Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A non-manifold geometry modeler : an object oriented approach

Solid Modeling is rapidly emerging as a central area of research and development for such diverse applications as engineering and product design, computer-aided manufacturing, electronic prototyping, off-line robot programming, and motion planning. All these applications require representing the shapes of solid physical objects, and such representations of and basic operations for them can be provided by a solid modeler. However, currently most geometric modelers are too rigid and not tightly integrated into design systems. Usually, they are only used for drafting and visualization during the final stages of the design process. To model geometry of a product at all stages of its design cycle, a more powerful and flexible geometric modeler which can be integrated into the design system is needed. The aim of this project is to develop such a geometric modeler. This study investigates uses of non-manifold topology in solid modeling. A non-twomanifold geometric modeler called GNOMES (Geometric NOn-Manifold Engineering System) which will be used as an integral part of a design system, is developed in C++, over a C++ based object-oriented database. Various algorithms used for developing the system are presented. The theoretical foundation of GNOMES is SGC (Selective Geometric. Complexes), a dimension-independent model for representing pointsets with internal boundaries, incomplete boundaries, and non-two-manifold conditions developed by J. Rossignac at IBM. The object-oriented approach used for developing the system allows it to be easily maintained and extended. Thesis Supervisor: Duvurru Sriram Title: Associate Professor
Estimated Muscle Loads During Squat Exercise in Microgravity Conditions

Loss of muscle mass in microgravity is one of the primary factors limiting long-term space flight. NASA researchers have developed a number of exercise devices to address this problem. The most recent is the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED), which is currently used by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to emulate typical free-weight exercises in microgravity. ARED exercise on the ISS is intended to reproduce Earth-level muscle loads, but the actual muscle loads produced remain unknown as they cannot currently be measured directly. In this study we estimated muscle loads experienced during squat exercise on ARED in microgravity conditions representative of Mars, the moon, and the ISS. The estimates were generated using a subject-specific musculoskeletal computer model and ARED exercise data collected on Earth. The results provide insight into the capabilities and limitations of the ARED machine.
Longitudinal Effects of the Pandemic and Confinement on the Anxiety Levels of a Sample of Spanish Children in Primary Education

(1) Background: The psychological effects of confinement due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic on children are only partially known. In Madrid, Spain, children suffered a strict confinement for 10 weeks and they returned to school under conditions that were far from normal. This work assesses the effects of the pandemic on the anxiety levels of a group of children living in Madrid. (2) Methods: Children were aged 6 to 11 years (N = 215). A self-report measure of anxiety was completed by participants at two time-points: (1) a few months before the beginning of the pandemic and (2) 1 year later. A smaller subgroup of participants also completed the measure during the confinement period (n = 60). (3) Results: A comparison of these three measures shows that the children’s anxiety was reduced during confinement, and that one year later these levels continue below those registered before the start of the pandemic. (4) Conclusions: These results contradict some previous studies, which found an increase in children’s anxiety as a result of confinement and the pandemic. The discussion considers protective and vulnerability factors in the context of the pandemic, which may affect children’s levels of anxiety.
Load Combination Factors for Extreme Events

The AASHTO load and resistance factor design (LRFD) specifications were developed with the use of a reliability-based calibration that covered the basic combination of dead load plus live load. The other load combinations were obtained from previous generations of specifications and the experience of bridge engineers and thus may not be consistent with the reliability methodology of the LRFD specifications. Work done as part of a recent NCHRP project to study in a systematic way the reliability of bridges under the combined effects of extreme load events and to develop a rational set of load combination factors consistent with the LRFD philosophy is described. The load events considered include live loads, seismic loads, wind loads, ship collision loads, and short-term scour. The analysis considered structural safety as well as foundation safety, and member safety was compared with system safety. The study recommended revisions to the AASHTO LRFD load combination factors and also calibrated new factors for combinations of events that include the presence of short-term scour. The calibration took into account previous experience with so-called safe bridge structures to provide acceptable and consistent levels of reliability.
Involvement matters: BIM implementation at project level in the AEC industry

In recent years enabling technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) has appeared in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Despite that both the industry and researchers have devoted considerable resources in the development of numerous aspects of BIM, the fundamental implementation process at project level is still poorly understood. In this paper we investigate a real life project taken from Statsbygg, The Norwegian directorate of public construction and property. We use a theoretical framework to examine which factors are significant for successful BIM implementation at the project level. The case study deals with Statsbygg’s request of using BIM and Lean-constructioninspired work principles in the design phase of a medium sized refurbishment project. The analysis finds that a successful implementation largely depends upon a participative and co-operative process. This means that significant project participants must be involved in a discussion of a BIM-implementation-plan which should reflect interests and goals of the involved parties.
Magnolia tamaulipana: Genetic Evaluation Shows High Vulnerability in a Narrow Distribution

Magnolia tamaulipana is an endangered endemic tree found only in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas, Mexico, historically subjected to anthropogenic disturbance. In this study, we assess the genetic diversity and structure of M. tamaulipana in the eight populations known to date. We used microsatellites to estimate the allelic diversity of 240 individuals and examined how this diversity is distributed among and within populations. We show that there is moderate genetic variation in its surviving populations (expected heterozygosity [HE] ranged from 0.38 to 0.54) but low connection by gene flow (coefficient of differentiation [FST]=0.32). The four genetic groups detected (K=4) were not isolated by distance. We suggest the existence of historical population reductions on the basis of the low diversity relative to other Magnolia species with similar distributions, the history of anthropogenic disturbances in the biosphere reserve, detected bottlenecks, and selective pressures in different locations. Recent bottleneck events due to environmental and landscape modifications probably led to increased genetic differentiation in M. tamaulipana.
Avoiding radiation risks from dental cone-beam computed tomography imaging in orthodontic patients

Received: 2nd June 2021 Accepted: 1st Nov. 2021 Although Cone-beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) has several advantages, it has a huge disadvantage regarding the amount of the exposure dose associated with its diagnostic assessment. The risks associated with using CBCT can be avoided by using another safe technique which is the Digital Smile Design (DSD). DSD is a global procedure depending on definite photographs and software analysis. In the present study, DSD was used as a substituted technique instead of CBCT to avoid radiation hazards accompanied by using CBCT and get a full understanding of smile features helping in diagnosis and treatment planning for maximum patient satisfaction. This study was carried out on adult patients from Class III and Class I. Two frontal digital photographs were taken for each subject, one at rest and the other in the posed smile position. Photographs were uploaded on Photoshop software for standardization and a reading for the incisogingival height of the right maxillary central incisor was conducted. The ratio of 7:5 was found to provide the most accurate image guided by the actual clinical height of the central incisor. The new standardized photos were uploaded on the DSD to be calibrated and measure all linear variables. It was found that Class III patients tended to have wider smile widths, less gingival display, longer chin heights, shorter lower vertical dimensions and a higher percentage of non-consonant and flat smile arcs than Class I subjects. It was concluded that the smile components estimated from DSD are almost typical to those obtained from CBCT, without exposure to radiation doses.
Fixed Polarity Reed-Muller Network Synthesis and Its Application in AND-OR/XOR-based Circuit Realization with Area-Power Trade-off

Abstract Though AND-OR and AND-XOR logic based minimization of combinational functions are well studied areas in the domain of very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit synthesis, most of the real-life multi-output functions are a mix of OR and XOR dominated subfunctions. A judicious choice of OR and XOR decomposition strategy can thus result in the best possible realization of these. This paper explores this avenue and establishes the area-power trade-off existing in such a mixed synthesis approach. It shows on an average upto 16.91% improvement in area and upto 15.60% improvement in power over the AND-OR based logic minimization.
Methodology for the LCC-Analysis and the Optimal Migration of the Railway Operations Control on the Example of ETCS

In order to reduce the number of approximately 20 different train control systems in Europe, and thus to realise cost effective and seamless cross-border railway operation, European Train Control System (ETCS) will be implemented within the next years. Besides the given legislative preconditions, the cost efficiency as well as the optimal migration strategy, both on an operative and strategic level, will be crucial for the commercial success of the system. The Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCC) takes into account the overall costs appearing during the entire life cycle, considering all purchasing, owning and the disposal of the system. Additionally it identifies cost drivers by analysing the “cause-and-effect chain” between relevant figures and processes. Therefore, a system breakdown structure plan and a cost breakdown structure plan are mapped on the different phases in the life-cycle of the analysed operations control system. Furthermore, a process analysis needs to be carried out in order to identify and to optimise those areas where cost-drivers are generated, e.g. the development or the maintenance process. Based on the LCC Analysis and additionally on a Multi-Criteria Analysis, considering operational, technical and other aspects, the optimal target state will be identified. In a last step, migration scenarios for the selected system need to be developed and evaluated systematically. Thus, the optimal migration strategy can be carried out. Furthermore, the migration costs and the duration of the process have to be considered beforehand in the LCC Analysis. As a result, a closed loop and an interaction related to both thematic areas – LCC and the migration of the railway operations control – are found. The Institute of Transportation Systems has developed a consistent methodological framework including tool-support, which is covering this process and will be demonstrated on ETCS in this contribution.
Electron Holes in G-Quadruplexes: The Role of Adenine Ending Groups

The study deals with four-stranded DNA structures (G-Quadruplexes), known to undergo ionization upon direct absorption of low-energy UV photons. Combining quantum chemistry calculations and time-resolved absorption spectroscopy with 266 nm excitation, it focuses on the electron holes generated in tetramolecular systems with adenine groups at the ends. Our computations show that the electron hole is placed in a single guanine site, whose location depends on the position of the adenines at the 3′ or 5′ ends. This position also affects significantly the electronic absorption spectrum of (G+)● radical cations. Their decay is highly anisotropic, composed of a fast process (<2 µs), followed by a slower one occurring in ~20 µs. On the one hand, they undergo deprotonation to (G-H2)● radicals and, on the other, they give rise to a reaction product absorbing in the 300–500 nm spectral domain.
Microjet based noise control of supersonic jets on carrier decks

The effectiveness of ground plane water microjet control on the noise generated by a supersonic, ideally expanded, Mach 1.5, impinging jet was determined. Using a converging-diverging nozzle with a design Mach number of 1.5, the jet was operated at temperatures ranging from 60 to 1700°F. Six microjets were installed in the ground plane in a circular configuration at a radial spacing of 1.53 nozzle diameters, and an angle of 0 and 300 to tangential. Baseline and control temperature readings at the ground plane and acoustic readings at the sideline angles of 70, 80 and 900 were obtained with the microjets operating at pressures ranging from 200 to 900 psig. Additionally, in order to determine the fluid-mechanical mechanisms responsible for the control effect on the noise, high-speed images and video were obtained and analyzed. From measurements of the average and fluctuating ground plane temperature measurements, it was found that modifications to the High Temperature Supersonic Jet Facility at Florida State University allowed for measurements of impinging jet characteristics that were congruent with previous studies. Ground plane microjets were found to be effective in reducing feedback tones as a result of the impinging geometry of the jet. They were also effective at reducing the broadband spectral noise for lower temperatures. At temperatures higher than 600°F, however, an increase in the broadband noise was produced as a result of water microjets. At microjet injection pressures at and above 800 psig, additional noise suppression was achieved for the cold operating condition. From obtained high-speed images and video, it was found that the breakup of the microjet in the shear layer (of the shear variety), and the entrainment of fine mist into the inception of the shear layer was responsible for the reduction in strength and size of large-scale vortical structures. At higher pressures, additional noise suppression is produced as a combined result of the breaking of the feedback loop and the microjet's ability to penetrate to the high-speed side of the shear layer.
Intrusion detection using machine learning methods

Nowadays, with intruders frequently attempting to gain access to the network and harm the data, intrusion detection systems (IDS) are playing a more and more important role in providing security against malicious activities, making IDS a popular research issue. Among various intrusion detection techniques, machine learning methods have shown their advantages, such as higher detection rates, lower false alarm rates and reasonable computation and communication costs. In this paper, we describe a focused literature review of mainstream machine learning methods for intrusion detection. We divide the schemes into three categories, including classic supervised machine learning methods, ensemble learning methods and deep learning methods, and several algorithms are discussed with respect to each category.
Joint Optimization on Power Allocation and Splitting for WSNs With SWIPT-Based Relay

How to prolong network lifetime has become an important issue in the design of large scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, a novel power saving scheme for conventional WSNs via simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) based relays is proposed. Unlike conventional relays based communications need extra energy supply for data forwarding, the relay applied in this paper works in an energy-free manner with the support of SWIPT. The power saving model with both power splitting (PS) and time switching (TS) based SWIPT are proposed. Then, we formulate the joint power allocation and splitting problems of SWIPT relay assisted WSNs as non-convex constrained optimization problems. Since the formulated problems are non-convex, semi-positive definite programming (SDP) algorithms are proposed to find the joint optimization on power allocation and splitting with low complexity. The simulation results show that the PS model has more advantages than the traditional direct communication model in long distance transmission. Under the same information receiving strategy, the PS model outperforms the TS model.
Self-consistent 2-D model for quantum effects in n-MOS transistors

We present a self-consistent two-dimensional (2-D) model for carrier quantization effects in the channel of highly-doped n-MOSFET's. Quantization is taken into account inside a box region surrounding the inversion channel. The proposed approach extends previously proposed one-dimensional (1-D) schemes allowing one to estimate the quantum mechanical (QM) effects on the device current. Good convergence properties are achieved exploiting the effective intrinsic density concept. The simulator has been applied to MOS devices with different peak channel doping, resulting in an improved description of the device behavior.
COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION: THEORY AND PRACTICE

This study aimed to reach a pro on Competency-Based Education (CBE) through the opinions of Educational Sciences experts and to review the literature on CBE. In this study, convergent design, one of the mixed methods research, was used, and a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The sample was selected through convenience sampling and consisted of 28 participants. In the study, the documents related to National and International Qualifications Frameworks, history of CBE, its comparison with traditional education, its implementation, and the challenges of CBE practices are reviewed. The findings revealed that there is a conceptual consensus among the experts on the concepts of skill and learning outcome, but no agreement on the use of “competence,” “proficiency,” and “qualification. ” The study showed that the experts adopt the most up-to-date definitions of CBE, but it is often confused with Proficiency-Based Education. The study revealed that CBE focuses on the demonstration of competence when considering students’ progress and measures it by formative assessments and that, in CBE, students’ learning gaps are eliminated by supporting them at each stage.
A Comparative Study of Head‐Mounted and Table‐Mounted Augmented Vision Systems for Assembly Error Detection

Within the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High‐Wage Countries,” a research project has been initiated to study self‐optimizing assembly cells and to design innovative ergonomic human–machine interfaces of the cell's numerical control. An experimental assembly cell was designed in which two robots carry out a certain repertoire of coordinated pick‐and‐place operations with small workpieces. To support the human operator while monitoring the operations and intervening in the case of assembly errors, an Augmented Vision System (AVS) has been designed and developed. The study described in this article deals with the ergonomic presentation of assembly information by the AVS to support the human operator in detecting assembly errors in small workpieces. Two laboratory experiments were carried out to compare two visual display types and to investigate different variations of presenting assembly information. Forty‐eight subjects participated in the experiments. The statistical analysis shows that the use of a head‐mounted display instead of a common table‐mounted display for the AVS increases the accuracy of assembly error detection significantly (α = 0.05). In contrast, a trend toward a longer detection time was found. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Examining the Concept of Liveability in Urban Neighbourhoods in Iskandar Malaysia

there are limitations in understanding this concept in the Malaysian context. This research examines the relationship of liveability between people and place in their daily lives, to explore comprehensively liveability in urban neighbourhoods through residents' perceptions and the perceived degree of liveability. Qualitative and quantitative data collected in 5 urban neighbourhoods in Iskandar Malaysia suggests that liveability must correspond to residents' requirements for good quality facilities and services, good neighbourhood conditions and positive community engagement. Keywords: Liveability Dimensions; Policy Interpretation; Urban Neighbourhood; Iskandar Malaysia eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i18. 3084
Energy-aware control and communication co-design in wireless net-worked control systems

Energy is a key resource in Networked Control Systems, in particular in applications concerning wireless networks. This thesis investigates how to save energy in wireless sensor nodes with control and communication co-Design. This thesis reviews existing techniques and approaches that are used to save energy from a communication and a control point of view. This review is organized according to the layered communication architecture covering from bottom to top the Physical, Data Link, Network, and Application layers. Then, from the conclusion that the radio chip is an important energy consumer, a joint radio-Mode management and feedback law policy is derived. The radio-Mode management exploits the capabilities of the radio chip to switch to low consuming radio-Modes to save energy, and to adapt the transmission power to the channel conditions. This results in an event-Based control scheme where the system runs open loop at certain time. A natural trade-Off appears between energy savings and control performance. The joint policy is derived in the framework of Optimal Control with the use of Dynamic Programming. This thesis solves the optimal problem in both infinite and finite horizon cases. Stability of the closed loop system is investigated with Input-To-State Stability framework. The main conclusion of this thesis, also shown in simulation, is that cross-Layer design in Networked Control System is essential to save energy in the wireless nodes.