Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Traffic Safety Dimensions and the Power Model to Describe the Effect of Speed on Safety

Traffic safety work needs different methods and tools in order to choose and evsaluate traffic safety measures. The thesis contributes to this problem by presenting and visualizing a method which describes the traffic safety situation in several dimensions. The method used to describe the traffic safety problem shows the potential of a simultanous presentation and evaluation of these dimensions and demonstrates that the method can be expanded to several dimensions or ratios estimating the exposure, the risk and the consequence. This is illustrated in describing the traffic safety situation for different road user groups and age groups. The power model, which estimates the relationship between speed and safety, is not a new tool as the model has been used both in theory and pracise in several countries for many years. In the thesis the theoretical and practical background are presented. The power model is here also tested and validated im a cross-sectional study. These analyses show that the power model is valid with regard to injury accidents, fatal accidents and the number of injured but not for the number of fatalities. The power model underestimates the effect on fatalities. (Less)
SILICON NANOWIRES AND SILICON/MOLECULAR INTERFACES FOR NANOSCALE ELECTRONICS

This thesis describes the utilization of silicon nanowires and molecular films towards the realization of nanoscale electronics. The key enabling technology is the method in which the silicon nanowires are produced—the superlattice nanowire pattern transfer (SNAP) method. The SNAP method allows for the simultaneous formation and alignment of metal or semiconducting nanowires using a template-mediated approach. High-performance n- and p-type silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) were demonstrated. These FETs exhibited consistent performance and strong performance metrics such as high on/off ratios, high on-currents, high mobilities and low subthreshold swings. Due to the nanowire’s large surface-area-to-volume ratio, surface states were shown to dominate performance, especially for the n-type FETs. Reducing the number of surface states improved performance significantly. N- and p-type silicon nanowire FETs were integrated into complementary symmetry (CS) logic circuits. This required the development of a pattern doping technique that allowed for spatial control of doped regions. The inverter circuit was fabricated and tested. A gain of ~ 5 was consistently measured from 7 working inverter circuits. This demonstration provided the foundation for the eventual fabrication and characterization of the other Boolean logic functions. A methodology was developed that optimizes the design of high-performance logic circuits constructed from Si NW p- and n-type FETs. Circuit performance can be predicted from individual fabricated NW FETs before prototype circuits are manufactured, resulting in a faster and more efficient design process. These results suggest design options for fabricating high performance NW circuits, which can then be implemented experimentally. The effectiveness of this methodology is shown by optimizing the gain of Si NW complementary symmetry inverter from an initially measured value of 8 to a gain of 45. Lastly, methods to covalently attach electronically interesting molecules via microcontact printing onto gold and silicon substrates were developed. In these studies, the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction was used to form the covalent attachment. It was observed that the reaction would proceed readily by replacing the Cu catalyst in the stamp ink by a Cu coating on the stamp directly. This reaction proceeded quickly on both azide-terminated monolayers on Au and Si(111) substrates.
Immune privilege of adipocyte mitochondria protects from obesity

Infant nutrition is rich in lipids, and the adipose tissue has been adapted to properly break down neutral lipids and oxidize fatty acids in infancy. Accordingly, infant adipose tissue contains so-called beige adipocytes, which burn off lipids to heat, and impede fat storage and obesity. We show here that infant adipocytes are immune privileged sites for mitochondria due to a blockade in interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7)-signaling, which allows mitochondrial RNA to trigger beige adipocyte differentiation through mitochondria-to-nucleus signaling. These mechanisms serve to maintain an extensive mitochondrial network in beige adipocytes and protect against obesity. By contrast, fat storing white adipocytes lack these mechanisms and respond to their mitochondrial content with inflammation. We show that obesity subverts the immune privilege for mitochondria in adipocytes, which reduces mitochondrial mass and abrogates beige adipocyte development. In turn, suppressing IRF7 signaling and restoring the RNA-mediated mitochondria-to-nucleus signaling in adipocytes effectively reduces obesity.
Effect of uncertainties in modelling interference in spectrum sensors

A case of modelling uncertainties in spectrum sensing is examined, whereby the interference which, in addition to additive noise, affects a sensor has an unknown probability distribution, and only its maximum power is known. Application of moment-bound theory allows the derivation of sharp (i.e. achievable) upper and lower bounds to the performance of the sensor. Coherent and energy detectors are analysed.
The Acoustic Ecology of the First-Person Shooter: The Player Experience of Sound in the First-Person Shooter Computer Game

There has been little written on the player experience of computer game sound and so the research contained within this work is an important contribution to an area where the visual (the game as spectacle) is typically given primacy. It is an exploration of the relationship between the game player and the sounds of the First-Person Shooter computer game. Utilizing the run 'n' gun sub-genre as an example, the book suggests that this relationship may be analyzed as an autopoietic acoustic ecology and it emphasizes the role of sound in enabling player immersion in the game environment. Covering a wide range of ideas, from autopoiesis to acoustic ecologies and sound�scapes, from film sound theory to sonification and auditory icon design, this lucid analysis will be especially useful to game sound designers and games scholars or indeed anyone interested in the fasci�nation that digital media arts exert.
Problem Solving Styles, Approaches to Learning and Academic Performance of Spanish Accounting Students: An Exploratory Study of Profiles and Relationships

Background. Entwistle Students’ Approaches to Learning framework and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model has been widely used in higher education. Different inventories have been developed in order to adapt to different contexts and / or to supersede reported weakness. Aims. This paper aims to explore the profiles and approaches showed by a sample of Spanish accounting students as well as the relationship of those profiles with the academic performance. Instrument and Sample. The instrument consists of both the short version of the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ; Fox et al, 2001) and the Problem Solving Style Questionnaire (PSSQ, Romero et al, 1992). The sample is composed by the students enrolled in advanced financial accounting and financial statement analysis at the University of Sevilla.
Collaborative Ideation Partner: Design Ideation in Human-AI Co-creativity

: AI-based co-creative design systems enable users to collaborate with an AI agent on open-ended creative tasks during the design process. This paper describes a co-creative system that supports design creativity by providing inspiring design solutions in the initial idea generation process, based on the visual and conceptual similarity to sketches drawn by a designer. The interactive experience allows the user to seek inspiration collaborating with the AI agent as needed. In this paper, we study how the visual and conceptual similarity of the inspiring design from the AI partner influences design ideation by examining the effect on design ideation during a design task. Our findings show that the AI-based stimuli produce ideation outcomes with more variety and novelty when compared to random stimuli.
Using Intervention Mapping to Develop a Decision Support System–Based Smartphone App (selfBACK) to Support Self-management of Nonspecific Low Back Pain: Development and Usability Study

Background International guidelines consistently endorse the promotion of self-management for people with low back pain (LBP); however, implementation of these guidelines remains a challenge. Digital health interventions, such as those that can be provided by smartphone apps, have been proposed as a promising mode of supporting self-management in people with chronic conditions, including LBP. However, the evidence base for digital health interventions to support self-management of LBP is weak, and detailed descriptions and documentation of the interventions are lacking. Structured intervention mapping (IM) constitutes a 6-step process that can be used to guide the development of complex interventions. Objective The aim of this paper is to describe the IM process for designing and creating an app-based intervention designed to support self-management of nonspecific LBP to reduce pain-related disability. Methods The first 5 steps of the IM process were systematically applied. The core processes included literature reviews, brainstorming and group discussions, and the inclusion of stakeholders and representatives from the target population. Over a period of >2 years, the intervention content and the technical features of delivery were created, tested, and revised through user tests, feasibility studies, and a pilot study. Results A behavioral outcome was identified as a proxy for reaching the overall program goal, that is, increased use of evidence-based self-management strategies. Physical exercises, education, and physical activity were the main components of the self-management intervention and were designed and produced to be delivered via a smartphone app. All intervention content was theoretically underpinned by the behavior change theory and the normalization process theory. Conclusions We describe a detailed example of the application of the IM approach for the development of a theory-driven, complex, and digital intervention designed to support self-management of LBP. This description provides transparency in the developmental process of the intervention and can be a possible blueprint for designing and creating future digital health interventions for self-management.
Ecological Risk Assessment and Protection Zone Identification for Linear Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of the Ming Great Wall

Ecological risk assessment is an important part of the sustainable development of World Heritage. The Ming Great Wall Heritage (MGWH) plays an important role in World Heritage conservation as a representative of large linear heritage, yet its ecological risks have not received much attention. This study assessed the ecological risk of MGWH based on simultaneous consideration of spatial heterogeneity and autocorrelation of geographic factors, and four protection zones were further identified from the perspective of preservation status and risk by using GeoDetector, principal component analysis and bivariate autocorrelation. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the preservation status of MGWH at different elevations. Based on this assessed ecological risk, it was found that 63.49% of MGWH grids were in the low to medium risk, while the highest risk areas (16.61%) were mainly concentrated in lower (200–500 m) and medium (500–1000 m) elevation. As elevation increased, the dominant factor of ecological risk shifted from human factors to natural factors and the main ecological risk showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing with increasing elevation. In addition, four types of risk protection zones (i.e., Protection—Restricted, Restoration—Moderate exploited, Restoration—Restricted and Protection—Moderate exploited) and policy suggestions were identified in this study from the perspectives of conservation, restoration and development, respectively. Future ecological protection of the MGWH should be based on the principle of “cultural heritage protection first”, with restricted development and use (e.g., tourism and education) and enhanced ecological restoration and environmental management of the surrounding area. This study provides references for the risk assessment of the cultural heritage at a large spatial scale, which is conducive to the maintenance and improvement of heritage value.
PROACTIVE COPING AMONG GRADUATE STUDENTS

The current research aims to identify the proactive coping of postgraduate students, the statistically significant differences in the proactive coping according to the variables (gender, specialization, stage). To achieve this, the researcher adopted the proactive coping scale, which consisted of (14) paragraphs, and it was presented to a group of arbitrators to judge the validity of its paragraphs, and the psychometric properties of it were extracted by applying it to the research sample (200) graduate students at Wasit University for the year (2020-2021) according to the variables (gender, specialization, stage), and they were chosen by stratified random method, the researcher reached the followingresultsPostgraduate students have a proactive coping, there are no statistically significant differences in the proactive coping according to the variables (gender, specialization, stage) among graduate students. In light of the results, the researcher developed conclusions, recommendations and suggestions.
Investigation of an on-line rotor resistance identification with a new stator resistance observer for induction motor drive using artificial neural networks

This paper presents a new method of on-line estimation for the stator and rotor resistances of the induction motor in the indirect vector controlled drive, using artificial neural networks. The back propagation algorithm is used for training of the neural networks. The error between the desired state variable of an induction motor and the actual state variable of a neural model is back propagated to adjust the weights of the neural model, so that the actual state variable tracks the desired value. The performance of the neural estimator and torque and flux responses of the drive, together with this estimator, are investigated with the help of simulations for variations in the stator and rotor resistances from their nominal values. Both these resistances are estimated experimentally, in a vector controlled induction motor drive and found to give accurate estimates. The rotor resistance estimation was found to be insensitive to the stator resistance variations both in simulation and experiment.
Passive control of flutter and forced response in bladed disks via mistuning

Mistuning or blade to blade variation in jet-engine bladed-disks can lead to large changes in engine performance. Even the small random mistuning associated with manufacturing tolerances can significantly change both stability boundaries and forced response. This thesis addresses two questions. Analysis: given any mistuning (random or intentional), what is the resulting change in performance? And passive control: can intentional mistuning be used to improve stability and forced response in a robust manner? A general framework based on symmetry arguments and eigenvalue/vector perturbations is presented to answer both questions. Symmetry constrains all facets of mistuning behaviour and provides simplifications for both the analysis and control problems. This is combined with the eigenvalue/vector perturbation which captures the nonlinear mistuning dependence and solves the analysis problem. It is shown that intentional mistuning can provide robust damping and so guarantee improved stability and forced response under fixed manufacturing tolerances. Results are demonstrated on a high-fidelity low-order model derived from computational-fluid-dynamic data.
Glass Fragment Hazard from Windows Broken by Airblast

Abstract : This report presents shatter overpressures as a function of window size and orientation. Average values for fragment velocity, mass, and spatial density are given in relation to blast overpressure. The velocities of fragments for 50-percent probability of skin and body-wall penetration in addition to skull fracture are presented as functions of fragment mass. The protection afforded by clothing is indicated. The number of wounds and their severity is predicted as a function of either fragment velocity or blast overpressure for people behind windows in structures.
Switched Boost Inverter for Standalone DC Nanogrid Applications

Switched boost inverter (SBI) is a single-stage power converter derived from Inverse Watkins Johnson topology. Unlike the traditional buck-type voltage source inverter (VSI), the SBI can produce an ac output voltage that is either greater or less than the available dc input voltage. Also, the SBI exhibits better electromagnetic interference noise immunity when compared to the VSI, which enables compact design of the power converter. Another advantage of SBI is that it can supply both dc and ac loads simultaneously from a single dc input. These features make the SBI suitable for dc nanogrid applications. In this paper, the SBI is proposed as a power electronic interface in dc nanogrid. The structure and advantages of the proposed SBI-based nanogrid are discussed in detail. This paper also presents a dq synchronous-reference-frame-based controller for SBI, which regulates both dc and ac bus voltages of the nanogrid to their respective reference values under steady state as well as under dynamic load variation in the nanogrid.
An evaluation of various neck injury criteria in vigorous activities

Several different injury criteria have been proposed to predict the likelihood of AIS 1 neck injury in automobile collisions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of various injury criteria to predict the presence or absence of minor injury in human volunteers subjected to vigorous activities in which the neck was loaded in a direction similar to an automotive rear impact. Twenty volunteers were subjected to five test scenarios: a soccer ball impact to the forehead, a voluntary hand strike to the forehead, voluntary shaking of the head, plopping down in a seat, and a vertical drop while seated supine in a chair. Most criteria predicted a low risk of injury in all activities. However, high values for the Neck Injury Criterion (NIC) (> 15 m2/s2) were recorded in a large number of tests in the soccer ball, head strike, and chair tip scenarios. No long-term neck symptoms were reported after any of these tests, which was a significantly more favorable outcome than what would be predicted by the NIC risk curve. The finding that NIC greatly overpredicts the risk of long-term (> 1 month) AIS 1 neck injury in non-automotive scenarios casts doubt on its biomechanical validity. For the covering abstract see ITRD E141762.
Design and PoC Implementation of Mmwave-Based Offloading-Enabled UAV Surveillance System

Among UAV applications, real-time high-resolution video surveillance systems using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) especially gain our research interests, because high mobilities of UAVs and high qualities of videos can dramatically improve the surveillance performance and evolve the system, especially for artificial intelligence (AI)-based monitoring systems. However, it is challenging to transmit high-resolution videos to ground station in real-time and also impossible to perform AI detection based on these videos on UAVs. To address the challenges, we propose to take full advantages of mmWave communications and to apply it into UAV-based surveillance systems to transmit ultra-high-quality and ultra-high-resolution uncompressed 4 K videos. To increase energy efficiency of UAVs, we propose to offload all computations via mmWave from UAVs to ground station. Moreover, in addition to design of system architecture, proof-of-concept (PoC) prototype hardware of the proposed system is practically developed to demonstrate technical feasibilities of mmWave communication on UAVs and the enhancements to practical surveillance applications. The practical issues in the implementation and the necessary hardware/software applied in the prototype system are explained in detail in this paper. An outdoor PoC experiment is conducted, and the experimental results are consistent with design, so that the effectiveness of the system is confirmed.
Durability Assessments of Motorcycle Handlebars

To investigate fatigue failure of motorcycle handlebars, fatigue analysis and durability experiments are conducted in this study. The finite element software, MSC.Nastran, was used to obtain the stress distribution of a handlebar subject to loadings in various directions. The results of FEM analysis were compared with those of static test to obtain optimum applied loading direction in the durability test. The strain history of the handlebar was measured when a motorcycle traveled on the Belgium (Pave) Road. The applied loading history in the durability test was obtained with remote parameter control technique. Three methods including “traditional S-N approach”, “BS 5400 approach” and “BS 5400 with Gurney thickness modification approach” were used to analyze the fatigue life of the handlebars. Rainflow cycle counting method and Miner’s damage accumulation rule were applied. FEM results show that when the loading angle of the actuator is 26 o from the horizontal, a crack is produced where the handle was welded to the main pipe. This coincides with the test result in full vehicle simulation. The traditional S-N approach and BS 5400 standard approach cannot give a satisfactory result for fatigue life prediction. On the other hand, the BS 5400 standard with the Gurney thickness modified approach gives a satisfactory result. The difference between the predicted results and the experimental results was within an acceptable range of 2.5 times. It means the BS 5400 standard with the Gurney thickness modified approach could be used to assess the durability of motorcycle handlebars.
First Report of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei Infection in Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Cultured in Korea

Simple Summary We here report the first detection of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) in cultured Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) with a growth disorder in Korea. The histopathology, electron microscopy and DNA phylogeny indicated that the EHP is a unique strain first recorded in Korea. This finding highlights the need for closer monitoring and surveillance to control EHP in aquaculture to prevent disastrous economic losses. Abstract The consumption of cultured crustaceans has been steadily increasing, and Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) are major cultivated invertebrates worldwide. However, shrimp productivity faces a variety of challenges, mainly related to outbreaks of lethal or growth retardation-related diseases. In particular, hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis caused by the microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an important disease associated with growth retardation in shrimp. Here, we report the detection of EHP through histopathological, molecular and electron microscopy methods in the hepatopancreas of Pacific whiteleg shrimp with growth disorder in a South Korean farm. Phylogenetic analysis showed a clade distinct from the previously reported EHP strains isolated in Thailand, India, China and Vietnam. An EHP infection was not associated with inflammatory responses such as hemocyte infiltration. Although EHP infection has been reported worldwide, this is the first report in the shrimp aquaculture in Korea. Therefore, an EHP infection should be managed and monitored regularly for effective disease control and prevention.