Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wastewater Reclamation and Water Resources Management

Wastewater reclamation and reuse are becoming important components of the management of urban, regional and national water resources. Recently, not only countries with chronic water shortage, but also urban areas in temperate climates have considered and implemented wastewater reuse schemes expanding the scope of consumptive uses to include toilet flushing and landscape irrigation, using dual distribution systems and even the reuse as potable waters is being considered and evaluated. Israel is an example of intensive reuse in agricultural irrigation and much experience has been gained in treatment, seasonal reservoirs and establishing quality requirements. The economical justification of wastewater reuse schemes should take into account the overall treatment costs, the ‘environmental and health allowances9, i.e. the cost of treatment required even when reuse is not practiced, the benefits of water and the savings in conveyance and pumping. The paper also briefly describes the two largest wastewater reclamation projects in Israel, namely: the Kishon Complex Scheme and the Dan Region Scheme, both aimed at unrestricted agricultural irrigation of all crops.
Combining Spectral Water Indices and Mathematical Morphology to Evaluate Surface Water Extraction in Taiwan

Rivers in Taiwan are characterised by steep slopes and high sediment concentrations. Moreover, with global climate change, the dynamics of channel meandering have become complicated and frequent. The primary task of river governance and disaster prevention is to analyse river changes. Spectral water indices are mostly used for surface water estimation, which separates the water from the background based on a threshold value, but it can be challenging in the case of environmental noise. Edge detection uses a canny edge detector and mathematical morphology for extracting geometrical features from the image and effective edge detection. This study combined spectral water indices and mathematical morphology to capture water bodies based on downloaded remote sensing images. From the findings, this study summarised the applicability of various spectral water body indices to the surface water extraction of different river channel patterns in Taiwan. The normalised difference water index and the modified normalised difference water index are suitable for braided rivers, whereas the automated water extraction index is ideal for meandering rivers.
Developing and Testing a Methodology for Designing for Intuitive Interaction

A set of principles and a conceptual tool for designing for intuitive interaction have been developed based on previous experimental work. This tool has been tested with designers. The first test with one designer showed that analysing other products that the intended user group interacted with enabled him to understand key aspects of products they would already be familiar with, and include them in the design to allow it to be used more intuitively. A refined version of the tool was then tested by seven groups of postgraduate designers. They were asked for feedback via questionnaires. This paper will discuss the designers’ work, their feedback, and the further refinement of the tool. The main finding from the trials is that the tool works well but needs to be easier for designers to understand.
Characterization of a Polymer-Based Mems Pyroelectric Infrared Detector

Abstract : AFRL/MLPJE had developed a novel thermal sensing material termed protein-impregnated-polymer (PIP). Thus far, a proof-of-concept has been demonstrated using a macro-sized pixel (0.64 mm2) as a bolometric detector. In an effort to better characterize this novel thermal sensing material, experimental data was used to determine figures of merit (FOMs) comparative to off-the-shelf thermal detectors. Microelectromechanical (MEMS) pixels were designed and used as the support structure for an inkjet-deposited droplet of the PIP. During the material characterization, two observations were made: PIP is a pyroelectric material, and the polymer (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) without the protein was found to be more suited for measurements taken on the micro-scaled pixels. Both PVA and PVA doped with carbon black (PVA-CB) were the materials focused on in this research, with the latter being the material used for FOM characterization. Pyroelectric coefficients for PVA and PVA-CB were found to be 755.11 nC/(cm2 K), and 108.32 nC/(cm2 K), respectively, which are both two orders of magnitude higher than values for current pyroelectric polymers. A responsivity of 1.66 x 10[to the 4th power] V/W, thermal time constant of 3.59 sec, noise equivalent power of 21.3 nW, and a detectivity of 1.93 x 10[to the 5th power] cm Hz(1/2)/W were the FOMs found in this thesis. Although the calculated FOMs are not stellar in comparison to current thermal detector technology, this material shows much promise. The shortfalls in FOMs could potentially be attributed to a poor pixel design. This thesis plants the scientific seed in cultivating a thermal imaging focal plane array (FPA) using a newly found pyroelectric polymer.
LOCOMOTOR RESPONSES TO GALVANIC STIMULATION OF THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM IN HUMANS

Balance is control through the integration of vestibular, visual and proprioceptive senses; however, the impact of each during walking is not fully understood. The primary aim of this thesis is to understand the impact of vestibular signals in the maintenance of balance during walking. Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) was used to evoke internal perturbations of the human balance system. Subjects were exposed to GVS during gait and basic results were consistent with published literature; GVS increased the mediolateral deviation of whole body movements towards the side of the galvanic anode during gait. Results indicate that head stability is of key importance to the balance system. The head was held relatively level as compared to the thorax or pelvis throughout gait irrespective of the presence of vision or GVS. Though the pelvis experiences significant tilting due to GVS, a counter rotation of the head compensates for this tilt of lower segments to preserve the level reference frame of the head. Vision was found to be of paramount importance during gait. When walking with eyes open, GVS had a minimal effect on the gait trajectory, spatial foot placement parameters, or tilt angle of the head, thorax, and pelvis. Lastly, temporal ordering of the tilt angles of the head, thorax, and pelvis were observed depending on the perturbation according to the stance limb providing preliminary evidence that segmental tilting occurs during gait. Thus, the well published inverted pendulum model is incorrect for balance losses during gait. Future testing of a greater number of subjects with a larger range of ages and physical condition may provide a greater insight to the intricacies of the human vestibular system.
LEAD: A Formal Specification For Event Processing

Processing event streams is an increasingly important area for modern businesses aiming to detect and efficiently react to critical situations in near real-time. The need to govern the behavior of systems where such streams exist has led to the development of numerous Complex Event Processing (CEP) engines, capable of detecting patterns and analyzing event streams. Although current CEP systems provide real-time analysis foundations for a variety of applications, several challenges arise due to languages' limitations and imprecise semantics, as well as the lack of power to handle big data requirements. In this paper, we discuss such systems, analyzing some of the most sensitive issues in this domain. Further in this context, we present our contributions expressed in LEAD, a formal specification for processing complex events. LEAD provides an algebra that consists of a set of operators for constructing complex events (patterns), temporally restricting the construction process and choosing among several selection and consumption policies. We show how to build LEAD rules to demonstrate the expressive power of our approach. Furthermore, we introduce a novel approach of interpreting these rules into a logical execution plan, built with temporal prioritized colored petri nets.
Improved RRT Algorithm Path Planning Combined with Artificial Potential Field Algorithm

In order to solve the problem of low path planning efficiency in complex obstacle environment, an improved Rapidly-exploring Random Trees (RRT) algorithm is proposed. It utilizes artificial potential field to guide the fast expanding random tree to growing towards the target and away from obstacles. Considering the gravitational field of the target node and the repulsion field of the obstacle in the artificial potential field, a certain number of random nodes generated in one iteration are evaluated and selected. The simulation results show that the improved RRT algorithm has strong advantages over the basic RRT algorithm in search ability and computation time.
Interactive drama, art and artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence methods open up new possibilities in art and entertainment, enabling rich and deeply interactive experiences. At the same time as AI opens up new fields of artistic expression, AI-based art itself becomes a fundamental research agenda, posing and answering novel research questions that would not be raised unless doing AI research in the context of art and entertainment. I call this agenda, in which AI research and art mutually inform each other, Expressive AI. Expressive AI takes seriously the problem of building intelligences that robustly function outside of the lab, engaging human participants in intellectually and aesthetically satisfying interactions, which, hopefully, teach us something about ourselves. This thesis describes a specific AI-based art piece, an interactive drama called Facade, and describes the practice of Expressive AI, using Facade, as well as additional AI-based artwork described in the appendices, as case studies. An interactive drama is a dramatically interesting virtual world inhabited by computer-controlled characters, within which the player experiences a story from a first person perspective. Over the past decade, there has been a fair amount of research into believable agents, that is, autonomous characters exhibiting rich personalities, emotions, and social interactions. There has been comparatively little work, however, exploring how the local, reactive behavior of believable agents can be integrated with the more global, deliberative nature of a story plot, so as to build interactive, dramatic worlds. This thesis presents Facade, the first published interactive drama system that integrates character (believable agents), story (drama management) and shallow natural language processing into a complete system. Facade will be publicly released as a free download in 2003. In the Facade architecture, the unit of plot/character integration is the dramatic beat. In the theory of dramatic writing, beats are the smallest unit of dramatic action, consisting of a short dialog exchange or small amount of physical action. As architectural entities, beats organize both the procedural knowledge to accomplish the beat's dramatic action, and the declarative knowledge to sequence the beat in an evolving plot. Instead of conceiving of the characters as strongly autonomous entities that coordinate to accomplish dramatic action through purely local decision-making, characters are instead weakly autonomous—the character's behavioral repertoire dynamically changes as beats are sequenced. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Dispute resolution across platforms : offshore gambling industry & EVE online

Contemporary online environments suffer from a regulatory gap; that is there are few options for participants between customer service departments and potentially expensive court cases in foreign jurisdictions. Whatever form of regulation ultimately fills that gap will be charged with determining whether specific behavior, within a specific environment, is fair or foul; whether it’s cheating or not. However, cheating is a term that, despite substantial academic study, remains problematic. Is anything the developer doesn’t want you to do cheating? Is it only if your actions breach the formal terms of service? What about the community norms, do they matter at all? All of these remain largely unresolved questions, due to the lack of public determination of cases in such environments, which have mostly been settled prior to legal action. In this paper, I propose a re-branding of participant activity in such environments into developer-sanctioned, advantage play, and cheating. Advantage play, ultimately, is activity within the environment in which the player is able to turn the mechanics of the environment to their advantage without breaching the rules of the environment. Such a definition, and the term itself, is based on the usage of the term within the gambling industry, in which advantage play is considered betting with the advantage in the players’ favor rather than that of the house. Through examples from both the gambling industry and the Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Game Eve Online, I consider the problems in defining cheating, suggest how the term ‘advantage play’ may be useful in understanding participants behavior in contemporary environments, and ultimately consider the use of such terminology in dispute resolution models which may overcome this regulatory gap.
Awaking Stock taking practice in academic libraries; The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology

The services of the traditional library is declining in western countries; much emphasis is being laid on the use of information technology as a means of providing easy access to information resources and ensuring improved library services. To empower library users and to maximise use of library resources, libraries currently have implemented self-service systems available to users 24 hours in 7 days (24/7). Due to this, books are frequently lost or misplaced when they are returned. Stocktaking is an important library operation that helps to manage the collections and keep track of the library resources. If stocktaking is not done frequently, it results in user’s complaints & frustration due to unavailability of resources they desperately need. However, due to inadequate staffing or the tasking nature of the work, stocktaking appears to take the least priority. With the implementation of RFID technology, it not only make their users self-sufficient but can also do stock verification within a few hours with the help of Digital Library Assistant, commonly known as DLA. The DLA allows libraries to keep track of missing books, books on loan, etc. It also helps in proper arrangement of books in the stack area to ensure that users can easily locate books. The article is written to provide an overview of RFID technology, its various components, advantages and disadvantages of using RFID technology in the libraries. It also aims at discussing the role of DLA in inventory control and stock taking in libraries. The study will be very useful for the libraries that have either implemented or are planning to implement automated stock inventory system with the use of Digital Library Assistant.
Derivation of aerospace antenna coupling-factor interference prediction techniques : interim report

Abstract : Three Archimedean spirals were tested for antenna patterns and coupling patterns: (1) circular, (2) square, and (3) dielectric-cavity-backed circular. The latter was used in the fundamental mode, with out-of-phase currents at the feed. The square spiral exhibits a broader beam, a better ellipticity ratio, and a larger VSWR over the band, than of the circular spiral. The effect of the dielectric is to broaden the beam, since the antenna radiates from a smaller region. This broadening effect is significant when the cavity thickness is greater than one-quarter wavelength. Another square spiral, oppositely wound, was tested for coupling patterns, and exhibited essentially mirror-image behavior to the first square spiral. A theoretical consideration of mounted flush-horn antennas indicates rough coupling estimates may be obtained rather simply from curves given. The feed and geometry of the horn determine the aperture field distribution; this, in turn, determines the fields in space and along the ground plane. Phase variations due to horn flare tend to smooth out sidelobes and broaden the beam. Fresnel zone phenomena are not considered. (Author)
Optimization of DMG-CNTFET Photo Detector for Different Illumination Conditions by Nano Scale Size and Doping Through Self-consistent Poisson- Schrodinger Equations

In this paper, we propose a nano scale Dual Material Gate Carbon Nanotube field-effect transistor (DMG-CNTFET) photo detector based on self-consistent 2D Poisson and Schrodinger equation. The main advantage of the proposed device is the improved performance due to dual material gate consisting of two laterally contacting Molybdenum and Titanium metals (M1,M2) with two different work functions (𝜙𝑔𝑀1, 𝜙𝑔𝑀2). The 2D-Poisson equation is solved through finite difference method in open boundary for dark and illuminated condition. The Schrodinger equation is solved through non-equilibrium green function. The proposed DMG-CNTFET photo detector overcomes the problem of maximum thickness in gate oxide and gate size by nano-scaled sizing and highly doped source and drain. The gain and cut off frequency of the device are increased due to the reduced work function and the drain conductance. The characteristics of the proposed transistor are validated through various parameters such as drain current, transfer, sub threshold swing, trans-conductance, gain and cutoff frequency. From the simulation results, the proposed DMG-CNTFET photo detector provides better performance of trans conductance, gain and cutoff frequency. These device characteristics are the key parameters in the design and fabrication of various electronic circuitry and design and hence the relative performance improvement is achievable.
The discovery of new functional oxides using combinatorial techniques and advanced data mining algorithms

Electroceramic materials research is a wide ranging field driven by device applications. For many years, the demand for new materials was addressed largely through serial processing and analysis of samples often similar in composition to those already characterised. The Functional Oxide Discovery project (FOXD) is a combinatorial materials discovery project combining high-throughput synthesis and characterisation with advanced data mining to develop novel materials. Dielectric ceramics are of interest for use in telecommunications equipment; oxygen ion conductors are examined for use in fuel cell cathodes. Both applications are subject to ever increasing industry demands and materials designs capable of meeting the stringent requirements are urgently required. The London University Search Instrument (LUSI) is a combinatorial robot employed for materials synthesis. Ceramic samples are produced automatically using an ink-jet printer which mixes and prints inks onto alumina slides. The slides are transferred to a furnace for sintering and transported to other locations for analysis. Production and analysis data are stored in the project database. The database forms a valuable resource detailing the progress of the project and forming a basis for data mining. Materials design is a two stage process. The first stage, forward prediction, is accomplished using an artificial neural network, a Baconian, inductive technique. In a second stage, the artificial neural network is inverted using a genetic algorithm. The artificial neural network prediction, stoichiometry and prediction reliability form objectives for the genetic algorithm which results in a selection of materials designs. The full potential of this approach is realised through the manufacture and characterisation of the materials. The resulting data improves the prediction algorithms, permitting iterative improvement to the designs and the discovery of completely new materials.
Influence of managers on fleet vehicle crashes: an application of mixed multilevel models

Driving for work is associated with increased risk of involvement in a fatal or serious road traffic collision. Increasingly fleet management has focused on safety and driver behaviour as well as asset management and cost control. Studies have shown that managing the behaviour of both drivers and the organisation as a whole can contribute to incremental improvements in safety. Understanding crash risk must include the background of random events that drivers encounter. This variation has been taken into account when studying interventions such as speed camera location and training schemes. In contrast, the impact of managers on driver outcomes has been less well investigated particularly when based on actual motor insurance claims data. For this reason, this paper reports on a study that rigorously incorporates the influence of managers within a driver claims model; not simply as a nuisance factor but rather as a topic of interest. It is based on employeesr insurance claims from a large UK company, which operates a fleet of approximately 37,000 vehicles and has made significant progress in applying a range of strategies to enhance driver safety over a 10 year period. The paper concludes that identifying managers lying outside the normal range, and associated manager characteristics, can lead to valuable interventions at higher levels of the organisation. This manager effect is found to be statistically significant indicating that the work has important implications for research, policy and practice to improve road safety performance in organisations where people are required to travel as part of their work.
Diurnal variations of southerly monsoon surge and their impacts on East Asian summer rainfall

Monsoon southerlies can be particularly active for days and produce substantial rainfall over East Asia. These multiday episodes of southerly monsoon surge may exhibit distinct diurnal variations due to regional forcings under given large-scale conditions. This study categorizes the southerly surges into two types with different wind diurnal variations to clarify their influence on rainfall over East Asia. In the summer of 1998–2019, there are 63 episodes of southerly surge with large wind diurnal cycles and 55 episodes with small diurnal cycles. The first type of southerly surges usually occurs with anomalous low-level warming over southeastern China related to the westward extension of the western Pacific subtropical high. The second type of southerly surges instead occurs with anomalous cooling due to the deepened midlatitude trough. They thus represent the different mechanisms downscaling from large-scale conditions to regional diurnal forcings. After the onset of the first type, the intensified monsoon southerlies at night lead to the northward displacement of large-scale ascent and northward water vapor transport with warm moist energy. The monsoon rainband tends to move to the north of 35°N with a robust response in precipitation systems, especially in the meso-α-scale rain events from midnight to morning. As a comparison, the rainband stays at 30°–35°N after the onset of the second type when the strengthened large-scale ascent and water vapor convergence are located relatively south. These differences between the two types of southerly monsoon surges highlight that the multiday large-scale conditions interact with sub-daily regional forcings and greatly regulate the detailed evolution of summer rainband over East Asia.