Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Characteristics of Band-pass Filter to Operation of Class DE Inverter

This paper investigates the effects of characteristics of band-pass filter to operation of class DE inverter. Two kinds of band-pass filter are applied to the design of class DE inverter, and circuit experiments are carried out. As the result, output voltage characteristic of the class DE amplifier with band-pass filter is very flat. Because of output characteristics of band-pass filters are flat at the nominal frequency. Moreover, when the operating frequency decreases from nominal frequency, both the class DE inverter with band-pass filters achieve ZVS.
Smart heritage in selected australian local government smart city policies

Smart Heritage leverages the past to transform cities into smart cities. It bridges a theoretical framework between the existing smart cities and heritage discourses and can benefit both the smart and heritage of aspirations of cities. The recent increase in the preparation of smart city policies by local governments in Australia provides an opportunity to examine how the recent generation of smart city strategic documents implement Smart Heritage. This paper will investigate how three local government smart city policies in Australia; City Futures Strategy by Logan City Council, Lake Mac Smart City Smart Council: Digital Economy Strategy 2016-2020 by Lake Macquarie City Council, and Smart, Connected Brisbane by Brisbane City Council; implement Smart Heritage. It will also briefly discuss the areas in the policies where further implementation of Smart Heritage can support the smart city ambitions of the cities. The main findings are the policies subtly implement Smart Heritage, and it is most present in high-level definitions and objectives. There is a need to develop Smart Heritage lower-level provisions and initiatives as there is a lack of these across the policies. Nevertheless, there is ample theoretical overlap between Smart Heritage and the policies to further implement Smart Heritage within the existing policy frameworks.
Acquisition Reform: Where We've Been; Current Legislation and Initiatives; and Where We're Going.

Abstract : New and innovative approaches are needed throughout government; we must search for revolutionary changes, not just evolutionary changes. A key area ripe for innovation lies in reforming the defense acquisition system -- how we develop and acquire goods and services for our nation's defense. Overall, the U.S. government spends over $200 billion on procurement every year, a major portion of this amount being spent by the Department of Defense. With billions of dollars at stake, shaving even small percentages off the total quickly equates to millions of dollars in savings. However, when we consider revolutionizing defense procurement (rather than small, incremental changes) the potential savings rise to the billions. The aim of this research paper is to examine efforts underway to reform the defense acquisition system, and identify future challenges in defense acquisition. The primary focus of this paper is on current (1994 and 1995) initiatives and legislation, but it also includes sufficient historical perspective to put today's issues into the broader temporal context. After briefly summarizing past efforts in acquisition reform, this paper discusses the Clinton Administration's initiatives in reforming defense acquisition.
Persona adaptable visualization scheduling in supply chain management for an ERP system

The technological evolution over the past century has spread to every aspect of our daily life; in the business management world the development of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system has also revolutionized the way companies perceive and manage their businesses. The integration and centralization of all the departments’ data within a company has increased efficiency of processes, making it possible to detect behavioral patterns from customers and suppliers, and bringing companies closer to the market’s needs, resulting in increased profits. The core investment of ERP development companies has been towards Business Inteligence. This field’s goal is to analyze data gathered from all over the system, locating problems or finding new ways to improve certain processes. Another field of research in ERPs is the enhancement of graphical user interfaces, through charts that aid in visualizing the enormous amount of the system’s data. Although there has been a constant investment in visualization solutions, this is a field where the first steps are being taken. The development of a visualization system for aiding the user’s planning, relating orders delays with specific business concepts, would represent an asset for ERP systems. Microsoft, market leader in operating systems’ development, has a solid presence in the ERP development for the small and mid-sized companies, through the Microsoft Dynamics AX software. This project, developed within the Dynamics AX Manufacturing department, aims to analyze the current state of the art status in the visualization field, also looking into other ERPs’ approaches in this area. This research will be the basis for the development of a tool that aids in Manufacturing planning, focusing in Production Planning and problem solving by lack of resources. Relying on highly developed human cognitive abilities, capable of visually absorbing several different concepts at once, this system will provide the user with new perspectives, being one step ahead of the current table views. It will integrate fundamental planning aspects into one single view allowing the user to relate order delays with the lack or overload of business’ resources. The details and concepts of Production Planning within Manufacturing will be outlined, following the results of the visualization research. The project will define solutions to solve the problems at hand, presenting justifications for the chosen methodologies. Due to the technical nature of this thesis, the software’s architecture, design and implementation details are also described, along with the technologies used in its development, followed by a demonstration on how the developed software aids Production Planning. This thesis final chapter will provide conclusions over the success of the developed software, based on the outlined requirements, also stating possible improvements, or other
Analysis of Risk Factor for Anastomotic Leakage after Lower Rectal Cancer Resection, Including Drain Type: A Retrospective Single-Center Study

Background: We investigated the correlations between surgery-related factors and the incidence of anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection (LAR) for lower rectal cancer.Methods: A total of 630 patients underwent colorectal surgery between 2011 and 2014 in our department. Of these, 97 patients (15%) underwent LAR and were enrolled in this retrospective study. Temporary ileostomy was performed in each patient.Results: Anastomotic leakage occurred in 21 patients (21.7%). Univariate analysis showed a significant association between operative duration (p=0.005), transanal hand-sewn anastomosis (p=0.014), and operation procedure (p=0.019) and the occurrence of leakage. Multivariate regression reanalysis showed that underlying disease (p=0.044), transanal hand-sewn anastomosis (p=0.019) and drain type (p=0.025) were significantly associated with the occurrence of leakage. The propensity-score analysis showed that closed drainage were 6.3 times more likely to have anastomotic leakage than open drainage in relation to the amount of postoperative drainage (ml), according to the inverse probability of treatment-weighted analysis.Conclusions: Our results indicate that underlying disease, transanal hand-sewn anastomosis, and closed drain may be a risk and predictive factors for anastomotic leakage after LAR for lower rectal cancer. The notable finding was that closed drainage was related to the occurrence of anastomotic leakage and closed drainage was correlated with less volume of postoperative drain discharge than open drain.
RANUNCULUS SERICEUS BANKS & SOL. EXTRACT FRACTIONS POSSESS ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY

Ranunculus sericeus, collected from Agri, was successively extracted with n-hexane, chloroform, acetone and methanol, in a Soxhlet extractor. Obtained extracts were tested for antibacterial activity against human and plant pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vitians, Enterobacter cloacae, Burkholderia sepasia, Pantoea ananatis, and for antifungal activity against fungi Rhizoctonia sp . , Alternaria sp. , and Fusarium sp. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values were determined. Our results indicate that acetone and methanol fractions have moderate antibacterial and antifungal activity.
Facile Room‐Temperature Anion Exchange Reactions of Inorganic Perovskite Quantum Dots Enabled by a Modular Microfluidic Platform

In an effort to produce the materials of next‐generation photoelectronic devices, postsynthesis halide exchange reactions of perovskite quantum dots are explored to achieve enhanced bandgap tunability. However, comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted halide exchange reactions is inhibited by their vast relevant parameter space and complex reaction network. In this work, a facile room‐temperature strategy is presented for rapid halide exchange of inorganic perovskite quantum dots. A comprehensive understanding of the halide exchange reactions is provided by isolating reaction kinetics from precursor mixing rates utilizing a modular microfluidic platform, Quantum Dot Exchanger (QDExer). The effects of ligand composition and halide salt source on the rate and extent of the halide exchange reactions are illustrated. This fluidic platform offers a unique time‐ and material‐efficient approach for studies of solution phase‐processed colloidal nanocrystals beyond those studied here and may accelerate the discovery and optimization of next‐generation materials for energy technologies.
CajunBot-II: An Autonomous Vehicle for the DARPA Urban Challenge

CajunBot-II is a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon equipped with an INS/GPS for localization. It has is equipped with a variety of environment sensors, including SICK LMS LIDAR sensors, Alasca XT LIDAR sensors from Ibeo, stereo vision, and radars. The software system is decomposed into a collection of programs communicating via a blackboard supported by a layer of middleware. Localization from the GPS and INS is improved by a Kalman filter based algorithm using a SICK LIDAR, and vehicle commands. Environment sensor data is fused using probabilities derived from the operating context. The mission is mapped into a series of maneuvers using the mission, vehicle state, and environmental information. A maneuver is applicable only on a path with a certain geometry. Execution of a maneuver takes into account the dynamic driving conditions. Human driving experiences are used to catalogue the maneuvers needed to satisfy the UC requirements. The team uses a 3-D physics based simulator for virtual testing. By using an RNDF file to create a world, the simulator provides a seamless way to perform the same tests in the field and in the lab. This compresses the debugging effort because scenarios observed in the field can be recreated in the lab.
A Study for Aerodynamic Drag Reduction on Variable Message Sign using Flow Analysis

As the demand of Variable Message Sign(VMS) has become pervasive in fulfilling the ITS policy, the costs of maintaining the Variable Message Sign operation have also increased. This paper proposes the U-curved figure, the C-curved figure and the ventilated figure type for aerodynamic drag reduction on Variable Message Sign and shows the analysis of aerodynamic drag effects using Flow Analysis. As a results of the flow analysis for right-angled, 45 degrees from side to side and 45 degrees from up or down, the C-curved figure and the ventilated figure type show about 30% aerodynamic drag reduction in all direction. And the U-curved figure type shows vivid aerodynamic drag reduction for right-angled and 45 degree from side to side, but trivial aerodynamic drag reduction for 45 degree from up or down. It is possible to reduce not only the damage on Variable Message Sign due to typhoon because of the aerodynamic drag reduction, but also installation constraints because of lighter Variable Message Sign support structure by appling the proposed structure and analysis in this paper.
Mathematical modeling of carrier mediated mass transfer through liquid membrane systems

Title of Dissertation: Mathematical Modeling of Carrier Mediated Mass Transfer through Liquid Membrane Systems Keng Chao Wang Doctor of Engineering Science, 1984 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Ching-Rong Huang Professor & Assistant Chairman Department of Chemical Engineering & Chemistry Dispersed liquid membrane systems are double emulsion drops. Two immiscible phases are separated by a third phase which is immiscible with the other two phases. The liquid membrane systems were classified into three types: (1) carrier mediated mass transfer, (2) mass transfer with reaction in the receiving phase, (3) mass transfer without any reaction involved. Copper extraction, phenol removal and solvent extraction were used as typical examples for each type of the membrane systems in the derivation of their mathematical models. Models with or without the consideration of film resistances were developed and compared. The models developed in this study can predict the extraction rate through dispersed liquid membranes theoretically. All parameters required in the models can be determined before an experimental extraction run. Experimental data from this study (copper extraction) and from literature (phenol removal and solvent extraction) were used to test the models. The agreements between the theoretical predictions and the experiemental data were very good. The advantages of dispersed liquid membrane systems over traditional methods were discussed. The models developed in this research can be used directly for the design of dispersed liquid membrane systems. The results of this study represent a very significant step toward the practical applications of the dispersed liquid membrane technology.
Impact of diabetes on the accuracy and speed of accessing information from episodic and working memory

Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of diabetes on episodic memory and working memory after controlling for other comorbidities and several demographic and biological variables. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1656 participants. From this sample, 100 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This group was compared with participants without diabetes matched by age, education and sex. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that after controlling for demographic variables (age, sex, years of education, vocabulary scores, Mini-Mental State Exam scores and Beck Depression Inventory scores) and biological variables (body mass index, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure), the diabetes status significantly predicted recollection (β = .62), recognition (β = .28), verbal working memory in low (β = .39) and high (β = .29) difficulty tasks, spatial working memory in low (β = .32) and high (β = .38) difficulty tasks, and speed in verbal high difficulty tasks (β = −.33) and spatial low difficulty (β = −.30) working memory tasks. The most essential memory processes for autonomous everyday living are widely affected in diabetic individuals free from other comorbidities despite the administration of glycemic medication.
Value Proposition: An exploration of a new model of service delivery for CIS clients.

This exploratory case study seeks to add original insight to organisations through the investigation of key elements of value proposition in the Financial Industry. A detailed proposal of a new model of service delivery for Collective Investment Clients is carried out, analyzing key elements such as the role of the custodian bank to CIS clients, the CIS product and the role of trust. The research is of importance because the financial industry is under pressure to reduce costs, improve efficiency and retain customers (Harness and Mackay, 1997). Delivering superior value to customers is a source of competitive advantage as studies indicate that poor service is the main reason for customers to leave (Liniere, 2013). Also the CIS product is one of the most dynamic products in the Financial Industry (Freeman, 2004), and the expectations are that will keep growing, hence the relevance for this study. A case study is used to investigate the value proposition for CIS clients. The case study is the most appropriate instrument as investigates different phenomenon of real life contexts (Robson, 2002). Following literature review, the research moves forward to review the data collection, the predominant research instrument which in this case is a qualitative approach through eight face to face in depth interviews held with key people in one large organisation. The research identifies gaps in the literature review and suggests further research is warranted. The research draws a conclusion that there are clear benefits to the proposed new model of service with a slight amendment of keeping a designated person to be the gatekeeper as the role of trust plays a bigger role than expected. Therefore a hybrid of the current model and the new proposed model is the result of this research.
Experimental Investigation of the Strength of Damaged Pressure Hulls - Phases 5 & 6: The Influence of Out-of-Circularity on Collapse

Abstract : Collapse tests were performed on twelve small-scale ring-stiffened cylinders. The test specimens were machined from aluminium tubing, and then mechanically deformed in order to introduce more realistic levels of out-of-circularity (OOC) in the critical collapse mode. Six of the test specimens had additional damage in the form of artificial corrosion thinning, which was introduced by machining away some of the shell plating. Corrosion damage was found to affect the strength of cylinders in different ways, depending on its orientation with respect to the OOC shape. When the corrosion damage was aligned with an inward lobe of the applied OOC shape, the effects of thinning and imperfections were additive and led to significant decreases in collapse pressure. When the hull thinning was collocated with outward OOC lobes, the corrosion damage tended to reduce the overall OOC, and only a small reduction in collapse pressure was noted, primarily due to the high stresses in the thinned shell itself. Finite element models were used to simulate the mechanical procedure used to apply OOC to the cylinders. The predicted residual stress field was in the elastic range of the material, and subsequent collapse analysis indicated that those residual stresses resulted in a 3% reduction in collapse pressure compared to a stress-relieved model. It is not thought that residual stresses have significantly affected the collapse behaviour of the actual test specimens. Finite element models based on the measured shape and material properties of forty specimens tested in the current and previous testing phases were able to predict the experimental collapse pressures with an accuracy of 9.5%, with 95% confidence.
Experiences about Reading and Writing Development Narrated by Students with Severe Speech and Physical Impairment

ABSTRACT Earlier research shows an arrest in reading and writing development among 9–12-year-old students with severe speech and physical impairment, SSPI. This article explores what five students with SSPI who have reached beyond beginner’s phase without arrest in their literacy development have experienced as significant for their reading and writing development. The research design was explorative and case based. It contained researcher–participant longitudinal dialogues focusing on the students’ experiences of literacy learning. Computer assisted email interviews were used. A semi-structured interview manual guided each dialogue. With the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and assistive technology devices, the participants could read and write (with alphabetical print in Swedish) independently. The analysis revealed four themes of great importance for the students’ development of alphabetical print literacy skills: assistive technology use in writing and reading, continuity in long-term pedagogical relationships, mutual persistence in communication, and visions of nearer goals and future work life. The results are discussed in relation to the theoretical frameworks of self-efficacy and the capability approach.
SP-DARTS: Synchronous Progressive Differentiable Neural Architecture Search for Image Classification

SUMMARY Di ﬀ erentiable neural architecture search (DARTS) is now a widely disseminated weight-sharing neural architecture search method and it consists of two stages: search and evaluation. However, the original DARTS su ﬀ ers from some well-known shortcomings. Firstly, the width and depth of the network, as well as the operation of two stages are discontinuous, which causes a performance collapse. Secondly, DARTS has a high computational overhead. In this paper, we propose a synchronous progressive approach to solve the discontinuity problem for network depth and width and we use the 0-1 loss function to alleviate the discontinuity problem caused by the discretization of operation. The computational overhead is reduced by using the partial channel connection. Besides, we also discuss and propose a solution to the aggregation of skip operations during the search process of DARTS. We conduct extensive experiments on CIFAR-10 and WANFANG datasets, speciﬁcally, our approach reduces search time signiﬁcantly (from 1.5 to 0.1 GPU days) and improves the accuracy of image recognition.
Photocontrolled organic field effect transistors based on the fullerene C60 and spiropyran hybrid molecule

Photocontrolled organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) containing a hybrid compound of fullerene C60 (n-semiconductor) with spiropyran (electrical conductivity photocontroller) as the active layer were fabricated for the first time. It was found that an OFET based on the hybrid compound, unlike the multilayer transistor (a device based on unmodified fullerene C60 and spiropyran in different layers), has higher transfer characteristics (source-to-drain current), charge carrier mobility in the active layer, and response rate to external influence, which makes them promising materials for the manufacture of optical memory elements.