Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy-optimal platooning with hybrid vehicles

The objective of this master thesis is to present a control strategy capable of minimizing the fuel consumption of hybrid electric vehicles traveling in a platoon on a road with a known topography. The main idea is to minimize the amount of energy that is wasted because of the air resistance and by braking with the mechanical brakes. The former is achieved by having the vehicles drive close after one another. The latter can be achieved by either allowing the speed to vary and thereby avoid braking altogether, or by using the electric machine to brake and storing the kinetic energy of the vehicle as electric energy in the battery. The control strategy finds the optimal states: velocity, battery state of charge, travel time, gear and engine state. It also finds the optimal control signals: the force from the engine, electric machine and mechanical brakes as well as switching gear and changing engine state. To make it less computationally demanding the optimization formulation is divided into two layers. One that finds the optimal velocity, battery state of charge and travel time using convex optimization and one that finds the optimal gear and engine state using dynamic programming. The control strategy is then applied to several test cases to evaluate its performance and to compare the fuel consumption of different types and sizes of platoons. Most notably, the test cases show that the fuel consumption can be reduced up to 10 % with a platoon of four hybrid electric vehicles compared to the single vehicle case. Finally, the results are discussed and possible future work is suggested.
COLLOCATED SIBC-FDTD METHOD FOR COATED CONDUCTORS AT OBLIQUE INCIDENCE

A collocated surface impedance boundary condition (SIBC) { flnite difierence time domain (FDTD) method is developed for conductors coated with lossy dielectric coatings at oblique incidence. The method is based on the collocated electric and magnetic fleld components on the planar interface between two media, and rational approximation for tangent function of surface impedance formulation is adopted. In contrast to the traditional SIBC-FDTD implementation which is approximated with the magnetic fleld component on the boundary located at half-cell distance from the interface and half time step earlier in time, the collocation approach is more accurate for both magnitude and phase of re∞ection coe-cient. By the comparison with exact results, the proposed model is numerically verifled in the frequency domain for both parallel polarization plane wave and vertical polarization plane wave at varying oblique angles of incidence.
Combination of optimization techniques to find of processing optimal condition of postharvest broccoli by vacuum cooling process

This study aimed to investigate the impact of each factor on the weight loss of postharvest broccoli and treatment efficacy, and also attempted to fix the optimal condition for vacuum cooling treatment on postharvest broccoli by response surface methodology combined with tabu search techniques. Fresh broccoli samples were harvested from a Chinese farm and the green heads of selected samples were cut into smaller ones with approximately 3~4 cmdiameter, and sequentially equilibrated to room temperature. Pressure (200-600 Pa), broccoli weight (200-500 g), water volume (2-6 %, v v -1 ) and time (20-40 min) were used as factors and weight loss, final temperature and cost as responses. A tabu search algorithm was developed to find the optimum condition for processing broccoli and its initial condition were from response surface methodology. Results demonstrates a good adjust of tabu search algorithm in simulation of the broccoli freezing process. From tabu list the best condition were found as follows: the broccoli weight between 273.5 and 278.0 g with a water volume of 3.0%, processed for 40.0 min and at 200 Pa, where the weight loss was 0.34 ± 0.01%, of end temperature was 2.0 ± 0.0°C and profit percent was 99.66 ± 0.01%.
Impact of agricultural emission reductions on fine-particulate matter and public health

Abstract. A global chemistry-climate model has been used to study the impacts of pollutants released by agriculture on fine-particulate matter (PM2.5), with a focus on Europe, North America, East and South Asia. Simulations reveal that a relatively strong reduction in PM2.5 levels can be achieved by decreasing agricultural emissions, notably of ammonia (NH3) released from fertilizer use and animal husbandry. The absolute impact on PM2.5 reduction is strongest in East Asia, even for small emission decreases. Conversely, over Europe and North America, aerosol formation is not immediately limited by the availability of ammonia. Nevertheless, reduction of NH3 can also substantially decrease PM2.5 concentrations over the latter regions, especially when emissions are abated systematically. Our results document how reduction of agricultural emissions decreases aerosol pH due to the depletion of aerosol ammonium, which affects particle liquid phase and heterogeneous chemistry. Further, it is shown that a 50 % reduction of agricultural emissions could prevent the mortality attributable to air pollution by ∼ 250 000 people yr−1 worldwide, amounting to reductions of 30, 19, 8 and 3 % over North America, Europe, East and South Asia, respectively. A theoretical 100 % reduction could even reduce the number of deaths globally by about 800 000 per year.
The American Pride and Aspiration

There has been a growing literature on empirical studies on status consciousness. Specifically, the predictions of signaling models and theory of subjective well-being are empirically tested and found to support status seeking behavior. Instead of relying on these established theoretical models on status seeking behavior, we adopt a very general approach and model how individuals’ status seeking behavior influences their consumption patterns. We define both an aspiration aspect and a pride aspect of status. Individuals aspire to reach higher status which we call aspiration aspect of status. Individuals also try their best to maintain at least their current status with respect to relatively lower income group class, which we call the pride aspect of status. We model these two aspects of status for the U.S households using Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data. Some of the results obtained go against the conventional signaling models which predict that as the mean income of the reference group increases, consumption of conspicuous goods decreases. Also, we get results contrary to Duesenberry’s claim that rich are not concerned about their position relative to lower income group class.
Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, 1895 and Thrips palmi Karny, 1925 (Insecta: Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in orchids in Singapore

The spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of the Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and of the Melon Thrips, Thrips palmi (both Thysanoptera: Thripidae), were studied in five orchid farms in Singapore. The population of T. palmi was more abundant and dominant than that of F. occidentalis during the study. Frankliniella occidentalis occurred in the farms only from February to June 2011 and Thrips palmi was present for the entire sampling period, January to November 2011. Blue traps trapped T. palmi more effectively while WFT traps were more suitable for population monitoring of F. occidentalis. Both F. occidentalis and T. palmi tend to aggregate themselves at the tested population size of 10 thrips/trap in average. Parameters "a" and "b" of the Taylor’s Power Law and parameters of “” and “” of the Iwao’s Patchiness Regression Index indicate that individuals of F. occidentalis and T. palmi tend to form aggregation patches. While T. palmi aggregate in patches, the patches are uniformly distributed. In contrast, for F. occidentalis, both individuals and patches are aggregated. Parameters to be considered for a surveillance strategy for F. occidentalis are also discussed.
Study of subthreshold behavior of FinFet

Study Of Subthreshold Behavior Of FinFET by Balasubramanian Murugan Dr. Rama Venkat, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Nevada, Las Vegas The study of subthreshold behavior of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) is critically important in the case of submicron devices for the successful design and implementation of digital circuits. Fin Field Effect Transistor (FinFET) is considered to be an alternate MOSFET structure in the deep sub-micron regime. A 3D Poisson equation solver is employed to study the subthreshold behavior of FinFET. Based on potential distribution inside the fin, the appropriate band bending and the subthreshold value called the S-factor is calculated. It is observed that the S-factor of the device increases as the channel width, Tfm increases. This is attributed to the fact that the change in the band bending is less than the change in the applied gate voltage. This is only a first order analysis; hence the device is simulated in a device simulator Taurus. It is observed that the S-factor increases exponentially for channel lengths Lg < l.STfm. Further, for a constant Lg, the S factor is observed to increase as Tfm increases. An empirical relationship between S, Lg and Tfm is developed based on the simulation results, which can be used as a rule of thumb for determining the S-factor of devices.
Compact Dual - Mode Tri - Band Microstrip BPF with Three Sets of Resonators

In this letter, a novel compact dual-mode tri-band microstrip bandpass fllter (BPF) is proposed using three sets of dual- mode resonators, i.e., the quarter-wavelength resonator (QWR) which is designed for the flrst passband, and two sets of stub loaded resonators (SLR) for the second and third passband, respectively. The center frequencies and bandwidths of three passbands can be ∞exibly tuned and designed. Multiple transmission zeros can be generated to improve the selectivity. Meanwhile, the BPF can obtain more compact size by adopting the folded resonators and extended feed lines. Finally, a tri- band microstrip BPF prototype with fractional bandwidths 18.3% at 1.8GHz, 5.5% at 3.6GHz and 12.2% at 5.25GHz is designed. The measured results are in good agreement with the full-wave simulation results.
Drying Shrinkage of Heat-Cured Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete

Fly ash-based geopolymer concrete is manufactured without using portland cement at all. This type of concrete has environmental benefit as it has very low of greenhouse gas emission compared to that resulted from the production of portland cement. In addition, it also utilizes waste or by-product material that makes it more environmentally friendly. This paper presents the study of drying shrinkage of heat-cured fly ash-based geopolymer concrete. Geopolymer concrete in this study used low-calcium fly ash as its source material, alkaline solution and aggregates normally used for ordinary portland cement concrete. Four series of test specimens with different compressive strength were prepared to study the drying shrinkage of this concrete. The test results were then compared with the calculated results of drying shrinkage as predicted by Gilbert Method which is normally used for ordinary portland cement concrete. Test results shows that the heat-cured fly ash-based geopolymer concrete undergoes very low drying shrinkage. The drying shrinkage strain at one year as calculated using Gilbert Method is much higher, about five to seven times, compared to the measured drying shrinkage strain from the tests.
Estimation of Soil-Water Characteristic Curve for Cohesive Soils with Methylene Blue Value

This study described a new methylene blue test to measure the methylene blue value (MBV) for 15 cohesive soils and established the relationship between MBV and plasticity index (PI) and between MBV and percent passing No. 200 sieve (P200), respectively. Thereafter, the soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) for 15 cohesive soils based on Fredlund and Xing’s model were generated by the pressure plate test. Then, regression equations for determining the four fitting parameters in a previously developed SWCC equation by using the measured MBV were utilized to generate the SWCC for the cohesive soils. At the same time, the slope parameter, bf, in the SWCC equations was found to be associated with the moisture susceptibility of cohesive soils. A higher bf value indicates that the material is more moisture susceptible. In addition, a lower MBV/PI/P200 shows a lower suction at the same degree of saturation; on the other hand, a higher MBV/PI/P200 presents a higher suction. Therefore, the moisture-holding capacity of cohesive soils increases with increasing MBV, PI, and P200. Finally, the proposed estimation method was validated by a comparison between the four determined fitting parameters from MBV and the pressure plate test.
Multi-objective Crashworthiness Optimization of the Aluminum Foam-filled Tubes

In order to reduce both the weight of vehicles and the damage of occupants in a crash event simultaneously, it is necessary to perform a multi-objective optimization of the automotive energy absorbing components. In this paper, axial impact crushing behavior of the aluminum foam-filled thin-walled tubes are studied by the finite element method using commercial software ABAQUS. Comparison of the present simulation results with the results of the experiments reported in the previous works indicated the validity of the numerical analyses. A meta-model based on the feed-forward artificial neural networks are then obtained for modeling of both the absorbed energy (E) and the peak crushing force (Fmax) with respect to design variables using those data obtained from the finite element modeling. Using such obtained neural network models, a modified multi-objective GA is used for the Pareto-based optimization of the aluminum foam-filled thinwalled tubes considering three conflicting objectives such as energy absorption, weight of structure, and peak crushing force.
"I am considering leaving soon" "“ Turnover Intentions of Academic Librarians in Zimbabwe

The interest to investigate the turnover intentions of academic librarians in Zimbabwe stems from the fact the labour market in Zimbabwe is characterized by high levels of employee turnover and increasing low levels job security. Academic libraries like any other employer have therefore found themselves wanting in providing adequate services including adequately remunerating their employees thus leaving the employees with no option but to look beyond their employers as a source of livelihood. An e-questionnaire was designed purposively targeting 65 academic librarians in 10 state owned and 3 private universities across Zimbabwe. Additional data was gathered by purposively sampling 6 senior librarians for interviews to triangulate the data gathered through the e-questionnaires. Salaries and conditions of service, job performance, career growth, work environment, job satisfaction, supervisory style, promotional opportunities, and employee commitment were identified as the factors shaping turnover intentions of academic librarians in Zimbabwe.
IEA SHC Task 42/ECES Annex 29 – A Simple Tool for the Economic Evaluation of Thermal Energy Storages

Within the framework of IEA SHC Task 42 / ECES Annex 29, a simple tool for the economic evaluation of thermal energy storages has been developed and tested on various existing storages. On that account, the storage capacity costs (costs per installed storage capacity) of thermal energy storages have been evaluated via a Top-down and a Bottom-up approach. The Top-down approach follows the assumption that the costs of energy supplied by the storage should not exceed the costs of energy from the market. The maximum acceptable storage capacity costs depend on the interest rate assigned to the capital costs, the intended payback period of the user class (e.g. industry or building), the reference energy costs, and the annual number of storage cycles. The Bottom-up approach focuses on the realised storage capacity costs of existing storages. The economic evaluation via Top-down and Bottom-up approach is a valuable tool to make a rough estimate of the economic viability of an energy storage for a specific application. An important finding is that the annual number of storage cycles has the largest influence on the cost effectiveness. At present and with respect to the investigated storages, seasonal heat storage is only economical via large sensible hot water storages. Contrary, if the annual number of storage cycles is sufficiently high, all thermal energy storage technologies can become competitive.
Meiofaunal vertical zonation on hard-bottoms: comparison with soft-bottom meiofauna

An annual study on hard-substrate meiofaunal assemblages was carried out at 2 depths (2.5 and 8 m) along a vertical cliff of the Middle Adriatic (Mediterranean Sea) characterised by dif- ferent macroalgal canopies and structural substrate complexities. The upper sampling area of the rocky cliff was covered by macroalgae, and its upper limit was characterised by the presence of a dense belt of Mytilus galloprovincialis. At 8 m depth, mussels were not present, the algal assemblage was less diversified, and phytal coverage decreased. Dynamics and community structure of meio- fauna-inhabiting hard substrates were compared with those of meiofauna collected from soft sedi- ments at the cliff base (9 m depth). Meiofauna of hard and soft substrates displayed significant dif- ferences both in terms of density (7-fold higher in soft substrates) and assemblage structure. Meiofauna from rocky substrates were dominated by crustaceans (copepods, nauplii and amphi- pods), while soft sediments were largely dominated by nematodes (ca 90%). Significant temporal changes of meiofaunal density were observed on both hard and soft substrates, with higher densities in spring to summer and lowest abundance in winter. Despite a completely different algal assem- blage and coverage at 2.5 and 8 m depths, hard substrates displayed very similar meiofaunal densi- ties and community structure. Crustacean taxa were correlated with algal coverage. Polychaetes inhabiting hard substrates increased their relevance with depth, whilst amphipods, being signifi- cantly correlated with algal biomass, decreased. Nematodes were related with the structural com- plexity index, calculated on the basis of macroalgal geometric complexity and biomass, whereas copepod and nauplius densities were related with the total structural complexity (as a sum of the algal complexity). The results of the present study indicate that the nature of the substrate (hard vs soft) is the main factor responsible for the differences observed between hard- and soft-bottom meio- fauna assemblages, whereas phytal coverage and substrate complexity influenced the structure of hard bottom meiofaunal assemblages. Finally, the analysis of spatial variability of meiofaunal assem- blages indicates that hydrodynamic stress also played an important role in meiofaunal structure and distribution on hard substrates, especially at shallow depths.
Factors Influencing Adoption of Mobile Technologies in Public Service Delivery: A Survey of Kajiado North Sub-County

This study examined the factors contributing to adoption of mobile technologies in public service delivery in Kajiado North sub-county. The independent variables were performance expectation, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions in line the Unified Theory of Acceptance and use of technology. Simple random sampling based on sample frame of all heads and deputy heads of government departments based in the sub-county was used. The main instrument for the study were self-constructed questionnaire. Data was organized, edited, analyzed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 2.0. The data was categorized, themes established, coded, entered into the computer and analyzed.
Early Cannabis Use and School to Work Transition of Young Men

We study the impact of early cannabis use on the school to work transition of young men. Our empirical approach accounts for common unobserved confounders that jointly affect selection into cannabis use and the transition from school to work using a multivariate mixed proportional hazard framework in which unobserved heterogeneities are drawn from a discrete mixing distribution. Extended models account for school leavers' option of returning to school rather than starting work as a competing risk. We find that early cannabis use leads young men to accept job offers more quickly and at a lower wage rate compared to otherwise similar males who did not use cannabis. These effects are present only for those who use cannabis for longer than a year before leaving school. Overall, our findings are consistent with a mechanism whereby early non-experimental cannabis use leads to greater impatience in initial labor market decision-making.
Some aspects of NMR techniques for the conformational analysis of peptides

An outline is given of some new NMR spectroscopic approaches to the spatial structure of peptides in solution which have been recently suggested and tested in the Shemyakin Institute for Chemistry of Natural Products. The previously derived angular dependence of the peptide vicinal 3'NHCH coupling constant has been refined on the basis of the latest experimental data. It has been found that ion—dipole interaction of the type C==-O M +(where M is an alkali metal ion) leads to a low field shift of the '3C signal of the carbonyl group. This effect permits determination of the number and location of the ligand groups which form the internal cavity of peptide and depsipeptide complexones. The effect of 'shift reagents' on the NMR spectra sheds certain light on the spatial structure of peptides in solution, and, in particular, gives considerable information on the configuration of the amide bond and on the rotational states of the C—-C" bond. The INDOR and signals on combination frequency have been used for detection of 'hidden' signals (their multiplicity, chemical shift and splitting) and on the assignment of the NH signals in the proton NMR spectra of peptides. High resolution NMR spectroscopy is becoming the most powerful means for the study of the spatial structure of peptides in solution. The progress in this field has required the development of new spectroscopic approaches. The subject matter of this paper is to outline some of those which have been suggested and tested recently in the Shemyakin Institute for Chemistry of Natural Products. I. THE ANGULAR DEPENDENCE OF THE PEPTIDE VICINAL NH-C8H COUPLING CONSTANT With the accumulation of more experimental data it has now become possible to refine the earlier proposed"2 dependence of the 3NflCH constant on the dihedral angle U between the H—N---C' and N—C-----H planes.
VARIMAX ROTATED PRINCIPAL COMPONENT FACTOR ANALYSIS OF THE ZOOMETRICAL TRAITS OF UDA SHEEP

A study was conducted to determine the interdependence among the conformation traits of 359 Uda rams using principal component factor analysis. The body measurements were withers height, body length, heart girth, rump height, rump width, rump length, face length, foreleg length and shoulder width. Age group of animals was a significant (p<0.05) source of variation for the studied traits. The various constituent parts of the body developed at varying rates. From the factor analysis, with varimax rotation of the transfor- mation matrix, two principal components were extracted, which accounted for 86.3% of the total variance. The first principal component alone explained 80.8% of the variation, and tended to describe general size, while the second principal component had its loadings for meat traits (rump width, shoulder width and rump length). The two extracted principal components could be considered in selection programmes to obtain animals with better conformation using fewer measurements.