Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of intercultural communication in Internet societies

The subject of our paper is an analysis of intercultural communication, in Internet societies, concentrated on group cooperation in MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). The main purpose of our study was to show that Internet societies tend to have a highly developed structure of organization, enabling them to work together on very sophisticated tasks. Even though in MMORPGs a traditional face-to-face communication is replaced by the computer-mediated communication, we can still observe emergence of specific group cultures as defined by traditional sociology. Also, a rather important factor is that due to the fact that the Internet societies found in MMORPGs are made up of players from different cultures, world regions, the cultural aspect of their interaction is not only visible in their actions, but also tends to have a strong influence on players’ behaviors and group organization. The fact of a long cooperation among players playing the MMORPGs also results in a very specific form of communication and a highly complex in-group culture.
Seasonal and spatial variation of microbial contents in falling dust in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia

Riyadh city; the capital of Saudi Arabia is surrounded by desert areas and having an altitude of 600m is exposed to dust storms several times in the year.Saudi Arabia constitutes the vast majority of the Arabian Peninsula and much of the Saudi lands surface is made up of deserts and semi-arid lands. Due to its topography, drought, light ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 3 Number 10 (2014) pp. 647-656 http://www.ijcmas. com
ASYMPTOTIC LINEARITY OF REGULARITY AND a ∗-INVARIANT OF POWERS OF IDEALS

Let X = Proj R be a projective scheme over a field k, and let I ⊆ R be an ideal generated by forms of the same degree d. Let π : e X → X be the blowing up of X along the subscheme defined by I, and let φ : e X → X̄ be the projection given by the divisor dE0 − E, where E is the exceptional divisor of π and E0 is the pullback of a general hyperplane in X. We investigate how the asymptotic linearity of the regularity and the a∗-invariant of Iq (for q 0) is related to invariants of fibers of φ.
Effect of gas hydrates melting on seafloor slope instability

We present a theoretical study of the thermodynamic chemical equilibrium of gas hydrate in soil by taking into account the influence of temperature, pressure, pore water chemistry, and the mean pore size distribution. The model uses a new formulation based on the enthalpy form of the law of conservation of energy. The developed model shows that due to a temperature and pressure increase, hydrates may dissociate at the top of the hydrate occurrence zone to ensure a chemical equilibrium with the surrounding bulk water. This original result confirms what has been already shown through experiments. The second part of the paper presents an application of the model through a back-analysis of the giant Storegga Slide on the Norwegian margin. Two of the most important changes during and since the last deglaciation (hydrostatic pressure due to the change of the sea level and the increase of the sea water temperature) were considered in the calculation. Simulation results show that melting of gas hydrate due to the change of the gas solubility can be at the origin of a retrogressive failure initiated at the lower part of the Storegga slope. Once again, the developed model leads to predictions, which are supported by laboratory experiment results, but contradictory to previous interpretations and beliefs considering that hydrate dissociation occurs only at the bottom of the gas hydrate stability zone.
Observer's Galvanic Skin Response for Discriminating Real from Fake Smiles

This paper demonstrates a system to discriminate real from fake smiles with high accuracy by sensing observers’ galvanic skin response (GSR). GSR signals are recorded from 10 observers, while they are watching 5 real and 5 posed or acted smile video stimuli. We investigate the effect of various feature selection methods on processed GSR signals (recorded features) and computed features (extracted features) from the processed GSR signals, by measuring classification performance using three different classifiers. A leave-one-observer-out process is implemented to reliably measure classification accuracy. It is found that simple neural network (NN) using random subset feature selection (RSFS) based on extracted features outperforms all other cases, with 96.5% classification accuracy on our two classes of smiles (real vs. fake). The high accuracy highlights the potential of this system for use in the future for discriminating observers’ reactions to authentic emotional stimuli in information systems settings such as advertising and tutoring systems.
Power-Law and Log-Normal Distributions in Temporal Changes of Firm-Size Variables

Abstract In this paper the author shows that signed temporal changes of firm size variables follow the power-law for large changes; while, for middle changes a log-normal distribution is found. In the analyses, the author employed three databases: high-income data, high-sales data and positive-profits data of Japanese firms. It is particularly worth noting that the growth rate distributions in temporal changes of the firm size data have no wide tail, unlike the distributions observed in assets and sales of firms, the number of employees and personal income data. An Extended-Gibrat’s Law was also found in the growth rate distributions of temporal changes of firm size variables, which induces both the power-law and the log-normal distributions in the temporal changes of firm size under the Detailed Balance.
Store-and-Forward Teledermatology Using Mobile Phones: Clinical Efficacy in a Rural Primary Healthcare Centre Free Clinic Setting

Background: Technological advances increase the feasibility of mobile-phone teledermatology (mdermatology). By saving time and costs, underserved areas lacking dermatologists may benefit greatly. Objectives: To assess the clinical efficacy of mobile-phone store-and-forward mdermatology compared to face-to-face consultation. Methods: Patients from a rural health centre in Batangas were randomised to either mdermatology or face-to-face group. In the mdermatology group, a general practitioner (GP) assessed patients, took photographs using a cell phone camera and sent these via e-mail accessed via the GP’s mobile phone to the mdermatologist’s mobile phone. In the face-to-face group, the GP assessed patients and then referred them to the face-to-face dermatologist. Both the mdermatologist and face-to-face dermatologist provided assessments and plans for patients in their respective groups. Clinical outcomes were assessed after two and four weeks. Results: A total of 123 patients were included, with 60 participants in the mdermatology group and 63 in the face-to-face group. In both groups, most participants improved. There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes assessed by GPs (p=0.074), dermatologists (p=0.172), or participants (p=0.405). The diagnostic strength of agreement between the GP and the dermatologist differed between the two groups (Cohen’s κ=0.5775 vs. 0.2735), but management concordance was similar (p=0.775). Conclusion: Store-and-forward teledermatology using mobile phones in the dermatologic management of patients in a rural primary healthcare centre free clinic setting is feasible. This study did not find mobile teledermatology inferior to face-to-face consultation.
Do Long-Short Speculators Destabilize Commodity Futures Markets?

This paper contributes to the debate on the effects of the financialization of commodity futures markets by studying the conditional volatility of long–short commodity portfolios and their conditional correlations with traditional assets (stocks and bonds). Using several groups of trading strategies that hedge fund managers are known to implement, we show that long–short speculators do not cause changes in the volatilities of the portfolios they hold or changes in the conditional correlations between these portfolios and traditional assets. Thus calls for increased regulation of commodity money managers are, at this stage, premature. Additionally, long–short speculators can take comfort in knowing that their trades do not alter the risk and diversification properties of their portfolios.
Lean Production Systems and Worker Satisfaction: A Field Study

The Toyota Production System approaches leanness by relying on an important subsystem known as respect-for-humanity. In contrast, anecdotal evidence suggests that leanness in the Western world is often an outcome of lean becomes mean. In this case study of a manufacturing plant in the United States, results from a structural equation model show that suggestion autonomy, a self-reported measure, is lower than the autonomy initially expected by the management team. Yet, our results illustrate the positive motivational effects of suggestion autonomy tend to have on the workers’ wellbeing, which are manifested in the form of higher perceived employment security, lower effortreward unfairness, higher job satisfaction, and higher overall satisfaction. Results of the second order effects yielded by the structural equation modeling technique employed support the extant theory that an integrated approach to organizational design is related to worker’s overall satisfaction. In other words, the signaling effect of overall satisfaction by the workers can be used to gauge a firm before it moves in the direction of excessive leanness, decreased employee satisfaction and suboptimal system performance.
Stellar dynamics in the strong-lensing central galaxy of Abell 1201: a low stellar mass-to-light ratio, a large central compact mass and a standard dark matter halo

We analyse the stellar kinematics of the z = 0.169 brightest cluster galaxy in Abell 1201, using integral field observations acquired with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the Very Large Telescope. This galaxy has a gravitationally lensed arc located at unusually small radius (∼5 kpc), allowing us to constrain the mass distribution using lensing and stellar dynamical information over the same radial range. We measure a velocity dispersion profile which is nearly flat at σ ≈ 285 km s−1 in the inner ∼5 kpc, and then rises steadily to σ ≈ 360 km s−1 at ∼30 kpc. We analyse the kinematics using axisymmetric Jeans models, finding that the data require both a significant dark matter halo (to fit the rising outer profile) and a compact central component, with mass Mcen ≈ 2.5 × 1010 M⊙ (to fit the flat σ in the inner regions). The latter component could represent a supermassive black hole, in which case it would be among the largest known to date. Alternatively Mcen could describe excess mass associated with a gradient in the stellar mass-to-light ratio. Imposing a standard Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) dark matter density profile, we recover a stellar mass-to-light ratio ϒ, which is consistent with a Milky Way-like initial mass function (IMF). By anchoring the models using the lensing mass constraint, we break the degeneracy between ϒ and the inner slope γ of the dark matter profile, finding γ = 1.0 ± 0.1, consistent with the NFW form. We show that our results are quite sensitive to the treatment of the central mass in the models. Neglecting Mcen biases the results towards both a heavier-than-Salpeter IMF and a shallower-than-NFW dark matter slope (γ ≈ 0.5).
Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Chaetopyrena penicillata from Iran with description of a hyphomycete synanamorph

During a survey of fungi associated with Russian olive fruit rot in Northern Iran, a coelomycete fungus with setose pycnidia was isolated from symptomatic fruits. The fungus was identified as Chaetopyrena penicillata based on morphological characteristics and sequence data of ITS and LSU rDNA. A hyphomycete synanamorph, which was observed in pure cultures of this species for the first time, is described. The morphology and phylogeny of Chaetopyrena penicillata is discussed.
Natural Pigments from Plants Used as Sensitizers for TiO2 Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Four natural pigments, extracted from the leaves of teak (Tectona grandis), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), and the flower of crimson bottle brush (Callistemon citrinus), were used as sensitizers for TiO2 based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The dyes have shown absorption in broad range of the visible region (400–700 nm) of the solar spectrum and appreciable adsorption onto the semiconductor (TiO2) surface. The DSSCs made using the extracted dyes have shown that the open circuit voltages () varied from 0.430 to 0.610 V and the short circuit photocurrent densities () ranged from 0.11 to 0.29 mA cm−2. The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiencies (IPCE) varied from 12–37%. Among the four dyes studied, the extract obtained from teak has shown the best photosensitization effects in terms of the cell output.
Type Ia supernovae from violent mergers of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs: polarization signatures

The violent merger of two carbon-oxygen white dwarfs has been proposed as a viable progenitor for some Type Ia supernovae. However, it has been argued that the strong ejecta asymmetries produced by this model might be inconsistent with the low degree of polarization typically observed in Type Ia supernova explosions. Here, we test this claim by carrying out a spectropolarimetric analysis for the model proposed by Pakmor et al. for an explosion triggered during the merger of a 1.1 and 0.9 M-circle dot carbon-oxygen white dwarf binary system. Owing to the asymmetries of the ejecta, the polarization signal varies significantly with viewing angle. We find that polarization levels for observers in the equatorial plane are modest (less than or similar to 1 per cent) and show clear evidence for a dominant axis, as a consequence of the ejecta symmetry about the orbital plane. In contrast, orientations out of the plane are associated with higher degrees of polarization and departures from a dominant axis. While the particular model studied here gives a good match to highly polarized events such as SN 2004dt, it has difficulties in reproducing the low polarization levels commonly observed in normal Type Ia supernovae. Specifically, we find that significant asymmetries in the element distribution result in a wealth of strong polarization features that are not observed in the majority of currently available spectropolarimetric data of Type Ia supernovae. Future studies will map out the parameter space of the merger scenario to investigate if alternative models can provide better agreement with observations.
Geomorphological mapping of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's Southern hemisphere

In 2015 May, the Southern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko became visible by the OSIRIS cameras on-board the Rosetta spacecraft. The resolution was high enough to carry out a detailed analysis of the surface morphology, which is quite different from the Northern hemisphere. Previous works show that fine particle deposits are the most extensive geological unit in the Northern hemisphere. In contrast, the Southern hemisphere is dominated by outcropping consolidated terrain. In this work, we provide geomorphological maps of the Southern hemisphere with the distinction of both geological units and linear features. The geomorphological maps described in this study allow us to gain a better understanding of the processes shaping the comet nucleus and the distribution of primary structures such as fractures and strata.
The Rationality of Irrationality for Managers: Returns-Based Beliefs and the Traveler's Dilemma

This paper discusses the importance of paradoxes of irrationality for managers by elaborating upon the rational basis for the adoption of non-equilibrium strategies in game theory. It does so by revisiting the one-shot Traveler's Dilemma game, proposing a solution which reconciles the anomaly between the empirical findings and the theoretical predictions of the Nash equilibrium suggested by the game. We contend that this seeming irrationality may be based upon the subjective probabilities of the players. We proffer an alternative basis upon which beliefs in game theory might be formed - 'returns-based beliefs' - and we present the corresponding numerical results for the Traveler's Dilemma game. We show that as long as the penalty is not too severe, then players are likely to play a high claim strategy. Our results correspond very closely to other empirical studies of the Traveler's Dilemma. Therefore, we argue that understanding the rational basis for game-theoretic paradoxes of irrationality might have important and practical uses for managerial decision-making.
Efficient, Compact, and Dominant Color Correlogram Descriptors for Content-based Image Retrieval

Color is one of the most important and widely used cues in content analysis and retrieval. However, most promising color descriptors consume massive amounts of computation and storage, which is a serious drawback. One of these promising color techniques in image retrieval is the color correlogram, but the technique also suffers from the aforementioned drawbacks. In this paper, we present two compact representations of the color correlogram. The first representation is the compact-generalized correlogram, which compresses colors and generalizes the distances of the original correlogram descriptor. The second representation is the dominant color-based correlogram, which is also a compact and conceptual correlogram descriptor. This representation computes the spatial correlations of the dominant colors of a few images instead of a large number of quantized colors used by the original descriptor. The two representations are integrated. The experimental results prove the high effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed descriptors through two large image databases (i.e., Corel-10K and Cartoon-11K) using ARR, ANMRR, P(10), and MAP metrics. Keywords-Color Correlogram; Large database; Dominant Color; Compact descriptor; Content-based Image Retrieval
Working Paper 16-13 - Downstream Offshoring and Firm-level - Employment Evidence for Belgian Manufacturing Firms

Over the last couple of decades, there has been a large scale reorganisation of manufacturing production processes within global value chains. This has been achieved through fragmentation and offshoring. Fostered by the fall in coordination costs due to information and communication technology developments, offshoring implies that firms increasingly source intermediates from abroad. In developed economies, this has raised fears of massive job losses. Most academic work, in contrast, fails to find evidence that offshoring contributes to lowering employment.
Household Dependency on Buffer Zone Community Forest and its Implication for Management of Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Conservation of biodiversity in Protected Areas will be more challenging if local communities are heavily dependent on them for various forest products and subsistence needs. Thus this study sought to identify the demographic and socioeconomic variable that influence forest dependency exploring the relationship of forest dependency and household characteristics of the households of the Panbari Buffer Zone Community Forest User Group of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. A sample of 130 households was randomly selected for the household survey using stratified random sampling and collected was analyzed using logistic regression model. Logistic regression result indicate that wealth status of the poor household, household family size, livestock population, agricultural income and education are the five major determinants of forest dependency in Panbari Buffer Zone Community Forest. Policy interventions to ensure long-term success of landscape-level conservation of Chitwan National Park are needed to decrease dependence on forest resources expanding educational and training opportunities; and the policy measures that aim at increasing agriculture income, generating off-farm employment opportunities, supply of the alternatives of fuel wood energy and adopting agrisilvicultural system for the supply of fodder for the livestock.
Pulling Out All the Stops: Referee Design and Phonetic Correlates of Gay Men’s English

Studies of intraspeaker variation and the linguistic indexing of sexual identity have formed an important part of recent research in variationist sociolinguistics. This study investigates patterns of word-final stop release in the speech of a flamboyantly gay television host, Graham Norton. The results indicate a significant correlation between the rate of released word-final stops and the sexual orientation of an absent referee, as defined by Bell (1984, 2001), with a higher proportion of released stops for gay-identified referees. We argue that this pattern demonstrates the linguistic indexing of an ingroup identity, which Norton shares with referees who identify as gay. In this way, the variable of word-final stop release can be considered a ‘building block’ (Barrett 2002:33) in the construction of Norton's sexual identity.
THE EFFECT OF ELEVATION ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF SIBLING SPECIES IN THE SIMULIUM ARCTICUM COMPLEX (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE)

Abstract At least 5 sibling species and an additional 11 cytotypes of the Simulium arcticum complex occur in Montana. Consequently, this speciose complex might allow study of environmental correlates with genetic differentiation. We used conventional methods of collection and cytogenetic analysis to study 1128 male larvae of the Simulium arcticum complex at 15 sites within 5 drainages in western Montana to test the hypothesis that distribution of siblings is associated with elevation. We sampled at the mouth, at the headwaters, and at an intermediate site to span the range of elevations within each drainage. We restricted our analyses to the most abundant taxa of the S. arcticum complex within our study area and observed a statistically significant presence of S. apricarium at low-elevation sites. Simulium arcticum IIL-18 appeared more frequently than expected at high elevation sites. Simulium brevicercum and S. arcticum sensu strictu appeared to be distributed randomly. We suggest potential causal reasons for these distributions including differential use of habitats along these elevational gradients.
Interdependence of the Equity Markets of India, Malaysia and Singapore: Tests Based on Daily Equity Series

In this paper we investigate the interdependence of the equity markets of India, Malaysia and Singapore. We have studied the long-run behavior and the Granger causality of stock price indices from July 1, 1997 through February 24, 2005 using daily equity prices. Data are collected from the Yahoo Finance and Standard & Poor’s Emerging Markets Database. Applying Johansen’s multivariate cointegration technique, we find equilibrium relationship among the three markets. Applying the pairwise Granger causality test, we find bidirectional causality between the Bombay Stock index and the Kuala Lumpur Stock Index, and between the Bombay Stock Index and the Singapore Straight Times. Unidirectional causality is detected from the Singapore Straight Times to the Kuala Lumpur Stock Index. The overall results suggest that there is a strong daily lagged feedback effect between the Bombay Stock Index and the Kulala Lumpur Index, and between the Bombay Stock Index and Singapore Straight Times. These findings are helpful to individual investors and portfolio managers in terms of reducing portfolio risks and enhancing the returns.