Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of Mitigation Measures to Reduce Impacts of Peat Harvesting on the Aquatic Habitat of the East Branch Portage River, New Brunswick, Canada

The evaluation of impacts of peat harvesting on riverine ecosystems is essential to the implementation of adequate mitigation measures. The objective of the present study was to determine the potential impacts of peat harvesting on the physical (e.g., flow, suspended sediment concentration (SSC), water temperature) and biological (fish abundance) parameters of the East Branch Portage River, New Brunswick. This study was initiated in 2005 and a before and after study design was used to assess impacts. When the operational activities were initiated (spring 2007), 19 ha of peatland (15% of the total area scheduled for harvesting) was drained. The exploited area was drained through a network of ditches which emptied into a sedimentation pond. Drained water subsequently flowed into a 250 m vegetated buffer zone and discharged into the East Branch Portage River. Drained water did not diffuse throughout the buffer zone as expected. Rather, water tended to concentrate in a natural depression (channel) in the buffer zone, thus connecting the outflow of the sedimentation pond directly to the river. Two main results deserve attention. First, elevated SSC events were recorded in the East Branch Portage River downstream of the confluence of the channel formed in the buffer zone and the river. Periods of elevated SSC could be attributed to poor maintenance of the sedimentation pond. However, elevated SSC events were also recorded after pond maintenance and were concurrent with the timing of ditching activities within the peatland. Secondly, fish abundance was lower in 2007 compared to 2006 (pre-development period). However, potential impacts of peatland development on fish abundance should be interpreted with caution at this stage of the study.
A Low Close-in Phase Noise 2.4 GHz RF Hybrid Oscillator using a Frequency Multiplier

This paper proposes a 2.4 GHz RF oscillator with a very low close-in phase noise performance. This is composed of a low frequency crystal oscillator and three frequency multipliers such as two doubler (X2) and one tripler (X3). The proposed oscillator is implemented as a hybrid type circuit design using a discrete silicon bipolar transistor. The measurement results of the proposed oscillator structure show -115 dBc/Hz close-in phase noise at 10 kHz offset frequency, while only dissipating 5 mW from a 1-V supply. Its close-in phase noise level is very close to that of a low frequency crystal oscillator with little degradation of noise performance. The proposed structure which is consisted of a low frequency crystal oscillator and a frequency multiplier provides new method to implement a low power low close-in phase noise RF local oscillator.
Key skills and competencies of a new generation of LIS professionals

This paper presents the key skills and competencies of a new generation of LIS professionals. Firstly, it gives an introductory background of the digital era which impacts on the changes occurring in libraries. Secondly, it presents a review of the literatures on skills and knowledge of LIS professionals working in a digital era and related researches. Thirdly, it describes methodology of this study and key skills and competencies of a new generation of LIS professionals which can be classified as personal skills, generic skills, and discipline-specific knowledge. Finally, it presents the image of the new generation of LIS professionals.
High‐Temperature Equation of State of FeH: Implications for Hydrogen in Earth's Inner Core

While hydrogen is one of plausible major light elements in the core, the high‐temperature equation of state (EoS) of Fe‐H alloy has not been experimentally examined to the core pressure range. Here we measured the volume (V) of non‐magnetic (NM) face‐centered cubic (fcc) FeH at high pressure and temperature (P‐T) to 142 GPa and 3660 K in a laser‐heated diamond‐anvil cell and obtained its P‐V‐T EoS. An increase in the lattice volume of Fe per H atom, ΔVH, determined as functions of P and T is found to be substantially smaller than the volume of metallic H that has been used to estimate H concentration in Fe‐H alloy. The ΔVH is almost identical between fcc and double hexagonal close‐packed phases in the NM state, suggesting that it may be applicable to hcp. The extrapolation of ΔVH to inner core conditions indicates its maximum H content to be 0.8–0.9 wt%.
How do contractors evaluate company competitiveness and market attractiveness? The case of Toronto contractors

The Canadian construction industry has sustained a healthy growth rate over the last 10 years. This could make the Canadian market attractive to foreign competitors. Moreover, Canadian companies possess enough expertise and resources to be able to effectively compete in the global market. This highlights the increased importance of developing marketing strategies for Canadian companies. This research study provides an understanding of how Toronto construction companies evaluate market attractiveness and company competitiveness. Such evaluation is the first step towards building effective marketing strategies. The research included an analysis of the main indicators of the Toronto market over the last 10 years and one-on-one interviews with 39 experts. The research deployed the analytical hierarchy process to identify the most important factors that can be used for measuring company competitiveness and market attractiveness. The most important factors that influence company competitiveness include customer.
The criterion weights of the EFQM excellence model

This paper examines the weight structure of the EFQM excellence model. This is done through a survey among 756 chief executive officers from Danish companies who responded to a self‐assessment questionnaire. The data from this survey have been analysed through factor score regression based on confirmatory factor analysis on 5,000 bootstrapped samples. The analysis shows that the perceived criterion weights vary from the current allocation in the EFQM excellence model. This deviation is so substantial that the allocation of weights between the enabler and the result block vary considerably from the actual allocation in the EFQM excellence model. Furthermore, it seems as if Danish companies perceive the enabler criteria as equally important but this is not the case for the result criteria.
Design criteria for bi-stable behavior in a buckled multi-layered MEMS bridge

In this paper, the bi-stability of a buckled multi-layered micro-bridge with elastically constrained boundary conditions is studied theoretically and experimentally. The residual moment due to non-symmetric distribution of residual stress in the layers of the micro-bridge is taken into consideration. The buckled shape model, which characterizes the initial buckled deflection, is employed in this study. A systematic method of designing bi-stable buckled micro-bridges has been developed and applied to multi-layered structures. The method is tested against ANSYS simulation and shown to be in excellent agreement. Two multi-layer micro-bridges have been fabricated: (i) 2.5 µm thick low stress SiO2/1 µm thick high compressive stress SiO2/2 µm thick SCS Si; (ii) 1 µm thick high compressive stress SiO2/2 µm thick SCS Si. The fabricated bridges are tested for bi-stability by thermal actuation and the results agree well with the analysis. The intrinsic bi-stable nature of a buckled micro-bridge can only be guaranteed as long as the residual moment is within a certain threshold value.
Bandwidth enhancement of circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna using multiple L‐shaped probe feeds

Impedance‐bandwidth enhancement of microstrip antennas using an L‐shaped probe feed has previously been demonstrated. In this paper, axial‐ratio bandwidth enhancement is achieved for circularly polarized (CP) microstrip patch antenna using dual and four L‐shaped probe feeds. By controlling the excitation phase and angular orientation of the horizontal portion of each L‐probe, circular polarization can be generated with wide axial‐ratio bandwidth by exciting the circular patch. In the dual L‐shaped probe case, the impedance and axial‐ratio bandwidth are 42% and 27.23%, respectively. On the other hand, for the four L‐shaped probes case, both of these figures increase to 45%. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 42: 263–265, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20272
Coherence‐time characterization in a suburban environment

An experimental technique for the coherence‐time characterization of a mobile radio envelope employing the autocorrelation coefficient is presented. Field trials at 836 MHz in a suburban area are carried out using a spectrum analyzer as the acquisition apparatus. Autocorrelation coefficients are calculated from the acquired envelopes and the coherence time is calculated for a 0.5 correlation level. Due to the significant variation of the coherence time with the position of the mobile receiver, cumulative distribution functions of the coherence time are calculated in order to interpret the results. The coherence‐time parameter is estimated from these cumulative distribution functions by computing the value above which the coherence time stays for 90% of time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 1137–1141, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21568
Team Interaction Skills Evaluation Criteria for Nuclear Power Plant Control Room Operators

Previous research has shown the value of good team interaction skills to group performance, yet little progress has been made in measuring such skills. Dimensions of team interaction skills developed in an earlier study (Montgomery, et al., 1990) were extensively revised and cast into a Behaviorally Anchored Rating scales (BARS) and a Behavioral Frequency scale format. Rating data were collected using training instructors at a nuclear plant, who rated videotape scenarios of control room performance and later rated control room crews during requalification training. High levels of interrater agreement on both rating scales was, although the hypothesized factor structure did not emerge. Analysis of ratings of the videotapes using Cronbach's components of accuracy (Cronbach, 1955) indicated that BARS ratings generally exhibited less error than did the Behavioral Frequency ratings. The results are discussed in terms of both field and research implications.
Realising process planning and scheduling integration through adaptive setup planning

Setup planning is one of the crucial exercises that affects process planning, scheduling and their integration. In a reconfigurable environment where more than one machine is available to process a part, setup planning assumes an important position which involves a complex optimisation problem facing several constraints. In this research machining features are sequenced and grouped into certain setup based on tool approach direction (TAD). Therefore considering the criteria such as machine utilisation, cost and makespan, near optimal solutions are selected to satisfy the requirements of the scheduling system. We have also addressed in this paper adaptive characteristics of process plan associated with setup, i.e. a cross machine setup planning to capture the different configuration of machines. Exploiting the stress of the immune system, a well known intelligent search technique known as artificial immune system (AIS) has been applied to solve two problems associated with the research issue discussed here. The proposed AIS based approach is demonstrated to resolve an example problem. It is found that the proposed approach is successfully applicable to machines having several configurations and accommodative to different setup requirements from a scheduling system where the frequent changes in machines are witnessed. By the way of combining the setup for alternative machines with process planning, we can demonstrate clearly a true relation of integration of functionalities of process planning and scheduling.
CALIBRATION OF THE CLASS MODEL AND ITS IMPROVEMENT UNDER AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS

The Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS) was tested by comparing its simulated soil water contents with those measured from two potato sites in the Quebec City region for the growing season of 1993. Being a physically based model, most of CLASS input parameters can be either measured or obtained from the literature. However, in the simulation of soil water contents, CLASS was found to be sensitive to one particular soil texture empirical parameter, b, which is used to define the unsaturated soil hydraulic conductivity and soil water retention functions. Therefore, some adjustment of this parameter was done. To improve the performance of CLASS for the entire season, a new evaporation model over bare soil was introduced and its performance was clearly superior to that of the standard Philip’s model. With the adjusted b values and the new evaporation model, the values of mean bias error (MBE) of soil water content (averaged for the two sites) were –0.09% by volume for the depth of 0 to 0.45 m and –0.02% by volume for the depth of 0 to 0.90 m, respectively. The corresponding values of mean absolute error (MAE) were 1.39 and 0.96% by volume. These errors were considerably less than those obtained with two other models (SWACROP and SUBSTOR) using the same data set. These models had MAE values of 2.4 and 2.8% by volume, respectively, for the depth of 0 to 0.45 m. Considering the fact that the adjusted b values lie within the expected range for the soil types at the sites, we believe that physically based models such as CLASS have promising potential for agricultural and meteorological applications.
Detection of incipient cavitation and determination of the best efficiency point for centrifugal pumps using acoustic emission

Abstract Pumps play a significant role in industrial plants and need continuous monitoring to minimize loss of production. To date, published information on the application of acoustic emission (AE) to incipient pump cavitation has been contradictory. This article re-assesses the application of AE for detecting incipient cavitation. In addition, this paper presents results from an on-going programme to ascertain the applicability of the AE technique for determining the best efficiency point (BEP) of an operating system. Three different sized pumps (60 kW, 127 kW, and 2.2 MW) formed the basis of this investigation, which included NPSH (net positive suction head) and performance tests. Results obtained demonstrate the successful use of the AE technique for detecting incipient cavitation and highlight the enormous potential of the technique in determining the BEP of a pump or system.
V-Shaped Multislit Weirs

AbstractWeirs and notches are efficient devices for measuring flow rates. Banks of slit weirs forming multislit weirs allow both precise discharge measurements in a very large range of flow rates and permit a good flow regulation. V-shaped weirs are traditionally used as precise laboratory flow measuring devices, especially in the low discharge ranges. In the current investigation, the method of images was used to form the V-shaped multislit weir system to allow measurement and regulation of flows in a large range of flows that includes very low flow rates. Experimental studies were conducted to determine the discharge coefficients of V-shaped multislit weirs over a wide range of weir Reynolds numbers. The study provided a single relation between the weir discharge coefficient and the weir Reynolds number for both the rectangular and V-shaped multislit weir systems.
The effectiveness of the ISO 9001 quality management system and its influential critical factors in Greek manufacturing companies

The purpose of the study is firstly, to empirically validate the conceptual structure of the effectiveness of the ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) in manufacturing companies and secondly, to determine the critical factors that have a significant impact on the QMS’s effectiveness. A research study was carried out through a structured questionnaire in a sample of 163 ISO 9001 certified Greek companies. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are applied to extract and validate latent constructs, while their relationships are determined through structural equation modelling. The analyses confirm the conceptual factorial structure of the ISO 9001 QMS’s effectiveness which consists of three dimensions – the ISO 9001 objectives (prevention of non-conformities, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction focus). The analysis also confirms the five dimensions of the critical factors for ISO 9001 QMS effectiveness identified in the literature (internal motivation, external environment pressure, company attributes, employee attributes and quality system attributes). However, only the company internal motivation, company attributes and employee attributes have a significant impact on the ISO 9001 QMS’s effectiveness.
Fracture Mechanism of Laser Cutting With Controlled Fracture

Laser cutting using the controlled fracture technique has great potential to be used for the machining of brittle materials. In this technique, the applied laser energy produces a mechanical stress that causes the material to separate along the moving path of the laser beam. The material separation is similar to a crack extension and the fracture growth is controllable. The fracture mechanism of laser cutting with controlled fracture is studied in this paper. The temperature and stress distributions are obtained by using the finite element software ANSYS. The laser heat first induces compressive stress around the laser spot. After the passage of the laser beam, the compressive stress is relaxed, and then a residual tensile stress is induced, which makes the fracture grow from upper surface to lower surface of the substrate. The stable separation of the brittle material is due to the local residual tensile stress. However, if the tensile stress is distributed throughout the thickness around the crack tip, the crack will extend unstably. The experimental materials in this study are alumina ceramic and the laser source is CO 2 laser. It is found that the crack propagation is non-uniform and the speed is variable during the cutting process. The relationships between laser power cutting speed, diameter of laser spot, and specimen geometry are obtained from the experimental analysis, and the phenomena are also explained from the results of stress analysis.
Investigation of Lightning Distribution Using LIS Data from TRMM Satellite

This paper presents an investigation on lightning distribution using Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) data from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The investigation is carried out on distribution and variability of total lightning occurred in the area of Washington DC (38.54°N, 77.2°W) during January to April 2011. LIS captures emissions that occurred in the atmosphere which emitted by lightning discharge by covering the most between ±35o in latitude. The lightning distributions are characterized based on monthly, daily, hourly and seasonal basis. The maps of global distribution of lightning flashes have been used as initial data. This analysis shows that a total number of 3.5 million flashes were detected during four months observation. The highest number of flashes recorded in April is about 3.4 million flashes compared to the 3,993 flashes in January. In terms of seasonal, this observation show that the spring season during March and April has highest occurrence of lightning which is 53.2% compared to the winter season in January and February which only 46.8%. This study can provides expected variations of the lightning distribution on the diurnal and seasonal basis, thus make it useful in describing the Earth’s climate.
Optimal number of clusters per milker

Milking is a very time-consuming task and many dairy farmers increase the number of clusters to increase the milking capacity. However, the introduction of additional clusters only reduces the milking time as long as the milker has idle time during milking. In the present research, the influence of the number of clusters on the milker's idle time was studied by models based on observed working routine, duration of machine milking times and detailed time studies of milking on 13 commercial dairy farms. According to the results obtained, one milker is fully occupied when milking in a stanchion barn with seven automatically removed clusters, and when handling ten clusters in a stanchion barn where the working conditions on milking have been improved by a rail-milking system. If milking is performed in a herringbone milking parlour, one milker is fully occupied when handling 18 clusters. As the optimum number of clusters is very dependent on the milking method and the machine milking time, the investment in new milking equipment should be based on a model calculation using the specific milking conditions for the farm.
Bearing Fault Diagnostic of Induction Motor by Stator Currents Analysis Based on Park’s Vectors Approach

This paper deals with the possibilities of bearing fault diagnosis of induction motors by stator currents analysis based on Park’s vector approach. The main theoretical aspects, the experimental results and their analysis are presented. It is shown that preventive stator current diagnostics of induction motors based on Park’s vector allows us early detection of bearing defects in the inner and outer races. The current spectra additional harmonics appearing in the case of bearing damage are found.
A Pilot Investigation of the Impact of Cognitive Demand on Turn Signal Use during Lane Changes in Actual Highway Conditions across Multiple Age Groups

In a field study, we examined turn signal use characteristics during highway-lane changes across three age groups (20-29, 40-49, and 60-69) and under varying levels of secondary cognitive demand. Secondary cognitive demand decreased the likelihood of turn signal use, and delayed the onset and turnoff of the turn signals. These results suggest that added cognitive load can lead to a neglect of operational tasks in face of competition over limited resources. No major effects of age or relative level of secondary cognitive demand were observed.
The Use of English on Instagram Captions: A Case Study in Camera Indonesia Photography Community

Along with Instagram's growing popularity as the primary medium for sharing photos and videos, the world of photography is also expanding at a rapid pace. The Instagram caption is always dropped every time people upload on social media. Photo captions often act as a result of critical thinking and a way to communicate ideas. This study used a qualitative descriptive approach to collect and describe information about using English caption on Instagram photos from the perspectives of Camera Indonesia photography community members: frequency, the purpose for dropping captions in English, its effect on their photo works, and how they view English captions on others people’ photo captions. Using 10 members as the respondents, the study found that writing caption in English acts mostly as self-expression and has not yet been done on a daily basis as the respondents do not habituate reading English materials.