Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
crop development characteristics of iceberg lettuce and implications for pest control systems

ABSTRACT Development of physical characteristics of iceberg lettuce and occurrence of pesticide application events during typical 60- to 80-day growing periods were quantified. The vertically projected area, plant leaf area available for spray deposition, and plant mass (wet and dry basis) were closely described by a three-parameter logistic growth function. The majority of ground-based pesticide applications occurred when less than 50% of the land area was covered by target crop foliage. Most insecticide and fungicide spray applications were made during the interval of 30 to 45 days post planting. During the 15-day period, plant projected area, accessible leaf area, and plant mass increased seven- to ten-fold. Such variation in spray targets implied that development of target-sensing sprayer control systems could potentially achieve significant reduction of pesticide application rates and non-target deposition. KEYWORDS. Spray deposition. Lettuce, Pesticides.
Research of beam smoothing technologies using CPP, SSD, and PS

Precise physical experiments place strict requirements on target illumination uniformity in Inertial Confinement Fusion. To obtain a smoother focal spot and suppress transverse SBS in large aperture optics, Multi-FM smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) was studied combined with continuous phase plate (CPP) and polarization smoothing (PS). New ways of PS are being developed to improve the laser irradiation uniformity and solve LPI problems in indirect-drive laser fusion. The near field and far field properties of beams using polarization smoothing were studied and compared, including birefringent wedge and polarization control array. As more parameters can be manipulated in a combined beam smoothing scheme, quad beam smoothing was also studies. Simulation results indicate through adjusting dispersion directions of one-dimensional (1-D) SSD beams in a quad, two-dimensional SSD can be obtained. Experiments have been done on SG-III laser facility using CPP and Multi-FM SSD. The research provides some theoretical and experimental basis for the application of CPP, SSD and PS on high-power laser facilities.
Establishing Cooperative Relationships and Joint Risk Management in Construction Projects: Agency Theory Perspective

AbstractThrough construction contracts, clients and contractors are involved in principal-agent relationships. These relationships are argued to be adversarial and characterised by two main features of contracting parties, as follows: (1) different goals, and (2) different attitudes to risk. Agency-related problems contribute to the project participants concentrating on risks associated with their own parts of projects instead of joint risk management (JRM). Fewer studies have discussed JRM, although risk-sharing is a key issue in principal-agent relationships and agency-related problems must be effectively addressed to establish strong collaboration. Thus, the aim of this paper is to investigate how project participants address problems associated with principal-agent relationships and thereby enhance cooperative relationships (and JRM). The empirical findings are based on two longitudinal case studies and show that strong collaboration is a multidimensional activity that is crucial for JRM. Effective JR.
Exosomal Bta-miR-185 and Bta-miR-378 Are Potential Markers for Quality Control of Milk Infected by Staphylococcus aureus

MicroRNAs (miRNA) in milk-derived exosomes may reflect pathophysiological changes caused by mastitis. This study profiled miRNAs in milk exosomes and potential markers for quality control of milk infected by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Total RNA from milk exosomes was collected from healthy cows (n=3) and S. aureus infected cows (n=6). Two hundred ninety miRNAs (221 known and 69 novel ones) were identified. Among them, 22 known and 15 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed (DE). Target genes of DE miRNAs were significantly enriched in intracellular protein transport, endoplasmic reticulum and identical protein binding. Two miRNAs (bta-miR-378 and bta-miR-185) with high read counts and log2 fold changes (>3.5) were considered as potential milk exosome biomarker miRNAs for S. aureus mastitis and milk quality. One target gene (VAT1L) of bta-miR-378 and five target genes (DYRK1B, MLLT3, HP1BP3, NPR2 and PGM1) of bta-miR-185 were validated. DE miRNAs in exosomes from normal and S. aureus infected milk were identified. Two DE miRNAs could be used as potential biomarkers for the infection. The linkage between the validated target genes and diseases suggest that we should pay particular attention to exosome miRNAs from mastitic milk in terms of milk safety.
Higher order modes cluster (HOMC) guided waves for online defect detection in annular plate region of above-ground storage tanks

Corrosion detection in the annular plate region of above-ground storage tanks is a critical needfor tankfarm operators in the oil and gas industry. The critical zone between the tank shell wall and the first few inches of the annular plate is difficult to inspect with conventional floor scanning methods due to the presence of coatings, uneven surfaces and a lack of access due to the presence of the weld toe. This region, however, is prone to accelerated corrosion due to the additional stresses caused by the weight of the tank wall and the increased possibility of water entrapment under the annular plate. Repairs in this region demand replacement of the entire annular plate and this leads to long shutdown of the tank, and often failures occur without any warning. A new method using the Higher Order Modes Cluster Guided Waves (HOMC * ) to detect and screen defects in the critical inaccessible zones in the annular plate is discussed. This testing can be carried out online while the tank is in operation using HOMC guided waves generated on the outer exposed region of the annular plate. Robotic scanners allow for the inspection to be carried out in relatively short periods of time. Data collected in the laboratory as well as from the field trials are presented. The HOMC technique has potential for non-destructive inspection of inaccessible regions in structures for medium-range applications (2 to 3 m).
Numerical Calculation of NMR Response for the 3D Digital Core Constructed with CT Images of the Tight Rock

The tight rock often has low porosity, low permeability and poor pore connectivity, which it is difficult for formation evaluation. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) logging is widely used in fluid typing and reservoir parameters determination to provide the information of porosity, permeability and pore size distribution. NMR relaxation mechanisms are characterized by the pore-scale petrophysical models. Monte Carlo algorithm describes the Brownian motion of fluid molecules in pore space. In the paper we setup a 3D digital core of the tight sandstone with X-ray computer tomography (CT) images to model NMR response with Monte Carlo random walk algorithm. We compared T2 distributions from the numerical calculated pulse echo trains from the measurements. The results show that the simulated NMR response is consisted with the experiment.
Fixed frequency sliding mode modulator for current mode PWM inverters

A fixed frequency current mode PWM modulator that provides output current limiting in sliding mode voltage controlled DC-AC power converters is presented. The modulator is considerably simpler than previous solutions and well adapted for sliding mode control, which is advantageous when the inverter feeds nonlinear or wide ranging loads and performs as a switching power operational amplifier or power operational transconductance amplifier. <<ETX>>
A journey toward total quality management through ISO 9000 certification ‐ a study on small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises in Singapore

Literature review highlights the importance of TQM for SMEs to improve their current business practices as well as quality of products and services, to ensure long‐term survival. However, there are several barriers to effective implementation of TQM in such organizations, namely, the apparent lack of business experience and knowledge, and limitation of financial as well as human resources. Singaporean SMEs account for a large share of its economy, however, little has been written on how TQM has been applied in these companies in Singapore and the region. This paper reports the results of a pilot study conducted among a sample of local SMEs. The findings are compared to an earlier work done in Singapore. Furthermore, this paper reports the findings of follow‐up interviews with some local SMEs regarding the perceived benefits of and barriers to ISO 9000. Based on the experience in Singapore, ISO 9000 certification has provided significant benefits for SMEs. The journey towards TQM will, however, require not only full commitment of the company management, but also a quality culture created externally by the government which is crucial to the progress beyond ISO 9000.
Development of a Vessel-Performance Forecasting System: Methodological Framework and Case Study

AbstractTerminals rely on optimization tools to determine merchandise location, quay occupation, or vehicle trajectories to minimize the movements and time dedicated to every task. However, operations are developed in an environment that induces variability to the theoretical model used to schedule and control the operations. Given the complexity of the port operations, artificial intelligence systems can act as a valuable tool to analyze such processes. Neural networks in particular are characterized by their capacity to establish nonlinear relationships (and consequently, nonintuitive ones) among the variables; this interaction generates a specific operational response. In the near future, the monitoring of operational variables has great potential to make a qualitative improvement in the operations management and planning models of terminals that use increasing levels of automation. This paper proposes a method to obtain operational parameter forecasts in container terminals. To this end, a case study .
Piezo-driven self-healing by electrochemical phenomena

Self-healing structures mimic the ability of biological structures (e.g. bone) to redistribute their structural mass in response to dynamic service loads and damaging effects. The self-healing features yield enhanced levels of structural efficiency and safety in dynamic service environments. In this study, the piezoelectric effect was used to convert the dynamic mechanical energy applied to the structure into electrical energy that, in turn, was used to drive electrochemical self-healing phenomena within a solid electrolyte. A theoretical framework was developed for self-healing materials, and experiments were conducted to verify the fundamental principles of the approach. The theoretical models confirmed that: (1) the piezoelectric effect can, within the geometric and mechanical constraints of actual structural systems, generate sufficient electric potential and charge (through harvesting the available mechanical energy) to enable electrochemical mass transport within a solid electrolyte; and (2) the redistribution of structural mass in dynamic service environments can occur within viable time frames. The fundamental principles of the new self-healing materials were validated through the demonstration of piezo-induced electrolytic phenomena in solid electrolytes and by verifying the gains in mechanical performance associated with such phenomena.
Perceived stress and depressive symptoms in undergraduate students: The effect of emotional eating

With a rise in the prevalence of depression among undergraduate students, it is important to identify potential antecedents and modifiable factors in illness development. One of the most well studied etiological predictors of depression among youth and among young adults is the experience of real or perceived stress. However, research further suggests that the impact of stress on health outcomes may largely depend on the coping strategies employed. Emotional eating is an emotion-focused coping strategy that may be used to minimize negative affect stemming from perceived stress. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the moderating role of emotional eating in the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms among undergraduate students. A total of 100 undergraduate students (mean age = 20.2 years, 83% female) completed questionnaires that tapped into perceived stress, emotional eating behaviour, and depressive symptoms. Moderation analyses revealed a significant moderation effect (b = .016, t(91) = 2.728, p = . 008). Simple slopes showed that the magnitude of the association between perceived stress and depressive symptoms increased from low (b = .092) to moderate (b = .147) to high (b = .201) emotional eating tendencies. Findings suggest that perceived stress and emotional eating may have a synergist association with depressive symptoms among undergraduate students.
Project appraisal and selection using the analytic network process

Where prioritization and selection process of large-scale construction projects is concerned, governments should consider various quantitative and qualitative criteria when choosing the best project alternative. The traditional benefit–cost (BC) analysis has some drawbacks in terms of analyzing qualitative attributes that cannot be easily expressed in monetary terms. To eliminate this limitation, multicriteria decision-making techniques are proposed for the solution of project prioritization problems. In this paper, an analytic network process (ANP) model is developed to demonstrate how the project selection process can be carried out by considering both quantitative and qualitative factors, as well as their interrelations. The decision network is grouped under four subnetworks, namely benefits, costs, opportunities, and risks. The selected alternatives are real highway projects that are in the investment agenda of the Turkish government. Using the proposed network model, four investment alternatives are .
Nonlinear Behavior of Pedestal Looseness Fault Rotor-Bearing System with Slowly Varying Mass

The dynamic model of the pedestal looseness fault rotor-bearing system with slowly varying mass was set up. The complex characteristics of the rotor-bearing system were numerically studied. Along with the increase of the looseness mass, the chaotic motion area and amplitude range increase in the region of critical rotating speed; and P-3 motion area disappears in the region of twice-critical rotating speed, chaos is the main motion form. Along with the increase of the coefficient of mass slowly varying amplitude, the instable rotating speed increase, and the chaotic motion area decreases, P-n motion area increases in the region of critical rotating speed and twice-critical rotating speed. The conclusions may provide basis reference for fault diagnosis.
Reversible metal-semiconductor transitions for microwave switching applications

This letter presents an original approach regarding the switching at high frequencies using reversible metal-semiconductor transitions displayed by various materials termed as Mott materials. The Mott materials experience a reversible semiconductor-metal transition when an external parameter (temperature, dc bias, hydrogenation, etc.) is varied. This transition can be used to allow or to stop the propagation of high-frequency fields, when a thin film of a Mott material is integrated with a planar high-frequency waveguide. This effect could have important applications in the area of communications, computing, and sensors.
A Novel Divided Differential Filter with Application to Target Tracking

In order to meet the requirements of target tracking problem in terminal guidance of intercepting an aircraft, based on Gaussian-Newton Iteration strategy, a novel divided differential filter was introduced, which guaranteed higher estimation accuracy than the commonly used EKF and UKF methods. The relative small computation load made it possible for real time implantation of the filter and simulations based on a typical terminal guidance model proved the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed filter.
Taking into Account Environmental Criteria in the Design of a Process: Application to Steam Methane Reforming by Performing a Multi-Objective Techno-Economic Optimisation of the System

In the current context of sustainable development, industrial process development should no longer only take economic goals into account. Environmental criteria should be considered as well. Therefore, multi-objective optimisations should be carried out. A techno-economic model of steam methane reforming was implemented through the use of genetic algorithms. Different criteria can be then simultaneously considered. The optimisation result represents one objective versus the other: the hydrogen production cost and the carbon dioxide emissions of the process. This allows making compromises between the objectives. These compromises can be led either by regulations or by an overcost linked to taxes, for example.
The Fouling of Axial Flow Compressors: Causes, Effects, Susceptibility and Sensitivity

Increased fuel costs have created a strong incentive for gas turbine operators to understand, minimize and control performance deterioration. The most prevalent deterioration problem faced by gas turbine operators is compressor fouling. Fouling causes a drop in airflow, pressure ratio and compressor efficiency, resulting in a “re-matching” of the gas turbine and compressor and a drop in power output and thermal efficiency. This paper addresses the causes and effects of fouling and provides a comprehensive treatment of the impact of salient gas turbine design parameters on the susceptibility and sensitivity to compressor fouling. Simulation analysis of ninety two (92) gas turbines of ranging from a few kW to large engines rated at greater than 300 MW has been conducted. It is hoped that this paper will provide practical information to gas turbine operators.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Updating the long-term creep strains in concrete containment vessels by using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation and polynomial chaos expansions

The time-dependent loss of prestress of cables in Nuclear Power Plant concrete inner containment buildings may affect the vessel leak-tightness and reduce its life extension. Thus, the assessment of the structural integrity of the containment vessel requires a correct estimation of the long-term creep strains. The article aims at computing and updating the evolution in time of a confidence interval on the creep strains by updating the prior density of input parameters that is specified in a Bayesian framework.
Voltage-injection control for switched-mode power-supply applications

As electronic systems become more complex, their power supplies require higher dynamic performance which is becoming increasingly difficult to meet. In many such applications the load is controlled by a supervisory control unit, so that a forthcoming load change can be anticipated. The paper proposes a new control method to enhance the dynamic response of power supplies that have a predictable load-switching pattern. By injecting a small voltage into the control loop in advance of the load application, it is shown that the dynamic response is greatly improved. Both experimental and simulated results are presented and demonstrate the robustness of the technique.
Direct estimation of NLOS propagation delay for mobile station location

For an accurate location-determination of a mobile station, a new location estimator is presented that directly estimates and compensates for an unavoidable non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation error usually contained in the time-delay measurements. The proposed estimator is applied to both simulations and field trials of CDMA wireless location for verification.
Rigorous field theory design of millimeter-wave E-plane integrated circuit multiplexers

The overall field theory designs of two types of quasi-planar millimeter-wave multiplexers utilizing low-cost, low-insertion-loss printed metallic E-plane filters are described. Very compact components are achieved by using E-plane filters printed on a common metal sheet which is directly integrated in the septate sections of an E-plane n-furcated split-block waveguide housing. The second configuration proposed extends the useful principle of waveguide H-plane slit-coupled manifold multiplexers to the case of millimeter-wave printed metallic E-plane filters. Based on the model scattering matrix description of suitable key building blocks, the rigorous simulation technique used comprises the complete multiplexer structure including the E-plane transformer or iris elements, the waveguide E- or H-plane junctions, and the filter sections. >
Electrodynamic modeling of irregular waveguide transmission lines with bounded nonlinear semiconductor and gyromagnetic media

The 3D electrodynamic accuracy level models of irregular waveguiding transmission lines with nonlinear active semiconductor or gyromagnetic elements based on solving Maxwell's equations completed by equations of charge- carriers motion in a semiconductor or magnetization vector motion in a ferromagnetic are elaborated. The new decomposition approach to solve nonlinear 3D boundary electrodynamic problems for irregular waveguides is developed using nonlinear autonomous blocks. The stable numerical algorithm for determining the rigorous electrodynamic solutions corresponding to both the electromagnetic waves diffraction or the generation by nonlinear active semiconductor elements and the parametric amplification by bounded nonlinear gyromagnetic components in integrated microwave devices is created. Accurate modeling of microwave and millimeter-wave strip lines and resonators with a planar geometry Gann-effect diode or bounded nonlinear magnetized ferrite films elements is done.
Velocity calibration relationships for hot-wire anemometry

Describes a study of the accuracy and suitability of hot-wire velocity calibration relations for implementation on a micro/minicomputer. The investigation has covered simple and extended power laws, polynomial fits of three types and spline fits. The main part of the investigation was related to a typical moderate velocity range of 3-30 m s-1, with complementary data being presented for a large velocity range, 4-90 m s-1, and at low velocities, 1-6 m s-1. By careful attention to measurement errors, the suitability or limitations of the various calibration relationships have been identified. Optimisation for both accuracy and computational convenience identified no simple method as being the best, but three methods: simple power law or a fourth-order polynomial in E or a third-order polynomial in E2, were shown to give similar results.