Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability Analysis of Wind Turbines

This paper investigates the efforts to improve the reliability of wind turbines through the physics-of-failure based approach. Critical subassemblies of modern wind turbines are highlighted and their current reliability is reported. The application of the physics-of-failure based reliability assessment is presented for improving the performance of a wind turbine’s blades, gearbox, and converter subassemblies.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Research on Information Technology with Wine Quality Evaluation Based on Neural Network

Use modern information technology to replace the traditional manual quality grade evaluation of red wine. According to the red wines 11 physical and chemical properties which have a great influence on the quality, a quality grade evaluation model based on BP neural network pattern classification is established in this paper. The input variables are the red wines 11 parameters, output are the quality levels for wine. Experimental results show that it is an effective wine quality evaluation method.
Segmented Thermoelectric Oxide‐Based Module for High‐Temperature Waste Heat Harvesting

We report a high-performance thermoelectric (TE) oxide-based module using the segmentation of half-Heusler Ti_(0.3)Zr_(0.35)Hf_(0.35)CoSb_(0.8)Sn_(0.2) and misfit-layered cobaltite Ca_3Co_4O_(9+δ) as the p-leg and 2 % Al-doped ZnO as the n-leg. The maximum output power of a 4-couple segmented module at ΔT=700 K attains a value of approximately 6.5 kW m^(−2), which is three times higher than that of the best reported non-segmented oxide module. The TE properties of individual legs, as well as the interfacial contact resistances, were characterized as a function of temperature. Numerical modeling was used to predict the efficiency and to evaluate the influence of the electrical and thermal losses on the performance of TE modules. Initial long-term stability tests of the module at the hot and the cold side temperatures of 1073 K and 444 K, respectively, showed a promising result with 4 % degradation for 48 h operating in air.
Advanced Local Quality Assessment of Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency

Solar cells, or photovoltaic cells, are used to convert sunlight into electrical power. The defects or imperfections in silicon solar cells lower the light-current conversion and consequently also an efficiency of the device. These defects in the semiconductor structure are normally detected by electric measurements. The thermal dependency of breakdown voltage is positive and the defects can be revealed by surface inhomogenity. To ensure a higher quality of the solar cells, advanced local quality assessment is provided and experimental results of solar cell defect measurement in microscale region are presented. Using Near-field optical beam induced current and voltage method, both current and voltage in defect area were detected and individual defects were localized with higher spatial resolution. This measurement also verifies that in reverse biased electroluminescence spots the quantum efficiency is lower and so these spots affect overall quality of the cell.
Teams that Work: Campus Culture, Engineer Identity, and Social Interactions

Not all student teams are created equal. Some manage to produce excellent engineering results, others fabricate it. Social interactions in some teams are respectful, while on other teams some members expect others to carry the load, but take credit for it later. With engineering teamwork becoming more prevalent on engineering campuses, knowing more about student design teams that work is especially important. This article uses two teamwork cases from a large‐scale ethnographic study of an engineering design program to describe not only the ways that student engineers practiced design teamwork, but also how campus culture reached into social interactions between teammates via engineering identities produced on campus. A model for effective teamwork emerged that implies producing high quality engineering products, and doing so through respectful social interactions. Implications for teaching about teamwork, teaching with teams, and thinking about ways to change campus cultures to better promote design engineering are developed.
A dynamic model for hardware/software obsolescence

Purpose – Since technological lifecycles do not always match hardware/software (HW/SW) lifecycles, obsolescence becomes a major issue in system lifecycle management as it can cause premature and unscheduled replacement of HW/SW subsystems. The purpose of this paper is to report a dynamic model to predict the obsolescence dates for HW/SW subsystems. Design/methodology/approach – The dynamic model estimates obsolescence dates for HW/SW subsystems based on graph theory concept. The model depicts the stages of subsystem obsolescence through transmittances composed of probability and time-distribution elements. The model predicts probability and mean time to obsolescence for line replaceable units (LRUs) over the lifetime of the system. An illustrative example in signaling systems used in a train control system was used to demonstrate the application of this model. Findings – Generally, the short timespan for HW/SW subsystems, which are periodically replaced with newer technologies, results in the development .
Image reconstruction of the location of macro-inhomogeneity in random turbid medium by using artificial neural networks

Nowadays the artificial neural network (ANN), an effective powerful technique that is able denoting complex input and output relationships, is widely used in different biomedical applications. In present study the applying of ANN for the determination of characteristics of random highly scattering medium (like bio-tissue) is considered. Spatial distribution of the backscattered light calculated by Monte Carlo method is used to train ANN for multiply scattering regimes. The potential opportunities of use of ANN for image reconstruction of an absorbing macro inhomogeneity located in topical layers of random scattering medium are presented. This is especially of high priority because of new diagnostics/treatment developing that is based on the applying gold nano-particles for labeling cancer cells.
Typology of Long-Term Port Efficiency Improvement Paths: Malmquist Total Factor Productivity for World Container Ports

The global seaport sector made huge efforts in relation to port reform and technological development since the 1990s. This study attempts to systematically estimate the impacts of these efforts on world ports' efficiency changes between 1991 and 2004. The Malmquist Total Factor Productivity Index can effectively measure efficiency changes and identify sources of efficiency gains and losses. Based on the decomposed Malmquist Productivity Index efficiency indices, this study creates a typology of ports regarding whether, and how, they have improved their efficiency over the last decade. The results suggest that: (1) while scale efficiency, mainly representing impacts of external economic environments on port performance, is still one of the important factors to shape port efficiency, it is neither determining nor predominant any longer; (2) the globalized competition in the container shipping and terminal markets enables potential strategies to be used that combine institutional restructuring and capital investment, as a partial solution to overcome the external limitations of ports, such as lack of hinterlands; and (3) an exclusive focus on aggressive investment in technological progress is a limited strategy, as other competitor ports can relatively easily replicate the process, and, consequently, it may negate any increase in long-term competitiveness.
Distribution System Short Circuit Analysis

The computation of short circuit currents for unbalanced faults in a normally balanced three-phase system has traditionally been accomplished by the application of the method of symmetrical components. However, this method is not as well suited to a distribution feeder that is inherently unbalanced. For example, it is important to be able to compute line-to-ground faults that occur on phases b and c and line-to-line faults that occur on phases other than just b and c. This paper will develop a method for computing all combinations of fault currents using the phase frame of reference. A sample system will be used to demonstrate the method.
Advanced Introduction to Legal Research Methods

Written by Ernst Hirsch Ballin, this original Advanced Introduction uncovers the foundations of legal research methods, an area of legal scholarship distinctly lacking in standardisation. The author shows how such methods differ along critical, empirical, and fundamental lines, and how our understanding of these is crucial to overcoming crises and restoring trust in the law. Key topics include a consideration of law as a normative language and an examination of the common objects of legal research.
Miniaturization and isolation improvement of a multiple‐patch antenna system using electromagnetic bandgap structures

In this article, a compact multielement antenna system composing of microstrip patch antennas is designed by using electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures. Two distinct EBG structures are designed to achieve the two objectives of miniaturization and suppression of interelement coupling due to surface waves in a multiantenna system. By embedding an EBG array operating in the slow‐wave region, the area of the microstrip patch antenna is reduced by 67.48%. To alleviate the resulting increased back radiation, a second EBG structure is designed to surround the miniaturized patch antenna and close to 8 dB improvement in the front‐to‐back lobe ratio is achieved. As well, the second EBG design is included in a 2 × 2 multiantenna system to suppress interelement coupling. It is found that the coupling is reduced significantly when utilizing the proposed EBG rings. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:1609–1612, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27621
It's been a long time: an analysis of job duration in two banks

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to use personnel records from two firms in the banking industry, job duration models are estimated to examine separations in the context of banks based in Great Britain and Greece. Design/methodology/approach - – The duration models are estimated using parametric and semi-parametric methods, and allow for frailty. Findings - – The paper finds that it is sustained, rather than instantaneous, performance that is linked to separations. In common with some earlier studies, the paper finds qualified support for a u-shaped relationship between performance and separations – suggesting that poor matches are short-lived and that high-performance workers move on to other employment – but only in the case of the British data. Both of the banks under investigation experienced substantial reorganisation activity over the time period considered, and the paper finds that the year following this was characterised by increased separation propensities. Research limitations/implications - – While most of the findings are consistent across the firms in the two countries studied, the paper finds that single men are more likely than their female counterparts to quit in the bank based in Britain, but less likely to quit in that based in Greece. The paper offers some suggestions about why this should be the case. Practical implications - – The study serves to enhance the understanding of the determinants of attrition amongst workers in the banking industry, and hence offers clues to employers about how they can enhance retention of productive workers. Originality/value - – Owing to the availability of data sets, very few studies of this kind exist. The paper presents evidence based on data gathered from two distinct employers, and hence adds significantly to the body of literature in this area.
Towards an automated design framework for large-scale photonic integrated circuits

We present our approach towards an automated design framework for integrated photonics and optoelectronics, based on the experience of developing VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits. We show that design tasks imposed by large-scale integrated photonics require introducing new “functional” types of model parameters and extending the hierarchical design approach with advanced parameter scripting capabilities. We discuss the requirements imposed by the need for seamless integration between circuit-level and device-level simulators, and illustrate our approach for the combination of VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits and VPImodeDesigner. We show that accurate and scalable circuit-level modeling of large-scale photonic integrated circuits requires combination of several frequency- and time-domain simulation techniques (scattering-matrix assembly, transmission-line models, FIR and IIR digital filters, etc) within the same circuit simulation. We extend the scattering-matrix assembly approach for modeling linear electronic circuits, and motivate it being a viable alternative to the traditional modified nodal analysis approach employed in SPICE-like electronic circuit simulators. Further, we present our approach to support process design kits (PDK) for generic foundries of integrated photonics. It is based on the PDAFlow API which is designed to link different photonic simulation and design automation tools. In particular, it allows design and optimization of photonic circuits for a selected foundry with VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits, and their subsequent export to PhoeniX OptoDesigner for layout verification and GDSII mask generation.
Packaged heterodyne source modules based on external cavity lasers for microwave applications

External cavity lasers (ECL) based on semiconductor diode gain elements and Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) have been developed for Telecom (OC-48) nd Analog (CATV, QAM) applications. They possess very narrow linewidth (100 kHz) and exceptional wavelength stability. These qualities makes them attractive platform for implementation of heterodyne sources and Optical Phase Locked Loops (OPLL) for Microwave Photonics applications. We discuss two types of such heterodyne sources: heterodyne oscillator based on heterodyning of two ECL, and fixed frequency heterodyne oscillators based on ECL with FBG written in the polarization maintaining fiber. All two types of heterodyne sources were built based on industry standard 14-pin butterfly package. All of them exhibited excellent wavelength stability (less than 1 pm/mA and 1-2 pm/°C). Fixed frequency sources provided beat oscillation around 40 GHz. We present performance characteristics and measurement data on (linewidth, phase noise, heterodyne mixing, etc.) and discuss the merits of ECL use as heterodyne sources for Microwave Photonics applications.
Modelling systems of weakly characterised sensors

The modelling of the Automatic Target Detection, Recognition and Identification performance in systems of multiple sensors and/or platforms is important in several respects. For example, in the selection of sensors or sensor combinations of sufficient performance to achieve operational requirements or; for understanding how the system might be best exploited. To this end a simulation framework has been developed examining sensor options across different sensor types, parameterisations, search strategies, and applications. It uses Bayesian Decision Theoretic principles, along with simple sensor models and Monte-Carlo simulation, to derive the expected performance of single deployed sensors and of sensor combinations. The basic framework has been significantly extended to include recognition and identification problems along with the detection problem for which it was originally designed. The framework has also been expanded to treat cases in which the sensors are poorly characterised, and recommendations for parameterisation in this mode are made. The sensor system modelling framework has been applied to a number of illustrative problems. These range from simple target detection problems using sensors of differing performance or of different regional search schemes, through to examinations of: the number of measurements required to reach threshold performance; the effects of sensor measurement cost; issues relating to the poor characterisation of sensors within the system, and; the performance of a more elaborate combined detection and recognition sensor system. Generally, these results tend to show that the method is able to quantify qualitative expectations of performance, and is sufficiently powerful to highlight some unexpected aspects of operation.
Clinical and laboratory investigation of the biomechanical properties of the cornea

Understanding the biomechanical properties of the cornea is important in order to develop and improve new reliable standard procedures which can be used effectively to assess corneal behaviour in any disease condition, or before/after any ocular surgery. We believe that the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) is the only device that can measures the biomechanical properties of the cornea in vivo. However, it has been used for the first time both in vivo and in vitro. This thesis presents a clinical and laboratory investigation of the biomechanical properties of the cornea before/after LASIK and corneal cross-linking to improve our understanding of the knowledge required in both the laboratory and the clinic. Different machines were used in this project, including an ORA, an Oculus Pentacam, a spectrophotometer and a UV-X Illumination system. Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is, at present, one of the most well-known operations used to correct refractive errors; however, ocular problems arising from corneal thinning have been reported in some previous studies. Therefore, I looked at the effects of surgery on the central/peripheral thickness and the anterior/posterior curvature, and determined to what extent they affect the biomechanical properties of the cornea. During the past decade, much research has focused on improving and developing a new operation called corneal collagen cross-linking with riboflavin and UVA, which is used to stop the progression of keratectasia in the cornea (which occurs in keratoconus and sometimes follows refractive surgery). In the next phase, a range of experiments were conducted on cross-linking to determine to what extent this operation affects the molecular structure and biomechanical properties of the cornea. This thesis has shown for the first time that it is possible to obtain ORA signals in vitro and this opened up the possibility of examining whole eyes as well as excised corneas. It is also confirmed that the values of CH do not represent only a corneal biomechanical property, but rather depend on the presence of the rest of the eye. These in vitro studies have opened up a number of possibilities the future corneal biomechanical studies.
Psychometric Properties of Persian Version of Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQP-28): Evidence from Iranian Non-clinical Sample

Background: Recent evidence suggests that the autism spectrum is widespread among the general population. research has dimensionally moved towards the development of measurement tools with the introduction of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: The short-form of the autistic spectrum quotient questionnaire (AQ-28) developed by Hoekstra et al is a valuable and friendly alternative to the full 50-item version of autism spectrum disorder (AQ-50) consider as a widely used tool for screening and epidemiological studies of autistic traits. The present study aimed at investigating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the short-form of the autistic spectrum quotient questionnaire (AQP-28) in the Iranian population. A total of 560 individuals participated in this study and they were asked to fill out The Persian version of the autistic spectrum quotient questionnaire (AQ-28). Results: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported two higher-order factors models including ‘social behavior’ and numbers/patterns. Furthermore internal consistency of AQ-28-Persian indicate acceptable for social behavioral (α= .78), questionable for numbers/patterns (α= .65) and total (α= .62). Conclusions: in summary, the AQ-28-Persian is a useful tool to assess social behavior parts of the autistic spectrum quotient.
Academic Library Services Support for Research Information Seeking.

This study investigated the use of a university library academic service to assist in research information seeking, and the role and value of the academic services in support of research from the viewpoints of both academic users and librarians. Ten Ph.D. students completed questionnaires followed by face-to-face discussions and four academic librarians participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings include library online databases and interlibrary loans and document delivery as the services most familiar to, and utilised by, academic users. Assistance in searching for resources in and out of the library, subscribing to the databases and maintaining access, as well as providing training on research skills were major roles and values of the university library as perceived by academic users in research support. Academic librarians believed that users' research-related service needs varied for different stages of the research process and disciplines and they reported perceiving their role as that of a 'mediator' and an 'information broker'. Recommendations for further research are also provided.
Analysis for the Security of Industrial Control System and Coping Strategies

With the progress of science and technology, the application of industrial Control System (ICS) is becoming more and more widely, meanwhile various security problems can not be ignored. This article introduces the security risks of ICS in the level of system design, safety management, natural disaster and personnel malicious attacks. It also gives some coping strategies to solve these given problems based on the security requirements stipulated in the related standards.
Step-up Transformerless Seven-level DC-AC Hybrid Topology for Interconnection of Renewable-based DC Sources to Microgrids

Abstract This article introduces a new step-up transformerless multi-level DC-AC hybrid topology for interconnecting renewable DC sources to loads or microgrids. This enabling technology incorporates the best characteristics of three modified basic topologies—a DC-DC multi-level boost converter, a DC-DC multi-level buck converter, and an H-bridge—to obtain a seven-level step-up DC-AC hybrid structure using only one DC input and nine power switches for a single-phase output with field-programmable gate array based control. The advantages of the step-up seven-level structure compared to other proposals are higher efficiency, a reduced number of power switches, and high power density associated with transformerless characteristic. Furthermore, in contrast to conventional topologies, the proposed design does not require voltage/current monitoring of the capacitors or a capacitor-balancing control scheme, and only one DC source input is used. Consequently, a high-performance configuration is obtained. The laboratory results demonstrate the validity of the design and the performance of the prototype.