Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public sector contracting: an Australian study of changing work conditions

Throughout the 1990s, government reports such as the Competitive Tendering and Contracting Report (Industry Commission1996) and the Report of the Independent Commission to Review Public Sector Finances (McCarrey 1993), suggested that the contracting-out of government services would improve the delivery of public goods in Australia. This article reports on the findings of a case study of contracting-out of building maintenance services in the state of Western Australia in Australia. The study focuses on evaluating the impact of the contracting-out of these services on the wages and conditions of employees affected by moving from public sector to private sector employment. The study found differences in the employment conditions of white collar and blue collar workers. In general, the conditions of white collar workers improved but there was a marginal decline in the conditions of blue collar workers. The article concludes that while contracting-out created budgetary savings for government, these resulted partly from a reduction in wages and benefits of former blue collar staff, despite the best efforts of the Western Australian government to protect staff wages and benefits. The research makes an important theoretical contribution by arguing that the impact of contracting-out on staff wages, benefits and conditions is conditional upon the level of competition in the labor market for worker’s expertise. In "thick markets", wages, benefits and conditions are likely to reduce, due to strong competition for expertise. However in "thin markets", wages, benefits and conditions are likely to increase, due to weak competition for expertise (Borland, 1994).
Transformations of Aerosol Particles from an Outdoor to Indoor Environment

ABSTRACT2017/02/09Aerosol particle size and chemical composition during summer and winter were investigated in this study. An automated switching valve allowed for indoor and outdoor environments to be sampled near-simultaneously with the same high temporal-resolution instrumentation. During the study, no known indoor sources were present and the sampled room was unoccupied throughout. Accumulation mode indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios were substantially lower in winter than in summer. This reduction was attributed to particles of outdoor origin shrinking as they entered the warmer and drier indoor environment. An essential factor in this process appeared to be the difference (gradient) between the temperature and relative humidity of the indoor and outdoor environments during the winter. Online aerosol mass spectrometer measurements recorded a 34–38% decrease in I/O ratios for all nonrefractory species during the winter relative to the summer. A similar change in I/O ratios for all species indicated that physical, rather than chemical, processes were responsible. To assess the relative influence of various physical factors on I/O relationships, Spearman rank statistical tests were carried out. These identified wind speed to be negatively correlated to the indoor concentrations for all species. Wind roses incorporating I/O ratios were applied and showed that the wind speed and direction influenced the changes in the indoor composition. The relative outdoor concentration of different aerosol species, steepness of the I/O temperature gradient, and wind speed variability are concluded to be essential factors in I/O aerosol transformations.
STUDY OF VAGINAL INFECTIONS, CERVICAL CYTOLOGY AND PREVALENCE OF MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS IN HIV INFECTED PATIENTS

OBJECTIVE: To study vaginal infections, cervical cytology and prevalence of menstrual problems in HIV seropositive patients. METHODS: Study Design: hospital based non-randomized prospective observational study. Study Type: case control study. SAMPLE SIZE: 130 cases & 100 contols. INCLUSION CRITERIA: All married women in the age group of 20-55 yrs. Cases were taken from the seropositive women registered at the ART Centre willing to participate. Controls were HIV seronegative women attending gynaecology OPD. RESULTS: Out of the 130 cases, 78.4% were on ART & 21.5% were not on ART. In the present study, 87.09% of cases had abnormal Pap smear results compared to 29.09% of controls. 20% of cases had SILs compared to 8.18% of controls. Low grade intraepithelial lesions were 4.56 times more prevalent in cases. In the present study, it was found that 44.4% of SILs were found in cases with CD4 cell count <200/μl. When studied for lower reproductive tract infections, 54.6% of cases had LRTIs compared to 30% of controls. The most common infection was candidiasis, found in 20% cases vs. 10% controls. CONCLUSION: The present study has shown that the prevalence of Pap smear abnormalities & LRTIs is higher in HIV seropositive women. Hence, periodic gynaecological testing, Pap smear examination & vaginal swab testing should be done in HIV seropositive women to provide timely treatment & early identification of risk factors of malignancy.
The Mediating Role of Procedural Justice in Formalization-Affective Commitment Relationship

This study aims at empirically testing the mediating role of procedural justice in formalization-affective commitment relationship. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 405 full-time employees working in Thailand. A regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses, and Baron and Kenny’s (1986) recommendations were employed to explain the mediation hypothesis. The results indicated that the procedural justice mediated the relation of formalization and affective commitment. This study has extended the theoretical knowledge of justice and employee commitment in Thailand’s context. In particular, this study examined procedural justice as a mediate variable to analyze the relationship between formalization and affective commitment. The executive can apply the findings of this study to increase employee commitment through clear policy and standard regulations that are applied to everybody in the organization. This will lead to, in the part of the employees, justice and employee commitment.
Effects of lacquer (Rhus verniciflua) meal supplementation on layer performance

Two experiments were conducted to see the effects of lacquer meal (Rhus verniciflua) on layer performance. In Exp. 1, seventy-two Hy-Line brown layers, 46 wk of age were fed 0, 1.5% and 3.0% lacquer added diets for 6 weeks. Diets contained 2,650 kcal/kg ME and 16.50% CP. In Exp. 2, high-energy diets were fed to 72 Hy-line brown layers of 46 wk age for 6 wk. The diets were: control (3,000 kcal/kg ME and 16.50% CP); Tl and T2 contained 1.5 and 3.0% lacquer respectively, in addition to high energy levels. Each treatment had four replicates with 6 birds each in both the experiments. During Exp.l, there was no effect on average daily feed intake, egg production and feed efficiency, however, egg weight was linearly (p = 0.0128) decreased with the addition of lacquer in diets. The egg quality parameters measured at bi-weekly intervals did not reveal any particular trend. In Exp 2. , high-energy diets have decreased the feed intake and egg production in all groups. However, feeding lacquer at 1.5% increased the egg production by 9% than control. The yolk fat content was increased due to treatments showing quadratic trend (p = 0.0683). The liver fat content was decreased by 40-43% than control in lacquer added diets. Except palmitic, oleic and arachidonic acids, some yolk fatty acids showed a linear decreasing trend in lacquer diets. The serum triglycerides and total cholesterol levels were not influenced with lacquer in the diets; however, the serum glucose level was linearly decreased with the addition of lacquer. In conclusion, lacquer meal supplementation significantly affected the performance of layers fed high-energy diets.
Synthesis, characterization, and electrocatalytic ability of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles for sensing acetaminophen

Maghemite (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles have been synthesized using co-precipitation method followed by chemically induced transition process. As prepared nanoparticles have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Raman and FTIR spectroscopies which reveal the γ-Fe 2 O 3 phase. These γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles have been used to modify the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to form nano γ-Fe 2 O 3 modified GC electrode for electrochemical sensing of acetaminophen (C 6 H 9 NO 2 ) using potential controlled cyclic voltammetric (CV) technique. The obtained modified electrode shows an excellent electrocatalytic ability to sense acetaminophen in 0.1 M KCl supporting electrolyte. In addition, a significant enhancement in anodic peak current has been observed using nano γ-Fe 2 O 3 modified GC electrode than the bare electrode. The CV plots reveal that redox peaks have been linearly co-related to the acetaminophen concentration in the range of 0.031 mM to 1 mM with sensitivity ~30.78 µA/mM.
LARGE AREA LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION WITH LANDSAT ETM+ IMAGES BASED ON DECISION TREE

Abstract. Traditional land classification techniques for large areas that use LANDSAT TM imagery are typically limited to the fixed spatial resolution of the sensors. For modeling habitat characteristics is often difficult when a study area is large and diverse and complete sampling of environmental variables is unrealistic. We also did some researches on this field, in this paper we firstly introduced the decision tree classification based on C5.0, and then introduced the classification workflow. The study results were compared with the Maximum Likelihood Classification result. Victoria of Australia was as the study area, the LANDSAT ETM+ images were used to classify. Experiments show that the decision tree classification method based on C5.0 is better.
Exploring the cosmological consequences of JLA supernova data with improved flux-averaging technique

In this work, we explore the cosmological consequences of the “Joint Light-curve Analysis” (JLA) supernova (SN) data by using an improved flux-averaging (FA) technique, in which only the type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) at high redshift are flux-averaged. Adopting the criterion of figure of Merit (FoM) and considering six dark energy (DE) parameterizations, we search the best FA recipe that gives the tightest DE constraints in the (zcut,∆z) plane, where zcut and ∆z are redshift cut-off and redshift interval of FA, respectively. Then, based on the best FA recipe obtained, we discuss the impacts of varying zcut and varying ∆z, revisit the evolution of SN color luminosity parameter β, and study the effects of adopting different FA recipe on parameter estimation. We find that: (1) The best FA recipe is (zcut = 0.6,∆z = 0.06), which is insensitive to a specific DE parameterization. (2) Flux-averaging JLA samples at zcut ≥ 0.4 will yield tighter DE constraints than the case without using FA. (3) Using FA can significantly reduce the redshift-evolution of β. (4) The best FA recipe favors a larger fractional matter density Ωm. In summary, we present an alternative method of dealing with JLA data, which can reduce the systematic uncertainties of SNe Ia and give the tighter DE constraints at the same time. Our method will be useful in the use of SNe Ia data for precision cosmology. Corresponding author. ar X iv :1 60 6. 01 77 9v 3 [ as tr oph . C O ] 1 5 Fe b 20 17
Oleic Acid and Diketopiperazines Produced by Marine Bacteria Reduce the Load of the Pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Argopecten purpuratus

The aquaculture industry must often deal in its cultures with bacterial contamination by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which causes gastroenteritis in humans when they eat contaminated organisms. Until recently these pathogens were treated with antibiotics which are now forbidden because of their negative effects on humans and on the ecosystem. In the last few years there have been attempts to solve this problem by searching for active metabolites from antagonist bacteria. The objetive of this work was to evaluate the decrease of the load of the pathogen V. parahaemolyticus in Argopecten purpuratus scallops by the addition of oleic acid and diketopiperazines isolated from marine bacteria known for having an antibacterial effect against the pathogen, and with commercially available products similar to the molecular structures isolated from the bacteria. The decrease of the pathogen load was determined by the most probable number method from the absence in the samples of the gene tdh that codes for thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH), the main virulence factor in this species. The A. purpuratus bivalves treated with the oleic acid and diketopiperazines isolated from the bacteria showed preliminarily that they cause a reduction of the bacterial load of the V. parahaemolyticus pathogen. The same trend was seen when the scallops were treated with commercial oleic acid and diketopiperazines. Based on the inhibiting activity seen with the commercial products we suggest the possibility of experimenting with these products against V. parahaemolyticus or other pathogens in different commercially important organisms, mainly in depuration systems that require a short time (12 to 24 hours) to reduce the concentration of human pathogens like V. parahaemolyticus.
HR practices, organizational commitment and turnover intention: a study on employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia

The study is to examine the impact of HR practices on organizational commitment and turnover intention. Four hundred and fifty seven employees from various industries in a region in one of the states in Malaysia participated in the survey. HR practices were measured using employees’ perception on career management, person-job fit, compensation and performance appraisal. All the four HR practices were found significantly related to organizational commitment and negatively related to turnover intention. Another important finding is organizational commitment was found as a partial mediator between HR practices and turnover intention. Given the findings, HR policies should be well designed because they were found to give strong effect in explaining the variance in organizational commitment.
Beluga Whale and Spotted Seal Use of a Coastal Lagoon System in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea

Aerial surveys were conducted in the northeastern Chukchi Sea during 1989-91 to investigate the distribution and abundance of beluga whales and spotted seals. Emphasis was on the 170 km long Kasegaluk Lagoon, which was known to be regularly used by both species during the open-water season. Belugas were seen on every survey during 3-14 July 1990 and 4-16 July 1991, with numbers ranging from 7 to 1212. Data from other years indicate that whales sometimes arrive as early as 22 June and leave the area by late July. The presence of nearshore gravel beds and warm, low-salinity water probably combine to make this region important as a place for belugas to molt. Spotted seals occur in the area from mid-July through early November. They haul out on particular spits and shoals near Utukok Pass, Akoliakatat Pass, and Avak Inlet. Numbers counted were variable but exceeded 1000 on many days in July, August, and September. Telemetry data suggest that the maximum count of about 2200 represents only a small portion of the total number of seals frequenting Kasegaluk Lagoon. Comparisons with data from previous years suggest that the numbers of belugas and spotted seals using the area have been relatively stable since the late 1970s. Activities associated with oil, gas, coal, and mineral resource development should be regulated to minimize their potential impacts on important beluga and spotted seal habitats. Key words: beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas , spotted seal, Phoca largha , Chukchi Sea, Kasegaluk Lagoon, distribution, abundance
The Optimal Inflation Target and the Natural Rate of Interest

ABSTRACT:We study how changes in the steady-state real interest rate (henceforth r*) affect the optimal inflation target in a New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with trend inflation and a lower bound on the nominal interest rate. In this setup, a lower r* increases the probability of hitting the lower bound. That effect can be counteracted by an increase in the inflation target, but the resulting higher steady-state inflation has a welfare cost in and of itself. We use an estimated DSGE model to quantify that trade-off and determine the implied optimal inflation target, conditional on the monetary policy rule in place before the financial crisis. The relation between r* and the optimal inflation target is downward sloping. While the increase in the optimal inflation rate is in general smaller than the decline in r*, in the currently empirically relevant region the slope of the relation is found to be close to −1. That slope is robust to allowing for parameter uncertainty. Under makeup strategies such as price level targeting, the optimal inflation target is significantly lower and less sensitive to r*.
Fatigue-Induced Cole Electrical Impedance Model Changes of Biceps Tissue Bioimpedance

Bioimpedance, or the electrical impedance of biological tissues, describes the passive electrical properties of these materials. To simplify bioimpedance datasets, fractional-order equivalent circuit presentations are often used, with the Cole-impedance model being one of the most widely used fractional-order circuits for this purpose. In this work, bioimpedance measurements from 10 kHz to 100 kHz were collected from participants biceps tissues immediately prior and immediately post completion of a fatiguing exercise protocol. The Cole-impedance parameters that best fit these datasets were determined using numerical optimization procedures, with relative errors of within approximately ± 0.5 % and ± 2 % for the simulated resistance and reactance compared to the experimental data. Comparison between the pre and post fatigue Cole-impedance parameters shows that the R ∞ , R 1 , and f p components exhibited statistically significant mean differences as a result of the fatigue induced changes in the study participants.
Changes between Desert Grasslands with Different Stocking Rates in Response to Air Temperature and Precipitation

The relation between climate and vegetation has always been an important research subject in the field of sustainable development of regional environment. Annual dynamic FVC (Fraction of Vegetation Cover) changes in desert grasslands with different stocking rates in response to meteorological factors were investigated based on FVC and meteorological data of the grasslands, which was obtained through RS (remote sensing) monitoring during 2002-2014. The results show that: 1) inter-annual dynamic FVC changes in desert grasslands were correlated significantly with precipitation in summer and autumn as well as air temperature in July and August; 2) precipitation and air temperature had greater influence on dynamic FVC change rates in grazed zones than those in control zones; 3) dynamic FVC change rates in MG (Moderately Grazed) zones and HG (Heavily Grazed) zones were greater than those in LG (Lightly Grazed) zones and CK (Control) zones. Therefore, it can be concluded that MG and HG zones are more sensitive to meteorological factors than LG and CK zones, and that conservative grazing in desert grasslands can help restore their FVC and reduce the range of FVC changes.
On the incidence of weak magnetic fields in DA white dwarfs

Context. About 10 % of white dwarfs have magnetic fields with strength i n the range between about 10 5 and 5 10 8 G. It is not known whether the remaining white dwarfs are not magnetic, or if they have magnetic fields too weak to be detected with the techni ques adopted in the large surveys. Information is particularly l acking for the cooler (and generally fainter) white dwarfs. Aims. We describe the results of the first survey specifically devis ed to clarify the detection frequency of kG-level magnetic fi elds in cool DA white dwarfs. Methods. Using the FORS1 instrument of the ESO VLT, we have obtained Balmer line circular spectropolarimetric measurements of a small sample of cool (DA6 ‐ DA8) white dwarfs. Using FORS andUVES archive data, we have also revised numerous white dwarf field measurements previously published in the literature. Results. We have discovered an apparently constant longitudinal magnetic field of ∼ 9.5 kG in the DA6 white dwarf WD 2105−820. This star is the first weak-field white dwarf that has been obse rved suffi ciently to roughly determine the characteristics of its fiel d. The available data are consistent with a simple dipolar morphology with magnetic axis nearly parallel to the rotation axis, and a polar strength of≃ 56 kG. Our re-evaluation of the FORS archive data for white dwarfs indicates that longitudinal magnetic fields weaker than 10 kG have previously been correctly identified in at lea st three white dwarfs. However, for one of these three weak-fi eld stars (WD 2359−434), UVES archive data show a∼ 100 kG mean field modulus. Either at the time of the FORS observations the star’s magnetic field axis was nearly perpendicular to the line of si ght, or the star’s magnetic field has rather complex structur e. Conclusions. We find that the probability of detecting a field of kG strength in a DA white dwarf is of the order of 10 % for each of the cool and hot DA stars. If there is a lower cutoff to field strength in white dwarfs, or a field below which all whi te dwarfs are magnetic, the current precision of measurements is not yet suffi cient to reveal it.
Bank Ownership and Profit Efficiency of Russian Banks

The paper examines how the type of ownership affects the profit efficiency of Russian banks. Using bank-quarter data for selected banks in the period 2004–2015, we combine stochastic frontier anal-ysis (SFA) methodology with an intermediary approach to assess profit efficiency. Our key findings show that foreign-owned banks are the most efficient, followed by state-owned banks and private domestic banks. We also find that the profit efficiency of foreign-owned banks was higher than that of other banks during the economically stable periods of 2004Q1 to 2008Q2 and 2014Q1 to 2015Q3, and that state-owned banks were more efficient than others in the period of financial turmoil from 2008Q3 to 2013Q4 due to state support. These results are robust when we consider these banks in terms of branch network diversity, risk preferences, and specialization.