Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A flexible system for initial ship design parameters estimation using a system of neural networks

To initialize ship design process, it is very important to be able to develop an initial estimate of ship parameters to satisfy designer required specifications. For new emerging designs, this estimate has to be made based on a limited available set of examples. Moreover, a practical estimate prediction strategy should be flexible enough having no distinction between input (specified constraints) and outputs (parameters required to be estimated), since these vary from one design case to another. Conventional regression-based techniques, which are usually employed to provide the required estimates, suffer from low accuracy in case of a small number of available examples. In addition to that, they fail to capture the interrelation between different design parameters. To overcome these limitations and others, the present paper proposes a new approach based on a system of artificial neural-networks (ANNs). The new approach not only overcomes regression limitations but is also capable of providing a reliable estimate of initial design offset table based on different ANN outputs. The paper uses a case study for demonstrating the merits of the proposed approach. Keywords: Ship design; regression; ship series; Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs); Multilayer Perceptrons (MLPs); Normalized Gaussian Modified Lagrangian (NGML) doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jname.v8i2. 6945 Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering 8(2011) 71-82
IGBT Half-Bridge Power Switching Analysis Based on a Semi-analytical Point of View

En este trabajo se desarrolla una investigacion semi-analitica en una topologia de convertidor de medio puente de IGBT considerando carga constante. Se desarrolla un modelo analitico para las perdidas en el encendido. El comportamiento del diodo en recuperacion inversa y su influencia en las perdidas de potencia y el encendido del semiconductor opuesto son tratados bajo una consideracion parametrica. Para describir analiticamente las formas de onda en conmutacion para un semiconductor dado se consideran la inductancia parasita, las capacitancias y conductancias del diodo, las capacitancias del IGBT, el tiempo de almacenamiento y otros factores, el enfoque general del trabajo permitiria aplicar los resultados a cualquier otro tipo de semiconductor tipo MOS. El comportamiento en el apagado y las perdidas se investigacion mediante un modelo de regresion. Los datos de distintas corridas por simulacion, basados en el modelo fisico del semiconductor, se utilizan para hallar las perdidas de potencia en el apagado del IGBT. Un analisis estadistico se lleva a cabo para encontrar un polinomio apropiado que se ajuste a los datos. De igual manera, para describir una herramienta de verificacion experimental del modelo desarrollado, se lleva a cabo medicion indirecta de corriente. Esto en virtud de la necesidad de medir corriente de alta frecuencia con alta precision. El circuito de aplicacion es una carga inductiva con diodo paralelo. Se emplea un procesamiento digital de los datos de medicion de voltaje a traves de un alambre que se usa como senal de entrada para obtener la corriente a traves de un semiconductor puesto en serie.
Lyapunov Stabilizability for Nonlinear Dynamic Control Systems on Time Scales

In this paper we use an appropriate Lyapunov function and derive sufficient conditions for the nonlinear dynamic control system x Δ (t )= A(t)x(t )+ B(t)u(t )+ f (t,x(t),u(t)) ,t ∈ T on a time scale T to be uniformly stabilizable, uniformly exponentially stabilizable, and h− stabilizable. Here, A : T → R n×n is an n×n matrix
Consumer confidence and aggregate consumption expenditures in the United States

This paper examines the relationship between consumer confidence and consumption expenditures in the US for the period 1970:1-2007:4. Consumer confidence surveys are widely reported in the business and economics media and play an important role in the direction of business decisions and equity market movements. Despite the widely cited importance and popularity of consumer confidence indices, empirical studies attempting to establish a causal relationship between consumer confidence indices and consumption expenditures are mixed. This paper employs disaggregated consumer expenditures on services, nondurable and durable goods. The consumption functions for the three categories were obtained from the well-established Fair (2009) Macro-econometric model of the US economy. The results of our regression estimation and cointegration analysis, for both the short and long-run, suggests that consumer confidence is a determining factor for expenditures on consumer durable goods only. This finding supports the work of Blanchard (1993) and Hall (1993).
Management control system as a platform for sharing tacit knowledge and supporting the quantification of the customer - Managers' perception. Case: Usage of Pulssi at HOK-Elanto Prisma hypermarkets

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of a management control system as a platform for sharing tacit knowledge and supporting the quantification of the customer. This is studied from the lowest level user perspective, in this context the managers’. The thesis is carried out as a single case study and uses the conducted 15 semi-structured interviews as primary data source. The secondary data consists of the information stored in the management control system. The studied management control system is Pulssi, an activity-based system provided by Trainers’ House Plc. Pulssi is used to monitor the recurring weekly actions, which are critical for strategic change. Managers’ perception is studied at HOK-Elanto’s 12 Prisma hypermarkets after one years’ use of the system. Pulssi was seen helpful in sharing information among the organization, but the interviewed managers hoped that they could use the picture module to improve the sharing of tacit knowledge. 8 out of 12 interviewed managers thought that tracking activities and non-financial metrics along with the operative outcomes is a good practice. Standardization of activities and steering those in a new direction was approved and thus the system was found to support the quantification of the customer. The two most important factors behind the sharing of tacit knowledge, the usage rate and correct use of the system, are active leadership on the matter and interesting and frequently changing management control questions. The role of consultants was generally seen unimportant. This study hopes to help the future internal knowledge management projects.
Encrypted mal-ware detection

Mal-ware such as viruses and worms are increasingly proliferating through out all networks. Existing schemes that address these issues either assume that the mal-ware is available in its plain-text format which can be detected directly with its signature or that its exploit-code execution is directly recognizable. Hence much of the development in this area has been focussed on generating more efficient signatures or in coming up with improved anomaly-based detection and pattern matching rules. However with ”secure data” being the watch-word and several efficient encryption schemes being developed to obfuscate data and protect its privacy, encrypted mal-ware is very much a clear and present threat. While securing resources from encrypted threats is the need of the hour, equally critical is the privacy of content that needs to be protected. In this paper we discuss encrypted mal-ware detection and propose an efficient IP-packet level scheme for encrypted mal-ware detection that does not compromise the privacy of the data but at the same time helps detect the presence of hidden mal-ware in it. We also propose a new grammar for a generalized representation of all kinds of malicioussignatures as described in [27]. This signature grammar is inclusive of even polymorphic and metamorphic signatures which do not have a straight-forward one-to-one mapping between the signature string and worm-recognition. In a typical system model consisting of several co-operating hosts which are un-intentional senders of mal-ware traffic, where a centralized network monitor functions as the mal-ware detection entity, we show that for a very small memory and processing overhead and almost negligible time-requirements, we achieve a very high detection rate for even the most advanced multi-keyword polymorphic signatures.
Reply by the authors to the Referee #1’s comments on “A revised global ozone dry deposition estimate based on a new two-layer parameterisation for air-sea exchange and the multi-year MACC composition reanalysis” (#acp-2017-768)

Dry deposition at the Earth’s surface is an important sink of atmospheric ozone. Currently, dry deposition of ozone to the ocean surface in atmospheric chemistry models has the largest uncertainty compared to deposition to other surface types, with implications for global tropospheric ozone budget and associated radiative forcing. Most global models assume that the dominant term of surface resistance in the parameterisation of ozone dry deposition velocity at the oceanic 10 surface is constant. There have been recent mechanistic parameterisations for air-sea exchange that account for the simultaneous waterside processes of ozone solubility, molecular diffusion, turbulent transfer, and first-order chemical reaction of ozone with dissolved iodide and other compounds, but there are questions about their performance and consistency. We present a new two-layer parameterisation scheme for the oceanic surface resistance by making the following realistic assumptions: (a) the thickness of the top water layer is of the order of a reaction-diffusion length scale (a 15 few micrometres) within which ozone loss is dominated by chemical reaction and the influence of waterside turbulent transfer is negligible; (b) in the water layer below, both chemical reaction and waterside turbulent transfer act together and are accounted for; and (c) chemical reactivity is present through the depth of the oceanic mixing layer. The new parameterisation has been incorporated into the ACCESS-UKCA global chemistry-climate model and the results are evaluated against dry deposition velocities from recent open-ocean measurements. It is found that the inclusion of only the 20 aqueous iodide-ozone reaction satisfactorily describes the measurements. In order to better quantify the global dry deposition loss and its interannual variability, the modelled 3-h ozone deposition velocities are combined with the 3-h MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) reanalysis ozone for the years 2003–2012. The resulting ozone dry deposition is found to be 98.4 ± 30.0 Tg O3 yr-1 for the ocean and 722.8 ± 87.3 Tg O3 yr-1 globally. The new estimate of the ocean component is approximately a third of the current model estimates. This reduction corresponds to an approximately 25 20% decrease in the total global ozone dry deposition, which (with all other components being unchanged) is equivalent to an increase of approximately 5% in the modelled tropospheric ozone burden and a similar increase in tropospheric ozone lifetime.
Design method of campus network structure robustness

the traditional design of campus network adopts BP neural network to build the model for evaluating network information of network model, since the information exchange reflected in campus network is between individual and individual, randomness and model property factors of network information are prominent, BP neural network weights into curing condition, causes the information trust degree evaluation of large error. This paper presents an optimized robustness node design model, to construct information trust evaluation model. Setting up the trust degree respond weighting variable adaptive function periodically by adjusting network topologic weight vector, effectively reduce the operational cost of the iterative algorithm, and construct campus robust network. Simulation results show that, the new network information robustness evaluation model can reduce error rate of the website information evaluation greatly, the system has strong stability and robustness, can effectively promote the sound operation and development of network.
Applying gamification techniques to enhance effectiveness of video-lessons

Gamification techniques are commonly used in e-learning to enhance the effectiveness of educational activities and the learners’ partaking. In fact, owing to the engagement effect, they can improve learning processes in diverse disciplines, empowering the traditional methods of acquisition of competences and skills. This approach is giving results in informal education activities both in traditional Learning Management Systems and in Massive Open Online Course platforms, mostly based on the consumption of video- lessons. In this context, we describe the gamification-oriented design choices made for the realization of a video-course for the training on the use of office automation software programs. Specifically, we planned the revamping of a course produced in 2012, whose lessons are made by short fictional videos, animated tutorials, and screen captures that show how to perform common operations. The design of the gamification process is following the hype for the launch of the new Star WarsTM, Episode 7, and, as a consequence, will be delivered as “Star Words”. In the paper we present the gamification methodologies adopted to create the first prototype of Star Words, also analyzing the criticisms that emerged.
Impacts of Climate Change on Range Expansion by the Mountain Pine Beetle

The current latitudinal and elevational range of mountain pine beetle (MPB) is not limited by available hosts. Instead, its potential to expand north and east has been restricted by climatic conditions unfavorable for brood development. We combined a model of the impact of climatic conditions on the establishment and persistence of MPB populations with a spatially explicit, climate-driven simulation tool. Historic weather records were used to produce maps of the distribution of past climatically suitable habitats for MPB in British Columbia. Overlays of annual MPB occurrence on these maps were used to determine if the beetle has expanded its range in recent years due to changing climate. An examination of the distribution of climatically suitable habitats in 10-year increments derived from climate normals (1921-1950 to 1971-2000) clearly shows an increase in the range of benign habitats. Furthermore, an increase (at an increasing rate) in the number of infestations since 1970 in formerly climatically unsuitable habitats indicates that MPB populations have expanded into these new areas. The potential for additional range expansion by MPB under continued global warming was assessed from projections derived from the CGCM1 global circulation model and a conservative forcing scenario equivalent to a doubling of CO2 (relative to the 1980s) by approximately 2050. Predicted weather conditions were combined with the climatic suitability model to examine the distribution of benign habitats from 1981-2010 to 19412070 for all of Canada. The area of climatically suitable habitats is anticipated to continue to increase within the historic range of MPB. Moreover, much of the boreal forest will become climatically available to the beetle in the near future. Since jack pine is a viable host for MPB and a major component of the boreal forest, continued eastward expansion by MPB is probable.
The mutual beneficial effect between medical imaging and nanomedicine

The reports on medical imaging and nanomedicine are gettingmore and more prevalent. Many nanoparticles entering into the body act as contrast agents, or probes in medical imaging, which are parts of nanomedicines. The application extent and the quality of imaging have been improved by nanotechnique. On one hand, nanomedicines advance the sensitivity and specificity of molecular imaging. On the other hand, the biodistribution of nanomedicine can also be studied in vivo by medical imaging, which is necessary in the toxicological research. The toxicity of nanomedicine is a concern which may slow down the application of nanomedical. The quantitative description of the kinetic process is significant. Based on metabolic study on radioactivity tracer, a scheme of pharmacokinetic research of nanomedicine is proposed. In this review, we will discuss the potential advantage of medical imaging in toxicology of nanomedicine, as well as the advancement of medical imaging prompted by nanomedicine.
Where Lean Construction and Value Management Meet

The lean construction (LC) community’s key vision and goal is to provide value, yet they are increasingly challenged with understanding and dealing with the concept of value, with reports that value is one of the weakest points. Regardless of the previous studies and contributions already made on the concept of value in LC, the absence of a consistent understanding of value has resulted in misperceptions and indistinct boundaries with other construction value-related disciplines. Without a consistent understanding of value, the full potential of applying value-established concepts will not occur. Thus, the study of different concepts in construction will open new opportunities to deliver value in the future. Literature reviewed only revealed a small number of interdisciplinary comparisons of Lean manufacturing and LC with value management (VM)/value engineering (VE) on value. Secondary data was used to present an in-depth comparison of the principal points of the current practice and theories of LC and VM, which are seen as ways to improve the delivery of value to clients and building users. The study revealed a range of similarities at a high level, which could easily point to an early conclusion that LC and VM are interchangeable, leading to the same goal of value delivery and shared misapplication of cost reduction techniques. However, a more detailed examination indicates significant differences in the philosophy and scope in different areas, including project timing, practitioner duties, and areas of practice which could complement each other. Also the study identified that LC is a broader philosophy which covers more aspects than VM, it is evident that LC has advanced over the years towards discussions on the concept of value. The current work in LC on value relies less on other construction value-related disciplines such as VM, VE and partnering. Furthermore, LC literature still views value as a confusing concept associated with different interpretations, forming the basisof its understanding. The study established that value plays a central role in both LC and VM. Their combination could offer great synergy regarding the concept of value.
Applications of silver nanowires on transparent conducting film and electrode of electrochemical capacitor

Silver nanowire has potential applications on transparent conducting film and electrode of electrochemical capacitor due to its excellent conductivity. Transparent conducting film (G-film) was prepared by coating silver nanowires on glass substrate using Meyer rod method, which exhibited better performance than carbon nanotube and graphene. The conductivity of G-film can be improved by increasing sintering temperature. Electrode of electrochemical capacitor (I-film) was fabricated through the same method with G-film on indium tin oxide (ITO). CV curves of I-film under different scanning rates had obvious redox peaks, which indicated that I-film exhibited excellent electrochemical pseudocapacitance performance and good reversibility during charge/discharge process. In addition, the specific capacitance of I-film was measured by galvanostatic charge/discharge experiments, indicating that I-film exhibits high special capacitance and excellent electrochemical stability.
A new species of Phyllochaetopterus (Annelida: Chaetopteridae) from deep-sea hydrothermal Ashadze-1 vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge: taxonomical description and partial COI DNA sequence

Phyllochaetopterus polus, a new species of the polychaete family Chaetopteridae is described. Specimens were collected at the Ashadze-1 vent field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge), from 4100-4200 m depth. P polus is the first chaetopterid reported from the Atlantic hydrothermal vents. Three chaetopterid species have been recorded from deep-sea hydrothermal vents belonging to two genera, Spiochaetopterus and Phyllochaetopterus. P polus sp. nov. is a medium-sized chaetopterid, characterized by 9 chaetigers in region A and 2 in region B; region C is usually incomplete in the specimens examined, but has at least 40-70 chaetigers. This polychaete has one pair of modified chaetae in chaetiger 4 with a pear-shaped obliquely truncated head, triangular uncini and a branched annulated tube. The species resembles P lauensis Nishi & Rouse, 2007 in most characters but differs by the colour of the ventral shield and tube structure. Blast results of a 655 bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA COI gene of this new species revealed Phyllochaetopterids as the closest available sequences in Genbank. A phylogenetic tree has been further built using all other COI chaetopterid polychaete sequences found in Genbank to infer phylogenetic position of the new species. It adds to the previous observations of close proximity of communities associated to whale falls and hydrothermal vents communities as the phylogenetically closest species is an undescribed Phyllochaetopterus found around whale fall in Monterey Bay (California).
Development of a Cloud-Point Extraction Method for Cobalt Determination in Natural Water Samples

A new, simple, and versatile cloud-point extraction (CPE) methodology has been developed for the separation and preconcentration of cobalt. The cobalt ions in the initial aqueous solution were complexed with 4-Benzylpiperidinedithiocarbamate, and Triton X-114 was added as surfactant. Dilution of the surfactant-rich phase with acidified ethanol was performed after phase separation, and the cobalt content was measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The main factors affecting CPE procedure, such as pH, concentration of ligand, amount of Triton X-114, equilibrium temperature, and incubation time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) for cobalt was 0.5 μg L−1, with sensitivity enhancement factor (EF) of 67. Calibration curve was linear in the range of 2–150 μg L−1, and relative standard deviation was 3.2% (𝑐=100 μg L−1; 𝑛=10). The proposed method was applied to the determination of trace cobalt in real water samples with satisfactory analytical results.