Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Destination choice modeling of discretionary activities in transport microsimulations

Transport of persons and goods brings benefits and costs for individual actors and for the community. A main goal of transport planning is the maximization of net benefit or social welfare through influencing the transport system with due consideration of its environment. Naturally, the definition of net benefit is highly complex and subject to societal discussion. A first step for efficient control and understanding of transport system is transport modeling. While aggregate transport models, such as the 4-step procedure, still dominate the practice and, according to lex parsimoniae, probably will continue to play a significant role, disaggregate models (also called second generation models), with the individual as basic modeling unit, are becoming more and more important. They are able to address infrastructure management issues rather than being focused on infrastructure extension as are the first generation models. A prominent instance of disaggregate modeling are microsimulations that explicitly model the interactions of micro-units, here individuals or vehicles. Due to their conceptual appeal, the large research body, the continuously increasing computational power, and a large availability of microsimulation software packages, microsimulations have the potential to become state-of-practice in efficiently complementing the aggregate approach. A prerequisite for the exploitation of this potential is progress in terms of several crucial issues. On a general level, this concerns the methodically correct and computationally efficient handling of random variability in large-scale scenarios. On a level more specific for spatial choices, such as destination choices, the consistent choice set specification is a crucial problem so far missing a consistent solution. This thesis’ goal is contributing to such progress by providing an operational shopping and leisure destination choice module, implemented for the multi-agent transport simulation MATSim as an example, efficiently applicable for large-scale scenarios, and easily adoptable for other similar simulation models. The main contribution is the formulation of an efficient procedure to generate quenched randomness, i.e., to enable consistent handling of randomness in iterative large-scale frameworks.
Flourishing and its Associations with Affective Reactivity and Recovery to Daily Stress

There are marked individual differences in the impact of daily stress on health. We use trait measures of well-being, here quantified as flourishing, and daily reports of stress and negative mood to test (i) the moderating effects of flourishing on affective reactivity and recovery in response to increases in daily stress. To examine whether high curiosity acts as a resource to diminish stress effects, we additionally test (ii) the association between flourishing and curiosity and (iii) the associations between day’s curiosity and both affective reactivity and recovery. We then test for (iv) prospective associations between affective reactivity and recovery and change in flourishing over 3 months. People high in flourishing show lower affective reactivity and augmented recovery. Participants high in flourishing exhibit more frequent days of high curiosity and high curiosity buffers the effects of stress on day’s mood. Finally, greater affective reactivity is associated with longitudinal decreases in flourishing.
A study on the similarities of Deep Belief Networks and Stacked Autoencoders

Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) and autoencoders have been used - in several variants - for similar tasks, such as reducing dimensionality or extracting features from signals. Even though their structures are quite similar, they rely on different training theories. Lately, they have been largely used as building blocks in deep learning architectures that are called deep belief networks (instead of stacked RBMs) and stacked autoencoders.In light of this, the student has worked on this thesis with the aim to understand the extent of the similarities and the overall pros and cons of using either RBMs, autoencoders or denoising autoencoders in deep networks. Important characteristics are tested, such as the robustness to noise, the influence on training of the availability of data and the tendency to overtrain. The author has then dedicated part of the thesis to study how the three deep networks in exam form their deep internal representations and how similar these can be to each other. In result of this, a novel approach for the evaluation of internal representations is presented with the name of F-Mapping. Results are reported and discussed.
New superfast power closing switched-dynistors on delayed ionization

The fastest from known semiconductor electrically triggered power closing switches have turn on times of dozens of nanoseconds at /spl sim/1 kV blocking voltage and /spl sim/100 A switching current. Any attempt to increase the device voltage leads to an increase of the device thickness and an increase of turn-on times. Spark gaps, although faster, have severely limited lifetimes. The effect of delayed ionization has allowed for the development of a new kind of power superfast switch-silicon avalanche shapers (SAS)-in which time of flight limitation on speed has bean overcome. This approach has been used to develop new power superfast devices-fast ionization dynistors (FID)-which behave like a thyristor in that they have two steady states: nonconducting; and high-conducting. The fast (less than 1 ns) transition from the nonconducting to high-conducting state is induced by delayed ionization by the application of a short (nanosecond) high-voltage (kilovolts) pulse to the blocking p-n junction of the multilayered n/sup +/pnp/sup +/ semiconductor structure. Due to regenerative feedback, as in usual thyristors, the structure remains in the high-conducting state infinitely. To switch on the device, it is necessary to break the current by using an external circuit.
Ongoing Activities in Shape Optimization Within The German Project MEGADESIGN

Aerospace industry is increasingly relying on advanced numerical flow simulation tools in the early aircraft design phase. Today's flow solvers based on the solution of the compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations are able to predict aerodynamic behaviour of aircraft components under different flow conditions quite well. Due to the high computational expense required for flow simulations around realistic 3D configurations, in industry computational fluid dynamics tools are rather used for analysis and assessment of given geometries than for shape design and optimization. However, within the next few years numerical shape optimization will play a strategic role fur future aircraft design. It offers the possibility of designing or improving aircraft components with respect to a pre-specified figure of merit subject to geometrical and physical constraints. Recently, large research effort is devoted to develop efficient optimization strategies for industrial aerodynamic aircraft design. Consequently, the German project MEGADESIGN was initiated, where several partners from German industries, universities and research institutions are involved. The duration of the MEGADESIGN project will be from September 2003 to August 2007. The presentation will outline the planned activities within MEGADESIGN, the status at begin of the project and what was already achieved within the early project phase up to now. There are many ingredients to establish an efficient and flexible numerical optimization capability. These include suitable techniques for geometry parametrization, meshing and mesh movement methods, efficient and accurate flow solvers as well as a flexible tool-set of containing both deterministic and stochastic based optimizers. One key activity is the derivation and implementation of a continuous adjoint approach for the DLR flow simulation software MEGAFLOW based on the solution of the (adjoint) Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Its potential of efficient aerodynamic shape design in compressible flow will be demonstrated by several applications.
Predicción de bancarrota: Una comparación de técnicas estadísticas y de aprendizaje supervisado para computadora

We are interested in forecasting bankruptcies in a probabilistic way. Specifcally, we com- pare the classification performance of several statistical and machine-learning techniques, namely discriminant analysis (Altman's Z-score), logistic regression, least-squares support vector machines and different instances of Gaussian processes (GP's) -that is GP's classifiers, Bayesian Fisher discriminant and Warped GP's. Our contribution to the field of computa- tional finance is to introduce GP's as a potentially competitive probabilistic framework for bankruptcy prediction. Data from the repository of information of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is used to test the predictions.
Humanitarian aid in less secure regions : an analysis of World Food Programme operations in the Somali region of Ethiopia

The World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations food agency, has recently acquired the difficult task of transporting aid into the Somali region of Ethiopia. The political instability, rebel activity, ethnic tensions, and poor infrastructure in the area endanger and delay the flow of commodities through the WFP's supply chain. In this thesis, we explore and analyze the role that these threats play in the WFP's aid distribution in the Somali region. Specifically, we measure the impact of insecurity in the WFP's distribution system, study the current methods that the WFP employs to mitigate risks, and investigate possible precautionary technologies to improve security in this resource constrained environment. Our research suggests that while many tools can enhance security, the organizational measures aiming to increase responsibility and trust between all involved supply chain stakeholders ultimately prove to have a stronger impact on the overall safety of aid-distribution. Finally, though our research has focused mainly on the WFP, we believe that all similarly situated humanitarian organizations will find our analysis applicable. Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jarrod Goentzel Title: Executive Director, Masters of Engineering in Logistics Program
Drift Capacity of Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Columns with Low Lateral Confinement and High-Axial Load

This paper presents the experimental results obtained from the testing of nine 1:3 scale square-shaped column specimens. Characteristics of the specimens are low-lateral confinement, low-to-moderate shear span, and high-axial load. Detailing of the transverse reinforcement includes both 90° and 135° hooks. Specimens with low-shear span failed under shear in a brittle manner. Flexural failures were observed in specimens with moderate shear span and having a lateral confinement ratio of 0.003. Lateral confinement has significant influence on the ultimate drift, of which an increase from 0.001 to 0.003 could increase the ultimate drift capacity by up to 100%. Seismic performance of columns with low-to-moderate shear span may not be accurately reflected by the ductility factor. Better representation is provided by the ultimate drift ratio, and can be estimated by an empirical equation. The use of 90° hooks in detailing the transverse reinforcement leads to a 40% reduction on the ultimate drift capacity. Guidelines are also given to estimate the corresponding reduction on the ductility factor.
A Low-wear Planar-contact Silicon Raceway for Microball Bearing Applications

Abstract : As silicon rotary micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices become critical components to power generation and sensor platforms, it is crucial to develop bearing mechanisms that can achieve speed and reliability requirements without increasing cost and complexity. Microball bearings have proven simple to fabricate and capable of achieving high speeds. However, previous microball raceway implementations showed substantial degradation in performance and required cleaning steps to improve reliability. Furthermore, large surface roughness on the raceway thrust surface caused increased wear and friction. In this work, the silicon raceway is modified by shifting the rotor bond interface, minimizing both wear and debris generation within the bearing. We developed a modified fabrication process that eliminates the source of the raceway thrust surface roughness. These modifications led to continuous and repeatable operation for over 4,500,000 revolutions with no degradation in performance. Our testing demonstrated speeds in excess of 85,000 rpm, more than twice that of previous designs.
A PSpice-compatible model of PWM IC for switching power converters with soft-start characteristic

A new PSpice-based model is developed for simulating the soft-start characteristics of switching power supplies. Three commonly-used control ICs: TL494; SG3525; and UC3825 are considered. Using this model, starting characteristics of power supply circuits can be simulated effectively even with popular personal computers. <<ETX>>
The Influence of Social Support and Ability Perception on Coping Strategies for Competitive Stress in Soccer Players: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Assessment

Objectives: To explore the effect of social support and ability perception on stress coping strategies for competitive stress, and to reveal the mediating effects of primary and secondary evaluation, so as to further improve the theoretical model of stress coping in soccer players. Methods: A total of 331 male athletes from 22 teams in the Chengdu Middle School Campus Football League were taken as survey samples, and surveys were conducted on their stress experience, social support, ability perception, cognitive assessment, and coping strategies for competition stress. SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0 statistical analysis software were used. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to process the obtained data. Results: (1) Positive primary assessment acted as a full mediator in the relationship between social support and secondary assessments, and negative primary assessment acted as a partial mediator in the relationship between competence perception and secondary assessments; (2) Secondary assessment played a partial mediating role between positive primary assessment and positive coping strategies, and a full mediating role between negative primary assessment and positive coping strategies; (3) Secondary assessments played the mediator neither between social support and a coping strategy for stress nor competence perception and a coping strategy for stress; (4) Positive primary assessment, positive negative assessment, and secondary assessment all had significant positive benefits for positive coping. Still, the impact of positive primary assessment on positive coping was significantly better than negative primary assessment and secondary assessment. Conclusion: The coping strategy for the competitive stress model proposed by this study has a very good fit for the causal model. It can be used to explain the observed data from soccer players in middle schools. The primary and secondary assessments play different roles in the model. The combination of problem focuses and emotional focus on the positive stress coping strategy is suitable in the field of competitive sports. Still, the relevant research results need to be further explored and verified in the future.
Back pain as reported in survey and claims data – comparison of prevalences and concordance by data linkage

Objectives Back pain is a burden for those suffering from it as well as for the economy and social insurance system. This explains the great interest in collecting data on back pain in population studies to estimate for instance its prevalence. As part of the lidA study, the agreement between self-reported information on back pain (self-reported prevalence) and health claims data (administrative prevalence) has been examined. Methods In two waves of CAPI, employees (years 1959, 1965) were asked about aspects of health, inter alia, if they experience any symptoms or pain in “upper back or thoracic spine” and “lower back or lumbar region” during the past 12 months. With present informed consent, the CAPI data were individually linked with health claims data (n=1,031). Due to the lack of a gold standard, both data sources were cross-validated. Back pain is logged in claims data across sectors based on two different definitions (2009-2013): Def1) at least one “M54” (ICD-10 coded) entry; Def2) present in at least two quarters within a period of four consecutive quarters. Results The difference between self-reported prevalence (57.8%) and administrative prevalence (58.3%) based on Def1 is minimal in contrast to Def2 (34.6%). Despite almost identical prevalence percentages, Cohen’s Kappa for Def1 indicates a low level of agreement between both data sources (0.23 [95%-CI: 0.17-0.29]). Although prevalence differs significantly based on Def2, Cohen’s Kappa still shows low agreement (0.18 [95%-CI: 0.13-0.24]). Conclusions The low level of agreement between both data sources suggests that each data source identifies a certain group of individuals having few overlaps with one another. Therefore, aiming in identifying the target population for disease-specific health prevention, a combination of both data sources, the prevalence of back pain can be estimated more accurately.
Useful Formulas for Piezoelectric Ceramic Resonators and Their Application to Measurement of Parameters

Electrical characteristics of a lossless ceramic resonator with fully covered electrode can be expressed by three basic parameters: clamped capacitance, electromechanical coupling factor, and the gravest resonant frequency or antiresonant frequency. Unified formulas are derived for various modes of vibration with longitudinal and transverse electric field. The formulas are valid for a very wide range of frequency, but the calculation is not simple because of transcendental functions involved. Hence, approximate formulas are derived that are simple and easy to calculate. The accuracy of the approximation is far better than the accuracy of conventional lumped‐constant equivalent circuit representation. A novel method for determining three basic parameters of a ceramic resonator with transverse electric field is developed based on the present approximate formulas. The method requires only the measurement of resonant frequencies, before and after the insertion of a series capacitance, and eliminates the need .
The Playbook : a career exploration program for student athletes at Ball State University

CREATIVE PROJECT: The Playbook: A Career Exploration Program for Student Athletes at Ball State University STUDENT: Krystin Foster DEGREE: Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education COLLEGE: Teachers College DATE: May 2014 PAGES: 52 pages College and university athletes provide a source of entertainment and revenue for an institution and create a sense of pride and school spirit. However, the academic, athletic, and personal schedule requirements of a student athlete can prove to be rigorous and time consuming which can lead to low levels of engagement when it comes to academics. This program was created to ensure that individuals, who have dual roles in higher education as both students and athletes, are able to devote time to exploring academic and career interests. This program allows athletes to engage in personal exploration through questionnaires and self-reflection, while introducing campus resources that are available to them, information about campus offices, and key individuals that can assist them on their journey to finding a future career.
Ethanol from Sugarcane Lignocellulosic Residues - Opportunities for Process Improvement and Production Cost Reduction

Bioethanol from sugarcane is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, and the increasing demand for fuel ethanol has prompted studies on the use of the lignocellulosic residues of sugarcane, namely bagasse and leaves, as new feedstock. This thesis describes various process designs and the economic feasibility of producing second generation (2G) ethanol from bagasse and leaves via the enzymatic route in an integrated sugarcane biorefinery, where first-generation (1G) ethanol is produced from sugarcane sugar. Techno-economic analysis have been performed for the Brazilian context to evaluate the influence of several process designs and the main production factors on the 2G ethanol process, in terms of energy efficiency, 2G ethanol production cost(2G MESP) and profitability. The study of process design focused on ways to integrate the 1G and 2G ethanol processes, and on configurations to hydrolyse and ferment bagasse. The existing 1G ethanol process and the proposed 2G ethanol process were combined in a single plant by integration of thermal and material streams. The resulting synergies could improve the use of feedstock and reduce the 2G ethanol production cost. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF)and time-separated hydrolysis and fermentation (tSHF) were the configurations investigated experimentally for the production of 2G ethanol from bagasse. In an attempt to increase the ethanol concentration before distillation, the fermented liquid of tSHF was also recirculated back to tSHF. The tSHF configurations showed a lower 2G MESP than SSF. Process options were also investigated considering the pentose use and the addition of leaves to the 1G+2G process. Pentoses can either be fermented to ethanol or anaerobically digested to produce electricity from biogas combustion, and in the former case the highest potential reduction in 2G MESP could be achieved. The addition of leaves could improve the overall profitability of the 1G+2G process. Residence time and water-insoluble solids (WIS) loading in hydrolysis were the main process conditions considered together with costing factors, such as enzyme, sugarcane and leaves costs. The selling price of electricity and ethanol were found to have relevant impacts on the profitability of the 1G+2G ethanol process. Among the numerous operating conditions studied for the 2G ethanol process, the cases showing the best trade-off between technical and economic feasibility were also tested experimentally on laboratory scale obtaining promising results. In fact, it was possible to achieve high concentrations of 2G ethanol (47 g/L) in short time (60 hours), overcoming the mixing problems by feeding repeatedly the pretreated bagasse up to 20% WIS.
Serotipos y aislamientos de Escherichia coli productora del subtipo Stx2 de la toxina Shiga provenientes de canales y heces de ganado bovino

Shiga toxin E. coli (STEC) is an important pathogen responsible for foodborne illness, this have been related with epidemic outbreaks in the past, mainly because of consumption of bovine meat. The objective of this study was identify the serotypes and Stx2 subtypes and associate them with their possible epidemiology. There were analyzed a total of 65 isolates from the collection of the Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados en Salud Animal, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, from carcasses and feces of bovines at three different Municipal slaughterhouses. The identification of Stx2 gene by PCR at final point, sequencing and analyzed with the help of BLAST software. There were found O157:H7, O70:H16, O91:H10, O112ac:H2, O128ac:H26 serotypes, which have been reported to be present at infectious outbreaks previously by foodborne worldwide; 63.07% (41/65) of the Escherichia coli strains got amplified for Stx2 and after BLAS analysis it was confirmed its presence and a hypothetic protein. The presence of this serotypes in combination with different subtype’s, Stx2a, Stx2c, Stx2d, in carcasses and feces of bovine in must be considered as a potential risk for diseases an important problem of the public health.