Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Turbulence Models for Simulating Flow in Waterjets

We have developed a fast numerical algorithm for simulating flows in complex moving domains. The new hybrid smoothed profile/spectral element method exhibits high-order accur acy as well as great computational efficiency as it removes the tyranny of mesh generation. Here we extend this work by incorporating a variational multiscale large eddy formulati on for modeling the subgrid turbulent scales. We present verification and validation studies of the combined method and compare different turbulence modeling methodologies. Subsequently, we apply it to study laminar, transitional and tu rbulent flows in an axial-flow waterjet propulsion system (ONR AxWJ-1). The robustness and efficiency of our methods enable parametric studies of many cases, which may aid greatly in the early stages of design and evaluation of such propulsi on systems.
Probabilistic Support Vector Regression for Short-Term Prediction of Power Plants Equipment

A short-term forecasting approach is proposed for the purposes of condition monitoring. The proposed approach builds on the Probabilistic Support Vector Regression (PSVR) method. The tuning of the PSVR hyerparameters, the model identification and the uncertainty analysis are conducted via novel and innovative strategies. A case study is shown, regarding the prediction of a drifting process parameter of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) component.
Game Applications of Deep Neural Networks

In the past ten years, neural networks have made a significant impact on machine learning by enabling computers to make decisions previously difficult for them to accomplish. This predominantly began as recognizing photographic content, and is now being applied in a variety of contexts. Recently, there have been significant achievements for neural networks that select best moves to play in games. DeepMind’s AlphaGo defeated 18-time Go world champion Lee Sedol in 2016, and since then neural networks have been given serious consideration in this field. This study analyzes which games are best suited to a neural network solution, and how to design a game specific neural network to successfully select best moves.
Monitoring, analysis, and filtering system for purifying network traffic of known and unknown malicious content

The early detection, alert and response (eDare) framework is presented in this paper. The goal of this framework is to address the risks stemming from malicious software propagating via networks operated by Internet/network service providers (ISP/NSP). To achieve this goal, eDare employs network-based traffic scanning appliances that enable sanitation of Internet traffic of known malware. Remaining traffic is extracted and various types of algorithms are invoked in an attempt to detect instances of previously un-encountered malware and to generate a unique and simple byte-string signature for such malware. That signature is immediately uploaded to the aforementioned network traffic scanners. To augment judgments of the algorithms, human experts are consulted for assistance in classifying files suspected of being malware about which the automatic detection algorithms are not sufficiently decisive. Finally, collaborative feedback and tips from end-users are meshed into the identification process. This makes tackling of suspect files, whose impact can be assessed on a large, distributed scale, possible. The system incorporates static and behavioral analysis of malware and novel automatic signature generation algorithm. eDare was implemented and tested using an evaluation environment especially developed for that purpose. The results suggest that eDare can detect and remove unknown malware effectively. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Perpendicular Grating Coupler Based on a Blazed Antiback-Reflection Structure

Silicon photonic grating couplers are demonstrated featuring a perfect vertical coupling and predicted coupling efficiencies of 87% and 78% with an apodized and a standard periodic structure, respectively. Vertical coupling is usually difficult to be achieved with standard diffraction gratings, since both the forward and backward scattered light meet the Bragg condition alike. In this work a vertical grating coupler which satisfies both high directionality (> 97%) and low back-reflection (< 1%) simultaneously is realized using a blazed sub-wavelength structure. The measured maximum coupling efficiencies with a standard single-mfiber are −1.5 dB and −2.2 dB for apodized and periodic structures, respectively. The suggested structure offers an ultimate solution for compact coupling schemes in Si photonics, since it meets the most important needs of grating couplers, which are directionality, ease of fabrication, and a possibility to vertically couple. The vertical grating coupler are fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator wafer with a 220 nm-thick silicon layer, relying only on a 2-step etching technology.
ASTHMA IN ADOLESCENTS, DURING THE TRANSITION FROM CHILD TO ADULT, EFFECTS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE

The aims of this thesis were to evaluate physiological and allergic aspects and consequences of asthma and possible correlation between Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and atopy, lung function, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and regular physical exercise. Possible risk factors for deterioration among patients in their late teenage years prior to and following transfer to adult healthcare were examined. The study was designed to investigate possible differences between boys and girls, changes over time in these respects and additionally the impact of randomized referral to either a specialized asthma clinic or primary care on the same factors. In this prospective study, conducted at the asthma/allergy clinic of the Childrens Hospital at Huddinge University 155 teenagers (69 females) with asthma were followed over a five year period. The patients were recruited consecutively and were screened employing spirometry, histamine challenge (to investigate bronchial hyper-responsiveness), skin prick test for allergy, and filled out “The Living With Asthma Questionnaire” both at the time of entry into the study and after 2 and 5 years of follow-up. An exercise test and questions about regular performed exercise were carried out at baseline and 5 years later. Adolescents with mild-to-moderate asthma were assigned randomly to care at the adult asthma clinic or primary care.
The Flexible Correction Model: Bias Correction Guided by Naïve Theories of Bias

Psychological researchers have examined a broad array of biases and shortcomings of social perceivers. Less attention has been paid to how people react when they become concerned about the possibility of bias and attempt to correct or overcome the potential for bias. An early approach was to think of bias correction as “subtracting” information or reactions that are identified as coming from the biasing factor instead of the target. An alternative approach is to conceptualize bias correction as guided by social perceivers' naive theories or perceptions of the bias at work. The subtraction theories were designed to deal with the assimilative biases typical of early priming experiments, but theory-based corrections can readily deal with either assimilative or contrastive biases. We describe both types of correction theories, with a focus on the empirical support for theory-based correction (and especially for the Flexible Correction Model). We also identify future directions for research on theory-based correction.
Social comparison theory and people with mild intellectual disabilities: it is more complex than you think

Social comparison theory offers an understanding of the effect of deinstitutionalisation on the development of self-concept for people with intellectual disabilities (Finlay & Lyons, 2000). Social comparison theory predicts that people with intellectual disabilities living in the community will make comparisons with nondisabled groups and as such their self-concept will decrease because of negative frame of reference effects (Tracey, 2002). However, there are indications that this conceptualisation may be too simplistic (Crocker & Major, 1989, Finlay & Lyons, 2000). Newer developments in social comparison theory and research emphasise the active nature of social comparisons (i.e. people have a choice in whom they compare themselves and on what dimensions, Dixon, 2004). and that people with disabilities may use selective processes in relations to groups and processes to bolster their selfconcept(Finlay & Lyons, 2000). This paper presents the preliminary results of a larger qualitative study of 5 women who had been institutionalised for long periods of time but were deinsitutionalised. The research explored the overall patterns of social comparisons that people with intellectual disabilities who have moved to the community make and whether people with intellectual disabilities categorise themselves through these social comparisons.
Foreign Nurse Importation to the United States and the Supply of Native Registered Nurses

Importing foreign nurses has been used as a strategy to ease nursing shortages in the United States. The effectiveness of this policy critically depends on the long-run response of native-born nurses. We examine how the immigration of foreign-born registered nurses (RNs) affects the occupational choice and long-run employment decisions of native RNs. Using a variety of empirical strategies that exploit the geographical distribution of immigrant nurses across U.S. cities, we find evidence of large displacement effects — over a 10-year period, for every foreign nurse that migrates to a city, between one and two fewer native nurses are employed in that city. We find similar results at the state level using data on individuals taking the nursing board exam — an increase in the flow of foreign nurses significantly reduces the number of natives sitting for licensure exams in the states that are more dependent on foreign-born nurses compared to those states that are less dependent on foreign nurses. Using data on self-reported workplace satisfaction among a sample of California nurses, we find evidence suggesting that some of the displacement effects could be driven by a decline in the perceived quality of the workplace environment.
Hybrid Design of a Fractal-Shaped GSM/UMTS Antenna

In this paper, the synthesis of a triple-band planar antenna working in the GSM (900 and 1800 MHz) and UMTS frequency bands is presented. As reference geometry, a hybrid pre-fractal shape has been adopted by integrating a Sierpinski and a Meander-line structure. The synthesis of the antenna has been performed by optimizing the descriptive geometrical parameters of the reference shape by means of a customized Particle Swarm strategy to comply with the electrical and geometrical requirements.
Basestation-to-mobile clock synchronization in the presence of carrier frequency offset

In cellular systems, both basestations and mobile stations have to use the same timing (clock) reference. Since the basestation clock reference is more accurate, a mobile typically derives its clock reference from the basestation. But carrier frequency offset due to Doppler effect may have harmful effect in the clock derivation. In addition to that, OFDM is sensitive to the frequency offset. This paper proposes a clock synchronization technique which is effective even with the frequency offset. Simulation results showing the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm will be presented. I. INTRODUCTION
Game-assisted distributed decision making to build virtual TDM-PONs in C-RANs adaptively

Although a promising solution for next-generation radio access networks (RANs), cloud RAN (C-RAN) still faces technical challenges due to the separate locations of the cloud-based baseband unit (BBU) pool and remote radio heads (RRHs). Fortunately, time- and wavelength-division multiplexing passive optical networks (TWDM-PONs) can efficiently bridge the communications between the BBU pool and RRHs. In this work, we address the problem of formulating virtual time division multiplexing PONs (vTDM-PONs) adaptively in a TWDM-PON-based C-RAN. However, instead of relying on a centralized approach, we develop algorithms that can work in a distributed manner. Specifically, we consider a scenario in which the optical network unit (ONU) of each RRH has the initiative to choose a proper vTDM-PON to register to based on its knowledge on the C-RAN. We formulate game theoretic models for the vTDM-PON formation for both static and dynamic operation of a C-RAN, then transform the games into weighted potential games and therefore prove the existence of Nash equilibrium (NE) points in the games. Moreover, we propose a distributed algorithm that can converge to the NE point(s) to enable each ONU to choose its vTDM-PON intelligently. As a comparison, we formulate a centralized mixed-integer linear programming model to provide the optimum vTDM-PON formation solution. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the design of the proposed game models and distributed algorithm.
Graphene-assisted transport measurements of biological samples

Electrical transport measurements of a range of biological samples carried out with graphene nanoplatelets as mediator for providing electrical contact between the samples and the wires of the measurement circuit are reported. One of the samples, namely rat brain tissue, demonstrated intriguing effects, which might be an evidence of quantum behaviour related to the processing of information. These effects are appearance of quantum of resistance and current-voltage characteristics similar to those in superconductors. While superconductivity is a macroscopic quantum effect that can be used for quantum processing of information, there is currently no evidence that it could exist at room temperature. The data may give reason for reexamining this statement by intensifying search for superconductivity in biological systems.
Loci on chromosomes 1 A and 2 A affect resistance to tan ( yellow ) spot in wheat populations not segregating for tsn 1

Wyalkatchem, which is fixed for the ToxA-insensitivity allele tsn1, and IGW2574/Annuello, which is fixed for the ToxA-sensitivity allele Tsn1. A second aim was to combine new loci with tsn1 to develop lines with improved resistance. Tan spot severity was evaluated at various growth stages and in multiple environments. Symptom severity traits exhibited quantitative variation. The most significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) were detected on chromosomes 2A and 1A. The QTL on 2A explained up to 29.2% of the genotypic variation in the Calingiri/Wyalkatchem population with the resistance allele contributed by Wyalkatchem. The QTL on 1A explained up to 28.1% of the genotypic variation in the IGW2574/Annuello population with the resistance allele contributed by Annuello. The resistance alleles at both QTL were successfully combined with tsn1 to develop lines that express significantly better resistance at both seedling and adult plant stages than Calingiri which has tsn1 only.
45 pW ESD Clamp Circuit for Ultra-Low Power Applications

Novel ultra low-leakage ESD power clamp designs for wireless sensor applications are proposed and implemented in 0. 18μm CMOS. Using new biasing structures to limit both subthreshold leakage and GIDL, the proposed designs consume as little as 43pW at 25 ̊C and 119nW at 125 ̊C with 4500V HBM level and 400V MM level protection, marking an 18−139× leakage reduction over conventional ESD clamps.
Airport Surface Propagation Channel in the C-Band: Measurements and Modeling

In this paper, we assess the path loss and the multipath fading characteristics of the airport surface channel based on the measurement data collected at Munich airport at 5.2 GHz. Our goal is to present channel models for the ground, tower and ramp area of the airport surface, which are easy to implement in a channel emulator and suitable for performance evaluation of the future aeronautical airport data link AeroMACS. The channel is in general nonstationary, but within one data frame and correspondingly one simulation run, the WSSUS assumption can be adopted for all scenarios related to an aircraft. However, the assumption loses its validity in the case of service vehicles moving in the NLOS ramp area. The proposed stochastic model for the small scale fading channel uses a sum-of-sinusoids based tapped delay line with a fixed channel parameters which are randomly chosen from the suitable intervals for each new simulation run. Incorporating scatterer movements into the model enables modeling of a nonstationary channel impulse response.
Parameter estimation of nonlinear growth models in forestry

Partial derivatives of the negative exponential, monomolecular, Mitcherlich, Gompertz, logistic, Chapman-Richards, von Bertalanffy, Weibull and the Richard’s nonlinear growth models are presented. The application of these partial derivatives in estimating the model parameters is illustrated. The parameters are estimated using the Marquardt iterative method of nonlinear regression relating top height to age of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) from the Bowmont Norway Spruce Thinning Experiment. Formulas that provide good initial values of the parameters are specified. Clear definitions of the parameters of the nonlinear models in the context of the system being modelled are found to be critically important in the process of parameter estimation.
Children's Acquisition of Arithmetic Principles: The Role of Experience

The current study investigated how young learners' experiences with arithmetic equations can lead to learning of an arithmetic principle. The focus was elementary school children's acquisition of the Relation to Operands principle for subtraction (i.e., for natural numbers, the difference must be less than the minuend). In Experiment 1, children who viewed incorrect, principle-consistent equations and those who viewed a mix of incorrect, principle-consistent and principle-violation equations both showed gains in principle knowledge. However, children who viewed only principle-consistent equations did not. We hypothesized that improvements were due in part to improved encoding of relative magnitudes. In Experiment 2, children who practiced comparing numerical magnitudes increased their knowledge of the principle. Thus, experience that highlights the encoding of relative magnitude facilitates principle learning. This work shows that exposure to certain types of arithmetic equations can facilitate the learning of arithmetic principles, a fundamental aspect of early mathematical development.
An Intelligent Security Approach using Game Theory to Detect DoS Attacks In IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new concept in the world of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The structure of this global network is highly interconnected and presents a new category of challenges from the security, trust, and privacy perspectives. The data transfer problems through the Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks simply occur in this network and lead to service slow down or system crash. At the present time, traditional techniques are being widely used to confront the denial-of-service attacks in the Internet of Things and unfortunately, smart techniques have been less studied and exploited. In this research, a security solution on the basis of game theory is proposed to detect the denial-of-service attacks and prevent the problems in the services of the network of the Internet of Things. In order to scrutinize the performance of the suggested method in the network, this method was simulated using the NS2 simulator. The simulation results confirmed that the game-theory strategies in the proposed method outperformed the existing methods. Furthermore, in order to verify the acquired findings, a comparative evaluation was exhibited according to the three factors of operational throughput, latency, and energy consumption.
A Review on Corrosion of Metallic Bi-Polar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells

Bipolar plates (BPs) are a key component of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells with multifunctional character. They uniformly distribute fuel gas and air, conduct electrical current from cell to cell, remove heat from the active area, and prevent leakage of gases and coolant. Bi-Polar Plates also significantly contributes to the volume, weight and cost of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell stacks. Hence, there are vigorous efforts worldwide to find suitable materials for Bi-Polar Plates. The materials include non- porous graphite, coated metallic sheets, polymer composites, etc. This paper reviews various types of materials, in use and proposed, for Bi-Polar Plates and critically examines their physical and chemical properties.
Fuzzy logic based vision enhancement using sigmoid function

In this paper, the image haze-removal technique proposed by us is free from artifacts as well as it's execution time is also very less. The method proposed here can overcome the halo-artifacts occurring due to non-uniform transmission within patches by patch size regulation and is also capable of removing the blocking artifacts (especially in the sky region) and can restore the contrast of the image by using sigmoid function and fuzzy logic. Moreover, since we have taken a large number of hazy images in our database and have obtained satisfactory results by applying the algorithm on all the hazy images, hence we can state that our algorithm is not dependent on the features of the hazy images and can remove haze from all kinds of hazy images irrespective of its characteristics.
Wireless Information-Theoretic Security for moving users in autonomic networks

This paper studies Wireless Information-Theoretic Security for low-speed mobility in autonomic networks. More specifically, the impact of user movement on the Probability of Non-Zero Secrecy Capacity and Outage Secrecy Capacity for different channel conditions has been investigated. This is accomplished by establishing a link between different user locations and the boundaries of information-theoretic secure communication. Human mobility scenarios are considered, and its impact on physical layer security is examined, considering quasi-static Rayleigh channels for the fading phenomena. Simulation results have shown that the Secrecy Capacity depends on the relative distance of legitimate and illegitimate (eavesdropper) users in reference to the given transmitter.
A Very Low-Speed Sensorless Induction Motor Drive with Online Stator Resistance identification scheme

Recently, speed sensorless control of induction motor drives received great attention to avoid the different problems associated with direct speed sensors. However, low speed operation with robustness against parameter variations remains an area of research for sensorless systems. Stator resistance is of greatest importance for good operation of speed sensorless systems in low speed region. In this paper, a sliding mode current observer for an induction motor is presented. An estimation algorithm based on this observer in conjunction with Popov's hyper-stability theory is proposed to calculate the speed and stator resistance independently. The proposed speed observer with parallel stator resistance identification is firstly verified by simulation. Experimental results are included as well to demonstrate the good performance of the proposed observer and estimation algorithms at low speed.