Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Possible hazards of work environment in metal processing industry in Latvia

Possible hazards of work environment in metal processing industry in Latvia The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors in the work environment of Latvian metal processing industry using the database of the Laboratory of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health, Rīga Stradiņš University. During the period between 1996 and 2005, 703 measurements were made in metalworking enterprises. In Latvia, approximately 2.4% of the workforce is involved in the metal processing industry. Physical (noise, lighting, vibration) and chemical (abrasive dust, welding aerosol and contained metals) risk factors were analysed. In the assessed metalworking workplaces, the work environment was estimated to be of poor quality, because occupational exposure limits or recommended values were exceeded in 42% (n = 294) of cases. Noise, manganese and welding aerosols most often exceeded the occupational exposure limits or recommended values, the significance was P < 0.001, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively. Riska faktoru analīze metālapstrādes nozarē Latvijā Pētījuma mērķis bija veikt galveno darba vides riska faktoru analīzi Latvijas metālapstrādes uzņēmumos, izmantojot Rīgas Stradiņa universitātes Darba drošības un vides veselības institūta Higiēnas un arodslimību laboratorijas datu bāzi. Laika periodā no 1996. gada līdz 2005. gadam tika veikti 703 mērījumi dažādos metālapstrādes, ražošanas un pārstrādes nozares uzņēmumos. Analizēti fizikālie riska faktori (troksnis, apgaismojums, vibrācija), ķīmiskie riska faktori (abrazīvie putekļi, metināšanas aerosols un tā sastāvā ietilpstošie metāli, u.c.). Apsekotajās metālapstrādes nozares darba vietās darba vides apstākļu radītais iespējamais risks strādājošo veselībai ir nozīmīgs, jo 42% (n = 294) mērījumu tika pārsniegtas arodekspozīcijas robežvērtības vai rekomendējamie lielumi. Visvairāk rekomendējamos lielumus vai arodekspozīcijas robežvērtības pārsniedz troksnis (P < 0.001), metināšanas aerosols (P < 0.05), mangāns (P < 0.01).
Assessing the Burden of Family Caregivers of People with Dementia Living in the Community of a Greek Island

Introduction: The family caregiver’s role is crucial in providing care for people with dementia, but equally important is the burden accompanying such care. Purpose: To assess the burden of family caregivers of elderly with dementia who live in the community, as well as to investigate the determinants of the burden. Patients and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted using the “Zarit Burden Interview”, in which the demographic details were included. The questionnaires were completed through personal interviews. Responses from a sample of 114 family caregivers of elderly with dementia living in urban and rural areas of a Greek island were examined. Statistical analyses included t-test, chi-square test and ANOVA. Multiple linear regression was applied to analyse the factors affecting caregiver’s burden. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: The majority of the family caregivers were women, daughters mainly, with a low income and mean age 58 years. Mean total burden of caregivers is characterised as moderate to severe. The burden is not correlated with gender, while younger age, high income and high educational level of the caregiver is related to low burden score. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the number of caregivers’ health problems is the primary variable related to the burden score. Caregiver›s own health state with chronic health problems (hypertension, respiratory problems, diabetes) is correlated with higher burden score. The duration of caregiving is proportional to the caregivers’ burden. Social support of the family and the availability of community facilities are both requested by the caregivers themselves. Conclusions: Design and implementation of targeted actions to create dementia-friendly communities will support family caregivers and will contribute to the strengthening the institution of the family, to avoid institutionalization and thus enhance the health and well-being of the caregiver and the care recipient.
The analysis and evaluation of a quality system using the Six Sigma benchmark: evidence for the robustness of Six Sigma processes

This paper shows how Six Sigma methods can be used to analyse the quality system of a company based on a case study. It broadens Six Sigma analysis by first comparing the qualitative characteristics of a company's quality system to benchmark Six Sigma practices. Second, it computes the company's Six Sigma metrics and compares these with the Six Sigma benchmark. It investigates how well the company's quality system performs when subjected to process drift and tightened customer requirements compared with the Six Sigma benchmark. The analysis provides richer sigma metrics than those found in published Six Sigma tables. The quantitative results provide evidence that Six Sigma processes are robust. They show that divergence of the qualitative characteristics of a company's quality system from Six Sigma practices mirrors the deviation of the performance of its process quality from quantitative Six Sigma metrics.
Modelling the Contribution of Passive Smoking to Exposure to PM10 in UK Homes

A physical compartmental model (INTAIR) has been pa rameterised to estimate PM10 concentrations and has been used to assess the contribution of smoking to PM10 levels for typical homes in the UK. The results suggest that smoking activity at home increases the daily mean concentrations in the living room by 1-1.5 μg. m-3 per cigarette smoked, and may contribute significantly to personal exposures to PM10. The model simulations demonstrate that the contribution of smoking to daily mean concentrations is highly dependent on the air exchange rate between the room and outdoors.
Examining the effects of green supply chain management practices and their mediations on performance improvements

Environmental pressures have caused green supply chain management (GSCM) to emerge as an important corporate environmental strategy for manufacturing enterprises. For manufacturers to fully realise the performance potentials of GSCM, they need to integrate internal GSCM practices emphasising functional coordination with external GSCM practices such as cooperation with suppliers and customers in the implementation. Using coordination theory, this article examines three models used to evaluate the mediation relationships between the external and internal practices of GSCM with respect to environmental, economic, and operational performance. We posit that the strategic stance of manufacturing enterprises in improving their overall performance and competitive position requires a joint coordination of internal and external GSCM practices. Survey data collected from 396 Chinese manufacturing enterprises are used to validate our arguments by testing the mediation effects of two categories of GSCM practices. Our empirical results show support for the mediation effects, which indicates the importance for manufacturers to coordinate between the internal and external aspects of implementing GSCM practices to reap the performance benefits. Coordinating internal and external GSCM practices to seek performance improvements is an important aspect of the manufacturing operations strategy. The dynamics of implementing GSCM practices and the performance contingencies are worthwhile topics to pursue in future research.
Coordinated wastewater treatment and reuse — a developing country's experience

The operation and management of a sewage treatment plant located at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria was investigated. The system, a constant stabilization activated sludge treats domestic and other wastewater, while the effluent is indirectly reused through irrigation and to augment the flow in an adjacent lake. Physico‐chemical analysis of raw sewage, treated effluent and raw water from the receiving lake indicated a high removal efficiency of organic pollutants. In particular, the removal efficiencies of NH3‐N, NO3‐N and Chemical Oxygen Demand were 25%, 36% and 79%, respectively. Bacteriological analysis indicated a substantial removal of coliform, so that the receiving lake is not seriously threatened. The treatment process appears to be cost effective, well maintained, operationally suitable and environmentally safe. Current operating cost is estimated at N170/head/annum. The adaptation of such treatment process to emerging settlements in Nigeria will demons.
Growth and agronomy of Miscanthus x giganteus for biomass production

Miscanthus x giganteus is a highly productive, sterile, rhizomatous, C4 perennial grass that should be considered as a feedstock for bioenergy production. Here, we review the current state of research and the future of M. x giganteus biomass production. Since the 1980s, the grass has been studied and used in Europe to produce heat and electricity via combustion. Since 2005, the US government has encouraged research using herbaceous feedstocks for conversion to ethanol for use as transportation fuel. M. x giganteus is being widely studied in the USA because of its potential to produce large quantities of biomass. This review examines the taxonomy and genetics, growth and development, physiology and agronomy, and modeled and potential ‘real-world’ yields of M. x giganteus in Europe and the USA. In addition, the invasiveness and the future perspective of M. x giganteus utility and research in the USA are also considered.
Control Environment and Risk Management of Listed Financial Services Firms in Nigeria

A considerable number of studies have examined the effect of control environment on risk management at corporate level. However, these studies failed to disaggregate control environment into its elements and therefore failed to answer the question of which of the elements of control environment has the most impact. It is in view of this that this study examines the effect of control environment on risk management of listed financial services firms in Nigeria. Primary data was collected using the 5-point Likert scale structured questionnaire adopted from Ernst and Young (2003), the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013) and Simon and Fishbacher (2009) frameworks. 30 copies of the questionnaire were administered on each of the 35 sampled listed financial services firms. The data were diagnosed by means of normality test, multicollinearity test, heteroskedasticity test and reliability test and analyzed using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) and multiple regression analysis. Results show that all the 6 measures of control environment have significant effects on risk management among listed finance services firms in Nigeria. The study, therefore, concludes that integrity, values, ethics and behaviours of managers, management control and consciousness, commitment, board and audit committee participation in corporate governance and oversight and organizational structure, assignment of authority and human resource policy and practices are important considerations in risk management. The study recommends among others that the board and audit committee of the firms to take a more proactive participation in corporate governance and oversight. Managers must acknowledge their role in shaping organizational ethics and values and seize this opportunity to create a climate that can strengthen the relationships and reputations on which their companies’ success depends. Sound decision-making is a crucial skill for managers. From overseeing a team to leading a critical meeting, being an effective manager requires knowing how to analyze complex business problems and implement a plan for moving forward. Finally, management should position their organizations within their markets to exploit organizational
Partitioning Complexity in Air Traffic Management Tasks

Cognitive complexity is a term that appears frequently in air traffic control research literature, yet there is little principled investigation of the potential sources of cognitive complexity. Three distinctly different sources of cognitive complexity are proposed: environmental, organizational, and display. Two experiments were conducted to explore whether these proposed components of complexity could be effectively partitioned, measured, and compared. The findings demonstrate that sources of complexity can be decomposed and measured and furthermore, the use of color in displays, a display design intervention meant to reduce environmental complexity, can actually contribute to it.
Determinant Factors for Throwing in Competition in Male Elite Handball

The aims of this study were to define determinant factors that affected throwing actions used to score goals in handball, and to study the effectiveness of throwing actions and their relationships with different factors during their use, such as: the throwing distance, type of arm build, type of throw, whether it is done while jumping or while supported, the last supporting foot and the previous step cycle, as well as their relationship with the final score of the game in elite male handball competitions. A total of 1049 shots from 24 matches in the 2018/19/20 International Men’s Handball Championship were analysed. The results show that distance is relevant in the effectiveness of throwing, setting the build up, throwing while supported or jumping, the type of throwing, the type of steps cycle used and the supporting foot. This seems to indicate that the determining factor that affects a throw is distance.
Source terms for plutonium aerosolization from nuclear weapon accidents

The source term literature was reviewed to estimate aerosolized and respirable release fractions for accidents involving plutonium in high-explosive (HE) detonation and in fuel fires. For HE detonation, all estimates are based on the total amount of Pu. For fuel fires, all estimates are based on the amount of Pu oxidized. I based my estimates for HE detonation primarily upon the results from the Roller Coaster experiment. For hydrocarbon fuel fire oxidation of plutonium, I based lower bound values on laboratory experiments which represent accident scenarios with very little turbulence and updraft of a fire. Expected values for aerosolization were obtained from the Vixen A field tests, which represent a realistic case for modest turbulence and updraft, and for respirable fractions from some laboratory experiments involving large samples of Pu. Upper bound estimates for credible accidents are based on experiments involving combustion of molten plutonium droplets. In May of 1991 the DOE Pilot Safety Study Program established a group of experts to estimate the fractions of plutonium which would be aerosolized and respirable for certain nuclear weapon accident scenarios.
Refiner optimization and control Part I: Fiber residence time and major dynamic fluctuations in TMP refining processes

The study focuses on dynamic considerations in a mill-wide perspective showing that mill economy is closely linked to optimization of TMP and power plant. Special attention is given to stability issues in the refining processes. Describing the dynamics in such nonlinear processes is difficult and tedious and requires significant knowledge about where in the operating window to run the refiners. Results show the dynamics in the internal states, temperature profiles and the plate gap sensors responses and how they correspond to the refiner motor load. Disturbances in production affect the plate gap sensors and the temperature profiles in the same direction, while deliberate changes in the plate gap result in a dynamic situation where the motor load and temperature profile change in opposite directions. It is shown that the total residence time and the ratio between the residence time before and after the maximum temperature will be important when formulating specifications for energy efficient refining. As an example of how the refining process affects the mill economy, the start-up procedures for two different types of refiners will be penetrated. It is shown that the start-ups are most often associated with an over shoot in the motor load, which is easy to overcome.
Recommendations for Improving Graduate Adviser-Advisee Communication

Communication between advisees and their research advisers while they are in graduate school has a major impact on their academic and research performance. A model of communication process was verified using results from a poll of more than 100 engineering graduate students. Major findings from the results and analyses include that advisees appreciate an adviser’s concern, pressure, and timely feedback. However, graduate students would like their advisers to be more sensitive to their lack of technical knowledge. Feedback from the advisee to the adviser can increase the likelihood of effective communication. In addition, advisers need to better guide their students in career building aspects during the Ph.D. process (e.g., submitting papers to journals). Language differences do not appear to be significant barrier to effective communication. An array of recommendations for improving adviser-advisee communication is provided.
The Attitudinal Differences in Source Separation and Waste Reduction between the General Public and the Housewives in Hong Kong

Abstract As in most Western communities, source separation of household waste has gained popularity among the general public in Hong Kong. Despite an increasing number of married women involved in full time paid work, women are most involved in waste management in most Hong Kong families. Thus, the attitude of this social group—housewives—is decisive in the success of the source separation of household waste and other recycling related activities. Attitudinal differences between housewives and the general public were found with respect to the amount of avoidable waste, the incentive level of waste collection charges, the acceptable level of a green premium, the support of source separation of household waste and a deposit–refund system on beverage containers and cell batteries. Although housewives were also found to support waste recycling and reduction, the intensity of support was more modest in general than in the rest of the Hong Kong population, with the exception of the deposit–refund scheme for beverage containers. At the same time, economic incentive is a more powerful drive for housewives than for the general public at large for enhancing waste recycling and reduction.
Fully nonlinear time-domain simulation of a backward bent duct buoy floating wave energy converter using an acceleration potential method

ABSTRACT A floating Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converter, a Backward Bent Duct Buoy (BBDB), was simulated using a state-of-the-art, two-dimensional, fully-nonlinear Numerical Wave Tank (NWT) technique. The hydrodynamic performance of the floating OWC device was evaluated in the time domain. The acceleration potential method, with a full-updated kernel matrix calculation associated with a mode decomposition scheme, was implemented to obtain accurate estimates of the hydrodynamic force and displacement of a freely floating BBDB. The developed NWT was based on the potential theory and the boundary element method with constant panels on the boundaries. The mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) approach was employed to capture the nonlinear free surfaces inside the chamber that interacted with a pneumatic pressure, induced by the time-varying airflow velocity at the air duct. A special viscous damping was applied to the chamber free surface to represent the viscous energy loss due to the BBDB’s shape and motions. The viscous damping coefficient was properly selected using a comparison of the experimental data. The calculated surface elevation, inside and outside the chamber, with a tuned viscous damping correlated reasonably well with the experimental data for various incident wave conditions. The conservation of the total wave energy in the computational domain was confirmed over the entire range of wave frequencies.
A Pilot Project for the Study of Ergonomic Interventions in Manufacturing Environments

A participatory ergonomics approach is being tested in two product-matched manufacturing lines framed as intervention and control groups. The project is intended to evaluate the process and the effectiveness of the participatory ergonomics change program. This paper reports on preliminary baseline data on jobs as well as the research process used. Long project time-lines, absence of researcher control, and ongoing change in the manufacturing site pose methodological challenges. Early implementation of visible changes may help foster worker participation. Preparation for post-change evaluation is now underway.
The influence of generation on knowledge sharing connections and methods in construction and engineering organizations headquartered in the US

Four generations of employees: Traditionalists, Baby boomers, Generation X and Generation Y, are now working together in organizations. This demographic diversity can provide benefits for construction and engineering organizations, but it can also hinder knowledge sharing across organizations. Because well-distributed knowledge sharing connections (KSCs) increase knowledge sharing across the entire organization, thereby enhancing performance, managers are focusing on how to facilitate these connections. With four generations working together within organizations, managers need to ascertain how to span generational boundaries to increase organizational knowledge sharing and to (1) determine whether generational attributes of employees impact on knowledge sharing patterns; and (2) identify the most frequent knowledge sharing (KS) methods that each generation uses to share knowledge within communities of practice (CoPs) in construction and engineering companies. To address this, data were obtained from 734 employees within three CoPs in two construction and engineering organizations headquartered in the United States. Using a unit of analysis of KSCs, the generational attributes of CoP members were mapped to their existing KSCs, along with their preferences for methods to share knowledge, to analyse the influence of generation on these connections. Findings show that even though survey respondents rated generational attributes as not important for maintaining KSCs, the generational attributes of employees influenced the existence of KSCs. Moreover, results indicate that there was no difference between generations in using the most popular KS methods of personal discussion and e-mail, while significant differences were observed in the use of instant messaging and meetings for different generations.