Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Office Productivity in Computerized Settings: The Role of Machine Statistics, Performance Feedback and Job Experience

This paper develops and tests a model of the determinants of productivity in twenty computerized offices of the Internal Revenue Service. The results suggest first, that management's focus on machine monitoring statistics is misguided; second, that performance feedback has a significant effect on productivity; and third, that job experience plays a central role in productivity even in entry-level positions.
Breynia disticha (snowbush).

Abstract B. disticha is considered as an invasive shrub to small tree in USA (Florida and Hawaii), Guinea, The British Indian Ocean Territory, Niue and Cuba (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012; Swearingen and Bargeron, 2016; PIER, 2017). The species invades areas close to where cultivated by root suckers (PIER, 2017). In Cuba it is considered as a transformer species, without further details (Oviedo Prieto et al., 2012). It is regarded as an invasive species in Florida-USA by Swearingen and Bargeron (2016), although it is not in the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's list of invasive plant species (Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2017). At Dave's Garden (2017) it is considered by the community as an invasive species in southern Florida, having the ability to spread quickly from roots in damp soils. It is not considered as an invasive species for Florida by Gilman (2014). In Hawaii-USA it has escaped from cultivation and is spreading vegetatively around abandoned homesites in Hawaii (PIER, 2017). In Guinea, the green-form of B. disticha is considered as an invasive species along the roadsides, in secondary thickets over many hectares, at the edge of a mangrove and in woodlands (Cheek et al., 2013). As its been found in areas with no evidence of former cultivation, apparently spreading through seeds. It has been collected in fruit at one of the sites. No details about its invasiveness are given for the British Ocean Territory and Niue.
A new effective method for removing measurement noise in eddy current nondestructive inspection

For tube detection, an effective denoise method based on Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) is presented. At first, by using an empirical mode decomposition algorithm, a sum of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF) are obtained; then, the IMF coefficients in useful signal dominative layer are proceede d using soft threshold method; at last, those IMF coefficient s are reconstructed. Compared with the traditional wavelet Transform, the HHT method is better to remove measurement noise.
New float equivalent calibration method for 2D image measuring system

Pixel equivalent is an important parameter to describe the relationship between pixels of digital images and actual size of measured piece in a 2D image measuring system. It is mainly calibrated with the standard component method, which is traditionally off-line and requires measuring conditions and attitude of devices to remain constant while measuring and calibrating. To overcome above limitations, a new calibration method is proposed in this paper which is defined as the float equivalent method. This method requires the standard component and measured piece be placed in image measuring system simultaneously. Everytime before measuring, no matter aiming at the same measuring point or not, the pixel equivalent is calibrated for this specific time, specific condition, specific measuring point, and specific object distance. This method has the advantage of reducing the influence of conditions changing on the accuracy without additional calibration equipment or operations. The steel tape verification system is taken as an example to testify the effectiveness of the method.
A 5700-year-old beach-ridge set at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and its implication for Holocene sea-level history in the southeastern USA

The Cape Canaveral Peninsula is the largest Holocene coastal sand deposit composed of beach ridges on the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is composed of 16 beach-ridge sets that are separated by erosional surfaces. Despite its prominence as a Holocene coastal depocenter, there are a limited amount of chronological data constraining the timing of its formation. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz and radiocarbon dating on individual marine shells to develop a refined chronology of the Cape Canaveral beach-ridge plain with particular focus on constraining the depositional age of the northwesterly-most, and geographically oldest, beach-ridge set on the peninsula. We obtain an average OSL age of 5680 ± 240 years (n = 4) for the initiation of coastal deposition at Cape Canaveral. The new ages, and the organization of beach ridges into 16 distinct sets indicates that the Cape Canaveral beach-ridge plain experienced an ~5700-year history of alternating deposition and erosion, with 75% of present-day Cape Canaveral (Beach-ridge Sets 5–16) deposited over the past 2000 years and Beach-ridge Sets 8–16 comprising 50% of the area over the past 1000 years. Because the minimum swale elevations of the ~5700-year Beach-ridge Set 1, and those of all the younger beach-ridge sets, are within several decimeters of present-day mean higher high water, we hypothesize that all the beach ridges present at Cape Canaveral could have been deposited at or within decimeters of present-day sea level. There is no evidence for Holocene “highstand” events over the past 5700 years in the published sea level curves from northeast and south Florida, which are based on subsurface estuarine foraminifera/leaf litter and mangrove peat data, respectively. This dichotomy illustrates the need to integrate both subaerial and subsurface data to produce a more realistic Holocene sea-level curve for the southeastern United States.
A methodological approach to sugar mill diversification and conversion

Sugar industry diversification is complex, being constrained by biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. Ongoing work has shown the sugarcane industry’s potential as biorefinery or its sustainable use by offering products as raw material. However, few studies have studied how such potential could be achieved by promoting a conventional sugar mill through integrating its indicators for developing an efficient diversified processing plant which would contribute towards fossil energy saving and competitiveness. This paper presents a conceptual framework for analysis based on existing knowledge regarding sugar industry state-of-the-art for evaluating diversification, using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) as a tool for analysing complex systems, identifying alternatives to the current situation and discussing them to facilitate collective decision-making. Sugar mill AHP scores enabled discussion about the variables most affecting sugar mill diversification (0.332 factory yield, 0.327 sugar mill products and 0.121 sugarcane quality). The results serve as a useful guidance for formulating strategies for the optimum use of by-products in a sugar mill while maximising benefits to modify/convert a traditional sugar mill to a so-called bio-refinery.
Shifting ground. Studies on the intersection of organizational expansion, internationalization and learning

Many firms seek to grow and expand, often beyond their own national borders. New markets are enticing, waiting to be explored and exploited. Especially acquisitions and joint ventures are of ever increasing popularity, not the least because of their apparent smooth and speedy gateway into the promised land. However, many of them fail. The journey into new grounds becomes an arduous one where cultural differences turn out to be shifting sands that blur the company's vision and limit the chances of survival of its ventures. The company has to shift ground and learn that its (domestic) principles and viewpoints do not hold in the new environment. This dissertation compiles a number of studies that identify these quandaries. Based on theoretical reasoning and extensive empirical investigation, the different trails that are taken are revealed, suggesting different paths of learning and stepping stones towards abiding growth.
Onboard calibration circuit for the DAMPE BGO calorimeter front-end electronics

DAMPE(DArk Matter Particle Explorer) is a scientific satellite which is mainly aimed at indirectly searching for dark matter in space. One critical sub-detector of the DAMPE payload is the BGO(bismuth germanium oxide) calorimeter, which contains 1848 PMT(photomultiplier tube) dynodes and 16 FEE(Front-End Electronics)boards. VA160 and VATA160, two 32-channel low power ASICs(Application Specific Integrated Circuits), are adopted as the key components on the FEEs to perform charge measurement for the PMT signals. In order to monitor the parameter drift which may be caused by temperature variation, aging, or other environmental factors,an onboard calibration circuit is designed for the VA160 and VATA160 ASICs. It is mainly composed of a 12-bit DAC(Digital to Analog Converter), an operational amplifier and an analog switch. Test results showed that a dynamic range of 0–30 p C with a precision of 5 f C(Root Meam Square, RMS) was achieved, which covers the VA160’s input range. It can be used to compensate for the temperature drift and test the trigger function of the FEEs. The calibration circuit has been implemented for the front-end electronics of the BGO Calorimeter and verified by all the environmental tests for both Qualification Model and Flight Model of DAMPE. The DAMPE satellite was launched at the end of 2015 and the calibration circuit will operate periodically in space.
Some Physical Properties of Wood Apple (Feronia Limonia L.)

Wood apple, traditionally known as poor man’s food, is native to India and traditionally has great demand for medicinal purposes. But unfortunately, it is unpopular and underutilized fruit because of lack of mechanical technologies for plucking/ harvesting, picking, cracking, processing and transportation, separating and packing and for removing of pulp of wood apple. Physical properties (length, breadth, thickness, arithmetic mean diameter (AMD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), specific gravity, aspect ratio, pulp and peel content, etc) are necessary and important for fabrication/designing of such processing equipments. The mean values of length, breadth, thickness, arithmetic mean diameter (AMD), geometric mean diameter (GMD), specific gravity, aspect ratio and pulp/peel ratio, etc. were evaluated as 72.3mm, 66.03mm, 56.09mm, 65.09mm, 64.65mm, 89.7%, 91.78% and 2.314, respectively, in this study. High value of sphericity (found between 74.3 and 99.7%) indicates that the wood apple fruit might follow the combination of rolling and sliding action on their flat surfaces. But, the high aspect ratio of 109.62 % indicates that wood apple will rather roll than slide on their flat surfaces. Similarly, the colour values (L, a, b, hue, croma and total colour change) of raw and ripe fruits and area (Jean & Ball and McCabe) of wood apple were also evaluated. In addition, fruit’s weight was also correlated with some physical parameters of wood apple for direct estimation of properties. But, the value of coefficient of determination (R2) showed the unsatisfactory fit of the data. This study, thus, could be the basis to provide fundamental knowledge for commercial level design of machines for post-harvest processing of wood apple.
Development of a Configurable and Enhanced RFID Reader Testbed Based on EPC Generation-2 Standard

Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID) wireless technology is becoming progressively more popular and important instrument that is used in logistic chains, tracking and localization items. One principal challenge that researchers in this field face is that commercial RFID readers look like a black box suffering from limited configuration, and thus, innovative modifications to the MAC or the PHY layer are not possible. In this paper, an enhanced Software Defined Radio (SDR) implementation of an RFID Reader based on EPC Generation-2 standard is presented. This implementation is carried out on the new generation of USRP N210 platform by using the software built on GNU Radio framework. In addition, the performance of the implemented reader is evaluated in Ultra-High frequency (UHF) band. It is found that the performance of the implemented reader is as good as the performance of commercial UHF RFID readers.
Gold nanoparticles-assisted plasmonic enhancement for DNA detection on the graphene-based portable SPR sensor

The impact of different gold nanoparticles (GNPs) structures on the plasmonic enhancement for DNA detection is investigated on a few-layer graphene (FLG) surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. Two distinct structures of gold nanourchins (GNu) and gold nanorods (GNr) were used to bind the uniquely designed single-stranded probe DNA (ssDNA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) DNA. The two types of GNPs-ssDNA mixture were adsorbed onto the FLGcoated SPR sensor through the π-π stacking force between the ssDNA and the graphene layer. In the presence of the complementary single-stranded DNA (cssDNA), the hybridization process took place and gradually removed the probes from the graphene surface. From SPR sensor preparation, the annealing process of the Au layer of the SPR sensor effectively enhanced the FLG coverage leading to a higher load of the probe DNA onto the sensing interface. The FLG was shown effective in providing a larger surface area for biomolecular capture due to its roughness. Carried out in the DNA hybridization study with SPR sensor, GNu, with its rough and spikey structures, significantly reinforced the overall DNA hybridization signal than the GNr with smooth superficies, especially in capturing the probe DNA. The DNA hybridization detection assisted by GNu reached the femtomolar range limit of detection (LoD). An optical simulation validated the extreme plasmonic field enhancement at the tip of the GNu spicules. The overall integrated approach of graphene-based SPR sensor and GNu-assisted DNA detection provided the proof-of-concept for the possibility for Tuberculosis disease screening using a low-cost and portable system potentially applied in remote or third world countries.
Ryzyko inwestycji w spółki sektora TSL na Warszawskiej Giełdzie Papierów Wartościowych

The paper presents the results of measuring the risk involved in investing in the companies linked to the TSL sector and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (Avia Solutions Group, KDM Shipping, OT Logistics SA, PCC Intermodal SA, PEKAES SA, PKP Cargo SA, Trans Polonia SA). In order to take the measurements, both classical measures based on the standard deviation, as well as modeling the value at risk (VaR) by means of historical simulation and RiskGrades TM value, were applied.
Measuring the Contribution of Genetic Characteristics as an Indicator of Innovation: The Case of Corn in the USA, 1990-2009

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regimes for plant breeding are generally justified on the basis that they encourage innovation. Introduction of IPR regimes for plant varieties in the United States has led to increased concentration, but it is less clear whether IPRs have promoted useful innovation, as measured by productivity of available corn hybrids. There are difficulties in finding a satisfactory measure of innovation in plant breeding, and in this paper we propose a procedure. Results from the annual corn hybrid trials conducted by 11 US universities over the 20 years from 1990 to 2009, at 365 separate locations in the 11 states, have been collated. This set of unbalanced panel data for grain corn hybrid trials has been used in a fixed effects model to estimate a production function for corn and the contribution to yield of the genetic characteristics of the corn hybrids. The Hausman Taylor estimator is then used to separate out the contribution of GM traits. Because the data are experimental, the production function can be interpreted as representing the technological frontier. The cross section is made up of the corn hybrids that were submitted for trial over the period. The fixed or unobserved time invariant effects represent the part of production which can be attributed to the characteristics of a particular hybrid. This is taken to be the contribution of the "genetics" of each hybrid to yield, and the maximum fixed or unobserved effect in any one year can be considered to represent the "frontier" of genetic contribution to increased yield.
Scale-up strategies in stirred and aerated bioreactor

The scale-up studies based on the constant oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa) from 16 liter to 150 liter of aerated and agitated bioreactor were performed. The studies included the investigation on the significance of hydrodynamic difference between Rushton and marine impeller on the kLa at 16 liter scale. By employing both static and dynamic gassing out techniques, the kLa values were calculated at different sets of impeller speeds and air flow rates performed in various viscosities and temperatures in the 16 liter and 150 liter BioengineeringTM stirred bioreactor. Empirical correlation was employed to correlate and investigate the dependence of kLa on specific power input and superficial air velocity. Our experimental results discovered that the Rushton turbine was more effective in gas distribution and provide a greater oxygen transfer rate than the marine impeller. In maintaining a constant kLa upon scale-up from 16 to 150 liter, the specific power input and the superficial air velocity cannot be maintained, adjustment has to be done. Specific power input from 0.0001 to 4.2 kW/m3 and superficial air velocity within the range of 9 x 10-4 to 7 x 10-3 m/s was tested to maintain a constant value of kLa upon scaleup in distilled water and CMC solution model. The operating variables employed at 150 liter scale successfully gave a comparable kLa values as in 16 liter scale. Hence, the calculated scaling-up factor for impeller speed and air flow rate were 0.28 and 3.1, respectively. In order to investigate the potential of employing scaling-up protocol developed in this work, the kinetic profiles of E.coli batch fermentation at 16 and 150 liter were compared. By employing the scaling-up factors, the proposed scale-up protocol managed to provide the similar trend of cell growth, glucose consumption and oxygen uptake rate upon scale-up based on the constant kLa. It may be concluded that the similar kLa for both scales was successfully achieved by employing the proposed scale-up protocol.
PEMODELAN KEMISKINAN DI JAWA TIMUR DENGAN STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING-PARTIAL LEAST SQUARE

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) menggambarkan hubungan kausalitas antar variabel yang tidak bisa dijelaskan pada analisis regresi biasa, sehingga dapat diketahui seberapa baik suatu variabel indikator menentukan variabel laten. Seringkali dalam pengamatan di suatu lokasi bergantung pada pengamatan di lokasi lain yang berdekatan(neighboring). Sehingga untuk mengatasinya, efek lokasi dimasukkan dalam model. Didapatkan bahwa semua indikator yang terboboti pada setiap variabel laten adalah valid dan signifikan, dengan reliability yang baik pada semua variabel laten kemiskinan, ekonomi, SDM, kesehatan. Nilai R-square (R2)Â untuk SDM sebesar 0.988 yang artinya model mampu menjelaskan variasi dari SDM pada kasus kemiskinan di Provinsi Jatim sebesar 98.8%, Ekonomi sebesar 0.986 atau 98.6% dan model kemiskinan sebesar 0,925 atau 92.5%. Kata Kunci : Kemiskinan, neighboring, Partial Least Square, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
Power electronics building block and system integration

The power electronics building block (PEBB) concept is an integrated systems approach to standardize power electronics components and packaging techniques in the form of interchangeable subassemblies and modules. This paper presents the overview of this concept and some of the issues such as the soft-switching techniques for the PEBBs, the packaging approaches, the communication among the PEBBs, and the system-level compatibility. One of the research prototype systems is also demonstrated in this paper.
Carbon nano-relays for low power switching

In this thesis two unique carbon based nanoelectromechanical switches or carbon nano-relays are demonstrated as a toolkit for investigating NEMs based low power switching. The first is a vertical carbon nano-relay, consisting of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube/fiber (CN) between two contacts and operated by pull-off, and the second, a double graphene switch, consisting of two electromechanically actuated stacked layers of polycrystalline graphene. Vertical carbon nano-relays were initially prototyped by inserting a CN between two contacts through the use of a nanopositioner. The prototype demonstrated pulloff operation and multiple switching. To our knowledge this is the only example to date of a multiple-use NEMs switch that operates with pull-off. Next a wafer integrated device was fabricated. Although pull-in was demonstrated in these integrated devices, pull-off was not possible primarily due to limitations in CN growth, which were also investigated. In the work on a double graphene switch we demonstrated an electromechanical switch comprising two polycrystalline graphene films, each deposited using ambient pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The top film is pulled into electrical contact with the bottom film by application of approximately 5V between the layers. Contact is broken by mechanical restoring forces after bias is removed. The device switches several times before tearing. Demonstration of multiple switching at low voltage confirms that graphene is an attractive material for electromechanical switches. Thesis Supervisor: Marc A. Baldo Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Thesis Supervisor: Francesco Stellacci Title: Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Sports scheduling: an artificial intelligence approach

This thesis looks at the Traveling Tournament Problem (TTP) from the sports scheduling literature. It presents two approaches to this problem: a metaheuristic Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) approach to find good solutions in a reasonable time frame and a heuristic search Iterative-Deepening-A* (IDA*) approach to find optimal solutions. The first approach combines ACO with constraint processing techniques in order to handle the hard constraints of the TTP. The key component is creating a framework which uses forward-checking and conflict-directed backjumping to handle the constraints while using ACO for choosing the values. This is further improved by introducing new ideas of unsafe backjumping and pattern matching for constraint propagation while incorporating an old concept of ant restarts. This approach has been found to improve on past ACO approaches to the TTP and showed results which are more competitive with state-of-theart metaheuristic approaches. The second approach presents a parallel version of IDA*, combining past concepts of tree decomposition and node ordering with a new idea of subtree skipping. This new idea allows for parts of the search tree to be skipped for some iterations while still guaranteeing optimality for the final solution that is found. Two additional ideas are presented. The first, called forced deepening, helps to reduce node expansion when applying IDA*-like algorithms on real-world distance problems. The second, called elite paths, helps to both improve the performance of forced deepening while also allowing for the optimal solution to be found faster during the final iteration of IDA*. The results of applying this new approach to the TTP shows that it is state-of-the-art, finding known optimal solutions in a fraction of the time of past approaches and finding new optimal solutions to some unsolved problem instances.