Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A variable profile depth crossed-grating-based exit pupil expander with improved imaging brightness uniformity

A hybrid optimization model of physical optics and geometric optics is implemented for optimizing the imaging brightness uniformity by changing the profile depth distribution of a grating-based exit pupil expander (EPE). A specially modified reactive ion-beam etching system capable of modulating the etching depth distribution in two orthogonal dimensions is used to fabricate crossed-grating-based EPEs with variable profile depth. Two EPEs with uniform profile depth and optimized variable profile depth are fabricated and measured. The results show that compared with using the EPE with uniform profile depth, using the EPE with optimized variable profile depth, the imaging brightness uniformity can be improved by 37.8%.
Reduction of Private Vehicle Usage in Response to Fuel Price Rise: A Comparison between Automobile Drivers and Motorcycle Riders

This study developed a model to describe the relationship between the agents of socialization, personal norm of using environment friendly traveling mode, and private vehicle usage reduction in response to fuel prices rising. An empirical study was conducted by using the measurement data collected from 209 participant automobile drivers and 565 participant motorcycle riders. The study results show that the models for automobile drivers and motorcycle riders are different and should be estimated individually. Private vehicle usage reduction is found to be significantly determined by personal norm for both automobile drivers and motorcycle riders, and agents of socialization have different influences on personal norm for automobile drivers and motorcycle riders. Automobile drivers consistently have higher willingness than motorcycle riders to reduce their private vehicle usage on the trips for all activities in response to fuel price increase. Some suggestions were derived from the study results to reduce the vehicle usage for automobile drivers and motorcycle riders.
Probe radiation cancellation in wideband probe-fed microstrip arrays

The dual probe-fed patch technique, which is used to suppress unwanted probe radiation in wideband probe-fed microstrip patches, is extended for the case of a balanced two-patch sub-array. To demonstrate this technique, two S-band microstrip arrays were fabricated: with and without the balanced two-patch sub-arrays. The balanced array showed a reduction in the cross-polarisation peak level by nearly 10 dB. The unwanted radiation is effectively suppressed (20 dB cross-polarisation isolation) over a bandwidth of greater than 6.3%.
Fit manufacturing: production fitness as the measure of production operations performance

Rapid changes in market demands have resulted in manufacturing companies having to remain competitive in order to survive. Therefore, a combination of manufacturing capabilities, such as leanness, flexibility, agility, responsiveness, and sustainability, is essential to manufacturing companies. However, the performance of manufacturing capabilities has not yet been measured through integrated manufacturing concepts. Consequently, this thesis presents a model for evaluating operations performance from the specific viewpoint of production capability, termed Production Fitness. In this respect, determination of Production Fitness refers to Fit Manufacturing systems in general. An assessment of Production Fitness is developed based on the concept of multidimensional performances through integration of three distinctive concepts: (i) Lean Manufacturing (leanness), (ii) Agile Manufacturing (agility), (iii) Sustainability. The aim is to provide an index for Production Fitness, determined through a simpler, more useful, and objective system of assessment. In this way, the Production Fitness measures can be used as a decision support tool for production and marketing (e.g., Production Waste Index (PWI), Production Profitability Index, (PPI), Production Adaptability Index (PAI), Production Stability Index (PSI), and Production Fitness Index (PFI)), as well as providing a means of avoiding common conflict between these two areas. The Production Fitness measures were applied to six case studies of micro-SMEs with batch manufacturing processes in various industries. Results from the six case studies show that it is crucial for manufacturing companies to sustain an ideal PFI, which can be achieved through maximum PPI, consistent PAI, and ideal PSI. In the meantime, it is also important for manufacturing companies to achieve a higher PFI, especially in highly competitive market environments. Factors influencing the fitness indices are identified from the aspects of company and production characteristics. SWOT analysis results indicate that the PFI can be affected by company strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Suggestions for improving Production Fitness are made using empirical evidence from previous studies on relevant aspects. This thesis concludes that the Production Fitness measures can be applied to batch process types in various manufacturing industries where common production and sales data are applied.
Spatial structure of Globularia bisnagarica L. (Plantaginaceae, Magnoliopsida) coenopopulations

The paper presents the results of the spatial distribution analysis of 18 Globularia bisnagarica L. coenopopulations in the Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk and Orenburg regions and the Republic of Tatarstan. The analysis was carried out with the Spatstat package of the R environment for statistical computing. The research reveals an aggregation tendency for the G. bisnagarica coenopopulations. It is suggested that this tendency may be attributed to the prevalence of seed reproduction and certain peculiarities of dissemination (barochory) in the studied coenopopulations as well as to the confinement of the species to eroded landforms (slopes of watersheds, gullies, runoff hollows, etc.) characterized by high heterogeneity of environmental conditions. It has been established that the majority of G. bisnagarica coenopopulations grow in heavily or moderately sodded habitats. Nevertheless, in the studied communities, G. bisnagarica occurs abundantly and dominates along with Stipa pennata, Bromus inermis, Salvia nutans, Elytrigia repens, Poa compressa, etc. Finally, the spatial structure of G. bisnagarica coenopopulations is impacted by the interspecific competition in calciphilous phytocenoses under the invasion of eurybiontic steppe grasses.
Comparison Analysis of Different Time-Scale Heart Rate Variability Signals for Mental Workload Assessment in Human-Robot Interaction

Excessive mental workload affects human health and may lead to accidents. This study is motivated by the need to assess mental workload in the process of human-robot interaction, in particular, when the robot performs a dangerous task. In this study, the use of heart rate variability (HRV) signals with different time scales in mental workload assessment was analyzed. A humanoid dual-arm robot that can perform dangerous work was used as a human-robot interaction object. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals of six subjects were collected in two states: during the task and in a relaxed state. Multiple time-scale (1, 3, and 5 min) HRV signals were extracted from ECG signals. Then, we extracted the same linear and nonlinear features from the HRV signals at different time scales. The performance of machine learning algorithms using the different time-scale HRV signals obtained during the human-robot interaction was evaluated. The results show that for the per-subject case with a 3 min HRV signal length, the K -nearest neighbor classifier achieved the best mental workload classification performance. For the cross-subject case with a 5 min time-scale signal length, the gentle boost classifier achieved the best mental workload classification accuracy. This study provides a novel research idea for using HRV signals to measure mental workload during human-robot interaction.
Stability and Controllability of Supersonic Aircraft

Abstract : In distinction from the subsonic aircraft in which the system of longitudinal control was quite simple and the favorable conditions of controllability fully assured a rigid kinematic coupling of the control stick with the elevator, the control system on supersonic machines is more complex; it includes hydraulic control boosters, automatic loading units, trimmer effect mechanisms and elements increasing the operational reliability. In modern fighters, an adequate effectiveness of the horizontal tail empennage at supersonic flight modes is achieved only in the presence, in the control system, of a fully rotatable control surface, i.e. of a controlled stabilizer. On the supersonic aircraft having limited maneuverability, longitudinal controllability is porvided by the elevator and by a stabilizer which is adjustable during flight. (Author)
Thermo-mechanical deformation of underfilled flip-chip packaging

An experimental technique of in-situ moire interferometry has been applied to investigate the thermo-mechanical deformations induced by to thermal loading in an underfilled flip-chip-on-board packaging. Thermo-mechanical deformations and shear strains generated from CTE mismatch are determined experimentally as a function of thermal loading. Semi-quantitative agreement is established between measured and FEA-simulated deformations. The results show that moire interferometry with in-situ thermal loading capabilities is effective for experimental studies of electronic packaging. Through this study, the role of underfill in reducing shear strains over solder bumps and thus in improving solder shear fatigue reliability is clarified. A methodology is demonstrated to differentiate effects of underfill properties on packaging thermo-mechanical performance.
Pengukuran Tingkat Kewaspadaan Pengemudi Mobil Usia Muda Di Kota Bandung Menggunakan Quantitative Analysis of Situational Awareness (QUASA)

Berdasarkan hasil pengumpulan data yang diperoleh dari 100 responden, dilakukan perhitungan Si tuational A wareness yang menghasilkan tingkat kewaspadaan 55.2% dan berada di wilayah overconfident. Hal tersebut berarti pengemudi mobil usia muda sudah merasa baik dalam berkendara namun pada kenyataannya tidak. Hasil kalibrasi kemudian dianalisis menggunakan Signal Detection Theory. Pada Receiver Operating Characteristic - Curve dapat di simpulkan bahwa pengemudi mobil usia muda dapat membedakan antara hal yang tepat dan tidak tepat serta tidak jarang menimbulkan kesalahan. Hal tersebut didukung dengan hasil sensitivitas dan bias yang dimiliki pengemudi mobil usia muda cuku p baik. Kata kunci : Tingkat Kewaspadaan, QUASA, Pengemudi Mobil Usia Muda ABSTRACT Based on the results of data collection are obtained from 100 respondents, conducted a Situational Awareness that generate a level vigilance of 55,2 % and overconfident being in the region . It means young car drivers already feel good in driving but in fact has not been appropriate. The calibration resultsare then analyzed using Signal Detection Theory. On Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve can be concluded that young car drivers can differentiate between things that are right and not right and not infrequently raises an error. It is supported with the results of the sensitivity and bias that owned car drivers young age quite well. Keywords : Level of Vigilance, QUASA , Young Driver
“All kids matter”? Catholic institutional advocacy for federal COVID relief funding for non-public schools

This article explores the policy interests expressed by the largest private educational system in the United States, American Catholic schools, during the first four months of the COVID-19 crisis. Critical discourse analysis is applied to public texts produced by the Catholic Church between March 1 and July 1, 2020, in order to understand the discursive strategies through which this institution constructs meaning in the policy arena. This analysis illustrates how Catholic leaders use language to make racialized and low-income students “discursively invisible. ” The author documents a significant change in policy discourse, from neoconservative logics to neoliberal ones, which corresponds directly to political signaling from the Trump Administration. Drawing on critical race theory, the author suggests implications for policymakers and stakeholders.
Wheat streak mosaic virus (wheat streak).

Abstract WSMV is an obligate parasite which infects wheat and other cereal crops and causes significant losses in production throughout many regions of the world. It is not listed as an invasive species, but introduction of the virus to other regions is possible due to a low occurrence of seed transmission. It is believed that WSMV entered the USA in the late 1800s (Reitz and Heyne, 1944; Ross, 1969) from Turkey and then moved into Canada and down into the southern states of the Great Plains as well as Mexico (Sanchez-Sanchez et al., 2001). The introduction of WSMV into Argentina and Australia is reported to be due to infected seed from both Mexico and the USA (Dwyer et al., 2007). Wheat streak is now commonly found throughout many countries and is one of the most common wheat viruses throughout the Central and Western Great Plains of the USA (Burrows et al., 2009).
Water Film Detection in Water Distribution Test of PCCS

In the passive containment cooling system (PCCS), water distribution tests are essential to verify the water distribution devices performance. Without regular boundaries and homogeneous intensities, images of water film acquired from these tests are hard to be detected by conventional approaches. We propose an improved segmentation method to identify the water film areas from the complex background. Considering the gray distortion resulted from asymmetric illumination, the method combines the modified motion segmentation and optimal threshold method. Detection results show that this method is hardly affected by the illumination change, and also insensitive to noise.
A 2.4‐GHz dual polarized suspended square plate rectenna with inserted annular rectangular ring slot

This research has proposed a dual polarized suspended square plate rectenna for RF‐to‐DC conversion at the 2.40–2.50 GHz frequency band. The proposed dual polarized antenna yields improved isolation with an annular rectangular ring slot etched in the square radiating plate. The proposed antenna could achieve >40.00 dB isolation and >8.00 dBi gain with unidirectional radiation. The proposed SMS7630‐based rectifying circuits were measured and could realize the maximum conversion efficiency of 25.98% (1.57 V) with a 3.00 kΩ resistor and 2.00 mW input RF power of a signal generator. On integration, the experimental vertical polarization rectenna was capable of achieving the maximum conversion efficiency of 21.86% (14.20 mV) at the 0.5 m distance and 0.00015. 00 mW/cm2 input power density. The proposed dual polarized rectenna can receive the input RF power density of arbitrary polarization with obtained average conversion efficiency of 14.97% (10.50 mV) at the 0.5 m distance of wireless local area network (WLAN) system. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 26:164–173, 2016.
Behavior‒Output Control Theory, Trust and Social Loafing in Virtual Teams

Social loafing, the act of withholding effort in teams, has been identified as an important problem in virtual teams. A lack of social control and the inability to observe or trust that others are fulfilling their commitments are often cited as major causes of social loafing in virtual teams where there is geographic dispersion and a reliance on electronic communications. Yet, more research is needed to better understand such claims. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of control and trust on social loafing in virtual teams. To accomplish this, we proposed and empirically tested a multi-level research model that explains the relationships among team controls, trust, social loafing, and team performance. We tested the model with 272 information technology employees in 39 virtual teams. Results indicate that control and trust reduce social loafing separately and also jointly.
Robust Wearable UHF Antennas for Security Applications

Wearable electronics are occupying an increasing portion of our daily activities. The span of wearable applications extends from purely medical, over different security services to various sports and fashion devices. Antennas play one of the most important roles in wearable networks as they have a key contribution to the overall efficiency of a wearable wireless link. This work focuses on the design and practical realization of robust wearable antennas intended for voice communication inside the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. The proposed antennas are mainly envisioned for security services such as military, police or rescue services. To this aim, several questions have been addressed while analyzing and designing the proposed antennas. The on-body environment significantly affects the characteristics of an antenna. The coupling between the antenna and the host body influences both the antenna and the body characteristics. On one hand, the complex lossy nature of the hosting body tends to deteriorate the radiation performances of the wearable antenna, while on the other hand, the radiation from the antenna can cause an increase of the temperature of the wearerâs body (localy and/or of the entire body). The wearability aspect also requires that the size and the profile of the antenna are appropriate so that it can be easily integrated into the wearerâs garment. The size of the wearable antennas becomes more critical at lower frequencies (for instance UHF), where the wavelengths become comparable with the size of the body, thus adding an additional limitation while selecting the type of the antenna. A Planar Inverted F Antenna (PIFA) was selected as an appropriate antenna candidate addressing the introduced specifications. In parallel with the antenna prototype, a suitable technology, combining flexible conductors and stretchable substrates, has been proposed. The suggested technology also enables an adjustment of the electric properties of the designated substrate materials. Several antenna prototypes were successfully designed, fabricated and characterized. Finally, a set of tests in realistic everyday conditions were performed, thus validating the performance of the proposed antenna concepts along with the proposed technology and assessing their potential of being used for commercial purposes. We believe that the obtained results provide useful guidelines for future design of robust flexible wearable antennas.
Invasive disease by Haemophilus influenzae in Sweden in the era of the H. influenzae type b vaccine

What is the current status of Haemophilus influenzae as an agent of invasive infection in Sweden? H. influenzae type b (Hib) used to be a common cause of meningitis, epiglottitis and severe sepsis in young children. In the late 1980’s an effective conjugated vaccine against Hib was developed and a dramatic fall in Hib incidence was observed in countries that implemented vaccination. This includes Sweden, where the vaccine was implemented in 1992. Since the mid 1990’s, scattered international reports have suggested increasing incidences of invasive disease caused by non-type b isolates of H. influenzae. A few of these reports have suggested serotype replacement. In order to answer the initial question, we studied the epidemiology, the clinical burden and antimicrobial resistance of invasive H. influenzae in Sweden 1997-2010. Two aspects of the pathogenesis of invasive H. influenzae disease were addressed; bacterial binding to the extracellular matrix and the role of complement regulator binding in invasive disease. A case report of a severe invasive H. influenzae type f infection, including an examination of contributing host factors, is also presented. Our results suggest that invasive disease by H. influenzae has not disappeared, but the epidemiology has radically changed. We found no support for serotype replacement in young children. In adults, and especially elderly adults, the incidence of invasive disease by non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) increased significantly during the study period. The results also suggest an increased incidence of invasive disease by H. influenzae type f (Hif), and type f is the most common serotype in Sweden today. Cases of invasive disease by non-type b isolates that occurred in healthy adults were often severe, suggesting the existence of hypervirulent non-type b strains. The β-lactam resistance of invasive H. influenzae isolates increased during the study period, due to an increase of β-lactamase negative β-lactam resistant NTHi. A clonal expansion of a β-lactamase negative ampicillin resistant (BLNAR) clone, frequently found in invasive disease, was suggested. The ability of H. influenzae to bind laminin, and anchor the extracellular matrix through the adhesin Protein E was confirmed. Binding to complement regulators was not higher in invasive as compared to nasopharyngeal NTHi isolates, and thus did not seem central for invasive capacity. Speculation, but no comprehensive conclusion as to what host factors relate to invasive disease by H. influenzae in adults was possible. The results suggest that the vaccination against H. influenzae type b remains very effective 20 years after it was introduced, but that continued surveillance of incidence and antimicrobial resistance of invasive Haemophilus disease is warranted. The results also suggest that ongoing research should focus on non-typeable H. influenzae, which today dominates all types of H. influenzae infections.
Electric vehicles' impact on British distribution networks

Battery charging of electric vehicles (EVs) will increase the power demand in distribution networks. It is anticipated that this will cause voltage drops, thermal overloads and an increase in losses. The severity of the impact will depend on the EV owners' behaviour. A generic three-phase low voltage (LV) residential distribution network model was used to evaluate the effects of EV battery charging on distribution networks, the effect of a smart charging regime for EVs as well as the contribution of dispersed micro-generation (mGen) sources. The uncertainties associated with the residential loads, m-Gen and EV owners' behaviour, were addressed with a probabilistic approach. A case study was performed for the year 2030 using both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. The probabilistic assessment showed the importance of the above uncertainties.