Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extreme C2 and Multi-Touch, Multi-User Collaborative User Interfaces

Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to introduce two things, the concept of Extreme C2 and a technological implementation for this collaborative, net-centric concept. Extreme C2 is a concept that applies elements of the eXtreme Programming (XP) concept. This collaborative development technique can increase the adaptability and quality of software, something of high value in the complex domain of enterprise software. When fused with net-centric concepts, Automated Battle Management Aids (ABMAs) and new human interface techniques, the application of this concept to C2 should be able to produce similar benefits for planning in military operations, particularly complex, multifaceted operations. This concept will be demonstrated through the use of a multi-touch, multi-user interface screen built on top of net centric services. The paper will provide the results of a case study from a SPAWAR Charleston experiment about Operationalizing FORCEnet. We will evaluate the impact of Extreme C2 with Multi-Touch Multi-User (MTMU) technology on metrics like agility and speed of decision.
No Bricks in the Wall - Delivering Continuing Professional Development Through Web Technology

The evolution of Web technology is enabling professional development opportunities to be delivered to a wider audience. Individuals are now able to extend their networking beyond the walls of the organisation in which they work, seeking out and understanding new ideas and opinions. Web technology is facilitating the delivery of continuing professional development to a wide range of professional communities. Individuals are now able to pursue their desired professional developmental goals in a more flexible, efficient and innovative manner than was previously possible. This study examines how continuing professional development can be delivered to a wider audience through Web technology. The key issues surrounding the construction of a successful Web community are examined, along with the tools required to construct a thriving Web community. This study will also examine the application of these issues within the context of a Web community of Scottish computing teachers.
Achieving Adaptability through Inquiry Based Learning

Abstract : This report presents inquiry-based learning (IBL) as an instructional strategy that addresses the Army's need for training flexible and adaptive leaders. Distinguishing tenets of IBL are characterized in contrast to the Army's current direct instruction strategy. Elements of IBL, including characterization of the orienting problem, learner support by the instructor, and assessment of learner outcomes are outlined. Considerations for developing an IBL curriculum are addressed, and the outline of a current Army IBL course of instruction is provided.
Stability study of Pt as reference electrode for ISFETs operating in reference electrolyte

Pt electrode used as reference electrode (RE) of Ion Sensitive Field-Effect Transistor (ISFET) is controversial with respect to its redox reactions with the electrolyte so that its potential can be easily perturbed by compositional changes or the flow of electrolyte. The microfluidic-controlled Pt-KCl RE system (PtRE) has been previously proposed to potentially replace the conventional RE for specific applications. This paper presents our further study on the stability of Pt electrode as ISFET’s RE using the PtRE system. It is found that the potential of Pt electrode preserved in air is not stable in the beginning and drifts slowly for quite a few minutes. However, by immersing the Pt electrode in KCl reference electrolyte for a certain time prior to test, the reference characteristics of the Pt electrode can be greatly improved and exhibit as almost good stability performance as conventional Ag/AgCl electrode. Hence, Pt electrode in the PtRE system can be used as a viable alternative to conventional RE for ISFETs and other biochemical sensors.
Earthquake design criteria for structures

The earthquake resistant design of structures plays an important role in seismic regions both from the point of view of public safety and from the point of view of economical construction. Since construction is at a rate of approximately $15 billion per year in the seismic regions of the United States, unnecessary expenditures on earthquake protection could be very costly but, on the other hand, very costly damage could result if a city has inadequate earthquake protection and is shaken by a strong earthquake. The loss of life in an inadequately protected city could be very large, as evidenced by the reported 700,000 casualties inflicted by the Tang-Shan, China earthquake of 28 July 1976. The engineering profession has the technical responsibility for the safe and economical protection against earthquakes. The prime consideration in achieving this protection is the formulation of proper earthquake design criteria. Because the time and place of occurrence of future earthquakes cannot be foretold, the earthquake forces to which a structure will be subjected during its lifetime can not be specified at the time it is being designed and, therefore, consideration mast be given to the desired performance of the structure if it should be subjected to weak earthquakes which have a relatively high probability of occurrence, or to very strong earthquakes which have relatively low probability of occurrence. The earthquake design criteria must then be formulated so that the building is, indeed, capable of the desired performance, and this formulation should be the responsibility of the project engineer.
Development of a highly automated system for the remote evaluation of individual tree parameters

A highly-automated procedure for remotely estimating individual tree location, crown diameter, species class, and height has been developed. This procedure will involve the use of a multimodal airborne sensing system that consists of a digital frame camera, a scanning laser rangefinder, and a position and orientation measurement system. Data from the multimodal sensing system will be processed by a model-based procedure for the recognition of individual tree crowns in aerial images. Both the multimodal sensing and tree crown recognition components have been separately tested, and data to test their integration have recently been acquired as part of an in-progress experiment. The tree crown recognition procedure has been extended to use data from the scanning laser rangefinder to increase the reliability of individual tree crown isolation and to estimate tree height. Depending on the results of the experiment, the integrated system may be useful in many forest inventory activities, delivering data at a low cost relative to its value.
Sources of competitiveness for secondary wood products firms : A review of literature and research issues

More than 1 million U.S. workers in some 45,000 firms are employed in the lumber, wood products, furniture, and fixture industries. Wood household and office furniture (SIC 251 and 252) are the largest manufacturing segments, adding $13.851 billion per year to raw product value. During the 1980s, U.S. furniture manufacturers lost sizeable market share to Pacific Rim countries. To improve their performance in increasingly global markets, U.S. manufacturers must have a clear understanding of how to assess their competitive position and how to affect its strategic determinants. This paper reviews existing information on the performance of the U.S. secondary wood products industry and summarizes current models regarding competitiveness and its sources. A review of the literature suggests that both intemal firm processes and external market and government policy factors affect firm and industry competitiveness. However, these are rarely linked in a comprehensive analysis. This paper argues that in order to better understand the factors affecting global competitiveness in this industry, research is needed that combines engineering and economic analyses of competitiveness.
Spectral estimation of hidden Markov models

This thesis extends and improves methods for estimating key quantities of hidden Markov models through spectral method-of-moments estimation. Unlike traditional estimation methods like EM and Gibbs sampling, the set of estimation methods, which we call spectral HMMs (sHMMs), are incredibly fast, do not require multiple restarts, and come with provable guarantees. Our first result improves upon the original spectral estimation of hidden Markov models algorithm by estimating the parameters from fully reduced data. We also show that the parameters developed in the fully reduced dimensional version can be estimated using various forms of regression, which can lead to major speed gains, as well as allowing flexibility in the estimation scheme. We then extend the algorithm beyond basic hidden Markov models to latent variable tree structures that have linguistic applications, especially dependency parsing, and finally to hidden Markov models in which the output is a high-dimensional, continuously distributed variable. We show that spectral estimation of hidden Markov models can be factored into two major componentsestimation of the hidden state space dynamics, and estimation of the observation probability distributions. This leads to extremely flexible estimation procedures that can be tailored precisely for the task of interest. These tools are all simple to implement, fast, and naturally incorporate dimension reduction, which allows them to scale gracefully as the dimension of the data increases. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Statistics First Advisor Dean Foster Subject Categories Statistics and Probability This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/1423 SPECTRAL ESTIMATION OF HIDDEN MARKOV MODELS
Analysis of Volatile Compounds in Probiotic Yogurt during Storage through Solid-phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography

Two different yogurts, control and probiotic with Bifidobacterium BB-12 were produced and analyzed for their contents of total solids, proteins, pH, counts of probiotic bacteria, and volatile composition during refrigerated storage for 28 days. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction of volatile compounds from the probiotic yogurt containing through HS-SPME combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Post-acidification and decrease in protein content were noted in both yogurts during storage. The results showed that the extraction temperature and the addition of salt were statistically the most influential factors for the extraction of higher amounts of volatile compounds. The volatile compounds detected in the probiotic yogurt were 2-butanone, 2,3-butanedione, 2,3-pentanodione, acetone and hexanoic acid. During the 28 days of storage, the only differences noted were between the amounts of 2,3-butanedione, 2,3-pentanodione and hexanoic acid.
Carbon capture and storage retrofit: Case study for Croatia

ABSTRACT Considerable efforts are made in order to reduce the power sector’s carbon footprint. Paired with a realization that thermal power plants are likely to play a significant role during the transitional period towards a 100% sustainable energy system, carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofit is becoming a growingly important consideration for a number of power plant operators. This paper analyzes the possibility of retrofitting a coal-fired power plant based in Croatia. A techno-economic model of the proposed unit is built setting up key elements of the technological solution and determining their capital and operational costs. Both a sensitivity analysis and a market analysis are conducted in order to best evaluate the feasibility of the CCS retrofit project. Particularities of South East Europe power sectors are considered utilizing an optimization software. Special consideration is given to the influence of the EU emission trading scheme (ETS) on CCS projects. Further research focuses on the main factors influencing the potential implementation of CCS. Key recommendations that might aid CCS deployment are outlined signaling stronger government support, stable regulatory framework, and market incentives as crucial factors able to foster CCS development. Considering the project in the study, analyses showed that, although technically feasible, CCS retrofit is currently not a financially viable option. Without a stable regulatory framework able to guarantee an adequate supporting scheme, the project is not market competitive. It is important to note that the economic gap of CCS retrofit has been considerably reduced during the past years.
The roles of network in the knowledge transfer process

Title: Network in the knowledge transfer process Authors: Ying-Sze Tang (Virginia), Pattamawan Chaikiturajai (Koy) Supervisor: Sven-Olof Yrjo Collin Course: Dissertation 15 ECTS, spring 2010 Seminar date: June 1, 2010 Key words: Knowledge transfer, network, knowledge transfer by network Purpose: To examine the roles of network in the knowledge transfer process Method: The aim is to examine the roles of network in the knowledge transfer process by using theories as a foundation and then relating literatures with empirical data. An abductive approach and qualitative case study approach would be conducted. Theory: The theoretical framework of reference consists of knowledge transfer, network and knowledge transfer by network. The conceptual models which are developed by the authors will be described at the end of chapter 3.Empirical method: Secondary data such as companies‘ information from website and annual report are used for data collection. Since the comparison could be made, this study is to perform interviews with two international companies which are HMS Industrial Networks AB and Synovate Limited. The interviewees are the persons who participated in the communication with overseas people.Analysis: The analysis part consists of two sections. The first section is a within-case analysis of HMS Industrial Networks AB and Synovate Limited while the second section is a cross-case analysis of both companies. Conclusion: The major finding after doing this thesis is that all main networks including home country network, host country network and subsidiaries network are crucial factors in knowledge transfer process. Home country network acts as an ‗Advisor‘ to get assistance and guidance for gaining knowledge. Host country network acts as a ‗Punching Tool‘ which helps company to enter into an unfamiliar and difficult foreign market due to language and culture barrier. Subsidiaries network acts as a ‗Knowledge Booster‘ which help each other about transferring knowledge between host countries to enhance the whole process. It is because business operations are conducted in subsidiaries locally but not in the headquarters.
A comparative study between strength and durability of bentonite and natural gum stabilised sand

ABSTRACT The loss in strength of engineered geo-materials due to their exposure to adverse environmental conditions is a major problem and is investigated in terms of durability. In the present study, geo-materials are developed using the sand obtained from river Yamuna and is stabilised with bentonite or two different types of biopolymer (Guar gum and Xanthan gum) separately. The maximum percentage of bentonite is fixed as 25% by dry weight, whereas the biopolymer (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%) is used by making its solution with distilled water. A continuous increase in the unconfined compressive strength is observed in the bentonite stabilised sand whereas an optimum percentage of both the biopolymers is observed as 1.5%. The penetration resistance is presented in term of CBR value and resilient modulus is calculated using the same. Although, the bentonite and Guar gum stabilised sand demonstrate higher strength compared to Xanthan gum stabilised sand; however, the former is not found stable when submerged in water. More than 50% loss in strength for sand stabilised with 1.5% and 2.0% Xanthan gum is observed. Further, the stability of the biopolymer stabilised sand in submerged condition is discussed with the help of SEM images.
A Wedge Analysis of the U.S. Transportation Sector

The concept of stabilization wedges is introduced and applied to the U.S. transportation sector in order to assess the potential of approaches that could reduce both greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and petroleum consumption. Three general approaches are assessed using a wedge analysis, including (1) improvements in vehicle technology, (2) switching to lower-GHG fuels, and (3) utilization of travel demand management (TDM). A broad range of assumptions are considered for each of these approaches, reflecting the wide range of estimates regarding alternative transportation fuels, improvements in vehicle technology, and potential reductions in TDM. A wedge analysis is used to help frame the issues involved and to compare the numerous transportation approaches using a common metric – namely a wedge count. It is shown that approximately nine U.S. transportation sector wedges, each representing 5,000 MMT CO2e of cumulative reductions between now and 2050, would be enough to flatten emissions in the sector. Just over four wedges could flatten emissions from the passenger vehicle category. A wedge analysis was performed on a wide range of scenarios involving just passenger vehicles. Fuel switching alone could yield up to 2.3 wedges. Vehicle technologies, when combined with fuels, could account for up to 3 wedges given a 30% market share by 2050. TDM alone could account for up to 1.4 wedges given a 15% reduction in travel growth by 2050. By contrast, a system approach combining the three approaches can result in 4 to 9 wedges.
BACKGROUND NOISE IN CMOS INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A WIRELESS INTERCONNECT SYSTEM

The object of the invention is to provide a self-contained spray applicator for one handed operation in a zero gravity vacuum environment by a free-flying astronaut not attached to any spacecraft while avoiding contamination of the operator by back spray. Said applicator includes a rigid accumulator (12) for containment of a fluid (17) within a flexible bladder (16), the fluid being urged out of the accumulator under pressure through a spray gun (13). The spray gun includes a spring loaded lockable trigger (47) which controls a valve (56). When in an open position, the fluid passes through the valve into the ambient environment in the form of a spray. A spray shield (14) is provided which directs the flow of the spray from the applicator by trapping errant particles of spray yet allowing the passage of escaping gases through its material. This reduces the reactive force exerted by the escaping spray on the operator of the applicator. The spray shield consists of two concentric layers of open celled urethane foam with the inner layer consisting of a coarser grain than the outer, thereby trapping progressively finer particles of spray.
Microalgae are possible source of biodiesel'' fuel

Researchers interested in developing renewable energy resources are investigating the use of single-celled algae--microalgae--as a potential source of lipids that could be converted into a diesel fuel substitute known as biodiesel. Progress in this effort was described at a symposium on photobiological and photochemical formation of fuels and chemicals sponsored by the Biotechnology Secretariat. The aim of NREL's Biodiesel from Aquatic Species Project is to develop the technology for large-scale production of oil-rich microalgae as well as methods to convert the microalgal lipids into liquid fuels needed for industry and transportation. A major goal is to use genetic engineering techniques to control the lipid production of microalgae. By manipulating culture conditions, researchers already can increase the lipid content of the microalgae cell from the 5 to 20% found in nature to more than 60% in the laboratory and more than 40% in outdoor culture.
Task-specific modulation of a proprioceptive reflex in a walking insect

The generation of task-dependent and goal-directed walking behaviour requires feedback from leg sense organs for regulating and adapting the ongoing motor activity. Sensory feedback from movement and force sensors influences the magnitude and the timing of neural activity generated in the neural networks driving individual joints of a leg. In many animals, the effects of sensory feedback on the generated motor output change between posture maintenance and locomotion. These changes can occur as reflex reversals in which sensory information, that usually counteract perturbations in posture control, instead reinforce movements in walking. In stick insects, for example, flexion of the femur-tibia joint is measured by the femoral chordotonal organ, which mediates reinforcement of the stance phase motor output of the femur-tibia joint when the locomotor system is active. Flexion signals promote flexor and inhibit extensor motoneuron activity. However, the mechanisms underlying these changes are only partially understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present thesis was to investigate whether the processing of movement and position signals of the FTi joint is task-specifically modified in the generation of adaptive leg movements, which is required when locomotion is adapted to changes in walking direction or in turning movements. To study the role of these task-dependent changes in walking behaviour on the processing of local sensory signals, the generation of reflex reversals mediated by the femoral chordotonal organ in the femur-tibia joint of the stick insect Carausius morosus was measured in a semi-intact walking preparation. In several experimental conditions either in front, in one or both middle or in hind legs, the femoral chordotonal organ was mechanically displaced and the motoneuronal responses in the flexor and extensor tibia were monitored, while the remaining legs performed either forward, backward or curve walking on a slippery surface. I demonstrated that the occurrence of reflex reversals depends on the specific motor behaviour executed. While in forward walking flexion signals from the front leg fCO regularly elicit reflex reversal in the tibial motoneurons, this cannot be observed in backward walking. Similarly, during optomotor-induced curve walking, reflex reversal occurred reliably in the middle leg on the inside of the turn, however not in the contralateral leg on the outside of the turn. Thus, the experiments revealed that the nervous system modulates proprioceptive reflexes in individual legs during task-specific walking adaptation. Furthermore, I showed that nonspiking interneurons, known to be involved in the premotor network of the FTi joint, participate in reflex responses in both the inner and outer middle leg during curve walking. First results show that the reflex response in some interneuron types is altered between the inner and outer leg, while no differences were found in others.