Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring and Load Distribution Study for the Land Bridge

A monitoring program and a live load distribution study were conducted for the Land Bridge, located on State Highway 131 between Ontario and LaFarge in southwest Wisconsin. The bridge is a 275-ft long curved double trapezoidal steel box girder construction. Hybrid HPS70W and A588 weathering steels were used for the construction of the bridge. The monitoring program included measurements of live load and thermal strains as well as displacements for the girders over a four-year period. The effects of the in-service live load, in terms of both the applied stresses and the number of load cycles, were found to be insignificant. The thermal stress levels were found to be more significant but with only a limited number of load cycles. It was also found that there was no significant change in the load pattern, for both the stress level and number of load cycles, over the four years of the monitoring program for the bridge. The observed stress levels in the bridge were found to be below the fatigue stress threshold prescribed by AASHTO. This indicated that an infinite life could be expected for the bridge when fatigue is a consideration for the steel box girders. The live load distribution study for the Land Bridge included a field testing, a 3-D numerical simulation, and a comparative study of the results with those determined by the provisions of the AASHTO standard and LRFD specifications. Good agreement was achieved between the load distribution factor values that were obtained from the field testing and the numerical simulation. The comparison of the results with the values obtained from the AASHTO specifications indicated that over-conservative results yielded from the standard specifications while the results from the LRFD specifications were under-conservative. It is recommended that an additional study be performed to overcome this shortcoming of the current design specifications.
Mathematics curriculum in Pacific Rim countries : China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore : proceedings of a conference

Preface. Introductions. Education Ministry Perspectives on Mathematics Curriculum, Shigeo Yoshikawa. An Overview of Mathematics Education in Singapore, Soh Cheow Kian. Some Characteristics of the Korean National Curriculum and Its Revision Process, Hee-Chan Lew. Mathematics Curriculum Standard of China: Its Process, Strategies, Outcomes and Difficulties, Sun Xiaotian. Sixty Years of Mathematics Syllabi and Textbooks in Singapore (1945-2005), Peng Yee Lee. Design and Implementation of Korean Mathematics Textbooks, JeongSuk Pang. Curriculum Development in China: Perspectives From Curriculum Design and Implementation, Jun Li. Innovations Bringing Degeneration: A Lesson From Historical Analysis of the Revisions of the National Curriculum Standards for Upper Secondary School Math in Japan After World War II, Ryosuke Nagaoka. Some Highlights of the Similarities and Differences in Intended, Planned/Implemented, and Achieved Curricula Between China and the United States, Jinfa Cai. Transforming Curriculum from Intended to Implemented: What Teachers Need to Do and What They Learned in the United States and China, Yeping Li. Translating Elementary School Mathematics Curriculum: Isn't School Mathematics Universal? Tad Watanabe. A Look at Japanese Junior High School Mathematics Textbooks, Blake E. Peterson. Exploring Korean Primary Mathematics, Janice Grow-Maienza and Susan Beal. Comparing Elementary Mathematics Curricula of Korea and the United States, Insook Chung. Singapore Math: Can It Help Close the U.S. Mathematics Learning Gap? Alan Ginsburg and Steven Leinwand. Singapore Math: Perspectives and Experiences of a College Professor, Richard Bisk. Calculator and Computer Technology in the K - 12 Curriculum: Some Observations From a U.S. Perspective, M. Kathleen Heid. The Status of Calculator Technology in United States K - 8 Mathematics Curriculum: It Depends On How You Look At It, Kathryn B. Chval. Mathematics Assessments: Do They Tell Us the Same Thing, William H. Schmidt. Some Impacts of Testing on Mathematics Curriculum From K - 12: Perspectives, Chris Cox. Moving Beyond Myths to Foster International Collaboration: International Conference a Step in the Right Direction, Diane L. Moore, Jill Newton, and Dawn Teuscher. Reflections on Assessment, Angela D. Sutter, Dana C. Cox, and Karen L. Fonkert. Afterword, Zalman Usiskin.
RECOGNITION OF VEHICLES IN TRAFFIC SCENES USING GEOMETRIC MODELS

Describes a computer program which recognizes a single type of vehicle within a range of predefined spatial positions from CCTV image sequences. The program is designed to cope with busy traffic scenes containing unknown types of vehicles set against a cluttered background. Possible applications include monitoring of traffic flow and data collection for traffic light control, requiring the ability to handle degraded images typical of remote CCTV systems.
Climate Change-Friendly Behavior: A Review of Preservice Teachers

To date, climate change is a major issue debated globally. Climate change has impacted human life and the environment. Mitigating the effects of climate change requires individuals with friendly behaviour towards climate change. This study aimed to examine the relationship of preservice teachers' friendly behaviour towards climate change through the level of knowledge, awareness, risk perception, and attitude of preservice teachers. This study involved 256 preservice teachers at four universities in the state of Selangor. A questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was used for the purpose of data collection. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS 23.0 software. The results of the study indicated that there was a significant but moderate relationship between awareness and risk perception with the climate change-friendly behaviour of preservice teachers. The study also found that there was a significantly weak relationship between knowledge and attitudes towards preservice teachers’ climate change -friendly behaviours. Preservice teachers have the knowledge and awareness of climate change that has a negative impact on socio-economy and disrupts the ecosystem of the human life. However, this awareness does not influence the preservice teachers to demonstrate attitudes and behaviours towards reducing the effects of climate change.
Power System Analysis

1 Basic Concepts 2 Transformers 3 The Synchronous Machine 4 Series Impedance of Transmission Lines 5 Capacitance of Transmission Lines 6 Current and Voltage Relations on a Transmission Line 7 The Admittance Model and Network Calculations 8 The Impedance Model and Network Calculations 9 Power Flow Solutions 10 Symmetrical Faults 11 Symmetrical Components and Sequence Networks 12 Unsymmetrical Faults 13 Economic Operation of Power Systems 14 Zbus Methods in Contingency Analysis 15 State Estimation of Power Systems 16 Power System Stability
APPLICATION OF AASHO ROAD TEST RESULTS TO DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS IN MINNESOTA

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON A STUDY OF THE DESIGN OF FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS IN MINNESOTA APPLYING SOME OF THE CONCEPTS OF THE AASHO ROAD TEST. THE METHOD PRESENTLY USED TO DESIGN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS IN MINNESOTA IS DESCRIBED; IT UTILIZES ADT AND HCADT, A DESIGNATION OF SPRING AXLE LOAD, THE AASHO SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM, AND GRAVEL EQUIVALENT FACTORS. THE DESIGN METHOD WAS STUDIED BY MEASUREMENTS ON 50 TEST SECTIONS ESTABLISHED ON IN-SERVICE HIGHWAYS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THE PROGRAM OF FIELD PLATE AND BENKELMAN BEAM TESTS AND LABORATORY STRENGTH TESTS ON THE PAVEMENT MATERIAL IS DESCRIBED. AN IMPORTANT ASPECT WAS VARIATION IN STRENGTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SECTIONS HAS BEEN STUDIED BY UTILIZING THE ROUGHOMETER IN DETERMINING PSI; TRAFFIC HAS BEEN EVALUATED; PERFORMANCE TRENDS ARE NOTED, AND PREDICTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE AASHO INTERIM GUIDE AND ASPHALT INSTITUTE DESIGN PROCEDURES, WHICH ARE BASED ON THE CONCEPTS OF THE AASHO ROAD TEST, ARE USED AS A BASIS OF COMPARISON FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MINNESOTA TEST SECTIONS. A RELATIONSHIP USING THE SPRING BENKELMAN BEAM DEFLECTION AND PERFORMANCE, ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED AT THE ROAD TEST, IS EXAMINED AND THE MINNESOTA RESULTS THUS FAR ARE STUDIED FOR COMPLIANCE. MODIFICATIONS OF THE PRESENT MINNESOTA FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT DESIGN ARE SUGGESTED ON THE BASIS OF THE OBSERVED PERFORMANCE OF THE TEST SECTIONS TO DATE. /AUTHOR/
Imaging the bone cell network with nanoscale synchrotron computed tomography

The osteocytes are the most abundant and longest living bone cells, embedded in the bone matrix. They are interconnected with each other through dendrites, located in slender canals called canaliculi. The osteocyte lacunae, cavities in which the cells are located, together with the canaliculi form a communication network throughout the bone matrix, permitting transport of nutrients, waste and signals. These cells were firstly considered passive, but lately it has become increasingly clear their role as mechanosensory cells and orchestrators of bone remodeling. Despite recent advances in imaging techniques, none of the available methods can provide an adequate 3D assessment of the lacuno-canalicular network (LCN). The aims of this thesis were to achieve 3D imaging of the LCN with synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography (SR-CT) and to develop tools for 3D detection and segmentation of this cell network, leading towards automatic quantification of this structure. We demonstrate the feasibility of parallel beam SR-CT to image in 3D the LCN (voxel~300 nm). This technique can provide data on both the morphology of the cell network and the composition of the bone matrix. Compared to the other 3D imaging methods, this enables imaging of tissue covering a number of cell lacunae three orders of magnitude greater, in a simpler and faster way. This makes possible the study of sets of specimens in order to reach biomedical conclusions. Furthermore, we propose the use of divergent holotomography, to image the ultrastructure of bone tissue (voxel~60 nm). The image reconstruction provides phase maps, obtained after the application of a suitable phase retrieval algorithm. This technique permits assessment of the cell network with higher accuracy and it enables the 3D organization of collagen fibres organization in the bone matrix, to be visualized for the first time. In order to obtain quantitative parameters on the geometry of the cell network, this has to be segmented. Due to the limitations in spatial resolution, canaliculi appear as 3D tube-like structures measuring only 1-3 voxels in diameter. This, combined with the noise, the low contrast and the large size of each image (8 GB), makes the segmentation a difficult task. We propose an image enhancement method, based on a 3D line filter combined with bilateral filtering. This enables improvement in canaliculi detection, reduction of the background noise and cell lacunae preservation. For the image segmentation we developed a method based on variational region growing. We propose two expressions for energy functionals to minimize in order to detect the desired structure, based on the 3D line filter map and the original image. Preliminary quantitative results on human femoral samples are obtained based on connected components analysis and a few observations related to the bone cell network and its relation with the bone matrix are presented.
Effects of site preparation, seedling quality, and tree shelters on planted northern red oaks.

Research supported by the College of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (Project 42-089), University of Minnesota, St. Paul and the Minnesota Legislature as recommended by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources under M.L. 91, Ch. 254, Art. 1, Sec. 14, Subd. 7(d), and M.L. 93, Ch. 172, Sec. 14, Subd. 5(d) and under M.L. 93, Ch. 172, Sec. 14, Subd. 5(d). Published as paper no. 004420141 of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.
Flipping the Paradigm: A Qualitative Exploration of Research Translation Centres in the UK and Australia

Background: Over the past decade Research Translation Centres (RTC’s) have been established in many countries. These Centres (sometimes referred to as Academic Health Science Centres) are designed to bring universities and health care providers together in order to accelerate the generation and translation of new evidence that is responsive to health service and community priorities. This has the potential to effectively ‘flip’ the traditional research and education paradigms because it requires active participation and continuous engagement with stakeholders (especially service users, the community and frontline clinicians). Although investment and expectations of RTCs are high, the literature confirms a need to better understand the processes RTCs use to mobilise knowledge, build workforce capacity and co-produce research with patients and the public to ensure population impact and drive healthcare improvement is needed. Methods: Semi structured interviews were conducted with selected leaders and members from select RTCs in England and Australia. Convenience sampling was utilised to identify RTC’s, based on their geography, accessibility and availability. Purposive sampling and a snowballing approach was employed to recruit individual participants for interviews that were conducted face to face or via videoconferencing. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a reflexive and inductive approach. This involved two researchers comparing codes and interrogating themes that were analysed inductively against the study aims and through meetings with the research team. Results: A total of 41 participants, 22 from England and 19 from Australia were interviewed. Five major themes emerged including (1) dissonant metrics, (2) different models of leadership (3) public-patient involvement and research co-production (4) workforce development (5) barriers to collaboration.Conclusions: Participants identified the need for performance measures that capture community impact. Better aligned success metrics, enhanced leadership, strategies to partner with patients and the public, enhanced workforce development and strategies to enhance collaboration were all identified as crucial for RTCs to succeed.
TRANSPORTATION AND ENERGY

The status of transportation in Japan's overall energy consumption is discussed, along with the consumption characteristics of the individual modes. Conservation by transport modes and by Japanese National Railways is described. JNR will seek to substitute buses for light density passenger operations, expand electrification to reduce diesel operations, adopt regenerative braking for electric multiple unit cars, and foster a series of technological developments to cut oil use.
Modeling Product Development as a System Design Game

A system design game is a model of a situation in which agents’ actions determine the structure of a system, which in turn affects the system’s value and the share of value that each agent may capture through bargaining or market competition. This paper describes a class of games in which agents design interdependent products, for example software programs, which may be complements or substitutes for each other. These relationships are represented by an object called a design structure network (DSN). Depending on the modeler’s choice of allocation rules, agents may benefit from owning critical nodes in the DSN, corresponding to the type of architectural control enjoyed by firms like Microsoft and Intel. Preliminary experiments confirm that boundedly rational agents tend to capture more value than agents that take random actions, and that different allocation rules yield different patterns of agent behavior and network structure. Future work will use this framework to explore such phenomena as the emergence of technology platforms and the incentives to innovate when market power is diffuse. Contact: C. Jason Woodard Ph.D. Candidate, Information Technology & Management Harvard Business School Soldiers Field Boston, MA 02163 Tel: (617) 496-2079 Fax: (734) 423-0617 Email: jwoodard@hbs.edu
Overview of space power electronic's technology under the CSTI High Capacity Power Program

The Civilian Space Technology Initiative (CSTI) is a NASA Program targeted at the development of specific technologies in the areas of transportation, operations and science. Each of these three areas consists of major elements and one of the operation's elements is the High Capacity Power element. The goal of this element is to develop the technology base needed to meet the long duration, high capacity power requirements for future NASA initiatives. The High Capacity Power element is broken down into several subelements that includes energy conversion in the areas of the free piston Stirling power converter and thermoelectrics, thermal management, power management, system diagnostics, and environmental compatibility and system's lifetime. A recent overview of the CSTI High capacity Power element and a description of each of the program's subelements is given by Winter (1989). The goals of the Power Management subelement are twofold. The first is to develop, test, and demonstrate high temperature, radiation-resistant power and control components and circuits that will be needed in the Power Conditioning, Control and Transmission (PCCT) subsystem of a space nuclear power system. The results obtained under this goal will also be applicable to the instrumentation and control subsystem of a space nuclear reactor. These components and circuits must perform reliably for lifetimes of 7-10 years. The second goal is to develop analytical models for use in computer simulations of candidate PCCT subsystems. Circuits which will be required for a specific PCCT subsystem will be designed and built to demonstrate their performance and, also, to validate the analytical models and simulations. The tasks under the Power Management subelement will now be described in terms of objectives, approach and present status of work.
Flexure-based nanopositioning systems : integrated design and control

This thesis deals with the design and control of flexure-based mechanisms for applications requiring multi-degree-of-freedom positioning and alignment. Example applications include positioning a probe or sample in atomic force microscopy, alignment of tool and sample in stamping processes, and fine-positioning of wafer steppers in semiconductor manufacturing. Such applications necessitate nanopositioning systems that satisfy critical functional requirements, such as load-capacity, bandwidth, resolution, and range. Therefore, a systematic approach for design and control is an important tool for research and development for flexure-based nanopositioning systems. In this thesis, a novel methodology is presented for generating flexure-based topologies that can meet performance requirements, such as those dictating structural strength or dynamical behavior. We present performance metrics that allow for the generation of topologies that are tuned for a desired level of structural strength or modal separation. The topology generation is aimed as a valuable addition to the design toolkit, facilitating novel designs that could not have been conceived otherwise. The parameters within any particular topology could be adjusted at a subsequent phase through a detailed shape and size optimization. The thesis also proposes a controller generation approach. Unlike existing controller parameterizations, a novel parameterization formulated in this thesis allows for directly tuning the sensitivity transfer function of the closed-loop system. Tuning sensitivity is critical in mitigating the effects of disturbances affecting the system, as well as those arising from cross-coupling and parasitic error motions. Further, an integrated methodology for design and control is presented. This methodology uses the design topology generation approach and controller generation approach proposed in the thesis. The key distinction of our design for control approach is that the design is iterated over topologies and not just parameters within a selected topology. A simple one-degree-of-freedom positioning system example is worked out to detail the steps of the proposed integrated design and control methodology. A novel design topology that is ideally suited for achieving a desired design and control performance is derived using this methodology. Finally, the hardware design and control of a novel flexure-based nanopositioner implementation for scanning probe microscopy are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the approaches discussed in this thesis. Thesis Supervisor: Kamal Youcef-Toumi Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Application of the Finite Element/Boundary Element Approach to the Analysis of Radiation and Scattering from Fluid-Loaded Elastic and Piezoelectric Structures.

Abstract : To understand the behavior of realistic fluid loaded elastic or piezoelectric structures, it is often necessary to use numerical techniques. The approach chosen by many Navy modelers has been to combine a finite element model of the structure with a combined Helmholtz integral equation formulation (CHIEF) boundary element model of the wetted surface. CHIEF computes a matrix that describes the interactions through the fluid of the elements on the wetted surface. The CHIEF matrix can be combined with the structural matrices from any finite element program to obtain the fluid loaded response, in the frequency domain, of a device or structure. This approach has been used to compute the harmonic response to mechanical force, an applied potential, and an incident acoustic plane wave. The most recent enhancement to the finite element/CHIEF combination is the estimation of the in fluid eigenfrequency of a Specific mode of the structure. Some of these procedures have been documented in various Navy reports, while the most recent applications have been described in journal articles. The purpose of this document is to present all the procedures in one publication, and explain and demonstrate their use for the benefit of the prospective modeler or designer.
Manufacturing culture: a comparative spatial analysis of the film industry in three rust belt cities

The purpose of this mixed methods dissertation was to comparatively explore the impact of the film industry in three Rust Belt cities. In doing so, this study creates a regional composite of the film industry as an engine of economic development in the Rust Belt. Additionally, it assesses the effect of state sponsored film production incentives on regional economies. Qualitative analysis of interviews with regional film commissioners was synthesized with Geographic Information Systems analysis of the regional film industry to evaluate the need for, and effectiveness of, film production incentives. The qualitative data consisted of five interview transcripts that resulted from interviews conducted using the phenomenological method. The primary quantitative data was drawn from public databases made available by the United States Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Secondary sources included governmental and non-governmental economic impact studies of the film industry and film production incentives. Three primary themes emerged from this study: Film production has an impact on economic development, in the context of employment and infrastructure; regions hoping to incorporate media production as part of an economic development strategy need to cultivate a positive experience for media producers who have myriad location options; and production incentives play a critical role in fostering film-friendly environments in nascent media producing communities. Finally, this dissertation allowed the researcher to analyze three media producing communities at various stages of maturity, which resulted in the creation of a media production matrix that outlines a framework for non-traditional media locales to develop stable cultures of media production.