Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Rectangular Ring, Open-Ended Monopole Antenna with Two Symmetric Strips for WLAN and WiMAX Applications

A triple-band rectangular ring, open-ended monopole antenna with symmetric L strips for wireless local area network (WLAN)/Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access (WiMAX) applications is proposed. The proposed antenna consists of two symmetric folded arms and L strips. Based on the concept, a prototype of the proposed triple antenna has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The numerical and experimental results demonstrated that the proposed antenna satisfied the −10 dB impedance bandwidth requirement while simultaneously covering the WLAN and WiMAX bands. Furthermore, this paper presented and discussed the 2D radiation patterns and 3D gains according to the results of the experiment. The proposed antenna’s peak gain varied between 2.17 and 4.93 dBi, and its average gain varied between −2.97 and −0.53 dBi.
Mixed enrichment for the finite element method in heterogeneous media

Problems of multiple scales of interest or of locally nonsmooth solutions may often involve heterogeneous media. These problems are usually very demanding in terms of computations with the conventional finite element method. On the other hand, different enriched finite element methods such as the partition of unity, which proved to be very successful in treating similar problems, are developed and studied for homogeneous media. In this work, we present a new idea to extend the partition of unity finite element method to treat heterogeneous materials. The idea is studied in applications to wave scattering and heat transfer problems where significant advantages are noted over the standard finite element method. Although presented within the partition of unity context, the same enrichment idea can also be extended to other enriched methods to deal with heterogeneous materials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
22 Imaging Dose in Radiation Therapy

Previous chapters in this book have concentrated on the instrumentation and measurement techniques for dosimetry of the therapeutic beams. In this chapter, a variety of measurement and calculation techniques will be reviewed for characterizing the radiation dose from x-ray imaging systems used in radiation therapy (RT). X-ray imaging systems are now used extensively throughout a patient’s treatment for all complex RTs, and in many cases for simple palliative RTs as well. Nearly, all patients will undergo a multislice computed tomography (CT) examination for localizing the target volume and nearby organs at risk. In addition, a variety of x-ray imaging systems are available to image the patient at the point of treatment, either immediately prior to beam delivery (e.g., Korreman et al., 2010; Moore et al., 2014) to ensure accurate patient alignment, or during beam delivery to monitor intrafraction motion 22.
LOFAR MSSS: Flattening low-frequency radio continuum spectra of nearby galaxies

Aims. The shape of low-frequency radio continuum spectra of normal galaxies is not well understood, the key question being the role of physical processes such as thermal absorption in shaping them. In this work we take advantage of the LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS) to investigate such spectra for a large sample of nearby star-forming galaxies. Methods. Using the measured 150 MHz flux densities from the LOFAR MSSS survey and literature flux densities at various frequencies we have obtained integrated radio spectra for 106 galaxies characterised by different morphology and star formation rate. The spectra are explained through the use of a three-dimensional model of galaxy radio emission, and radiation transfer dependent on the galaxy viewing angle and absorption processes. Results. Our galaxies’ spectra are generally flatter at lower compared to higher frequencies: the median spectral index αlow measured between ≈50 MHz and 1.5 GHz is −0.57 ± 0.01 while the high-frequency one αhigh, calculated between 1.3 GHz and 5 GHz, is −0.77 ± 0.03. As there is no tendency for the highly inclined galaxies to have more flattened low-frequency spectra, we argue that the observed flattening is not due to thermal absorption, contradicting the suggestion of Israel & Mahoney (1990, ApJ, 352, 30). According to our modelled radio maps for M 51-like galaxies, the free-free absorption effects can be seen only below 30 MHz and in the global spectra just below 20 MHz, while in the spectra of starburst galaxies, like M 82, the flattening due to absorption is instead visible up to higher frequencies of about 150 MHz. Starbursts are however scarce in the local Universe, in accordance with the weak spectral curvature seen in the galaxies of our sample. Locally, within galactic disks, the absorption effects are distinctly visible in M 51-like galaxies as spectral flattening around 100–200 MHz in the face-on objects, and as turnovers in the edge-on ones, while in M 82-like galaxies there are strong turnovers at frequencies above 700 MHz, regardless of viewing angle. Conclusions. Our modelling of galaxy spectra suggests that the weak spectral flattening observed in the nearby galaxies studied here results principally from synchrotron spectral curvature due to cosmic ray energy losses and propagation effects. We predict much stronger effects of thermal absorption in more distant galaxies with high star formation rates. Some influence exerted by the Milky Way’s foreground on the spectra of all external galaxies is also expected at very low frequencies.
Can We Trust Real Time Measurements of Lung Deposited Surface Area Concentrations in Dust from Powder Nanomaterials

A comparison between various methods for real-time measurements of lung deposited surface area (LDSA) using spherical particles and powder dust with specific surface area ranging from 0.03 to 112 m 2 g –1 was conducted. LDSA concentrations measured directly using Nanoparticle Surface Area Monitor (NSAM) and Aerotrak and were compared to LDSA concentrations recalculated from size distribution measurements using Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI) and Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS). FMPS and ELPI measurements were also compared to dust surface area concentrations estimated from gravimetrical filter measurements and specific surface areas. Measurement of LDSA showed very good correlation in measurements of spherical particles (R 2 > 0.97, Ratio 1.0 to 1.04). High surface area nanomaterial powders showed a fairly reliable correlation between NSAM and Aerotrak (R 2 0.73– 0.93) and a material-dependent offset in the ratios (1.04–2.8). However, the correlation and ratio were inconsistent for lower LDSA concentrations. Similar levels of correlation were observed for the NSAM and the FMPS for high surface area materials, but with the FMPS overestimating the LDSA concentration. The ELPI showed good correlation with NSAM data for high LDSA materials (R 2 0.87–0.93), but not for lower LDSA concentrations (R 2 0.50–0.72). Comparisons of respirable dust surface area from ELPI data correlated well (R 2 > 0.98) with that calculated from filter samples, but materials-specific exceptions were present. We conclude that there is currently insufficient reliability and comparability between methods in the measurement of LDSA concentrations. Further development is required to enable use of LDSA for reliable dose metric and regulatory enforcement of exposure.
Vehicle Position Updating Strategy Based on Kalman Filter Prediction in VANET Environment

In VANET (vehicular ad hoc network) environment, the successive vehicle position data actually are discrete, so the key to the moving vehicle modeling is to effectively reduce the updating frequency of the position data so as to alleviate the communication and database management load. This paper proposes vehicle position data updating strategy with packet repetition based on Kalman filter predicting. Firstly, we design a position data updating model based on Kalman filter difference predicting equations. Then, we design a packet repetition mode decision algorithm, which is applied to deliver vehicle position updating data. The model with packet repetition can not only generate position updating data according to preset threshold, but also decide packet repetition mode related to the distance of two adjacent vehicles in order to reduce data loss. Both simulated highway and realistic urban road experimental results show that vehicle position data updating frequency could be obviously reduced and the reliability of the communication is greatly improved through packet repetition mechanism by using this position updating strategy.
Integrating User eXperience Principles and Practices into Software Development Organizations: An Empirical Investigation

Background: To be effective, User eXperience (UX) principles and practices need to be integrated into development processes and organizations, what we refer to as UX integration . However, software companies often face various challenges that hinder a successful UX integration. Objective: The aim of this thesis is to facilitate and improve the current state of UX integration in the software industry. To that end, we present an empirical investigation of current UX integration challenges and success factors and analyze them in relation to other software quality characteristics, in particular, usability. Method: We performed a series of studies, mainly in the Swedish software industry and applied a variety of methods including interviews, observations, and workshops. We used Grounded Theory (GT) and thematic analysis to drive our data gathering and to analyze our data. Results: We showed that UX integration challenges and success factors are both technical and organizational, however, they mainly belong to the latter category. We found that various decisions that are made outside the authority of UX practitioners have an inevitable impact on enabling or prohibiting UX integration and that the integration is influenced by various changes that organizations undergo over time as well as planned UX initiatives. Our findings underline the similarities between UX integration and organizational change, in general, and Software Process Improvement (SPI) in particular. We also found that the known unique characteristics of UX ( subjective , holistic , dynamic , context-dependent , and worthwhile ) have implications not only for the day-to-day work of practitioners but also for UX integration. Based on our findings, we propose various UX integration principles and practices to help software companies in their integration efforts. Conclusion: We argue that to prevent a lopsided focus on the pragmatic aspect of UX in the software industry, software practitioners and researchers should explicitly differentiate between UX and other software quality characteristics, in particular, usability and address the unique characteristics of UX in their work. In addition, they should apply the existing body of knowledge in the two fields of organizational change and SPI especially to address the organizational issues concerning UX integration. Although our focus has been on UX, our findings also may shed light on integrating other multidisciplinary and emerging concepts into the complex context of software organizations.
Earthworm communities in organic and conventional coffee cultivation

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of organic and conventional coffee crops on biomass, population density and diversity of earthworms, in Lerroville, district of Londrina County, Parana state, Brazil. Earthworm communities were sampled in three areas with organic coffee cultivation (CO1, CO2 and CO3), two with conventional coffee (CC1 and CC2), and a native forest fragment (MT). The soil of the areas CO1, CC1, and MT was classifi ed as Nitossolo Vermelho (Rhodic Kandiudox), while CO2, CO3, and CC2 were on Latossolo Vermelho (Rhodic Hapludox). Eight samples were taken in each area on two occasions, winter and summer, using the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) method in the 0-20 cm soil layer. The earthworms were handsorted and preserved in 4% formaldehyde, and were later weighed, counted and identifi ed. The highest earthworm biomass, both in winter and summer, occurred in the CO3 area. For population density, the higher numbers of individuals were found in CO1 and CO3. The highest number of species was identifi ed in the organic cultivation. The adoption of organic practices in coffee cultivation favored the diversity, density and biomass of earthworm communities.
Software product improvement with inspection. A large-scale experiment on the influence of inspection processes on defect detection in software requirements documents

In the early stages of software development, inspection of software documents is the most effective quality assurance measure to detect defects and provides timely feedback on quality to developers and managers. The paper reports on a controlled experiment that investigates the effect of defect detection techniques on software product and inspection process quality. The experiment compares defect detection effectiveness and efficiency of a general reading technique that uses checklist based reading, and a systematic reading technique, scenario based reading, for requirements documents. On the individual level, effectiveness was found to be higher for the general reading technique, while the focus of the systematic reading technique led to a higher yield of severe defects compared to the general reading technique. On a group level, which combined inspectors' contributions, the advantage of a reading technique regarding defect detection effectiveness depended on the size of the group, while the systematic reading technique generally exhibited better defect detection efficiency.
Topic coherence analysis for the classification of Alzheimer's disease

Language impairment in Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a decline in the semantic and pragmatic levels of language processing that manifests since the early stages of the disease. While semantic deﬁcits have been widely investigated using linguistic features, pragmatic deﬁcits are still mostly un-explored. In this work, we present an approach to automatically classify Alzheimer’s disease using a set of pragmatic features extracted from a discourse production task. Following the clinical practice, we consider an image representing a closed domain as a discourse’s elicitation form. Then, we model the elicited speech as a graph that encodes a hierarchy of topics. To do so, the proposed method relies on the integration of various NLP techniques: syntactic parsing for sentence segmentation into clauses, coreference resolution for capturing dependencies among clauses, and word embeddings for identifying semantic relations among topics. According to the experimental results, pragmatic features are able to provide promising results distinguishing individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, comparable to solutions based on other types of linguistic features.
Ten-year results from the long-term soil productivity study in aspen ecosystems of the northern Great Lakes region

Impacts of organic matter removal and compaction on soil properties and productivity are reported from the first 10 years of the Long-Term Soil Productivity Study in Great Lakes aspen ecosystems. Organic matter removal treatments included main bole, total tree harvest, and total tree harvest with forest floor removal. Compaction treatments included minimal compaction, moderate, and heavy compaction. Treatments were replicated on a clay loam, silt loam, and loamy sand soils. Compaction treatments on all soils increased bulk density above preharvest levels. In most cases, bulk density at year 10 was still above preharvest levels. Total carbon, nitrogen, and cations showed little or no impact from treatment. Compaction and organic matter removal impacted aboveground productivity, however the responses were variable. Aboveground production declined on the loam soil with moderate and heavy compaction. Production increased with moderate compaction on the loamy sand and clay loam soils, but significantly decreased with heavy compaction on clay loam soil. Total tree harvest with forest floor removal reduced production on the loamy sand and loam soils, while it increased production on the clay loam soil. Results from this study suggest that heavy compaction and/or high organic matter removals are detrimental to sustaining forest productivity.
Mathematical Modeling of Thermoelastic State of a Thick Hollow Cylinder with Nonhomogeneous Material Properties

The object of the present paper is to study heat conduction and thermal stresses in a hollow cylinder with nonhomogeneous material properties. The cylinder is subjected to sectional heating at the curved surface. All the material properties except for Poisson’s ratio and density are assumed to be given by a simple power law in the axial direction. A solution of the two-dimensional heat conduction equation is obtained in the transient state. The solutions are obtained in the form of Bessel’s and trigonometric functions. For theoretical treatment, all the physical and mechanical quantities are taken as dimensional, whereas we have considered non-dimensional parameters, for numerical analysis. The influence of inhomogeneity on the thermal and mechanical behaviour is examined. The transient state temperature field and its associated thermal stresses are discussed for a mixture of copper and tin metals in the ratio 70:30 respectively. Numerical calculations are carried out for both homogeneous and nonhomogeneous cylinders and are represented graphically.
Chl a trends in European seas estimated using ocean-colour products

Abstract. Ocean-colour remote-sensing products have been used to estimate Chl a trends in European seas. This work aims to develop a new indicator based on ocean-colour data for the European Environment Agency (EEA). The new indicator, called CSI023(+), produced from satellite ocean-colour products from the MyOcean Marine Core Service ( www.myocean.eu ) has been defined and calculated. CSI023 (+) is intended to complement the EEA CSI023 (Core Set of Indicators n.23) indicator for eutrophication, which is based on chlorophyll a (Chl a) in-situ observations. Validation of ocean-colour products has been carried out through comparison with observations of the Eionet EEA database, and we believe that such validation should continue in the future, perhaps with a dedicated data-collection exercise. Ocean colour has a much higher spatial and temporal resolution than the in-situ observations. The ocean-colour observations, however, are based on indirect measurements of the optical properties of the ocean, which are transformed to Chl a using an appropriate algorithm. This algorithm can either be a global algorithm that reproduces the average global Chl a concentrations well or one that is adjusted to specific regional conditions. In our analysis we have used both global and regional (adjusted to specific regional Mediterranean conditions) ocean-colour products, but the results highlight the fact that regional products produced with regional algorithms are recommended for the future. This work proposes a methodology for analysing trends comparable to the method EEA uses for its CSI23 indicator. Analysis has revealed the potential of ocean colour as a CSI023(+) indicator: large-scale, and in some cases even local-scale, changes appear to be captured by the satellite images even though in general the ocean-colour products underestimate the Chl a values. CSI023(+) shows, in the period 1998–2009, decreasing Chl a concentrations throughout the Black Sea, in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the southern part of the Western Mediterranean, in the English Channel and in the north part of the North Sea, whereas large areas with increasing trends are observed in the Bay of Biscay, in the North-East Atlantic regions of Ireland and the UK, in the northern part of the North Sea, in the Kattegat and in the Baltic. Specific analysis has been performed in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: we first defined Chl a areas and then calculated the CSI023(+) for each of the Chl a areas. This last analysis reveals that about 80 % of Chl a areas do not show significant trends; increasing significant Chl a trends were detected in 3 Chl a areas in the Black Sea and 32 Chl a areas in the Mediterranean. Decreasing significant trends were detected in 6 Chl a areas in the Mediterranean and 2 Chl a areas in the Black Sea.
Brand and line extensions: an empirical study from the new age luxury industry

Brand and line extensions represent an essential vehicle for growth and are currently one of the most applied marketing strategies within the luxury sector. Though it has its advantages, there are several risks associated with pursuing such a strategy. Consequently, this paper attempts to understand the key success factors behind brand and line extension in the new era of luxury expansion. An integrative model of key success factors is proposed by combining current research with empirical findings obtained through an explorative and qualitative research design based on primary data from eight semi-structured interviews with managers from luxury brands. We identify five key success factors: 1) add value through originality; 2) stay at the level of the brand regarding price, quality, style and image; 3) create relevance to core business and be aligned with DNA; 4) stick to the vision of the founder; 5) assure consistency in brand identity and image.
The Behavior of Conventional and Islamic Bank Deposit Returns in Malaysia and Turkey

This paper examines the empirical behavior of conventional bank deposit rates and the rate of return on retail Islamic profit-and-loss sharing (PLS) investment accounts in Malaysia and Turkey, using monthly data from January 1997 to August 2010. The analysis shows that conventional bank deposit rates and PLS returns exhibit long-run cointegration and the time-varying volatility of conventional bank deposit rates and PLS returns is correlated and is statistically significant. The pairwise and multivariate causality tests show that conventional bank deposit rates Granger cause returns on PLS accounts. These findings have policy implications in terms of price stability and financial stability.
Printed in Romania The Art of Fault Injection

In this paper we relate the foremost virtues of temperance, justice, courage, and prudence to the correct methodological approaches that researchers should follow when setting up a fault injection experiment. With this work we try to understand where good and bad practices lie, in order to highlight those common methodological errors that deeply in uence the coherency and the meaningfulness of fault injection experiments. Fault injection is like an art, where the success of the experiments depends on a very delicate balance between modeling, creativity, statistics, and patience.
Interoperability-Guided Testing of QUIC Implementations using Symbolic Execution

The main reason for the standardization of network protocols, like QUIC, is to ensure interoperability between implementations, which poses a challenging task. Manual tests are currently used to test the different existing implementations for interoperability, but given the complex nature of network protocols, it is hard to cover all possible edge cases. State-of-the-art automated software testing techniques, such as Symbolic Execution (SymEx), have proven themselves capable of analyzing complex real-world software and finding hard to detect bugs. We present a SymEx-based method for finding interoperability issues in QUIC implementations, and explore its merit in a case study that analyzes the interoperability of picoquic and QUANT. We find that, while SymEx is able to analyze deep interactions between different implementations and uncovers several bugs, in order to enable efficient interoperability testing, implementations need to provide additional information about their current protocol state.