Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computing and Partitioning Cloud Feedbacks using Cloud Property Histograms. Part II: Attribution to the Nature of Cloud Changes

7 In this study we propose a novel technique for computing cloud feedbacks using histograms 8 of cloud fraction as joint functions of cloud top pressure (CTP ) and optical depth (τ). 9 These histograms were generated by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project 10 (ISCCP) simulator, which was incorporated into doubled CO2 equilibrium slab ocean model 11 experiments as part of the first phase of the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project 12 (CFMIP1). We use a radiative transfer model to compute top of atmosphere (TOA) flux 13 sensitivities to cloud fraction perturbations in each bin of the ISCCP simulator histogram, 14 which we refer to as a cloud radiative kernel. Multiplying the cloud radiative kernel histogram 15 with the histogram of actual cloud top fraction changes per unit of global warming simulated 16 by each model produces an estimate of cloud feedback. Unlike previous studies in which the 17 types of cloud changes that contribute to cloud feedback are indirectly inferred, this technique 18 allows more direct attribution of the feedback to the cloud types from which it arises. 19 In five of the six models for which the comparison is possible, both the spatial structures 20 and globally integrated values of cloud feedbacks computed in this manner agree remarkably 21 well with those computed by adjusting the change in cloud radiative forcing for non-cloud 22 related effects as in Soden et al. (2008). We show that the global mean model-simulated cloud 23 feedback in the full ensemble of ten models is dominated by contributions from changes in 24 medium thickness (3.6 ≤ τ < 23) cloud fractions, but that changes in the fractional coverage 25 of thick (τ ≥ 23) clouds bring about the rapid transition from positive to negative cloud 26 feedback poleward of about 50◦. High (CTP < 440 hPa) cloud changes are the dominant 27 contributor to LW cloud feedback at every latitude, but because their impacts on LW and SW 28 cloud feedback are in opposition, they contribute less to the net cloud feedback than do the 29
A Study on Impact of Watershed Development Project of Antisar Watershed in Kheda District of Gujarat

The present investigation was undertaken during 2009-10 with a view to evaluate the impact of Watershed Development Project on different parameters viz . , land utilization pattern, irrigation status, cropping pattern, productivity, status of livestock, labour-use, cost of cultivation and income of beneficiaries using the data collected from Antisar watershed located in kheda district of Gujarat. The result of the study revealed that the net cropped area was increased from 71.96 per cent in pre-project position to 88.64 per cent in post-project position and it was also higher in beneficiaries' farms (88.64 %) than that of nonbeneficiaries' farms (79.37 %). The cropping intensity and irrigation intensity were higher in post-project position of beneficiaries. The cropping pattern of beneficiaries was changed and shifted in favour of commercial crops because of watershed development activities. The productivity of major crops grown in watershed project area was increased in post-project position and watershed development has helped in the diversification of crop-livestock mixes too. It was found that though the cost of cultivation of beneficiaries was higher in post-project position as compared to pre-project position, the farm business income, family labour income and net income were increased during post-project position. Finally, it was concluded on the basis of findings that the watershed technology helps in augmenting returns from dry land crop production as well as other subsidiary activities on sustainable basis.
STUDY OF SERVICE QUALITY MANAGEMENT WITH SERVQUAL MODEL: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF GOVT/NGO'S EYE HOSPITALS IN HARYANA

Customer satisfaction and service quality are often treated together as functions of customer’s perceptions and expectations. Research has shown that high service quality contributes significantly to customer satisfaction and customer delight. This study empirically explores the relationship between hospital quality management and service quality performance for a sample of patients of eye care hospitals in Haryana. SERVQUAL model has been adopted to encompass various aspects of service quality. The study has been undertaken to demonstrate the Gaps for measuring patient’s perceptions-expectation of eye care services quality in GOVT/NGO’s eye hospitals in Haryana. The purpose of the research paper is to provide review of the SERVQUAL research in measurement of eye care service quality, to obtain information about quality parameters of services provided by GOVT/NGO’s eye hospitals in Haryana & to find out as to how much these parameters rate are as per the expectations of the patients.
Depression and Its Treatment in IBD

INTRODUCTION Although the etiology of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) has yet to be fully elucidated, it appears to involve a complex interaction between poorly defined environmental and genetically determined factors regulating mucosal tolerance to intestinal microflora. Historically IBD was classified as a psychosomatic disorder with early studies reporting a close association between IBD and psychiatric diagnoses. Recent studies have re-affirmed the high prevalence of depression and other types of psychological distress in patients with IBD, leading researchers to re-examine its role as an etiological factor and therapeutic target in IBD. Here, we review not only these topics, but also outline very recent evidence that mucosal inflammation may itself induce psychological disturbance. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE: A PRACTICAL APPROACH, SERIES #53
Development of a Novel Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Automatic Discrimination of Malignant From Benign Solitary Pulmonary Nodules on Thin-Section Dynamic Computed Tomography

Objectives: As an application of the computer-aided diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs), 3-dimensional contrast-enhanced (CE) dynamic helical computed tomography (HCT) was performed to evaluate temporal changes in the internal structure of nodules to differentiate between benign nodules (BNs) and malignant nodules (MNs). Methods: There were 62 SPNs (35 MNs and 27 BNs) included in this study. Scanning (2-mm collimation) was performed before and 2 and 4 minutes after CE dynamic HCT. The CT data were sent to a computer, and the pixels inside the nodule were characterized in terms of 3 parameters (attenuation, shape index, and curvedness value). Results: Based on the CT data at 4 (MN: 1.81-27.1, BN: −42.8 to −3.29) minutes after CE-dynamic HCT, a score of 0 or higher can be assumed to indicate an MN. Conclusions: Three-dimensional computer-aided diagnosis of the internal structure of SPNs using CE dynamic HCT was found to be effective for differentiating between BNs and MNs.
Mortality following Release from Prison

We have studied deaths occurring after release from prison in the Canton of Geneva during the period 1982–86. The mortality rate during the first year after release was about 5 deaths/1000 person years, a rate over four times the age-adjusted rate in the general population. The majority of deaths were due to overdose by opiate drugs among young, frequently imprisoned drug abusers, and occurred within the first few weeks after release. Likely risk factors include loss of tolerance to opiates while in prison, and psychological and social stresses following release.
Rhizobium meliloti Fix L is an oxygen sensor and regulates R. meliloti nifA and fixK genes differently in Escherichia coli

In Rhizobium meliloti, nif and fix genes, involved in nitrogen fixation during symbiosis with alfalfa, are under the control of two transcriptional regulators encoded by nifA and fixK. Expression of nifA and fixK is under the control of FixL/J, a two-component regulatory system. We showed, using Escherichia coli as a heterologous host, that FixL/J controls nifA and fixK expression in response to microaerobiosis. Furthermore, expression of the sensor gene fixL and of the activator gene fixJ under the control of two different promoters allowed us to show that FixL mediates microaerobic induction of nifA when the level of FixJ is low and aerobic repression of nifA when the level of FixJ is high. Similarly, activation of fixK occurred in microaerobiosis when the FixJ level was low in the presence of FixL. In contrast to nifA, fixK expression was not affected by FixL in aerated cultures when the level of FixJ was high. We conclude that R. meliloti FixL senses oxygen in the heterologous host E. coli consistent with the microaerobic induction of nifA and fixK in R. meliloti and that nifA and fixK promoters are differentially activated by FixJ in response to the oxygen signal.
A whey protein-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial

Protein and other compounds can exert anabolic effects on skeletal muscle, particularly in conjunction with exercise. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of twice daily consumption of a protein-based, multi-ingredient nutritional supplement to increase strength and lean mass independent of, and in combination with, exercise in healthy older men. Forty-nine healthy older men (age: 73 ± 1 years [mean ± SEM]; BMI: 28.5 ± 1.5 kg/m2) were randomly allocated to 20 weeks of twice daily consumption of either a nutritional supplement (SUPP; n = 25; 30 g whey protein, 2.5 g creatine, 500 IU vitamin D, 400 mg calcium, and 1500 mg n-3 PUFA with 700 mg as eicosapentanoic acid and 445 mg as docosahexanoic acid); or a control (n = 24; CON; 22 g of maltodextrin). The study had two phases. Phase 1 was 6 weeks of SUPP or CON alone. Phase 2 was a 12 week continuation of the SUPP/CON but in combination with exercise: SUPP + EX or CON + EX. Isotonic strength (one repetition maximum [1RM]) and lean body mass (LBM) were the primary outcomes. In Phase 1 only the SUPP group gained strength (Σ1RM, SUPP: +14 ± 4 kg, CON: +3 ± 2 kg, P < 0.001) and lean mass (LBM, +1.2 ± 0.3 kg, CON: -0.1 ± 0.2 kg, P < 0.001). Although both groups gained strength during Phase 2, upon completion of the study upper body strength was greater in the SUPP group compared to the CON group (Σ upper body 1RM: 119 ± 4 vs. 109 ± 5 kg, P = 0.039). We conclude that twice daily consumption of a multi-ingredient nutritional supplement increased muscle strength and lean mass in older men. Increases in strength were enhanced further with exercise training. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02281331
Impact of Training and Development on Employees' Performance

The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is the busiest, biggest and most successful port terminal in Africa, with its success underpinned by its strategic geographical location of being the gateway to Southern Africa as well as the skilled employee base believed to be anchored in the training and development initiatives offered by the organisation’s training division. As such, DCT plays a key role in the South African economy. In pursuit of achieving the goal of being one of the major contributors to the South African economy, DCT provides continuous training and development programmes to all employees since establishment in 1990. Unfortunately, not even a single programme was evaluated to measure its effectiveness on the employee, organisation and community at large. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of training and development on employee performance at Transnet’s DCT. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 132 employees from a target population of 200. The study revealed that training and development is critical to organisational effectiveness. The study recommended that DCT should spell out the strategic objectives on training from the onset, and that a needs analysis should be conducted to improve programme effectiveness. In future an inclusive study on all South African port terminals would be recommended in order to have a balanced view.
Differential 24‐Hour Variation of Alertness and Subjective Tension in Process Controllers: Investigation of the Relationship with Body Temperature and Heart Rate

The effects of shift and time‐on‐shift on alertness and perceived tension, as well as related physiological variables, were investigated in satellite controllers working a rapid forward rotating three‐shift system. In controlled laboratory conditions, subjective tension and HR have been reported to display circadian variation and marked sensitivity to external factors. We examined whether circadian variations were masked for these particular variables in real‐job conditions, unlike for alertness and body temperature, which have been repeatedly shown to display circadian variation in these conditions. This hypothesis was tested in a repeated‐measures design by collecting alertness and tension self‐reports and recording operators' sublingual temperature on three occasions on each shift and HR continuously throughout shifts. Alertness and body temperature varied according to a typical diurnal trend; subjective tension was only enhanced on the initial recording of each shift (compared to the remaining ones), while HR displayed an intermediary trend. Intra‐subject correlations revealed a positive relationship between alertness, oral temperature, and HR, while no such relationship was found for subjective tension. These results support the hypothesis of a close dependence of alertness and temperature, and to a lesser extent for HR, on endogenous mechanisms in this job‐situation. In addition, some situation‐specific factors, such as job‐demand, would affect subjective tension and partially mask the circadian variations in HR.
Systematic Design of Fault-Tolerant Multiprocessors with Shared Buses

A multiprocessor system is fault-tolerant (FT) if it preserves a fault-free subsystem of a predetermined interconnection structure when faults appear. We present a new method for designing FT multiprocessors that can efficiently tolerate both processor and interconnection faults. The approach is general, in that it can be applied to any multiprocessor topology. Shared buses serve as the main interconnection mechanism to minimize the switching logic needed for reconfiguration. We employ processor-bus-link (PBL) graphs to model multiprocessors with either dedicated or shared buses. Both processors and buses are represented as nodes so that bus faults can be considered explicitly and tolerated efficiently by spare buses instead of by spare processors. A minimum number of spare processors and buses are used to reduce hardware overhead. The node covering concept and the maximum-weight spanning tree algorithm are then employed to construct FT systems that have lower interconnection cost than most previous designs. We also present a cost-effective implementation method which is suitable for both static and dynamic reconfiguration techniques. The FT systems obtained have the advantages of no critical single point of failure, low redundancy, local replacement, and simple circuitry for fast reconfiguration.
Information Revelation Through Regulatory Process: Interactions Between the SEC and Companies Ahead of the IPO

The regulator plays an active role in the IPO process via its pre-IPO communications with firms, writing 3.8 comment letters per company. To evaluate the regulator’s input, we analyze these communications between the SEC and firms using LDA-analysis and KL-divergence. Main topics of SEC concerns map closely into the regulator’s stated mandate: companies increase prospectus disclosures within precise topics of SEC concern. Questions related to revenue recognition are most informative about company valuation. These concerns are not independently uncovered by investors. This dynamic process of information disclosure results in increased transparency, but at a cost of delays in going public.
Seasonal plasticity in male mating preferences in sailfin mollies

Although male choosiness may be influenced by predation risk, variation in mate availability, and fecundity that may vary spatially and over time, there is little evidence for variation in male mate choice preferences. In mixed populations of bisexual sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) and unisexual Amazon mollies (Poecilia formosa), males encounter 2 types of potential mates: conspecific sexual sailfin and asexual Amazon mollies. The latter is gynogenetic, thus an all-female species that produces clonal offspring but requires sperm from sexual host males to trigger embryogenesis. Sailfin males do not benefit directly from mating with Amazon mollies, which raises the question why males mate with Amazons at all. Mate choice might be crucial in this context. So far, the possibility that male choice might vary during the mating season remained unexplored. We tested for frequency-dependent or seasonally influenced behavioral plasticity in mating preferences of males originating from natural mixed populations that may contribute to the maintenance of coexistence in this asexual--sexual mating complex. In simultaneous choice tests, we studied male association preferences in P. latipinna originating from populations in South and Central Texas, USA. There was high seasonal variation in male association patterns: males spent less time with asexual females at times that may potentially coincide with reproductive peaks in this species complex, for example, during spring. Male body size and local current relative proportion of Amazon mollies in the populations did not influence male preferences. We discuss potential causes for the variation of a sexual preference for conspecific females and how nondiscriminating male mating behavior can be adaptive in this complex. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Orthograde endodontic retreatment of teeth with individual cast posts: report of two cases.

INTRODUCTION The failure of primary endodontic treatment is manifested by various clinical symptoms following endodontic therapy or, more frequently, by the development of chronic inflammatory process in the apex region without any subjective symptoms. In case of unfavorable outcome of the primary endodontic treatment, orthograde endodontic retreatment is the method of choice for a prolonged therapy. OUTLINE OF CASES Two female patients, 47 and 44 years old, were presented at the Dental Clinic of Vojvodina for endodontic retreatment of teeth 22, 23 and 13, within the repeated prosthetic restoration. Intraradicular individual cast posts were removed using ultrasonic instruments. Remains of gutta-percha were removed by engine driven rotary re-treatment files, root canals were shaped and cleaned using the crown-down technique, and obturated with gutta-percha and epoxy-resin-based sealer using the lateral compaction technique. CONCLUSION When there are metal posts or broken instruments in the root canal, the use of ultrasonic instruments is considered a safe method characterized by negligible tooth substance loss and minimal root damage causing fractures and perforations, and the entire procedure is effective and predictable. Non-surgical orthograde endodontic retreatment, when properly performed in accessible and penetrable root canals, achieves a high cure rate, good and lasting results and eliminates the need for radical procedures, such as apical surgery or tooth extraction. When nonsurgical endodontic retreatment is done, treated teeth must be restored by full coronal coverage as soon as possible, to prevent coronal leakage or fracture.
Leukocyte rheology before and after chemotactic activation in some venous diseases.

OBJECTIVE to evaluate leukocyte rheology, polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) membrane fluidity and cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in subjects with post-phlebitic leg syndrome (PPS) and acute deep-venous leg thrombosis (DVT). SUBJECTS twenty-two subjects with leg PPS and 14 subjects with leg DVT. METHODS we evaluated the leukocyte filtration (unfractionated, mononuclear cells (MN) and PMN), the PMN membrane fluidity and the PMN cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Subsequently, we evaluated the same PMN variables after in vitro chemotactic activation with 4-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and N -formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). RESULTS at baseline we observed a significant difference in the filtration variables of unfractionated and MN cells and in PMN cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. After activation, in normal subjects and subjects with PPS and DVT, a significant variation in PMN filtration at 5 and 15 minutes was evident. In normal subjects, no variation was present in PMN membrane fluidity or cytosolic Ca2+ concentration after activation. In subjects with PPS and DVT, we found a decrease in PMN membrane fluidity and an increase in PMN cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. After PMN activation (at 5 and 15 min) Delta% of IRFR distinguished normal subjects from subjects with PPS and DVT, while no difference was found in Delta% of membrane fluidity or cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. CONCLUSIONS there is a functional alteration of leukocytes in these patients whose mechanisms are not yet clear.
Evaluation of the Free School Meals Pilot: Impact Report

This research report was commissioned before the new UK Government took office on 11 May 2010. As a result the content may not reflect current Government policy and may make reference to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) which has now been replaced by the Department for Education (DfE). The views expressed in this report are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Corporate Social Reporting In Central and Eastern Europe

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) regulations, frameworks and practices have increasingly preoccupied accounting researchers over the last decades. The countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have significantly evolved after the fall or the decline of their non-democratic regimes, and improved reporting by companies in such countries is called for and supported by international and regional organizations, as well as driven more or less successfully by local bodies. In the midst of such evolutions, CSR-related matters are an important concept materializing in the accounting academic and practitioner literature in the CEE region, as well as in the practices of local companies. We then devote this special issue of the Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems to studying the state of CSR reporting in the CEE region. We include in this special issue six papers that treat the respective cases of Poland, Romania and Turkey as exponents of the CEE region. Results of the papers published attest to the increased interest showed by accounting researchers in the CEE region to CSR-related matters. However, a number of issues still require further investigation, such as the determinants and consequences of good CSR practices, the process of change in integrating the CSR thinking in organizations, CSR disclosures and the impact of the institutional context, the role of regional and national regulators in establishing adequate CSR regulations and frameworks that promote sound CSR practices in the region, the perception of CSR-related matters by the millennials, or the impact of Information Technology advancements on CSR practices.