Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Automated Multiobject Fibre Optic Coupler For The Anglo-Australian Telescope

An automated fibre optic coupler (AUTOFIB) for multi-object spectroscopy has been design-ed and is currently being built for the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) as a collaborative project between Durham University and the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO). The device consists of a high-speed, precision, fibre positioner and an interchangeable fibre module. The positioner places the fibre probes individually under microprocessor control and can set up a field of 64 fibres in less than 10 minutes.
Developing the UK e-Social Science Research Programme

The National Centre for e-Social Science (NCeSS) was established by the U.K. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 2004 as its contribution to the U.K. e-Science program. NCeSS’s mission is to enable social scientists to exploit innovations in digital infrastructure so that they are able to address key challenges in their substantive research fields in new ways. This infrastructure, known as the ‘Grid’ or increasingly commonly as ‘e-Infrastructure’ (or ‘Cyberinfrastructure’ in the U.S.), comprises networked, interoperable, service-oriented, scalable computational tools and services. The Centre forms part of the ESRC’s strategy to develop leading-edge methodological tools and techniques to enhance the U.K. social science research community’s capacity to collect, discover, access, manipulate, link, share, analyze and visualize both quantitative and qualitative data.1 To achieve its aims, NCeSS coordinates a program of e-Social Science research and makes available information, training, advice and support. The Centre is leading the development of an e-Infrastructure for the Social Sciences and is also responsible for providing advice to the ESRC on the future strategic direction of e-Social Science. NCeSS has a distributed structure, with a coordinating Hub at the University of Manchester, and a set of major three-year research Nodes and smaller one-year projects distributed across the U.K. The Hub acts as the central resource base for e-Social Science issues and activities in the U.K., integrating them with ESRC research methods initiatives and the U.K. e-Science core program. In this chapter, we review the progress of the NCeSS program, report on its current impact on social science research, reflect on the development of the research roadmap and, taking into account factors likely to influence future adoption, consider its trajectory over the next five years.
Examination of Applicants for Home Purchase Subsidy for Families in Terms of Prior Commitment to Having Children and Extent of Property Acquisition, Based on the Data of a Credit Institution

By examining a credit institution’s database for the period 2016–2020, the authors aimed to discover the extent to which Home Purchase Subsidy (HPS) for families applicants use the subsidy received in return for committing to having children in Hungary. The current study also examines which social groups the HPS provides essential assistance to with home purchasing, and at which income level and property value the subsidy motivates the purchase of a second home. Using cluster analysis, the authors found that groups with modest incomes and housing are the most likely to commit to having children in advance. Though the subsidy assists this group the most with housing, the amount received from the subsidy is small. Moreover, the current study revealed that 8 per cent of applicants used the subsidy to purchase a second property.
Modeling of Fixed Service Interference in Aeronautical SATCOM Channels

A detailed assessment of the radiofrequency interference from terrestrial fixed service into aeronautical earth stations operating with geostationary satellite orbit networks in the fixed-satellite service is performed. We analyze the impact of the major physical, technical, operational, and regulatory parameters in the interference environment having multiple degrees of freedom to be considered. By performing exhaustive geometric computer simulations, we determine the statistical characteristics of the time-variant radiofrequency interference caused by multiple terrestrial fixed service transmitters using information of existing/registered fixed service stations in France. Subsequently, a stochastic channel model to predict the impact of the terrestrial interference using a higher order finite-state Markov process is developed. Balancing model accuracy and complexity, a reasonable vector quantization clustering algorithm is applied for the partitioning of the interference into representative channel states. For these channel states, we provide a method for scaling this model to different antenna sizes and flight velocities, to be used for development of interference mitigation measures and system design of aeronautical earth stations in motion operating in the 17.7–19.7 GHz frequency range.
Proposal for a new allocation method of environmental goals applied to an Algerian cement factory

Purpose – This paper seeks to focus on environmental management and is part of a persistent operation of industrial enterprises. This context is justified by the fact that, despite taking the value of environmental management, many Algerian enterprises fail to ensure integration of environmental considerations into their business activities. Design/methodology/approach – It is a proposal of a method for corporate environmental policy through the allocation of the global environmental goal. Findings – The method of allocation of the global environmental goal proposed is based on the criticality of the environmental risk that must make it acceptable or tolerable. The allocation principle used is based on a judicious choice of the weight allowance with reference to the criticality grid of environmental risks. Practical implications – The method of allocation of the global environmental goal is a valuable help to Algerian companies to ensure better integration of the environment into production, especially Al.
Twin Jet Effects on Noise of Round and Rectangular Jets: Experiment and Model

Many subsonic and supersonic aircraft concepts proposed by NASA’s Fundamental Aeronautics Program have asymmetric, integrated propulsion systems. The asymmetries in the exhaust of these propulsion systems create an asymmetric acoustic field. The asymmetries investigated in the current study are from twin jets and rectangular nozzles. Each effect produces its own variation of the acoustic field. An empirical model was developed to predict the acoustic field variation from round twin jets with twin jet spacing from 2.6 to 5.6, where s is the center-to-center spacing over the jet diameter. The model includes parameters to account for the effects of twin jet spacing, jet static temperature ratio, flight Mach number, frequency, and observer angle (both polar and azimuthal angles). The model was then applied to twin 2:1 and 8:1 aspect ratio nozzles to determine the impact of jet aspect ratio. For the round and rectangular jets, the use of the model reduces the average magnitude of the error over all frequencies, observation angles, and jet spacings by approximately 0.5dB when compared against the assumption of adding two jets incoherently.
Fabrication method to create high-aspect ratio pillars for photonic coupling of board level interconnects

An important challenge that remains to date in board level optical interconnects is the coupling between the optical waveguides on printed wiring boards and the packaged optoelectronics chips, which are preferably surface mountable on the boards. One possible solution is the use of Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages. This approach offers a reliable attachment despite the large CTE mismatch between the organic FR4 board and the semiconductor materials. Collimation via micro-lenses is here typically deployed to couple the light vertically from the waveguide substrate to the optoelectronics while allowing for a small misalignment between board and package. In this work, we explore the fabrication issues of an alternative approach in which the vertical photonic connection between board and package is governed by a micro-optical pillar which is attached both to the board substrate and to the optoelectronic chips. Such an approach allows for high density connections and small, high-speed detector footprints while maintaining an acceptable tolerance between board and package. The pillar should exhibit some flexibility and thus a high-aspect ratio is preferred. This work presents and compares different fabrication methods and applies different materials for such high-aspect ratio pillars. The different fabrication methods are: photolithography, direct laser writing and deep proton writing. The selection of optical materials that was investigated is: SU8, Ormocers, PU and a multifunctional acrylate polymer. The resulting optical pillars have diameters ranging from 20um up to 80um, with total heights ranging between 30um and 100um (symbol for micron). The aspect-ratio of the fabricated structures ranges from 1.5 to 5.
Accurate baseline estimation for synthetic aperture radar-ground moving target indication systems based on co-registration and median filtering

In this study, a new method of effective baseline estimation is presented, which can be used for ground moving target indication (GMTI) mode of synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The basic idea is to perform the baseline estimation via exploiting the slope of the along-track interferometric (ATI) phase ramp in two-dimensional frequency domain. An integrated scheme of effective ATI-baseline estimation is proposed, which includes two key procedures: fine co-registration and median filtering. The proposed algorithm is tested with real SAR data. The results show that the incorporation of the fine co-registration and the median filtering procedures in the estimation scheme represents an accurate solution to the effective baseline estimation problem.
Quantifying Changes in Soil Physical Properties from Soil and Crop Management: A Survey of Experts

A questionnaire was developed to investigate relationships between soil physical properties and tillage practices. The purpose was to develop a knowledge base which could quantify these relationships and be translated readily into rules for use in the BESTAQUA hydrologic simulation model and expert system. Experts were asked to evaluate the effects on soil physical properties of four tillage practices, two soil types, three times of the season, and one or two soil depths in a corn-soybean rotation. Soil properties included surface crop residue, surface storage volume, macropores which were continuous to the surface, soil organic matter, bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and plant available water capacity. Thirty-two respondents (58% response rate) provided soil property estimates. From these data, means and confidence interval ranges provided a quantitative approximation of the relative expected changes in soil properties with tillage practice, crop year of a rotation, time of season, and soil depth and type. The means and ranges of the relative changes were compared with literature data and interpreted drawing upon the information-rich qualitative feedback from the experts. Confidence interval ranges of these trends were generally found to span the ranges of values found in the literature and showed that management practices significantly influence soil properties. These results provide a set of reasonable and comprehensive values for estimating the relative effects of tillage management on soil physical properties, and present an opportunity to improve many agricultural hydrologic models and equations by including the effects of tillage-induced soil physical properties changes summarized in this study.
The Use of USPTO 'Continuation' Applications in the Patenting of Software: Implications for Free and Open Source

This paper examines the role played by “continuations” (procedural revisions of patent applications) within software patenting and the implications that the use by patentees of continuations has for free and open-source software design. Our research analyzes data on continuations in software patenting 1987–99, providing information on the effects of changes made to the U.S. patent laws in 1995 intended to curb “submarine patenting. ” Our analysis of all U.S. patents issued 1987–99 shows that the use of continuations grew steadily in overall U.S. patenting through 1995, with particularly rapid growth in continuations in software patenting. Sharp reversals in these growth rates after 1995 suggest that changes in the U.S. patent law were effective. We analyze the role of continuation patents in creating opportunities for patentees to engage in strategic “hold-up” of software adopters and follow-on software innovators, and extend the analysis to open-source software.
Backscatter in integrated optical waveguides and circuits

Backscatter in integrated optical waveguides is responsible of losses and distortion of the spectral circuit response. In this contribution we present measurements of the backscattered power from medium and high index contrast waveguides and an equivalent circuit describing the statistical behavior of such effect is proposed. The measurements are carried out with a cavitometric technique allowing to space resolve the local backreflection distributed along the waveguide. The equivalent circuit is composed by an ideal waveguide with a central lumped reflector owning a random phase. We investigated the spectral response of simple circuits and ring resonators, both numerically and experimentally.
Reproductive Biology of a Medicinal Orchid Satyarium Nepalense (Orchidaceae) in the Nepalese Himalayas

Satyrium nepalense is a terrestrial medicinal orchid of the Himalayas. Although, the ecology and medicinal uses of this orchid is well known, little is known about its reproductive mechanism. In this study, we explored the natural history and reproductive biology of S. nepalense and tested their potential spatial variation. We observed the floral visitors and natural fruit set of S. nepalense at its two populations. We found that, despite the presence of outcrossing features, this orchid did not receive any diurnal floral visitors. The natural fruit set was very high (>90.0%) at both the sites, suggesting the possibility of autonomous selfing. This finding may have important implication for the further study to explore how autonomous selfing evolves in a member of the predominately outcrossing genus. Moreover, the finding of this study provides important insight to develop efficient protocol for its conservation.
Intangible capital, knowledge and new product development competence in supply chains: process, interaction and contingency effects among SMEs

Leveraging the strengths of a firm’s supply chain partners for new product development (NPD) has become essential to satisfy rapidly changing customer demands and to remain competitive. Firms are, therefore, aiming to further their NPD competence, which we define as the ability of the supply chain to improve and generate new products and services, based on the processes and relationships established with suppliers and customers. This study examines how intangible capital and knowledge further the development of NPD competence within the context of a supply chain. A theoretical model, based upon resource-advantage theory, is tested via structural equation modelling utilising survey data collected from 195 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing industry reporting on their primary supply chain. Our findings indicate that more easily transferable capital manifests itself in explicit knowledge and less easily transferable capital manifests itself in tacit knowledge. We further identify complementarities of the two types of intangible capital as influencing knowledge type development. More importantly, we find that the two types of knowledge differ in their ability to influence NPD competence in the supply chain, and that these links are moderated by relationship length. Supply chain management implications for academics and practitioners are presented.
Zero‐sequence‐based relaying technique for protecting power transformers and its performance assessment using unsupervised learning ANN

In this paper a simple and robust new relaying technique for protecting transformers from internal winding faults is proposed. Based on the measurement of zero sequence current inside a delta winding, the technique greatly simplifies the conventional differential relaying arrangement when a delta winding is available. Despite the number of windings of the transformer and the location of the fault, only measurement of induced zero sequence current within the delta winding is needed. Since the proposed technique has been shown to be prone to generate false pick-up signals during inrush, a simple restraining criterion is proposed and analysed. Additionally, use of projection techniques based on self-organizing maps (SOM) is proposed in this paper as a valuable tool for analysing multivariable data which are generated from the huge number of possible combinations existing between switching instant and fault location. Finite element simulations and laboratory tests have been combined into SOM to validate the proposed relaying technique and the restraining criterion. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Culturing and Bonding of Diatom on a Microfluidic Chip for Biosensing Application

In order to fabricate biosensors with high sensitivity, the diatom Coscinodiscus excentricus was cultured on a microfluidic chip made with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), then the organic matter of diatom cells was removed and only diatom frustules were left, after which the cleaned frustules were bonded onto the bottom of the PDMS micro chamber by ultraviolet irradiation. The overview and the detailed morphology of the frustules in the chamber were analyzed by SEM, and the ultraviolet irradiation bonding mechanism of diatom with PDMS was discussed. Finally, the diatom based microfluidic chip was tested with the fluorescein-labeled protein; and the result showed that the fluorescence intensity of the diatom is 4 times stronger compared with that of the blank regions.
Voltage boosting capability of three phase current source inverter for standalone system

This paper presents a three-phase current source inverter (CSI) topology with voltage boosting capability for standalone system. Current source inverter (CSI) and voltage source inverter (VSI) are two competitive options to be used as an interfacing unit between variable dc input resource and ac output fed into on-grid, off-grid and industrial used. Among the two topologies, VSI is widely used due to its variable controllable output voltage and ability to operate steadily with open loop V/Hz control. Yet, it suffers circuit complexity due to the need of extra converter stage to meet the required output. On the other hand, CSI has an advantage of voltage boosting capability and better quality of output waveshape, thus no extra converter stage is needed. Most of research works were focusing on studying the suitability and practicality of CSI, along with the advancement using silicon carbide-based power switches and improved modulation techniques to minimize the harmonics suffer by CSI. There is lack of research in investigating the boosting capability particularly on how high CSI able to boost the fundamental output and its impact to overall performance in both open and closedloop standalone system. Thus, this work is intended to highlight in detail the boosting capability of CSI and compare with VSI based on the several circuity and operational features. To support the work, three modulators are implemented namely sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM), third harmonic injection PWM (THIPWM) and space vector modulation (SVM). A dedicated synchronous frame proportional-integral (PI) control in used in closed-loop condition. Result shows that CSI topology able to boost the fundamental output voltage by 52% to 58% by using smaller modulation index as compared to VSI. Interestingly, CSI able to achieve comparable quality and harmonic minimization of output voltage and current as in VSI but with smaller PI control gain. All works are analyzed and verified using MATLAB/Simulink platform.
The material handling trade-off when lot splitting with RFID in a job shop

Lot splitting is the practice of splitting a production order into smaller sub-lots that are free to move independently through the manufacturing process. Traceability issues and increased material handling may discourage high levels of lot splitting and thus limit improved flow times and tardiness that are associated with increased lot splitting. In order to enable the shop floor control necessary for high levels of lot splitting, radio frequency identification (RFID) can be used to improve material tracking. This is the first paper to quantitatively analyse the trade-off between improved flow and tardiness metrics versus the undesirable increase in material handling when lot splitting in a job shop. Flexible automated material handling equipment may be necessary with some operating conditions and policies because of a dramatic increase in material movements between work centres. This is also the first paper to quantitatively study the impact of imperfect RFID read reliability on the shop floor. The findings are analysed in the theoretical context of the complementary relationships between mix flexibility, material handling flexibility, and lot splitting enabled by RFID. Those relationships have important managerial implications about the fit of RFID technology with operating policies, conditions, and capabilities.
Optimizations of photovoltaic cells including the minimization of internal heat sources

A new approach is introduced and illustrated for optimizing the performances of photovoltaic cells. A thermal criterion, the minimization of the internal heat sources, is added to the usual criteria that consist of minimizing the optical and electrical losses. A proof of concept is delivered by means of modeling in the case of a standard crystalline silicon (cSi) cell for which the dependence on temperature of optical, electrical, and thermal properties is well known. A numerical code named TASC-1D-cSi simulating the optical-radiative, electrical, and thermal behaviors of cSi solar cells is used. Besides the current-voltage characteristics, this simulation tool provides the spectral variations of the thermalization, recombination, and radiative internal heat sources as well as the equilibrium temperature of the cell which depends on the outdoor conditions. The cell or the anti-reflection coating thickness is varied while the other parameters are prescribed. It is demonstrated in given outdoor conditions t.
Torque ripple reduction of SRM using advanced direct instantaneous torque control scheme

In this paper, an advanced torque control scheme of SRM using DITC(Direct Instantaneous Torque Control) and PWM(pulse width modulation) is presented. Different from conventional DITC method, proposed method uses one or two switching modes at every sampling time, instead of only one switching mode. The duty ratio of the phase switch is regulated according to the torque error and simple control rules of DITC. Moreover the sampling time of control can be extended, which allows implementation on low cost microcontrollers. The proposed control method is verified by the simulations and experimental results.