Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrating Handheld Technology with Field Investigations in Introductory-level Geoscience Courses

Many geoscience students do not receive the opportunity to use handheld computers and similar tools during field experiences until they enroll in upper-division courses or attend field camp. Although many outdoor exercises in introductory-level courses include demonstrations of pieces of equipment in the field, students in these classes may not have a chance to use these equipment individually. However, handheld technology can be successfully integrated with introductory-level field experiences as a data collection tool and reference guide. Palm Pilot handheld computers offer each student the opportunity to become actively involved in the field experience. Forms can be created and tailored to a specific outdoor investigation and placed on the Palms for students to collect data. Instructors can create instructional videos and eBooks with references on the Palms that correspond to the project objective. For two years Penn State Delaware County has integrated handheld technology with field experiences into introductory-level geoscience courses in physical geology and oceanography. In addition to giving students a valuable introduction to technology that can be used in the field, the experience gives non-science majors a chance to see an application of an everyday technological tool in a nontraditional setting. End-of-semester course evaluations are filled with positive comments and student suggestions of further Palm Pilot integration.
Releasing sheltered northern red oak during the early stem exclusion stage

The utility of releasing sheltered northern red oak was examined in mesic hardwood stands in north central West Virginia. Different levels of release were applied in the spring of 1996 - six growing seasons after planting 2-0 seedlings that were protected with 5 ft corrugated plastic shelters. The planting was done in a 7.77 acre forest opening that developed abundant natural regeneration, but lacked a self-sustaining oak component. The most intensive release consisted of cutting all stems within a 5 ft radius of the sheltered tree (n = 20). A less intensive release consisted of the removal of only stems that were significantly overtopping the sheltered tree (n = 20). A control group in which the trees were not released was also incorporated into the study (n = 19).
SERVQUAL

Introduction: Quality is defined based on the recipient's request. Students are the main members of the higher educational system. The aim of this study was to investigate the items related to the quality of services from the students’ point. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in six faculties of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2015-2016. Five hundred and seven undergraduate students were enrolled by multi-stage random sampling method. The standard SERVQUAL questionnaire with 27 pairs of questions which evaluate the quality of educational servies, was distributed. SPSS version 24 was used for data analysis. Results: Overall, 303 individuals (60%) were female and another 60% were in basic science period. There was a negative gap in all items in all the faculties. The item related to "the appealing appearance of the employees" had the smallest gap (from -0.6 to -0.1). The greatest gaps were related to the following items: in the medical(-1.7±0.1) and health (-1.8±0.2) faculties, "preparing students for future jobs by providing necessary theoretical and practical trainings"; in the faculty of dentistry(-2.0±0.1), "staff flexibility in specific conditions"; in the faculties of pharmacy(-1.5±0.1) and nursing(-1.2±0.1) "room and environmental facilities"; in the faculty of paramedicine(-1.5±0.1), "possibility for students to comment on educational programs" and "appropriate time for conducting classes". Conclusion: Items with highest gaps were not similar among different faculties. Focusing on the identified items with the greatest negative gaps is highly recommended. Students’ Expressed
the Appropriation of ERP Packages

This work is covered by copyright. Unless the document is being made available under a Creative Commons Licence, you must assume that re-use is limited to personal use and that permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses. If the document is available under a Creative Commons License (or other specified license) then refer to the Licence for details of permitted re-use. It is a condition of access that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. If you believe that this work infringes copyright please provide details by email to qut.copyright@qut.edu. au
Empirical Analysis of Demographic Factors Affecting Intention to use Mobile Wallet

Purpose: Development of digitalisation in banking services brought changes in the minds of customers to adopt different e -channels of banking products and services. Adoption of mobile wallet may be influenced by the demographic variables of customers.The study aims to understand the influence of demographic variables on the factors of intention to use mobile wallets Methodology/ Approach Primary and Secondary data have been utilized for analysis. The sample size of 200 respondents are chosen on method of judgement sampling Novelty Mobile wallet is one of the robust methods of making payments through online which is tremendously increased gain importance in the digital era among millennials generation group. Limited research has been conducted in the area of mobile wallet adoption. The proposed research work adds new dimension to the existing research work that the role of demographic variables on the usage of mobile wallet Practical Implications The outcomes of the current study would help the government for formulating polices and taking strategic decisions. Further the research would add value addition to mobile wallet service providers to devise strategies that will foster the mobile wallets’ adoption by the end users. Findings It has been found that with respect to genders, the factor personal innovativeness makes significant difference on the intent to use mobile wallet and the other factors such as perceived enjoyment and subjective norms do not differ significantly. Age has a significant difference on the mobile wallet usage intention.
DIRECT CALCULATION OF MAXIMUM CURVATURE AND STRAIN IN ASPHALT CONCRETE LAYERS OF PAVEMENTS FROM LOAD DEFLECTION BASIN MEASUREMENTS

Deflection measurements under impulse load carried out with the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) are usually processed by using elastic layer analysis programs, back-calculating layer moduli from measured deflections, and then forward-computing critical performance parameters such as stresses and strains at locations under the load. Presented here is a direct, and more reliable way, of computing the important value of horizontal strain at the bottom of the asphaltic layer. The measured deflections from an FWD test, the radius of load distribution, and the thickness under the load are the only data needed to calculate, first, the curvature, and then, the strains in the top (asphaltic) layer of a pavement structure, in the center under the load. Corresponding stresses can also be calculated but additional information is needed, namely, the elastic stiffness of the first layer, Poisson's ratio, and the load-induced vertical stress. It is shown that strains and stresses in the immediate vicinity of the load position as computed with elastic layer analysis methods via back-calculated moduli are not as reliable as this new proposed strain criterion. At this time, the proposed new method of calculating strain directly is derived, presented, and discussed as a theory, without experimental field verification.
Are most published research findings false in a continuous universe?

Diagnostic screening models for the interpretation of null hypothesis significance test (NHST) results have been influential in highlighting the effect of selective publication on the reproducibility of the published literature, leading to John Ioannidis’ much-cited claim that most published research findings are false. These models, however, are typically based on the assumption that hypotheses are dichotomously true or false, without considering that effect sizes for different hypotheses are not the same. To address this limitation, we develop a simulation model that overcomes this by modeling effect sizes explicitly using different continuous distributions, while retaining other aspects of previous models such as publication bias and the pursuit of statistical significance. Our results show that the combination of selective publication, bias, low statistical power and unlikely hypotheses consistently leads to high proportions of false positives, irrespective of the effect size distribution assumed. Using continuous effect sizes also allows us to evaluate the degree of effect size overestimation and prevalence of estimates with the wrong sign in the literature, showing that the same factors that drive false-positive results also lead to errors in estimating effect size direction and magnitude. Nevertheless, the relative influence of these factors on different metrics varies depending on the distribution assumed for effect sizes. The model is made available as an R ShinyApp interface, allowing one to explore features of the literature in various scenarios.
Evaluation of basic motor competencies in primary school in Luxembourg

An objective of physical education (PE) is supporting students’ positive motor development. Therefore, it is indispensable for them to be in command of the necessary basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) as the prerequisites to be able to participate in the culture of human movement. For the implementation of the MOBAK approach in Luxembourg (MOBAK-LUX), we developed the test instruments MOBAK-LUX-PS for preschoolers, MOBAK-LUX-1 for first graders, MOBAK-LUX-3 for third graders and MOBAK-LUX-5 for fifth graders. These motor tests are conducted on a voluntary basis by interested schools and teachers at the beginning of each school year. In general, about one third of students in the different class levels have support needs in at least one area of basic motor competence. The support needs are prevalent mostly in the area object control and girls generally have lower results than boys, especially in object control.
Between the ESP Classroom and the Workplace: Bridging the Gap.

10 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 3 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m Between the ESP Classroom and the Workplace: Bridging the Gap Since the launch of far-reaching higher education reforms several years ago, many institutions across Morocco have begun revamping their English for Special Purposes (ESP) programs to bring them in line with the needs of local employers. These reforms recognize the correlation between what students learn in class and success in their future professions. Therefore, a main objective of English departments is to ensure that ESP courses impart the key communicative skills that are most useful to graduates in their chosen careers. An important component of an effective ESP course is a textbook that contains job-related English lessons. However, there often is a mismatch between the content of ESP textbooks and actual workplace language demands. To help teachers recognize and rectify the mismatch, this article describes a three-step method to (1) collect data about the needs of employees and employers, (2) use that data to evaluate classroom material—in this case an ESP textbook for English language learners who work in the local Moroccan hospitality industry, and (3) supplement the ESP textbook to make it more relevant to the employment setting.
Rheological Properties of Manure/Biomass Mixtures and Pumping Strategies to Improve Ingestate Formulation: A Review

Abstract. Research in anaerobic digestion of agricultural by-products has been introducing new and changing heavier fibrous energy-rich feedstocks that, when co-digested with manure, allow the enhancement of the biogas potential per m 3 of volatile solids but also induce significant changes in ingestate rheological properties (in comparison with raw manure). Doubts about the adequate level of amalgamation achievable by these mixtures inevitably arise. Because of the relationship between the total solids content and ingestate apparent viscosity, optimal mixing is not achieved only as consequence of the action of fermenter paddles and other stirring devices, but pumping devices also act positively on the way biomasses and manures are mixed. At up to 8% to 10% total solids, the high shear rates provided by centrifugal pumps (better if equipped with rotating knives) cause the manure-biomass mixture to behave like a Newtonian fluid. When the total solids percentage of the mixture exceeds this threshold, other pumping systems (lobe pumps as well as screw pumps) can provide adequate pressure to drive the mixture to the fermenter; however, in this case, further conditioning devices need to be considered to act positively on the anaerobic influent condition to improve its microbial degradation.
Experimental investigation on box-wing configuration for UAS

The range for airframe configurations available for UAS is as diverse as those used for manned aircraft and more since the commercial risk in trying unorthodox solutions is less for the UAS manufacturer. This is principally because the UAS airframes are usually much smaller than the manned aircraft and operators are less likely to have a bias against unconventional configurations. One of these unconventional configurations is the box-wing, which is an unconventional solution for the design of the new UAS generation. The existence of two wings separated in different planes that are, however, significantly close together, means that the aerodynamic analysis by theoretical or computational methods is a difficult task, due to the considerable interference existing. Considering the fact that the flight of most UAS takes place at low Reynolds numbers, it is necessary to study the aerodynamics of the box wing configuration by testing different models in a wind tunnel to be able to obtain reasonable results. In the present work, the study is enhanced by varying not only the sweepback angles of the two wings, but also their position along the models’ fuselage. Certain models have shown being more efficient than others, pointing out that certain relative positions of wing exists that can improve the aerodynamics efficiency of the box wing configuration.
Protection of physically compact multiterminal DC power systems

The use of DC for primary power distribution has the potential to bring significant design, cost and efficiency benefits to microgrid, shipboard and aircraft applications. The integration of active converter technologies within these networks is a key enabler for these benefits to be realised, however their influence on an electrical network's fault response can lead to exceptionally demanding protection requirements. This represents a significant barrier to more widespread adoption of DC power distribution. The principle challenge within the field is to develop protection solutions which do not significantly detract from the advantages which DC networks offer. This objective leads the thesis to not only consider how the protection challenges may be overcome but also how this can be achieved in a manner which can benefit the overall design of a system, inclusive of various system design objectives. The thesis proposes that this objective can be achieved through the operation of network protection within the initial transient period following the occurrence of a fault. In seeking to achieve this aim, the work presented within this thesis makes a number of contributions. The thesis categorises converter type based on the components which influence their fault response and then presents an analysis of the natural fault response of compact multiterminal DC power distribution networks containing these converters. Key factors such as the peak magnitudes and formation times of fault current profiles are determined and quantified as a function of network parameters, enabling protection system operating requirements to be established. Secondary fault effects such as voltage transients are also identified and quantified to illustrate the impact of suboptimal protection system operation. The capabilities of different protection methods and technologies for achieving the proposed operating requirements are then analysed. Significant conclusions are: solid state breaking technologies are essential to achieving operating targets and severe limitations exist with the application of protection methods available within literature for this application. To overcome these shortfalls, novel fault detection approaches are proposed and analysed. These approaches enable fault detection time targets to be met as well as aid with the effective integration of future circuit breaking technologies.
Non-Ductile Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Frames With Masonry Infill Panels Subjected to In-Plane Loading

Abstract : Lessons learned from earthquakes in the last 50 years have spurred changes in building seismic code requirements, making it necessary to determine the seismic vulnerability of old military structures. This study addresses a popular type of building in high seismic zones that has lateral load-resisting systems constructed from reinforced concrete (R/C) frames with masonry infill panels. An experimental program was carried out to evaluate this structural system. Five single-story half-scale laboratory models with different numbers of bays were constructed. The five models represent: a single-bay bare frame, single-bay with concrete masonry unit (CMU) infill, single-bay with brick infill, double-bay with CMU infill, and triple-bay with brick infill. These models were fully instrumented and tested under lateral in-plane loading to failure. Non-linear finite element analyses were carried out on the experimental models. Load-deflection curves for finite element analysis (FEA) reasonably predicted experimental behavior of specimens in terms of deflection. Ultimate failure load corresponding to each specimen was predicted with accuracy. Finally, a new idealized analytical model was proposed to determine the capacity evaluation of this structural system. Post-yield behavior, residual strength, and the effects of bay multiplicity on structural behavior are also presented.
Risk, Vulnerability, and Hazards: The Industrial Canal and the Lower Ninth Ward

This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself.
OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRIPLE LEFT TURNS

A study of the characteristics of triple left turns was performed. Five triple-left-turn sites in Orange County, California, were identified. Manual saturation flow rate studies at each site were performed using electronic counter boards. Queue discharge times and vehicle arrivals were compiled for all vehicles by lane and by signal cycle. Across all five sites, a sample consisting of 4,742 lane cycles and 34,898 vehicles was compiled for analysis. On average, these triple left turns supported flows of 795 vehicles per hour, received a 19% split of the total cycle time and spent 57% of that split time servicing the queue. Computing the saturation flow rate using the method suggested by the 1985 Highway Capacity Manual, the average saturation flow rate observed was 1,930 vehicles per hour of green per lane. Variations in the saturation flow rate observed at the triple-left-turn sites were explored. Results reveal no significant differences in saturation flow rates when categorized by site, by weekdays (Monday through Friday), or by observer. Significant differences were observed between lanes (e.g., inner and middle versus outer), time of day (e.g., morning, midday, and evening) and weekday versus weekend.
Risk-Based Maintenance

An overview of risk-based maintenance (RBM) is provided by the author. In order to clarify risk maintenance technology priority, risk is adopted as an index, with risk being the degree of impact's expected value. The RBM concept adds factors such as cost to final risk mitigation decisions after such applications as risk-maintenance technology, the Pareto principle, and risk-based inspection. RBM in the context of railroads, with their many safety related elements, such as tracks, rolling stock, and other mechanical equipment, is discussed. The author argues that RBM will be highly effective in railroad safety optimization.
Indicators of Training Success in Virtual Reality Using Head and Eye Movements

An essential aspect in the evaluation of Virtual Training Environments (VTEs) is the assessment of users’ training success, preferably in real-time, e.g. to continuously adapt the training or to provide feedback. To achieve this, leveraging users’ behavioral data has been shown to be a valid option. Behavioral data include sensor data from eye trackers, head-mounted displays, and hand-held controllers, as well as semantic data like a trainee’s focus on objects of interest within a VTE. While prior works investigated the relevance of mostly one and in rare cases two behavioral data sources at a time, we investigate the benefits of the combination of three data sources. We conduct a user study with 48 participants in an industrial training task to find correlations between training success and measures extracted from different behavioral data sources. We show that all individual data sources, i.e. eye gaze position and head movement, as well as duration of objects in focus are related to training success. Moreover, we find that simultaneously considering multiple behavioral data sources allows to better explain training success. Further, we show that training outcomes can already be predicted significantly better than chance by only recording trainees for parts of their training. This could be used for dynamically adapting a VTE’s difficulty. Finally, our work further contributes to reaching the long-term goal of substituting traditional evaluation of training success (e.g. through pen-and-paper tests) with an automated approach.
Improvement of Schottky Junctions for application in BESOI MOSFET

In this work, an improvement of Schottky junction was performed for application in Back Enhanced BESOI MOSFET. It was observed that the formation of NiSi prior to the deposition of the aluminum on it, protects the Schottky junction from the aluminum interaction with Ni during thermal treatment. As a result, the Schottky junction obtained with this new process fabrication presents a better electrical behavior with ideality factor, n, close to 1 (n = 1.02 for Werner method and n = 0.95 for Gromov method) and Schottky barrier height, Φb = 0.42 eV.