Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ePubWU Institutional Repository

This research presents a new approach to derive recommendations for segment-specific, targeted marketing campaigns on the product category level. The proposed methodological framework serves as a decision support tool for customer relationship managers or direct marketers to select attractive product categories for their target marketing efforts, such as segment-specific rewards in loyalty programs, cross-merchandising activities, targeted direct mailings, customized supplements in catalogues, or customized promotions. The proposed methodology requires customers’ multi-category purchase histories as input data and proceeds in a stepwise manner. It combines various data compression techniques and integrates an optimization approach which suggests candidate product categories for segment-specific targeted marketing such that cross-category spillover effects for non-promoted categories are maximized. To demonstrate the empirical performance of our proposed procedure, we examine the transactions from a real-world loyalty program of a major grocery retailer. A simple scenario-based analysis using promotion responsiveness reported in previous empirical studies and prior experience by domain experts suggests that targeted promotions might boost profitability between 15 % and 128 % relative to an undifferentiated standard campaign.
Prevalence of sleep problems and its relation to sleeping habits in toddlers

Background: Sleep problems in children have serious physical and psychological consequences such as obesity, aggression and attention deficit disorder in toddlers. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of sleep problems and its relation with sleeping habits of toddlers in 2017. Methods: By random sampling from rural families of Razan city of Hamadan province, 120 mothers of 12- to 36-month-old children were selected and data collection tools included contextual questions, medical history and 33-question questionnaire of children's sleep habits (CSHQ) completed. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 23, independent t-test, chi-square, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression. Results: The mean age of the children was 22.82±7.53 months and 55% of them were boys and the prevalence of sleep problems was 70.8% (95% confidence interval: 71.9-69.7). The average sleep duration of the children was 11 hours and more than 60% of the children went to bed after 23 o'clock. Results show that age is an important factor in most dimensions of CSHQ and age predicts daytime sleepiness (β = -0.263), nocturnal wakefulness (β = -0.113) and duration, Sleep time (β = -0.108) and sleep resistance (β = 0.194) respectively. Also, parents' education and child's current weight were predictors of subscales of CSHQ questionnaire (P <0.05). In addition, there was a positive and significant correlation between sleep duration with infant sleep anxiety (r = 0.527) and resistance to sleep (r = 0.473) as well as nocturnal wakefulness with parasomnia (r = 0.416) (P <0.001). Conclusion: Given the alarming prevalence of sleep problems in toddlers in the present study and the impact of some changeable factors on children's sleep health, designing interventions aimed at educating mothers to improve healthy sleep habits in toddlers is necessary.
Microstructure of Concrete

Concrete is a composite material that consists of a binding medium and aggregate particles and can be formed in several types. It may be considered to consist of three phases: a cement paste, the aggregate, and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between them. In addition to ordinary Portland cement, the essential components of the base of concrete are aggregates and water. For practical requirements, additives and admix‐ tures can be added to these raw materials to improve some desirable characteristics. The following requirements should be considered in producing high performance concrete (HPC): (i) low water/cement (w/c) ratio; (ii) fine aggregate; (iii) large quantity of mineral additives, silica fume, and fly ash; (iv) high dosage of superplasticizer; and (v) high-pressure steam curing. The microstructure of high performance concrete (HPC) is more homogenous than that of normal concrete (NC) due to the physical and chemical contribution of the additives (silica fume and fly ash) as well as it is less porous due to reduced w/c ratio with the addition of a superplasticizer. Inclusion of additives (individually or in combination) helped in improving the strength and durability of concrete mixes due to the additional reduction in porosity of cement paste and an improved interface between it and the aggregate.
Detecting secular climate change on Mars

Background: The South Polar Residual Cap on Mars, a reservoir of CO2 ice, appears to be losing mass. Malin et al. (2001) put an upper limit on the loss rate at ~1% of the present atmospheric mass per Mars Decade. Blackburn et al. (2010) model the loss and find an even higher loss rate. We refer to this phenomenon as secular climate change. The atmosphere is the most likely reservoir to take up the cap loss. We seek to detect the signal of this loss in surface pressure data. Method: We carefully examine the surface pressure data from the Viking, Pathfinder, and Phoenix Landers with due note of their measurement uncertainties. We use standard hydrostatic methods to account for elevation differences, and the NASA/Ames Mars general circulation model to estimate the effect of winds on pressure gradients. Conclusion: We find that Phoenix surface pressures are ~10 Pa higher than Viking surface pressures after correcting for elevation differences and dynamics. This difference is consistent with the expected change based on the Malin et al. maximum erosion rate, but less than that predicted by Blackburn et al. However, the combined uncertainties in the data and our modeling methodology are large enough that we cannot confirm that secular climate change is occurring on Mars. Should the trend continue, however, future landers that carry well-calibrated pressure sensors with absolute accuracies of ~4 Pa or better could unambiguously detect secular climate change on Mars.
An Ultra-High-SMSR External-Cavity Diode Laser with a Wide Tunable Range around 1550 nm

In this paper, a widely tunable external cavity diode laser (ECDL) with an ultra-high side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) was fabricated. Three configurations were constructed to investigate the relationship between the grating features and the SMSR. When a 1200 grooves/mm grating with a first order diffraction efficiency of 91% is utilized in the external-cavity laser system, a maximum SMSR of 65 dB can be achieved. In addition, the tunable range reaches 209.9 nm. The results show that the laser performance can be improved by proper high grating groove number and first-order diffraction efficiency.
NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE SYSTEMATICS OF PARASITIFORMES (ACARINA) WITH NEW SPECIES FROM SOUTH AMERICA

The present study has been initiated by new species from South America and the deviating classification of sub-groups by several authors. We assume a division of the Parasitiformes into three main groups: (1) ― Antennophorina Berlese, 1892 s. lat. , (2) - Margotrichina Karg et Schorlemmer, 2008, (3) - Gamasina Leach, 1815. Here, we analyse these groups step by step. Cladograms that are based on autapomorphies and synapomorphies visualize relationships between subgroups. (1) - The Antennophorina are divided into the Sejides Berlese and the Trigynaspida Camin et Gorirossi including the Celaenopsoidea Berlese, Cercomegistoidea Tragardh, Fedrizzioidea Tragardh, Megisthanoidea Berlese and Trigynaspidoidea Camin et Gorirossi. Two new species belong to the Cercomegistoidea and the Fedrizzioidea. A new genus of the Fedrizziidae is erected: Holostethus n. gen. (2) - Larval-systematic investigations and comparisons of the chaetotaxy of extremities lead to two novel findings. First, the group of the Microgyniina belongs to the Margotrichina. Second, the Thinozerconina have to be separated from the Uropodina group. Hence, the Margotrichina now comprise the four subgroups Microgyniina, Thinozerconina, Uropodina and Ixodides. (3) - The state of art regarding the Gamasina is briefly outlined. We describe two new species of Gamasiphoides - family Gamasiphidae and generate a key for new and known species of the genus.
Decoy-state quantum key distribution with a leaky source

In recent years, there has been a great effort to prove the security of quantum key distribution (QKD) with a minimum number of assumptions. Besides its intrinsic theoretical interest, this would allow for larger tolerance against device imperfections in the actual implementations. However, even in this device-independent scenario, one assumption seems unavoidable, that is, the presence of a protected space devoid of any unwanted information leakage in which the legitimate parties can privately generate, process and store their classical data. In this paper we relax this unrealistic and hardly feasible assumption and introduce a general formalism to tackle the information leakage problem in most of existing QKD systems. More specifically, we prove the security of optical QKD systems using phase and intensity modulators in their transmitters, which leak the setting information in an arbitrary manner. We apply our security proof to cases of practical interest and show key rates similar to those obtained in a perfectly shielded environment. Our work constitutes a fundamental step forward in guaranteeing implementation security of quantum communication systems.
Hydrodynamic performance of psammosteids: new insights from computational fluid dynamics simulations

The shape of dermal armor protecting the body in the Paleozoic agnathans such as the Heterostaci has an important hydrodynamic role in providing lift or drag force generation. Here, by performing computational fluid dynamics simulations (CFD), the measurements of hydrodynamic lift/drag force and lift or drag coefficients were taken for two psammosteids Guerichosteus and Tartuosteus with reference to the pteraspid Errivaspis . This study shows the substantially higher values of the lift coefficient and lift-to-drag ratio for the psammosteids Guerichosteus and Tartuosteus compared with Errivaspis . The tendencies in the evolution of dermal exoskeleton, especially the widening of the branchial plates of psammosteids was directed towards the increased generation of lift force to provide efficient cruising.
DETERMINANTS OF FDI INFLOWS TO CHINA: An Empirical Analysis of Source Country Characteristics

Although the importance of China in the FDI study has been increasing, there is a limited literature that directly tests how source country characteristics are likely to affect the FDI inflows to China and how firm characteristics influence firms’ decision on investment to China. In this paper, we examine how intellectual property rights (IPRs) protection along with other possible macro variables in source countries may affect FDI inflows to China from 18 major source countries during 1989-2006. The results indicate that source countries with higher export ratio, depreciation of real exchange rate, lower borrowing cost, lower GDP per capita, higher relative labor cost, strong IPR protection and higher volatility in its exchange rate tend to invest more to China.
Active involvement of students in co-curriculum (sports) versus generic skills

The active involvement of students in sports activities is viewed from different levels of achievement beginning with the national representation of the residential colleges, faculties, and universities in prestigious sporting events at international levels. The skills that are developed through extra-curricular activities are generic skills. The involvement of students in co-curricular activities can help to shape their generic skills, thus leading to self-promotion in the workplace. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the enhancement of generic skills among engineering and technical students of UTHM who are actively involved in co-curricular activities (sports). This study will focus on identifying the factors of involvement, the level of application among students, and the perceptions of the students through their active involvement in extra-curricular activities (sports). A survey was conducted using a quantitative approach. A general questionnaire, which was designed to fulfil the objectives and to answer the research questions for this study, was distributed to 213 engineering and technical student athletes of UTHM who are actively involved in co-curricular activities (sports). It was found that the engineering and technical student athletes of UTHM agreed that their active involvement in extra-curricular activities (sports) was due to interpersonal, intrapersonal and structural factors. The results showed that out of seven generic skills, three constructs of generic skills, namely communication, teamwork and management, demonstrate a high level of application through active involvement in extra-curricular activities (sports). These findings may also help the university to focus on the development of generic skills in engineering and technical students through co-curricular activities (sports) in addition to producing athletes who are able to create a name for the university at national or international levels
PROFESSIONALISM IN NURSING ON INDIAN CONTEXT: THE STAKEHOLDERS’ VIEW – A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Introduction: Understanding the cognitive base of professionalism renders to attain common consensus of concept, attributes, and indicators of professionalism in nursing. The study is aimed to define professionalism, its attributes and identify the indicators of professionalism in nursing in the Indian context. Methodology: A qualitative-phenomenological study was conducted in four selected tertiary healthcare institutions each one from autonomous, central and state governments as well as from the private sector in NCT of Delhi. The stakeholders (n=40) composing of 28 nurse professionals and 12 nursing students selected by random selection through computer generated numbers participated in the study. The semi-structured interview schedule consisting of three open-ended questions was developed by the researcher and validated by the experts. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institute Ethics Committee. Semi-structured interview was conducted on one to one basis and recorded digitally. Results: Ethics, professional values, legal aspects, communication skills and interpersonal relationship and professional development emerged as domains of professionalism. Work within ethical boundaries, ethical principles, caring, respect to the individual, honesty and integrity, fidelity, morality, advocacy, professional conduct, practice in accordance with law, effective communication with patients, family members and team members, assertiveness, competency, professional accountability and professional autonomy, following standards and innovation and research were inferred attributes of professionalism. Conclusion: The study highlights the concept and attributes of professionalism in the Indian context. The inferred attributes need to be clearly stated with appropriate instructional strategies and assessment methods and incorporated in the existing B.Sc. Nursing curriculum for professional value training.
Influence of soils and topography on Amazonian tree diversity: a landscape-scale study

Question: How do soils and topography influence Amazonian tree diversity, a region with generally nutrient-starved soils but some of the biologically richest tree communities on Earth? Location: Central Amazonia, near Manaus, Brazil. Methods: We evaluated the influence of 14 soil and topographic features on species diversity of rain forest trees (� 10 cm diameter at breast height), using data from 63 1-ha plots scattered over an area of � 400 km 2 . Results: An ordination analysis identified three major edaphic gradients: (1) flatter areas had generally higher nutrient soils (higher clay content, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, pH and exchangeable bases, and lower aluminium saturation) than did slopes and gullies; (2) sandier soils had lower water storage (plant available water capacity), phosphorus and nitrogen; and (3) soil pH varied among sites. Gradient 2 was the strongest predictor of tree diversity (species richness and Fisher’s a values), with diversity increasing with higher soil fertility and water availability. Gradient 2 was also the best predictor of the number of rare (singleton) species, which accounted on average for over half (56%) of all species in each plot. Conclusions: Although our plots invariably supported diverse tree communities (� 225 species ha � 1 ), the most species-rich sites (up to 310 species ha � 1 )w ere least constrained by soil water and phosphorus availability. Intriguingly, the numbers of rare and common species were not significantly correlated in our plots, and they responded differently to major soil and topographic gradients. For unknown reasons rare species were significantly more frequent in plots with many large trees.
illis: religion and female employment over time

This study analyzes whether the role of religion for employment of women in Europe has changed over time and along women’s life cycles. Using information on 44’000 married European women from the World Values Survey, spanning more than thirty years (1981-2013), we find that over time the impact of religion on female employment has been changing. In Western Europe, behavioral differences across denominations seem to have disappeared since roughly 1997. In contrast, for Eastern Europe, we find that differences by religion have reemerged again particularly among young women. However, for women in Eastern Europe who are older than 40 years, religion plays no role – a finding that we attribute to an upbringing under secular communist regimes that strongly promoted gender equality in the labor market. Only Muslim women show a lower employment probability that persists across time, across regions, and across life cycles.
Deep Learning Techniques for Cyber Security Intrusion Detection : A Detailed Analysis

In this study, we present a detailed analysis of deep learning techniques for intrusion detection. Specifically, we analyze seven deep learning models, including, deep neural networks, recurrent neural networks, convolutional neural networks, restricted Boltzmann machine, deep belief networks, deep Boltzmann machines, and deep autoencoders. For each deep learning model, we study the performance of the model in binary classification and multiclass classification. We use the CSE-CIC-IDS 2018 dataset and TensorFlow system as the benchmark dataset and software library in intrusion detection experiments. In addition, we use the most important performance indicators, namely, accuracy, detection rate, and false alarm rate for evaluating the efficiency of several methods.
Chameleon f(R) gravity in the virialized cluster

Current constraints on f(R) gravity from the large-scale structure are at the verge of penetrating into a region where the modified forces become nonlinearly suppressed. For a consistent treatment of observables at these scales, we study cluster quantities produced in chameleon and linearized Hu-Sawicki f(R) gravity dark matter N-body simulations. We find that the standard Navarro-Frenk-White halo density profile and the radial power law for the pseudo phase-space density provide equally good fits for f(R) clusters as they do in the Newtonian scenario. We give qualitative arguments for why this should be the case. For practical applications, we derive analytic relations, e.g., for the f(R) scalar field, the gravitational potential, and the velocity dispersion as seen within the virialized clusters. These functions are based on three degrees of freedom fitted to simulations, i.e., the characteristic density, scale, and velocity dispersion. We further analyze predictions for these fitting parameters from the gravitational collapse and the Jeans equation, which are found to agree well with the simulations. Our analytic results can be used to consistently constrain chameleon f(R) gravity with future observations on virialized cluster scales without the necessity of running a large number of simulations.
Role of Maternal Serum Ferritin in the Prediction of Asymmetric Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Aim: Asymmetric intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) carries increased intrauterine and neonatal risks. Since most cases are idiopathic, identifying a predictive test remains an ideal prevention management. Maternal serum ferritin level is a potential predictor of later developing asymmetric IUGR. Patients and Methods: Blood samples were drawn, at 30-32 gestational weeks, from 450 women who were then followed-up resulting in 32 term pregnancies with asymmetric IUGR. The control group included the first recruited 32 women delivering adequate for gestational age neonates at term. Serum ferritin was then measured in the stored serum samples. Ultrasound scanning was performed at 30-32 weeks then at 37 weeks. Umbilical and middle cerebral artery Doppler scans were added at 37 weeks. Results: Serum ferritin, at 30-32 weeks, was higher in women delivering IUGR babies (19.3±6.83 vs 14±5.18, p 18.2 ng/mL had a sensitivity of 59.4% and a specificity of 90.6%. The area under curve showed an accuracy of 76.8%. Women with ferritin >18.2 ng/ml were 10.23 times more likely to get asymmetrically growth restricted neonates (CI 2.89–36.17, p<0.001). Conclusion: This study presents further evidence that maternal serum ferritin may be a useful test in the prediction of asymmetric IUGR.
Rethinking Youth Political Socialization

This article draws from the experiences and narratives of teenage activists throughout the Americas in order to add a needed dimension, that of peer political socialization, to the larger political and civic socialization literature. The authors argue that although the existing literature emphasizes the roles and responsibilities of adults in shaping young people’s civic capacities, the roles that young people play in socializing each other for political engagement is underexplored. Based on two qualitative studies of teenage activists throughout North and Latin America, the authors argue that teenage activists, who are largely left out of this literature, represent a different process by which youth engage in politics. We use teenagers’ narratives about their own youth-led political socialization to extend the existing theorizing on youth civic engagement, rethink some of its core tenets, and elucidate the roles that young people themselves play in the processes of political socialization.
Properties of Natural Rubber-Based Composites Containing Fullerene

In this study the influence of fullerenes in concentrations from 0.5 to 1.5 phr on both the vulcanization characteristics of the compounds and physicomechanical, dynamic, and dielectric properties and thermal aging resistance of nanocomposites on the basis of natural rubber has been investigated. The effect of the filler dispersion in the elastomeric matrix has been also investigated. Neat fullerene and the composites comprising it have been studied and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).