Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Value of information-based risk and fatigue management for offshore structures

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a framework for the planning of the structural integrity and risk management (SIRM) of offshore structures by utilizing the value of information and action (VoIA) analysis. Multiple structural health information sources, i.e. inspections, structural health monitoring (SHM) and damage detection systems (DDS), are modeled in dependency of the information acquirement state. In the probabilistic modeling, it is distinguished whether the information are predicted or already obtained. Two deteriorating structural system modeling approaches are illustrated and the pre-posterior and posterior updating of the structural system performance is formulated. To enhance the efficiency of the analysis of complex structural systems, a response surface method for load modeling is derived and the model uncertainty of the response surface is explicitly modeled. The formulated approaches are applied to a generic structural system and a typical deepwater jacket platform analyzing four SIRM scenarios. The optimal SIRM strategy is identified by maximizing the VoIA. The results show that the implementation of SIRM can reduce the failure risks and the expected total costs over the service life compared to a scenario without SIRM. It is also observed that information from SHM and DDS can reduce future inspection efforts and enhance the value of SIRM.
Antimicrobial Activity and the Effect of Green Tea Experimental Gels on Teeth Surfaces

Among esthetic procedures, teeth whitening is a common and often used treatment for patients who seek good teeth appearance. We developed an experimental green tea extract and an experimental green tea gel for enamel restoring treatment after bleaching. We also tested the antibacterial and antifungal effect of the experimental extract against specific endodontic and cariogenic microorganisms. The green tea extract antibacterial action was determined by the disk-diffusion method using Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (ATCC27337), Corynebacterium xerosis (ATCC 373), Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175) and Candida albicans (ATCC 10231) strains. Enamel microstructure was investigated by SEM analysis, and surface details were revealed by AFM. The inhibition zones around the wells showed evident antimicrobial activity of the experimental extract. In the presence of Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), the extract showed no antifungal activity. The enamel’s surface roughness and hydroxyapatite prism aspects were the parameters followed throughout the study. The experimental green tea extract is efficient against some microorganisms commonly found in the oral cavity. However, the studied extract had no antifungal effect. The results show that after bleaching with the experimental gel, we obtained the best surface parameters, similar to healthy enamel.
Scavenger Vertebrates of Dörtdivan Vulture Restaurant, Turkey

Fairly recently scavenging was thought to be restricted to a few groups of 'classic' and sometimes facultative scavengers and vultures, but what most of the more recent researches has shown is that a much wider range of groups and species are scavenger. There is a need to investigate this diversity and interactions with different communities of avian and mammalian scavengers in Turkey. The diversity of scavenger vertebrate species, their behaviour, and interactions between individuals are investigated. This study was conducted in Dortdivan Vulture Restaurant, Bolu, Turkey. Twenty five species are recorded (eighteen birds and seven mammal) while feeding on the carcasses. The diversity of vertebrates feeding on the carcass is varied according to the carcass type. Opportunistic non-obligatory scavengers are more dominant than obligatory scavengers in this study. The intraspecific and interspecific competitions are detected between scavengers. This is the first assessment of scavenger vertebrates in Turkey. It could be the useful reference for new assessments in the future.
Determination of Martensite Start Temperature of High‐Speed Steels Based on Thermodynamic Calculations

High‐speed steels (HSS) exhibit a microstructure that comprises a martensitic matrix with carbides. Due to the generally high thermal stability of carbides, it is necessary to perform hardening at very high austenitizing temperatures. Nevertheless, there are certain carbides in HSS that are not dissolved. Therefore, the composition of the austenite, which can be transformed into martensite, is significantly different from the alloys’ nominal composition. Consequently, commonly applied formulae for the calculation of martensite start temperature (MS) cannot be used for HSS. The current study demonstrates how empirical MS formulae, which are basically applied for low‐alloyed steels, where no carbides are present at austenitizing temperature, can be modified for high‐alloyed HSS by applying thermodynamic calculations. Thermo‐Calc software is utilized to calculate the composition of the austenite at two different austenitizing temperatures, and with these compositions MS are calculated subsequently. For experimental verification, MS of four alloys, which are quenched from these austenitizing temperatures, are determined using dilatometry. The experimental results show good agreement with the corresponding thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. Furthermore, the results reveal that Co does not raise MS as predicted by the commonly applied empirical formulae. Therefore, adapted formulae for HSS in a wide composition range are proposed.
Additive Manufacturing of a Flexible Carbon Monoxide Sensor Based on a SnO2-Graphene Nanoink

Carbon monoxide (CO) gas is an odorless toxic combustion product that rapidly accumulates inside ordinary places, causing serious risks to human health. Hence, the quick detection of CO generation is of great interest. To meet this need, high-performance sensing units have been developed and are commercially available, with the vast majority making use of semiconductor transduction media. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time a fabrication protocol for arrays of printed flexible CO sensors based on a printable semiconductor catalyst-decorated reduced graphene oxide sensor media. These sensors operate at room temperature with a fast response and are deposited using high-throughput printing and coating methods on thin flexible substrates. With the use of a modified solvothermal aerogel process, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets were decorated with tin dioxide (SnO2) nanoscale deposits. X-ray diffraction data were used to show the composition of the material, and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization showed the bonding status of the sensing material. Moreover, a very uniform distribution of particles was observed in scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. For the fabrication of the sensors, silver (Ag) interdigitated electrodes were inkjet-printed from nanoparticle inks on plastic substrates with 100 µm linewidths and then coated with the SnO2-rGO nanocomposite by inkjet or slot-die coating, followed by a thermal treatment to further reduce the rGO. The detection of 50 ppm of CO in nitrogen was demonstrated for the devices with a slot-die coated active layer. A response of 15%, response time of 4.5 s, and recovery time of 12 s were recorded for these printed sensors, which is superior to other previously reported sensors operating at room temperature.
A New Method for Sentiment Classification on Weibo

Sentiment classification of posts on Weibo is a key to analyse people’s opinions and attitudes toward products, services, and social events. It is also at the core of many other natural language processing tasks. In this paper, we apply a new feature representation technique to building a sentiment classifier and classifying the posts. Firstly, we crawled a set of posts from Weibo and labelled them. Then, we cleaned the data to remove the noisy information and transformed the varying-length posts into fixed-sized input vectors based on five different feature engineering techniques. Finally, we evaluated the performances of the five different feature representation techniques on a same data set with the use of support vector machines, naive Bayes and classification and regression tree. Experimental results demonstrate that our new method is efficient and outperforms the other ones.
On Studying Ship Electric Propulsion Motor Driving Schemes

In this paper, an effort is made to identify the problems encountered during studying and modeling ship electric propulsion schemes. It is shown that where no existing models are available in programs like ATP/EMTP, new ones can be developed, with the new ones being able to co-operate with the rest of the computer package. In this way, several phenomena can be studied like those related to power quality on shipboard.
Retinal Blood Vessel Segmentation Using Hybrid Features and Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Networks

Segmentation of retinal blood vessels is the first step for several computer aided-diagnosis systems (CAD), not only for ocular disease diagnosis such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) but also of non-ocular disease, such as hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, a supervised learning-based method, using a multi-layer perceptron neural network and carefully selected vector of features, is proposed. In particular, for each pixel of a retinal fundus image, we construct a 24-D feature vector, encoding information on the local intensity, morphology transformation, principal moments of phase congruency, Hessian, and difference of Gaussian values. A post-processing technique depending on mathematical morphological operators is used to optimise the segmentation. Moreover, the selected feature vector succeeded in outfitting the symmetric features that provided the final blood vessel probability as a binary map image. The proposed method is tested on three known datasets: Digital Retinal Image for Extraction (DRIVE), Structure Analysis of the Retina (STARE), and CHASED_DB1 datasets. The experimental results, both visual and quantitative, testify to the robustness of the proposed method. This proposed method achieved 0.9607, 0.7542, and 0.9843 in DRIVE, 0.9632, 0.7806, and 0.9825 on STARE, 0.9577, 0.7585 and 0.9846 in CHASE_DB1, with respectable accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity performance metrics. Furthermore, they testify that the method is superior to seven similar state-of-the-art methods.
Design , Fabrication and Characterization of High-Performance Silicon Nanowire Transistors

We report the fabrication and characterization of double-gated Si nanowire field effect transistors with excellent current-voltage characteristics, low subthreshold slope ~ 85 mV/dec and high on/off current ratio ~ 10. The Si nanowire devices are fabricated by using a self-aligned technique with standard photolithographic alignment and metal lift-off processes, enabling the large-scale integration of high-performance nanowire devices. We have also studied the effect of device structure and forming gas rapid thermal annealing on the nanowire transistor’s electrical properties. We conclude that the self-aligned fabrication and non-overlapped gate-source/drain structure combined with appropriate post annealing leads to the excellent observed device performance.
Soil Loss Estimation for Conservation Planning in the Welmel Watershed of the Genale Dawa Basin, Ethiopia

As a form of environmental degradation, soil degradation directly or indirectly affects many lives through decreased agricultural yields, increased flooding and habitat loss. Soil loss has been increasing in most parts of the world and is most pronounced in tropical developing countries where there is poor or zero soil and water conservation (SWC) planning and management activities. Identifying areas prone to soil erosion has also been inadequate, having not been informed by dedicated scientific studies. This is true of the poorly understood watershed of Welmel in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, where most livelihoods heavily rely upon agriculture. To plan effective SWC management techniques, a solid knowledge of spatial variations across different climate, land use and soil erosion is essential. This study has aimed at identifying potential areas needing SWC practices through conducting a spatial modeling of soil erosion within the Welmel watershed’s Genale Dawa basin using a geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing (RS), multiple factors as land uses and climate. The Welmel catchment is located in southeastern Ethiopia and extends between 5°0′0″ N–7°45′00″ N and 39°0′0″ E–41°15′0″ E. The revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), which was previously adapted to Ethiopian conditions, was used to estimate potential soil loss. It used information on interpolated rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), vegetation cover (C) and topography (LS) from a digital elevation model (DEM) and that of conservation practices (P) from satellite images. The study demonstrates that the RUSLE using GIS and RS considering different climates and land management practices provides a great advantage in that it allows one to spatially analyze multilayer data in order to identify soil erosion-prone areas and thereby develop the most appropriate watershed management strategy. The mean soil loss was determined to be 31 tons ha−1 year−1 and it varied between 0 and 169 tons ha−1 year−1. About 79% of the watershed lies within the tolerable level of 11 tons ha−1 year−1. However, the remaining 21% has a high soil truncation trait, mainly due to its steeper slope and use as cultivated land. Our study identifies cultivated and deforested areas of the watershed as the potential SWC practice demanding areas. Thus, the application of RUSEL using GIS across different land management practices and climate zones is a potential tool for identifying SWC demanding sites. This remains helpful in efforts towards sustainable land management practices for the sustainable livelihood of the local human population.
Be who you ought or be who you are? Environmental framing and cognitive dissonance in going paperless

This paper explores the potential for environmental information and dissonance-inducing messaging to encourage resourceful behaviour, following a study of customers of a renewable energy provider in the UK. It uses the manipulation of message framing to analyse behavioural motivators that businesses may consider when encouraging customers – in this case, those who already have revealed environmental preferences – to switch from paper to online communications. In a large-scale natural field experiment comprising 38,654 customers of renewable supplier Good Energy, the author has randomised environmental information and messaging rooted in theories of cognitive dissonance in email communications promoting an active switch to paperless billing. The study finds that environmental information and imagery are ineffective in inducing behaviour change. Interestingly, the dissonance-inducing messaging weakly improves uptake among the main sample but backfires among a sub-sample of individuals with extensive postgraduate education. Contrary to the majority of the literature on gender and environmental behaviour, females in the sample are less likely to switch to paperless billing than males.
Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements of the Wake Fields Behind A Panamax Bulker Ship Model Under the Ballast Condition

Particle image velocimetry is applied in this study to measure the wake flow field of a Panamax Bulker ship model under the ballast condition. This investigation revealed that the Froude number is 0.167. The time-averaged velocity, turbulent fluctuations, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), Reynolds stresses, and vorticity information were measured to perform a comparison with the design condition. The time-averaged velocity contours indicated that the ballast and design conditions have distinct hook-like axial velocity contours; however, they appeared at different positions. The big difference under the ballast condition is that the top of the propeller disk area is near the free surface and a region with strong root mean square velocity fluctuation is formed near the free surface. The TKE, the Reynolds stresses, and the hub cap vortex (Hcv) are all affected by the turbulent velocity fluctuation region under the ballast condition. A strong bilge vortex (Bv) is produced when the water flows through the U-shaped stern for the design and ballast conditions.
Fabrication of Zinc Oxide and Nanostructured Porous Silicon Composite Micropatterns on Silicon

The luminescent properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) and nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) make these materials very appealing for photoemission applications. The current study reports on the fabrication of a composite of ZnO and nanostructured porous silicon micropatterns (ZnO + PSi micropatterns) onto heavily-doped silicon surfaces. The proposed composite micropattern is devoted to the future development of light-emitting diodes. The fabrication of the ZnO + PSi micropatterns was carried out in a two–step process. (1) A regular hexagonal micropattern of a photoresist/ZnO stack was fabricated by UV lithography on crystalline silicon substrates. (2) Before being lifted off the photoresist, nanostructured PSi micropatterns were fabricated by electrochemically etching the exposed areas of the silicon substrate. Subsequently, wet etching of the photoresist was carried out for the final development of the composite ZnO and PSi micropatterns. Further, thin films of ZnO and nanostructured PSi layers were characterized. In particular, their photoluminescent properties were analyzed, as well as their morphology and composition. The experimental PL results show that the ZnO layers have emission broadbands centered at (2.63 eV, blue), while the PSi layers show a band centered at (1.71 eV, red). Further, the emission peaks from the PSi layers can be tuned by changing their fabrication conditions. It was observed that the properties of the ZnO thin films are not influenced by either the surface morphology of PSi or by its PL emissions. Therefore, the PL properties of the composite ZnO + PSi micropatterns are equivalent to those featuring the addition of PSi layers and ZnO thin films. Accordingly, broadband optical emissions are expected to arise from a combination between the ZnO layer (blue band) and PSi (red band). Furthermore, the electrical losses associated with the PSi areas can be greatly reduced since ZnO is in contact with the Si surface. As a result, the proposed composite micropatterns might be attractive for many solid-state lighting applications, such as light-emitting diodes.
The usage of it projects evaluation methods covering the specification of software producer’ activities, a case study

The usage of the evaluation concerning IT projects by software producers constitutes a crucial element of their preparation and realization. From many generally accessible methodologies the authors chose two methods (Delphi and UCP) as well as undertook an attempt of analyzing obtained results. Conducted results will support the evaluation of newly realized projects. The objective is an attempt of comparing the efficiency of selected methods of pricing the software with indicating the areas of their usage as well as factors which influence the realization of those projects.
Safety of Lebanese Bottled Waters: VOCs Analysis and Migration Studies

Despite the worldwide increase in the consumption of PET-bottled mineral waters compared to tap waters encouraged by its microbiological and chemical safety for public health, contaminants could migrate from the plastic packaging into the water and induce adverse effects on human health. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, ortho, meta, and para-xylenes (BTEX), styrene, chlorobenzene and benzaldehyde are among the potential contaminants of bottled waters. This study aimed to assess Lebanese PET-bottled waters, in respect of VOCs contents, with comparison to polycarbonate-bottled and tap waters. Both HS-SPME-GC/FID and SPE-GC/FID were optimized and validated for VOCs determination in the waters, and their performances were compared. The HS-SPME-GC/FID was valid (Afnor NF T 90-210 (May 2009)) for all the studied molecules with limits of quantifications (LOQ) far lower the maximum contaminants levels (MCLs) set by both US-EPA and WHO. SPE-GC/FID was valid only for ethylbenzene, m/p-xylenes, o-xylene, and styrene, with poorer LOQs. HS-SPME-GC/FID was used therefore for VOCs monitoring in studied water samples showing the safety of the Lebanese bottled-water. The effects of bottles storage conditions (time, and exposure to sunlight) on VOCs migration were also studied.
Homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion stability improvement using a rapid ignition system

When compared to traditional engines, homogeneous charge compression ignition has the potential to significantly reduce NO x raw emissions, while maintaining a high fuel efficiency. Homogeneous charge compression ignition is characterized by compression-induced autoignition of a lean homogeneous air–fuel mixture. Since homogeneous charge compression ignition does not utilize direct ignition control, it is strongly dependent on the state of the cylinder charge and can suffer from high cyclic variability. With spark-assisted compression ignition, it has been demonstrated that misfires can be reduced, while preserving the high thermal efficiency of homogeneous charge compression ignition as a result of the more favorable physical mixture properties due to dilution. However, spark-assisted compression ignition reduces the NO x benefits of homogeneous charge compression ignition, as it increases the local combustion temperatures. To merge the advantages of the homogeneous charge compression ignition and the spark-assisted compression ignition combustion processes, a field-programmable gate array for detailed simulation of the physical gas exchange is combined with a rapid spark system. The low latency and computational speed of the field-programmable gate array allows the simulation process to be implemented in real time. When combined with the rapid reaction time of the high-frequency current-based rapid ignition system, a feedforward controller based on the cylinder pressure or heat release is realized. The developed model-based controller determines if a spark is required to assist the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion process. The use of the field-programmable gate array and rapid ignition system allows for the calculation of combustion properties and controller output within 0.1 °CA. This article presents the development and experimental validation of the developed controller on a single-cylinder research engine. The combustion stability has been significantly improved as reflected in an improved standard deviation of the indicated mean effective pressure and a reduction of the combustion phasing variations. Furthermore, compared to a traditional homogeneous charge compression ignition system, the hydrocarbon emissions can be reduced, while maintaining low NO x emissions.
Reasoning about Objects under Full Occlusion by Shraman Ray Chaudhuri

While state-of-the-art machine learning models can outperform humans on certain tasks, most of them generalize poorly across domains and cannot reason about complex scenes. In this paper, we attempt to resolve this shortcoming by incorporating a physics engine as a prior for scene understanding. We test our approach on two computer vision tasks – pose estimation and object matching – under full occlusion, and demonstrate superior performance over state-of-the-art methods. We also present a preliminary case study which demonstrates that our model is consistent with human behavior. Our work demonstrates a successful approach to a novel and challenging task, provides a general framework to infer latent factors of scene via physics simulation, and extends support for intuitive physics-based approaches for robust visual reasoning. Thesis Supervisor: Joshua B. Tenenbaum Title: Professor