Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radiological Assessment Of Cervical Spine In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory illness that affects an estimated 1-2 percent of the worldwide population, with adult women being the most affected (2 to 4 times as frequently as men). The cervical spine is a predilection location for RA, which is the most prevalent inflammatory disease of the spine.Because it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, the detection of CS involvement among RA patients is particularly crucial. So,to consider the type and severity of radiological cervical spine involvement in rheumatoid arthritis patients,a total of 80 patients (15 male and 65 female with age groups between 20-79 years) were considered in the present study.They diagnosed by a rheumatologist using the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League against Rheumatism classification criteria for Rheumatoid arthritis. The radiological evaluation consisted of radiographs of the cervical spine in anterior-posterior (waters view), lateral in neutral and flexion position.Different types of radiological findings were found in studied sample with higher percentage was atlantoaxial subluxation (43.75%), odontoid migration (40.25%), erosion spinous processes (26.25%), odontoid erosion (20%), sub axial sub laxation (12.50%), vertical sub-laxation (11.25%), rotatory sub laxation (8.75%), anterior sub laxation (6.25%), lateral subluxation (3.75%). An extensive factors of variables, including disease activity, usage of anti-rheumatic drugs, smoking, and body mass index, influence the cervical spine subluxation pattern in individuals with RA.
A Web Accessability Compliance Framework for Website Development: A Case of W Bank Internet Banking Project -

As Internet advances, websites with simpel HTML pages are changing to complex web application systems with enormous contents and various services. With this trend, it is noted that situations where Web accessibility of the old and the handicapped is inhibited are growing. To solve this problem, The Disability Discrimination Act has been enacted since April 2013. This act triggers massive website reorganization efforts. However, in order for the huge and sophisticated web applications and web sites to ensure a web accessibility, a framework is required to throughout the web site development. Based on thorough review of website development methodologies, web accessibility compliance standards, and various web accessibility issues related to website characteristics, this study proposes a practice oriented "Web Accessibility Compliance Framework". The current study also examines the usefulness and value of this framework by applying it to the internet banking development project of W bank and receiving a certificate for high quality website complying web accessibility standards.
Transient thermal characteristics of induction machine rotor cage

Thermal analysis of an induction machine cage rotor during stall conditions forms an important part of design calculations. The study of rotor circuit thermal behavior is also useful to identify causes of failure in large cage rotor induction machines. The authors present a three-dimensional finite-element-based electrical-thermal analysis of the bar and end-ring area of a large rotor to examine its thermal characteristics during a stall. Details of temperature variations at key locations in the bar and end ring are provided. The calculations are compared to experimental results, and the advantages and limitations of the solution technique for rotor analysis are discussed. >
A Channel Emulator Based on WSSUS

This design is based on WSSUS channel model. We achieved a real-time signal processing channel emulator which used the channel parameters provided by the DRM criteria. The article first introduces the WSSUS channel model, and then bases DRM criteria to determine the model parameters. Finally, through a structured design, we realized the model HF channel emulator by C language programming.
A narrowband chipless multiresonator tag for UHF RFID

In this work, a narrowband fully passive printable RFID chipless tag, working in the UHF band, is presented. The tag consists of two cross-polarized transmitting and receiving microstrip broadband circular monopole antennas, loaded with multiple cascaded resonators, each one unambiguously corresponding to one data bit. The proposed antenna has a compact size, a low cost of fabrication, and a very compact frequency bandwidth. It uses spectral signatures to encode data, and hence provides a unique ID for every tagged object. The antenna has been designed using a general purpose 3D CAD, CST Microwave Studio, and measured results are in very good agreement with the simulations. The designed RFID tag has been tested in anechoic chamber, and the unique spectral signature of the tag has been correctly detected. The proposed tag design is suitable for mass deployment for low cost items.
Process-and-temperature compensated CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator for clock generators

A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with a current subtraction bias (CSB) for compensating the CMOS process-and-temperature variations is proposed and analysed. The design, fabrication, and testing of a clock generator with a VCO using CSB and conventional fixed bias (FB) is reported. Measurement results demonstrate that the frequency range of CSB selection has 36% reduction against that of FB selection and the temperature coefficient of 76% reduction.
Cross-Layer Routing Protocol Based on AODV in Cognitive Radio

With the rapid development of science and technology, the current spectrum resources cannot simply cope with the high-load wireless networks cross-layer transmission. This thesis is based on the in-depth analysis of cognitive radio technology to understand the routing protocol in wireless cross-layer data transmission, and then discuss the relevant characteristics of the AODV routing protocol, and base on the AODV, the routing protocol uses in the analysis of the radio network organization based on the proposed to the possibility of cross-layer cognitive radio.
Asymmetry and symmetry of acts and omissions in punishment, norms, and judged causality

Harmful acts are punished more often and more harshly than harmful omissions. This asymmetry has variously been ascribed to differences in how individuals perceive the causal responsibility of acts versus omissions and to social norms that tend to proscribe acts more frequently than omissions. This paper examines both of these hypotheses, in conjunction with a new hypothesis: that acts are punished more than omissions because it is usually more efficient to do so. In typical settings, harms occur as a result of relatively few harmful actions, but many individuals may have had the opportunity to prevent or rectify the harm. Penalising actors therefore requires relatively few punishment events compared to punishing omitters. We employ a novel group paradigm in which harm occurs only if both actors and omitters contribute to the harm. Subjects play a repeated economic game in fixed groups involving a social dilemma (total N = 580): on each round self-interest favours harmful actions (taking from another) and harmful omissions (failing to repair the victim’s loss), but the group payoff is maximized if individuals refrain from these behaviors. In one treatment harm occurs as a result of one action and two omissions; in the other, it is the result of two actions and one omission. In the second treatment, the more efficient strategy to maximize group benefit is to punish omissions. We find that subjects continue to prefer to punish acts rather than omissions, with two important caveats. There is still a substantial level of punishment of omissions, and there is also evidence of some responsiveness to the opportunity to enforce a more efficient rule. Further analysis addresses whether the omission effect is associated with asymmetric norm-based attitudes: a substantial proportion of subjects regard it as equally fair to punish harmful acts and omissions, while another portion endorse an asymmetry; and punishment behavior correlates with these attitudes in both groups.
RUN-TO-RUN PROCESS CONTROL OF A PLASMA ETCH PROCESS WITH NEURAL NETWORK MODELLING

SUMMARY Run-to-run control of a plasma etch process for 8 inch diameter silicon wafers at Digital Semiconductor is determined by maintenance of targeted values of post-etch metrology variables. The post-etch quality variables are extremely sensitive to variation in the etch chamber conditions due to fluctuation in temperature, pressure, gas flow rates, etc., the aging of process tool parts and time since last chamber cleans. The target parameter drifts due to part wear and impurity build-up are long-term and distinct in character from the more immediate action of chamber parameter disturbance. We have modelled the multivariable and multimodal action of output etch parameter variation using a neural network prediction model coupled with an heuristic non-linear feedback loop to determine optimal corrective action to be performed between runs to ensure on-going etch tool control. The neural networks exhibited overall accuracy to within 20% of the observed values of 0.986, 0.938 and 0.87 for the post-etch rate standard deviation and selectivity variables respectively. We present the neural model design with specially adapted input parameter transforms and results of training, test and validation sample fits for 148 monitor wafer records. The control unit was able to detect accurately the need for part replacements and wet clean operations in 34 of 40 operations and offered suggested process setting changes which were consistent with engineers' understanding of adjustments which would yield output parameters closer to the targeted values. Our current work extends previous modelling of the 6 inch wafer plasma etch process to 8 inch wafers with the addition of genetic algorithms for input variable selection and optimization algorithm improvements. In addition, we have installed a real-time shop floor data collection utility with extensive data quality assurance, enabling the controller to be implemented on a run-to-run basis with neural network updates between monitor etch runs. In this way the tool operator gets feedback as to necessary process and part changes immediately following quality wafer checks and before production lots are processed. This speed of implementation is the first of its kind in the semiconductor fabrication process arena.  1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Substrate Current Less Control Method for CMOS Integration of Power Bridges

Modern electronical devices use high integration to decrease device size and cost and to increase reliability. More and more devices appear that integrate even power devices into VLSI circuits. When driving inductive loads, this is a critical step because freewheeling at a power device appears. In these applications usually special technologies with extra wells for the power devices, SOI technologies, or BiCMOS technologies are required to suppress any substrate current. However, the use of these technologies results in higher production cost for the device. We present a method to control the freewheeling actively. Using this approach we are able to integrate the power devices using a normal CMOS technology.
Tomorrow's cities: a framework to assess urban resilience

Urbanisation is one of the great driving forces of the twenty-first century. Cities generate both productivity and creativity, and the benefits offered by high-density living and working contribute to sustainability. Cities comprise multiple components, forming both static and dynamic systems that are interconnected directly and indirectly on a number of levels. Bringing together large numbers of people within a complex system can lead to vulnerability from a wide range of hazards, threats and trends. The key to reducing this vulnerability is the identification of critical systems and determination of the implications of their failure and their interconnectivities with other systems. One emerging approach to these challenges focuses on building resilience – defined here as the degree to which a system can continue to function effectively in a changing environment. This paper puts forward a framework designed to help engineers, planners and designers to support cities in understanding the hazards, threats .
System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics

System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics by Donal F. Kettl examines the development of homeland security policy and administration. Creation of the Department of Homeland Security has brought together disparate fields with a new common goal. Kettl synthesizes policy from these fields while examining how federal, state, and local government officials responded to the 9/11 disaster and the anthrax letter incident.
Designing and Implementing Business Information Services in the SMME Sector in a Developing Country: the case for Namibia

This article outlines the development and implementation strategies that can be applied in the deployment of business information services in the small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) sector in Namibia. The paper is based on a doctoral project that was carried out at the University of Pretoria from 2005 to 2007 and looks at the stages of user needs assessment, the design of services and the implementation stage as well as the impact assessment of the services.
A 2T-2R, 4-DOF Parallel Manipulator

From the first ideas of parallel manipulator proposed by Gough and Stewart, parallel manipulators have been found in many industrial applications. In the past two decades, a number of interesting mechanical devices and design methods have been extensively studied. However, most efforts are dedicated to six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) or 3-DOF manipulators. There is a need for equipment providing more than 3 DOF/s arranged in parallel and based on simpler arrangements than 6-DOF arrangements in pplication. This paper presents a novel 4-DOF parallel platform manipulator with base mounted prismatic actuators. The movable platform of the manipulator can translate along two directions and rotate around two axes respectively (2T-2R). The kinematics model is formulated, which describes the inverse and forward kinematics transformation. The singularity analysis of this new 2T-2R, 4-DOF parallel manipulator is introduced.
Arena April 18-21 , 2016 100 % hot mix asphalt recycling : challenges and benefits

Dramatically rising asphalt binder cost, dwindling budgets, growing traffic loads, and the desire to find more sustainable paving practices are forcing agencies to seek ways for maximizing the re-use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP). While most of the academic and industrial institutions have been focused on the development of procedures to recycle hot asphalt mixes with up to 40% RAP content, a few industry innovators have refined 100% recycling technologies over the past four decades to a level where routine production of 100% recycled mixes is in clear sight. The main hindrance in the widespread use of 100% recycling is the unproven performance of 100% RAP pavements and lack of a unified and rational system for selection of materials and mix design. The objective of this research was, therefore, to critically investigate the concept of 100% recycling, determine whether such mixtures can perform as well as conventional asphalt mixes and if yes, develop a mixture design method for 100% recycled asphalt. This article presents a summary of the research, demonstrating that with adequate mixture design 100% recycled asphalt mixtures can perform equally to conventional asphalt. The available production technologies are also shortly summarized. Finally an environmental effect and cost calculation is performed demonstrating reduction of emission by 35% while reducing the costs of materials by half. © 2016The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of Road and Bridge Research Institute (IBDiM). * Corresponding author. Tel. : +37-126-665-537. E-mail address: jeckabs@gmail.com © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of Road and Bridge Research Institute (IBDiM) brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac. uk provided by Elsevier Publisher Connector
Set-Based Concurrent Engineering Innovation Roadmap (SBCE IR): a case on Adiabatic Humidification System

Set-Based Concurrent Engineering (SBCE) is an element of lean practice in product development (PD), and it is composed of principles to apply it at early phase of a design process. However, executing the principles demands extensive efforts in practice. Thus, a systematic methodology is required to identify and prioritize potential areas (area in this paper is a generic term used to refer to subsystems, components or design factors or parameters a designer is applying SBCE process to explore, communicate and evaluate sets of solutions to satisfy a customer requirement or to solve a particular problem) where SBCE brings its utmost benefits. This paper proposes such a methodology called SBCE Innovation Roadmap (SBCE IR) that is used as a guideline by product designers to begin SBCE processes. A case study on Adiabatic Humidification System (AHS) is discussed to elaborate the application of the methodology in a real product system. Furthermore, by using the roadmap, a rack subsystem is selected to show how to use SBCE IR as an input for SBCE process, and further explore and evaluate innovative design concepts. Finally, an open questionnaire is prepared and interviews are made with experts to assess the advantages, applicability, and limitations of the methodology.
Lightning electric field characteristics of first and subsequent return strokes to a tall tower

Simulation of electric fields associated with lightning return stroke (RS) currents of flashes to a tall structure (the Toronto 553-m CN Tower) is based on the modeling of current distributions along both the tall structure and the lightning RS channel using the modified transmission line model (MTL). The main peculiarity of the developed MTL model is that it accounts for multiple current reflections within the Tower [8-10] as well as within the continuously growing RS channel [5]. In this paper, previously obtained current distributions [5] are used to calculate vertical electric fields (2 km away from the Tower) for various: (a) parameters (peak and maximum steepness) of first and subsequent RS current pulses injected at the Tower's top; (b) values of RS front velocities; (c) values of the channel current decay factor in the MTL model. Calculated electric field waveforms and ratios of peak values (for subsequent and first RS) are discussed and compared with observed data.
A substructured FE/XFE method for stress intensity factors computation in an industrial structure

The introduction of the eXtended Finite Element Method (X-FEM) into a commercial Finite Element (FE) software was achieved through a substructuring method. For fracture mechanics problems, the domain is decomposed into cracked and safe subdomains which are solved by the XFE-code and the FE-software, respectively. The interface problem is solved using a FETI solver. The new approach is compared with a classical FE-approach in the case of a planar crack in a compressor drum of a turbofan engine.
Foregrounding Direct and Oblique Translation Methods in Mariama Bâ’s So Long a Letter : A Comparative Stylistic Perspective

This paper is a comparative stylistic study of the French source version and translated English version of Mariama Bâ‟s award winning epistolary novel Une si Longue Lettre / So Long a Letter, published in 1979 and 1981 respectively. It is an investigation on the linguistic ways and means to effectively arrive at the translation of a literary work from a source language to a target one, while remaining on track with the situation, the ideas and the message shared by the author in the source text. The proofread, cross study and scrutiny of both versions unveiled the significant achievements of the translator in the transcoding of a deeply cultural, religious, stylistic, tonal, and both traditional and modernity geared literary work. The results of the research work show that the translation methods used are those of direct translation borrowing and literal translation – on the one hand, and oblique translation – transposition, modulation, and equivalence on the other hand, based on the theoretical framework developed by Vinay and Darbelnet. The application of those methods reveal the translator‟s dedicated efforts to remain on track with the source text, while feeding in some shifts in speech parts, some thoughtful stylistic and linguistic tonal balance to remain in tune with various peculiar aspects of the Anglophone readership.
Multiple UAV Task Assignment using Descriptor Functions

Abstract The paper presents a preliminary application of a new methodology to the problem of task assignment, for a large number of unmanned vehicles operating in a cooperative and coordinated fashion. The proposed methodology uses the general concept of Descriptor Functions, to establish a relationship between tasks, their priority, and agents or groups of agents forming a large interconnected system. A bio-inspired model of the division of labor in colonies of social agents is used to derive a set of rules at the individual level that gives rise to agent specialization. Preliminary simulations show interesting results, and the potential of the proposed technique.
Computation of spectra with unequal resolution using the fast Fourier transform

The discrete Fourier transform of a sequence, which can be computed using the fast Fourier transform algorithm, represents samples of the z transform equally spaced around the unit circle. In this letter, a technique is discussed and illustrated for transforming a sequence to a new sequence whose discrete Fourier transform is equal to samples of the z transform of the original sequence at unequally spaced angles around the unit circle.
Improved Gilbert mixer with high-precision automatic sweet-spot biasing and activeinductor- based harmonic suppression

A 930 MHz Gilbert mixer with improved linearity and noise figure is proposed and implemented in 0.13 μm CMOS. To achieve high linearity, the transconductance stage is biased at the sweet spot by a high-precision automatic optimum biasing circuit; and an active-inductor-based series LC network resonating around 2f LO is implemented at the common source nodes of the switch quad. The adoption of the tunable active inductor makes this work compact and robust. Noise performance also benefits from the harmonic suppression network. Measurement results show that the proposed mixer achieves an IIP3 of 12.4 dBm and a DSB noise figure of 11.5 dB, with a current consumption of 6.7 mA from a 1.2 V supply.
Gecko, the walls cleaner

The paper discusses commercial cleaning robots available on the market. It introduces Gecko, a virtual prototype of a cleaning robot. Gecko has been conceived, assembling mainly standard components, and the actual behaviour in running conditions is shown by using consistent digital mock ups: Gecko is able to fully clean and sanitise floors, walls and ceilings. To comply with health needs, the robot cleans surfaces using steam. Details on abilities and components are provided. The wall sustentation is guaranteed by four suction cups. The path planning allows a 2D Cartesian motion. To simplify the robot control, innovative “automatic suspensions” are integrated in the sustain and actuation system. Finally, other possible applications fields for such a robot are discussed.