Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VCHR: Virtual Cluster-Based Hybrid Routing Protocol

There are a couple of inherent shortcomings which are hard to be overcome in single topology network; thus we propose a novel routing protocol—VCHR, i.e., Virtual Cluster-based Hybrid Routing, which employs hybrid topology, bears the stamp of flat and hierarchical routing protocol. At stage of hierarchical routing, VCHR draws on the idea of the virtual cluster; base station controls clustering process based on network coverage control criteria in centralized model, and ensuring the reliability of virtual clusters by making use of the three-way handshake mechanism. Flat routing employs shortest path routing protocol to get the optimized routing path to base station. In context of low algorithm complexity, the protocol could realize full network coverage control, effectively balance energy load among sensor nodes and quickly respond to network dynamic changes.
Weather sensitive method for short term load forecasting in Electric Power Utility of Serbia

This paper presents a regression-based adaptive weather sensitive short-term load-forecasting algorithm, which has been developed and implemented in Electric Power Utility of Serbia. The proposed methodology consists of two main steps. The total daily energy is independently forecasted in the first step while hourly loads are predicted in the second step. All model parameters are automatically calculated and updated using realized data in the identification period. This period is a set of patterns from the database with weather and load conditions similar to conditions, which are expected, in the forecasted day. The Euclidean distance is used as a measure of similarity. The programming package based on the methodology presented in the paper has been used in the EPS to forecast 24-h loads one to seven days ahead since 1991. Results obtained in exhausted case studies are presented, analyzed, and compared with other results reported in literature.
Miniaturized long period grating sensor interrogator based on a thermally tunable arrayed-waveguide-grating demultiplexer

A wavelength interrogation system based on an arrayed-waveguide-grating (AWG) is evaluated. The transmission wavelengths are capable of shifting by thermally scanning the AWG. By employing this AWG wavelength tunability scheme, the center wavelength of a long-period-grating (LPG) sensor is precisely interrogated. The theoretical principle and the experimental result are presented in this paper. An interrogated wavelength resolution of 0.5 pm is achieved by introducing this technique. Furthermore, a palm-size LPG sensor interrogator based on a chip integrated with an AWG demultiplexer, a photodiode, a signal processing module and an electronic controlling module is proposed.
6.3: A New Method for Hot‐Spot and Mura Quantification and Evaluation in LCD Backlight Units and Panel

A convenient method to quantificationally and objectively describe the grade of hot‐spot and mura of Liquid Crystal Display is introduced. By converting the spatial backlight unit luminance distribution of a Liquid Crystal Display to frequency domain, Fast Fourier transform is used for luminance variation analysis. The results not only give a factor which can quantificationally describe the grade of hot‐spot and mura of a LCD backlight unit area but also unify different experimental processes that using a camera or a Radiant Imaging ProMetric 1400 system keeping the results consistent.
Dual layer stacked rectangular microstrip patch antenna for ultra wideband applications

An antenna consisting of a U-slotted rectangular microstrip patch stacked with another patch of a different size on a separate layer is presented and its performance results are investigated. An equivalent circuit model of this stacked patch design structure is also presented based on an extended cavity model to predict the input impedance. The theoretical input impedance is evaluated from this circuit model and the experimental results support the validity of the model. In this case, stacking with a simple patch adds another resonance to the antenna thus providing a wider bandwidth. The dimension of the top patch is optimised to achieve ultra wide bandwidth. A maximum impedance bandwidth of 56.8% is achieved using this structure, and the return loss |S11| of the antenna is less than –10 dB between 3.06 and 5.49 GHz and the radiation patterns are found to be relatively constant throughout the band. A coaxial feed with Gaussian modulated pulse is used for this antenna.
Critical Factors Determining Bid/No Bid Decisions of Contractors in Qatar

AbstractTo bid or not to bid for construction projects is a crucial strategic decision for contractors’ sustainability in the industry. The high complexity and uncertainty associated with such a decision-making process, which involves several multitudes and reflection of numerous internal and external determinants, necessitate further exploration of the prominent factors underpinning contractors’ decisions. Following the announcement of awarding the “Federation Internationale de Football Association” (FIFA) 2022 World Cup hosting rights to the State of Qatar on December 2, 2010, the State is pledging to spend tens of billions of dollars on hundreds of new projects. Thus, the objective of this case study is to identify, explore, and rank the relative importance of the critical factors determining contractors’ decisions to bid or not bid for local construction projects. To achieve this objective, a structured questionnaire survey comprising 43 factors that were shortlisted based on relevant previous investi.
Effect of Geosynthetic Material in Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement on Performance Properties of Asphalt Mixtures

Geosynthetic materials have been used effectively at the interface between asphalt pavement layers for waterproofing and mitigating crack propagation. When an asphalt pavement with a geosynthetic interlayer is rehabilitated, the asphalt surface layer as well as the underlying geosynthetic interlayer can be removed for new overlays. The reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as well as the geosynthetic material is reused in new asphalt mixtures because the geosynthetic material cannot be removed from the RAP. This situation leads to the question of whether the presence of the geosynthetic material in RAP has a negative impact on the performance of the new asphalt mixtures. A study was conducted to answer this question. A two-layer test section with a geosynthetic layer installed at the layer interface was constructed. The sections were milled so that RAP with and without the geosynthetic material was collected. Superpave® mix designs were then produced: one with the RAP with geosynthetic material and the other with the control RAP. A variety of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) performance tests were conducted to determine whether the presence of the geosynthetic material in the RAP had an impact on the HMA performance concerning stiffness, moisture susceptibility, rutting resistance, and resistance to low-temperature cracking. The laboratory evaluation concluded that the presence of the geosynthetic material in the RAP did not have a significant impact on the RAP properties or the volumetric and performance properties of the asphalt mixture.
Near-field baseband communication system for use in biomedical implants.

This thesis introduces the reader to the near-field baseband pulse radio communication for biomedical implants. It details the design and implementation of the complete communication system with a particular emphasis on the antenna structure and waveform coding that is compatible with this particular technology. The wireless communication system has great employability in small pill-sized biomedical diagnostic devices offering the advantages of low power consumption and easy integration with SoC and lab-in-a-pill technologies. The greatest challenge was the choice of antenna that had to be made to effectively transmit the pulses. A systematic approach has been carried out in arriving at the most suitable antenna for efficient emanation of pulses and the fields around it are analysed electromagnetically using a commercially available software. A magnetic antenna can be used to transmit the information from inside a human body to the outside world. The performance of the above antenna was evaluated in a salt solution of different concentrations which is similar to a highly conductive lossy medium like a human body. Near-field baseband pulse transmission is a waveform transmission scheme wherein the pulse shape is crucial for decoding information at the receiver. This demands a new approach to the antenna design, both at the transmitter and the receiver. The antenna had to be analysed in the time-domain to know its effects on the pulse and an expression for the antenna bandwidth has been proposed in this thesis. The receiving antenna should be able to detect very short pulses and while doing so has to also maintain the pulse shape with minimal distortion. Different loading congurations were explored to determine the most feasible one for receiving very short pulses. Return-to-zero (RZ), Non-return-zero (NRZ) and Manchester coded pulse waveforms were tested for their compatibility and performance with the near-field baseband pulse radio communication. It was concluded that Manchester coded waveform are perfectly suited for this particular near-field communication technology. Pulse interval modulation was also investigated and the findings suggested that it was easier to implement and had a high throughput rate too. A simple receiver algorithm has been suggested and practically tested on a digital signal processor. There is further scope for research to develop complex signal processing algorithms at the receiver.
Design and characterization of shell-like actuators based on soft dielectric electroactive polymers

This paper is concerned with shell-like actuators based on soft dielectric EAPs, which can actively execute out-of-plane displacements and thus take specific shapes. The structure of the actuators consists of an array of identical segments, where the pre-strained dielectric films are arranged in an agonist–antagonist configuration. The design of the active segments was optimized based on a hyperelastic model for the dielectric film in order to achieve maximum free deformations and blocking loads under activation. Applying these design criteria, shell-like actuators consisting of several interconnected active segments were realized, which can accomplish uniaxial or biaxial bending deformations. Experimental characterization demonstrated the free deformation potential of the presented concepts.
Modelling and Analysis of Hysteresis in Piezoelectric Actuator

Piezoelectric actuators are the potential actuators having a wide range of applications in smart structures and systems. However, the presence of hysteresis nonlinearity leads to degradation in their performance. This paper discusses a mathematical model for hysteresis in piezoelectric actuators based on domain wall bending and translation1. The validity of the model has been illustrated through comparison with the experimental observations of piezoelectric stack actuator developed using PZT5H material.
Incorporating sustainable development principles into building design: a review from a structural perspective including case study

The incorporation of sustainable development (SD) principles into all industries is increasingly important. The contribution of the building industry to a wide range of environmental impacts is extensive with the construction, operation and maintenance of buildings accounting for approximately 50% of all energy usage and anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. In the building design process, structural engineers play a limited role in the sustainability of a design. The decisions on the incorporation of such aspects are usually at the mercy of the architect and client. A literature review was conducted to record and present the variability in research on issues directly related to the environmental performance of structures. There are inconsistencies in the published contribution of embodied energy (EE) and proportion of life cycle energy usage in structures. Outcomes demonstrate that due to this variability, environmental performance of structures is difficult to validate. A systematic approach beginning with standardized calculation procedure and database generation for EE of building materials is essential for practitioners to deliver sustainable structural designs. An analysis of a typical concrete office structure indicates potential benefits through the use of quantifiable environmental performance measures, delivering efficient solutions. Comparisons of slab construction techniques indicate overall EE reductions up to 40% being achievable. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Planar UWB antenna with multi‐slotted ground plane

A planar antenna with a multi‐slotted ground plane has been proposed for UWB applications. The compact antenna having a total size of 30 × 22 mm2 consists of a square patch and a partial ground plane. The rectangular slots on the top side of the ground plane help to increase the bandwidth. The measured result shows that the proposed antenna achieves a bandwidth (VSWR ≤ 2) ranges from 2.57 to 16.72 GHz. Details of the proposed antenna and measured results are presented and discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:966–968, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25950
An Implantable Electric-Field Probe of Submillirneter Dimensions

Many areas of biological research await the development of practical electric (E)-field probes with submillimeter dimensions for in situ measurements of RF electromagnetic fields. This paper reports on the design, fabrication, and testing of such a probe. The probe consists of a 0.6-mm dipole antenna zero-bias Schottky barrier diode and a unique highly resistive output lead structure. Experimental results indicate the probe does not perturb the field under investigation and is linear over a range of field strengths from less than 60 to over 1200 V/m. The probe has been designed so as to he independent of the media in which measurements are being made.
An Overview and Comparison of Demand Assignment Multiple Access (DAMA) Concepts for Satellite Communications Networks

Abstract : This report provides a broad survey of demand assignment multiple access (DAMA) techniques for satellite communications. The primary intended audiences are military planners, communications system designers and architects, and the military acquisition community at large. However, much of the material in this report will also be of interest for commercial communications system planners and designers, especially where there is a potential for military use of these commercial systems. The report describes a wide (but not exhaustive) set of DAMA techniques, with emphasis on those techniques that offer the greatest practical benefit for military applications. Methods for making DAMA systems resistant to interference and jamming are discussed, including some new methods. The report covers both pure DAMA protocols, which efficiently handle voice traffic and long data transmissions, and hybrid DAMA protocols, which can efficiently handle not only voice and long data transmissions, but also short data transmissions (packets). Because of the increasing importance of packetized communications for the military, an entire chapter is devoted to the subject of hybrid DAMA. Selected performance results are presented, including some new performance results. To make the material in this report accessible to readers with only a basic background in communications, a substantial amount of tutorial material has been included.
Integrative analyses reveal RNA regulatory network in Ti particles induced inflammation

Introduction Wear particles induced inflammatory osteolysis is the most important initiating factors in the mechanism of aseptic loosening. However, the molecular network changes in this process remain largely elusive. Methods Here, we performed whole transcriptome analysis using Ti particles induced RAW264.7 cell model to identify specific genes and pathways. Results Sequencing results totally identified 159 mRNAs, 96 lncRNAs, 31 circRNAs, and 12 miRNAs were significantly differently expressed. Of these, we selected two of each RNA for qRT-PCR validation and the results were highly consistent with the RNA-seq data. GSEA analysis shows that upregulated gene sets were related to the three classical inflammation pathway, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, TNF, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. The enriched genes included not only IL-1β and TNF-α, which were independently verified before sequencing, but also other inflammatory osteolysis-related genes such as Mmp9, Fas, and Ccl2. Co-differentially expressed RNAs were employed to construct the ceRNA co-regulatory network. Conclusion: The results revealed that 4 lncRNAs and 2 circRNAs formed a regulatory network to simultaneously regulate miR-3065-3p targeting Myo18a. The present study helps to comprehensively understand the molecular mechanisms and regulatory interaction networks during early inflammatory response.
Proportional control of on/off solenoid operated hydraulic valve by nonlinear robust controller

The growth of electronics control systems, automation and robotics for agricultural and construction machinery demands less expensive, robust electrohydraulic devices to interface fluid power systems. Servo and proportional valves need two or three stages of amplification and delicate mechanisms or sensors in the loops, to control high oil flow by small electromechanical motors linearly. Traditional on/off solenoids are cheaper, robust, have higher power-mass ratio and could have small and large sizes, but they are not usually used for this aim by high nonlinearity. The present work investigates continuous and proportional control of an on/off solenoid driving valve spool by modern nonlinear control like VSC and using a solenoid model to estimate spool position. A magnetic model of solenoid and hydraulic flow forces of a valve are carried out without using FEM techniques. The inevitable inaccuracies of these models and the impossibility to consider and value friction forces suggested use of VSC. Due to its robustness, the architecture of the control system is based on an external VSC position loop and an internal current loop with a traditional PI controller to reduce problems due to chatter. We also investigated estimating position, in particular, when the valve is powered by a solenoid only, to avoid use of an additional sensor. For this aim the derivative of current is used in a simple way. Control and di/dt measurement systems are designed to fit a practical and not expensive approach.
A Systematic Measurement of CSP Based on Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process

With increasing social awareness on the issue of corporate social performance (CSP), the measurement of CSP has received considerable attention in both academic literature and managerial practice. Though earlier literature provides several methods for measuring corporate social activities, almost all of them have some limitations. In this paper, we propose a methodology for the development of a systematic measure of CSP based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). In addition, a preliminary investigation is presented to explain how the approach can help in evaluating CSP in practice.
Analysis of Design for X Methodologies for Complex Assembly Processes: A Literature Review

Historically, products have been developed following the “we design it, you build it” approach. Design and production belonged to two independent entities, with no feedback from downstream activities to upstream activities. In order to avoid redesign costs caused by the lack of feedback, pioneer organisations began to apply methodologies such as ‘Design for Assembly’ or ‘Design for Manufacture’ on a daily basis.Over the years, further research has been carried out to refine these generic methodologies adding previously unconsidered perspectives, such as quality, reliability, environmental, etc. which evolved into a concept called ‘Design-for-X’ (DfX). However, existing methodologies have largely focused on simply reducing product’s structural costs, without taking into consideration other important aspects of more complex assembly processes common in the aerospace industry.The complex assembly process that this paper focuses on is the systems’ installation process within the aerospace business. The installation of fuel, electrical and other systems must follow strict aerospace regulations, intra-organisational design rules, safety policies and many more restrictions, which are not considered as key factors in current methodologies.In this paper, we endeavour to provide an extensive analysis of existing DfX methodologies and support our conclusion that there is an opportunity to develop a new methodology which will ease the aerospace systems’ installation process for the shop-floor operator.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Assessment of distribution network limits for non-firm connection of renewable generation

Before new renewable generators can be connected to the electricity network, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the impact they will have. Firm connection agreements are based on snapshot assessments of the worst-case situation of maximum generation and minimum demand, which restrict renewable capacities despite infrequent occurrence. This work describes how time series of several renewable generation technologies together with demand can be applied to examine the opportunities and challenges offered by non-firm generation connections. It applies optimal power flow to extract maximum energy from available renewable resources while using curtailment of generation to maintain the network within thermal and voltage limits. By way of a case study of potential wind, wave and tidal current development in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, the analysis provides estimates for the degree of curtailment and consequent economic impact a renewable generator operating under non-firm connection may experience. The methods described provide a first-level analysis that could facilitate appraisal of non-firm connections at the planning stage by estimating the consequences of concurrent generation and demand as well as the frequency and duration of necessary curtailments.
Effect of ventilation strategies for removing indoor house dust: An experimental and simulation study

House dust includes the mold spores or corpses and feces of the mite, among other things, which would cause allergies, asthma, and unspecific hypersensitivities. The possibility of having an allergic reaction to house dust is particularly high for children. In this study, experiments and simulations were performed to study the flow and diffusion fields affected by different location and shape of outlets. Two kinds of ventilation strategies were considered, i.e., ceiling exhaust and floor-level slit exhaust. In the experiments, for the two cases, the characteristics of airflow within the whole room are generally similar except for the airflow close to the outlet. Riboflavin particles were used as the house dust; the amount of particles in the ceiling exhaust was a little larger than that of the slit exhausted after particles decreased to the same level as the background. Flow and diffusion fields were investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The characteristics of airflow are similar for both experimental and simulation results. The particles with a diameter of 0.5–3.0 μm in the experimental data and calculated values showed good agreement. It was concluded that floor-level slit exhaust ventilation strategy produced less house dust in the whole room than the ceiling exhaust did.