature detector (RTD). In particular, novel circuits to convert resistor value into digital are designed for RTD readout. ARIC is integrated into two IMDs aimed for health-care monitoring and personalized therapy. The control and readout of the embedded sensor arrays have been successfully achieved, thanks to ARIC, and validated for glucose and paracetamol measurements while it is remotely powered through an inductive link. To ensure the security and privacy of IMDs, a lightweight cryptographic system (LCS) is presented. This is the first ASIC implementation of a cryptosystem for IMDs, and is integrated into ARIC. The resulting system provides a unique and fundamental capability by immediately encrypting and signing the sensor data upon its creation within the body. Nano-structures such as Carbon nanotubes have been widely used to improve the sensitivity of the biosensors. However, in most of the cases, they introduce more noise into the measurements and produce a large background current. In this thesis the noise of the sensors incorporating CNTs is studied for the first time. The effect of CNTs as well as sensor geometry on the signal to noise ratio of the sensors is investigated experimentally. To remove the background current of the sensors, a differential readout scheme has been proposed. In particular, a novel differential readout IC is designed and implemented that measures inputcurrents within a wide dynamic range and produces a digital output that corresponds to the -informative- redox current of the biosensor.
Cell and Particle Trapping in Microfluidic Systems Using Ultrasonic Standing Waves

Analysis methods are currently being miniaturized in order to save time and money while achieving higher sensitivities. The ultimate goal is to create a lab-on-a-chip where all analysis steps and instruments can be automated and integrated into a single chip. In order to perform cellassays and microparticle based bioassays on chip, methods to manipulate particles and cells in microsystems are desired. This thesis describes the development of a non-contact method of manipulating cells and particles in lab-on-a-chip systems based on ultrasonic standing waves. A short review on microfluidics and acoustics is presented, followed by an overview of other techniques for trapping particles and cells in microsystems. Previous work done within the field of acoustic trapping in macro- and microsystems is reviewed before the development and fabrication of the acoustic trapping platform is presented. The trapping platform provides a noncontact way of immobilizing cells and particles in a continuously flowing microsystem. The possiblity to use an array of trapping sites and move particles between different trapping sites is demonstrated. A model bioassays is presented to show the potential of the dynamic arraying concept, where the combination of microfluidics and an array of non-contact trapping sites is used to create a flexible platform for particlebased assays. The platform is also shown to be a gentle way of immobilizing live cells as demonstrated by culturing yeast cells suspended in a standing wave. A viability assay on levitated neural stem cells is also performed to show handling of a more sensitive cell type. The technique is applied to the field of forensics in sample preparation for DNA-analysis in rape cases. The acoustic technique is shown to achieve comparable purities of the separated DNA fraction in a substantially shorter time as compared to the standard methods used today. The results show that the acoustic trapping platform is a flexible and gentle cell handling technique and has the potential to become an important tool for cell and particle handling in microfluidic systems. Finally, an all-glass wet-etched device for acoustic continuous flow separations was demonstrated. Previously reported devices have been manufactured in silicon and the possibility to use glass as base material will lower the chip costs, simplifies the fabrication process and decrease the fabrication time. (Less)
Tender Violence: Domestic Visions in an Age of U.S. Imperialism (review)

explanations for the public’s—some say inordinate—fear of radiation. One small disappointment is the occasional weak handling of technical matters. In particular, the explanations of the quantities and units related to radiation dose (e.g., rad and rem) are sometimes misleading or incorrect. Better, but still inadequate in my opinion, is the treatment of the effective-dose-equivalent concept. The latter is the method employed by the radiation-protection community that equates a given dose for an individual tissue or organ (such as the thyroid) to the smaller uniform whole-body dose that carries the same risk. Ironically, a misunderstanding of this method led to the widespread belief, described by Walker, that the NRC’s adoption of the effective-dose equivalent represented a relaxation of the exposure limits. My disappointment is minor, however. Walker is an excellent writer. His prose is clear, and the narrative develops a nice momentum that carries the reader along. Personal opinion is kept in the background while the author presents the various sides of each issue in a remarkably balanced manner. Just the right amount of detail is provided in each discussion to suggest further avenues of study for anyone inclined to pursue them. Depending on one’s reading habits, this informative and enjoyable book could be consumed easily in one or two sittings. Indeed, I found the time I devoted to it sufficiently well spent that I am tracking down the first two volumes in the series to discover what I have been missing.
E-HRM: innovation or irritation? : an exploration of web-based human resource management in large companies

Human Resource Management (HRM of HR) executives are feeling pressured by the threat of a new development in recent years: Electronic Human Resource Management systems, also known as E-HRM. Consultants and other experts purport that this phenomenon will decrease the number of HRM employees, reduce costs, and stimulate a more strategic approach by HRM departments. Is E-HRM really a 'threat' or will the service to management and employees actually improve with E-HRM? This book will help strategic management consultants, HRM professionals, and HRM researchers to learn more about the goals, types, and consequences of E-HRM.
Network structure, complexity, and adaptation in water resource systems

Infrastructure systems are often complex. Many have both natural and built components. For such systems, including water resource networks, resilience is a common policy goal. In the formalised study of complex systems, the structure and function of networks can contribute directly to system resilience. One branch of complex systems studies, network science, describes how connectivity between individual components can explain some system-wide properties of growth and reliability. Water resource systems analysis has only begun to apply techniques from network theory and complexity science to assess adaptability and resilience. We present an analysis of connectivity in a network model of California's water infrastructure system using several network science techniques. Results indicate that nodes in California's water system are clustered but without scale-free properties. The network originates from a mixture of top-down (centralised) and bottom-up (dispersed interactions of parties) planning. This structure provides managers greater flexibility to use local and distant water sources. We use the analysis to illustrate how several disciplinary notions of resilience apply to civil infrastructure planning. We also explore how adaptability, not just complexity, influences resilience in planning. Creating systems that can respond to future changes must be an important policy goal in planning civil infrastructure.
CFD Verification of Engineering Options for Mitigating Liquid Sloshing in Topside Vessels on a Floating Production Facility

This paper proposes an active-control concept that mitigates the liquid sloshing in a topside vessel by reducing the excitation source, thus extending the scope of sloshing mitigation. To verify the concept proposed, sloshing response in partially liquid-filled topside vessels was numerically investigated under various wave and vessel conditions. This study confirmed that vessel location on the top deck exhibits a weak correlation with the sloshing response. Although liquid sloshing is not very sensitive to the vessel location, it is beneficial to place the topside processing vessels as close as possible to gravity center of the floating production facilities (FPS/FPSO). It is evident that liquid sloshing in a topside vessel is closely related to the incident direction of the wave. The perpendicular incidence results in the minimum sloshing response; the parallel incidence leads to the maximum sloshing response. It is, therefore, essential to properly orient the vessel to establish perpendicular or close-to-perpendicular incidence status. It is also verified that liquid sloshing is significantly increased with length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio of a vessel. The horizontal vessels with larger L/D suffer from severe liquid sloshing. Because vertical vessels have a minimum L/D = 1.0, they always exhibit better antisloshing performance than the horizontal vessels. In addition, it is advisable to prevent a vessel from operating near the resonance-wave condition. Although the active control concept shows attractive advantages over the conventional approach, it is more feasible for layout of topside vessels on a newly built FPS/FPSO. Because most of the floating-production systems are not built from scratch such that the topside processing vessels can be placed in the optimal position and orientation but are retrofitted for a topside vessel to fit onto a limited deck space, the passive-control approach may be more applicable. Generally, combination of the active and passive approaches should be considered to minimize liquid sloshing in a topside process vessel.
Field Implications of Current Compaction Specification Design Practices

The engineering properties of compacted soils are of primary importance in fill performance. However, for economic reasons, the achievement of a given relative compaction and compaction water content has become an end in itself for field compaction control. Although the profession has developed an understanding of the relationships between properties and compaction density/water content, it has become routine practice to use some combination of precedence and code rather than desired material properties to establish compaction specifications. Because of the heavy emphasis placed on relative compaction, it is extremely important that geotechnical practitioners and earthwork contractors recognize the deviations in field density that can occur as a result of typical differences in the compaction processes and in the methods of compaction control encountered. Variations in both the field density and the laboratory-determined reference maximum dry density arise from numerous sources. A corresponding spatial variability of relative compaction should therefore be anticipated. This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of potential problems in compaction control and addresses the sources of field variability in relative compaction.
A comprehensive analysis of group scheduling heuristics in a job shop cell

This paper describes a broad-based simulation study of the performance of two-stage group scheduling heuristics in a job shop cell. The objective of this study was to examine the direct and interactive effects of a variety of shop factors on the performance of the best, previously reported, group scheduling heuristics. A set of traditional single-stage scheduling heuristics were examined as well. Shop factors considered include: setup to runtime ratio, cell load level and variability of inter-arrival times. An assumption common to group scheduling research which provides for an equal division of the part family into subfamilies is also examined. This is accomplished through the creation of an alternative scenario where the majority of the parts are assigned to one subfamily, i.e. one subfamily dominates the part family population. The effects of set up to runtime ratio and cell load have been examined in previous group scheduling research, but not in conjunction with the inter-arrival time variability fac.
VisionSense: an advanced lateral collision warning system

VisionSense is an advanced driver assistance system which combines a lateral collision warning system with vehicle-to-vehicle communication. This paper shows the results of user needs assessment and traffic safety modelling of VisionSense. User needs were determined by means of a Web-based survey. The results show, that VisionSense is most appreciated when it uses a light signal to warn the driver in a possibly hazardous situation on a highway. The willingness to pay is estimated at 300 Euros. Another conclusion based on the survey is that frequent car users want less assistance than less frequent drivers. Besides the user needs the impact on traffic safety is modelled. The results are indicative and more research has to be done. Traffic safety effects of VisionSense on a highway were modelled by means of a microscopic car following and lane change algorithm. Twelve different traffic scenarios were modelled with and without VisionSense. With VisionSense no traffic conflicts occur due to lane changing and less lane changes are performed. VisionSense is a system that can improve traffic safety in the future.