Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selection of the set of areal units for economic regional research on the land use: a proposal for Aggregation Problem solution

The knowledge of the spatial development of phenomena is crucial in the case of research in economics, geological survey, mining, earth resources and geography. In the literature one can diagnose an important methodological and implementation gap concerning the selection of the set of areal units within the Aggregation Problem. The issue relates to determining boundaries of areal units (regions), whose properties are described by spatial data. The boundaries of areas should be established in such a way that a given analyzed phenomenon is influenced by the same main causes. Only in this case, the analyzed spatial data will properly reflect the impact of main causes, the properties of phenomena and dependencies between them. This means that determining the proper boundaries of areas is a necessary condition for receiving correct conclusions (e.g. delimiting metropolitan areas, assessing mineral resource potential and deposits, or assessing the dynamics of surface processes). From this perspective, the main objective of the article is presenting the proposal for solving the Aggregation Problem, where as the case study the economic analysis of agrarian resources and structure is used. The solution to the problem will lead to establishing the system of macroregions, where the obtained proposal of a system of four sets of areal units is important from the point of view of spatial research. The main added value of the research and its specific contribution to the literature is based on the fact that the proposed solution to the Aggregation Problem can be considered as universal, which is not limited to selected scientific disciplines. The methodology presented in the article can be effectively applied to other spatial research in the field of geology and mining, where the most appropriate research field is the issue of locating areas with appropriate properties or areas which are affected by given analised phenomena.
Pre-crash investigation using a driving simulator and numerical analyses to determine the influence of the arms positions

Abstract This paper presents an approach to analyze drivers' behaviours during critical events using a driving simulator and to estimate the dynamic responses of drivers by means of numerical simulation. The first part of this work is to present the experimental results obtained from 35 subject responses. A scenario of an unavoidable crash is created in the simulator-based experiment. All drivers swerved away in order to avoid the truck heading straight towards them. It was observed that 30% of the subjects placed their left hand at the right side of the steering wheel. In the second part, five classes of driver pre-crash behaviours are defined and then analyzed with Madymo®. The load applied to the virtual dummy corresponded to the deceleration undergone by a car during a head-on collision at 50 km/h. The results of the simulation emphasized a critical situation which could lead to a mortal traumatism.
Total quality management: a new perspective for improving quality and productivity

This paper deals with total quality management (TQM) with an emphasis on developing suitable strategies for improving quality and productivity in manufacturing systems. In recent years, TQM has been seen as an important strategy for achieving success in business both in terms of quality and productivity. However, there seem to be no clear strategic framework and guide‐lines for implementing TQM in manufacturing in the light of available advanced production concepts and technologies. A review of previous implementation approaches of TQM in practice has been presented in order to gain further insights into the implementation aspects of TQM. The main objective of this paper is to present a general framework for the development of TQM in manufacturing organizations considering the recent developments in production concepts and technologies and competitiveness among firms to utilize quality as a competitive weapon.
Applicability of Minichannel Cooling Fins to the Next Generation Power Devices as a Single-Phase-Flow Heat Transfer Device

The heat transfer characteristics of copper minichannel-finned heat sinks are experimentally investigated in order to clarify their applicability as a single-phase flow cooling device for next generation power devices. The influence of the channel width and the fin thickness are evaluated in detail. In particular, the minichannel-finned heat sink having a channel width of 0.3 mm and a fin thickness of 1.0 mm achieves a heat transfer performance of approximately 70,000~9,5000 W/m2K at 300 W/cm2 even in a single-phase flow heat transfer regime. Simple estimation proves that single-phase-flow heat transfer with the minichannel-fins heat sink is able to sufficiently cool future power devices under the allowable pumping power conditions.
Elimination of scan blindness of microstrip array by using I‐shaped λ/2 resonator

A compact I‐shaped λ/2 resonator is introduced in order to reduce the mutual coupling between antenna elements and eliminate the scan blindness in a microstrip array. The proposed λ/2 resonator is inserted between the adjacent E‐shaped microstrip antenna elements separated by 0.45 λ, as a technique to suppress the occurrence of radiation in the horizontal direction. Simulated and measured results show that a reduction in mutual coupling of 35 dB is obtained between elements at the operation frequency of 3.94 GHz of the array. The scan properties of microstrip array with and without resonator have been studied and the result indicates that the scan blindness of the array can be well eliminated because of the effect of the resonator. We have developed experimental models that have proved this concept of scan blindness elimination. Finally, the influence of other antenna parameters at the presence of resonator in the array system has been studied. Prototype antennas of two‐element and four‐element array with and without resonator have been fabricated, measured, and the idea has been verified. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:334–338, 2014
High-sensitive fiber Bragg grating vibration sensor using intensity-modulated laser source

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) vibration sensor utilizing an intensity-modulated laser source has been devised and investigated. The research is aimed at developing a practical FBG sensor that will be applicable to high-sensitive dynamic measurements such as mechanical vibration of solid and acoustic wave in water. The FBG sensor devised is composed of a tunable laser source, an optical intensity modulator, and an FBG. In this configuration the wavelength of the optical wave from the laser source is tuned to a slope of the reflection spectrum curve of the FBG so that its Bragg wavelength shift due to vibration can be detected as a change in intensity of the optical wave reflected at the FBG. In order to increase the signal to noise ratio (SNR) in a measurement of the change in the intensity due to vibration, an intensity modulator is built into the system to make an intensity-modulated laser source and lock-in amplifier technique is employed for the vibration detection. In the experiment, high-sensitive detection for a vibration of a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) is demonstrated and discussed by comparing the sensor output with this technique to that of a conventional method without the intensity-modulation.
Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater Containing Tylosin in an Anaerobic - Aerobic Reactor System

Effluents from manufacturing operations in the pharmaceutical industry, such as antibiotic formulation, usually contain recalcitrant compounds. An approach towards appropriate technology for the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewaters has become imperative due to strict water quality legislation for environmental protection. In the present study, an Up-Flow Anaerobic Stage Reactor (UASR) and a Porous Membrane Activated Sludge Reactor (PMASR), operating in series, were used to treat pharmaceutical wastewater containing the macrolide antibiotic Tylosin. The performance of UASR treating real pharmaceutical wastewater at various organic loading rates (OLR) (0.43 to 3.73 kg COD.m–3.d–1) was investigated. Effluent from the UASR was passed directly into a PMASR system in a continuous process. At a reactor OLR of 1.86 kg COD.m–3.d–1 (hydraulic retention time (HRT), 4 d), the soluble COD reduction was around 70 - 75% (average specific degradation rate (SDR), 1.29 kg COD.m–3.d–1 ) an average of 95% Tylosin reduction was achieved in the UASR. During this period, the soluble COD removal efficiency of the PMASR was 63–69% (average SDR, 0.37 kg COD.m–3.d–1). The combined UASR – PMASR treatment system was slightly more effective with 87–90% COD and average 97% Tylosin removal. The results indicate successful treatment of the pharmaceutical wastewater, and confirm Tylosin degradation, providing further evidence that Tylosin can be degraded efficiently in anaerobic-aerobic environments.
A Free-Flight Simulation of Insect Flapping Flight

In insect flapping flight, non-equilibrium flight conditions such as takeoffs and uncoordinated turn are difficult to investigate with experiments or quasi-steady analysis. Here we develop a simplified rigid body dynamics solver with 6 degrees of freedom (DOF), by utilizing unit quaternions. A free-flight simulator of an insect flapping flight is then built up by coupling the dynamics solver with an in-house CFD solver, which is specified for simulating unsteady flapping-wing aerodynamics. Simulation of the hovering flight of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is achieved by manually manipulating three kinematic parameters, wingbeat amplitude, mean positional angle, and stroke plane angle relative to body (anatomical stroke plane angle).
Enterprise Resources Planning Sand Table Training for Engineering Students

In order to cultivate engineering students to become not only professional but also mastering management theory and practice, ERP sand table training is an essential practice teaching content. This paper presents the necessary of engineering students learning ERP sand table simulation course, and proposes a specific solution of ERP sand table training setting according to characteristics of engineering students. Finally, investigation data shows the efficiency of ERP sand table training.
Flexural Failure Design Criteria for Retrofitted RC Slabs using FRP-UHPC Hybrid System

This study proposes flexural failure design criteria of continuous slabs enhanced by a hybrid system of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) and ultra high performance concrete (UHPC). The proposed hybrid retrofit system is designed to be placed at the top surface of the slabs for flexural strengthening of the sections in both positive and negative moment zones. The enhancing mechanisms of the proposed system for both positive and negative moment regions are presented. The neutral axis of the enhanced sections in positive moment zone at flexural failure is enforced to be in UHPC overlay for preventing the compression in FRP. From this condition, a relationship between design parameters of FRP and UHPC is established. Although the capacity of the proposed retrofit system to enhance flexural strength and ductility is confirmed through experiments of one-way RC slabs having two continuous spans, the retrofitted slabs failed in shear. To prevent this shear failure, a design criteria of flexural failure is proposed.
Consensus Equilibrium for Subsurface Delineation

Heterogeneity and insufficient site characterization limit our knowledge of the subsurface. Inversion techniques, which minimize the mismatch between observations and model predictions, have become an essential tool of subsurface characterization. Most optimization‐based approaches fail to incorporate various implicit priors and capture the geological complexity. We overcome these limitations by deploying the plug‐and‐play and consensus equilibrium (CE) strategies, which provide a flexible framework for image reconstruction. Our CE methodology for spatial delineation of geologic formations consists of an image denoiser and a variational auto‐encoder (deep learning‐based emulator). The former ameliorates the reconstruction noise, yielding well‐defined geological structures; its mathematical equivalence with the proximal operator allows the deployment of advanced denoisers (e.g., CNN‐based denoiser) that do not correspond to a regularization objective. The latter defines a geology prior that imposes a geological constraint, for example, continuity and shape of geological features, onto the reconstructed image. We conduct a series of numerical experiments dealing with transient two‐dimensional flow driven by a pumping well and natural hydraulic head gradient. They demonstrate the CE framework's ability to delineate, both probabilistically and deterministically, complex subsurface environments with sufficient quality.
Settlement prediction by spatial-temporal random process using Asaoka's method

A methodology was presented for observation-based settlement prediction with consideration of the spatial correlation structure of soil. The spatial correlation is introduced among the settlement model parameters and the settlements at various points are spatially correlated through these geotechnical parameters, which naturally describe the phenomenon. The method is based on Bayesian estimation by considering both prior information, including spatial correlation and observed settlement, to search for the best estimates of the parameters at any arbitrary points on the ground. Within the Bayesian framework, the optimised selection of auto-correlation distance by Akaike's Bayesian Information Criterion (ABIC) is also proposed. The application of the proposed approach in consolidation settlement prediction using Asaoka's method is presented in this paper. Several case studies were carried out using simulated settlement data to investigate the performance the proposed approach. It is concluded that the accuracy of the settlement prediction can be improved by taking into account the spatial correlation structure and the proposed approach gives the rational prediction of the settlement at any location at any time with quantified uncertainty.
Real-world Treatment Patterns of Lung Cancer- experience of Resource Restricted Country

Background:Lung cancer (LC) continues to be a significant worldwide public health issue. In recent years there have been several publications addressing specifics of LC worldwide, but none concerning Georgia- country with high number of smoking population and LC cases. We conducted the first study in Georgian population, that aims current LC practice.Methods: The aim of the study was to provide an overview of treatment of LC, with discussion situation in this field and indicating the future strategies for improved cancer care in the country. Medical, radiation and surgical oncologists providing treatment of LC in main hospitals (n=13) over the country, filled questionnaire that addressed specific information regarding the treatment aspects of LC reflecting current surgical aspects, systemic treatment and radiotherapy (RT). ResultsThere is no national screening program, while radiologic imaging is readily available. The vast majority of patients in the country present with advanced stages at diagnosis and they are treated with systemic therapy and/or RT. The surgical treatment is largely underutilized with the differences being observed among surgeons on the optimal timing and the extent of surgery, as well as role of surgery in specific clinical situations.Improved health care system, well equipped hospitals, availability of many anticancer drugs and existence of modern RT technology, are coupled with slow appearance of country-adapted guidelines and protocols as well as enforcing MDT meetings.There is limited access to expensive novel agents, psychological support and high quality palliative care. ConclusionsThere is still much work to be done, with all above steps considered mandatory to improve effectiveness and quality of care of LC patients.
Path Following for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using L1 Adaptive Augmentation of Commercial Autopilots

The paper presents a three-dimensional path-following control algorithm that expands the capabilities of conventional autopilots, which are normally designed to provide only guidance loops for waypoint navigation. Implementation of this algorithm broadens the range of possible applications of small unmanned aerial vehicles. The solution proposed takes explicit advantage of the fact that normally these vehicles are equipped with autopilots stabilizing the vehicles and providing angular-rate tracking capabilities. Therefore, the overall closed-loop system exhibits naturally an inner-outer (dynamics-kinematics) control loop structure. The outer-loop path-following control law developed relies on a nonlinear control strategy derived at the kinematic level, while the inner-loop consisting of the autopilot together with an L1 adaptive augmentation loop is designed to meet strict performance requirements in the presence of unmanned aerial vehicle modeling uncertainty and environmental disturbances. A rigorous proof of stability and performance of the path-following closed-loop system, including the dynamics of the unmanned aerial vehicle with its autopilot, is given. The paper bridges the gap between theory and practice and includes results of extensive flight tests performed in Camp Roberts, California, which demonstrate the benefits of the framework adopted for the control system design.
Reputational disaster in Phuket: the secondary impact of the tsunami on inbound tourism

Purpose – To provide a theoretical perspective on and an empirical understanding of the decline in Phuket's tourism, the secondary impact of the 2004 tsunami.Design/methodology/approach – Based on qualitative field research intermittently conducted between February and July 2005, this paper describes the process and mechanism of this secondary impact (the reputational disaster) in Phuket. The main data sources are semi‐structured interviews with Thai and Japanese workers at hotels, restaurants and tour operating companies.Findings – In the disaster‐stricken beach resorts of Thailand the effects of the tsunami can be seen as a long‐term socioeconomic phenomenon. The decrease in the number of tourists has brought about serious stagnation in the regional economy. The post‐tsunami tourism decline is a complex process involving risk‐induced stigmatization of the region and historically embedded vulnerabilities in the local society.Research limitations/implications – This paper does not provide quantitative dat.
City Centre Revitalization in Portugal: A Study of Lisbon and Porto

City centres throughout Europe are being subjected to major revitalization operations. This revitalization includes, among other aspects, housing improvements, retail modernizations, infill and brownfield redevelopment, public space improvements, streetscaping and pedestrianization schemes. In Portugal, the two largest cities have experienced some attempts at revitalization in the last 15 years, which have included mainly urban design strategies of main streets and squares. The purpose of this paper is not only to present an up-to-date discussion of the recent city centre revitalization interventions in both cities, but also primarily to give a southern European contribution to ongoing debates about urban design interventions in urban revitalization schemes. The argument of the paper is that these revitalizations were partial physical face-lifts that overlooked the social and economic aspects of the revitalization. This paper calls for a more integrated approach between the revitalization of public and pr.
Analytical and Numerical Study of Early-Time Response in Pulse-Loaded Visco-Elastic Composites

Hyperbolic partial differential equations with one space variable are used to investigate the longitudinal wave propagation through an elastic composite medium. A high order Lagrangian finite element is used to model the wave propagation and the weak-form Galerkin weighted residual method is adopted for solving the governing differential equations, viz., the one-dimensional wave equation which is extended to include damping and strain-rate effects. The numerical solutions are compared to analytical solutions (where they exist) and excellent temporal and spatial correlation is achieved, within 90-95% accuracy. It is found that damping leads to a decrease in peak stresses and strains by up to 11% for 5% of critical damping, even during the direct loading phase. It is shown that the inclusion of strain-rate did not have an effect on strains but led to an increase in stresses by almost 95%. The inclusion of both damping and strain-rate effects together increased stress values by up to 70% compared to the non-viscous cases.
Design for Green Property Development in Developing Cities

AbstractGreen property design has been increasingly popular in line with the promotion of sustainable development. While property design in traditional practice has contributed greatly to the improvement of living standards, the practice has been criticized for not incorporating principles of sustainable development in the property design process. This paper examines the applicability of various green property design technologies in developing cities with reference to the Chinese real estate industry. The study finds that various technologies have different degrees of applicability in different regions or cities. This understanding leads to analysis of strategies for choosing effective green property design technologies. A questionnaire survey, interviews, and four case studies are conducted. The authors observe that developers and consumers have a passion for green property design. The findings also suggest that currently green property design is primarily applied to high-class residential buildings. Lim.
Videogames as Therapy

There is a long history of using videogames in a therapeutic capacity including rehabilitation for stroke patients, people with traumatic brain injuries, burns victims, wheelchair users, Erb's palsy sufferers, children undergoing chemotherapy, children with muscular dystrophy, autistic children and individuals looking to overcome real-life challenges (including symptoms of depression) and boost their wellbeing (including boosting life satisfaction, self-efficacy and social support). This paper briefly and selectively examines a number of areas including: (1) videogames as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, (2) videogames as distractors in the role of pain management, (3) videogames and cognitive rehabilitation, (4) videogames and the development of social and communication skills among the learning disabled, (5) videogames and impulsivity/attention deficit disorders, (6) videogames and therapeutic benefits in the elderly, (7) videogames in psychotherapeutic settings, (8) videogames and health care, (9) videogames and anxiety disorders, and (10) videogames and psychological wellbeing. It is concluded that there has been considerable success when games are specifically designed to address a specific problem or to teach a certain skill. However, generalizability outside the game-playing situation remains an important consideration.