Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crowdsourcing location information to improve indoor localization

Recent research has shown that location fingerprinting has many advantages when it comes to indoor localization using existing infrastructures. However, the main problem of location fingerprinting is the collection of large sets of fingerprints, which is costly in terms of time and effort. The Redpin indoor localization system utilizes a crowdsourcing approach where the users themselves can add fingerprints to the system, thus training and using the system at the same time. This research has two major goals. The first is to analyze the characteristics and thus implications of taking a large number of measurements over a long period of time. The second goal is to investigate various mechanisms for creating applications and incentives which motivate users to contribute fingerprints continuously and consistently.
Bank Specific Determinants of Profitability in Jordan

The performance of Jordanian banks for the past several years has remained a prominent focus of study. This study seeks to explore the effect of bank-specific determinants (bank capital structure, bank size and liquidity) on banks’ profitability in Jordan. Fixed effect regression model was employed on a panel data derived from the financial statements of 14 banks from 1999 to 2013. The outcomes clarify a significant part of the variation in bank profitability and there is an indication that the capital structure of the bank, the bank size, as well as liquidity, contribute to banks’ profitability; These results are suggestive of the fact that banks can improve their profitability through controlling of the bank size and capital structure, further reducing the level of liquidity. Thus, government measurements and policies in the banking system must provide the enabling circumstances that will expedite growth.
Emissivity of freestanding membranes with thin metal coatings

Freestanding silicon nitride membranes with thicknesses down to a few tens of nanometers find use as TEM windows or soft X-ray spectral purity filters. As the thickness of a membrane decreases, emissivity vanishes, which limits radiative heat emission and resistance to heat loads. We show that thin metal layers with thicknesses in the order of 1 nm enhance the emissivity of thin membranes by two to three orders of magnitude close to the theoretical limit of 0.5. This considerably increases thermal load capacity of membranes in vacuum environments. Our experimental results are in line with classical theory in which we adapt thickness dependent scattering terms in the Drude and Lorentzoscillators.
Modeling CO 2H 2 S Corrosion of Tubular at Elevated Pressure and Temperature

This study is aimed at improving carbon steel corrosion prediction in CO2-H2S environment. Corrosion is one of the major challenges faced by the oil and gas industry. This is mainly because of corrosive nature of formation fluids. Often produced hydrocarbons are accompanied by brine containing acidic gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. A number of CO2-H2S corrosion models have been developed to predict corrosion of carbon steel under low-pressure (partial pressures of CO2 and H2S less than 12 and 30 bar, respectively) and lowtemperature. These models overestimate corrosion rate at high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) due to the application of the Henry’s law in predicting solubility of CO2 and H2S in NaCl solution (brine) under HPHT. In this study, an improved corrosion model, which utilizes thermodynamic based gas solubility model, has been developed to predict concentration of corrosive gases (CO2 and H2S) in brine solution saturated with natural gas. The corrosion model is verified using experimental data available in the literature. Predominantly, model predictions show good agreement with corrosion rate measurements obtained under various conditions.
ECOLOGICAL SEGREGATION OF THE LATE JURASSIC STEGOSAURIAN AND IGUANODONTIAN DINOSAURS OF THE MORRISON FORMATION IN NORTH AMERICA: PRONOUNCED OR SUBTLE?

The Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of western North America has yielded a number of specimens assigned to the ornithischian dinosaurs Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus, and many of these specimens come from channel sandstone deposits. Six new specimens are recorded mostly from channel sandstones as well. Indeed, early analyses of site occurrences (reducing the effects of large single-site samples) suggested that Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus were more often found in channel sandstone deposits than other common Morrison Formation dinosaurs such as Camarasaurus or Diplodocus. This also indicated the possibility of ecological segregation of the former two genera from other herbivorous dinosaurs of the Morrison. Revisiting this question with additional data suggests the pattern may not be as strong as it once appeared. Analysis of occurrence data indicates that Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus occur in channel sandstone deposits slightly more frequently than the two sauropods, but statistical analysis of this pattern by either localities or individuals indicates little significance to the trend. However, Camptosaurus appears more strongly associated with channel sandstone deposits relative to other dinosaurs than does Stegosaurus. These results suggest that any ecological segregation of these genera was moderate, but that, if present, the segregation was more pronounced in Camptosaurus.
The four capital model, matrix and accounts

The sustainability imperative can be translated into the claim for homothetic growth (Giraud, 1996) which equalises growth opportunities for all forms of capital: economic, social, human and natural. In order to apply this imperative policy makers need empirical and analytically rigorous tools for presenting interactions between capitals as multiple and parallel. For this purpose Ekins and Medhurst (2003) compiled the four capital model based on the combined quantitative-qualitative methodology of ‘sustainability assessment framework’ that is derived from impact assessment methodology. This expert based assessment technique is well-known in ecological and sustainable economics. In the paper it has been ascertained that Ekins and Medhurst applied microscopic (project) assessment approach for studying macroscopic phenomena such as development programmes consisting of tens or hundreds projects. The methodological consequence is that they could not fully utilize the potential of the model in its complexity. Thus, a more orthodox formulation is proposed which at first transforms the sustainability assessment framework into the standard Leontief’s (1970) input-output matrix from which the standard accounting tool – an integrated system of capital accounts is derived. It is only after this adjustment of the starting model that we can tell not only how the realisation of the particular policy, plan or programme will influence each of the four capitals; more relevantly, we can identify also all trade-offs and synergies that would be initiated with these policies amongst the capitals themselves. Recognition of these multiple relations appears as a precondition for consistent realisation of the sustainable model of wealth creation.
The Time Path of the Saving Rate: Hyperbolic Discounting and Short-Term Planning

The standard neoclassical growth model with Cobb-Douglas production predicts a monotonically declining saving rate, when reasonably calibrated. Ample empirical evidence, however, shows that the transition paths of most countries’ saving rates exhibit a statistically significant hump-shaped pattern. Prior literature shows that CES production may imply a hump-shaped pattern of the saving rate (Gomez, 2008). However, the implied magnitude of the hump falls short of what is seen in empirical data. We introduce two non-standard features of preferences into a neoclassical growth model with CES production: hyperbolic discounting and short planning horizons. We show that, in contrast to the commonly accepted argument, in general (except for the special case of logarithmic utility) a model with hyperbolic discounting is not observationally equivalent to one with exponential discounting. We also show that our framework implies a hump-shaped saving rate dynamics that is consistent with empirical evidence. Hyperbolic discounting turns out to be a major factor explaining the magnitude of the hump of the saving rate path. Numerical simulations employing a generalized class of hyperbolic discount functions, which we term regular discount functions, support the results.
Positional Advantage within Small Farms: Evidence from Illinois Authors

As the economic viability of small farms continues to be an issue facing policy makers and economists alike, a market orientation may be a valuable resource producers can develop as they compete in a marketplace dominated by larger firms. Marketing and strategy scholars have long established the importance of a market orientation in determining firm performance. More recently, scholars have studied the effect of these concepts in agriculture. Extending the literature of market orientation in agriculture, this study examines the concept of a positional advantage and its effect on performance using a sample of small farms in Illinois. Using a sample of 347 Illinois beef producers, we empirically measure and test the construct of positional advantage and test the relationship between positional advantage and subjective performance. Our results indicate that market orientation, entrepreneurship, innovation and learning are first-order indicators of positional advantage and that the positional advantage of a firm is positively related to firm performance.
How to go extinct by mating too much: population consequences of male mate choice and efficiency in a sexual–asexual species complex

Selection acting on individuals is not predicted to maximize population persistence, yet examples that explicitly quantify conflicts between individual and population level benefits are scarce. One such conflict occurs over sexual reproduction because of the cost of sex: sexual populations that suffer the cost of producing males have only half the growth rate compared to asexuals. Male behaviour can additionally impact population dynamics in a variety of ways, and here we study an example where the impact is unusually clear: the riddle of persistence of sperm-dependent sexualasexual species complexes. Here, a sexually reproducing host species coexists with an ameiotically reproducing all-female sperm parasite. Sexualasexual coexistence should not be stable because the proportion of asexually reproducing females will rapidly increase and the relative abundance of the sexually reproducing host species will decline. A severe shortage of males will lead to sperm limitation for sexual and asexual females and the system collapses. Male mate choice could reduce the reproductive potential of the asexual species and thus potentially prevent the collapse. In the gynogenetic (spermdependent parthenogenetic) Amazon molly Poecilia formosa and its host (P. latipinna or P. mexicana), males discriminate against asexual females to some extent. Using a population-dynamical model, we examine the population dynamics of this species complex with varying strengths of male discrimination ability and efficiency with which they locate females and produce sperm. The sexual species would benefit from stronger discrimination, thus preventing being displaced by the asexual females. However, males would be required to evolve preferences that are probably too strong to be purely based upon selection acting on individuals. We conclude that male behaviour does not fully prevent but delays extinction, yet this is highly relevant because low local extinction rates strongly promote coexistence as a metapopulation.
Comparison of clinic-based versus home-based balance and agility training for the symptoms of knee osteo-arthritis

Objective. To compare clinic-based (CB) and home-based (HB) deliveries of a knee osteoarthritis (OA) exercise programme. Methods. Outcomes from a CB exercise study ( N =6) utilising kinesthesia, balance and agility (KBA) exercises were compared with those from a HB KBA study ( N =6). Both conditions trained 30 minutes, 3 days per week for 8 weeks. CB sessions were conducted in a group led by an exercise physiologist (EP); HB participants received an initial 3 sessions of one-to-one training from an EP, written/pictorial instructions, telephone and e-mail follow-up, and in-person refresher sessions during weeks 4 and 6. The primary outcome was an OA-specific physical function survey. Community activity level, self-report knee stability, 15-m get up and go walk, and stair climb and descent were also measured. Results. Adherence was 94% in both conditions. KBA improved PF in both CB (59%; 18±12.5 pts; p =0.008) and HB (33%; 7.3±7.5 pts; p =0.03), with no difference between conditions. All outcome improvements were somewhat larger for CB, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion. We found no difference in outcomes between CB and HB exercise in this preliminary comparison. Our results support that KBA is an effective intervention for symptomatic knee OA that may be delivered in CB or HB settings.
Firms' Rents, Workers' Bargaining Power and the Union Wage Premium

In this paper, I study the wage premium associated with firm-level union recognition in France and show that this premium is due to a rent-extraction phenomenon. Using a large matched employer-employee dataset from a 2002 survey in France, I first estimate a series of wage determination models that control for individual and firm-level characteristics. I find that union recognition is associated with a 2-3% wage premium. To show that this premium results from a non-competitive phenomenon, I construct a bargaining model and estimate it empirically using a smaller but very detailed matched employer-employee dataset for 2004. The model predicts in particular that the wage premium obtained by unions should increase both with their bargaining power and with the amount of quasi-rents per worker available in the firms they organize. These predictions are validated empirically when I use the firms' market share as a proxy for their quasi-rents and the percentage of unionized as a proxy for the unions' bargaining power. All the results remain valid when I control for the firm-level workers' average productivity.
Lack-of P-limitation of phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryotes in surface waters of three anticyclonic eddies in the stratified Mediterranean Sea

We investigated the identity of the limiting nu- trient of the pelagic microbial food web in the Mediter- ranean Sea using nutrient manipulated microcosms during summer 2008. Experiments were carried out with surface waters at the center of anticyclonic eddies in the Western Basin, the Ionian Basin, and the Levantine Basin. In situ, the ratio of N to P was always higher in both dissolved and particulate organic fractions compared to the Redfield ra- tio, suggesting a relative P-starvation. In each experiment, four different treatments in triplicates (addition of ammo- nium, phosphate, a combination of both, and the unamended control) were employed and chemical and biological param- eters monitored throughout a 3-4 day incubation. Temporal changes of turnover time of phosphate and ATP, and alkaline phosphatase activity during the incubation suggested that the phytoplankton and heterotrophic prokaryotes (Hprok) communities were not P-limited at the sites. Furthermore, statistical comparison among treatments at the end of the in- cubation did not support a hypothesis of P-limitation at the three study sites. In contrast, primary production was con- sistently limited by N, and Hprok growth was not limited by N nor P in the Western Basin, but N-limited in the Ionian Basin, and N and P co-limited in the Levantine Basin. Our re- sults demonstrated the gap between biogeochemical features (an apparent P-starved status) and biological responses (no apparent P-limitation). We question the general notion that Mediterranean surface waters are limited by P alone during the stratified period.
Pipeline shield with single antiplatelet therapy in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage: multicentre experience

Background The Pipeline Embolisation Device with Shield technology (PED-Shield) is suggested to have reduced thrombogenicity. This reduced thrombogenicity may make it possible to use safely in the acute treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) on single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT). Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the off-label use of PED-Shield with SAPT for the acute treatment of aSAH. Methods Patients who underwent acute treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms with the PED-Shield with SAPT were retrospectively identified from prospectively maintained databases at three Australian neurointerventional centres. Patient demographics, aneurysm characteristics, clinical and imaging outcomes were reviewed. Results Fourteen patients were identified (12 women), median age 64 (IQR 21.5) years. Aneurysm morphology was saccular in seven, fusiform in five, and blister in two. Aneurysms arose from the anterior circulation in eight patients (57.1%). Six (42.9%) patients were poor grade (World Federation of Neurological Societies grade ≥IV) SAH. Median time to treatment was 1 (IQR 0.5) day. Complete or near complete aneurysm occlusion (Raymond-Roy <3) was achieved in 12 (85.7%) patients at the end of early-acute follow-up (median day 7 after SAH). Permanent, treatment-related morbidity occurred in one (7.1%) patient and one (7.1%) treatment-related death occurred. The use of a postoperative heparin infusion (n=5) was associated with a higher rate of all complications (80.0% vs 11.1%, p=0.023) and symptomatic complications (60% vs 0.0%, p=0.028). No symptomatic ischaemic or haemorrhagic complications were observed in the patients who did not receive a post-operative heparin infusion. Nine (64.3%) patients were functionally independent on discharge from the treatment centre. Conclusion The PED-Shield may be safe to use in the acute treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms with SAPT. Further investigation with a formal treatment registry is needed.
Negative Ion Time Projection Chamber operation with SF6 at nearly atmospheric pressure

We present the measurement of negative ion drift velocities and mobilities for innovative particle tracking detectors using gas mixtures based on SF6. This gas has recently received attention in the context of directional Dark Matter searches, thanks to its high Fluorine content, reduced diffusion and multiple species of charge carriers, which allow for full detector fiducialization. Our measurements, performed with a 5 cm drift distance Negative Ion Time Projection Chamber, show the possibility of negative ion operation in pure SF6 between 75 and 150 Torr with triple thin GEM amplification, confirming the attractive potentialities of this gas. Above all, our results with the mixture He:CF4:SF6 360:240:10 Torr demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of SF6− negative ion drift and gas gain in He at nearly atmospheric pressure, opening very interesting prospects for the next generation of directional Dark Matter detectors.
Affecting the gender difference in risk-taking behavior: a study of how the gender gap in risk-taking behavior can be influenced by a default effect

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of influencing the gender difference in risk-taking behavior. By doing so, we combine research from two different fields, namely literature on gender differences in risk-taking behavior, and the literature on default effects. We wish to contribute to the research in the intersection between these two fields. The question in focus is examined by gathering primary data through an incentivized economic experiment posted on the online platform Amazon Mechanical Turk. The 360 participants that contributed to our study were exposed to one of two treatment variations. Half the participants were initially given a default option encouraging risk seeking behavior, while the other half were given a default encouraging risk averse behavior. A randomized experiment enabled us to examine the causal relationship between the risk-taking behavior of the participants and the treatment they received. In accordance with previous research and our expectations, our findings indicate greater risk aversion among females compared to males. Furthermore, we find evidence of a treatment effect, meaning that people receiving the risky option as default, are exhibiting more risk seeking behavior. Our most interesting result is found when interacting the treatment effect with gender. When dividing our sample by gender, we find a significant treatment effect among females, and no evidence of a treatment effect among males. This implies that only females seem to be affected by a default bias, while males are equally risk seeking irrespective of the default option. In addition to the main analysis, we performed a short analysis of the influence of time preference on the tendency to stick with the default option, as we found this relationship interesting. Our findings imply that impatient individuals are significantly more influenced by the default effect than patient ones. The result of our study substantiates the possibility of affecting the gender gap in risk-taking behavior by changing the default option of a choice. By framing the choice with the risky option as default, the gender gap disappears. This is interesting from a policy perspective, since it provides a different interpretation of the drivers of gender differences in risk-taking behavior. It suggests that the gender difference is not only an expression of underlying risk preferences. Rather, it might be a result of the combination of a stronger default bias among females, and that the safe alternative often is the default in many decisions that we meet in everyday life.
Omega-3 fatty acids and brain function

Summary It is generally accepted that omega-3-fatty acids (n3-FAs) are important for the development, physiology and (presumably) also the perfusion of the human brain. On the other hand, the available studies do not demonstrate that n3-FAs can protect against age-related loss of cognitive performance - even though this is supported by positive epidemiological correlations. It has not been shown that n3-FAs lead to improved cognitive performance or reduce the incidence of dementia. This may be due to the host of methodological problems, rather than any inherent lack of activity. Epidemiological studies on the correlation between n3-FA intake with food and the incidence of Alzheimer‘s disease do not provide any valid evidence. Supplementation does not influence the incidence of Alzheimer‘s disease in healthy subjects and has no clinically relevant effects on patients with the disease. The same applies to Parkinson‘s disease. Depression is the only neuropsychiatric disease that can be demonstrably influenced by supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Future studies on the role of n3-FAs in age-related loss of cognitive performance should lay greater weight on the multifactorial pathogenesis of these conditions. They must employ realistic observation periods, and with pharmacologically based dose finding. In the near future, we can expect numerous studies on the role of n3-FAs in neuropsychiatric diseases, as indications such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning difficulties in children open new vistas in nutritional science and are potentially of considerable economic importance.