Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Turbulence in basic toroidal plasmas

This thesis work contributes to the improvement of the experimental assessment of turbulence in fusion-relevant toroidal plasmas via the construction and dedicated exploitation of the TORPEX basic toroidal plasma experiment. Several contributions to the construction phase of TORPEX between November 2001 and March 2003 are presented, including design studies of the magnetic-field configurations and the concept and realization of the IT system. For the studies of fluctuations and turbulence, a toroidal magnetic field complemented by a small vertical component is used in rf-driven discharges. An analytical model of the particle confinement mechanism in this topology is developed and experimentally verified. The basic plasma properties are characterized as a function of the available control parameters, namely the toroidal and vertical magnetic field, the injected microwave power, and the neutral gas type and pressure. The fluctuations and turbulence in TORPEX are investigated via the specifically developed plasma-imaging probe HEXTIP, which employs a hexagonal disposition of 86 Langmuir probes, covering the entire poloidal cross section. Established one- and two-point Fourier-space analysis techniques are generalized to be suitable for such a 2D diagnostic. A novel real-space analysis method for fluctuating spatiotemporal structures is developed based on a pattern-recognition approach combined with a massive statistical analysis of measurements of many realizations of turbulent structures, permitting to assess the probabilistic properties of the turbulent fluctuations directly with convincing detail and statistical accuracy. The combined force of the generalized Fourier-space and the probabilistic real-space analysis techniques, applied automatically to a wide variety of discharges, is used to characterize the fluctuations in the TORPEX plasma in detail. Structures are observed to occur mostly on the low-field side, in patterns expected for drift-interchange type instabilities. The magnitude of the fluctuations is generally comparable to the time-average density level and the areas occupied by the structures extend over a significant fraction of the poloidal cross-section. The development of a 3D fluid simulation code, ESELTPX, is initiated in the framework of this thesis, aiming at performing global nonlinear simulations of TORPEX plasma discharges for detailed experiment-theory comparison. The present state of the project is summarized and future development strategies are outlined.
Complex-Coefficient Adaptive Disturbance Observer for Position Estimation of IPMSMs With Robustness to DC Errors

Model-based position-sensorless control of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs) is promising for high-speed operation, besides the fact that the estimation accuracy degrades by dc errors from integration, measurements, and parameter uncertainties. In this article, a new complex-coefficient adaptive disturbance (CCAD) observer based on the back electromotive force estimation is proposed. The proposed CCAD observer has a bandpass characteristic and possesses resonating peak response at the corner frequency which is adapted to the synchronous rotor frequency. This adaptive resonant frequency effectively improves the robustness to dc errors, without magnitude loss and phase delay. The proposed observer is also compact and has lower order as compared to the other bandpass observers, and that substantially benefits in the embedded implementation. To configure the proposed CCAD observer, a reverse observer design scheme is analyzed. The stability of the observer is guaranteed based on a speed adaptation law, and small-signal approximation is then applied to linearize the proposed observer for parameter design and dynamic analyses, which have not been well discussed in literature. The proposed method is verified by experiments for a 15 kW IPMSM drive.
Introducing Computational Semantics for Natural Language Understanding in Conversational Nutrition Coaches for Healthy Eating

Nutrition e-coaches have demonstrated to be a successful tool to foster healthy eating habits, most of these systems are based on graphical user interfaces where users select the meals they have ingested from predefined lists and receive feedback on their diet. On one side the use of conversational interfaces based on natural language processing allows users to interact with the coach more easily and with fewer restrictions. However, on the other side natural language introduces more ambiguity, as instead of selecting the input from a predefined finite list of meals, the user can describe the ingests in many different ways that must be translated by the system into a tractable semantic representation from which to derive the nutritional aspects of interest. In this paper, we present a method that improves state-of-the-art approaches by means of the inclusion of nutritional semantic aspects at different stages during the natural language understanding processing of the user written or spoken input. The outcome generated is a rich nutritional interpretation of each user ingest that is independent of the modality used to interact with the coach.
Network intrusion detection systems useful or not

An Intrusion Detection system(IDS) is portrayed as the number one, must have security tool. Vendors claim an IDS can save a company from a lot of plagues like viruses and hackers. A Network intrusion detection system(NIDS) is a network based system that can monitor a network for signs of intruders. This kind of system could also be used to police a network to check employees if they stay within the guidelines set for the network, but is this legal? The questions that need answering are many but the main questions are; are intrusion detection device’s really ready for large networks? Have the different IDS vendors adequately addressed the issues brought up in recent years regarding intrusion detection. Maybe the biggest issues with an IDS is; we have an alarm from our IDS, now what do we do? This paper was written to investigate some of these questions, and to investigate, if any of these vendors actually are creating a complete and competent product that can be an asset to security personnel instead of a burden. NIDS at the moment seem to create more problems than they solve. The biggest issue at the moment is probably that they give a false sense of security. Other administrators might start to think that they can be more casual about their own security because they got NIDS systems watching their backs. A NIDS also creates an enormous work load for the security administrator to deal with. If they want to use the NIDS to it full potential. The conclusions reached in this paper is that the NIDS vendors still have a long way to go before they will win the hearts and minds of the security community and become an asset.
Gold Nanoparticles and Uricase Functionalized Tapered Fiber Sensor for Uric Acid Detection

In this paper, a tapered optical fiber-based sensor is developed for the detection of uric acid (UA) in human serum. The fiber probes were fabricated using single-mode fiber (SMF) with taper diameter of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$40~\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The diameter of taper section has culminated on the basis of excretion of evanescent waves and their handling capacity. To enhance the sensitivity, taper section (sensing region) was immobilized with synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The AuNPs were used to initiate the excitation of surface plasmons (SP) at the fiber surface and ultimately leads to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon. The comparative studies were also done to analyze the effect of size of AuNPs by immobilizing the sensor probes with ~10 nm and ~30 nm size of AuNPs. The UV-Vis spectrophotometry, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for the characterization of AuNPs solution and developed sensor probes. The sensing ability of sensors was authenticated by recording the transmitted intensity of LSPR spectrum for a wide range of UA from <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10~\mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$800~\mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The detected range of UA completely covers its concentration available in human serum that is from <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$150~\mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$420~\mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Thereafter, the wavelength shift in LSPR spectrums was evaluated to determine the sensitivity and detection limit of sensors. The selectivity of the sensor probe was enhanced by functionalizing it with uricase enzyme (0.672 U/ml). The specificity of uricase functionalized sensor probes were also analyzed in the presence of other biomolecules found in human-serum.
Staff Awareness of Ergonomics Principles Required at the Computer Workstation: Case Study of University of Jos Library

The present study was designed to investigate the staff awareness of ergonomics principles required at the University of Jos Library computer workstation. The methodology adopted was the case study. The target population comprised of all the library staff available as at the time of the study. Total enumeration method was used to obtain the relevant data from the respondents because the population was not too large. Out of the 129 copies of questionnaire distributed 119 were filled and retuned. However, only 36(30.25%) respondents indicated that they use the computer to perform library tasks. Therefore only 36 copies of the questionnaire were found suitable for use. Based on the analyses of the 36 copies of questionnaire, it was revealed that the major type of computer used to perform library tasks is desktop 24 (66.66%), while the major type of task performed with the computer is task in the subject libraries 15(41.66%). Also from the finding, majority of the respondents 14(38.88%) indicated that they have been using the computer to perform library tasks for a period of 1-5 years and majority of the respondents 19(52.77%) also indicated that they use the computer to perform tasks for 7-8 hours per working day. But with regards to their comfort at the computer workstation, majority of the respondents are slightly comfortable. This was revealed through the weighted mean of 2.33(58.25%). Further findings of the study revealed that out of the 36 respondents that use the computer to perform library tasks,34(94.44%),29(80.55%),25(69.44%),18(50%) and
On the Representativeness of UTOPIA Land Surface Model for Creating a Database of Surface Layer, Vegetation and Soil Variables in Piedmont Vineyards, Italy

The main aim of the paper is to show how, and how many, simulations carried out using the Land Surface Model UTOPIA (University of TOrino model of land Process Interaction with Atmosphere) are representative of the micro-meteorological conditions and exchange processes at the atmosphere/biosphere interface, with a particular focus on heat and hydrologic transfers, over an area of the Piemonte (Piedmont) region, NW Italy, which is characterized by the presence of many vineyards. Another equally important aim is to understand how much the quality of the simulation outputs was influenced by the input data, whose measurements are often unavailable for long periods over country areas at an hourly basis. Three types of forcing data were used: observations from an experimental campaign carried out during the 2008, 2009, and 2010 vegetative seasons in three vineyards, and values extracted from the freely available Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS, versions 2.0 and 2.1). Since GLDAS also contains the outputs of the simulations performed using the Land Surface Model NOAH, an additional intercomparison between the two models, UTOPIA and NOAH, both driven by the same GLDAS datasets, was performed. The intercomparisons were performed on the following micro-meteorological variables: net radiation, sensible and latent turbulent heat fluxes, and temperature and humidity of soil. The results of this study indicate that the methodology of employing land surface models driven by a gridded database to evaluate variables of micro-meteorological and agronomic interest in the absence of observations is suitable and gives satisfactory results, with uncertainties comparable to measurement errors, thus, allowing us to also evaluate some time trends. The comparison between GLDAS2.0 and GLDAS2.1 indicates that the latter generally produces simulation outputs more similar to the observations than the former, using both UTOPIA and NOAH models.
Shoe Cushioning Effects on Foot Loading and Comfort Perception during Typical Basketball Maneuvers

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between foot loading and comfort perception in two basketball shoes during basketball-specific maneuvers. Methods: Twelve male collegiate basketball players were required to complete three basketball maneuvers (i.e., side-step cutting, 90° L-direction running, and lay-up jumping) in two basketball shoe conditions (shoe L and shoe N, with different midsole cushioning types). Two Kistler force plates and a Medilogic insole plantar pressure system were used to collect kinetic data (i.e., impact force, peak loading rate, and plantar pressure variables). Perception scales were used to evaluate comfort perception. Results: No significant difference was observed between the two shoes during maneuvers in terms of ground reaction force. However, the plantar pressure of shoe L in the midfoot and lateral foot regions was significantly greater than that of shoe N during side-step cutting and lay-up jumping. Shoe N was significantly superior to shoe L, especially in dynamic scale in terms of the perception of comfort. The plantar pressure and perception characteristics in the two shoes were significantly different but inconsistent with each other. Conclusion: The biomechanical characteristics of the shoes themselves and the perception evaluation of the athletes should be considered in comprehensive shoe-cushioning design and evaluation.
Auxiliary Power Supply for Medium-/High-Voltage and High-Power Solid-State Transformers

This article proposes a new auxiliary power supply (APS), which is used to feed the controllers, drivers, and sensors of the submodules for medium-/high-voltage and high-power solid-state transformer. In medium-/high-voltage and high-power applications, the APS is usually connected to the dc bus of the submodule to obtain electric energy. The voltage of the submodule's dc bus is often as high as several thousand volts so that the APS must have the ability to handle such high input voltage. An input-series capacitor structure, which makes the voltage stress of the power semiconductor devices reduced, is adopted in the proposed APS. Therefore, the high input voltage can be handled by the low-voltage power semiconductor devices. Furthermore, the input voltage sharing can be achieved without any special control strategy, which makes the control system simplified and the stability improved. Meanwhile, zero-current switching is guaranteed for all the switches, so that the power density and efficiency can be improved. Finally, the simulation model and prototype are built, by which the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed APS are verified.
A Lecture on the S-Procedure

The purpose of this lecture is to give an introduction to the the S-procedure and its use in systems and control applications. The notion S-procedure was coined by researches in the former Soviet union who used it in stability analysis of nonlinear systems. Several important results in systems analysis, such as the circle criterion, the Popov criterion, and the Kalman-YakubovichPopov Lemma, are closely related to the S-procedure. The S-procedure is really nothing but a Lagrange relaxation technique, which mostly has been used in problems with quadratic constraints. One of the main results that will be presented in this note is a condition for exactness (losslessness) of the relaxation. One of the few known, yet extremely important, cases when the S-procedure is lossless is when there is one quadratic objective subject to one quadratic constraint. We will use this to derive the circle criterion. The S-procedure is useful also in cases when it is not exact (lossy). The reason is that it can be used to obtain sufficient sufficient conditions in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMI) for a large number of nonconvex problems in systems analysis. It has numerous applications in analysis of uncertain differential equations.
Program Construction Examples in Computer Science Education: From Static Text to Adaptive and Engaging Learning Technology

My dissertation is situated in the field of computer science education research, specifically, the learning and teaching of programming. This is a critical area to be studied, since, primarily, learning to program is difficult, but also, the need for programming knowledge and skills is growing, now more than ever. This research is particularly focused on how to support a student's acquisition of program construction skills through worked examples, one of the best practices for acquiring cognitive skills in STEM areas. While learning from examples is superior to problem-solving for novices, it is not recommended for intermediate learners with sufficient knowledge, who require more attention to problem-solving. Thus, it is critical for example-based learning environments to adapt the amount and type of assistance given to the student's needs. This important matter has only recently received attention in a few select STEM areas and is still unexplored in the programming domain. The learning technologies used in programming courses mostly focus on supporting student problem-solving activities and, with few exceptions, examples are mostly absent or presented in a static, non-engaging form. To fill existing gaps in the area of learning from programming examples, my dissertation explores a new genre of worked examples that are both adaptive and engaging, to support students in the acquisition of program construction skills. My research examines how to personalize the generation of examples and how to determine the best sequence of examples and problems, based on the student's evolving level of knowledge. It also includes a series of studies created to assess the effectiveness of the proposed technologies and, more broadly, to investigate the role of worked examples in the process of acquiring programming skills. Results of our studies show the positive impact that examples have on student engagement, problem-solving, and learning. Adaptive technologies were also found to be beneficial: The adaptive generation of examples had a positive impact on learning and problem-solving performance. The adaptive sequencing of examples and problems engaged students more persistently in activities, resulting in some positive effects on learning.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for EV Charging Navigation by Coordinating Smart Grid and Intelligent Transportation System

A coordinated operation of smart grid (SG) and intelligent transportation system (ITS) provides electric vehicle (EV) owners with a myriad of power and transportation network data for EV charging navigation. However, the optimal charging navigation would be a challenging task owing to the randomness of traffic conditions, charging prices and waiting time at EV charging station (EVCS). In this paper, we propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based EV charging navigation, aiming at minimizing the total travel time and the charging cost at EVCS. First, we utilize the deterministic shortest charging route model (DSCRM) to extract feature states out of collected stochastic data and then formulate EV charging navigation as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) with an unknown transition probability. The proposed DRL-based approach will approximate the solution, which can adaptively learn the optimal strategy without any prior knowledge of uncertainties. Case studies are carried out within a practical zone in Xi’an city, China. Numerous experimental results verity the effectiveness of the proposed approach and illustrate its adaptation to EV driver preferences. The coordination effect of SG and ITS on reducing the waiting time and the charging cost in EV charging navigations is also analyzed.
An Efficient Wind Speed Computation Method Using Sliding Mode Observers in Wind Energy Conversion System Control Applications

Point wind velocity measurement given by nacelle-top mounted sensor may not be same as effective wind velocity, which strikes the wind turbine rotor blades. This article proposes a new method for the computation of effective wind velocity by inverting the turbine's aerodynamic model after estimating the turbine torque and its rotor speed. Nonlinear control theory-based sliding mode observers are used to estimate the wind turbine generator induced speed emfs, rotor speed, and aerodynamic torque imparted to generator shaft. While satisfying the Lyapunov inequality condition, design aspects of sliding mode observers are discussed in detail. The performance of the proposed wind velocity estimation method is evaluated by using permanent magnet synchronous generator-based wind turbine emulator in laboratory. Simulation and experimental studies confirm that the estimated wind velocity under different wind profile conditions is accurate and can be used in various control algorithms in wind energy conversion systems.
The application of linear and nonlinear estimators of acoustic variability in the assessment of speech motor control in hypokinetic dysarthria

To improve diagnostic and outcome measures in the assessment and treatment of speech disorders, researchers and clinicians are always in search of new techniques to quantify speech impairment. This thesis investigates the relatively unexplored area of linear and nonlinear estimators of acoustic variability and their suitability for assessing the stability of movement patterns of speech organs. In particular, it focused on the estimators’ ability to differentiate hypokinetic dysarthria from unimpaired speech, as well as speech of young adults from older adults. In addition, the variability results of hypokinetic dysarthric speakers were compared with the results of standard diagnostic assessments. Twenty-three speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria and forty neurologically healthy individuals participated in the study. A series of sentence repetition tasks was devised with varying linguistic, cognitive and motor demands. A range of time-varying speech features was extracted from the acoustic signal in order to capture speech motor performance in a number of segmental and prosodic aspects of speech production. The results showed that acoustic measures of variability were successful in classifying dysarthria and healthy speakers as well as adult speakers differing in age, and correlated with different clinical-based assessments. The findings of this study indicate that the characterization of complex speech movements during phrase production when evaluating linguistic, cognitive, or motor demands within or between speaker groups cannot be reduced to a single task or speech property, but rather call for a multi-faceted approach in which distinct variability estimators, speech tasks and acoustic properties are evaluated simultaneously.