Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of an instrument for assessing online learning environments in tertiary education: The Online Learning Environment Survey (OLLES)

i Acknowledgements ii List of Tables x List of Figures xii Chapter 1 Background and Rationale 1 1.1 Electronic Technologies in Education 1 1.2 Computers, the Internet and Education 2 1.2.1 1.2. 2 1.2. 3 1.2. 4 Overview Educational Involvement: The Beginnings Educational Explosion: The 1990s Educational Maturity: The Present 2 3 4 5 1.3 Online Education Common Terms and Usage 6 1.3. 1 1.3. 2 1.3. 3 The "Internet" The "World Wide Web" Learning Environments 6 6 7 1.4 The Research Framework 8 1.4. 1 1.4. 2 1.4. 3 The Field of Learning Environment Research Constructivist Views of Learning Internet Facilitated Research 8 10 12 1.5 Research Purpose 14 1.5. 1 1.5. 2 1.5. 3 Background Research Aims Significance of this Study 14 15 16 1.6 Summary and Overview of Thesis Structure 17 Chapter 2 Review of the Literature 18 2.1 Psychosocial Learning Environments 18 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4 Social Climate Dimensions and the Influence of Rudolf Moos Levels and Types of Analysis Range and Flexibility of Learning Environment Measures Review 19 21 23 26
Real-time pedestrian detecting and tracking in crowded and complicated scenario

Detecting and tracking people in real time in complicated and crowded scenes is a challenging problem. This paper presents a multi-cue methodology to detect and track pedestrians in real-time in the entrance gates using stationary CCD cameras. In the proposed method, the detection component includes finding local maximums in foreground mask of Gaussian mixture and Ω-shaped objects in the edge map by trained PCA. And the tracking engine employs a dynamic VCM with automated criteria based on the shape and size of detected human shaped entities. This new approach has several advantages. First, it uses a well-defined and robust feature space which includes polar and angular data. Furthermore due to its fast method to find human shaped objects in the scene, it's intrinsically suitable for real-time purposes. In addition, this approach verifies human formed objects based on PCA algorithm, which makes it robust in decreasing false positive cases. This novel approach has been implemented in a sacred place and the experimental results demonstrated the system's robustness under many difficult situations such as partial or full occlusions of pedestrians. (6 pages)
The location of high-tech firms and the development of innovative industrial cluster: A survey of the literature

(.) who can deny the spatial aspects of economic development: that all economic processes exist in space as well as in time? Realistically both time and space must be vital considerations in any theory of economy. Unfortunately, (.) the architects of our finest theoretical structures (.) continue to abstract from the element of space and in doing so they are approaching a position of great imbalance (.) and actually confine themselves to a wonderland of no dimension. W. Isard (1949),
An experience of FACTS development 1980s and 1990s

Various kinds of flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) controllers, e.g. static VAr compensator (SVC), static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), and variable speed pumped storage (VSPS), were developed and used in the 1980s and 1990s in Japan. An experience of such FACTS development in Japan is presented. The background and necessity of FACTS installations are described. Technical problems in developing the FACTS controller and their solutions are also introduced.
Trends in the control of NOx and SOx combustion emissions: Implications to the design of fluidised bed combustion operations

This paper attempts to review the implications of the sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions to the design of fluidised bed combustion (FBC) operations. The review focuses on how the knowledge of SOx and NOx emissions trends can be applied to influence the design of FBC operations. The effects of the emission trends of these noxious gases on the design operations for FBC such as temperature control, nozzle designs, sorbent selection design, air supply and control designs were reviewed. The implications of SOx, N2O and NOx emissions on the design of FBC systems rest primarily on the need to design the operational conditions of the system. The design for the precise location of the fuel feeding ports, secondary air feeding ports, limestone feeding ports and a prescribed size and quantity of sorbents to feed into the system was found to be crucial for reduction of these emissions. The emissions also have an impact on the design of the distributor plate of the system; reduction of the emissions necessitates good fluidisation and well-regulated temperature within the system. The review therefore concludes that there is a close nexus between the design and operation of FBC systems with NOx, N2O and SOx emissions.
Grid-connected PV system with power-factor correction capability

In this paper a grid-connected PV system is presented. Its main feature is that, besides injecting energy into the grid, it behaves as an active filter. The reference signal used to modulate the output current is obtained through an adaptive filter. The main advantages of the technique are that the system becomes almost independent of the parameter variations, and that it lends itself to a very simple hardware implementation. A 1 kW prototype was built and tested. The results obtained show good compensation of the current drawn by nonlinear loads.
Twelve-slot two-saliency variable reluctance resolver with non-overlapping signal windings and axial flux excitation

In this study, a new 12-slot two-saliency variable reluctance (VR) resolver with simple non-overlapping windings is proposed. The excitation winding in the proposed resolver is replaced with one axial coil that is perpendicular to the signal windings. Both distributed and non-overlapping concentric windings with uniform coil turns are used. The rotor has two upper and lower saliencies located in front of each other. The shape and width of each saliency are determined based on the optimisation. Compared with conventional 12-slot VR resolvers, the proposed resolver has a simpler rotor structure and the advantages of two-saliency resolvers against eccentricity, absolute output position, and higher accuracy. The operation principle of the proposed resolver is analytically shown. Then, a three-dimensional time-stepping finite-element method (FEM) is used for the design, analysis, and optimisation of the proposed sensor. After optimisation, a prototype of the most accurate resolver is built. The good agreement obtained between the FEM and the practical results verifies the design and optimisation process.
Design and Analysis of a 3-D Gauss-Markov Model for Highly Dynamic Airborne Networks

Accurate mobility models are needed to simulate the physical movement of nodes in a highly-dynamic aeronautical network. The fundamental problem with many synthetic mobility models is their random, memoryless behavior. Airborne ad hoc networks require a flexible memory-based 3-dimensional mobility model. We present a new 3-dimensional implementation of the Gauss-Markov mobility model for airborne telemetry network simulations, and compare its behavior to memoryless models such as random waypoint and random walk using the ns-3 simulator.
Design and implementation of inverse legendre microstrip filter

The inverse Legendre filter response is derived and its property is analysed by providing the magnitude specifications in the passband and stopband. The inverse Legendre function requires the identical order n as its Legendre counterpart. A quantitative comparison is carried out between Chebyshev, inverse Chebyshev, Legendre and inverse Legendre to show the improved characteristics of the inverse Legendre filters depending on specifications and criteria. The inverse Legendre filter shows maximally flat characteristic in the passband and in comparison to other filters, it exhibits improved group delay characteristics. Finally, the filter is implemented in microstrip low pass configuration and a prototype model of the proposed filter configuration is developed and measured. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:69–73, 2017
Novel Redox and DNA-Dependent Conformational Changes in Human Ku, a DNA-Double Strand Break Repair Protein

Lehman, Jason Alexander Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Program, Wright State University, 2008. Novel Redox and DNA-Dependent Conformational Changes in Human Ku, a DNA-Double Strand Break Repair Protein Ionizing radiation (IR) and radiomimetic drugs used in cancer chemotherapy cause DNA double-strand breaks which are repaired by the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway. Ku is a heterodimeric protein comprised of 70 and 80 kDa subunits and recognizes free DNA ends. Once Ku is bound to DNA, it binds to the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), and forms a heterotrimeric DNA-PK complex for repair and damage signaling. We have analyzed the Ku protein using multiple biochemical techniques and uncovered a novel reversible redox change (Andrews, Lehman and Turchi, (2006) JBC 281(19):13596-603). From this data, we hypothesized that a redox-dependent conformational change was responsible for the unexplained differences in our DNA binding assays. This was confirmed by limited proteolysis and mass spectrometry analysis of oxidized and reduced Ku. The conformational change was manifested by alterations in the Ku70 subunit in proximity to the DNA binding site. Our results suggest a model for a Ku-DNA interaction that is altered by redox status upon DNA damage in the cell. In order to understand the complex structure of DNA-PK, we have initially examined Ku-DNA interactions using advanced biochemical techniques. Structural
Frequency of Refractive Errors in Bus Drivers

Objective: To find frequency of refractive errors among bus drivers of Karachi. Methodology: This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in four different regions of Karachi during 2015, study tools were pretested Questionnaire, visual tests by using Snellen’s chart & ishihara chart. Results: In our sample of 120 drivers 52% were suffering from refractive errors, 24% myopia, 20% presbyopia, 7% hypermetropia, 56% faced accidents, 72% are recommended for spectacles by doctors, and 38 % uses spectacles during driving, only 17% take precautions for eyes during driving. Only 43% have passed through visual assessment before getting driving licenses, 56% drivers have faced accidents. 47% drivers think that refractive errors are major cause of road traffic accidents. Conclusion: The results of this study show that refractive errors are very common among bus drivers and road traffic accidents are related to visual problems of drivers. Drivers got their driving licenses without visual assessment.
Model Calculation of Heat Balance of Wood Pyrolysis

Stoichiometric analysis and heat balance analysis of wood pyrolysis were conducted to improve a pyrolytic gasification system. Heat balance around a pyrolysis furnace was estimated by calculating heat of pyrolysis, sensible and latent heats of products and heat loss of a furnace. Using literature data, macromolecules were expressed by mean compositional formulas, and the heat of pyrolysis was obtained by the stoichiometric approach including the overall equation of pyrolysis. Pyrolysis was exothermic reaction at the range of 773 – 1373 K. Despite the exothermic nature of pyrolysis, heat balance calculation around a pyrolysis furnace showed that external heat was required to compensate heat consumption of the sensible and latent heats of products and heat loss of a pyrolysis furnace. When a feed contains moisture, additional external heat was required. To use charcoal as fuel for the external heating to a furnace, the required amount of charcoal was calculated.
Structural integrity of steel plate ultra high-performance concrete modules

Abstract Modular construction techniques allow for faster onsite construction, reduce cost and time, increase security, and facilitate flexible designs. In this study, steel plate concrete (SC) modular design benefits have been maximized by incorporating ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC). For a steel plate ultra high-performance concrete (S-UHPC) module to behave effectively, structural integrity of steel plate and UHPC is necessary. Different forms of construction for SC modules have been proposed in the past. Cross-ties method is considered to be one of the most efficient forms of construction of an SC module and has been proven to play an important role in ensuring the integrity of the module. This study investigates the structural integrity of S-UHPC modules. In addition, this paper focuses on finite element simulation (FEM) of the S-UHPC beams with emphasis on shear and bond slip behaviour. A new constitutive model is proposed to account for the bond slip behaviour of steel plates. The Cyclic Softened Membrane Model is utilized to simulate the shear behaviour of UHPC with embedded shear reinforcement. Both constitutive models are implemented into a finite element analysis programme based on the framework of OpenSees. The proposed FEM is able to capture the behaviour of the tested S-UHPC beams.
What Drives the Success of Pop-Up Stores?

Pop-up stores are considered an alternative or a further development of the pioneering flagship store concept. They describe a temporary store concept that displays products in an unexpected way to attract the consumers’ attention (Hutter 2013). So far, this store format has mainly been applied to the USA and the UK, and has been insufficiently studied. This paper summarizes interim results of a pilot study on pop-up stores, which focuses on identifying factors for their success.
Comparison of Dimensionality Reduction Techniques for Effective Fault Diagnosis of Rolling Element Bearing

This paper uses Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN) for comparing the linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction techniques (DRTs) for fault diagnosis in rolling element bearing (REB). The vibration signals from normal bearing (N), bearing with defect on ball (B), bearing with defect on inner race (IR) and bearing with defect on outer race (OR) have been acquired under different radial loads and shaft speeds. These signals were subjected to Kurtosis-Hybrid Threshold rule (K-HTR) based denoising technique, from which 17 statistical features have been extracted. Linear DRTs namely, principal component analysis (PCA), Fisher’s discriminant analysis (FDA) and nonlinear DRT namely Kernel-fisher discriminant analysis (K-FDA) have been used to select the sensitive features. The selected features have been evaluated using MLPNN. Finally a comparison of Linear and non-linear DRTs based on MLPNN performance is presented.
MOBILITY MANAGEMENT IN WIRELESS ATM NETWORK (PENGURUSAN MOBILITI DALAM RANGKAIAN ATM WIRELES)

Traffic control and resource management are complex issues in wireless asynchronous transfer mode (WATM) due to broad range quality-of-services (QoS), limited bandwidth spectrum and susceptibility to error. In WATM, traffic control is essential in order to protect the network from congestion and to achieve realistic network efficiency in compliance with the QoS. Micro and pico cell sites are usually used in the WATM environment. Exchanging access point to the backbone network is thus common and this may contribute to connection rejections when channels are busy. The effect to QoS at call level is the high probability of handoff dropping if the targeted call site has no available channels. The objective of this project is to design a WATM system using virtual connection tree (VCT) architecture model that can give high QoS performance in terms of probability of call lost and handoff call drop and can provide connections of a bandwidth rate that will not jeopardize QoS requirements in terms of a bandwidth given to a connection which is not less than the set threshold bandwidth. All of these will be done in mathematical analysis. The design was initially started with a scheme called With Reserved Channel (WRC), which has reserved channels for handoff calls. A low probability of handoff dropping was obtained but a set back was found which involves the probability of new call block. Hence, an improvement had been made and it is called With Queuing and Reserved Channels (WQRC), which allows queuing of new incoming calls and reserved channels for handoff calls. Using WQRC, low probability of handoff dropping was maintained and new call blocking probability was eliminated.
Transducer placement optimisation scheme for a delay and sum damage detection algorithm

In this work, a transducer placement scheme based on wave propagation is proposed, which enhances damage localisation. The method was tailored to seek an optimal transducer network placement for a delay and sum damage detection algorithm. The proposed method determines a coverage index map and utilises a genetic algorithm to determine an optimal transducer network. It can also minimise the impact of faulty transducers, incorporate the effect of stiffeners and different damage types. The method is initially verified using numerically simulated signals. The optimal network outperformed the suboptimal for detection of holes and debonding in a stiffened panel. It is also shown that the coverage index reflected the localisation accuracy. The method is then validated with experimental results and the generated optimal transducer network compared with a suboptimal arrangement. The optimal network is shown to locate an actual crack with significantly higher accuracy than the suboptimal arrangement. © 2016 The Authors. Structural Control and Health Monitoring published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Realization and Study of Optical Wings

Consider the airfoil: a carefully designed structure capable of stable lift in a uniform air flow. It so happens that air pressure and radiation (light) pressure are similar phenomena because each transfer momentum to flow-disturbing objects. This, then, begs the question: does an optical analogue to the airfoil exist? Though an exceedingly small effect, scientists harness radiation pressure in a wide gamut of applications from micromanipulation of single biological particles to the propulsion of large spacecrafts called solar sails. We introduce a cambered, refractive rod that is subjected to optical forces analogous to those seen in aerodynamics, and I call this analogue the optical wing. Flight characteristics of optical wings are determined by wing shape and material in a uniform radiation field. Theory predicts the lift force and axial torque are functions of the wing’s angle of attack with stable and unstable orientations. These structures can operate as intensity-dependent, parametrically driven oscillators. In two-dimensions, the wings exhibit bistability when analyzed in an accelerating frame. In three-dimensions, the motion of axially symmetric spinning hemispherical wings is analogous to a spinning top. Experiments on semi-buoyant wings in water found semicylindrically shaped, refractive microparticles traversed a laser beam and rotated to an illumination-dependent stable orientation. Preliminary tests aid in the development of a calibrated force measurement experiment to directly evaluate the optical forces and torque on these samples. A foundational study of the optical wing, this work contributes to future advancements of flight-by-light.
Mobile Public e-Government Cloud Services Platform

The mobile public e-Government cloud services platform solution will encompass new technologies, and through the Big Data concept for data collection and exchange it will enable innovative channels of communication and collaboration among different players. The major benefit of the cloud-based platform is the efficient execution of heavy computation algorithms in the cloud simply by using Big Data storage and processing platforms. This new approach will address the mismatch between labour demand and supply to make the services of the public employment agencies more efficient, more effective, user-friendly and personalized. The main focus is given on the positive impact of e-services for employability prospects of young unemployed people, those with disabilities, and older workers. The platform will facilitate the matching of people for job openings, and more specifically, the job search by people with special skill-profiles, including special needs or time requirements. It will provide a networking platform and information services to address socio-economic side-effects of labour market exclusion. The main purpose of the model of mobile public e-Government cloud services platform is to provide an integrated environment where public institutions will receive complete data analysis.
Internal inductance of a conductor of rectangular cross-section using the proper generalized decomposition

Purpose Rectangular conductors play an important role in planar transmission line structures, multiconductor transmission lines, in power transmission and distribution systems, LCL filters, transformers, industrial busbars, MEMs devices, among many others. The precise determination of the inductance of such conductors is necessary for their design and optimization, but no explicit solution for the AC resistance and internal inductances per-unit length of a linear conductor with a rectangular cross-section has been found, so numerical methods must be used. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of a novel numerical technique, the proper generalized decomposition (PGD), for the calculation of DC and AC internal inductances of rectangular conductors. Design/methodology/approach The PGD approach is used to obtain numerically the internal inductance of a conductor with circular cross-section and with rectangular cross-section, both under DC and AC conditions, using a separated representation of the magnetic vector potential in a 2D domain. The results are compared with the analytical and approximate expressions available in the technical literature, with an excellent concordance. Findings The PGD uses simple one-dimensional meshes, one per dimension, so the use of computational resources is very low, and the simulation speed is very high. Besides, the application of the PGD to conductors with rectangular cross-section is particularly advantageous, because rectangular shapes can be represented with a very few number of independent terms, which makes the code very simple and compact. Finally, a key advantage of the PGD is that some parameters of the numerical model can be considered as additional dimensions. In this paper, the frequency has been considered as an additional dimension, and the internal inductance of a rectangular conductor has been computed for the whole range of frequencies desired using a single numerical simulation. Research limitations/implications The proposed approach may be applied to the optimization of electrical conductors used in power systems, to solve EMC problems, to the evaluation of partial inductances of wires, etc. Nevertheless, it cannot be applied, as presented in this work, to 3D complex shapes, as, for example, an arrangement of layers of helically stranded wires. Originality/value The PGD is a promising new numerical procedure that has been applied successfully in different fields. In this paper, this novel technique is applied to find the DC and AC internal inductance of a conductor with rectangular cross-section, using very dense and large one-dimensional meshes. The proposed method requires very limited memory resources, is very fast, can be programmed using a very simple code, and gives the value of the AC inductance for a complete range of frequencies in a single simulation. The proposed approach can be extended to arbitrary conductor shapes and complex multiconductor lines to further exploit the advantages of the PGD.