Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychophysics of virtual texture perception

This thesis describes the creation of an experimental platform for the exploration of human texture perception and its relationship to physical phenomena. Virtual textures are simulated and their physical and psychophysical properties are determined. Experiments were conducted into the ways in which modeling both texture and probe geometry influence the perception of virtual surfaces. The effects of compliance and friction on texture perception were also explored. Roughness detection thresholds were documented and their relationship to probe geometry and compliance were examined. A spectral analysis of the force signal demonstrated that force variability characterized roughness and that FA1 neural receptors were the receptors primarily responsible for mediating indirect roughness perception. Psychophysical studies of texture perception have been hampered by the need for the expensive manufacture of finely textured surfaces. These texture samples provide only discrete levels of experimental variables for study and are time-consuming to present to subjects. Virtual haptic textures provide continuous control of variables and are quick and easy to use. Unfortunately, psychophysical experimental results seem to differ between real and virtual textures. An algorithm was used which modeled probe and texture geometry to render virtual haptic texture that was perceptually the same as real texture. The texture was created by constraining the haptic device manipulandum to follow a surface dictated by the interaction of the size and shape of the virtual probe and texture elements. Compliance and friction effects were also simulated. Subject roughness magnitude estimations were used to determine the psychophysical function for roughness. The effect of probe geometry, compliance, and friction on this function and on roughness thresholds was determined. Force and position recordings were correlated with roughness estimates and used to evaluate the physical properties characterizing roughness perception. This thesis provides significant new insight into the perception of roughness and its relationship to texture geometry, compliance and friction. It also establishes an experimental platform and framework which should expedite future studies of texture perception.
Design and Manufacture of a Museum-Grade Children's Indoor Trebuchet by Mechanical Engineering Students

The trebuchet, a medieval siege weapon, can play an important role in stimulating and maintaining interest in engineering and the physical sciences. We discuss our experience with use of a specialty trebuchet design project in engineering education and service learning. In particular, mechanical engineering juniors in a machine design and synthesis course designed and manufactured (based on formal specifications) trebuchets for use by children 5–12 years of age in an indoor museum environment. The entire process entailed brainstorming of ideas, concept selection, dynamic analysis, design for assembly (DFA) analysis, along with manufacture and testing. Throughout the process, feedback was solicited from the community partner, a local technology discovery center, or museum (‘The Works’). In the end, a total of six children's indoor trebuchets were manufactured and installed in the local technology center. The results presented are reproducible for use by other interested instructors.
Automatic Classification of Digital Archives- A Food and Beverage Restaurant for Example

A digital archive is a digital database, which is built by the internet, websites’ culture and information techniques. Modern Restaurant Manager faces numerous digital photos and videos, which are high correlation to cuisine and organizational knowledge improvement. Numerous institutions archives are going digitalized. Except website marketing for a restaurant, education of employee is also a new trend for e-enterprise in a restaurant. This study tried automatic classification of cuisine photos into restaurant’s digital database; it would reduce manager working time for selection of cuisine photos, which were applied to employee education. Maybe we can easily classify few archives into database; however, thousand of photos are not economic for human manual classification. This research developed a new algorithm for visual reorganization for cuisine photos, and coded as a software for real world practical application. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach could contribute to e-enterprise knowledge management. It would be easily transferred into others industries.
Evaluation Of Mems Fabricated Fractal Based Free Standing Scaffolds For The Purposes Of Developing A Brain Bioreactor

EVALUATION OF MEMS FABRICATED FRACTAL BASED FREE STANDING SCAFFOLDS FOR THE PURPOSES OF DEVELOPING A BRAIN BIOREACTOR by BRANDY BROADBENT December 2015 Advisor: Dr. Gregory W. Auner Major: Biomedical Engineering Degree: Master of Science The brain is the most complex organ in the body due to the multiple cell types, billions of tightly packed synapses, extracellular matrix, and intricate topography. Microelectrical-mechanical fabrication techniques exhibit promise in the field of neuronal tissue engineering because the shape is highly controllable and a variety of materials can be used in creation of bioreactors. This work evaluates the ability of a free standing TiO2 coated fractal scaffold to support healthy neuronal growth. Also evaluated is the propensity for the neurons to take advantage of the 3D growing surface without the use of complex extracellular matrix factors over the course of eleven days in vitro. The results indicate that while it is possible for neurons to grow on the MEMs fabricated fractal scaffold and grow in 3D, key adjustments to the scaffold and cell adhesion protein will better facilitate long term neuronal growth in future generations of the brain bioreactor.
A statistical study of the performance of a heat-flow calorimeter: Calibration and error analysis

From an analysis of more than three years of calibration data we derived a new calibration data for the ``small` calorimeter. Using this calibration we should be able to measure the thermal output power of unknown radiological sample to better than 0.3% of the true value (based on one standard deviation) when the unknown lies in the power range 0.25 - 4.0 watt. We learned that the calibration data taken before August 1987 showed considerably more variability than data collected subsequently. We also detected a long-term periodic fluctuation in the data on the scale of about one year. The cause of this fluctuation is unknown. This fluctuation does significantly reduce the accuracy of our measurements. The accuracy of the calorimeter is degraded by the random error of the entire measurment system, the periodic fluctuation, and the statistical error in estimating the calibration coefficients. We recommend that the cause of the periodic fluctuation be determined by monitoring the environmental conditions of the calorimeter laboratory, and a continuous program of recalibration to assure continued accuracy of these measurements.
A critical review of electric vehicle charging using solar photovoltaic

The application of renewable sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) to charge electric vehicle (EV) is an interesting option that offers numerous technical and economic opportunities. By combining the emission‐free EV with the low carbon PV power generation, the problems related to the greenhouse gases due to the internal combustion engines can be reduced. Over the years, numerous papers, including several review work, have been published on EV charging using the grid electricity. However, there seems to be an absence of a review paper on EV charging using the PV as one of the energy sources. With growing interest in this topic, this review summarizes and updates some of the important aspects of the PV‐EV charging. For the benefit of a wider audience, it provides the background on the EV fundamentals, batteries and a brief overview on the PV systems. Two types of PV‐EV charging, namely the PV‐grid and the PV‐standalone, are comprehensively covered. Moreover, a case study is carried out in comparison to the grid‐only charging to critically analyse the technical and the economical feasibilities of both types using Matlab simulation. At the end, recommendations and future directions are presented. It is envisaged that the material gathered in this paper will be a valuable source of information for the researchers working on this topic. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Dynamic Analysis of Oil Prices and Inflation Model and Method

The study examines the impact of oil prices on inflation by applying a threshold model for five (5) ASEAN members, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Three (3) indicators for oil price shocks are extracted in conjunction with Mork [23], Lee et al. [22] and Hamilton [13] methods. Consequently, these values are used to delineate the effect of price shock differentials. The pass-through effect is integrated into the threshold equation model. Later, the model is calculated to have an impact on inflation of high and low oil prices. The result is that the oil price shock appears to have a major impact on inflation when prices are in the high regime. This extends to all shock measures. The effective exchange rate and industrial price index (IHP) are classified as the primary determinant of inflation in all sample countries. As such, counter-cyclical monetary policy considerations should remain driven by the emerging downside risks of oil price shocks. It requires a more accommodative monetary environment to offset inflationary pressures on the domestic economy.
Thin Film Materials and Devices for Resistive Temperature Sensing Applications

Abstract : Thin films of vanadium oxide (VOx) and hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) are the two dominant material systems used in resistive infrared radiation detectors (microbolometers) for sensing long wave infrared (LWIR) wavelengths in the 8-14 micrometers range. Typical thin films of VOx (x less than 2) currently used in the bolometer industry have a magnitude of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) between 2%/K - 3%/K. In contrast, thin films of hydrogenated germanium (SiGe:H) have TCR between 3%/K to 4%/K. Devices made from either of these materials have resulted in similar device performance with NETD approximately equal to 25 mK. The performance of the microbolometers is limited by the electronic noise, especially 1/f noise. Therefore, regardless of the choice of bolometer sensing material and read out circuitry, manufacturers are constantly striving to reduce 1/f noise while simultaneously increasing TCR to give better signal to noise ratios in their bolometers and ultimately, better image quality with more thermal information to the end user.
An integration of a self-management for safety process with on-board safety monitoring to increase safe driving among short haul truck drivers

The relative impact of a self-management for safety (SMS) process was evaluated at two short-haul trucking terminals. Participants in the pre-behavior group recorded their intentions to engage in specific safe versus at-risk driving behaviors before leaving the terminal whereas participants in the post-behavior group recorded their actual safe versus at-risk driving behaviors after returning to the terminal. Each participant drove a truck equipped with an on-board computer-monitoring device that recorded two driving behaviors, traveling overspeed and stopping or braking (extreme braking). During the SMS intervention, participants in the pre-behavior group reduced their mean percentage of time overspeeding by 30.4 percent, and their mean frequency of extreme braking incidents by 63.9 percent . Similarly, during the SMS intervention, the post-behavior group reduced their mean percentage of overspeeding and their mean frequency of extreme braking incidents by 19.3 percent and 49.4 percent, respectively.
In Silico Analysis Of The Effects Of Omicron Spike Amino Acid Changes On The Interactions With Human ACE2 Receptor And Structurally Characterized Complexes With Human Antibodies

The new SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron is characterised, among others, by more than 30 amino acid changes (including 4 deletions and 1 insertion) occurring on the spike glycoprotein. We report a comprehensive analysis of the effects of the Omicron spike amino acid changes in the interaction with human ACE2 receptor or with human antibodies, obtained by analysing the publicly available resolved 3D structures. Our analysis predicts that amino acid changes occurring on amino acids interacting with the ACE2 receptor may increase Omicron transmissibility. The interactions of Omicron spike with human antibodies can be both negatively and positively affected by amino acid changes, with a predicted total loss of interactions only in few complexes. We believe that such an approach can be used to better understand SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility, detectability, and epidemiology, especially when extended to other than spike proteins.
The dynamic response of short-span highway bridges to heavy vehicle loads

This dissertation investigates the dynamics of highway bridges subjected to heavy vehicle loads. A convolution method based on bridge mode shapes is developed to predict the dynamic response of a bridge to a given set of wheel loads. The convolution integral is solved by transformation to the frequency domain. In order to validate the bridge response calculation method, an experimental procedure, consisting of impulse tests to determine the bridge modal properties and vehicle tests, is presented. The measured modal properties of the bridges are compared against predictions from beam theory and finite element calculations. Good agreement between theory and measurement is shown. The modal parameters are combined with measured wheel loads in the convolution calculation to predict bridge responses. These predicted responses are compared with the measurements and good agreement is found. The convolution method is extended by an iterative procedure to include vehicle models and two parametric studies are performed. In the first, the importance of the dynamic interaction between vehicles and bridges is investigated, and guidelines for determining when interaction can be ignored are presented. In the second study, the effects of vehicle suspension design on bridge dynamic response are considered. Vehicles with leaf-spring and air-spring suspensions are considered.
Influence of Individual Perceptions on Engineering Team Performance within Design Build Infrastructure Projects

The successful delivery of large complex infrastructure projects continues to challenge the civil engineering profession, with a predominance of projects delivered late and over budget. Many researchers have investigated methods and means of improving the less-than-satisfactory record of the execution of these projects. One recent research direction suggests that improvements in project delivery may not be realized until the project setting is understood from the as-lived perspective of the participants. Following this direction, the research described in this dissertation explores the personal and interpersonal dynamics operating within projects, treating them as complex social processes. The social dimensions explored in this study involve team leaders and staff engineers in a matriced organization handling a large urban design-build infrastructure project. The interactions among the participants within and across units and levels had both positive and negative impacts. The data for this exploratory case study comes from semi-structured interviews and online surveys collected at three points over eleven months when the project was in the design phase. Interviews were conducted with a limited number of individuals; the survey was collected from the larger engineering organization. From the interview data, issues which impacted project delivery were identified as the relationship with supervision, the availability of information, an understanding of the larger project context, and the response to project constraints. The survey data was used primarily to understand the social dimensions affecting two engineering disciplines, one that performed well and one that performed poorly. Issues that aligned with the performance differences included frequency of contact with supervision, the ability to make decisions, and effective use of time available to complete design tasks. Data from the two modes of investigation demonstrated strong triangulation. Recommendations for both academia and industry are provided.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEM DYNAMICS MODEL TO ANALYZE AND IMPROVE THE PRODUCTION OF CRUDE PALM OIL DERIVATIVES

Indonesia is one of the largest palm oil producer in world. The products of palm oil derivative diverse, ranging from cooking oil, margarine, soap, and biodiesel. So far, Indonesia is more likely to export Crude Palm Oil (CPO) to various countries. But on the other hand, Indonesia need to reduce the burden imports of some palm oil derivative products such as cooking oil, biodiesel, and soap. It is therefore, we need a breakthrough to improve the production of crude palm oil and its derivative products so that we can increase the availability of the derivative products. Based on this existing condition, we need an approach that can analyze the use condition of the palm oil derivative products and improve the palm oil use of derivative products in the future. Therefore, in this research, we will develop a model that can analyze and develop some policy scenarios to improve the utilization of palm oil derivative products. The method used for the model development is system dynamics, based on the ability to accommodate the internal and external factors that affect the production of palm oil derivative products.From the model scenarios we obtained that by sorting the fruits harvested, so that the levels of Oil Extraction Rate is at 22.1%, it can increase the stock of CPO by 11%. By utilizing 50% of CPO for the cooking oil production will meet the needs of the national cooking oil demand, with a ratio of 1.5 fulfillment began in 2010. If we utilize 35% of CPO to be processed as stearin, and use 10% of stearin in the soap contain, it will fulfill the need of domestic soap until 2015. By utilizing the empty fruit bunches waste as raw material for biodiesel, there will be additional biodiesel production of around 920,479 kilolitres in 2019. Meanwhile, the use of 1% of CPO production to create biodiesel, it will make biodiesel production reaches 31,173 kilolitres in 2019. From these efforts, there will be 951,652 kilolitres biodiesel production in 2019.
Energy-efficient cooperative communication in wireless sensor networks using turbo codes

Abstract Energy efficiency is the main issue in the wireless sensor network. In this paper, we have developed the energy model for Virtual-Multiple Input Single Output cooperative communication using turbo codes. We have compared the energy consumption of uncoded cooperative communication with coded cooperative communication. The effect of code rate, number of participating nodes, channel conditions, target bit error rate on the energy consumption is also investigated. The simulation results show that significant energy saving can be obtained through the proposed turbo coded cooperative communication.
3D-QSAR modeling and molecular docking studies on a series of 2, 4, 5-trisubstituted imidazole derivatives as CK2 inhibitors

Abstract Protein case in kinase II alpha subunit (CK2) plays an imperative function in treating cancer disease. Herein, we have performed a three-dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D-QSAR), and molecular docking analysis on a novel series of 2, 4, 5-trisubstituted imidazole derivatives in order to design potent kinase II alpha subunit (CK2) inhibitors. The 3D-QSAR methods such as comparative molecular similarity indexes analysis (COMSIA), and the comparative molecular field analysis (COMFA) were investigate using twenty-four molecules of 2, 4, 5-trisubstituted imidazole derivatives as anticancer agent. The best COMFA and COMSIA models exhibit excellent values of 0.66 and 0.75 and values of 0.98 and 0.99 respectively. To check the validity of the selected COMFA and COMSIA models, a variety of validation tests were utilized: Internal validation analyses, and externally validation beside Y-randomization according to the principles of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Golbraikh and Tropsha’s criteria for the validation of 3D-QSAR models. The proposed models for COMFA and COMSIA analysis have been successful. The developed models, indicating that they were reliable for activity prediction. Based on the preceding results, we designed several new potent molecules. Such outcome can proffer helpful theoretical references for future experimental studies. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Working around the clock? - The time and location of paid work in Finland 1979-2010

This article draws on Finnish time use data spanning the past three decades (1979–2010) with a focus on the prevalence of wage and salary earners’ work at different locations, namely at the employer’s facilities, at home, outside the home or the main place of work, and on the move. The diary data (N = 13,277) depicts respondents’ time budgets in ten minute intervals around the clock. According to the results, work practices have remained surprisingly conventional. Although the absolute time spent at the respondents’ main place of work has been decreasing, the vast majority of employees still work at their employer’s facilities during normal business hours, lending no support to the 24/7 working society thesis. However, during a standard working week, alternating between different business facilities has become more common than before, pointing to the growing importance of distributed work arrangements. The data also shows that the share of employees working on days off has not increased, but this kind of activity has lengthened over the years by those who do it, implying that the burden of working time is divided more unevenly than before.
A Brief History of Power Electronics and Drives

Speed control of electric motors in industrial sector is advancing day by day. The use of power electronic devices in motor drives creates efficient speed control with reduced cost. This paper reviewed the advancement in industrial drives and control from its beginning to the modern drive technology. The paper deals with power semi conductor devices, converter circuits, motor drives and various speed control techniques in the order of their advancement.
Establishing a Wear-Related Deterioration Model Based on Experimental Data

System modeling with respect to reliability function is of increasing importance, since knowledge about reliability function enables its integration in control affecting the control strategies. Suitable operating strategies will lead not only to extended lifetime, but also give a possibility for predictive maintenance. The assessment of reliability function relies often on probabilistic theory. From probabilistic point of view it consequently involves mathematical assumptions, but physically mainly relies on knowledge about system’s state-of-deterioration. This implies that statements about the state-of-deterioration, about predictive maintenance, as well as the ability to control the system’s extended lifetime assume knowledge about the relation between system’s load (applied to the system), system’s stress (appearing within the system), and the resulting behavior of systems to the loads applied. This contribution establishes a parametric model from the experimental data generated from wear experiments, and compares the results to those results obtained for individual system generating data.