Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of dust concentration in open cast coal mine using artificial neural network

Coal dust is a major pollutant in the ambient air of coal mining areas. The pollution due to open cast mining is more severe than pollution due to underground mining. Prediction of ambient concentration of pollutants should be known to implement any control techniques to reduce their concentrations. In this paper, three models were developed to predict the concentration of dust particles at various locations away from the source of pollution. These models are developed using Multilayer Perception Network and learning is done by back–propagation algorithm. The data for training and testing the network is collected from the field work done in North Karanpura Coal Mine in Jharkhand, India, which is an open cast mine. The meteorological data (wind velocity, dispersion coefficients, rain fall, cloud cover and temperature), geographical data (distance of the receptor point from the source in the direction of wind and distance of the receptor from source in the direction perpendicular to wind direction) and emission rate are used as inputs in the formation of models. The number of inputs for Model 1, Model 2, and Model 3 are six, seven, and nine, respectively. The output (dust concentration) is same for all the three models. The performance of the developed models was evaluated on the basis index of agreement and other statistical parameters i.e., the mean and the deviations of the observed and predicted concentrations, root mean square error, maximum deviation and minimum deviation, normalized mean square error, model bias and fractional bias. It was seen that the overall performance of Model 3 was better than Models 1 and 2. Artificial neural network (ANN) based dust concentration prediction model yielded a better performance than the Gaussian–Plume model.
Compact design of single-feed circularly polarised microstrip antenna

A compact design of a single-feed circularly polarised (CP) microstrip antenna with relaxed manufacturing tolerances is presented. The CP operation of the microstrip antenna is achieved using a cross slot embedded on the radiating patch. By cutting an additional cross slot on the ground plane, not only the CP operating frequency can be decreased but also the slot-length ratio of the cross slot on the radiating patch can be considerably increased. In addition, the performance of the proposed design, such as CP bandwidth and peak gain, have no significant reduction.
A high performance ZVS full-bridge DC-DC 0-50 V/0-10 A power supply with phase-shift control

This paper presents a high performance DC-DC switching mode power supply designed to deliver a regulated 0-50 V/0-10 A output. The proposed power supply is based on a modified version of the zero voltage switching full-bridge phase-shift DC-DC converter, which incorporates commutation auxiliary inductors to provide zero voltage switching for the entire full load range, as well as a commutation aid circuit to clamp the output diode voltage. The control strategy is based on two control loops operating in cascade mode. The inner loop maintains the regulated output current, whereas the external voltage loop keeps the regulated output voltage, independently of load changes and input voltage variations. To obtain a high reliability converter, the control circuit has been implemented using just two ICs. The phase-shift regulator UC3875 IC generates the gate drive signal to the MOSFETs. The control loop regulators are implemented using the TL074 IC. Theoretical analysis and experimental results have been obtained for a 0-50 V/0-10 A power supply operating at 100 kHz.
A Comparison of PI vs LPV Controllers for a Doubly-Fed Induction Generator in a Microgrid

State-space controllers have been central to modern control theory and are often preferred over classical controllers such as PI and lag-lead controllers. This is because they offer flexibility in design, such as being able to simultaneously incorporate performance and robustness requirements, and have a solid mathematical foundation. Recently, doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) for wind turbines have been modeled as linear parameter varying (LPV) systems, a special class of time-varying linear state-space systems, for which LPV state-space controllers can be designed. The LPV controllers have been introduced for DFIG mainly because of their novelty and that they can offer the typical advantages that come with state-space controllers. However, no comparison has yet been made regarding the control performance of LPV controllers versus more traditional PI controllers for DFIGs. In this paper, LPV controllers have been designed using linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques and their performance is compared to PI controllers via simulation studies on a DFIG in a microgrid. Our study shows that if a mathematical model represents the DFIG accurately, then both controllers can be tuned to give comparable performance.
Physiological changes in vision during aging: perceptions of older adults and healthcare providers

Abstract Objective: To identify the physiological changes in older adults’ vision during the aging process. Methods: An exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach was conducted with 20 older adults and six healthcare providers who worked with older adults in João Pessoa, Paraíba (Brazil). The Focus Group Technique was used for data collection, with the collected information subsequently being submitted to Inductive Thematic Analysis using textual analysis software. Results: The physiological changes related to vision were described by both the older adults and healthcare providers using the following words: vision, difficulty; see; cataract; glasses; surgery; more; age; eye; and no. These terms represent declines in vision resulting from advancing age which significantly modify the daily lives of older adults and their families. Conclusion: The perception of the older adults and the healthcare providers who care for them regarding the physiological changes in vision throughout the aging process shows that the loss of visual acuity significantly affects the daily life of older adults and their families.
STABILITY OF BLOCKS AS BREAKWATER ARMOR UNITS

Concrete blocks are very often used as breakwater armor units. In order to improve the knowledge of their behavior, some laboratory tests have been performed for three types of blocks. After stating three damage levels, the stability is analyzed and the results shown in figures. Some results from other authors are presented as well, showing similar trends. Some main conclusions are outlined: cubic armor units offer a better performance than parallelopipedic blocks, and smaller slope angles give better stability results, under the tested conditions.
High-performance flexible thermoelectric modules based on high crystal quality printed TiS2/hexylamine

ABSTRACT Printed electronics implies the use of low-cost, scalable, printing technologies to fabricate electronic devices and circuits on flexible substrates, such as paper or plastics. The development of this new electronic is currently expanding because of the emergence of the internet-of-everything. Although lot of attention has been paid to functional inks based on organic semiconductors, another class of inks is based on nanoparticles obtained from exfoliated 2D materials, such as graphene and metal sulfides. The ultimate scientific and technological challenge is to find a strategy where the exfoliated nanoparticle flakes in the inks can, after solvent evaporation, form a solid which displays performances equal to the single crystal of the 2D material. In this context, a printed layer, formed from an ink composed of nano-flakes of TiS2 intercalated with hexylamine, which displays thermoelectric properties superior to organic intercalated TiS2 single crystals, is demonstrated for the first time. The choice of the fraction of exfoliated nano-flakes appears to be a key to the forming of a new self-organized layered material by solvent evaporation. The printed layer is an efficient n-type thermoelectric material which complements the p-type printable organic semiconductors The thermoelectric power factor of the printed TiS2/hexylamine thin films reach record values of 1460 µW m−1 K−2 at 430 K, this is considerably higher than the high value of 900 µW m−1 K−2 at 300 K reported for a single crystal. A printed thermoelectric generator based on eight legs of TiS2 confirms the high-power factor values by generating a power density of 16.0 W m−2 at ΔT = 40 K. Graphical abstract
New Surface Modification Method of Bio-Titanium Alloy by EB Polishing

A new surface modification for bio-titanium alloy products by electron beam (EB) polishing is proposed. In this EB polishing method, high energy density EB can be irradiated without concentrating the beam. Therefore, large-area EB with a maximum diameter of 60mm can be used for instantaneously melting or evaporating metal surface. Experimental results made it clear that surface characteristics, such as repellency, corrosion resistance and coefficient of friction could be improved simultaneously with the surface smoothing in a few minutes under a proper condition. Therefore, EB polishing method has a possibility of high efficient surface smoothing and surface modification process for bio-titanium alloy.
Discrete-Time Periodic Event-Triggered Distributed Set-Membership Estimation Over Sensor Networks

This paper investigates the event-triggered distributed set-membership estimation problem over sensor networks. Firstly, a novel discrete-time periodic event-triggered mechanism (ETM) is originally proposed to decide when the sensor node transfers the measurement output to its neighbour nodes. Compared with the existing ETMs, the proposed approach only monitors the measurements at each periodic sampling point so that it reduces the energy consumption caused by detection and calculation. Secondly, a piecewise auxiliary function is introduced to deal with the sawtooth characteristic of periodic sampling signals. With the help of such auxiliary function, a co-design criterion of the set-membership estimator and ETM is proposed under the unknown-but-bounded (UBB) noise. Finally, a recursive optimization algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimized ellipsoid estimation set. A classic numerical example is provided to validate the effectiveness of the developed approach.
A Qualitative Study about the Psychosocial Issues of COVID-19 Perceived by the South Asian Bangladeshi Senior Immigrants Living in Toronto, Ontario

Background: People stayed home and got isolated during the pandemic time (COVID-19). The pandemic passed more than a year, and it is still ongoing. There is not enough information about the psychological and social issues of the COVID-19 on the South Asian senior immigrants living in Toronto. Aim: The study aimed to explore the description of COVID-19 from the experience of the South Asian seniors and to understand the perceived psychosocial issues of COVID-19 on them. It helps policymakers develop adequate policies and initiatives for the South Asian Bangladeshi senior immigrants during and after the pandemic. Methods: The study applied open-ended questions for the phone interview with 52 seniors (>55 years). It used thematic analysis for the interpretation of qualitative data. Each interview took 45-60 minutes to complete. Results: The seniors described COVID-19 in medical, mental, and social aspects. They described COVID-19 as ‘viral and pandemic infections,’ ‘health problems,’ ‘lack of treatment,’ and ‘death. ’ They also described COVID-19 as ‘worrying,’ ‘dangerous,’ ‘isolated society,’ ‘lack of recreation,’ ‘staying home like a prison,’ and ‘shut down everywhere. ’ Many seniors felt lonely as the pandemic disconnected them from the family members and the outdoor activities. They were also scared to get infected, were worried about seeing deaths and the shortage of vaccines worldwide and were sad as they could not meet people in person. Many seniors stayed home for months. They could not go outside for worship, doctors, shopping malls, and they felt that they had an unusual lifestyle. Conclusion: Based on findings, adequate information, mental health supports, and virtual programs are needed to address the psychological and social issues of COVID-19.
Sterols of the ‘dinotom’ Durinskia baltica (Dinophyceae) are of dinoflagellate origin

‘Dinotoms’ are a relatively small group of dinoflagellates with aberrant tertiary plastids of diatom origin, thus differing from the majority of photosynthetic dinoflagellates which possess the carotenoid pigment peridinin and have secondary plastids of red algal origin. As part of our laboratory's continuing efforts to examine such unusual dinoflagellates in the search for clues to the evolution of their lipid compositions, we have examined the sterol composition of the dinotom Durinskia baltica. As such, we here compared its sterols to those of the previously examined dinotom, Kryptoperidinium foliaceum, more broadly to other photosynthetic, peridinin‐containing dinoflagellates, and to the diatom genus Nitzschia, which is the presumed ancestor of the D. baltica dinotom plastid. Sterols are ringed lipids, common to eukaryotes, thought to reinforce phospholipid bilayers. Many peridinin‐containing dinoflagellates have sterol compositions which are enriched by the presence of cholesterol (cholest‐5‐en‐3β‐ol) and 4α‐methyl‐substituted sterols such as dinosterol (4α,23,24‐trimethyl‐5α‐cholest‐22E‐en‐3β‐ol); this has also been found to be true for K. foliaceum despite its aberrant plastid ancestry. Our objective was to determine if this is also true for D. baltica as only the second dinotom to have its sterols characterized in detail, and to determine if there is any indication of prominent sterols which are uncommon to dinoflagellates, possibly originating from the diatom endosymbiont, as has been demonstrated previously with K. foliaceum and D. baltica chloroplast‐associated galactolipids of clear diatom origin. Our results demonstrate that like K. foliaceum, the major sterols of D. baltica are cholesterol, dinosterol, and other 4α‐methyl‐substituted sterols common to dinoflagellates. Although there were a number of minor sterols, none were found with obvious origin from the diatom endosymbiont, indicating that most originated with the dinoflagellate host itself, most likely before acquisition of the diatom tertiary plastid.
A CAD tool for interference rejection of a microwave circuit making use of resonance of the circuit packaging

Microwave circuits, especially amplifiers, are usually wideband devices. Sometimes it is necessary to design a circuit to specifically reject narrow band interferences. Dielectric resonator is one way, another way is to use the resonance of the circuit packaging. The circuit packaging resonance is normally considered a nuisance. In this paper the circuit packaging is considered as a component of the circuit instead. The package dimensions are then entered in an iterative MoM algorithm to find the optimum packaging size that can bring the box resonances to the proper locations along the circuit frequency band. A number of examples are given. <<ETX>>
Residents’ Attitudes towards Wooden Facade Renovation and Additional Floor Construction in Finland

To date, studies that provide a comprehensive understanding of residents’ attitudes towards wooden facade renovation and additional floor construction are lacking in the literature. This paper examined these important practices from the perspective of Finnish residents via a questionnaire survey. The 243 responses received highlighted the following: (1) residents’ attitude towards wooden facade renovation and additional floor construction was generally positive; (2) younger and more educated people welcomed these practices more; (3) respondents mostly thought that wooden facade renovation and additional floor construction will increase the attractiveness of residential areas; (4) vast majority were positive about facade renovation, especially with wood; (5) apartment owners welcomed the housing association’s decision to build additional floors to fund the facade renovation; (6) participants assessed the combination of additional floors with outbuildings, followed by additional floor construction alone as the most suitable ways to expand residential areas; and (7) respondents’ attitudes towards all renovation proposals aimed at improving the initial condition of suburban apartments were positive and differed only slightly from each other in terms of popularity. It is believed that this study will provide insights to interested parties, e.g., architects, developers, contractors to better meet users’ needs in the renovation of suburban apartments.
Efficacy, safety, and pharmacoeconomics of sivelestat sodium in the treatment of septic acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is one of the most organ dysfunctions in sepsis. Although the development of therapeutic strategies such as protective mechanical ventilation technology has improved the mortality of ARDS patients, there is currently no effective drug for reducing the associated mortality. Our study aims to investigate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacoeconomics of sivelestat sodium in patients with septic ARDS, for providing the basis on clinical use of this drug. METHODS This was a retrospective study of 140 patients with septic ARDS. Clinical information including general conditions, mechanical ventilation time, drug cost parameters, and adverse reactions. The partial pressure of O2/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation score (APACHE II score) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA score) are for assessing the severity illness. To evaluate the efficacy of sivelestat sodium on septic ARDS patients by comparing length of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization, cost of hospitalization and mortality between the two groups. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the incidence of organ failure, biochemical data, blood gas analysis, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II score), and SOFA score between the two groups on the day of admission. The PaO2/FiO2, APACHE II score, and SOFA score of the sivelestat sodium group were significantly better than in the control group (P<0.05). The length of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU hospitalization, and cost of ICU hospitalization were all lower in the sivelestat sodium group (P<0.05). No adverse events were reported during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Sivelestat sodium significantly improves the oxygenation in patients with septic ARDS, together with reducing mechanical ventilation, ICU hospitalization, and medical costs.
Development of an optical probe for evaluation of tool edge geometry

This paper proposes a non-contact and on-machine measurement method for evaluating tool edge geometry. In the proposed method, a focused laser beam having a diameter of several micrometres traces over the tool edge. By utilizing a light intensity of the laser beam passed around the tool rake face, the gap between the centre of the optical axis of the focused laser beam and the tool edge can be obtained. By combining the measured gap and the information on the XY positions of the focused laser beam, the tool edge contour can be evaluated. In the proposed method, stability of the laser power emitted from a light source would affect measurement accuracy of the tool edge contour. A modified optical design was therefore applied to the evaluation system so that a laser power drift and influences of common-mode noise could be compensated in real time. A modified evaluation system consisting of a laser diode, a beam splitter, a pair of lenses and two photodiodes was developed. Experiments were carried out to test the basic performances of the developed evaluation system with the modified optical design. Possible sources of measurement errors in the tool edge contour evaluation were also discussed. Furthermore, computer simulation was carried out to confirm measurement resolution of the developed system along the tool edge contour. scanning, output voltage signals V M and V R from PD M and PD R , respectively, were measured by using the oscilloscope, whose data acquisition was triggered by a digital signal from the function generator to assure the synchronization between the data acquisition of the measurement instrument and the laser beam scanning. By using the acquired output voltage signals, the parameter q in Eq. (2) was derived, and was converted into the deviation of the focused laser beam position δ with respect to the tool edge contour. By using δ , data of the tool edge contour was acquired. The center point of the rounded edge was defined by least-squares method considering polar coordinates conversion of the scanning paths and variation δ . The two results did not show good agreement when the scanning path was deviated from measurement target over the measurement range.
PolyBrick: Variegated Additive Ceramic Component Manufacturing (ACCM)

Abstract This article showcases the next steps in the integration of complex phenomena towards the design, production, and digital fabrication of ceramic form in the design arts and architecture. This work includes advances in digital technology, three-dimensional (3D) printing, advanced geometry, and material practices in arts, crafts, and design disciplines. PolyBrick: Variegated Additive Ceramic Component Manufacturing (ACCM) documents the use of algorithmic design techniques for the digital fabrication and production of nonstandard ceramic brick components for the mortarless assembly and installation of the first fully 3D-printed and fired ceramic brick wall. Techniques in parametric and associative environments are incorporated with feedback derived from material constraints as well as performance assessments. Using customized digital tools, low-cost printing materials, and component-based aggregations, our research utilizes readily available 3D printing technology to develop large-scale forms throug.
A new approach for lane departure identification

This paper introduces a lane-departure identification (LDI) system of vehicles on a road with lane marks. The system perceives the LD by means of an artificial vision relying on an ad hoc approach like a boundary pixel extractor (BPE) to make up the robustness of machine vision. For the LDI,lane-related information composed of the direction and the position of lane boundaries in images is extracted. Then using the two parameters, it is determined whether or not a vehicle deviates from its lane. Except for the two parameters, the proposed system does not use any information such as lane width, a curvature,time to lane crossing, offset between the center of a lane and the center axis of a car body and other vehicle-related data. Besides, a camera calibration, any coordinate transformation, and a road model are not required. The system was demonstrated under various situations of changing illumination, in various road types without speed limits showing a quite good performance.