Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DDoS Event Forecasting using Twitter Data

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have been significant threats to the Internet. Traditional research in cyber security focuses on detecting emerging DDoS attacks by tracing network package flow. A characteristic of DDoS defense is that rescue time is limited since the launch of attack. More resilient detection and defence models are typically more costly. We aim at predicting the likelihood of DDoS attacks by monitoring relevant text streams in social media, so that the level of defense can be adjusted dynamically for maximizing cost-effect. To our knowledge, this is a novel yet challenging research question for DDoS rescue. Because the input of this task is a text stream rather than a document, information should be collected both on the textual content of individual posts. We propose a fine-grained hierarchical stream model to capture semantic information over infinitely long history, and reveal burstiness and trends. Empirical evaluation shows that social text streams are indeed informative for DDoS forecasting, and our proposed hierarchical model is more effective compared to strong baseline text stream models and discrete bag-of-words models.
Demystifying Big Data Adoption: Beyond IT Fashion and Relative Advantage

There is a paradox in big data adoption: a peak of hype and simultaneously an unexpectedly low deployment rate. The present multiple case study research develops a Big Data Adoption (Big2) model that helps to explain this paradox and sheds light on the “whether”, “why”, and “how” questions regarding big data adoption. The Big2 model extends beyond the existing Relative Advantage and IT Fashion theories to include organizational, environmental, social variables as well as new psychological factors that are unique to big data adoption. Our analysis reveals that the outcome of big data adoption is indeterministic, which defies the implicit assumption of most simplistic “rational-calculus” models of innovation adoption: Relative Advantage is a necessary but not sufficient condition for big data adoption. Most importantly, our study uncovered a “Deployment Gap” and a “Limbo Stage” where companies continuously experiment for a long time and do not proceed to deployment despite the intent to adopt big data. As a result there are four big data adoption categories: Not adopting, Experimented but Not Adopting, Not Yet Deployed, Deployed. Our Big2 model contributes to provide a Paradigm Shift and Complexity Tolerance perspective to understand the “why” in each of the 4 adoption categories. This study further identifies 9 complexity tolerance strategies to help narrow the Deployment Gap but also shows that big data is not for everyone.
Prospective evaluation of thyroid imaging reporting and data system on 4550 nodules with and without elastography.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate prospectively the diagnostic accuracy of the thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) and its interobserver agreement and to estimate the reduction of indications of fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs). DESIGN A prospective comparative study was designed. METHODS In 2 years, 4550 nodules in 3543 patients were prospectively scored using a flowchart and a six-point scale and then submitted to US-FNAB. Results were read according to the Bethesda system. Histopathological results were available for 263 cases after surgery. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value, and accuracy were calculated for the gray-scale score, elastography, and a combination of both methods. Interobserver agreement was calculated using the kappa statistic. The reduction in the number of FNABs was estimated. RESULTS When compared with cytopathological results, sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and accuracy were 95.7, 61, 99.7, and 62% for the TI-RADS gray-scale score; 74.2, 91.1, 98, and 90% for elastography; and 98.5, 44.7, 99.8, and 48.3% for a combination of both methods respectively. When compared with histopathological results, the sensitivity of the gray-scale score, elastography, and a combination of both methods were 93.2, 41.9, and 96.7% respectively. Interobserver agreement for the six-point scale and the recommendation for biopsy were substantial (κ value=0.72 and 0.76 respectively). The reduction in the number of FNABs was estimated to be 33.8%. CONCLUSION The TI-RADS score has high sensitivity and NPV for the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma. A hard nodule should always be considered as suspicious for malignancy but elastography cannot be used alone. Combination of elastography with gray-scale can be used to improve sensitivity or specificity. Interobserver agreement and decrease in unnecessary biopsies are significant.
Purchase decision making and buyer‐seller relationship development in the French food processing industry

Analyzes the nature of purchase decision making and buyer‐seller relationship development in the French food processing industry. It is the result of a detailed empirical study undertaken among 30 firms and international suppliers, and part of a larger research project. Intensive face‐to‐face interviews were carried out with purchasing executives drawn from 30 firms operating in the industry. Confirms the need for suppliers to understand in greater detail factors that buyers regard as decisive in their choice of a supplier as well as those that are pivotal in the development of long‐term relationships. A detailed understanding of these factors would aid suppliers in better formulating appropriate market entry and growth strategies in this increasingly competitive environment.
The effect of ametropia on the accommodative response

Abstract. The accommodative response of 15 myopic, 10 hypermetropic and 15 emmetropic (<+0.50 D) subjects was assessed by the laser optometer. The Snellen E target was viewed binocularly whilst the monocular response to various levels of stimuli (0 D to 5 D) was measured. The mean response/stimulus curves and resting points for each group are compared. No significant difference is present between the 3 groups. There is no correlation between a) the resting point and spectacle prescription (r = 0.20) and b) the slope of the response/stimulus curve and the spectacle prescription (r = –0.32). The effect of ametropia on the accommodative response is insignificant.
Manipulation of nitrogen digestion by sheep using defaunation and various nitrogen supplementation regimens.

Five ruminally, duodenally, and ileally cannulated sheep (average BW 62 kg) were fed 65% roughage: 35% concentrate diets (CP = 15%) in a 5 x 5 Latin square design to study the applicability of using a combination of defaunation with N supplements (soybean meal [SBM], corn gluten meal [CGM], blood meal [BM], urea, and casein) with different extents of ruminal degradation to manipulate microbial protein synthesis and amount of ruminal escape protein. Diets were fed twice daily (1,759 g DM/d). Defaunation was accomplished with 30-ml doses of alkanate 3SL3 (active ingredient: sodium lauryl diethoxy sulfate)/sheep daily for 3 d with 2 d of fasting. Treatment 1 (control) involved feeding faunated sheep a diet in which the supplemental N (45% of total dietary N) was 67% SBM N and 33% urea N. Treatment 2 involved feeding defaunated sheep the same diet as the control. Treatments 3, 4, and 5 involved feeding defaunated sheep diets in which the supplemental N source was either 67% CGM-BM (1:1 N ratio) N:33% urea N, or 33% CGM-BM N:67% urea N or 33% CGM-BM N:33% urea N:33% casein N, respectively. Compared with the faunated control, defaunation decreased (P less than .05) ruminal ammonia concentration (19 vs 26 mg/dl) and increased (P less than .05) CP flow to the duodenum (253 vs 214 g/d) due to a trend for increases in both bacterial (BCP) and nonbacterial (NBCP) CP flows. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Meeting the Challenges of Industrial Restructuring: Labor Reform and Enforcement in Latin America

Abstract Despite a strengthening of collective labor rights in Latin America over the last 15 years, most labor movements in the region have lost power because neither the content nor the enforcement mechanisms associated with the labor reforms fully took into consideration the challenges presented by economic restructuring. Reforms facilitating union formation did not strengthen unions but instead increased union fragmentation. Collective bargaining structures did not respond to the exigencies of international outsourcing; and the initial round of reforms in the 1990s did not contemplate the need to strengthen labor law enforcement mechanisms at a time when heightened international competition created a need for greater state vigilance of labor standards. Recent reforms or proposed reforms hold more promise for labor, but truly union-friendly labor relations regimes require deeper changes. A review of several Latin American cases is followed by a closer examination of Brazil and El Salvador.
Event-related advertising and the special case of sponsorship-linked advertising

Corporate sponsorship is a valuable brand-building platform, typically leveraged by advertising and promotion. While advertising often ‘uses news’ to connect to meaningful events, sponsorship contracts create a special category of advertisers that have official rights to event affiliation. In fact, sponsorship-linked marketing creates two special categories of advertiser: those officially linked to the event and those that seek association with the event but have no legitimate link (i.e. ‘ambushers’). We examine the prevalence and nature of sponsorship-linked advertising (SLA) as a leveraging strategy employed by both sponsors and ambushers. SLA includes advertising that communicates a sponsorship link or tie, as well as advertising that demonstrates a theme that links to sponsorship. Two content analytic studies find extensive use of SLA by ambushers and true sponsors. We propose a diagnostic method to identify ambushing attempts. Practical implications for sponsoring brands, potential ambushing brands and policy makers are discussed.
Factors affecting institutional transformation : a case for a microfinance regulatory framework in Kenya

Regulating microfinance activities has been an important policy concern in improving financial inclusion and extending financial services to all. However, introducing a regulatory framework of any kind pushes targeted institutions to change. In this case, microfinance regulatory framework that came to effect in 2008 has created three tiers of microfinance institutions: prudentially regulated deposit-taking institutions, credit only and unregulated informal groups. Those undertaking deposit-taking business were required by this regulation to transform their operations to comply with the requirements. Though many institutions wanted to be allowed to mobilise public deposits, only three institutions had managed to obtain at least a provisional license two years after the regulation became operational. The purpose of this research is to establish the factors affecting this microfinance transformation process in Kenya. Experiences around the world indicate that microfinance regulatory frameworks are dogged with a myriad of challenges that, at times, has limited the enjoyment of benefits of regulation. These challenges affect both the regulator and institutions being regulated. This study identifies several important factors affecting the transformation process of microfinance institutions in Kenya. These include the ability to meet capital requirements, restructuring existing ownership and getting new shareholders, ability to raise funds for transformation, acquiring suitable information systems, motivation to be regulated, governance issues and managerial inertia. These factors explain why certain institutions have moved faster than others in the transformation process and why some have opted to remain credit only.
Association between bovine digital dermatitis treponemes and a range of ‘non-healing’ bovine hoof disorders

This study describes the association between bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) treponemes and three ‘non-healing’ bovine hoof horn lesions, namely, ‘toe necrosis’ (TN), ‘non-healing white line disease’ (nhWLD) and ‘non-healing sole ulcer’ (nhSU), which are disorders that involve penetration through the horn capsule to involve the corium. In this study, these non-healing disorders (n=44) were identified as foot lesions that exhibited a topical granular appearance, exuded a typical pungent smell, were severely painful to the animal involved, and typically originated from farms where BDD is endemic. Given the similarities between these ‘non-healing’ lesions and BDD, the authors subjected samples of diseased tissue to PCR assays to detect the presence of DNA of BDD treponemes. All the three characterised BDD treponeme groups were identified as present together in 84.2, 81.3 and 55.6 per cent of samples of TN (n=19), nhWLD (n=16) and nhSU (n=9), respectively. In contrast, healthy control horn samples from similar sites (n=16) were PCR-negative for the BDD treponemes. Hence, these non-healing hoof lesions were strongly associated with BDD treponemes. Samples from typical heel horn erosions (n=9) were also subjected to BDD treponeme PCR assays and no association could be identified between the BDD treponemes and this horn manifestation.
Configurations of resources and capabilities and their performance implications: an exploratory study on technology ventures

As one of the most widely accepted theoretical perspectives in strategy, the resource-based view (RBV) suggests that a firm's resources underlie its ability to achieve competitive advantage. However, much of the extant work in this stream has examined the characteristics that resources must have in order to yield rents, while efforts to specify the crucial link between resources and value creation have been sparse. As a consequence, current theory is not sufficiently clear on how different kinds of resources and capabilities contribute to performance, nor does it clarify how firms can combine different resources and capabilities to achieve superior performance outcomes. Analyzing data obtained from 230 technology ventures with partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling and cluster analysis, this study seeks to improve understanding of the resource-performance link in two main ways. Based on a careful measurement of resources and capabilities in a well-defined functional area (sales and distribution), we first show how these resources and capabilities contribute to performance in that functional area. Second, we identify four clusters of firms that deploy different configurations of resources and capabilities. Among the four configurational solutions, two are associated with superior (equifinal) performance outcomes.
Co‐ordinating sales and marketing in consumer goods firms

Discusses factors affecting marketing‐sales co‐ordination requirements at consumers goods firms, what some firms are doing to encourage better interaction between these groups, the strengths and vulnerabilities of these organisational initiatives, and the managerial implications. Reports in a cross‐section of consumer product categories sold through retail and wholesale customers in different classes‐of‐trade.
How does CRM create better customer outcomes for small educational institutions

This study investigates the role of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the effective management of parent satisfaction and loyalty in small or medium-sized educational institutions. We developed and tested a two-level model in which the implementation of CRM was related to parent satisfaction and loyalty. A total of 600 parents involving 60 children’s English cram schools in Taiwan were analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), with results that partially supported the proposed model. More specifically, knowledge management was positively related to parent satisfaction and parent loyalty while key customer focus had no significant relationships with parent satisfaction and parent loyalty. In addition, parent satisfaction was associated with parent loyalty. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Mucosal challenge with cell‐associated or cell‐free feline immunodeficiency virus induces rapid and distinctly different patterns of phenotypic change in the mucosal and systemic immune systems

The majority of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) infections occur via mucosal transmission through contact with genital secretions containing cell‐associated and cell‐free virus. However, few studies have assessed whether exposure to cells, HIV‐1 infected or uninfected, plays a role in the sexual transmission of HIV‐1. This study examined phenotypic changes in mucosal and systemic lymphoid tissue 24 hr after vaginal exposure to in vitro equilibrated infectious doses of cell‐associated or cell‐free feline immunodeficiency virus, uninfected heterologous cells, or medium alone. We found that even at this early time‐point, mucosal exposure to virus induced substantial alterations in the phenotype and distribution of leucocytes, particularly in the tissues of the mucosal immune system. Second, we found that the type of virus inoculum directly influenced the phenotypic changes seen. Vaginal exposure to cell‐free virus tended to induce more generalized phenotypic changes, typically in the peripheral immune system (blood and systemic lymph nodes). In contrast, exposure to cell‐associated virus was primarily associated with phenotypic shifts in the mucosal immune system (gut and mucosal/draining lymph nodes). In addition, we found that exposure to uninfected heterologous cells also induced alterations in the mucosal immune system. These data suggest that significant immune changes occur within the first 24 hr of virus exposure, well before substantial replication would be anticipated. As the mucosal immune system, and particularly the gut, is an early and persistent target for lentiviral replication, these findings have substantial implications for HIV‐1 pathogenesis and vaccine development.
Competitive advantage of a firm through supply chain responsiveness and SCM practices

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ix LIST OF TABLES xiii LIST OF FIGURES xvi LIST OF APPENDICES xvii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Supply Chain Management 7 2.2 SCM Practices 14 2.3 Modularity-Based Manufacturing Practices 22 2.4 Supply Chain Responsiveness 32 2.5 Competitive Advantage 42 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT 47 3.1 Theoretical Framework 47 3.2 Research Hypothesis 1 (SCM Practices and Supply Chain Responsiveness) 49 3.3 Research Hypothesis 2 (Modularity Based Manufacturing Practices and Supply Chain Responsiveness) 55 3.4 Research Hypothesis 3 (Supply Chain Responsiveness and Competitive Advantage) 61 3.5 Research Hypothesis 4 (SCM Practices and Competitive Advantage) . 63 3.6 Research Hypothesis 5 (Modularity Based Manufacturing Practices and Competitive Advantage) 65 CHAPTER 4: INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT – ITEM GENERATION AND PILOT TEST 67 4.1 Item Generation and Structured Interview 68 4.2 Scale Development: the Q-Sort Method 70
Electrical characteristics of nanometer gaps in vacuum under direct voltage

The electrical characteristics of nanometer gaps in vacuum were studied with the tungsten electrodes under dc and pulsed voltage. A novel experimental technique to study the electrical characteristics of nanometer gaps was presented in the paper. In the experimental setup, the tungsten was fabricated and shaped to be a perfect sphere through the electrochemical etch and Joule melting method, and the nanogap was controlled precisely by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and nanometer manipulator. The effects of electrode geometry, gap separation and injected voltage waveform were investigated. The current-voltage curves and Fowler-Nordheim plots showed the difference of the field emission process before breakdown between the sphere-sphere electrodes and needle-sphere electrodes. The gap separation dependence of dielectric strength demonstrated the similar trend to the previous work but better performance. The breakdown voltage for pulsed voltage was 4-5 times higher than that for the dc voltage. The analysis of the physical damage indicated that the current, duration time and electrode geometry played important roles in electrode modification. In addition, a possible mechanism of nanoscale vacuum breakdown was also proposed in the paper.
Arabic pharyngeals in visual speech

Many perceptual experiments show that human talkers provide more intelligible visual speech than synthetic talkers. This inferiority of synthetic visual speech might be due to a lack of finer modeling of the parts of the face that are important to lipreading or that some parts of the face that are not generally considered as relevant to visual speech or as not visible in face-to-face communication, might actually provide some information, which humans are capable of decoding. This information might therefore not be modeled accurately in the synthetic speaker. In this paper, we provide evidence from Arabic that some sounds, which are not known as visible, might be recognized correctly visually. We performed a lipreading recognition experiment on Arabic, where a set of consonant-vowel stimuli were presented as visual-only speech and participants were asked to report what they recognized. The resulting consonant confusion matrix shows that some of these pharyngeals were, to some extent, well discriminated. Results are discussed based on the category of phonemes and the vowel context.
Evaluation of Willingness to Pay for Reliable and Sustainable household Water Use in Ilorin, Nigeria

This study focused on the evaluation of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for sustainable household water use in Ilorin, Nigeria. The study involved assessment of the existing water supply situation particularly considering water use indicators such as demography, adequacy of existing water supply system and WTP for reliable supply. Field work involved the use of structured questionnaire to obtain data on household water use and WTP for a reliable water supply of the sampled houses consisting three land use patterns. Stata/SE 8.0 and Microsoft EXCEL software were employed to evaluate the variables that affect WTP for improved household water use while ccontingency Valuation Method was adopted to evaluate the WTP for reliable and sustainable service delivery. The findings of the study revealed that: approximately 70 % of total sampled households were connected to municipal supply out of which 13 % indicated satisfaction in terms of sufficiency and 87 % used alternative sources to augment water supply; consumers are willing to pay an average sum of N 737.22 per month for improved water supply services and; gender, water quality and household income level have significant impact on WTP at 5% level of significance. There is the need to put in place a framework to enhance improvement of system reliability and sustainability. Keywords : Evaluation, willingness, reliability, sustainability, household, water
On the optimum design of unitary cyclic group space-time codes

In this letter, based on the exact pairwise-error probability, we derive the union bound on the symbol-error probability (SEP) of the differential unitary space-time (DUST) modulation employing group codes. Instead of using the rank-and-determinant or Euclidean distance criteria, we optimize the cyclic group codes such that the union bound on the SEP is minimized for a predetermined scenario, taking into account the number of transmit and receive antennas and the operating signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Our simulation results show that for a wide range of SNRs, the codes with the minimum union bound for a particular SNR outperform the codes designed based on rank-and-determinant or Euclidean distance criteria.