Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FIELD AND LABORATORY TESTING ON DIFFERENT POROUS ASPHALT PAVEMENTS

In order to investigate long term performance of different porous asphalt pavements two test sections have been built on A12 Italian motorway. The trail will compare the durability and performance of a traditional thin porous layer (about 40 mm) with those of a double draining layer (DDL). The last one is composed of a 40 mm thick bottom layer (grading 0/18) and a 25 mm thick top layer (grading 0/10). Comparisons have been also made between the acoustic behavior of an existing 4 year old porous asphalt pavement and that of the test sections. This paper presents results of both laboratory investigations and the first set of programmed field tests. In situ measurements on pavement will be made again twice a year over a period of 3 years of continuous service under traffic. Laboratory tests include the following measurements: acoustic absorption coefficient in the impedance tube, airflow resistance, percentage of communicating voids, water permeability, indirect tensile stress resistance. In situ tests include the following measurements: friction, texture, evenness, drainage coefficient, pavement surfacing absorption factor, sound equivalent level variability. A-weighted levels and spectral composition of noise emitted from vehicles outside and inside the vehicle itself for different speeds. The long term objectives of the investigation are to compare the effects of surface characteristics, wear and aging of porous asphalt materials on acoustical performances.
PIPE INTERACTION WITH THE BACKFILL ENVELOPE

This report summarizes a study of installation practices for buried (culvert) pipes. Current practice was reviewed through a literature search and a survey of users, manufacturers, and others involved in the use of buried pipes. Typical backfill materials were characterized through standard and variable effort compaction tests, CBR tests, penetration tests and one-dimensional compression tests. Standard classification systems were compared and standard groups of backfill materials were evaluated. The soil properties that were used to develop the AASHTO SIDD designs are proposed for use as standard properties for application to the installation of all types of pipes. The constrained modulus is proposed as the standard measure of soil stiffness replacing the empirical modulus of soil reaction. Laboratory soil box tests and full-scale field tests were conducted to investigate soil behavior during installation. Variables include pipe type (concrete, steel, plastic) and size [900 and 1,500 mm (36 and 60 in.)], in-situ soil condition, trench width, backfill type, compactive effort, haunching effort, and bedding condition. The tests showed that all of the backfill-related test variables have a significant effect on pipe behavior. Tests with controlled low-strength materials showed this to be an excellent type of backfill. Computer modelling demonstrated that the finite element analysis can effectively model installation effects as well as effects of the fill over the pipe. The elastic solution for behavior of buried pipe, developed by Burns and Richard, shows promise as a basis for a simplified design method. Recommendations for future practice include the use of soft bedding under the bottom of the pipe and of uncompacted fill over the top. Selection of trench width must consider the ability to place and compact backfill in the haunch zone and at the sides of the pipe. Hand tampers, sized differently for different backfills, were shown to be useful for providing haunching effort. It was shown that relatively small changes in backfill density can have significant effects on backfill stiffness. The project shows that pipe performance is controlled by installation practices. Implementation of a design process that realistically assesses how a project will be built, and construction that understands and implements the design, is imperative for successful long-term culvert performance.
SEISMIC RESISTANCE OF BRIDGE PIERS BASED ON DAMAGE AVOIDANCE DESIGN

Current seismic resistant design practice is based on economic (limited strength) and life safety (large displacement capacity) considerations. The seismic design philosophy that seeks to achieve these objectives is based on ductile detailing of plastic hinge regions. Unfortunately, the hysteretic energy that is dissipated in hinge zones causes damage that is generally not possible to repair. After a large earthquake, even though life-safety may have been maintained, extensive damage may have left the structure unserviceable. The research reported as part of this investigation is concerned with developing a new paradigm called Damage Avoidance Design (DAD). Construction of bridge piers is based on modular (precast) beam and column elements that are free to rock under large lateral loads. Damage is avoided by special detailing of the connections. If desired, the lateral strength can be enhanced by using supplementary unbonded prestressing tendons. Due to the use of specially detailed steel-steel interfaces, the columns are expected to behave in a bilinear fashion with neither damage nor degradation in strength and stiffness. A generalized displacement-based seismic design methodology is proposed for bridge structures with rocking piers. Damping is assessed based on the energy radiated (lost) on each impact. For a given pushover curve and effective viscous damping, the expected seismic displacement may be predicted by comparing it to the elastic design spectra (demand). To validate the proposed design philosophy, the seismic performance of a near full-size precast concrete rocking column substructure was investigated. Under large lateral (rocking) displacements, no damage to either the concrete column, connection or foundation was observed. The strength and stiffness was observed to remain the same after many cycles of loading. A complete force-deformation model for the rocking column accounting for: structural flexibility (pre-rocking), rigid body kinematics (post-rocking) and the prestressing action of the tendons is proposed. Good agreement between the predictive theory and the experimentally observed force-deformation results was demonstrated.
Competitor Accounting and Profitability of Listed Financial Institutions in Nigeria

Companies strive to be profitable to maximize shareholder’s wealth. They can only do that by mastering their current trend in the business environment and having competitive strategies that will give them an edge over other companies. This study examined the relationship between competitor accounting and profitability of listed financial institutions in Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between competitor cost assessment, competitive position monitoring, competitor’s financial s tatement performance appraisal, and net profit margin of listed financial institutions in Nigeria. The ex-post facto research design was used. The study population was fifty-three (53) out of which a sample size of forty (40) was obtained using judgmental sampling technique. Multiple regression was used to test the postulated null hypotheses with the aid of Stata12. The study revealed a positive and significant relationship between competitor cost assessment and net profit margin, a negative and significant relationship between competitive position monitoring and net profit margin, and a positive and insignificant relationship between competitor financial statement performance appraisal and net profit margin. The implication of these findings is that managers of listed financial institutions in Nigeria should continuously analyse the financial statement of competitors to gain competitive advantage and be profitable.
Model of design process of Hong Kong fashion designers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to identify the underlying model of design process of Hong Kong fashion designers by using the qualitative research method of grounded theory developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Glaser (1978). In this research, a total of 19 fashion designers, educators and students were interviewed. Five on-site observations of fashion designers and educators were done. The model of design process of Hong Kong fashion designers was synthesised from in -depth interviews and participant observations of fashion designers, educators and students. The results of theory-building research suggested that during the design process, the major factor influencing Hong Kong fashion designers was ‘aesthetic presence’. Keywords: design process, fashion, grounded theory, influential factors, qualitative research method INTRODUCTION subject of design theory across a range of disciplines; 2) to inductively identify the The design process in fashion includes all facets of the process undertaken in advance of perceiving, constructing and marketing fashion. In order to understand and define fashion design process of the Hong Kong fashion designers in this setting, it is useful to gain insights into theories which have been formulated outside of the specialist field of fashion. A variety of factors have been found to influence designers during the creative process, and these must be understood in advance of proposing a model of design process in fashion. The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying model of design process of the Hong Kong fashion designers. This paper focuses on four objectives: 1) to examine literature on the factors influencing fashion designers through the perceptions of fashion designers, educators and students; 3) to formulate the framework of factors influencing fashion designers when creating new fashion; and 4) to develop constructs for a model of fashion design process using the qualitative method of grounded theory developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Glaser (1978). A more thorough understanding of these topics has implications for the fashion design education. Also, it provides insight into the process of creating apparel products of distinctive cultural background. In the research discussed in this paper, constructs for a model of fashion design
Top management teams’ influence on strategic decision making and firms’ outcome in the case of Saudi Arabia’s private sector

Even though firms face strong influential environmental forces, they ‘are in some important sense a reflection of their top managers’ (Pitcher and Smith, 2001: 2). Despite the vast amount of TMT research, there are several areas where research remains sparse, rare and, when available, generates conflicting results (Menz, 2012; Hambrick, 2007; and Higgs, 2006). Researchers have attributed the lack of empirical research to the difficulty in gaining access to TMTs, resulting in a huge number of studies relying on demographic data and/or archival documents. The primary objective of the current study, and the main gap addressed, was the investigation of the TMT strategic decision making process and organisational outcome in a new cultural context, drawing conclusions from qualitative primary data. In addressing the research gap, a pragmatic ontology with a critical realism epistemology was adopted. The multi-case research design was informed by Eisenhardt (1989)’s research design, with Hambrick and Mason (1984) UET as the theoretical lens applied. A qualitative methodology was applied, assisted by mixed methods. Strategies for this research were: semi structured interviews, a survey in the form of a pre-existing questionnaire (Higgs, 2006), and document analysis. The data was collected in a cross-sectional research framework, looking at a particular event at a specific time in fourteen different private organisations. The data was collected from four cities, covering the three main regions of Saudi Arabia. Thirty two interviews were conducted with TMT members, who then completed a short survey. Documents were collected for analysis. The TMTs in the sample were demographically heterogeneous (nationalities, education, age, tenure, and experience), with team sizes between two and three members. TMT diversity led to conflict and slowed the decision process down. Politics, power, internal alliances within the firms, and lobbying were used to overcome conflict. Decisions were challenged by market labour laws and a lack of skilled nationals. Centralisation of decisions was witnessed via the strong grip held by the Board of Directors. This resulted in strong Board influence in order to enforce decisions. The current study contributes to TMT literature, national context and practice. The limitations and future research are discussed.
Comparison of Childbirth Experiences and Postpartum Depression in Three Groups of Primiparous Women with no Participation, Irregular Participation and Regular Participation in Childbirth Preparation Classes

Background Assessment of women’s childbirth experience is an important indicator of maternal care systems. Positive childbirth experiences improve mothers’ health, whereas negative childbirth experiences can cause psychological stresses and, in extreme cases, may lead to postpartum depression. This study compared childbirth experiences and postpartum depression levels in three groups of primiparous women with no participation, irregular participation, and regular participation in childbirth preparation classes. Methods In this cohort study, 204 primiparous women at 35-37 weeks of gestation were selected using cluster sampling from the health centers of Tabriz, Iran. The participants were assigned to three groups of no participation, irregular participation (attending 1-3 sessions), and regular participation (attending 4-8 sessions) in childbirth preparation classes. Interviews were conducted one month after delivery to complete the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The general linear model (GLM) was used to compare childbirth experience and postpartum depression among groups. Results Based on the general linear model, the mean score of childbirth experience in women in the regular participation group was significantly higher than those of women in irregular participation (P= 0.032) and in no participation (P<0.001) groups. In addition, the mean score of postpartum depression was significantly lower in women in the regular participation group than that of the women in the no participation group (P<0.001). However, no significant difference was found between the regular and irregular participation groups in terms of postpartum depression levels (P= 0.257). Conclusion Prenatal training classes improved childbirth experience and reduced postpartum depression levels. These training classes seem to improve mothers’ health by increasing their knowledge and awareness of their abilities to endure labor pain. Ethical Code IR.TBZMED. REC.1398. 066
Oil Spill Contextual and Boundary-Supervised Detection Network Based on Marine SAR Images

Oil spills have caused serious harm to the marine environment. Remote sensing technology is one of the important tools for marine environment monitoring. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has become an important technology for detecting marine pollution. Identifying dark spots is essential for oil spill detection based on SAR images. Dark spots’ detection can be achieved using image segmentation techniques. However, natural phenomena, such as waves and currents, can also cause dark spots, resulting in consistently uneven intensity, high noise, and blurred boundaries in oil spill images. In addition, existing oil spill detection models often perform well for large targets but have poor detection accuracy for small targets. To solve the above problems, the oil spill contextual and boundary-supervised detection network (CBD-Net) is proposed to extract refined oil spill regions by fusing multiscale features. To improve the internal consistency of oil spill regions, the spatial and channel squeeze excitation (scSE) block is introduced. In CBD-Net, boundary details are enhanced with optimized edge supervision. In addition, a manually labeled dataset is proposed, Deep-SAR Oil Spill (SOS) dataset, aiming to solve the problem of insufficient existing oil spill detection dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that CBD-Net outperforms other comparative models and is able to extract robust and accurate oil spill regions from complex SAR images. The highest mIoU of 83.42% and the highest F1 score of 87.87% were achieved on the SOS dataset. The CBD-Net model proposed in this article can play a guiding role in the marine oil spill decision support system.
Verification and Validation of the Coastal Modeling System. Report 4. CMS-Flow: Sediment Transport and Morphology Change

Abstract : This is the fourth report in the series of four reports, toward the Verification and Validation (V&V) of the Coastal Modeling System (CMS). This report contains details of a V&V study conducted to assess skills of the CMS sediment transport and morphology change for a wide range of problems encountered in coastal applications. The emphasis is on coastal inlets, navigation channels, and adjacent beaches. This evaluation study began by considering simple idealized test cases for checking basic physics and computational algorithms implemented in the model. After these initial fundamental tests, the model was evaluated with several laboratory and field test cases. This report provides description of each test case, model setup, boundary conditions used in different numerical simulations, and assessment of modeling results. The report also includes major findings and guidance for users on how to setup and calibrate the model for practical applications of CMS.
Application of Two Sex Markers by Nested PCR for Gender Determination

Sex determination is one of the basic components in victim identification. There are many available methods, namely forensic anthropology method and conventional DNA typing method. In this study, nested PCR technique was employed in sex typing of burnt teeth through amelogenin (AMEL) and sex-determining region Y (SRY) markers. In this study, 17 teeth samples were burnt at temperatures that ranged from 100°C to 500°C for 2 min - 10 min. The whole tooth was used for DNA extraction by phenol-chloroform method. Accurate sex determination was achieved in 13 samples by both AMEL and SRY markers. The SRY marker achieved higher sensitivity as compared to AMEL marker. The sensitivity of both markers was improved consequent to nested PCR. Factors such as degraded DNA materials and the presence of tooth caries greatly affect sex typing results. Results showed that nested PCR proved to be a good method to amplify highly degraded DNA material as it greatly increased the DNA copy, and thus increased the possibility of sex typing.
Effect of Vacuum Drying On Nutrient Retention of Some Commonly Consumed Herbs

The objective of the paper was to evaluate the effect of vacuum drying on nutrient retention of some commonly consumed herbs. Fresh herbs (basil leaves (Ocimum tenuiflorum), drumstick leaves (Moringa oleifera) and mint leaves (Mentha)) were procured from Department of Agronomy, PAU, Ludhiana. The leaves of herbs were cleaned and dried in vacuum oven at 50±5oC, ground to form powder and stored in zip pouches for further use. Herbs were analysed for their proximate composition, minerals (iron, zinc and calcium), vitamins (vitamin C and βcarotene) bioactive compounds (total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity), and anti-nutritional factors (phytin phosphorous and oxalates). The percent increase in protein content after drying was maximum in BL (80.26%) followed by ML (77.91%) and DL (76.13%). A significant decrease (p<0.01) was found in moisture content of all herbs after drying while ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, carbohydrate and energy content of herbs increased significantly (p<0.01) after drying. Percent decrease in ascorbic acid content was 49.82, 49.97 and 63.13 percent in BL, ML and DL, respectively. β-carotene content of leaves of fresh herbs ranged from 1489.2017992 μg/100g and 1989.01-32100 μg/100g in dried leaves. Calcium content increased by 74.01, 82.88 and 82.78 percent after drying in BL, ML and DL, while zinc content was 74.26, 73.22and 68.56 percent in BL, ML and DL. Dried herbs like DL, BL and ML increased in phytate and oxalate content by 30.4, 25.9 and 25.9 percent and 16.8, 26.3 and 12.4 percent, respectively. Percent increase in total phenol content after drying was 48, 49 and 46 percent in BL, ML and DL, respectively. Percent increase in DPPH content after drying was 78.46, 82.82 and 81.80 percent in BL, ML and DL, respectively. Percent increase in TAC by ABTS after drying was maximum in BL (87.85%) followed by ML (86.12%) and DL (74.03%). Range of FRAP for fresh leaves of herbs was 112.05142. 31 TE/100g and it was 843.49-886.23 mg TE/100g in dried leaves. Percent increase was 83.12, 87.36 and 79.27 percent in BL, ML and DL, respectively. Content of bioactive compounds increased significantly (p<0.01) after drying. It was concluded that drying of herbs led to significant increase in proximate composition except moisture, in bioactive compounds, in mineral content and β-carotene, while a decrease in vitamin C and moisture content was also observed. Maximum percent increase of phytate content was found in drumstick leaves followed by basil leaves and mint leaves after drying.
A narrative analysis of the 2SFCA and i2SFCA methods

ABSTRACT This study examines the narrative(s) that surround the development of the Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) family of GIS-based accessibility statistics. It identifies what has been omitted from the pre-GIS era in its discourse and presents a parallel but alternative narrative behind these statistics. The results suggest that the ‘crowdedness’ metric from the i2SFCA can more broadly be viewed as a form of market potential, and the 2SFCA and i2SFCA are normalized, singly supply-constrained and singly demand-constrained spatial interaction models, respectively. It postulates that the values calculated in the 2SFCA are not real supply-to-population ratios, but the inverse of the market potential metric associated with the i2SFCA is, and this inverse value can be used to develop an adjusted supply accessibility metric. This enables the 2SFCA family of supply accessibility metrics also to account for congestion at service sites. Results using the adjusted and congested supply accessibility metrics suggest that less densely populated areas may not be at a disadvantage with respect to the supply of services once congestion is taken into account. The adjusted and congested supply accessibility metrics also have a complementary cost accessibility metric that when used in tandem measure the size and efficiency of supply availability.