Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polydimethylsiloxane membranes for millimeter-wave planar ultra flexible antennas

We present here the use of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes as a new soft polymer substrate (εr ≈ 2.67 at 77 GHz) for the realization of ultra-flexible millimeter-wave printed antennas thanks to the extremely low Young's modulus (EPDMS < 2 MPa). Ultimately this peculiar property enables one to design wide-angle mechanically beam-steering antennas and flexible conformal antennas. The experimental characterization of PDMS material in V- and W-bands highlights high loss tangent values (tanδ ≈ 0.04 at 77 GHz). Thus micromachining techniques have been developed to reduce dielectric losses for antenna applications at millimeter waves. Here the antenna performance is demonstrated in the 60 GHz band by considering a single microstrip patch antenna supported by a PDMS membrane over an air-filled cavity. After a brief description of the design approach using the method of moments (MoM) and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, the technological processes are described in detail. The input impedance and radiation patterns of the prototype are in good agreement with numerical simulations. The radiation efficiency of the micromachined antenna is equal to 60% and is in the same order as that obtained with conventional polymer bulk substrates such as Duroids. These results confirm the validity of the new technological process and assembly procedure, and demonstrate that PDMS membranes can be used to realize low-loss planar membrane-supported millimeter-wave printed circuits and radiating structures.
Numerical Study on Plane and Radial Wall Jets to Validate the 2D Assumption for an Idealized Downburst Outflow

Turbulent radial and plane wall jets have been extensively investigated both experimentally and numerically over the past few decades. Previous studies mostly focused on the heat and mass transfers involved in jet flows. In this study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted on turbulent radial and plane wall jets, considering both jet spread and velocity decay for different parameters. The numerical results were compared with existing experimental measurements. The comparison focused on the velocity profile, jet spread, and velocity decay, and revealed that the Reynolds stress model (RSM) performs well in the simulation of both radial and plane wall jets. The results show that with a typical ratio of cloud base height to diameter for most downburst events, the effects of nozzle height and Reynolds number on the evolution of the radial wall jet are not significant. Both the jet spread and velocity decay exhibit a clear dependence on the Reynolds number below a critical value. Above this critical value, the plane wall jet becomes asymptotically independent of the Reynolds number. The co-flow was found to have a significant influence on the evolution of the plane wall jet. Comparatively, the jet spread and velocity of the radial wall jet were faster than those of the plane jet. For applications in civil engineering, it is valid to approximate the downburst outflow with a two-dimensional (2D) assumption from the perspective of longitudinal evolution of the flows.
Wideband CPW-fed slot antenna for DCS, PCS, 3G and Bluetooth bands

A novel CPW-fed wide planar slot antenna with an asymmetrical slot is proposed. The asymmetrical slot is square-like with the same widths but different lengths at the sides. By choosing suitable lengths of this asymmetrical slot, broadband operation can be obtained. From experimental results, the measured impedance bandwidth, defined by 10 dB return loss, can reach an operating bandwidth of 2136 MHz with the centre frequency operating at 2610 MHz for applications to various wireless bands. In addition, the measured radiation patterns within this wide impedance bandwidth have the same polarisation planes and similar radiation characteristics. Each antenna gain within the application bands can be less than 1 dB
The Emergence and Change of Materials Science and Engineering in the United States

Availability of external funding influences the viability and structure of scientific fields. In the 1980s, structural changes in the manner in which external funds became available started to have an impact on materials science and engineering in the United States. These changes colluded with the search for a disciplinary identity of this research field inside the university. The solutions that arose were intended to find a mediating structure between external demands and resources and disciplinary orientation. Interviews with seventeen scientists in seven universities revealed the impact in local university settings. The rise of research centers as new organizational units in universities can be linked to two periods. In the 1960s, expensive instruments stimulated unit formation; in the 1980s, the increase in application-related funding forced new administrative ways. It is shown that organizational changes also have an impact on disciplinary identity as witnessed by a strong increase in interdisciplinary materials Ph.D.s awarded.
3D SCENE RECONSTRUCTION SYSTEM BASED ON A MOBILE DEVICE

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications can take advantage of efficient digitalization of real objects as reconstructed elements can allow users a better connection between real and virtual worlds than using pre-set 3D CAD models. Technology advances contribute to the spread of AR and VR technologies, which are always more diffuse and popular. On the other hand, the design and implementation of virtual and extended worlds is still an open problem; affordable and robust solutions to support 3D object digitalization is still missing. This work proposes a reconstruction system that allows users to receive a 3D CAD model starting from a single image of the object to be digitalized and reconstructed. A smartphone can be used to take a photo of the object under analysis and a remote server performs the reconstruction process by exploiting a pipeline of three Deep Learning methods. Accuracy and robustness of the system have been assessed by several experiments and the main outcomes show how the proposed solution has a comparable accuracy (chamfer distance) with the state-of-the-art methods for 3D object reconstruction.
IMPLEMENTATION OF AEC CORE REFERENCE MODELS IN STARTPLAN

Computer-integrated construction relies on project information being shared among various computer applications used by many project participants. This information sharing is based on models of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) information. While much of the development of such models is currently at a conceptual stage, many of the central concepts are sufficiently well developed for testing their implementation capabilities in a computer program using realistic examples. This paper introduces a set of AEC core reference models that combine features of many currently developed AEC information models, such as their basic representation of construction products, processes, resources, and controls. It then presents a computer program, StartPlan, that has been developed based on the AEC core reference models to test their implementation capabilities. StartPlan is a program that creates template construction plans based on the information about the project at hand using a knowledge-based system. The paper also describes construction project information that has been used as a test in StartPlan. The results from the test reveal specific advantages and disadvantages of the AEC core reference models and will be useful to the future development of AEC information models. (A)
Theodicy and Crisis: Explaining Variation in U.S. Believers’ Faith Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Based on a national survey of U.S. adults conducted six weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, this article investigates how crisis affects religious faith. Almost no Americans reported losing or a weakening of faith in response to the pandemic at this time. By contrast, nearly one-third of believers indicated that the coronavirus outbreak had strengthened their faith. We theoretically develop and empirically test three religious factors—theodicy, practices, and tradition—to explain variation in the strengthening effect of the COVID-19 pandemic among believers. Results from statistical models show that two theodicic interpretations—believing that God: is using the pandemic as a way to tell humanity to change; and will personally protect you from the virus—significantly increased believers’ reports of faith strengthening, controlling for other factors. We also found that Black Protestants were more likely to report these interpretations, which in turn strengthened their faith in response to the pandemic.
Nonwetting Nanostructured Hemostatic Material for Bleeding Control with Minimal Adhesion

Hemostatic materials are widely used for bleeding control. However, existing blood‐absorbing wound dressing materials have two unaddressed challenges, blood loss through the hydrophilic material and strong clot adhesion that prevents gauze removal. Here, a nonwetting nanofiber structured material based on a two‐step spray coating procedure for hemostatic application is developed. Interfacial behaviors at the blood/clot‐material interface are exploited for bleeding control and minimizing wound adhesion. It is shown that this nonwetting material can retain blood within the wound, thus preventing blood loss. The nanofiber structure and kaolin microparticles collectively promote fast clotting to seal the wound and generate point‐to‐point contacts between clot and the nanofiber surface. These point‐to‐point contacts would subsequently be damaged by the interfacial shear induced by clot contraction, generating a peeling force significantly smaller than commercial low‐adherent or fast‐clotting hemostatic products. Its bleeding control and low adhesion properties are verified by in vivo animal experiments. The work therefore provides an efficient hemostatic material with excellent bleeding control and low wound adhesion properties, demonstrating an effective strategy to design advanced hemostatic materials by exploiting the interfacial behaviors.
For the Ideal Slab on Ground Mixture

This paper describes the requirements for quality concrete specific to slabs-on-ground. These requirements often differ from those for other concrete applications. Overemphasis on higher compressive strengths and lower water-to-cementitious material ratios is detrimental to providing successful concrete slab-on-ground placements. Instead the most important factors for concrete used in slabs-on-ground are: low drying shrinkage; good construction characteristics, including finishability and workability; and adequate but not excessive flexural strength to sustain the anticipated floor slab loads. Minimizing the paste quantity while maximizing the paste quality is essential for reducing concrete shrinkage, which is a leading factor in floor slab failures.
Fatigue Life Prediction Using Average Strain Range of Fatigue Process Zone

In low-cycle fatigue process, plastic strain takes place at notch root vicinity fast appears induced by high stress concentration. Plastic strain makes material non-uniform and the change of distribution of local stress. The approximation to stress concentration point of Neuber’s rule is not suitable for some plastic materials in engineering practice. In this paper, the average strain of fatigue process zone was considered to substitute Neuber strain for predicting fatigue life. Prediction results indicated that average strain range of fatigue process zone is more suitable than Neuber strain range for predicting low-cycle fatigue life of LY12CZ.
Determining intra-aneurysmal flow for coiled cerebral aneurysms with digital fluoroscopy

Background and Purpose. Aneurysm geometry often dictates the success of coil embolization. A strong hemodynamic force or high intra-aneurysmal flow may indicate a high probability of recanalization. It is necessary to develop a tool that can predict and estimate the level of hemodynamic forces that coils are subject to during the procedure. Methods. A compartment model is developed to estimate the intra-aneurysmal flow after coil embolization from digital fluoroscopy. The model is based on the measured signal intensity curves for the aneurysm and adjacent artery and derives the amount of intra-aneurysmal flow reduction. A clinical case of a carotid aneurysm was used for demonstration of its ability. Results. Intra-aneurysmal flow was reduced by 70% after coil embolization, and the estimated porosity was 60%. Flow reduction was confirmed by computational fluid dynamics simulations that modeled the coiled aneurysm as a porous medium. Conclusion. Intra-aneurysmal flow reduction may be used to predict the outcome of coil embolization or possible aneurysm recurrence. A sustained high intra-aneurysmal flow prohibits complete embolization and allows recanalization of the aneurysm. The compartment model provides a reasonable estimate of intra-aneurysmal flow and hemodynamic forces on the coils.
Strategies for reducing energy consumption in existing office buildings

This work establishes viable low-cost building system energy conservation measures (ECMs) while maintaining thermal comfort and good indoor air quality for existing office buildings in Mediterranean climate, taking an eight-storey office prototype building for analysis. The low-cost ECMs explored include raising indoor temperature cooling set point, lighting control, air economizer, night purging, and utilization of condensate drain to cool the direct expansion unit condenser to improve the overall system coefficient of performance. A standard system audit methodology and advanced energy modelling techniques were used to replicate the building base case. It is found that the building electrical energy consumption can be reduced by more than 16% energy without compromising thermal comfort when implementing the low-cost ECMs with minimal disruption and installation cost on existing building systems.
Perceived Barriers in Online Learning among Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, nursing schools in Indonesia were forced to abruptly shift from face-to-face learning to fully online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, fully online learning was still not widely used in Indonesian nursing education. AIM: This study aimed to identify barriers in online learning among Indonesian nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design and involved 530 undergraduate nursing students from five universities in Indonesia participated in this study. The authors sent an online self-administered questionnaire to nursing students from October to December 2020. The questionnaire consisted of four sections to obtain the following data: (1) Sociodemographic characteristic, (2) information about online learning, (3) platform used for online learning, and (4) perceived barriers in online learning. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data with frequency distribution, percentages, means, and standard deviations. RESULTS: Nursing students in Indonesia were confronted by various barriers during the implementation of abrupt online learning in the current pandemic situation. Most frequently barriers encountered by nursing students during online learning were high costs for online learning, poor internet connection, lack of motivation toward online learning, lack of skill in using the online learning platforms, and lack of training and assistance to use the platforms. CONCLUSION: High cost for online learning, poor internet connection, low learning motivation, lack of skill in using the online learning platforms, and lack of training and assistance to use the platforms were identified as the most frequent barriers encountered by nursing students.
Runoff Treatment from a Turkey Production Facility

ABSTRACT RUNOFF flow from exposed, paved exercise yards at a west-central Wisconsin turkey-growing operation was directed through a network of grassed waterways. Partial treatment of wastes through dilution, settling, plant and microbial assimilation, adsorption, percolation, volatilization and denitrification resulted. The mass of nitrogen (N) removed by runoff from the site was 10% of the estimated total N available for transport, giving the waterway a 90% N removal efficiency. Despite these relatively low percentages of N in surface water runoff, high N and COD concentrations represented a potential for shock-loading to receiving surface waters. Nitrogen inputs, outputs, pools and fluxes in the grassed waterway system were determined.
ASYNCHRONOUS CONTROLLED EEG-BASED SPELLING DEVICE

M ΜΜΛΚΥ Nowudays a varicty l Brain-Computer Ι ι ι ΐ ι Ί ΐ . κ ι · dU 'h hascil conuiuinication Systems are . i \ . i i l , i bk · . Λ common problcm, however, is ihc Iow i n i o n i K i t m n hausier rale from Ihe human brain to the m.k-hmc. The enhancement ΐ ) Γ the Graz-BCI in order to h . nu l le > elasses and the transition lo the asynchronous opcTahon mode enables an incrcase in the v o m i m m i v / a t i o n speed. The first results of a copy spdlint: e\peri inent demonstrate a considerahle increase i n spei 11 n«: performanee comparcd to the previous s\ sie m.
Re-examining thresholds of continuous democracy measures

ABSTRACT Scholars frequently dichotomize continuous measures of democracy by setting a regime cut-off. However, such cut-offs often lack theoretical or empirical justifications, making the resulting classifications difficult to interpret conceptually. We investigate this challenge involving three major continuous democracy measures: the Freedom House score (FH), the Polity score, and the Regime of the World (RoW) that is based on the V-Dem's Electoral Democracy Index (EDI). We develop a framework to empirically derive thresholds using categorical democracy measures as benchmarks. Our analyses find that the cut-offs that yield the highest consistency with the classifications of BMR, CGV, and GWF are 3.5 for FH, 5 for Polity and 0.39 for EDI/RoW. These levels are lower than the conventional cut-offs, implying less demanding democratic standards. Consequently, the conventional cut-offs (2.5 for FH, 6 for Polity and 0.5 for EDI/RoW) endeavour to reflect more stringent standards of democracy than what these dichotomous measures employ.
Creating mixed communities through housing policies: Global perspectives

ABSTRACT This introductory review essay examines some of the key concepts and approaches framing the ongoing debate around mixed communities and housing regeneration policies around the world. This review summarizes past positive and negative side effects of social mix reported in the extant international literature. It then describes social mix housing policies in the Global East and the Global South, including China, Japan, South Korea, sub-Saharan Africa, and Singapore. In moving forward, the review essay adopts Galster and Friedrichs’s challenge to think about the progressive reformation of a “social mix version 2.0”—what it might look like, and what the policy implications of such an improved version of social mix might be. Three policy implications are discussed: intentionality of social mix; mixed-income housing transit-oriented design; and learning from the Global East and Global South.
Augmented reality for underground pipe inspection and maintenance

The University of Surrey is engaged in developing augmented reality systems and teleoperation techniques for enhanced visual analysis and task performance in hostile environments. One particular current project in the UK is addressing the development of stereo vision systems, augmented reality, image processing techniques and specialist robotic vehicles which may be used for the future examination and maintenance of underground sewage pipes. This paper describes the components of the stereo vision and augmented reality system and illustrates some preliminary results of the use of the stereo robotic system mounted on a mobile laboratory vehicle and calibrated using a pin-hole camera model.
Modified PIFA and its array for MIMO terminals

A study on a modified planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), operating at 5.2 GHz within the IEEE802.11a WLAN frequency band (5.15–5.35 GHz) with a very small ground plane (7 mm×12 mm) and its application to multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems is presented. While it inherits the attractive features of PIFAs, such as compact size and low profile, the modified antenna exhibits low coupling to the printed circuit board (PCB). A 2-element PIFA array is implemented on a mobile handset PCB and an isolation better than 28 dB is achieved in both simulation and measurement.
Air vehicle integration issues and considerations for CLAS successful implementation

Over the last decade, Northrop Grumman Corporation under internal and DoD funding, and others, have been working on integration of RF antennas into load-bearing aircraft structures. This multidisciplinary effort, collectively referred to as Conformal Load-bearing Antenna Structures (CLAS), requires concurrent consideration of structural and antenna performance issues and has involved a team consisting of avionics, structures, material, and manufacturing expertise. From the published articles to date it could be argued that the technology has had some spectacular success in its initial stages but not much has been published about the issues raised by CLAS that would still need to be addressed and solved for final technology inclusion in an operational air-vehicle. Presented are some key results from the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Smart Skins Structures Technology Demonstrator (S3TD) program that while funded from the Air Vehicles Directorate looked at the total picture of integration from a multidisciplilnary standpoint. Issues related to airframe integration are also discussed that need further study and evaluation before CLAS can be sanctioned as a viable future DoD technology. Such topics, in no particular order of priority are 1) airframe CLAS panel location, 2) airframe configuration issues, 3) EMI/lightning issues, and 4) repair issues and supportability, 5) panel design enhancement, risks, and issues.
Non-Geiger-mode single-photon counting APDs with high detection probability and afterpulse-free performance

We report high gain, high sensitivity 1064-1550 nm avalanche photodiodes (APDs) that are capable of single photon counting in the linear mode below the breakdown voltage and at room temperature. Epitaxial Technologies has developed AlInAs/GaInAs APDs with multiplication gains as high as 347,000, sensitivities of -69 to -77 dBm and photon detection efficiencies as high as 27%. The single photon counting APDs are free of afterpulse artifacts even for pulse widths in the nanosecond range. They can detect single photons at up to 139 MHz and have the capability for gigahertz repetition rate. Based on innovative and proprietary APD production technologies, the APDs have excess noise factors as low as 2 with the high gain. To our knowledge, these are the highest multiplication gains simultaneous with low excess noise factors and high sensitivities reported so far for long wavelength APDs.