Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Na+, K+-ATPase in single skeletal muscle fibres and the effects of ageing, training and inactivity

The Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) is a key protein involved in the maintenance of skeletal muscle excitability and comprises 2 subunits (α and β), each of which express multiple isoforms at a protein level in skeletal muscle (α1-3 and β1-3). The fibre-specific expression, adaptability and roles of each isoform in human skeletal muscle are explored in this thesis. Research utilising muscle biopsies typically uses samples obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle, which in healthy young people comprises similar proportions of type I and II fibres. Analyses using whole muscle pieces don’t allow the detection of fibre-type specific differences and changes occurring at a cellular level. Hence analysis of skeletal muscle samples at the single fibre level offers important advantages in understanding NKA regulation. This thesis therefore investigated the isoform abundance of the NKA in human skeletal muscle single fibres and their adaptability following intense repeated-sprint exercise (RSE) training in healthy young adults (Study 1); with ageing (Study 2) and after high-intensity interval training (HIT) in the elderly (Study 3) and after voluntary inactivity and resistance training in healthy young adults (Study 4).
The Interaction of Institutional Quality and Human Capital in Shaping the Dynamics of Capital Structure

This chapter aims to find if trade-off theory or pecking order theory best explain the capital structure of non-state firms during the post-transition process in Vietnam. We investigate the effect of human capital, institutional quality, and their interaction on the capital structure decision. Findings suggest the capital structure of Vietnamese firms is a balance between the trade-off theory and the pecking order theory. Accessing formal debts is tough for young and non-state firms, whereas those with access to formal loans take advantage of their leverage tools to exploit the tax benefits against the costs of financial distress. Other findings include: (i) profitability and debt tax shields are no longer important when entrepreneurs adopt informal debt financing; (ii) high-quality institutions enable firms to reduce reliance on debt financing; (iii) while human capital encourages entrepreneurs to obtain more loans, its interaction with institutional quality deters debt financing and favours other financial sources.
Computerized Bridge Coating Defects Assessment Using Neuro-Fuzzy Thresholding Method

Digital image processing has been prevalently adopted in different areas. In the construction field, image processing has been used for defect detection on steel bridge painting and underground sewer systems. However, non-uniformly illuminated images always cause recognition problems and affect the accuracy. In order to resolve these problems, the neuro-fuzzy recognition approach (NFRA) was proposed. The NFRA segments an image into three areas based on illumination and conducts area-based thresholding. The neural network is used in this approach for automatic generation of three threshold values, with the three average illumination values of the three areas as the input. The fuzzy adjustment is utilized to smooth and adjust the gray level values of the image pixels along the boundaries. In this paper, the framework of NFRA and the rationale of the fuzzy adjustment will be presented, followed by the comparison of the recognition results using NFRA and the multi-resolution pattern classification (MPC) method. The result shows that the proposed NFRA performs fairly well on recognizing rust images. Finally, the conclusions will be drawn.
An Estimate of Diesel High-Efficiency Clean Combustion Impacts on FTP-75 Aftertreatment Requirements (SAE Paper Number 2006-01-3311)

A modified Mercedes 1.7-liter, direct-injection diesel engine was operated in both normal and high-efficiency clean combustion (HECC) combustion modes. Four steady-state engine operating points that were previously identified by the Ad-hoc fuels working group were used as test points to allow estimation of the hot-start FTP-75 emissions levels in both normal and HECC combustion modes. The results indicate that operation in HECC modes generally produce reductions in NOX and PM emissions at the expense of CO, NMHC, and H2CO emissions. The FTP emissions estimates indicate that aftertreatment requirements for NOX are reduced, while those for PM may not be impacted. Cycle-average aftertreatment requirements for CO, NMHC, and H2CO may be challenging, especially at the lowest temperature conditions.
Nonlinear Filtering Techniques for GNSS Data Processing (Preprint)

Abstract : Nonlinearities appear "everywhere" in the signal and data processing chain of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). At the "upper" end of the chain, ephemeris data modulated onto transmitted signals are predicted from satellite orbits whose determination is a well-known nonlinear estimation problem. At the "lower" end, within a GNSS receiver, the satellite signal tracking, position-fixing, and even integration with other sensors, such as an inertial navigation system (INS), all involve nonlinearity issues in one form or another. Either a small signal model or linearization is presently used to deal with nonlinearity. The former includes code and carrier tracking loops and the latter includes the extended Kalman filter (EKF) for orbit determination, position solution, and GPS/INS integration among others. In this paper, we present two emerging nonlinear filtering techniques, namely, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and particle filter (PF), and study their use in GNSS applications in comparison to the EKF. The UKF is also called the sigma-point Kalman filter (SPKF) and the PF has many variants in its implementation. In the EKF, both the state dynamics and measurement equations are linearized in order to apply the Kalman filter, which is only valid for linear Gaussian systems. Instead of truncating the nonlinear functions to the first order as in the EKF, the UKF and PF approximate the distribution of the state deterministically (sigma points) and randomly (particles), respectively, with a finite set of samples, and then propagate these points or particles through the exact nonlinear functions. Because the nonlinear functions are used without approximation, it is much simpler to implement and generates better results. After formulating these nonlinear filtering algorithms, this paper will illustrate their functionality and performance using satellite
Performance Predictions for the Large Blast/Thermal Simulator Based on Experimental and Computational Results

Abstract : A computational study was performed with the BRL-Q1D code to determine the expected performance characteristics fo the proposed U.S. Large Blast/Thermal Simulator (LB/TS). This computational study complements an earlier experimental parametric study which was performed in the 25.4-cm shock tube located at the BRL. For the experiments, the BRL 25.4-cm shock tube was configured as a 1:57 scale, axisymmetric, single-driver model of the LB/TS. This report documents two computational parametric studies which were performed to determine the range of nuclear blast simulations available with the current LB/ TS design. The first parametric study s a comparison with existing experimental data to validate the computational model and to determine the limits of its accuracy. The second parametric study used the validated computational model to predict the operating range of the LB/TS design.
Dynamic voltage regulation using SVCs : A simulation study on the Swedish national grid

Voltage stability is a major concern when planning and operating electrical power systems.As demand for electric power increases, power systems are stressed more and more. TheFACTS family of components were introduced to utilize the existing grid to a higherdegree, while still maintaining system stability.This thesis investigates if the addition of another SVC to the Swedish national gridcould increase the power transfer from north to south. Placement of the SVC was basedon two different indices used to indicate weak areas of the grid; the Q-V sensitivity indexand the V CPI index.Simulations were performed with both the added SVC and regular switched shuntcompensation and the results were compared against each other. Studies were alsoperformed to investigate the effect of an SVC installed at the grid connection of a large(1000 MW) wind farm. Simulations were performed where the wind farm was modeledby either doubly fed induction generators (DFIG) or single cage induction generators.This simulation study was performed using PSSTME, based on a detailed model ofthe Nordic power system as it existed in 2007.The studies showed that adding a ±200 MVAr SVC to the Swedish national gridcould increase the power transfer by 150 MW, where an equally rated switched shuntcapacitor/reactor would result in a 100 MW increase. In these studies, the transfercapacity was limited by voltage collapse situations.However, installing the same ±200 MVAr SVC at the connection of a large windfarm showed an increase in power transfer by 1000 MW, while the switched shuntcompensation only resulted in a 500 MW increase. In the simulations that showed thegreatest increase in transfer capacity, the added wind farm was modeled by single-cageinduction generators. In this case the transfer capacity was limited by transient stabilityproblems.
Market Risk and Stock Return of Listed Financial Service Firms in Nigeria

The trading financial instruments in the capital market by Financial Service Firms (FSF) have generated return arising from changes in the prices of stock which exposed the firms to market risk. An effective market risk decision remains significant to determining stock return level realized from the volume and value of stock traded. This study examines the effect of market risk on stock return of listed FSF in Nigeria. The population of this study consists of fifty-six (56) financial service firms listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange Market. In arriving at the sample size of twenty-nine (29) firms the purposive sampling technique and filtering criteria were employed. Data were sourced secondarily from the audited annual report of financial service firms, Nigeria Stock Exchange fact book, and other relevant financial service firms’ websites for period of twelve (12) years (2007-2018). Panel multiple regression technique of data analysis was applied using the ordinary least square estimator. The findings of the study revealed that book to market ratio as a proxy of market risk was insignificantly negative on stock return during the period under review. Net interest margin as a proxy of market risk revealed a significant positive effect on stock return during the period of review. Also, the study revealed that control variables of firm size, leverage had significant positive effects on stock return, though; the effect of monetary policy rate was positive but insignificant on stock return. The study concluded that a higher book to market ratio would reduce stock return and to a larger extent the reduction in stock return may not be affected significantly. It also concluded that a higher net interest margin would result to a higher stock return and vice versa. The study recommended that decision-makers and portfolio managers of financial service firms should employ appropriate risk strategies through derivatives, forwards, futures, swaps, options that can mitigate market risk in order to optimize return. Firms Specific Risk factors, Nigerian Stock exchange.
Lessons from the Implementation of Cash and Counseling in Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research

Provides design and implementation lessons for states thinking about adopting a Cash and Counseling program. The lessons are based on the experiences of the Arkansas, Florida, and New Jersey programs. Areas discussed include outreach and enrollment, use of consumer representatives, development of allowance spending plans and permitted purchases with the allowance, role of counselors and fiscal agents, prevention of exploitation and abuse, and program costs.
The BioWatch Program: Detection of Bioterrorism

This report discusses some aspects of the BioWatch Program which may be of particular interest to policymakers. For example, Congress may be interested in whether these types of detection systems can substitute for or supplement other mechanisms in protecting the general populace; whether this detection system was implemented optimally; how the success of this system is to be evaluated; whether the implementation, operational, and expansion costs for the BioWatch Program make it a cost-effective federal investment; and how to optimize and streamline performance in the future. Since the BioWatch Program is a federal program implemented using state infrastructure, Congress may wish to examine how this new program coordinates with already existing public health and counterterrorism programs, as well as consider the roles and responsibilities of the federal government and coordination with state governments in an actual bioterrorism event.
Joint Warfare Simulation Object Library. Joint Warfare Taxonomy.

Abstract : The Joint Warfare Simulation Object Library (JWSOL) produced a joint warfare simulation requirements document in 1994. This second document provides the object-oriented, hierarchical design, or taxonomy, that embodies the functionality specified in the requirements document. The purpose of JWSOL has been to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept of a basic set of objects within a single joint service repository such that the objects are owned and maintained by the separate Services but are available within one virtual repository for reuse by all, thereby eliminating redundancy and improving accuracy and currency Future work will concentrate on iterative coding and on redefining requirements. The JWSOL project and its products have provided the initial baseline of requirements and design for other programs, including the Joint Program Office for the Joint Simulation System. JWSOL products provide a means by which others interested in warfare simulation can make use of existing design and code, eliminating costly duplication of effort.
Mesh-Free Surrogate Models for Structural Mechanic FEM Simulation: A Comparative Study of Approaches

The technical world of today fundamentally relies on structural analysis in the form of design and structural mechanic simulations. A traditional and robust simulation method is the physics-based finite element method (FEM) simulation. FEM simulations in structural mechanics are known to be very accurate; however, the higher the desired resolution, the more computational effort is required. Surrogate modeling provides a robust approach to address this drawback. Nonetheless, finding the right surrogate model and its hyperparameters for a specific use case is not a straightforward process. In this paper, we discuss and compare several classes of mesh-free surrogate models based on traditional and thriving machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methods. We show that relatively simple algorithms (such as k-nearest neighbor regression) can be competitive in applications with low geometrical complexity and extrapolation requirements. With respect to tasks exhibiting higher geometric complexity, our results show that recent DL methods at the forefront of literature (such as physics-informed neural networks) are complicated to train and to parameterize and thus, require further research before they can be put to practical use. In contrast, we show that already well-researched DL methods, such as the multi-layer perceptron, are superior with respect to interpolation use cases and can be easily trained with available tools. With our work, we thus present a basis for the selection and practical implementation of surrogate models.
Effects of Antenna Mutual Coupling in Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP).

Abstract : This report considers the impact of antenna mutual coupling on adaptive phased array radar signal processing. First, the impedance matrix is developed via the method of moments and utilized in an airborne phased array radar data generation code. Next, the effect of mutual coupling on the true and estimated covariance matrices is considered. Finally, performance results are considered for a space-time adaptive processing algorithm in terms of probability of detection as well as plots of the test statistics versus angle-doppler.
Novel designs and technologies for cell engineering

Microfl uidic devices, such as lab-on-a-chip systems, are highly advantageous for cell engineering and cell based assays. It is a particularly useful approach for development of the in vitro cellular systems mimicking the in vivo environment. In this paper, a novel lab-on-a-chip device for three-dimensional human cell culture and anticancer drug testing is presented. Cells were cultured as Multicellular Tumor Spheroids (MCTS) — the best cancer tumor model developed so far. Diff erent designs were tested and novel technique of microfabrication in poly(dimethylsiloxane) was developed. MCTS were cultured in a system of polymeric microwells, with the network of microfl uidic channels for culture medium fl ow. Design included optimal shear stress and proper nutrients supply for cultured cells. Final design provided MCTS culture for four weeks with the homeostasis-like state achievement, which is characteristic for the in vivo situation.
Adaptive Reference-Augmented Predictive Control, with Application to the Reflexive Control of Unmanned Rotorcraft Vehicles

We describe a novel adaptive non-linear model predictive controller which is based on the idea of neural-augmentation of reference elements, both at the level of the reduced model and at the level of the control action. The new methodology is primarily motivated by the desire to consistently incorporate existing legacy modeling and control techniques into an adaptive non-linear, yet real-time-capable, control framework. At the level of the model, a reference model is augmented using an adaptive neural element. Kalman filtering is used for identifying on-line the free parameters of the neural network, with the goal of maximizing the prediction fidelity of the model with respect to the plant. At the level of the control strategy, a reference solution is augmented using a second adaptive neural element. The augmenting control network is trained on-line for correcting the reference control action and promoting it to the solution of the underlying non-linear model predictive problem. The resulting neural-augmented control strategy is non-linear, yet it is real-time capable in the sense that it requires a fixed number of operations at each step. Furthermore, it substantially eases the adaption process, since the neural elements must only be trained to capture the defects of the reference legacy elements, which is small if such reference elements are adequate. The proposed procedures are demonstrated in a virtual environment with the help of the classical model problem of the double inverted-pendulum, and with the more challenging reflexive control of an autonomous helicopter.
Tracking and Visualizing Hospital Equipment in a Web Based GIS

The hospital in Gavle has been fined multiple times due to improper placement of hospital beds in the hallways; so far they have been fined 20 times for a total of 570 000kr (Lofving, 2013). A solution to this problem was requested by the hospital in the form of an indoor positioning system to track hospital equipment.Therefore, this study was performed and it was focused on three main research questions:How will tracking equipment indoor with the fingerprint method perform under different circumstances? (Moving between floors, running, walking, under a bed, hidden by electronic equipment etc.)How can the positions be visualized in a web-based GIS? What problems can be solved by visualizing the movement of equipment in a GIS? The research questions were answered by performing studies on previous research in the fields of Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) and visualization techniques. To test how the system performs a case study was performed in a testing environment on floors 7 and 8 of building 38 of Gavle Hospital. The data collected in the case study was then used to simulate moving hospital beds and from there create visualizations based on the research on previous studies. Because the hospital wanted the system to use the already existing infrastructure of the building an IPS was found that use the already existing Wi-Fi network. By combining this positioning system with the web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) called CRISP a powerful analysis tool emerged that not only had the ability to track equipment but also perform analysis of statistics for workflow and the movement of the equipment, among others.The precision of 3 m was found to be on par with other positioning systems using Wi-Fi. This gives the system described and tested in this thesis great potential to expand in to other fields, where there is need for high accuracy combined with a powerful analysis tool to help make the business as efficient as possible.
Students’ Perception of Using Memory Strategies Training for Vocabulary Development

English has become a necessary part of daily life in the age of globalization. The importance of English in the educational system has been recognized by people all over the world. In Malaysia, many students have achieved high language proficiency in English despite the fact that they are non-native speakers. One of the areas that need to be emphasized these days is the effective use of vocabulary in teaching primary school pupils. Thus, the aim of this study was to find out students’ perception of using memory strategies training for vocabulary development to 30 Year 5 students in one of Negeri Sembilan's primary schools. This is to help them improve their vocabulary learned in English language classes from the implementation of a collection of strategies. A survey was carried out in order to assess the perception of memory strategy training on students' vocabulary growth. The results from the survey showed that students perceived the using of memory techniques as a vocabulary learning strategy in improving their vocabulary development and it is more successful than using word lists. This is based on language learning strategies for acquiring a large vocabulary and it was then used to come to a conclusion on how good language learners develop their vocabulary while studying English. The findings provided tips on how to teach English vocabulary in EFL classrooms as well as ideas about how teachers can use different strategies in the classroom. It also recommends that educators, students, policymakers, content manufacturers, and syllabus designers step away from conventional methods of vocabulary instruction and toward more creative methods.