Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intelligent cities: Variable geometries of spatial intelligence

This article discusses the spatial intelligence of cities, the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) and institutional frameworks that support innovation ecosystems of cities and increase the problem-solving capability of communities and cities. It is based on three case studies on Bletchley Park, Cyberport Hong Kong and Smart Amsterdam, which highlight different architectures of spatial intelligence: (1) orchestration intelligence that stems from collaboration within a community and integration of people's skills, know-how, and collective and machine intelligence, (2) amplification intelligence based on learning, up-skilling and talent cultivation using open technology platforms and ICT infrastructure offered by the city, and (3) instrumentation intelligence based on streams of information generated from the functioning of cities, which enable more informed decisions to be taken by citizens and organizations. The article contributes to understanding different processes that make communities more intelligent, and how collective intelligence, people-driven innovation and use of smart devices advance the efficiency, operation and governance of cities.
Relations intra- and inter-organisations for the study of the temporary multi-organisation in construction projects

Construction projects are carried out by a temporary team of heterogeneous organisations called a 'temporary multi-organisation' (TMO). TMOs are constituted by procurement strategies on the part of the project client which emphasise the inter-organisation relations but which put little emphasis on the impact of internal, i.e., intra-organisational, structures, including those of the client. These procurement strategies mostly concern the contractual arrangements between the client and contractors and/or professionals. However, they do not specifically allow for anticipating the impact the participants' internal structures and relationships might have on these contractual arrangements. This article examines how the mechanisms of coordination inter- and intra-organisations influence the TMO. The research is based on the in-depth analysis of nine projects and of three institutional clients in Canada. Research findings show that formal and informal relations between project participants do not necessarily follow the legally binding procurement strategies. The findings permit identifying common patterns regarding the importance of intra-organisation relations within institutional clients, and between them and the participants of the construction industry. The patterns suggest four representative configurations of the TMO.
Hysteretic models that incorporate strength and stiffness deterioration

This paper presents the description, calibration and application of relatively simple hysteretic models that include strength and stiffness deterioration properties, features that are critical for demand predictions as a structural system approaches collapse. Three of the basic hysteretic models used in seismic demand evaluation are modified to include deterioration properties: bilinear, peak‐oriented, and pinching. The modified models include most of the sources of deterioration: i.e. various modes of cyclic deterioration and softening of the post‐yielding stiffness, and also account for a residual strength after deterioration. The models incorporate an energy‐based deterioration parameter that controls four cyclic deterioration modes: basic strength, post‐capping strength, unloading stiffness, and accelerated reloading stiffness deterioration. Calibration of the hysteretic models on steel, plywood, and reinforced‐concrete components demonstrates that the proposed models are capable of simulating the main characteristics that influence deterioration. An application of a peak‐oriented deterioration model in the seismic evaluation of single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) systems is illustrated. The advantages of using deteriorating hysteretic models for obtaining the response of highly inelastic systems are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Additional evaluations show that specific BWA‐aln settings still outperform BWA‐mem for ancient DNA data alignment

Xu et al. (2021) recently recommended a new parameterization of BWA‐mem as a superior alternative to the widely‐used BWA‐aln algorithm to map ancient DNA sequencing data. Here, we compare the BWA‐mem parameterization recommended by Xu et al. with the best‐performing alignment methods determined in the recent benchmarks of Oliva and colleagues (2021), demonstrating that BWA‐aln is still the gold‐standard for ancient DNA read alignment .
Autonomous Vehicle Navigation in Semi-structured Environments Based on Sparse Waypoints and LiDAR Road-tracking

During the last decades, the research endeavours on autonomous driving found great resonance in Advanced Driver-Assistance Solutions that equipped the contemporary civilian vehicles and significantly boosted their driver-less mobility. The existing applications are mostly focused on urban scenarios where signs, road lanes and markers are well defined and ordered favouring the motion of the vehicles whilst, less attention has been paid to the semi-structured and rural environments where traffic infrastructure is scarce. The paper at hand introduces a holistic framework for autonomous vehicles navigation in semi-structured environments. Semantic cues fused with geometrical information of LiDAR data are used for road detection and tracking. OpenStreetMaps are employed as a rough route planner, the waypoints of which are rectified via a probability distribution function over the visible area of vehicle’s vicinity. Thus, vehicle’s localization is obtained by Normal Distribution Transform (NDT) SLAM, where the covariance of egomotion estimation is obtained by processing short-term 3D maps, fused with GPS measurements by means of an extended Kalman filter. Local planning and execution of vehicle’s motion is applied on local cost maps formulated by the union of 2D laser readings and the detected road boundaries fitted through Bézier curves. The complete framework has been evaluated with the aid of a real Autonomous Guided Vehicle in a constrained semi-structured urban area, exhibiting robust navigation performance.
Shadowing Impact on Amount of Power Generated by Photovoltaic Modules

Use of renewable energy sources is an integral part of the concept developed for improving energy efficiency of buildings. This study is dedicated to the problem of solar power supply for the buildings under the conditions of high-density urban development. The article deals with an estimation method assigned to define impact of partial shadowing on the surfaces of photovoltaic modules with respect to an amount of electric power a solar power system generates.
Brazilian network of COVID-19 during pregnancy (REBRACO: a multicentre study protocol)

Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and postpartum in 16 maternity hospitals. Methods and analysis A prospective multicentre study, with five axes. First, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among women admitted for childbirth will be described in a cross-sectional study. Second, maternal and perinatal outcomes will be assessed in a prospective cohort study including pregnant or postpartum women with suspected COVID-19. Third, a cohort of positive COVID-19 cases with sampling of a variety of biological material. Histopathological and viral analysis of biological maternal and neonatal samples will be performed, and the assessment of nutritional variables to evaluate the association between vitamin D and severity of infection. Fourth, a monitoring and evaluation committee to collect relevant healthcare information and plan actions in centres facing the pandemic. Furthermore, qualitative studies will be performed to study pregnant women, their families and health professionals. Fifth, an ecological study will monitor the number of live births, stillbirths and other outcomes to explore any trend among the periods before, during and after the pandemic. Data will systematically be collected in an electronic platform following standardised operational procedures. For quantitative study components, an appropriate statistical approach will be used for each analysis. For qualitative data, in-depth interviews recorded in audio will be transcribed, checking the text obtained with the recording. Subsequently, thematic analysis with the aid of the NVivo programme will be performed. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained (letters of approval numbers 4.047.168, 4.179.679 and 4.083.988). All women will be fully informed to sign the consent form before enrolment in the study. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.
Modelling reliability growth for multi‐version open source software considering varied testing and debugging factors

Due to the continuous dependence of society on technology and the fast growth of Open Source Software (OSS), there is a need for the software industry to shift to multi‐release software development. To include the revisions in user demands and testing environment, factors that affect OSS reliability have to be considered. Here, we propose a quantitative method for assessing the reliability of multi‐release OSS by using Software Reliability Growth Models based on the Non‐Homogenous Poisson Process. Various factors like imperfect debugging, error generation, change‐point have been considered. The model has been estimated on Statistical Package for Social Sciences using three releases of the Apache dataset. It is concluded that the results obtained are improved than the existing ones.
Inspection System based on Computer Vision

Modernios inspekcinės sistemos dažnai naudojamos priežiūros reikmėms. Jos stebi žmogaus elgseną ar bando aptikti įtartiną veiklą, naudodamosi vaizdine informacija. Minios aptikimas bei atskirų žmonių sekimas turi būti patikimas. Mes siūlome hibridinį metodą, paremtą gradiento krypcių histogramomis (HoG) bei Haaro požymiais. Pirmasis naudojamas aptikti žmogaus siluetui, o antrasis – žmogaus veidui. Naujasis metodas leidžia tiksliau aptikti žmones bei nustatyti, kur žiūri žmogus. Mūsų metodu gaunami geresni rezultatai nei naudojant HoG ar Haaro požymius atskirai. Il. 7, bibl. 8 (anglų kalba; santraukos anglų ir lietuvių k.). http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.eee. 116.10. 889
Buildings and Terrain of Urban Area Point Cloud Segmentation based on PCL

One current problem with laser radar point data classification is building and urban terrain segmentation, this paper proposes a point cloud segmentation method base on PCL libraries. PCL is a large cross-platform open source C++ programming library, which implements a large number of point cloud related efficient data structures and generic algorithms involving point cloud retrieval, filtering, segmentation, registration, feature extraction and curved surface reconstruction, visualization, etc. Due to laser radar point cloud characteristics with large amount of data, unsymmetrical distribution, this paper proposes using the data structure of kd-tree to organize data; then using Voxel Grid filter for point cloud resampling, namely to reduce the amount of point cloud data, and at the same time keep the point cloud shape characteristic; use PCL Segmentation Module, we use a Euclidean Cluster Extraction class with Europe clustering for buildings and ground three-dimensional point cloud segmentation. The experimental results show that this method avoids the multiple copy system existing data needs, saves the program storage space through the call of PCL library method and class, shortens the program compiled time and improves the running speed of the program.
Research Communication: The Military Related External Debt of Third World Countries

The structure of arms imports financing has changed considerably in the past. While in the fifties and sixties grants prevailed, in the seventies credits and cash-payments became most important. It is not possible to indicate how much of arms credits were included in available debt statistics. Anyhow, some theorizing has led to the conclusion that direct military credits might not be such an interesting indicator if we are interested in the total burden imposed on Third World countries through the credit financing of arms imports. I have therefore introduced an 'opportunity cost' assessment. Both from direct payment statistics and my indirect estimates, I conclude that in the second half of the nineteen seventies credit payments became the most important financing source of arms imports. Measured indirectly, in the second half of the seventies, more than half of all arms imports in the Third World were credit financed. The opportunity cost burden of military credits in the second half of the seventies rose to about 20 to 30% of all real inflow of debt to Third World countries. Had the Third World countries importing debt capital in 1979 not imported arms in 1979, the net transfers of debt could have been up to 20 to 30% lower. The opportunity cost burden of accumulated debt over time is estimated at around 20% of the total Third World debt burden for 1979. For the same year, I estimate that interest in amortization of old debt added up to more than twice the cost of new weapon imports for credit importing countries. The fast rising credit burden of arms imports adds a very important dimension for the burden measurement of Third World arms imports.
Settling time optimisation for two-stage CMOS amplifiers with current-buffer Miller compensation

A new settling-time-oriented design strategy for two-stage operational amplifiers with current-buffer Miller compensation is presented. The proposed approach allows the systematic optimisation of the amplifier time response to be performed, avoiding time-consuming trial-and-error design processes. A design example in 0.35 µm CMOS technology is also reported. Circuital and statistical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Triticum Aestivum L. cv. Guizi 1 ANS-6D Positively Regulates Leaf Senescence Through the Abscisic Acid Mediated Chlorophyll Degradation in Tobacco

Anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) is involved in the synthesis of anthocyanins, which are important phytonutrients because of their beneficial effects on human health. Here, we identified ANS-6D of purple-colored Triticum aestivum L. cv. Guizi 1 (Gz) that is involved in leaf senescence through the abscisic acid (ABA) mediated chlorophyll degradation pathway in tobacco. After characterizing the leaf-senescence phenotype in GzANS-6D overexpression (OxGzANS-6D) lines, we found that the increased anthocyanin accumulation and decreased chlorophyll content in OxGzANS-6D lines were closely correlated with the expression levels of anthocyanin synthesis-related structural genes and senescence marker genes, as well as the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. The endogenous ABA content increased and ethylene content decreased in OxGzANS-6D transgenic lines compared with wild type. Additionally, the levels of the abscisic acid-responsive transcription factors ABF1 and ABF2, as well as those of chlorophyll degradation-related genes (PAO, NYC, SGR and CHL), were significantly higher in OxGzANS-6D transgenic lines than in wild type. Furthermore, we found that GzABF1 and NtABF1 binds to the promoter of GzANS-6D, and NtABF2 binds to the promoter of NtSGR. Thus, GzANS-6D participated in leaf senescence through ABA-mediated chlorophyll degradation, and ABF1/2 play important role in GzANS-6D functions.
Evaluation of radio‐frequency identification projects in public sectors of Korea

Recently there has been increasing radio‐frequency identification (RFID) implementation in public sectors of the Republic of Korea. In many cases, however, the evaluations of projects have been measured by hardware vendors or system integrators who were involved in the project, and in many cases the projects have been evaluated as a success. Also, in many cases in Korea, the success of projects has been evaluated by operation performance such as accuracy in inventory, reduction of the bullwhip effect, and reduction of inventory. This article presents a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach for evaluating RFID projects with a view different from the operational view. For relatively objective views of the evaluation, we have considered four different groups that were related to the RFID projects. We present the results of analysis from two pilot RFID projects in Korea. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Copyright 2009 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved. 10.1518/107118109X12524444081638

Workplace tasks that involve multidimensional demands, such as physical and cognitive workloads, may increase the injury risks posed on workers. To aid in designing ergonomic guidelines for workplace safety, it is thus important to understand the interactive nature of these combined demands. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of said multidimensional demands on the muscles of the upper extremity. Seventeen healthy participants performed isometric upper extremity exertions at five levels of physical intensities (5%, 25%, 45%, 65%, and 75% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC)) in the presence and absence of a mental task. Mean shoulder muscle activity and co-contraction indices (CCI) of the upper extremity were measured using electromyographic signals. Force fluctuations were measured using a force transducer to evaluate joint steadiness. In general, shoulder muscle activity (mean activity and CCIs) increased with increasing levels of physical exertions. A decrease in mean anterior and posterior deltoid muscle activity and CCI of the shoulder was observed in the presence of the mental task. However, these changes were more prominent at higher levels of physical workload compared to the lower levels. Force fluctuations were lowest at 25% MVC, and highest at 85% MVC. Mental workload significantly increased force fluctuations at 85% MVC, which may have been a result of decreased muscle output to maintain the loads in a steady posture. Overall, results from this study suggest that certain task demands are more susceptible to interference by mental workload than others. It will provide a better understanding of combined exposure levels in occupational settings and serve as a guideline to determine task demands for different occupational settings.
Pemodelan dan Simulasi Urutan Pengelasan Bilah Roda Traktor Berbasis Metoda Elemen Hingga

This paper discusses the modelling and simulation of welding process based on the finite element method (FEM) in order to predict the welding distortion of tractor wheel blades. Two FEM modellings are needed to obtain the welding distortion models, namely thermal and elasto-plastic. The effect of welding thermal is assumed as tendon force and to be used as input of the analysis of elasto-plastic modelling. Welding distortion simulation results were verified using the experimental data. The verification results have shown similar shape of the welding deformation between simulations and experimental. Also, deviation value of displacement distortion between simulation and experimental is small. Hence, the simulation of welding deformation modelling using thermal elasto-plastic FEM can be used to predict the welding distortion of tractor wheel blades. Based on simulation results, the shape of radial and axial displacement distortion due to welding the blade with serial sequence was larger than that of the shape distortion due to welding of the blade with a recommended sequence. After welding simulation of those of 16 wheels tractor blades, the predicted value of displacement distortion due to welding of the blade with serial sequence is equal to 3,393mm, which was larger than that of 1,440mm due to welding of the blade with recommended sequence.
New method for the analysis of distribution networks

A new method is presented for the solution of load flow in radially operated distribution networks. The method is based on an electric equivalent and on the elimination of the voltage phase angle in the equations to be solved, which makes it possible to obtain the exact solution working only with voltage magnitudes. In this way, a simple and efficient method for the exact load flow solution for this type of network is obtained, allowing the modeling of voltage-dependent loads and the formulation of related problems like the radial load flow with voltage constraints. The method can easily be programmed and has good convergence characteristics, as shown by examples. >
Novel substituted oxadiazole - piperazine derivatives as potential MAO inhibitors: Design, synthesis, in vitro and in silico studies

: Recent studies have shown that there are many piperazine and oxadiazole derivatives with MAO-A and/or MAO-B inhibitory activity. For this reason in our recent study, a new compound series of oxadiazole - piperazine derivatives ( 4a - e ) were designed, synthesized, characterized and screened their h MAOs inhibitory activities. When the in silico studies were examined, it was seen that the pharmacokinetic properties and interactions with the receptor of synthesized compounds were suitable. Compound 4e , with a NO 2 group on the 4-position of the phenyl ring, found showing significant MAO-A inhibitory activity. Compound 4e , was the most effective agent against MAO-A enzyme with IC 50 value of 0.116 ± 0.004 µM. The newly synthesized oxadiazole - piperazine derivatives appears to be supported studies to design MAO inhibitors to obtain more suitable drugs, against diseases such as depression and anxiety due to MAO-A.
Parametric Control of a Two-Phase Thermal Management System for Space Applications

As spacecraft increase in complexity, greater power is required to drive their onboard systems. The resulting generation of waste heat demands efficient thermal control, especially for electrical components emitting heat at high flux densities. Weislogel proposed a passive two-phase heat transport system for space application, driven by constant volume boilers, called the pulse thermal loop (PTL). This paper describes four methods of operating a PTL using real-time pressure data as the control parameter. Preliminary results are presented from an experimental loop using R-134a as the working fluid. Control is exercised through algorithm-based schemes implemented in LabVIEW. Results suggest that stable operation of the loop is best achieved by actuating flow control valves in response to a preset pressure difference between the boilers. Control schemes based on absolute pressure, set pulse frequency, and a combination of absolute and differential pressures are also described. Performance data are presented, and some of the challenges faced during PTL operation are discussed, including start-up and asymmetrical pressurization of the boilers.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
L’OCDE et l’éducation : déclination d’un changement institutionnel et impératif d’adaptation d’un apprenant perpétuel

Since their creation, international organizations, notably OECD and UNESCO, as well as the World Bank, are preoccupied with education, as an institution producing what economists refer to as the human factor. Amongst them, OECD, whose mission is firemost economic, has assumed a dominant position in the domain of educational policies. In this article, we look at the evolution of OECD discourse and knowledge tools. We will show that, over time, this discourse has amplified, becoming an important instutional change discourse, encompassing all dimensions and levels of education. Adopting a criticial stance, we will use the conceptual tools of Boltanski and Thévenot’s (1991) pragmatic sociology, sociological neoinstitutionalism (Suchman, 1995; Campbell, 2004), and neomarxists writings of foucaldian inspiration on neoliberalism (Dardot et Laval,