Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Estimation Errors in Rotor Position for a Sensorless Control System Using a PMSM

In a sensorless control system with a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM), the angular position of the rotor flux can be estimated by a voltage equation. However, the estimated angle may be inaccurate due to various causes. In this paper, it was comprehensively analyzed how various causes affect the angle error. As a result of the analysis, an error equation intuitively describing these relationships was derived. The parameter errors of a PMSM and the non-ideal properties of the driving system were identified as error-causing factors. To demonstrate the validity of the error equation, PMSMs were tested at various operating points. The variations in angle errors could be well explained with the error equation.
Maximizing Drilling Riser Installation Operability for TLP Top Tensioned Risers

Top tensioned risers (TTRs) are a key component in Dry Tree Tension Leg Platform (TLP) systems. TTRs are used for both production and drilling operations.The operability of the drilling riser system can be a key factor in the project economics. In addition to the in-place operability, maximizing the weather windows for running and retrieval of the drilling riser system minimizes down time and increases operational flexibility.This paper presents the approach taken to determine drilling riser installation envelopes. It discusses the solutions evaluated for increasing drilling riser installation envelopes and documents the associated equipment selection and specification.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Integrating the development of continuous improvement and innovation capabilities into engineering education

In this paper, a study is presented in which engineering students at a Danish university developed Continuous Improvement (CI) and innovation capabilities through action research and experiential learning methods. The paper begins with a brief overview of the literature on CI and innovation, followed by an account of how the students designed and implemented solutions to self-identified problems within their educational program using the principles of CI, and how these learning activities facilitated the development of basic innovation capabilities. The paper concludes with insights regarding how such an innovative design of teaching methods based on learning-by-doing may not only support the development of CI and innovation in engineering students, which is increasingly demanded by industry, but also represent a way in which to enhance sustainability and innovation of the education itself.
Determining the probability distribution of rework costs in construction and engineering projects

Rework arises due to design errors, changes and omissions during design and has been found to contribute to 52% of a project's cost overrun. The statistical characteristics of rework costs experienced from contract award in 276 construction and engineering projects were analysed. The skewness and kurtosis values of rework costs are computed to determine if the empirical distribution of the data follows a normal distribution. The empirical distributions for rework costs are found to be non-Gaussian. Theoretical probability distributions are fitted to the rework data. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Anderson–Darling non-parametric tests are used to determine the ‘Goodness of Fit’ of the selected probability distributions. A Generalised Pareto probability function is found to provide the best overall distribution fit for rework costs. The Generalised Pareto distribution is used to calculate the probability of rework being experienced for the selected sample. Projects with a contract value A$101 million. Larger projects may be better managed and longer completion times provide an opportunity to make adjustments to facilitate cost control. The anticipation that rework will occur using the probabilities that are derived can enable a quantitative risk assessment to be undertaken prior to the commencement of construction.
EVOLVING SENSORS IN ENVIRONMENTS OF CONTROLLED COMPLEXITY

Sensors represent a crucial link between the evolutionary forces shaping a species' relationship with its environment, and the individual's cognitive abilities to behave and learn. We report on experiments using a new class of "latent energy environments" (LEE) models to define environments of carefully controlled complexity which allow us to state bounds for random and optimal behaviors that are independent of strategies for achieving the behaviors. Using LEE's analytic basis for defining environments, we then use neural networks (NNets) to model individuals and a steady - state genetic algorithm to model an evolutionary process shaping the NNets, in particular their sensors. Our experiments consider two types of "contact" and "ambient" sensors, and variants where the NNets are not allowed to learn, learn via error correction from internal prediction, and via reinforcement learning. We find that predictive learning, even when using a larger repertoire of the more sophisticated ambient sensors, provides no advantage over NNets unable to learn. However, reinforcement learning using a small number of crude contact sensors does provide a significant advantage. Our analysis of these results points to a trade-off between the genetic "robustness" of sensors and their informativeness to a learning system.
Dissolved gas analysis of transformers using fuzzy logic approach

The power transformer is a major apparatus in a power system, and its correct functioning is vital to system operations. Failure of one power transformer may cause long interruptions in supply, costly repairs and loss revenue. The analysis of oil-immersed gases as a useful and effective method can prevent main faults through diagnosing internal faults of power transformers and proposing preventive operations. Usually the relation between faults and the reason of their existence in power equipments is complicated. Therefore, fuzzy logic method is proper option in the diagnosis of transformers internal faults. In this paper, three fuzzy methods are used for specifying the internal faults of transformer through the ratio method of oil-immersed gases. Finally, comparing with commonly used methods, the proposed methods found effective enough. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The three point method for measurement of P-OTDR sensor

A new method for measurement of local birefringence is proposed for P-OTDR sensor, based on the sequentially obtained three points of state of polarization (SOP) and a high speed polarization analyzer. In this method only one input SOP is needed and the measurement results are insensitive to the input SOP. The distribution of local birefringence vector along a 1km single mode fiber was precisely measured with 2 cm accuracy, only once detection is enough for the measurement.
Soluções de condicionamento em pós-colheita de inflorescências de antúrio

Anthurium flowers post-harvest conditioning Aiming to obtain flowers with greater longevity, this study aimed to evaluate the use of post-harvest conditioning solutions in different cultivars of anthurium. The experiment was carried out in randomized block design in a factorial scheme 3 x 3 (cultivar x conditioning solution). The tested cultivars were: Jureia IAC, IAC Eidibel and Apalai. The conditioning solutions were: water, water + sucrose (5.0%) and water + citric acid (200 mg L -1 ). Conditioning was performed by immersing the flowers in 0.5 L of conditioning solution for 24 hours and subsequently maintained with an equal volume of distilled water renewed every four days. At each water renewal, was evaluated the fresh weight, durability and longevity adopting notes. The results were submitted to ANOVA and F test, and means were compared by Tukey test (p<0,05) when significant. With the obtained data it can be concluded that there was no dif ference between the conditioning solutions for different cultivars, and ‘IAC Jureia’ showed greater durability shopping (21 days) and total longevity (48 days), regardless of the conditioning solution.
Short hairpin RNA attenuates liver fibrosis by regulating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and nuclear factor-κB pathways in hepatitis B virus-induced liver fibrosis in mice

Background: Progressive liver fibrosis, caused by chronic viral infection and metabolic disorders, results in the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, no antifibrotic therapies have been approved to date. In our previous study, adeno-associated virus (AAV) short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting hepatitis B virus (HBV) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β administration could persistently inhibit HBV replication and concomitantly prevent liver fibrosis. However, the differentially expressed proteins and critical regulatory networks of AAVshRNA treatment remain unclear. Accordingly, in this study, our major goal was we aimed to analyze differentially expressed proteins in the liver of AAV-shRNAs-treated mice with HBV infection and liver fibrosis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics and to elucidate the underlying antifibrotic mechanisms. Results: In total 2743 proteins were recognized by iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics analysis. Gene ontology analysis suggested that the differentially expressed proteins were mostly participated in peptide metabolism in the biological process category, cytosolic ribosomes in the cell component category, and structural constituents of ribosomes in the molecular function category. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomespathway analysis indicated that oxidative stress and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway were actived after treatment. Verification studies showed that AAVshRNAs inhibited hepatic stellate cell activation and inflammation by suppressing nuclear factor-κB p65 phosphorylation and α-smooth muscle actin expression via upregulation of PPAR-γ. Hepatocytes steatosis was also decreased by activating PPAR signaling pathway and improving lipid metabolism. TGF-β level was decreased owning to increase PPAR-γ expression and directly inhibition using AAVshRNAs targeting TGF-β. TGF-β-induced oxidative stress was suppressed by increasing glutathione S-transferase Pi 1 and reducing peroxiredoxin 1. Conclusions: Our results indicated that AAV-shRNAs were effective for modulating liver fibrosis by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation and activating PPAR signaling pathway.
Numerical study on the suitability of centrifuge testing for capturing the thermal-induced mechanical behavior of energy piles

AbstractCurrently, the suitability of centrifuge testing for capturing the thermal-induced mechanical behavior of full-scale energy piles has not been established, yet, despite their increasing worldwide development. Looking at this challenge, this paper investigates through thermomechanical numerical analyses the capability of centrifuge tests to reproduce fundamental aspects of the response of full-scale energy piles in dry sand when subjected to thermal and mechanical loads. The analysis proves the appropriateness of centrifuge tests for the considered goal and comments on crucial points that have to be considered when modeling energy pile-related problems.
Applying Lean Six Sigma and TRIZ methodology in banking services

Service operations now comprise more than 80% of the GDP in the United States and are rapidly growing around the world. The cost to maintain and service an application is typically more than the initial purchase price. The revenue growth potential of improving the speed and quality of service often overshadows the cost reduction opportunities. The Lean Six Sigma approach is a popular methodology to improve the business opportunities in customer satisfaction, cost and process speed for manufacturing. In this study, we attempt to extend the Lean Six Sigma approach to a broader application in the service industry and integrate TRIZ methodology to enhance the traditional techniques of Lean Six Sigma. Theoria Resheneyva Isobretatelskehuh Zadach (TRIZ) is an effective method for analysing customer needs and developing innovative solutions to meet those needs. A sample problem of the banking service is used to demonstrate how TRIZ can be applied to a real-world problem while in a Lean Six Sigma DMAIC process. The results show that the application of Lean Six Sigma methodology with TRIZ performs effectively in the improvement of banking services.
Telerobotic shipboard handling system

The deployment and retrieval of payloads at sea can be difficult and dangerous task, particularly in rough seas. The best method of recovering a payload would be to employ a device that mimics the human arm. Brooke Ocean Technology Ltd. (BOT) is developing a telerobotic controlled handling system operated by an intuitive controller. The system combines telerobotic control with an off-the-shelf marine crane and custom designed end effector. The operator acts as motion compensator and controls the end effector such that it is in phase with the payload during recovery. The controller is such that movement in a certain direction corresponds to an identical movement of the crane. This handling system can deploy and recover a variety of payloads including AUVs, buoys and mine disposal ROVs which are not connected to the mother ship with a cable or tether and hence cannot be recovered using conventional means. Also under development is a fast, lightweight tracking device for applications where the payload cannot be grasped and a connection to a lifting point must be made. This device, based on existing parallel robot technology, will track and automatically make a connection to the payload. The objective of this project is to integrate telerobotic control with a shipboard deployment/retrieval system in order to produce an intuitive, moderate cost system which can be used to handle a variety of payloads in rougher seas than is currently possible.
Operator-Based Robust Nonlinear Control for a Manipulator with Human Multi-Joint Arm-Like Viscoelastic Properties

In this paper, operator-based robust nonlinear tracking control for a manipulator with human multi-joint armlike viscoelastic properties is considered by using the robust right coprime factorization approach and a forward compensation operator. First, an operator controller based on real measured data from human multi-joint arm viscoelasticity is designed to obtain a desired motion mechanism, the forward compensation operator is presented to compensate the term related to the effect of the central nervous system (CNS), and a nonlinear feedback control scheme is proposed to eliminate effect of the uncertain plant. Second, the robust stability of the present control system is discussed, and the performance of output tracking is realized. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by the simulation results based on experimental data.
Efficiency of Air-Purged Rotor-Stator Seals in Combustion Turbine Engines

Although the efficiency of air-purged rotor seals has been the subject of a number of different tests, and the results of these tests are available in the literature. Only a small number of tests actually also modeled the influence of the blading. Consideration of this influence is essential for combustion turbine applications.Furthermore, the methods chosen for presenting experimental data on the influence of the blading differ from each other, and although the sealing efficiency is correlated to different parameters, the connection to the physical phenomena causing the hot gas ingestion into rotor-stator cavities does not become clear.The objective of this paper is to improve this situation. The available experimental data are reviewed, and the given correlations for the sealing efficiency are discussed. Universally applicable parameters for the correlation of the sealing efficiency are recommended, and validity limits for this recommendation are discussed.Copyright © 1999 by ASME
Research on k-Anonymity Privacy Protection of Social Network

Social network is a collection of interrelated social actors, including individuals, groups, organizations, enterprises, even countries, is playing more and more important role in our life. But there are a lot of individual information in social network, it would violate individual privacy when publishing and analyzing the information. To avoid privacy disclosure and prevent privacy attacks, some k-anonymity privacy protection methods of social network are presented. In this paper, we represent the models of anonymization in social network and its key points, including definition, attack, and usefulness. We compared the difference among the proposed anonymization methods and techniques of privacy preserving in social networks. Finally, potential challenges in social network are proposed.
Quality management systems certification: a survey

Describes research into attitudinal differences between small‐sized and medium/large‐sized organisations towards the benefits/limitations of obtaining certification for a quality management system (QMS) and differences between small‐sized and medium/large‐sized organisations in terms of the pressures driving organisations to seek certification. Presents details of prototype model building of characteristics of organisations either positive or negative towards a certified QMS approach. Fifty organisations were surveyed using a postal questionnaire. Finds some evidence of smaller‐sized organisations having more negative attitudes to QMS certification than medium/large‐sized organisations. Finds both small‐sized and medium/large‐sized organisations attach importance to internal reasons (i.e. a desire to improve internal efficiency) and external reasons (i.e. pressure from customers) in influencing the decision to seek certification. Suggests small‐sized manufacturing companies currently in the process of seeking certification are more likely to fit the model profile of organisations hostile to the QMS certification approach.
An analysis of teleworking centres in Spain

In this paper, we present the concept of telecentres as an aid to socio‐economic development in deprived rural and urban areas, and analyse the use of information technology in these workplaces. Numerous public and not‐for‐profit organisations are subsidising these initiatives as pilot development aid projects on a international scale. We have undertaken an empirical study on a Spanish scale with the following objectives: to know how many telecentres exist in Spain; to identify their state, category and organizational characteristics; to discover what services they offer; to determine the marketing strategies they employ; and to identify the principal factors that determine their success.
The Effect of Yellow Tea Leaves Camellia sinensis on the Quality of Stored Chocolate Confectionery

Chocolate and tea leaves are considered the most valuable sources of highly bioactive polyphenols due to their potential anti-cancer properties and beneficial effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The objective of the present study was the development of a sensory profiling modality that is correlated with the taste of the chocolate enriched with yellow tea phytochemicals. The additive concentration was optimized in white chocolate and the designed product was evaluated using the sensory profiling method. It was shown that the yellow tea extract in chocolate had a significant effect on the taste and color of the product. Addition of 2.0% yellow tea powdered extract increased the value of color acceptance and caused an intensification of the aromas, particularly the leafy taste, compared to the control samples. The next step of the study was to determine the influence of tea addition in white, milk and dark chocolate subjected to 6 months of storage. The designed chocolates were tested for their activity as antioxidants (DPPH, ABTS and ORAC assay) and cholinesterase inhibitors (AChE, BChE assay). It was confirmed that the yellow tea addition affected the activity of prepared chocolates with respect to radical scavenging activity and was highest for dark chocolate with yellow tea where the values were as follows: 4373 mg Tx/100 g (DPPH), 386 mg Tx/100 g (ABTS) and 4363 µM Tx/100 g (ORAC). An increase in the anti-radical activity of chocolate with yellow tea was found after 3 months of storage, but the subsequent 3 months of storage resulted in its reduction. AChE values ranged from 0.118 to 0.730 [µM eserine/g dw] and from 0.095 to 0.480 [µM eserine/g dw] for BChE assay. Total capacity to inhibit AChE and BChE differed depending on the type of chocolate and was negatively influenced by the half-year storage. Summarizing tested values for individual samples were higher, with increasing content of cocoa liquor and yellow tea extract in the product. The results of the research show that the use of yellow tea in confectionery is promising and may appoint a new direction in functional foods.
On the Measurement of the Environmental Performance of Firms— A Literature Review and a Productive Efficiency Perspective

We define environmental performance indicators as analytical tools that allow one to compare various plants in a firm, or various firms in an industry, with each other and with respect to certain environmental characteristics. We start from a reflection about the kind of information that should be incorporated into such indicators, and the extent to which that information should be aggregated. Existing approaches are both rare and dissimilar. They range from oversimplified indicators to more sophisticated ones, in which there is a trend to take somewhat arbitrary viewpoints. In the scope of the theory of productive efficiency, three categories of factor are taken into account, i.e. inputs, desirable production outputs and pollutants in the form of ''undesirable'' outputs. Non-parametric efficiency measures easily and usefully lend themselves to the derivation of environmental performance indicators. They are the duals of indicators that can be obtained in the traditional framework of data envelopment analysis. We use data envelopment analysis to define standardised, aggregate environmental performance indicators, that is, quantities comprised between 0 (bad performance) and 1 (good performance). Such indicators do not require the specification of any a priori weight on the environmental impacts that are being aggregated. A discussion is proposed on such topics as an analysis of the nature and causes of environmental inefficiencies, and the relationship between ''environmental performance'' as de-lined in this paper and the actual global effect of industrial activities on health (toxicity) and the environment. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited.
DH phenomenon in DC/DC converters

This paper gives analysis of the DH phenomenon in switching power converters caused by the diode reverse recovery, comprising output voltage increase considerably beyond that predicted by the usual analysis and self-sustaining quasiperiodic oscillations. The theoretical results are confirmed by experiment. Design guidelines are presented to avoid overvoltage and instability in practical converters.
Non-destructive evaluation system of metal materials according to thermal behaviours

Abstract The infrared thermography non-destructive inspection technique is a quality inspection and stability assessment method, which was used to diagnose the physical characteristics and defects by detecting the infrared ray radiated from the object without destructing it. The technique is being applied to diverse sectors. Its usage and importance increase with the development of the industrial areas that require high reliability and stability, including the semiconductor, nuclear power, defense, aerospace, and car industries. In this research, Ultrasound infrared thermography non-destructive evaluation system for metal materials according to thermal behaviours is established. To build ultrasound infrared thermography inspection system, infrared thermography test was performed by optimal design of the ultrasound excitation device and external energy control.