Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical Contrast of Atomically Thin Films

Here, we provide a comprehensive description of the optical contrast of atomically thin films based on rigorous analytical solutions. The effects of thin film, substrate, and light illumination conditions are fully revealed. The role of the substrate is found to be completely represented by single complex reflectivity, regardless of the structural details. High contrast is realized on low-reflection substrates; however, the phase of the complex reflectivity is critically important. Every thin film has specific reflectivity phase conditions to achieve optimal contrast, which are uniquely defined by the optical properties of the thin film. Extraordinarily, high optical contrast can be achieved on any thin film of any thickness, if the reflectivity of substrates matches the optimal phase conditions. We provide a universal phase map which can be used to determine the optimal phases of any given film. For example, the optimal phase of hexagonal boron nitride films is found to be −90°, which paves the way towar.
Optimal Control of Hybrid Systems in Air Traffic Applications

Growing concerns over the scalability of air traffic operations, air transportation fuel emissions and prices, as well as the advent of communication and sensing technologies motivate improvements to the air traffic management system. To address such improvements, in this thesis a hybrid dynamical model as an abstraction of the air traffic system is considered. Wind and hazardous weather impacts are included using a stochastic model. This thesis focuses on the design of algorithms for verification and control of hybrid and stochastic dynamical systems and the application of these algorithms to air traffic management problems. In the deterministic setting, a numerically efficient algorithm for optimal control of hybrid systems is proposed based on extensions of classical optimal control techniques. This algorithm is applied to optimize the trajectory of an Airbus 320 aircraft in the presence of wind and storms. In the stochastic setting, the verification problem of reaching a target set while avoiding obstacles (reach-avoid) is formulated as a two-player game to account for external agents' influence on system dynamics. The solution approach is applied to air traffic conflict prediction in the presence of stochastic wind. Due to the uncertainty in forecasts of the hazardous weather, and hence the unsafe regions of airspace for aircraft flight, the reach-avoid framework is extended to account for stochastic target and safe sets. This methodology is used to maximize the probability of the safety of aircraft paths through hazardous weather. Finally, the problem of modeling and optimization of arrival air traffic and runway configuration in dense airspace subject to stochastic weather data is addressed. This problem is formulated as a hybrid optimal control problem and is solved with a hierarchical approach that decouples safety and performance. As illustrated with this problem, the large scale of air traffic operations motivates future work on the efficient implementation of the proposed algorithms.
Brainstem fMRI

The human brainstem plays important roles in maintaining basic vital functions. In comparison with brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), only a few fMRI studies investigating the brainstem have been reported because of a number of technical challenges. This entry briefly introduces technical difficulties, recent advances, and further directions of brainstem fMRI in humans.
Effect of extra-virgin olive oil on lipid profile and inflammatory biomarkers in patients undergoing coronary angiography: a randomized, controlled, clinical trial

Background Olive oil, rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acid and the main fat in the Mediterranean diet, has long been considered to be favorable for cardiovascular health. The present study was conducted to compare the effects of high polyphenol extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) with low polyphenol refined olive oil (ROO) on some cardiovascular risk factors in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Methods In a randomized, controlled, parallel-arm, clinical trial, 40 patients (aged 54.83 ± 7.04 years) with at least one classic cardiovascular risk factor (hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes) who referred to coronary angiography were randomly allocated to two groups and received 25 mL EVOO (n = 20) or ROO (n = 20) daily for 6 weeks. Fasting blood was collected and plasma lipids, malondialdehyde (MDA), C-reactive protein (CRP) as well as, inflammatory cytokines in ex-vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole blood culture were measured at the baseline and after the dietary intervention. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. Plasma LDL-cholesterol significantly reduced in EVOO group (-9.52 ± 20.44 vs 8.68 ± 18.77 mg/dL, p = 0.007 for EVOO and ROO respectively), whereas total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol had no significant changes. EVOO resulted in significant reduction in plasma CRP (-0.40 ± 0.52 vs 0.007 ± 0.42 mg/L, p = 0.01 for EVOO and ROO respectively) and increased ex-vivo whole blood LPS-stimulated IL-10 production (12.13 ± 33.64 vs -17.47 ± 49.04 pg/mL, p = 0.035 for EVOO and ROO respectively). However, there were no significant differences in LPS-stimulated IL-6 and plasma MDA levels between the two groups. Conclusions Daily consumption of polyphenol-rich EVOO in subjects who have been under medical treatment with risk-reducing agents could additionally improve LDL-C and selected inflammatory markers. Trial registration: NCT03796780 at clinicaltrial.gov (12/29/2018)
Remote Field Eddy Current Testing for Detection of Stress Corrosion Cracks in Gas Transmission Pipelines

Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) pigs are traditionally used for the detection of gross corrosion on steel pipelines used for the transmission of natural gas. Alternative nondestructive evaluation (NDE) modalities are required for the detection of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) which tends to exist in colonies oriented axially along the length of the pipeline. This paper describes the use of multiphase rotating magnetic fields in the remote region of the probe as a possible SCC detection mechanism. Details of a prototype pig and test rig are given and the challenges associated with the finite element modeling of the device are discussed. Initial experimental results show that this novel NDE modality is sensitive to axially oriented tight cracks.
Security in a Service-Oriented Architecture

In a service-oriented architecture (SOA), parts of software applications are made available as services. These services can be combined across multiple applications, technologies, and organizations. As a result, functionality can be more easily reused, and new business processes can be assembled at a low cost. However, as more functionality is exposed outside of the traditional boundaries of applications, new approaches to security are needed. While SOA shares many of the security threats of traditional systems, the countermeasures to some of these threats may differ. Most notably, eavesdropping, data tampering, and replay attacks must be countered on the message level in a complex SOA environment. In addition, the open and distributed nature of SOA leads to new ways of handling authentication, authorization, logging, and monitoring. Web Services are the most popular way of realizing SOA in practice, and make use of a set of standards such as WS-Security, XML Encryption, XML Signature, and SAML for handling these new security approaches. Guidelines exist for development of secure software systems, and provide recommendations for things to do or to avoid. In this thesis, I use my findings with regard to security challenges, threats, and countermeasures to create a set of security guidelines that should be applied during requirements engineering and design of a SOA. Practical use of these guidelines is demonstrated by applying them during development of a SOA-based system. This system imports personal data into multiple administrative systems managed by UNINETT FAS, and is designed using Web Services and XML-based security standards. Through this practical demonstration, I show that my guidelines can be used as a reference for making appropriate security decisions during development of a SOA.
Covariance Analysis of Vision Aided Navigation by Bootstrapping

Abstract : Inertial Navigation System (INS) aiding using bearing measurements taken over time of stationary ground features is investigated. A cross country flight, in two and three dimensional space, is considered, as well as a vertical drop in three dimensional space. The objective is to quantify the temporal development of the uncertainty in the navigation states of an aircraft INS which is aided by taking bearing measurements of ground objects which have been geolocated using ownship position. It is shown that during wings level flight at constant speed and a fixed altitude, an aircraft that tracks ground objects and over time sequentially transitions to tracking new ground objects which were geolocated by the aircraft as they came into view, will have the beneficial effect of considerably reducing the long term uncertainty in the INS-provided navigation state. It is also shown that a munition in free fall tracking previously geolocated ground features will also have the beneficial effect of reducing the uncertainty in the INS-provided navigation state.
Asphalt Mix Characterization Using Dynamic Modulus and APA Testing

This final report summarizes two research efforts related to asphalt mix characterization: dynamic modulus and Asphalt Pavement Analyzer testing. One phase of the research consisted of a laboratory-based evaluation of dynamic modulus of Oregon dense-graded hot mix asphalt mixes. Gyratory compacted specimens were prepared using a single aggregate source and gradation and four binder grades. After coring and sawing, specimens were tested following American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) TP 62-03. Differences in mix design versus field compacted air voids were investigated for typical surface-course mixes and mixes proposed for use in rich base-course mixes in long-life pavements. Master curves were developed for all combinations (sixteen) and made available for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) pavement design engineers. Laboratory results did not compare well with the dynamic modulus values predicted using the regression-based equation available in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 1-37A final report. The other phase of the research evaluated Asphalt Pavement Analyzer test results on six ODOT projects that exhibited premature permanent deformation. For three of the six projects, suitable aggregates and binder were available to replicate the field mixes. Results were mixed, but it appeared that a 5.0 mm limiting criterion may be suitable for the mix design phase of mix evaluation. Additional testing was recommended.
Web Metrics – Design Specifications of Web-based System for Personalization with "Bifurcation"

During recent years, the potential for electronic commerce via the Internet has been intensively discussed. A strong vision of e-commerce as a business with great potential has been established. In the mean time different signs of problems in connection with e-commerce have been observed. The comprehensive empirical material concerning consumers’ impressions and experiences of e-commerce indicates that important qualities in the business are missing. This dissertation seeks to examine the potential for e-commerce by identifying and analysing factors that are important for the consumers in making use of the new medium. Based on the results obtained, new systems and strategies that could facilitate the interaction between e-trading companies and consumers are discussed. The study starts with the identification of five factors that affect the consumer’s possibilities of making use of the products and services in an e-commerce environment. The factors are: Attention, experiences, Social interaction, Physical contact with the products, and Consumer trust. Three strategies with the aim to improve the interaction between consumers and e-trading companies are proposed, based on the analysis. The strategies are developed and examined in six research papers forming the basis of this dissertation. Three papers discuss the use of personalization systems and autonomous agents in e-commerce. These contribute to the formation of a strategy called Analytical technology. One paper deals with the study of an advanced multimedia user interface distributed by means of a broadband portal. The strategy behind this is called the Hypermedia interface. Two papers discuss the combination of different retailing channels arranged in close connection. The proposed strategy is named Multi-Channel Retailing. The results of the studies indicate that all three strategies can give important contributions to the establishment of ease-of-use in e-commerce. The Multi-Channel Retailing strategy seems to be the most useful strategy in the short run. This is due to the fact that the necessary infrastructure already exists. The Analytical technology strategy and the Hypermediacy interface strategy have the potential to become important strategies in the future of e-commerce. However, a more common implementation cannot be expected until these systems have been further developed. Key words: e-commerce, consumers, interaction, autonomous agents, personalization, hypermedia interface, broadband, multi-channel retailing.
Aggregate Absorption in HMA Mixtures

Designing hot mix asphalt (HMA) that will perform for many years is a complex balancing act of selecting an appropriate design asphalt binder content that is sufficiently high to provide durability but not so high as to lead to rutting problems. One of the factors that has to be considered during the design of HMA is the absorption of asphalt by aggregates. Most all aggregates used in the production of HMA have some absorptive characteristics. The objective of this project was to evaluate asphalt absorption through the production and construction process. In order to accomplish this objective, six on-going HMA construction projects were visited and HMA sampled. The HMA was sampled from four locations through the production and construction process, including: the slat conveyor prior to the mix being placed in the silo, trucks prior to transportation, the paver, and the compacted HMA layer (cores). Laboratory testing was conducted on these samples to evaluate the amount of asphalt that was absorbed by the aggregates throughout the production and construction process. Based upon the results of testing, it was concluded that asphalt absorption continues from the production process through the construction process. Samples obtained from the slat conveyor and the truck had similar average asphalt absorption values, while the paver and core samples also had similar average asphalt absorption values. However, the asphalt absorption at the paver and core locations were significantly higher than the other two. This suggested that most of the absorption took place during mix transportation to the job site. It was attempted to compare the amount of asphalt absorption that took place during mix design (based upon the job mix formula) to the amount of asphalt absorption that took place during the production and construction process; however, this attempt was not successful. Generally, the amount of asphalt absorption in the field was much higher than that shown on the job mix formulas.
Methods for Dynamic Response Analysis and Fatigue Life Estimation of Floating Fish Cages

The present thesis is an effort to introduce state-of-the art methods for analysis of marine structures in relation to fatigue design of floating fish cages made of steel when they are exposed to wave loading. Structural fatigue problems have been identified as a likely frequent cause for the collapse of floating fish farms made of steel by previous authors. The principal objective of this thesis is to improve the capabilities of fatigue analysis of floating fish farms exposed to waves through three steps: • Development of a hydrodynamic and structural model appropriate for structural analysis within an engineering context. • Development of a prototype software tool based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). • To perform a parameter study employing the developed tool. All the presented analysis results are related to a Base Case Structure (BCS). This is a simplified floating fish farm consisting of only one cage. The cage is 30 m by 30 m and is made of steel pipes with 1 m diameter. Each corner has a horizontal, linear mooring in each perpendicular direction. The netpen is represented as linear damping — horizontally and vertically. A set of four typical regular waves (TRW) have first been defined corresponding to the wave classes given in NS 9415. The wave height varies from 1 m to 5.7 m and the wave period from 2.5 s to 6.7 s. The TRW are applied for representation of the wave climate based on regular waves. The hydrodynamic load model is a combination of linear potential theory and horizontal drag for the floater and horizontal and vertical drag damping for the netpen. It has been shown that the vertical wave force can be conservatively approximated as the product of water plane stiffness and wave surface elevation: Fvert = kwζ . The potential damping is quite high, typically between 15 and 20%. The total damping level is up to 30% horizontally and 40% vertically. For the nonlinear analysis, the instantaneous water plane stiffness is taken into account. The rigid body natural periods have values between 1.7 s and 2.4 s. The highest flexural natural period is approximately 0.6 s. The discretization of the structure is based on the FEM and the time integration is based on the Newmark-β method with β = 0.25 and γ = 0.5, i.e. constant average acceleration. This method is unconditionally stable for a linear system. Linear 3D beam
Software Radios for Maximum Flexibility and Interoperability

Abstract : The upcoming Software Radios will change the commercial as well as the military market of radio communications. Due to their programmability Software Radios offer an extreme flexibility falling into 3 main domains: Multirole, Multimode and Multiband operation. Multiband just means that the radio can cover the complete spectrum from HF to SHF, Multimode requests to cope with different air interfaces and Multirole addresses the question, which applications a software radio has to serve. Essential properties of a software radio architecture, particularly supporting the use of COTS components and mitigating parts obsolescence, are the strict decoupling of application software and platform hardware (forming APIs) together with a consequent modularzation of the hardware. The decoupling allows hardware-independent development of the application software, whilst the hardware modularization supports a cyclic reengineering process in case components have to be replaced by new COTS parts. Savings in term of logistic and upgrades reduce the overall life-cycle costs by about 40 percent in comparison with conventional radios. In turn, these platforms are free to be scaled to manpack, airborne, naval or stationary deployment, simultaneously optimized for example in terms of power saving, size or flexibility, where the software layer guarantees interoperability among these radio families by common waveforms. An example of an existing military software radio is presented showing multiband, multimode and multirole features.
CABLE SUPPORTED BRIDGES: CONCEPT AND DESIGN. SECOND EDITION

Cable supported bridges in the form of suspension bridges and cable-stayed bridges are distinguished by their ability to overcome large spans. This book concentrates on the synthesis of cable supported bridges, covering both design and construction aspects. The analytical part covers simple methods to quantify the different structural forms and allows a preliminary optimization of the main structure. Completely revised and updated, this second edition is justified by an accelerated pace of innovation in this area. It includes the most recent advances in structural design, corrosion protection of cables, aerodynamic safety, and erection procedures. The seven chapters retain their original titles which are as follows: (1) Evolution of Cable Supported Bridges; (2) Cables; (3) Cable System; (4) Stiffening Girder; (5) Pylon; (6) Cable Anchorage and Connection; and (7) Erection. The list of references has been updated and an index is provided.
Plant Based High Energy Mash Diets Supplemented With Nahco3, L-arginine+ Vitamin-c and Vegetable Oils Are Effective Against Tachycardia and Polycythemia in Broiler Chicken

The study aimed to investigate if plant based high energy mash diets supplemented with NaHCO3, L-arginine + vitamin-C and vegetable oils were effective against tachycardia and polycythemia in the commercial broiler chicken. Total 256Ross-308 day old male broiler chicks were randomly distributed into eight dietary treatment groups in a three way 23 factorial arrangements (Three factors, i.e., NaHCO3, L-arginine + vitamin-C and vegetable oil each with two levels, e.g., 0 and 0.1% for NaHCO3 and L-arginine + vitamin-C; 3 and 4% of vegetable oil supplemented with basal diet). Iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets were formulated and supplied ad libitum. The average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency (FE), carcass characteristics, cardio-pulmonary morphometry, total protein (TP), hemoglobin (Hb), triiodothyronine (T3), incidence of tachycardia and polycythemia were examined up to 35 d. Supplementation of NaHCO3decreased (p<0.001) the ADFI at 1-14 d, 15-35 d, 1-35 d, improved (p<0.01) the FE at 1-14 d and increased (p<0.05) the serum TP. Dietary L-arginine + vitamin-C decreased (p<0.01) the heart rate without affecting the performance parameters, carcass characteristics and hemato-biochemical indices. Supplementation of vegetable oil decreased (p<0.01) the ADFI at 1-14d, 15-35 d, 1-35 d, increased (p<0.01) the ADG at 1-14d, improved (p<0.001) the FE at 1-14 d and increased (p<0.05) the heart rate, Hb and PCV. Further, NaHCO3, L-arginine + vitamin-C and vegetable oil synergistically interacted to decrease the left and right ventricular weight, RV:TV and increased the T3 without affecting overall performance, carcass characteristics and hemato-biochemical indices. It was concluded that, plant based high energy mash diets are not susceptible to tachycardia and polycythemia. Addition of NaHCO3, L-arginine + vitamin-C ameliorate the propensity of tachycardia and polycythemia without deteriorating performance, carcass characteristics and hemato-biochemical indices of the commercial broiler birds in a dose dependent manner.