Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fire loads in commercial premises

This paper presents the results of a survey conducted in the Canadian cities of Ottawa and Gatineau to characterize fire loads in commercial premises. The survey included various commercial establishments such as restaurants, travel agencies, and pharmacies, as well as, retail stores selling clothing, shoes, food, alcohol, computers, and computer supplies. Five different types of combustible material groups were selected as the base of analyses: textiles, plastics, wood/paper, food, and miscellaneous. The data collected were analyzed to determine the total fire load in each establishment, the fire load density, and the contribution of different combustible materials to the total fire load. A total of 168 commercial premises were surveyed with a total floor area of 17127 m2. The area of the surveyed stores ranged from 3.25 to 1707 m2. The fire load densities of the 168 surveyed stores had a lognormal distribution with a mean value of 747 MJ/m2, a maximum value of 5305 MJ/m2, a minimum value of 56 MJ/m2, and a standard deviation of 833 MJ/m2. In most stores, the 95th percentile and the mean fire load density showed a tendency to decrease with an increase of floor area, which is consistent with those of earlier surveys. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of Residual Stresses in Steel Welded Parts Using Ultrasounds

Welding is an assembly process used in different industries. The residual stresses influences fatigue behavior, fracture strength, corrosion resistance and for these reasons knowing their values are important. During time, many destructive as well as nondestructive methods to evaluate residual stresses were developed. Stress is evaluated by inducing a sound wave with the frequency of several megahertz into the sample and measuring velocity related parameters. Besides stress which affects sound velocity there are many others characteristics of metals with same influence and for this reason sorting from different influences made the estimation difficult. On another hand ultrasonic technology has many wave modes to investigate materials including bulk wave (longitudinal and shear wave), surface wave (Rayleigh) every mode offering unique parameters for extracting information. Of the several characteristics that may be used to measure stress the most exploited seems to be sound velocity dependence on the elastic modulus. Our research to estimate residual stress into steel welded parts is based on dependence between sound velocity and elastic modulus using longitudinal sound wave. To conduct the experiments was designed sample as a frame. The sample was loaded using adapted equipment and the results were used for FEA tools (SolidWorks SimulationXpress) to obtain the distribution of stresses and displacements. This approach allowed the location of points of interest to the investigation with ultrasound. The ultrasound investigation was made and presented in comparative tables. It is found that the variation of the velocity of sound for the two charge states of the piece is, on average, 5.8 per thousand. Particular values of residual stress values are observed for the points corresponding with weld or fusion zone and heat-affected zone. The ultrasonic investigation permits the evaluation of bulk stress state of welded components with acceptable accuracy.
Invariant Method of Load Independent Pressure Control in Steam Boiler

Abstract The paper considers the possibility of steam production and supply process improvement by perfection of the steam boiler control system, applying invariance principle that makes possible preemptive compensation of the influence of steam expenditure as a disturbance on the control process quality and efficiency. For the development of invariant control system, the mathematical modeling and simulation in MATLAB - SIMULINK environment is made. The control unit is low pressure steam boiler with one input impact to control - the heat flow of burning gas mixture fuel, one measured output parameter of the process - the steam pressure, and the main disturbance as a load impact - the steam expenditure. The mathematical and virtual models and block-diagrams for transient process simulation is compiled, allowing to start practical design and investigation of steam boiler invariant control system with high operation stability under essentially fluctuating load. The simulation results prove that the optimal solution for the transient process improvement in steam boiler, taking in account fluctuating load, is invariant PID-DPC two loop control system with disturbance impact on steam pressure preemptive compensation. Under invariant control the steam pressure overshoots decreases substantially in comparison with the traditional PID-feedback control method.
Effect of toroidal field ripple and toroidal rotation on H-mode performance and ELM characteristics in JET/JT-60U similarity experiments

The effect of the toroidal field (TF) ripple and edge toroidal rotation (VT) on H-mode and pedestal performance as well as on ELM characteristics are investigated both in JET and JT-60U using matched plasma shape. In JT-60U, the amplitude of TF ripple (δr) was reduced from ∼1.2% to ∼0.5% (averaged value at BT = 2.2 T) after the installation of ferritic steel tiles (FSTs). In addition with FSTs, δr can also be varied by changing the toroidal magnetic field for a given separatrix position. In JET, the TF system can be configured to feed different currents to the odd and even coil sets out of 32 TF coils. In this operation mode, δr can actively be varied by selecting the appropriate differential current between each coil set. In both devices, it is observed that the edge VT, which was in the same direction as the plasma current (co-VT), reduced with increasing δr. Even at the same δr of 0.5%, the achievable edge VT in JT-60U was still lower than that in JET due to higher neutral beam fast ion losses in JT-60U. A series of power and density scans performed at several δr indicated that plasmas with smaller ripple amplitude and/or larger co-VT are favourable to achieve higher pped and HH factor in both devices. As for ELM characteristics, larger co-VT seems to increase the ELM energy loss together with the reduction of the ELM frequency.
Kinematic Analysis of the Barbell During the Snatch Movement of Elite Asian Weight Lifters

The purpose of this study was to describe the kinematic characteristics of the snatch technique from the viewpoint of barbell trajectory. Subjects included 6 elite male Asian weight lifters who participated in the first Japan International Friendship Tournament in 1993. Trajectories of the barbell during snatch lifts in the competition were video-taped. Three vertical acceleration peaks of the barbell during the pull movement were observed and corresponded to the first pull transition, and second pull phases. The angle of the resultant acceleration (ARA) of the barbell averaged 85° in the first pull and transition pull phases. In the second pull phase, the ARA was almost 140°, indicating that the barbell was accelerated anteriorly, away from the lifter. The results of this study suggest that during the first pull and transition pull phases, elite lifters pulled the barbell toward themselves to produce the needed vertical acceleration and that the resulting posterior movement of the barbell was controlled .
Semiconductor transport simulation with the local iterative Monte Carlo technique

In typical particle simulations applied to device problems, it is desirable to simulate regions having widely different carrier concentration with similar resolution of the energy distribution function. Standard Monte Carlo (MC) algorithms use variance reduction techniques to limit the statistical error in regions of low carrier density. Here, we describe an alternative approach, based on a local iterative MC algorithm, where the carrier distribution is calculated by an iterative application of short MC steps for test particles that represent the local density. The information obtained from the local MC procedure is used to compute directly the evolution of the energy distribution function from an initial distribution until a steady state is reached. This local iterative procedure treats the charge density, represented by the MC, with arbitrary weight, independently of the actual number of physical particles corresponding to a given density. In this way, the computation time is the same for low- or high-density regions, leading to a more efficient use of computational resources and uniform statistical error. The computation time can be reduced also by tabulating and using more than once the results from the local MC steps in the overall iteration process. While the local iterative MC approach does not have the generality of the standard MC technique, much faster calculations and greatly reduced statistical noise are possible when applied to steady-state problems. We present a number of simulation examples for silicon devices, which illustrate the capabilities of the approach.
The impact of cultural resemblance on management control of supplier relations: longitudinal evidence in the automotive industry

This study explores the impact of cultural resemblance on the management control system (MCS) of supplier relationships. Although MCSs are contingent on situational characteristics and this contingency fit is associated with good performance, it remains unclear whether cultural resemblance between manufacturer and supplier contributes to the speed of MCS change, so that temporary misfits due to changing circumstances are less likely to occur. To illustrate this effect of cultural resemblance on MCS dynamics, we perform a twofold longitudinal case study of similar automotive manufacturer-supplier relationships that differ with respect to cultural resemblance. Findings show that in case of high cultural resemblance, the speed of increasing the level of management control is higher. That way, upcoming contingency changes are appropriately anticipated by an increase in the level of management control, already before contingencies actually change. Consequently, a MCS misfit and potential decreasing operational performance are avoided. Oppositely, in case of low cultural resemblance, adjusting the MCS to changing circumstances requires more time. This leads to a temporal MCS misfit that contributes to escalating operational difficulties, until the MCS is changed. Furthermore, the case data show three mechanisms by which cultural resemblance enhances management control according to earlier findings in the literature: increased communication on the initiative of the supplier, proper information exchange and trust enhancing signals. Finally, our findings show that the manufacturer influences supplier decision making to install a manager of the manufacturer’s choice and that way influences the supplier’s culture.
Evidence of Supramolecular Origin of Selectivity in Solvent Extraction of Bifunctional Amidophosphonate Extractants with Different Configurations

ABSTRACT Extraction mechanisms of two bifunctional extractants which differ only by the grafting of an alkyl chain between their two functions were investigated at molecular and supramolecular scales to investigate the origin of their very different separation factors toward uranium and zirconium. Investigation of the complex structure with spectroscopic analysis (Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), ElectroSpray Ionization Mass Spectroscopy (ESI-MS) and Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS)) demonstrated that alkylation does not affect the chelation mechanism of uranium and zirconium. Stoichiometries of complexes remain identical for both extractants: UO2L2(NO3)2 and zirconium polynuclear complexes are formed after extraction into the organic phase. The origin of selectivity was therefore investigated by considering the supramolecular self-assembly of the two bifunctional molecules. Small-Angle X ray and Neutrons Scattering (SAXS and SANS) showed that the highest separation factors between U and Zr are obtained when smaller aggregates are formed. The results of this study therefore suggests that the selectivity is controlled by the supramolecular self-assembly of the two extractant molecules. Thanks to a smaller packing parameter, the non-alkylated molecule forms bigger aggregates analogous to reverse micelles that can extract additional polar species in their polar core through a solubilization effect, thus decreasing the separation factor between uranium and zirconium.
The Effect of Locally Generated Revenue as an Intervening Variable on the Financial Performance of the Regional Government of South Sumatra Province

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the direct or indirect effect of the Balancing Fund and Capital Expenditure on the Financial Performance of Local Governments through Regional Original Income as an Intervening Variable. The object of this research is the report on the realization of the APBD of 17 districts/Cities in the Province of South Sumatra from 2016-2020. Design/methodology/approach: The data used is secondary data from the website of the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance of the Republic of Indonesia (www.djpk.depkeu.go.id) in the form of quantitative data with the type of data, namely time series, which is during the period 2016-2020. The research population used is 17 regencies/cities in South Sumatra Province and the sample used is 85 samples. Data analysis techniques in this research are descriptive analysis, classical assumption test, hypothesis testing and path analysis using SPSS for Windows version 26.0 software. Findings: The results of this study indicate that the Balancing Fund does not directly affect Regional Original Revenue, Directly Capital Expenditure affects Regional Original Income, Directly the Balancing Fund, Capital Expenditure, and Regional Original Income cannot affect Regional Government Financial Performance, Indirectly the Balancing Fund variable and Capital Expenditures affect the Financial Performance of Regional Governments through Regional Original Revenues as Intervening Variables. Practical implications: This research is expected to be an evaluation material for Local Governments in improving Government Financial Performance. Originality/value: The conclusion of this study is that indirectly Locally Generated Revenue plays an important role in increasing the effectiveness of local
Telework, Human Resource Flexibility and Firm Performance

The results of a survey of 156 Spanish firms indicate that HR development practices are positively associated to the intensity of telework adoption and they moderate the relationship between telework and firm performance. The positive moderator effect of HR development practices indicates that their implementation is necessary not only to facilitate telework adoption but also to enhance the otherwise marginal contribution of telework at organisational level.
Robust decentralised load-frequency control of multi-area power systems

A robust decentralised load-frequency controller, based on the Riccati-equation approach, is proposed for multi-area power systems with parametric uncertainties. It comprises N local robust load-frequency controllers for a N-area power system. N interlinked Riccati equations are produced initially which are separated via a decoupling technique. Bounds of system parametric uncertainties are included in these Riccati equations to improve the robustness of the intended controller. One local robust load-frequency relationship is obtained by solving the corresponding decoupled Riccati equation. It operates on its local measurements; feedback from other areas is not needed. The overall system is asymptotically stable, for all admissible system parametric uncertainties, when all the local load-frequency controllers are working together. Good performance is reported from the studied three-area power system even in the presence of the generation-rate constraint.
Efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions for individual features of fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

ABSTRACT Fibromyalgia is a highly heterogeneous condition, but the most common symptoms are widespread pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and low mood. Nonpharmacological interventions are recommended as first-line treatment of fibromyalgia. However which interventions are effective for the different symptoms is not well understood. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions on symptoms and disease-specific quality of life. Seven databases were searched from their inception until June 1, 2020. Randomised controlled trials comparing any nonpharmacological intervention to usual care, waiting list, or placebo in people with fibromyalgia aged >16 years were included without language restriction. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was the primary outcome measure. Standardised mean difference and 95% confidence interval were calculated using random effects model. The risk of bias was evaluated using the modified Cochrane tool. Of the 16,251 studies identified, 167 randomised controlled trials (n = 11,012) assessing 22 nonpharmacological interventions were included. Exercise, psychological treatments, multidisciplinary modality, balneotherapy, and massage improved FIQ. Subgroup analysis of different exercise interventions found that all forms of exercise improved pain (effect size [ES] -0.72 to -0.96) and depression (ES -0.35 to -1.22) except for flexibility exercise. Mind-body and strengthening exercises improved fatigue (ES -0.77 to -1.00), whereas aerobic and strengthening exercises improved sleep (ES -0.74 to -1.33). Psychological treatments including cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness improved FIQ, pain, sleep, and depression (ES -0.35 to -0.55) but not fatigue. The findings of this study suggest that nonpharmacological interventions for fibromyalgia should be individualised according to the predominant symptom.
PENERAPAN METODE KARYA WISATA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN TEMATIK UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PRESTASI BELAJAR IPA SISWA KELAS 1.C SD NEGERI 9 AMPENAN

Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi oleh rendahnya prestasi belajar siswa kelas 1.C SD Negeri 9 Ampenan pada semester I Tahun Pelajaran 2018/2019 yang disebab kan oleh sulitnya siswa memahami materi yang ada pada mata pelajaran IPA. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan prestasi belajar IPA pada siswa kelas 1.C SD Negeri 9 Ampenan pada semester I Tahun Pelajaran 2018/2019. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah tes prestasi belajar yang dianalisis secara deskriptif.Hasil tes kemampuan awal siswa menunjukkan nilai rata-rata kelas baru mencapai 57,60 dengan presentase ketuntasan belajar sebesar 28%. Hasil tersebut menunjukkan prestasi belajar IPA siswa masih rendah. Setelah diterapkannya metode karya wisata dalam pembelajaran tematik, nilai siswa pada siklus I mencapai 59,20 dengan presentase ketuntasan beajar sebesar 36%. Sedangkan nilai rata-rata di siklus II meningkat menjadi 82,00 dengan presentase ketuntasan belajar mencapai 96%. Hasil yang diperoleh menunjukan adanya peningkatan setelah menggunakan metode karya wisata dalam pembelajaran tematik dan indikator keberhasilan penelitian di capai pada siklus II. Hasil yang telah iperoleh menunjukan bahwa penggunaan metode karya wisata dalam pembelajaran tematik terbukti dapat meningkat kanprestasi belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran IPA. Untuk itu disarankan metode karya wisata dalam pembelajaran temetik dapat dipertimbangkan digunakan dalam pembelajaran dikelas.
Understanding Northeastern US Alpine Mountains: Context, Causal Agents of Treeline, and Meteorology to Approximate Their Response to Climate Change

Abstract - Understanding climate change and air pollution impacts on the northeastern region's restricted alpine ecosystems is complex. Reduced in size and spatial distribution post deglaciation, these alpine ecosystems survived the Hypsithermal warming period with less change than lower-elevation ecosystems. They are low for their latitude and below physiologically limited treeline. More-recent data support and expand on earlier researchers' hypotheses that wind and moisture, not temperature, explains the continued existence of alpine ecosystems in the Northeast. Shifts in species composition and abundance may occur, but frequency of free troposphere exposure, wind, clouds, and rime-icing events, and related topographic, aspect, and microhabitat may maintain resistance to major alpine-treeline ecotone boundary shifts in this century. Under scenarios assuming high levels of emission of greenhouse gases, future predictions become less clear.
Clays Are Not Created Equal: How Clay Mineral Type Affects Soil Parameterization

Clay minerals dominate the soil colloidal fraction and its specific surface area. Differences among clay mineral types significantly influence their effects on soil hydrological and mechanical behavior. Presently, the soil clay content is used to parameterize soil hydraulic and mechanical properties (SHMP) for land surface models while disregarding the type of clay mineral. This undifferentiated use of clay leads to inconsistent parameterization, particularly between tropical and temperate soils, as shown herein. We capitalize on recent global maps of clay minerals that exhibit strong climatic and spatial segregation of active and inactive clays to consider spatially resolved clay mineral types in SHMP estimation. Clay mineral‐informed pedotransfer functions and machine learning algorithms trained with datasets including different clay types and soil structure formation processes improve SHMP representation regionally with broad implications for hydrological and geomechanical Earth surface processes.
An Investigation Into Qualitative Differences Between Bus Users and Operators for Intercity Travel in Malaysia

Public transport usage in Malaysia is showing a downward trend. Despite major improvements implemented as well as intended for public transport, the bus user satisfaction is constantly on a decline. This study investigated qualitative differences between bus users and operators based on 11 pre-selected quality attributes for an intercity travel in Malaysia with a predominant public transport mode– the Bus. The perceptions were measured via responses on a likert scale to establish differences. Perceptual, socio-economic and trip data were collected using questionnaire from bus users and operators on a pre-selected route-Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur (JB-KL). Analyses used statistical tools particularly correlation analyses, step-wise multiple regression analyses, Mann Whitney test methods and Wilcoxon test. Quadrant analyses established relationship between relative importance and satisfaction from quality attributes. Results indicate significant correlation differences in both groups on attributes viz. ‘bus fares’ ‘travel comfort’, ‘travel convenience’, ‘ticket availability’ and the ‘facilities at the bus terminal’. Study revealed significant gaps in the understanding about the composition of bus service-quality by operators. Alternate hypothesis were rejected as bus users and operators reveal significant perception differences on quality attributes–‘bus fares’, ‘travel comfort’ and ‘bus staff behaviour’. The satisfaction levels of four extremely important quality attributes viz. ‘bus fares’, ‘travel comfort’, ‘bus staff behaviour’ and ‘bus user security’ were found low to average. Similarly major deterrents of the bus patronage were appraised. In this endeavour, the research exploited knowledge of perceptions to suggest quality attributes that are necessary to improve public transport ridership and consequently the modal share of public transport in Malaysia.