Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decay spectroscopy of europium-160

Nuclei far from the traditional proton and neutron shell closures with “magic numbers” often deviate from spherical shapes and are deformed. The excitedstate structure of these nuclei is built on the interplay of collective motions with single-particle degrees of freedom. Neutron-rich europium (Z = 63) nuclei around N = 104 are located midshell in both proton and neutron number. These nuclei exist in a region of large deformation, and the excitedstate structure of these nuclei has not been studied in-depth yet. β-decay data was taken for a number of neutron-rich europium isotopes, including 160Eu, at TRIUMF-ISAC using the GRIFFIN spectrometer. For this thesis, a comprehensive β-decay study was carried out on 160Eu and the daughter 160Gd. 10 new excited states and 41 new transitions have been identified in the excited-state level scheme of 160Gd, and for the first time, a thorough analysis on the β-decay of 160Eu was completed.
Characterization of Conduction Properties of DC Cable Dielectric Materials

Modern power systems are undergoing a grand transformation towards a widearea transmission network, publicly known as “Smart Grid” and “Super Grid”, for technical and economic advantages. Regional systems have been built-up towards national grids and later interconnected with neighboring countries. High voltage direct current (HVDC) is emerging rapidly as an effective and efficient solution for grid interconnection, island electrification, urban grid decongestion, renewable off-shore wind energy integration. Despite the emerging opportunities, significant technical challenges persist for HVDC/MVDC technology, namely in DC cabling and accessories, DC breakers and DC diagnosis and monitoring. The major challenge for DC cabling resides in the insulation due to performance deterioration by space charge accumulation. Mattewos Tefferi University of Connecticut, 2019 DC cable dielectrics require optimization of materials that meet a desired property which differs from AC cable dielectrics. In this comprehensive study, the properties needed for the insulation system intended for DC cables and the approach to the design and development of DC formulation with proper balance between key electrical properties, have been investigated. A formalism which includes the correlation between the conductivity and space charge based on two physical materials parameters, activation energy (ξ) and mean trap separation (λ), has been developed, based on which the role of chemical defects and physical disorder in controlling the conductivity of polymers as well as their implication on practical material design and development are discussed. Basic understanding of those two physical parameters may bring the ability to engineer desirable DC material as well as improved capability to understand the physical basis of aging and other phenomena in dielectrics. These findings contribute towards tailored polymeric insulation materials with superior electrical performance of DC cables for future energy efficient power grids. Characterization of Conduction Properties of DC Cable Dielectric Materials
Delft University of Technology Modeling of brittle failure based on a Hoek & Brown yield criterion parametric studies and constitutive validation

Hoek & Brown (HB) failure criteria have been employed over the past decades in common engineering applications due to their extended capability to capture the non-linear yielding of different types of rocks. Often implemented within a perfect plastic framework, this constitutive approach is here enhanced by introducing a softening rule to simulate the post-peak behaviour of rocks in the brittle regime. For this purpose, the degradation of the material properties has been expressed as a function of an internal variable (i.e., the cumulated value of deviatoric plastic strains) which allows one to simulate the rock failure resulting from dilating shearing. Furthermore, to accurately describe the non-linear dilatancy after the peak, the same hyperbolic trend has been applied also to the material properties governing the expression of the plastic potential. The performance of these constitutive equations has been inspected through parametric analyses to emphasize the role of the softening parameters at material point level, as well as to study the strain localization potential of the Hoek & Brown model with Softening (HBS). As a further validation, the shear band angles predicted with the theory have been compared by performing the same tests with finite element code PLAXIS 2D, thus confirming the model capability to simulate failure mechanisms within a strain localization regime. the same stress paths as an Initial Boundary Value Problem (IBVP) by using PLAXIS 2D, thus confirming the predicted values of the band angle with the numerical solution computed with FE analyses. 2. CONSTITUTIVE FORMULATION: A HOEK & BROWN MODEL WITH SOFTENING (HBS) The elasto-plastic characteristics of the Hoek & Brown with softening (HBS) have been defined according to the yield surface proposed by Jiang and Zhao, 2015 which represents a generalization of the Hoek & Brown criterion through the invariants associated with the stress tensor: f = q σci (1/a−1) + A(θ) q 3 mb −mbp − sσci, (1) Where p, q and θ represent the mean stress (i.e., p = (σxx + σyy + σzz )/3), the stress deviator (i.e., q = √1.5(sijsij) where sij = σij − pδij is the deviator component of σij and δij represents the Kronecker’s symbol) and the Lode angle (i.e., cos(3θ) = √6tr(s)/ tr(s)), respectively. In Eq. 1, the function A(θ) is defined according to the formulation proposed by Jiang and Zhao, 2015 in which A(θ) = 2cos(π\3 − θ) and σci represents the uniaxial compression strength. mb, s and a are dimensionless parameters which are determined through the empirical correlations proposed by Marinos el al., 2015 and Brown, 2008 (i.e., the GSI system): mbi = m ⋅ exp ( GSI − 100
Identifying Best Practices in Training Transfer: A Qualitative Study of Training Professionals.

Qualitative data were gathered from trainers regarding best practices for supporting training transfer. Using content analysis, findings suggest interventions for bolstering transfer are best carried out in the work context and design/delivery phase, take place after training or during, and involve trainers and supervisors. However, trainers across different job levels tended to disagree where and when to best support transfer. Supervisory support activities, performance opportunities, interactive training, measuring transfer, and job-relevant training garnered top attention.
Stabilised jarofix waste material for road construction

ABSTRACT Jarofix is a waste material generated during the extraction of zinc from its ore. Laboratory characterisation of stabilised jarofix was carried out to investigate the feasibility of its utilisation in embankment and granular layers of road construction. It was stabilised by the addition of soil in the range of 25–75% and cement in the range of 3–9%. Stress-displacement behaviour of jarofix-soil mixes was studied by conducting a series of direct shear tests at different dry densities and normal stresses. Different geotechnical parameters of jarofix-soil mixes, namely, shear stress ratio, peak and critical friction angles, and dilation were studied. For 50% soil content in the jarofix-soil mix, the values of peak friction angle increase in the range of 5–15% and maximum dry density in the range of 10–20%. In addition to this, tensile modulus and shear strength parameters of cement-stabilised jarofix were determined. The addition of cement improves the modulus and shear strength parameters, which makes it suitable for the application in steep slope embankments and subbase/base layers of road construction. Cement-stabilised jarofix material can effectively reduce the thickness of subbase and base layers of a flexible pavement approximately by 20%, and lead to economical and sustainable road construction.
Combining Intraoral and Face Scans for the Design and Fabrication of Computer-Assisted Design/Computer-Assisted Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) Polyether-Ether-Ketone (PEEK) Implant-Supported Bars for Maxillary Overdentures

Purpose To present a digital method that combines intraoral and face scanning for the computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) fabrication of implant-supported bars for maxillary overdentures. Methods Over a 2-year period, all patients presenting to a private dental clinic with a removable complete denture in the maxilla, seeking rehabilitation with implants, were considered for inclusion in this study. Inclusion criteria were fully edentulous maxilla, functional problems with the preexisting denture, opposing dentition, and sufficient bone volume to insert four implants. Exclusion criteria were age < 55 years, need for bone augmentation, uncompensated diabetes mellitus, immunocompromised status, radio- and/or chemotherapy, and previous treatment with oral and/or intravenous aminobisphosphonates. All patients were rehabilitated with a maxillary overdenture supported by a CAD/CAM polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) implant-supported bar. The outcomes of the study were the passive fit/adaptation of the bar, the 1-year implant survival, and the success rates of the implant-supported overdentures. Results 15 patients (6 males, 9 females; mean age 68.8 ± 4.7 years) received 60 implants and were rehabilitated with a maxillary overdenture supported by a PEEK bar, designed and milled from an intraoral digital impression. The intraoral scans were integrated with face scans, in order to design each bar with all available patient data (soft tissues, prosthesis, implants, and face) in the correct spatial position. When testing the 3D-printed resin bar, 12 bars out of 15 (80%) had a perfect passive adaptation and fit; in contrast, 3 out of 15 (20%) did not have a sufficient passive fit or adaptation. No implants were lost, for a 1-year survival of 100% (60/60 surviving implants). However, some complications (two fixtures with peri-implantitis in the same patient and two repaired overdentures in two different patients) occurred. This determined a 1-year success rate of 80% for the implant-supported overdenture. Conclusions In this study, the combination of intraoral and face scans allowed to successfully restore fully edentulous patients with maxillary overdentures supported by 4 implants and a CAD/CAM PEEK bar. Further studies are needed to confirm these outcomes.
The influence of circadian rhythms on peak isokinetic force of quadriceps and hamstring muscles

BACKGROUND: Circadian rhythms, and their potential influence on athletic performance, have been the subject of a number of investigations. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the influence of circadian rhythms on the peak isokinetic force of the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups, and the relationship of cortisol level with these measures. METHODS: Twelve male and twelve female participants completed maximal isokinetic flexion and extension movements of their dominant leg at 60 ◦ /s using an isokinetic dynamometer. Data were collected at 09.00 (Session A), 14.00 (Session B) and 18.00 (Session C). Salivary cortisol was also obtained immediately prior to each session. Differences in isokinetic strength parameters and salivary cortisol concentrations, between the three sessions, were examined using 2 × 3 mixed ANOVAs. Pearson correlations were used to examine the relationship between isokinetic strength and salivary cortisol. RESULTS:For all of the flexion parameters, but none of their extension counterparts, session C was associated with significantly greater isokinetic strength compared to session A. No significant relationships were observed between measures of isokinetic strength and cortisol. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this investigation suggest that both male and female athletes performing knee flexion strengthening exercises should conduct their training/competitions in the late afternoon or early evening in order to maximize performance.
Mechanics of polymer brush based soft active materials

A brush-like structure emerges from the stretching of long polymer chains, densely grafted on to the surface of an impermeable substrate. This structure is due to a competition between the conformational entropic elasticity of grafted polymer chains, and the intra and interchain excluded volume repulsions. Polymer brushes occur in biology: neurofilaments, articulate cartilage, extra cellular biopolymers etc. Recently, engineered soft active materials are developed to produce large controllable and reversible bending and stretching deformations. These materials are the focus of this work. New theoretical models, molecular simulations to assess them, and experimental studies are presented in this work. Mechanical stress within a brush and its dependence on the molecular parameters of the brush and external stimulus (temperature) is studied for the first time. A continuum beam model accounting for the Young-Laplace and the Steigman-Ogden curvature elasticity corrections is developed first to understand the large deformation of a flexible substrate due to a brush grafted on it. This model yields a generalized surface stress-curvature relation that enables one to determine stress from curvature measurements. Strong stretching theory (SST) from polymer physics is combined with continuum mechanics to obtain stress variation in a neutral brush with Gaussian chains. This theory predicts that the normal stress, parallel to the substrate, is a quartic function of the distance from the grafting surface with a maximum at the grafting surface. Idealizing the brush as a continuum elastic surface with residual stress, closed-form expressions for surface stress and surface elasticity as a function of molecular weight and graft density are derived. At a higher graft density, a more refined (semi) analytical SST with Langevin chain elasticity is advanced. Theoretical predictions are assessed by molecular dynamics simulation of a brush using bead-spring model. Experiments on a thermoresponsive brush grafted onto a soft beam showed the surface stress is ∼ −10 N/m and its magnitude decreases gradually, and reversibly, on increasing solvent temperature. Molecular scale parameters of the brush are estimated experimentally to enable qualitative comparison with SST theories.
Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Shape Memory Alloy Fibre-Reinforced ECC Composite

Abstract: An innovative hybrid engineered cementitious composite (HECC-SMAF) incorporating randomly dispersed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and shape memory alloy short fibres (SMA) has been developed in this study. The behaviour of the composite produced with and without NiTi-SMA and/or polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) short fibres was investigated. The experimental results show that utilizing a combination of those fibres can affect the composite by a slight to no increase in compressive strength while it can enhance the flexural capacity by up to 144%. Also, a general reduction in workability was observed due to incorporating those fibres in the composite compared to that of the ECC matrix mixture.
The Effect of a Residual Stress on Wave Propagation in a Fluid-Filled Thick Elastic Tube

The propagation of harmonic waves in an elastic tubes filled fluid is presented in this study. The tube material is considered to be incompressible, homogeneous, isotropic, initially axially stretched, inflated and thick elastic like human arteries. The viscous fluid is assumed to be incompressible and Newtonian. The differential equations of both materials are obtained in cylindrical coordinates. The analytical solutions of the equations of motion for the fluid, numerical solutions of the equations of motion for the tube have been found. The residual circumferential strain in the unloaded state of artery causes opening angle. The dispersion relation is presented as a function of the axial stretch, opening angle, internal pressure and material parameters. The effects of these parameters are shown and discussed on graphics.
The Microstructure and Selected Mechanical Properties of Al2O3 + 13 wt % TiO2 Plasma Sprayed Coatings

The Al2O3 + TiO2 coatings are of the interest of surface technology and tribology due to their good wear resistance and enhanced toughness comparing to pure Al2O3 coatings. However, the detailed effect of the used feedstock powder, is often neglected. Here, this work focuses on the deposition of Al2O3 + 13 wt % TiO2 coatings by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) method as well as on their microstructure, phase composition and selected mechanical properties, in the reference to the route of the powder feedstock preparation. The commercial powder Metco 6221 in agglomerated and sintered form was used as a feedstock material during spraying, due to the fact that, so far, sintered or cladded powders are the most studied ones. The 2k + 1 spray experiment allowed to evaluate the influence of two variables, namely spray distance and torch linear velocity, on the coating microstructure. Afterwards, the coating adhesion was measured by the means of pull-off test. The correlations between Vickers microhardness, fracture toughness (Kc) as well as the coating morphology and phase composition were investigated. Finally, the dry sliding wear resistance was studied by using Ball-on-Disc method.
Who owns the land? Looking for Law and Power in Reformasi East Kalimantan

Author(s): Bakker, Laurens | Abstract: People need land: to live on, to grow foodstuffs and to obtain the many natural resources required in the global economy. Control over land and its riches hence is a powerful asset. “Who Owns the Land? “ is a multidisciplinary study of discourses of land rights and control over land to shed new light on the creation, maintenance and functioning of authority in East Kalimantan.In 1998 the Southeast Asian economic crisis hit Indonesia, and brought an end to more than three decades of authoritative rule by the New Order regime. What followed was Reformasi –reform- a process of reinventing Indonesia. More presidents took and lost office than in all preceding years, democracy arrived with a vengeance and the shape and future of Indonesian society was the subject of serious national debate. Decentralization of legislative power to regional government was seen as a desired solution in the post-authoritarian state. Yet decades of New Order rule left its mark, notably in a widespread social understanding of clientelism and nepotism, rather than democracy and liberalism as characteristic of governance.Decentralization thus created an arena in which reformers, New Order conservatives, local elites and such forces as materialised along ethnic and religious lines, could have it out. “Who Owns the Land? ” deals with the effects of decentralization on control over land in the sparsely populated and resource-rich province of East Kalimantan. Laurens Bakker takes a socio-legal perspective in researching the effects of decentralization on access to land, and approaches the issue of land rights and their regulation through official legislation as well as from the perspective of the local population. This study deals with how land rights are argued, with the strategies of obtaining rights. It seeks to find out how rights are formulated, based on which criteria, and by whom. Based on extensive field research among rural and semi-urban population groups, among NGOs and inside the newly empowered regional bureaucracies in East Kalimantan, the focus of the book lies on the argumentation and success of claims rather than on their legal validity; on the discourse rather than the code.This book thus offers a unique insight into the legal situation of land tenure, the ways in which authority functions, regulatory rules are formulated, complied with, and enforced in post-New Order, Reformasi Indonesia.
DETACHMENT OF ESCHERICIA COLI FROM SATURATED POROUS MEDIA IN LABORATORY COLUMNS

DETACHMENT OF ESCHERICIA COLI FROM SATURATED POROUS MEDIA IN LABORATORY COLUMNS by Jessica L. Strauss University of New Hampshire, December 2004 Recent studies suggest that bacterial contamination of groundwater is a national health concern in the United States. The movement of bacteria-laden water through soil and aquifer sediments often results in significant removal of bacteria from the aqueous phase, however, elevated concentrations of indicator organisms in drinking water aquifers are often detected and may be due, in part, to the slow release of sediment-associated bacteria. This condition, referred to as tailing, is caused by the detachment of previously attached cells over time, with aqueous concentrations often orders of magnitude below the peak concentration. Extended tailing has often been observed in laboratory and field transport experiments. The factors controlling bacterial attachment to aquifer sediments have been well investigated, however the processes controlling bacterial detachment from sediment surfaces at steady state are not well understood. To address this research gap in understanding bacterial detachment in the subsurface, laboratory column experiments were performed to investigate the attachment and detachment of a nonmotile strain of Escherichia coli cells at resting state through uncoated or Fe-coated quartz sand (350-500 μm diameter) in KCl solution at low or high ionic strength (0.001 M or 0.01 M). For each experimental run, a pulse of [H]-labeled E. coli cells was injected into flow-through columns, and column effluent was sampled for ~17-23 pore volumes (8.5-11.5 h). To account for biological effects on detachment,
Analysis of the strain and hardness in self-cured and light-cured self-adhesive resin based cement

Abstract The study showed an application of the 3 D Digital Image Correlation Method (3 D-DIC) for detection of von Mises strain in samples of the self-etch, self-adhesive resin based cement (RBC). The aim was to determine and compare strain in the self-cured and light-cured Maxcem Elite, furthermore to investigate the hardness of these two cement-types. The experiment was carried out using two groups of Maxcem Elite (Kerr, Orange, CA, USA) samples; each tested group includes five (ø5 × 2 mm sized) samples, for both self-curing and light-curing mode. All samples were prepared by filling teflon ring-type molds. In addition, Vickers micro-hardness was measured for all samples. Maxcem Elite showed similar maximum strain values from 10% to 12% for both groups. Besides the maximum strain value, the 3 D-DIC method also enabled monitoring the change of strain field even after the recommended polymerization time. This method has shown that the polymerization shrinkage continues even after 10 min which disagreed with manufacturer’s suggestion. Group II showed maximum strain values of 12% in the peripheral zone after 10 min, in the last Stage (Stage 60). Statistically significant difference was not found in the overall strain between self- and light-cured Maxcem Elite neither peripherally (p = 0.118) nor centrally (p = 0.879). However, statistical significance was found in strain regarding central and peripheral zone in both, self-cured (p = 0.020) and light-cured (p = 0.002) Maxcem Elite. The mean von Mises strain values in the periphery of the samples (Section 0) were significantly higher compared to strain values in the center of the samples (for Section 1 and 2). The last stage (Stage 60) of the light-cured Maxcem Elite polymerization showed significantly higher values of von Mises strain compared to initial stage (Stage 0). Higher values of micro-hardness were noticed on the surfaces directly exposed to LED lamp after performing measurements of micro-hardness on light-cured samples.