Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS AND LAPTOP COMPUTER USE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Laptop computers are widely used by college students for academic and leisure activities (Cortes, Hollis, Amick, & Katz, 2002). However, there is limited research that identifies risk factors for musculoskeletal discomfort during laptop computer use in this population. This dissertation includes two studies: Study 1: This survey study explores characteristics of laptop computer use and relationships between laptop-related risk factors and discomfort; Study 2: This randomized cross-over study examines the effects of three most common laptop workstation setups on upper body postures, discomfort, and task productivity.Thirty students were recruited from the University of Pittsburgh. The survey was a self-administered questionnaire. Subjectsi¯ posture were videotaped while typing for 10 minutes in six laptop workstation setups (desktop sitting, chair sitting, lying prone, lying supine, floor sitting, and lap sitting), and the three most common workstation setups were analyzed. Body angles were digitized at 10-time points and averaged using ImageJ. Typing style was identified using the Keyboard-Personal Computer Style Instrument. Discomfort was determined using a 10-cm VAS. Task productivity was assessed by typing speed and accuracy. Data were analyzed by ANOVAs and Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons.Subjects were primarily female (83.3%), with a mean age of 26. 0i¾7. 3, and white (63.3%). Survey results showed that the most common workstation setups were desktop sitting, followed by lying supine and chair sitting. There were no statistically significant relationships between laptop-related factors (duration and type of workstation setup) and discomfort. Most body angles were significantly different between the three workstation setups: neutral wrists and ulnar deviation, upright trunk, and greater shoulder flexion during desktop sitting; greater neck flexion, wrist extension, and ulnar deviation during chair sitting; less neck flexion and greater wrist flexion and trunk extension during lying supine. For typing style, subjects showed large differences in static postures among the workstation setups. Less discomfort and faster typing speed were observed during desktop sitting, followed by lying supine, and then chair sitting. Overall more neutral postures and less discomfort were observed during desktop sitting, followed by lying supine and chair sitting. These findings highlight the importance of laptop workstation setup choice for preventing potential musculoskeletal problems.
Computer model for large arrays of wind turbines

A synthesis of the earlier studies of wind and power distributions for large arrays of wind turbines is formulated in a computer model program. The program can be run with interactive (computer terminal) or batch input (card files, etc.). Based on a generic wind turbine power model, input characteristics at a single representative site, and data specifying the size of the array to be simulated, the program computes wind speed and wind power output statistics for the model array. Wind data for the input single site can be at 10 m level or at hub height (if the former, a height projection to hub height is performed by the program). Time series wind speeds at the single input site can also be used by the program to evaluate equivalent time-series wind speeds and output powers for the array. A program listing and input/output documentation are included.
A Methodological Model to Evaluate Smart City Sustainability

This study aims to identify the key elements that should be included in a methodological model to evaluate the sustainability of smart cities and examines the case of Medellín, Colombia, from 2020 to 2021. For this purpose, it adopted a qualitative descriptive methodology divided into three stages: (1) reviewing existing methodologies for smart city evaluation; (2) designing, validating, and administering information collection instruments; and (3) systematizing and analyzing in-depth interviews. The results indicate that the said model should focus on six key variables: government, mobility, sustainability, people, economy, and quality of life. Smart cities should generate synergies, ensuring the interoperability of their services so that their inhabitants have a better quality of life. The added value of the model proposed here is that it incorporates social and political dynamics, which is noteworthy because most tools in this field do not prioritize them and focus on technical, environmental, transportation, planning, and technological factors.
Freeze concentration of dairy products: Phase 2. Final report

An efficient, electrically driven freeze concentration system offers potential for substantially increasing electricity demand while providing the mature dairy industry with new products for domestic and export markets together with enhanced production efficiencies. Consumer tests indicate that dairy products manufactured from freeze-concentrated ingredients are either preferred or considered equivalent in quality to fresh milk-based products. Economic analyses indicate that this technology should be competitive with thermal evaporation processes on a commercial basis.
HRD Strategies for Expatriate Development: Review of Current Strategies and Potentials of Expatriate Mentoring

Expatriates are critical human resources and means of global organizations. Through review of literature, this paper examines HRD strategies that have been utilized to develop expatriates for international assignments, identifies gaps in current HRD strategies, and investigates unique potentials of expatriate mentoring contributing expatriate development in all three stages of expatriation.
Load-transfer analysis of energy foundations

Energy foundations, or deep foundations which incorporate heat exchangers, are a novel approach to improve the energy efficiency of building heat pump systems. This study focuses on the development of a new load-transfer analysis to assess the thermo-mechanical response of energy foundations. This new analysis builds upon well-established soil-structure interaction algorithms for mechanical loading to incorporate the effects of restrained thermal expansion of the energy foundation during changes in temperature. Novel aspects include a method to evaluate the impact of increased lateral stresses on the ultimate side shear resistance due to radial expansion of the foundation, a method to track the direction of mobilized side shear stresses during thermal expansion, and a method to consider consolidation of the soil at the foundation toe during thermal expansion on the ultimate end bearing. A parametric evaluation of the new model was performed to assess the thermo-mechanical response of different representative boundary conditions for energy foundation, including the stiffness of the soil at the toe of the foundation and the stiffness response of the overlying structure. As expected, the results indicate that the higher the temperature change, the higher the magnitudes of thermally induced axial stress and strain along the length of the foundation. The main impacts of the boundary conditions are reflected in the nonlinearity of the distribution of the thermal axial stresses and strains and the location of the maximum stress and strain (the null point). Also, it was observed that the response of energy foundation is directly related to the soil
Urban and Rural Disparities in Healthcare Utilization and Expenditures Among Rural Hukou Beneficiaries of New Cooperative Medical Scheme in China

Background The New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) is a social health insurance available to rural Chinese residents. Over time, several concerns to this system have been raised, including disparities among healthcare utilization and expenditures. Most studies only discuss disparities in general in NCMS, with few studies concentrating on comparing disparities between urban and rural regions. Moreover, this issue has an increasing importance due to the rapid population growth of rural migrants. Therefore, we conducted our study to explore urban and rural disparities among NCMS beneficiaries.Methods Our study is based on Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) for 2015. Our targeted sample is individuals with rural hukou and only covered by NCMS. We define and use influential factors in our logistic regressions and descriptive tables to compare urban and rural disparities among these NCMS beneficiaries. Results In terms of inpatient care, urban beneficiaries have a lower probability (OR=1.013, P=0.892) and frequency (1.39 vs. 1.47, P=0.131) of having an inpatient visit than rural beneficiaries. However, urban beneficiaries have higher out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures among inpatient visit (￥6788.98 vs. ￥6163.92, P=0.470) and medicine (￥3907.30 vs. ￥2649.67, P<0.01). In addition, urban beneficiaries were found to have higher reimbursement of inpatient visit (￥4457.66 vs. ￥4127.83, P<0.001) and medicine (￥2466.93 vs. ￥1774.55, P<0.05). In terms of outpatient care, urban beneficiaries have less possibility (OR=1.074, P=0.384) and frequency (2.15 vs. 2.26, P=0.225) of an outpatient visit than rural beneficiaries. Moreover, compared to rural beneficiaries, urban beneficiaries have less out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures of outpatient visit (￥709.80 vs. ￥ 710.98, P=0.608) and drugs (￥448.68 vs. ￥ 522.95, P=0.645), and less reimbursement of outpatient visit (￥296.03 vs. ￥ 344.51, P=0.808) and drugs (￥99.25 vs. ￥ 114.60, P<0.05). Conclusion In terms of healthcare utilization, rural beneficiaries have both higher probability and frequency of inpatient and outpatient visits. In terms of healthcare expenditures, urban beneficiaries get more inpatient reimbursement with higher inpatient expenditures, while rural beneficiaries get more outpatient reimbursement with higher outpatient expenditures. Both situations have not solid answer yet, and therefore require further research.
Modeling the Choice of Telecommuting: Setting the Context

In this paper a conceptual model of the individual decision to telecommute is presented. Key elements of that decision, including constraints, facilitators, and drives, are defined and the relationships among them described. The major types of constraints (if negative) or facilitators (if positive) include external factors related to awareness, the organization, and the job, and internal psychosocial factors. The major types of drives are work, family, leisure, ideology, and travel. It is argued that the absence of constraints is a necessary but not sufficient condition for telecommuting to be adopted by an individual. The presence of one or more drives, assumed to be associated with some dissatisfaction, is necessary to activate the search for a solution to that dissatisfaction. The choice set contains those alternative solutions perceived to be feasible by the individual. It may or may not contain telecommuting (depending on whether all constraints are nonbinding or not), and probably contains other alternatives having nothing to do with telecommuting. Each alternative is evaluated in terms of how effectively it satisfies the drive, and the individual's attitudes toward it. The alternative (or bundle of alternatives) which maximizes individual utility becomes the preferred behavioral pattern. However, short-term constraints may prevent the preferred behavior from being chosen. The process is a dynamic one, in which previous choices affect attitudes and constraints and alter drives. Work directed by the authors is under way to operationalize the conceptual model.
Installation of Geogrid to Improve Forest Roads Construction

Geogrid is a well known product, is readily available and used extensively in civil engineering applications including stabilizing slopes and soil erosion control. In forestry it can be installed over a forest road subgrade to provide additional strength and stability for the overlying aggregate. While it has been used in forest roading applications in various countries and under different conditions, little literature is available to help the forest industry understand the expected performance and potential benefits of geogrid. A trial has been set up in New Zealand on 14 sections of forest road to compare new roads with and without geogrid to understand potential improvement, and by comparing different aggregate thickness layers, provide the opportunity for a cost-benefit evaluation. Although geogrid can come in many shapes and sizes, the TriAx geogrid used in this trial is a thin lattice shaped layer that can be rolled out in 75 meter lengths of 3.8 meter widths. Geogrid is an engineered product and designed with consideration to civil engineering road standards that include well-graded aggregates in multi layer design. Forest roads are invariably single layer design, fit-for-purpose, at the lowest possible cost using locally sourced aggregates. While the full geogrid trial is on-going, this paper presents initial findings related to the actual installation of the geogrid.
Timetabling : Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice

As an academic in the School of Computer Science at Queen’s University, a visiting researcher to the Automated Scheduling, Opimisation and Planning (ASAP) group within the School of Computer Science and IT at the University of Nottingham and Managing Director of e ventMAP Limited, a university technological spin out company, the auth or is in a unique position to provide comments on both the practice and theory of timetabling (automated and otherwise) within the university sector. The s tudy of the relationship and interaction between the work carried out in the aca demic literature and the requirements of university administrators is essent ial if ideas generated by research are to benefit every day users. Conversely, it is crucial the needs of the timetabling community influence the direction taken by research if high quality practical solutions are to be produced. A main obje ctiv of the work presented here is to provide up-to-date information which wil l enable researchers to further investigate the area of timetabling resear ch in relation to the generation of robust and flexible techniques which can cope wi th complexities experienced during implementation in ‘real world’ scenarios. F urthermore, although not discussed here in detail, it is essential, from a c ommercial perspective, that these developed leading edge techniques are incorpo rated and used within general applicable timetabling tools. The aim of t his paper is to motivate the discussion required to bridge this timetabling gap by bringing timetabling research and educational requirements closer togeth er.
Reliable load-balancing routing for resource-constrained wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are energy and resource constrained. Energy limitations make it advantageous to balance radio transmissions across multiple sensor nodes. Thus, load balanced routing is highly desirable and has motivated a significant volume of research. Multihop sensor network architecture can also provide greater coverage, but requires a highly reliable and adaptive routing scheme to accommodate frequent topology changes. Current reliability-oriented protocols degrade energy efficiency and increase network latency. This thesis develops and evaluates a novel solution to provide energy-efficient routing while enhancing packet delivery reliability. This solution, a reliable load-balancing routing (RLBR), makes four contributions in the area of reliability, resiliency and load balancing in support of the primary objective of network lifetime maximisation. The results are captured using real world testbeds as well as simulations. The first contribution uses sensor node emulation, at the instruction cycle level, to characterise the additional processing and computation overhead required by the routing scheme. The second contribution is based on real world testbeds which comprises two different TinyOS-enabled senor platforms under different scenarios. The third contribution extends and evaluates RLBR using large-scale simulations. It is shown that RLBR consumes less energy while reducing topology repair latency and supports various aggregation weights by redistributing packet relaying loads. It also shows a balanced energy usage and a significant lifetime gain. Finally, the forth contribution is a novel variable transmission power control scheme which is created based on the experience gained from prior practical and simulated studies. This power control scheme operates at the data link layer to dynamically reduce unnecessarily high transmission power while maintaining acceptable link reliability.
Development and validation of technology acceptance modelling for evaluating user acceptance of an e-learning framework

The thesis aimed to develop and validate a new theoretical model to assess Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) trainers’ technology acceptance of an e‐learning application associated to the EU EBM Teach the Trainers e‐course. Modelling user interactions with e‐learning applications allows the prediction of how EBM trainers are motivated to use the e‐course in clinical settings. As part of this research, a survey was constructed and analysed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TAM was developed into e-TAM, a new model, which can assess a user’s adoption of online learning applications. This thesis used a survey to develop e‐TAM as an extension for technology acceptance of online publications such as the blended learning approach for EBM study. The thesis validated TAM and e‐TAM, which followed an assessment of EBM trainers’ acceptance of the application. Statistical analysis, including reliability with Cronbach’s Alpha, factor analysis and multiple‐regression analysis, were carried out on TAM, e‐TAM and data from the questionnaires that showed the models were valid for this field of study. This assessment found the EBM trainers’ experience, perceived usefulness and attitude toward use as strong predictors of user acceptance of the application. Overall, the most influential factor in the e‐TAM model was Experience.
Wear characteristics of exfoliated MoS2/polyamide-6,6 composite

Effect of exfoliation of MoS2 on the wear characteristics of the MoS2/PA-6,6 composite is investigated. Exfoliation of MoS2 is identified using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Wear loss of composites is done using Taber abrasion tester with CS-17 abrasive wheel and atomic force microscope is used to characterize the worn surface. It is observed that wear loss of MoS2/PA-6,6 composite is strongly affected by content and exfoliation of MoS2. Wear loss of composites is decreased by the addition of MoS2 irrespective of exfoliation and it is improved with increasing filler content. Exfoliated MoS2/PA-6,6 composites show improved wear characteristic, that is, reduced wear loss, compared to the pristine MoS2/PA-6,6 composite. Addition of MoS2 induces less plastic deformation of the worn surface of composites, and it is more distinct for exfoliated MoS2.
THE EFFECTS OF DRIVING DEMAND AND ROADWAY ENVIRONMENT ON PERIPHERAL VISUAL DETECTIONS

Peripheral vision is frequently regarded as being of significant importance in driving. To date, however, little study has been made of peripheral visual performance in the road situation as the driving task load is altered. A series of on-road experiments are reported here which investigate peripheral visual detections in both normal traffic and closed-road test locations using near-threshold light stimuli placed at near (30 deg.) and far (70 deg.) angles within the vehicle. The overall results indicated that increases in both the difficulty of the driving task and the complexity of the background visual scene degraded the detection rate of the visual signals. Furthermore, decrements were observed at all peripheral angles tested. The possible implications of these findings for the driving task and the design of the road environment are discussed. /Author/TRRL/
Patent Failure: How Judges, Bureaucrats, and Lawyers Put Innovators at Risk

Preface ix Chapter 1: The Argument in Brief 1 Chapter 2: Why Property Rights Work, How Property Rights Fail 29 Chapter 3: If You Can't Tell the Boundaries, Then It Ain't Property 46 Chapter 4: Survey of Empirical Research: Do Patents Perform Like Property? 73 Chapter 5: What Are U.S. Patents Worth to Their Owners? 95 Chapter 6: The Cost of Disputes 120 Chapter 7: How Important Is the Failure of Patent Notice? 147 Chapter 8: Small Inventors 165 Chapter 9: Abstract Patents and Software 187 Chapter 10: Making Patents Work as Property 215 Chapter 11: Reforms to Improve Notice 235 Chapter 12: A Glance Forward 254 Notes 261 References 295 Index 315
TerraSAR-X Ground Segment Basic Product Specification Document

Abstract : TerraSAR-X is a joint project between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the German industry (ASTRIUM). DLR owns and operates the satellite and the payload ground segment (PGS) and holds the rights for the scientific exploitation of the data. ASTRIUM holds the exclusive rights for the commercial exploitation of the data products. This document specifies the operational TerraSAR-X basic products generated at PGS for scientific and commercial use. In the context of the project the products are called basic products because they are the basis for higher level information products. The document summarizes the operation modes of TerraSAR-X and the characteristic parameters. It describes the product design criteria, lists the different product types and introduces their structure. The document in hand is supplemented by the Level 1b Product Format Specification document [RD 8] specifying the binary data formatting and the detailed annotation parameters of the product.
Benefit from Photon Recycling at the Maximum-Power Point of State-of-the-Art Perovskite Solar Cells

Photon recycling is required for a solar cell to achieve an open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) and power conversion eﬃciency (PCE) approaching the Shockley-Queisser theoretical limit. The achievable performance gains from photon recycling in metal halide perovskite solar cells remain uncertain due to high variability in material quality and the nonradiative recombination rate. We quantify the enhancement due to photon recycling for state-of-the-art perovskite Cs 0.05 ( MA 0.17 FA 0.83 ) 0.95 Pb ( I 0.83 Br 0.17 ) 3 (triple-cation) ﬁlms and corresponding solar cells. We show that, at the maximum power point (MPP), the absolute PCE can increase up to 2.0% in the radiative limit, primarily due to a 77 mV increase in ( V MPP ) . For this photoactive layer, even with ﬁnite nonradiative recombination, beneﬁts from photon recycling can be achieved when nonradiative lifetimes and external light-emitting diode (LED) electroluminescence eﬃciencies, Q LED e , exceed 2 μ s and 10%, respectively. This analysis quantiﬁes the signiﬁcance of photon recycling in boosting the real-world performance of perovskite solar cells toward theoretical limits. DOI:
SUS: A 'Quick and Dirty' Usability Scale

Usability does not exist in any absolute sense; it can only be defined with reference to particular contexts. This, in turn, means that there are no absolute measures of usability, since, if the usability of an artefact is defined by the context in which that artefact is used, measures of usability must of necessity be defined by that context too. Despite this, there is a need for broad general measures which can be used to compare usability across a range of contexts. In addition, there is a need for “quick and dirty” methods to allow low cost assessments of usability in industrial systems evaluation. This chapter describes the System Usability Scale (SUS) a reliable, low-cost usability scale that can be used for global assessments of systems usability