Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Seventh International Conference on City Logistics Conventional vs electric commercial vehicle fleets : A case study of economic and technological factors affecting the competitiveness of electric commercial vehicles in the USA

Electric commercial delivery trucks have the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution and lower per-mile operating and maintenance costs. However, the initial purchase cost of electric vehicles is significantly higher than that of a conventional diesel truck. In addition, electric vehicles have a limited range that may lead to the well known problem commonly known as “range anxiety” due to the lack of nearby recharging stations. From a purely economic perspective, there is a cost tradeoff between low operating and maintenance costs of electric vehicles and their high initial capital costs. In this paper, a deterministic integer programming model is utilized to analyze the competitiveness of commercial electric vehicles. Utilizing realistic assumptions and a wide range of scenarios regarding fleet utilization and fuel efficiency, this research finds breakeven points where electric vehicles become competitive. Results show that under moderate to high utilization levels, the electric vehicles can be competitive. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the 7th International Conference on City Logistics
Analysis of packaging material impacting on FBG temperature sensors

In this paper, to investigate a method improving high temperature response characteristics, the high temperature sensing properties of fiber Bragg gratings packaged by the red copper and cuprum and aluminum respectively were studied. The results indicate that the response characteristics of FBG have very good linearity, and the linearity of FBG packaged by aluminum is best, but its response time is slower because of lower heat conductivity of packing material, and that higher thermal expansion coefficient of packaging base material can effectively reduce the nonlinearity of FBG sensor in high temperature environment. At last, a method improving the temperature sensitivity of FBG sensor and reducing FBG's nonlinear response versus temperature was presented, and packaging material is selected according to response time versus temperature change.
Pedestrian Injuries and the Car Exterior

The relative importance of pedestrian accidents as a source of road accident trauma is shown by reference to national and international data. The methodology of pedestrian accident investigation at Birmingham University is presented and the results of a recent study used to describe the general characteristics of pedestrian accidents. The pattern of injury sustained by pedestrains struck by the fronts of cars is described and the nature, cause and severity of leg injuries and head injuries considered in detail. The implications of bumper location are discussed. The importance of the windscreen frame as a source of serious head trauma is demonstrated. /Author/SRIS/
Adaptive vibration control using an electrorheological squeeze-flow damper

Electro-rheological fluids are capable of providing continuously variable damping forces in response to an electrical stimulus. Many prototype ER dampers have been described in the literature, most of these based upon exploiting the variable shear properties of the fluid. It is only recently that an alternative mode of operation--squeeze flow--has been identified and investigated. Squeeze-flow offers the prospect of simple forms of construction coupled with the ability to provide force levels consistent with industrial specifications. In this paper the authors summarize the principles of squeeze-flow operation and introduce a quasi-steady model to account for the vibrational behavior of a squeeze-flow cell. An experimental facility is described in detail and test results are compared with theoretical predictions. The paper concludes with some thoughts on future work into squeeze-flow behavior.
Quantitative fault tree analysis for urban water infrastructure flooding

Flooding in urban areas can be caused by heavy rainfall, improper planning or component failures. Few studies have addressed quantitative contributions of different causes to urban flood probability. In this article, we apply probabilistic fault tree analysis for the first time to assess the probability of urban flooding as a result of a range of causes. We rank the causes according to their relative contributions. To quantify the occurrence of flood incidents for individual causes we use data from municipal call centres complemented with rainfall data and hydrodynamic model simulations. Results show that component failures and human errors contribute more to flood probability than sewer overloading by heavy rainfall. This applies not only to flooding in public areas but also to flooding in buildings. Fault tree analysis has proved useful in identifying relative contributions of failure mechanisms and providing quantitative data for risk management.
A New Method for Photoelectric Device Simulation

A new method for photoelectric device simulation has been developed in our open source software “A Two-Dimensional General Purpose Semiconductor Simulator (GSS)”. Rigorous distribution of incident light in photoelectric device has been obtained by solving Helmholtz equation using finite element method (FEM) with uniaxial perfectly matched layer (UPML) as absorbing boundary. Optical carrier generation ratio has been calculated according to the conversation of energy law. Optical carrier generation ratio and I-V curve of a photoconductive diode induced by continuous wave laser are presented. Analysis shows that optical carrier generation calculated in GSS is more reasonable and I-V curve calculated in GSS agrees well with Medici’s.
The Design of Wireless Sensor Node for Industrial Bearing Monitoring

This paper proposes one kind of design method of wireless sensor node which is used to monitor industrial rolling bearing faults. The authors elaborate the hardware design, software design and wireless communication strategy of the node. Compared with the traditional application of wireless sensor network (WSN), in this special situation, industrial wireless sensor networks (IWSN) faces more severe requirments such as larger data processing quantity, higher transmission stability and longer service life. This paper emphasizes on enhancing the processing ability of sensor node, and chooses to extract fault features in node level by which reduces network load and energy consumption effectively. Through a series of experiments, the authors prove the feasibility and superiority of this method.
Tau phosphorylation: In Hibernation and Alzheimer’s

Tau is a MAP found in neurons. Tau hyperphosphorylation, which detaches tau from microtubules is one of the hallmarks of PHF’s observed in AD but is also observed in torpor where it is reversed after arousal without lasting neuronal damage. This review focusses on tau phosphorylation. We seek to understand the differences between tau phosphorylation in AD patients and tau phosphorylation in torpid animals in order to asses if reversal of tau phosphorylation, like during arousals, can treat tau pathology in AD. Human tau has an essential role in microtubule stability, intracellular transport and the release of neurotransmitters. When phosphorylated, tau detaches from microtubules. Phosphorylation is done by GSK3B, CDK5, CK1, PKA and many more kinases. PP2A is mostly responsible for the dephosphorylation of tau. AD is characterized by synaptic degeneration and extracellular SP’s, consisting of AB and intracellular tangles consisting of hyperphosphorylated tau. Tau phosphorylation but also deficiency of glucose metabolism correlates with disease progression. In AD increased GSK3B, CDK5, CK1, PSK1 activity and decreased PP2A activity is found. In vitro they can cause the phosphorylation of all residues found in AD tau. Due to its complexity the process of tau phosphorylation is still not completely understood and it remains to be proven if these kinases are solely responsible in vivo. During torpor tau is hyperphosphorylated by increased PKA and GSK3B activity and decreased PP2A activity. This is likely caused by temperature dependent activity shifts. During arousals animals quickly rewarm to euthermic state. Neuronal connections reappear and phosphorylation sites within tau’s MDB are rapidly dephosphorylated. Sites implicated in microtubule binding are phosphorylated in AD as well as during torpor. GSK3B activity is increased during AD and torpor possibly due to hypometabolism. Also PKA, CDK5, CK1 and PSK1 activity is increased in AD while in torpor only GSK3B and PKA are reported. Furthermore in AD the amount of phosphorylated tau slowly increases and is deposited into PHF’s while in hibernators tau is dephosphorylated during arousals. During torpor metabolic challenge and decreased temperature cause hyperphosphorylated tau which protects neurons from damage. The neurons of torpid animals do not have AB deposition and clear phosphorylated tau before irreversible damage occurs. Removing AB has failed to show significant efficacy in AD but GSK3B inhibition with lithium was found to partially reverse tau pathology. Mimicking what we learned from torpid animal decreasing kinase activity and increasing phosphatase activity could reverse tau phosphorylation partially or even fully and stop disease progression. This could ultimately restore the natural balance between kinase and phosphatase activity and lead to normal functioning tau but will unfortunately not be able to reverse the existing damage.
Dynamic Voltage Scaling Algorithm for Battery Powered System with Discrete Voltages

Battery lifetime has become one of the key control parameter of mobile devices design. Maximizing battery lifetime is a difficult task because of both the nonlinear for battery capacity consumption and the correlation between capacity consumption and battery load. In this paper we address the problem how Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) policy optimizes battery utilization according to battery discharge characteristic for the discrete voltage systems. We analyze the battery discharge characteristic and find that the whole battery discharge takes on a linear discharge phase and a nonlinear discharge phase successively. The proposed DVS policy utilizes different methods to generate the voltage schedule during the different discharge phases. Simulation results show that the policy can effectively reduce battery capacity consumption and increase the workload performed during the battery lifetime.
Compact dual‐band‐notched CPW‐fed wide‐slot antenna for WLAN and WiMAX applications

A simple and a compact dual‐band‐notched CPW‐fed wide‐slot antenna, which has a small size of 20 × 25 mm2 is presented for simultaneously satisfying wireless local area network (WLAN) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) applications. By introducing the dual‐band‐notched mechanism to the wide‐slot antenna, the required impedance bandwidth is achieved over the frequency range from 2.15 to 6.5 GHz (S11 < −10 dB) with dual‐band‐notched bands from 2.69 to 3.4 GHz and from 4.32 to 4.98 GHz, covering all the 2.4/5.2/5.8‐GHz WLAN bands and 2.5/3.5/5.5‐GHz WiMAX bands. The dual reverse split rectangular slits are employed effectively for notching unwanted frequency bands, since it can be implemented with a small dimension and in a high Q operation similarly to the conventional strip‐type dual reverse split ring resonator (SRR). Based on the simulated and measured results, a dual‐band‐notched WLAN/WiMAX wide‐slot antenna using dual reverse split rectangular slits is very effective in rejecting unwanted frequency in terms of its selectivity. This proposed antenna with dual‐band‐notched, broadband matched impedance, stable radiation patterns, good antenna gains and compact size can be suitable for communication products of WLAN/WiMAX applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26042
Application of Corn Insecticide Granules to Minimize Hazard to Birds

Insecticide granules exposed on the soil surface may be a health hazard for birds. Methods were developed and evaluated for applying granular insecticides beneath the soil surface to decrease the risk of birds ingesting the granules. Sweep banders, mounted in front of or behind planter press wheels, placed 93 to 100% of the granules beneath the soil surface. These devices hold promise as effective, low-cost methods of incorporating insecticide granules.
Effects of Reentry Plasma Sheath on Mutual-Coupling Property of Array Antenna

A plasma sheath enveloping a reentry vehicle would cause the failure of on-board antennas, which is an important effect that contributes to the “blackout” problem. The method of replacing the on-board single antenna with the array antennas and using beamforming technology has been proposed to mitigate “blackout” problem by many other researchers. Because the plasma sheath is a reflective medium, plasma will alter the mutual coupling between array elements and degrade the beamforming performance of array antenna. In this paper, the effects of the plasma sheath on the mutual coupling properties between adjacent array elements are studied utilizing the algorithm of finite integration technique. Results show that mutual coupling coefficients of array elements are deteriorating more seriously with the decrease of collision frequency. Moreover, when electron density and collision frequency are both large, plasma sheath improves the mutual coupling property of array elements; this conclusion suggests that replacing the on-board single antenna with the array antennas and using beamforming technology can be adopted to mitigate the blackout problem in this condition.
Utilizing an Adaptive Controller (Azadi Controller) for Trajectory Planning of PUMA 560 Robot

This research work was devoted to present a novel adaptive controller which uses two negative stable feedbacks with a positive unstable positive feedback. The positive feedback causes the plant to do the break, therefore reaching the desired trajectory with tiny overshoots. However, the two other negative feedback gains controls the plant in two other sides of positive feedback, making the system to be stable, and controlling the steady-state, and transient responses. This controller was performed for PUMA-560 trajectory planning, and a comparison was made with a fuzzy controller. The fuzzy controller parameters were obtained according to the PSO technique. The simulation results shows that the novel adaptive controller, having just three parameters, can perform well, and can be a good substitute for many other controllers for complex systems such as robotic path planning.
High-Performance Multilevel-Storage Cu-Doped SiOx-Based Nonvolatile Resistance Memory Using Ion Bombardment Technique

Multi-level-cell (MLC) operation of Cu-doped SiOx-based (SiOx:Cu-based) resistance random access memory (ReRAM) has been reported for the first time. For this study, we employed a novel ion bombardment-induced (IB-induced) SiOx:Cu switching layer (SL). Using modulation of SET-current compliance, we completed 2-bit-per-cell memory application. The MLC resistance switching process is described in detail. Owing to controllability of Cu source from advanced IB technique, the IB-induced SiOx:Cu SL shows good cell-to-cell uniformity of MLC resistance switching parameters, including operation voltages and resistance states. Additionally, the IB-induced TaN/SiOx:Cu/TaN ReRAM exhibits infinite potential for MLC operation, such as over 3 times differentiation space among memory states, robust resistance retention, and promising operation endurance properties. During frequent MLC resistance switching, moreover, the IB-induced SiOx:Cu-based device also has excellent single-cell uniformity of memory states due to IB-induced thin Cu filament.
Scanning the Business Environment: and Rates of Growth Among Australian Manufacturing SMEs

Abstract This paper empirically examines differences between the business environment scanning practices of low, moderate and high growth Australian manufacturing SMEs. It also considers the evolution of such scanning practices as firms grow. Utilising longitudinal data from 871 manufacturing SMEs collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics between 1994 and 1998, this study finds significant differences between the scanning practices of SMEs across the three growth paths identified by McMahon (2001) and provides support for much of the extant literature in this area. However, beyond confirming past research, an important finding is that the stage of managerial development of SMEs needs to be given greater consideration as a key contextual variable in the study of the business scanning practices of SMEs. In addition, as SMEs grow, not only do they evolve towards more formal systems of scanning, but they also evolve away from certain sources of information as a consequence of this.
Method for Evaluation of Railway Dynamic Safety Based on 5M Model and Neural Network Algorithm

Traditional risk assessment methods, mainly static analysis, can’t anticipate the development trend and consequences of accidents. This paper firstly presents 5M safety model, combined with the characteristics of the rail transit safety assessment, including complexity, dynamic, ambiguity, etc. By using neural network algorithm, this paper proposes a method of railway safety dynamic assessment. Finally, the method is validated by comparing the output value of the model and the veritable value. The result indicated that it has advantages of real time and predictability.
An Auto-correlation Function Based Technique for Discrimination of Internal Fault and Magnetizing Inrush Current in Power Transformers

Abstract—This article presents an efficient method for discriminating magnetizing inrush and internal fault currents in three-phase transformers based on the auto-correlation function. For each phase, the auto-correlation function of the differential current is calculated for a specified range of lags. Their standard deviation is determined in the next step. Criterion function is simply defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum of the auto-correlation function lags standard deviations for the three phases. Performance of the proposed method is evaluated and compared with eight well-known methods by a large number of simulation and experimental data, covering different cases. The results confirm that the proposed technique is more efficient than the other methods from speed response, reliability, and accuracy points of view. To eliminate the current transformer saturation impact on the performance of the method, the currents are compensated by a current transformer saturation correction algorithm. Also, the proposed algorithm is evaluated in the case of a transformer that is fed through a feeder with series capacitors.
Prediction of Low Speed Compressor Rotor Flowfields With Large Tip Clearances

Rotor tip modeling fidelity, grid resolution, and near wall modeling have been examined to determine the requirements for an accurate prediction of the effects of large tip clearance in a low-speed axial compressor rotor. The effort, using a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver, aimed to obtain the most accurate predictions from a three-dimensional, steady, single blade row simulation. A recently tested, modern low speed rotor, was used as the test geometry; the measured pressure rise characteristic as well as detailed data near stall was used to evaluate the ability of different modeling strategies to capture the correct flow structure. The leakage flow was quantified to show that a wide range of tip blockage could be obtained for different simulations of the same geometry and conditions. The results show that using a square tip and gridding to fully resolve the real tip gap was better able to capture the effects of loading on the leakage flow than either of the approximate models studied. Sufficient clustering near the casing to capture the shear layers was also found to be critical. While wall integration provided the best results in simultaneously improving the prediction of pressure rise characteristics and flow range, higher fidelity wall modeling and a casing y+ of approximately 3 were found to provide similar benefits.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A Parametric Investigation of the Diagnostic Ability of Probabilistic Neural Networks on Turbofan Engines

Fault identification through the use of Artificial Neural Networks has become very popular recently. Probabilistic Neural Networks (PNN) is one of the architectures, which have mostly been investigated for gas turbine diagnostics. In this paper, the influence of parameters related to the structure and training on the diagnostic performance of a probabilistic Neural Network (PNN), is investigated. In particular, the parametric investigation examines the effect of the training set on the diagnostic performance of a PNN. The effect of noise level was also examined and found to be important. Another parameter examined is the severity of a fault, which was found to affect seriously the performance of the diagnostic PNN. Other parameters also examined are the effect of the operating conditions as well as the considered output parameters of the network. Guidelines useful for setting up this type of network, are derived.Copyright © 2001 by ASME
Argon treatment alters microglial activation and neuronal cell death after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage – a randomized controlled animal trial

Background Here, we demonstrate argon´s neuroprotective and immunomodulatory properties after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) examining various localizations (hippocampal and cortical regions) with respect to neuronal damage and microglial activation 6, 24 and 72h after SAH. Methods One hour after SAH (endovascular perforation rat model) or sham surgery, a gas mixture containing 50 vol% argon (argon group) or 50 vol% nitrogen (control group) was applied for 1h. Cerebral coronal sections (H&E; Iba-1 stained) were analyzed for neuronal cell death and microglial activation in predefined anatomical regions. Results Comparing the hippocampal regions 6h after SAH reduced neuronal damage was seen in the argon group (p<0.0001) as well as in the cortical region (p=0.014). Over time the effect diminished: A substantial difference 24h after SAH was only seen for the cortical region (p=0.004). No significant difference was observed 72h after SAH. The hippocampal and overall microglial activation 24h after SAH were significantly reduced in the argon group (p=0.013; p<0.0001), whereas 72h after SAH significance was only detected in the cortical area (p=0.014). Conclusion Argon treatment ameliorated early neuronal damage after SAH. However, inhibition of microglial activation might indicate a beneficial effect with regard to secondary inflammatory.
Simulations of Open Emitter Breakdown Voltage in SiC BJTs with Non Implanted JTE

Ion implantation for selective doping of SiC is problematic due to damage generation during the process and low activation of dopants. In SiC bipolar junction transistor (BJT) the junction termination extension (JTE) can be formed without ion implantation using instead a controlled etching into the epitaxial base. This etched JTE is advantageous because it eliminates ion implantation induced damage and the need for high temperature annealing. However, the dose, which is controlled by the etched base thickness and doping concentration, plays a crucial role. In order to find the optimum parameters, device simulations of different etched base thicknesses have been performed using the software Sentaurus Device. A surface passivation layer consisting of silicon dioxide, considering interface traps and fixed trapped charge, has been included in the analysis by simulations. Moreover a comparison with measured data for fabricated SiC BJTs has been performed.