Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra wideband filter using dumbbell-etched stepped impedance resonator

In this article, an ultra wideband bandpass filter using the dumbbell-etched stepped impedance resonator (SIR) is presented. The filter consists of a dumbbell-etched SIR with an impedance ratio K > 1 and the enhanced coupled input/output lines. The SIR is folded into a dumbbell shape to achieve a smaller circuit size than the filter with conventional SIR. The bandwidth can be analysed using the image-parameter method to obtain the proper dimension of the coupled lines and verified using electromagnetic simulation. The measured 3 dB fractional bandwidth of 110% and insertion loss |S 21| less than 3 dB over the entire passband are achieved.
Search for Structural Basis of Interactions of Biogenic Amines with Human TAAR1 and TAAR6 Receptors

The identification and characterization of ligand-receptor binding sites are important for drug development. Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs, members of the class A GPCR family) can interact with different biogenic amines and their metabolites, but the structural basis for their recognition by the TAARs is not well understood. In this work, we have revealed for the first time a group of conserved motifs (fingerprints) characterizing TAARs and studied the docking of aromatic (β-phenylethylamine, tyramine) and aliphatic (putrescine and cadaverine) ligands, including gamma-aminobutyric acid, with human TAAR1 and TAAR6 receptors. We have identified orthosteric binding sites for TAAR1 (Asp68, Asp102, Asp284) and TAAR6 (Asp78, Asp112, Asp202). By analyzing the binding results of 7500 structures, we determined that putrescine and cadaverine bind to TAAR1 at one site, Asp68 + Asp102, and to TAAR6 at two sites, Asp78 + Asp112 and Asp112 + Asp202. Tyramine binds to TAAR6 at the same two sites as putrescine and cadaverine and does not bind to TAAR1 at the selected Asp residues. β-Phenylethylamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid do not bind to the TAAR1 and TAAR6 receptors at the selected Asp residues. The search for ligands targeting allosteric and orthosteric sites of TAARs has excellent pharmaceutical potential.
Exploring the Potential for Predicting Project Dispute Resolution Satisfaction Using Logistic Regression

The success of a construction project depends on the coordinated efforts of project team members. This is especially crucial when a project is in dispute and hence the achievement of satisfactory project dispute resolution is critical to project success. This proposition has been empirically demonstrated a previous research that studied project dispute resolution satisfaction (DRS) using multivariate discriminant analysis (MDA). This paper reports on a study that builds on that research, with the specific aim of predicting project DRS through the use of logistic regression (LR). In this study, a LR model of project DRS (Model 1) is developed, and then compared with the MDA model. The findings suggest that the LR technique provides a higher hit rate and thus a higher proportion of correct classification. With the wider acceptance of the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods, the effect, on the LR model, of changing the demarcation between adverse and favorable project DRS is also examined. For this examination, another LR model (Model 2) was developed. It is believed that Model 2 may reflect the prevailing sentiment that ADR is viewed as an amicable way to resolve disputes. Both the MDA model and LR models (Model 1 and Model 2) indicated that "design changes" are the root cause of adverse project DRS. Within the scope of the project data, these findings suggest that design changes are not just disruptive to project progress but also a critical cause of construction disputes.
Contactless power transfer--An exercise in topology

Previous attempts at different forms of contactless power transfer systems associated mainly with high speed ground transportation and magnetic levitation are reviewed. Two different types of contactless power transfer systems are proposed as replacements for the brush-and-conductor, trailing cable, or reeling drum, where these options were inappropriate or would suffer excessive wear or other degradation in the stringent applications encountered in the nuclear or mining industries. The first system uses busbars as longitudinal members along which an output transformer can move. The second system uses magnetic material as the longitudinal members, can be formed into a robust composite structure, and can be arranged to provide a surface wiping geometry for the moving output core: this system is essentially the magnetic dual of a conductor rall and contacting brushgear. Examination of the systems' topologies allows longitudinal, curved or circular systems to be developed, and non-nuclear applications which include, for example, contactless power transfer for robotic Joints are envisaged.
THE CDIO APPROACH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

The CDIO approach includes a methodology for embedding the development of student skills and attributes in an engineering program. The methodology starts with the CDIO Syllabus which features a comprehensive list of skills and attributes. After progressing through a series of steps, an explicit plan is produced which indicates how the required skills and attributes should be developed within the curriculum. Implementing the methodology poses a number of challenges and these are discussed. It is also noted that other initiatives to improve graduate skills, dating back 10 to 15 years, have not resulted in any discernable improvement. The literature is then consulted and this leads to a number of proposals for enhancing the CDIO methodology. The outcome is a methodology that is more demanding to implement and further work is needed to provide support for the additional tasks that have been proposed. However it is argued that the enhanced methodology is more likely to ensure that students will graduate with the skills and attributes they require to become professional engineers.
Noise reduction of switched reluctance machine

In this paper, the results relative to switched reluctance machine (SRM) acoustic noise are presented. The authors have particularly concentrated on the influence of power supply. Vibrations and radiated acoustic pressure have been reduced thanks to the flux instantaneous variation control, which was applied in limiting the duty cycle variations. Adding a simple electronic block inside the control unit enables, at any instant in time, to carry out this function of controlling the flux gradient. In order to quantify the contribution provided by this method, they have determined, by means of simulations and experimental measurements, the acoustic pressure levels as well as the performances of the machine.
Digitalization in land-use planning: effects of digital plan data on efficiency, transparency and innovation

ABSTRACT Digital transformation is shaping our lives and altering planning. Digitalization is closely linked to smart governance, through which administrative units such as cities and regions increasingly offer digital services related to spatial planning. However, the increasing digitalization of spatial planning has received little attention in academic planning literature, and few studies have analysed how digitalization affects planning practice. The aim of this study was to help fill this gap by developing an analytical framework based on efficiency, transparency and innovation, to explore how digital plan data affect land-use planning. The framework was applied in a multi-case study analysis of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In this study, which is one of the first to shed empirical light on the digital transformation of land-use planning, we found changes in planning practice mainly in terms of efficiency and transparency, less in terms of innovation. We have identified a great need for further research to attend critically to digital transformation of planning in order to optimize the benefits for planning practice and to avoid an unreflective shift towards technocratic planning practices.
Compact dual-band stepped-impedance resonator filter with separate coupling paths

A new compact microstrip dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) based on multi-mode λ/4 stepped-impedance resonators (SIRs) with separate coupling paths is investigated. The dual-band BPF with a second-order bandpass response is composed of only two λ/4 SIRs, resulting in a small circuit size. A coupling gap and a common short-ended stub between the two coupled SIRs are used to create the electric and magnetic couplings with separate coupling paths. The bandwidths of the dual-band BPF can be well controlled by adjusting the coupling strengths of the two coupling paths. Thus, a greater design flexibility for the dual-band BPF can be obtained. For demonstration, a second-order dual-band BPF with a compact size of 0.14 λ g × 0.16 λ g has been designed and fabricated. A good agreement is achieved between simulation and measurement.
CAD of wideband printed transmission line transformers using particle swarm optimisation

A simple and accurate CAD technique for the synthesis of wideband printed transmission line transformers (TLTs) is being presented in this article using an evolutionary technique, namely, particle swarm optimisation (PSO). The design procedure is formulated as a global non-linear optimisation problem by defining a suitable cost function. The proposed theory has been validated with commercial circuit simulator Agilent’s Advanced Design System software and compared with few measured results.
The ranking of construction management journals

The quality of construction management journals is assessed using a questionnaire survey approach. Construction management is broadly defined to include studies of the human aspects of the construction process. Twenty-two journals related to construction management are identified. Questionnaires were sent to potential respondents by e-mail. Respondents were asked to assess the quality of the journals that they are familiar with. Although there is some evidence showing that respondents who are editorial board members or authors of a journal tend to give a slightly higher score to that journal, the relative ranking of the journals is not affected substantially by such tendency. Some statistically significant results on the ranking of the journals are obtained irrespective of the relatively small sample size compared with some surveys of other main stream journals.
Decreasing CO2 Emissions and Embodied Energy during the Construction Phase Using Sustainable Building Materials

A great quantity of CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere during the different phases of a building's life cycle: in the production of materials and products, in the construction of the building itself, in the setting up of the site, in the exploitation, the renovations, the later rehabilitations, up to the final demolition. The present paper shows the possibility of reducing the embodied energy in building materials up to 55% and the CO2 emissions produced up to 43% in the construction phase, through a careful selection of sustainable building materials. The purpose of this study is to quantify the total amount of CO2 emissions and embodied energy that can be saved by the method presented in the particular phase of the material selection within the life cycle of a building. This material selection, as well as the bioclimatic characteristics, must be defined from the early design project phase. The research presented here has been carried out as a case study on an existing high-rise residential building in the.
Digital measurement of voltage flicker

The author deals with cyclic variations in the envelope of voltage waveforms. European power utilities have done substantial work already in their characterization, based on the effects on visual perception. They have also established a norm for the calculation of an instantaneous flicker level, a short-term severity coefficient, and a long-term severity coefficient. The measurement techniques that they propose are basically designed for analog instrumentation. Digital implementations of the analog design are neither cost effective nor optimal in performance. The author proposes a method for direct calculation of flicker level from digital measurements of voltage waveforms. The direct digital implementation uses a fast Fourier transform (FFT) as the first step in the computation. A pruned FFT, customized for the flicker level computation, is also proposed. >
Kinetics of DNA Repair Under Chronic Irradiation at Low and Medium Dose Rates in Repair Proficient and Repair Compromised Normal Fibroblasts

We present time and dose dependencies for the formation of 53BP1 and γH2AX DNA damage repair foci after chronic radiation exposure at dose rates of 140, 250 and 450 mGy/day from 3 to 96 h, in human and mouse repair proficient and ATM or DNA-PK deficient repair compromised cell models. We describe the time/dose-response curves using a mathematical equation which contains a linear component for the induction of DNA damage repair foci after irradiation, and an exponential component for their resolution. We show that under conditions of chronic irradiation at low and medium dose rates, the processes of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induction and repair establish an equilibrium, which in repair proficient cells manifests as a plateau-shaped dose-response where the plateau is reached within the first 24 h postirradiation, and its height is proportionate to the radiation dose rate. In contrast, in repair compromised cells, where the rate of repair may be exceeded by the DSB induction rate, DNA damage accumulates with time of exposure and total absorbed dose. In addition, we discuss the biological meaning of the observed dependencies by presenting the frequency of micronuclei formation under the same irradiation conditions as a marker of radiation-induced genomic instability. We believe that the data and analysis presented here shed light on the kinetics of DNA repair under chronic radiation and are useful for future studies in the low-to-medium dose rate range.
Relaxed Substrate Specificity in Qβ Replicase through Long-Term In Vitro Evolution

A change from RNA- to DNA-based genetic systems is hypothesized as a major transition in the evolution of early life forms. One of the possible requirements for this transition is a change in the substrate specificity of the replication enzyme. It is largely unknown how such changes would have occurred during early evolutionary history. In this study, we present evidence that an RNA replication enzyme that has evolved in the absence of deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs) relaxes its substrate specificity and incorporates labeled dNTPs. This result implies that ancient replication enzymes, which probably evolved in the absence of dNTPs, could have incorporated dNTPs to synthesize DNA soon after dNTPs became available. The transition from RNA to DNA, therefore, might have been easier than previously thought.
Institutional Theory as a Framework for Analyzing Conflicts on Global Projects

Global construction projects that involve collaboration between participants from multiple countries often result in unique challenges, and costs due to cross-national interactions. Case studies performed to investigate the cross-national interactions and tensions present on global projects suggest that institutional differences—differences in workplace norms, legal regulations, and cultural values— contribute to these costs. We demonstrate how institutional theory—a branch of organizational theory—can comprehensively describe the cross-national challenges on global projects. We show how this theory can help practitioners to more accurately classify the cross-national issues they encounter, determine the causes behind the conflicts, and judge the relative ease with which each type of conflict can be resolved. However, there are gaps in the extant application of institutional theory that prevent us from predicting institutional conflicts on global projects and devising solution strategies. These gaps are identified and a research trajectory to understand them is proposed. This paper is aimed at starting a much-needed dialogue on the mitigation of cross-national issues on global projects, and not as a demonstration of methods to eliminate all cross-national conflicts.
Fuzzy multi-objective technique integrated with differential evolution method to optimise power factor and total harmonic distortion

The main aim of active-filter-based power-quality improvement schemes is to reduce the total harmonic distortion (THD) and improve power factor (PF). According to standards, selective harmonic distortion (SHD) should be controlled too. Non-sinusoidal current owing to non-linear loads causes a non-sinusoidal voltage. Under such conditions, any attempt to make the power factor unity by usual methods will cause a non-sinusoidal current, which increases the THD. Also, attempt for harmonic-free current may not conclude unity power factor because of harmonics present in the voltage. Thus, there is a tradeoff between reduction of THD and improvement in power factor. One of the solutions to this tradeoff is to optimise PF while keeping THD and SHD into their specified limits. Differential evolution (DE) is introduced in this study and used for this optimisation problem, and the results are compared with four types of particle swarm optimisation (PSO), including conventional PSO, linearly decreasing inertia PSO, Type 1 PSO, constant inertia PSO and with the traditional optimisation method. It is seen that DE algorithm converges to a better result much faster than the other algorithms. Furthermore, using fuzzy strategy a multi-objective optimisation is proposed to optimise PF and THD simultaneously while keeping SHD in its limit. It is observed that using these optimisation methods, PF and THD are more improved.
Feature-Based Molecular Networks Identification of Bioactive Metabolites from Three Plants of the Polynesian Cosmetopoeia Targeting the Dermal Papilla Cells of the Hair Cycle

The term cosmetopoeia refers to the use of plants in folks’ cosmetics. The aerial parts of Bidens pilosa L. , the leaves of Calophyllum inophyllum L. and the fruits of Fagraea berteroana A.Gray ex Benth are traditionally used in French Polynesia for hair and skin care. During the hair cycle, dermal papilla cells and their interaction with epithelial cells are essential to promote hair follicle elongation. The aim of our investigations was the identification of metabolites from these three plants and chemical families responsible for their hair growth activity. A bioactivity-based molecular network was produced by mapping the correlation between features obtained from LC-MS/MS data and dermal papilla cell proliferation, using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The analyses pointed out glycosylated flavonols and phenolic acids from B. pilosa and C. inophyllum, along with C-flavonoids, iridoids and secoiridoids from F. berteroana, as potential bioactive molecules involved in the proliferation of hair follicle dermal papilla cells. Our results highlight the metabolites of the plant species potentially involved in the induction of hair follicle growth and support the traditional uses of these plants in hair care.
Fluorescence Lifetime Phasor Analysis and Raman Spectroscopy of Pigmented Organic Binders and Coatings Used in Artworks

Fluorescence analysis of materials used as binders and coatings in artworks is often hampered by numerous factors, leading to uncertainties in data interpretation. Fluorescence lifetime (FL) measurements enable improvement of the specificity with respect to steady-state measurements by resolving the decay dynamics of the fluorophore emissions. In this work, layers of natural resin, oil, and wax—in pure form, pigmented, in mixtures, and spread on different substrates—were analyzed using a compact, portable, fiber-based FL instrument. FL data were processed via the phasor method and integrated with Raman spectroscopy to obtain complementary chemical information on the different substances. It was observed that the τ-phase of the mixtures is affected by both the pigments and the dispersing medium, and that the presence of the metal substrate contributes to changes in the FL of mixtures. The results obtained with our portable FL system combined with Raman spectroscopy pave the way for a systematic study of a larger number of materials for future in situ applications on works of art.
Photocatalytic degradation of caffeine in a slurry reactor with intermittent UV irradiation: optimization and response surface modelling

This study focusses on the photocatalytic degradation of caffeine (CAF) a stimulating drug and environmental contaminant that pose threat to humans and the environment. The effect of operating parameters such as; CAF initial concentration (5–20 mg/L), catalyst dosage (0.1–0.9 g/L) and pH (3.0–9.0) were explored in detail. The experimental results showed the maximum CAF and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals of 87.2% and 66.7% respectively. The optimized parameters were; CAF initial concentration – 5 mg/L, catalyst dosage – 0.5 g/L and pH – 7.2. The photocatalytic degradation of CAF followed pseudo-first order kinetics. The obtained experimental data were analysed with response surface methodology (RSM) using Design Expert Software.
Process-based assembly planning using a simulation system with cell calibration

When using simulation systems in assembly planning, a considerable gap between simulated accuracy and real environment can often be detected. As an approach to bridge this gap, a cell calibration method based on measurements by a laser triangulation sensor is presented. The sensor system is mounted on an industrial robot and delivers the relevant data to the simulation system. Thus it is possible for the simulation system to calculate the change in position and orientation compared to the original model of the cell. This method eliminates the teaching effort that is required to adapt the simulation-based robot program to reality when using a conventional assembly planning method. Furthermore, it enables the user to derive the layout of assembly system directly from the process model with a high level of accuracy and to considerably reduce the time-to-market.
Lyocell Solutions from Alternative Cellulose Sources

Lyocell fibers, a generic subclass of rayon fibers, are produced from cellulose dissolved in N-methylmorpholine oxide (NMMO). The lyocell solutions typically consist of blends of cellulose from similar low and high degree of polymerization (DP) dissolving pulps to achieve desired spinnability and fiber properties. The objective of this research was to determine if alternative lower value cellulose sources could be used as raw materials for lyocell by characterizing solutions made from these sources. Shear viscosity, which strongly affects spinning of fibers, of ten cellulose sources at four concentrations was compared to that of five industrial dissolving pulp standards with DPs from 670 to 1720. Bleaching, concentration, cellulose source, and their interactions had significant effects on shear viscosity. Kudzu, sugarcane bagasse, recycled, and thermomechanical cellulose pulps had higher viscosities than did the more highly processed hardwood and softwood. Bagasse was similar to the lowest DP dissolving pulp standard. Recycled and thermomechanical pulps were similar to the higher DP standard and bleaching affected the shearing behavior of these less pure pulps. Shear viscosity measurements were effective in determining differences among the pulps.