Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Microcontroller Based Potentiometric Transduction Circuit for a Continuous Fluid Level Sensor

This paper presents the development of microcontroller based potentiometric transduction circuit for a continuous fluid level sensor. The purpose system involved the integration between hardware and software subsystem. For hardware subsystem, the design of potentiometric circuit was tested with theoretical computation, simulation on Proteus VSM software and breadboard circuit. This finding was then used to develop interface for the analog-to-digital converter. For software subsystem, the water level indicator system has been developed using ATMEGA2560 by converting the output from potentiometric circuit into water level with a look-up table. It computes the digital data conversion into desired reading and displays data through the second hardware subsystem which is liquid crystal display. A potentiometric indicator for a continuous fluid level sensor to detect level of water ponding on the flat roof was developed. It was comprised of a potentiometric transduction stage and follower stage. From the experiment, it was shown that the potentiometric circuit designed was able to report changes in the water in a different level. The integration of the continuous fluid level sensor with the potentiometric indicator system will have a significant impact on the practice of sensor integration.
Spindle System Dynamic Characteristics Analysis of Vertical Gantry Machining Center

With the spindle system of a vertical gantry machining center as the research object, based on the vibration theory and finite element method, the modal analysis of spindle system is studied. Firstly, the finite element models of the mandrel box body and motorized spindle frame of spindle system are established by ANSYS. And then do the modal analysis of singleton in the boundary of free constraint. Lastly, based on the analysis results to establish the finite element model of the whole spindle system and do the modal analysis of the whole system which under constraint condition. The result shows that the swing of motorized spindle frame and motorized spindle sleeve of spindle system are more obvious.
New dummy head prototype : development, validation and injury criteria

Abstract Head injuries cause a large proportion of fatalities to road users particularly motorcyclists. Currently, helmets are assessed using rigid headforms and criteria related to acceleration measured at the centre of the headform. This system is not representative of the human head, which comprises a brain that moves relative to the skull in an impact. Finite element techniques were used in the design, development and validation of a new dummy head prototype named Bi-mass 150. It has been constructed using a Hybrid III headform and comprises two masses: a skull and a mass to represent the brain attached to the skull with a damped spring system. The novel feature of this device is that it can simulate the brain - skull relative displacement at a frequency close to 150 Hz. This is the frequency recorded in tests in vivo. The prototype was made by removing mass from a Hybrid III dummy head and fixing to the centre a metallic mass, which simulates the brain. The two components were connected by means of a plastic element such that the natural frequency corresponded to the 150 Hz measured in-vivo. The outputs from thirteen accident reconstructions, using an instrumented helmeted headform, were used as inputs to the FE model. The results are the first part of the process to establish bi-mass related injury criteria, and, in turn, to provide a much more human-like headform for evaluating and optimising head protection systems.
Gray scale enhances display readability of bitmapped documents

Bitmapped images of high resolution, say 300 dpi rastered documents, stored in the memory of a PC are at best only borderline readable on the PC's display screen (say a 72 dpi VGA monitor). Results from a series of exploratory psycho-physical experiments, using the Adobe PhotoshopR software, show that the readability can be significantly enhanced by making use of the monitor's capability to display shades of gray. It is suggested that such a gray scale adaptation module should be bundled to all software products for electronic document management. In fact, fax modems are already available in which this principle is employed, hereby making it possible to read incoming fax documents directly on the screen.
Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundation's Prediction through Hybrid Artificial Neural Networks

The utilization of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for bearing capacity estimation has some disadvantages such as getting trapped in local minima and slow rate of learning. Recent developments of optimization algorithms such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) have made it possible to overcome ANN drawbacks and improve its efficiency. This paper presents a unified approach of ANN based on PSO algorithm to predict bearing capacity of shallow foundations in granular soils. To generate the network, numbers of 40 datasets including the recorded cases of full-scale axial compression load test on shallow foundations in granular soils were collected from literatures. Each dataset refers to a set of 6 inputs consisted of footing length and width, embedded depth of the footing, average vertical effective stress of the soil, friction angle of the soil, and ground water level as well as one output consisted of the ultimate axial bearing capacity. Several sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the optimum parameters of PSO algorithm and the network architecture was determined following the trial and error method. The results demonstrate that the presented model predicts the bearing capacity of shallow foundations with high degree of accuracy.
Environmental Assessment Method For A Small-river Restoration Plan

Although more than 23,000 river restoration projects have been conducted during the past 15 years in Japan, reliable environmental assessment methods have not yet been identifi ed. The environment of the Kamisaigo River is assessed before restoration. The river had been canalized with concrete revetments, reducing its biological function. In 2007, the Fukutsu City Government initiated a program to restore the environmental quality of the river. The aim of this paper was to determine the best method of assessing the river environment. The fi sh and the physical environment to assess the environmental condition of the river are surveyed. A fi sh index developed by Kyushu University adequately represented characteristics of river health and was used to determine which sites warranted restoration, rehabilitation priorities, and appropriate methods. The authors calculated 14 regionally developed indices using the ecological features of the fi sh at several river sites. The environmental quality of the river varied substantially across seven sampling sites. Using these assessment results, the authors determined the specifi c weaknesses that affected the condition of each site. A restoration and improvement program based on these fi ndings accomplished several goals, including restoring the fl oodplain, incorporating a variety of flrates, and enhancing vegetation for fi sh spawning.
The Perceptions of the Working Environment of Anaesthesiologists Migrating From the Public to the Private Sector in a Developing Country: An Exploratory, Qualitative Study

Background There is a significant disparity in the distribution of medical practitioners within the public and private healthcare sector of South Africa. This study explores the perceptions of anaesthesiologists of their working environment in the public sector following their migration into private practice. Their reasons for leaving are largely unknown. Methods Rich pictures were applied in an exploratory, qualitative research design using Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology. Anaesthesiologists (specialist anaesthetists), who left the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of the Witwatersrand between 2014 − 2017 and were working in the private sector in the Johannesburg Metropole were invited to a workshop. Participants were asked to draw a rich picture to illustrate their perceptions of the working environment in the Department and to then draw a picture to depict the ideal anaesthesiology working environment in the Department. Explanations of their pictures were audio recorded and deductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, guided by Herzberg’s Motivation- Hygiene Theory. Results The rich data from this study suggests job dissatisfaction and a lack of satisfaction in the Department due to poor hygiene and motivator factors such as poor working conditions, challenging workplace relationships, inflexibility with work-life balance and a lack of accountability. These factors are some of the important reasons for migration of anaesthesiologists from public to private practice. Conclusion This study demonstrates the complexity of interactions between individuals working together in systems which are often in tension and are sensitive to multiple dynamic influences. These systems are context-specific but need to recognise the factors which may ultimately impact quality health service delivery and education.
Neuro-fuzzy networks for process modelling and model-based control

The article describes the concept and performance of neuro fuzzy modelling and neuro fuzzy model based control. The technique has been applied to a highly nonlinear neutralisation process. It is shown that the neuro fuzzy model is easy to interpret and provides accurate predictions. The proposed neuro fuzzy model based control strategy utilises local incremental models which can naturally eliminate steady state offsets. It is shown that the neuro fuzzy model based controller gives much improved performance compared to that of a linear model based controller. (4 pages)
A New Advanced Topology of Stacked Multicell Inverter

Abstract In this paper, a new advanced topology of stacked multicell inverter is proposed which is generally suitable for high number of steps associated with a low number of switches. Compared with traditional flying capacitor multicell and stacked multicell (SM) inverters, doubling the number of output voltage levels and the RMS value, ameliorating the output voltage frequency spectrum, decreasing the number and rating of components, stored energy and rating of flying capacitors are available with the proposed inverter. These improvements are achieved by adding only four low-frequency switches to the traditional SM inverter’s structure. The suggested topology is simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK software, and simulation results are presented to indicate well-performance of the novel converter. In addition, the experimental results of proposed topology prototype have been presented to validate its practicability.
High‐Strength RC Connections Subjected to Inelastic Cyclic Loading

The experimental results from reversed cyclic loading tests on 12 corner-reinforced concrete beam-column subassemblies are presented. The primary variables were the concrete compressive strength, ranging between 8.1 and 13.6 ksi (55.8 and 93.8 MPa); the joint shear stress, which was either 1,100 or 1,400 psi (7.6 or 9.7 MPa); and the joint transverse reinforcement, which consisted of either four or six sets of hoops and ties placed within the depth of the joint. The provided joint reinforcement was lower than that obtained by inserting the higher concrete-compressive-strength values into the current recommendations. A small axial load was applied to the column portion of the subassembly and held constant during the test. The free end of the beam was subjected to cyclic displacements representing a wide range from elastic to severe inelastic loading. It is concluded that in spite of the brittle nature of plain high-strength concrete, properly detailed frames constructed with high-strength concrete, exhibit ductile hysteretic response similar to those for ordinary-strength connections.
Temperature Drift Modeling and Compensating of Fiber Optic Gyroscope

The main factors affecting the temperature drift of the fiber optic gyroscope was analyzed in this paper. The autoregressive model of temperature drift related to the temperature and the rate of temperature change was built. The coefficients of the model can be obtained by least squares fitting. Experiments show that the model was effective. With the drift model the drift trend caused by temperature can be estimated. The temperature drift can be compensated using the drift trend. The experiment result shows that the drift error can be decreased about 87% after compensation.
Influence of Curing Conditions on Strength Development and Strength Predictive Capability of Maturity Method

Applicability of the maturity method to ternary systems with fly ash (FA) and silica fume (SF) has been investigated through laboratory and field studies. The laboratory study explored the impact of the combined effect of initial curing conditions and mixture composition on the compressive strength development and strength predictive capability of the maturity method. It was demonstrated that the maturity method can be used effectively to predict compressive strength of ternary concrete containing ordinary portland cement, FA, and SF. However, the accuracy of this method was strongly influenced by the amount of moisture supplied during early stages of curing and to a lesser extent by relative amounts of FA and SF in the mixture. Further (intermittent) moist curing of field trial batch (FTB) concrete (potentially simulating natural precipitation) was found to have a beneficial effect on strength development and, consequently, on the accuracy of strength prediction using the maturity method. Thus, even an occasional supply of moisture to high-performance concrete (especially at early age) may significantly minimize potential strength losses. Finally, applicability of the maturity method to ternary bridge deck concrete made and placed under field conditions and exposed to ambient temperature variations was verified. The predicted strength of bridge deck concrete was found to be approximately 10 MPa lower than the actual strength, irrespective of age. However, a correction factor was established to account for different air content in field concrete (compared with FTB concrete that was used for development of maturity function), which resulted in much more accurate strength estimates.
A novel B‐shaped ultrawideband antenna with open slot ground plane

In this article, a novel design of ultrawideband (UWB) microstrip monopole antenna is presented. The proposed design consists of a coplanar wave guide feed, B‐shaped radiator, and an open slot ground plane. In this design, the higher resonant and lower resonant bands are mainly excited by B‐shaped radiator and open slot ground plane, respectively. The proposed compact antenna shows a measured fractional bandwidth of 124% (2.7–11.5 GHz) which clearly covers entire UWB band defined from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. The antenna has almost constant gain, group delay, and stable radiation pattern over the operating frequency from 2.7 to 11.5 GHz. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1516–1521, 2015
Prediction of seed gene function in progressive diabetic neuropathy by a network-based inference method

Guilt by association (GBA) algorithm has been widely used to statistically predict gene functions, and network-based approach increases the confidence and veracity of identifying molecular signatures for diseases. This work proposed a network-based GBA method by integrating the GBA algorithm and network, to identify seed gene functions for progressive diabetic neuropathy (PDN). The inference of predicting seed gene functions comprised of three steps: i) Preparing gene lists and sets; ii) constructing a co-expression matrix (CEM) on gene lists by Spearman correlation coefficient (SCC) method and iii) predicting gene functions by GBA algorithm. Ultimately, seed gene functions were selected according to the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) index. A total of 79 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 40 background gene ontology (GO) terms were regarded as gene lists and sets for the subsequent analyses, respectively. The predicted results obtained from the network-based GBA approach showed that 27.5% of all gene sets had a good classified performance with AUC >0.5. Most significantly, 3 gene sets with AUC >0.6 were denoted as seed gene functions for PDN, including binding, molecular function and regulation of the metabolic process. In summary, we predicted 3 seed gene functions for PDN compared with non-progressors utilizing network-based GBA algorithm. The findings provide insights to reveal pathological and molecular mechanism underlying PDN.
Investigation on temperature range for thermal comfort in nonuniform environment

This study uses the previously adopted local ventilation air-conditioning mode to study the effect of temperature on thermal comfort for subjects. Three room temperatures (26, 28, 30°C (78.8, 82.4, 86°F)) and three local ventilation temperatures (20, 26, 28°C (68, 78.8, 82.4°F)) were used for the study. The air velocity was purposely set low for the local ventilation tests, in order to focus on the temperature combinations between the ambient and local air temperature from the local ventilation device. Eighteen subjects participated in the experiment, using the within-subjects design method. During exposure in the room, the subjects reported thermal sensation and thermal comfort accompanied by the skin temperature measurement of the subjects. The room temperature of 28°C (82.4°F) combined with the local ventilation temperature of 26°C (78.8°F) (28°Crt and 26°Clv (82.4°Frt and 78.8°Flv)) was assessed to be the most comfortable environment. Through the experiments, the neutral room temperature of 26°C (78.8°F) combined with the local ventilation temperature of 20°C (68°F) as well as the warm room temperature of 30°C (86°F) combined with 26°C (78.8°F) was found to be within the comfortable range. The results imply that compared with the traditional air conditioning mode, which creates a uniform comfortable environment by setting the air temperature to be 26°C (78.8°F), the adoption of local ventilation could improve the thermal comfort while consuming less energy.
Broadband CPW-Fed Circularly Polarized Antenna with Equiangular Tapered-Shaped Feedline for Ultra-Wideband Applications

A novel coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed circularly polar- ized (CP) antenna is proposed. The antenna is composed of a square ground plane with a circular slot and an equiangular tapered-shaped feedline. With the use of a special shaped feedline, the axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of the proposed antenna is about 61.9% (2.9{5.5GHz), which is larger than most of similar antennas proposed before. In addition, the impedance bandwidth, determined by 10-dB return loss, is between 2.9{20GHz, which makes the antenna be used for ultra- wideband (UWB) applications.
Intelligent control in mobile robotics: the PANORAMA project

The European Community's strategic research initiative in information technology has been in place for seven years. A good example of the pan-European collaborative projects conducted under this initiative is PANORAMA: Perception and Navigation for Autonomous Mobile Robot Applications. This four-and-a-half-year project, completed in October 1993, aimed to prove the feasibility of an autonomous mobile robotic system replacing a human-operated vehicle working outdoors in a partially structured environment. The autonomous control of a mobile rock drilling machine was chosen as a challenging and representative test scenario. This paper presents an overview of intelligent mobile robot control architectures. Goals and objectives of the project are described, together with the makeup of the consortium and the roles of the members within it. The main technical achievements from PANORAMA are then presented, with emphasis given to the problems of realizing intelligent control. In particular, the planning and replanning of a mission, and the corresponding architectural choices and infrastructure required to support the chosen task oriented approach, are discussed. Specific attention is paid to the functional decomposition of the system, and how the requirements for `intelligent control' impact on the organization of the identified system components. Future work and outstanding problems are considered in some concluding remarks.
Piezoelectric polymer probe for ultrasonic applications

Miniature piezoelectric polymer hydrophones for ultrasonic field characterization in the low megahertz region have been developed and tested. The principal advantages of these devices over conventional hydrophones are their uniform frequency response and minimal perturbation of the field. These characteristics are achieved by rendering a small central region of a thin sheet of the polymer polyvinylidene fluoride locally piezoelectric, and then supporting the sheet in the field by holding it taut in a metal hoop having dimensions larger than the field being probed. Both single elements having diameters less than 1 mm and multielement arrays have been formed on the polymer. Methods of construction, signal amplification, and, in one design, rf shielding are discussed, and data are presented on insertion loss, sensitivity, frequency response, and immunity to rf interference.
Bayesian Dynamic Program for a New Product Development

This work concerns a new product development (NPD) network in the digital environment aiming to find attributes with more convergence for value-added purposes. Different views are effective in new product development. Here, the effective factors are categorized into customers, competitors, and the company's own past experiences. Also, various attributes are considered to develop a product. Thus, using digital data of attributes, the optimal set of attributes should be chosen to be included to the new product development. With respect to the multistage decision-making process of the customer, competitor, and company's own past experience, we develop a dynamic program being a useful tool for multistage decision making. To counteract the dynamism of digital data in different time periods, the Bayesian approach is employed to determine the loss function of moving through the stages of the proposed NPD digital network.
Key Technologies of Rigid-Flexible Coupling System Modeling and Simulation

We studied key technologies of the rigid-flexible coupling systems modeling and simulation based on the theory of multi-body dynamics and virtual prototyping technology. The study proposed concrete measures to ensure the accuracy of the simulation to short the simulation time and improve simulation speed. It greatly improved the reliability and interoperability of research used three software UG, Ansys and Adams on rigid-flexible coupling system and found the existing issue of key parts of the design department, provided a strong quantitative basis for optimizing the loader working device.
Three-dimensional numerical modeling of a field-scale rotary kiln incinerator

A steady-state numerical model for the rotary kiln segment of a hazardous waste incinerator is presented. This model builds on work previously conducted at Louisiana State University by including radiation and soot in the heat transfer analysis, by switching to an adiabatic kiln wall boundary condition, and by including a more accurate geometry and better fitting grid. These changes improve agreement with data taken from a field-scale rotary kiln, operating with a natural gas support flame but no waste processing, by up to 2 orders of magnitude compared to previously developed models at LSU. In most instances, prediction is within repeatability limits of the experiments. Grid dependency is demonstrated, especially at the upper front of the kiln where gradients are very steep. Near the exit of the kiln, however, where the limited experimental data are available, both coarse and refined grids produced very similar results. Parametric and sensitivity studies using the developed model are reported.