Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seismic Response of Friction Damped Braced Frames

A new concept of aseismic design for steel framed buildings is proposed. By providing sliding friction devices in the bracing system of the framed buildings, their earthquake resistance and damage control potential can be considerably enhanced. During severe earthquake excitations, the friction device slips and a large portion of the vibrational energy is dissipated mechanically in friction rather than inelastic yielding of the main structural components. Results of inelastic time-history dynamic analysis show superior performance of the friction damped braced steel frames when compared to computed responses of other structural framing systems. The proposed friction devices act, in affect, both as safety valves and structural dampers. The device may also be conveniently incorporated in existing framed buildings to upgrade their earthquake resistance.
100 nm bandwidth flat-gain Raman amplifiers pumped and gain-equalised by 12-wavelength-channel WDM laser diode unit

100 nm bandwidth Raman amplifiers have been realised using a 12-wavelength-channel WDM pumping unit comprising high-power GRINSCH strained layer MQW BH laser diode modules. The gain flatness is less than /spl plusmn/0.5 dB, which is achieved through the asymmetric channel allocation of the pump and without the use of any gain equalisation filters.
Where's the Leader? Identifying Leadership Candidates Within Virtual Worlds

Player-founded organizations, or guilds, within massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) are complex social entities with organizational forms that mirror real-world. These guilds require leaders who possess or can quickly develop a diverse array of skills. Examples of the skills required read like the introductory course of a business management degree – mediating conflict, planning, controlling, motivating. These skills are important just as with real-world companies, failures on the part of leaders may explain the high degree of guild failures within virtual worlds. Interest into the transferability of leadership skills built in virtual worlds to real world situations has attracted both academic and practitioner interest. IBM, for example, has begun identifying IBM employees who lead in virtual worlds and exploring leadership characteristics and their applicability to management practice. While these initial efforts have been informative, the unit of analysis has invariably been a singular leader, or the guild leader. Within popular MMOGs (i.e., World of Warcraft or Everquest), the game mechanics allow the promotion of regular guild members to officer status. This begs the question, how may potential officers be identified? Drawing from the emergent leadership literature, we discuss a study-in-progress which attempts to identify potential leaders based upon a social network analysis (i.e., centrality measures) on a multi-year database which represents one guild’s activities within a MMOG. We propose that members who participate and contribute more to guild activities make more likely officer candidates.
Isolation and Characterization of the Mycorrhiza Helper Bacteria from the Fairy Rings of Floccularia Luteovirens

Floccularia luteovirens is an edible ectomycorrhizal fungus which forms fairy rings (FRs) distributed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our previous study found four isolates of potential mycorrhiza helper bacteria (MHB), but they were only isolated from a single FR and their mycorrhizal promoting ability was not tested. Thus, it was necessary to collect samples from a larger area and measure the mycorrhizal promoting ability of the potential candidates. Of 184 bacterial isolates from five fairy rings located in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau belonging to 12 species, and 7 of them (58.3%) significantly promoting the growth of F. luteovirens. We also tested the symbiosis-promoting ability of the isolates, and the results showed that only four of them stimulated the formation of mycorrhizal symbiosis. This is the first report of the construction of mycorrhizal symbiosis between F. luteovirens and its host plant in greenhouse conditions. Our results showed that the strain A89 (Achromobacter marplatensis) could produce antifungal properties but nonetheless stimulated the fungal growth. This may due to the nutrient condition of medium and the genotype specificity of MHBs. The results suggest that the promotion of significant growth is not a good predictor for mycorrhiza formation promotion ability of MHB.
Long-Term Outcome of Patients Operated with Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Purpose: To determine the long-term outcome of patients operated with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and to identify potential predictors for poor visual outcome. Methods: Prospective, observational 30-month study of patients operated for primary RRD with PPV. Examinations were performed preoperatively and after months 2, 6, and 30. Results: Eighty-four patients (84 eyes) were included and 73 (86.9%) participated at month 30. The macula was attached in 30 (35.7%) patients at primary operation. The majority of patients (n = 59, 80.8%) achieved a good final best corrected visual acuity (BCVA ≤0.3 logMAR, ≥0.5 Snellen) with a better outcome in patients with the macula attached than detached (0.02 vs. 0.17 logMAR, p = 0.007). Variables associated with poor visual outcome were baseline BCVA >0.3 logMAR (p = 0.03), female gender (p = 0.02), silicone oil (p = 0.03), and larger areas of retinal detachment (p = 0.01). In multivariable regression analysis, female gender (OR = 8.5 [95% CI 1.8–39.8]) was the strongest risk factor for poor visual outcome. Conclusion: The majority of patients operated for primary RRD achieved a reasonable long-term visual outcome. Notably, female gender was associated with poor visual outcome, indicating a need for closer follow-up.
EVALUATION OF THE 55 MPH SPEED LIMIT

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of the 55 mph speed limit on typical measures of speed, compliance of the public to posted limits, accident rates, and anticipated relative gasoline savings on rural primary highways in Indiana. Spot speed data was collected at twelve established Joint Highway Research Project (JHRP) speed stations so that comparisons to previous years could be made. Speeds for 1974 averaged five to ten mph below their 1973 counter part. Observed speeds were statistically lower in 1974 for passenger cars and heavy trucks on all but one class of rural highways. The only exception was for heavy trucks on two-lane highways where no significant reduction in mean speeds was found. An analysis of traffic volumes for the first six months of 1974 indicated that they were 13% less than the projected volumes for 1974 and 6.5% less than the volumes for the first six months of 1973. Accident data was collected on 125 sections of rural primary Indiana highways. Traffic volumes for the sections were used to find accident rates for interstate, other four-lane highways. The rate for the total number of accidents for each class of highway significantly decreased in the first six months of 1974.
Effect of Hypnotherapy in Alcohol Use Disorder Compared With Motivational Interviewing: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Hypnotherapy has proved to be effective for the treatment of several medical and psychiatric conditions. It has been used in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), but only 2 randomized controlled trials have been conducted for this disorder. Methods: This study was carried out at an inpatient clinic in Norway. A 6-week long treatment program included intensive group therapy, but also 5 hours of individual therapy, given as motivational interviewing (MI). Thirty-one patients were randomized either to receive 5 individual sessions of hypnotherapy instead of MI (N=16) or to be in the control group (N=15). The treatment method for the hypnotherapy group was Erickson (permissive) hypnosis. At baseline all the participants were diagnosed using a psychiatric interview and filled in the Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT), Timeline FollowBack (TLFB) for alcohol use, Hopkins Symptoms Check List (HSCL-25) for monitoring mental distress and Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire. AUDIT, TLFB, and HSCL-25 were readministered at follow-up after 1 year. Results: There were no differences between groups at baseline. One year later more women were lost to follow-up in the MI group. Both the intervention and control groups had reduced their alcohol consumption significantly. The change in AUDIT score was, however, largest for the hypnotherapy group, albeit only on a trend level (P=0.088). Conclusions: Those receiving hypnotherapy did marginally better concerning alcohol use at 1-year follow-up. This small advantage for hypnotherapy could indicate an effect, rendered nonsignificant by an underpowered study. It could also be that neither MI nor hypnotherapy gave an additional effect on top of the substantial group therapy. Lastly the findings could indicate that hypnotherapy is at least as effective as MI.
Allowing for End Cutting Edge Effects in Predicting Forces in Bar Turning with Oblique Machining Conditions

Oblique machining tests are described which were made to determine how the cutting which occurs at the end (secondary) cutting edge in bar turning affects the direction of chip flow and the cutting forces. Normally in developing a predictive machining theory only the cutting action at the side (main) cutting edge is considered, with no account taken of the contribution of the end cutting edge. By introducing the concept of an equivalent cutting edge which in essence combines both the side and end cutting edges it is shown how the influence of the latter can be accounted for in predicting cutting forces.
Small Things Remembered: Origins of Early Microlithic Industries in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Backed microliths made on small flakes and blades are considered the hallmark of Later Stone Age (LSA) industries of sub-Saharan Africa. However, some early LSA microlithic industries lack backed tools, others have extremely large ones, and some Middle Stone Age (MSA) industries also have high frequencies of blades and large backed “microliths. ” The invention of blades, backed microliths, and microlithization were thus separate phenomena in sub-Saharan Africa. Given this diversity and complexity, a “one size fits all” model may neither satisfactorily characterize nor explain the origin of blade-based technologies, large backed tools in the MSA, and microlithic industries in the LSA. This chapter will briefly summarize the evidence for early backed tool and microlithic industries and then evaluate several hypotheses for microlithization and backed tool production, including the invention of composite hafted tools, punch blade technology, hunting with bow and arrow in closed habitats, invention of poisons for projectiles, increased access to fine-grained raw materials, increased mobility, conservation of scarce materials, giving gifts of backed microliths made on fine-grained exotic raw materials, and manufacture of more effective specialized toolkits when increased information sharing permitted reliable anticipation of tasks. If microlithic and backed blade–based industries were invented in Africa, then understanding their origin may provide insight into the evolution of modern human behavior and the dispersal of modern humans and modern human technology out of Africa.
Introduction: the tale as a special discourse vehicle

ABSTRACT This special issue addresses a series of post-2008 financial developments by mobilising the concept of the tale, understood as a discursive artefact composed of a meaningful story or script that serves to separate good from evil, make sense of historical situations, stimulate action, and prefigure scenarios. Unlike standard workplace narratives, which are useful for practical decision-making, tales have strong collective and political connotations. As such, they assume two distinct forms: tales of ‘experiment,’ stemming from innovative projects that seek to transform the financial system from within, and tales of ‘defiance,’ which deal with the more ample changes that horizontal and disobedient practices prefigure. Several analytical coordinates are proposed in order to capture the semiotic and pragmatic natures of the tale. Regarding semiotics, tales involve not only themes and motifs but also polysemic metaphors and what are here defined as processes of characterisation, through which persons or institutions are positioned as characters and assume specific roles within a story. As for the pragmatic dimension, tales mobilise people toward specific functions and address audiences while also relying on material infrastructure to embed some of the content they convey.
Cultivation of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) subjected to shallow water table at riparian wetland in South Sumatra, Indonesia

Common bean is a susceptible vegetable to excessive water condition in soil. Meanwhile, flooding occurrence and soil water table are unpredictable at riparian wetlands. These circumstances make cultivation of common bean in riparian wetland challenging. A field experiment was conducted at post flooding period but soil water table was still less than 30 cm below soil surface during transitional period from wet to dry season, in May to August 2017. Site location was a paddy field at Sungai Selincah Village, within riparian wetland ecosystem in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The paddy field is characterized by alluvial soil and periodically flooded for 4-6 months during rainy season. Raised beds were constructed for setting up water table positions at 10, 15, and 20 cm below soil surface. Results of this study indicated that common bean ('Phaseolus vulgaris' L.) could tolerate soil water table at depth of 15 cm or deeper without significant decrease in growth and yield. However, soil water table at depth of 10 cm significantly reduced plant height, number of trifoliate leaves, diameter of canopy, shoot dry weight, root length, number of primary lateral roots, chlorophyll content index (CCI) during reproductive stage, total number of pods, and cumulative yield. In conclusion, it is possible to grow common bean at riparian wetland ecosystem as early as soil water table has subsided to 15 cm below soil surface during transitional period from wet to dry season.
Advances in Instrumentation and Monitoring in Geotechnical Engineering

[Extract] Geotechnical instrumentation to monitor the performances of earth and earth-supported structures is increasingly becoming popular. Verification of long-term performances, validation of new theories, construction control, warning against any impending failures, quality assurance, and legal protection are some of the many reasons for geotechnical instrumentation. They are not only used in field situations, but in laboratories too. With the recent advances in materials and technology, and the need for more stringent performance control, there had been significant developments in the recent past in instrumentation and monitoring techniques.
Preparation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals using soluble grade cellulose from acid hydrolysis of huizache (Acacia farnesiana L. Willd.)

High purity cellulose nanocrystals (NCCs) were obtained through the generation of various nanoparticle suspensions from different hydrolysis conditions of soluble grade cellulose (α-cellulose) prepared from huizache wood (Acacia farnesiana L. Willd.). These NCCs exhibited different surface morphologies and properties. Hydrolysis was carried out using both sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, while the methodology was based on 23 factorial designs of experiments. The obtained nanocrystals were characterized for particle size distribution, morphology, size of the NCCs, residual surface charge of the nanoparticles, and chemical composition using various experimental techniques. The two acid hydrolysis procedures produced NCCs suspensions that exhibited a unimodal or bimodal pattern of the Gaussian type, but differed in their properties. Average NCCs particle size obtained by hydrolysis with different concentrations (60 to 65%), at different temperatures (45 to 55 oC) and treatment times (45 to 65 mins) with H2SO4 acid and HCl acid were approximately 100 to 260 nm and between 75 nm to 512 nm, respectively, indicating influence of concentration and treatment time with both acids. Also, residual load analysis of sulphate groups in the NCCs suspensions in producing NCCs by H2SO4 hydrolysis revealed a minimum load of 39 mmol/kg and a maximum of 505 mmol/kg of NCCs.
2+1-roads with and without cable barriers: speed performance

The objective of this paper is to present the Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA) development program to upgrade traffic safety on existing 13 m cross-section roads using low cost measures and early findings on speed performance. Traffic safety findings have been reported in depth elsewhere. The main traffic safety proposal in the development program is conversion to 2+1 with a separating cable barrier and roadside improvements within existing right-of-way. In 1998, the director general of SNRA decided to proceed with a full-scale program with six sections. The empirical findings presented here are based on 1.5 years of experience from the first section to be opened, the E4 semi-motorway Gavle-Axmartavlan with an Annual Average Daily Traffic of 7000 veh/d; 2+1 partly with cable barrier partly only with road markings. The solution chosen on the first section gives one-lane sections with a total paved width of 5.6 m but only 4.6 at existing bridges and side guardrails. This has been heavily criticized as giving an unacceptable level-of-service for a national highway due to low overtaking opportunities and queues at vehicle breakdowns and maintenance operations. Early speed performance findings so far are as follows: the average car spot speed at speed limit 90 km/h has been 101 km/h; car spot speeds are in the range 93-100 km/h at the beginning of a one-lane section at traffic flows around 1200-1350 veh/h; 5% of the hourly speeds are below 90 km/h at speed limit 90 km/h; the 1% percentile speed at 90 km/h is 75 km/h at both the beginning of a one-lane and at the end of the two-lane location close to a transition zone; car spot speeds on overtaking lanes, 300-350 veh/d, are very high in the range 110-120 km/h, far above the official speed limit of 90 km/h (before April 1999); average passenger car spot speeds on two-lane sections are 4 km/h higher in September 1998 on the cable barrier section compared with September 1997 with wide lanes, and on two-lane sections with road marking the spot speeds are slightly higher than for the cable barrier section; passenger car speeds on one-lane sections on the cable barrier part are more or less unchanged though speeds at side steel barriers have decreased some km/h, and speeds on the road marking part seem to be approximately 2 km/h higher in one-lane sections; side cable barriers 1 m from the pavement do not affect speeds; there is approximately one median barrier repair per week requiring on average a 2 hour overtaking lane closure; two illegal transports, one with an over-width truck and one with an over-height truck, have been stuck resulting in long queues; and some five accidents and incidents have blocked one direction for numerous hours.
Robust heart sound activity detection in noisy environments

A novel and robust method for heart sound activity detection (HSAD) is presented. In this method, a new discriminative feature is developed based on the lag-1 autocorrelation coefficient and feature smoothing is introduced to identify the endpoints of low-level heart murmurs. Several experiments on a large scale phonocardiogram database show that the method significantly outperforms the other HSAD methods under varying levels of heart sounds and different types of noise. For a signal-to-noise ratio of 5 dB, the method achieves a sensitivity of 99.56% and a positive predictivity of 99.41% and has a smallest average time error value of 4.26 ms.
Full-wave analysis of multiconductor coupled lines in MICs by the method of lines

A procedure for full-wave analysis of multiconductor coupled lines in MICs by the method of lines has been proposed. Propagation constant, attenuation constant, characteristic impedances of each eigenmode and the 2N-port S-parameters are calculated. Considering dispersion and loss, this approach is particularly suitable for application at higher microwave frequencies. Computed results for some MIC elements containing multiconductor coupled lines are compared with measurements and good agreement is shown.
Lessons Learned on Benchmarking from the International Human Reliability Analysis Empirical Study

The International Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) Empirical Study is a comparative benchmark of the prediction of HRA methods to the performance of nuclear power plant crews in a control room simulator. There are a number of unique aspects to the present study that distinguish it from previous HRA benchmarks, most notably the emphasis on a method-to-data comparison instead of a method-to-method comparison. This paper reviews seven lessons learned about HRA benchmarking from conducting the study: (1) the dual purposes of the study afforded by joining another HRA study; (2) the importance of comparing not only quantitative but also qualitative aspects of HRA; (3) consideration of both negative and positive drivers on crew performance; (4) a relatively large sample size of crews; (5) the use of multiple methods and scenarios to provide a well-rounded view of HRA performance; (6) the importance of clearly defined human failure events; and (7) the use of a common comparison language to “translate” the results of different HRA methods. These seven lessons learned highlight how the present study can serve as a useful template for future benchmarking studies.
Impact of the ownership structure on the diversification strategy

This study examines the ownership characteristics that influence the decision to diversify. The Logit model was used to show that ownership structure influences the probability of diversification. Empirical tests show that the presence of the first large shareholder increases the probability of diversification during the financial crisis period. This behavior is observed for the coalition of second and third shareholders only for periods during and after the crisis. The average level of probability for firms to be diversified is between 20% and 50%. Furthermore, results show that industrial firms and more willing to be diversified than firms in the financial sector.