Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Highly efficient Er-doped fibre amplifiers pumped in 660 nm band

High gain coefficient in an erbium-doped fibre amplifier, 3.8 dB/mW at 1.536 μm and 2.3 dB/mW at 1.552 μm, is achieved for a pump wavelength of 664 nm by using an erbium-doped fibre with a high numerical aperture of 0.285 and thermally-diffused expanded core fibre ends. The gain at 1.536 μm reaches 30 and 35 dB for launched pump powers of 10 and 15 mW, respectively.
Is There an Effect of an Hour Education for Decreasing the Severity of Low Back Pain and Increasing Functionality in Office Workers?

Objectives: In this study, we gave information about appropriate working position to the office workers who have low back pain for last 3 months and we aimed to determine the effect of this intervention on frequency and level of low back pain and functionality of the workers. Materials and Methods: This study was an interventional study. Data were collected in September 2017 and December 2017 using face to face interview method. Information was given by a one-hour conference and distributing 4 informative brochures between October 2017 and November 2017. Results: 409 persons participated in the study and 141 of them who had low back pain for last 3 months formed the intervention group. 59.7% of the participants noted that they usually perform desk work. Logistic regression analysis showed that low back pain was 3,25 times more frequent among women than men, and 2,41 times more frequent among workers who had non-communicable disease. Among workers who had low back pain and attended the conference and read at least one brochure, mean Visual Analog Scale score was 5,97±1,2 before intervention and 5,03±1,1 after intervention (p<0,001) and mean Roland Morris Low Back Pain and Disability Questionnaire score were and 9,98±1,7 before intervention, and 8,91±1,3 after intervention, respectively (p<0,001). No difference was determined among workers who didn’t attend any of these two interventions (p>0,05). Conclusions: Considering the effect of intervention, this result shows that implementation of intervention with health promotion approach at workplace is an appropriate method for reducing severity of low back pain and increasing functionality.
Reflections on statistical modelling: A conversation with Murray Aitkin

A virtual interview with Murray Aitkin by Brian Francis and John Hinde, two of the original members of the Centre for Applied Statistics that Murray created at Lancaster University. The talk ranges over Murray's reflections of a career in statistical modelling and the many different collaborations across the world that have been such a significant part of it.
TRAFFIC FLOW FORECASTING: COMPARISON OF MODELING APPROACHES

The capability to forecast traffic volume in an operational setting has been identified as a critical need for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). In particular, traffic volume forecasts will support proactive, dynamic traffic control. However, previous attempts to develop traffic volume forecasting models have met with limited success. This research effort focused on developing traffic volume forecasting models for two sites on Northern Virginia's Capital Beltway. Four models were developed and tested for the freeway traffic flow forecasting problem, which is defined as estimating traffic flow 15 minutes into the future. They were the historical average, time-series, neural network, and nonparametric regression models. The nonparametric regression model significantly outperformed the other models. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that the nonparametric regression model was easy to implement, and proved to be portable, performing well at two distinct sties. Based on its success, research is ongoing to refine the nonparametric regression model and to extend it to produce multiple interval forecasts.
A phase field crystal model for materials crystallization in the presence of nanoscale pores

The present work focuses on the development of a relatively simple phase field crystal model for materials with nanoscale porous inclusions. We found that the pore’s main effect is to act as a nucleation agent, promoting crystallization of material at the pore’s interface, followed by micro-structural evolution of the solid in the supercooled liquid. Details of the crystal around the pore are investigated in terms of the pore radius and density of material outside the pore. Moreover, details of the pore-material interface is investigated through the interfacial tension and pressure. Finally, the model is extended to investigate the effect of multiple pores on the kinetics of crystallization.
Readability of chairman's statement in Malaysia

A B ST R A C T Chairman’s Statement plays a significant role in communicating the corporate affair to the stakeholders and subsequently serves one of the tools to the stakeholders in making their economic decision. However, the usefulness of which will depends upon their readability and understandability (Courtis, 2004). Therefore, this study examines the readability of Chairman’s Statement for companies under Main Board of Bursa Malaysia, starting from 2004 until 2006. The study employs Readability formula developed by Rudolf Flesch in 1949, Microsoft Word’s Flesh Reading Ease (FRE) Score. The results show that all the chairman’s statements in Malaysia are difficult to read.
Benefits of Aerodynamic Interaction to the Three-Surface Configuration

Recent wind tunnel data for a contemporary fighter with a dose-coupled horizontal canard added are presented with emphasis on demonstrating the beneficial aerodynamic interaction of the canard with the wing, empennage, and other aircraft control surfaces. These data show that a properly configured three-surface configuration can provide significantly increased performance and an effective six-degree-of-freedom maneuvering capability.
The Effect of Attack Angle on the Performance of Wave Glider Wings

In this paper, on the basis of static stress analysis of the Glider wings, we compare different factors influencing the drag force converted by the glider wings and optimize them by comparing the simulation results with the calculation results. The results shows that the horizontal component force is reach maximum value when attack angle reaches 45°. After that the horizontal component force decreases as attack angle increases. The horizontal component force is gradually increased as the flow rate increases under same attack angle.
A 1/2-in CCD imager with lateral overflow-gate shutter

The design considerations and performance of an interline-transfer charge-coupled-device (IL-CCD) imager with a lateral overflow gate shutter are described. A 489(V)-pixel*670(H)-pixel 1/2-in IL-CCD imager is shown to have a variable shutter function, whose shutter speed is controlled successively from 1/60 to 1/15700 s by the timing of the overflow gate pulse. The device requires a low voltage of only 4 V and a simple overflow gate pulse to realize the shutter function without any undesirable die size enlargement. The key technology of the device is the self-aligned photodiode structure, which realizes a complete charge transfer. Combined with a microlens on the photodiode, the device can achieve high-definition or small-die-size imagers because of its high sensitivity. >
Accessibility, Travel Behavior, and New Urbanism

The proponents of new urbanism have claimed that neotraditional urban designs promote walking, reduce automobile dependence, and improve the quality of life for residents. However, the existing research on land use and travel behavior has not been able to support or invalidate these claims adequately because of data and methodological limitations. This research aims to probe further the complex relationship between the built environment and travel behavior and test the claims made by new urbanists by analyzing travel data obtained from travel surveys and diaries for 16 mixed-use centers (i.e., new urbanist and neotraditional) and auto-oriented corridors (i.e., postwar suburb) in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California. All individual trips, driving trips, and walking trips were regressed on selected sociodemographic and attitudinal variables to see if there were significant differences in walking and driving trips between mixed-use centers and auto-oriented corridors. The results both support and challenge the claims of new urbanists: although there are no discernible differences in individual driving trips between mixed-use centers and auto-oriented corridors, a higher number of individual walking trips are reported in mixed-use centers. The findings of the study suggest that aspects of the built environment, as well as attitudinal factors, influence travel behavior–in particular, walking behavior–although further research needs to be conducted in this area to make informed policy decisions pertaining to transportation and land use.
Effect of soccer shoe ball girth differences on fit perception, agility running and running speed perception

Purpose: Soccer shoes influence agility running due to traction properties. Shoe upper fit was identified to effect stability perception of players. However, its influence on agility running performance is unclear. This study examined whether soccer shoe ball girth dimension affects fit perception, agility running, and running speed perception. It was hypothesised that a narrower shoe ball girth would improve running performance. Methods: Thirty male soccer players performed agility runs in three experimental shoe conditions, featuring the same length but different ball girth (narrow, medium, wide). Fit perception, running time, and running speed perception were measured by a timing gate and perception protocols. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Friedman tests were used to identify differences among shoe conditions, complemented by least significant difference (LSD) post-hoc and Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Results: Fit perception scores revealed that the medium and the wide shoe condition were perceived to have wider ball girth compared to the narrow condition (p < 0.05). No agility running performance and running speed perception differences were detected among shoe conditions. Anatomical foot measures were only weakly, or not correlated to fit perception at corresponding shoe locations. Conclusion: Fit differences of soccer shoes, only regarding their ball girth, did not influence agility running performance. This indicates a lesser importance of fit properties for achieving best running performance compared to traction properties, when ball girth is varied in shoes featuring a given shoe length. Individual lacing procedures were used in this study and may have compensated for the fit differences of the experimental shoes of this research.
A CSCW-Enabling Integrated Access Control Model and its Application

Nowadays open and distributed Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) systems are faced with security challenges due to large numbers of cooperative users, and a mass of valued data resources need to be protected against unauthorized usage, disseminations and share. To this end, role-based collaboration framework and access control approaches have been a focus in recent years, but there lack of a holistic and comprehensive model and visual modeling. We proposed and formalized a CSCW-enabling access control model integrating generic centralized authorization and distributed authority delegation, called IACM (Integrated Access Control Model) for CSCW, based on the cooperative roles and their owned activities. And then, the visual modeling was represented with static and dynamic characteristics, with a goal to narrow the gap of the formalized model and application level. Finally, an application in the collaboration system for equipments manufacture designing was implemented to improve security of the role-based centralized authorization management by using the authorization constraint rules, and to enhance the collaborative capability based on the user-side delegation mechanism, effectively guaranteeing CSCW system security and authorization management efficiency.
Influence on Variation in Technology Management Quality Based on the Model of Engineering Cost Index

Development and changes in economic environment encourage the construction enterprises to make and improve their own core competency, as well as transform from the traditional extensive management mode to a meticulous, intensive and low-carbon one. The improvement of professional competence is a necessary requirement for a new development mode of construction enterprises. So as to improve this competence, we should make evaluation of the present management levels of all construction professional technologies at first and then find some weakness within, and further take some measures for improvement. This paper, from the perspective of cost index theory, built an enterprise engineering cost index model reflecting the variation of management levels in construction enterprises. Based on this model, we can calculate the link relative engineering cost index for enterprises every year, and according to the index, we are able to judge the trend and range of variation so as to improve their management quality.
Properties of alternately charged coplanar parallel strips by conformal mappings

Deposited electrodes with periodic geometries are beginning to attract attention in microwave integrated circuitry. In many cases where the interaction with the substrate materials is important, the grounded base may be sufficiently distant to be insignificant or absent altogether. In this paper, the equipotential surfaces and flux lines of alternately charged coplanar parallel strips most often encountered in these cases are determined with the aid of a sequence of conformal mappings. The potential and the electric field intensity along the planes of symmetry are also evaluated. The capacitance and characteristic impedance of the structure are obtained in terms of structural parameters.
Named Data Networking-Based On-Demand Secure Vehicle-To-Vehicle Communications

The detection of secure vehicles for content placement in vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications makes a challenging situation for a well-organized dynamic nature of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). With the increase in the demand of efficient and adoptable content delivery, information-centric networking (ICN) can be a promising solution for the future needs of the network. ICN provides a direct retrieval of content through its unique name, which is independent of locations. It also performs better in content retrieval with its in-network caching and named-based routing capabilities. Since vehicles are mobile devices, it is very crucial to select a caching node, which is secure and reliable. The security of data is quite important in the vehicular named data networking (VNDN) environment due to its vital importance in saving the life of drivers and pedestrians. To overcome the issue of security and reduce network load in addition to detect a malicious activity, we define a blockchain-based distributive trust model to achieve security, trust, and privacy of the communicating entities in VNDN, named secure vehicle communication caching (SVC-caching) mechanism for the placement of on-demand data. The proposed trust management mechanism is decentralized in nature, which is used to select a trustworthy node for cluster-based V2V communications in the VNDN environment. The SVC-caching strategy is simulated in the NS-2 simulator. The results are evaluated based on one-hop count, delivery ratio, cache hit ratio, and malicious node detection. The results demonstrate that the proposed technique improves the performance based on the selected parameters.
Feasibility Analysis Regarding the Manner of Development of the Former Edmund Szyc Stadium Area in Poznań

The paper presents a feasibility analysis of changes in the manner of development a former sports facility, Edmund Szyc Stadium in Poznań. The terrain and adjacent areas were inventoried, including the assessment of inter-area relationships. Based on the inventory and authors' surveys, three developmental variants were selected for further analysis. Particular attention was paid to the purpose of the area in the local zoning plan (local spatial development plan) and the preferences of its local community. A multi-criteria analysis carried out with three different methods – AHP, MAUT and PROMETHEE II indicated the second variant as optimal. Additionally, the authors performed a sensitivity analysis of the AHP method to determine the weight of adopted criteria. This allowed for observing what impact these changes had on the final result. The sensitivity analysis was performed only for 3 main groups of criteria. The implementation of activities planned in the concept will allow for optimal land development, improvement in functionality as well as improvement in visual and landscape characteristics of the city.
Improving teaching and learning: mathematics and science faculty reflections across time

ABSTRACT Applying a retrospective, qualitative, longitudinal approach, this study identified aspects of teaching and learning in mathematics and science courses that were the focus of reflections for faculty who were involved early in a STEM improvement effort at an institution oriented toward change. Results indicated an emphasis on instructional considerations but variability in participants’ focus on student learning before, during, and after participating in a yearlong faculty learning community. Implications are described that relate to building on faculty’s sense of caring, so as to centre professional development experiences on student considerations and on fostering change in undergraduate STEM education through a ‘propagation’ approach.
Nonlinear models of travelling-wave optical amplifiers

The nonlinear phenomenon in semiconductor travelling-wave optical amplifiers has thus far been studied using a pair of coupled partial differential equations, the wave equation and the rate equation. Simple, small- and large-signal nonlinear models of such amplifiers are presented, which, though obtained from the above equations, are much more suitable for computing the output response associated with arbitrary input signals. >
Analysis of Determining Factors of Decision in Purchasing Toothpaste “Close Up” in Buleleng District

The increasing intensity of competition requires companies to always pay attention to the needs and desires of consumers and try to meet their consumer expectations by providing more satisfying services than their competitors. Therefore each company must always keep growing in order to be able to compete. In the face of competition, companies must implement appropriate policies in marketing their products. The rise of various brands of toothpaste in market is followed by several factors considered by consumers in making decisions. These factors in general are product quality, taste variants, product design, and motivation. The research used quantitative design with survey methods. The data was collected using questionnaire and interpreted using factor analysis. The results showed that (1) the factors considered by consumers in purchasing decisions for toothpaste close up were price, promotion, and family, and (2) the most dominant factor considered by consumers was the price with the highest eigenvalue of 5.779.
Improvement of QFD-based total quality for local cultural industries: procedural and empirical investigation

Despite the tendency among local cultural industries (LCIs) to combine regional characteristics and conscious representation of surrounding communities to achieve multi-functions related to a particular culture, local production, local living, and ecosystems, a creative, systematic, and customer-oriented approach to improve the quality of LCIs has received scarce attention. Therefore, this study establishes a total quality improvement framework based on quality function deployment (QFD) by integrating the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and a balanced scorecard (BSC). A case study is also performed in I-lan County of eastern Taiwan to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed QFD-based approach. Finally, 15 technical requirements are deployed by the BSC based on a MBNQA-based strategy. Moreover, the leading three priorities to enhance the total quality for use in LCI applications include professional skills training, historical culture, and locality globalization, respectively.
Benchmarking of Project Management Office Establishment: Extracting Best Practices

This paper deals with best practices in establishing, developing, and implementing project management offices (PMOs). First, a brief overview of the theoretical background for PMOs is presented. The research approach is described, along with an overview of the benchmarking partners used. In the main part of this paper, various aspects of a PMO’s life cycle are discussed based on observations from the benchmarking partners. Through the benchmarking study, we have discovered that although the PMO design differs greatly, certain key characteristics, responsibilities, and tasks are very similar. Successful PMOs take on responsibility for different project-related functions and core tasks related to development of shared methodology and processes for handling of projects, training and competence development within project management, proposing of new projects, and quality assurance of projects. The success of the PMO is related to ensuring the necessary authority of the PMO, real organizational authority as we.
DEGRES: A software to design open-pit geometry and to draw open-pit plans

Abstract Within the framework of the global DEGRES software, dealing with geotechnical stability in open-pit mines, some computation tools have been implemented to build a numerical model, called geometrical pit model, to modify it and to manage it. The efficiency of the system has been tested in the case of the Sainte-Marie coal mine (Carmaux, France) where the software is intented to be used. It has been proved that the numerical model may be used for other mine planning fields than the geotechnical one for which it has been first designed, Dans le cadre du logiciel integre DEGRES, traitant de la atabilite des talus dans les mines a ciel ouvert, des outila ont ete developpes pour construire un modele geometrique numerise de fosse, pour le modifier et pour le gerer. L'efficacite du sy3teme a ete testee dans le cas de la mine de charbon de Sainte-Marie (Carmaux, France), ou le logiciel doit etre utilise. Nous avons pu constater, que le modele numerique de fosse peut Stre utilise dans d'autres domaines de .
China and the Internationalisation of the Sociology of Contemporary Work and Employment

The China e-Special Issue brings together 11 articles on the sociology of contemporary work and employment in China which have been published in WES in the past two decades, highlighting the increasing frequency of submissions, and also reflecting the diversity, complexity and plurality of work and employment in the region. The foci of debates include the changing fault lines of work and employment; the changing relationships between state, employers and workers; the impact of rural to urban migration and urbanisation on the labour process and employment configurations; the interrelations between production and social reproduction and its gendered dimensions; and the need to develop established methodologies further given the changing nature of the research subject.
Autonomous Demand Response for Primary Frequency Regulation

The research documented within this report examines the use of autonomous demand response to provide primary frequency response in an interconnected power grid. The work builds on previous studies in several key areas: it uses a large realistic model (i.e., the interconnection of the western United States and Canada); it establishes a set of metrics that can be used to assess the effectiveness of autonomous demand response; and it independently adjusts various parameters associated with using autonomous demand response to assess effectiveness and to examine possible threats or vulnerabilities associated with the technology.