Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of MATSim and EMME/2 on Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area Network, Canada

The agent-based microsimulation modeling technique for transportation planning is rapidly developing, is being applied in practice, and is attracting considerable attention. Along with the conventional four-step modeling technique, MATSim and EMME/2 represent two genres of traffic assignment. They are built on different theoretical bases: dynamic stochastic stationary state assignment and static deterministic user equilibrium assignment, respectively. A study was done of the models' application with data from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area network in Canada. Given the actual demand data, the models' assignment results are compared and validated on the basis of four indicators of the road network—travel time, travel distance, link volume, and link speed—to reflect both spatial and temporal variation of the traffic flow pattern. The comparison results show that numerical outputs produced by MATSim are not only compatible with those by EMME/2 but are also more realistic from a temporal point of view. The agent-based microsimulation model can be an appropriate alternative to the conventional model for transportation planning. Therefore, agent-based microsimulation models reflect a promising direction of next-generation transportation planning models.
Comparison of Safety and Efficacy of Open, Laparoscopic-Assisted, Totally Laparoscopic, and Robotic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer:A Network Meta-Analysis

Background: Several techniques are used for surgical treatment of gastric cancer (GC), but the efficacy and safety of these approaches have not been compared. Methods: We systematically searched articles of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and ISI-Web of Science databases. The primary outcome was safety using overall morbidity as the main indicator of safety. The secondary outcome was efficacy using the number of harvested lymph nodes (HLNs) as an indicator of efficacy. Multiple surgical treatment comparisons based on Bayesian network integrated the safety and efficacy of all included approaches. The ranking probability was appraised by the probability of the surgical approaches. Results: The 19 eligible RCTs with 4309 patients were included in the network meta-analysis (NMA). There were no differences in overall morbidity between open gastrectomy (OG) and laparoscopic-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) [odds ratio (OR) 1.09, 95% credible interval (Crl): 0.86-1.64], OG and robotic gastrectomy (RG) (OR 1.16, 95% Crl: 0.43-3.07), LAG and totally laparoscopic gastrectomy (TLG) (OR 2.85, 95% Crl: 0.67-12.52), RG and LAG (OR 0.96, 95% Crl: 0.36-2.93), TLG and OG (OR 0.32, 95% Crl: 0.07-1.38) and TLG and RG (OR 0.35, 95% Crl: 0.06-2.01). There were also no differences in the number of HLNs between OG and LAG [weighted mean difference (WMD) 0.91, 95% Crl: -0.24-2.43)], OG and RG (WMD 1.55, 95% Crl: -2.58- 5.51), LAG and TLG (WMD -0.90, 95% Crl: -6.82-5.18), RG and LAG (WMD -0.68, 95% Crl: -4.63- 3.91), TLG and OG (WMD -0.01, 95% Crl: -6.41-5.90) and TLG and RG (WMD 1.56, 95% Crl: -6.01-8.59). From the results of the rank probabilities of the four surgical treatments, TLG had the highest probability of being the safest and the most effective surgical approaches. Conclusions: The four surgical treatments of GC have similar safety and efficacy. TLG had the best chance of becoming the safest and most effective treatment.
Damping the power-angle oscillations of a permanent-magnet synchronous generator with particular reference to wind turbine applications

The paper describes the use of a novel permanent-magnet synchronous generator for use with a wind turbine. The small pole pitch of the generator allows it to operate at low speeds, be directly coupled to the wind turbine and maintain a direct electrical grid connection. The ability to couple the generator directly to the wind turbine eliminates the need for the usual gearbox, but leads to a generator design where conventional damper windings are ineffective as there is too little space. The paper describes an alternative damping system whereby the stator is allowed limited rotational movement by connecting it to the wind turbine housing via a spring and a mechanical damper. This arrangement allows greater damping of power-angle oscillations than is possible using conventional damper windings. The response of the generator to step changes in driving torque is used to illustrate the effectiveness of such a design. The behaviour of the generator on both synchronisation and during operation in a varying wind is discussed to demonstrate the feasibility of this new design.
Zellweger Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with severe Zellweger spectrum disorder usually have signs and symptoms at birth, which worsen over time. These infants experience weak muscle tone ( hypotonia), feeding problems, hearing and vision loss, and seizures. These problems are caused by reduced myelin, which is the covering that protects nerves and promotes the efficient transmission of nerve impulses. The part of the brain and spinal cord that contains myelin is called white matter. Reduced myelin (demyelination) leads to loss of white matter (leukodystrophy).
Conservation voltage reduction (CVR) at Snohomish County PUD

Results of field tests conducted on the Snohomish PUD's distribution system to measure changes in energy consumption resulting from service voltage reduction are presented. The economic evaluation of the effects of voltage reduction is also examined. In addition, recommendations on continued research and development in conservation voltage reduction (CVR) application are discussed. Field tests to date have indicated a definite energy savings associated with voltage reduction and that these savings are extremely economical to capture. A combination of line drop compensation along with capacitor application is seen as a practical method to achieve CVR. Snohomish PUD has implemented a full scale CVR program in which the generated savings are transferred to neighboring utilities as a part of a conservation transfer agreement. >
Vehicle aggressiveness in real world crashes

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified vehicle compatibility as one of its five priorities. One important component of vehicle compatibility in head-on and side impact crashes is vehicle aggressiveness. Aggressivity of a vehicle is defined as the fatality or injury risk for occupants of other vehicles with which it collides. More aggressive vehicles are more likely to produce serious injuries to occupants of the vehicles with which they collide than less aggressive vehicles. NHTSA has studied the variation in vehicle aggressiveness for over twenty-five years. One recent effort using police reported crashes to understand vehicle aggressiveness was contained in the technical report “Vehicle Weight, Fatality Risk, and Crash Compatibility” by Kahane. This paper aims to validate the compatibility findings of Kahane’s report by including additional years of crash data and by employing a different methodology. Vehicle aggressiveness is determined using five years of police reported crashes from seven states in NHTSA’s State Data System (SDS). The injury status of drivers in head-on crashes between a light truck or van (LTV) and a passenger car and in nearside crashes where a passenger car was struck on the left (driver’s) side by another light duty vehicle are examined separately. The results demonstrate the relationship between a vehicle’s aggressiveness and its body style, mass, and other physical characteristics. The robustness of the results is tested using controls for driver and crash characteristics. For the most part, the results confirm the importance of physical characteristics for understanding vehicle aggresiveness measured from police reported crashes.
Investigation into wave—current interactions in marine current turbines

Abstract The paper looks at the use of blade element-momentum theory for predicting the torque and thrust on a marine current turbine and the results of wave tank tests using a 400 mm-diameter rotor model. To include the effects of waves, linear wave theory particle velocities and accelerations were integrated into the mathematical model. Comparison with test data shows a good agreement which implies that the theory can be effective in analysing the wave-current interactions in marine current turbines. The paper also carried out parametric studies into related parameters, which include wave height, wave frequency, and tip-speed ratio. The interaction of waves with the current may increase or decrease the torque and hence power output of the turbine. The paper also explains the selection and manufacture of the rotor and the experimental setup.
Kekuatan Keunikan Produk dan Word Of Mouth terhadap Keputusan Pembelian

The purpose of this study was to determine the uniqueness of the product and word of mouth towards purchasing decisions at the UMKM UMKM Sukugumi Sugema UMKM. The research method used by the authors in this study used a system of random sampling where the authors distributed questionnaires to 75 consumers. The analysis technique used by the writer is using multiple linear regression analysis techniques, multiple correlation coefficient and determination coefficient. And to test the hypothesis the author uses a partial statistical test (t test) and a simultaneous test (f test). The results of the study using the determination coefficient test shows the value (Adjuster R2) of 0.749 which means the influence of product uniqueness and word of mouth on purchasing decisions is 76% and 24% influenced by other factors not examined. In addition, testing multiple correlation coefficients shows an R value of 0.869, which means there is a strong relationship between product uniqueness and word of mouth towards purchasing decisions. Based on the results of the F test that has been done, the sig value is found. 0,000 <0,05. Conclusions, product uniqueness and word of mouth partially have a significant effect on purchasing decisions. Keywords: Product Uniqueness, Word Of Mouth, Purchasing Decision.
Public Service Performance: All measures of performance are subjective: More evidence on US federal agencies

Introduction This chapter has twin aims. First, I address the important matter of measuring organizational performance and argue that it is a socially-constructed concept; thus, all measures of performance are subjective. I then propose a framework to evaluate such measures. This framework consists of three criteria: validity, reliability, and sensitivity. A perceptual measure of organizational performance is introduced, and this measure is shown to satisfy these criteria as well or better than most measures. However, perceptual measures are vulnerable to common source and related bias. Two ways to assess the viability of this threat are suggested and demonstrated. Second, this perceptual measure of organizational performance is utilized in an empirical analysis. I test a hybrid model that predicts organizational performance in the twenty-two largest federal agencies using data from the 2000 Merit Principles Survey, US Merit Systems Protection Board. This model features supervisory management and several related constructs as prominent variables. The findings show that management matters a great deal. Frontline supervisors play an important role in organizational performance, and supervisory management is an important determinant of high performance in federal agencies. High performing agencies also tend to have skillful upper-level managers, strong cultures that value employees and emphasize the importance and meaningfulness of the agency's work, and policies that empower those employees. These agencies also tend to have a strong performance orientation, and they strive for workforce diversity.
Nanozonation in Dense Cities: Testing a Combined Methodology in Barcelona City (Spain)

Microzonation is widely used in seismic risk evaluations to define the predominant period values, which are usually associated with extended areas of a few hundred meters. However, the representative values corresponding to these areas are obtained from few measurements in each area. Thereby, results are accurate only in the case of depth-dependent soils. However, not detected narrow and sharp lateral changes in soil are potentially the cause of imprecision and could be a source of specific errors. This article aims to present several tests conducted in order to emphasise the importance of accurate selection of points, to underscore the necessity of more precise and detailed evaluations, and to suggest a possible methodology to select the most appropriate data acquisition points. Results highlight the need to divide microzonation areas into smaller zones for a precise evaluation in locations where sudden changes in soil characteristics exist. Therefore, in such sites the requirement of nanozonation appears; defining zones with the same soil response. Distance between vibration measurements could be the main problem for nanozonation; data acquisition in areas with irregular geology can be time consuming when a precise analysis is required. In the most complicated environments or in dense cities, it could even be unfeasible. Consequently, it is necessary to establish a functional methodology to adequately distribute the measurement points throughout the area. On this occasion, three sites in Barcelona city were studied. This city is surrounded by mountains at NW, W, and S, and by the Mediterranean Sea at N and E. As a consequence, the shallow geology is characterized by many paleochannels and streams that are currently buried. These geological structures most likely affect the soil response. Several tests were carried out to determine this dependence. The tests were based on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys to define the paleochannels position and on vibration measurements in order to define properly the soil response. The results from both methods were compared to the known geology to accurately define the effect of the shallow geological structures in the predominant period and in the GPR images. Areas with the same geological unit but different materials were identified in the GPR images, allowing the selection of the most appropriate distance between vibration measurements in each place. As a final result, predominant periods that were measured over the same geological unit but over different material showed changes higher than the 40% in short distances. This procedure could improve the soil response maps, including nanozonation.
Flow Pattern in Diesel Nozzle Spray Holes

The paper presents a study of the flow in spray holes of 0.2 to 2.5 mm diameter and shows how the changes in cavitation pattern affect the appearance of the jet. The influence of the cavitation number, Reynolds number, the upstream edge sharpness, and the length/diameter ratio is investigated.A cavity first formed near the upstream corner, but soon caused the jet to leave the wall altogether so that only the upstream corner had any effect on the flow. Under noncavitating conditions the emerging jet had a ruffled appearance, but under conditions when the jet had left the wall, it emerged smooth and glass-like. The glass-like stage could only be obtained with very accurately made spray holes, and any disturbance upstream, such as occurs in actual Diesel nozzles, caused the jet to appear ruffled at all times.The discharge coefficient was found to vary with Reynolds number and cavitation number and a contour map covering Reynolds number of 1000 to 20 000 and cavitation number of 0·2 to 100 is presented.
Parking Requirements and Housing Affordability: Case Study of San Francisco

Residential parking requirements specify the number of parking spaces that must be provided when new residential units are built. How these parking requirements influence housing affordability is examined. The provision of parking spaces requires land, building materials, and equipment, which increase the price of housing. On the other hand, it is a common belief that off-street parking requirements prevent streets from being overcrowded with parked cars. In a case study of six neighborhoods in the city of San Francisco, the influence on housing affordability of code-required parking was studied. A hedonic model was fit to data that described housing and neighborhood characteristics to explain statistically the sales price of housing units that changed hands in those neighborhoods in 1996. The analysis revealed that single-family houses and condominiums were more than 10 percent more costly if they included off-street parking than if they did not. Based on the selling prices and the distribution of incomes of San Francisco residents, it was estimated that tens of thousands of additional households could qualify for home mortgages for units without off-street parking if those units could be provided legally under zoning and subdivision ordinances. The policy implications of this finding include the possible consideration of alternative forms of regulation pertaining to the provision of off-street parking in residential projects.
Open space planning standards in Australia: in search of origins

Abstract While national standards for open space planning have long been subject to criticism, their use is still advocated in a number of Australian state planning guidelines, even if only as a ‘starting point’. This suggests that the British and American origins of open space standards commonly used in Australia are believed by some to have at least a modicum of credibility. This paper seeks to establish documented evidence of the link between Australian standards and their British and American origins and to examine the scientific basis for the latter. It was found to be impossible to establish clear, explicit and documented statements of such links. Furthermore, it was found that, in the case of American standards, the responsible organisation was itself unable to explain their basis and abandoned their use in 1996. In the case of British standards, it is found that they were based on estimated demand for sport in Britain in 1925, have remained substantially unchanged since the 1930s and do not include standards for informal open space. No evidence was found of any efforts to establish Australian standards based on contemporary Australian recreation demand patterns.
Effects of Adaptive Cruise Control and Alert Modality on Driver Performance

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is a rapidly emerging in-vehicle technology that can enhance or degrade driving safety. A critical factor governing the safety benefit of ACC concerns the driver's ability to assume control of the vehicle in situations that exceed ACC capabilities. The effectiveness of various warning modalities for reengaging distracted drivers during severe braking situations that exceed ACC capability was examined. Warnings that paired a visual icon with sound, seat vibration, or brake pulsation or that combined all three cues were compared. A total of 60 participants drove for 35 min in the National Advanced Driving Simulator. Drivers experienced two severe, four moderate, and eight mild braking situations. ACC could accommodate all but the two severe situations without driver intervention. It also provided a substantial benefit during mild events of lead vehicle braking, enabling drivers to maintain a longer, more consistent minimum time to collision. Unlike performance in previous studies, ACC did not decrease safety during severe braking situations. The combination of a visual icon with sound, seat vibration, or brake pulsation led to slower brake reaction time in severe braking situations, but the grouping of all four warning strategies led to a similar minimum time to collision and maximum braking. In contrast to several previous studies, these results suggest that drivers can effectively assume control when warned that ACC braking authority has been exceeded. Additional research is needed to identify the boundary conditions that specify when drivers can successfully intervene and retake control and whether a multimodal combination of cues can be crafted to speed rather than slow driver response.
Experimental Investigations of Pressure Losses on the Performance of a Micro Gas Turbine System

Pressure losses between the compressor outlet and the turbine inlet are a major issue of overall efficiency and system stability for a solid oxide fuel cell/micro gas turbine (MGT) hybrid power plant system. The goal of this work is the detailed analysis of the effects of additional pressure losses on MGT performance in terms of steady-state and transient conditions. The experiments were performed using the micro gas turbine test rig at the German Aerospace Centre in Stuttgart using a butterfly control valve to apply additional pressure loss. This paper reports electric power and pressure characteristics at steady-state conditions as well as a new surge limit for this Turbec T100 micro gas turbine test rig. Furthermore, the effects of additional pressure loss on the compressor surge margin are quantified and a linear relation between the relative surge margin and additional pressure loss is shown. For transient variation of pressure loss at constant turbine speed, time delays are presented and an instability issue of the commercial gas turbine controller is discussed. Finally, bleed-air blow-off and reduction of the turbine outlet temperature are introduced as methods of increasing the surge margin. It is quantified that both methods have a substantial effect on the compressor surge margin. Furthermore, a comparison between both methods is given in terms of electric power output.
An empirical study of the ISO 9000 certification in global supply chain of maquiladoras

This research examined two sets of constructs in maquiladoras with respect to ISO 9000 certification. The managerial support and employee involvement as well as quality systems were internal constructs and the global supplier selection criteria were external constructs. The maquiladora industry is a manufacturing model that uses the Mexican workforce and foreign investment and technology on the border area between the United States and Mexico. The standards of ISO certification were studied and analysed through a survey instrument and extensive field interviews with experts of maquiladora plants in El Paso, TX and Juarez, Mexico. There was a 78% response rate with 171 usable questionnaires. There were also 11 in-depth interviews conducted with quality and supply chain experts from eight industries in maquiladoras. Extensive statistical analyses including reliability and validity analyses and factor analyses were performed. Based on the results of factor analyses, ISO-certified companies exemplified better and longer-term relationships with their main/core suppliers, greater top managerial support and employee involvement and communication, and more effective quality systems than those of non ISO-certified companies. In conclusion, additional insights and perspectives were provided and future research directions were discussed.
QoS-Aware Multiobjective Optimization Algorithm for Web Services Selection with Deadline and Budget Constraints

The problem of QoS-aware multiobjective optimization is an important issue for Web services selection in distributed computing environment. In this paper, a novel algorithm called MOASS (multiobjective optimization algorithm for web service selection) is proposed through analyzing the genetic operators such as constraint handling, the initial population generation, fitness assignment, and diversity preservation. Compared with MOEAWP (Yu et al., 2007), simulation results show that the feasible objective region can be filled uniformly with the optimal solutions obtained by MOASS under different test applications. In the case of higher constraints especially, MOASS can obtain more high-quality and evenly distributed nondominated solutions than MOEAWP.