Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Training Device Operational Readiness Assessment Capability (DORAC): feasibility and Utility

Abstract : This report presents the results of an investigation of the feasibility and utility of implementing the Training Device Operational Readiness Assessment Capability (DORAC) concept throughout the Army. The investigation addresses three separate aspects of feasibility: Acceptability to end-users, technical feasibility, and financial feasibility. Another aspect of DORAC concept feasibility concerns the ability to select the most cost-effective proficiency assessment capability from among a range of alternatives. To this end, a Cost and Information Effectiveness Analysis (CIEA) methodology based on multiattribute utility measurement (MAUM) was developed and is presented in a compansion report. In this report, the MAUM-CIEA methodology is demonstrated using a set of hypothetical DORACs for the M16A1 rifle. The final section of the report integrates the feasibility results into a series of recommendations for optimizing the payoff from a DORAC, and suggests a series of steps for further investigation of the concept and related technologies. (Author)
Structural Behavior of a Prototype UHPC Pi-Girder

This document is a technical summary of the unpublished Federal Highway Administration report, Structural Behavior of a Prototype Ultra-High Performance Concrete Pi-Girder, available only through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). NTIS Accession No. of the report covered in this TechBrief: PB2009-115495. This TechBrief highlights the results of a research program that evaluated an ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) pi-girder cross section prototype developed for use in short- and medium-span highway bridge applications. UHPC is an advanced cementitious composite material which has been developed in recent decades. When compared to more conventional concrete materials, UHPC tends to exhibit superior properties such as exceptional durability, high compressive strength, usable tensile strength, and long-term stability. This experimental investigation focused on the structural behavior of a newly developed highway bridge girder cross section, the pi-girder. This girder was developed and optimized to exploit the advanced mechanical and durability properties of UHPC. Structural testing was completed on girders to investigate their flexural response, shear response, transverse flexural response, and lateral load distribution capabilities. Through this work, topics related to the design and fabrication of the pi-girder were also addressed.
Reciprocal-Scaffolding Strategies: Medical EFL Learners' Perspective in Focus

This study motivated by two research questios: Q1. What is the impact of reciprocal-scaffolding strategies on medical EFL learners` self –efficacy? Q2.What are the medical EFL learners` attitudes on the use of reciprocal strategies via LMS? In so doing, 48 Iranian pre-medical EFL learners participated in the study. They received 10 weeks instructions, which focused on teaching via following: the teaching principles and techniques that supported the reciprocal and scaffolding teaching method in online setting. The results of data analysis revealed, They were RTscaffolding teaching strategies that result in developing oral language skills. Moreover, the data of questionnaire clearly indicated the learners` self-efficacy improvement from pre to post administration.
Cache design for low power and yield enhancement

One of the major limiters to computer systems and systems on chip (SOC) designs is accessing the main memory, which is typically two orders of magnitude slower than the processor. To bridge this gap, modern processors already devote more than half of the on-chip transistors to the last-level cache. Caches have negative impact on area, power, and yield. This research goal is to design caches that operate at lower voltages while enhancing yield. Our strategy is to improve the static noise margin (SNM) and the writability of the conventional six-transistor SRAM cell by reducing the effect of parametric variations on the cell. This is done using a novel circuit that reduces the voltage swing on the word line during read operations and reduces the memory supply voltage during write operations. The proposed circuit increases the SRAM's SNM and write margin using a single voltage supply that has minimal impacts on chip area, complexity, and timing. A test chip with an 8-kilobyte SRAM block manufactured in 45-nm technology is used to verify the practicality of the contribution and demonstrate the effectiveness of the new circuit's implementation. Cache organization is one of the most important factors that affect cache design complexity, performance, area, and power. The main architectural choice for caches is whether to implement the tag array using a standard SRAM or using a content addressable memory (CAM). The choice made has far-reaching consequences on several aspects of the cache design, and in particular on power consumption. Our contribution in this area is an in-depth study of the complex tradeoffs of area, timing, power, and design complexity between an SRAM-based tag and a CAM-based one. Our results indicate that an SRAM-based tag design often provides a better overall design point and is superior with respect to energy, especially for interleaved multi-threading processors. Being able to test and screen chips is a key factor in achieving high yield. Most industry standard CAD tools used to analyze fault coverage and generate test vectors require gate level models. However, since caches are typically designed using a transistor-level flow, there is a need for an abstraction step to generate the gate models, which must be equivalent to the actual design (transistor level). The third contribution of the research is a framework to verify that the gate level representation of custom designs is equivalent to the transistor-level design.
Density-Based Heuristic for Rule Discovery with Ant-Miner

Ant-Miner is an Ant colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm for rule discovery in database. The method was originally introduced by (Parepinelli, Lopes, & Freitas, 2002) and has shown comparable results to existing methods in the literature. The heuristic value used in Ant-Miner is based on the concept of entropy. While this concept is motivated by information theoretic measures, it seems that with the idea of using pheromone values in ACO, the ants can recover easily without this computationally expensive concept. In this paper, we present a heuristic value based on a simple sample density estimation that is easy to compute and does not resuire the calculations of logs as in Ant-Miner. We show that our proposed method, in this initial analysis, performs exactly the same as Ant-Miner.
Applications of the Equivalent Initial Quality Method

Abstract : For existing Air Force aircraft, damage tolerance and life assessment programs have been and are currently being conducted. The objectives of these programs are to define operational limits and to provide any necessary modification or operational usage options. The operational limits involved include: (1) an economic repair limit which specifies the opportune time for repairs, and modifications before such repairs and modifications become too expensive; (2) an inspection interval which provides the opportune time for detecting damage by NDI techniques before the damage reaches critical proportions; and (3) a fracture limit which provides the time at which an aircraft failure potential is believed to exist if no inspection and/or repair is accomplished. These analytically predicted operational limits are based upon the assumption that initial flaws exist in the airframe due to material and structural manufacturing and processing operations.
Methods for analyzing fuel supply limitations on passenger travel. Final report

The report describes the development and testing of methodologies for analyzing the travel impacts of fuel supply limitations. Quantitative approaches are used to analyze work and nonwork travel. The work trip analysis combines incremental logit analysis with the traveler classification aggregation approach. The nonwork trip analysis is based on linear VMT and transit trip models. Input data and computational requirements are modest. The quantitative forecasting system was applied to several fuel shortfall scenarios and produced reasonable results. Qualitative analysis was used to refine the assessment of work and nonwork travel responses, to analyze long-run impacts such as residential location and auto ownership changes, and to evaluate the distribution of impacts across income or geographic groups.
Optimal power flow in deregulated electricity markets

In deregulated electricity markets, there are inaccessible problems that are how to properly find the optimal operational conditions and accurately make sure the liabilities shouldered by the respective market participants. This paper presents an optimal power flow algorithm. The algorithm utilizes the complementary linear programming technique to find the severe nodal violations that lead variables of other nodes to violate their inequality constraints. The relation between sets of load nodes and sets of generator nodes is analyzed, and the contribution of each generator to individual loads is calculated under proper assumptions. The feasibility of the proposed technique is demonstrated by simulation using the WSCC 9-node and IEEE 30-node test systems.
The use of area-time closures as a tool to manage cetacean-watch tourism

Summary: In this chapter we discuss area–time closures as a management approach to mitigate the impacts of commercial cetacean-watch tourism. We begin by evaluating the benefits and potential impacts of the cetacean-watch industry; discuss the variety of legislation currently available and then evaluate its effectiveness. We then discuss the development of area–time closures as part of management frameworks to help mitigate threats to cetacean populations. Finally, we identify the important issues for consideration when implementing area–time closures.
Accurate high-resolution 3D surface reconstruction and localisation using a wide-angle flat port underwater stereo camera: towards autonomous ship hull inspection

The goal of this thesis is to scan a ship hull with high 3D accuracy and resolution using an underwater stereo camera so as to enable the future autonomous detection of invasive biofouling organisms with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). However, turbidity in most harbours necessitates being within a metre of the hull and thus requires ultra wideangle camera lenses. But such ultra wide-angle lenses embedded in an underwater housing with a flat port lead to significant distance dependent image distortions. Prior research in this area has only considered narrower fields of view and so has not solved for the significant image distortions arising from wide-angle high resolution flat port underwater cameras. This thesis proposes a solution to modelling and calibrating the underwater camera for accurate 2D imaging and 3D reconstruction, and additionally demonstrates an accurate underwater real-time pose estimation system required for future ship hull relative AUV navigation. In this thesis an ultra wide-angle, short-baseline stereo camera is used, which is embedded in a flat port underwater housing. Flat port underwater housings represent a cost efficient way to use arbitrary in-air cameras underwater. However, the flat port of the underwater housing is subject to light refraction and causes distance dependent distortion, which is particularly visible at the large angles of the ultra wide-angle stereo camera used. To incorporate the effects of refraction, the thesis uses the well-known and accurate physics-based refractive underwater camera model. In contrast to the perspective camera-based underwater camera model, the refractive underwater camera model accurately describes the distance dependency of distortion. In the beginning of this thesis, the effects of refraction caused by a thick flat port underwater housing are summarised and extended. In this context, the fundamental magnification function is proposed, which enables the description of numerous known and also newly discovered effects. An additional quantitative analysis is carried out in which the importance to model the thickness of the port and the wavelength of light is revealed. In refractive geometry with a thick flat port, refractive forward projection represents a fundamental operation and describes where a 3D object point is observed in a 2D camera image. Refractive forward projection is required in numerous applications, such as refractive calibration, bundle adjustment, simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) or image restoration. Unlike perspective projection in air, this operation is non-linear and computationally more expensive. This thesis compares existing and proposes new refractive forward projection methods
Automatic fabric defect detection using a deep convolutional neural network

Fabric defect detection plays an important role in the textile production process, but there are still some challenges in detecting defects rapidly and accurately. In this paper, we propose a powerful detection method for automatic fabric defect detection using a deep convolutional neural network (CNN). It consists of three main steps. First, the fabric image is decomposed into local patches and each local patch is labelled. Then the labelled patches are transmitted to the pretrained deep CNN for transfer learning. Finally, defects are detected during the inspection phase by sliding over the whole image using the trained model, and the category and position of each defect is obtained. The proposed method is validated on two public and one self-made fabric database. The experimental results demonstrate that our method signi ﬁ cantly outperforms selected state-of-the art methods in terms of both quality and robustness.
EEG/ERP evidence of possible hyperexcitability in older adults with elevated beta-amyloid

Background Although growing evidence links beta-amyloid (Aβ) and neuronal hyperexcitability in preclinical mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a similar association in humans is yet to be established. The first aim of the study was to determine the association between elevated Aβ (Aβ+) and cognitive processes measured by the P3 event-related potential (ERP) in cognitively normal (CN) older adults. The second aim was to compare the event-related power between CNAβ+ and CNAβ−. Methods Seventeen CNAβ+ participants (age: 73 ± 5, 11 females, Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA] score 26 ± 2) and 17 CNAβ- participants group-matched for age, sex, and MOCA completed a working memory task ( n -back with n = 0, 1, 2) test while wearing a 256-channel electro-encephalography net. P3 peak amplitude and latency of the target, nontarget and task difference effect (nontarget−target), and event-related power in the delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands, extracted from Fz, Cz, and Pz, were compared between groups using linear mixed models. P3 amplitude of the task difference effect at Fz and event-related power in the delta band were considered main outcomes. Correlations of mean Aβ standard uptake value ratios (SUVR) using positron emission tomography with P3 amplitude and latency of the task difference effect were analyzed using Pearson Correlation Coefficient r . Results The P3 peak amplitude of the task difference effect at Fz was lower in the CNAβ+ group ( P = 0.048). Similarly, power was lower in the delta band for nontargets at Fz in the CNAβ+ participants ( P = 0.04). The CNAβ+ participants also demonstrated higher theta and alpha power in channels at Cz and Pz, but no changes in P3 ERP. Strong correlations were found between the mean Aβ SUVR and the latency of the 1-back ( r = − 0.69; P = 0.003) and 2-back ( r = − 0.69; P = 0.004) of the task difference effect at channel Fz in the CNAβ+ group. Conclusions Our data suggest that the elevated amyloid in cognitively normal older adults is associated with neuronal hyperexcitability. The decreased P3 task difference likely reflects early impairments in working memory processes. Further research is warranted to determine the validity of ERP in predicting clinical, neurobiological, and functional manifestations of AD.
Socio-Demographic and Clinical Predictor Variables on CD4 Cell Count Change among HIV Positive adults; a Structural Equations Modelling

Background: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS among adult individuals has been increasing in Sub-Sahara African countries over the last decade. In Ethiopia , the prevalence of HIV among adults was 1%. Hence, 23, 000 people were newly infected with HIV and 11,000 people were died because of AIDS related illness in 2018. The purpose of this study was to identify the most significant socio-demographic, economic, individual and clinical determinants of CD4 cell count change in HIV positive adults who initiated HAART at Felege Hiwot Teaching and Specialized Hospital, North-West Ethiopia. Methods: A secondary and retrospective study design was conducted on 792 HIV positive adults. A structural equation modeling was employed to identify the socio-demographic and clinical covariates that have a statistically significant effect on the status of CD4 cell count change. Results: Literate patients, patients living with partner, patients living in urban area, patients disclosed the disease to family members, high income , ownership of cell, age and sex (male) were statistically significant variables. Conclusion: There was direct relation between socio-demographic variables with retention of HIV positive individuals in HAART program. There was also a direct and significant effect of clinical variables on adherence competence and adherence on CD4 cell change. Retention of patients in the HAART program had direct and significant effect on CD4 cell count change. This finding will be important for policy makers, health officials and for patients to easier access to healthcare service. Keywords: Socio-demographic, clinical factors, individual characteristics, Structural equation, CD4count change
A three phase approach to solving the bidline generation problem with an emphasis on mitigating pilot fatigue through circadian rule enforcement

Abstract : A three phase methodology for solving the Bidline problem for airline crew scheduling is proposed. Phase 1 ensures that the all bidlines will meet a fatigue mitigating minimum rest window that will be constant throughout the entire bid period. Phase 2 ensures that most of the bidlines follow regular weekly and monthly patterns much like shiftwork in other industries that have 24-hour-a-day operations. Finally, Phase 3 creates a final monthly schedule that will minimize the number of crews needed during a bid period to cover all of the pairings, and maintain the fatigue-mitigating rest window as well as all of the quality of life issues addressed in Phase 2. Along with this methodology, a heuristic for solving Bin Packing and Cutting-Stock problems is developed.
Livelihood Diversification Strategies and Livelihood Outcome of Rural Household in Ethiopia: A Reviewed Paper

This review was carried out on appraisal of rural household in livelihood diversification strategies and livelihood outcome in Ethiopia. The target is specifically to review the impact of income diversification on livelihood outcome situation, to review determinant participation of rural household in off/non-farm diversification, and to review the determinants level of income generated from the activities in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, Agriculture is the main livelihood of most population in the countries and it contributes 79% of foreign earnings, employs some 79% of the population and 34.1% to the GDP and is the major sources of raw material and capital for investment and market. Despite it’s the main contribution for the event of country’s economy, the prevailing capacity of agriculture to achieve food and livelihood security is tremendously declining from time to time due to diverse challenges and risks. As a result, majority of the population is multidimensional poor, affected by some combination of food insecurity, insufficient access to adequate education and health services and inadequate employment opportunities. With this reason Ethiopia faces high levels of food insecurity and ranking joined of the hungriest countries within world even if the Global Hunger Index (GHI) score has declined from 55.9 in 2000 to 29.1 in 2018. As reading from different literature, income diversification is coined for these situations to handle all the interrelated problems associated to economy of rural household. As a result, a numbers of rural household participate in off/non-farm activities additionally to on-farm have gradually customized as coping mechanism and to boost their livelihood. Therefore, policy makers should give due emphasis to the aforementioned variables within the empirical review that determine participation of rural household in income diversification activities so as to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers.
Concrete in an AM process: Freeform concrete processing

This thesis examines the additive manufacturing (AM) of concrete, its possibilities, feasibility and advantages over existing techniques. The first part generally focuses on the characteristic properties of concrete that are important and how they relate to an AM method, for instance aggregates and reinforcement. After this extensive introduction in the field of concrete and AM, the current situation regarding additive manufacturing of concrete is described. On the basis of literature resulting products are shown and discussed. Their characteristics are compared to detect a match or mismatch between the AM technique and the produced elements. The outcome of this evaluation is used to describe improvements which are elaborated in the second part. This design part consists of a roadmap that shows a future vision. Concrete is a new material in the field of additive manufacturing. Since it is one of the materials that hardens by a chemical reaction, considerable attention needs to be paid to the workability of it in an AM process. Traditional processing techniques are adapted to these characteristics but concrete does not let itself dictate how to behave. The roadmap envisions how the technique has to evolve in order to implement the characteristic properties of concrete. The possibilities for products made with an additive process are endless, but just replacing existing production methods with additive ones is impossible. Although improved freeform production techniques are still the aim of this research, this does not mean that more freedom in form is by definition the largest improvement that AM can offer at the moment. From another point of view the implementation of additional functions in traditional products can be of great value. Product ideas and an evaluation of the techniques shown in the vision are related to the developments to achieve an increase in speed, surface quality and strength in the AM production technique, next to the requirements that have to be set regarding a matching fresh concrete mixture. These essential aspects of the process lead to the important conclusion that in the AM of concrete, both material and production technique have to be matched precisely. Next to matching process and material it is important to match process and product. Concrete is widely used and not all products should be made using an AM process. Simply copying standardized elements does not add the added value layered fabrication methods can achieve if used adequately.