Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FRP-Confined Concrete Columns: A New Procedure for Evaluating the Performance of Square and Circular Sections

In the last few decades, the upgrading of existing reinforced concrete columns with the use of FRP jackets has met with increasing interest for its effectiveness and ease of application. The use of these kinds of jackets ensures an improvement of the affected column in terms of strength and ductility; however, the prediction of behavior of columns wrapped with FRP jackets is still an open question because of the many parameters that influence the effectiveness of the upgrading technique, and several semiempirical models are proposed. Because these models are often only applicable to specific cases, in this paper, a generalized criterion for the determination of the increase in strength, in ductility, and in dissipated energy for varying corner radius ratios of the cross section and fiber volumetric ratios is shown. Numerical results using a finite element analysis, calibrated on the basis of experimental data available in the literature, are carried out to calibrate the new analytical models. A comparison with some available models confirms the reliability of the proposed procedure.
Cost-effective measures for diffuse load abatement in forestry

This paper theoretically and empirically analyzes the design of cost-effective diffuse load abatement in forestry. Harvesting with related forest regeneration and drainage maintenance increases nutrient leaching, while riparian buffer strips and adjustments in drainage maintenance technology can be used to prevent this leaching. By utilizing a two-period model it is shown that cost-efficiency requires the establishment of a buffer strip system and a reduction in both current harvesting, and in drainage maintenance – if practized – relative to the private optimum to reflect their effects on water pollution. A simulation analysis was conducted to assess the magnitudes of the decision variables of the theoretical model, as well as to evaluate alternative technologies for the implementation and use of buffer strips and for the adjustment of drainage maintenance. The results for a representative forest holding in the southern half of Finland show that it is possible to considerably reduce total phosphorus leaching with minor cost.
The Effect of Attitude, Subjective Norm and Perceived Behaviour Control Towards Intention of Muslim Youth at Public Universities in Kelantan to Consume Halal Labelled Chocolate Bar Product

Halal products which have been certified by JAKIM are safe to be consumed by the consumers. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behaviour control towards intention of Muslim youth at public universities in Kelantan to consume halal labelled chocolate bar product. This study used a cross sectional study with a survey method via questionnaire. This study involved 334 Muslim youths in public universities, Kelantan that were chosen by a simple random sampling technique. The results show that there were significant difference and a strong positive relationship between the attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control with the intention to consume halal labelled chocolate bar product.
Can you remember? Factors predicting memory accuracy in eyewitnesses

People become witnesses to crimes every day. This study further investigated witness variables such as sex and age, as well as the personality trait conscientiousness, in relation to one’s ability to accurately remember a fictional crime scene. An experimental manipulation was also utilized; participants read an article claiming that either men or women were three times better at memory (a self-fulfilling prophecy effect). Then, they watched a short video of a crime and were asked to recall details. As expected, age and memory accuracy were negatively correlated (p < .001) and conscientiousness was positively correlated with memory accuracy (p = .046). There were no significant differences found among participants based on experimental conditions (p = .700), but a main effect of participant sex was marginally significant (p = .065), with women having slightly better memories than men. Studying how individual traits relate to memory accuracy can help determine factors that influence eyewitness scenarios and whether juries should rely on eyewitnesses. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.
Unintended Consequences of Atmospheric Injection of Sulphate Aerosols

Most climate scientists believe that climate geoengineering is best considered as a potential complement to the mitigation of CO{sub 2} emissions, rather than as an alternative to it. Strong mitigation could achieve the equivalent of up to -4Wm{sup -2} radiative forcing on the century timescale, relative to a worst case scenario for rising CO{sub 2}. However, to tackle the remaining 3Wm{sup -2}, which are likely even in a best case scenario of strongly mitigated CO{sub 2} releases, a number of geoengineering options show promise. Injecting stratospheric aerosols is one of the least expensive and, potentially, most effective approaches and for that reason an examination of the possible unintended consequences of the implementation of atmospheric injections of sulphate aerosols was made. Chief among these are: reductions in rainfall, slowing of atmospheric ozone rebound, and differential changes in weather patterns. At the same time, there will be an increase in plant productivity. Lastly, because atmospheric sulphate injection would not mitigate ocean acidification, another side effect of fossil fuel burning, it would provide only a partial solution. Future research should aim at ameliorating the possible negative unintended consequences of atmospheric injections of sulphate injection. This might include modeling the optimum rate and particlemore » type and size of aerosol injection, as well as the latitudinal, longitudinal and altitude of injection sites, to balance radiative forcing to decrease negative regional impacts. Similarly, future research might include modeling the optimum rate of decrease and location of injection sites to be closed to reduce or slow rapid warming upon aerosol injection cessation. A fruitful area for future research might be system modeling to enhance the possible positive increases in agricultural productivity. All such modeling must be supported by data collection and laboratory and field testing to enable iterative modeling to increase the accuracy and precision of the models, while reducing epistemic uncertainties. « less
OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb: The First Spitzer Bulge Planet Lies Near the Planet/Brown-dwarf Boundary

We report the discovery of OGLE-2016-BLG-1190Lb, which is likely to be the first Spitzer microlensing planet in the Galactic bulge/bar, an assignation that can be confirmed by two epochs of high-resolution imaging of the combined source–lens baseline object. The planet’s mass, Mp = 13.4 ± 0.9 MJ, places it right at the deuterium-burning limit, i.e., the conventional boundary between “planets” and “brown dwarfs. ” Its existence raises the question of whether such objects are really “planets” (formed within the disks of their hosts) or “failed stars” (low-mass objects formed by gas fragmentation). This question may ultimately be addressed by comparing disk and bulge/bar planets, which is a goal of the Spitzer microlens program. The host is a G dwarf, Mhost = 0.89 ± 0.07 M⊙, and the planet has a semimajor axis a ∼ 2.0 au. We use Kepler K2 Campaign 9 microlensing data to break the lens-mass degeneracy that generically impacts parallax solutions from Earth–Spitzer observations alone, which is the first successful application of this approach. The microlensing data, derived primarily from near-continuous, ultradense survey observations from OGLE, MOA, and three KMTNet telescopes, contain more orbital information than for any previous microlensing planet, but not quite enough to accurately specify the full orbit. However, these data do permit the first rigorous test of microlensing orbital-motion measurements, which are typically derived from data taken over <1% of an orbital period.
How do organizations control managers ongoing identity? A study of micro-practices of identity regulation

In the last decades, identity has become an increasing target and outcome of organizational control, notably through processes of identity regulation (Alvesson and Willmott, 2002). Several studies provide strong evidence of the relevance of the organizational practices of identity regulation identified by Alvesson and Willmott. However, we currently miss an understanding of ‘how’ these organizational practices are exercised by organizational members. This paper aims at advancing the identity regulation process understandings by providing evidence of specific practices through which organizational identity regulation practices are exercised. Through a qualitative longitudinal study of a managerial training, we found that identity regulation works through (1) practices of linguistic and conceptual resources providing and (2) practices of enactment of these resources. We have also identified ‘side’ practices which sustain and reassure both the participants’ engagement into the training and the discourse enactment. Despite this appearance of effectiveness, parasitic factors such as autonomous discourses produced by participants as well as individual previous identity and willingness to ‘play the game’ undermine the power of identity regulation which remains an uncertain process. Our contributions to the literature are threefold: we document various micro-practices through which identity regulation discourse is performed and linked to organizational members’ identity; we show that these identity regulation practices are sustained by ‘side’ practices; we argue that identity work understanding as an autonomous and individual process needs to be balanced because it can also be a deliberate target of identity regulation. This opens new paths for studies of identity construction processes inside organizations.
Physical and Chemical Properties of Some Selected Rice Varieties in Ebonyi State

Physical and chemical properties of nine rice varieties grown and processed in Ebonyi State were studied. Average length and width of the tested varieties ranged between 6.31 and 7.63mm and 2.04 to 2.28mm respectively. All the grains are long grain but, Afikpo mars had the longest grain length of 7.63mm while kpurukpuru had the least grain length of 6.31mm. The length/width ratio for Afikpo mars 3.74 was the highest, and IR8 Izzi 2.87 was the lowest.The nine rice varieties tested had translucent grain except Awilo Ikwo , Faro 15 Izzi and Kpurukpuru Afikpo which had opaque grains. The appearance of Awilo Ikwo, Mars Izzi and Afikpo mars were very good, IR8 Ngbo rice was fair. Size and shape of all the varieties tested were long slender except IR8 Izzi rice and IR8 Ngbo. Ash, Moisture and Fat content of the varieties ranged from 0.80 to 2.40%, 2.02 to 2.23% and 7.6 to 12.2% respectively. Protein content of the varieties ranged from 7.86 to 9.48%. The highest and lowest found in kpurukpuru Afikpo and Mars Afikpo rice respectively. All the varieties tested had protein content of more than the recommended standard (7%) of protein. Vitamin B content; thiamine (B 1 ), Riboflavin (B 2 ) and Niacin (B 3 ) contents ranged from 0.17 to 0.24mg, 0.23 to 0.29mg and 1.60 to 1.81mg respectively. Zinc content of the tested varieties ranged from 6.48 to 9.81mg/100g with the highest (9.81mg/100g) found in Awilo Ikwo rice and Kpurukpuru Afikpo rice respectively. Iron and calcium contents of the varieties range from 0.94 to 1.21mg/100g and 1.00 to 1.75mg/100g with IR8 Ngbo rice having the highest values. Key words : Rice (Oryza sativa L); physical; chemical; mineral; vitamin; appearance
The Impact of Patient to Nurse Ratio on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in the Medical and Surgical Wards in Malaysian Private Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objective: Nursing shortage and inadequate hospital nursing jeopardized quality of care andpatient safety. This study aims to predict the impact of patient to nurse ratio on quality of care and patient safetyin medical and surgical wards in Malaysian private hospitals.Methods: Cross-sectional data collected by questionnaire from 652 nurses working in the medical and surgicalwards in 12 private hospitals participated in the study. Stratified simple random sampling performed to invitesmall size (less than 100 beds), medium size (100-199 beds) and large size (over than 200) hospitals’ nurse toparticipate in the study, which allow also nurses from all shift to participate in the study from the participatedhospitals.Results: Nurses with higher ratio of patients have greater negative association on quality of care and patientsafety. However, this negative association significantly associated with patient safety, whereas insignificantlyassociated with quality of care.Conclusions: Staffing level inconsistently associated with quality of care and patient safety, so there is at leastone intervening process factor mitigate the negative impact of nursing shortage on quality of care in Malaysianhospitals. However, nurses delivering care for 11-15 patients and nurses delivering care for more than 15patients had significant negative impact on both quality of care and patient safety at a p<0.05 significance levelcompared with those caring for less than 5 patients.
Study of wind speed attenuation at Kavaratti Island using land-based, offshore, and satellite measurements

The role of dense coconut palms in attenuating the wind speed at Kavaratti Island, which is located in the southeastern Arabian Sea, is examined based on land-based and offshore wind measurements (U10) using anchored-buoy-mounted and satellite-borne sensors (QuikSCAT scatterometer and TMI microwave imager) during an 8-year period (2000-2007). It is found that round the year monthly-mean wind speed measurements from the Port Control Tower (PCT) located within the coconut palm farm at the Kavaratti Island are weaker by 15-61% relative to those made from the nearby offshore region. Whereas wind speed attenuation at the island is ~15-40% in the mid-June to mid-October south-west monsoon period, it is ~41-61% during the rest of the year. Wind direction measurements from all the devices overlapped, except in March-April during which the buoy measurements deviated from the other measurements by ~20°. U10 wind speed measurements from PCT during the November 2009 tropical cyclone "Phyan" indicated approximately 50-80% attenuation relative to those from the seaward boundary of the island's lagoon (and therefore least influenced by the coconut palms). The observed wind speed attenuation can be understood through the theory of free turbulent flow jets embodied in the boundary-layer fluid dynamics, according to which both the axial and transverse components of the efflux of flows discharged through the inter-leaves porosity (orifice) undergo increasing attenuation in the downstream direction with increasing distance from the orifice. Thus, the observed wind speed attenuation at Kavaratti Island is attributable to the decline in wind energy transmission from the seaward boundary of the coconut palm farm with distance into the farm. Just like mangrove forests function as bio-shields against forces from oceanic waves and stormsurges through their large above-ground aerial root systems and standing crop, and thereby playing a distinctive role in ameliorating the effects of catastrophies such as hurricanes, tidal bores, cyclones, and tsunamis, the present study provides an indication that densely populated coconut palms and other tall tree vegetation would function as bio-shields against the damaging effects of storms through attenuation of wind speed.
Project risk evaluation by using a new fuzzy model based on Elena guideline

The complexity and dynamics of the executive projects have coped contractors with substantial hazards and losses. Project risk management is a critical tool for authority to improve its performance and secure the success of the organization. However, a number of standards and approaches have been developed to formulate the projects based on their risks. The Elena guideline is a systematic standard developed by Iran Project Management Association. This guideline provides the full cycle of the risk management process. Risk evaluation is the key part of the risk management process. On the other hand, different techniques have been developed to model a risk evaluation problem. Fuzzy inference system is one of the most popular techniques that is capable of handling all types of the uncertainty involved in projects. This paper proposes a three-stage approach based on the fuzzy inference system under the environment of the Elena guideline to cope with the risky projects. Finally, an illustrative example of the risk evaluation is presented to demonstrate the potential application of the proposed model. The results show that the proposed model evaluates the risky projects efficiently and effectively.
From productivity to exporting or vice versa? Evidence from the Tunisian manufacturing sector

In this paper, we explore the link between firm productivity and exporting using three firm level datasets of 1323 Tunisian manufacturing firms from 2004 to 2006. In particular, we examine whether more productive firms self-select into export markets, and whether exporters achieve productivity improvements through learning by exporting effects. We then explore the link between innovation (as a channel linking productivity to exporting) and exporting. The analysis has been conducted on two clusters of firms. The first cluster distinguishes exporters from non-exporters and the second distinguishes fully exporting firms from others. The results suggest that fully exporting firms self-select more often into export markets and, therefore, have much less to gain from exporting because of their likely longer prior exporting experience. The analysis has been extended to deal with sectoral studies. The study finds that, in the long run, fully exporting firms in sectors characterized by subcontracting regimes, such as the textile and electronics industries, experience a distinct decline in the scope for learning by exporting. Moreover, the scope for learning might also be influenced by export destination, as in the case of the agro-food industries.
Foreign Equity Trading and Average Stock-Return Volatility

We examine whether there is a relationship between foreign equity trading and average total volatility, measured as the value-weighted average of stock-return variances in the Istanbul Stock Exchange. We employ foreign equity purchase and sale data to track changes in foreign equity trading, which not only enable us to capture effective foreign investor participation but also to observe the potential asymmetric effects of incoming and outgoing funds on the average total volatility. Consistent with the implications of the asymmetric information hypothesis, we find that net equity flow is positively associated with average total volatility. Furthermore, we show that net equity flow affects the average total volatility through the local and idiosyncratic volatilities, suggesting that foreign investors engage in firm-specific and market-wide information production.
Reducing fat deposition by immunisation against adipocyte membranes in poultry. I. Antigen production, antibody development and characterisation (Mengurangkan lemak melalui imunisasi terhadap membran adiposit pada poltri. I. Pengeluaran antigen, pembentukan antibodi dan penciriannya)

Abstrak Sel lemak daripada ayam telah berjaya diasingkan dengan menggunakan kaedah yang diubahsuai daripada kaedah yang digunakan untuk tikus. Jumlah sel lemak yang didapati dari depo lemak di bawah kulit sahaja lebih banyak ( p <0.05) berbanding dengan gabungan lemak dari depo lemak di bawah kulit dengan depo lemak abdomen. Depo-depo ini mengandungi kepekatan protein yang sama (purata sukatan 1.05 ± 0.22 µg/µL). Suntikan 250 µg protein ini kepada ayam belanda mengakibatkan pengeluaran antibodi yang tinggi (kecairan 1:100 000). Kajian ciri-ciri antibodi ini menunjukkan bahawa ia bertindak balas secara khusus dengan 9 jenis protein daripada membran sel lemak. Antibodi ini juga boleh bertindak balas dengan membran organ lain seperti jantung, buah pinggang, otak, paru-paru dan, otot, tetapi tidak bertindak balas dengan membran hati atau darah. Bukti reaksi ini selanjutnya disokong oleh kajian cerakinan kesitotoksikan. Dalam kajian ini didapati antibodi bersifat sitotoksik terhadap membran sel lemak (2 kali ganda sitotoksiti serum biasa) tetapi tiada kesan sitotoksiti terhadap membran sel darah merah. Oleh itu antibodi yang dikeluarkan daripada sel lemak mempunyai potensi untuk memusnahkan membran sel lemak tanpa kesan sampingan yang ketara terhadap ayam yang disuntik.
Qualitative Behavioural Assessment and Quantitative Physiological Measurement of Cattle Naïve and Habituated to Road Transport

The present study examined whether observers could distinguish between cattle that are naive to road transport and the same cattle after becoming more habituated to transport. The behavioural expression of cattle was assessed through the method of qualitative behavioural assessment (QBA), and these assessments were correlated with various physiological parameters. Fourteen Angus steers were assessed during their first road trip and then again on their ninth trip, 15 days later. Blood samples were collected immediately before and after transport, and heart rate and core body temperature were measured continuously throughout each trip. Video footage recorded during each trip was edited and clips showing each individual within the first 30 min of departure were randomly ordered and shown to observers for QBA. There was significant (P < 0.001) consensus among 40 observers in their assessment of behavioural expression of the cattle. Transport-naive cattle were described as more 'agitated', while transport-habituated were described as more 'calm'. Core body temperature (P < 0.01), plasma glucose (P < 0.05) and the neutrophil : lymphocyte ratio (P < 0.01) were higher for the first trip than for the habituated trip (P < 0.01). QBA were significantly correlated with core body temperature (P < 0.01), heart rate (P < 0.01), plasma glucose (P < 0.05) and the neutrophil : lymphocyte ratio (P < 0.01). QBA appears to be a valid and integrative method of assessing cattle welfare under the conditions tested within the present study. There was significant consensus in the ability of human observers to interpret behavioural expression of cattle during this experiment. In addition, observers could identify differences in behavioural expression between cattle that were naive versus habituated to transport, and these differences were supported by physiological measurements.