Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surveying Density, Urban Characteristics, and Development Capacity of Station Areas in the Delta Metropolis

The combination of growing mobility needs and dwindling transportation budgets in the Dutch Delta Metropolis has raised the need for smarter use of existing public transport infrastructure. A significant portion of this smarter use may come from strengthening the ties between infrastructure improvements and transit-oriented development. To further this goal, the Delta Metropolis Association has developed SprintCity (SprintStad in Dutch), a serious game and planning support tool that engages stakeholders in transit-oriented development to explore interaction between transport and land use, as described in Bertolini's node–place model. However, its underlying database has proven insufficient to draw conclusions regarding urban character and development capacity around stations. This paper focuses on morphological research that aims to improve this database by exploring the density and urban morphology of station areas in the Delta Metropolis beyond readily available statistics, and discusses the methodological and theoretical underpinnings of this survey. The surveying of station areas in 2010 was conducted by a team of six researchers, based on the Spacemate© methodology developed by Berghauser Pont and Haupt. The methodology allows detailed quantitative measurement of the density and spatial characteristics of clearly demarcated urban districts, defining their so-called ‘spatial fingerprint’. The resulting database of 850 districts in 55 station areas has served descriptive goals, strengthening the realism in the SprintCity game, and serves as the database for further establishing the development potential of station areas.
Modelling the Somatic Electrical Response of Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

Abstract : A modelling study of hippocampal pyramidal neurons is described. Thi s study is based on simulations using HIPPO, a program which simulates the somatic electrical activity of these cells. HIPPO is based on: a) descriptions of eleven non-linear conductances that have been either reported for this class of cell in the literature or postulated in the present study, and b) an approximation of the electronic structure of the cell that is derived in this thesis, based on data for the linear properties of these cells. HIPPO is used: a) to integrate empirical data from a variety of sources on the electrical characteristics of this type of cell, b) to investigate the functional significance of the various elements that underly the electrical behavior, and c) to provide a tool for the electrophysiologist to supplement direct observation of these cells and provide a method of testing speculations regarding parameters that are not accessible.
Isolation and molecular characterization of bluetongue virus from Southern India

BT is endemic in India, particularly in the South and BTV strains belonging to twelve BTV-serotypes (BTV-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 16, 21, 23 and 24) have been isolated since 2001. A pentavalent inactivated BTV vaccine containing serotypes 1, 2, 10, 16 and 23, is currently being used in the South. This study focusses on the isolation and the typing of BTV strains from Southern India, 2014-15, then generation of full length sequence data, primarily for BTV genome Seg-2 to provide molecular epidemiology information concerning the strains circulating in the region. Suspected field outbreaks of BTV from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states in Southern India during 2014-2015 were attended to collect well documented blood and necropsy clinical samples from mixed population of small ruminants and cattle. Of the 447 field samples (EDTA blood, spleen, lymph node and saliva), 236 gave positive results for BTV RNA by serogroup-specific real-time RT-PCR targeting Seg-9 and Seg-10 for 2014 and 2015 samples respectively. A total of 141 BTV virus isolations were made from 141 serogroup-specific qRT-PCR positive samples, by infecting KC and BHK cells. The isolated 63 BTVs were serotyped by qRT-PCR assay targeting Seg-2 of the BTV-1 to BTV-24, BTV-26, BTV-27 and BTV-29, confirming the current co-circulation of 7 BTV serotypes, including BTV-1, BTV-2, BTV-4, BTV-5, BTV-9, BTV-10 and BTV-12 in 62 BTV isolates. Dual and triple BTV co-infections with these serotypes were detected in 22 and 4 BTV isolates, respectively. None of the serotypes present in the pentavalent vaccine were identified in any of the 22 BTV isolates from vaccinated animals, suggesting that the vaccine was indeed effective against the homologous serotype field strains. Among the 7 serotypes identified by Seg-2 based ORF sequence analysis of 46 BTV isolates (BTV-1, BTV-2, BTV-4, BTV-5, BTV-9, BTV-10 and BTV-12), 4 serotypes BTV-1, BTV-2, BTV-4 and BTV-9, belonged to eastern topotypes, whereas 3 serotypes, BTV-5, BTV-10 and BTV-12 were identified as western topotypes. For 4 BTV isolates, the serotype detected by qRT-PCR was different of that detected by NGS. The full genome sequencing and analyses is still ongoing in Glasgow. This data will assist in understand the epidemiology of the BT in India and implementation of effective BTV control to ensure the use of appropriate BTV serotype and strains in the available BT vaccine in India.
Modellrechnungen zum Einfluss der Lebendmasse von Milchkühenauf Futtereffizienz und Kraftfutterbedarf

On the basis of calculations the effects of dairy cow life weight on feed efficiency and concentrate demand for a whole lactation have been investigated. The results show, that the annual milk yield is not a sufficient efficiency indicator because efficiency is strongly affected by the life weight. To compensate for an increase in life weight of 100 kg the annual milk yield of dairy cows must increase per 12-13 % to achieve the same feed conversion efficiency (kg ECM/kg DM, kg ECM/MJ NEL). Given this, heavier cows need a higher proportion of concentrate in the annual ration because feed intake increases to a lower extent than the energy requirements. We conclude that in the cattle breeding efficiency parameters have to be considered and that for organic dairy farms heavy and high yielding dairy cows can not be recommended.
Análisis de inversión para la implantación de un sistema de control biométrico de rondas para las empresas de vigilancia privada

The objective of any type of Access control system is to allow entrance, exit or simply to perform a follow up on current personnel to certain places, for there is multiple types of mechanisms to carry out this control. One of these are the biometric devices who are responsible for verifying of identifying a person s identity through unique characteristics like the hand details, face, iris, voice or fingerprints. This article has a purpose of applying this system into the security guards that work for the private surveillance companies. Using software and fingertip biometric system will allow a control on the established routes that they do in their job. Also, I present the financial analysis for the acquisition of this biometric system along with its devices that the interested companies will be able to exam, its benefits and opportunities in order to make their business stronger.
Managing a Decision Making Situation in the Context of the Canadian Airspace Protection

An important activity of the Air Operation Center (AOC) is the elaboration, mitigation and evaluation of different Courses of Actions (CoAs) in order to respond to emergency situations. Defense Research Establishment Valcartier (DREV) initiated a research activity to provide the AOC Commander and his senior staff, with advisory tools. The Commande's Advisory System for Airspace Protection (CASAP), a distributed and unsynchronized knowledge based decision support system, was then designed to help the AOC staff managing counter-drug events and their related CoAs. This C2 support system helps the Commander (or his representative) to screen and prioritize the proposed CoAs to overcome the emergency situation. CASAP uses multicriterion decision analysis (MCDA) concepts and models. A MCDA methodology was used for the knowledge engineering. This methodology was implemented in CASAP, with different add-ins to help the Decision-Maker analyzing the CoAs, and minimizing the risk component introduced by the subjectivity and the uncertainty of the evaluation process. In this paper, we review the modeling process of the decision-making situation, the formulation of the different criteria, and the aggregation procedure. We introduce also the analysis tools implemented in CASAP.
Making Technology Work in Intelligent Manufacturing by Participative Simulation

Nowadays it is essential to anticipate on fast changes in production due to turbulent and demanding markets. The manufacturing workforce, e.g. specialized staff, management and production personnel, plays a crucial role in this process. Therefore, the EU-project ‘PSIM’ is started. PSIM is Participative Simulation environment for Integral (i.e., involving logistics, technology and human factors) Manufacturing enterprise renewal. Its long-term goal is to enable participative improvement in assembly operations, supported by advanced simulation software. This paper is an abstract of the project description.
Post-collisional exhumation and geotherm pattern in northern Tananao Complex, northeastern Taiwan

The northeast region of Taiwan has experienced a stress transition from the compressive collision to the extension induced from the Ryukyu subduction system in a post-collisional orogenic belt. In order to clarify when the extensional stage began and how the cooling and exhumation history varied with the transition of tectonic stress, apatite and zircon fission-track ages on the granitic gneiss in northern Tananao Complex were collected from a ~2700 m high sub-vertical profile. The exhumation rate was estimated as ~4 mm yr -1 since 4.1 - 3.0 Ma using previous biotite 40 Ar- 39 Ar ages with an assumed uniform geothermal gradient. During the period of 1.5 - 0.2 Ma, the exhumation rate remained at 2.3 - 1.6 mm yr -1 , evidenced by the similar slopes for apatite and zircon in the age-elevation relationship (AER). The decrease in exhumation occurred in between 3.0 and 1.5 Ma is interpreted as the onset of the extensional im-pact into NE Taiwan from the Ryukyu subduction zone. After ~0.2 Ma, the intercepts of apatite AER suggest that exhumation accelerated to ~5 mm yr -1 at the mountain range but was steady at the valley bottom. The offset in ages of the vertical profile is supportive of the normal faulting at the shallow crust. The accelerating cooling with the steady exhumation from 1.5 - 0.2 Ma implies the increase in paleogeothermal gradient with time. The paleogeothermal gradients are estimated to be over 100°C km -1 after 1.5 Ma, suggesting that the Hoping area possesses heat sources induced from the complex tectonic configuration. However, the modern geotherm is relatively low and may be influenced by the water circulation near surface.
Self-shape optimisation of cold-formed steel closed profiles using Genetic Algorithm

For economical benefits, optimisation of mass-produced structural steel products is widely researched. The objective is to minimise the quantity of material used without sacrificing the strength and practicality of the structural members. Current research focuses on optimising the dimensions of conventional cross-sectional shapes but rarely considers discovering new optimum shapes. This report introduces the concepts of a new optimisation method which enables the cross-section to self-shape to an optimum by using the evolution and adaptation benefits of Genetic Algorithm. The feasibility and accuracy of the method are verified by implementing it to find optimum thin-walled profiles against simple parameters for which analytical solutions are known, namely the optimisation of doubly-symmetric closed profiles. Results show that the cross-section accurately self-shapes to its optimum in a low number of generations. Factors influencing the convergence are presented and future challenges to applying the method to optimisation of cold-formed steel profiles with practical applications are discussed.
Calculation of the Stiffness Matrix of Angular Contact Ball Bearings by Using the Analytical Approach

The stiffness matrix of angular contact ball bearings is calculated by using the analytical approach in which the summation of ball-race loads is replaced by an integration. The matrix connected to the conventional model in two degrees of freedom is first presented. A practical application of this formulation is illustrated through the common problem of sizing a two bearings-shaft arrangement. Variations of displacements, axial forces, and bearing fatigue life related to preload are shown to be easily obtained. Then, the matrix connected to the model in five degrees of freedom is given. This may be coupled with finite elements which are generally used to model the shaft or the housing.
Verminderen antibioticagebruik in de vleeskuikensector : CLEAR Helpdeskvraag 2011

Vragen van deelnemers en begeleiders in het CLEAR project over mogelijkheden tot het verminderen van antibioticagebruik in de vleeskuikensector worden beantwoord. Advies en suggesties voor verder onderzoek worden gegeven. De problemen, die de sector kent op het gebied van het terugdringen van antibioticagebruik en resistentievorming, zijn dermate complex dat een pasklare oplossing niet zomaar voor handen ligt. Inzicht in de herkomst van de kuikens, inzicht in de stromen van broedeieren en kuikens door de keten, de inzet van zowel zootechnische als veterinaire expertises en samenwerking tussen ketenpartners en onderzoeksinstellingen zijn een eerste vereiste om structurele stappen te kunnen zetten.Questions from participants and advisors in the CLEAR project with regard to reduction of the use of antibiotics in the broiler sector are answered. Advice and suggestions for further research are given.
Sistema Especialista para a Automatização do Processo de Inspeção de Conformidade de Produtos de Software ao Padrão ISO 9241

Product conformity inspections based on this standard have been usually carried out by using printed parts and checklists of ISO 9241 standard. In this paper it is proposed a tool for automation of software product conformity inspection based upon ISO 9241. The proposed specialist system, named X-SCI (eXpert Software Conformity Inspection), which is in development, aims to give support to user interface designers and evaluators in ISO 9241 standard inspection processes. It will treat differently these categories of professionals, and allow them to take account of different levels of uncertainty in their choices in each stage of the inspection.
Causes and Consequences of Species Diversity in Forest Ecosystems

Lineage diversity can refer to the number of genetic lineages within species or to the number of deeper evolutionary lineages, such as genera or families, within a community or assemblage of species. Here, we study the latter, which we refer to as assemblage lineage diversity (ALD), focusing in particular on its richness dimension. ALD is of interest to ecologists, evolutionary biologists, biogeographers, and those setting conservation priorities, but despite its relevance, it is not clear how to best quantify it. With North American tree assemblages as an example, we explore and compare different metrics that can quantify ALD. We show that both taxonomic measures (e.g., family richness) and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (PD) are strongly correlated with the number of lineages in recent evolutionary time, but have weaker correlations with the number of lineages deeper in the evolutionary history of an assemblage. We develop a new metric, time integrated lineage diversity (TILD), which serves as a useful complement to PD, by giving equal weight to old and recent lineage diversity. In mapping different ALD metrics across the contiguous United States, both PD and TILD reveal high ALD across large areas of the eastern United States, but TILD gives greater value to the southeast Coastal Plain, southern Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, while PD gives relatively greater value to the southern Appalachians and Midwest. Our results demonstrate the value of using multiple metrics to quantify ALD, in order to highlight areas of both recent and older evolutionary diversity.
Biaxial stretch effects on fibroblast-mediated remodeling of fibrin gel equivalents

Mechanical loads play a pivotal role in the growth, maintenance, remodeling, and disease onset in connective tissues. Harnessing the relationship between mechanical signals and how cells remodel their surrounding extracellular matrix would provide new insights into the fundamental processes of wound healing and fibrosis and also assist in the creation of custom-tailored tissue equivalents for use in regenerative medicine. In 3D tissue models, uniaxial cyclic stretch has been shown to stimulate the synthesis and crosslinking of collagen while increasing the matrix density, fiber alignment, stiffness, and tensile strength in the direction of principal stretch. Unfortunately, the profound fiber realignment in these systems render it difficult to differentiate between passive effects and cell-mediated remodeling. Further, these previous studies generally focus on a single level of stretch magnitude and duration, and they also investigate matrix remodeling under homogeneous strain conditions. Therefore, these studies are not sufficient to establish key information regarding stretch-dependent remodeling for use in tissue engineering and also do not simulate the complex mechanical environment of connective tissue. We first developed a novel in vitro model system using equibiaxial stretch on fibrin gels (early models of wound healing) that enabled the isolation of mechanical effects on cellmediated matrix remodeling. Using this system we demonstrated that in the absence of in-plane alignment, stretch stimulates fibroblasts to produce a stronger tissue by synthesizing collagen and condensing their surrounding matrix. We then developed dose-response curves for multiple aspects of tissue remodeling as a function of stretch magnitude and duration (intermittent versus continuous stretch). Our results indicate that both the magnitude of stretch and the duration per day are important factors in mechanically induced cell activity, as evidenced by dose-dependent responses of several remodeling metrics (UTS, matrix stiffness, collagen content, cell number) in response to these two parameters. In addition, we found that cellularity, collagen content, and resistance to tension increased when the tissues were mechanically loaded intermittently as opposed to continuously. Finally, we developed a novel model system that produces a non-homogeneous strain distribution, allowing for the simultaneous study of strain gradients, strain anisotropy, and strain magnitude in planar and three-dimensional culture conditions. Establishing a system that produces complex strain distributions provides a more accurate model of the mechanical conditions found in connective tissue, and also allows for the investigation of cellular adaptations to a changing mechanical environment.
Lumbale Spinalkanalstenose: Was bringen konservative Therapieverfahren?

An der zwischen 2013 und 2016 im Raum Pittsburgh durchgeführten Untersuchung nahmen 259 Senioren mit einer lumbalen Spinalkanalstenose teil. In allen Fällen war mittels Magnetresonanzoder Computertomografie eine Stenose des Zentralkanals, der lateralen Recessus und/oder der Foramina festgestellt worden und alle Patienten litten an typischen Beschwerden (neurogene Claudicatio, Symptomverschlechterung bei lumbaler Extension und -besserung bei Flexion). Gemäß Randomisierung nahm je ein Drittel der Patienten über 6 Wochen an einer von 3 nicht chirurgischen Interventionen teil. 88 Personen erhielten Nichtopioid-Analgetika (z. B. Paracetamol, NSAR), Antikonvulsiva (z. B. Gabapentin) und/oder Antidepressiva (z. B. Nortriptylin, Duloxetin, Sertralin) sowie – bspw. bei inadäquatem Ansprechen auf die orale Therapie – epidurale Steroidinjektionen. 84 Patienten nahmen unter Anleitung eines Fitnesstrainers zweimal wöchentlich an einer Sportgruppe teil. Die übrigen 87 Patienten erhielten zweimal wöchentlich manuelle Therapie (Mobilisation der Lendenwirbelsäule, der Hüfte sowie des Beckens) und absolvierten ein individuell zugeschnittenes Training zur Kräftigung und/oder Dehnung der Muskulatur (Wirbelsäulenstabilität, Stretching). Alle Probanden wurden nach 2 und 6 Monaten nachuntersucht. Als primären Studienendpunkt definierten die Wissenschaftler die Veränderung der Beschwerden sowie der Funktion 2 Monate nach der Intervention. Hierzu beantworteten die Probanden den Swiss Spinal Stenosis (SSS)-Fragebogen und absolvierten den Self Paced Walking Test (SPWT), der die Gehstrecke objektiviert. Ferner erfassten die Forscher mithilfe eines Armband-Akzelerometers die täglichen Aktivitäten der Studienteilnehmer.
Spotlight synthetic aperture radar : signal processing algorithms

Part 1 Introduction: spotlight SAR SAR modes importance of spotlight SAR early SAR chronology. Part 2 Synthetic aperture radar fundamentals: SAR system overview imaging considerations pulse compression and range resolution synthetic aperture technique for Azimuth resolution SAR coherence requirements signal phase equation inverse SAR (ISAR) SAR sensor parametric design. Part 3 Spotlight SAR and polar format algorithm: scope of processing task polar format overview polar data storage as a two-dimensional signal correction for non-planar motion polar format algorithm limitations Taylor series expansion procedures phase of image pixels image geometric distortion image focus error equations displacements and absolute positioning. Part 4 Digital polar format processing: sampling rate conversion polyphase filters polar interpolation image scale factors image distortion correction signal history projections stabilized scene polar interpolation subpatch processing and mosaicking. Part 5 Phase errors: classification of phase error management of phase error magnitude of phase error requirements on a practical SAR motion sensor moving target effects. Part 6 Autofocus techniques: mapdrift multiple aperture mapdrift phase difference phase gradient prominent point processing considerations for space-variant refocus. Part 7 Processor design examples: the common UNIX SAR processor the ground to air imaging radar processor. Part 8 SAR system performance: image quality metrics system performance budgeting requirements on system impulse response requirements on system noise geometric distortion secondary image quality metrics test arrays. Part 9 Spotlight processing applications: spotlight processing of scan and stripmap SAR data interferometric SAR forward look SAR vibrating target detection. Part 10 Range migration algorithm: model algorithm overview analytical development discussion efficient algorithms for range migration processing. Part 11 Chirp scaling algorithm: non-dechirped signal model algorithm overview analytical development discussion. Part 12 Comparison of image formation algorithms: image formation algorithm models computational complexity memory requirements other considerations.