Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Student Satisfaction Model for Austrian Higher Education Providers Considering Aspects of Marketing Communications

Abstract The literature reveals that universities are becoming more aware of the importance of student satis-faction. In addition, various studies have shown that student satisfaction has a positive impact on student motivation, student retention, recruiting efforts and fundraising. This article examines how overall student satisfaction in Austrian Universities of Applied Sciences can be broken down into dimensions of the student’s learning experience. In this context, student satisfaction is an individ-ual overall subjective evaluation and experience of a product/service feature, the product/service itself and between what was received and as well as the perception of a gap between the received and the expected specific product/service to date (Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Anderson, Fornell and Rust, 1997; Oliver, 1999). The article proposes a student satisfaction model for actual students in Austria taking an economic diploma course. The article also demonstrates that in addition to the academic and pedagogic quality of the teaching culture, infrastructure and quality of services from the administration personnel relationships should not be underestimated when trying to improve student satisfaction. Furthermore, the model specific differences between the two types of univer-sities in Austria are considered. This article used both primary and secondary data. The primary data involved both, qualitative and quantitative research. The research was divided in three stages. The first stage, the analysis of the actual marketing models for services especially Higher Education providers, used secondary data as a principal method of research. The second stage contained the testing and validating of the pre-conceptualised model with actual students via the survey method. In the third stage, Higher Educa-tion experts in Austria were at the core of the research to further validate and adapt the model. The research was conducted applying the case study method.
TRUE UPPER BOUNDS FOR BERMUDAN PRODUCTS VIA NON‐NESTED MONTE CARLO

We present a generic non‐nested Monte Carlo procedure for computing true upper bounds for Bermudan products, given an approximation of the Snell envelope. The pleonastic “true” stresses that, by construction, the estimator is biased above the Snell envelope. The key idea is a regression estimator for the Doob martingale part of the approximative Snell envelope, which preserves the martingale property. The so constructed martingale can be employed for computing tight dual upper bounds without nested simulation. In general, this martingale can also be used as a control variate for simulation of conditional expectations. In this context, we develop a variance reduced version of the nested primal‐dual estimator. Numerical experiments indicate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
The Long-Term Influence of Social Support on Academic Engagement Among Latino Adolescents

Latino youth are the fastest growing group of ethnic minority adolescents in the United States, but their educational needs remain underserved. Although research exploring academic engagement has expanded in recent years, the majority of research examining academic engagement among Latino youth has been cross-sectional. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the present investigation used a within-person and between-person analysis to examine the long-term influence of social support from teachers, family, and peers on academic engagement among a nationally representative sample of Latino adolescents. Findings indicated that between-person teacher support and family support were associated with higher academic engagement for all youth. In contrast, within-person teacher support was associated with higher academic engagement, but only for Mexican American youth. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Home-Range Size and Habitat-Use Patterns of California Spotted Owls in the Sierra Nevada

Home range is an "area utilized by an individual during its normal activities such as food gathering, mating, and caring for young" (Burt 1943), as distinguished from its territory, which is typically defended against intrusion by other individuals of the same species, except a mate or a potential mate (Nice 1941). Home ranges of neighboring individuals commonly overlap, but territories are usually more exclusive. Studies of home ranges often require attachment of radio transmitters on animals, so their movements can be monitored. Many such studies have been done on spotted owls (recent review in Thomas et al. 1990, appendix I). In this chapter we report results of two radio-tracking studies in three different study areas, one in the northern and two in the central Sierra Nevada. These data provide estimates of home-range sizes of individual males and females, and of pairs, during different periods of the annual cycle. In addition, we have compared patterns of habitat use in home ranges in relation to the different habitats available to the birds. In that sense, habitat-use information given here augments that presented in Chapter 5. A fundamental difference exists, however, between the scales of habitat use reported here and those reported in Chapter 5. Studies in Chapter 5 examined habitat selection by owls at three scales-landscape, home-range, and stand. Stand-scale studies measured habitat attributes very near the point of an owl's activity-nesting, roosting, or foraging-and compared them with similar measurements at random locations in the surrounding forests. This was a fine-grained scale of analysis that addressed habitat attributes closely associated with an activity. Studies reported in Chapter 6 were done at a scale intermediate between the home-range and stand scales. Here we examined habitat selection at the scale of a habitat polygon (stand), a patch in the overall forest landscape that was similar enough within itself to be set apart from adjoining patches. The minimum patch size we recognized was 5 acres. For example, a meadow would be one polygon type, and an adjoining patch of forest with fairly uniform canopy closure and tree size-class would be another type. But a forest polygon could still be heterogeneous-and typically it is, with smaller subgroups of trees within it having higher canopy closure and/or larger trees than the polygon as a whole. If an owl were selecting for attributes at a scale less than the polygon size, the stand-level analyses reported in Chapter 5
Current approaches in East Polynesian colonisation research

A partir du cas de Mangaia (Polynesie orientale) et de l'etude de la presence du pollen, du charbon de bois et de l'argile, l'A. montre que les questions chronologiques du peuplement de cette region ne se reduisent pas aux deux principales approches que sont la datation au radiocarbone des sites archeologiques et l'analyse des donnees palynologiques. Si la methode du modele de taux de croissance est aujourd'hui problematique, l'abondance relative ou la variete taxinomique de la faune ainsi que les histoires traditionnelles dont les genealogies peuvent etre des methodes alternatives
The Dual Ownership Model: Using Organizational Relationships for Access Control in Safety Supply Chains

Counterfeits and contaminated drugs are recognized as a threat to consumer safety. To fight counterfeiting and protect consumers, public health institutions such as the US FDA demand organizations to electronically document the pedigrees of prescription drugs. As the documentation process involves joint collaborations of multiple organizations along the supply chain on electronic pedigrees for billions of individual goods, new and scalable access control models are needed. Therefore, this paper presents a novel concept, which leverages existing organizational relationships to manage access control based on physical possession. The concept is evaluated against other existing models and discussed.
Extended coherent point drift algorithm with correspondence priors and optimal subsampling

The problem of dense point set registration, given a sparse set of prior correspondences, often arises in computer vision tasks. Unlike in the rigid case, integrating prior knowledge into a registration algorithm is especially demanding in the non-rigid case due to the high variability of motion and deformation. In this paper we present the Extended Coherent Point Drift registration algorithm. It enables, on the one hand, to couple correspondence priors into the dense registration procedure in a closed form and, on the other hand, to process large point sets in reasonable time through adopting an optimal coarse-to-fine strategy. Combined with a suitable keypoint extractor during the preprocessing step, our method allows for non-rigid registrations with increased accuracy for point sets with structured outliers. We demonstrate advantages of our approach against other non-rigid point set registration methods in synthetic and real-world scenarios.
A message reduction scheme for DTN by using positional information

DTN (Delay and Disruption Tolerant Network) is expected to be more effective for such areas that telecommunication infrastructure are heavily damaged by a huge earthquake and tsunami, because it can be applied to worse circumstances that communication delays and disruptions occur. This paper proposes the method that decreases the number of messages in DTN by using positional information and clarifies its effectiveness by evaluating a message arrival rate and a total number of all messages.
Recognition Code of ZNF191(243-368) and Its Interaction with DNA

ZNF191(243-368) is the C-terminal region of ZNF191 which contains a putative DNA-binding domain of four Cys2His2 zinc finger motifs. In this study, an expression vector of a fusion protein of ZNF191(243-368) with glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli BL21. The fusion protein GST-ZNF191(243-368) was expressed using this vector to investigate the protein-DNA binding reaction through an affinity selection strategy on the basis of the binding quality of the zinc finger domain. Results showed that ZNF191(243-368) can selectively bind with sequences and react with genes which contain an AGGG core. However, the recognition mechanism of Cys2His2 zinc finger proteins to DNA warrants further investigation.
An Instrumental Variable Vector-Fitting Approach for Noisy Frequency Responses

This paper presents an efficient methodology to improve the convergence properties of vector fitting (VF) when the frequency data is contaminated by noise. The proposed algorithm uses an instrumental variable approach, which minimizes the biasing effect of the least squares solution caused by the noise of the data samples. These instruments are generated using the rational approximation of the previous iteration and does not increase the computational complexity of the VF algorithm. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the validity of the proposed method.
Silencing of DLGAP5 by siRNA Significantly Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Background The dysregulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes plays an important role in many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is one of the most common cancers in the world. In a previous microarray experiment, we found that DLGAP5 is overexpressed in HCCs. However, whether the up-regulation of DLGAP5 contributes to hepatocarcinogenesis remains unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we showed that DLGAP5 was significantly up-regulated in 76.4% (168 of 220) of the analyzed HCC specimens when compared with adjacent liver tissue. DLGAP5 overexpression was evident in 25% (22 of 88) of the HCC specimens without AFP expression, suggesting that DLGAP5 may be a novel biomarker for HCC pathogenesis. The silencing of DLGAP5 gene expression by RNA interference significantly suppressed cell growth, migration and colony formation in vitro. The expression level of DLGAP5 was also found to be related to the methylation level of its promoter in the HCC specimens. Conclusions/Significance Taken together, these data suggest that the expression of DLGAP5 is regulated by methylation and that the up-regulation of DLGAP5 contributes to HCC tumorigenesis by promoting cell proliferation.
Self-organization of heterogeneous topology and symmetry breaking in networks with adaptive thresholds and rewiring

We study an evolutionary algorithm that locally adapts thresholds and wiring in Random Threshold Networks, based on measurements of a dynamical order parameter. If a node is active, with probability p an existing link is deleted, with probability 1- p the node's threshold is increased, if it is frozen, with probability p it acquires a new link, with probability 1- p the node's threshold is decreased. For any p<1, we find spontaneous symmetry breaking into a new class of self-organized networks, characterized by a much higher average connectivity than networks without threshold adaptation (p=1). While and evolved out-degree distributions are independent from p for p< 1, in-degree distributions become broader when p→1, indicating crossover to a power law. In this limit, time scale separation between threshold adaptions and rewiring also leads to strong correlations between thresholds and in-degree. Finally, evidence is presented that networks converge to self-organized criticality for large N, and possible applications to problems in the context of the evolution of gene regulatory networks and development of neuronal networks are discussed.
Subspecies Status and Population Genetic Structure in Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

ABSTRACT. Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a migratory shorebird that is listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes and as threatened throughout the rest of its breeding and winter range. We undertook a comprehensive molecular-genetic investigation to (1) address subspecific taxonomy, (2) characterize population genetic structure, and (3) infer past bottlenecks and demographic processes in this species. Analyses included individuals from 23 U.S. states and Canadian provinces and were based on mitochondrial DNA sequences (580 base pairs, n = 245) and 8 nuclear microsatellite loci (n = 229). Our findings provide support for separate Atlantic and Interior subspecies (C. m. melodus and C. m. circumcinctus, respectively). Birds from the Great Lakes region were allied with the Interior subspecies and should be referred to as C. m. circumcinctus. Population genetic analyses illustrated stronger genetic structure among Atlantic than among Interior birds, which may reflect reduced natal- and breeding-site fidelity of Interior individuals. Furthermore, analyses suggested that Interior birds previously experienced genetic bottlenecks, whereas there was no evidence of such patterns in the Atlantic subspecies. We interpret these results in light of 25 years of range-wide census data. Overall, differences between Interior and Atlantic Piping Plovers may reflect differences in spatiotemporal stability of nesting habitat between regions.
Global Structure-from-Motion by Similarity Averaging

Global structure-from-motion (SfM) methods solve all cameras simultaneously from all available relative motions. It has better potential in both reconstruction accuracy and computation efficiency than incremental methods. However, global SfM is challenging, mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, translation averaging is difficult, since an essential matrix only tells the direction of relative translation. Secondly, it is also hard to filter out bad essential matrices due to feature matching failures. We propose to compute a sparse depth image at each camera to solve both problems. Depth images help to upgrade an essential matrix to a similarity transformation, which can determine the scale of relative translation. Thus, camera registration is formulated as a well-posed similarity averaging problem. Depth images also make the filtering of essential matrices simple and effective. In this way, translation averaging can be solved robustly in two convex L1 optimization problems, which reach the global optimum rapidly. We demonstrate this method in various examples including sequential data, Internet data, and ambiguous data with repetitive scene structures.
Analyzing the levels of depressive symptoms among secondary school students in Canada and Turkey

To examine the level of depressive symptoms of the secondary school students in Turkey and Canada has been aimed in this study. The research group of the study consists of 1050 secondary school students with the average age of 13. Their socio-economic levels are low in both countries, Canada and Turkey. Data has been analyzed by independent groups t-Test, Two Way ANOVA and Tukey HSD Test. The study revealed that the level of depressive symptoms of Turkish secondary school students has been found higher than the level of depressive symptoms of Canadian secondary school students. While the levels of depressive symptoms of the Canadian female students have been higher than male students, the level of depressive symptoms of Turkish students has not differentiated in terms of their genders. While the common interactions of the educational levels of Turkish students’ parents on depressive symptoms have been found significant, the levels of depressive symptoms of Canadian pupils have not presented any changes according to parents’ educational levels. The results of the study have been discussed and some suggestions have been presented. Keywords: depressive symptoms, secondary school students, early adolescent, Canada, Turkey.
Responding to Unfair Offers Made by a Friend: Neuroelectrical Activity Changes in the Anterior Medial Prefrontal Cortex

When receiving unfair monetary offers from another person, the most common response is punishment. Existing literature on the Ultimatum Game indicates that individuals frequently refuse unfair offers even when this results in a loss for themselves. Here, we present behavioral and neurophysiological evidence demonstrating that friendship substantially modifies this response. When the proposer was a friend rather than an unknown person, unfair offers were less frequently rejected and the medial frontal negativity (MFN) typically associated with unfair offers was reversed to positive polarity. The underlying generators were located in inferior-mesial and right inferior- and medial-lateral frontal regions (BA10 and BA11). These findings highlight the fundamental role of the anterior prefrontal cortex in interpersonal economic interaction and, particularly, present new evidence on the effects of social distance on the MFN.
Distinct Analgesic Actions of DHA and DHA-Derived Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators on Post-operative Pain After Bone Fracture in Mice

Mechanisms of pain resolution are largely unclear. Increasing evidence suggests that specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), derived from fish oil docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), promote the resolution of acute inflammation and potently inhibit inflammatory and neuropathic pain. In this study, we examined the analgesic impact of DHA and DHA-derived SPMs in a mouse model of post-operative pain induced by tibial bone fracture (fPOP). Intravenous perioperative treatment with DHA (500 μg), resolvin D1 (RvD1, 500 ng) and maresin 1 (MaR1, 500 ng), 10 min and 24 h after the surgery, delayed the development of fPOP (mechanical allodynia and cold allodynia). In contrast, post-operative intrathecal (IT) administration of DHA (500 μg) 2 weeks after the surgery had no effects on established mechanical and cold allodynia. However, by direct comparison, IT post-operative treatment (500 ng) with neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), MaR1, and D-resolvins, RvD1 and RvD5, but not RvD3 and RvD4, effectively reduced mechanical and cold allodynia. ELISA analysis showed that perioperative DHA treatment increased RvD1 levels in serum and spinal cord samples after bone fracture. Interestingly, sham surgery resulted in transient allodynia and increased RvD1 levels, suggesting a correlation of enhanced SPM levels with acute pain resolution after sham surgery. Our findings suggest that (1) perioperative treatment with DHA is effective in preventing and delaying the development of fPOP and (2) post-treatment with some SPMs can attenuate established fPOP. Our data also indicate that orthopedic surgery impairs SPM production. Thus, DHA and DHA-derived SPMs should be differentially supplemented for treating fPOP and improving recovery.
Steroid-Sparing Effect of Tacrolimus in the Maintenance Phase of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Single-Center, Prospective Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the steroid-sparing effect and safety of Tacrolimus (TAC) combination treatment during the maintenance phase of SLE. Methods: Thirty-eight patients were studied over a 1-year period from 2009 to 2012. If manifestations of mild active SLE, such as skin eruptions, arthritis, or asymptomatic nephritis, worsened and/or decreasing levels of serum complement (C3c) were observed, TAC combination treatment (from 1 mg to 5 mg once daily) was carried out. This was accomplished by adding TAC to the patient’s existing treatment regimen and decreasing in the usage of prednisolone (PSL). Scores on the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), PSL dosage, and proteinuria, serum levels of C3c, anti-dsDNA levels were researched. Results: Twenty-eight patients received to TAC combination therapy. 1) The PSL dose was decreased from 11.7 ± 5.6 to 8.2 ± 4.2 mg/day (P<0.001). 2) The serum concentration of C3c increased and levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies decreased 3) Scores on the SLEDAI modified from 6.2 ± 3.7 to 2.6 ± 2.3 (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in proteinuria. In contrast, eight patients did not respond and/or had worsening SLE, and two patients discontinued treatment because of an adverse effect such as rhabdomyolysis or muscle cramps. No patients had complications of an abnormal urinalysis, and none progressed to renal failure with or without requiring dialysis. Conclusions: TAC combination treatment may have a useful steroid-sparing effect, as it does not worsen disease activity and is safe for SLE patients during the maintenance phase.
Mercury BLASTN: Faster DNA Sequence Comparison using a Streaming Hardware Architecture

Motivation: Large-scale DNA sequence comparison, as implemented by BLAST and related algorithms, is one of the pillars of modern genomic analysis. One way to accelerate these computations is with a streaming architecture, in which processors are arranged in a pipeline that replicates the multistage structure of the algorithm. To achieve high performance, the processor hardware implementing the critical seed matching and ungapped extension stages of BLAST should be specialized to execute these stages as quickly as possible. However, accelerating these stages requires solving two key problems: rst, the seed matching stage is not of a form which has traditionally been amenable to hardware acceleration; and second, the accelerated implementation of BLAST should retain sensitivity at least comparable to that of the original software. Results: We describe Mercury BLASTN, an FPGA-based implementation of BLAST for DNA. Mercury BLASTN combines a Bloom lter ing approach to seed matching with a modied ungapped extension algorithm to overcome barriers to placing the early stages of BLAST onto hardware. On a previous-generation FPGA hardware platform, Mercury BLASTN runs 5 to 11 times faster than NCBI BLASTN current-generation general-purpose CPUs, with the prospect of a further eight-fold speedup on current-generation FPGAs. Moreover, its sensitivity to signicant DNA sequence alignments is 99% of that observed with software NCBI BLASTN. Availability: Academic users should contact the authors for information on acquiring a prototype of the Mercury BLASTN system. Contact: jbuhler@cse.wustl. edu