Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Solution of First Excursion Problems by Simulation with Applications to Probabilistic Seismic Performance Assessment

In a probabilistic assessment of the performance of structures subjected to uncertain environmental loads such as earthquakes, an important problem is to determine the probability that the structural response exceeds some specified limits within a given duration of interest. This problem is known as the first excursion problem, and it has been a challenging problem in the theory of stochastic dynamics and reliability analysis. In spite of the enormous amount of attention the problem has received, there is no procedure available for its general solution, especially for engineering problems of interest where the complexity of the system is large and the failure probability is small. The application of simulation methods to solving the first excursion problem is investigated in this dissertation, with the objective of assessing the probabilistic performance of structures subjected to uncertain earthquake excitations modeled by stochastic processes. From a simulation perspective, the major difficulty in the first excursion problem comes from the large number of uncertain parameters often encountered in the stochastic description of the excitation. Existing simulation tools are examined, with special regard to their applicability in problems with a large number of uncertain parameters. Two efficient simulation methods are developed to solve the first excursion problem. The first method is developed specifically for linear dynamical systems, and it is found to be extremely efficient compared to existing techniques. The second method is more robust to the type of problem, and it is applicable to general dynamical systems. It is efficient for estimating small failure probabilities because the computational effort grows at a much slower rate with decreasing failure probability than standard Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation methods are applied to assess the probabilistic performance of structures subjected to uncertain earthquake excitation. Failure analysis is also carried out using the samples generated during simulation, which provide insight into the probable scenarios that will occur given that a structure fails.
Surveying quality management: A new measure‐oriented approach

In this paper, the two main approaches employed up to now in quality‐related surveys, namely the technique‐oriented and the activity‐oriented ones, are discussed, showing their relative advantages and weaknesses. Then, a new method of surveying quality management, based on the analysis of quality‐related information flows, is presented and discussed. In order to illustrate the comparative advantages of this new measure‐oriented approach, some results from a field survey on Italian white goods manufacturers are discussed. Results provide evidence on the power of the new approach here presented to disclose new aspects of quality management that could have been overlooked by other approaches. Moreover, it is shown that the new approach is considerably more efficient than others in terms of time consumption for the data collection phase with respect to the depth of information collected.
Development of an ambient intelligent enviroment to facilitate the modelling of “Well-being”

The monitoring of individuals conditions in a purely medical sense, through the acquisition and interpretation of physiological data by a medical practitioner on a regular, personal basis, will not be a viable proposition in the future due to the projected numbers of individuals requiring such activity. The programme of work being developed in the University of Glamorgan defines a networked, wireless ambient data acquisition environment that serves as real world Ambient Intelligent Environment (AIE) test bed. Its objective is the classification and integration of the data into a knowledge based intelligent system to provide the mechanism of ubiquitous computing. This paper presents a framework in which those ideas can be applied and tested in a distributed architecture that will facilitate invasive observation and even a level of supervision through pervasive and intelligent supervisor interventions. Initial work that has been undertaken has attempted to infer the emotional state of an individual within a monitored ambient intelligent environment and these early findings are presented as an indicator of the potential of the architecture being developed. The knowledge abstraction mechanism and classification techniques focus on the use of fuzzy logic methodology where a non-intrusive intelligent learning and adaptation agent that could be embedded in Ambient Intelligent Environments will be discussed. This proposed agent learns and models the user behaviour in order to control the environment on their behalf with respect to his emotional state. In order to realise one of the main requirements of ambient intelligent systems, the agent was developed to act in an adaptive way where it will manage and control the environment on behalf of the user with respect to his emotional state as an attempt to understand the word "Well- being". It will also allow the rules to be adapted and extended online, assisting a life-long learning technique as the environmental conditions changes and the user behaviour adjust with it. (6 pages)
Study of compact antenna for UWB applications

A novel miniature antenna design for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications is presented. The proposed compact antenna is achieved by exploiting a quasi-self-complementary structure along with a tapered radiating slot. The optimal design of this type of antenna can offer an ultra-wide 10 dB impedance bandwidth with reasonable radiation properties. It also exhibits very small dimensions, 19 × 16 mm in physical size, and 0.19 ? in electrical size. Good agreement is obtained between simulated and measured antenna characteristics.
IMPLEMENTASI CYBER PUBLIC RELATIONS DALAM MENINGKATKAN REPUTASI UNIVERSITAS GADJAH MADA YOGYAKARTA SEBAGAI UNIVERSITAS RISET BERKELAS DUNIA

Reputasi menjadi faktor penting dalam persaingan di dunia usaha. Hal tersebut juga disadari oleh UGM yang sedang berupaya untuk meningkatkan reputasi dari universitas terbesar di Indonesia menjadi universitas riset berkelas dunia. Dalam proses peningkatan reputasi tersebut, salah satu elemen yang berperan adalah komunikasi. Humas UGM sebagai divisi yang menjalankan fungsi komunikasi tersebut perlu memanfaatkan berbagai media yang ada. Perkembangan pengguna media online yang pesat kemudian mengharuskan Divisi Humas UGM untuk dapat berpartisipasi guna berinteraksi dengan masyarakatatau yang dikenal sebagai cyberPR. Dengan demikian maka penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana kontribusi implementasi cyber PR dalam meningkatkan reputasi UGM. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode penelitian kualitatif dengan sifat desktriptif. Data yang digunakan adalah data-data yang didapat berdasarkan hasil wawancara dengan narasumber yang terlibat dalam implementasi cyber PR. Dari data yang dikumpulkan, bentuk implementasi cyber PRterbagi menjadi lima yaitu pembuatan press release, berita video, pemantauan dan pelaksanaan interaksi di media sosial, pengelolaan sistem informasi aspirasi publik (SIAP) dan penyediaan informasi. Meskipun bentuk-bentuk implementasi cyber PR yang beragam, didapati bahwa kontribusi implementasi cyber PR dalam meningkatkan reputasi UGM hanya berfokus pada publikasi yang terdapat pada bentuk-bentuk implementasi tersebut. publikasi dilakukan dengan menggunakan unit-unit lain sebagai sumber informasi yang mengangkat tentang penelitian. Topik khusus tentang penelitian dipublikasikan guna membangun pemahaman tentang UGM sebagai universitas riset berkelas dunia dan interaksi yang terjadi belum memberikan kontribusi yang signifikan.
Operational Results of a Closed Brayton Cycle Test‐Loop

A number of space and terrestrial power system designs plan to use nuclear reactors that are coupled to Closed‐loop Brayton Cycle (CBC) systems to generate electrical power. Because very little experience exists regarding the operational behavior of these systems, Sandia National Laboratories (through its Laboratory Directed Research and Development program) is developing a closed‐loop test bed that can be used to determine the operational behavior of these systems and to validate models for these systems. Sandia has contracted Barber‐Nichols Corporation to design, fabricate, and assemble a Closed‐loop Brayton Cycle (CBC) system. This system was developed by modifying commercially available hardware. It uses a 30 kWe Capstone C‐30 gas‐turbine unit (www.capstoneturbine.com) with a modified housing that permits the attachment of an electrical heater and a water cooled chiller that are connected to the turbo‐machinery in a closed loop. The test‐loop reuses the Capstone turbine, compressor, and alternator. Th.
The Impact of Parental Presence on the Anxiety Experienced by Pediatric Patients During Anesthesia

This integrative review compared the use and impact of parental presence on the anxiety experienced by pediatric patients during anesthesia. Every year, millions of children receive anesthesia and experience separation from their parents which can cause anxiety due to unfamiliar situations, environments, or people. A search was completed using electronic databases, including Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Pubmed. The PRISMA flowchart was utilized, guided by inclusion and exclusion criteria, to identify and document the six studies included in the review. Studies were critically appraised using Polit&Beck's critical analysis tables to evaluate the quality of the studies included in the review. The primary outcome examined was anxiety. A cross study analysis was performed to examine the reviewed literature for common themes. Findings showed mixed results in the overall anxiety levels when pediatric patients were accompanied to the operating room with a parent. Parental presence is a strategy that can be used to reduce anxiety and improve satisfaction in pediatric patients requiring anesthesia. More research is recommended. Overall, this integrative review supported parental presence and distraction techniques to reduce anxiety during anesthesia in pediatric patients.
Design of Optimal Maintenance Policy using Markov Model

The availability of the machine is the major consideration of all manufacturing industries. This activity leads to decide productivity of the industry. This research paper explained in detail about the availability analysis of the Timing Belt (V-Belt) manufacturing systems in the rubber industry. The performance of the belt manufacturing systems is analyzed by using the Markovian Birth-Death approach in all conditions of the systems like Raw, Reduced capacity and Repair (RRR). The transition diagram of the belt manufacturing process is drawn by the actual layout of the belt manufacturing process in the rubber industry and then developed the first-order differential and steady-state mathematical equation of the belt manufacturing process in the rubber industry. This approach is most widely used for sequence operation problems and this is the suitable mathematical model for the performance analysis of systems because this model predicts the future sequence of the model with respect to the current sequence model of the process industry. This approach can easily denote the repairable systems of all conditions (RRR). The main goal of this research analysis is to identify the effective subsystem of the belt manufacturing process in the rubber industry by the graphical representation of the changes in the availability and variations of the failure, repair rate of the subsystem of the best manufacturing process in the rubber industry. The variety of the failure rate and repair rate of the systems and the decision matrix of the subsystems is developed by the Markovian Birth-Death approach. The mathematical equations of all subsystems are solved by using MATLAB programming.
Confusions and Conventions: Qualitative Research in Engineering Education

Moving into a new area of research, especially an interdisciplinary area and from technical to social research data, can be daunting. There are many new terms to encounter and whole new ways of doing things. Furthermore, the new variety of qualitative research emerging from engineering education research groups can fall in betwixt and between – with reviewers from neither social science nor engineering domains recognizing what they see as quality and hence rejecting the work. As members of the Editorial Board, we have seen an increasing number of qualitative research papers submitted to the Journal of Engineering Education over the last couple of years, but we are disturbed by the number of these that get rejected. How can we assess quality in unknown and innovative areas of work? This guest editorial aims to throw some light on the confusions arising at this juxtaposition of engineering/physical science and social science cultures in order to lay the foundations for better research papers and better reviews of qualitative studies in this Journal and elsewhere. In particular, we seek to highlight how research design encompasses epistemology, theory, methodology, and methods – all of them integrated in a coherent way.
Improving the level of knowledge generation

This study develops and tests a conceptual model that focuses on how managerial controllable variables influence the level of knowledge generation. Based on literature and "theory-in-use" field research in seven knowledge-intensive organizations, the authors developed research hypotheses and tested the hypotheses using data collected from 277 firms in high technology industries. The findings suggest that the R&D budget, job rotation, information technologies, individual commitment, and organizational crisis increase levels of knowledge generation.
Development of Condition Indexes for Building Exteriors.

Abstract : The Army's significant annual investment (about $1.1 billion) in building maintenance and repair (M&R) dictates that facility managers use some simple, practical condition assessment method to identify and prioritize maintenance requirements for all buildings. The U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL) is developing the BUILDER Engineered Management System (EMS), a microcomputer-based decision support system specifically designed to standardize and add structure to the maintenance management of military buildings, but also generally applicable to all public and private buildings. BUILDER will use an objective, repeatable condition assessment method-in the form of condition indexes-to help facility managers: (1) assess current conditions, (2) predict future conditions, (3) establish deterioration rates, (4) determine and prioritize current and long range M&R needs, (5) formulate budgets, and (6) measure the effectiveness of M&R. BUILDER will require condition indexes for all the component/material combinations that comprise the many diverse building systems. This study developed the methodology to derive the needed condition indexes for exterior closure systems.
Could FEF 25–75 levels or blood eosinophil counts predict the presence or absence of bronchial hyperreactivity?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The relationship between bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) and lung function parameters and blood eosinophilia in suspected asthmatics is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between FEF 25-75 values and blood eosinophilia levels and BHR in patients with asthma symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographic and spirometric data and blood eosinophil counts were compared between patients with and without significant BHR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate FEF25–75 and blood eosinophil count cutoff values to distinguish BHR in these patients. RESULTS: According to the data of 894 patients, with BHR in 182 (20.4%), FEF25%–75% were significantly lower and blood eosinophil counts were significantly higher in patients with BHR. The best discriminatory values to assess the nonevident BHR were 64.5% for FEF25–75 (sensitivity: 94.2% and specificity: 18.7%) and 164/μL for blood eosinophil count (sensitivity: 59.6% and specificity 60.2%). The rate of nonevident BHR was significantly different between patients with FEF25–75 <65% and ≥65% (54.7% and 81.9%, respectively, P < 0.001). Although significant, the rates of nonevident BHR in patients with blood eosinophil counts below and above the cutoff (85.5% and 72.6%, respectively, P = 0.012) were not as different as the rates in patients with FEF25–75 values below and above the cutoff. CONCLUSION: FEF25–75 is associated with BHR in patients with asthma symptoms. Nonevident BHR is more likely if FEF25–75 ≥65 in suspected asthmatics. However, blood eosinophil count is not helpful in predicting the absence of BHR in suspected asthmatics.
Using machine learning for real-time activity recognition and estimation of energy expenditure

Obesity is now considered a global epidemic and is predicted to become the number one preventive health threat in the industrialized world. Presently, over 60% of the U.S. adult population is overweight and 30% is obese. This is of concern because obesity is linked to leading causes of death, such as heart and pulmonary diseases, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The dramatic rise in obesity rates is attributed to an environment that provides easy access to high caloric food and drink and promotes low levels of physical activity. Unfortunately, many people have a poor understanding of their own daily energy (im)balance: the number of calories they consume from food compared with what they expend through physical activity. Accelerometers offer promise as an objective measure of physical activity. In prior work they have been used to estimate energy expenditure and activity type. This work further demonstrates how wireless accelerometers can be used for real-time automatic recognition of physical activity type, intensity, and duration and estimation of energy expenditure. The parameters of the algorithms such as type of classifier/regressor, feature set, window length, signal preprocessing, sensor set utilized and their placement on the human body are selected by performing a set of incremental experiments designed to identify sets of parameters that may balance system usability with robust, real-time performance in low processing power devices such as mobile phones. The algorithms implemented are evaluated using a dataset of examples of 52 activities collected from 20 participants at a gymnasium and a residential home. The algorithms presented here may ultimately allow for the development of mobile phonebased just-in-time interventions to increase self-awareness of physical activity patterns and increases in physical activity levels in real-time during free-living that scale to large populations.
A Cross-Country Nonparametric Analysis of Bahrain's Banking System

Bahrain's financial sector development strategy succeeded in building a leading regional banking center, which has become one of the main engines of growth and sources of employment. Although the simulations conducted in the paper suggest that the banking sector in Bahrain continues to occupy a front-runner position among those in a sample of member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, they also reveal that: (i) as expected, banks in Bahrain still lag behind their Singaporean counterparts, and (ii) there is strong competition from other countries in the region. The paper also finds that in terms of scale efficiency, the banks in Bahrain operate at the same level as banks in Singapore and their closest competitors in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The results appear to be robust with respect to changes in the sample size and model specifications.
Dynamic equalization techniques for series battery stacks

Secondary battery life can be dramatically improved if the charging process can be regulated to prevent gassing and overcharging. This can be achieved by controlling the battery charging rate especially near the end of the charge cycle. Different charging algorithms have been devised to achieve this goal for individual battery modules. However, extending these algorithms to series connected battery stacks is not as straightforward. Normal differences in cell chemistries and temperature gradients along a battery stack can lead to large nonuniformities in cell charge levels. Maintenance of cells at an equalized charge level is critical for enhancing battery life. Different systems and schemes have been proposed to attain this goal. This paper presents, discusses and evaluates the different techniques proposed to achieve individual cell equalization for series battery stacks.
Design and control of microsatellite clusters for tracking missions

John Daniel Griffith Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005 Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2007 c © John Daniel Griffith, MMVII. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part.
Building Coherence through Whole School Reform: The Case of the AVID Elementary Program

Abstract Educators, researchers, and policy makers concerned about college under-enrollment among underserved groups of students have traditionally focused reform efforts at the high school level. Over the last several decades, however, there has been a growing interest in improving college readiness beginning at the elementary level. Recently, the well-known Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program launched a college readiness program for elementary students (AE). Drawing on in-depth qualitative case study data on six AE schools from four states (Arizona, California, Washington, and Florida) in the U.S., we examine the profound affect that program coherence can have on supporting student learning and socializing elementary students into a college going culture. Over fifty interviews with teachers and school principals reveal the impact of structural and cultural coherence, along with the influence of educators’ actions when they cohere around a focused common goal of supporting students on an academically oriented path. At the same time, this study shows that when students were faced with the absence of reform coherence at the district level, they were unable to access the academic support needed to sustain this trajectory. This study has important implications for reform policy and practice at the school and district level.
Wind turbine technology : fundamental concepts of wind turbine engineering

This state-of-the-art guide to wind turbine engineering lets you: examine the real-life choices made by inventors, designers, and builders of turbines; absorb their practical lessons; and synthesize the experiences of a wide range of wind-energy professionals. You get technical expertise on a wide range of material, including advances in aerodynamics, structural dynamics and fatigue, wind characteristics, acoustic and electromagnetic emissions, commercial wind power applications, and utility power systems. Packed with applications-oriented advice -- and including numerous graphics and numerical examples -- this authoritative volume provides uniform terminology, nomenclature, and graphic style, as well as widespread cross-referencing. Covering design concepts and philosophies, research and demonstration projects, and the integration of wind power plants into electrical utility systems, Wind Turbine Technology is both a practical reference and a classroom text.