Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a uni-axial hybrid actuator using the combination of an air actuator and a giant-magnetostrictive actuator

Active microvibration control systems have been developed and applied in a practical manner. Various types of actuator, for example an air actuator, a linear moving actuator, a piezoelectric (PZT) actuator and a giant-magnetostrictive (GMS) actuator, have been used. In general, all actuators have both merits and demerits, so an optimal actuator should be selected based on the objective performance and the conditions of usage. We developed an active 6-DOF microvibration control system using GMS actuators. It has been speculated that the GMS actuator is suitable as a displacement actuator for an active microvibration control. The reasons for this are that it has better durability and reliability compared with a PZT actuator, and also its response to an input signal is much faster than an air actuator. However, the demerits of the GMS actuator come to light through practical application of the system. The displacement property tends to decrease with increase in the magnitude of forced axial load, and it cannot generate a sufficient displacement in a low frequency range. Therefore, in order to improve the above-mentioned demerits related to a GMS actuator and an air actuator, we have developed a new type of hybrid actuator using a GMS actuator and an air actuator. The two actuators are arranged in parallel. This structural feature enables the new hybrid actuator to make up for both of the single actuators' demerits. Consequently, it has become possible to control displacement in the wider frequency range of 0.1-100 Hz and to generate a maximum displacement of more than 1 mm. This paper presents an outline of the experimental new hybrid actuator, the result of a dynamic characteristic test of the actuator and simulation analysis on the uni-axial microvibration control device using the hybrid actuator. Through these results, the higher performance achieved by the newly developed hybrid actuator is verified.
Methods of Extending the Range of Frequency Counters

The various methods of extending the range of frequency counters are discussed and some of the shortcomings of each are pointed out. A new method that minimizes these short-comings is in the range of frequencies that can be counted entirely by the frequency limitations of AND gates; also it requires no tuning and its counting precision is the same as that of the basic counter.
Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19: Infodemiology study

Objective: The study sought to assess the quality and readability of the web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19. Methods: Selected search engines were searched on 13 April 2020 for specific Arabic terms on COVID-19. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were obtained. The quality of the websites was analyzed using the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the DISCERN benchmarks instrument. The readability was assessed using an online readability calculator tool. Results: Overall, 36 websites were found eligible for quality and readability analyses. Only one website (2.7%) was HONcode certified. No single website attained a high score based on the DISCERN tool; the mean score of all websites was 31.5±12.55. Regarding JAMA benchmarks, a mean score of 2.08±1.05 was achieved by the websites; however, only 4 (11.1%) websites achieved all JAMA criteria. The average grade levels for readability were 7.2±7.5, 3.3±0.6 and 93.5±19.4 for Flesch Kincaid Grade level, SMOG, Flesch Reading Ease, respectively. Conclusion: Most of the available web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19 doesn’t have the required level of quality, irrespective of being easy to read and understand by most of the general people.
MEMS variable optical attenuator using a translation motion of 45° tilted vertical mirror

A reflection-type variable optical attenuator (VOA) using the translation of a 45° tilted vertical mirror is proposed. The translation of the mirror results in an optical axis offset between transmitting and receiving optical signal, which attenuates the transmitted optical power. Single- and dual-mirror-type VOAs are implemented and compared. A conic-cladding fiber and collimating lensed fiber are applied for low insertion loss. Optical attenuation performances are predicted using the CODE V optical simulator. An electrical spring method is studied for mode separation of the mirror actuator. The self-aligned metal interlayer process is applied for achieving a notching-free mirror surface. Performances of the fabricated VOAs are measured and discussed. An attenuation range is achieved from −0.9 dB (0 V) to −35 dB (10 V). The wavelength-dependent loss (WDL) is as small as 0.4 dB even at −20 dB attenuation level. Excellent polarization-dependent loss (PDL) less than 0.24 dB is achieved in the whole attenuation range.
STEP-NC compliant information modelling for wire electrical discharge machining component manufacture

Abstract Over the last five years, a great deal of research effort has been concentrated on the development of a new data model ISO 14649, informally known as STEP-NC. It has been strongly argued that STEP-NC has huge implications on the integration of the computer-aided design/computer-aided process planning/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAPP/CAM) (CAx) systems, giving the opportunity to realize interoperable computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturing. This is largely owing to the data model, which provides the capability to revolutionize the current state of the art in CNC manufacturing by offering a bi-directional interface with a high-level description of the geometrical and manufacturing information. This paper provides a view of how these STEP-NC compliant information models can be used to support the wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) CAD to the CNC process chain. The models are based on part 13 of the ISO 14649 standard, which is dedicated to the WEDM process, together with part 10 of the standard, which specifies the general machining information. The information models have been identified and their structures have been defined and modelled using the unified modelling language (UML). A STEP-NC compliant WEDM CAx prototype system, based on the Java and the object-oriented database management system (DBMS) ObjectStore, has been constructed with an example case study to demonstrate the information models.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Constrained Feedback Control over Fading Channels

Abstract In this paper we address the problem of stabilizing feedback control of a linear time invariant plant model over a communication channel model. The location of the communication channel is in the control path, that is between the controller and the plant, nevertheless similar results are obtained if the alternative location over the feedback path is chosen. The communication channel model itself is selected to be a fading channel type, that is we consider the communication channel model to be constituted of a variable gain and an additive noise process. In a first approach we consider the stabilizing feedback control to be designed for the mean value of the communication channel gain and obtain the infimal channel SNR in closed-form when the gain variability is assumed as an equivalent communication channel multiplicative modelling error. In a second approach we still consider the stabilizing feedback control to be designed for the mean value of the communication channel gain, but obtain the infimal channel SNR in closed-form accounting for the stochastic nature of the channel gain variability.
4.2.1 Process Tailoring in Iterative Development

The organisational context in which systems engineering is practised is changing. Organisations are becoming increasingly concerned with the flexibility of their processes. Fundamental issues of responsiveness to innovation in product concept, system architecture, component technologies and inter‐working relationships are of growing importance. Current developments in management thinking and in e‐business technologies are also pushing in the direction of flexibility and adaptability.
Management of water disputes using multireservoir operations

The objective of this article is to provide suggestions for settling water allocation disputes between the Taipei city government and the Taiwan provincial government. To reach a compromise, possible water supply alternatives for a two-parallel-reservoir system, the Feitsui and Shihmen reservoirs in northern Taiwan were examined. The genetic algorithm-based simulation was applied to search for an optimal water allocation strategy. Simulation results show that Feitsui's surplus water can be utilized efficiently to make up for any deficits in Shihmen's supply. However, after 2030, the Shihmen reservoir has a duty to release more water to avoid impairing Feitsui's ability to fulfill Taipei's water demand. If needed, other adaptation options, either supply-side or demand-side measures, could be considered to ensure public water supplies in northern Taiwan.
Multi‐criteria decision support model for selecting the appropriate construction management at risk firm

Selecting the appropriate firm is of paramount importance especially when using a unique delivery method such as construction management at risk. In addition to general contracting services, the construction management at risk firm provides construction management services throughout the design and construction phases. A new decision support model is proposed to assist owners in the selection decision. Key selection factors were identified through a literature review. They are divided into four categories: firm characteristics; technical and commercial bid; construction management services; and general contracting services. Each consists of five selection factors. The selection criteria were determined using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) based on a questionnaire that was sent to construction professionals. The proposed model consists of five functions: strategic alignment; selection criteria; initial screening; firms' evaluations; and sensitivity analysis. The heart of the model is the use of the AHP to develop the decision criteria and compare candidate firms. A case study is also presented to demonstrate the application of the model.
Elimination of output gating performance overhead for critical paths in scan test

Excessive switching activity in test mode results in higher power dissipation than normal mode of operation and becoming a serious issue, in order to avoid reliability problems. Scanning of test vectors in test mode causes unnecessary switching in combinational block which can be reduced by gating methods. Gating the outputs of scan cells is a recently proposed very efficient low power test technique, which reduces the scan shift power significantly. However, the output gating techniques impacts the performance severely. In this paper, we propose a modified transistor level design of a scan flip-flop for critical paths, which eliminates the unnecessary switching in combinational circuit during shift phase of a scan-based test, without the impact on performance as in earlier scan flip-flop output gating schemes (Khatri and Ganeshan, 2008). The new scan flop design not only eliminates the performance overhead of output gating but also improves the performance of the scan flop by 32.84% (Khatri and Ganeshan, 2008) and 11.5% (Yang et al., 2008). The new flip-flop disables the output and uses an alternate path for shifting the test vectors. This approach have area overhead of six extra transistors but improves the overall performance of scan flip-flop, so this approach is better suited for critical paths. This also allows us to increase the shift frequency in designs where shift power dissipation puts upper bound on the frequency, and hence reduces test application time.
A conceptual model for the successful deployment of Lean Six Sigma

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the successful deployment of Lean Six Sigma and a number of key explanatory variables that essentially comprise the competence of the organization, the competence of the deployment facilitator and the competence of the project leaders.Design/methodology/approach – The preliminary fieldwork involved interviews with two senior Master Black Belts; then, combined with the results of a literature review, the authors develop a conceptual model. A number of hypotheses are developed and the procedures involved in empirically testing these hypotheses are briefly explained.Findings – Technical and interpersonal attributes of Black Belts and Master Black Belts are identified as well as the factors for success in deploying Lean Six Sigma. These factors relate to: leadership, communication, behavior and awareness of Six Sigma; policies, culture and organizational support and strategy; education, training and competency of the Six Sigma experts;.
Archaeological and Scientific Evidence for the Production of Early Islamic Glass in al-Raqqa, Syria

AbstractArchaeological excavations of an Islamic industrial complex in northern Syria at al-Raqqa have revealed comprehensive evidence for Abbasid high temperature industries. Amongst the evidence is some for glass production. The evidence included a glass workshop consisting of the remains of three-chambered ‘bee-hive’ furnaces and a centralised flue system, the debris of casting glass into blocks of three different sizes, glass moils of two diameters (the knock-offs from blowing irons) and discarded lumps of frit, a material produced by the initial stage in glass production. In addition, fragments of a second kind of glass furnace, a tank furnace, were found. Scientific analysis of the products and by-products of this glass industry using electron probe microanalysis has produced an unexpectedly wide range of glass chemical compositions. In some instances discrete compositions are correlated to the function of the glass such as its use to make cast blocks and window panes. In others instances, such as w.
Ballistic vests for police officers: using clothing comfort theory to analyse personal protective clothing

Police officers' clothing needs were analysed related to ballistic vests and ballistic vest aspects that influenced wearer comfort were identified. Branson and Sweeney's Clothing Comfort Model served as a framework to assess eight attributes of the person, clothing and environment that were identified in a previous study as possible comfort factors for police officers. Ninety-one police officers in a southeastern city completed the survey to determine their ballistic vest comfort related to the eight selected attributes. Two attributes had significant correlations with comfort: fit and vest properties.
Master production scheduling make-to-stock products: a framework for analysis

SUMMARY Excessive changes in MRP system schedules, commonly referred to as 'nervousness’, is frequently an obstacle in implementing an effective MRP based manufacturing planning and control system. This paper is concerned with the design of methods for freezing the master production schedule (MPS) as a way of controlling MPS stability under rolling planning conditions for make-to-stock products. It presents a framework for the design of MPS freezing methods and compares their performance when the design parameters of these methods are varied. Simulation experiments are reported that demonstrate important differences in performance considering criteria involving both the cost of lot-sizing the MPS and the stability of the master production schedule.
Optimized phase encoding for optical compressive sensing imaging

Compressive Sensing (CS) indicates that when the signal of interest is sparse or compressible (i.e., sparse after mathematical transformation), one can take a small number of linear projection measurements from the signal, and reconstruct the signal almost perfectly through proper algorithm. The feature of the CS has great potential applications in that high-resolution imaging is highly desirable while large size detector array is unavailable, such as those in ultraviolet or infrared wavelength region or that in aircrafts and satellites working condition when the data transmission is a key issue. However, CS technique still faces challenges in the signal sampling and reconstruction. Firstly, detector measurements must be nonnegative in linear optical system which is different from digital image processing. Secondly, blurring caused by practical optical system should be considered, which will destroy the effect of reconstruction. In this paper, we discuss some kinds of phase encoding which could be used in practice imaging system. We make a compensation to solve the non-negative problem when CS applied in the practical optical system, use a small size detector to receive a general image degrading model, and reconstructed image from the single, low-solution and noisy observation through a fast and feasible non-linear algorithm, the result proves our system is robust and feasible.
Processing of TiC-CNT Hybrid Composite Coating on Low Alloy Steel Using TIG Torch Technique

In the present study, a surface layer of TiC-CNT hybrid compositecoating has been developed on low alloy steel (LAS) by using powder preplacement and tungsten inert gas (TIG) torch melting techniques.The weighed powder mixture with the content of 1.0 mg per millimeter square area and containing TiC-4wt. % CNT particles was preplaced on LAS surfaces using a suitable binder and then melted under the TIG arc with an operating current of 100 A and energy input of 1440 J/mm. The microstructural and microhardness characteristics of the processed composites coating were analyzed using SEM, EDXand Vickers microhardness testers. Under the melting condition used in this investigation, the arc completely dissolved the composite powder mixture that resolidifiedinto a melt track with radial marks and smooth surfaces. Themelt cross sections were hemispherical in shape and produced 1 mm deep hard coating layer which were free from porosity and cracks. SEM micrographs TiC-CNT hybrid coated surface glazed at 100A consists of fineprecipitated TiC in form globular and cubic dendrites and this is the reason for hardness increment to an average of three times greater than that of substrate value. The result obtained indicated that TIG arc melting process is applicable to generate resolidified layer of precipitated TiC microstructure with uniformly distribution in the coating region.
Studies of Automatic Dental Cavity Detection System as an Auxiliary Tool for Diagnosis of Dental Caries in Digital X-ray Image

52 This work was supported by the Industrial Strategic Technology Development Program (10035527) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, KOREA), and the Nuclear Power Core Technology Development Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (No.20131510400050). Received 10 March 2015, Revised 16 March 2015, Accepted 18 March 2015 Correspondence: Rena Lee (renalee@ewha.ac.kr) Tel: 82-2-2650-5337, Fax: 82-2-2654-0363 cc This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Studies of Automatic Dental Cavity Detection System as an Auxiliary Tool for Diagnosis of Dental Caries in Digital X-ray Image
Geotechnical safety management in tunnelling – an efficient way to prevent failure / Geotechnisches Sicherheitsmanagement im Tunnelbau – ein effizienter Weg zur Schadensvermeidung

Despite extensive geological investigations, uncertainties in the ground model often remain. The residual risks associated with this during the construction phase cannot generally be estimated precisely enough in advance. Given such boundary conditions the use of the observational method in line with the principles of the Eurocode EC 7 is therefore required. In order to guarantee safe and economical tunnelling, especially in shallow tunnelling projects, it is vital that a qualified geotechnical safety management programme is implemented during the construction phase. Successful implementation of the geotechnical safety management programme during the construction phase is based on the designer completely defining the anticipated behaviour and on constant target‐performance comparisons of the system behaviour by an on‐site geotechnical engineer. Advanced data evaluation tools and methods support the continuous interpretation of system behaviour, the early detection of deviations and checking the results against warning and alarm criteria. This paper deals with the fundamentals, requirements and demands of such a management system and describes its practical implementation during the construction phase based on specific ÖBB‐Infrastruktur AG project case histories.
A Study on Fault Detection for Photovoltaic Power Modules using Statistical Comparison Scheme

In recent years, many investigations about photovoltaic power systems have been significantly carried out in the fields of renewable power energy. Such research area generally includes developments of highly efficient solar cells, advanced power conversion systems, and smart monitoring systems. A generic objective of fault detection and diagnosis techniques is to timely recognize unexpected faulty of dynamic systems so that economic demage occurred by such faulty is decreased by means of engineering techniques. This paper presents a novel fault detection approach for photovoltaic power arrays which are electrically connected in series and parallels. In the proposed fault detection scheme, we first measure all of photovoltaic modules located in each array by using electronic sense systems and then compare each measurement in turn to detect location of fault module through statistic computation algorithm. We accomplish real-time experiments to demonstrate our proposed fault detection methodology by using a test-bed system including two 20 watt photovoltaic modules.
Identification of nitrogen-dependent QTL and underlying genes for root system architecture in hexaploid wheat

Abstract The root system architecture (RSA) of a crop has a profound effect on the uptake of nutrients and consequently the potential yield. However, little is known about the genetic basis of RSA and resource dependent response in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Here, a high-throughput hydroponic root phenotyping system was used to identify N-dependent root traits in a wheat mapping population. Using quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, a total of 55 QTLs were discovered for seedling root traits across two N treatments, 25 of which were N-dependent. Transcriptomic analyses were used on a N-dependent root angle QTL on chromosome 2D and 17 candidate genes were identified. Of these N-dependent genes a nitrate transporter 1/peptide transporter (NPF) family gene was upregulated making it an interesting candidate for N signalling and response processes for root angle change. The RNA-seq results provide valuable genetic insight for root angle control, N-dependent responses and candidate genes for improvement of N capture in wheat. Highlight Using a hydroponic pouch phenotyping system, nitrogen-dependent root QTLs were identified in wheat. For a candidate N-dependent root angle QTL an upregulated NPF family gene was identified likely transporting nitrate or ABA as part of a N-dependent response affecting root angle.