Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
REMOVAL OF MULTIWAY STOP SIGNS WITH MINIMUM HAZARD VOLUME I: TECHNICAL REPORT

This study reports on the experience of more than 30 political jurisdictions throughout the United States which have converted multiway, stop sign-controlled intersections to lesser forms of controls. In all instances, those officials interviewed during field visits reported converting 4-way or 3-way stop intersections to 2-way or 1-way stop intersections. A great variety of procedures and accompanying notice, caution, and warning signs were found to have been used in the conversion of the more than 172 intersections studied. Generally, low volume, low speed, residential intersections were being coverted safely without the use of supplementary signs. As intersection volumes increased, there was an increased need for multiway stop sign-intersection conversion aids. Procedures were developed by which multiway stop sign-controlled intersection can be converted to lesser forms of control with minimum hazard. Signs installed prior to the conversion . Signs placed under the remaining stop signs after conversion should read "CAUTION, CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP. " Any stop line pavement markings on the new through street should be removed. Volume I reports on the overall study effort. Volume II addresses details of the recommended conversion procedures for use as a guide by local officials. (Author)
Psychosocial Wellbeing and Its’ Relationship with Attachment Patterns and Academic Achievement Motivation of Foster Care Children in Save Our Soul Enfants Ethiope, Burayu Orphanage Vocational Training and Production Center

The research is financed by the researchers themselves Abstract The main objectives of this study is to assess the status of psychosocial wellbeing and its relationship with attachment patterns and academic achievement motivation of foster care children in Save Our Soul Enfants Ethiope, Burayu Orphanage Vocational Training and Production Center (SOS EE BOVTPC). Mixed research design was employed to achieve the research objectives. For the purpose of quantitative data 134 foster children were participated, and for the qualitative data six foster families and six foster children were participated. Those six foster families and six foster children were purposefully selected as a sample. The self-report version of the Relationship Structures questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Achievement Motivation Inventory instruments, and semi-structured interview are administered. The result revealed that the majority of children have normal symptom of psychosocial wellbeing and it has relationship with their academic achievement motivation and with their anxious attachment. It was recommended that the concerned body should give emphasize for the improvement of their psychosocial wellness.
BEHAVIOR OF BEARING CRITICAL DOUBLE-ANGLE BEAM CONNECTIONS

An evaluation of the application of the Canadian Standards Association's newly recommended higher bolt shear and bearing stresses was made with several tests of bolted double-angle beam connections, with top flanges both coped and uncoped. The findings are summarized as follows: 1) The presence of the top flange of a beam is important for the development of the web bearing strength derived from tests of tensile lap splices. 2) The effect of eccentricity on short, single line, bolted web connections may cause a high component of force towards the end of the beam and thus the critical dimension related to potential tear out would be the horizontal distance from the bolt line to the end of the beam. 3) For beams in which the top flange is coped, a potential failure mode of tearing out may occur in the web before the nominal ultimate bearing stress is attained; an intuitive failure model which was also observed in the tests shows reasonable agreement with the tests results reported herein. 4) Although the study presented here focuses primarily on ultimate load behavior, permanent or residual deformation at service loads attributable to bearing deformation may be unsuitable. For the uncoped beam test, the residual displacment at a working load is estimated to be on the order of 0.1-0.2 in. The test results, which are presented here, focus on the behavior of only one connection with two detailing alternatives (coped and uncoped). For many framing applications, the loading and detailing practice may be such that proportions which develop the failure mechanism demonstrated here will not occur. It is, however, prudent to exercise caution in the application of the new bearing strength criteria to the wide variety of connection detailing for which the criteria have not been tested. It is further recommended that research be continued to develop design guidelines for the broader application of ultimate strength concepts in connection design. /Author/
Development of a generic numerical wave tank coupling solid, liquid and air

1. Outline Numerical wave tanks are very efficient tools for coastal engineering design. They can provide relatively accurate predictions for various phenomena including wave generation, propagation, and interaction with structures. The two main difficulties that are faced upon developing this type of models are modeling strong fiee surface deformation, and modeling convection dominated viscous flow. The algorithms suggested for treating these two difficulties suffer fiom inaccurate simplifications, or adopting rather arduous methodologies. A possible methodology to circumvent this difficulty is developing a model based on relatively accurate discretization methods. t
Novel biomarker of Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61) predicts long-term outcome of ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Background: Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61) is a matricellular protein participating in the angiogenesis, inflammation, and fibrotic tissue repair. Previous study has proven its value in diagnosing and risk stratification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, there is no study focusing on Cyr61 and the long-term outcome of STEMI. Methods: A total of 426 patients diagnosed with STEMI were enrolled in this study. Blood sample was acquired 24 hours after the admission. The patients were required long-term follow-up after the discharge, when primary endpoint of all-cause death and secondary endpoint of cardiac complications were observed. Cox hazard ratio model and survival analysis were used to compare the risk of patients with higher level and lower level of Cyr61. Results: We conducted an average of (48.4 ± 17.8) months of follow-up, during which a total of 28 deaths happened (6.6%), while 106 episodes of secondary endpoints occurred (24.9%). Patients with higher quartile (Q4) Cyr61 were at higher risk of death [HR 3.404 95%CI (1.574-7.360), P<0.001] when compared with lower three quartiles (Q1-Q3) Cyr61. In terms of secondary endpoints, patients with Q4 Cyr61 were subject to 4.718 [95%CI (3.189-6.978) , P<0.001] times of risk compared with Q1-Q3 Cyr61. Conclusions: For STEMI Patients, those with increased Cyr61 have higher risk of all-cause death and cardiac complications. Therefore, Cyr61 may be a useful tool in predicting the long-term prognosis of STEMI.
The strategic role of the HR function in the banking sector of Pakistan : analysis of evidence and influencing factors

This thesis analyses empirical evidence of the state of the HR function and the presence of the strategic role of the HR function in the banking sector of Pakistan. The focus of analysis is on key components of the HR function that influence its role orientation, namely the patterns of devolution of HR responsibilities, the structure of the HR function and the skill-set of HR personnel. The extant literature on HRM and the role of the HR function is for the most part contextualized within Anglo-Saxon countries and as a consequence insufficiently highlights the idiosyncratic and embedded factors which influence the role and strategic direction of the HR function in developing countries. Also, while the literature suggests that different stakeholders are likely to report divergent views regarding the role of the HR function, few studies provide a thorough examination of this issue. To address these gaps in the literature, a qualitative case-study approach was adopted and interviews were conducted with 85 HR, senior and line managers in eight case-study banks. The data analysis largely fails to identify a significant presence of the strategic role of the HR function across the sample banks. It also indicates a generally low level of devolution of HR activities to line management, which has impeded the ability of HR managers to devote more time and resources to strategic initiatives. Even where devolution has occurred, it has not enabled the HR function to enhance its strategic contribution. The evidence also suggests that where organisations implemented structural changes to their HR function ostensibly, to enhance the strategic orientation, this did not result in meaningful outcomes and, moreover, the lack of requisite business acumen among HR personnel appears to have impeded their strategic contribution. In the context of Pakistan, these findings emerged because the HR function was in an early stage of development, the strategic HR role required a skill-set which had just begun to emerge and the underpinned reasons for changes in the structure were to attain better operational efficiency. Further, in the domestic case-study banks, the function faced challenges of an out-dated skill-set of incumbent employees and the ensuing legacy effects. These results suggest that in order to study the presence of a strategic role orientation, a broader analytical framework is required that both incorporates multiple elements within the HR function ? especially its structure, extent of devolution of HR activities and skill-set of personnel ? and responds to the multiple and conflicting perspectives of different stakeholders in a complex and fast-changing industry environment.
Design Of An Off Grid Photovoltaic System: A Case Study Of Government Technical College, Wudil, Kano State

Off-grid (stand-alone) photovoltaic (PV) systems have become widely adopted as reliable option of electrical energy generation. In this paper, the electrical energy demand (load) of the Government Technical College (GTC), Wudil Kano was estimated based on watt-hour energy demands. The estimated load is 48.787 kWh/ day. An off grid PV system was designed based on the estimated load. Based on the equipment selected for the design, 72 PV modules, 20 batteries, a voltage regulators and an inverter will be required to supply the electrical energy demand of the college. The proposed off-grid PV system requires copper wires of cross-sectional areas 1.22 mm2, 32 mm2and 3 mm2 for its installation. The cost estimate of the system is relatively high when compared to that of fossil fuel generator used by the college. The payback period of the system is estimated to be 2.8 years, which is obviously much shorter than the lifespan of the selected PV modules which is 30 years.
Semiconductor Power Devices: Physics, Characteristics, Reliability

Power Semiconductor Devices - Key Components for Efficient Electrical Energy Conversion Systems. - Semiconductor Properties. - pn - Junctions. - Short introduction to power device technology. - pin-Diodes. - Schottky Diodes. - Bipolar Transistors. - Thyristors. - MOS Transistors. - IGBTs. - Packaging and Reliability of Power Devices. - Destructive Mechanisms in Power Devices. - Power Device Induced Oscillations and Electromagnetic Disturbances. - Power Electronic Systems. - Appendix. - Index.
Assessment of the Quality of Creative Writing Activities in Upper Primary Textbooks and Teachers’ Guides in Kenya

: The effectiveness of teaching and learning of English writing skills largely depends on the quality of learning materials, key among them being textbooks. Textbooks make learning more enjoyable and interesting to learners as they provide practical experience which goes a long way in stimulating self-activity and creativity among learners. They provide critical inputs for classroom lessons through various activities, readings and explanations which are used to develop competence in Creative Writing (CW). In Kenyan primary schools, the government has endeavored to achieve a 1:1 learner-textbook ratio to enhance learning and improve academic performance. However, the performance of CW skills is still unsatisfactory. Furthermore, many studies conducted in Kenya with regard to teaching and learning materials have focused on the importance and availability of textbooks; but the quality of CW activities in these textbooks, which facilitate the learning and acquisition of CW skills, has not been looked into. Moreover, the originality, fluency and creative demands of CW are problematic to upper primary learners in Vihiga County as reflected in the persistent underperformance in CW in the English subject with more than 60% of the learners scoring below the pass mark pegged at 20 marks out of the total 40 marks. Therefore, the quality of the CW writing activities has to nurture creativity and be graduated in complexity to develop higher order skills like CW. The foregoing assertions prompted the researcher to assess the quality of CW activities in the textbooks and teachers’ guides used in CW pedagogy in Vihiga County, Kenya. The study employed a qualitative exploratory research design and was guided by Archer’s theory of reflexivity which views writing as internal and external conversations and addresses the concerns of the individual and the social structures or ‘expected’ ways of acting in a particular context. Data collection tools were Document Analysis Guide (DAG)and Interview Schedule whose validity and reliability were tested through triangulation and thick description. Class 6, 7 and 8 New Primary English Textbooks and Teachers Guides were assessed to establish the quality of CW activities therein and 30 Class 6, 7 and 8 teachers of English interviewed. Data from DAG was analyzed using content analysis while data from Interview was analyzed thematically through transcription, coding and identification of themes. The study revealed low quality and inadequate CW activities in textbooks and Teachers’ Guides that can develop CW effectively. The study recommended reviewing CW activities in pupils’ and teachers’ books, in-servicing of teachers on CW instruction and developing CW reference materials besides the textbooks and Teachers Guides.
CROSS-LINGUISTIC TRANSFER CLASSROOM L3 ACQUISITION IN UNIVERSITY SETTING

Introduction: the paper investigates cross-linguistic influences between the two previously learnt languages and their effects on classroom L3 acquisition. The study checks the predictions of the existing theories of mechanisms of transfer into the L3 attested for naturalistic learners. The main predictions get confirmed with the population of classroom learners of English as the L3. All the participants are native speakers of Russian. They all learnt their dominant foreign language, either French or German, in the classroom. The results suggest a governing role of the Universal Grammar in classroom language learning. Materials and Methods: the experiment uses three production tasks: written production, oral production and pronunciation task. The written assignment asks the participants to translate sentences from Russian into English. The target sentence contains the existential there are that does not exist in Russian. The way the participants structure the target sentence in English allows for conclusion about possible influences of the first foreign language on the development of their L3- English. In the oral production task, the participants are prompted to produce negative sentences. The influences from previously learnt languages is traced through the placement of the negation not. In the pronunciation task Praat was used to measure the duration and the formant frequency of the nasal [N] in English. Differences in sound quality trace back to the influences from the previously learnt languages. The data were analyzed with one-way ANOVA for between and within group differences. Results: in the written task, the participants who studied German as their first foreign language prefer verb final placement in the subordinate, which is ungrammatical in English but grammatical in German. The L2-French group put the verb in the right place, but they do not use the existential there are, which required in English. In the oral task, the placement of negation is Russian-like in both groups. In pronunciation, the quality of English [N] is influenced by the amount of nasality the participants learnt before, i.e. French influences make the English [N] more nasalized than the [N] in the group with German as the first foreign language. Discussion and Conclusion: classroom learners of English as the L3 experience influences from all the previously learnt languages, the native language and the first foreign language. These findings pattern with the assumptions of the main generative theories of naturalistic L3 acquisition. Concluding that classroom language learning is governed by universal grammar, the teaching can benefit from predicting what cross-linguistic influences can be facilitative or not for the acquisition of the target language.
The Effect of Weekend on Mortality Rate in Kut City

Background: Several authors suggested that weekend mortality rate is higher than that of other days of the week; on the contrary many authors refuse this suggestion and stated that there is no significant impact of the weekend on mortality rate. Objective: To study the impact of weekend on mortality rate. Patients, Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out in Al-Karama and AL-Zahraa hospitals in Kut city by reviewing records regarding mortality throughout the period extending from January 2015 through December 2015. Data were classified into the following categories: number of patients admitted on weekend and died in the hospital at any day versus the number of patients admitted on weekdays and died at any day ; number patients died in the hospital at weekend versus number of patients died at weekdays. Results: Significant difference in percentage of death was found on week end in comparison to weekdays (P=0.007), whereas there was no significant association between admission on weekend and percentage of death (P=0.111). Conclusion: Weekend witnessed significantly higher percentage of death in comparison to weekdays which is probably due to less staffing and equipment during weekends.
SYSTEMATIC TESTS ON THE SRI.A PROPELLER

The development and testing of propellers suitable for high-speed containerships, in particular from the cavitation point of view, is described. Optimum shape of the blade section (from the cavitation aspect), based on the calculation of pressure distributions over the chord of two-dimensional wings, is discussed. Blade sections obtained in this way were used for six-bladed propellers which were model-tested in open water and under cavitation conditions. Detailed results are presented of these systematic tests. Cavitation patterns, in uniform flow, were compared with the pressure distributions in the corresponding two-dimensional wings calculated by the lifting-surface theory. Cavitation-inception curves were obtained, and the influence of cavitation on thrust and torque was investigated. Both square root of B sub p minus delta and square root of B sub u minus delta design diagrams, from the results of the open-water tests, are presented. Cavitation tests in non-uniform flow showed that the cavitation characteristics of these "SRI.a" propellers are superior to those of MAU propellers. Order from BSRA as No. 52,648.
Organizational Conflict Causes and Resolution Style among First Line Manager and Hospital Administration

Background: Conflict is a fact of human lives and if they are able to understand it and its impact on work effectiveness, they can make conflict useful and use them to achieve better results Aim of the current study is to identify organizational conflict causes and resolution style among first line managers and hospital administration. Design: A descriptive research design was utilized in the current study. Subjects of this study compromised convenient sample of all available nurse) first line managers who working at hospitals during the period of data collection (no 156). Setting: the study was carried out at Minia University Hospitals. Tools: two tools were used to collect data of the study; Organizational Conflict Causes Questionnaire and Organizational Conflict Resolution Styles Scale. Results: The study results revealed that three quarter of hospital administrative and first line manager agreed about causes of conflict. The most conflict styles used by hospital administrative were collaborating, accommodating, and competing while, first line manager preferred compromising, avoiding, and competing styles, with statistically significant difference. Conclusion: this study concluded that, all participants agreed about causes of conflict; as well hospital administrative preferred collaborative style and first line manager preferred compromising style. Recommendations: Establishment of training courses for all nursing educators to improve their skill for conflict resolution.
The relationship between TQM and business performance: The mediating role of innovation performance and organizational learning culture: A pitch

This pitch research letter (PRL) is shaped by the pitch mold initiated by Faff (2015, 2019), for the proposed research project on the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and business performance: The mediating role of innovation performance and organizational learning culture (OLC) in developing countries. The beginning includes the antecedents enforcing my pitch motivations for doing pitch work. This PRL shows that pitch template is a modern style of researching as it starts from the proposal and has the power of dissertation defense. This PRL will shadow some of my research work and some personal reflections about the importance of the pitch template.
The Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning in High Schools in the United Arab Emirates.

The “Information Age” is characterized by open computing, the internet and a different breed of users. However most educational institutions such as high schools in the UAE need to affect the desired changes to realign themselves effectively with the ‘Information Age’. Consequently many schools are developing new capabilities and skills through reorganization, restructuring and reallocation, which can enable such successful transformation. This research explores the impact of Technology (ICT) on teaching and learning in high schools in the UAE. The aim is to gain insight on the consequences of appropriate use of ICT on the teaching function, and the contribution of ICT to student learning. The status of ICT was explored; status being a factor affecting impact. This study used a positivist quantitative approach to examine the skills, attitudes and usage of ICT at high schools in the UAE. The methodology used is a mixed quantitative/qualitative approach. Three surveys, two interview schedules and one observation protocol was developed by the researcher that contained a list of research questions to be addressed to school principals, teachers and students. These research questions sought for answers on the status of ICT in high schools in the UAE and as a consequence its impact on teaching and learning. The study found ICT curriculum approaches for students were very little aligned with a stage of development which does not emphasize the integration of ICT into existing curricula and current classroom practice. There was poor alignment between the management vision and the realization of policies regarding hardware, software, multimedia and the internet. Also very little is being done in teacher training to develop their skills in the technical and pedagogical aspects of ICT. Although the majority of teachers had agreed that ICT affected the planning of teaching regarding course preparation; nevertheless, there was a mismatch between policy and implementation. Very little is being