Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Software Ecosystem: Understanding an Indispensable Technology and Industry

Software has gone from obscurity to indispensability in less than fifty years. Although other industries have followed a similar trajectory, software and its supporting industry are different. In this book the authors explain, from a variety of perspectives, how software and the software industry are different—technologically, organizationally, and socially. The growing importance of software requires professionals in all fields to deal with both its technical and social aspects; therefore, users and producers of software need a common vocabulary to discuss software issues. In Software Ecosystem, Messerschmitt and Szyperski address the overlapping and related perspectives of technologists and nontechnologists. After an introductory chapter on technology, the book is organized around six points of view: users, and what they need software to accomplish for them; software engineers and developers, who translate the user's needs into program code; managers, who must orchestrate the resources, material and human, to operate the software; industrialists, who organize companies to produce and distribute software; policy experts and lawyers, who must resolve conflicts inside and outside the industry without discouraging growth and innovation; and economists, who offer insights into how the software market works. Each chapter considers not only the issues most relevant to that perspective but also relates those issues to the other perspectives as well. Nontechnologists will appreciate the context in which technology is discussed; technical professionals will gain more understanding of the social issues that should be considered in order to make software more useful and successful.
Traffic Quality Assessment at Signalized Intersections—Procedures in the New German Highway Capacity Manual (HBS 2015)

The first version of German Highway Capacity Manual was published in 2001. Now, a new version is published in 2015 (HBS 2015). For the new German Highway Capacity Manual, most major chapters are revised and some of them are totally rewritten. The chapter for signalized intersections is one of the most important chapters in a highway capacity manual. In the new German Highway Capacity Manual, this chapter is totally rewritten in accordance with forthcoming developments in the past 10 years. In this paper, an overview of the chapter for signalized intersections in the new German Highway Capacity Manual is presented. Procedures dealing with capacity and delay analyses are introduced. Differences between the former version and the new version of the German Highway Capacity Manual are indicated and discussed.
Diabot: A Predictive Medical Chatbot using Ensemble Learning

Accessibility to medical knowledge and healthcare costs are the two major impediments for common man. Conversational agents like Medical chatbots, which are designed keeping in view medical applications can potentially address these issues. Chatbots can either be generic or disease-specific in nature. Diabetes is a non-communicable disease and early detection of the same can let people know about the serious consequences of this disorder and help save human lives. In this paper, we have developed a generic text-to-text ‘Diabot’ – a DIAgnostic chatBOT which engages patients in conversation using advanced Natural Language Understanding (NLU) techniques to provide personalized prediction using the general health dataset and based on the various symptoms sought from the patient. The design is further extended as a DIAbetes chatBOT for specialized Diabetes prediction using the Pima Indian diabetes dataset for suggesting proactive preventive measures to be taken. For prediction, there exists multiple classification algorithms in Machine Learning which can be used based on their accuracy. However, rather than considering only one model and hoping this model is the best or most accurate predictor we can make, the novelty in this paper lies in Ensemble learning, which is a meta-algorithm that combines a myriad of weaker models and averages them to produce one final balanced and accurate model. From literature reviews, it is observed that very little research has happened in ensemble methods to increase prediction accuracy. The paper presents a state-of-the art Diabot design with an undemanding front-end interface for common man using React UI, RASA NLU based text pre-processing, quantitative performance comparison of various machine learning algorithms as standalone classifiers and combining them all in a majority voting ensemble. It is observed that the chatbot is able to interact seamlessly with all patients based on the symptoms sought. The accuracy of Ensemble model is balanced for general health prediction and highest for diabetes prediction among all weak learners considered which provides motivation for further exploring ensemble techniques in this domain.
A 3-6 GHz lightwave/microwave transceiver module for microwave fiber-optic communications

A novel 3-6 GHz lightwave/microwave transceiver module has been demonstrated which combines an advanced lightwave component packaging technology with MMIC (microwave monolithic integrated circuit) module technology. The module is compact and low profile, measuring 0.1*1.0*0.09 in, and exhibits greater than 16 dB RF-to-RF gain. The optical submodules measure 0.02*0.15*0.75 in (transmit) and 0.02*0.07*0.15 in (receive) with optical coupling efficiencies of 35% and 80%, respectively, from the laser and detector to single-mode fibers. <<ETX>>
Mineral profiling of resistant and susceptible tomato varieties against Alternaria solani causing early blight

The current research was conducted to investigate the alterations in the mineral status in the leaves of tomato plants against early blight (EB) caused by Alternaria solani. Six tomato varieties; viz. Riograndae, Roma and Basket (resistant) and T-88572, BHN-961 and BHN-1021(susceptible) were inoculated with a blend of five isolates of Alternaria solani, collected from different regions of Faisalabad District. These six varieties for mineral profiling were selected after two years screening from twenty-five varieties of tomatoes under field conditions. These varieties were sown in pots and artificial inoculation was performed to develop disease in inoculated type of tomato plants while distilled water was applied on un-inoculated type of plants. Newly infected leaves from upper, middle and lower parts of tomato plants from resistant and susceptible groups were used to prepare sample for mineral analysis at p ≤ 0.05 and variation in mineral profiling of resistant and susceptible groups of tomato plants was determined through Nested Structured Design. Significant variation was observed in inoculated (3.12, 0.48 %, 1.17, 0.14, 0.42, 0.21, 0.69 and 1.49 ppm and un-inoculated type (8.67, 1.61%, 10.45, 0.22, 1.75, 1.98, 3.09 and 3.39 ppm) while resistant group expressed 6.59, 1.19%, 8.13, 1.973, 1.69, 1.26, 1.36, 2.43 and 2.87ppm and susceptible group exhibited 5.19, 0.91%, 5.69, 1.693, 1.24, 0.91,0.83, 1.35 and 2.22 ppm with respect to NPK, Ca, Mg, Na, Zn, Iron and copper. Resistant variety, Riograndae expressed maximum amount while T-88572 exhibited minimum amount of all mineral contents. Alterations in the mineral profiling in leaves of tomato plants can be used by researchers as biochemical markers for identification and development of resistant source against early blight of tomato and for the development of ecofriendly management strategy towards A. solani.
Simulations Based on Experimental Data of the Behaviour of a Monocrystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Module

The performance of monocrystalline silicon cells depends widely on the parameters like the series and shunt resistances, the diode reverse saturation current, and the ideality factor. Many authors consider these parameters as constant while others determine their values based on the characteristic when the module is under illumination or in the dark. This paper presents a new method for extracting the series resistance, the diode reverse saturation current, and the ideality factor. The proposed extraction method using the least square method is based on the fitting of experimental data recorded in 2014 in Ngaoundere, Cameroon. The results show that the ideality factor can be considered as constant and equal to 1.2 for the monocrystalline silicon module. The diode reverse saturation current depends only on the temperature. And the series resistance decreases when the irradiance increases. The extracted values of these parameters contribute to the best modeling of a photovoltaic module which can help in the accurate extraction of the maximum power.
Study on spatial-temporal distribution and environmental ties of Japanese B Encephalitis’s mosquito vector as well as landing rate in The Olympic forest park

Background: Mosquito surveillance is crucial for understanding the epidemic potential, planning early-warning, and effective control strategies. As a key public place in Beijing, the Beijing Olympic Forest Park (BOFP) makes serious epidemiological means for the Beijing, and the survey on the Japanese B Encephalitis (JBE) vector of Culex tritaeniorhynchus and mosquito landing in BOFP is crucial for the people living as well as JBE surveillance and control. It was hypothesized that the Cx. tritaeniorhynchus could be trapped in a well-urbanization area of Beijing, and the distribution of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and mosquito landing rate are determined by the environmental factors. Methods: Thus, this investigation was performed to understand the spatial-temporal distribution of Cx. Tritaeniorhynchus and landing rate in BOFP, and the relationship between environmental features and densities of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus as well as mosquito landing rate, considering the vector competent of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and important epidemiological means of BOFP in Beijing. From July to September, the Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was trapped with CDC-lights together with CO2 and the landing rate on the same sites as light traps were also investigated. What’s more, the ties of environmental factors to the density of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and landing rate was performed with SPSS, after the environmental factors datasets had been extracted with the 3S procedures. Results: As result showed, the highest density of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus could be detected in September in the wetland environment, and the density was related to the grass-water in 400meters buffer (GW_400) and lower-trees in 100meter buffer distance (LT_100). For the landing rate investigation, the highest landing rates was observed in the wetland environment during September. In addition, there were two environmental features could be identified to correlate to landing rates; that is, grass-water in 400meters buffer (GW_400) and high-trees in 100meter buffer distance (HT_100). It was concluded that the Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, the vector of JBE, could be detected in BOFP (well-urbanization area), and the environmental factor could affect not only the spatial distribution of JBE vector but also the mosquito landing rates in BOFP. Conclusions: The information achieved from this study could offer advice to people escaping from mosquito biting and provide useful information to prevent mosquito-borne diseases in Beijing, which means a lot to the public health of Beijing.
Counting Empty Parking Spots at Truck Stops Using Computer Vision

For at least the past decade, truck driver fatigue has been thought to be a contributing factor in a number of heavy truck accidents. For better utilization of truck stops and to provide truck drivers with safe rest options, the authors are designing an automated truck stop management system that can compute occupancy rates at stops and notify drivers about the availability of parking spots using variable message displays located about 30 or 40 miles before the stop. This system detects, classifies and localizes vehicles on the truck stop's grounds by using a set of video cameras, from which video frames are analyzed in real-time.
Lightning radiated electric fields and their contribution to induced voltages

During the return stroke, the radiated electric field from a lightning channel contains vertical and horizontal components of the electric fields, which are both responsible for producing transients in power lines, telecommunication lines, and electronic circuitry of communication and control systems. This paper analyses the characteristics of the vertical and horizontal components of the electric field depending on different parametric conditions of the return stroke. Lightning induced voltages on an overhead telecommunication line are also calculated for different elemental fields. The numerical results show that horizontal electric field (HEF) produces high ringing of fields at distances far from the strike point, and plays an important role in producing induced voltages in the vicinity of the lightning channel. The radiation and the induction components of fields are found to be responsible for the change in polarity of induced voltages.
Thermal fatigue resistance evaluation of solder joints in IGBT power modules for traction applications

Several ageing test campaigns have been carried out to evaluate thermal fatigue resistance of solder alloys used in IGBT power modules. The solder joint between the ceramic substrate and the copper baseplate of this stack packaging has been the focus of these experiments. Indeed, this interconnection layer is highly subject to shear strains and stresses due to the mismatched expansion on either side of the solder joint during operation. The impact of the substrate metallization and of the cooling rate has been evaluated by measuring crack growth rate on cross sections of cycled solder joints. Two solder alloy compositions have been selected: a lead-free one and a lead-bearing one. Scanning electronic microscopy analyses have allowed a study of cracking at the microstructural level. Moreover, additional analyses based on scanning acoustic microscopy have led to a ranking of the batches under test. Best results in terms of thermal fatigue resistance have been obtained with the lead-bearing solder alloy. Furthermore, it has been shown that the use of bare copper substrates, and above, all fast cooling rate after the solder reflow, delay solder joint failure.
Mobility-management and media-access issues in the BAHAMA wireless ATM LAN

We previously proposed an ad-hoc wireless ATM LAN/PBX, in which portable base stations (PBSs) can be deployed in an arbitrary topology to support mobile users with multimedia laptop computers. In this network, which we call BAHAMA, mobile users can communicate with one another directly as peer-to-peer if they are close by, or using the PBS backbone LAN. The user wireless links are assumed to be in the 2- to 20-Mb/s range, adequate for most video, data, voice and multimedia applications, The PBS-to-PBS links can either be wired or wireless and are assumed to be high speed (Gb/s). The PBSs are simple, compact and low-cost switching nodes performing cell routing. They can be relocated since the network design allows for ad-hoc configurations, i.e., self-configuring and self-organizing capabilities. There are many challenges to be addressed in such a wireless ATM LAN. In this paper, after presenting some background material on the BAHAMA project, we discuss several important issues in two key areas: mobility management and media access. Mobility management is needed because wireless users are free to roam about the network. Media access protocols are the means to allow shared, wireless access by multiple, mobile users.
Research on Application of Precision Marketing based on Big Data

1 Entering the 21st century, the Internet industry is developing rapidly, and all walks of life are facing huge challenges. How to attract more customers under the huge impact of the Internet is a problem that enterprises urgently need to solve. This article starts with precision marketing and introduces banking products. With the deepening of internet big data technology, the bank has its mobile client and studied how the banking industry uses various means to collect data in the big data environment, establish its user profile, and adjust its marketing strategy. When the bank recommends to users, it must choose an appropriate algorithm to serve its marketing. Collaborative filtering algorithm is the most classic and easy-to-operate recommendation algorithm. This article provides an improved collaborative filtering algorithm, which is a method for calculating the similarity of recent interests related to time. Through this improved collaborative filtering algorithm, it can provide a new reference for the precise marketing of banks.
Insights into Deposit Formation in High Pressure Diesel Fuel Injection Equipment

The need to meet the US 2007 emissions legislation has necessitated a change in Diesel engine technology, particularly to the fuel injection equipment (FIE). At the same time as these engine technology changes, legislation has dictated a reduction in fuel sulphur levels and there has also been increased use of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel as a fuel blending component. The combination of changes to the engine and the fuel has apparently led to a sharp rise in the number of reports of field problems resulting from deposits within the FIE. The problem is usually manifested as a significant loss of power or the engine failing to start. These symptoms are often due to deposits to be found within the fuel injectors or to severe fouling of the fuel filter. The characteristics of the deposits found within different parts of the fuel system can be noticeably different. A variety of analytical techniques have been investigated to gain knowledge of the characteristics of these different forms of deposit. Work has also been performed to characterise some of the fuels that may be causing the deposits. This paper concentrates on the characterisation of deposits found specifically in the fuel injectors. Deposits found within different parts of the injector have been analysed using, Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry detection (GC/MS), Fourier Transform Infra-red analysis (FTIR), Inductively Coupled Plasma spectroscopy (ICP), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and elemental analysis. Fuel samples that have been associated with the deposit formation have also been analysed. The techniques discussed are high resolution mass spectrometry, and ICP. The results are also placed in context with previously published work on both filter and injector deposits.
Effective attacking strategies in rugby union

Abstract Evasive change-of-direction manoeuvres (agility skills) are a fundamental ability in rugby union. In this study, we explored the attributes of agility skill execution as they relate to effective attacking strategies in rugby union. Seven Super 14 games were coded using variables that assessed team patterns and individual movement characteristics during attacking ball carries. The results indicated that tackle-breaks are a key determinant of try-scoring ability and team success in rugby union. The ability of the attacking ball carrier to receive the ball at high speed with at least two body lengths from the defence line against an isolated defender promoted tackle-breaks. Furthermore, the execution of a side-step evasive manoeuvre at a change of direction angle of 20–60° and a distance of one to two body lengths from the defence, and then straightening the running line following the initial direction change at an angle of 20–60°, was associated with tackle-breaks. This study provides critical insight regarding the attributes of agility skill execution that are associated with effective ball carries in rugby union.
Addressing Counterfeit Parts in the DoD Supply Chain

Abstract : In June 2007, the U.S. Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), asked the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Technology Evaluation (OTE) to conduct a defense industrial base assessment of counterfeit electronics. NAVAIR suspected that an increasing number of counterfeit/defective electronics was infiltrating the DoD supply chain and affecting weapon system reliability. OTE data revealed that 39% of companies and organizations participating in the survey encountered counterfeit electronics during the four-year study period. Moreover, the frequency of detected counterfeit incidents was escalating rapidly, rising from 3,868 incidents in 2005 to 9,356 incidents in 2008. These counterfeit incidents included multiple versions of DoD qualified parts and components. Today, the DoD procures systems and products from a large network of global suppliers and manages over four million different parts at a cost of over $94 billion (GAO, 2010). As the DoD draws from this increasingly global supplier base, its visibility into these source companies is often limited; quality controls are, at times, insufficient; and chain of custody verification is lacking. As a result, the challenge of assuring the integrity and provenance of parts and components has grown geometrically more complex in this global sourcing environment. When they are installed in systems, counterfeit parts and components can affect the safety, operational readiness, cost, and critical nature of the military mission. Almost any part can be counterfeited, including fasteners used on aircraft, electronics used on missile guidance systems, and materials used in body armor and engine mounts. Counterfeit parts have the potential to cause a serious disruption to DoD supply chains, delay ongoing missions, and even affect the integrity of weapon systems. In this environment, the DoD must step up its war against counterfeit parts, much as private industry has done.
In-flight replanning of penetration routes to avoid threat zones of circular shapes

In-flight replanning of a strike mission requires the capability of generating survivable penetration routes, quickly and efficiently, with limited computer resources on board the aircraft. Although dynamic programming (DP) has been used traditionally for route generation, it requires quantization of the state space into cells of specified dimensions, and places restrictions on the route to traverse the state space from cell center to cell center along one of the prescribed headings. The algorithm developed avoids threat zones of circular shapes, and is ideal for in-flight replanning of penetration routes. The algorithm is much faster than DP, it generates flyable routes that do not require smoothing, and the run time depends strictly on the number of threats to be avoided, rather than on cell size used for state space quantization. The algorithm uses geometric construction to synthesize routes with linear segments tangent to the threat periphery and circular segments along the threat periphery, and obtains the shortest route between a starting point and a destination point, by using the principle of optimality. The algorithm is validated in a high density threat environment with overlapping threat lethality envelopes of varying sizes, and used to generate various penetration routes.
What Economists Know about Open Source Software - Its Basic Principles and Research Results

For a decade, economists have been fascinated by the phenomenon of open source software (OSS). OSS is marked by free access to the software and its source code. It is developed in a public, collaborative manner by thousands of non-paid volunteers as well as profit seeking firms. Today, OSS is well established in the ICT sector and represents a new intellectual property paradigm. This paper provides an introduction into the topic OSS versus closed source software (CSS, also called 'proprietary' software). After a brief history of OSS and CSS, the differences between the open and the closed source principles and the basic logic of OSS business models are explained. Next, the paper presents what economists know about the OSS phenomena, i.e. gives an overview of the motives of the (non-paid) OSS developers, the institutions of OSS, the effects of OSS on competition, the incentives and role of firms, and finally of open source principle beyond software.