Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food Industry Waste Material as A Growth Medium for Rhizobium

Ever increasing industrialization have considerably increased the rate of water pollution. the management of waste is a major challenge for administrators and planners. To overcome those problems, there is an alternative process for using these wastes, as a source for cultivation media of micro-organisms. The present work was aimed to designing a food industry waste water based medium that included mushroom and dill, as a substitute for costly commercial media for growing rhizobium. Growth and optimization parameters of two strains of rhizobium namely R1 and R2 at different concentrations of food waste was observed. Growth of both the strains were highest in 90% waste. Growth effects of strains were observed at 90% food waste along with different synthetic media and was found to be superior to standard media (TY and YEM) used for Rhizobium. Media was optimized using 90% food industry waste along with different concentrations of yeast extract (1-7 g/l) and mannitol (1-7 g/l) in terms of OD at different intervals of time i.e. 24, 48 and 72 hours. The maximum growth was observed in 4g/l in yeast extract and mannitol in both the strains. Bacteria were grown on the waste water medium which produced effective results and Competed with standard media like YEM and TY. Hence, this study led to a new and efficient medium for bacterial cultures as well as decrease in the waste disposal expenses and efforts.
A Survey of some generalized extending conditions

A module is called an extending (or CS) module if every submodule is essential in a direct summand of the module. In this survey, we consider various generalizations of the extending property that the authors have developed over the last 25 years. To this end, we provide results, examples, applications, and open problems to motivate further interest and research on the extending condition and related concepts. Our generalizations make it clear how much of the extending condition is maintained in various closure operations.
KLF5 downregulation desensitizes castration-resistant prostate cancer cells to docetaxel by increasing BECN1 expression and inducing cell autophagy

KLF5 is frequently deleted or downregulated in prostate cancer. However, it is not known whether downregulation of KLF5 is associated with the response of prostate cancer cells to chemotherapy and/or prognosis of patients. Methods: We monitored cell growth by MTT and colony formation assays, and cell autophagy through tandem fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Gene expression was analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. We determined the binding of KLF5 together with HDAC3 on the beclin-1 (BECN1) promoter by the ChIP assay, oligonucleotides pulldown, and co-immunoprecipitation. The effect of docetaxel on cell growth in vivo was examined in a CWR22RV1 xenograft tumor mouse model. Results: In the present study, we found that KLF5 down-regulation was associated with progression of prostate cancer and poor prognosis of patients. KLF5 knockdown reduced the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to docetaxel in vitro and in vivo, and docetaxel treatment decreased the expression of KLF5. Moreover, we confirmed that docetaxel treatment inhibited cell death by inducing autophagy in prostate cancer cells. Thus, we hypothesized that KLF5 could be a regulator of cell autophagy. Interestingly, KLF5 could inhibit prostate cancer cell autophagy by suppressing the transcription of BECN1 cooperatively with HDAC3. Another significant finding was that docetaxel treatment repressed KLF5 expression through AMPK/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway resulting in increased BECN1, induction of cell autophagy, and promotion of cell survival in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. Conclusions: Our results indicated that downregulation of KLF5 promoted cell autophagy in prostate cancer. Furthermore, reduced KLF5 also facilitated cell autophagy induced by docetaxel resulting in desensitization to the drug and cell survival. Decreased levels of KLF5 led to increased BECN1 via AMPK/mTOR/p70S6K signaling. Thus, repression of BECN1 and cell autophagy was critical for KLF5 to increase the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to docetaxel.
Generating organisational performance The contributing effects of performance measurement and human resource management practices

Purpose – This paper aims to advance the current debates on the effect of performance measurement (PM) in the operations management domain. In order to accomplish that, it investigates the contribution of business PM and human resource management (HRM) practices to business performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on ten case studies conducted across both manufacturing and service organisations capturing evidence from both the human resource function and line management. Findings – In the PM and HRM literatures, there is a debate about the contribution these practices make to the overall performance of the organisation. In particular, the results from the PM literature are inconclusive. This paper argues that performance is a result of employee engagement and that the PM system is a communication and guiding mechanism, which if implemented well and used appropriately, can channel the efforts of employees striving to perform. Originality/value – This paper contradicts the performance drivers approach to PM by providing new insights into the roles PM and HRM practices play in delivering business performance. Additionally, the paper develops a set of propositions as a means of clearly stating the findings and for encouraging future research in this area.
Shu-Te University College of Informatics Graduate School of Information Management Master Thesis Consumer Behavior Intention towards M-Commerce in Vietnam

Mobile commerce (M-commerce) refers to the ability to conduct wireless commerce transactions using mobile applications in mobile devices. It is a new concept and is emerging in a context of an established norms, rules and standards. Mobile commerce is marking the start of new era of innovation in business. M-commerce will continue to extend the way organizations conduct business, and change the relationships between companies, customers, suppliers and partners. Advances in wireless technology have increased the number of people using mobile devices and accelerated the rapid development of M-commerce conducted with these devices. This research explores how Vietnamese are influenced to adopt the M-commerce. The research employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine factors affecting the Vietnamese’s attitude toward this emerging mobile technology and applications. This study presents an extended technology acceptance model that integrates innovation diffusion theory to investigate what determine user mobile commerce acceptance, in which we explore the relationships among those following factors, namely, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived trust , perceived self – efficacy, attitude toward using M-commerce and behavior intention to use M-commerce
FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT , INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INTEGRATION AND INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY : COINTEGRATION ANALYSIS FOR EMEGING MARKET ECONOMIES

This paper investigates the dynamic relationship between financial development, international financial integration and institutional quality in emerging countries. We employ panel cointegration tests for a panel of 18 emerging economies over the period of 1985-2014 by controlling for cross sectional dependency and structural breaks. The results of this study show that there is a long run cointegration relationship between financial development, international financial integration and institutional quality. We also use the panel causality approach for determining the causal links between variables that are interested. Our results confirm the bidirectional causal relationship between financial development and international financial integration.
Data-driven assortment optimization

Assortment optimization refers to the problem of selecting a set of products to offer to a group of customers so as to maximize the revenue that is realized when customers make purchases according to their preferences. Assortment optimization is essential to a wide variety of application domains that includes retail, online advertising and social security; however, it is challenging in practice because one typically has limited data on customer choices on which to base the decision. In this paper, we present a two-step approach to making effective assortment decisions from transaction data. In the first step, we use the data to estimate a generic ranking-based model of choice that is able to represent any choice model based on random utility maximization. In the second step, using the estimated model, we find the optimal assortment by solving a mixed-integer optimization (MIO) problem that is scalable and that is flexible, in that it can easily accommodate constraints. We show through computational experiments with synthetic data that (1) our MIO model is practically tractable and can be solved to full optimality for large numbers of products in operationally feasible times; (2) our MIO model is able to accommodate realistic constraints with little impact to solution time; (3) our estimation procedure is computationally efficient and produces accurate out-of-sample predictions of the true choice probabilities; and (4) by combining our estimation and optimization procedures, we are able to find assortments that achieve near-optimal revenues that outperform alternative parametric and non-parametric approaches.
ROCKET PRODUCTION IN A LOW COST HYDROPONIC SYSTEM USING BRACKISH WATER

ABSTRACT The production of vegetables in communities of family farmers in semiarid regions is limited due to rudimentary cultivation practices and systems, water scarcity, and excess salts in the water and soil. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the production of rocket (Eruca sativa L. cv. Folha Larga) in a low cost hydroponic system, considering strategies for the use of brackish water in the nutrient solution. The experiments were conducted in complete randomized designs, in 6×2 factorial arrangements, with five replications, using rocket plants grown in different nutrient solutions, consisting of six salinity levels (1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5, and 9.0 dS m -1) and two circulation frequencies of the nutrient solution (twice a day, at 8:00h, and 16:00h; and three times a day, at 8:00h, 12:00h, and 16:00h). In Experiment I, the nutrient solution lost by evapotranspiration was replenished with the respective brackish water used in its preparation; and in Experiment II it was replenished with public water (0.12 dS m -1). The shoot and root fresh and dry biomass of the plants and their respective dry weight proportions, and biometric variables were evaluated. Replenishing of the nutrient solution with public water resulted in lower losses in biomass and plant growth. The increases in circulation frequency of the nutrient solution did not affect the biometric variables, however, the plants prioritized shoot biomass development to the detriment of the root when using high circulation frequencies.
Spatial Dependence and Regional Convergence in Brazil 1

The present paper introduces some spatial econometric techniques to the convergence issue among Brazilian states. State data over the 1970-95 period are considered to explore previous results that suggested convergence. As in the US case, strong patterns of spatial correlation are found during the period. The spatial econometric analysis reveals that spatial error dependence seems to be present resulting in the potential for model misspecification. The results indicate that, although some convergence among states is taking place, it seems to be more of regional phenomena or perhaps some type of club convergence than a global convergence process. States like São Paulo dominate the first group while the Northeast states form a second group or club. JEL classification: N63 R12, F14.
jmbReview Improved Biosurfactant Production by Bacillus subtilis SPB 1 Mutant Obtained by Random Mutagenesis and Its Application in Enhanced Oil Recovery in a Sand System

1Unité Enzymes et Bioconversion, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Université de Sfax, Sfax, Tunisie 2Laboratoire d’amélioration des plantes et valorisation des agroressources, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax; Université de Sfax; Sfax, Tunisie 3Unité de Service Commun Bioréacteur Couplé à un Ultrafiltre, Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax, Université de Sfax, Sfax, Tunisie 4Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Université de Sfax, Sfax, Tunisie
An improved model of effects of accounting measures of inefficiency on donations

Informational intermediaries, so called “watchdog agencies”, publish information on nonprofit organization (NPO) inefficiency that is calculated from NPO financial disclosures. The stated intent of the watchdog agencies is to provide this information to potential donors to incorporate into their donation decision making. The watchdog agencies publish four accounting measures of NPO inefficiency, calculated from NPO financial disclosures. However, only one of these measures, “donation price” (all expenses / program expenses), has been extensively tested in the literature and another of these measures, “cost to raise a dollar” (fundraising expenses / donations) has never been tested. Furthermore, no study has applied econometric methods to develop a “best parsimonious” model of donations among the many possible models that include one or more of these measures of NPO inefficiency. A best parsimonious model is developed, defined as the model with the highest coefficient of determination that does not suffer from excessive multicollinearity or significant omitted correlated variables misspecification. It is found that a model that includes two of the four measures of inefficiency, “cost to raise a dollar” (fundraising expenses / donations) and “administrative inefficiency” (administrative expenses / all expenses) is the best parsimonious model. It is found that a 1% increase in “cost to raise a dollar” and administrative inefficiency is related to a 0.76% and 0.12% decrease in donations, respectively.
Study of Friction Stir Spot Welding Process and its Parameters for Increasing Strength of Dissimilar Joints

-Joining of dissimilar materials poses a challenge due to the difference in physical properties (melting point, thermal coefficient of expansion and density), mechanical properties (strength, hardness and toughness) and metallurgical properties (crystal structure, microstructure and chemical composition). Solid state joining comes as a novel method for joining these. In this paper, friction stir spot welding, a new variant of friction stir welding process is discussed. As it is a solid state joining process, its importance in joining dissimilar materials is studied. The important friction stir spot welding parameters and their effect on the strength of the joined materials are analyzed. The defects that pose a challenge reducing the mechanical properties of the joints a r e critically examined and suitable methods for improvement of these properties are evaluated.
Sulfur isotopes in rivers : Insights into global weathering budgets , pyrite 1 oxidation , and the modern sulfur cycle 2 3 4

26 The biogeochemical sulfur cycle is intimately linked to the cycles of 27 carbon, iron, and oxygen, and plays an important role in global climate via 28 weathering reactions and aerosols. However, many aspects of the modern 29 budget of the global sulfur cycle are not fully understood. We present new δ34S 30 measurements on sulfate from more than 160 river samples from different 31 geographical and climatic regions—more than 46% of the world’s freshwater 32 flux to the ocean is accounted for in this estimate of the global riverine sulfur 33 isotope budget. These measurements include major rivers and their tributaries, 34 as well as time series, and are combined with previously published data to 35 estimate the modern flux-weighted global riverine δ34S as 4.4 ± 4.5 ‰ (V-CDT), 36 and 4.8 ± 4.9 ‰ when the most polluted rivers are excluded. Combined with 37 major anion and cation concentrations, the sulfur isotope data allow us to tease 38 apart the relative contributions of different processes to the modern riverine 39 sulfur budget, resulting in new estimates of the flux of riverine sulfate due to the 40 oxidative weathering of pyrites (1.3 ± 0.2 Tmol S/y) and the weathering of 41 sedimentary sulfate minerals (1.5 ± 0.2 Tmol S/y). These data indicate that 42 previous estimates of the global oxidative weathering of pyrite have been too 43 low by a factor of two. As pyrite oxidation coupled to carbonate weathering can 44 act as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere, this global pyrite weathering budget 45 implies that the global CO2 weathering sink is overestimated. Furthermore, the 46 large range of sulfur isotope ratios in modern rivers indicates that secular 47 changes in the lithologies exposed to weathering through time could play a major 48 role in driving past variations in δ34S of seawater. 49
A NEW FINITE ELEMENT FOR INTERFACE PROBLEMS HAVING ROBIN TYPE JUMP

We propose a new finite element method for solving second order elliptic interface problems whose solution has a Robin type jump along the interface. We cast the problem into a new variational form and introduce a finite element method to solve it using a uniform grid. We modify the P1-Crouzeix-Raviart element so that the shape functions satisfy the jump conditions along the interface. We note that there are cases that the Lagrange type basis can not be used because of the jump in the value. Numerical experiments are provided.
How do a firm ’ s age and size affect its organizational innovation ?

This research explores the impact of the firm characteristics of size and age on organizational innovation (ORI). The study is based on data gathered from a sample of manufacturing companies from the central region of Russia. To make the research more specific, the ORI is broken down into three subtypes, namely, innovation in management practices, innovation in workplace organization, and innovation in external relations. The ORI subtypes demonstrate various levels of dependence on a firm’s size and age. The study did not find evidence that the size of a firm has any significant impact on the ORI, while the age impacts each of the ORI subtypes. The study contributes to the ORI literature by advancing the concept of the ORI investigating the impact of a firm’s characteristics on the ORI.
THE EFFECT OF SALES GROWTH RATIO , INVENTORY TURN OVER RATIO , GROWTH OPPORTUNITY TO COMPANY ’ S PROFITABILITY ( SURVEY IN INDONESIA ’ S STOCKS EXCHANGE )

The purpose of this study to demonstrate empirically the effect of sales growth ratio, inventory turnover ratio, and growth opportunity to profitability (Return On Assets, Net Profit Margin, Return On Equity) on manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange.The method used in this research is descriptive quantitative and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis results show that:Partially Sales Growth Ratio (SGR) had no significant effect on Return On Assets and Net Profit Margin,Return On Equity significant effect on Sales Growth Ratio (SGR) Inventory Turnover Ratio partially no effect on Return on Assets and Return on Equity,Net Profit Margin significant effect on Inventory Turnover Ratio. Growth Opportunity (GWOP) partially not have a significant effect on Return On Assets, Net Profit Margin, and Return On Equity.
isk of invasion predicted with support vector machines : A case study n northern pike (

The impacts of invasive species are recognised as a major threat to global freshwater biodiversity. The risk of invasion (probability of presence) of two avowed invasive species, the northern pike (Esox Lucius, L.) and bleak (Alburnus alburnus, L.), was evaluated in the upper part of the Cabriel River (eastern Iberian Peninsula). Habitat suitability models for these invasive species were developed with Support Vector Machines (SVMs), which were trained with data collected downstream the Contreras dam (the last barrier impeding the invasion of the upper river segment). Although SVMs gained visibility in habitat suitability modelling, they cannot be considered widespread in ecology. Thus, with this technique, there is certain controversy about the necessity of performing variable selection procedures. In this study, the parameters tuning and the variable selection for the SVMs was simultaneously performed with a genetic algorithm and, contradicting previous studies in freshwater ecology, the variable selection proved necessary to achieve almost perfect accuracy. Further, the development of partial dependence plots allowed unveiling the relationship between the selected input variables and the probability of presence. Results revealed the preference of northern pike for large and wide mesohabitats with vegetated shores and abundant prey whereas bleak preferred deep and slightly fast flow mesohabitats with fine substrate. Both species proved able to colonize the upper part of the Cabriel River but the habitat suitability for bleak indicated a slightly higher risk of invasion. Altogether may threaten the endemic species that actually inhabit that stretch, especially the Júcar nase (Parachondrostoma arrigonis; Steindachner), which is one of the most critically endangered Iberian freshwater fish species. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS IN AN ADVERTISING TEST WITH CHINESE RESPONDENTS

An automatic system designed to infer valence (positive or negative feeling) from facial expressions, EMO Scan, was employed and evaluated in an advertising test in China. Its validity has already been demonstrated with Western participants (Garbas et al., 2013), and the purpose of the present study was to examine to what extent it generalizes to Asian participants. In a computer-based interview in a studio setting, participants’ faces were recorded while watching TV commercials as well as positive and negative affective pictures. Recordings were analyzed with EMO Scan to infer emotional valence from facial expressions. Inferred valence proved to be a valid predictor of picture valence. Regarding the TV commercials we found that results from facial expression analysis yield results that are similar to explicit ratings. This holds for both time series analysis and overall, time-aggregated results. The conclusion is that EMO Scan is a reliable tool to assess the valence of responses to emotional stimuli also in Chinese respondents. Keywords— Emotion Capturing; Facial Coding; Affective Computing; Ad Testing; Intercultural Studies; China