Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accident Analysis and Identification of Black Spots on the Motorways in Pakistan - a Reliability Analysis Approach

The objective of this study is to explore the contributory factors responsible for road accidents and identifies the black spots on the three motorways; M1 (Peshawar-Islamabad), M2 (Islamabad-Lahore), and M3 (Pindi BhattianFaisalabad) in Pakistan. Five years’ road accident data was obtained from the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), Pakistan. The database of this study included six hundred road accidents on a total of 574 kilometers long routes of M1, M2 and M3. The reliability analysis approach was used to locate black spot locations on each motorway. For the visualization and mapping of black spots on each motorway, a Geographic Information System (GIS) was used. The results explored that vehicle condition was the significant contributory factor responsible for the maximum number of road accidents on M1 and M3, while for M2, it was drowsy driving. It is also found that a maximum number of road accidents on M2 and M3 occurred in late-night, while for M1, it was day timing. Furthermore, road accidents were relatively higher in May-July and December on M1 and M2, which shows that extreme weather influences the occurrence of road accidents. On the contrary, no substantial variation of road accidents was examined for M3 month-wise. Finally, black spots on each motorway were located and their georeferenced coordinates were presented for future use. As a result, precautionary measures and provisions are suggested for concerned authorities to mitigate road safety problems.
FATIGUE LIFE STUDY FOR A RAILROAD BASCULE BRIDGE

A fatigue study was undertaken for an 80-year-old drawbridge whose members receive cyclic loading from both draw-span movements and trains. Although the study was a modest effort, a significant amount of information was obtained. Fatigue loading was evaluated by drawing a traffic sample from the railroad's data base and modifying the results in accordance with historical records. Critical bridge members were identified using a three-dimensional linear elastic analysis, and their cyclic stresses were corroborated by the results of experimental work. Then the remaining fatigue life of these members was estimated. The results show that many of the members have a remaining fatigue life of substantial length.
Labor dispute reconciliation in a forest products manufacturing facility

This is a case study where social network analysis is used to illustrate the communication structure among a group of striking employees and to reconcile the dispute at a forest products manufacturing facility. All striking production employees at this facility were surveyed and network analysis techniques were employed to provide both graphical and quantitative demonstrations of the communication structure among the employees. The communication structure illustrates employees who were gatekeepers and brokers of strike-related communications. This information was subsequently used by the organization to redirect its management-labor communication strategy, with the direct result being an end to the work stoppage. Implications are drawn for management to increase its understanding of communication structures for the purpose of better utilizing its human capital.
DETERMINATION OF LETHAL AND FEEDING DETERRENT ACTIVITIES OF SAPONIN FROM PHALERIA MACROCARPA AGAINST POMACEA MACULATA

Apple snail is one of the major pest of rice crop and saponin proved to be the most promising bioactive compound to control it. This study was carried out to quantify saponin from God’s Crown, Phaleria macrocarpa and to evaluate its efficacy against the biological activities of black apple snail, Pomacea maculata . Fruits, leaves and stem-barks of P. macrocarpa were quantified for saponin using HPLC. The toxicity of leaf and fruit crude extracts was evaluated through mortality and feeding deterrent bioassays using complete randomized design and data were analyzed by ANOVA for LSD test. The highest saponin contents 24.67 ppm was detected in fruits followed by 22.67 ppm in leaves and 5.94 ppm in stem-bark. Bioassays showed the highest mortality percentage (44%) after 24 hours exposure at the concentration of 1000 ppm of a leaf extract followed by 36% and 28% @ 750 and 1000 ppm of leaf and fruit extracts, respectively. After the exposure of 48 hours, mortality percentage increased to 100% @ 1000 and 750 ppm of both crude extracts while the mortality percentage recorded at the concentration of 500 ppm of leaves and fruits were 56% and 52% respectively. Mortality percentage at the concentration of 500 ppm was increased to 80% and 68% in leaf and fruit extracts after exposure of 72 hours, respectively. In terms of feeding deterrent, 1000, 750 and 500 ppm concentration of both crude extracts were not significantly different from the positive control niclosamide (p>0.05). The results obtained from the study revealed that saponin extracted from fruits and leaves of P. macrocarpa has a potential to control black apple snails.
Neogene kinematics of the Giudicarie Belt and eastern Southern
Alpine orogenic front (Northern Italy)

Abstract. Neogene indentation of the Adriatic plate into Europe led to major modifications of the Alpine orogenic structures and style of deformation in the Eastern Alps. Especially, the offset of the Periadriatic Fault by the Northern Giudicarie Fault marks the initiation of strike-slip faulting and lateral extrusion of the Eastern Alps. Questions remain on the exact role of this fault zone in changes of the Alpine orogen at depth. This necessitates quantitative analysis of the shortening, kinematics and depth of decoupling underneath the Northern Giudicarie Fault and associated fold-and thrust belt in the Southern Alps. Tectonic balancing of a network of seven cross sections through the Giudicarie Belt parallel to the local shortening direction reveals that it comprises two kinematic domains with different amounts and partly overlapping ages of shortening. These two domains are delimitated by the NW-SE oriented strike-slip Trento-Cles – Schio-Vicenza fault system, cross-cutting the Southern Alpine orogenic front in the south and merging with the Northern Giudicarie Fault in the north. The SW kinematic domain (Val Trompia sector) accommodated at least ~18 km of Late Oligocene to Early Miocene shortening. Since the Middle Miocene, the SW kinematic domain experienced a minimum of ~12–22 km shortening, whereas the NE kinematic domain underwent at least ~25–35 km shortening. Together, these domains contributed to an estimated ~53–75 km of sinistral strike-slip motion along the Northern Giudicarie Fault, implying that (most of) the offset of the Periadriatic Fault is due to Late Oligocene to Neogene indentation of the Adriatic plate into the Eastern Alps. Moreover, the faults linking the Giudicarie Belt with the Northern Giudicarie Fault reach ~15–20 km depth, indicating a thick-skinned tectonic style of deformation. These fault detachments may also connect at depth with a lower crustal Adriatic wedge that protruded north of the Periadriatic Fault and was responsible for N-S shortening and eastward escape of deeply exhumed units in the Tauern Window. Finally, the east-west lateral variation of shortening indicates internal deformation and lateral variation in strength of the Adriatic indenter, related to Permian – Mesozoic tectonic structures and paleogeographic domains.
Analysis of the cyclic behavior of an adhesive in an assembly for offshore windmills applications

Estimating capacities of adhesives to endure repetitive loadings is an essential point to perform fatigue assessments. Nevertheless, few studies have been performed on the cyclic behaviour of adhesively bonded structures. Moreover, fatigue crack initiation is less studied for adhesives than the fatigue crack propagation. Fatigue behaviour is mainly analysed using lap-shear type specimens, which are associated with complex stress states and stress concentrations. The aim of this work is to develop a predictive tool describing the cyclic behaviour of an adhesive in an assembly under fatigue loading using an experimental approach based on modified Arcan tests. Such a device is associated with low edge effects and a maximum stress state in the centre of the adhesive. Accurate experimental results under monotonic, creep and cyclic loading are presented for several load amplitudes, mean loads and loading rates. For a two-component polyurethane SikaForce®-7817 L60 MR adhesive, experimental results led to reproducible behaviour. These results underline that the evolutions of the non linear strains strongly depend on the loading type. This behaviour is well described using a visco-elastic-visco-plastic model with non-linear viscous parameters. This model, implemented in 3D finite element simulations, allows analysing the influence of viscosity. In order to limit the experimental test time the inverse identification of the model parameters is performed from modified Arcan creep-relaxation tests. The finite element simulations of bonded structures allowing an efficient description of the cyclic behaviour and using an adequate failure criterion based on the viscous strains evolutions, a validation on fatigue life predictions is performed. This work is dedicated to the study of fatigue of bonded structures in offshore windmills applications. From this strategy a fatigue life estimation of composite structures tests and on an application test is proposed.
Pond aquaculture performance over time: A perspective of small-scale extensive pond farming in Bangladesh

Abstract The continuous growth of the aquaculture sector has motivated numerous empirical studies investigating farm productivity and technical performance over time. However, empirical works focusing on low-value species in developing countries are scarcer due to the lack of data. This paper investigates the sources of productivity changes over time using a meta-frontier Malmquist productivity index. The dataset contains 2,100 observations in an unbalanced panel data set for pangas and tilapia in Bangladesh. The results indicate that the overall productivity index and its components increase over time but at a decreasing rate. The technology change effect has the largest impact, followed by technical efficiency change. The scale effects are less than one, indicating that farms are scale inefficient. Nevertheless, the convergence toward the technology frontier seems to level off due to a declining ability to minimize the efficiency change and technological change gaps over time. The results also show a larger disparity among the farms in recent years, lowering the mean technical efficiency, with a few farms driving the frontier outward and the average farms lagging.
Improved Surface Drainage of Pavements

The purpose of this project was to identify techniques for improving the drainage of multi-lane highway pavements and to develop guidelines for implementing the most promising of these techniques. The drainage of highway pavement surfaces is important in the mitigation of splash and spray and hydroplaning. This study focused on improving surface drainage to reduce the tendency for hydroplaning. The main factor affecting the propensity for hydroplaning is the thickness of the water film on the pavement surface. Three general techniques were identified for reducing the water film thickness: controlling the pavement geometry, the use of textured surfaces to include porous asphalt surfaces and grooved surfaces, and the more effective use of drainage appurtenances. The prediction of the water film thickness is based on the use of the kinematic wave equation as a model to predict the depth of flow on pavement surfaces. Data supporting the model were obtained from the literature and from studies conducted to measure Manning's n for a brushed concrete surface and for porous asphalt surfaces. Expressions for Manning's n as a function of Reynold's number were developed for portland cement concrete, concrete, asphalt concrete, and porous asphalt surfaces. Full-scale skid testing was also conducted on grooved and brushed concrete surfaces and on porous asphalt surfaces; texture measurements were obtained for all of the tested surfaces (laboratory and field). The results have been integrated into an interactive computer program, PAVDRN. This interactive program allows the pavement design engineer to select values for the critical design parameters. The program then predicts the water film thickness along the line of maximum flow and determines the hydroplaning potential along the flow path. If the predicted hydroplaning speed is less than the design speed, the designer is prompted to choose from alternative designs that reduce the thickness of the water film.
The centrality of ethical utterances within professional narratives

This study examines the centrality of ethics within editorials published in the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ professional journal, CA Magazine, over the 1912 to 2010 period. Starting from the twin assumptions that editorials speak about appropriate professional behavior using a variety of words such as ‘ethics,’ ‘conduct,’ and ‘codes,’ and that appropriate professional behavior is situational, we use topic modeling techniques to identify these dimensions of ethical discourse. We then use social network analysis methods to map the position and centrality of ethics within the editorials across time. The results show that enunciations about appropriate professional conduct are broader than simply enunciations using the word ‘ethics’. The results also highlight that ethical utterances become more central, not less central, over time.
WARNING TIME REQUIREMENTS AT RAILROAD-HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSINGS WITH ACTIVE TRAFFIC CONTROL. FINAL REPORT

Research was conducted to assess the effects of warning time on driver behavior and safety at rail-highway grade crossings with active traffic control. Warning time is defined as the time between traffic control device activation and train arrival. As part of the research, detailed driver response data from two crossings with flashing light signals and one with gates and flashing light signals were analyzed. In addition, a laboratory assessment of drivers' warning time expectancies and tolerance levels at active crossings was conducted, and relevant warning time practices in six foreign countries were surveyed. The results of the studies and survey were used to develop suggested guidelines for minimum, maximum, and desirable warning times at grade crossings with active traffic control. A computer simulation model was also developed to predict the effects of excessive warning times on crossing violations and motorist delay.
Deploying Ecological Countermeasures as a Biosecurity Imperative

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought biosecurity to the forefront of national security policy. Land use change is a fundamental driver of zoonotic disease outbreaks, yet substantial study is yet required to unravel the mechanisms by which land use-induced spillover operates. Ecological degradation may be the 21st Century’s most overlooked security threat. Within the biosecurity context, we introduce ecological countermeasures as highly targeted, landscape-based interventions aimed at arresting one or more of the components of land use-induced spillover, the chain of biological events that facilitate large-scale outbreaks of diseases transmitted between wildlife and people. We provide case studies of ecological countermeasures of particular interest to the US Department of Defense, broadly discuss countermeasures in the defense and health sectors, and provide an overview of recent US policy decisions related to health security in order to underscore the need for greater attention to ecological resilience as our best defense against future pandemics.
Brains Through Time

Much is conserved in vertebrate evolution, but significant changes in the nervous system occurred at the origin of vertebrates and in most of the major vertebrate lineages. This book examines these innovations and relates them to evolutionary changes in other organ systems, animal behavior, and ecological conditions at the time. The resulting perspective clarifies what makes the major vertebrate lineages unique and helps explain their varying degrees of ecological success. One of the book’s major conclusions is that vertebrate nervous systems are more diverse than commonly assumed, at least among neurobiologists. Examples of important innovations include not only the emergence of novel brain regions, such as the cerebellum and neocortex, but also major changes in neuronal circuitry and functional organization. A second major conclusion is that many of the apparent similarities in vertebrate nervous systems resulted from convergent evolution, rather than inheritance from a common ancestor. For example, brain size and complexity increased numerous times, in many vertebrate lineages. In conjunction with these changes, olfactory inputs to the telencephalic pallium were reduced in several different lineages, and this reduction was associated with the emergence of pallial regions that process non-olfactory sensory inputs. These conclusions cast doubt on the widely held assumption that all vertebrate nervous systems are built according to a single, common plan. Instead, the book encourages readers to view both species similarities and differences as fundamental to a comprehensive understanding of nervous systems.
Sensitivity of Prostate Cancer Foci using 1.5 T Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background: The detection of prostate cancer (CaP) has increasingly being carried out by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). Despite many previous studies, the sensitivity for clinically significant CaP (csCaP) was high, information on mpMRI false-negative lesions is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use and limitations of mpMRI in CaP.Methods: A total of 228 CaP foci in 100 patients who underwent 1.5 T mpMRI and radical prostatectomy between December 2015 and June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivities of CaP foci, csCaP, and index tumors (ITs) were measured. Clinically significant CaP was defined into two categories based on the Gleason score (GS): csCaP/GS ≥3 + 4 (GS ≥3 + 4 or diameter >10 mm) and csCaP/GS ≥4 + 3 (GS ≥4 + 3 or diameter >10 mm). In addition, the characteristics of false-negative lesions were identified. The Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 was used to determine an mpMRI positive lesion, defined as a lesion having a score of ≥3.Results: The sensitivity of all legions, csCaP/GS ≥3 + 4, csCaP/GS ≥4 + 3, and ITs were 61.4%, 75.8%, 83.0%, and 91%, respectively. There were 91 lesions that were mpMRI false, 40% of which were csCaP/GS ≥3 + 4. There were three lesions with a GS of ≥8 and ≥10 mm in the false-negative results.Conclusions: mpMRI can highly detect ITs and csCaP/GS ≥4 + 3; however, a few large and high-GS CaPs constitute undetectable lesions in 1.5 T mpMRI.
ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF CHAUFFEUR

This paper describes the successful implementation of CHAUFFEUR, which sensitively depends on the reachable private and public benefits. Therefore, the profitability of the system has to be proved on a micro-level, and on a macro-level. The micro-level covers the private cost savings by CHAUFFEUR. The usage of CHAUFFEUR enables the optimizing of routes and load factor. Furthermore, the fuel consumption of the second truck can be reduced by the possibility of lee-driving. Besides these direct cost savings, reductions of road accidents, of road traffic, and of emissions (e.g. pollution, noise) can be reached. These general economic effects of CHAUFFEUR must be quantified on the macro-level. The quantification of these general effects is mainly based on a transport simulation model. The results are the input for a cost-benefit-analysis that shows that CHAUFFEUR could lead to significant benefits for society. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 490001.
Augmented Reality and Object Tracking for Mobile Devices

In Augmented Reality, computer generated information can assist the user with 'invisible' information about real world objects. In this thesis, the possibilities for Augmented Reality on mobile devices will be investigated, and Object Tracking is identied as a vital functionality. In the existing so- lutions, position- and orientation-based tracking is most common, however, this project will approach vision-based tracking, which is a wide research area in the eld of Computer Vision. The chosen object tracker, is the prize-awarded algorithm TLD, which together with the recently released FastCVlibrary, makes up the functionality in the nal presented application. Theapplication is tested with regard to memory and processing time, and it is observed from the experiments, that the Detector module in TLD domi- nates the processing time. Nonetheless, the nal Object Tracker performs as intended and decent frame rates is obtained by reducing the size of the camera image frame. For further work, the processing time could be reduced even more, possibly by making a longer interval between each run with the detector module. Also the possibility to save object models and use them later on should be explored. This would be useful in an Augmented Reality application, where the objects usually is predetermined.
Vectorisation fluidique de la poussée d'une tuyère axisymétrique supersonique par injection secondaire

Secondary injection into the divergent section of a supersonic rocket nozzle is investigated for the fluidic thrust vectoring effects. The study was conducted in the framework of CNES PERSEUS program and was motivated by the need for an alternative vectoring solution aimed for a small space launcher. The thesis work, based on the combined experimental and numerical approaches, essentially comprises of a wide parametric study mainly concerning the position of the injection, the shape of the primary and injection nozzles, flow regime, gas thermophysical properties and injected fluid mass-flow-rate. The analysis shows that for some optimal configurations, pertinent deflection angles can be obtained using the moderate injection rates. Furthermore, the study was extended to the hot flow multi-species investigation, simulating a case closer to the real applications. This numerical analysis indicated that the fluidic vectoring method remains effective with injection of combustion products into the divergent section of a propulsive rocket nozzle.
Identification of potential groundwater recharge zones at Makutupora basin, Dodoma Tanzania

ABSTRACT This paper presents results of identifying potential groundwater recharge zones at the Makutupora basin using GIS and remote sensing techniques. The study was based on integration of seven factors known to contribute towards groundwater existence, namely lineaments and drainage density, elevation, slope, lithology, rainfall, and land use/land cover. For each factor, a thematic layer was prepared, reclassified into five classes, and assigned weight based on its contribution to groundwater existence. All weighted thematic layers were overlaid by the weighted sum analysis method using spatial analyst tool in ArcGIS 10.4® to produce spatial distribution of potential groundwater recharge zones. The potential groundwater recharge zones were classified into five classes, ranging from not suitable to more suitable. This study reveals coverage of potential groundwater recharge as: 2% very good zone, 11% good, 40% average, 45.5% poor, and 1.6% very poor . The Southwest, Northeast, and some small sections of the North of the basin are predominantly between good and very good groundwater recharge potential; while the rest of the basin ranges from poor to very poor. These results have provided some useful information to enable exploration of groundwater wells and foster sustainable planning and use of groundwater resources in this area.