Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Drives the Choice of Local Seasonal Food? Analysis of the Importance of Different Key Motives

Local seasonal food choices are environmentally relevant behaviors and a promising opportunity for enhancing sustainable food consumption. Therefore, we need a more integrated understanding of motives driving consumers to opt for food that is produced locally and also in its natural growing season. The aim of this study is to (i) identify which motives for local food choices are also relevant for local seasonal food choices and (ii) investigate whether environmental motives become (more) relevant for these environmentally friendly choices. To assess consumer perceptions of socioeconomic, health, and environmental aspects, a survey in combination with a choice-based conjoint experiment to measure consumer preferences for seasonal (apples) and non-seasonal choices (tomatoes) was conducted. The data were collected by means of an online-panel survey (n = 499) and analyzed using two structural equation models. Results revealed that while the support of the local economy presents the most relevant driver, consumers’ price sensibility is even more relevant as a barrier. What differs is the relevance of authenticity and local identity. While local seasonal food provides environmental benefits to consumers, these benefits have no implications for the relevance of environmental motives. Based on these findings, we derive evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and marketers and propositions for future research regarding additional drivers and barriers for local seasonal food consumption.
The effects of the undergraduate curriculum and individual differences on student innovation capabilities

Innovation is considered a key to competitiveness of the nation. In order to ensure that graduating students are equipped with innovation skills to meet this challenge, we must ensure that engineering curricula are enhancing students’ innovation capabilities. In this paper we investigate if the undergraduate engineering curriculum can have a significant positive effect on students’ innovation capabilities. In addition, we investigate if individual difference factors, such as engineering design self-efficacy and self-reported GPA, can be correlated with innovation capabilities. To test this, we assessed students’ solutions to specific open ended problems for their level of innovation, or more specifically, originality and technical feasibility. The experiments were replicated at two universities and with a variety of cohorts, including freshman students before and after an introductory engineering course and senior mechanical engineering students before and after a capstone course. We found that that students’ innovation capabilities were enhanced by the senior-level capstone course at both universities. Similar positive results can be found for the overall four year curriculum at both schools. While individual differences in academic performance and engineering design self-efficacy did not predict seniors’ performance, these individual difference factors did interact to influence originality in the freshmen students. At high levels of GPA, increased self-efficacy led to increased originality, but at low levels of GPA, increased self-efficacy led to lower originality scores. Results are discussed in relation to prior research and suggestions are made to track freshmen students to better train future engineers.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Organisational change and the introduction of activity based costing in a UK clearing bank

This research examines the nature of the organisational change that has taken place in the UK Clearing banks over the last fifteen years. It draws from and informs organisational change processes to help understand the effects of environmental disturbance, that is, the changes in the regulatory framework. The effect of environmental disturbance is assessed in terms of the levels and impacts of the changes on values (culture), organisational structures, management, accounting and control systems. The key objective is to critically evaluate the role of a changing accounting system within the framework of organisational change in a UK Clearing Bank, acknowledging that accounting can play powerful roles in the processes of organisational change. This research locates the development and introduction of the new accounting system (ABC) in the context of organisational change and the changes that have taken place in both this single case study and in the wider organisational context of the financial services industry. Organisational change is considered on two levels: The first level looks at organisational change in relation to the Clearing banks in general. The changing nature of the banking organisation is depicted over three decades using Laughlin's (1991) model of organisational change. This research shows that the UK Clearing banks were ill-equipped to deal with the changes they faced in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. From the more general perspective, the thesis shows how the different levels of the banking organisation became out of balance and how in the 1980s and 1990s efforts were made to re-gain that balance. At the second level, attention is focused on the introduction of a new accounting system in one of the UK Clearing banks. The development and implementation of the ABC system is traced over a period of two years in relation to the specific organisational context. The research shows that the ABC system was both a response to, and, a facilitator of organisational change, helping ultimately to shift perceptions and understandings of the notion of cost, and create new visibilities in relation to cost in the Clearing department. Laughlin's (1991) model is used again to show how as a response to the kick, there were changes in the organisation structure and decision processes. The research traces the accounting system change, (as part of the change in the design archetype), detailing the organisational members' perceptions of the new accounting system, from its development through to its implementation. The research shows how the introduction of this new accounting system created change of a second order nature in the Clearing department. A 'middle range' thinking approach, (Laughlin 1995) has been adopted. Skeletal theoretical models were used in order to enhance understanding of the empirical data of the case study. In turn, the theoretical framework is extended and enhanced by the empirical situation in which it is applied.
Chitosan for suppression of fusarium wilt and plant growth promotion of brinjal

Chitosan is a biodegradable natural compound that has a great potentiality in agriculture for controlling plant diseases. An attempt was made to control Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melongenae under inoculated field condition and increase the growth and yield of brinjal by chitosan. Before setting the experiments in the field, preliminary laboratory experiments were carried out to select virulent isolate and effective dose of chitosan against the mycelial growth of the selected pathogen. F. oxysporum f. sp. melongenae isolate F-1 was found to be the most virulent on brinjal in pathogenicity test. Chitosan @ 1.0% concentration was appeared to be the highest inhibitory to the test pathogen at in vitro condition. Additionally, seed treatment with 1.0% chitosan for 12 hrs resulted in the highest increased in germination and seedling growth of brinjal. The field experiment was conducted following Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four treatments. No treatment was given in T1, the pathogen was inoculated in T2 and seed treatment and soil amendment with 1.0% chitosan was done in T3 and T4, respectively, in test pathogen inoculated condition. Application of 1.0% chitosan as a seed treatment (T3) or soil amendment (T4) significantly reduced pre- and post-emergence seedling mortality, incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt as well as enhanced germination percentage, plant growth and yield of brinjal. On the contrary, pre-emergence and post-emergence seedling mortality, disease incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt were highest in treatment T2 where the soil was inoculated with pathogen without chitosan. Therefore, chitosan could be used against this vascular disease as an alternative to inorganic fungicides and augment yield.
Mechanical Behavior and In Vitro Corrosion of Cubic Scaffolds of Pure Magnesium Processed by Severe Plastic Deformation

Reports in the literature show that severe plastic deformation can improve mechanical strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance of pure magnesium, which suggests good performance for biodegradable applications. However, the reported results were based on testing of small samples on limited directions. The present study reports compression testing of larger samples, at different directions, in pure magnesium processed by hot rolling, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP), and high pressure torsion (HPT). The results show that severe plastic deformation through ECAP and HPT reduces anisotropy and increases strength and strain rate sensitivity. Also, scaffolds were fabricated from the material with different processing histories and immersed in Hank’s solution for up to 14 days. The as-cast material displays higher corrosion rate and localized corrosion and it is reported that severe plastic deformation induces uniform corrosion and reduces the corrosion rate.
Circuit-device co-design for high performance mixed-signal technologies

System-on-chip designs require low cost integration of analog and digital blocks. Often, the analog requirements are not considered sufficiently early in the device design cycle, resulting in devices that are suboptimal for the analog components. This paper presents an innovative methodology for deriving comprehensive device specifications based upon a set of figure-of-merit circuits which account for both analog and digital requirements. By utilizing these specifications for device design, a more efficient codevelopment of mixed-signal processes, libraries and products is possible. The methodology is illustrated with an example based upon an advanced 120 nm CMOS technology.
Multiple access communications using wavelet technology

A class of waveforms developed for covert, or low probability of intercept/detection (LPI/D) communications has been tested for its applicability to code-division multiple access (CDMA) communications. This paper reports some results of the investigation. The waveforms, constructed by techniques based on wavelet transforms, show the characteristics of bandpass Gaussian noise under a number of statistical tests. We refer to these as single-scale waveforms because of an aspect of their construction. By a combination of analysis and simulation, the single-scale waveforms have been compared to conventional CDMA techniques, and it is concluded that on the additive, white Gaussian noise channel, they outperform the conventional by 75 - 200% in capacity (number of supportable users per unit bandwidth at fixed SNR and bit error rate).
The role of soil in the collapse of 18 piers of Hanshin Expressway in the Kobe earthquake

An investigation is presented of the collapse of a 630 m segment (Fukae section) of the elevated Hanshin Expressway during the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The earthquake has, from a geotechnical viewpoint, been associated with extensive liquefactions, lateral soil spreading, and damage to waterfront structures. Evidence is presented that soil–structure interaction (SSI) in non‐liquefied ground played a detrimental role in the seismic performance of this major structure. The bridge consisted of single circular concrete piers monolithically connected to a concrete deck, founded on groups of 17 piles in layers of loose to dense sands and moderate to stiff clays. There were 18 spans in total, all of which suffered a spectacular pier failure and transverse overturning. Several factors associated with poor structural design have already been identified. The scope of this work is to extend the previous studies by investigating the role of soil in the collapse. The following issues are examined: (1) seismological and geotechnical information pertaining to the site; (2) free‐field soil response; (3) response of foundation‐superstructure system; (4) evaluation of results against earlier studies that did not consider SSI. Results indicate that the role of soil in the collapse was multiple: First, it modified the bedrock motion so that the frequency content of the resulting surface motion became disadvantageous for the particular structure. Second, the compliance of soil and foundation altered the vibrational characteristics of the bridge and moved it to a region of stronger response. Third, the compliance of the foundation increased the participation of the fundamental mode of the structure, inducing stronger response. It is shown that the increase in inelastic seismic demand in the piers may have exceeded 100% in comparison with piers fixed at the base. These conclusions contradict a widespread view of an always‐beneficial role of seismic SSI. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Are we there yet? The journey of ICT integration

[Abstract]: “Are we there yet, are we there yet, how much longer? ” This plea can be heard from teachers throughout the world. The ICT integration pioneers beam at the thought of what’s next, however the middle and late adopters shudder at the thought of what is coming next and wonder if and when they are going to get there, wherever there is? This differentiating attitude in ICT integration can be attributed to the teachers’ personal confidence in using ICTs. This paper explores the ICT integration journey of teacher’s from 10 provincial primary schools in Queensland, Australia. It will examine the teachers’ past and present attitudes toward the integration of ICTs in their classrooms and attempt to predict their future attitudes. Participants will also be invited to discuss attitudes towards ICT integration from their perspective.
Tractor Fatalities and Injury on New Zealand Farms

The aim of the research was to describe the epidemiology of tractor incidents on New Zealand farms which resulted in death or hospital inpatient treatment. Fatalities were identified from three independent data files for the period 1986-1991. Hospitalizations were selected from national hospital inpatient files for the period 1980-1989. There were 51 deaths, an average of 8.5 per year, or an estimated rate of 1 per 100,000 rural residents per year. Only 47% of the cases were recorded on all three databases. Those in the 60+ age group had the highest number and rates of fatal injury. There were 1,151 incidents requiring inpatient treatment, an average of 115 per year, or an estimated rate of 22 per 100,000 rural residents per year. Males in the 15 to 19 age group had the highest gender specific rate. At least 23% of the fatalities and 45% of the non-fatal injuries occurred to persons whose primary occupation was other than farming. When specific events were examined as a proportion of all events, there had been a significant decline in non fatal overturns. Our analyses also show that this was not due to other types of crash increasing over time. While overturns were an important cause of fatalities and non-fatal injury, the non-fatal injury analyses highlights the fact that the majority of tractor incidents did not appear to involve overturns. Efforts to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with tractors would be greatly facilitated by: an enhancement of national surveillance systems; in-depth studies into specific classes of events with priority being given to ? overturns? ; and consideration of the elderly, children, and those whose primary occupation is not related to farming. In addition, existing and proposed legislation needs to be reviewed to ensure that it comprehensively addresses protection for all tractor users and roll over protection.
College Student Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Concerns, Preventive Behaviors, and Impact on Academics and Career Choice

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the Spring 2020 semester universities cancelled campus activities and moved all instruction online resulting in significant changes for college students. This study examined COVID-related concerns, engagement in preventive behaviors, barriers to academic success, and the impact of the pandemic on academic performance and career plans among 743 undergraduate students. Highest concerns were expressed for health of family and the pandemic’s economic effects. Over 70% reported engaging in preventive behaviors, with hand washing, wearing a face mask, and social distancing most prevalent. Despite anxiety, distracted home environments, and time management difficulties, most students indicated a relatively small effect of the pandemic on their academic success and anticipated career choice. Significant relationships were found between concern for contracting the virus and engaging in preventive behaviors, and between perceived barriers to academic success and change in academic performance.
The Current Status of Teaching and Fostering Information Literacy in TAFE

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the findings of a research project about Australian TAFE librarians' information literacy practices. The project addressed two research questions: What are the practices that TAFE librarians use to teach and foster information literacy? What changes have occurred since the last TAFE information literacy survey in 2001? During 2005, 154 librarians completed a web-based survey. The results provide a status of current practice and identify key areas that TAFE librarians can focus on to improve professional practice.
Novel PWM Method with Low Ripple Current for Position Control Applications of BLDC Motors

BLDC Motors are widely used in various speed control applications due to their ease of control and low cost. Generally, the unipolar PWM method is used for speed control applications. However, the unipolar PWM method has a current spike problem in the braking operation which can be a problem in speed reversal which generally happens in position control applications. However, the current spike problem can be solved by the conventional bipolar PWM method. Although the current spike problem can be solved, the conventional bipolar PWM method has the problem of a large current ripple. In this paper, a novel bipolar PWM method is proposed to solve this problem. The current ripple and the current spike problems are analyzed in this paper for the unipolar and bipolar PWM methods. At last, the merits of the proposed bipolar PWM method are proven by experiment.
A silicon micromachined resonant pressure sensor

This paper describes the design, fabrication and test of a silicon micromachined resonant pressure sensor. A square membrane and a doubly clamped resonant beam constitute a compound structure. The former senses the pressure directly, while the latter changes its resonant frequency according to deformation of the membrane. The final output relation between the resonant frequency and the applied pressure is deducted according to the structure mechanical properties. Sensors are fabricated by micromachining technology, and then sealed in vaccum. These sensors are tested by open-loop and close-loop system designed on purpose. The experiment results demonstrate that the sensor has a sensitivity of 49.8Hz/kPa and repeatability of 0.08%.
Epidemiological Characteristics of Inpatients Undergoing Surgery for Glaucoma at Tianjin Eye Hospital from 2013 to 2017

Purpose To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of inpatients who underwent surgery for glaucoma at Tianjin Eye Hospital from 2013 to 2017. Methods All glaucoma inpatients who underwent surgery at Tianjin Eye Hospital from 2013 to 2017 were evaluated. The relationships of age and sex with different types of glaucoma were analyzed. The differences in the prevalence and family history of glaucoma among patients with different systemic diseases were compared. Additionally, the effects of different surgical methods for primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) were compared. Results A total of 4539 patients with glaucoma were retrospectively analyzed. The most prevalent type was PACG (60.15%), followed by secondary glaucoma (SG, 25.53%), POAG (7.6%), uncontrollable intraocular pressure (IOP) after antiglaucoma surgery (4.71%), mixed glaucoma (MG, 10%), and congenital glaucoma (CG, 0.9%). The main surgical methods were phacoemulsification (phaco), phacotrabeculectomy (phaco-trab), and trabeculectomy (trab). The rate of phaco-trab increased, while that of trab decreased. The proportion of women in the PACG group was higher than those in the POAG and SG groups, and there was a pronounced tendency for family clustering (P < 0.001), while in the POAG and SG groups, the proportions of men and those with diabetes were higher (P < 0.05). Conclusions In Tianjin Eye Hospital from 2013 to 2017, the main type of glaucoma was PACG. Female sex and a family history of glaucoma were risk factors for PACG, while male sex and hyperglycemia were risk factors for POAG and SG. Among the antiglaucoma surgery methods, the proportion of phaco-trab increased, while the proportion of trab decreased.
Divergence study of a high-aspect-ratio, forward swept wing

An experimental wind-tunnel study to determine the divergence characteristics of a high-aspect ratio, forward-swept wing has been conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). The rectangular wing used for this study had a panel aspect ratio of 9.16 (lambda = 0 deg.) and the sweep angle could be set at lambda = 0 deg. , -15 deg. , -30 deg. , -45 deg. , or -60 deg. A rectangular wing tip shape was tested at each of these sweep angles. In addition, a tip shape parallel to the freestream flow was tested for a wing sweep angle of lambda = -45 deg. The root of the wing was cantilever mounted to the wall of the wind tunnel. Divergence conditions were measured at M = 0.4 for each sweep angle and tip configuration tested. Subcritical response techniques were used to extrapolate to the divergence conditions during the wind-tunnel test. The primary objective of this test was to obtain data which could be used to verify for this configuration the divergence prediction capability of an aeroelastic analysis code. Subsonic lifting surface theory (kernel function) aerodynamics are utilized by this particular code. The analytical predictions of divergence were found to be significantly conservative at all forward sweep angles. At lambda = -45 deg. , the analysis was 14 percent conservative. The effect of the two tip shapes on the divergence dynamic pressure was predicted accurately by the analysis. The divergence condition for the tip shape parallel to the flow occurred at a dynamic pressure 14 percent higher than the divergence condition with a rectangular tip shape.
A new 2D isotropic left‐handed metamaterial design: Theory and experiment

A novel design for 2D isotropic left‐handed metamaterials is presented. One of the main advantages of our proposal is that all the metallizations are placed at parallel stratified planes. Thus, this design can be realized by means of the well known, commonly used planar technology. An analytical model is provided for the analysis of this new metamaterial. Numerical results obtained by using this model are validated by experimental simulations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 35: 405–408, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10620