Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Confirmatory factor analysis of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale in a large and representative sample of Child and Adolescent Mental Health practitioners: Is the use of a total scale score justified?

Background: High-quality instruments are essential for implementation practitioners and researcher; only valid and reliable measures can confidently and consistently measure what they are intended to measure. Psychometrically sound and pragmatic measures have the potential to guide the tailoring and evaluation of an implementation program thus contributing to the knowledge base of implementation science. The Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) is one of few implementation instruments with strong psychometric qualities and is widely used to measure attitudes toward Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in implementation practice and research. The Multidimensionality of the EBPAS has repeatedly been supported. Whether all of the fifteen individual items contribute to the EBPAS total scale beyond their subscales (Appeal, Requirements, Openness and Divergence) has yet to be proven. In addition, the Divergence subscale has been questioned because of low correlation with the other subscales and low inter-item correlations. Methods: The factor structure of the EBPAS was investigated in a child- and adolescent psychiatry setting (N=925, 62%, n =570) using first- and second-order Confirmatory factor analysis, thus replicating Aarons' initial studies. In addition, the present study is the first to use a bifactor model in a large and representative sample. Results: The EBPAS was supported as a multifaceted instrument. The EBPAS had a rather strong general factor supporting the use of the inventory as a single measure of attitudes. There were still four dimensions of attitude after the general factor was accounted for. All items, including the items of the Divergence factor, contributed to general attitude as well as to their specific construct. Conclusions: The present study is the first to show that it is justified to use and interpret the EBPAS as an instrument measuring global as well as specific attitudes toward EBP. Sum score and subscales scores can be used in implementation research and practice.
Distribution-of-cut guides for thinning in Allegheny hardwoods: a review

Distribution-of-cut guidelines describe the amount of stand density to be removed from broad size classes of trees to attain a target residual stand density and stand structure. Current guides for thinning Allegheny hardwoods recommend that 75 percent of the cut relative stand density be taken from below the average stand diameter and 25 percent from above. These guides are well suited for maximizing production of wood volume and stand worth in 50-year-old stands. In 70-year-old stands, previously thinned or not, wood production is maximized by distributing the cut so that the entire cut is from below the average stand diameter. Stand worth is maximized at 25 to 50 percent cut from below. Current guides for thinning 70-year-old Allegheny hardwoods are a compromise between the two at 75 percent cut from below. Only at this percentage is black cherry retained at sufficient levels to fully regenerate a site.
Systems reliability modelling for phased missions with maintenance-free operating periods

In 1996, a concept was proposed by the UK Ministry of Defence with the intention of making the field of reliability more useful to the end user, particularly within the field of military aerospace. This idea was the Maintenance Free Operating Period (MFOP), a duration of time in which the overall system can complete all of its required missions without the need to undergo emergency repairs or maintenance, with a defined probability of success. The system can encounter component or subsystem failures, but these must be carried with no effect to the overall mission, until such time as repair takes place. It is thought that advanced technologies such as redundant systems, prognostics and diagnostics will play a major role in the successful use of MFOP in practical applications. Many types of system operate missions that are made up of several sequential phases. For a mission to be successful, the system must satisfactorily complete each of the objectives in each of the phases. If the system fails or cannot complete its goals in any one phase, the mission has failed. Each phase will require the system to use different items, and so the failure logic changes from phase to phase. Mission unreliability is defined as the probability that the system fails to function successfully during at least one phase of the mission. An important problem is the efficient calculation of the value of mission unreliability. This thesis investigates the creation of a modelling method to consider as many features of systems undergoing both MFOPs and phased missions as possible. This uses Petri nets, a type of digraph allowing storage and transit of tokens which represent system states. A simple model is presented, following which, a more complex model is developed and explained, encompassing those ideas which are believed to be important in delivering a long MFOP with a high degree of confidence. A demonstration of the process by which the modelling method could be used to improve the reliability performance of a large system is then shown. The complex model is employed in the form of a Monte-Carlo simulation program, which is applied to a life-size system such as may be encountered in the real world. Improvements are suggested and results from their implementation analysed.
Development of an Improved Numerical Model for Concrete-to-Soil Interfaces in Soil-Structure Interaction Analyses. Report 1 Preliminary Study

Abstract : Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) analyses have proven to be powerful tools for use in analyzing, designing, and monitoring geotechnical structures. SSI analyses are particularly useful in problems of complex geometry and loading conditions such as lock walls. Several SSI analyses of Corps of Engineers lock walls have shown that the behavior of the soil-structure interface has a significant influence on the magnitudes of the loads acting against a lock wall. They have also illustrated that the pre- and post-construction field stress paths followed by interface elements often involve simultaneous changes in normal and shear stresses, as well as shear stress reversals. The hyperbolic formulation for interfaces, used commonly in SSI analyses, models interface behavior in the primary loading stage very closely. However, it has not been extended to accurately model simultaneous changes in shear and normal stresses, reduction of shear stress, reversals in the direction of shear, or unload-reload cycles at the interface. The purpose of this research is to develop an interface model capable of giving accurate predictions of the interface response under field loading conditions. In order to develop the necessary test data, the Large Displacement Shear Box (LDSB) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, was modified to permit soil-to-concrete interface testing. A. concrete specimen for interface testing was prepared with a surface texture similar to that of concrete retaining walls in service. A number of tests were performed on the interface between this concrete specimen and a uniform dense sand: initial loading, shear reversals, staged shear, and unloading-reloading of the interface. This research is being conducted in two phases. This report presents the results of the testing performed for the Phase I research.
Enlistment Decisions in the 1990s: Evidence from Individual-Level Data

Abstract : The current recruiting environment is marked by recruiting targets higher than those in the drawdown period, increasing competition for resources, and reports that recruiters are having more difficulty in meeting their goals. Models that specify persons with different characteristics and predict the probability that they will enlist could thus help allocate current recruiting resources to target the most likely prospects. However, the most recent individual-level models of enlistment were estimated using data from 1980. Since then, many trends and events suggest that the enlistment likelihoods among different types of individuals may have changed. These trends include an increase in college attendance, shrinking youth cohorts, rising youth aptitudes, and an increase in the number and scope of deployments. In this report, we take several approaches to updating the principal economic model of enlistment decisionmaking with data from 1992 and 1994.
Transmedia

This Editorial sketches out some initial contexts and parameters for the concept of transmedia tourism – the academic neologism which the articles in this Special Issue explore in greater detail. It is argued that transmedia tourism should be understood as a historical term whose emergence is intertwined with both theories of convergence culture (Jenkins 2006) and the experience economy (Pine and Gilmore 1998). The Editorial also reflects upon the methodologies used for exploring transmedia tourism throughout the Special Issue, offering reflections on and dismissals of objections to autoethnography as a way of studying how mediated spaces are experienced from an anthropological perspective.
Twitter’s disputed tags are generally ineffective and only reduce fake news sharing among Democrats and Independents

Through the 2020 US Election Twitter’s frontline defense against misinformation was its “This claim has been disputed” tags. The utility of such tags, however, remains unclear. An experiment with 318 US participants revealed that tags modestly reduce the tendency to share misinformation among Democrats and Independents—but not Republicans. For no group did we find evidence that tags reduced belief in fake news. Moreover, we found that tags induced ideological responding relative to untagged fake news. We conclude that Twitter’s “disputed” tags are not enough to significantly reduce the spread of fake news on the platform; a more robust intervention is necessary.
Seismic analysis of a typical masonry building from Barcelona's Eixample district

The historic Eixample district of Barcelona is characterised by its beautiful avenues, laid out in grid across the city. At first impression, the buildings lining these avenues appear identical, an unending facade built to house the new Barcelona of the 20th Century. The unreinforced masonry buildings that typify the development remain in use today, largely unaltered since their construction. Unreinforced masonry buildings are among the most vulnerable structures to damage from seismic actions. For the masonry buildings of the Eixample that house over 15% of the population of Barcelona, this is no exception. This study performs a seismic analysis on a typical masonry building of the Eixample to estimate and assess this damage. By doing so, it aims to estimate the likely damage due to seismic actions, to identify critical elements of the structures and to quantify the need for seismic risk maintenance and response plans. The analysis uses the N2 Capacity Spectrum Method (Fajfar, 2000), adopted by Eurocode 8, to determine the displacement demand of possible earthquake scenarios. A seismic hazard analysis determines the seismic demand using deterministic, probabilistic and current European and Spanish code provisions. The seismic demand is then compared to the results of a non-linear pushover analysis completed using software DIANA (Version 9.4). The model geometry was based upon plans of a building that well represents the typical unreinforced masonry buildings of the Eixample. Results indicate a displacement demand to Spanish code provisions that corresponds to a substantial level of damage, in accordance with the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS 98) damage criteria. A moderate level of damage is derived from the probabilistic seismic scenario. Similar to previous studies, these results indicate a significant risk of seismic damage. The analysis has isolated critical structural elements that control the global response and damage during seismic action. This information can be used to develop inspection and maintenance plans to limit the risk of seismic damage. This study highlights the real risk of seismic damage to the typical unreinforced masonry buildings of the Eixample district. It determines appropriate building maintenance procedures, and reinforces the need for seismic response planning to best manage the significant expected social and infrastructure demands should such a disastrous event ever occur.
Design of a configurable LDPC decoder for high-speed wireless

[ANGLES] The proposed solution for a LDPC decoder according the IEEE 802.11n standard is a multi-code and multi-rate solution, being capable to decode the codes defined in it and also it can be reused, after adding extra blocks, to decode turbo codes for example defined in 3GPP standard. Moreover the proposed solution uses very low memory compared with other existing architectures, without a relevant penalty in terms of performance and area, and has a very high throughput performance.
On the Improved Mechanical Properties of Ball-Milled GNPs Reinforced Short Chain Branched-Polyethylene Nanocomposite: Micromechanical Modeling and Fractography Study

Short-chain branched-Polyethylene (SCB-PE) is commonly utilized in hot and cold piping systems due to its high-temperature resistance. SCB-PE nanocomposites using graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) as a reinforcing filler were synthesized in this work. The effect of the filler’s content and the ball-milling process on nanocomposites’ structure, tensile and shear properties was studied. Two series of nanocomposites have been prepared, one with and one without the ball-milling as a premixing step prior to the melt-mixing process. The ball-milling process induced a lower crystallinity degree of the SCB-PE nanocomposites than their solely melt-mixed counterpart. The tensile properties of the ball-milled samples presented a more profound enhancement with increasing filler content. The Ji and modified Halpin-Tsai micromechanical models were best fit to describe the experimental elastic modulus of the solely melt-mixed and the ball-milled nanocomposites, respectively. Fractography studies suggested that the detachment of the filler particles from the polymer matrix is avoided for lower GNPs contents of the ball-milled samples. Shear tests revealed that the shear strength increased and ductility decreased with increasing filler content in any case. The ball-milling process resulted in SCB-PE nanocomposites with superior mechanical properties compared to their solely melt-mixed counterparts.
Calibration of the BioWin model for N-removal: Part 1, desktop study

This project examines the effect of certain key parameters on denitrification predictions of the BioWin® model, compared to the older UCT kinetic model and steady-state theory for activated sludge systems. It shows that earlier versions of BioWin (distributed in the period ca. 1994 to 2000 and widely used in Australia) had inappropriate default settings for certain key parameters that influence the denitrification rate. As a result, the denitrification rates predicted using the older versions of BioWin were about three times higher than the so-called K2 rate measured from bench-scale research for nitrogen-removal activated sludge systems in the UCT laboratory. Designs based on the higher denitrification rates would likely have under-sized anoxic zones and/or over-sized internal recycles, leading to higher actual effluent nitrate and total N concentrations compared to model predictions. This could have very significant contractual and cost implications for the upgrade and operation of wastewater treatment plants. The most recently released BioWin version has revised default settings, which bring it closer to the older UCT family of models in respect of denitrification rate. In this paper we present the results of a desktop study, based on a hypothetical N-removal activated sludge plant as a test case. In Part 2 (to be published in the November issue of Water), we will present actual data from a very similar fullscale plant in Australia that was used to calibrate the denitrification rate applied in BioWin.
The implication of information and communication technologies in education

Analysis of the relations “communication technologies – education and training” is made in this article. The analysis is made on the available documents, which reflect the decisions and concepts developed by the respective European institutions about introducing communication technologies in education. A part of the analysis refers to the implications which these decisions and concepts have on a separate country (Bulgaria). A few reasons are pointed out why universities, as relatively independent institutions, should play an active role in this implementation process. On the basis of this analysis some trends for the future development of the education and training institutions are traced. The trends are analyzed at three levels: conceptual (philosophy of education), educational policy and the level of schools and universities.
Experimental Research on Variation of Pore Water Pressure in Constant Rate of Strain Consolidation Test

Constant rate of strain (CRS) consolidation is a rapid test method which is used for determination of compressibility of clayey soils. In a CRS test, the appropriate strain rate is selected based on pore water pressure ratio, i.e. the ratio of pore pressure to total stress. In the present study, to investigate the effect of strain rate on variation of pore water pressure ratio, four different clay samples of different plasticity were tested by CRS apparatus. The results of the experiments showed that the trend of variation of pore water pressure is dependent on the drained water flow regime which may be either Darcy or non-Darcy. The results also indicated that the plasticity of clay does not have considerable effect on variation of pore water pressure.
FORCES ON THE LUMBAR SPINE DURING THE PARALLEL SQUAT

INTRODUCTION The benefits of the parallel squat include enhanced lower body musculature, the development of explosive strength, and an increase in ligament and tendon strength. These benefits tend to overshadow the fact that squatting places excessive stress on the musculoskeletal system (Shirazi-Adl, 1994). The purpose of this study was to determine the compression, torsion, and shear forces on the lumbar spine during the patallel squat for experienced and recreational weight men. llventy male subjects were divided into two groups based on experience with the parallel squat. Each subject was f h e d lifting 5 repetitions of 4 weight loads (45 lbs, 225 lbs, body weight (BW), 1.25xBW). The last repetition for each weight load was digitized. A MANOVA was used to determine differences (a<.05) between the 2 groups across the 4 weight loads. RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS Forces were significantly more between 45 lbs and the other three loads for both compression and shear forces. The experienced group had significantly less torsion than the recreational group. All other main effects and interactions were not significant (ac.05) (See Table 1 .). Recreational and experienced lifters should not be encouraged to increase the weight lifted until the weight can be lowered at a constant slow speed with a minimum trunk angle of 60 degrees. Recreational lifters need to be aware of continued hip flexion after reaching maximal knee flexion. To reduce injuries, proper form should be stressed over increased weight loads. REFERENCES Chaffin, D. , Page, G. (1994). Postural effects on biomechanical and psychophysical weight lifting limits. Ergonomics. 37(4), 663-676. McLaughlin, T. , Lardner, T. , Dillman, C. (1978). Kinetics of the parallel squat. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 49(2), 175- 189. Shirazi-Adl, A. (1994). Biomechanics of the lumbar spine in sagittal and lateral movements. Spine.
Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Parameter estimation in heterogeneous catalysis

The detailed modelling of heterogeneous catalytic systems is challenging due to the unknown nature of new catalytic materials as well as the often required transient nature of the resulting models. Thus, this thesis deals with the methodologies involved in the kinetic modelling of heterogeneous catalysis and in particular NOX reduction systems. The methods presented increase the understanding of the interplay between model parameters and also decrease the number of necessary laboratory experiments. The effect of more efficient parameter estimation methods should result in faster model development which is required in any process development but especially for catalytic emission control. In the first paper, injection parameters for an engine rig with a NOX Storage and Reduction (NSR) system were optimised using different experimental designs at different load points. The optimised settings were used as a map for a control strategy complying with a European Transient Cycle (ETC). In the second paper, we developed a method that copes with the large number of unknown model parameters by applying a Latent Variable (LV) model to the Jacobian matrix in the fitting procedure. The LV model results in a low-dimensional approximation of the Jacobian with reduced parameter correlation and enables improved efficiency in parameter estimation. In the third paper, Experimental design for precise parameter estimation was performed in a batch-sequential way using D-optimality as the objective function. A screening methodology similar to that used for drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry was applied for a large number of simulated candidate experiments. By applying an LV model to the Jacobian of all these experiments, a reduced parameter correlation was obtained and the number of necessary experiments was reduced. The results from the second and third paper pinpoint a number of benefits of using LV models including: 1) the determination of the effective rank, i.e. the number of independent phenomena present in the data at hand, 2) the analysis of the correlation structure which is useful in the parameter assessment and 3) the linear approximation in few dimensions enables more efficient computations. In the fourth paper, a detailed model for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOX using Hydrocarbon as a reducing agent (HC-SCR) over silver alumina (Ag-Al2O3) was developed. By applying an experimental design to the steady state levels and also selecting the run order, improved fitting properties were obtained due to the increased parameter sensitivity enabled by the transient experiments. This thesis also contains a description of the modelling techniques and challenges encountered during this thesis project. An assessment of the importance as well as the parameter correlation is given. This demonstrates the intimate interplay between model assumptions and the stipulated model parameters and exemplifies a thorough assessment of the whole modelling chain from initial experiments to model validation.
Cosmic Gratitude

Continuing on from the previous chapter, this chapter looks at a particular form of the disposition to be grateful in which one is grateful for the universe or cosmos, but does not posit a divine creator as the benefactor to whom one is grateful. What philosophers have called “cosmic gratitude” is a form of gratitude that is often misunderstood. This chapter attempts to clarify in what ways it is not simply a deluded form of religious gratitude, and in what ways it helps us understand better the hidden structures of religious gratitude.