Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Review of a Quality Control/Quality Assurance Specification for Asphalt Concrete

A statistical review of 50 jobs recently completed by using California’s new quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) specification for asphalt concrete is presented. Performance is contrasted to the quality achieved under method and end-result specifications. A cost analysis is made and issues related to verification are discussed. Improvements to the current specification are proposed. The data present clear evidence that the allowable tolerance of ±0.5 percent for asphalt content is too wide for current practice. Also, an increase in compaction variability for many QC/QA jobs could be controlled by adding an upper specification limit or adopting a two-sided volumetric specification. Although bid amounts did not increase, costs for QC/QA jobs went up approximately 3 percent to pay for bonuses allowed under the specification. Analysis of the contractor’s QC test data indicate that this increase is more than compensated for by projected reductions in future rehabilitation costs. However, a significant lack of agreement between the contractor QC and agency QA testing brings this finding into question. More rigorous verification of contractor-provided test results must be incorporated into the specification and the results analyzed before the cost-effectiveness can be determined.
Investment Style, Regionality Aspects, and Performance: An Analysis in the Context of Brazilian Real Estate Investment Trusts

The aim of this study was to analyze the possible effects of the location of the assets of real estate investment trusts (REITs) on their risk-adjusted performance. Financial data on 86 REITs were used, some taken from the Funds Explorer website and the rest taken from the Economatica database. The data covered the four-year period from 2016 to 2019. Panel data regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses, with the random effects model being adopted after conducting the Hausman, Breusch & Pagan, and Chow tests. The main results suggest that management fee has a positive and statistically significant relationship with the Sharpe ratio relating to the risk premium of the REIT’s portfolio, while the age of the REIT showed a statistically significant and negative relationship with this dependent variable. Other elements, such of performance fees and the number of cities where the REIT has real estate were not statistically significant.
Algorithm Transparency through the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

Racial discrimination in housing has long fueled disparities in homeownership and wealth in the United States. Now, automated algorithms play a dominant role in rental and lending decisions. Advocates of these technologies argue that mortgage lending algorithms reduce discrimination. However, “errors in background check reports persist and remain pervasive,” and algorithms are at risk for inheriting prejudices from society and reflect pre-existing patterns of inequality. Additionally, algorithmic discrimination is often challenging to identify and difficult to explain or prosecute in court. While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for prosecuting this type of discrimination under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), their enforcement regime “has inadequately regulated industry at the federal and state level and failed to provide consumers access to justice at an individual level,” as evidenced by its mere eighty-seven enforcement actions in the past forty years. In comparison, 4,531 lawsuits have been brought under the FCRA by other groups in 2018 alone. Therefore, the FTC must update its policies to ensure it can identify, prosecute, and facilitate third-party lawsuits against a primary driver of housing discrimination in the 21st century: discrimination within algorithmic decision making. We recommend that the FTC issue a rule requiring companies to publish a data plan with all consumer reporting products. Currently, the FTC recommends that companies make an internal assessment of the components of the proposed data plan to ensure that they are not in violation of the FCRA. Therefore, requiring that these plans be published publicly does not place undue burden on companies and empowers consumers to advocate for themselves and report unfair practices to the FTC. Coupled together, these will reduce the costs of investigation and enforcement by the FTC and decrease the discriminatory impact of automated decision systems on marginalized communities.
A fault diagnosis method for rolling bearings based on inter-class repulsive force discriminant transfer learning

For fault diagnosis of rolling bearings, it is generally difficult or even impossible to obtain class labels of new working condition samples under actual variable working conditions, which leads to a low fault diagnosis accuracy. On account of this, we propose a novel unsupervised transfer learning method called inter-class repulsive force discriminant transfer learning (IRFDTL) in this paper. In the proposed IRFDTL, to reduce the classification error in source domain and improve the generalization ability of IRFDTL, a nonnegative extended slack matrix is creatively constructed to transform the strict binary label matrix into an extended slack label matrix. Moreover, the joint distribution discrepancy is introduced to reduce the difference between source and target domains, and the inter-class repulsive force term is innovatively designed to promote the discriminative learning effect by increasing the inter-class distance. Finally, the whole framework of IRFDTL is optimized by the alternating direction multiplier method. By using the labeled samples under historical working conditions, the IRFDTL can perform high-precision class discrimination on the testing samples under new working conditions when there are no class labels of testing samples. The proposed IRFDTL-based fault diagnosis method can achieve precise fault diagnosis of the testing samples under new working conditions, and fault diagnosis instances of rolling bearings verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Uranium extraction from nitrate media using amine functionalized poly acrylate hydrogel / nano silica

ABSTRACT Sorption of U (VI) onto novel nano material of amine functionalized poly acrylate hydrogel/nano silica was investigated. In the preparation, tri octyl amine, cyclohexane, poly acrylic acid oleic acid mixed with sodium meta silicate and tri ethanol amine to yield nano particles of amine functionalized poly acrylate hydrogel/nano silica. The capability of the newly adsorbent for uranium sorption was estimated using various controlling variables such as medium pH, uranium concentration, equilibrium time, reaction temperature and the interfering ions. The experimental results showed that, rather than chloride or sulfate, the proper loading capacity was achieved at uranyl nitrate species at pH 1 for 30 minutes stirring at 60°C. Where, the loading capacity was 372.52 mg/g. The pseudo-second-order mechanism fit the U (VI) adsorption kinetics on the sorbent material well, the mechanism of intra-particle diffusion governed the sorption process, and the adsorption equilibrium followed the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic parameters calculated ∆S°, ∆G°, and ∆H°, which indicate that U (VI) sorption process is thermodynamically advantageous, spontaneous, and endothermic. It is a promising and efficient nano adsorbent that could be used for upscaling design and application for U (VI) separation from acidified monazite leach liquor.
New single-stage power-factor-corrected regulators operating in discontinuous capacitor voltage mode

The duality principle is applied to derive new single-stage power-factor-corrected regulators. This paper begins with an application of duality transformation to conventional discontinuous-mode buck, buck-boost and boost converters. The resulting dual converters operate in the discontinuous capacitor voltage mode. These new converters provide the same power factor correction property, but in the dual manner. It is proved that in the practical case of the input being a voltage source, the mandatory insertion of inductance between the voltage input and the dual PFC converter does not affect the power-factor-correcting property. A new single-stage PFC regulator is derived by taking the dual of a well-known circuit based on a cascade of conventional boost and buck converters. Analytical design expressions are derived, illustrating the relation between current stress and component values. PSPICE simulation is performed to confirm the operation of the circuit and its power-factor-correcting capability.
A novel variable neighborhood search for the offloading and resource allocation in Mobile-Edge Computing

New mobile applications, with increasingly demanding IT requirements on the one hand, and limited battery capacity on the other, require appropriate solutions to extend battery life while reducing latency. To cope with this problem, a new emerging concept known as ‘Multi-access Edge Computing’ (MEC) has been introduced. MEC brings computing and storage resources to the edge of the mobile network, enabling highly demanding applications to run in the mobile user equipment, using the network resources as well as possible, while minimizing latency. Offloading computations in the MEC architecture is an NP-hard problem [Jiang W, Gong Y, Cao Y, et al. Energy delay-cost tradeoff for task offloading in imbalanced edge cloud based computing. arXiv preprint arXiv:1805.02006; 2018] that has aroused the interest of several researchers, particularly over the last decade. Several algorithms have therefore been proposed to solve it. In this work, we propose a novel specific Local Search (LS) to solve the offloading problem in the case of multi-mobile users with multiple tasks per user. The proposed LS uses three neighborhood strategies and takes into account the problem specificities. Tests performed over generated instances of different sizes, as well as comparisons with works dealing with the same problem, prove the efficiency of the proposed Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) in terms of cost and runtime, for solving the offloading problem in MEC architectures.
Security mechanisms and policy for mandatory access control in computer systems

Computer security measures, policies and mechanisms generally fail if they are not understood and accepted by all parties involved. To be understood, many security mechanisms currently proposed require security expertise by multiple parties, including application developers and end-users. Unfortunately, both groups often lack such knowledge, typically using computers for tasks in which security is viewed at best as a tertiary goal. The challenge, therefore, is to develop security measures understood and accepted by non-experts. We pursue measures which require little or no user expertise, to facilitate broad deployment among non-technical user bases. By reducing the requirement that end-users self-police applications, we reduce the chance of policy enforcement errors causing security exposures. The security measures discussed are also straightforward and intended to avoid reliance on security expertise among application developers. For example, restrictions imposed by an application's target run-time environment essentially remove development choices (thus removing dependence on the developer to make proper security choices). We pursue measures designed to be suitable for deployment to large segments of the development community, to reduce the knowledge and adoption barriers that may otherwise arise. The security measures we propose provide protection by significantly restricting the operations that an application is allowed to perform. To address issues related to malicious sites and dangerous interactions between sites, we discuss the joint work SOMA, a browser extension. SOMA enforces a security policy that limits interaction between web sites to those that are pre-approved by one or (optionally) both sites involved in any interaction. SOMA can be incrementally deployed for incremental benefits, and selectively deployed to those sites for which tighter control over content sub-syndication is acceptable. To address rootkits and malware affecting the installation and integrity of binaries, we present three policies; configd, bin-locking, and increased kernel protection. For each approach, we discuss the architecture, implementation and support required. These ideas are suitable for many types of end-user machines, including those running Linux and Windows. They do not require any centralized infrastructure. We discuss approaches which do not depend on either software developers or users to properly address software security.
A Pragmatic Load Detecting System Based on Uncertainty Evaluation for Construction Manipulator

A pragmatic framework for detecting (identifying the on-off state of) the external force applied to a construction manipulator (front load) by using a hydraulic sensor is proposed. Such a load detecting system requires high accuracy and robustness considering the uncertainty in pressure-based force measurement. The proposed framework first identifies the dominant error force component, including self-weight and driving force, using theoretical and experimental estimation and binarizes the analog cylinder external force. It then evaluates detection conditions to address indeterminate conditions such as stroke-end, singular posture, and impulsive or oscillatory force and redefines three-valued outputs such as on, off, or not determinate (ND). It finally outputs the front load decision by combining all the cylinder decisions to improve robustness through priority analysis. Experiments were conducted using an instrumented hydraulic arm. Results indicate that the proposed framework detects on, off, and ND outputs of the front load more accurately, robustly, and stably in various detection conditions.
Performing post-genome-wide association study analysis: overview, challenges and recommendations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) provide huge information on statistically significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with various human complex traits and diseases. By performing GWAS studies, scientists have successfully identified the association of hundreds of thousands to millions of SNPs to a single phenotype. Moreover, the association of some SNPs with rare diseases has been intensively tested. However, classic GWAS studies have not yet provided solid, knowledgeable insight into functional and biological mechanisms underlying phenotypes or mechanisms of diseases. Therefore, several post-GWAS (pGWAS) methods have been recommended. Currently, there is no simple scientific document to provide a quick guide for performing pGWAS analysis. pGWAS is a crucial step for a better understanding of the biological machinery beyond the SNPs. Here, we provide an overview to performing pGWAS analysis and demonstrate the challenges behind each method. Furthermore, we direct readers to key articles for each pGWAS method and present the overall issues in pGWAS analysis. Finally, we include a custom pGWAS pipeline to guide new users when performing their research.
Structure-preserving model reduction with applications to power system dynamic equivalents

Consider systems that have an intrinsic mathematical representation of the form: A_{n}x^{(n)}+ \cdots + A_{0}x = Bu , where x^{(i)} is the i th derivative of x , and x^{(i)}(0)= 0, i = 1, \cdots , n-1 . The matrices A_{i} may possess certain properties. The problem is to construct a reduced model having the same form with corresponding matrices \bar{A}_{i} of smaller dimension and possessing the same properties. An algorithm for this structure-preserving model reduction is presented. An algorithm for constructing an approximate reduced model, called \epsilon -structure preserving reduced model is also presented, together with the error bounds. The application of the method to power system dynamic equivalents is described.
Backup Control of Wind Power Generation System Based on Voltage-Sensorless and LCL Active Damping Scheme

Under the fault condition of voltage sensors, the wind power generation system requests an effective backup control scheme without voltage sensors. In order to save sensors for the grid-connected inverter (GCI) with LCL-filter in the full-scale wind power converter, a grid-side voltage-sensorless solution scheme is presented in this paper. A frequency-adaptive SOGI (FA-SOGI) is introduced to realize the virtual flux (VF) estimation. A grid-side voltage observer is thus designed to acquire the phase angle and amplitude, which can realize voltage orientation control (VOC) for the GCI system. With an improved feedback damping method for LCL filter, a full control strategy of the full-scale wind power generation system is given and explained in detail. All theoretical results have been validated by the simulation, followed by analysis and discussion.
Environmental monitoring through Vehicular Ad Hoc Network: A productive application for smart cities

Industrial growth, technological development, and increased human activities for comfort and luxurious life increase different environmental parameters like temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide, methane, and smoke. The value of these parameters are increasing steadily which has adverse effects on human life and human health and is also the cause of various disease like cancers and lung disease. It is now essential to monitor the environmental parameters of a region frequently. For the automatic continuous monitoring of environmental parameters of any location, this paper proposes to use vehicular ad hoc network (VANET), which is one of the promising subclasses of mobile ad hoc network (MANET). Automatic monitoring of environmental parameters of any location includes measurement of environmental parameters of a location, transmission of environmental parameters from the measured location to the observation center, and analysis of the parameters at the observation center. Two aspects are discussed for the transmission of parameters from the location of measurement to the observation center: first by vehicular communication and second by vehicular cloud. The analysis of the environmental parameters at the observation center is done using probabilistic neural network (PNN). Apart from this, different generic network parameters like end‐to‐end delay, number of hops, and network gaps for the proposed work are computed for the transmission of different environmental parameters and is compared with different VANET routing protocols like geographic source routing (GSR), anchor‐based street and traffic‐aware routing (A‐STAR), and peripheral node‐based geographic distance routing (P‐GEDIR). Vehicular motion is created using Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO), and the network parameter values, like end‐to‐end delay and number of hops, are obtained using OMNET++. A testbed experiment is conducted for the classification of sensor data which is adoptable in practice.
Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic. Are Malaysian High School Students Ready?

The online learning environment is an integral part of activities conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic in schools. This study explored the Malaysian high school students’ online learning perspectives using a mixed-methods study. The quantitative findings reported that students are not ready to go online. The qualitative analysis revealed several emerging themes related to students’ dissatisfaction with the online learning environment. The issues are related to repository-based teaching, cognitive overload, social presence, technology comfort, and discipline. Students suggested that teachers should implement the use of standardised applications, fixed schedules, and interactive sessions. The study concluded that interactions are lacking during the online learning environment. However, the researcher hopes that once teachers are back from the COVID-19 pandemic, they will have a comprehensive understanding of technology tools to consider in their pedagogical practices. It is hoped that the post-pandemic will change the way schools and teachers perceive online learning. The sudden teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic will undoubtedly drive improvements in the use of technology in schools.
The influence of tension, pressure and weight on pipe and riser deformations and stresses

The influence of tension, pressure, and weight on different aspects of pipe and riser behavior has already been the subject of many articles (see references). In spite of this it has frequently been misunderstood, sometimes with serious consequences. The object of this paper is to explain the subject clearly and the approach is therefore deliberately very elementary. The principal problems of bending, buckling, yielding and strains, usually treated in separated papers, are here treated homogeneously. The widely used concepts of ''effective tension'' and ''effective stress'' are given interpretations, easy to visualise, which are related to analogous concepts in other engineering fields. Finally, eight diverse particular examples of the influence of tension, pressure and weight on pipe and riser behavior, are discussed.
Experimental and numerical investigation of flow over a spillway bend with different combinations of permeable spur dikes

In this paper, the effects of different combinations of permeable spur dikes installed in the bend section of spillway on flow characteristics and energy dissipation rate were experimentally and numerically investigated. The results indicate that The permeable spur dikes installed in the spillway bend appreciably contributes to the improvement on the water surface uniformity, and the water surface uniformity can reach 90.13% with three permeable spur dikes installed in the bend. The permeable spur dike can lead to different degrees of decrease in the time-averaged longitudinal velocity in each zone of spillway bend. Different from previous study, no circulation zone is formed upstream and downstream of permeable spur dike due to the presence of permeable holes, and the flow upstream of permeable spur dikes could be divided into three distinctly different flow modes according to dye tracing. The presence of permeable spur dikes causes the concentration of TKE zone at concave bank of the spillway bend, except for TKE zone immediately next to the bottom plate. The TKE first increases and then decreases with the increase in the vertical distance from the bottom plate of the spillway bend, exhibiting a typical parabolic distribution. The energy dissipation rate in the spillway bend with permeable spur dike was calculated using a modified integral method, and the dissipation rate can reach as high as 21.08% with three spur dikes installed in the bend.