Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of transportation efficiency for the delivery of construction material in North-Central Nigeria

In Nigeria, knowledge on the management of construction material logistics system, especially in transportation, is inadequate. This article assesses construction material manufacturers’ transportation efficiency for the delivery of construction material, in order to improve manufacturers’ transport operation in North-Central Nigeria. A total of 32 construction material manufacturers delivered their material to 42 distribution centres/warehouses and retailer stores, and 30 construction sites were purposely selected. The selected construction materials manufacturers produce six types of materials, namely cement, reinforcement bars (steel), ceramic tiles, crushed stones, masonry hollow sandcrete blocks, and sand (fine and coarse). A case study research design method was used, in which quantitative data were collected and analysed. An observation (quantitative) guide was used as the research instrument. The quantitative data collected were analysed, using descriptive statistical tools such as frequencies and percentiles. The results revealed that transportation efficiency levels are low in their vehicles’ dwell time, loading and off-loading vehicles at the warehouses, retailer stores, and construction Alumbugu, Shakantu & Tsado • Assessment of transportation efficiency 31 sites. It was also revealed that no technology was used in the transport system to integrate the manufacturers’ warehouses with the other logistics partners in the supply chain. The article concludes that manufacturers should address transportation operations along the delivery nodes to help ensure that the construction material arrives at its final destination at optimal quality, time and cost.
The exploitation and environmental characteristics of diesel fuel containing rapeseed butyl esters

In an effort to consume fewer non-renewable resources and use primarily raw materials of biological origin in the production of biofuel, biomass-derived biobutanol can be used for transesterification of rapeseed oil. The study investigates the physical and chemical characteristics of rapeseed oil butyl esters (RBE) and 10%, 20% and 30% RBE-diesel composites. Characteristics of RBE and their composites with conventional diesel (D) are a little different from rapeseed oil methyl esters (RME) and their composites with D, while their basic characteristics comply with the requirements of European Standard EN 14214. Comparative tests in 4-stroke 4-cylinder 1Z type diesel engine of Audi-80 using 10-30% RBE and 10-30% RME compounds as fuels have been performed, and the results indicate that the biologically derived additives improved the energy characteristics of the engine but increased the fuel consumption compared to pure diesel. Increasing the bio-component concentration up to 30% in diesel and biodiesel fuel (RME and RBE) mixtures leads to complex improvements in the environmental impact compared to pure diesel; however, in the case of mixtures with RBE, slightly higher concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were observed in engine exhaust gases compared to RME and D mixtures of analogical composition.
The influence of enterprisers' green management awareness on green management strategy and organizational performance

Purpose – This study applied the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine the awareness of green management among executives in the Top 5000 corporations (as listed in the China Credit Information Service (CCIS)). Perceived risk, perceived benefit, justice, moral obligation, control force, and control beliefs were considered antecedents to the three components of the TPB (attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control, PBC). The correlation between intention and implementation of green management strategies was examined, as was the combined influence of these two factors on organizational performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – 333 valid questionnaires were returned from a sample of the Top 5000 corporations listed in the CCIS. Structural equation modelling was used to verify the causal relationship amongst the green management variables and performance perspectives. Findings – The results indicate that perceived risk and perceived benefit have a st.
Evolving Neural Nets for Protection and Condition Monitoring of Power Transformer

This article presents evolving neural nets (ENNs) for protection and condition monitoring of power transformer. Based on the proposed evolutionary algorithm, the ENNs automatically tune the network parameters (connection weights and bias terms) of the neural nets to achieve the best model. The ENNs can identify, classify and detect the fault and issue the trip signal in the case of internal fault only, using the global search capabilities of the evolutionary algorithm and the highly nonlinear mapping nature of the neural nets. The proposed protection scheme has been realized through two different structures using ENNs algorithm. This scheme has been evaluated using simulated data obtained through EMTP/ATP package. The results amply demonstrate the capabilities of fault detector (FD) and condition monitoring (CM) in terms of accuracy and speed with respect to detection of fault, classification and pattern recognition of different event of power transformer.
Paludification reduces black spruce growth rate but does not alter ecophysiological mechanisms in Canadian boreal forested peatlands

Background Paludification is widespread in the boreal biome, inducing tree growth decline in forested peatlands following the development of thick organic layers over the mineral soil. However, the ecophysiological processes involved remain poorly documented and little is known about the interactions between tree growth mechanisms and site conditions in these ecosystems. We investigated changes in stem growth and main ecophysiological processes in a black spruce forested peatland in eastern Canada by combining peat-based and tree-ring stable isotope analyses. These were conducted at three sampling sites located along a paludification gradient with different peat thicknesses.Results Organic layer thickening induces black spruce growth decline without altering tree ecophysiological mechanisms. A 40% increase in water use efficiency, or the ratio of carbon assimilated to water losses, was observed at the three sites from 1920 to the 1980s, but did not translate into enhanced tree growth. A clear shift in the 1980s revealed a decline in black spruce sensitivity to climate and rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, regardless of the organic layer thickness. Water table reconstructions revealed an important drawdown in the last few decades at the three sites, but we found no evidence of an influence of water table variations on stem growth.Conclusions This study shows that paludification induces black spruce growth decline without altering tree metabolism in boreal forested peatlands. This underlines that changes in water use efficiency are decoupled from changes in carbon allocation, which are constrained by site, or even tree-specific strategies to access water and nutrients from belowground. Our findings indicate that dynamic changes in edaphic conditions need to be considered in process models. Otherwise, failing to account for the degree of paludification can lead to misleading forest productivity predictions and result in considerable overestimations of aboveground carbon stocks from trees in the boreal regions.
Biosynthesis of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Using Lactobacillus casei Subsp. Casei and its Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities

The present study reveals the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) by probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei) and demonstrates the cytotoxic effects of these nanoparticles against gram negative and positive bacteria and cancer cell lines.The CuO NPs are biosynthesized from Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei (L. casei) in an eco-friendly and cost-effective process. These nanoparticles are characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and transmittance electron microscope (TEM) analysis. The antibacterial activity is examined by Well-diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) assays using Broth microdilution. Anticancer effects of these nanoparticles are evaluated by methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Griess test.Our results confirm the biosynthesis of CuO NPs from L. casei. Antibacterial assays demonstrate that treatment of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria with CuO NPs inhibits the growth of these bacteria. Furthermore, the cell viability of human cancer cells decreases while treated by nanoparticles. These nanoparticles increase nitric oxide (NO) secretion determined by NO production measurement.These results suggest that CuO NPs may exert antibacterial effects as well as cytotoxic effects on cancer cells by suppressing their growth, increasing the oxidative stress and inducing apoptosis.
Fluorescence quenching on mesoporous carbon nitride by phenol and aniline

In this study, fluorescence quenching on mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN) was examined in the presence of phenol and aniline. The MCN was synthesized by thermal polymerization of cyanamide using nanocolloidal silica (7 nm) as a hard template and characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), specific surface area, pore size distribution, and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The MCN showed two excitation wavelengths at 275 and 370 nm, owing to the presence of N=C and N-C terminal groups, respectively. These two excitation wavelengths gave only one emission peak at around 460 nm. Either in the presence of phenol or aniline, the emission intensity of the MCN was confirmed to be quenched in a linear function towards the concentration of phenol or aniline as the quencher molecule. N-C terminal groups were found to have slightly better interactions to phenol and aniline as compared to the N=C groups. Since the emission intensity of MCN was more quenched by phenol molecules than the aniline, it was proposed that the MCN would have stronger interaction to phenol than aniline. This result was also supported by the adsorption data, in which the MCN gave higher adsorption towards phenol than the aniline.
Evaluating antecedents and consequences of supply chain activities: an integrative perspective

This study examines the antecedents and consequences of supply chain activities and empirically tests many of the assumptions in the extant buyer–supplier relationship literature. To analyse the validity of the research model and the hypotheses, data was gathered from 271 manufacturing organisations in South Korea through the administration of structured questionnaires. The results suggest that trust, interdependency, and rate of technological change are major factors that influence the level of operational and strategic information sharing and collaboration, and that the higher the degree of strategic information sharing and collaboration is, the greater the level of effectiveness becomes. However, there is no significant relationship between the length of relationship and information sharing and collaboration. Research and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Immune and environment‐driven gene expression during invasion: An eco‐immunological application of RNA‐Seq

Host-pathogen dynamics change rapidly during a biological invasion and are predicted to impose strong selection on immune function. The invader may experience an abrupt reduction in pathogen-mediated selection (‘enemy release’), thereby favoring decreased investment into ‘costly’ immune responses, and the extent of this reduction may depend on factors such as propagule size. Across plants and animals, there is mixed support for this prediction. Pathogens are not the only form of selection imposed on invaders; differences in abiotic environmental conditions between native and introduced ranges are also expected to drive rapid evolution. Here, we assess the expression patterns of immune and environmentally-associated genes in the cane toad (Rhinella marina) across its invasive Australian range. Transcripts encoding mediators of costly immune responses (inflammation, cytotoxicity) showed a curvilinear relationship with invasion history, with highest expression in toads from oldest and newest colonized areas. This pattern is surprising given theoretical expectations of density dynamics in invasive species, and may be because density influences both intraspecific competition and parasite transmission, generating conflicting effects on the strength of immune responses. Alternatively, this expression pattern may be the result of other evolutionary forces, such as spatial sorting and genetic drift, working simultaneously with natural selection. Our findings do not support predictions about immune function based on the enemy release hypothesis, and suggest instead that the effects of enemy release are difficult to isolate in wild populations. Additionally, expression patterns of genes underlying putatively environmentally-associated traits are consistent with previous genetic studies, providing further support that Australian cane toads have adapted to novel abiotic challenges.
Briefing from a facilities management perspective

Purpose – To identify the management tools and variables that impact briefing, assess the nature of current briefing practices, review the need for more structured techniques and determine the place of facilities management in briefing.Design/methodology/approach – A detailed literature review to analyse and critique the briefing process was followed by a brainstorming session to explore relevant technical frameworks. A questionnaire survey investigated opinions of structured approaches to briefing.Findings – The facilities manager operating within the strategic framework of the client organisation and having the necessary skills is a natural choice as brief writer. Facilities managers’ involvement is not strongly reflected in this research, indicating perhaps that they do not consider briefing a natural role or that they do not possess the skills for its undertaking. It is concluded that while briefing remains an unstructured investigative process, the skills for which are learned through experience, the.
A new correlation between photovoltaic panel's efficiency and amount of sand dust accumulated on their surface

The accumulation of dust particles on the surface of photovoltaic (PV) panel greatly affects its performance especially in the dusty areas. In the present work, an experimental and theoretical study has been carried out to investigate the effect of sand dust concentration on the efficiency of PV panels. A stand-alone PV system is designed to carry out this work. The I–V characteristics have been measured simultaneously for both clean and dusty modules. It has been found that the short circuit current and the maximum output power decrease significantly as dust particles start to accumulate on the panel surface up to a concentration of 1 g/m2, but the rate of decrease is slower for concentrations beyond that value. The reduction in short circuit current in one sample of study is found to be ∼40%, whereas it is ∼34% in the maximum output power. In contrast, it is stated that the open circuit voltage is not sensitive to sand dust accumulation. A significant degradation in the efficiency of PV modules is observed for sand dust accumulation up to 1 g/m2. A linear relation has been proposed to correlate the degradation in efficiency to the amount of sand dust accumulated on the module surface. This relation can help PV system designers to reliably predict the effect of sand dust accumulation on PV module efficiency under real environmental conditions.
Critical elements for a successful enterprise resource planning implementation in small-and medium-sized enterprises

The body of research relating to the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been increasing rapidly over the last few years. It is important, particularly for SMEs, to recognize the elements for a successful ERP implementation in their environments. This research aims to examine the critical elements that constitute a successful ERP implementation in SMEs. The objective is to identify the constituents within the critical elements. A comprehensive literature review and interviews with eight SMEs in the UK were carried out. The results serve as the basic input into the formation of the critical elements and their constituents. Three main critical elements are formed: critical success factors, critical people and critical uncertainties. Within each critical element, the related constituents are identified. Using the process theory approach, the constituents within each critical element are linked to their specific phase(s) of ERP implementation. Ten constituents for critical success factors were found, nine constituents for critical people and 21 constituents for critical uncertainties. The research suggests that a successful ERP implementation often requires the identification and management of the critical elements and their constituents at each phase of implementation. The results are constructed as a reference framework that aims to provide researchers and practitioners with indicators and guidelines to improve the success rate of ERP implementation in SMEs.
Uncertainties in Establishing Design Earthquakes

Many uncertainties are associated with the selection of the design earthquake for a particular structure. In an attempt to address such problems, a ten-story steel frame is designed for the lateral force requirements in current building codes. Two variations of the designed frame are subjected to representative ground motions recorded during the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake. Evaluation of the nonlinear dynamic response of the designed frames indicates that ground motions resulting from the same earthquake may have significant variations in dynamic characteristics. One of the more significant of these are long-duration acceleration pulses. Results indicate that the nonlinear response of structures to this type of motion is particularly sensitive to the pulse duration relative to the fundamental period of the structure and to the pulse acceleration relative to the yield resistance seismic coefficient of the designed structure.
Evaluation of Kinetic Effects of Baicalein in Different Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Bu calismada, bir flavonoid olan baicalein’in MCF-7 ve MDA-MB-231 hucre hatlari uzerinde meydana getirecegi antiproliferatif etkilerin karsilastirilmasi amaclanmistir. Hucre canliligi, hucre indeksi, mitotik indeks, isaretlenme indeksi ve apoptotik indeks gibi hucre kinetigi parametrelerinin degerlendirilmesi ile deneyler gerceklestirilmistir. Yapilan hucre canliligi testi ile baicalein’in MCF-7 ve MDA-MB-231 hucreleri icin IC 50 konsantrasyonlari sirasiyla 10 µM ve 30 µM olarak belirlenmis ve tum deneylerde bu konsantrasyonlar kullanilmistir. Elde edilen sonuclar kullanilan IC 50 konsantrasyonlarin her hucre tipi icin de hucre canliligi, hucre indeksi, mitotik indeks ve isaretlenme indeksi degerlerini azaltirken apoptotik indeks degerini yukselttigini gostermistir. Bu azalma ve artislar istatistiksel olarak anlamlidir (p<0.01). Ayrica xCelligence Gercek Zamanli Hucre Analiz Sisteminden elde edilen grafiklere ait egriler, baicalein’in MCF-7 hucrelerinde sitoskeletal etkiler meydana getirirken MDA-MB-231 hucrelerinde sitostatik etki meydana getirdigini gostermistir. Bu calismadan elde edilen sonuclar baicalein’in MCF-7 ve MDA-MB-231 hucreleri uzerine antiproliferatif etkilerinden dolayi ileride yapilacak calismalarla desteklenerek, klinikte luminal A ve uclu negatif meme kanseri hastalari icin de kullanilabilecegini dusundurmektedir.
Fiscal year 1993 1/25-scale sludge mobilization testing

Sixteen 1/25-scale sludge mobilization experiments were conducted in fiscal year (FY) 1993. The results of this testing are presented in this document. The ability of a single, centrally-located, scale model mixer pump to resuspend a layer of simulated tank sludge was evaluated for five different simulant types. The resistance of these simulants to the mobilizing action of the mixer pump jets was not found to adequately correlate with simulant vane shear strength. The data indicate that the simulant cohesion, as quantified by tensile strength, may provide a good measure of mobilization resistance. A single test was done to evaluate whether indexed mixer pump rotation is significantly more effective than the planned continuous oscillation. No significant difference was found in the sludge mobilization caused by these two modes of operation. Two tests were conducted using a clay-based sludge simulant that contained approximately 5 wt% soluble solids. The distance to which the mixer pump jets were effective for this simulant was approximately 50% greater than on similar simulants that did not contain soluble solids. The implication is that sludge dissolution effects may significantly enhance the performance of mixer pumps in some tanks. The development of a means to correlate the magnitude of this effect with waste properties is a direction for future work. Two tests were performed with the goal of determining whether the 1/25-scale sludge mobilization data can be scaled linearly to 1/12-scale. The two 1/25-scale tests were conducted using the same simulant recipe as had been used in previous 1/12-scale tests. The difficulty of matching the 1/25-scale simulants, with those used previously is thought to have adversely affected the results. Further tests are needed to determine whether the data from sludge mobilization tests can be linearly scaled.
Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics: Impact and Behavior of Business Decision Making Process

In the current situation, numerous ways are available for the support of leaders, but decision making in an organization are still susceptible to flaws and errors. Among several approaches, Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics (BI&AA) is considered a valid tool to managers in the pragmatic decision on the basis of well-informed evidence. In spite of high investment, there is a massive backdrop in this BI&AA project. Managers have aided with numerous guidelines in making decisions, and those guidelines include information from research works, then things based on guts, and on data that are available. With the help of various experiments, this research has done to investigate whether the information available for decision making affects the mind of the managers or its influence cause change in decision outcome. This research outcome with both descriptive and prescriptive decision theories and further existing literature in the field of BI. As per the result of this research study, remedies are given to improve BI&AA solutions.