Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of large deflection of beams and plates

OF THE THESIS A Study of Large Deflection of Beams and Plates by Vinesh V. Nishawala Thesis Director: Dr. Haim Baruh For a thin plate or beam, if the deformation is on the order of the thickness and remain elastic, linear theory may not produce accurate results as it does not predict the in plane movement of the member. Therefore, a geometrically nonlinear, large deformation theory is required to account for the inconsistencies. This thesis discusses nonlinear bending and vibrations of simply-supported beams and plates. Theoretical results are compared with other well-known solutions. The effects of geometric nonlinearities are discussed. The equation of motion for plates with ‘stress-free’ and ‘immovable’ edges are derived using modal analysis in conjunction with the expansion theorem. Theoretical results are compared with a finite element simulation for plates. ‘Immovable’ edges are studied for beams. For large bending of beams with ‘stress-free’ edges, a theory by Conway is presented. A brief introduction to Duffing’s equation and Gaussian curvature is presented and their relevance to nonlinear deformations are discussed.
Modelling car-following behaviour with lateral separation and overtaking expectation

To better simulate car-following behaviour, this paper presents a new model that considers the effects of lateral separation and overtaking expectation based on optimal velocity model. A stability condition of the proposed model is obtained using the theory of linear systems. The stability condition reveals that when lateral separation and overtaking expectation increase, the stability region of the traffic flow increases at a low traffic density but decreases at a high traffic density. A genetic algorithm is adopted to calibrate the model using two trajectory data sets: one collected in the next-generation simulation programme and one collected in Guangzhou, China. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed model with respect to parameter uncertainty. Model validation results indicate that by considering the lateral separation and overtaking expectation the new model can better simulate car-following behaviour than the existing ones, especially in some complex driving conditions.
Sélection de variables stabilométriques pour l'analyse et la détection de la dégradation de l'équilibre postural

The study of the static posture is of great interest for the analysis of the deficit of the control of balance. A method of balance analysis is to use a platform of forces which makes it possible to extract displacement of the centre of pressure (CdP). The parameters extracted from CdP time series prove like variables keys to supervise the degradation of balance. However, the irrelevance and\or the redundancy of some of them make difficult an effective detection of degradation. The objective of this paper is the implementation of a method of detection (SVDD) and of a procedure of selection of the relevant parameters able to detect a degradation of balance. The selected criterion of selection is the maximization of surface under the curve ROC.
Designing a Principles of Entrepreneurship Course

This paper describes the redesign of a course, Principles of Entrepreneurship (Principles), using education models to align the content, assessment, and pedagogy decisions for the course. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to align “what we want the student to know” (course objectives) with “how can students demonstrate they understand it” (assessment) by selecting an approach to “how can I best teach the class” (pedagogy) that allows the student to be successful. The education models of Wiggins and McTighe for understanding content, Pelligrino’s assessment triangles, and Perkins’s learning experiences provides a means for grounding course design decisions in educational literature and research, as opposed to relying on one’s instinct. Wiggins and McTighe have defined a hierarchical model for identifying what learning outcomes should be the objectives of a student learning experience, and therefore allowing instructors to differentiate between enduring understandings and other objectives for the course. Pelligrino’s assessment triangle approach integrates the desired student outcomes with the student learning activities (Perkins) by asking the course designer to think through appropriate assessment activities considering what cognitive theory, or other learning theory, the student should be engaging. Finally, Perkins’s seven types of learning experiences provides a range of pedagogical-oriented opportunities for conducting the classroom learning experience that best aligns with the identified student learning objective and assessment activity. This paper demonstrates the process of course alignment among content selection, assessment and pedagogy using an introduction to an entrepreneurship course as the example.
Evaluating the Capability of Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System to Predict of Flushing Half-cone Volume in Reservoirs

Volume of flushed sediment from reservoir can be considered as one of the main points in sediment management issues. Retrieving the storage capacity, cleaning adjacent of power plant intakes and sediment replenishment at downstream area are relatively related to precise prediction of flushed sediment volume. Therefore presenting the intelligent models is necessary to increase the accuracy of calculations, decrease of response time and avoid the uncertainties of multiple regressions models. In this paper, the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) was developed on a wide database of 3 different experimental studies. The results show ANFIS model simulated the actual experimental data quite successfully. The predicted flushed sediment volume in ANFIS was more accurate than multiple regressions results. Finally sensitivity analysis was conducted on the best ANFIS model to select the key parameter affected on flushing processes. It was found that the height ratio of sediment to water is an important parameter to predict the flushing half-cone volume.
Zika-Associated Birth Defects Reported in Pregnancies with Laboratory Evidence of Confirmed or Possible Zika Virus Infection — U.S. Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry, December 1, 2015–March 31, 2018

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects of the brain and eyes, including intracranial calcifications, cerebral or cortical atrophy, chorioretinal abnormalities, and optic nerve abnormalities (1,2). The frequency of these Zika-associated brain and eye defects, based on data from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry (USZPIR), has been previously reported in aggregate (3,4). This report describes the frequency of individual Zika-associated brain and eye defects among infants from pregnancies with laboratory evidence of confirmed or possible Zika virus infection. Among 6,799 live-born infants in USZPIR born during December 1, 2015-March 31, 2018, 4.6% had any Zika-associated birth defect; in a subgroup of pregnancies with a positive nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for Zika virus infection, the percentage was 6.1% of live-born infants. The brain and eye defects most frequently reported included microcephaly, corpus callosum abnormalities, intracranial calcification, abnormal cortical gyral patterns, ventriculomegaly, cerebral or cortical atrophy, chorioretinal abnormalities, and optic nerve abnormalities. Among infants with any Zika-associated birth defect, one third had more than one defect reported. Certain brain and eye defects in an infant might prompt suspicion of prenatal Zika virus infection. These findings can help target surveillance efforts to the most common brain and eye defects associated with Zika virus infection during pregnancy should a Zika virus outbreak reemerge, and might provide a signal to the reemergence of Zika virus, particularly in geographic regions without ongoing comprehensive Zika virus surveillance.
Cloud Computing: Performance Study in an Eucalyptus Private Cloud

Cloud computing is a new computing paradigm that, just as electricity was firstly generated at home and evolved to be supplied from a few utility providers, aims to transform computing into an utility. It is being forecasted that more and more users will rent computing as a service, moving the processing power and storage to centralized infrastructures rather than located in client hardware. Consumers are not used to renting computing capacity. The question of how to measure performance is already a major issue for cloud computing customers. This thesis demonstrates that current metrics for the performance of offerings by cloud providers are subject to imprecision and variability. This thesis will try to clarify concerns about performance in cloud computing, analyzing the factors that make the performance of clouds unpredictable and suggesting ways to solve this problem. The performance degradation due to virtualization and the lack of isolation between virtual machines were empirically evaluated in an Eucalyptus testbed based on the KVM virtualizer. Drawing upon previous research, all the parts of the problem, from the behaviour of specific application types when hosted in clouds to a proposal for a new generation of SLAs with performance guarantees, will be discussed.
LINEARLY CONSTRAINED ADAPTIVE CONSTANT DIRECTIVITY BEAM-FORMERS (LCA-CDBS) FOR SPEECH ENHANCEMENT

In the recent years, Constant Directivity Beam-formers (CDBs) have been extensively employed in speech enhancement applications. In this research, by extending previous works on CDBs and considering multiple desired sources, we have implemented a structure that preserves system response (beam-pattern) in multiple look directions (for the case of multiple desired sources). Also, the system adaptively minimizes transient noise power in the output of beam-former, and furthermore, produces some controlled nulls (controlled in both amplitude and angle) on beam-pattern. This strengthens the system in removing permanent directional noises and producing a frequency-invariant beam-pattern with multiple main-lobs (for capturing multiple desired signals) and controlled nulls in arbitrary frequency band. We have evaluated the capability of the proposed method in enhancement of broadband and telephony speech in the presence of various noise sources. Our extensive experiments demonstrate efficiency of the proposed method in suppression of environment noises.
Design-Build and CM at Risk- comparative analysis for owner decision making based on case studies and project surveys

Design-Build and CM at RiskComparative Analysis for Owner Decision Making Based on Case Studies and Project Surveys. (May 2011) Soon Rock Park, B.E. , Dankook University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. José L. Fernández-Solís Currently, many researchers and stakeholders believe that effective delivery systems for construction projects are key to improving project quality and value in the construction industry. Therefore, it is important that owners use the best project delivery system because there are significant consequences due to differences in contracting processes and roles and responsibilities among contracting parties. For that reason, this research aims to compare the efficiency of Design-build with that of CM at Risk, as two methods used to select or deny expectations, specifically through quantitative and qualitative analysis. In order to do that, the researcher identified performance data and benefits, drawbacks, and success factors of Design-build and CM at Risk through survey and case projects and also analyzed performance data collected from two case projects. Consequently, owners will be able to understand characteristics, differences, and success factors of two different Project Delivery Systems based on the comparative study. Furthermore, this research could be used to develop a decision support system for owners to select an appropriate Project Delivery System.
Physical characterization and biological tests of bioactive titanium surfaces prepared by short-time micro-arc oxidation in green electrolyte

Titanium (Ti) and its alloys are the most used biomaterials in dental and orthopedic implant applications. However, despite the good performance of these materials, implants may fail; therefore, several surface modification methodologies have been developed to increase the bioactivity of the metal surface, accelerating the osseointegration process while promoting improved corrosion performance. In this work, the production of a TiO2 coating on titanium through a short-time micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in a green electrolyte (obtained by a mixed solution of K3PO4 and Ca(CH3COO)2.H2O) is proposed, aiming at obtaining a porous oxide layer with Ca and P incorporation through an environmentally friendly experimental condition. The morphology, chemical composition, crystalline structure, wettability, hardness and bioactivity of the modified Ti surfaces were characterized. The MAO process at 250 V for 1 min in the green electrolyte solution allowed the production of a highly porous oxide surface in the anatase crystalline phase, with effective Ca and P incorporation. Pre-osteoblastic cells were used in in-vitro assays to analyze viability, adhesion, proliferation and ability to perform extracellular matrix mineralization on the Ti surfaces (polished and MAO-treated Ti). The MAO-treated Ti surface exhibited better results in the bioactivity tests, presenting more calcium phosphate precipitates. This surface also presented higher hardness, lower hydrophilicity and better performance in biological tests than the polished surface. The here-reported MAO-treated Ti surface is promising for dental implants, especially in patients having poor bone quality that requires greater stimulation for osteogenesis.
Hospital Inventory Load Survey

An extensive live load survey is conducted on a medium size hospital to provide data and illustrate the technique of inventory surveying. A preliminary survey defines room uses and major sources of load. Recording forms are then constructed and manufacturers' literature consulted to construct transfer functions. Results are presented in the form of frequency histograms grouped according to general region use. Three regions (diagnostic and treatment, patient rooms, and surgery) have approximately the same loading characteristics, while laboratory loads are about double. Present design loads for hospitals are seen to be approximately equal to the 99 percentile of the survey load. The relation of survey load to lifetime maximum load depends on the frequency of load change and the characteristics of the extraordinary load, both of which are a function of the particular room use. All region uses exhibit a relationship between floor area of a room and mean load.
Hippocampal damage in sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide: The neuroprotective effects of pregabalin in a rat model

Aim: An excessive immune response to bacterial infections can lead to sepsis, a condition with a high mortality rate. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and oxidative stress cause hippocampal injury. We aimed to investigate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neurogenic effects of pregabalin (PG) against hippocampal injury induced by LPS. Material and Methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into three different groups (Control, LPS (5 mg/kg), and LPS+PG (30 mg/ kg)). Six hours after LPS administration, animals were sacrificed, and the hippocampus tissue was gathered for biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical research. Results: Biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses revealed the increased levels of total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and decreased expressions of total antioxidant status (TAS), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and sirtuin-1 (SIRT-1) in LPS group. In addition, histopathological analyses detected degenerative neurons, hyperemia, and edema. Conclusion: PG treatment reversed biochemical and immunohistochemical parameters and improved hyperemia, edema, and degenerative changes. In conclusion, PG increased BDNF and SIRT-1 levels by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress.
Zero energy and carbon buildings based on climate-specific passive building standards for North America

In 2015, Passive House Institute US released a new, climate-specific passive building standard for North America. The new standard was the product of a three year research project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and performed in collaboration with Building Science Corporation. PHIUS’ work was spurred by its experience in attempting to implement the German standard, developed by Passivhaus Institut in Germany, to projects across North America’s various climate zones. In summary, the German standard led designers to some design errors, and was found not cost effective in much of North America. This paper describes why and how the new standard was developed, how it differs from the German metric and how it constitutes a cost optimized envelope design baseline for reaching zero energy and carbon in North America.
RCS Estimation of Singly Curved Dielectric Shell Structure with PMCHWT Method and Experimental Verification

In this paper, a numerical algorithm for the electromagnetic scattering analysis of singly curved dielectric structures, which can be applied to a canopy of fighter aircraft, is presented with experimental verification. At first, the Poggio–Miller–Chang–Harrington–Wu–Tsai (PMCHWT) method is used as a MoM-based solution for the electromagnetic scattering of a dielectric material. Its formulation was generated with the EFIE formulation in a multi-region condition. The PMCHWT algorithm is implemented with C++ code, and the accuracy is verified by calculating the bistatic RCS of some canonical structures with conductive or dielectric materials. RCS measurement under quasi-anechoic condition is presented with its procedure and calibration method. The monostatic RCS results of a specially modeled singly curved dielectric structures are obtained analytically with the PMCHWT, as well as experimentally, revealing excellent agreement.
Teatralne gry fabularne (LARP-y) na lekcjach historii - raport z badań

Life Action Role-Plays in history classes – a report from a research The report presents the results of a pilot study on the educational efficiency of Live Action Role Play as lessons integrating and revising large packages of subject knowledge. Early research results obtained in high-school history classes suggest an advantage of LARP over conventional revision. However, this data must not be considered as a final result, as the sample was relatively small (4 games, with 107 students in larp groups and 130 in control groups) and the execution of the research programme was incomplete. The tentative data needs to be confirmed in a large-scale study, and the research procedure needs to be improved, drawing on the experience from the pilot study.
Proyecto Creando Capacidades de Programación en Jóvenes y Docentes tanto en Secundaria como en Enseñanza Superior y su desafío ante el COVID-19

Este trabajo da a conocer el proyecto de extensión universitaria de la Escuela de Informática de la Universidad Nacional denominado Creando Capacidades de Programación en Jóvenes y Docentes tanto en Secundaria como en Enseñanza Superior, sus objetivos, la metodología y las actividades desarrolladas durante el año 2020. Así como también se presentan las estrategias implementadas debido a los desafíos que experimentó el proyecto ante el COVID-19.
Recovery of Cream of Tartar from Winemaking Solid Waste by Cooling Crystallization Process

Our work relates the recovery of potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar) from winemaking solid waste in Algeria. The process consists of crystallizing by cooling, separating and drying the cream of tartar. It uses water as solvent and wine tartar as raw material. This conventional method for the cream of tartar extraction has been carried out in our laboratory using batch process with a charge of 45 liters. For the various process unit operations, simple tools, not expensive and effective are used. Utilization of pipeline water filters with different cartridges (5μm, carbon/diatomite) has facilitated the key process operation, the hot filtration. Also, we managed to control the dissolution step, so it was monitored by continuous pH and temperature measurements in the agitated vessel, using a pH meter model DDSJ308A. And the crystallization operation was controlled using an infrared turbidity sensor developed in our laboratory.
Attacking the Intruder at the Gate: Prospects of Mucosal Anti SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

The sudden outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in December 2019 caused crises and health emergencies worldwide. The rapid spread of the virus created an urgent need for the development of an effective vaccine and mass immunization to achieve herd immunity. Efforts of scientific teams at universities and pharmaceutical companies around the world allowed for the development of various types of preparations and made it possible to start the vaccination process. However, it appears that the developed vaccines are not effective enough and do not guarantee long-lasting immunity, especially for new variants of SARS-CoV-2. Considering this problem, it is promising to focus on developing a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) mucosal vaccine. Such a preparation applied directly to the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract might provide an immune barrier at the primary point of virus entry into the human body while inducing systemic immunity. A number of such preparations against SARS-CoV-2 are already in various phases of preclinical and clinical trials, and several of them are very close to being accepted for general use, constituting a milestone toward pandemic containment.
Sustainable News and Their Impact on Company’s Market Capitalization Does Sustainable News About a Company Have a Positive Relationship with Its Stock Price?

Background: As a transformation that is impacting not only nature but the international economy, climate change is here to stay. The demand for sustainable products has never been higher, a circumstance that should have an impact on the financial performance of a company. This paper aims to investigate whether sustainable news of a company has a positive impact on their stock price, by analyzing the Twitter tweets of the DAX30 members. Results: The methodology used in this study includes the collection of Twitter tweets and financial information from the DAX30 members, followed by the execution of a sentiment analysis and Vector Autoregression (VAR) analysis based on Python programming lanuage. The opitmal lag-length of the VAR analysis has been determinded at 18 based on the Akaike, Schwarz-Bayesian and Hannan-Quinn test. Within the predermined lag-length the VAR showed significant correlations between financial performance and twitter communication in A, b and s. The correlation coeffiecient for the significant correlations ranged from -0.777 to 0.320, proving that Twitter tweets containing sustainable sentiment have an impact on stock price performance of a company.Conclusion: The results of the VAR analysis support the eligbility to use Twitter tweets as a benchmark for the impact of sustainability on the stock price performance of a company, as well as prooves that sustainable news can have a postive impact of a company’s market capitalization relative to its quality. Therwith, the findings of this study raise awareness of the importance of sustainability as well as show the need for a transofrmation towards a sustaibale business modell in order to ensure long term value generation.