Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human walking adaptations to distant limb mass disturbances : investigating biomimetic performance objectives

Online optimal trajectory planning is required in the control of humanoid robots, advanced prostheses, and impaired human limbs via functional neuromuscular stimulation . Optimization problems that involve complex, high degree of freedom simulations of the musculoskeletal system require extensive computational effort to solve. A methodology for generating optimal gait patterns in an online and computationally efficient manner is needed. It is the goal of this thesis to work towards the development of biologic performance criteria that can be utilized in finding solutions to reduced order walking optimization problems. Toward the development of biologically realistic performance criteria, human subjects were inertially-perturbed and the reorganization of gait quantitatively measured. Ten subjects walked at a self-selected speed with and without a 5 kg mass attached to the right ankle. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected for the weighted and unweighted conditions using ground force platforms and a multi-camera infrared tracking system, respectively. A 16 segment model of the body was built for each subject and a variety of kinematic, kinetic, and total system parameters calculated throughout the gait cycle. Additionally, the normal kinematic dataset was analyzed with a 5 kg mass virtually placed on the right ankle. The virtual mass dataset served as a known suboptimal solution as a basis for comparison. A Wilcoxon rank sign test was performed, and the ankle-weighted dataset was compared to normal. There were no significant changes in stride frequency, step length, stride length, or self-selected walking speed between the weighted and unweighted walking conditions. There were significant deviations in the kinematics of the right leg, but most were generally small with the exception of a decrease in maximum flexion angle of the affected leg during swing. In comparison to the virtual mass case to the true weighted case, it was determined that the reorganization of gait yields an increase in gait efficiency, a decrease in work to move the body center of mass, and a general reduction in reaction torque of the affected leg. It is suggested that the biologic performance objective consists of some function comprising of the energetic costs to move the body center of mass, gait efficiency, and joint reaction torques. Hugh Herr Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Thesis Supervisor
IMPACT OF TRUCK CHARACTERISTICS ON PAVEMENTS: TRUCK LOAD EQUIVALENCY FACTORS. FINAL REPORT

Truck load equivalency factors relate vehicle axle loads to pavement damage and life. They provide a method to convert the effects of mixed traffic to a standard loading condition. Equivalent loadings for most pavement design and evaluation procedures are currently predicted using the AASHTO method of equivalency factors. This study was undertaken to evaluate various types of primary pavement response derived load equivalency factors. These use pavement response measurements such as strain and deflection to estimate the equivalent damaging effect of any axle loading condition. These types of factors are also expressed in terms of a relative number of equivalent standard axle loads. A number of primary response equivalency factor methods were evaluated and several selected for further study. Deflection and strain pavement response measurements were evaluated over an experimental factorial of axle type, axle load, tire pressure, speed, pavement thickness, and pavement temperature. Primary response load equivalencies were calculated using the selected methods and a number of statistical comparisons were made. Results of the study indicate that the concept of primary response truck load equivalency factors is viable and can be extremely useful for estimating load equivalence for pavement design and research purposes. Results also indicate which of the vehicle and pavement factors studied most significantly affect the estimate of load equivalency. Recommendations are also made for use of primary response load equivalencies and for further research into the subject.
Mathematical modeling of insulin response in encapsulated islets of Langerhans

Transplantation of the islets of Langerhans is a promising technique for restoring the impairedinsulin production in brittle type 1 diabetics. The downside is that the patient will have to takeimmunosuppressant drugs in order to protect the islet cells from the immune system. Donorsare also sparse, making the quest of finding sufficient amounts of islets for transplantationhard. Encapsulation of the islets of Langerhans has been proposed as a means of protectingthe cells from the immune system taking away the need for immunosuppresives. The mostcommon encapsulation technique is extravascular capsules, which are categorized into micro-and macrocapsules. The microcapsules hold only one or a small set of islet whereas themacrocapsules hold a large quantity of islets.This thesis investigates the encapsulation impact on the beta-cells rapid insulin response torising plasma glucose levels. This was done by simulating the glucose-insulin system inMATLAB with included encapsulation of the islets. Two current macro-encapsulation set upswere used in the model, Beta-Air and ViaCyte devices, and they were compared against anormal case. The results showed that the Beta-Air device would not be able to restorenormoglycemia in a T1DM patient but rather showed a delay in insulin response, while theViaCyte device could mimic the normal case well.
Putting it to the Comic Book Fans: Is Auckland Libraries’ Comic Book/Graphic Novel and Manga Collection Meeting Customer Expectations?

This study examines whether Auckland Libraries’ comic book/graphic novel and manga collection is meeting customer expectations and ascertains possible improvements that could be made. Methodology: The study predominantly used a quantitative approach to gather data through the use of self-completion questionnaires. A small degree of qualitative data was obtained from the questionnaire through open-ended questions. There was no recruiting of participants. The target population for this study included all Auckland Libraries customers, regardless of whether they frequently borrow from the comic book/graphic novel and manga collection or not. Results: The study found that participants were generally satisfied with the range of materials in the collection. However, it was commonly agreed amongst participants that Auckland Libraries could be doing more to showcase what was available. Areas identified for improvement include the organisation of the collection, its promotion and staff knowledge of the comic book/graphic novel and manga formats. Implications: This study recommends Auckland Libraries redesign cataloguing procedures for comic book/graphic novel and manga collection in order to introduce standardised organisation at each site. It also recommends Auckland Libraries take more promotional opportunities for the collection as well as the up-skilling of staff to assist with these.
ICT-emissions methodology for assessing ITS and ICT solutions

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have the potential to drastically change the way people drive and their mobility patterns, thus potentially reducing energy consumption, GHG emissions, air pollutants and fatalities. In this work, we present the results of ICT-Emissions project in terms of the defined methodology and the detailed architecture developed to evaluate the impact of several intelligent transport systems (ITS) and ICT measures on vehicle energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The methodology is based on an innovative easily adaptable and transferrable combination of traffic, driver and emission models. It can quantify energy consumption and CO2 emissions of various ITS categories such as driver assistance systems and eco-solutions traffic management and control measures. Both the theoretical basis and practical examples of applications have been developed with a selection of widely used models.
Connective Branding: Building Brand Equity in a Demanding World

PROLOGUE. INTRODUCTION. PART I SETTING THE STAGE. 1 MARKET FORCES. 2 EMERGING STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS MARKET FORCES. PART II A FRAMEWORK FOR COPING. 3 BRAND FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING CONNECTIVE BRANDS. PART III CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR MAKING IT HAPPEN. 4 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS - STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. 5 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS - THE PROCESS OF ALIGNMENT. EPILOGUE - THE LAW OF THE SEVENTH GENERATION? INDEX.
Définition d'une stratégie de gestion locale d'un réseau sans fil à contraintes d'échéances strictes et économie d'énergie

Many applications appear in different fields with the democratization of wireless networks. Most of them concern the activities of office and home automation. However, what about industrial applications? What does the market currently propose by taking into account temporal and quality constraints of connection linked to this domain? With this thesis, we propose implementations for industrial processes which request a wireless link subjected to strict temporal and energetic constraints. After a comparative study of various standards of wireless networks without thread available on the market, we opted for the latest standard 802. 15. 4 (alias ZigBee). It is designed with energy consumption saving abilities. These particularities present a real advantage for industrial automation control applications. Nevertheless, in our work, we propose few modifications within this standard at the MAC layer level which will allow a bigger flexibility regarding the management of the busy bandwidth and the guarantee of temporal deliverance of messages. This study ends with an analysis of the methods used for interconnection of network cells concerning an energetically-optimized routing technique to be developed at the level of the network layer.
ASSESSING ROAD-FRIENDLY SUSPENSIONS

The objective of this project was to develop and test an apparatus and procedure for determining natural frequency and damping ratio for heavy vehicle suspension systems. A test has been developed that involves supporting an axle group on collapsible platforms located under the vehicle's wheels. These platforms are released simultaneously and drop a short distance, exciting a transient response. The displacement of each axle relative to the vehicle's chassis is measured using string potentiometers. The natural frequency is then estimated as the location of the peak magnitude of the displacement signal in the frequency domain. Also, the damping ratio may be estimated using a type of logarithmic decrement method in the time domain. Testing initially resulted in data that were hard to interpret and had poor repeatability. The main reason for this was that the platforms were not releasing simultaneously which caused the roll mode of the vehicle to be excited. After some modifications to the dropping mechanism and careful tuning the test was shown to provide repeatable estimates of natural frequency and damping ratio. (a)
Full-Scale Model Experimental Study of the Flexural Behavior of Hollow Slabs Strengthened by UHPC

The hollow slabs strengthened by ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC) composite beam show many advantages over traditional reinforcement methods. In this paper, full-scale model load tests were carried out on an nonstrengthened prestressed concrete hollow slab and an UHPC-strengthened prestressed concrete hollow slab, comparing the load deflection, crack width, bearing capacity, deformation resistance, and self-vibration frequency of the two. Static loading experimental results indicate that UHPC enhances the overall performance of prestressed concrete hollow slabs by decreasing deflection and crack width and improving bearing capacity. The strengthening effects of UHPC on a prestressed concrete hollow slab’s flexural behavior are also discussed, such as deflection, crack width, bearing capacity, deformation resistance, self-vibration frequency, flexural behavior, and cracking load. Deflection and crack width under a load of 800 kN decreased by 45.8% and 56.3%, respectively, and the initial self-vibration frequency, ultimate bearing capacity, and cracking load increased 19.2%, 21.4%, and 50%, respectively. The plane assumption can be made generally throughout the overall test process while using UHPC strengthening, which significantly constrains crack width and improves stiffness and deformation capacity. The UHPC layer and the prestressed concrete hollow slab were connected by shear studs to produce a good composite action between them, and the bending performance and bearing capacity of the whole structure were clearly improved. In addition to experiments, a validated numerical model is developed to verify the flexural performance of hollow slab strengthened by UHPC.
Povidone-iodine-alcohol is superior to chlorhexidine-alcohol in its antimicrobial efficacy on the anaerobic microbial flora in surgical skin preparation of the shoulder Region

Background Cutibacterium acnes is part of the anaerobic skin microbiome and resides in deeper skin layers. The organism is an agent of surgical site infections (SSI) in shoulder surgery and is difficult to target with skin antisepsis. We hypothesized that prolonged preparation with an agent that penetrates more deeply into the skin is more effective in shoulder surgery. Thus, we compared two different classes of antiseptics, each combined with alcohol, and each applied with two different contact times. Methods Using a cross-over study design, shoulders of 16 healthy volunteers were treated for 2.5 min (standard) or 30 min (prolonged) with alcohol-based chlorhexidine (CHG-ALC; 2% w/v CHG, 55% w/v [70% v/v] 2-propanol) or alcohol-based povidone-iodine (PVP-I-ALC; 3.24% w/v PVP-I, 38.9% w/v 2-propanol, 37.3% w/v ethanol). Skin sites were sampled before, immediately after, and 3 h after treatment, using a standardized cup-scrub technique. Results Aerobic skin flora was reduced more effectively by PVP-I-ALC than by CHG-ALC after 2.5 min application and immediate sampling (reduction factor [RF] 2.55±0.75 vs. 1.94±0.91, p = 0.04), but not after prolonged contact times and 3-h sampling. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were completely eliminated after PVP-I-ALC application, but still recovered from 3 of 16 and 1 of 16 samples after 2.5-min and 30-min CHG-ALC application and immediate sampling, respectively. Anaerobic flora, mostly consisting of C. acnes, was reduced more effectively by PVP-I-ALC than by CHG-ALC after standard (RF 3.96±1.46 vs. 1.74±1.24, p < 0.01) and prolonged (RF 3.14±1.20 vs. 1.38±1.16, p < 0.01) contact times. Sampling 3 h after treatment did not show any significant difference. None of the volunteers reported adverse events. Conclusions PVP-I-ALC is more efficacious than CHG-ALC for topical skin antisepsis concerning the anaerobic flora on the skin of the shoulder. Standard and prolonged contact times demonstrated superiority for PVP-I-ALC for samples taken immediately, but missed significance 3 h after application. The results underscore the need for protection against C. acnes and coagulase-negative staphylococci in orthopaedic surgery and the need to prevent infections caused by these organisms. The clinical relevance of these findings, however, should be studied with SSI as an endpoint.
Germinação de sementes de alfafa submetidas a períodos de imersão em água

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the germination of alfalfa seeds cv. Crioula under flooded conditions, submitting the seeds to the following daily immersion periods: 0 (control), 6, 2, and 24 hours. The recently harvested seeds were sown in a substratum of folded double gauze, inside small plastic boxes, where they stayed, totally immersed in water, for different periods of time. Every 24 hours the water was drained, and the germinated seeds were counted. Then the water was replaced, according to specifications of each treatment. This procedure was maintained during eight days. The experimental units were arranged according to a completely random design, with four replications for each treatment. The germination tests were conducted at a temperature of 9 ±oC and 8 hours of photoperiod. The resulting data allowed the following conclusions: - The seeds supported up to 2 hours of daily immersion in water without damage to their germination capacity; 2- Continuous immersion of the seeds for eight days severely reduced their germination. Additional keywords: Medicago sativa L. ; forage legume; hypoxia; flooding
VALIDATION OF TRAIN OPERATIONS SIMULATOR COMPUTER PROGRAM

The Train Operations Simulator (T.O.S.) computer model was developed to simulate the performance of a train composed of diesel-electric locomotives and freight cars. The calculated performance parameters include speed and distance as a function of time, longitudinal coupler forces and L/V ratios. This report presents the validation of the T.O. S. through comparison with test data obtained from the Southern Pacific Steel Coil Train test. Simulations of normal train handling and split service power braking to a full stop are presented.
Automated grading of beef carcasses

Carcass grading forms the basis for quality-based payments to producers and is a common language to facilitate trade in carcasses. A good grading scheme can lead to improvements in efficiency, as producers have a financial incentive to modify their production methods to produce carcases that are the most desired by consumers. Different beef carcass grading schemes were introduced in the main beef-producing regions, but they all used trained classifiers to assess certain carcass characteristics. They were therefore seen as being subjective and prone to influence, thereby limiting their effectiveness. The development of instrumental objective methods to grade beef carcasses has mainly concentrated on using video image analysis technology (VIA) to mimic grader assessments. In Europe, the rules governing beef carcass grading were changed in 2003 to allow mechanical grading. This has led to many installations in several countries of three different systems. In the USA, handheld VIA systems have been authorised to augment the grader assessments. Future developments in Europe may include using saleable yield assessments from the VIA systems as the basis for quality-based payments; and in the USA there is a move towards fully automated assessment. Ideally, grading should be based on palatability, the consumer perception of quality, but reliable methods to measure this on-line are lacking.
Verbal-spatial cue conflict: implications for the design of collision-avoidance warning systems

Automated systems are increasingly being implemented in modern automobiles in an effort to increase safety. Collision avoidance warning systems are an important component of this effort. A spatial auditory Stroop paradigm was used to examine the effects of verbal-spatial cue conflict on response accuracy, reaction time, and driving performance. Participants responded to either the semantic meaning or the spatial location of a directional word, which were either congruent (i.e. the word “right” being presented from the right) or incongruent (i.e. the word “right” being presented from the left), while following a lead car in a simulated driving scenario. Accuracy was worse when participants were responding to the spatial location of a word in an incongruent trial, indicating that participants experienced significant interference when trying to ignore the semantic meaning of the word when it conflicted with the presentation location. Implications for the design of collision-avoidance warning systems are discussed.
Numerical Study of Shcramjet Combustor Characteristic Control Techniques

Oblique detonation wave (ODW) stabilized over a ramp or a wedge can be used for combustion in a supersonic combustion chamber. This paper numerically studies the conditions for an ODW to be stabilized over a finite ramp length at different temperature, pressure and Mach number conditions, and examines potential combustor control methods in order to achieve desirable ODW combustor characteristics for a propulsion system. At given operating conditions, ramp length and for a given amount of heat release, attached ODWs can only be stabilized over a certain range of ramp angles. Furthermore, for fixed combustor geometry the ODW induction length can be larger than the available ramp length. Also, either the ODW inclination angle can be too low for complete combustion of the entire inflow mixture or the ODW can impinge on the upper combustor wall when the ODW angle is too large. Both these conditions can have detrimental effects on the combustor performance. The effects of changing the combustor flow properties on the formation of ramp-supported ODWs are examined, in order to analyze the possible methods to obtain desirable combustor characteristics. The possibility of varying the ramp angle for combustor characteristic control is also analyzed. The effects of temperature, pressure and equivalence ratio variations on the ODW induction length and angle, as well as the effects of varying the ramp angle, are analyzed and compared. Results indicate that a coupled combustor characteristic control technique is possible, relying for the most part on variations of physical flow properties and partly on slight variations of the ramp angle.
Collaborative optimization: an architecture for large-scale distributed design

Collaborative optimization is a design architecture specifically created for large-scale distributed-analysis applications. In this approach, a problem is decomposed along domain-specific boundaries into a user-defined number of subspaces which are driven towards interdisciplinary compatibility and the appropriate solution by a system-level coordination process. This design approach allows domain-specific issues to be accommodated by disciplinary analysts, while requiring interdisciplinary decisions to be reached by consensus. In a large-scale practical design environment, this scheme has several advantages over traditional solution strategies. These advantageous features include reducing the amount of information transferred between disciplines, the removal of large iteration-loops, allowing the use of customized optimizers within the domain-specific subspace analyses, a solution framework that is easily parallelized and operable on heterogeneous equipment, and a structural framework that is well-suited for conventional disciplinary organizations. In this dissertation, the fundamental concepts leading to the development of the collaborative architecture are presented and the architecture's mathematical foundation is discussed. The design architecture is shown to be applicable to any set of arbitrarily-connected analyses, regardless of the interdisciplinary coupling structure. Example applications in trajectory optimization and launch vehicle design illustrate the the architecture's potential for use in large-scale design applications. Applied in a multidisciplinary design environment, numerous operational advantages of this optimization scheme are demonstrated. These advantageous features are a direct result of empowering the subspaces in the domain-specific decision process, thereby distributing design authority as well as analysis responsibility. While applicable to any problem, the characteristics of the collaborative optimization architecture are shown to be best suited for large-scale, highly-constrained, distributed-analysis applications. Because such problems are common in practical design settings, the collaborative optimization architecture should provide design teams with an intriguing alternative to current practices.