Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of different machine strength grading principles

In compliance with European Regulation and with particular reference to EN 14081, grade assignment of timber is based upon observation of three properties: strength, stiffness and density. Timber is hereby segregated into different grades. However, characteristic values are statistical properties: strength and density are described by 5% percentile values and stiffness by the mean value. In other words, even though every piece is assigned to a single grade, the properties can only be determined for the overall population of observations and not for every single piece of timber. ViSCAN, with it’s built in laser interferometer, measures the frequency of vibration. X-ray scanning is used to compute density on cross (DENSCAN) and longitudinal (GoldenEye) transport. These measurement units can be used stand-alone or in combination. In this paper different combinations are compared with respect to their performance in grade prediction. Since moisture content influences wood properties an in-line moisture meter (M3SCAN) optionally can be installed so to adjust the measured properties to reference conditions. By using camera based systems, visual override and aesthetical requirements can be considered during grading. Most common are limitations on warp (twist, bow, spring, cup), wane, fissures, knot size and colour changes.
A classification of projectors

A positive operator A and a closed subspace S of a Hilbert space H are called compatible if there exists a projector Q onto S such that AQ = Q∗A. Compatibility is shown to depend on the existence of certain decompositions of H and the ranges of A and A. It also depends on certain angle between A(S) and the orthogonal of S.
Trade Intermediation, Financial Frictions, and the Gains from Trade

This paper develops a heterogeneous firm model of international trade with trade intermediation and financial frictions. Indirect exporting through intermediaries entails lower fixed costs but larger variable costs, and thus intermediaries alleviate financial frictions which magnify the fixed cost of exporting. The model finds strong empirical support in firm-level data on indirect exports for 118 countries as well as country-level data on entrepA´t trade through Hong Kong for over 50 countries. Financially more constrained exporting firms and financially less developed countries are more likely to use trade intermediaries. Both of these effects are stronger in financially more vulnerable industries. Calibrating a two-country version of the model in general equilibrium for China and US reveals important gains from trade intermediation. When indirect exporting is eliminated from China, welfare, exports, and the share of exporting firms fall by 0.24%, 18%, and 59% respectively.
The Effect of an Integrative Skills Program on Developing Jordanian University Students' Achievement in English

This study aimed at investigating the effect of an integrative program, the effect of gender and the interaction between gender and the program on developing Jordanian university students’ achievement in English . The participants of the study were 122 university students. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design. The data were collected using an achievement test which was validated and its interscorer reliability was ensured. ANCOVA was used to analyze the students’ full degrees while MANCOVA was used to analyze their sub degrees of the test. The results revealed a significant difference between the adjusted mean scores of students’ achievement in the posttest and a significant difference between the adjusted means for the students’ achievement in the parts of the posttest. The results showed no significant difference between the adjusted mean scores of students due to gender and the interaction between gender and the teaching method. They also showed a significant difference between the means of the students’ achievement in structures due to the interaction between the teaching method and gender in favor of the male while there was no statistically significant effect in vocabulary and reading comprehension.
The Impact of Clique Membership on Children's Social Behavior and Status Nominations

The impact of children's clique membership on their peer nominations for social behaviors and status was examined in a sample of 455 third- through fifth-grade children. Social identity theory (SIT) and children's peer group affiliation and context served as primary conceptual frameworks for this investigation. As suggested by SIT, results indicated that children displayed favorable views toward their own cliquemates, nominating cliquemates more often for positive characteristics (e.g., prosocial, cool) and high status indicators (like-most, most-popular) than for negative characteristics (e.g., aggression) and low status indicators (like-least, least-popular). At the same time, children's views toward their cliquemates were commensurate with the clique's normative reputations as determined by the broader peer group (i.e., grade). This suggests that children's perceptions toward their cliquemates, albeit favorable, are also regulated by the overall clique context. Meaningful gender and grade effects on children's cliquemate nomination patterns were found. Findings also were discussed regarding the impact of clique size on a peer-based assessment of social reputations and status.
Status of Pseudorasbora parva in the Tiber River Basin (Umbria, central Italy) 20 years after its introduction

The aim of this research was to assess the distribution, abundance and growth of the non-native topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva that was recorded for the first time in the Tiber River Basin (central Italy) in 1994. The competitive interaction of P. parva with four native fish species was also investigated. The study area comprised 92 watercourses of the Umbrian section of the Tiber River Basin. Demographic and environmental data were collected during the period 1990−2014 in 171 sampling sites. The results of this study showed a wide distribution of P. parva in the study area, with records from 23.39% of all sampling sites (40 out of 171). This species inhabits the downstream reaches, where the presence of many non-native species and the poor environmental quality are associated with a decrease in native fish species. A total of 5570 specimens of P. parva were collected and five age classes (0+ to 4+ ) were identified. The equation for the total length-weight relationship of P. parva was W = 0.021T L 2.673±0.015 . For the chub Squalius squalus , the Tiber barbel, Barbus tyberinus, and the roach, Rutilus rubilio, the average values of the relative weight were significantly higher in the sites where P. parva was absent. The results of the present study suggest the need to undertake proper strategies for native biodiversity conservation.
Density smoothness estimation problem using a wavelet approach

In this paper we consider a smoothness parameter estimation problem for a density function. The smoothness parameter of a function is defined in terms of Besov spaces. This paper is an extension of recent results (K. Dziedziul, M. Kucharska, B. Wolnik, Estimation of the smoothness parameter ). The construction of the estimator is based on wavelets coefficients. Although we believe that the effective estimation of the smoothness parameter is impossible in general case, we can show that it becomes possible for some classes of the density functions.
Numerical Methods for Pricing American Options with Time-Fractional PDE Models

In this paper we develop a Laplace transform method and a finite difference method for solving American option pricing problem when the change of the option price with time is considered as a fractal transmission system. In this scenario, the option price is governed by a time-fractional partial differential equation (PDE) with free boundary. The Laplace transform method is applied to the time-fractional PDE. It then leads to a nonlinear equation for the free boundary (i.e., optimal early exercise boundary) function in Laplace space. After numerically finding the solution of the nonlinear equation, the Laplace inversion is used to transform the approximate early exercise boundary into the time space. Finally the approximate price of the American option is obtained. A boundary-searching finite difference method is also proposed to solve the free-boundary time-fractional PDEs for pricing the American options. Numerical examples are carried out to compare the Laplace approach with the finite difference method and it is confirmed that the former approach is much faster than the latter one.
Exploring the duality of Information Technology in community health trusts

There are two important areas of inquiry, within the information systems domain, that are often framed as dualities. The first relates to the nature of the relationship between technological artefacts and human practices: does technology shape human practice or is technology shaped by human agency? The second concerns the impact of information technologies: does IT empower the user or is the user controlled by IT? The aim of this study is to provide new insights into the nature of these dualities by exploring the development, implementation and use of a standard software application, within a homogenous organisational sector, namely NHS Community Trusts. A multiple case-study design incorporating five Community Healthcare Trusts was utilised. The study found that whilst the information system was perceived as facilitating empowerment in two Trusts, it was felt to be reinforcing management control in another Trust; there was no significant change to the distribution of power in the other two Trusts. Moreover, the differences in outcome could be explained by the degree of ‘interpretive flexibility’ associated with each of the information systems projects: the empowerment of users was found in Trusts where the users were actively engaged in the system’s social and physical constitution.
Which competencies do firms reward? Empirical evidence on Italian employees

The institutional wage-setting mechanism is aimed at establishing minimum contractual wages but firms can then add supplementary wage premia according to specific circumstances. This paper focuses on whether firms, in addition to the minimum wage, reward distinctive competencies, and if so, which competencies. To answer this question, we first distinguish between skills and competencies, and then separate competencies into the threshold level and the distinctive level. Second, we decompose competencies into two cluster groups, respectively soft and technical competencies, and then classify the latter into two domains relating to digital and non-digital technical competencies. The digital domain consists of two components, namely, technologies based on rules and algorithm execution, and technologies for pattern recognition and complex communication. Drawing on over 3,600 interviews with a stratified sample of Italian employees and controlling for a wide array of covariates (firm size, sectors, occupations, working and contractual conditions, education and industrial relations), we estimate a five simultaneous equation system via 3SLS in conjunction with the bootstrap method. The results show that a positive relationship between wage premia and distinctive competencies emerges only in 3 out of the 4 competency components, precisely, soft competencies, non-digital technical competencies and the digital technologies component for pattern recognition and complex communication.
BIOAVAILABILITY AND BIOACCESSIBILITY OF TOXIC AND ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN URBAN WASTE DUMPSITE SOILS AND CONTROL WITHIN AKWA IBOM STATE , NIGERIA

Studies on speciation, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of toxic and essential elements were undertaken in some urban dumpsite soils and Control within AkwaIbom State, Nigeria. Soil samples were collected from six designated urban waste dumpsites namely: Uyo (Uyo); Utu Abak (Abak); Atabong (Eket); NdoEyo (Onna); NungUdoeItak (Ikono) and IkotObongErong (IkotEkpene). While Control samples were obtained from a forest in IkotUdobia (Etinan). Samples collected were extracted sequentially using the Modified BCR speciation procedures to obtain the different fractions of toxic elements lead (Pb); cadmium (Cd); arsenic (As) and essential elements iron (Fe); copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). Concentration of metal fractions in dumpsite soils and Control were analyzed for using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Unicam 939/959 model). Bioavailability and bioaccessibility models were employed for the determination of bioavailability factor and bioaccessibility index of these elements in dumpsite soils and Control. Results obtained indicated that, Pb and As existed mostly in the reducible fraction, Cd in acid extractable fraction while Fe, Cu and Zn existed principally in the residual fraction. Consequently, toxic metals were more available and assessible than the essential elements in both dumpsite soils and Control. Results obtained revealed that, the availability of these metals in the environment studied was basically controlled by the form they exist in soil.
Assessment of private hospital portals: A conceptual model

Introduction: Hospital portals, as the first virtual entry, play an important role in connecting people with hospital and also presenting hospital virtual services. The main purpose of this article was to suggest a conceptual model to improve Tehran private hospital portals. The suggested model can be used by all the health portals that are in the same circumstances and all the health portals which are in progress.Method: This is a practical research, using evaluative survey research method. Research population includes all the private hospital portals in Tehran, 34 portals, and ten top international hospital portals. Data gathering tool used in this research was a researcher-made checklist including 14 criteria and 77 sub-criteria with their weight score. In fact, objective observation with the mentioned checklist was used to gather information. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and tables and graphs were used to present the organized data. Also, data were analyzed using independent t-test. Conceptual modeling technique was used to design the model and demonstration method was used to evaluate the proposed model. In this regard, SPSS statistical software was used to perform the tests.Results:The comparative study between the two groups of portals, TPH and WTH, in the 14 main criteria showed that the value of t-test in contact information criteria was 0.862, portal page specification was -1.378, page design criteria -1.527, updating pages -0.322, general information and access roads -3.161, public services -7.302, patient services -4.154, patient data -8.703, research and education -9.155, public relationship -3.009, page technical specifications -4.726, telemedicine -7.488, pharmaceutical services -6.183, and financial services -2.782. Finally, the findings demonstrated that Tehran private hospital portals in criterion of contact information were favorable; page design criteria were relatively favorable; page technical specifications, portal page specification, public relationship, patient data, general information and access roads, and financial services were inappropriate. Also, patient services, updating pages, public services, pharmaceutical services, research and education, and telemedicine were in a poor condition.Conclusion: Results of this study suggests that an appropriate model should contain 2 levels with 4 layers.Keywords: Private hospitals, Portals, Gap analysis, Conceptual model, Tehran city
SONG TYPES, REPERTOIRES AND SONG VARIABILITY IN A POPULATION OF CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLERS

To help assess the function of multiple song types in the singing of the Chestnutsided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), a species with two song categories, I analyzed song diversity and variability in a Massachusetts population. Individual song repertoires contained up to 12 different song types (median 6 or 7), and included both accented-ending (AE) and unaccented-ending (UE) songs. AE song types were few, and were highly stereotyped both within and between individuals. In contrast, UE songs were variable, with many different types present in the population, and with different renditions of a type showing a larger range of variation. The distinction between constrained, stereotyped AE singing and flexible, variable UE singing suggests that song forms in the two song categories are specialized for different uses. AE songs are suited to comparative assessment of singers, longrange communication, or messages in which reduced ambiguity is crucial. UE songs may be specialized for communication over short distances or during interactions in which motivations and messages change rapidly. Chestnut-sided Warblers use most of the songs in their repertoires only infrequently, and no set of song types is shared by all members of a population. Consequently, the multiple song types within each song category are probably not connected to functions in which individuals benefit by displaying repertoire size, or in which particular song types encode special messages. Repertoire function instead probably involves a communication function for switches between commonly- and uncommonlyused song types
The Sheepskin Effect in the Hungarian Labour Market 2010-2012: Analysis of Data from the Hungarian Graduate Tracking System

The sheepskin effect is a wage increase connected to the attainment of a degree (or credential) in addition to the wage gap connected to the completion of a schooling level (school years, exams passed etc.). This effect is often referred to as a phenomenon supporting the signaling (or screening) hypothesis against human capital theory in the so called 'signaling vs. human capital debate' over the economic role of education. Many empirical studies in many countries have tested (mostly successfully) this hypothesis during the last decades, but it has never been tested in Hungary. Therefore the main goal of the current study is to identify and measure the sheepskin effect in Hungarian higher education based on the country-wide, representative databases of the Hungarian Graduate Career Tracking System (HGCTS). The 2 databases used in the analysis are two HGCTS surveys from the years 2011 and 2012. The first part of the article is a literature review that summarises the results of the existing empirical sheepskin research and highlights their connections to the signaling vs. human capital debate. In the second part, empirical research is carried out based on the HGCTS data. This research has two phases. In the first phase subjective data are analysed (according to the perceived negative effect of not obtaining the degree in time), while in the second, mean differences are tested between net hourly wages of responder groups (1) who have the educational credential and (2) do not have it (even though they have finished all courses and passed all exams at the given educational level). The statistical analysis identified significant wage gaps between graduated responders and those who had not graduated but had passed the state exam (and so had finished all the exams in higher education before graduating) on nearly all levels and in both samples (the only exemption was the post-Bologna master level in the 2011 sample). We can conclude that the existence of the sheepskin effect in the Hungarian higher education has been supported.
Motivational Factors Affecting the Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education by Faculty Members: A Developing Country Perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine motivational factors affecting the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the educational practices of faculty members at a university in Jordan. A quantitative approach was used in which 35 participants completed a questionnaire. They were faculty members who were teaching in the first semester of the 2016–2017 academic years. The participants reported limited use of ICT for educational purposes. The most significant motivational factors they reported were internal and personal ones related to the direct benefits of ICT in terms of enhancing their teaching practice, enhancing students’ learning, and improving their job satisfaction. External factors including physical and moral motivational factors, as well as university support and encouragement, had a moderate influence on the participants’ use of ICT for educational purposes. Recommendations are presented based on the findings.
Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter jejuni Isolated from Chicken in Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand

Campylobacter jejuni isolated from retail market-chicken in Nakhon Pathom province were determined for resistance to quinolone and other antimicrobial agents by broth microdilution method. Sixty-eight C. jejuni strains were resistant to quinolone drugs including nalidixic acid (69.12%), norfloxacin (69.12%), ciprofloxacin (58.82%) and marbofloxacin (25.00%). High proportions of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline (77.94%), sulfamethoxazole (72.06%), kanamycin (51.47%), ampicillin 47.06% and streptomycin (42.65%). Low proportions of the isolates were found resistance to gentamycin (16.18%) and erythromycin (13.23%). Nearly 97% of the isolates were multiple resistances to more than 4 antimicrobial agents tested.
Protein levels for heat-exposed broilers: Performance, nutrients digestibility, and energy and protein metabolism

Heat stress causes significant economic losses on broilers production due to poorer performance and carcass quality. Considering that protein has the highest heat increment among nutrients, it has been suggested that protein levels should be reduced in diets for heat-exposed broilers. Nevertheless, there are no conclusive results on the benefits of such practice, and further studies should be performed to elucidate some reported discrepancies. Thus, a trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary protein levels (17, 20 and 23%) and environmental temperature (22 and 32oC) on the performance, nutrients digestibility, and energy and protein metabolism of broiler chickens from 21 to 42 days of age. Nutrients digestibility was determined by total excreta collection, and energy and protein metabolism was evaluated by comparative slaughter method. It was concluded that (1) heat exposure impairs broilers performance and increases nitrogen excretion, but do not change nutrients digestibility; (2) high-protein diets are technically feasible and promotes lower heat production for broilers reared under thermoneutral or hot environments, however, highprotein diets increases nitrogen excretion.
Interferential seeing monitor

We present here a new approach to estimate the astronomical seeing which is a fundamental parameter in high angular resolution, in adaptive optics and site testing. Based on this approach, we developed seeing monitor, called Interferential Seeing Monitor (hereafter ISM). The principle of the ISM is based on the study of the diffraction-interference pattern produced by a Young's double-slit in a telescope focus. From the shape of that pattern, we determine the phase difference between the diffracted light rays that meet on the image plane. Then, the phase structure function is calculated which leads to the seeing value.