Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial earthquake vulnerability assessment by using multi-criteria decision making and probabilistic neural network techniques in Odisha, India

Abstract In this study, the multi-criteria decision-making method was used to estimate the weights of several input factors such as slope, curvature, elevation, proximity to road, road density, proximity to land use, land use density, proximity to water bodies, river density, rail density, distance from rail, groundwater variation, lithology with amplification factors, peak ground acceleration (PGA) variation, and population density. An integrated analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and a probabilistic neural network (PNN) were applied for the Earthquake vulnerability assessment (EVA). The PNN model successfully explored the relationship between variables and weights obtained from the AHP approach. Validation results indicate that 92.5% accuracy was attained by the PNN model. According to the results, 24.26%, 15.26%, and 20.58% of the area fall under very-high, high, and moderate vulnerability category, respectively. The EVA map illustrates that high to very-high impact could be observed in coastal Odisha and few districts in the Mahanadi Graven.
Environmental Accounting: Emergy and Environmental Decision Making

Introduction: EMERGY and Real Wealth. EMERGY and the Energy Hierarchy. Earth EMERGY. Environmental Production and Economic Use. EMERGY Evaluation Procedure. Empower Through Networks: EMERGY Algebra. Evaluating Environmental Resources. Net EMERGY of Fuels and Electricity. Evaluating Alternatives for Development. EMERGY of States and Nations. Evaluating International Exchange. Evaluating Information and Human Service. EMERGY Over Time. Comparison of Methods. Policy Perspectives. An Emergy Glossary. Appendices. References. Index.
Embedded hardware architecture for statistical rain forecast

Weather forecasts are a typical problem where a huge amount of data coming from different types of sensors must be elaborated by means of complex, time consuming algorithms. In this paper we present a new embedded data mining system, based on a FPGA [1], which performs statistical data elaboration on sensorial data and provides nowcasting for the next one, two and three hours. The statistical algorithm has been tested for forecasts of temperature, humidity and rain and provides promising results.
Surface micromachined platforms using electroplated sacrificial layers

A technique for the surface micromachining of structures suspended many tens of microns above a substrate surface is presented. Electroplated metal sacrificial layers are used in a standard surface micromachining process to achieve the necessary sacrificial layer thickness. The process is demonstrated using copper as the sacrificial layer and polyimide as the structural material. Surface micromachined bridges 8 mu m thick, 160 mu m long, and 100 mu m wide suspended over the surface from 10 to 50 mu m have been fabricated in this manner. In addition, movable platforms suspended 15 mu m above a surface over an area of 3*3 mm have also been demonstrated. <<ETX>>
Cultivation of Cross-cultural Adaptability of Application-oriented University Students under the Background of Internationalization

Under the background of internationalization, the communication between countries is more and more close, which requires the cross-cultural adaptability(CCA) of talents. The cultivation of CCA of application-oriented university students has a great impact on their future development. The cultural foundation of application-oriented university students is relatively weak, but their practical ability is very strong, which requires changing the traditional talent training objectives, combining the characteristics of application-oriented university students and the training objectives of CCA, promoting the effective combination of theory and practice, and improving the effectiveness of CCA training. This paper mainly studies the cultivation of CCA of application-oriented university students under the background of internationalization. This paper analyzes the causes of cross-cultural maladjustment, and then puts forward some measures to cultivate students' CCA in application-oriented universities. In order to understand the problems of application-oriented university students' specific cross-cultural adaptation, this paper adopts the form of questionnaire survey. The results show that the most common problem of application-oriented university students in cross-cultural adaptation is the language problem which accounts for 27%, followed by the interpersonal problem which accounts for 23%, which is also caused by the differences of language and culture in the final analysis. In addition, there are still work situation problems accounting for 13%, psychological problems accounting for 12%, problems caused by natural environment accounting for 11%, problems caused by daily life accounting for 9%, and values problems accounting for 5%.
A Collaborative Authoring Workspace and Script-Based Control Platform for Heterogeneous Robots

A collaborative script authoring and control platform for multiple heterogeneous robots is developed. The developed platform consists of a remote sever providing a graphic user interface (GUI) authoring tool, and a local control platform controlling a group of heterogeneous robots by interpreting the designated scripts. Designed to encourage impromptu creativity among programming students in class, this Web-based authoring tool fosters collaborative creativity in the authorship of command scripts. The architecture of the local controller is composed of an embedded system for controlling the movement of robotic puppets, and a management server for the synchronization of live shows. Post-activity assessment indicates that the proposed platform provides strong support and encouragement for interactive robot learning in curriculum training and evaluation.
A Comparison of Speech Input and Touch Screen for Executing Checklists in an Avionics Application

The amount of information available on the civil flight deck continues to increase. This has led to consideration of a range of input and control methods to ease the interaction between human and machine. Two of these, speech recognition and touch screens, are considered here. An experimental study is reported that compares the use of speech and touch for executing checklists in a flight deck simulator. It was found that the use of speech recognition disrupted the primary tracking task to a lesser extent than control through a touch screen, and was preferred by participants. However, checklist completion was slower when speech was used. The application of speech recognition and touch control technologies on the flight deck in light of these findings.
Influence of flux collectors on stray losses in transformers

The paper proposes a reluctance network method for the three-dimensional analysis of a three-phase transformer. The analysis is aimed at assessing as to whether a laminated flux collector is effective in controlling the power losses of the transformer. The results are thoroughly superimposable to those which can be obtained by the traditional theory of the transformer. The main advantage is that the required number of nodes and elements for the analysis is definitely lower than with other techniques.
Multi-stage axial-flux PM machine for wheel direct drive

The design of direct-drive wheel motors must comply with a diameter restriction due to housing the motor in a wheel rim, and must allow the achievement of very high torque density and overload capability. Slotless axial-flux permanent magnet machines (AFPMs) prove to be one of the best candidates for application in electric vehicles as direct-drive wheel motors, as in comparison with conventional machines they allow designs with higher compactness, lightness and efficiency. The paper presents a newly-conceived AFPM which has multi-stage structure and water-cooled ironless stator. In the proposed new machine topology, the space formerly occupied by the toroidal core becomes a water duct, which removes heat directly from the interior surface of the stator winding. The high efficiency of the machine cooling arrangement allows long-term 100% overload operation and great reduction of the machine weight. The multistage structure of the machine is suited to overcome the restriction on the machine diameter and meet the torque required at the wheel shaft. The paper gives guidelines for the design of a multi-stage AFPM with water-cooled ironless stator, and describes characteristics of a two-stage prototype machine rated 220 Nm, 1100 RPM.
Multiple-Choice Question Answering Models for Automatic Depression Severity Estimation

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health diseases. Although there are effective treatments, the main problem relies on providing early and effective risk detection. Medical experts use self-reporting questionnaires to elaborate their diagnosis, but these questionnaires have some limitations. Social stigmas and the lack of awareness often negatively affect the success of these self-report questionnaires. This article aims to describe techniques to automatically estimate the depression severity from users on social media. We explored the use of pre-trained language models over the subject’s writings. We addressed the task “Measuring the Severity of the Signs of Depression” of eRisk 2020, an initiative in the CLEF Conference. In this task, participants have to fill the Beck Depression Questionnaire (BDI-II). Our proposal explores the application of pre-trained Multiple-Choice Question Answering (MCQA) models to predict user’s answers to the BDI-II questionnaire using their posts on social media. These MCQA models are built over the BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) architecture. Our results showed that multiple-choice question answering models could be a suitable alternative for estimating the depression degree, even when small amounts of training data are available (20 users).
La “metropolitanización” del turismo: el caso del Área Metropolitana de Barcelona

El auge del fenómeno turístico en la ciudad de Barcelona tiene su impulso en los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992. En ese momento, se sitúa en el mapa de los visitantes potenciales como destino de interés, y la cifra de turistas internacionales se incrementa año tras año. Tal volumen de población flotante se convierte en una prioridad para la administración local, siendo objeto de debate en los planes de actuación municipal. En un primer momento, para promocionar y atraer el interés hacia la ciudad, y así desarrollarla turísticamente. A partir de los Planes Estratégicos de 2015 y 2020, el objetivo principal es limitar la turistificación entre otros impactos negativos, y buscar la manera de conciliar la estancia de los visitantes con la vida cotidiana de los residentes. Puesto que una de las características del turismo es la difusión de sus efectos en el entorno inmediato, el objeto de este estudio es analizar la repercusión que la actividad turística de un destino consolidado como Barcelona tiene en su área urbana funcional, concretamente en el denominado AMB (Área Metropolitana de Barcelona).
Scaling of strength reduction factors for degrading elasto‐plastic oscillators

The inelastic (design) spectra characterizing a seismic hazard are generally obtained by the scaling‐down of the elastic (design) spectra via a set of response modification factors. The component of these factors, which accounts for the ductility demand ratio, is known as the strength reduction factor (SRF), and the variation of this factor with initial period of the oscillator is called an SRF spectrum. This study considers scaling of the SRF spectrum in the case of an elasto‐plastic oscillator with strength and stiffness degradation characteristics. Two models are considered: one depending directly on the characterization of source and site parameters and the other depending on the normalized design spectrum characterization of the seismic hazard. The first model is the same as that proposed earlier by the second author, and is given in terms of earthquake magnitude, strong‐motion duration, predominant period, geological site conditions, ductility demand ratio, and ductility supply‐related parameter. The second model is a new model proposed here in terms of the normalized pseudo‐spectral acceleration values (to unit peak ground acceleration), ductility demand ratio and ductility supply‐related parameter. For each of these models, least‐square estimates of the coefficients are obtained through regression analyses of the data for 956 recorded accelerograms in western U.S.A. Parametric studies carried out with the help of these models confirm the dependence of SRFs on strong‐motion duration and earthquake magnitude besides predominant period and site conditions. It is also seen that degradation characteristics make a slight difference for high ductility demands and may lead to lower values of SRFs, unless the oscillators are very flexible. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
STANDARDIZED GENERAL-PURPOSE NOISE REACTION QUESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY NOISE SURVEYS: RESEARCH AND A RECOMMENDATION

Differences in survey questions' wordings and weakness in some questions used to measure noise annoyance have interfered with accumulating knowledge about the factors that affect different communities' responses to noise. In 1993 an ICBEN team, Community Response to Noise, set the goal of creating high-quality survey questions that would yield internationally comparable measures of overall reactions to noise sources. After 7 years of discussions and research the team has developed and tested a method that attempts to meet those goals. The team recommends the use of a pair of multi-purpose questions in community noise surveys. The wording of the questions is presented for the nine languages for which a standardized empirical study protocol has been followed to select annoyance scale words. The team's protocol can be used to create comparable questions for additional languages in the future.
Researching the role of the PhD in developing an academic career: does it make a difference?

This single paper builds on the arguments developed through the think piece by Bak (2013) in that it will report on research that explored academics' experiences of the role of the PhD in developing their academic careers. Bak (2013) questions the 'conventional way of approaching the PhDin South Africa (p.1) and proposes reconsideration of how doctoral education is conceptualised, delivered and valued. The current study, undertaken in Australia and the UK, commenced from the premise that it is commonly assumed that the PhD prepares people for academic careers, yet little is known about how academics are influenced and developed through doctoral study. Early findings demonstrate that the PhD has not been particularly effective in preparing academics for independent research and teaching and that changes in doctoral education are needed. Methods This mixed methods study collected data from academics in six UK and six Australian universities through a large-scale survey (respondents = 2163) and semi-structured interviews with 27 mid-career academics. The types of universities were mixed, but they all exhibited research-intensive environments. Interviewees were selected using purposive sampling to identify academics with 5-10 years' experience beyond their doctorate in three broad disciplines (Sciences and Engineering; Social Sciences and Humanities; and Health sciences) from three Australian and five English universities. Academics in the other three Australian universities were not interviewed owing to the high cost of travel. Interviewees were identified as those who, in the survey, indicated a willingness to be interviewed. The interviews were digitally recorded lasting, on average, one hour and were each carried out by a team member. The research design and analysis drew upon an Archerian conceptual framework (Archer 2003) which has specifically enabled consideration of the ways in which academics can be seen to utilise agential powers to mediate structural influences. Archer's concepts of socio- cultural interaction, the internal conversation and differing forms of personal reflexivity (2003) provided a helpful explanatory frame drawn upon throughout the process of analysis in this research project.
Determining optimum applied water and seeding rates for winter wheat by using AquaCrop and mathematical‐economic analysis *

The growing scarcity of water resources has made the need to optimize water consumption in the agricultural sector inevitable. In this study, the accuracy of the AquaCrop model in simulating the yield and dry matter of winter wheat under different plant densities and water levels was evaluated. Then using economic‐mathematical analysis, the optimum values of plant density and irrigation water were determined. Next, using time‐series models, the values of optimum irrigation water and economic yield were forecasted for the next 10 years. Results showed that the accuracy of the AquaCrop model to simulate grain yield and dry matter of winter wheat was very satisfactory. For seasonal rainfall of 289.9 and 394.5 mm (the values related to an occurrence probability of 50 and 80%, respectively), applying optimum irrigation water resulted in a 22.4 and 29.9% decrease in water consumption and 28.9 and 42.7% increase in land area and 47.4 and 50.2% increase in total benefit compared to full irrigation, respectively. The time‐series model used in this study was able to forecast optimum applied water with high accuracy. The forecasting results of this study can be used by farm managers and decision‐makers in water resources management in the study areas.
Age-related decline in rate of torque development during fast contractions is caused by lower neural activation and slower muscle contractile kinetics

Aging is not only associated with a progressive loss of force (Klass et al. 2005), but also with a slower rate of force development during fast contractions (Barry et al. 2005). This slowing may have important repercussions on motor control and equilibrium. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate if the reduced rate of torque development can be partly related to a lower neural activation, quantified by motor unit (MU) discharge frequency.
Feasibility of Using Nanosilanes in a New Hybrid Stabilised Soil Solution in Rural and Low-Volume Roads

The application of new materials for soil stabilisation is a growing field of study in recent years. In this work, the effect of two types of silica-based nanomaterials combined with binders (quicklime and cement) are studied to stabilise soils and form structural layers for rural and low volume roads. The physical and chemical properties of the materials have been determined, as well as the mechanical behaviour of the stabilised soil. Three hybrid stabilised soil sections have been designed using a multilayer elastic model, executed at full scale and measuring the evolution of their properties in the medium to short term. The results show that the application of silica-based nanomaterials and two types of binders on the tread layers provide high structural stability and good behaviour of the sections.
Comparative Analysis between HSPA and Wimax

The performance of HSDPA and Mobile WiMAX. Two scenarios were considered: single and multiple users. In the single user scenario, only one user is placed in the network requesting a certain throughput, and then the maximum distance to the base station for a given throughput is calculated. Regarding the multiple user scenario, it has the objective of studying a realistic approach, where several users perform different services. A simulator was developed to study the multiple user scenarios, enabling the analysis of network performance by varying several parameters. For the single user scenario, it is observed that the cell radius for HSDPA is higher than the one for Mobile WiMAX, due to the frequencies considered, up to 8.46 Mbps, but beyond this value Mobile WiMAX is more favorable, up until 15.09 Mbps. Considering the multiple user scenario, Mobile WiMAX presents better results than HSDPA, regarding average network throughput and number of served users, because of its higher capacity. As for the network radius, results are similar. This paper was initially planned to be about WiMAX (Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access) and HSDPA technology (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), available in a number of countries in Europe, North America, and South East Asia with their WCDMA networks, will be most likely available in our parts as well. HSDPA, which appeared prior to WiMAX all over the world, except for the Russian Federation, is considered its main competitor.
Axial-flux permanent-magnet air-cored generator for small-scale wind turbines

The design and development of an axial-flux permanent-magnet air-cored generator for use as a direct drive generator with small-scale wind and water turbines is described. The generator is designed for simplicity and ease of manufacture and consists of two rotor discs each with permanent magnets located around its periphery. The stator is made of plastic and has a number of bobbin-wound armature coils located around its periphery. A three-phase prototype generator has been designed and built with 16 magnets per rotor disc, 12 armature coils (four per phase) and an overall diameter of 495 mm. The generator produces 1000 W at 300 rpm or 2000 W at 500 rpm with an electrical efficiency substantially greater than 90%. The generator performs as predicted by the design process.
A Gigabit Fiber Optical Bus Based on the RapidIO Technology

The RapidIO architecture is an interconnect technology based on a high-performance and packet-switched interconnect technology. The paper uses the RapidIO Interconnect technology to design a fiber optic bus. The fiber optic bus provides a tightly coupled interconnect with Gigabit speed, which can improve the processing capability of the space distributed system, such as the weapons platform with high-speed and high-capacity multi-system.
Multi-section quantum dot superluminescent diodes for spectral shape engineering

The design and operating parameters of a novel multi-contact quantum dot superluminescent diode incorporating a number of features which inhibit lasing are described and compared with that of a single-contact device. Such devices allow the independent tuning of emission power and spectral shape; hence the penetration depth and resolution in optical coherence tomography are decoupled. The emission spectrum of a device utilising chirped quantum dots is shown to be tuned to produce a broadband single Gaussian emission, centred at the required wavelength of 1050 nm, at higher output powers than a single-contact device.
System-level comparison of optical and rf technologies for space-to-space and space-to-ground communication links circa 2000

Rf and optical communication conceptual terminal designs; size, weight, and power requirements; and development costs are compared for three representative 1-Gbps links. Year 2000 technology is assumed for the designs of LEO-to-GEO, LEO-to-LEO, and LEO-to- Ground terminals based on 32-GHz rf, 60-GHz rf, AlGaAs optical, and InGaAsP/EDFA optical technologies. The optical technologies exhibit advantages in the areas of antenna size, terminal weight, and recurring cost at the 1-Gbps data rate.