Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the Learning of Fluid Mechanics Using Computer Simulations

This paper reports the results of a study into the impact of computer simulations on the understanding of fluid mechanics by engineering students. A “lesson study” approach was taken, using constructivist educational theory combined with the variation theory of learning from phenomenography to inform the design of learning activities and to assess their impact. Student difficulties with fluid mechanics concepts were assessed using questions from the Fluid Mechanics Concept Inventory (FMCI). Students had the greatest difficulties with pressure measurement, fluid flow through pipes with changing diameter, and velocity profiles for fluid between flat plates. We developed a set of three simulations to address these difficulties. The impact of the simulations was gauged by a second administration of the FMCI. Most of the students in the sophomore fluid mechanics class participated in the whole of this exercise. Students showed significant improvement in two of the three areas of difficulty. Student feedback on this as an additional learning exercise was very positive.
Thermal Conductivity of Fibre Reinforced Porous Calcium Silicate Hydrate-based Composites

Steady-state thermal conductivity measurements of the cellulose fibre reinforced calcium silicate insulation boards were carried out. After exclusion of the effects caused by the enthalpy flow and the possible non-linear moisture content distribution the effective thermal conductivity-moisture content relations were determined from the measured apparent thermal conductivity values. The achieved moisture dependences of the thermal conductivity have had in the first approximation the character of a bilinear function for all measured types of calcium silicates. The material structure-based model capturing the essential features of the capillary pressure - strain and the stress - crack width relationships and coupling the water sorption and mechanical behaviour was applied for an explanation of determined courses of the moisture dependent thermal conductivities.
Efficacy and cost of G-CSF derivatives for prophylaxis of febrile neutropenia in lymphoma and multiple myeloma patients underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

ABSTRACT Objectives To compare the efficacies and costs between pegfilgrastim and filgrastim prophylaxis for FN post-ASCT for lymphoma and multiple myeloma patients. Methods 43 patients who received pegfilgrastim (6 mg) were compared to a retrospective cohort of 129 patients that had received filgrastim post-ASCT. Hematopoietic recovery time, FN incidence and treatment costs were assessed and compared. Results The mean time to absolute neutrophil count engraftment was 8.72 ± 2.38 days for the prospective pegfilgrastim group and 9.87 ± 3.13 days for the retrospective filgrastim group (P = 0.027). The incidence of FN was 18.60% and 50.39% in prospective pegfilgrastim and retrospective filgrastim groups, respectively (P = 0.000). The mean cost of filgrastim was $617.22 ± 37.87, compared with $525.78 for pegfilgrastim (P = 0.032). Discussion Convenience, effectiveness, and safety of prophylaxis for FN in the prospective pegfilgrastim group were significantly improved compared to the retrospective filgrastim group in ASCT patients. Conclusion Pegfilgrastim prophylaxis was more effective and convenient than filgrastim for FN prophylaxis in patients post-ASCT, especially for MM patients.
ADAPTATION AND INTEGRATION FOR MULTINATIONAL PROJECT BASED ORGANIZATIONS

AbstractTo succeed internationally, multinational, project-based organizations in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry need to both adapt to local environments and integrate knowledge and processes across the organizations. However, the temporary nature, uniqueness, and complexity of international projects create many pressures for project managers. On the one hand, the project manager’s primary responsibility is meeting project objectives, focusing on the performance of the project and adaptation to the local environment, which can differ from the organization’s home market. On the other hand, they are employed by a larger organization that has long-term strategic goals and wishes to gain a competitive advantage by having team members integrate their expertise with the rest of the organization. Thus, this research aims to explore the dual challenges of local adaptation and organizational integration responses at the project level and how these responses relate to project perfor.
Construction safety performance in the United Arab Emirates

Rapid growth of the construction industry in the United Arab Emirates is often accompanied by frequent occurrences of construction accidents. A survey to determine how safe construction companies operate their site activities was conducted through questionnaires and site interviews. Over 120 construction companies in the two largest cities in the country have participated in this survey. The types of accidents that have frequently occurred are falls from higher/same elevation, struck by equipment/objects, natural causes (primarily illness), electrocution, caught by equipment/material, and drowning and fire-related accidents. The findings of this study suggest that several companies are deficient in providing worker's benefits, site orientation, personal protective equipment, accident prevention, and health and hygiene. To a certain extent, violations by foreign workers contribute to the occurrence of these accidents. Lack of regulations and codes required for safe construction operations exacerbate the problems. Suggestions to improve the situation include a reform of the current organization or the creation of a new one dedicated exclusively to workers safety.
Cyclic Testing of Existing and Retrofitted Riveted Stiffened Seat Angle Connections

A typical riveted stiffened seat angle connection taken from an 83-year-old building was tested to investigate its actual hysteretic behavior and potential moment resistance. Results show that such existing connections can develop a considerable moment resistance, but pinched hysteretic curves indicate they have a relatively low energy dissipation capability. Analytical models for prediction of the moment capacity of these connections are also developed and predicted results based on these models are found to be in good agreement with the test results. Then, two retrofitting schemes are proposed to improve the connection's hysteretic behavior, and the adequacy of the suggested retrofits is verified experimentally. First, the addition of ductile knee-brace is investigated. A selective welding approach is developed as a second retrofitting technique. The design philosophy of each retrofitting scheme is explained, and analytical procedures to predict the moment capacity of retrofitted connections are presented. Experimentally obtained hysteretic curves are presented, improvements in the behavior of connections are noted, and comparison with analytical predictions are made.
Psychopathological differences in schizophrenia associated with amphetamine use in a sample of male Saudi patients

Introduction: Amphetamine use is a significant problem around the world and is common in psychiatric patients. Very few studies in Saudi Arabia have addressed the effect of amphetamine on the psychopathology of schizophrenic patients. The study aimed to assess any psychopathological differences in schizophrenia associated with amphetamine use in male Saudi patients at Mental Health Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia. Material and methods: All male patients with schizophrenia admitted during a period of one year were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndromes’ Scale (PANSS). Means of syn-Streszczenie dromes and for schizophrenic patients with recent amphetamine use (RAU) were compared with those with no recent use (NRAU). A χ 2 test was used on the associations. Results: Among 199 schizophrenic male patients included in the study, 35 (17.5%) had amphetamine use over the last week prior to hospital admission. This is referred to as “recent amphetamine use” (RAU). No statistically significant differences in positive symptoms were found between schizophrenic patients of RAU and NRAU, except in excitement, which was higher in (RAU) ( p = 0.028). The scores of negative symptoms were significantly higher in schizophrenic patients with NRAU ( p = 0.002). Regarding risk behaviour, violence was more frequent in RAU patients ( p = 0.037). Discussion: Unlike some other studies, difference was mainly in excitement rather than in delusions or hallucinations, suggesting a trans-cultural issue which needs more exploration. Conclusions: Amphetamine use is associated with psychopathological differences in schizophrenia requiring special consideration and safety measures and more studies of different design. Saudi Arabia, Amphetamine use.
A study to analyze local dose reference level values in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad as a deprived area

Background: Local Dose Reference Level (LDRL) values as the standard radiation dose of all radiography examinations are used in medical imaging to reveal the patient dose level or administered activity for a specified imaging procedure. Materials and Methods: The incident air kerma (Ki) was measured for five radiographic examinations (Skull AP/Lat, Chest AP/Lat, Lumbar AP/Lat, Thoracic AP/Lat and Pelvic AP) throughout the province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-ahmad (as a deprived area). The founding DRLs results were sort; the third quartile was selected as the average DRL and compared with the other DRLs provinces of Iran as well as the standard data of developed countries. Results: The radiographic LDRL were found to be 0.72, 1.62, 3.06, 2.96, 7.21, 9.99, 7.1, 8.42 and 5.56 mGy for Chest PA, Chest Lat, Skull AP, Skull Lat, Lumbar AP, Lumbar Lat, Thoracic AP, Thoracic Lat and Pelvic AP, respectively. Conclusion: The founding revealed that if the applied radiation protocols are as same as developed countries the DRL values in some projections such as the lumbar vertebrae could be close to international
Filling and validating rainfall data based on statistical techniques and artificial intelligence

The study of the hydric regime of rainfall helps in management analysis and decision-making in hydrographic basins, but a fundamental condition is the need for continuous time series of data. Therefore, this study compared gap filling methods in precipitation data and validated them using robust statistical techniques. Precipitation data from the municipality of Itirapina, which has four monitoring stations, were used. Four gap filling techniques were used, namely: normal ratio method, inverse distance weighting, multiple regression and artificial neural networks, in the period from 1979 to 1989. For validation and performance evaluation, the coefficient of determination (R²), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (RMSE), Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (Nash), agreement index (D), confidence index were used (C) and through non-parametric techniques with Mann-Witney and Kruskal-Wallis test. Excellent performances of real data were verified in comparison with estimated data, with values above 0.8 of the coefficient of determination (R²) and of Nash. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were not significant in Stations C1 and C2, demonstrating that there is a difference between real and estimated data and between the proposed methods. It was concluded that the multiple regression and neural network methods showed the best performance. From this study, efficient tools were found to fill the gap, thus promoting better management and operation of water resources. Keywords: artificial neural networks, inverse distance weighting, multiple regression, normal ratio method.
Work‐related injury burden, workers' compensation claim filing, and barriers: Results from a statewide survey of janitors

Abstract Background Janitors are a low‐wage, ethnically and linguistically diverse, hard‐to‐reach population of workers with a high burden of occupational injury and illness. Methods Data from an extensive multimodal (mail, phone, web) survey of janitors in Washington State were analyzed to characterize their working conditions and occupational health experiences. The survey included questions on demographics, work organization and tasks, health and safety topics, and discrimination and harassment. The survey was administered in eight languages. Results There were 620 complete interviews. The majority completed the survey by mail (62.6%), and in English (85.8%). More than half of responding janitors were female (56.9%), and the mean age was 45 years. Twenty percent reported having a (health‐care‐provider diagnosed) work‐related injury or illness (WRII) in the past twelve months. Women and janitors who were Latino had significantly higher relative risk of WRII. Increased risk was also associated with several work organization factors that may indicate poor working conditions, insufficient sleep, and possible depression. Half of injured janitors did not file workers' compensation (WC) claims. Conclusions Janitors reported a high percentage of WRII, which exceeded previously published estimates from Washington State. Women and Latino janitors had significantly increased risk of WRII, and janitors' working conditions may influence the unequal distribution of risk. WRII surveillance via WC or medical care usage in janitors and other low‐wage occupations may reflect substantial underreporting. Characterizing the nature of janitors' work experience can help identify avenues for prevention, intervention, and policy changes to protect the health and safety of janitors.
SURVEY OF WHEEL-RAIL ROLLING CONTACT THEORY

SUMMARY This paper describes the theory of frictional rolling contact as far as it is significant for the wheel-rail system. It is divided into two parts. The first part, mostly non-mathematical, contains a historical survey from the times of Carter and Fromm (1926) to the present day, in which all aspects of rolling contact theory are discussed. Included are a quantitative account of the results of Hertz theory (Section 3), and a table of the creepage and spin coefficients. The second part gives a present day account of the simplified theory (Section 4), and of the exact linear and non-linear theory (Section 5). The paper closes with some recommendations for future research, of which the most pressing is a thorough investigation of the accuracy of simplified theory.
Kinematics and Geochronology of Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic Ductile Deformation in the Alxa Block, NW China: New Constraints on the Evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Strike-slip faults are widely developed throughout the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), one of the largest Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic collages in the world, and may have played a key role in its evolution. Recent studies have shown that a large number of Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic ductile shear zones developed along the southern CAOB. This study reports the discovery of a NW–SE striking, approximately 500 km long and up to 2 km wide regional ductile shear zone in the southern Alxa Block, the Southern Alxa Ductile Shear Zone (SADSZ), which is located in the central part of the southern CAOB. The nearly vertical mylonitic foliation and subhorizontal stretching lineation indicate that the SADSZ is a ductile strike-slip shear zone, and various kinematic indicators indicate dextral shearing. The zircon U-Pb ages and the 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of the muscovite and biotite indicate that the dextral ductile shearing was active during Middle Permian to Middle Triassic (ca. 269–240 Ma). The least horizontal displacement of the SADSZ is constrained between ca. 40 and 50 km. The aeromagnetic data shows that the SADSZ is in structural continuity with the coeval shear zones in the central and northern Alxa Block, and these connected shear zones form a ductile strike-slip duplex in the central part of the southern CAOB. The ductile strike-slip duplex in the Alxa Block, including the SADSZ, connected the dextral ductile shear zones in the western and eastern parts of the southern CAOB to form a 3000 km long E-W trending dextral shear zone, which developed along the southern CAOB during Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic. This large-scale dextral shear zone was caused by the eastward migration of the orogenic collages and blocks of the CAOB and indicates a transition from convergence to transcurrent setting of the southern CAOB during Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic.
Dynamics of Working Hours in Construction

The effects of different aspects of working hours on performance, including length of work and rest periods, time of day, and amount of set overtime, have been studied separately by scholars from different disciplines, including construction. Most of these studies have accounted for specific factors and for specific types of work. Current approaches fall short of enabling a work manager to estimate the impact of various working-hour arrangements on productivity with a reasonable degree of accuracy. We have developed a dynamic modeling tool that can be used for estimating expected productivity in a range of construction jobs for different working-hour arrangements. Through this dynamic modeling tool, construction managers can see the expected effects of working-hour changes on productivity and adjust work-hour schedules to improve productivity. To test the applicability of the model, it has been applied to a real construction case, and the effects of different working-hour arrangements on productivity have.
Comparing functional and cellular layouts: A simulation study based on standardization

In the last decade, over two dozen simulation studies have focused on comparing cellular and functional layouts. The results reported by these studies vary widely, however. This remains true even when the key performance measure is flow time. These variations reflect the disparate manufacturing and operating environments, as well as differences in parts demands, set-up economies, overall loads and other factors. This work attempts to reduce the sources of variation due to different operating assumptions while retaining the variability associated with differences in part mix and demand characteristics. Instead of focusing on a single data source, this study uses a test bed of six problems extracted from the literature and ensures they share the same operational rules. The simulation results show that conversion to CMS can reduce flow times (relative to the job shop configuration) consistently across all data sets, provided the same operating rules and ranges for key parameter are used. We investigate the reduction in flow time while controlling for the key factors of set-up reduction, overall load on the system and batch size. We also assess the benefits of using transfer batches as a further factor in reducing flow time. Our overall conclusion is that set-up reductions in cells can overcome pooling losses, even under the conservative assumptions where batch size remain unchanged and the material transport times in the job shop are assumed to be negligible.
Investigation on Variables Contributing to the Synthesis of C-S-H/PCE Nanocomposites by Co-Precipitation Method

The usage of nanoscale calcium silicate hydrate (nano C-S-H) proved to have an excellent promotion effect on the early performance of concrete as nano C-S-H with ultra-fine particle size can act as seeding for cement hydration. Therefore, it is of importance to tune the particle size during the synthesis process of nano C-S-H. In this paper, the influence of several variables of the particle size distribution (PSD) of nano C-S-H synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method with the aid of polycarboxylate (PCE) was studied by orthogonal experimental design. In addition, the composition, microstructure, and morphology of the C-S-H/PCE nanocomposites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectrum. The results showed that the concentration of reactants had a significant impact on the PSD of C-S-H/PCE nanocomposites, followed by the dosage of dispersant. Ultrasonic treatment was effective in breaking the C-S-H/PCE aggregates with unstable agglomeration structures. The change in synthetic variables had a negligible effect on the composition of the C-S-H/PCE nanocomposites but had a significant influence on the crystallinity and morphology of the composites.
EMSS: New EM-type algorithms for the Heckman selection model in R

When investigators observe non-random samples from populations, sample selectivity problems may occur. The Heckman selection model is widely used to deal with selectivity problems. Based on EM algorithm, Zhao et al. (2020) developed three algorithms, namely, ECM, ECM(NR), and ECME(NR), which also have EM algorithm’s main advantages: stability and ease of implementation. This paper provides the implementation of these three new EM-type algorithms in the package EMSS and illustrates the usage of the package on several simulated and real data examples. The comparison between maximum likelihood estimation method (MLE) and three new EM-type algorithms in robustness issues is further discussed.
Interventions to Improve the Willingness to Work Among Health care Professionals in Times of Disaster: A Scoping Review

The critical role of the health workforce in the function of the health care system is undeniable. In times of disaster and public health emergency, the importance of this valuable resource for the organization multiplies. This scoping review was conducted to identify, analyze, and categorize interventions to improve willingness to work in times of disaster as well as the existing knowledge gaps in the topic. For this purpose, four databases were searched. These included Scopus, PubMed, WOS, and World Health Organization observatory, and they were searched for papers published from July 2000 to September 2020. Studies of the English language that described strategies to improve human resources for health willingness to work during times of disaster/public health emergency were included. Full-text papers were screened by authors and data extraction was done according to self-designed form. Framework analysis identified key interventions based on human resources for health action framework. From 6246 search results, 52 articles were included, a great portion of which was published in 2020 probably due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Northern America was the region with most studies. From 52 included studies, 21 papers have reported the interventions to improve willingness to work and 31 papers have explored factors that affected a willingness to work. The interventions used in the studies were categorized into five themes as Leadership, Partnership, Financing, Education, and Organizational policies. The most and least interventions were financial and partnership respectively. The review identified a wide range of feasible strategies and interventions to improve human resources for health’s willingness to work at times of disaster that are expected to be effective. Organizations should let the staff know these decisions and as a necessary step in every organizational intervention remember to evaluate the impacts.