Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
iPads in the Classroom: Trials in a Technical College in Qatar

This paper describes a small research project undertaken in a technical college in Qatar on the use of iPads in the classroom. iPads were trialed for a semester each in mathematics and physics classes. Students completed pre- and post-surveys. Classroom observations were carried out and interviews were conducted with both faculty (n=3) and students (n=19). Over 80% of students reported positively on the iPad as being ‘helpful’ to ‘very helpful’ for learning new things and course materials, for increasing their interaction with online course materials and getting course information and for exploring additional material related to course topics. Faculty perceptions of iPad use in class were also positive.
A model for intraday volatility

In this paper, we build an intraday model for volatility based on price change intensity. The quantity we model is thus named “volatensity”. The model is a combination of an Autoregressive Conditional Duration (ACD) structure resembling that of Engle and Russel (1998) and an additional term, inspired by the literature on Hawkes processes. The ACD structure allows us to capture the long memory property of volatility using intraday information on price change events. The Hawkes part allows us to controls the speed of decay of volatility after jumps. Both the ACD term and the Hawkes term confer the model appropriate self-exciting (clustering) properties. The model is fitted to market data using MLE and simulations show a very accurate model fit. It also allows us to produce an intraday forecast of volatility and, by extension, a daily forecast.
Research and Development for Life Support Robots that Coexist in Harmony with People

Robot technologies have been developed for robots used in special environments such as industrial robots, maintenance robots for nuclear plants and robots used in space. Recently, the scope of robot applications has been expanded to include the medical and welfare fields, maintenance and patrolling of buildings, and home-use robots. Although some robots have already been developed, work on practical robots for this field has only recently begun. Toshiba’s development of robot technologies has also reflected this trend (Matsuhira & Ogawa, 2004). Robots to support human life in the home, at public facilities, or outside of factories are called “life support robots”. In this field, it is essential that robots understand the human intent and interact with humans and the environment. Thus, human-centric technologies are important not only for robots but also for all machines that humans use. On the other hand, Toshiba defined “humancentric technology” as technology that contributes to human life and society. Robots are representative of humancentric technology as shown in Fig. 1. Such robots will interact with humans by the integration of hearing, vision, and motion. Toshiba has already developed a conceptual model of a robotic information home appliance “ApriAlphaTM” to provide an interface between human and networked appliances (Yoshimi, et al., 2004). The robot is considered to be applicable to various fields. Based on ApriAlphaTM, two types of robots offering improved performance, namely, ApriAlphaTM V3 and ApriAttendaTM, are being developed. ApriAlphaTM V3 features an enhanced omnidirectional auditory function and ApriAttendaTM is a person-following robot. These two robots have been developed as part of the next-generation robot project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and exhibited to verify the performance in the prototype robot exhibition in June at Aichi EXPO 2005. Toshiba and Tokyo University of Science collaborated on the development of ApriAttendaTM. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Chapter 2 explains the problems of life support robots. Chapter 3 explains ApriAlphaTM in terms of its performance as a robotic information appliance and the network communication technology it employs. Chapter 4 O pe n A cc es s D at ab as e w w w . ite ch on lin e. co m
Controlling the appearance of specular microstructures

The focus of this dissertation is the appearance modeling of specular microstructures. We limit our study to microspheres, microcylinders, and a mesh of interwoven microcylinders. These microstructures are involved in the appearance of rainbows, hair, and cloth. There have been many studies on the appearance modeling of these three subjects. However, previous models either fail to reproduce specific appearances or they do so at the cost of time-consuming parameter tweaking. The main goal of this dissertation is to present novel practical appearance models that do not suffer from these shortcomings. Each one of our novel appearance models has a robust physical basis and incorporates intuitive parameters that control the final appearance. Our appearance models facilitate the reproduction of a wider range of desired appearances for rendering rainbows, hair, and cloth. First, we present a novel appearance model for rendering rainbows. We introduce a ray tracing framework for simulating light interactions by particles with arbitrary shapes. We validate our approach against the Lorenz-Mie theory for spherical water drops. We also show that our model can predict the light scattering behavior of large water drops which have non-spherical shapes where the Lorenz-Mie theory is not applicable. By considering the physically-based shape of water drops, as well as the effect of the sun's inclination, we are first to present a simulation of twinned rainbows. Next, we present a novel hair appearance model that addresses the problem of art-directability for physically-based appearance models. We introduce a novel approach for creating an art-directable hair shading model from existing physically based models. Through a user study, we show that this system is easier to use compared to both physically based and ad hoc shading models. Our appearance model has been integrated into the production pipeline at the Walt Disney Animation Studios and has been used in the production of the animated feature film Tangled. Finally, we present a practical appearance model for rendering cloth fabrics. Our model is based on extensive measurements of Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of several cloth samples and threads. Based on these measurements we present a novel BRDF model for threads. Using this model and statistical tangent distributions of cloth threads inside a weaving pattern, we can reproduce the appearance of a wide range of cloth fabrics. We also introduce a novel shadowing and masking term for cloth fabrics, which is important in grazing angle viewing and lighting.
Tools and Task Structures in Modeling Balance Beam

In the study I investigated the role of tools and task structures for science teachers of K-8 on the topic of balance in a professional development course. The findings show that the teachers tended to generate an additive rule, which is limited and contextualized, of balance condition, and failed to incorporate the more general multiplicative rule when thinking about balance. The study also shows that the teachers had difficulty in grasping a mathematical formula of balance condition. The learning outcome was partly a natural result of the materials the teachers used and the tasks they carried out. I conclude that learning tools and instructional tasks provide opportunities for understanding science content, but the understanding is confined to the tools and tasks employed.
Impulse Response Measurements in the 1850-1990 MHz Band in Large Outdoor Cells

Mobile impulse response measurements were taken in the 1850-1990 MHz band in three different macrocellular (cell radii of 5 km) environments: flat rural, hilly rural, and urban high-rise. Spatial diversity with a 15-wavelength separation was employed by using a dual-channel receiver. All antennas were omnidirectional and vertically polarized. The data were analyzed to provide delay statistics; spatial diversity statistics; multipath power statistics; number of paths, path arrival time, and path power statistics; and correlation bandwidth statistics. The urban high-rise cell showed more multipath components (out to 4 or 5 µs in delay) than the rural cells. Very long delays (greater than 10 µs), while not seen often, were seen more frequently in the rural cells than in the urban high-rise cell. Parameters to help design a tapped delay model of the radio channel in the different environments are given.
UPAYA MENINGKATKAN PENGENDALIAN KUALITAS KEAMANAN PANGAN UKM MELALUI PENERAPAN PRINSIP HAZARD ANALYSIS & CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS (HACCP)

Abstrak . Pesatnya perkembangan usaha makanan mendorong pelakunya untuk menjaga dan menghasilkan kualitas produk makanan yang lebih baik, dan aman dikonsumsi . Salah satu cara untuk menjamin keamanan pangan yaitu dengan menerapkan Metode Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP ) yang merupakan sistem manajemen keamanan pangan telah diakui oleh dunia internasional, karena mempunyai tujuan dan tahapan jelas, serta mampu melakukan pencegahan dan pemecahan masalah-masalah yang dihadapi perusahaan. Penerapan prinsip HACCP tidak hanya cocok diterapkan pada industry makanan yang besar, tetapi dapat diterapkan pada usaha-usaha makanan skala kecil dan menengah , karena itu studi kasus akan dilaksanakan di RM. Kepiting Tambora dimana salah satu menu andalannya adalah Kepiting Saos Tambora . Penelitian dilakukan dengan menggambarkan aliran proses dengan menggunakan diagram alir. Dengan diagram alir tersebut maka potensi bahaya dapat diidentifikasi sehingga dapat ditentukan tindakan perbaikan yang tepat berupa pengawasan sanitasi pekerja, lingkungan maupun peralatan produksi baik sebelum maupun sesudah bekerja serta pengawasan prosedur produksi yang tepat. Selanjutnya seluruh penerapan metoda HACCP ini harus didokumentasikan agar dapat dijadikan standar baku perusahaan. proses verifikasi sangat penting untuk dilakukan agar dapat mengetahui efektifitas penerapan HACCP. Penerapan HACCP yang sesuai diharapkan akan meningkatkan kualitas dan keamanan pangan.
Orthogonally switching motion control of PM LSM vehicle in mass-reduced mode

A new transportation model vehicle system for automation and saving space has been developed in our Laboratory. The system uses permanent magnet (PM) linear synchronous motor (LSM) and orthogonally crossed guideway. We have succeeded in experiments of orthogonally switching motion with both repulsive and attractive force. But there are problems of power loss and noise due to wheel-guideway friction which is caused by attractive force between PM and armature guideway. To solve this problem, we proposed a new method of switching motion control with only normal repulsive force. We experimented orthogonally switching motion by positioning control based on analytical results of the propulsive and repulsive forces at the crossing. The experiment results have shown a considerable reduction of power loss and switching time together with reduced noise.
A 1-mW vibration energy harvesting system for moth flight-control applications

This thesis focuses on the approach and methodologies required to build a 1-mW energy-harvesting system for moth flight control applications. The crepuscular hawk moth Manduca sexta is the chosen test subject. This project is part of the Hybrid Insect MEMS (HI-MEMS) program. The objective of the program is to establish an interface between adult insect neural systems, wireless communication and MEMS systems so that insects may be directed to fly to specific locations in real time. As in all micro-air vehicles, power is one of the major concerns. A power source on the moth is required to support the flight control and wireless communication systems. There are two methods by which these payloads might be powered. The first method is to draw power from a battery, while the second method is to harvest energy from the environment. Batteries have the advantage of simplicity, while energy harvesting systems have much longer life and lower mass per total energy delivered. In addition, the total mass of circuitry, MEMS devices, and batteries may severely limit flight duration. Therefore, we have chosen the energy-harvesting method. The energy harvesting system includes a vibration energy harvester and a boost converter that delivers power at the required 1-V level for the entire flight control system. The latest harvester has a mass of 1.28 g and output power of 1.7 mW into a matched resistive load when the moth vibrates with a +0.37-mm amplitude at 25.8 Hz, resulting in a ±7.82-mm harvester amplitude. A 2-stage AC-DC boost converter with off chip inductors has been designed and fabricated in 0.18 um CMOS technology. SPICE simulation and experiments using equivalent discrete components prove that the converter can achieve 71.68% efficiency. The test experiment of the chip will be conducted later this winter and is not included in the scope of this thesis. Thesis Supervisor: Jeffrey H. Lang Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Features extraction of heart sounds using time-frequency distribution and mel-frequency cepstrum coefficient

Heart sounds analysis can provide lots of information about heart condition whether it is normal or abnormal. Heart sounds signals are time-varying signals where they exhibit some degree of non-stationary. Due to these characteristics, therefore, two techniques have been proposed to analyze them. The first technique is the Time-Frequency Distribution using B-Distribution, used to resolve signal's components in the time-frequency domain and specifies the frequency components of the signal that changing over time. Another proposed technique is the Mel- Frequency Cepstrum Coefficient, used to obtain the cepstrums coefficients by resolving signal's components in the frequency domain. An experiment is presented to extract features of heart sounds using both mentioned techniques and compare their performances. Both techniques are discussed in details and tested against ideal simulations of 50 heart sound signals including normal and abnormal signals. All simulations are done using Matlab software except for MFCC where it has used the Microsoft Visual C++ software. A brief description of SVD is included to the technique using time-frequency distribution. Also, a brief description of Neural Network is used to verify and to compare the performances results of the two techniques with regard to the values of hidden node, learning rate and momentum coefficient. The results showed that performance of the TFD can be achieved up to 90% whereas MFCC is only 80%. Therefore, the TFD technique is chosen as the best technique to analyze and to extract features of the non-stationary signals such as the heart sounds signals.
Generation of donor organs in chimeric animals via blastocyst complementation

The lack of organs for transplantation is an important problem in medicine today. The growth of organs in chimeric animals may be the solution of this. The proposed technology is the interspecific blastocyst complementation method in combination with genomic editing for obtaining “free niches” and pluripotent stem cell production methods. The CRISPR/Cas9 method allows the so-called “free niches” to be obtained for blastocyst complementation. The technologies of producing induced pluripotent stem cells give us the opportunity to obtain human donor cells capable of populating a “free niche”. Taken together, these technologies allow interspecific blastocyst complementation between humans and other animals, which makes it possible in the future to grow human organs for transplantations inside chimeric animals. However, in practice, in order to achieve successful interspecific blastocyst complementation, it is necessary to solve a number of problems: to improve methods for producing “chimeric competent” cells, to overcome specific interspecific barriers, to select compatible cell developmental stages for injection and the corresponding developmental stage of the host embryo, to prevent apoptosis of donor cells and to achieve effective proliferation of the human donor cells in the host animal. Also, it is very important to analyze the ethical aspects related to developing technologies of chimeric organisms with the participation of human cells. Today, many researchers are trying to solve these problems and also to establish new approaches in the creation of interspecific chimeric organisms in order to grow human organs for transplantation. In the present review we described the historical stages of the development of the blastocyst complementation method, examined in detail the technologies that underlie modern blastocyst complementation, and analyzed current progress that gives us the possibility to grow human organs in chimeric animals. We also considered the barriers and issues preventing the successful implementation of interspecific blastocyst complementation in practice, and discussed the further development of this method
Understanding product-service system innovation capabilities development for manufacturing companies

Purpose – Manufacturing companies are increasingly making efforts to combine products and services into integrated offerings. However, the companies’ success in such transformation is linked with the presence of structured routines and processes, which the authors conceptualize as productservice systems (PSS) innovation capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to address the important question of how manufacturing companies can systematically build PSS innovation capabilities and does its presence or absence significantly influence PSS innovation. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on longitudinal data from an aerospace company, which acts both as an OEM providing through-life services for aircraft engines, as well as a developer of innovative subsystem technologies. Data has been collected over three years (2009-2012) and constitutes 40 in-depth explorative and semi-structured interviews with diverse respondents. For analysis of the data, the authors have used constant comparison technique leading to identification of three high-order categories. In addition, the authors gain from observations and secondary data which enable to achieve data triangulation and data validity. Findings – The results objectively depict an overview of how the case company developed PSS innovation capabilities, though progression of routines over three early PSS development stages. More specifically, the authors find evidence for development of formalized routines related to customer interaction and innovative organizational climate during need phase, cross-functionality, and network partnering during solution-seeking phase, and competence and business case development during solution development phase. As these routines become more structured within the case company, they forge a path for PSS innovation capabilities development. Originality/value – This study provides two distinctive contributions to emerging PSS literature. First, the authors propose and explain how PSS innovation capabilities are developed. Although prior studies acknowledge the importance of possessing specialized PSS innovation capabilities, limited studies have reported empirically how they are developed. Second, through adopting a longitudinal perspective, the authors reveal key routines and actions that drive PSS innovation during different development stages. To the knowledge, no prior study has combined insights from PSS literature and resource-based view to objectively explain capabilities development process.
Effect of diversified meals only, or either enriched with Amaranthus tricolor and Moringa oleifera leaf powder or commercial micronutrient powder on prevention/treatment of anemia in Adivasi children, West Bengal, India

Background and objectives: Malnutrition associated with anemia remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Adivasi children in India. The present trial aimed to test three possible ways of designing improved supplementary meals and to define their role in decreasing rates of anemia, thus increasing hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations as primary health objective: diversified meals only (intervention group 1 (IG 1)), with the addition of locally producible Amaranthus tricolor/Moringa oleifera leaf powders (ALP/MLP) in the ratio 2:1 (IG2) or with an adjusted amount of commercially produced micronutrient powder TopNutri (IG3). Methods: Cluster-randomization of 21 villages resulted in the inclusion of n=293 children aged 6-39 months after baseline assessment. The trial duration was 18 months, beginning in February 2015 (baseline assessment), with application of study meals three times a week at community level. Anthropometric, Hb (HemoCue201+) and morbidity data were collected in a total of four assessment points. At baseline a socio-economic questionnaire was performed. Results: Adjusted for age and Hb concentrations at baseline, time between assessment points, and gender; IG1 showed significant higher Hb concentrations as compared to the control group (CG) throughout the intervention period. The Hb of the remaining intervention groups IG2 or IG3, remained comparable to the CG at all assessment points. The effect on growth indices was less consistent, however most positive tendencies related to nutrition status (stunting, underweight, wasting) and morbidity reduction were attributable to IG3, indicating the beneficial role of a holistic nutrient composition in addressing undernutrition and infectious diseases. Conclusion: This low-dose intervention trial proofed the feeding of diversified diets alone (IG1) to be sufficient to significantly increase Hb concentrations of study children. On the way of achieving diversified diets for Santal children the promotion of kitchen garden programs combined with interactive awareness trainings may be a key measure. Trial registration: the trial was retrospectively registered at the German Clinical Trials Register on the 1 st July 2019 (DRKS00017388). URL: https://www.drks. de/drks_web/navigate.do? navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00017388
Reflection at work: making a positive difference to PDP modules

The compulsory personal development planning modules, T191 and T397, have acted as ‘bookends’ for the Open University’s BEng(Hons) since 1998. Students undertake a structured programme of self-appraisal and planning activities to help them define and then follow an appropriate study plan of modules leading to their BEng(Hons). They are supported by an individual tutor, who is generally a chartered engineer, so that they can receive advice and guidance on their professional aspirations. Since its introduction, the HE level 1 module has had over 9000 registrations leading to around 2000 students progressing to the HE level 3 module. As the recent successful accreditations of the MEng and BEng(Hons) by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers as well as the re-accreditations by the Institution of Engineering Designers and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers attest, the emphasis on PDP within the qualifications is welcomed and endorsed by the Professional Engineering Institutions. While the Open University can point to excellent levels of student satisfaction, both generally and in the Engineering programme, the PDP modules do not meet student expectations. This paper will look at improvements made to the PDP modules in recent years and present evidence of significant success. It will discuss the form and philosophy behind these changes to the modules’ structure and assessment strategy. It will go on to consider the changes required by the move to the new funding regime and how these will affect the implementation of PDP within the engineering qualifications.
Potential Military Use of Airships and Aerostats

The Department of Defense (DOD) has a history of using lighter-than-air (LTA) platforms. Aerostats have recently been fielded to protect deployed U.S. troops. Contemporary interest is growing in using airships for numerous missions. This report examines the various concepts being considered and describes the issues for Congress.