Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unique Reintroduction Considerations in Hawaii: Case Studies from a Decade of Rare Plant Restoration at the Oahu Army Natural Resource Rare Plant Program

The extreme isolation of the Hawaiian Islands coupled with their sequential volcanic origin and gradual erosion from 4,000 meters above sea level down to sea mounts created a large variety of habitats from rainforest to desert within a small geographic area. This mix of ecological settings resulted in a highly endemic fauna and flora often lacking the typical assemblage of herbivores and carnivores found in continental situations (Carlquist 1970; Stone and Scott 1984). After Cook’s discovery of the islands, large numbers of nonindigenous species were introduced, and some of them have proven to be directly or indirectly detrimental to the native species. Most plants face multiple threats from predators, insects, feral ungulates, weeds, and loss of pollinators and dispersers. Hawaii’s unfortunate reputation as the home of 37% of the nation’s federally listed plants (US Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 2009) reveals a conservation crisis where restoration efforts are of critical importance. Indeed, conservation efforts have been under way since the early 1900s (Mehrhoff 1996), but rare plant conservation in Hawaii faces numerous challenges, many of them overlapping. Hawaii’s experiences with rare plant reintroduction elucidate the challenges managers confront in both island situations and continental environments.
Association Between Serum Bone Biomarker Levels and Therapeutic Response to Abatacept in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis (Ra): a Multicenter Ra Ultrasound Prospective Cohort Study in Japan

Background: To evaluate the effect of treatment on serum bone biomarkers and explore whether serum bone biomarkers are associated with therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with abatacept.Methods: We enrolled 59 RA patients treated with abatacept from a multicenter prospective ultrasound cohort study of patients who received biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy. We evaluated the patients' clinical disease activity and musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) scores. The serum concentrations of five bone biomarkers were evaluated (dickkopf-1 [Dkk-1], sclerostin [SOST], osteocalcin [OC], osteopontin [OPN], and osteoprotegerin [OPG]) by multiplex bead assays at baseline, 3, and 6 months: the change over 6 months was defined as the Δ value. 'Power Doppler (PD) responder' was defined as a patient whose Δtotal PD score over 6 months was greater than the median change.Results: Abatacept significantly improved clinical disease activity as well as the MSUS score over 6 months. Serum OPG was significantly elevated at 6 months after the introduction of abatacept (p=0.016). The ΔSOST and ΔOPG values were negatively correlated with the Δtotal PD score (rs= −0.31, p<0.05 and rs= −0.34, p<0.01, respectively). The serum Dkk-1 at baseline was significantly lower in the PD responders (n=30) compared to the non-PD responders (n=29) (p=0.026). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum Dkk-1 at baseline (odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23–0.91, p=0.043) was an independent predictor of PD responder status.Conclusion: Serum levels of bone biomarkers may be useful for predicting RA patients' therapeutic response to abatacept.Name of the registry: Assessment of therapeutic responsiveness by imaging of the joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; A observational cohort studyTrial registration number: UMIN000012524Date of registration: 12/9/2013URL of trial registry record: https://upload.umin. ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view. cgi? recptno=R000014657
Grid Connected Photovoltaic Systems with SmartGrid functionality

Summary This master? s thesis is focused on the design of grid connected PV power stage inverter. This inverter will be used for solar power application in the renewable energy laboratory at NTNU. The designed power stage inverter is a single phased 1kW, 230 V at the output. The DC/AC power stage converter is able to convert the minimum available voltage at the PV array of about 100V DC. The grid connected PV power stage inverter is designed in Multism and implemented in NI labView for simulation and analysis of output voltage and current. To achieve this goal, several literatures will be studied related to the work in this thesis. The choice of the best circuitry topology must be made and important parameters for the power stage inverter should be calculated/estimated. The control strategy for the power stage inverter shall be proposed and the expected desired output shall be analyzed in LabView and compared to the standard one (Grid output). Problem Description At NTNU a laboratory for renewable energy is under construction. This lab emulates several different renewable energy sources connected together. The power from the PV panels mounted outside on the building will be available for connection in the laboratory. A survey of control structures for the inverter when used as a grid connected PV inverter will be made. Based on this a suitable control will be chosen, which will include methods for grid synchronization, maximum power utilization, anti-islanding and current/voltage control. System models must be developed, which shall form a basis for controller parameter estimation. In the project the instrumentation system for collection of operation information of the PV plant into a database will be designed based on EtherCAT network. The purpose of this database is to collect and archive performance, reliability and operating cost data for this PV based distributed power systems. This thesis focused on the design of the single phase converter power stage. Important parameters for the inverter stage will be proposed. The converter is designed in Multism and implemented in LabView for the control of the output and user interface. The remaining task to accomplish the whole NTNU project in this laboratory will be the proposal of the control system.
TEMP

Statistics Longest assignment: 17 months, 6 days. Shortest assignment: 4 hours. Pay range: $7.10 13.50/hourly. Typing speed WPM: 126/ 119 corrected. Typical hours: 8-5, 10-6, 12-12,6-12,6-6, 10-8. Job titles: accounts receivable, accounts payable, accounts, accounting assistant, typist, receptionist, clerk, helper, Girl Friday, Kelly Girl, factory worker, coiler, processor, data entry, courier, packer, stacker, slacker, temp. Items stolen from job sites: two coffee cups, pens, pencils, one magnet, letterhead, one White-Out pen, on tee-shirt (all items except White-Out pen were imprinted with the company's logo). Best assignment: hazardous materials sales. Worst assignment: glue factory production line. Average number of personal phone calls made in a shift: 8. Typical hourly breakdown of an eight-hour work day: work related activities 3.5 hours, personal business 3 hours, active sabotage of job site company 1.5 hours.
SCIX IMPACT ON DWPF CPC

A program was conducted to systematically evaluate potential impacts of the proposed Small Column Ion Exchange (SCIX) process on the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Chemical Processing Cell (CPC). The program involved a series of interrelated tasks. Past studies of the impact of crystalline silicotitanate (CST) and monosodium titanate (MST) on DWPF were reviewed. Paper studies and material balance calculations were used to establish reasonable bounding levels of CST and MST in sludge. Following the paper studies, Sludge Batch 10 (SB10) simulant was modified to have both bounding and intermediate levels of MST and ground CST. The SCIX flow sheet includes grinding of the CST which is larger than DWPF frit when not ground. Nominal ground CST was not yet available, therefore a similar CST ground previously in Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was used. It was believed that this CST was over ground and that it would bound the impact of nominal CST on sludge slurry properties. Lab-scale simulations of the DWPF CPC were conducted using SB10 simulants with no, intermediate, and bounding levels of CST and MST. Tests included both the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycles. Simulations were performed at high and low acid stoichiometry. A demonstration of the extended CPC flowsheet was made that included streams from the site interim salt processing operations. A simulation using irradiated CST and MST was also completed. An extensive set of rheological measurements was made to search for potential adverse consequences of CST and MST and slurry rheology in the CPC. The SCIX CPC impact program was conducted in parallel with a program to evaluate the impact of SCIX on the final DWPF glass waste form and on the DWPF melter throughput. The studies must be considered together when evaluating the full impact of SCIX on DWPF. Due to the fact that the alternant flowsheet for DWPF has not been selected, this study did not consider the impact of proposed future alternative DWPF CPC flowsheets. The impact of the SCIX streams on DWPF processing using the selected flowsheet need to be considered as part of the technical baseline studies for coupled processing with the selected flowsheet. In addition, the downstream impact of aluminum dissolution on waste containing CST and MST has not yet been evaluated. The current baseline would not subject CST to the aluminum dissolution process and technical concerns with performing the dissolution with CST have been expressed. Should this option become feasible, the downstream impact should be considered. The main area of concern for DWPF from aluminum dissolution is an impact on rheology. The SCIX project is planning for SRNL to complete MST, CST, and sludge rheology testing to evaluate any expected changes. The impact of ground CST transport and flush water on the DWPF CPC feed tank (and potential need for decanting) has not been defined or studied.
Reference and Multimodality: analysis of the construction of reference in advertisements for vehicles

The objective of this article is to analyze the construction of the referent “vehicle” in advertisements, proposing an interface between Referencing and Multimodality. For this, it follows the sociocognitive-discursive approach of Referencing (CAVALCANTE, 2011, 2012, 2015; KOCH, 2004, 2015) and uses, as a foundation on Multimodality, the Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) Grammar of Visual Design (GVD). It analyzes, through the compositional metafunction, formed by the subcategories value of information, salience and framing, the referential construction in four advertisements for vehicles. Considering the analyzes carried out, it concludes that the categories salience and framing occur in a complementary way in the construction of the Referent, becoming, in a way, redundant, because what is arranged in the image as a disconnected element and therefore functioning independently, coincides with what is evidenced, placed in a prominent position, most of the time, centralized in the image. Specifically, regarding the analyzed discursive genre, it concludes that the referent “vehicle” is the nucleus of visual information, confirmed by the deletion effect suffered by the elements in the background. The results obtained indicate that the visual composition maintains a direct relation with the construction of the Referent.
An assembled issue for the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research

Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds have been employed in various domains and have been a topic for investigation for a long time. Nevertheless, the papers chosen for this assembled issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research all argue the need for further research into human engagement with virtual worlds and beyond a discussion of the affordances of virtual worlds and their limitations.
Investigating the Implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Selected Public Schools in Samfya District, Zambia

The controversy on the usefulness of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in reducing teen pregnancy in Zambian schools raises concern among educationists and stakeholders. This study sought to investigate the implementation of CSE in selected public schools in Samfya District of Luapula province, Zambia. The study employed a qualitative case study research design involving 27 participants who were purposively selected from three schools in the district. Data were collected using lesson observations, document analysis, semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions). Data analysis was carried out using thematic analysis. The results showed that CSE is implemented in public schools through sensitization of teachers about CSE; integration of CSE into existing subjects; and the use of extra-curricular activities. However, the integration of CSE was not as comprehensive as it should be because teachers tended to focus mainly on topics bordering on human development and sexual and reproductive health, with more emphasis on abstinence, which were already part of the curriculum of the existing subjects. Other important components of CSE such as values, attitudes and skills; culture, society and human rights; sexual behaviour and relationships, were not emphasized upon because teachers, when integrating, did not use the actual CSE framework. In addition, findings suggested that teachers were not adequately trained in CSE delivery as they were just sensitized by others who attended a workshop on CSE. Furthermore, CSE was not fully integrated in extra-curricular activities. There was also no involvement of key stakeholders such as the local community in the implementation of CSE.This led to the conclusion that the implementation of CSE has not been comprehensive because of inadequate training of teachers, failure by teachers to properly integrate CSE using a CSE framework and inadequate extracurricular activities, and less community involvement. Therefore, the study recommends that guidance and counselling teachers should coordinate CSE implementation in schools. Secondly, while CSE themes are covered in other subjects as cross cutting issues, it should also be a standalone subject taught by guidance and counselling teachers. Thirdly, teachers should be adequately trained on how to integrate CSE using a CSE framework.
Workload control in job shops, grasping the tap

The term job shops is used to indicate companies that produce customer-specific components in small batches. Jobs (production orders) in a job shop are characterised by a large variety of routings and operation processing times. This variety, combined with irregular order arrivals, generally leads to long waiting times on the shop floor. The Workload Control (WLC) concept is specifically designed to create a match between capacity requirements and capacity availability in such an environment. The key decision within this concept is the release of jobs to the shop floor. This decision is often illustrated by the metaphor of a tap controlling the flow into a bathtub (the shop floor). This thesis focuses on grasping the tap, with the double meaning of holding it firmly and understanding it. Although WLC can be typified as a simple and practical concept, the exact influences of the release decision are difficult to understand. Nevertheless, a detailed understanding of these influences is essential for the application and development of WLC. Therefore, a twofold objective has been formulated for this research project: 1. To deepen knowledge on the functioning of release methods within the WLC concept; 2. To improve release methods within the WLC concept. The research project has been subdivided in four phases: a comparison and analysis of release methods, a simulation study to test the methods and to provide an in-depth analysis, the redesign of methods, and finally an evaluation of the redesign.
Level-of-Service Model for Protected Bike Lanes

Several methods exist for quantifying the quality of service provided by a roadway from a bicyclist's perspective; however, many of these models do not consider physically protected bike lanes. Of those that do, none was developed on the basis of empirical data from the United States. This gap is problematic because engineers, planners, and elected officials are increasingly looking to objective performance measures to help guide both transportation project design and funding prioritization decisions. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a cumulative logistic model to predict user comfort on protected bike lanes that was developed from data collected during in-person video surveys. The surveys were conducted in Portland, Oregon, with video footage gathered in Portland; Chicago, Illinois; and San Francisco, California. The model is for road segments only and not signalized intersections. It complements the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 level-of-service methods by providing an analysis procedure for a facility type that is not currently included in the manual. The model indicates that the type of buffer, direction of travel (one-way versus two-way), adjacent motor vehicle speed limit, and average daily motor vehicle volumes are all significant predictors of bicyclist comfort in protected bike lanes. The model predicts a mean value of A or B on a scale of A (most comfortable) to F (least comfortable) for all protected bike lane video clips that were used in the survey. Consistent with previous research findings, survey respondents report that protected bike lanes are generally more comfortable than other types of on-street infrastructure. The authors thank Mark Person of Mackenzie and Sam Thompson and Tara Goddard of Portland State University for their assistance in recruiting survey participants. Theo Petritsch of Sprinkle Consulting, Inc., provided the video clips from NCHRP Project 3-70, which were used for video quality comparison. The Department of Civil Engineering at Portland State University contributed funds used in this project. The authors acknowledge the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, and People for Bikes for funding the related project.
Using the Critical Decision Method for Incident Analysis in Mining

After incidents have occurred in any high hazard work environment, undertaking detailed investigations to help learn lessons for the future is a priority. Part of such an investigation often involves obtaining an incident narrative by means of an interview with the operators involved: the accuracy and comprehensiveness of this process is vital. The Critical Decision Method (CDM) is a structured and in-depth interview process that can be used to elicit information from operators about their decision-making and problem-solving processes during incidents. Following CDM’s successful use in other industries, it was hypothesised that capturing and analysing information on equipment-related mining incidents and the operators’ decision making around these incidents would result in valuable extra information compared to the most commonly used investigation technique in mining. The CDM was adapted to the mining context, and data were collected from operators involved in previous incidents at two coal mine sites. The main findings of the research supported the anticipated beneficial use of CDM, and showed that it is a useful tool to ‘get in the head’ and better understand the mindset of the personnel involved in incidents. The method is of increasing value with more complex incidents. The research also found that CDM uncovered important details not in current incident investigation reports: such information could have key benefits to help fully understand and learn lessons from the incident. Further work with this technique to integrate it into future incident investigations is strongly recommended, so achieving more detailed and operator-centred accounts of such incidents.
Inefficiency of Indonesian Food and Beverage Firms

This study examines the technical inefficiency of Indonesian food and beverage firms. It also analyzes the impact of four pivotal determinants on technical inefficiency. The one-step technical efficiency model is applied to calculate the inefficiency scores of a set of unique 1,874 firms. The novelty of this study is on the homogeneity of firms under study and the additional of trade variables in the model. The findings show that the average score of technical inefficiency of Indonesian food and beverage firms is 1.52 percent. The estimation results on the key factors contributing to the inefficiency show that export, import, foreign ownership, and location are important factors in reducing the inefficiency score of firms, respectively.
Prospective Multicenter Trial of Cervical Arthroplasty with the ROTAIO® Cervical Disc Prosthesis

Study design Clinical observational study. Objective The ROTAIO® cervical disc prosthesis is a novel unconstrained implant with a variable center of rotation aiming at physiological motion. The objective of this multicenter prospective trial was to evaluate clinical outcome and complications within 2 years. Material and Methods 120 patients (72 females and 48 males with median age of 43.0 years [23-60 yrs] underwent ACDA (ROTAIO®, SIGNUS Medical, Alzenau, Germany) and were prospectively followed for 24 months. Preoperative complaints were mainly associated with radiculopathy (n = 104) or myelopathy (n=16). There were 108 monosegmental and 12 bisegmental procedures including 6 hybrid constructs. Clinical outcome was evaluated at 3, 12 and 24 months in 100%, 96% and 77% of the cohort by VAS, NDI, WL-26, Patient`s Satisfaction Index (PSI), SF-36, Nurick Score, mJOA, Composite Success Rate, complications, patient`s overall satisfaction and analgesics use. Results Highly significant clinical improvements were observed according to NDI and VAS (P < .0001 (arm); P < . 001 (neck); P = . 002 (head)) at all time points. Analgetic use could be reduced in 87.1 to 95.2%. Doctor`s visits have been reduced in 93.8% after 24 months. Patient`s overall satisfaction was high with 78.4 to 83.5% of patients. The composite success rate was 77.5% after 12 months and 76.9% after 24 months. There were no major complications in this series. Slight subsidence of the prosthesis was observed in 2 patients and 3 patients demonstrated fusion after 24 months. 2 patients developed symptomatic foraminal stenosis, so that implant removal and fusion was performed resulting in a revision rate of 1.7% in 2 years. Conclusion The ROTAIO® cervical disc prosthesis is a safe and efficient treatment option for symptomatic degenerative disc disease demonstrating highly significant clinical improvement and high patient`s overall satisfaction with very low revision rates at 2 years.