Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robot Assisted Wall Inspection for Improved Maintenance of High-Rise Buildings

A robotic system is designed for the express purpose of facilitating timely maintenance of the external walls of high-rise buildings, including inspection and cleaning. This paper addresses the application of a selected method of non-destructive inspection (NDI) to assess the quality of bonding of the tile-wall in such buildings. The basis for checking with the proposed method whether there are voids in the bonding and for evaluating the approximate size and spread of voids is established. The results obtained experimentally with the use of prepared specimens and on physical walls in a university campus are presented and discussed, confirming the validity of the method proposed. KEYWORD: High-rise buildings, Nondestructive inspection, Robotic maintenance
Supplier Involvement in Product Development : A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Working Paper

The paper reports the preliminary findings of four current case studies on supplier involvement in product development from the respective perspectives of Engineering, Purchasing and Suppliers. The supplier involvement is studied from the viewpoint of how supplier information and knowledge are deployed in the fuzzy front end of product development. The objective of the case studies is twofold. First: to learn more about the conditions under which the search, acquisition and utilization of supplier information and knowledge take place. Second: to explore whether these conditions are affected by tie strength of the information relationships among Engineering, Purchasing, and Suppliers.
DRCM: dynamic relationship creation and management in social internet of things

: As internet of things (IoT) is overpopulated with a multitude of objects, services and interactions locating the most relevant object is emerging as a major obstacle. Over the last few years, the social internet of things (SIoT) paradigm, where objects independently establish social relationships with the other things has become popular as it provides several
Modeling sea-based sustainment of Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) operations ashore

Abstract : The Marine Corps has embraced the concepts of Operational Maneuver From The Sea (OMFTS) and Ship-to-Objective Maneuver (STOM) as the next progression in the evolution of amphibious warfare. These related concepts envision harnessing emerging technologies to allow the projection of naval power ashore faster and from greater distances than in the past. Additionally, both concepts identify the ability to conduct sea-based logistics (SBL) as a key requirement for successful implementation. Sea-based logistics involves executing a wide range of logistical functions from a sea-base rather than from sites traditionally established ashore. Acknowledged enhancements are required to realize a complete SBL capability; however, the ability to provide some measure of sea-based sustainment exists today. This thesis models the sea-based sustainment of Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) forces deployed from Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) ships. Missions are developed for analysis; each is coupled with an appropriate force package of personnel and equipment density. Sustainment requirements and available transportation capacities are then determined and compared for each mission. This comparison along with several excursions provides insight into the nature of sea-based sustainment feasibility. It also gauges potential limitations for sea-based sustainment.
Using augmented reality technology for balance training in the elderly. A feasibility pilot study

BackgroundImpaired balance leading to falls is common in the elderly, and there is strong evidence that balance training reduces falls and increases independence. Reduced resources in health care will result in fewer people getting help with rehabilitation training. In this regard, the new technology augmented reality (AR) could be helpful. With AR, the elderly can receive help with instructions and get feedback on their progression in balance training. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of using AR-based visual-interactive tools in balance training of the elderly.MethodsSeven elderly participants (66-88 years old) with impaired balance trained under supervision of a physiotherapist twice a week for six weeks using AR-based visual-interactive guidance, which was facilitated through a Microsoft HoloLens holographic display. Afterwards, participants and physiotherapists were interviewed about the new technology and their experience of the training. Also, fear of falling and balance ability were measured before and after training. ResultsFive participants experienced the new technology as positive in terms of increased motivation and feedback. Experiences were mixed regarding the physical and technical aspects of the HoloLens and the design of the HoloLens application. Participants also described issues that needed to be further improved, for example, the training program was difficult and monotonous. Further, the HoloLens hardware was felt to be heavy, the application's menu was difficult to control with different hand manoeuvres, and the calibration took a long time. Suggestions for improvements were described. Results of the balance tests and self-assessment instruments indicated no improvements in balance performance after AR training.ConclusionsThe study showed that training with the new technology is, to some extent, feasible for the elderly, but needs further development. Also, the technology seemed to stimulate increased motivation, which is a prerequisite for adherence to training. However, the new technology and training requires further development and testing in a larger context.
Leakage aware digital design optimization for minimal total power consumption in nanometer CMOS technologies

Starting from deep submicron technologies (< 0.13μm), and even stronger in nanometer technologies, static power consumption, due to leaky “off” transistors, is becoming a non-negligible contributor to the total power dissipation. Under this condition, the total power optimization problem changes considerably. The high parallelization approach commonly used today to increase performances, will soon result in power inefficient designs. Indeed, the static power consumption of the large number of rarely used transistors will highly penalize the total power consumption. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the influence of static power on the design methodologies for low power. In particular, the effects of architectural as well as technology modifications are explored. The use of technology as an optimization parameter has become possible in recent technologies. In fact, they offer different threshold voltages, each one showing a different trade-off between speed and leakage current. In this work, two different frameworks are considered. In the first one, both the supply voltage and the transistor threshold voltage are freely tunable parameters. This is the most general case and corresponds to the situation where the designer has the largest freedom. In the latter framework, we assume that the designer cannot change the supply voltage nor the transistor threshold voltage and they are hence considered constants. This case corresponds to the most common one, where the designer has a supply voltage and a technology type (and hence a threshold voltage) fixed by the application and by the devices the circuit has to interface. In both cases, lot of efforts have been put to the development of a handy way to rapidly estimate the total power consumption and consequently easily compare different architectural/technology variants at the early stages of development. Examples, based on multipliers, are used extensively in the whole thesis and, at the end, the presented theory is applied to a real circuit implemented in a 90nm technology by ST Microelectronics. Measurements show a very large variability of the static power over 16 dies manufactured on the same wafer. For instance, the highest static power consumption at nominal condition (Vdd=1V, f=62.5MHz) over the lowest one corresponds to more than a factor of 2.5. Measured data also report multipliers able to work at 210mV for a frequency of 1MHz!
Case Study on the Use of BIM at the Bidding Stage of a Building Project

Because of ongoing problems of compatibility of engineering drawings and a lower time limit for increasingly complex projects, the BIM (Building Information Modeling) Area was created at GyM S.A. two years ago. The main objectives of this area were to make the clash detection, assure engineering compatibility, generate a 3D model with information from the components that form part of the project, and automatically obtain material quantities estimates. During this last year, BIM Area has worked very close to the Estimating Department in order to compare their results of the quantities obtained by the BIM Area through a 3D model, with the ones obtained manually through 2D drawings by the Estimating Department. Also to help approve the modeling criteria that allows the consideration of the construction process and its subsequent use in field work. The results throughout this teamwork experience have shown that it is feasible to obtain better results from an early stage in less time and to a higher degree than with our traditional procedure. Demonstrate the positive impact of the application of BIM within the construction stage in our projects to the project managers will be the next challenge.
Comparison of Acoustic Properties of Two USMC Helmets

Abstract : The United States Marine Corps (USMC) has recently replaced an older Combat Vehicle Crewman (CVC) communications headset (the MK1697/G) with a newer version (Enhanced CVC headset [ECVCH]) manufactured by the same company (Sonetronics). A communications headset consists of two earphones and a microphone with the capability to receive and transmit communications across a radio or intercom. The ECVCH headset provides improvements in situational awareness through the addition of a talk-through microphone, in hearing protection through thicker ear pads, and in greater field ruggedness. A set of evaluations was conducted to determine if the ECVCH showed improvements in attenuation and speech intelligibility over the MK1697/G headset. There was no improvement in sound attenuation with the ECVCH. The ECVCH showed a decrement in speech intelligibility, although this decrement was not large enough to impact operational performance. The difference in performance can be explained by the differences in frequency responses between the two headsets.
Feature engineering of software systems

Software users and developers have different perspectives. Users are focused on the problem domain, where a system's features are the primary concern. Developers are focused on the solution domain, where a system's life-cycle artifacts are key. This difference leads to difficulties producing successful software systems. At present, there is little understanding of how to narrow the gulf between the two perspectives. This dissertation argues for establishing an organizing viewpoint, which we term feature engineering, to incorporate features into software engineering as first class objects. Features, acting as a bridge between the problem and solution domains, can begin to narrow the gulf. This dissertation explores three aspects of features in software engineering. First, it establishes a framework for understanding software features. In this framework, we define the concept of feature as separate from feature implementation, its realization in the developed system. The framework also includes a model of features in software engineering. This model identifies relationships between a system's features and the major development artifacts. The final part of the framework is an evaluation of the potential use of feature information in the various software development activities. The second and third aspects considered are the roles for features and feature relationships in configuration management and testing. In this dissertation, we argue that configuration management is pivotal for taking advantage of the various relationships that features structure. The ability of commercial configuration management systems to use information about features is evaluated, and our experiences using a prototype feature-based configuration management system are reported. Feature testing is identified as a useful extension to traditional testing. Feature tests are used to confirm that a feature implementation faithfully produces the desired behavior. Feature tests are also used to uncover feature relationships and interactions in the solution domain.
OPTIMIZED BOGIE SYSTEM DAMPING WITH RESPECT TO SAFETY AND COMFORT

Here the lateral damping (two dampers) is optimized and investigated with respect to safety and comfort for an eight degree of freedom model of a train bogie. The train bogie model is nonlinear due to the excitations caused by the irregularities and the wheel–track interface forces. Train running at different speeds will have different optima and optimal damping parameters with respect to both comfort and safety. The aim is to optimize the dynamic behavior for a wide range of forward service speeds up to 300 km/h. A multiobjective optimization routine is used and the results are presented in terms of Pareto fronts. To optimize the behavior semi–active functional components are required. A scheme to control semi–active lateral damping components with respect to forward speed is suggested. This can significantly improve the dynamic behavior with simultaneously respect to safety and comfort. Finally, we investigate the use of two lateral damping components with the possibility to change behavior at a certain switch time. At least for some service speeds these semi-active damping components are find to be able to improve the dynamic behavior. The understanding of the influence of the design parameters is valuable in further improving the general performance of a high speed train with respect to safety and comfort.
DEMONSTRATION OF LIGHTWEIGHT INERTIAL PROFILERS FOR CONSTRUCTION QUALITY CONTROL: STATUS REPORT

This paper describes how the Federal Highway Administration, in partnership with the Road Profiler Users Group (RPUG) AASHTO, ACPA and NAPA solicited State DOT's for participation in projects in order to demonstrate the use of lightweight inertial profilers to measure pavement profile for construction quality control and acceptance. The objective of the demonstration projects was to field test and evaluate various lightweight non-contact profile measuring devices which will provide data on: (1) the most appropriate methods for measuring pavement smoothness; and (2) guidelines for smoothness specifications for both contractor quality control and agency acceptance testing. The paper summarizes the results of the individual state evaluation reports received and makes recommendations concerning inertial profiler operation and calibration as well as proposed construction smoothness specifications based upon inertial profilers.
Tabiat kemeruapan perubahan harga getah asli Malaysia

This study presents the trend of volatility in natural rubber price of Malaysia for Ribbed Smoked Sheet Grade 1 (RSS 1) and Standard Malaysian Rubber Grade 20 (SMR 20). The price changes in RSS 1 and SMR 20 indicate that the empirical distributions have heavy tails and sharp peaks at the center compared to the normal distributions. In addition, the variance underlying these price variables may be varying over time. Therefore, the data cannot be modeled as standard time series model with assumption variance is constant over time. Alternatively, ARCH and GARCH model were used. One of the parts that many researchers are interested is the asymmetry (leverage effect) in the variance. In this study, this part
Self-regulated learning in technology enhanced learning environments: a European perspective

Self-regulated learning (SRL) subsumes key aspects of the learning process, such as cognitive strategies, metacognition and motivation, in one coherent construct. Central to this construct are the autonomy and responsibility of students to take charge of their own learning. Skills for self-regulation can be encouraged both directly and indirectly through a range of learning activities. In this book we look specifically at the ways in which technology enhanced learning environments (TELEs) have been used to support self-regulation. The book provides an overview of recent studies on SRL in TELEs in Europe  a perspective which is new and has not been articulated hitherto. It addresses conceptual and methodological questions as well as practices in technology enhanced learning. While the focus is on European studies, we are aware that much of the groundwork in the field of SRL has emanated from the United States. The book is divided into three parts: (A) Foundations of SRL in TELEs, (B) Empirical studies on SRL in TELEs and (C) SRL in TELEs: perspectives on future developments. The book presents a rich resource of information for researchers and educators at all levels who are interested in supporting the acquisition of SRL through TELEs. (https://www.sensepublishers.com/product_info.php? manufacturers_id=36&products_id=1348&osCsid=21c2e4c8784b9d7b0eb0451ef6cb0f62)
A first‐principles prediction of thermophysical and thermoelectric performances of SrCeO3 perovskite

An ever‐increasing demand for energy due to increasing usage is driving the scientists to find out materials for their technological applications. In this regard, thermoelectric materials are considered to be excellent candidates as energy sources. Further, for the suitability of materials in device fabrication, the study of various thermophysical parameters is always required. We have therefore tried to explore various performances of SrCeO3 perovskite, systematically using density functional theory with different potentials. The electronic band structure profile of SrCeO3 shows semiconducting behaviour in the ground state. Thermoelectric performance indicators like Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and power factor have been estimated within temperature 0 to 700 K. Interestingly, SrCeO3 displays a figure of merit value 0.27 at 700 K.
Initial Acoustoelastic Measurements in Olivine: Investigating the Effect of Stress on P‐ and S‐Wave Velocities

It is well known that elasticity is a key physical property in the determination of the structure and composition of the Earth and provides critical information for the interpretation of seismic data. This study investigates the stress‐induced variation in elastic wave velocities, known as the acoustoelastic effect, in San Carlos olivine. A recently developed experimental ultrasonic acoustic system, the Directly Integrated Acoustic System Combined with Pressure Experiments (DIASCoPE), was used with the D‐DIA multi‐anvil apparatus to transmit ultrasonic sound waves and collect the reflections. We use the DIASCoPE to obtain longitudinal (P) and shear (S) elastic wave velocities from San Carlos olivine at pressures ranging from 3.2–10.5 GPa and temperatures from 450–950°C which we compare to the stress state in the D‐DIA derived from synchrotron X‐ray diffraction. We use elastic‐plastic self‐consistent (EPSC) numerical modeling to forward model X‐ray diffraction data collected in D‐DIA experiments to obtain the macroscopic stress on our sample. We can observe the relationship between the relative elastic wave velocity change (ΔV/V) and macroscopic stress to determine the acoustoelastic constants, and interpret our observations using the linearized first‐order equation based on the model proposed by Hughes and Kelly (1953), https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.92. 1145. This work supports the presence of the acoustoelastic effect in San Carlos olivine, which can be measured as a function of pressure and temperature. This study will aid in our understanding of the acoustoelastic effect and provide a new experimental technique to measure the stress state in elastically deformed geologic materials at high pressure conditions.
Fuzzy Boundary Layer Tuning for Sliding Mode Controllers and Its Application on a Direct Drive Robot

Chattering in the control signal is a significant problem in sliding mode control (SMC). The boundary layer approach is one of the many modifications proposed in the literature to avoid the chattering. In this approach, instead of the discontinuous sliding mode control, a continuous feedback control law is employed. The thickness of the boundary layer is an important design parameter. This paper proposes a fuzzy on-line tuning method to adjust the boundary layer thickness for the best system performance without chattering. The method features the measurement of the chattering in the control signal. The paper also investigates the stability of SMC with varying boundary layer, and validates the robustness of the algorithm by experiments.
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring Based on Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Maternal QRS Removal Window

In this paper a new method to extract the fetal signal from the abdominal electrocardiogram (ECG) is presented. A three-stage method for fetal heart rate detection from abdominal ECG recordings is proposed. After preprocessing, adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) is used to extract the fetal ECG. Then in the third stage maternal QRS complex removal window is applied to eliminate or scale down the maternal residual peaks. The method is validated using 30 recorded data and compared with another three stage method using independent component analysis (ICA) for the fetal ECG extraction. The average sensitivity and average positive predictivity of the ANC based method is 85.8 % and 67.6 % respectivly compared to 74.4% and 64.1% of the ICA based method. These show that the ANC based method was more successful in detecting the FHR than ICA.
Diffraction of anti-plane (SH) waves by surface elliptical topographies in an elastic half-space

xvi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 General Introduction 1 1.2 Literature Reviews 3 1.3 Organization 8 Chapter 2: Wave Equation 10 2.1 Wave Equation in Elliptical Coordinate 10 2.2 Plane Wave Function in Elliptical Coordinate 16 2.3 Half-Range Expansion of Angular Mathieu Functions 18 Chapter 3: Scattering of Plane (SH) Waves by a Shallow Semi-Elliptical Hill 22 5.1 The Shallow Semi-Elliptical Hill Model 22 5.2 Series Expansion of Wave Functions 24 5.3 Results and Analysis 29 Chapter 4: Scattering of Plane (SH) Waves by a Deep Semi-Elliptical Hill 44 4.1 The Deep Semi-Elliptical Hill Model 44 4.2 Series Expansion of Wave Functions 46 4.3 Results and Analysis 51 Chapter 5: Scattering of Plane (SH) Waves by a Shallow Semi-Elliptical Hill with an Elliptical Tunnel 67 5.1 The Shallow Semi-Elliptical Hill with an Elliptical Tunnel Model 67 5.2 Series Expansion of Wave Functions 68 5.3 Results and Analysis 72 Chapter 6: Scattering of Plane (SH) Waves by a Deep Semi-Elliptical Hill with an Elliptical Tunnel 94 6.1 The Deep Semi-Elliptical Hill with an Elliptical Tunnel Model 94 6.2 Series Expansion of Wave Functions 95 6.3 Results and Analysis 99
CRASHWORTHINESS TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION: WITH X-FRAME AND DEFORMATION DECOMPOSITION BASED ON HOMOGENIZED-DENSITY METHOD. IN: CAE METHODS FOR VEHICLE CRASHWORTHINESS AND OCCUPANT SAFETY, AND SAFETY-CRITICAL SYSTEMS

Topology optimization has helped make great strides in structural design engineering and should also be applied to nonlinear fields such as determining crashworthiness of vehicles. This paper, by using a homogenization-based density method, develops an X-frame, optimized structural design technique based on crash simulation and an analytical mathematical model. The technique is capable of capturing large deformation of mild steel and thin-walled, viscoelastoplastic buckling through optimality criteria and constraints of mass.