Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adapting an Online Transit Journey Planner into a Low-Cost Travel Survey Tool

Urban transport authorities worldwide face difficult trade-offs in collecting information on public transit users. The costs of data collection can be high, and the technical challenges in understanding complex travel patterns require substantive survey resources. However, rapid technology advances have yielded improved traveler information tools. The improved tools enable the encoding of complex travel requests in transit journey planners, which are now a common feature of transit passenger information websites (TPIWSs). This paper describes the experience of developing an online survey tool in the journey planner section of a TPIWS as a new mechanism to undertake research in an effective and inexpensive way. The approach integrates information collated from the journey planner outputs and explores passengers’ experiences of journeys made on the basis of online surveys. Journey planner outputs were first recorded along with the answers to two simple poll questions. Respondents were then invited to undertake a follow-up survey after they had completed the trips for which they had used the journey planner. A total of 3,537 polls were submitted, and 658 follow-up surveys were completed. The samples users were in general younger and had characteristics different from those of the general transit market. However, overall the tool proved to be a powerful, easy-to-use, and inexpensive means of collecting information about complex travel behaviors. The lessons learned are described, and approaches are suggested for how on-screen polling could be improved, including computing approaches to manage web pop-up blockers, which are thought to have reduced sample sizes and possibly affected the demographic composition achieved. Implications for industry practice and opportunities for future research in this area are identified.
Coastal Ecosystems and Tsunami Protection after the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

An exploratory study was conducted on the role of coastal ecosystems in protecting communities from the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, focusing on mangrove forests on the Andaman coast of Thailand and how well villages were undertaking environmental conservation. Remote sensing analysis identified predisaster mangrove change and postdisaster structural damage and landscape changes. Field data from five sites (20 villages), gathered via the VIEWS™ data collection system, validated and supplemented this analysis. Key informants at several of these villages were also interviewed. A preliminary comparison of villages that otherwise faced similar tsunami exposure suggests that the presence of healthy mangroves did afford substantial protection. Village performance in mangrove conservation and management efforts, and thus the presence of healthy forests, is influenced by both social capital and the design of external aid delivery programs.
Survey of International Space Station Charging Events

With the negative grounding of the 160V Photovoltaic (PV) arrays, the International Space Station (ISS) can experience varied and interesting charging events. Since August 2006, there has been a multi-probe p ackage, called the Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU), availa ble to provide redundant measurements of the floating potential of th e ISS as well as the density and temperature of the local plasma environment. The FPMU has been operated during intermittent data campaigns since August 2006 and has collected over 160 days of information reg arding the charging of the ISS as it has progressed in configuration from one to three PV arrays and with various additional modules such as the European Space Agency? s Columbus laboratory and the Japan Aeros pace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. This paper summarizes the charging of the ISS and the local environmental conditions that contr ibute to those charging events, both as measured by the FPMU.
Compressed sensing for SAR-based wideband three-dimensional microwave imaging system using non-uniform fast fourier transform

A new compressed sensing (CS) image reconstruction method is proposed for high-resolution wideband threedimensional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging systems. In contrast to existing CS SAR methods that employ only a forward SAR transform in pre- or post-processing, the proposed method employs both forward SAR and reverse SAR (R-SAR) transforms in each CS iteration to improve the quality of reconstructed images. This study proposes a simple and elegant truncation repair method to combat the truncation error and utilises non-uniform fast Fourier transform to reduce the SAR and R-SAR transform errors, thereby ensuring the convergence of the CS algorithm and improving the quality of the reconstructed images. The proposed CS SAR method is applied to microwave and millimeter wave imaging systems for non-destructive evaluation of materials embedded in stratified media. Three different specimens under test are measured by conventional uniform sampling and by random under-sampling with 20% or 30% spatial points of the uniform sampling. The reconstructed images show that, albeit having much less measurement points, the proposed CS method achieves better image quality and lower background artefacts than the images reconstructed from the fullysampled uniform measurements.
Development of Learning Media Using VideoScribe for the Subject of Present Continuous Tense

To master English, students must learn many things, including about grammar in order to use English properly and correctly. There are a number of ways lecturers can do to support teaching and learning process, one of which is by making use of technology to develop learning media. Using media is expected to make learning process about grammar enjoyable. This research aims to develop learning media using VideoScribe for the subject of Present Continuous Tense which is one of the materials studied by odd semester students at Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau. This research further designs, implements and tests the feasibility of the learning media. This research is a research and development (R&D) model with ADDIE which consists of 5 stages, namely Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. The subjects of this study were undergraduate students majoring in non-English Department which consisted of 35 students in odd semester. The results of alpha testing, expert material assessment showed that the media that were designed was in a very good category with an average score of 4.26. Meanwhile, for trials with students, the video animation media using VideoScribe was in a very good category with an average score of 4.25. Therefore, it can be concluded that the instructional media designed is suitable to be used to support teaching and learning activities.
Optical functional devices based on photonic crystals: laser and add-drop devices

Two optical functional devices based on 2D photonic crystal are investigated. First of all, add-drop filtering devices based on single defects in 2D photonic crystal slabs are characterized. After describing basic characteristics of channel-drop function, we show the improvement of device characteristics through defect engineering. We also demonstrate the channel-add function of the device. Next, we describe a 2D large-area surface-emitting laser exhibiting single-longitudinal and single-lateral mode oscillation with narrow divergence angle based on the 2D coupling effect of lightwave in 2D photonic crystals. A method of controlling the polarization mode by changing the shape of the unit cell is also presented. These results indicate that 2D photonic crystals are useful for the realization of novel optical functional devices.
Deploying quantum light sources on nanosatellites I: lessons and perspectives on the optical system

The Small Photon Entangling Quantum System is an integrated instrument where the pump, photon pair source and detectors are combined within a single optical tray and electronics package that is no larger than 10cm×10cm×3cm. This footprint enables the instrument to be placed onboard nanosatellites or the CubeLab facility within the International Space Station. The first mission is to understand the different environmental conditions that may affect the operation of an entangled photon source in low Earth orbit. This understanding is crucial for the construction of cost-effective entanglement based experiments that utilize nanosatellite architecture. We will discuss the challenges and lessons we have learned over three years of development and testing of the integrated optical platform and review the perspectives for future advanced experiments.
CFD Investigation on the Circumferential Grooves Casing Treatment of Transonic Compressor

The performance of NASA Rotor 37 with Circumferential Grooves Casing Treatment (CGCT) is studied with an in-house CFD code NSAWET. Based on the stall mechanism analysis, a number of CGCT configurations have been proposed and numerically tested. The computation results show that the stall mechanisms are strongly related with the width of tip clearance. With a small tip clearance, the stall process is dominated by the trailing edge separation, while the leading edge tip leakage vortex breakdown induced blockage causes stall in a large tip clearance configuration. Circumferential grooves at appropriate axial locations can be beneficial to the stall margin in these two types of stall processes. The effects of the groove width and depth are presented. The mechanisms of CGCT for different tip clearances are also discussed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Selecting Optimal Reactive Compensation Device for Power System

Although there are many studies on application of FACTS unit, especially application of reactive power generating unit for power system to enhance voltage stability amplitude and transient stability as considered, the evaluation and selection of suitable power generating unit (STATCOM or SVC) as well as optimal compensation size in the analysis of steady and transient state is not paid attention to. This article studies the above described issues to give a solution to install reasonable reactive power generating source (kind of Var source, location, size) for the power system. The analysis will be based on the technical factors rather than economic ones. 500kV grid system in Vietnam will be used in the calculation until 2015. To deeply evaluate, the implementation plan of reactive power compensation was only studied for 500kV grid in the South, where the load demand is large and can be dramatically increased. The results of power flow calculation, the analysis of characteristics of PV, OPF, and transient stability were studied through PSS/E-30 software.
Effects of Gamma Irradiation on Dosimetry Characteristic of Rhizophora apiculata Dye Solution

The dosimetry characteristic of Rhizophora Apiculata dye solutions with and without 2, 3, 5 - triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) salt to low dose of gamma irradiation up to 100Gy were investigated spectrometrically. The maximum absorbance was peaking at wavelength of 664nm characteristics of red colour. The dose responses at 664nm wavelength were found decreased with increase of gamma irradiation leading to colour bleaching of the dye solution. The dose sensitivity value of dye solution with TTC lower compared to dye solution without TTC. The colour stability of dyes solutions also have been investigated, the absorbance spectra found no significant change after stored in a dark room at room temperature for 2 weeks.
Structural Equation Modelling of lean manufacturing practices

The purpose of this research study is to analyse lean manufacturing practices in different industries and to identify the critical factors for its success implementation. Despite the fact that lean manufacturing has been frequently promoted as a means of improving business competitiveness, little empirical evidence exists in the literature validating its positive link with organisational performance. Lean manufacturing practices not only help in reducing the number of defects but also reduces the cost of production. For this purpose, empirical data is collected to measure the lean manufacturing practices prevailing in different industries located in Tamil Nadu, India. A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique is used to build the measurement and structural models. Later, statistical estimates are used to validate the model that has been built. The data analysis helps to determine whether to accept or reject the hypothesis that has been stated based on the structural model. The result shows how lean manufacturing practices are correlated and help in improving the organisational performance among the industries being surveyed.
Vulnerability to flood-induced public health risks in Sudan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze flood vulnerability vis-a-vis flood-induced health risks, and understand the relationship between them to suggest measures to reduce health risks in Sudan. Design/methodology/approach – This study compares the vulnerability to flood and health consequences in two communities in Aroma. This study compares the vulnerability of Aroma semi-urban vicinity and Tendellei rural village, in Sudan, to flood and health consequences. A set of socioeconomic and health indicators were studied in 251 households. Households were classified according to their calculated vulnerability composite index. The index was validated through comparing the vulnerability values with the level of impact in each household. Findings – About 30 percent of households are highly/very highly vulnerable to flood risk. On the other hand, 41 percent of the rural households and 25 percent of the semi-urban houses are highly/very highly vulnerable to health risks. The main determinants of flood v.
Impact of Organizational and Project Factors on Acceptance and Usage of Project Management Software and Perceived Project Success

This study surveyed 497 participants to determine the factors that affect project professionals’ acceptance of project management software and the perceived impact of software usage on their performance. The study finds that greater information quality and higher project complexity are the dominant factors explaining higher levels of system utilization, that greater system functionality and ease of use have a significant positive relationship with increased software usage, and that a strong positive relationship exists between higher usage of project management software and perceived project managers’ improved performance. Inconsistent with prior research, more training was not found to be associated with project management software usage. The study explains more than 40% of the variation in project management software acceptance and adds project management software usage to project success factors by empirically confirming for the first time that project management software enhances project professionals’ perceived performance and provides a positive impact on the results of their projects. The study provides practical implications for project professionals, their organizations, senior management, decision makers, software developers, and vendors. These findings support the call for further research that investigates the diffusion of information technologies in the project management field and their impact on project success and competitive position.
A novel method for suppression of high voltage gradient transient effects in voltage-fed PWM inverter

This paper presents a design consideration for the effects of long feeding cable in adjustable speed drive (ASD). The influence is mainly the overvoltage transient presented in the induction motor. Causes contributing to the motor transient overvoltage including typically <2 pu (per unit) bus voltage or especially >2 pu case have been highlighted clearly both by theory and experiments. Traditional passive filter techniques have also been reviewed, and a novel simple filtering structure with low power loss has been proposed. A case study for an adjustable speed high-power AC motor drive is demonstrated by means of prototype experiment to prove its performance and effectiveness.
A Portfolio Perspective on Fortune Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired” Companies

We examine Fortune Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” for information content among the highest-ranked 50 companies from 2006 through 2018. We use one-year out-of-sample tests across the top three, top five, top ten, top 25, and all 50 stocks in the search for information content. We also examine an application of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). With the exception of the MPT application, we are unable to find convincing statistical evidence of information content, especially when considering taxes, brokerage fees, and asset-under-management charges, results that stand in contrast to those in the literature.
A Review on Recent Studies: Non-Traditional Machining of Titanium Alloys

Till now titanium and its alloys used in different industrial sectors. Unique material characteristics make it as desirable raw material for the automotive, aerospace, petroleum, chemical, marine and biomedical industries. It requires deformation and fabrication process as difficult-to-cut material. There are several challenges hidden under the processes. Therefore, advanced machining process performance investigation in titanium and its titanium alloys machining has taken part of the research concern. A number of research works has been done in every year to show the research direction. However, most of them are specifically in one machining process. It’s important to have a clear picture of a research area for further research consideration. Therefore, this review aim to study recent articles of non-traditional machining process of titanium and its alloys. The focus of this review was on the contribution for solving existing problems by using non-traditional machining processes, most efficient process and general overview. At the end it also provided a summary of sustainable issue of non-traditional machining processes.
Fuzzy membership functions of procurement selection criteria

Many researchers have advocated the development and application of a systematic approach to the selection of procurement processes. Different procurement selection models aimed at improving the decision making process have been proposed. These models generally fail to address the fuzziness of selection criteria used for procurement selection. The aim of this paper is to establish the fuzzy membership function of procurement selection criteria through an empirical study conducted in Australia. Seven procurement selection criteria were considered fuzzy in nature. They are speed, complexity, flexibility, responsibility, quality level, risk allocation, and price competition. The fuzzy membership functions for each of these seven fuzzy procurement selection criteria were derived through a modified horizontal approach.
Product Diversification and Its Effects on Bank Spread:The Case of Commercial Banks in Kenya

This study aimed at evaluating the effect of product diversification on bank spreads. Applying Valverde and Fernández's (2007) extended model of interest spread determinants, the study uses secondary data from commercial banks in Kenya covering the period 2009 to 2018. The data, organized in panel form was analysed using correlation and regression with the help of the PCSE estimator to ensure robustness of results. On the overall, the study found that income diversification and demand deposits ratio have a positive relationship while loans diversification has a negative impact on banks spreads. The results were significant and in similar directions for both spread indicators. These findings lead us to conclude and recommend that banks draw the benefit of risk mitigation by diversifying into various sectors of the economy and indeed this has the result of reducing bank spread. There is therefore need to encourage banks to diversify more and indeed there is an opportunity to do so as the penetration in a good number of sectors was found to still be quite low. Risk-based lending and up skilling of staff in all sectors will go a long way in helping in this endeavour. Income diversification is not yet achieved and commissions and fees are still heavily tied to the making of loans through charging of negotiation fees. Banks need to be encouraged to venture more into non-funds based income streams like insurance, trade facilitation and investment advisory services. With the help of technology, agency networks and general awareness of the population about formal banking, commercial banks have been able to mobilize a lot of demand deposits. They now need to transfer part of the benefits of this to the customer by way of interest earning deposit products for clients with surplus and reduced lending rates for borrowing customers.
Development of experimental structure and influence of high CO2 concentration in maize cro

O milho e uma planta C4 que apresenta pouca, ou nenhuma, resposta as elevadas [CO2]; assim, neste trabalho, objetivou-se analisar respostas fisiologicas e produtivas da cultura do milho sob alta [CO2], e desenvolver câmaras de topo aberto (CTA) para criar uma atmosfera enriquecida com CO2. O experimento foi conduzido entre outubro de 2008 e marco de 2009. As CTAs foram desenvolvidas em esquema modular. Foram realizadas medicoes da taxa fotossintetica, transpiracao, condutância estomatica, producao de graos e materia seca. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com quatro repeticoes e tres tratamentos: P1 - plantas cultivadas em CTA a [CO2] de 700ppm; P2 - plantas cultivadas em CTAcom [CO2] ambiente; e P3 -plantas cultivadas em campo aberto, testemunhas. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos a analise de variância e teste de Tukey (Pr<0,05). As câmaras reduzem em 25% a Radiacao Fotossinteticamente Ativa e aumentam a temperatura do ar e das folhas, em relacao ao ambiente externo. As plantas sob alta [CO2] (P1) apresentaram as maiores taxas fotossinteticas e as menores condutâncias estomaticas e transpiracao. O peso total dos graos (g) e a materia seca da parte aerea (g) nao apresentaram incrementos para P1, apesar das maiores taxas fotossinteticas.
Effect of Some Fertilizer Treatments on the Growth of Fountain Grass (Pennisetum Setaceum) Grown Under the Stress of Different Levels of Salinity

A field experiment was carried out throughout two seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) at the Location on Cairo Ismailia Desert Road, Egypt, to find out the effect of some fertilizer treatments on the growth of fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum), grown under the stress of different levels of salinity and three treatments (potassium silicate, carboxylic acid and control), growing medium consists of mixture of sand + compost (3:1, v/v). The effect of treatments on the growth and chemical composition of fountain grass was investigated. The highest level of saline water 4000ppm NaCl reduced all parameters compared with 2000ppm NaCl. Moreover, soil additives and foliar application significantly increased parameters of both saline concentrations, potassium silicate, carboxylic acid and interaction between them has increased all growth parameters, plant height (cm.), no. of tillers /Plant, No. of inflorescences/Plant, inflorescences length (cm), Herb fresh weight/plant (g), Herb dry weight/plant, and chemical components, total carbohydrates and N%, P% and K%. However, the obtained results indicated that applied (4g.) potassium silicate as soil drench with carboxylic acid as foliar application had a positive effect on most of the growth parameters and chemical components.