Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TRACKING PERFORMANCE LIMITATIONS UNDER DISTURBANCE OR UNCERTAINTY

Abstract This paper investigates tracking performance limitations of a linear time invariant (LTI) multivariable plant subject to external disturbance or model uncertainty. It attempts to extend some recent results on tracking performance limitation in which neither the disturbance nor the uncertainty is considered. The reference signal to be tracked is a step signal. The tracking performance is measured by the energy of the tracking error. The external disturbance is assumed to be energy bounded and to be injected into the input channels of the plant. The model uncertainty is assumed to have some special structure and to have certain induced norm bound. The performance limitation studied is the minimal attainable value, under any controller structure and parameters, of the maximum tracking error energy for all possible disturbance or uncertainty. It is shown that the tracking performance limit of the plant with the worst case disturbance can be decomposed as the sum of the tracking performance limit without the disturbance and the optimal disturbance attenuation performance without the reference. It is also found that, for an LTI plant with a nonlinear time-invariant uncertainty, the best attainable tracking performance of the system under the worst possible uncertainty is proportional to the tracking performance limit of the plant without uncertainty, magnified by a quantity related to the size of the uncertainty and certain optimal H ∞ gain.
Cyclodextrin-Modified Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery: Classification and Advances in Controlled Release and Bioavailability

In drug delivery, one widely used way of overcoming the biopharmaceutical problems present in several active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as poor aqueous solubility, early instability, and low bioavailability, is the formation of inclusion compounds with cyclodextrins (CD). In recent years, the use of CD derivatives in combination with nanomaterials has shown to be a promising strategy for formulating new, optimized systems. The goals of this review are to give in-depth knowledge and critical appraisal of the main CD-modified or CD-based nanomaterials for drug delivery, such as lipid-based nanocarriers, natural and synthetic polymeric nanocarriers, nanosponges, graphene derivatives, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, plasmonic and magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots and other miscellaneous systems such as nanovalves, metal-organic frameworks, Janus nanoparticles, and nanofibers. Special attention is given to nanosystems that achieve controlled drug release and increase their bioavailability during in vivo studies.
Ammonium and phosphate recovery from wastewater to produce energy in a fuel cell

Breakthrough technology for nutrient removal. The innovation involves the purification of wastewater and urine in combination with the generation of sustainable electricity and upcycling of phosphate. The process was recently developed by DHV, patented and is currently being put into use in a first pilot project. The social relevance is high: 1) nutrient reduction and clean water are important pillars in the global protection of scarce freshwater resources; 2) major building block for energy efficient “purification of the future”; 3) reduction of nutrient emissions in the agricultural sector. Degree of cost effectiveness is very high. In comparison with conventional solutions, the costs are lower by a factor of 2. It also delivers a saving of approximately € 3-12 million per 0.01 improvement of the ecological quality index for brooks, lakes, canals and ditches in comparison with current RWS (Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) / regional packages. Upscalability is large; it is applicable to virtually all STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) in the Netherlands and abroad and is also applicable for decentralized urine (pre-) treatment.
Miniaturized Mixed Electric and Magnetic Coupling Bandpass Filter Based on Interdigital Resonator

Abstract By integrating the interdigital structure into a conventional open-loop resonator, a compact mixed electric and magnetic coupling bandpass filter is designed and fabricated for the first time. Due to the high intensity inner coupling capacitor, which is generated by interdigital lines, not only did the size of the filter sharply decrease, but the electric field was strengthened. Therefore, by properly adjusting the ratio of electric and magnetic coupling, the transmission zeros very close to the passband is obtained readily. Based on mixed electric and magnetic coupling, a fourth-order bandpass filter with multiple transmission zeros is realized without requiring either a cross-coupled path or source-load coupling. For design purposes, the equivalent-circuit model is also derived and verified. Advantages of this filter include its miniaturized size of only 0. 06λ0 × 0. 045λ0, its sharp cutoff slope, as well as the tiny discrepancies between simulation and measurement.
Automatic Failure Recovery for Container-Based IoT Edge Applications

Recent years have seen the rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, where billions of physical devices are interconnected to provide data sensing, computing and actuating capabilities. IoT-based systems have been extensively deployed across various sectors, such as smart homes, smart cities, smart transport, smart logistics and so forth. Newer paradigms such as edge computing are developed to facilitate computation and data intelligence to be performed closer to IoT devices, hence reducing latency for time-sensitive tasks. However, IoT applications are increasingly being deployed in remote and difficult to reach areas for edge computing scenarios. These deployment locations make upgrading application and dealing with software failures difficult. IoT applications are also increasingly being deployed as containers which offer increased remote management ability but are more complex to configure. This paper proposes an approach for effectively managing, updating and re-configuring container-based IoT software as efficiently, scalably and reliably as possible with minimal downtime upon the detection of software failures. The approach is evaluated using docker container-based IoT application deployments in an edge computing scenario.
Warming and Increased Respiration Have Transformed an Alpine Steppe Ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau From a Carbon Dioxide Sink Into a Source

Cold region ecosystems store vast amounts of soil organic carbon (C), which upon warming and decomposition can affect the C balance and potentially change these ecosystems from C sinks to carbon dioxide (CO2) sources. We quantified the decadal year‐round CO2 flux from an alpine steppe‐ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau using eddy covariance and automatic chamber approaches during a period of significant warming (0.13°C per 10 years; and 0.18°C in the non‐growing season alone: 1st October to next 30th April). The results showed that ongoing climate change, mainly warming within the topsoil layers, is the main reason for the site’s change from a sink for to a source of CO2 in the atmosphere. Non‐growing‐season ecosystem respiration accounted for 51% of the annual ecosystem respiration and has increased significantly. The growing seasons (1st May to 30th September) were consistent CO2 sink periods without significant changes over the study period. Observations revealed high‐emission events from the end of the non‐growing season to early in the growing season (1st March to fifteenth May), which significantly (p < 0.01) increased at a rate of 22.6 g C m−2 decade−1, ranging from 14.6 ± 10.7 g C m−2 yr−1 in 2012 to 35.3 ± 12.1 g C m−2 yr−1 in 2017. Structural equation modeling suggested that active layer warming was the key factor in explaining changes in ecosystem respiration, leading to significant changes in net ecosystem exchange over the period 2011–2020 and indicated that these changes have already transformed the ecosystem from a CO2 sink into a source. These results can be used to improve our understanding of the sensitivity of ecosystem respiration to increased warming during the non‐growing period.
Kansas City ‐ flexible manufacturing system

The Kansas City Division of Allied Signal Aerospace operates a flexible manufacturing system which is described. Its components ‐ machining centres, co‐ordinate measuring machines, AGVs and materials handling systems, wash station, central chip and coolant system, systems hardware, control system ‐ are outlined. The process flow activities are described along with the benefits of the system.
Options and Strategies for Countering Online Radicalization in the United States

The purpose of this article is to inform the debate about strategies and options for countering online radicalization within the U.S. domestic context. Its aim is to provide a better understanding of how the Internet facilitates radicalization; an appreciation of the dilemmas and tradeoffs that are involved in countering online radicalization within the United States; and ideas and best practices for making the emerging approach and strategy richer and more effective. It argues that online radicalization can be dealt with in three ways. Approaches aimed at restricting freedom of speech and removing content from the Internet are not only the least desirable, they are also the least effective. Instead, government should play a more energetic role in reducing the demand for radicalization and violent extremist messages—for example, by encouraging civic challenges to extremist narratives and by promoting awareness and education of young people. In the short term, the most promising way for dealing with the presence of violent extremists and their propaganda on the Internet is to exploit their online communications to gain intelligence and gather evidence in the most comprehensive and systematic fashion possible.
Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) as biomimetic sensors, actuators and artificial muscles - a review

This paper presents an introduction to ionic polymer-metal composites and some mathematical modeling pertaining to them. It further discusses a number of recent findings in connection with ion-exchange polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) as biomimetic sensors and actuators. Strips of these composites can undergo large bending and flapping displacement if an electric field is imposed across their thickness. Thus, in this sense they are large motion actuators. Conversely by bending the composite strip, either quasi-statically or dynamically, a voltage is produced across the thickness of the strip. Thus, they are also large motion sensors. The output voltage can be calibrated for a standard size sensor and correlated to the applied loads or stresses. They can be manufactured and cut in any size and shape. In this paper first the sensing capability of these materials is reported. The preliminary results show the existence of a linear relationship between the output voltage and the imposed displacement for almost all cases. Furthermore, the ability of these IPMCs as large motion actuators and robotic manipulators is presented. Several muscle configurations are constructed to demonstrate the capabilities of these IPMC actuators. This paper further identifies key parameters involving the vibrational and resonance characteristics of sensors and actuators made with IPMCs. When the applied signal frequency varies, so does the displacement up to a critical frequency called the resonant frequency where maximum deformation is observed, beyond which the actuator response is diminished. A data acquisition system was used to measure the parameters involved and record the results in real time basis. Also the load characterizations of the IPMCs were measured and it was shown that these actuators exhibit good force to weight characteristics in the presence of low applied voltages. Finally reported are the cryogenic properties of these muscles for potential utilization in an outer space environment of a few Torrs and temperatures of the order of -140 degrees Celsius. These muscles are shown to work quite well in such harsh cryogenic environments and thus present a great potential as sensors and actuators that can operate at cryogenic temperatures.
Effects of Verbal and Spatial-Imagery Tasks on Drivers' Situation Awareness of Traffic Information

Safe driving requires the driver to maintain situation awareness of dynamic traffic information, including surrounding vehicles' spatial information and other properties. Previous research has shown that performing mental secondary tasks drastically changes drivers' visual scanning behaviors (Recarte & Nunes, 2000). But it remains unclear whether the modified visual scanning pattern results in deterioration in drivers' situation awareness of surrounding traffic. More specifically whether different aspects of drivers' situation awareness would be affected by secondary tasks differently, or whether different types of secondary task would interact with the different aspects of the situation awareness. This study employed a change detection paradigm (Zheng, McConkie, & Tai, 2003) to investigate these questions in a simulated dynamic driving environment. The results showed the general negative effect of secondary tasks on the driver's situation awareness, with the spatial-imagery task producing greater interference than the verbal task. Moreover, both secondary tasks interfere more with the detection of the vehicle location displacements than with the detection of the vehicle color or identity changes.
A DUAL-BAND IMPEDANCE TRANSFORMING TECHNIQUE WITH LUMPED ELEMENTS FOR FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT COMPLEX LOADS

In this paper, a new technique to realize lumped dual-band impedance transformers for arbitrary frequency-dependent complex loads is proposed. For the complex impedance transforming, closed- form design equations are presented for a series-shunt and a shunt- series type and a concept of combination is also presented. They use the proposed equation of input impedance. This equation can easily and exactly obtain the input impedance of any two-port network using the ABCD matrix. Then in order to realize dual- band operation, four topologies comprising two types and a design method are presented. This technique is numerically demonstrated by various examples with excellent results and it has advantages of simplicity, intuitiveness and versatility because it is a general solution for complex impedance transforming. The proposed dual- band impedance transforming technique can be utilized for practical matching problems such as microwave ampliflers and other devices.
Closure of "Dilemmas Facing Construction Education and Research in 1990s"

Construction, seen as a discipline calling for higher education and research, is a relatively new phenomenon that has come into being largely since World War II. As such, it is having growing pains and, with them, differences in practices and opinions on the paths to be followed. Until 40 years ago, the managers directing the actual on‐site construction were predominantly ambitious, hard‐driving craftsmen who had come up through the trades. Their knowledge was gained by “doing. ” There was little university or industry interest in college‐level education for construction managers, nor technical literature nor research to support it. Since that time, some 150 college‐level educational programs for construction have evolved. Currently, these follow four tracks: two programs are undergraduate and one is graduate‐level, based in civil engineering; the fourth track, primarily undergraduate, rests in numerous other university departments. Research is primarily found in schools following the graduate track. Each .
Delay analysis Methodology in UAE construction Projects: Delay Claims, Literature Review 1

UAE is one of the pioneers among developing economies in the Middle East and the core for its development depends on the construction industry as an important sector. It is considered one of the largest sectors in the UAE economy; the government is spending billions of dollars every year in major projects; and in such environment, claims appear as an important factor increasing the possibility of project delays (Zaneldin, E.K., 2006). Some studies indicate that more than 50 % of the construction projects in UAE suffer from delays (Faridi, A.S. & El-Sayegh, S.M., 2006). And it is always a point of disagreement between parties about delays and causes of them, client and engineer trying always to mitigate delays to avoid giving the contactor extra money; on the other hand the contractor trying to impose the delays to get the maximum time and money. Claims industry in UAE is approximately 4 billion US dollars; it is really a big problem for projects and the industry, and claims management itself has real problems. (Enshassi, at. al., 2009)
Platelet Dysregulation in the Pathobiology of COVID-19

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) encompasses a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Patients with severe disease present with hyperinflammation which can affect multiple organs which often include observations of microvascular and macrovascular thrombi. COVID-19 is increasingly recognized as a thromboinflammatory disease where alterations of both coagulation and platelets are closely linked to mortality and clinical outcomes. Although platelets are most well known as central mediators of hemostasis, they possess chemotactic molecules, cytokines, and adhesion molecules that are now appreciated as playing an important role in the regulation of immune response. This review summarizes the current knowledge of platelet alterations observed in the context of COVID-19 and their impact upon disease pathobiology.
Conceptualization of relationship quality in online B2B retail services

Increasingly, retailers are responding the challenges of trading in online environments by building strong collaborative relationships with customers, suppliers and service providers. Furthermore, Small and Medium-sized (SME) retailers are adopting third party web service providers to help leverage the technical expertise and knowledge needed for developing consumer-facing websites (Ray and Ray, 2006). However, in order to work together both parties rely heavily on making agreements that are dependent on high levels of trust and commitment (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). However, there is a paucity of literature and theoretical frameworks for examining how such business relationships develop in an e-business context (Pavlou and Gefen, 2004). Extant studies have tended to focus on issues associated with hard operational and logistical factors in the supply chain and the tangible benefits of customer relationship management systems rather than focusing on the significance human factors such as relationship quality. Furthermore, the need for understanding how to build successful relationships, especially for SMEs operating in highly complex and challenging online trading environments is not only important for furthering academic research but also has significant practical and managerial implications. This paper present a critical review of a dynamic and developing body of literature and it argues that whilst the literature is well developed in certain areas there are significant gaps especially from the retailer perspective in an e-business context. Furthermore, work from this perspective has tended to focus on scoping the field rather than focusing on softer organisational issues, which arguably is as important if not more so to the future development of online retailing. This analysis identifies a framework for future research. In particular, it has highlighted the importance of understanding the role and impact of softer human skills in the development of longer-term B2B relationships. Finally, it is pertinent to acknowledge the limitations of the study: a literature review aims to set out the scope for a research study and in doing so it raises more questions than it answers. Furthermore, even though the literature has grown significantly during the last two decades the Internet literature is fragmented and in areas lacking in substantive theoretical grounding. Notwithstanding, this limitation this work has set out a clear and robust framework for further exploratory research, which can make a significant contribution to the business to business literature. This paper presents a literature review, a conceptual model; a discussion of the justification for the key elements which make up the model and highlights the gaps in the literature and the contribution of the study
Ultrawide band CBCPW to stripline vertical transition in multilayer LCP substrates

This article presents an improved design of conductor‐backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW)‐to‐stripline (SL) vertical transition in multilayer liquid crystal polymer substrates. The CBCPW and SL is designed on the top and second conductor layers, respectively, and electrically connected with each other through micro‐vias. The reported transition is optimized using High Frequency Simulation Software, and the simulated results predict low loss over an ultrawide bandwidth. To validate our design, a CBCPW‐to‐SL‐to‐CBCPW transition was fabricated and characterized. The back‐to‐back transition shows an insertion loss of less than 2.5 dB and a return loss of less than −10 dB over a frequency band from DC to 78 GHz. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1481–1484, 2015
Effect of bias on thermally stimulated current (TSC) in irradiated MOS devices

The electric-field dependence of thermally stimulated current (TSC) in irradiated MOS capacitors for TSC fields ranging from -3 MV/cm to +2 MV/cm was studied. TSC measurements at negative bias following positive-bias irradiation provide useful estimates of the net oxide-trap charge, Delta G/sub ot/, if the TSC bias is large enough to overcome trapped-hole space-charge effects. Very little TSC is observed for positive-bias irradiation. Under proper TSC bias conditions, TSC and C-V estimates of Delta G/sub ot/ agree well for thick, soft oxides, but differ significantly for thin, hard oxides. Differences between TSC and C-V estimates of Delta G/sub ot/ for thin, hard oxides are attributed to electron injection into the oxide and capture at trap sites associated with the radiation-induced trapped holes. It is shown that TSC measurements can provide insight into the location of hole traps in MOS oxides that cannot be obtained from standard C-V tests. >
Removal of chemotherapeutic agents in an integrated process of coagulation and sorption

The aim of this study was to determine to what extent integrated coagulation and sorption affect the efficiency of pharmaceutical removal from surface water. This paper presents the results of a study on the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) from water by integrated coagulation and sorption process. Pre-hydrolyzed coagulant PAX XL 19H and powder-activated carbon CWZ22 were selected for analysis. Water samples subjected to coagulation and sorption were collected from the Vistula River. Coagulants were dosed in an optimal dose of 3.6 mg Al3+ L–1. The initial concentration of SMX in surface water was 683.24 μL L–1 and the efficiency of SMX removal by coagulation and sorption varied from 70.4% to 86.5%. For TMP, the concentration in raw water was 12.24 μL L–1, and after the coagulation and sorption process, the concentration of TMP decreased in the range of 54.7% to 94.7%.
TEM horn antenna with multi-pole band notch characteristic

A wideband TEM horn antenna with a multi-pole band notch characteristic is reported. From measured results, it is observed that the bandwidth of the TEM horn antenna is more than 2 octaves, from 1 to 5 GHz and has a notch close to 3.5 GHz. The peak value of gain suppression, in H-plane, is more than 30 dB. The measured gain curve for the forward direction shows that the performance is the same as that of a wideband antenna combined with a two-pole band notch filter.