Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forecasting spatial dynamics of the housing market using Support Vector Machine

This paper adopts a novel approach of Support Vector Machine (SVM) to forecast residential housing prices. as one type of machine learning algorithm, the proposed SVM encompasses a larger set of variables that are recognized as price-influencing and meanwhile enables recognizing the geographical pattern of housing price dynamics. The analytical framework consists of two steps. The first step is to identify the supporting vectors (SVs) to price variances using the stepwise multi-regression approach; and then it is to forecast the housing price variances by employing the SVs identified by the first step as well as other variables postulated by the hedonic price theory, where the housing prices in Taipei City are empirically examined to verify the designed framework. Results computed by nonparametric estimation confirm that the prediction power of using SVM in housing price forecasting is of high accuracy. Further studies are suggested to extract the geographical weights using kernel density estimates to reflect price responses to local quantiles of hedonic attributes.
Job Stress, Sector of Work, and Shift-Work Pattern as Correlates of Worker Health and Safety: A Study of a Manufacturing Company in Ghana

Worker health and safety must be viewed as a basic organizational policy and even a right. In view of this, the study sought to ferret out the extent to which job stress, sector of work and shift work pattern correlates with worker health and safety in a manufacturing company in Ghana. Using cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 120 employees using purposive and stratified sampling techniques. Three hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Independent Sample ‘t’ test. A significant correlation was found between employee stress and worker health and safety. Thus an increase in employee stress will lead to a decrease in worker health and safety and vice versa. No significant difference was found in the level of health and safety among workers in the production sectors compared to workers in the non-production sectors. The study established that employees who go through shift work will experience lower health and safety compared to employees who do not go through shift-work. The present study is one of the foremost research attempts on sector of work and worker health and safety with a comparative approach using sample from the manufacturing setting in Ghana. The researchers recommend that employers take necessary steps towards introducing a culture where a stress prevention plan exists and worker health and safety is prioritised. The researchers reckon this as necessary step for policy implementation as worker health and safety policies are fragmented in most developing countries.
Dynamic control of a bistable wing under aerodynamic loading

The aerodynamic evaluation of a dynamic control technique applied to a bistable unsymmetrical cross-ply composite plate with surface bonded piezoelectric actuators is presented. The plate is clamped on one end to form a low-aspect-ratio wing. A previously proposed dynamic control method, utilizing bending resonance in different stable equilibrium positions, is used to induce snap-through between the two equilibrium states. Compared to quasi-static actuation, driving the bistable plate near resonance using surface bonded piezoelectric materials requires, theoretically, a lower peak excitation voltage to achieve snap-through. First, a set of extensive wind tunnel experiments are conducted on the passive bistable wing to understand the change in the dynamic behavior under various aerodynamic conditions. The passive wing demonstrated sufficient bending stiffness to sustain its shape under aerodynamic loading while preserving the desired bistable behavior. Next, by the use of the resonant control technique, the plate is turned into an effectively monostable structure, or alternatively, both stable equilibrium positions can be reached actively from the other stable equilibrium. Dynamic forward and reverse snap-through is demonstrated in the wind tunnel which shows both the effectiveness of the piezoelectric actuation as well as the load carrying capability of both states of the bistable wing.
Suitability of SWAT for the Conservation Effects Assessment Project: Comparison on USDA Agricultural Research Service Watersheds

Recent interest in tracking environmental benefits of conservation practices on agricultural watersheds throughout the United States has led to the development of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project CEAP. The purpose of CEAP is to assess environmental benefits derived from implementing various USDA conservation programs for cultivated, range, and irrigated lands. Watershed scale, hydrologic simulation models such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool SWAT will be used to relate principal source areas of contaminants to transport paths and processes under a range in climatic, soils, topographic, and land use conditions on agricultural watersheds. To better understand SWAT's strengths and weaknesses in simulating streamflow for anticipated applications related to CEAP, we conducted a study to evaluate the model's performance under a range of climatic, topo- graphic, soils, and land use conditions. Hydrologic responses were simulated on five USDAAgricultural Research Service watersheds that included Mahantango Creek Experimental Watershed in Pennsylvania and Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Idaho in the northern part of the United States, and Little River Experimental Watershed in Georgia, Little Washita River Experimental Watershed in Oklahoma, and Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in Arizona in the south. Model simulations were performed on a total of 30 calibration and validation data sets that were obtained from a long record of multigauge climatic and streamflow data on each of the watersheds. A newly developed autocalibration tool for the SWAT model was employed to calibrate eleven parameters that govern surface and subsurface response for the three southern watersheds, and an additional five parameters that govern the accumulation of snow and snowmelt runoff processes for the two northern watersheds. Based on a comparison of measured versus simulated average annual streamflow, SWAT exhibits an element of robustness in estimating hydrologic responses across a range in topographic, soils, and land use conditions. Differences in model performance, however, are noticeable on a climatic basis in that SWAT will generally perform better on watersheds in more humid climates than in desert or semidesert climates. The model may therefore be better suited for CEAP investiga- tions in wetter regions of the eastern part of the United States that are predominantly cultivated than the dryer regions of the West that are more characteristically rangeland.
On mathematical approaches to modelling slender liquid jets with a curved trajectory

Slender liquid jets that have a curved trajectory have been examined in a range of papers using a method introduced in Wallwork et al. (Proc. IUTAM Symp. on Free-Surface Flows, 2000, Kluwer; J. Fluid Mech., vol. 459, 2002, pp. 43–65) and Decent et al. (J. Engng Maths, vol. 42, 2002, pp. 265–282), for jets that emerge from an orifice on the surface of a rotating cylindrical container, successfully comparing computational results to measurements arising from laboratory experiments. Wallwork et al. (2000, 2002) and Decent et al. (2002) based their analyses on the slenderness of the jet, and neglected the torsion of the centreline of the jet, which is valid since in most situations examined the torsion is zero or small. Shikhmurzaev & Sisoev (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 819, 2017, pp. 352–400) used differential geometry and incorporated the torsion. This paper shows that these two methods produce identical results at leading order when the torsion is zero or when the torsion is $O(1)$ , in an asymptotic framework based upon the slenderness of the jet, and shows that the method of Wallwork et al. (2000, 2002) and Decent et al. (2002) is accurate for parameters corresponding to scenarios previously examined and also when the torsion is $O(1)$ . It is shown that the method of Shikhmurzaev & Sisoev (2017) should be used when the torsion is asymptotically large or when the jet is not slender.
Ex vivo biomechanical analysis of two methods of osteosynthesis in canine mandibular fractures

Mandibular fractures represent an orthopedic challenge in veterinary medicine consideringthe large number of fixation methods that could be used depending on the location and manner in which the fracture occurs. Bone plates are a method of internal fixation that allows the correction of single or bilateral fractures, simple or comminuted; which appropriate material and technical knowledge for their use. Recent studies have demonstrated the superior strength that the locked plates present in relation to the neutralization plates, especially when used in flat bones or with lower bone density. The present study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical strength of neutralization plates and locked plates in oblique mandibular fractures in dogs. Sixteen hemimandibles from mesocephalic dogs were selected, weighing between 15 and 25 kg, without mandibular pathological alterations. Unfavorable fractures were performed between the 2nd and 3rd premolar teeth. The hemimandibles were allocated to two groups and stabilized with neutralization (Group 1) and locked (Group 2) plates. Both groups were subjected to the vertical compression test using the EMIC DL500 machine, sought to note the difference of maximum resistance between the implants. The statistical analysis used was the t-test and showed no difference (P = 0.135) between the strength of the group receiving neutralization plates (21.08±9.766kgf) and the group that received locked plates (25.96±7.029kgf). From the point of view of resistance to vertical compression, the neutralized and locked plates have the same biomechanical strength.
Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of the cement treated Cold-in-Place Recycled Asphalt Mixtures

Cold-in-place recycling (CIR) is an environmentally sustainable alternative for preservation of asphalt pavements. A major disadvantage of this practice is the lower strength of the cold-in-place mixtures. Addition of cement into this type of mixture is a method for increasing its bearing capacity. The effect of cement content on the mechanical properties of the cold-in-place recycled asphalt mixtures has been investigated in laboratory. Different percentages of cement have been added to the recycled asphalt mixtures mixed with an optimum percentage of emulsified bitumen and moisture, and the indirect tensile strength, resilient modulus, dynamic stiffness and fatigue life have been measured. Due to the problem of fabrication of beam specimens, traditionally, the fatigue behavior of cold-in-place recycled mixtures has been investigated using dynamic indirect tensile loading. In this research, a method has been developed for making fatigue beams of the mixture. It is found that the fatigue life, dynamic stiffness, indirect tensile strength and resilient modulus of the mixtures increase with increasing cement content.
Multicore Mining of Correlated Patterns

In this paper, we present a new approach relevant to the discovery of correlated patterns, based on the use of multicore architectures. Our work rests on a full KDD system and allows one to extract Decision Correlation Rules based on the Chi-squared criterion that include a target column from any database. To achieve this objective, we use a levelwise algorithm as well as contingency vectors, an alternate and more powerful representation of contingency tables, in order to prune the search space. The goal is to parallelize the processing associated with the extraction of relevant rules. The parallelization invokes the PPL (Parallel Patterns Library), which allows a simultaneous access to the whole available cores / processors on modern computers. We finally present first results on the reached performance gains.
Challenges in Recruitment and Incentive Management – Empirical Studies on the Effects of Informational Asymmetries, Monetary and Non-Monetary Job Characteristics

Demographic forces, globalization and technological developments will lead to an increasing competition for highly qualified workers in the years to come. In this dissertation, selected recruitment and incentive measures are examined to derive recommendations for human resource management concerning this matter. Thereby, the focus of this thesis is on the signaling value of recruiting actions, applicants’ perceptions of job and company characteristics, and the effectiveness of non-performance-related special payments.
Binned Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography

This paper describes the binned time-of-flight reconstruction scheme for incorporating the measured time difference of detected gamma photon pairs in PET scanners, without list mode processing of individual events. Events are not summed for every detector crystal pair (forming a Line Of Response or LOR), but for time bins along LORs, retaining time difference information — which can only be measured with low accuracy — to a reasonable degree. Thus our approach avoids extreme storage and processing requirements, but allows for faster convergence and lower residual error of the reconstructed volume. We describe how various computation steps of non-time-of-flight reconstruction must be adjusted to accommodate for the binned time information.
Comparative investigation on using cryogenic machining in CNC milling of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy

ABSTRACT Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy is one of the most important materials in industry, 80% of which is used in aerospace industry. Titanium alloys are also notoriously difficult-to-machine materials owing to their unique material properties imposing a major bottleneck in manufacturing systems. Cryogenic cooling has been acknowledged as an alternative technique in machining to improve the machinability of different materials. Although milling is considered to be the major machining operation for the manufacture of titanium components in aerospace industries, studies in cryogenic machining of titanium alloys are predominantly concentrated on turning operations. To address this gap, this article provides an investigation on the viability of cryogenic cooling in CNC end-milling of aerospace-grade Ti-6Al-4V alloy using liquid nitrogen in comparison with traditional machining environments. A series of machining experiments were conducted and surface roughness, tool life, power consumption, and specific machining energy were investigated for cryogenic milling as opposed to conventional dry and flood cooling. Analysis revealed that cryogenic machining using liquid nitrogen has the potential to significantly improve the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in CNC end-milling using solid carbide cutting tools and result in a paradigm shift in machining of titanium products. The analysis demonstrated that cryogenic cooling has resulted in almost three times increased tool life and the surface roughness was reduced by 40% in comparison with flood cooling.
Bubbles in Experimental Asset Markets

One can define a bubble as a persistent increase in the price of an asset over and above its fundamental value with an abrupt fall in prices when no buyers are available to make purchases. The occurrence of market bubbles has a long history, starting with the Dutch Tulip Mania (1624-1637) to the South Sea and Mississippi Bubble (1716-1720), the British Railway Mania (1840´s) to the crash of 1929. Recent events have been the crash of 1987, the dot-com bubble (1990s) to the most recent housing crisis in early 2000. Even though bubbles, and a subsequent crash, may reallocate resources to more efficient activities, the economic costs of bubbles are large and sometimes felt for long periods of time. It is important to emphasize that markets perform an important role in that they aggregate information (Hayek, 1945) for its participants. The aggregation of information occurs through the price discovery process. In the real world markets are seldom efficient and mispricing is common. Due to this, information aggregation seldom happens and consequently one observes deviations of prices from their fundamentals on a regular basis. Market bubbles are an elusive phenomenon and it is due to this that the prior knowledge of the occurrence of a bubble is difficult. In most cases we only know of their occurrence when we observe a crash, but by then it’s too late. Simply stated, bubbles reflect mis-pricing of an asset from its fundamental value. Clearly, knowing the fundamental value in the real world is a challenge. The use of economic experiments is important to study the nature of bubbles for this very reason. Bubbles are hard to detect. The institutional environment is easily controlled in a laboratory setting and one can study the reasons behind the deviation of prices from their fundamental value by carefully varying the experimental parameters. Information that is not easily available in real world settings, such as the fundamental value, is observed and can be controlled in a laboratory setting (declining, constant, ambiguous etc.). Typically, experimental studies on asset market bubbles utilize the continuous Double Auction institution where a participant can be on either side of the market acting as a buyer or seller. This may depend upon the underlying market conditions or their choice of the role based upon their expectations. The good in a typical asset market is durable and lasts till the end of the experiment. For our purpose we will limit ourselves to studies that use perfectly durable goods in asset markets. A good purchased in any period earns a dividend at the end of that period and can be resold at any point of time till the last period and is not perishable. The knowledge of the last period is common to all subjects.
Analysis of temperature influence on titaniumdioxide memristor characteristics at pulse mode

The main goal of this paper is to investigate the influence of the temperature on the memristor properties and on the inner diffusion rate. Based on experimental data а relationship between ionic mobility and temperature is extrapolated. Then the dependencies between resistances of the memristor in open and closed states and the temperature are given in analytical and graphical form. Based on a SIMULINK algorithm the temperature dependence of maximal quantity of charge memorized is given,. The influence of the temperature on memristor characteristics are presented using MATLAB models in pulse mode. The diffusion processes in Williams’s memristor are analyzed. In the end some concluding remarks about the complex influence of temperature on Williams’s memristor are presented. Keywords—titanium-dioxide memristor;charge carriers mobility; temperature dependence; impulse mode; diffusion.
Carbon, oxygen and biological productivity in the Southern Ocean in and out the Kerguelen plume: CARIOCA drifter results

Abstract. The Kerguelen Plateau region in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean supports annually a large-scale phytoplankton bloom which is naturally fertilized with iron. As part of the second Kerguelen Ocean and Plateau compared Study expedition (KEOPS2) in austral spring (October–November 2011), one CARbon Interface OCean Atmosphere (CARIOCA) buoy was deployed east of the Kerguelen Plateau. It drifted eastward downstream along the Kerguelen plume. Hourly surface measurements of pCO2, O2 and ancillary observations were collected between 1 November 2011 and 12 February 2012 with the aim of characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of the biological net community production, NCP, downstream the Kerguelen Plateau, assessing the impact of iron-induced productivity on the biological inorganic carbon consumption and consequently on the CO2 flux exchanged at the air–sea interface. The trajectory of the buoy up to mid-December was within the longitude range 72–83° E, close to the polar front and then in the polar frontal zone, PFZ, up to 97° E. From 17 November to 16 December, the buoy drifted within the Kerguelen plume following a filament carrying dissolved iron, DFe, for a total distance of 700 km. In the first part of the trajectory of the buoy, within the iron plume, the ocean surface waters were always a sink for CO2 and a source for O2, with fluxes of respective mean values equal to −8 mmol CO2 and +38 mmol O2 m−2 d−1. To the east, as the buoy escaped the iron-enriched filament, the fluxes were in the opposite direction, with respective mean values of +5 mmol CO2 and −48 mmol O2 m−2 d−1. These numbers clearly indicate the strong impact of biological processes on the biogeochemistry in the surface waters within the Kerguelen plume in November–mid-December, while it is undetectable to the east in the PFZ from mid- December to mid-February. While the buoy follows the Fe-enriched filament, simultaneous observations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and dissolved oxygen (O2) highlight biological events lasting from 2 to 4 days. Stoichiometric ratios, O2 / C, between 1.1 and 1.4 are observed indicating new and regenerated production regimes. NCP estimates range from 60 to 140 mmol C m−2 d−1.
Teachers' Perceived Commitment as Measured by Age, Gender and School Type

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate secondary school beginning teachers’ perceptions of professional commitment in Ethiopia, and to determine how their perceptions differed across the selected demographic variables in terms of professional commitment. Respondents were 381 secondary school beginning teachers in East Shoa and West Arsi Zones of Oromiya regional state, Ethiopia. They responded to a 2-part questionnaire—demographic variables and Professional Commitment Scale (Allen, Meyer, & Smith, 1993). Data was gathered via questionnaires following the research procedures. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS for Windows version 11.5. Scale results showed that the background variables—age, gender, and school type—have significant but small effects on the perceptions of beginning secondary school teachers’ professional commitment in Ethiopia. Beginning male teachers in Ethiopia claim relatively higher levels of affective professional commitment; while their perceptions of normative, and continuance professional commitment tends to be neutral. This study also revealed that teachers in public secondary schools than private secondary schools perceived higher normative ( MD = 0.28, p < 0.01) and continuance ( MD = 0.17, p < 0.05) professional commitment. Implications and recommendations for school practices and future research are discussed.