Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volunteer management in arts organisations: a case study and managerial implications

Through highlighting best practice this paper aims to assist those involved in theatre management in forming effective strategies for recruiting and retaining theatre volunteers. It uses a case study approach to examine the recruitment, management and retention strategies adopted by a UK provincial theatre. Data were collected through in depth key informant interviews and through observation of volunteers at work within the theatre. The data was analysed by application to the Volunteer Life Cycle (Bussell and Forbes, 2003). Effective marketing strategies and volunteer management enabled the organisation to successfully recruit volunteers and move the volunteer through the stages of the Volunteer Life Cycle to the development of a committed volunteer. Findings indicate that the success of the organisation in managing its volunteers is dependent on the relationships established and developed between the volunteer and the organisation. Managing these relationships is as important to theatre management as recruiting volunteers.
APPLYING SERVQUAL TO BANKING SERVICES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN MOROCCO

The paper seeks to study service quality perceptions and expectations for the Moroccan banking customers by using SERVQUAL model. The study consists of a sample of 240 respondents out of an initial sample of 300 randomly selected out of the total Moroccan banking customers. This data were subsequently analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, factor analysis as well as logistic regression. The results indicate that the perceptions of the Moroccan banking customers far exceed their expectations regarding the five dimensions of SERVQUAL model, which is a good indication. At the same time, the findings show that responsiveness, assurance and empathy are the important dimensions considered by the customers while assessing the quality of services rendered by the Moroccan banks. The major contribution of the study is that it extends the usage of SERVQUAL model to another context which is that of Morocco, by testing its applicability and also by providing an adjusted scale of measurement of the dimensions in question. The study is also one of the few that have used SERVQUAL scale to examine service quality perception and expectation in the banking sector.
The declining uptake rate of atmospheric CO2 by land and ocean sinks

Through 1959-2012, an airborne fraction (AF) of 0.44 of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions remained in the atmosphere, with the rest being taken up by land and ocean CO2 sinks. Understanding of this uptake is critical because it greatly alleviates the emissions reductions required for climate mitigation, and also reduces the risks and damages that adaptation has to embrace. An observable quantity that reflects sink properties more directly than the AF is the CO 2 sink rate (kS), the combined land-ocean CO2 sink flux per unit excess atmospheric CO2 above preindustrial levels. Here we show from observations thatkS declined over 1959-2012 by a factor of about 1 / 3, implying that CO2 sinks increased more slowly than excess CO2. Using a carbon-climate model, we attribute the decline inkS to four mechanisms: slower-than-exponential CO2 emissions growth (∼ 35% of the trend), volcanic eruptions (∼ 25%), sink responses to climate change (∼ 20%), and nonlinear responses to increasing CO2, mainly oceanic (∼ 20%). The first of these mechanisms is associated purely with the trajectory of extrinsic forcing, and the last two with intrinsic, feedback responses of sink processes to changes in climate and atmospheric CO2. Our results suggest that the effects of these intrinsic, nonlinear responses are already detectable in the global carbon cycle. Although continuing future decreases inkS will occur under all plausible CO2 emission scenarios, the rate of decline varies between scenarios in non-intuitive ways because extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms respond in opposite ways to changes in emissions: extrinsic mechanisms causekS to decline more strongly with increasing mitigation, while intrinsic mechanisms causekS to decline more strongly under high-emission, low-mitigation scenarios as the carbon-climate system is perturbed further from a near-linear regime. © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
Polynomial growth of discrete quantum groups, topological dimension of the dual and *-regularity of the Fourier algebra

Banica and Vergnioux have shown that the dual discrete quantum group of a compact simply connected Lie group has polynomial growth of order the real manifold dimension. We extend this result to a general compact group and its topological dimension, by connecting it with the Gelfand-Kirillov dimension of an algebra. Furthermore, we show that polynomial growth for a compact quantum group G of Kac type implies *-regularity of the Fourier algebra A(G), that is every closed ideal of C(G) has a dense intersection with A(G). In particular, A(G) has a unique C*-norm.
Classifying low flow hydrological regimes at a regional scale

Abstract. The paper uses a simple water balance model that partitions the precipitation between actual evapotranspiration, quick flow and delayed flow, and has sufficient complexity to capture the essence of climate and vegetation controls on this partitioning. Using this model, monthly flow duration curves have been constructed from climate data across Europe to address the relative frequency of ecologically critical low flow stages in semi-arid rivers, when flow commonly persists only in disconnected pools in the river bed. The hydrological model is based on a dynamic partitioning of precipitation to estimate water available for evapotranspiration and plant growth and for residual runoff. The duration curve for monthly flows has then been analysed to give an estimate of bankfull flow based on recurrence interval. Arguing from observed ratios of cross-sectional areas at flood and low flows, hydraulic geometry suggests that disconnected flow under "pool" conditions is approximately 0.1% of bankfull flow. Flow duration curves define a measure of bankfull discharge on the basis of frequency. The corresponding frequency for pools is then read from the duration curve, using this (0.1%) ratio to estimate pool discharge from bank full discharge. The flow duration curve then provides an estimate of the frequency of poorly connected pool conditions, corresponding to this discharge, that constrain survival of river-dwelling arthropods and fish. The methodology has here been applied across Europe at 15 km resolution, and the potential is demonstrated for applying the methodology under alternative climatic scenarios.
Assume-guarantee strategy synthesis for stochastic games

This thesis presents a framework for the automatic strategy synthesis from quantitative specifications, in order to control autonomous systems. We model systems as turn-based two-player zero-sum stochastic games, which are able to express both stochastic and nondeterministic environmental uncertainty. Given a system model and a specification, we define the strategy synthesis problem as that of finding a strategy for the system that is winning against every environment. Since large, complex systems are typically built from multiple components, we consider synthesis of strategies for the individual components separately, which can then be composed to a winning strategy for the full system. Modelling interaction between components is facilitated using assume-guarantee rules, which can express contracts such as "maintain the room temperature of at least 20°C, as long as the windows are closed at least 30p of the time. " For the synthesis of strategies for the individual components, we develop synthesis algorithms for Boolean combinations of long-run objectives, specifically, maintaining above a threshold (i) a mean-payoff, almost surely; (ii) an expected mean-payoff; (iii) a ratio of rewards, almost surely; or (iv) a ratio of expected rewards. We implement our algorithms in the PRISM-games 2.0 tool and demonstrate their viability on four case studies.
Retrofits of a partial combustion lance using a computational fluid dynamics

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of a partial combustion lance (PCL) aiming to evaluate the effect of nozzle design and oxygen flowrate on its performance. At first, the modelling strategy was developed by evaluating the effect of discretization, pressure interpolation scheme and turbulence models on the prediction accuracy. Four turbulence models, namely standard k - e (SKE), realizable k - e (RKE), renormalized (RNG) k - e and Reynolds stress model (RSM) were used. Combustion was modelled using the species transport model, whereas the heat transfer was calculated by considering a combined convection-radiation boundary condition. The best CFD prediction was obtained using the third-order MUSCL (Monotonic for upstream-centred scheme for conservation law), PRESTO (Pressure staggering option) pressure interpolation scheme and RSM, yielding an error of 2.23% from the experimentally measured temperature. The new nozzle design shows increases in excess of 70% of the peak combustion temperature of the PCL. It was found that 40% increase in oxygen flowrate increased the peak combustion temperature of the PCL by about 12%. Dual lance was found to be more effective than the single lance operating at a similar flowrate. The finding obtained from this work may be useful for design retrofits of a PCL.
The Study of Children and Adolescents' Access to Hospitals and Emergency Centers in Kermanshah, West of Iran

Background: The enjoyment of different walks of life of health care is one of the top priorities. To this end, access is a precondition for the establishment of justice in human societies. Given that keeping the health of some groups in societies is of special importance due to their special age-physical conditions, the present study aimed to investigate the access of children and adolescents under 19 years old to hospitals and emergency centers in Kermanshah, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study, the statistical population comprised the children and adolescents under 19 residing in Kermanshah, Iran. Moreover, all public and private hospitals and emergency centers located in Kermanshah were studied. To evaluate the spatial deployment pattern of hospitals and emergency centers as well as correct and true access to them, all data and information were evaluated using the Network Analyst and Arc-GIS Software. Results: The results of the present study demonstrated that about 37% of the children and adolescents under 19 had appropriate access to hospitals and emergency centers. In terms of the status of access during 5, 10, and 15 minutes of driving, 42.90%, 80.27% and 89.28% had proper access to hospitals, respectively. Moreover, in terms of access through walking and driving, the 15-19 age group had the most access, as opposed to the 0-4 age group without access. Conclusion: In Kermanshah, the access of children and adolescents under 19 to hospitals and emergency centers using vehicles was in a desirable condition, an indication of the success of implementing some post-revolutionary health plans and reducing deprivation and eliminating inequalities across various regions. However, it should be noted that there were problems in terms of access to hospitals and emergency centers through walking, which requires taking actions by authorities in Kermanshah.
Exploring Zimbabwean students' approaches to investigations in advanced level Chemistry.

This thesis is an exploration of Advanced Level chemistry students’ approaches to investigations in the Zimbabwean educational context. In this study, students’ approaches are viewed from two theoretical perspectives, learning and designing. The participants’ responses were used to categorise students by approach and to understand why specific approaches were predominant. A pragmatic approach was adopted for this study based on the belief that multiple sources of data would lead to a deeper understanding of the research problem. A quasi-parallel convergent mixed-methods design was used. Data was collected from 50 students through survey and semi-structured questionnaires before purposively selecting 32 of them to participate in eight focus group discussions. Classroom observations were used to augment the qualitative data from the semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. Part of the qualitative data from the semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions was transformed to compliment the quantitative data from the survey questionnaire. The quantitative data was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis while the textual qualitative data was analysed through coding, categorisation, identifying patterns and drawing assertions. Four main assertions were drawn from the data to provide answers to the research questions. The predominant approaches were strategic from a learning perspective and iterative from a designing perspective. There was no common understanding of an investigation with some students defining it in terms of scientific inquiry and others focusing on process skills. Students’ approaches were found to be influenced by various contextual factors with success in examinations dominating. By matching students’ approaches to investigations from the two perspectives of learning and designing, new categories called hybrid approaches emerged. These hybrid approaches were then characterised and it is envisaged that this will act as a springboard for further research by science educators to enhance our understanding of students’ approaches to investigations in similar contexts. The findings of this study are significant to high school chemistry teachers, teacher educators, resource persons and curriculum developers who endeavour to enhance the teaching and learning of Chemistry through investigations.
Analysis of Forces in Vibro-Impact and Hot Vibro-Impact Turning of Advanced Alloys

Analysis of the cutting process in machining of advanced alloys, which are typically difficult-to-machine materials, is a challenge that needs to be addressed. In a machining operation, cutting forces causes severe deformations in the proximity of the cutting edge, producing high stresses, strain, strain-rates and temperatures in the workpiece that ultimately affect the quality of the machined surface. In the present work, cutting forces generated in a vibro-impact and hot vibro-impact machining process of Ti-based alloy, using an in-house Ultrasonically Assisted Turning (UAT) setup, are studied. A three-dimensional, thermo-mechanically coupled, finite element model was developed to study the thermal and mechanical processes in the cutting zone for the various machining processes. Several advantages of ultrasonically assisted turning and hot ultrasonically assisted turning are demonstrated when compared to conventional turning.
Relationships among soil fertility dynamics and remotely sensed measures across pasture chronosequences in Rondônia , Brazil

This study analyzed the relationships between soil fertility and remotely sensed measures over three pasture chronosequence sites in the state of Rondônia, in the western Brazilian Amazon region. Remotely sensed measures included shade, nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV), green vegetation (GV) and soil (derived from spectral mixture analysis), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). These were correlated against soil fertility parameters such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and base saturation. In temporal analysis, it was observed that NPV dominated the spectral responses of pasture canopies and tended to increase with pasture age as well. The increase of NPVappeared to be related to the decline of soil fertility, but soil texture variation also played a role. In the correlation analysis, soil P, known as the most limiting nutrient for pasture productivity, showed the highest correlation with remotely sensed measures, followed by soil K and base saturation. However, this result was not observed at the sites where nutrient availability was very low. D 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Physicochemical Properties of Handere Clays and Their Use as a Building Material

Handere clay deposits were discovered at Adana in Turkey. These clay units primarily consist of uncoloured claystone, pebbly sandstone, sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone marl and include gypsum lenses and clay levels of various thicknesses in places. The physicochemical properties of these clays have been investigated by different techniques including Scanning Electron and Elemental Analysis (SEM and EDS), mineralogical analyses, chemical and physical analyses, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and Atterberg (Consistency) Limits Test. The mineralogical composition deduced from XRD is wide (smectite
Phenolic Constituents, Anti-Inflammatory and Antidiabetic Activities of Cyperus laevigatus L.

Background: Cyperus species are well known traditional plants and used for several diseases around the world. Aim of the Study: Our study aimed to identification of the phenolic constituents in addition to evaluation of different extracts of Cyperus laevigatus L as antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antidiabetic agents. Materials and Methods: The phenolic constituents were identified using spectroscopic techniques. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using in vitro DPPH assay. Total extract, methanol and EtOAc fractions were evaluated for their antiinflammatory activity using RAW 264.7 macrophages assay. Antidiabetic activity of the total extract was examined biochemically and histopathologically using streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Results: A new flavone, chrysoeriol 7-O-β-(6′′′-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4) glucopyranoside (1), along with seven knowns (2-8) were isolated from Cyperus laevigatus L. The structures of isolated compounds were established depending upon 1D, 2D-NMR and HR-ESI-MS. The MeOH and EtOAc fractions exhibited significant antioxidant activity while the isolated flavonoids exhibited from moderate to weak antioxidant activity. The total extract, MeOH and EtOAc fractions exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity using LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages model by decreasing of NO accumulation by 76 – 66% and 84 – 67%, of the original accumulation values with increasing concentrations in comparison with the reference drug, dexamethasone. The total extract exhibited antidiabetic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and this effect was manifested by decreasing serum levels of glucose, glucagon and NO. It also increased level of insulin and promoted paraoxonase activity. Conclusion: These results proved that this plant may be multiple sources for medicinal natural drugs especially for anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic.
Focusing Attention in Multiple Tasks

With increasingly complex workplaces, agents face a multitude of different tasks. Contract theory predicts complex contracts, however, actual contracts are simpler. I resolve this puzzle through agents' limited attention which leads to an instinctive focus on tasks with high outcome variation. The limited attention results in the wrong allocation of effort. This provides an explanation of findings in field studies, when the reduction of additional incentives increases productivity.
Search for CO gas in Pluto, Centaurs and Kuiper Belt objects at radio wavelengths

We have searched for several rotational lines of CO in the Pluto-Charon system, Centaurs (Chiron, Pholus, Nessus, Asbolus, Chariklo and 1998 SG35) and Kuiper Belt objects (1994 TB, 1996 TL66, 1996 TO66, 1996 TP66 and 1998 WH4). The observations were performed with the 30 m telescope of the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique for Pluto/Charon, and with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Caltech Submillimeter Observatory for Centaurs and Kuiper Belt objects. A tentative 4.5-σ J(2-1) CO line is present in the Pluto/Charon spectrum, which requires further confirmation. Assuming that Charon does not contribute to the CO emission, an upper limit of 1.2% and 7% is obtained for the CO/N_2 mixing ratio in Pluto's atmosphere, using the atmospheric thermal structure derived from the Stansberry et al. (1994, Icarus 111, 503) and Strobel et al. (1996, Icarus 120, 266) models, respectively. These upper limits are more constraining (by more than a factor of 6) than the upper limits reported by Young et al. (2001, Icarus, in press) from near-IR spectroscopy. None of the Centaurs or Kuiper Belt objects (KBO) were detected in CO. The CO production rate upper limit obtained for Chiron (3-5 x 10^(27) mol s^(-1)) over 1998-2000 years is a factor of 10 lower than the CO production rate derived from the marginal CO detection obtained in June 1995 by Womack & Stern ([CITE], Astron. Vestnik 33, 216), using same modelling of CO emission. Upper limits obtained for other Centaurs are typically ~10^(28) mol s^(-1), and between 1 and 5 x 10^(28) mol s^(-1) for the best observed KBOs. The comparison between these upper limits and the CO outgassing rates of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) measured at large distances from the Sun shows that Centaurs and KBOs underwent significant CO-devolatilization since their formation.
CONNECTIVITY OF SOFT RANDOM GEOMETRIC GRAPHS

Consider a graph on $n$ uniform random points in the unit square, each pair being connected by an edge with probability $p$ if the inter-point distance is at most $r$. We show that as $n \to \infty$ the probability of full connectivity is governed by that of having no isolated vertices, itself governed by a Poisson approximation for the number of isolated vertices, uniformly over all choices of $p,r$. We determine the asymptotic probability of connectivity for all $(p_n,r_n)$ subject to$r_n = O( n^{-\eps}),$ some $\eps >0$. We generalize the first result to higher dimensions,and to a larger class of connection probability functions.
Linking nurses' attitudes and behaviors to organizational values: Implications for human resource management

The researchers use established measures of job satisfaction (JS) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) to analyze data obtained from nurses in an Australian hospital (N = 573), and to discuss implications for human resource management. In this study the researchers seek to understand the links between nurses' JS, OCB and their perceptions of the values espoused by the organization. Changes in JS and OCB as length of service increases are also examined. Findings suggest that JS and OCB are both significant predictors of nurses' perceptions of organizational values. The findings also suggest that nurses more readily internalize organizational values when levels of JS and OCB are high. A further finding is that the tendency to engage in OCB declines significantly as length of service increases.