Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ROPE: Reducing the Omni-kernel Power Expenses

Over the last decade, power consumption and energy efficiency have arisen as important performance metrics for data center computing systems hosting cloud services. The incentives for reducing power consumption are several, and often span economic, technological, and environmental dimensions. Because of the vast number of computers currently employed in data centers, the economy of scale dictates that even small reductions in power expenditure on machine level can amount to large energy savings on data center scale. Clouds commonly employ hardware virtualization technologies to allow for higher degrees of utilization of the physical hardware. The workloads encapsulated by virtual machines constantly compete for the available physical hardware resources of their host machines. To prevent execution of one workload from seizing resources that are intended for another, absolute visibility and opportunity for resource allocation is necessary. The Omni-kernel architecture is a novel operating system architecture especially designed for pervasive monitoring and scheduling. Vortex is an experimental implementation this architecture. This thesis describes rope (Reducing the Omni-kernel Power Expenses), which introduces power management functionality to the Vortex implementation of the Omni-kernel architecture. rope reduces the power consumption of Vortex, and does so while limiting performance degradation. We evaluate the energy savings and performance impacts of deploying rope using both custom tailored and industry standard benchmarks. We also discuss the implications of the Omni-kernel architecture with regards to power management, and how energy efficiency can be accommodated in this architecture.
How Does COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Rice Yield? Lessons from, Southeast Nigeria

At the global level and particularly across sub-Saharan African (SSA), while rice farmers are still battling the negative impact of climate change and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new risk that not only threatens farmers livelihoods but also the most important global food security crop “Rice”. Every farming season in Nigeria, rice farmers face risks such as low rainfall, price volatility, methane emissions, rising debts and poor government policies. But the present risks from the COVID-19 pandemic are putting new challenges in front of rice value-chain that is already under serious threat. Additionally, the growing demand for rice across SSA and particularly in Nigeria exceeds supply, resulting in a rice deficit. To overcome this challenge, rice yield should be increased particularly now there is a new threat for farmers. As a matter of urgency, farmers must respond to this new threat (COVID-19) by choosing measures that increase their yield. Incidentally, empirical studies that documented the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on rice yield cannot be found as at the time of this study. These create emptiness in research and make it extremely difficult if not impossible for the government/interest group to know the method they can use in helping farmers mitigate the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic in rice production. It was against this backdrop that this study was systematically undertaken. The study was meticulously guided five (5) objectives. The survey was conducted from March through July 2020. A cross-sectional data was elicited from 504 rice farmers selected across Southeast Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools such as means, flow-chart, percentage and likert scaletype. Mean age was 45.00 years. Greater proportions (61.30%) were male. A very salient finding was that COVID19 pandemic is disrupting activities of rice value-chain like harvesting of 2019/2020 season’s produce that was ongoing and land preparations and planting for 2020/2021 season (x̄=≥3.11). Result show that the non-availability of labour is interrupting planting, harvesting and distribution activities of rice (x̄=≥3.32). There are disruptions in purchase of inputs because of restrictions (x̄=≥3.12). Findings also developed incisive conceptual framework showing the effect of COVID-19 pandemic in rice farming. Result also shows that extension visits to farmers have been seriously limited (85.32% had no visit) due restrictions. With this present threat, Nigeria are likely to experience a reversal in the development gains already achieved and will be unlikely to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the aspirations of African Agenda 2063. The study therefore identified the need for governments at all levels in the country to design a sustainable policy in such a way that farmers should have access to affordable farm credit as well as subsidized agricultural inputs in order to increase their ability and flexibility to change in production strategies in response to COVID-19 pandemic.
Fully Integrated Analog Front-end for a 2-electrode ECG device

Cardiovascular diseases are leading cause of deaths worldwide. With increasing graying population and limited health infrastructure there is a need for portable and implantable ECG devices to diagnose these diseases early on. In general an ECG device requires three or more electrodes, which need to be applied to the body via a gel, to obtain a satisfactory reading. This puts a constraint on the portability of the device. This thesis deals with designing a fully-integrated 10 bit analog front-end i.e. an instrumentation amplifier and an ADC, specifically, for a two-electrode ECG device. Integrated ECG read-out circuits have to deal with two challenges mainly viz. obtaining a high common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) and integrating large time-constants on the chip. Firstly, all sources of interference which affect an ECG reading is studied. It is shown that for a portable and integrated read-out circuit, a high CMRR is obtained from the fact that the device will be floating and hence the circuit itself need not have a high CMRR. Existing techniques for integrating large time-constants are presented and compared. It is shown that these techniques either give rise to unpredictable time-constants and are non-linear near the required cut-o frequency or consume a lot of power from a system perspective. A novel mixed-signal feedback technique using a sigma-delta ADC has been proposed wherein the digital signal is scaled, integrated and fed back to the previous analog stage. The advantages of such a method are more control over the position of the cut-o frequency and higher linearity. The power consumption needed to implement such a technique is negligible. The circuit is designed in CMOS 0.35um I3T25 technology. The designed instrumentation amplifier reports the best SNR and 3rd highest Noise-Efficieny Factor (NEF). The linearity at the cut-o frequency is shown to be of 10 bits which is an improvement of 3 bits over existing techniques. The total static power consumption for the system is 66uW. The implementation of the time-constant consumes only 40nW of static power.
COMPASSION FATIGUE IN NURSING PROFESSIONALS IN THE CONTEXT OF PALLIATIVE CARE: SCOPING REVIEW

Objective: to map scientific evidence on compassion fatigue in Nursing professionals in the context of palliative care. Method: scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute recommendations. Fourteen articles in English published between 2000 and 2019 were included. The Preferred Report checklist for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, an extension for scoping reviews, was used. And the sources of information for obtaining the studies were: Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health and Scientific Electronic Library Online. Results: the evidence revealed important factors for the management of compassion fatigue, such as: professional training programs, recognition of the problem and the association with interpersonal relationships in palliative care. Conclusions: the study highlighted that the advancement of the palliative approach at different levels of care denotes more vulnerability to compassion fatigue in Nursing professionals, which requires more investment in educational activities at work as well as more attention from managers. As it is a significant theme for well-being and care, the evidence identified on compassion fatigue can support further investigations in the field of mental health of Nursing workers and related areas.
Bio-hydrogen and biomass supported palladium catalyst for energy production and waste minimisation. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Birmingham.

The project objective was to advance the development of the H2 economy by improving biological H2 production in a sustainable way. Pseudo-continuous H2 production was achieved with improved efficiency, via the bacterial fermentation of sugars in a dual-bioreactor (‘upstream system’) comprising a dark fermentation coupled to a photofermentation. Excess biomass from the upstream system was used to recover palladium from solution, producing ‘palladised biomass’ (Bio-Pd(0)), which was useful in the construction of bioinorganic catalytic anodes for the electricity generation from bio-H2 using a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (‘downstream system’). Furthermore, the catalytic usefulness of Bio-Pd(0) was confirmed in several reactions in comparison with other palladised biomasses and with Pd(0) made chemically. The upstream modules: Escherichia coli dark fermentation and Rhodobacter sphaeroides photofermentation, were investigated and developed separately, before coupling the two stages by the novel application of electrodialysis (accelerated membrane separation). The biorecovery and testing of palladium bionanocatalyst are described, before the production of fuel cell catalyst using waste biomass. The technical challenges and potential benefits of biohydrogen production are discussed and contrasted with those of competing biofuel technologies.
Nichtinvasive kardiale Bildgebung in der Diagnostik der KHK

Cardiovascular imaging has experienced and is still experiencing tremendous advancements as far as hardware as well as software technology is concerned. In every day clinical routine, crucial decisions are daily being taken based on imaging findings. These decisions include changes to treatment strategies, performing further testing, recommending or adhering to preventive measures, and ultimately affect patient outcomes. Appropriate use of different imaging modalities which includes choosing the right modality, adequate performance of the imaging test as well as professional reporting is crucial for providing high quality medical care. Furthermore, a growing body of scientific evidence is currently available that show the clinical relevance of different imaging methods in the clarification of different disease constellations. This article describes various imaging modalities that are used in the work-up of CAD in everyday cardiac routine.
Modelling and analysis of a tricopter

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can generally be defined as a “device used or intended to be used for flight in the air that has no on-board pilot”. Tricopter is one such UAV. Here we present new results to compute the kinematic and dynamic analysis for a tricopter mini-rotorcraft. The orientation and control of tricopter according to the parametric equation is also shown. The transformation of all the parameters from one co-ordinate to another co-ordinate is done. It include body frame of reference and earth frame of reference. Hence mathematical modelling of the tricopter is done. The relation or dependence of position on the angular speed of motor/s is shown by plotting three dimensional position versus time graph in MATLAB by considering different cases. A well dimensioned and rendered CAD 3D model of the intended tricopter is designed in CATIA and further rendered in Autodesk Showcase.
Learners' attitude towards learning through CD-ROM courseware : a case study of an organization.

The paper seeks to explore two factors associated with learners’ attitude toward learning through CD-ROM courseware: (1) learners’ characteristic; and (2) characteristics of CD-ROM courseware. Data were administered using an instrument custom designed for the study. The respondents were 150 employees of the selected organisation who had used any CD-ROM courseware in any of the organisation’s learning centres during a specified one-month period. Results show that: (1) the majority of respondents surveyed found to have favourable attitude toward the last CD-ROM courseware they had used; (2) learners’ attitude towards computers was found to be highly correlated with learners’ attitude towards CD-ROM courseware; and (3) courseware characteristics of textology and immediate feedback were identified as two of the most highly correlated factors. In learning through CD-ROM courseware, learners’ characteristics such as learners’ attitude towards computers, their working experience and educational achievement need to be taken into consideration. In CD-ROM courseware development, characteristics such as textology and immediate feedback are important elements that facilitate positive attitude towards learning. This study is useful to CD-ROM courseware developers and training managers in developing a more appropriate training for learners.
A Novel GaN-Based Solid-State Circuit Breaker with Voltage Overshoot Suppression

This paper proposes a novel ultra-Fast self-powered bidirectional solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) with voltage overshoot suppression that uses gallium nitride (GaN) switches with very low conduction losses. This SSCB can be used in low and medium AC/DC networks for both short-circuit protection and overcurrent protection. An exhaustive methodology for RCD snubber design applied to SSCBs is provided. A comprehensive review of the technical literature is presented exhibiting that the proposed SSCB reduces conduction losses and detection time in comparison with other similar SSCBs. The performance features of the proposed SSCB are verified through the functional tests that are carried out employing a hardware-implemented prototype. Experimental results confirm that our proposal is able to detect and process the short-circuit failure in 282ns; the authors have not found any faster results in the literature.
Globales Gemeinwohl und Nachhaltigkeit

Bernhard Sutor versteht Nachhaltigkeit als „Zukunftsdimension des Gemeinwohls“ 1 und lehnt es von daher ab, dieses als neues Sozialprinzip einzuführen. Sein 2012 in den Stimmen der Zeit hierzu veröffentlichter Aufsatz richtet sich hauptsächlich gegen meine anderslautende Auffassung hierzu. Insofern bedauere ich es, dass er heute nicht hier ist, freue mich aber auf die Debatte, an der mich die theoriestrategische Frage der Zuordnung von Gemeinwohl und Nachhaltigkeit interessiert. Im Unterschied zu vielen anderen gehe ich davon aus, dass Gemeinwohl nicht zu den Sozialprinzipien zu rechnen ist, sondern als Element der Gerechtigkeit und damit komplementär zu den Sozialprinzipien verortet werden sollte.
Soundfields and soundscapes reifying auditory communities.

This paper reports progress towards mapping workplace soundscapes. In order to design auditory interfaces that integrate effectively with workplace environments, we need a detailed understanding of the way in which end users inhabit these environments, and in particular, how they interact with the existing auditory environment. Our work concentrates first on mapping the physical soundfield, then overlaying this with a representation of the soundscape as experienced by its active participants. The ultimate aim of this work is to develop an interactive soundscape-mapping tool, analogous to the modeling tools available to architects. Such a tool would be of use to designers of physical, augmented and virtual environments and usable without professional musical or acoustical expertise.
A Development of a Cost Control System for Small and Medium-sized Contractors

Construction business comprises a number of small and medium-sized contractors which form the major part of the industry. The existing research on the new ICT development is creating more and more sophisticated and complex systems which may not be applicable to the construction industry. With regard to general limitations as design criteria, this research used a collaborative approach to develop a cost control system for small and medium-sized contractors. Five suitable contractors were selected to participate in this research study. The new efficient cost control system can be developed using available ICT tools which are familiar and easy-to-learn. A collaborative approach can ensure the diffusion of technology to these companies.
Key Pre-distribution and Key Revocation in Wireless Sensor Networks

Sensor networks are composed of resource constrained tiny sensor devices. They have less computational power and memory. Communication in sensor network is done in multi-hop, and for secure communication, neighboring sensor nodes must possess a secret common key among them. Symmetric and public key cryptography require more processing and memory space. Hence, they are not suitable for sensor network. Key pre-distribution is a widely accepted mechanism for key distribution in sensor network. In this thesis we proposed a deterministic key pre-distribution scheme using BCH codes. We mapped the BCH code to key identifier and the keys corresponding to each key identifier are installed into the sensor nodes before deployment. We compared our proposed scheme with existing one and found that it has a better resiliency. Our proposed scheme is scalable and requires the same or less number of keys for a given number of nodes than the existing well known schemes. We have also proposed an efficient key revocation technique using a novel distributed voting mechanism in which neighboring nodes of a sensor can vote against it if they suspect the node to be a compromised one. In the proposed key revocation scheme compromised nodes as well as the compromised keys are completely removed from the network.
An Overview of Recent Developments in Microring Resonator Based Photonic Circuits

Microring and microdisk resonators are used in photonic circuits to perform filter functions, serve as band- limited mirrors in lasers, compensate for dispersion and group delay distortion, are used in multiplexers in telecommunication systems, and a number of other applications such as medical instrumentation, biosensing, interferometry, to name a few. This paper outlines some challenges and solutions in this relatively new and prolific discipline.
Percepción e imagen: estudio mediante el análisis de series temporales

The public image of a person corresponds to the opinion and consideration of others, based on how it is projected and how it is perceived. You can see the public image of a person through social networks, because users express opinions that arouse social interest about them. Our objective is to determine the acceptance of the President of the Republic of Ecuador Lenin Moreno based on the opinions of Twitter users. For this, data has been collected in two time periods to observe changes in the perception of their image
Mechatronics and Autonomy in Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) challenges the surgeon’s skills due to his separation from the operation area which can be reached with long instruments only. To overcome the drawbacks of manual MIS minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS) plays an important role. This paper takes a close look at the requirements on a MIRS system and how these can be met. This includes a discussion of the mechatronic main components robotic arm and console including appropriate control laws and highly integrated joint units. The development of actuated and sensorized instruments which help to increase the surgeon’s immersion and dexterity is described. Intraoperative autonomy functions such as automatic camera guidance and motion compensation release the surgeon from tiring and undesired tasks.
PREVALENCE OF MALNUTRITION AMONG SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN OF UNIVERSITY CAMPUS PESHAWAR 2013

BACKGROUND: School going children are one of the neglected public health sectors and thus lead toimproper nutrition and are at potential risk for growth and developmental problems starting from earlylife, and eventually affecting their physical and mental status, so this study was conducted to highlightmalnutrition problems among school going children.OBJECTIVES: To find the prevalence of malnutrition in school going children of university campusPeshawar.MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 school goingchildren of university campus Peshawar; during April to August 2013. Two schools of male children ofage four to twelve years were included while female children, migrants, and those having anypathological conditions were excluded. Weight and height were measured and body mass indexcalculated using standard procedures of anthropometric measurements. After that the individual BMIwere categorized according to the international standards.RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition in our study was 37% among 4 to 12 years school agechildren of university campus Peshawar. The prevalence of under nutrition was found in 30%; out ofwhich 18% were slightly underweight, 10% were moderately underweight and only 2% were severelyunderweight, while only 7% were overweight.CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of malnutrition was more (37%) among four to twelve years schoolgoing children of University campus Peshawar and approximately 63% were normal on themeasurements of BMI calculated. • KEY WORDS: Prevalence, Malnutrition, Underweight, Children.
Technological change in small organisations: an innovation translation perspective

Organisations introduce technological innovations in the expectation of change, but for a new technology to be of use and to bring about significant organisational change it must first be adopted, implemented and infused into that organisation. In this paper I will argue that, especially in most small organisations, technology adoption is a complex process that has as much to do with organisational culture and politics as with any supposed merits of the technology. The adoption process is further complicated by many organisations not wanting to adopt a technology in the exact form it is proposed to them, but wanting to ‘translate’ it into a form more suitable to their perceived requirements. This translation may mean using some aspects of the technology while leaving others out entirely, or of using the technology in a non-standard way, different to that proposed. I will argue that innovation translation, informed by actor-network theory, offers a useful framework for researching technological change, and especially so in small organisations.
Fundamentals of Intelligent Transportation Systems Planning

This book presents the essential information necessary for the successful planning of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The book is appropriate for upper-level undergraduate and undergraduate courses, and also serves as a practical reference for transportation operations/planning practitioners. Chapters address the fundamentals of traffic flow and control, ITS user services, ITS applications and benefits, ITS architecture, ITS planning, ITS standards, ITS evaluation and ITS challenges and opportunities.