Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capability for infrastructure asset capacity management

Infrastructure capacity management is the process of ensuring optimal provision of infrastructure assets to support business operations. Effectiveness in this process will enable infrastructure asset owners and its stakeholders to receive full value on their investment. Management research has shown that an organisation can only achieve business value when it has the right capabilities. This paradigm can also be applied to infrastructure capacity management. With competing needs for limited organisation resources, the challenge for infrastructure organisations is to identify and invest their limited resources to develop the right capabilities in the management of their infrastructure capacity. Using a multiple case study approach, the challenges faced in the management of infrastructure asset capacity and the approaches that can be adopted to overcome these challenges were explored. Conceptualising the approaches adopted by the case participants, the findings suggest that infrastructure organisations must strengthen their stakeholder connectivity capability in order to effectively manage the capacity of their infrastructure assets.
Independence and maximal volume of d-dimensional random convex hull

Abstract In this paper, we study the maximal property of the volume of the convex hull of d-dimensional independent random vectors. We show that the volume of the random convex hull from a multivariate location-scale family indexed by Σ is stochastically maximized in simple stochastic order when Σ is diagonal. The claim can be applied to a broad class of multivariate distributions that include skewed/unskewed multivariate t-distributions. We numerically investigate the proven stochastic relationship between the dependent and independent random convex hulls with the Gaussian random convex hull. The numerical results confirm our theoretical findings and the maximal property of the volume of the independent random convex hull.
Tele-Presence: Bringing the operator back in the loop

The importance of uninhabited vehicles in military environments has been recognised for many years. Much progress has been made in fields such as robotics and data communications, but not so much on the human factors issues. This is partly due to the trend to strive for ever higher levels of system autonomy, leaving the operator the task of supervising the system. However, by increasing system automation, the cognitive system of operators may become a bottleneck. A recent concept (which we call tele-presence) to tackle this problem is to design man-machine interfaces that allow operators to optimally use their perceptual motor system in order to relieve the cognitive system. Such an interface would enable sheer effortless looking and moving around in the remote environment by bringing the operator back in the front of the loop, resulting in a redistribution of task demands from the cognitive level to the perceptual level. A successful implementation would result in increased situational awareness and reduced cognitive load. This paper starts with describing the theoretical background behind tele-presence concept among others based on EndsleyAEs Situational Awareness model. In the second part, we describe the design of a telepresence interface for controlling an unmanned ground vehicle and an initial, exploratory study. The findings of this experiment show that we were not able to elicit a robust tele-presence effect yet. We discuss the results in relation to the present state of technology, interface characteristics such as delay between input and feedback, behaviour and motion sickness, and make recommendations on future research directions.
The extraction of type 1 collagen and the fabrication of multi-filament embedded hydrogels for guided nerve regeneration

THE EXTRACTION OF TYPE I COLLAGEN AND THE FABRICATION OF MULTI-FILAMENT EMBEDDED HYDROGELS FOR GUIDED NERVE REGENERATION by Mevan Lakmal Siriwardane Each year, there are approximately 11,000 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States [2]. There have been some success in pre-clinical studies to induce axonal generation, but the reconnection of axons over large distances remains the greatest challenge. Since the development of nerve conduit to facilitate general axonal regeneration, the primary focus has changed to directing the regeneration of axons while also promoting their outgrowth over very extensive lesions to ensure functional recovery of transected nerves during in vitro experiments by using natural materials such as type I collagen, which is the largest constituent of the extra-cellular matrix of living tissue. In this project, fabrication of novel constructs for nerve tissue guidance was carried out using homogenous hydrogels and multi-filament arrays of wet-spun fibers/hydrogel composites derived from extracted type I collagen. A comparison of axonal outgrowth on 2D and 3D environments revealed that dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) slightly favored 3D collagen gels compared to 2D collagen substrates after 9 days of culture. DRG neurites grown on 3D collagen gels exhibited optimal growth on a 0.8 mg/ml collagen gel concentration. Extracted type I bovine collagen was wet spun at 2% and 5% wt bovine collagen in ethanol to yield fibers as small as 1.389 in diameter. BCA total protein assay and SDS-PAGE were used to validate the quantity and purity of extracted rat tail collagen. Doublet bands present at 235 kDa and 215 kDa and another pair of doublets at 130 kDa and 115 kDa characteristic of rat tail type I collagen were seen for both extracted and commercial rat tail collagen using SDS-PAGE. Low absorbance values from BCA total protein revealed that this technique is not suitable for quantifying rat tail type I collagen. THE EXTRACTION OF TYPE I COLLAGEN AND THE FABRICATION OF MULTI-FILAMENT EMBEDDED HYDROGELS FOR GUIDED NERVE REGENERATION by Mevan Lakmal Siriwardane A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering Department of Biomedical Engineering
Digital Signal Processing Approach in Air Coupled Ultrasound Time Domain Beamforming

The work presents the results of experimental study on the possibilities of determining the source of an ultrasonic signal in two-dimensional space (distance, horizontal angle). During the research the team used a self-constructed linear array of MEMS microphones. Knowledge in the field of sonar systems was utilized to analyse and design a location system based on a microphone array. Using the above mentioned transducers and broadband ultrasound sources allows a quantitative comparison of estimation of the location of an ultrasonic wave source with the use of broadband modulated signals (modelled on bats’ echolocation signals) to be performed. During the laboratory research the team used various signal processing algorithms, which made it possible to select an optimal processing strategy, where the sending signal is known.
SAVASA Project @ TRECVid 2013: Semantic Indexing and Interactive Surveillance Event Detection

In this paper we describe our participation in the semantic indexing (SIN) and interactive surveillance event detection (SED) tasks at TRECVid 2013 [11]. Our work was motivated by the goals of the EU SAVASA project (Standards-based Approach to Video Archive Search and Analysis) which supports search over multiple video archives. Our aims were: to assess a standard object detection methodology (SIN); evaluate contrasting runs in automatic event detection (SED) and deploy a distributed, cloud-based search interface for the interactive component of the SED task. Results from the SIN task, underlying retrospective classifiers for the surveillance event detection and a discussion of the contrasting aims of the SAVASA user interface compared with the TRECVid task requirements are presented.
Importance of phytodetritus and microphytobenthos for heterotrophs in a shallow subtidal sandy sediment

The relative importance of allochthonous phytodetritus deposition and autochthonous microphytobenthos (MPB) production for benthic consumers in an organic carbon (C-org)-poor sandy sediment was assessed using a C-13-stable isotope natural abundance study combined with a dual C-13-tracer addition approach. In a first experiment (Expt 1), a set of sediment cores received a pulse of C-13-labelled phytodetritus and the fate of that organic matter was followed in the benthic food web (bacteria, meiofauna and macrofauna) over a period of 72 h. In a second experiment (Expt 2), the MPB present in a set of sediment cores was labelled with C-13-bicarbonate and the fate of labelled MPB was followed the same way over a period of 96 h. Natural C-13 abundances of sources and consumers revealed that the benthic food web likely relied primarily on MPB. In particular, diatoms contributed at least 40% to the diet of 12 out of the 16 taxonomic groups identified. The dual approach revealed the complexity of the trophic interactions and gave evidence for resource partitioning between 2 species of harpacticoid copepods. Both C-13-tracer addition experiments showed a fast transfer of label to most heterotrophs. Bacteria, which comprised the largest fraction of the heterotroph biomass, incorporated more C-13 than other consumers. Meiofauna had similar relative incorporations in both experiments and likely relied equally on benthic and pelagic inputs. Macrofauna relied significantly more on MPB. In both experiments, most of the C-13-label that was incorporated by heterotrophs was respired. While phytodetritus-derived C-org consumed by heterotrophs was 41 mg C m(-2), MPB-derived was at least one order of magnitude higher. The benthic community growth efficiency in Expt 2 (40%) was higher than that of Expt 1 (25%), confirming the pivotal role of MPB.
The problematically short superwind of OH/IR stars - Probing the outflow with the 69 {\mu}m spectral band of forsterite

Spectra of OH/IR stars show prominent spectral bands of crystalline olivine (Mg$_{(2-2x)}$Fe$_{(2x)}$SiO$_{4}$). To learn more about the timescale of the outflows of OH/IR stars, we study the spectral band of crystalline olivine at 69 {\mu}m. The 69 {\mu}m band is of interest because its width and peak wavelength position are sensitive to the grain temperature and to the exact composition of the crystalline olivine. With Herschel/PACS, we observed the 69 {\mu}m band in the outflow of 14 OH/IR stars. By comparing the crystalline olivine features of our sample with those of model spectra, we determined the size of the outflow and its crystalline olivine abundance. The temperature indicated by the observed 69 {\mu}m bands can only be reproduced by models with a geometrically compact superwind ($R_{\rm{SW}}\lesssim$ 2500 AU = 1400 R$_{*}$). This means that the superwind started less than 1200 years ago (assuming an outflow velocity of 10 km/s). The small amount of mass lost in one superwind and the high progenitor mass of the OH/IR stars introduce a mass loss and thus evolutionary problem for these objects, which has not yet been understood.
Digital Watermarking Approach Based on Edge Based Sorted Pixel Value Difference (ESPVD)

Objectives: The major challenge in Imaging applications, particularly Digital Multimedia data transfer over the internet is data authentication with copyright protection to ensure ownership of identification. This paper aims to propose a new digital watermarking approach based on Edgebased sorted pixel value difference (ESPVD) to protect copyrights. Method: The hypothesis behind the proposed method is mainly composed of two phases: Watermark inserting phase, detection and extraction phase. In the inserting phase, first of all motif pattern approach is used to generate the mixed Image and then, identify the edge pixel locations using morphological edge (ME) operator to embed the watermark. Now, sorted pixel value difference method is used to insert the watermark. The watermark extraction phase also uses the same procedure which is stated earlier to retrieve the watermark image. To evaluate and match the ground truth images with the proposed watermarked images, peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and normalized cross correlation (NCC) are employed as quantitative measures. Findings: The proposed algorithm is tested with two logo images inserted over 30 different popular images and the outcomes indicates that the proposed approach is consistently performing well in terms of PSNR and NCC. Application/Improvements: The present approach provides high level of authentication, robustness, security and copyright protection against several attacks by using motif patterns while changing the order of pattern sequence in the formation of mixed image.
Effects of organic selenium in broiler feed on the content of selenium and fatty acid profile in lipids of thigh muscle tissue

The aim of our study was to determine the effects of selenium supplementation to broiler feed on the content of selenium, total fatty acids in lipids and on the oxidative stability of broiler thigh muscle tissue. The experiment involved 40 broilers fattened for 42 days. During the first three weeks, all broilers consumed starter diet containing 22% crude protein. After three weeks, broilers were divided into two groups and fed finisher diets containing 18% crude protein and supplemented with 3% sunflower oil and 3% linseed oil. Group 1 was not administered artificial selenium; Group 2 was supplemented with organic selenium at the amount of 0.5 mg Se/kg of feed. Significantly higher (P 0.05) and increase of linolenic acid and total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05) in thigh muscle tissue of broilers. Since selenium and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are nutricines, our results show that the produced broiler meat may be considered as functional food. Broiler meat, TBARS, MUFA, PUFA
Influence of curing conditions on properties of Normal and high strength concrete with and without pre-wetted lightweight aggregates

This paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted to evaluate the effect of curing conditions on the properties of normal and high strength concrete (NSC and HSC) with and without pre-wetted lightweight aggregates (LWAs). Cylinder specimens were drilled out from square concrete slabs subjected to four curing regimes (i.e. standard, water, natural and sealed curing) respectively, and then tested to obtain the compressive strength after 60 days. Three discs cut along the height direction of cylinder specimens (top, middle and bottom) were used to orderly measure the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), open porosity, water absorption and splitting tensile strength. Afterwards, the comprehensive evaluation index, i.e. relative curing efficiency (RCE), was proposed based on the testing results above to quantitatively assess the effect of curing conditions on the physical properties of concrete. The experimental results indicated that curing conditions significantly influence the strengths and durability-related properties of NSC and HSC. The linear correlation can be obtained between sorptivity and open porosity of concrete under various curing conditions. Furthermore, in terms of the RCE analysis, the durability-related properties are more sensitive to the curing conditions than strengths for NSC and HSC.
Efficient Support for Mobile Computing on Construction Site

Today’s information exchange in managing projects are to a great extent supported by information technology. Especially mobile computing potencials can significantly improve the information exchange in construction. This paper addresses some important mobile computing potencials which can help tackle project collaboration and information dissemination problems. Special attention is given to the organizational and mobility issues of construction projects which must be considered by implementing mobile computing in construction. The final objective of the paper is to show why should be further research on mobile computing more focused on identifying the weaknesses of the present project information exchange procedures and their optimisation according to the applied IT in order to employ all of its advantages. The paper, however resides on practical experiences, which have been accurnulated through a series of experimental projects called e-site.
Fat tails, long memory, maturity and ageing in open-source software projects

We report activity data analysis on several open source software projects, focusing on time between modifications and on the number of files modified at once. Both have fat-tailed distributions, longterm memory, and display systematic non-trivial cross-correlations, suggesting that quiet periods are followed by cascading modifications. In addition the maturity of a software project can be measured from the exponent of the distribution of inter-modification time. Finally, the dynamics of a single file displays ageing, the average rate of modifications decaying as a function of time following a power-law.
Performance evaluation of railway subballast stabilised with geocell based on pull-out 1 testing 2 3

A large-scale apparatus was designed and built at the University of Wollongong to evaluate the pull-out strength of rail subballast reinforced with geocells. A series of tests were carried out to investigate the pull-out resistance, mobilised tensile strength (ttensile) and passive strength (tpassive) of a subballastgeocell assembly under a given range of overburden pressure (1 kPa < q < 45 kPa). The interface was held in a vertical alignment to better simulate the interaction between subballast and geocell in accordance with routine track practices. The test results show that the geocell reinforcement provides a considerable degree of passive resistance, where the opening area (OA) and lateral pressure (sn) over the geocell strip are found to be influential factors. A three-dimensional finite element simulation was also conducted. The numerical results show that the tensile strength mobilised in the geocell will increase as the geocell stiffness increases, but causes a reduction in tpassive. A parametric study was also developed to investigate the impact of geocell stiffness and friction coefficient on the passive resistance and mobilised tensile strength. These results indicate that the passive resistance and mobilised tensile strength increase with the increase in overburden pressure (q) and friction coefficient (d).
Dyeing Performance of Kapok Flower Colourant on Wool Fabrics

A natural red colorant was extracted from kapok flowers and used for dyeing wool fabrics. To identify the optimal dyeing conditions, wool dyeing was carried out at different temperatures and exhaustion periods. Dye sorption increased with prolonged dyeing time at elevated temperatures. In order to improve the fastness of the resultant colours, four different mordants were applied to the dyed fabrics in the post-mordanting process. The resultant fabrics changed from reddish to yellowish shade. Among all the mordants, Cr 6+ and Fe 3+ provided promising improvement in light, rubbing and washing fastness as well as UPF value of wool fabrics dyed with kapok flower colourant (KFC). Cr 6+ also greatly improved the colour yield of wool dyed with KFC.
Implementation of Statistic Process Control in a Painting Sector of a Automotive Manufacturer

The continuous improvement on quality of products and processes is a constant concern at organizations, as a response to growing competition and demands of the market. The implementation of statistical techniques adjusted to different situations is one way to achieve this goal. The application of traditional control charts requires, among other, that collected data are independent. However this is not always assured, reflecting a drastic increase of false alarms. This article presents a methodology for application of traditional univariate control charts, based on residuals, when data exhibit significant autocorrelation. Implementation took place in the painting process of an automotive company.
Foreign investment, government expenditure, and economic growth in Malaysia

This study uses the ordinary least squares technique to examine the effect of foreign investment and government expenditure on the growth in GDP per capita in Malaysia over the period 1978-2005. The regression results showed that the growth of export and ratio of government expenditure to GDP are the driving forces in enhancing the economic growth in Malaysia. Foreign investment and previous year real income per capita growth depict positive impact, whereas population growth exerts a negative impact on economic growth.
Repurposing Globalization: Discourse and Political Strategy in New Labour Britain. ACES Working Papers, 2012

As elsewhere in Europe and around the world, the discourse of globalization in the United Kingdom—the particular representation of the world as undergoing an epochal shift away from the traditional autonomy of the nation-state—has powerfully reshaped political debate. And this has had important distributional effects on the balance of power in the political party system, most notably in the return to power of the Labour Party as “New Labour” under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. But while it is known that articulations of globalization are embedded in the political system, a systematic analysis linking such discourse with party competition is lacking. In this paper, I propose that many features of the globalist language invoked by New Labour can be explained in terms of concrete strategic aims. Working with concepts of “heresthetics” and “bricolage” drawn from a synthesis of literatures, I illustrate this approach through several representative texts. These findings are then used to make predictions about the kind of globalization discourse to expect in the communications of two nationalist parties in the UK—“least likely” cases for globalism—which can be explored further as part of a larger research program.
Pilot study on indoor climate investigation and computer simulation in historical museum building: Amerongen Castle, the Netherlands

The indoor climate is one of the most important factors contributing to climate-induced damage to the building materials and cultural collections of a monumental building. The Dutch monumental building - Amerongen Castle, and the collections housed in it show severe deterioration caused by inappropriate historical indoor environment. Assessments of the indoor climate, especially on the room temperature and relative humidity, are necessary to analyze the causes and impacts of climate change. As the building was flooded in year 1993 and 1996, extra attention is paid to investigate the effects of flooding to it. This pilot study was aimed to identify the buildup linkages between the known past, historical data on indoor environment and indoor climate performance in the building through simulation based-prediction. This paper focuses on the methodology of indoor climate investigation from the past to the current situation. A hypothesis was developed on backcasting-based prediction simulation which can be used to identify the accepted historical indoor climate where during those times there probably was no damage to the building and the collection. A simulation method based on heat, air and moisture transport is used with the HAMBase program. The computer model representing the Grand Salon of Amerongen Castle was calibrated by comparing real measurements to simulation results. It shows that the differences were only to the minimum of -1.8 C and maximum of 3.2 C. The data for the historical outdoor weather files was obtained by interpolating outdoor ancient climatology constructed by MATLAB. Based on archival research, indoor thermal history was gathered as input for the profiles used in simulation. Further, the calibrated computer model can be used to simulate past indoor climate and investigate the process of the deterioration of the room and the collections mainly due to the fluctuation of indoor temperature and relative humidity. At the end, the climate related damages of the building from the past to current situation can be described and documented.