Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smart Homes Evaluated.

Do residents find value in smart home functions? How should these functions be designed to offer user benefit? These were the governing questions of this study that involved nearly 200 families in three different housing projects during five years of occupancy. The housing units were equipped with advanced smart homes solutions, electronic and digital devices to control them, and a set of functions to increase comfort, safety and security in the homes. The evaluations of the residents' use and benefits were accomplished in two different phases, i) evaluation of the user expectations' before and direct after occupancy and ii) long-term experiences after 3-5 years. A third phase of the study represents a radical shift in view. Issues related to innovation and organisation of service delivery were brought into the fore. The research is founded on the multiple case-based methodology. Literature studies were effected. Data acquisition was based on interviews and questionnaires. Theoretical models from different research areas were used in order to analyse observations and to arrive to grounded conclusions. Important conclusions include the fact that smart home functionalities must be developed as close as possible out of the users' genuine needs as experienced in their daily lives. Failure to attain accessibility to a certain function will cause disappointment and will be forsaken. To gain and over time preserve the user's trust in smart home functions or in a system as a whole is conclusive for the their use. Another conclusion is that a viable business model for smart homes must include the occupancy phase. Surveillance and maintenance of smart home systems must be secured over time. It is argued that the failure of establishing a viable long-term service to homes to the benefit to the user depends highly on the market’s ability to supply the homes with appropriate services over time. Possible ways to mediate revealed shortcomings are outlined and what role and responsibility the housing construction industry has to consider with the further development of smart homes.
Control design for the nonlinear benchmark problem via the output regulation method

The problem of designing a feedback controller to achieve asymptotic disturbance rejection / attenuation while maintaining good transient response in the RTAC system is known as a benchmark nonlinear control problem, which has been an intensive research subject since 1995. In this paper, we will further investigate the solvability of the robust disturbance rejection problem of the RTAC system by the measurement output feedback control based on the robust output regulation method. We have obtained a design by overcoming two major obstacles: find a closed-form solution of the regulator equations; and devise a nonlinear internal model to account for non-polynomial nonlinearities.
ANALYSIS OF DATA ON SPEED-CHANGE AND LANE-CHANGE BEHAVIOR IN MANUAL AND ACC DRIVING

This report describes analyses of data that provide measurements from driving manually and from driving with an adaptive cruise control (ACC) in operation. The data were examined in order to collect information on driver behavior and ACC system performance when the preceding vehicle is braking or maintaining nearly constant speed. Information was also gathered in situations when the driver of the following vehicle is changing lanes in order to pass the preceding vehicle. Results on headway control and lane changing are report. The report also describes the algorithms used in identifying lane changes and capturing driver waiting time using a field operational test time-history database.
A novel zero-voltage and zero-current-switching PWM three-level converter

This paper proposes a novel zero-voltage and zero-current-switching (ZVZCS) PWM three-level converter, which introduces a block capacitor in series with the primary winding of the transformer to make the primary current reduce to zero during zero state. In order to prevent the primary current from flowing in the reverse direction during zero state, two diodes are added in series with the lagging switches respectively. The converter realizes zero-voltage-switching for the leading switches and zero-current-switching for the lagging switches. As the primary current reduces to zero, the conduction loss is eliminated during zero state, which increases the efficiency. The operation principle and parameter design are discussed in this paper, and the experimental results is also included to verify the operation of this converter.
Postcorrelation radio frequency interference excision at low frequencies

We present examples of radio frequency interference from our experience with editing data from the Very Large Array and Very Long Baseline Array at frequencies of 74 and 330 MHz and discuss postcorrelation excision schemes commonly used at low radio frequencies (<1 GHz), including those employed for targeted observations, as well as broader brush automated schemes appropriate for surveys and other large data sets. We elaborate on the strengths and weaknesses of currently employed procedures, with an eye to providing a summary of existing methods for those developing future, more sophisticated postdetection data editing algorithms as well as new low‐frequency instruments such as the Long Wavelength Array and Low Frequency Array.
Isoprene flux measurements above a northern hardwood forest

vii LIST OF TABLES. xii LIST OF FIGURES . xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. xvi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.1 1.1. Overview and Objectives. 1 1.2. Tropospheric Chemistry of Isoprene . 4 1.2. 1. Isoprene Chemistry Details. 5 1.2. 2. Atmospheric Lifetime of Isoprene . 8 1.2. 3. Ambient Measurements of Isoprene . 8 1.3. Biosynthetic Pathways for Isoprene . 10 1.4. Requirements for Isoprene Synthesis . 11 1.4. 1. Temperature and light . 12 1.4. 2. Photosynthesis. 13 1.5. Benefits of Isoprene Production . 14 1.5. 1. Thermotolerance . 14 1.5. 2. Anti-oxidant . 15 1.5. 3. Pathway to shunt excess carbon. 16 1.6. Regulation of Isoprene Emissions . 16 1.6. 1. Environmental Controls . 17 1.6. 2. Biological controls . 17 1.7. Emission algorithms . 18 1.8. Biogenic Emission Inventories . 20 1.8. 1. Development of BEIS. 21 1.8. 2. Model Results . 24
Characterization and Modeling of Polysilicon MEMS Chemical-Mechanical Polishing

Heavily used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is becoming an enabling technology for microelectomechanical systems (MEMS). To reliably use CMP in the manufacturing process, designers must be able to accurately predict the CMP process and control final surface uniformity. This thesis extends integrated circuit CMP knowledge towards MEMS applications. Experiments were performed to characterize polysilicon MEMS CMP. A new test mask was created which contains test structures relevant to MEMS. Both single and dual material polish experiments were carried out and the resulting data fit against an adapted step height density model. Results show that integrated circuit CMP models are applicable to MEMS CMP, but the models need to be adjusted in order to contend with issues inherent to MEMS CMP. Further study may be necessary to accurately and completely characterize polysilicon MEMS CMP and make improvements to the models. Thesis Supervisor: Duane S. Boning Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Simulation calculation of solar array output connecting two sub-arrays with different azimuth angles

A systematic investigation on PV array output consisting of sub-arrays installed on plural inclined surfaces has been done based on simulation calculation for the purpose of roof top solar cell array installation. Attention is especially paid to the amount of the outputs and differences between the connection of the modules (parallel or series). In the case of parallel connection mode, there exist no severe problems if protected by blocking diode and output energy is always larger than that of series connection mode. In summer season, output energy from the array in which all sub-array is faced due south, is almost equal to that from an array in which a part of array facing due south and rest facing due west and even that from facing east and west combination. In the case of series connection of sub-arrays having the same tilt angle but different azimuth angle with bypass diode, maximum output voltage jumps several times in a day depending on the short circuit current from each sub-array.
System dependant IDMT settings: direct buried underground cable

As modern day power protection devices become smarter, more configurable and more accurate, they offer users the ability to configure the exact protection elements and settings required for a specific network section. This combined with the increased number of power systems going underground provides the basis for this research project. As we look to optimise our power networks and the protection of our power networks, we must ask, how can we ensure that our protection relays have the optimal settings for our underground network? Presently, when determining the time-dependant over-current protection settings for underground cables, all worst-case scenarios are considered, resulting in excessive safety margins and over-protective configurations. Whilst these excessive safety assumptions ensure adequate protection for the electrical asset, they also potentially work to increase the possibility of false fault detection. Such an error leads to unnecessary supply isolation and consequently, costly downtime. Given these limitations to current methods for determining protection settings, this research project develops and implements a simulation model using finite element analysis that analyses specific underground cable systems based on operating and environmental conditions. By determining the steady-state thermal profile of the underground cable system as a result of the load current, the simulation continues to analyse the effect of fault current on the system to determine the most suitable protection settings for the underground cable system. The results presented herein outline the effect that environmental conditions have on the required protection settings of underground cable systems, and when used in conjunction with the simulation software, provide valuable information to assist design engineers making decisions on a system's setting values for numerical protection relays.
High-Tech, Low-Tech, No-Tech: Communications Strategies During Blackouts

Abstract : How do emergency managers communicate vital life-safety information when disaster strikes and the power goes out, sometimes for extended periods? Time and again, our power grid, aging and stretched beyond its intended capacity, has experienced failures. Power outages can quickly shift from being annoying to deadly especially when temperatures are extreme particularly for elderly and other vulnerable populations. Emergency managers will be able to use the findings of this research to communicate critical information to the community, even in the direst circumstances, without relying on a techno-fix. A structured focused comparison of three disasters revealed that a high-tech, low-tech, no-tech framework can be implemented successfully and inexpensively. Throughout the three disasters studied, communications methods in the high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech areas were successful in communicating with the public. The thesis recommends that every community be prepared with this three-pronged approach. To go a step further, the study recommends that FEMA consider incorporating the high-low-no-tech approach into its COOP (Continuity of Operations Plan) template, which currently assumes that communications systems phones, Internet, email, two-way radios will be operational within 12 hours of activation, an optimistic assumption. A sample implementation plan with cost estimates is included.
A five phase three-level neutral point clamped converter using DSP and FPGA based control scheme

Recently, increasing attention is being paid to the development of multi-phase motor drives because they have such advantages as reduction of pulsating torques, reduction in harmonic currents, increase in current per phase without the need to increase the phase voltages and reduction in the voltage-level in the direct-current link. Other important features of multi-phase motor drives are increased reliability and an increased torque/ampere relation per unit volume of the machine. This paper presents the development of a five phase 3-level neutral point clamped converter proposed for five-phase motor drives. The power circuit of the converter uses IGBTs while the control scheme is implemented by employing DSP and FPGA devices. The continuous and discontinuous carrier-based pulse-width modulation strategies for the converter has been designed and experimentally implemented. Some computer simulation and experimental results of converter waveforms feeding a passive load are presented.
EARNINGS MANAGEMENT: SUATU TELAAH PUSTAKA

Earnings management is a new phenomenon, which has contributed to the development of accounting theory. The term earnings management occurs as a direct consequence of the efforts undertaken by managers or preparers of financial statements in an attempt to affect accounting information, especially earnings, for his/her own and/or company's benefits. Earnings management can not be interpreted as a negative action since it does not solely concern with earnings manipulation. Theoretically, there are many ways or methods available for managers or preparers of financial statements to affect reported earnings, which are considerably possible from the view of positive accounting theory. The positive accounting theory suggests that managers may have the incentives and intention to behave opportunistically for obtaining his/her private gains by selecting certain accounting methods. Empirical studies have shown that earnings management is evidenced in many economic contexts. This indicates that certain economic events or variables can be utilized as a mechanism for managing earnings. This evidence provides opportunity for accounting researchers, in particular, and management researchers to examine the possibility of occurrence of earnings management in various economic contexts. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Earnings management atau manajemen laba merupakan suatu fenomena baru yang telah menambah wacana perkembangan teori akuntansi. Istilah manajemen laba muncul sebagai konsekuensi langsung dari upaya-upaya manajer atau pembuat laporan keuangan untuk melakukan manajemen informasi akuntansi, khususnya laba (earnings), demi kepentingan pribadi dan/atau perusahaan. Manajemen laba itu sendiri tidak dapat diartikan sebagai suatu upaya negatif yang merugikan karena tidak selamanya manajemen laba berorientasi pada manipulasi laba. Secara teoritis ada banyak cara atau metode yang dapat ditempuh oleh manajer (pembuat laporan keuangan) untuk mempengaruhi laba yang dilaporkan (reported earnings) yang memang memungkinkan ditinjau dari teori akuntansi positif (positive accounting theory). Teori akuntansi positif menjelaskan bahwa manajer memiliki insentif atau dorongan untuk dapat memaksimalkan kesejahteraannya. Bukti-bukti empiris menunjukkan bahwa praktek manajemen laba ditemui dalam banyak konteks. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa peristiwa atau variabel-variabel ekonomi tertentu dapat dijadikan sebagai sarana untuk memanaje laba. Kenyataan tersebut memberikan peluang bagi para peneliti akuntansi khususnya, dan peneliti manajemen umumnya, untuk meneliti kemungkinan munculnya manajemen laba pada satu aspek atau konteks ekonomi. Kata kunci: Manajemen laba, teori akuntansi positif, akrual, laba.
Short-Run Italian GDP Forecasting and Real-Time Data

National accounts statistics undergo a process of revisions over time because of the accumulation of information and, less frequently, of deeper changes, as new definitions, new methodologies etc. are implemented. In this paper we try to characterise the revision process of the data of Italian GDP as published by the national statistical office (ISTAT) in the stream of the noise models literature. The analysis shows that this task can be better accomplished by concentrating on the growth rates of the data instead of the levels. Another issue tackled in the paper concerns the informative content of the preliminary releases vis a vis an intermediate vintage supposed to embody all statistical information (or no longer revisable as far as purely statistical changes are concerned) and the latest vintage of the data, supposed to be the definitive one. The analysis of the news models in differences is based on the comparison of the forecasting performance of the preliminary releases with that of a number of one step ahead forecasts computed from alternative models, ranging from very simple univariate to multivariate specifications based on indicators (bridge models). Results show that, for the intermediate vintage, the preliminary version is the better forecast, while the latest vintage, which embodies statistical as well as definitional revisions, may be better characterised by considering both the preliminary version and the bridge models forecasts.
INTEGRATION OF COMPUTER NETWORK AND BUSINESS PROCESS DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION MODELS TOWARDS A GENERIC REENGINEERING APPROACH

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a managerial approach that questions the way the organization's processes operates and intends to re-structure them in order to produce a better organizational performance. However, considering that organizations rely heavily on Information Systems (IS), which in turn, require a reliable Computer Network (CN) infrastructure, most BPR projects imply changes not only to their business processes but also to the underlying Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. This relationship suggests that in a BPR study the analysis and design of the organization's IT should be conducted in parallel with the business process redesign. Nevertheless, very few BPR techniques consider the effects that IT, in particular IS and CN, have on the business processes themselves. In this paper we discuss the potential of discrete-event Business Process Simulation (BPS) and Computer Network Simulation (CNS) models working in alignment to provide a generic approach that considers the coalition of BP with the underlying IT. To this end, we propose a modeling framework and a methodology for linking BPS and CNS models, and present an example that demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach.
Propagating A* searching state graphs in order to find a valid instrument approach configuration

Abstract : The helicopter community has consistently been overlooked in the development of the National Airspace System. The unique flight characteristics of these aircraft make them ideally suited for a wide range of missions that are critical to national defense, medical first response and disaster relief. Full exploitation of these capabilities is limited during inclimate weather because the existing airspace plan was developed around fixed wing aircraft. More specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration lacks the resource to generate terminal area procedures for aircraft not restricted to prepared landing surfaces. This thesis focuses on the development of a suitable terminal instrument approach procedure generation capability. Artificially intelligent path planning and computer graphics-based collision detection techniques are used to find valid approach procedures that are compliant with the requirements set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration. A variant of the classic A* graph search algorithm is introduced that propagates state change information to successor nodes. The propagation technique allows the algorithm to search the graph in a single pass even though children nodes often impose a state change on their parent nodes.
Transforming creativity: Personalized manufacturing meets embodied computing

This paper discusses aspects of a collaborative investigation of embodied computing and personal manufacturing. We describe the NeuroMaker 1.0, an artwork that playfully implements the concept of “translating of the designer’s ideas into a product”. Visitors to the installation were invited to use their own EEG to fabricate personalized physical objects. While primarily intended to provoke thought about the process of creativity, we also demonstrated that, with the right team, radical new interfaces are well within the reach.
Evaluation of software energy consumption on microprocessors

In the area of wireless communications, energy consumption is the key design consideration. Significant effort has been placed in optimizing hardware for energy efficiency, while relatively less emphasis has been placed on software energy reduction. For overall energy efficiency reduction of system energy consumption in both hardware and software must be addressed. One goal of this research is to evaluate the factors that affect software energy efficiency and identify techniques that can be employed to produce energy optimal software. In order to present a strong argument, two state-of-the-art low power processors were used for evaluation: the Intel StrongARM SA-1100 and the next generation Intel Xscale processor. A key step in analyzing the performance of software is to perform a comprehensive tabulation of the energy consumption per instruction, while taking into account the different modes of operation. This leads into a comprehensive energy profiling for the instruction set of the processors of interest. With information on the energy consumption per instruction, we can evaluate the feasibility of energy efficient programming and use the results to gain greater insight into the power consumption of the two processors under consideration. Benchmark programs will be tested on both processors to illustrate the effectiveness of the energy profiling results. The next goal is to look at the leakage current and current consumed during idle modes of the processors and how that impacts the overall picture of energy consumption. Thus energy consumption will be explored for the two processors from both a dynamic and static energy consumption perspective. Thesis Supervisor: Anantha P. Chandrakasan Title: Associate Professor
A novel DC/AC boost inverter

This work describes a power conversion circuit topology for single-phase DC/AC boost inverter, based on the DC/DC boost converter. It mainly consists of a full-bridge boost converter, which is capable of providing AC output voltage regulation with low distortion. The proposed inverter performs single power conversion, which minimizes switching losses and attains higher efficiency as compared with conventional booster inverter. The steady state operating principle of power circuit topology and control strategy are described. A multiloop structure controller is used and is capable of guaranteeing a high quality dynamic performance. Computer simulations demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed boost inverter.
An Improved Splitting Method of Liquid Production With in Thick Reservoir

Reasonable and accurate splitting method of liquid production is key to improve producing status of thick reservoir, but common methods at this stage are all kinds of problems such as limited accuracy, tedious process and workload issues, an improved splitting method of liquid production suitable for thick reservoir is necessary. Adjustment coefficient can be obtained from the regression and relevance between the fluid amount and parameters combined with reservoir monitoring data, core data and flooding information based on the splitting of liquid production in production and injection wells in order to split the fluid amount in different parts of thick reservoir. The improved splitting method of liquid production is proved to be accurate, reasonable, reliable and effective to improve the accuracy of the results of numerical simulation and guidance fine tapping of thick reservoir.