Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and FPGA Implementation of OFDM System with Channel Estimation and Synchronization

In wireless and mobile communications, multipath fading severely degrades the quality of information exchange. The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology is able to provide a high transmission data rate with enhanced communication performance at a relatively small bandwidth cost, together with proper estimation and compensation of channel effects. Therefore, it has been widely applied in many wireless and mobile networks, especially for the state-of-the-art communication standards. The unique structure of OFDM signals and the application of discrete Fourier transform (DFT) algorithm have significantly simplified the digital implementation of OFDM system. Among different kinds of implementations, field programmable gate array (FPGA) is a very cost-effective and highly flexible solution, which provides superior system performance and enables easy system upgrade. In this thesis, a baseband OFDM system with channel estimation and timing synchronization is designed and implemented using the FPGA technology. The system is prototyped based on the IEEE 802.11a standard and the signals is transmitted and received using a bandwidth of 20 MHz. With the help of the quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, the system can achieve a throughput of 24 Mbps. Moreover, the least squares (LS) algorithm is implemented and the estimation of a frequency-selective fading channel is demonstrated. For the coarse estimation of timing, a modified maximum-normalized correlation (MNC) scheme is investigated and implemented. Starting from theoretical study, this thesis in detail describes the system design and verification on the basis of both MATLAB simulation and hardware implementation. Bit error rate (BER) verses bit energy to noise spectral density (Eb/N0) is presented in the case of different channels. In the meanwhile, comparison is made between the simulation and implementation results, which verifies system performance from the system level to the register transfer level (RTL). First of all, the entire system is modeled in MATLAB and a floating-point model is established. Then, the fixed-point model is created with the help of Xilinx’s System Generator for DSP (XSG) and Simulink. Subsequently, the system is synthesized and implemented within Xilinx’s Integrated Software Environment (ISE) tools and targeted to Xilinx Virtex-5 board. What is more, a hardware co-simulation is devised to reduce the processing time while calculating the BER for the fixed-point model. The present thesis is an initial work on the implementation part of an collaborative research and development (CRD) project of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) sponsored by the WiTel Technologies, Ontario. It is the first and foremost step for further investigation of designing innovative channel estimation techniques towards applications in the fourth generation (4G) mobile communication systems.
Segmentation of Brain Gliomas Based on a Multi-modal Multi-scale Double-pathway 3D Residual CNN

Background: The automated segmentation of brain gliomas regions in magnetic resonance (MR) images plays an important role in the early diagnosis, intraoperative navigation, radiotherapy planning and prognosis of brain tumors. It is very challenging to segment gliomas and intratumoral structures since the location, size, shape, edema range and boundary of gliomas are heterogeneous, and multimodal brain gliomas images (such as T1, T2, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and T1c images) are collected from multiple radiation centers. Methods: This paper presents a multimodal, multi-scale, double-pathway, 3D residual convolution neural network (CNN) for automatic gliomas segmentation. First, a robust gray-level normalization method is proposed to solve the multicenter problem, such as very different intensity ranges due to different imaging protocols. Second, a multi-scale, double-pathway network based on DeepMedic toolkit is trained with different combinations of multimodal MR images for gliomas segmentation. Finally, a fully connected conditional random field (CRF) is used as a post-processing strategy to optimize the segmentation results for addressing the isolated segmentations and holes. Results: Experiments on the Multimodal Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) 2017 and 2019 challenge data show that our methods achieve a good performance in delineating the whole tumor with a Dice coefficient, a sensitivity and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.88, 0.89 and 0.88, respectively. Regarding the segmentation of the tumor core and the enhancing area, the sensitivity reached 0.80. Conclusions: Experiments show that our method can accurately segment gliomas and intratumoral structures from multimodal MR images, and it is of great significance to clinical neurosurgery.
Manual of Photography: Photographic and Digital Imaging

From the Publisher: "The Manual of Photography is the standard work for anyone who is serious about photography: professional photographers and lab technicians or managers, as well as students and enthusiastic amateurs who want to become more technically competent. The authors provide comprehensive and accessible coverage of the techniques and technologies of photography. " "The Manual now covers digital techniques, and a new colour plate section illustrates the chapters on colour techniques. Major new updates for the ninth edition include: coverage of digital techniques - more emphasis on electronic and hybrid media; and greater coverage of colour measurement, specification and reproduction - illustrated with a new colour plate section. Dealing with the fundamental principles as well as the practices of photography and imaging, the Manual covers topics ranging from optics to camera types and features, to colour photography and digital image processing and manipulation. " "Readership: Students on photography/digital imaging/art and design courses and those on computer courses needing to understand the scientific aspects. "--BOOK JACKET.
EFFECT OF PLATELET ACTIVATING FACTOR MEDIUM FOR IN VITRO SPERM ACTIVATION OF ASTHENOZOOSPERMIA MEN ON INTRA UTERINE INSEMINATION OUTCOME

Aim of the study: To determine the effect of platelet activating factor (PAF) into the culture medium to prepare and activate the semen samples of male factor infertility. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the Infertility Unit, AL-Hussein Teaching Hospital, Al-Nassirya City, through the period from 30 th October 2020 till 17 th April 2021. The study included thirty couples who are complaining from infertility. Results: The frequency distribution of enrolled infertile men with asthenozoospermia. Baseline characteristics of seminal fluid analysis of males with asthenozoospermia those with PAF medium were Semen volume ml, pH, Sperm concentration before million/ml, Sperm motility %, morphologically normal sperm( %) , were mean ±SD (2.80 ±1.03, 7.37 ±0.07, 51.67 ±8.80, 8.67 ±6.11, and 40.00 ±0.00, respectively). Conclusion: Certain sperm function characters were highly improved after in vitro activation by a medium containing PAF of asthenozoospermic samples resulted in improvement of IUI outcome.
The effects of exercise on beef cattle health, performance, and carcass quality; And the effects of extended aging, blade tenderization, and degree of doneness on beef aroma volatile formation

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of exercise on feedlot cattle well-being, growth performance, and carcass characteristics (Experiments 1 and 2). Additionally, two experiments assessed the volatile compound profiles of beef in response to various postmortem processes (Experiments 3 and 4). Experiment 1 compared heifers (n=30) assigned to either a sedentary treatment or an exercise regimen 3 times/wk (20 min/d for the first 2 wk, 30 min/d for the next 2 wk, and 40 min/d for the final wk). Exercised heifers showed decreased blood insulin, daily gains, final body weights, and lower numerical yield grades in conjunction with decreased a* and b* color values of longissimus muscle lean. Experiment 2 exposed steers (n=419) to 1 of 4 treatments; not exercised (CON), or exercised 3 times/wk by animal handlers for 20-30 min for the first 10 wk (EARLY), the last 7 wk (LATE), or for the entire 116 d finishing period (ALL). EARLY treatment cattle exhibited a decrease in blood insulin while EARLY and ALL treatment cattle produced carcasses with decreased marbling scores in comparison to CON cattle. Experiment 3 assessed the volatile compounds generated by raw and cooked beef gluteus medius steaks (n=30) subjected to blade tenderization and aging times ranging from 5 to 61 d. Raw steaks aged longer than 19 d produced greater concentrations of heptanal, octanal, and nonanal than raw steaks aged 5 d, but cooked steaks showed no change in these compounds in response to aging. Additionally, blade tenderization reduced the concentrations of lipid oxidation and Maillard reaction products in cooked steaks. Experiment 4 investigated cross-sections, external, and internal locations of beef longissimus lumborum steaks (n=54) cooked to 63, 71, or 77 °C and aged for 5, 21, or 37 d. External locations generated aldehydes in greater amounts than internal locations while pyrazines are produced exclusively at external locations. Increases in degree of doneness increased all aldehydes, except nonanal, in steak cross-sections. Aldehydes, except hexanal and octanal, generated from external locations became similar to internal locations as aging times increased. Pyrazines from external locations were reduced by increased aging times. THE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE ON BEEF CATTLE HEALTH, PERFORMANCE, AND CARCASS QUALITY; AND THE EFFECTS OF EXTENDED AGING, BLADE TENDERIZATION, AND DEGREE OF DONENESS ON BEEF AROMA VOLATILE FORMATION
Design Optimization using Advanced Artificial Intelligent System Coupled to Hybrid-Game Strategies

One of the main aims in artificial intelligent system is to develop robust and efficient optimisation methods for Multi-Objective (MO) and Multidisciplinary Design (MDO) design problems. The paper investigates two different optimisation techniques for multi-objective design optimisation problems. The first optimisation method is a Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). The second method combines the concepts of Nash-equilibrium and Pareto optimality with Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) which is denoted as Hybrid-Game. Numerical results from the two approaches are compared in terms of the quality of model and computational expense. The benefit of using the distributed hybrid game methodology for multi-objective design problems is demonstrated.
Simulation and Optimization of Thermosyphon Solar WateHeater for Kuala Lumpur Climate Using Trnsys Software

Solar energy can be utilized for hot water supply in Malaysia but demand is at night and in the early morning. Auxiliary heater can help reduce this mismatch. The objective of this project is to develop a transient simulation program (TRNSYS) by set the system using suitable parameters for Kuala Lumpur, to determine the optimal system design and the system performance during the year for 150literfday hot water consumption for five persons. TRNSYS is a transient system simulation program which is use for thermal analysis of a variety of time dependent systems. The modular nature of TRNSYS permits simulation of a great variety of particular components of a physical system and facilitates the add ons to the program of mathematical model which is not included in standard TRNSYS library. A typical thermosyphon solar domestic hot water (DHW) system can be modeled by connecting thermosyphon collector storage subsystem (Type 49, Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) weather data reader (Type89), radiation processor (Type 16), heating load component (Type 14), integrator (Type 24) and online plotter (Type65). It was observed that the collector should be tilted at @+(7" + 37")which is faced to south, according to Kuala Lumpur latitude (e3.14q.In terms of storage tanks configuration the vertical system has better performance rather than horizontal one. The optimal system designs are: Nr=lO, D, =5 mm, Do, Di=15mm, H, when the Ht is lm2 should be more than 0.8m and the optimum tank height is about lm. In case of tank volume it is highly depend on the set point (hot water temperature to load), but for most of the cases is between 125-150 liter. The optimum collector area for 150 litertday consumption is about 2m2; there is no effect in increasing the collector area. It is concluded that the system without auxiliary water heater can not reach the requirements, if the set point is 55°C. In most of the month of the year the mean monthly water temperature is more than 50°C. The auxiliary is needed for cooler months like June, July and November. The auxiliary heating consumption in solar system is about 90% less than the geyser (see Figure5.19).
The University of Nebraska at Omaha's Criss Library Mobile Resources: A Study of User's Preferences

Library launched mCriss, the library mobile website to support the educational objectives of on-campus and distance students as well as the research goals of UNO faculty and staff. The study investigators conducted an online survey of UNO students, faculty, staff, alumni and UNO Library Friends ages 19 and older. The purpose of this study was to collect data on UNO community member use of mobile devices and UNO Criss Library mobile services, to determine if participants: are aware of the different aspects of the Library mobile initiative; use Criss Library mobile resources; are interested in other library mobile services and (if so) identify which resources/services are of interest; and determine participant perceptions of library mobile resources/services. The study found that the modal users of the Criss Library mobile website are Caucasian, female, undergraduate students between the age of 19 to 25 in the social sciences. The results also shows that 66 percent have Internet access on their mobile phone, but only 24 percent have used a mobile device to access UNO Library mobile resources. Library catalog and library hours are the top resources used on a mobile device. ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my children Eliza and Austin; you can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives strength. The largest task can be accomplished if it is done one step at a time, so let your steps be ordered by the Lord, He will take you all the way. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been indebted in the preparation of this thesis to my advisor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln whose patience and kindness, as well as, her academic experience have been invaluable to me. directed me with interesting possible explorations of and extensive discussions around my work. Your kind support and guidance have been of great value in this study. for his detailed and constructive comments, valuable advice, friendly help, and for his important support throughout this work. of Nebraska at Omaha. Her wide knowledge of academic libraries and her logical way of thinking have been of great value for me. Her understanding, encouraging and personal guidance have provided a good basis for the present thesis. iv During this work I have collaborated with many colleagues for whom I have great regard, and I wish to extend my warmest thanks to all those who have helped me with my work in the Dr. I owe my loving thanks to …
Robots: Bringing Intelligent Machines to Life

From the Publisher: Can we build a robot with humanlike intelligence? What technology is needed to produce the perfect blueprint for the ideal "living" robot? What part will robots play in the future of humanity? Are we risking robot domination of the world? This highly readable volume tells the past, present, and future stories of robots and Artificial Intelligence, more commonly known as AI. Discussed here are the dreams of the pioneers Alan Turing and John von Neumann, who envisioned making computers intelligent when they were first invented. The author also describes in detail the current state of computer and robot technology, and points out the challenges inherent in teaching a machine to "think" and make decisions. Other topics include the life cycle of a present-day robot, raw materials and energy sources required for robot construction, and experimental progress in the field of self-designing robots. This absorbing volume is science factnot science fiction. It includes more than 200 full-color photos and illustrations.
A Networked Patient Records Management System for Health Care Facilities

This paper describes a notional networked patient records management system for healthcare facilities. The Information Systems and Medical Practice literature are surveyed as a part of the groundwork for the design. The selected design includes both wireless and traditional networking components. The described solution includes both hardware and software specifications and both high and low level design documents for the system. The issues that will be discussed in the paper will be hardware selection, current availability of COTS software, development issues, security, and scalability.
Biomass Resource Allocation among Competing End Uses

NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof. Acknowledgments The Biomass Scenario Model development and analysis is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program, under DE-AC36-08GO28308. We thank Zia Haq and Sheila Moynihan of DOE for supporting this effort. We also thank Mary Lukkonen and Scott Gossett of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for assistance in editing the manuscript; The Biomass Scenario Model (BSM) is a system dynamics model developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as a tool to better understand the interaction of complex policies and their potential effects on the biofuels industry in the United States. However, it does not currently have the capability to account for allocation of biomass resources among the various end uses, which limits its utilization in analysis of policies that target biomass uses outside the biofuels industry. This report provides a more holistic understanding of the dynamics surrounding the allocation of biomass among uses that include traditional use, wood pellet exports, bio-based products and bioproducts, biopower, and biofuels by (1) highlighting the methods used in existing models' treatments of competition for biomass resources; (2) identifying coverage and gaps in industry data regarding the competing end uses; and (3) exploring options for developing models of biomass allocation that could be integrated with the BSM to actively exchange and incorporate relevant information. The review of existing models (Section 2) provides an overview on how competing demands for biomass are currently represented; these models do not include the dynamic interaction among biomass end users as a primary focus. There are models that specifically deal with the competition for biomass, but they are predominantly optimization models either …
Enhancement of a leg-wheel mechanism by hydraulics toward compliantly balancing platforms for heavy duty work

This paper presents CRAWHEL, a proposed low-height leg-wheel platform for dexterous and safe construction work. The platform supports most of its weight with two large wheels in the center and crawling in a low position with four hydraulically driven legs. By actively manipulating the contact force of legs and wheels by hydraulic joint torque control, the body can respond to unexpected reaction forces and to sudden changes in terrain shape. Thereby, it maintains the position and orientation stably while generating necessary force to the work tools. This paper describes the design concept and verifies it using preliminary simulations and experiments. For this purpose, the first hardware prototype with 16 degrees of freedom, 2 m length, 660 mm height, and 145 kg weight was fabricated. Details of the hardware and the whole-body motion control method are presented herein. Numerical analysis underscores the effectiveness of leg-wheel coordinated control for the most commonly used horizontal sway motions. The experimentally obtained results demonstrate that the prototype can maintain the position and posture of the base even if the ground actually moves irregularly, or if a strong disturbance is applied. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Instant and Persistent Hydrogen Production Using Nano High Entropy Catalyst

Renewable harvesting clean and hydrogen energy using the benefits of novel multicatalytic materials of high entropy alloy (HEA equimolar Cu-Ag-Au-Pt-Pd) from formic acid with minimum energy input has been achieved in the present investigation. The synthesis effect of pristine elements in the HEA drives the electro-oxidation reaction towards non-carbonaceous pathway . The atomistic simulation based on DFT rationalize the distinct lowering of the d-band center for the individual atoms in the HEA as compared to the pristine counterparts. This catalytic activity of the HEA has also been extended to methanol electro-oxidation to show the unique capability of the novel catalyst. The nanostructured HEA, properties using a combination of casting and cry omilling techniques can further be utilized as fuel cell anode in direct formic acid/methanol fuel cells (DFFE).
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

This paper presents the results of a study on crash conditions and occupant characteristics in side impacts to support the development of advanced side impact test procedures. The US vehicle fleet has been changing in recent years with a growing population of light trucks and vans, and the rapid introduction of side impact inflatable restraints for both thoracic and head protection. The study utilizes the US NASS/CDS, and FARS and GES (1990-2001) to characterize the current and projected US side crash environment in order to identify opportunities to improve side impact protection for the modern US fleet.