Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CO-EVALUATION OF SUCCESS COMPONENTS IN SALT MARSH RESTORATION AND THE SHELLFISH INDUSTRY ON OUTER CAPE COD, MA

Salt marshes in their natural form provide innumerable ecologic, economic, and aesthetic benefits to coastal communities. Salt marsh restoration projects have been implemented along coastal landscapes in an attempt to reclaim their original ecosystem services. The ecological and social components of restoration, like its connection to the shellfish industry, are well understood, but the inherent linkages between the components are not. Through the co-evaluation of these components, social and ecologic linkages are identified and assessed. This project explores the shellfish industry of five outer Cape Cod towns containing salt marshes that have undergone restoration: Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. Salinity data was used to determine the ecologic success of Hatches Harbor (Provincetown), East Harbor (Truro), Herring River (Wellfleet), Sunken Meadow (Eastham), and Namskaket Creek (Orleans). Annual town harvest reports were used to determine trends in quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria), soft shell clam (Mya arenaria) and oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations. Shellfish constables, experts in marsh restoration, and shellfishermen were contacted to determine ecologic and social variables in the explored linkage. This project determined the robust social link between salt marsh restoration and the shellfishing industry. The hypothesis that restoration and associated ecosystem services augment shellfish harvest is lacking. The sense of community and culture that rallies around both salt marsh restoration and shellfishing, however, proves that the link between ecologic and social understanding is important, since both play a valuable role in the community.
Scrutiny of Microorganisms in Fermented Milk Beverage and Water from Dairy under State Inspection

The aim of the study was to examine microorganisms in samples of fermented milk beverage and water from dairy under state inspection. In a dairy located in the Recôncavo of Bahia, fifteen samples of fermented milk beverage were collected, corresponding to three different batches, and six water samples, two from each point of use in the industry: Point 1—Sanitary barrier; Point 2—Internal faucet for cleaning surfaces and utensils; Point 3—Drinking fountain for employees. All samples were submitted to microbiological research of total coliforms, Escherichia coli and Aeromonas spp. In the water samples, there was also quantification of heterotrophic bacteria and analysis of free residual chlorine. The fermented milk beverage samples did not show growth of total coliforms, E. coli and Aeromonas spp. With regard to water, no sample showed measurable levels of free residual chlorine, while in the microbiological analysis the count of heterotrophic bacteria in the drinking water exceeded the limit established by legislation (5.6 × 10 2 CFU·mL −1 ). In addition, the water from the sanitary barrier revealed total coliforms above the allowed value (1.3 × 10 1 CFU·100 mL −1 ) and showed contamination by Aeromonas spp. (7.0 × 10 1 CFU·mL −1 ). Thus, it can be inferred that, although the fermented milk beverage did not present the investigated microorganisms, the water used by the industry showed microbial contamination, and due to its participation in the entire production process, water quality control is extremely important to prevent contamination of the food handler and the final product, preventing the spread of diseases and harm to public health.
Utilizing automatically collected smart card data to enhance travel demand surveys

Public transport agencies have used manual surveys to collect demographic and travel diary information in order to understand their customers' travel behavior for many years. Recently many agencies have also begun to use automated sources of data from fare collection, vehicle location, and passenger counting systems to improve the understanding of their customers' detailed geographic and temporal travel behavior as well as frequency of usage, and travel pattern variation at a much larger scale than is possible with manually collected survey data. Transport for London (TfL), the public body responsible for all transportation services in London, was chosen as a case study to determine how and to what extent automatic fare card (Oyster) data can be used to enhance and validate the London Travel Demand Survey (LTDS) single day travel diary responses. This thesis found that combining survey responses with linked Oyster data for specific households could greatly enhance the validity of the single travel day and improve the understanding of the variability of weekly public transport (PT) use. However, it was difficult to match the survey diary responses and Oyster card records after the interview had taken place. This was evidenced by the fact that only 51.1% of Oyster journey stages had matching survey journey stages, only 45.6% of survey stages had matching Oyster stages, and only 44% of the sample had perfectly matching survey and Oyster stages. Even when there were matches, there were large differences in many journey start times and durations with an average start time difference of 61.2 minutes. This suggests that it would be advantageous to integrate the Oyster records earlier in the survey process, using some type of prompted recall methods with Oyster records in the near term, and new location tracking smart phone applications in the future. Analysis of the weekly variation in PT travel found that the single day survey overestimates typical PT use overall, but it underestimates the intensity of PT use on days when the survey sample chose to use the PT mode. Additionally, the reported frequency of PT use in the LTDS was significantly higher than the actual use as captured by the Oyster system, and therefore the LTDS is generally overestimating the PT use overall for London residents.
Te Ara: A Pathway to Excellence in Indigenous Health Teaching and Learning

Background: It is critical that Indigenous health curricula are designed to effectively prepare graduates to contribute to reducing and eliminating inequities in health. Many of the required competencies are generic across health professions. Te Ara, an overarching graduate profile in Maori health, signals a shared approach to curriculum development across the four major undergraduate health programs at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. This article explains the rationale for Te Ara, describes its development and progress toward implementation, and foreshadows some of the challenges ahead. Developing and implementing the graduate profile: Drawing on the principles of outcome-based education and working collaboratively, the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland has adopted Te Ara, a graduate profile comprising seven Rhys G. Jones University of Auckland, New Zealand high level learning outcomes in Maori health and an associated curriculum framework. Te Ara is now being used to map existing curricula as the basis for a more systematic approach to Maori health teaching, learning and assessment. Discussion and conclusions: Expected benefits of this approach include more transparent, comprehensive, and evidence-based curricula, greater opportunities for interprofessional learning, and potential for sharing of insights and knowledge across programs. However, a number of challenges need to be overcome to create an educational environment in which effective Maori health teaching and learning can occur. Principles and practical insights from our experience are broadly applicable in the area of Indigenous health and cultural competence education internationally.
Effects of Bridge Accessories in Steel–Concrete Composite Railway Bridges in Service Condition

Abstract Bridge accessories, such as parapets, service ducts, and track slabs, are commonly used in railway bridges, but their real effects on the structural behavior of the bridges are still unknown because very few studies have been reported on this significant aspect. In engineering practice, lack of information on the contribution of bridge accessories may cause problems for bridge design, bridge health evaluation and monitoring, bridge management and operation, and bridge maintenance. Given this background, field tests were performed on a railway bridge with typical bridge accessories to confirm their contribution to bridge rigidity (or stiffness), as well as their effects on the sectional normal strain distribution. Both displacements in the midspan and strain results on key sections were measured in the field test and reported in this paper. Based on the field test observations, a numerical model capable of simulating the present railway bridge was built and was used to investigate the effects of t.
How do demographic characteristics relate to organizational commitment? Evidence from Croatia

Abstract Organizational commitment gets significant attention from both scientists and practitioners alike since the 1950s. This interest is evident in the literature in the area of management and organizational behaviour, in an impressive number of studies exploring the nature, antecedents, and outcomes of organizational commitment. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the clarification of the relationship between employees’ demographic characteristics and their organizational commitment, since research studies imply mainly inconsistent results about this relationship. The empirical research was carried out in Croatia. The research sample includes 304 employees. A self-developed questionnaire was used for data collection, specifically about gender, age, tenure, education, and marital status. In order to assess organizational commitment, the Organizational Commitment Scale was applied. Research results showed no differences in organizational commitment regarding the employees’ gender or marital status, while the differences in employees’ organizational commitment exist regarding employees’ age, tenure in organization and education. Dwelling into these differences, this paper demonstrates that the level of organizational commitment varies according to different subcategories of each demographic characteristic. In addition, this paper explains the origin and possible reasons of differences in organizational commitment regarding the different subcategories of each demographic characteristic.
Factors affecting ICT diffusion

Purpose – To address the critical issue of how best to adopt and diffuse information and communication technology (ICT) into organisations.Design/methodology/approach – During April and May 2002, a survey of ICT diffusion of ICT users from three construction organisations was conducted.Findings – Results from an earlier phase of this study indicated that 11 factors influence ICT diffusion. The aim of this paper is to report on phase 2 study results within three construction organisations based on the 11 factors found to influence ICT diffusion. Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with five to six ICT users and an implementer for each of the case study companies.Originality/value – Three factors were found to have a weak influence on ICT diffusion, while eight have a strong influence. These influencing factors may be grouped into four interrelated categories: management, individual, technology, and work environment. Their inter‐relationship should be coherently and comprehensively addressed.
ULTRAMOOR: a 5-year current meter mooring

The prototype ULTRAMOOR design is a subsurface mooring that supports 10 (or more) discrete acoustic current meters. Travel time and acoustic Doppler sensors are being evaluated. Each current sensor is equipped with a small, low power acoustic transmitter that transfers compressed data from the instrument to a receiver located below the euphotic zone (nominally at 500-m depth). The acoustic receiver forwards these data to an array of up to 10 expendable data capsules. In a typical scenario a capsule would release every 6 months over a 5-year deployment interval. Each capsule contains 4 Mbytes of solid-state memory and an Orbcomm transceiver, which transfers the data via satellite as the capsule drifts away from the mooring. The initial deep ocean test of the ULTRAMOOR prototype will be conducted from July to November 2000 offshore Bermuda. This paper describes the overall system design and discusses its scientific applications.
Acoustic analysis of word-initial stop consonants in profoundly hearing impaired speakers

The production of word-initial stop consonants /p, t? k/ and /p h ? t h ? kV was investigated in the speech of 12 profoundly hearing impaired children and 12 normally hearing impaired children. Spectrographic measurement was made of the time interval between the onset of release burst and the onset of the periodic phonation. The results showed that the hearing impaired children were capable to produce distinct unaspirated and aspirated stops. There was no significant difference between hearing impaired and normally hearing subjects in the production of unaspirated stops while hearing impaired subjects produced consistently shorter voice onset time than normals for aspirated stops.
Green Synthesis of Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Using Different Plants’ Parts for Antimicrobial Activity and Anticancer Activity: A Review Article

Nanotechnology emerged as a scientific innovation in the 21st century. Metallic nanoparticles (metal or metal oxide nanoparticles) have attained remarkable popularity due to their interesting biological, physical, chemical, magnetic, and optical properties. Metal-based nanoparticles can be prepared by utilizing different biological, physical, and chemical methods. The biological method is preferred as it provides a green, simple, facile, ecofriendly, rapid, and cost-effective route for the green synthesis of nanoparticles. Plants have complex phytochemical constituents such as carbohydrates, amino acids, phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, and proteins, which can behave as reducing and stabilizing agents. However, the mechanism of green synthesis by using plants is still highly debatable. In this report, we summarized basic principles or mechanisms of green synthesis especially for metal or metal oxide (i.e., ZnO, Au, Ag, and TiO2, Fe, Fe2O3, Cu, CuO, Co) nanoparticles. Finally, we explored the medical applications of plant-based nanoparticles in terms of antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activity.
Waves in Metamaterials

Metamaterials is a young subject born in the 21st century. It is concerned with artificial materials which can have electrical and magnetic properties difficult or impossible to find in nature. The building blocks in most cases are resonant elements much smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of research in this field at a level that should appeal to final year undergraduates in physics or in electrical and electronic engineering. The mathematics is kept at a minimum; the aim is to explain the physics in simple terms and enumerate the major advances. It can be profitably read by graduate and post-graduate students in order to find out what has been done in the field outside their speciality, and by experts who may gain new insight about the inter-relationship of the physical phenomena involved.
Logistics simulation modelling across construction supply chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a logistical analysis of construction supply chains by assessing the impact of varying demand on the performance of builders' merchants' logistics.Design/methodology/approach – Taking into consideration that the vast majority of construction materials are distributed through intermediary organisations, the paper focuses on the logistics of builders' merchants. The study follows a field study approach to develop a conceptual logistics model facilitating experimentation using simulation modelling.Findings – The paper highlights the importance of incorporating intermediary organisations in the study of construction supply chains and reveals the implications of varying demand on logistics performance related to inventory and transportation costs.Research limitations/implications – In order to limit assumptions associated with individual company characteristics, the sample has included data from one builder's merchant company. To allow external benchmarking, th.
Distinct impacts of ENSO on haze pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region between early and late winters

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region has encountered increasingly severe and frequent haze pollution during recent decades. This study reveals that the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has distinctive impacts on interannual variations of haze pollution over BTH in early and late winters. The impact of ENSO on the haze pollution over the BTH is strong in early winter, but weak in late winter. In early winter, ENSO-related sea surface temperature anomalies generate double-cell Walker circulation anomalies, with upward motion anomalies over the tropical central-eastern Pacific and tropical Indian Ocean, and downward motion anomalies over tropical western Pacific. The ascending motion and enhanced atmospheric heating anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean trigger atmospheric teleconnection propagating from North Indian Ocean to East Asia, and result in generation of an anticyclonic anomaly over northeast Asia. The associated southerly anomalies to the west side lead to more serious haze pollution via reducing surface wind speed and increasing low-level humidity and thermal inversion. Strong contribution of the Indian Ocean heating anomalies to the formation of the anticyclonic anomaly over northeast Asia in early winter can be confirmed by atmospheric model numerical experiments. In late winter, vertical motion and precipitation anomalies are weak over tropical Indian Ocean related to ENSO. As such, ENSO cannot induce clear anticyclonic anomaly over northeast Asia via atmospheric teleconnection, and thus has a weak impact on the haze pollution over BTH. Further analysis shows that stronger ENSO-induced atmospheric heating anomalies over tropical Indian Ocean in early winter is partially due to higher mean SST and precipitation there.
Preparing for the Future: Strategic Planning in the U.S. Air Force

While the Clinton Administration and federal agencies were busy making government cost less and work better in the near-term, the United States Air Force was regularly visualizing the competencies needed to assure the organization's long-term effectiveness. As a result of steady efforts to prepare for the future conducted under successive secretaries and chiefs of staff, the Air Force has developed a distinctive approach to strategic planning. This approach is fundamentally concerned with ensuring that the organization's future capabilities support effective performance of future tasks. Such tasks are shaped by ever-changing policy objectives and circumstances of implementation. After eight years, the Air Force has not only successfully refined its distinctive approach to strategic planning, but has also leveraged change in programmatic decisions, human resource management, and operational technologies. This study provides an inside look at how the Air Force came to formulate and declare its "strategic intent" for developing the organization's capabilities over a timeline of more than twenty years. Air Force strategic intent is not a plan, but a shared commitment to strengthening specific core competencies and critical future capabilities. Michael Barzelay and Colin Campbell reveal how one of the nation's most significant public organizations has reassessed its own strategic intent. Drawing lessons from the Air Force experience, this book provides a significant contribution to public management research on innovation and executive leadership. One key lesson is that preparing for the future is a responsibility that organizations can discharge effectively if they combine insights with practical knowledge of executive leadership and the dynamics of policy change. Preparing for the Future provides a fresh argument about innovation and leadership in public management, while breaking new ground in the analysis of managerial practices, such as strategic visioning.
State-Dependent Modulation of Activity in Distinct Layer 6 Corticothalamic Neurons in Barrel Cortex of Awake Mice

Layer 6 corticothalamic (L6 CT) neurons are in a strategic position to control sensory input to the neocortex, yet we understand very little about their functions. Apart from studying their anatomic, physiological, and synaptic properties, most recent efforts have focused on the activity-dependent influences CT cells can exert on thalamic and cortical neurons through causal optogenetic manipulations. However, few studies have attempted to study them during behavior. To address this gap, we performed juxtacellular recordings from optogenetically identified CT neurons in whisker-related primary somatosensory cortex (wS1) of awake, head-fixed mice (either sex) free to rest quietly or self-initiate bouts of whisking and locomotion. We found a rich diversity of response profiles exhibited by CT cells. Their spiking patterns were either modulated by whisking-related behavior (∼28%) or not (∼72%). Whisking-responsive neurons exhibited both increases (activated-type) and decreases in firing rates (suppressed-type) that aligned with whisking onset better than locomotion. We also encountered responsive neurons with preceding modulations in firing rate before whisking onset. Overall, whisking better explained these changes in rates than overall changes in arousal. Whisking-unresponsive CT cells were generally quiet, with many having low spontaneous firing rates (sparse-type) and others being completely silent (silent-type). Remarkably, the sparse firing CT population preferentially spiked at the state transition point when pupil diameter constricted, and the mouse entered quiet wakefulness. Thus, our results demonstrate that L6 CT cells in wS1 show diverse spiking patterns, perhaps subserving distinct functional roles related to precisely timed responses during complex behaviors and transitions between discrete waking states. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Layer 6 corticothalamic neurons provide a massive input to the sensory thalamus and local connectivity within cortex, but their role in thalamocortical processing remains unclear because of difficulty accessing and isolating their activity. Although several recent optogenetic studies reveal that the net influence of corticothalamic actions, suppression versus enhancement, depends critically on the rate these neurons fire, the factors that influence their spiking are poorly understood, particularly during wakefulness. Using the well-established Ntsr1-Cre line to target this elusive population in the whisker somatosensory cortex of awake mice, we found that corticothalamic neurons show diverse state-related responses and modulations in firing rate. These results suggest separate corticothalamic populations can differentially influence thalamocortical excitability during rapid state transitions in awake, behaving animals.
Determinants of tourists’ intentions to agrotourism in vietnam from perspectives of Value – Belief – Norm theory

ABSTRACT This study proposed a theoretical framework based on Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory to examine tourists’ intentions to undertake agrotourism and to behave pro-environmentally while travelling in Vietnam, and assess the moderating effect of tourist sources. The results validate VBN theory explaining that tourists’ intentions could be determined through the chain of values beliefs, and personal norms, contributing to the theoretical evidence within the context of Vietnam’s agrotourism. Practical implications were drawn from the findings that reveal some similarities and differences between Vietnamese and international tourists, indicating that two groups are not homogeneous then suggest marketing strategies for Vietnam’s agrotourism market.