Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 5 to 130 V level shifter composed of thin gate oxide dual terminal drain PMOSFETS

The market demand for high performance and cost effective flat panel display (FPD: e.g. plasma display, electroluminescent display) system has mandated that FPD driver designs need to be more cost effective. The driver plays a vital role in determining the FPD (system) performance and manufacturing cost as well as the panel itself. The driver is basically a device which can translate digital data signals (typically 5 V-logic) to the series of high voltage outputs (60 to 300 V) for the panel electrode load array. To reduce the manufacturing cost, this paper describes a study of the novel 5 to 130 V level shifter with Dual Terminal Drain PMOSFETs (DTDPMOS) for the first time. To adopt this level shifter, although the driver IC consists of both high and low voltage CMOS, the high voltage CMOS can be realized with the same thin gate oxide as the low voltage CMOS.
Case-based reasoning approach in bid decision making

Since contractors' bidding behaviors are affected by numerous factors related both to the specific features of the project and dynamically changed situations, bidding decision problems are highly unstructured. No clear rules can be found in delivering a bidding decision. In this problem domain, decisions are commonly made based upon intuition and past experience. Case-based reasoning (CBR) is a subbranch of artificial intelligence. It solves new problems by matching against similar problems that have been encountered and resolved in the past. It is a useful tool in dealing with complex and unstructured problems, which are difficult if not impossible to be theoretically modeled. This paper presents a case-based reasoning bidding system that helps contractors with the dynamic information varying with the specific features of the job and the new situation. In this system, bid cases are represented by sets of attributes derived from a preliminary survey of several experienced bidders, focusing, respectively, on two reasoning subgoals: (1) Risk; and (2) competition. Through the system, similar cases can be retrieved to assess the possible level of competition and risk margin. A hypothetical example is explained and evaluated to demonstrate the feasibility of the method. The effectiveness of this system is tested by a Monte Carlo simulation in comparison to the conventional statistical method.
MECHANISTIC-EMPIRICAL DESIGN OF BITUMINOUS ROADS: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

The current practice in India for thickness design of roads with bituminous surfacing is based on limited experience of road performance in the late 1970s. Extrapolation of the design method to the present day heavy traffic is not valid because of the empiricism in the original method. This paper describes the details of an investigation undertaken by the writers to develop a mechanistic design method by correlating the performance data of bituminous pavements from different parts of India to the critical stress-strain parameters of the pavement composition leading to the failure of pavements. Also indicated are the evaluation of fatigue and elastic properties of pavement materials, analysis of field performance data, determination of fatigue and rutting criteria from laboratory and field data, and development of thickness design charts for bituminous pavements.
Online Non Destructive Evaluation of Large Pipe Lines and Cylindrical Structures Using Guided Ultrasonic Wave Diffraction Tomography

This Research work evaluates the ability of ultrasonic guided waves to detect several types of defects in cylindrical structures with different pre-selected wave modes. It will also demonstrate ultrasonic guided wave method (1& 2) as an alternative to standard ultrasonic techniques and how to address their deficiencies. This approach is based on the use of ultrasonic guided waves. In this work the use of ultrasonic guided waves for thickness mapping of large, partially accessible areas was investigated. The problem of interest is to evaluate the minimum remaining plate thickness over a large area. Guided waves (3 & 4) have multiple properties that can be used for thickness mapping over large areas. Firstly, the dispersive nature and variation of the phase velocity as a function of the frequency thickness product of guided waves (5 &6) make them potentially suitable for thickness mapping by time-of-flight tomography and diffraction tomography based on the variation of the velocity in the in homogeneities (7) . The experimental result was validated with FE (Finite Element) profile to arrive at the conclusion. Diffraction tomography can reconstruct a map of the velocity from the scattered field produced by the interaction of an incoming wave field and a velocity in homogeneity. It has been shown that Diffraction tomography with low frequency guided waves can be used for thickness reconstruction of plates or large diameter pipes. Low frequency guided waves can be used for thickness reconstruction of plates or large diameter pipes. It has been shown that the scattering from the array of transducers needs to be minimized in order to reconstruct thickness accurately. However when the scattering from the array of transducers is large it is possible to use guided wave diffraction tomography in a structural health monitoring approach and obtain accurate thickness reconstruction.
How the DMCA's Online Copyright Safe Harbor Failed

In 1998, Congress enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"). One of its provisions, 17 U.S.C. § 512, gave online service providers a safe harbor from liability for user-caused copyright infringements. The web hosting safe harbor's structure was relatively simple: copyright owners assume the burden of notifying service providers when their users are committing copyright infringement, at which point the service providers are expected to intervene if they want to avoid being liable. This system, called "notice-and-takedown," has served the Internet well enough to create many interesting and important user-generated content websites.Unfortunately, 15 years of relentless litigation by the copyright industry has created a number of cracks in the notice-and-takedown system. As a result, the notice-and-takedown system is failing as a safe harbor, progressively undermining the safe harbor's ability to foster entrepreneurship in the user-generated content industry. This Essay explains how cracks in the safe harbor are rendering it useless.
Model for Location of Medical Facility and Evaluation of Vulnerability and Accessibility of Road Network

This study proposes a method of evaluating the robustness of a road network against a natural disaster and aims to determine the optimal allocation of medical facilities if road network degradation occurs because of severe natural disasters. Connectivity vulnerability and accessibility are important concepts in evaluating the strength and reliability of road networks. This paper first introduces a new network evaluation measure, the distinct paths–based accessibility index (DPAI), which is based on the concepts of both connectivity vulnerability and accessibility; considers the number of distinct paths between a certain origin–destination pair, free-flow travel time, and the number of opportunities in an area; and develops a solution algorithm. A medical facility location model that optimizes the allocation of a medical facility to each centroid according to the DPAI is then formulated, and the results are applied to a real network. Although the optimal allocation of a medical facility varies according to the minimum DPAI, the robustness of an actual network may be improved by reallocating medical facilities. Moreover, the allocation results depend on the value of the importance placed on the number of distinct paths. These results imply that it is critical to set the parameter on the importance of the number of distinct paths by considering risks and geographical features in the subject area.
Range Sizes of the World’s Mammals, Birds, and Amphibians from the Mid-Holocene to the Industrial Period

Simple Summary The geographic ranges of animal species play an important role for many ecological processes. Changes in climate, as well as human conversion of natural habitats, are two major factors that affect species’ range sizes. While the impact of these two factors in the Industrial era has been thoroughly studied, their pre-Industrial impacts are less well understood further back in time. Here, we combine global reconstructions of land use and climate from 6000 BCE to 1850 CE with data of the geographic distributions and habitat requirements of 16,919 mammal, bird, and amphibian species to estimate how human land use and natural climatic change have altered species’ ranges across past millennia. Our results suggest that pre-Industrial land use had only a small impact, yet one that affected almost all species negatively. Climatic variation evidently led to some range expansions and contractions, but overall had a small impact on the majority of species. In the context of a previous study of range changes in the more recent past, our results demonstrate that current rates of range losses exceed the magnitude of range changes seen over many thousands of years prior to the Industrial period to an alarming extent. Abstract Anthropogenic land use and climate change in the Industrial age have had substantial impacts on the geographic ranges of the world’s terrestrial animal species. How do these impacts compare against those in the millennia preceding the Industrial era? Here, we combine reconstructions of global climate and land use from 6000 BCE to 1850 CE with empirical data on the spatial distributions and habitat requirements of 16,919 mammal, bird, and amphibian species to estimate changes in their range sizes through time. We find that land use had only a small, yet almost entirely negative impact during most of the study period, whilst natural climatic variability led to some range expansions and contractions; but, overall it had a small impact on the majority of species. Our results provide a baseline for comparison with studies of range changes during the Industrial period, demonstrating that contemporary rates of range loss exceed the magnitude of range changes seen over many thousands of years prior to the Industrial period by an alarming extent.
Network reconfiguration for improving reliability in distribution systems

Feeder reconfiguration is widely used to balance feeder loading, improve voltage regulation and reduce system losses. Reconfiguration is accomplished by closing normally-open switches and opening normally-closed switches. This paper extends the use of feeder reconfiguration to improve reliability. A predictive reliability model is used to compute reliability indices for the distribution system and a novel algorithm, an annealed local search, is used to adjust switch positions until an optimal solution is identified. Properties of the annealed local search are explored on a hypothetical test system and seven actual distribution systems with different reliability characteristics.
Ny praksisform i lærerutdanningen: Analysepraksis for forsknings- og profesjonsforberedelse

Det er et tilbakevendende tema at lærerutdanningen må være forankret i praksis i større grad, og at lærerstudenter fremhever nettopp praksiserfaringene som det mest verdifulle i studiene. I tråd med internasjonal forskning på alternative måter å gjennomføre praksis på, har lektorprogrammet ved Universitetet i Oslo utviklet fem dager med såkalt analysepraksis – en praksisform der studentene er på campus og der all undervisning tar utgangspunkt i en konkret case med videoer av undervisning, intervjuer med elever og lærer, dokumenter fra timer og spørreskjemaer elevene har besvart, alt fra fire skole­timer i samme klasse. I artikkelen undersøker vi, ved hjelp av både spørreskjema og fokusgrupper, i hvilken grad lektorstudentene oppfatter at en slik praksisorganisering har bidratt til deres forsknings- og profesjonsforberedelser. Funnene viser at studentene er positive til alternative praksisformer, at de opplever analysepraksis som relevant for egen masteroppgave, og at det å analysere artefakter fra praksis er en progresjon fra tidligere praksisperioder. I diskusjonen tar vi opp hvordan studentene kan utfordres på at det å kjenne til ulike forskningsmetoder og analytiske innganger ikke bare er noe som angår forskere og masterstudenter – men alle profesjonelle lærere som skal forholde seg til forskning gjennom hele yrkeslivet.
Ending the evidence gap for pregnancy, HIV and co‐infections: ethics guidance from the PHASES project

While pregnant people have been an important focus for HIV research, critical evidence gaps remain regarding prevention, co‐infection, and safety and efficacy of new antiretroviral therapies in pregnancy. Such gaps can result in harm: without safety data, drugs used may carry unacceptable risks to the foetus or pregnant person; without pregnancy‐specific dosing data, pregnant people face risks of both toxicity and undertreatment; and delays in gathering evidence can limit access to beneficial next‐generation drugs. Despite recognition of the need, numerous barriers and ethical complexities have limited progress. We describe the process, ethical foundations, recommendations and applications of guidance for advancing responsible inclusion of pregnant people in HIV/co‐infections research.
FEASIBILITY OF PLASMA TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION IN CONCRETE INDUSTRY

Concrete technology is growing in different directions as various sciences are feeding this industry regarding the huge demand for concrete each day all around the world. In spite of this fact there is a lack of research in the field of plasma technology and its possible usages in the concrete. Plasma technology as a relatively recent achievement of mankind has many applications in different industries and one of its main utilizations is the surface modification of materials and specially polymers with changing the wettability and adhesion properties. In this research, the main endeavor is to study the possibility of plasma surface modification in concrete mainly within 2 concepts; first to enhance the adhesion of cement paste to the aggregates to improve the interfacial transition zone and thus improving the concrete properties such as compressive strength and impermeability. This concept is followed by measuring the compressive strength and porosity of the concrete samples, which are made with and without plasma treatment. The second concept is to change the wettability of the release agent materials on the surface of the mold to enhance the final surface of the concrete after demolding. This part is done by comparing the visual observations of fresh cement slurry and hardened cement paste on the surface of different release agents before and after treating with plasma.
Improved Analytical Approach of Vibration Behavior Destined To Ball Bearings in The Case of Angular Contact

In recent years many developments have been made in the area of the vibration behavior of the supported by bearings or journal bearings rotating shafts. The results, if they are generally acceptable for common-use in terms of operating conditions, are far from meeting the aircraft industry, where the machining at high speeds is an undeniable need.This research therefore is aimed to provide an analytical simulation based on theoretical developments of the vibration response of a ball bearing. The generation of vibration by a point in a rolling element bearing is modeled as a function of the rotation of the bearing, the distribution of the load in the bearing, the transfer function between the bearing, transducer and elasticity of the bearing structure.The essence of this work is to present an analytical model of a specific type single of row effect balls (SKF 6004). This study is a first step dedicated to define the geometric characteristics, and in second time to determine the equations governing the distribution of responsibilities within the ball bearing.
MPU-Sim: A Simulator for In-DRAM Near-Bank Processing Architectures

Despite the promising future of near-bank computing to address the ”memory wall”, there are still critical hardware and software challenges, such as designing compute logics within a stringent area budget and developing software support for efficient data mapping. An open-source simulation framework plays an important role in addressing these challenges, which is unfortunately missing. In this paper, we introduce our open-source simulator for in-DRAM near-bank processing accelerators, MPU-Sim, to complete this missing piece in the research and development of future near-bank processing solutions. We detail the design, implementation, and interface of MPU-Sim, and conduct calibration studies for key hardware components with state-of-the-art simulators to validate our implementations. Finally, we use MPU-Sim for two case studies, DRAM refreshing and thread-block scheduling, to demonstrate the potential usage of MPU-Sim to study hardware and software optimizations for near-bank processing architectures.
Land Surface Temperature Retrieval from Fengyun-3D Medium Resolution Spectral Imager II (FY-3D MERSI-II) Data with the Improved Two-Factor Split-Window Algorithm

Land surface temperature (LST) is an essential parameter widely used in environmental studies. The Medium Resolution Spectral Imager II (MERSI-II) boarded on the second generation Chinese polar-orbiting meteorological satellite, Fengyun-3D (FY-3D), provides a new opportunity for LST retrieval at a spatial resolution of 250 m that is higher than that of the already widely used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) LST data of 1000 m. However, there is no operational LST product from FY-3D MERSI-II data available for free access. Therefore, in this study, we developed an improved two-factor split-window algorithm (TFSWA) of LST retrieval from this data source as it has two thermal-infrared (TIR) bands. The essential coefficients of the TFSWA algorithm have been carefully and precisely estimated for the FY-3D MERSI-II TIR thermal bands. A new approach for estimating land surface emissivity has been developed using the ASTER Global Emissivity Database (ASTER GED) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) data. A model to estimate the atmospheric water vapor content (AWVC) from the three atmospheric water vapor absorption bands (bands 16, 17, and 18) has been developed as AWVC has been recognized as the most important factor determining the variation of AT. Using MODTRAN 5.2, the equations for the AT estimate from the retrieved AWVC were established. In addition, the AT of the pixels at the far edge of FY-3D MERSI-II data may be strongly affected by the increase of the optical path. Viewing zenith angle (VZA) correction equations were proposed in the study to correct this effect on AT estimation. Field data from four stations were applied to validate the improved TFSWA in the study. Cross-validation with MODIS LST (MYD11) was also conducted to evaluate the improved TFSWA. The cross-validation result indicates that the FY-3D MERSI-II LST from the improved TFSWA are comparable with MODIS LST while the correlation coefficients between FY-3D MERSI-II LST and MODIS LST over the Mid-East China region are in the range of 0.84~0.98 for different seasons and land cover types. Validation with 318 field LST samples indicates that the average MAE and R2 of the scenes at the four stations are about 1.97 K and 0.98, respectively. Thus, it could be concluded that the improved TFSWA developed in the study can be a good algorithm for LST retrieval from FY-3D MERSI-II data with acceptable accuracy.
Design of an integrated team project as bachelor thesis in bioscience engineering

Following the decision at the KU Leuven to implement the educational concept of guided independent learning and to encourage students to participate in scientific research, the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering decided to introduce a bachelor thesis. Competencies, such as communication, scientific research and teamwork, need to be present in the design of this thesis. Because of the high number of students and the multidisciplinary nature of the graduates, all research divisions of the faculty are asked to participate. The yearly surveys and hearings were used for further optimisation. The actual design of this bachelor thesis is presented and discussed in this paper.
A survey of methodologies for the treatment of missing values within datasets: limitations and benefits

Knowledge discovery in ergonomics is complicated by the presence of missing data, because most methodologies do not tolerate incomplete sample instances. Data-miners cannot always remove sample instances when they occur. Imputation methods are needed to ‘fill in’ estimated values for the missing instances in order to construct a complete dataset. Even with emerging methodologies, the ergonomics field seems to rely on outdated imputation techniques. This survey presents an overview of a variety of imputation methods found in current academic research, which is not limited to ergonomic studies. The objective is to strengthen the communities’ understanding of imputation methodologies and briefly highlight their benefits and limitations. This survey suggests that the multiple imputation method is the current state-of-the-art missing value technique. This method has proven to be robust to many of the shortcomings that plague other methods and should be considered the primary choice for missing value problems found in ergonomic studies.
Integral effects of the Debye layer on a sedimenting particle with zeta‐potential variations

Fluid‐solid interfaces give rise to electro‐hydrodynamic effects at microscale. In a macroscale model, those effects can be represented by jump conditions. This report focuses on the derivation of such jump conditions for integral parameters, like mass flux, forces and charge fluxes. In particular, the effect of spatial and temporal variations in the ζ‐potential on the solid's surface are discussed, using the generic problem of a sedimenting particle.
Artificial neural network modelling and multi objective optimisation of hole drilling electro discharge micro machining of invar

Hole drilling electro discharge micro machining (HD-EDMM) is one of the potential method for creation of micro-holes in difficult to machine electrically conductive workpiece materials. Maintaining quality and accuracy of the drilled micro-holes along with better performance characteristics have always been a challenge for the researchers and manufacturers. Keeping cost and time of manufacturing into consideration, modelling and optimisation of EDMM is required. In this paper, attempts have been made to model the HD-EDMM process using feed forward back propagation neural network (BPNN) and further combined with GRA-based PCA for its optimisation. The developed ANN model and finally optimised results are validated with our own experimentally obtained results. The approach used in the present paper would be extendable to other configuration of EDMM such as milling-EDMM, wire-EDMM and grinding-EDMM.