Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Servqual-QFD with Taguchi Design for optimizing service quality design

Deploying good service design in service companies has been updated issue in improving customer satisfaction, especially based on the level of service quality measured by Parasuraman’s SERVQUAL. Many researchers have been proposing methods in designing the service, and some of them are based on engineering viewpoint, especially by implementing the QFD method or even using robust Taguchi method. The QFD method would found the qualitative solution by generating the “how’s”, while Taguchi method gives more quantitative calculation in optimizing best solution. However, incorporating both QFD and Taguchi has been done in this paper and yields better design process. The purposes of this research is to evaluate the incorporated methods by implemented it to a case study, then analyze the result and see the robustness of those methods to customer perception of service quality. Started by measuring service attributes using SERVQUAL and find the improvement with QFD, the deployment of QFD solution then generated by defining Taguchi factors levels and calculating the Signal-to-noise ratio in its orthogonal array, and optimized Taguchi response then found. A case study was given for designing service in local bank. Afterward, the service design obtained from previous analysis was then evaluated and shows that it was still meet the customer satisfaction. Incorporating QFD and Taguchi has performed well and can be adopted and developed for another research for evaluating the robustness of result.
An Integrated Corporate Governance Index and Financial Performance in South African Listed Corporations

This paper investigates the relationship between an integrated corporate governance (CG) index and financial performance using a sample of 169 South African (SA) listed corporations between 2002 and 2007. We find a statistically significant and positive association between a broad set of good CG practices and financial performance. In a series of sensitivity analyses, we find that our results are robust to endogeneity, different financial performance proxies, alternative CG weighting scheme and firm-level fixedeffects. We further distinctively examine the link between complying with SA context specific stakeholder CG provisions and financial performance. In line with political cost and resource dependence theories, our results reveal a statistically significant and positive nexus between compliance with stakeholder CG provisions and financial performance. JEL classification: G30, G34, G38
Foliar application of seaweed sap as biostimulant for enhancement of yieldand quality of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

sap, applied as a foliar spray (5.0%), increased yield of tomato fruit (60.89%) as compared to control plantssprayed with water, attributed to increase in number of fruits per plant and size of fruit. With application of sap, fruit quality andalso macro (13.24-67.50%) and micro (23.84-42.61%) elements content increased over control. Nutrient uptake by fruit and shootwas improved with foliar application of
Growing species Pleurotus ostreatus M 2175 on different substrates under household.

Cultivation of winter oyster mushroom is realised in an increasing number and variety of ways, due to minimum environmental requirements, and its high productivity. The research was made on different substrates, in order to identify an efficient formula for the Pleurotus ostreatus M 2175 species cultivation under household. The sawdust, available in Nehoiu, Buzău was mainly used. Heat-sterilized substrate was placed in heat-resistant plastic bags. The inoculum was obtained on sterilized wheat seeds, at a ratio of 1 - 2%. The average temperature of colonization/fructification varied between 17 – 20 0 C. It was noted that all substrate formulas could support cultivation of the P. ostreatus M 2175 species, including formula partially containing softwood sawdust. The number of primordia was comparable to controls developed exclusively on beech sawdust and chopped straw. The study proved that this mushroom species has a significant adaptability to different types of substrate.
Job Resources and Work Engagement: Optimism as Moderator Among Finnish Managers

The aim of the present study was to investigate the moderating role of optimism in the relationship between job resources (organizational climate, job control) and work engagement among Finnish young managers (N = 747). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that both job resources and optimism exerted a positive effect on work engagement and its three dimensions of vigor, dedication, and absorption. The moderation results showed that optimism can diminish the negative impact of low job resources on work engagement. These findings provide evidence to the importance of including personal resources in future research conducted on motivational process. Additionally, these findings provide significant suggestions for the utilization of these resources in organizational practice too, i.e., in staff recruitment, retention and development.
Detecting Lies Told by Friends and Strangers

PSI CHI JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Winter 2007 Copyright 2007 by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Vol. 12, No. 4, 170–179 / ISSN 1089-4136). Over the last two decades, there have been numerous studies investigating accuracy in the detection of lies in verbal statements (See Vrij, 2000). This research has implications for individuals involved in law enforcement and the justice system, but also has implications for ordinary people who are likely to be on the receiving end of deception everyday (See Feldman, Forrest, & Happ, 2002; DePaulo, Kashy, Kirkendol, Wyer, & Epstein, 1996). Interpersonal deception may lead to financial losses as well as emotional distress. The majority of scientific studies investigating the accuracy of college students or other laypersons have shown that performance above chance is rare (See Vrij, 2000). The purpose of the present research was to investigate the hypothesis that people are better detecting lies in verbal statements told by people they know well versus strangers. Our research was initiated in response to media coverage in high-profile criminal investigations. Journalists appear to seek out family and friends of suspects or defendants in order to ascertain the extent to which the family and friends believe statements made by the accused. For example in 2001, when Gary Condit was suspected of knowing something about the disappearance of the intern Chandra Levy, journalists doggedly pursued Condit’s wife for comment. Relatively late in the investigation, she made the statement that she was “behind Gary 100 %” (Associated Press, 2001). The statement had no impact on the concrete details of the investigation; however, it may have influenced the public perceptions as well as perception of those involved in the investigation. In 2003, there was a similar interest in the beliefs of Lacy Peterson’s family about Scott Peterson’s possible involvement into Lacy’s disappearance. Soon after the disappearance, members of Lacy’s family made public statements that they believe Scott Peterson’s accounts (Associated Press, 2003a). A month later, upon discovering that he had been involved in an extra-mariLEAH B. FISCHER
Wolf Use of Summer Territory in Northeastern Minnesota

Abstract Movements of wolves (Canis lupus) during summer 2003 and 2004 in the Superior National Forest were based around homesites but included extensive use of territories. Away from homesites, wolves used different areas daily, exhibiting rotational use. Mean daily range overlap was 22% (SE = 0.02) and that of breeding wolves was significantly greater than for nonbreeders (x̄ = 25% and 16%, respectively). Rotational use may improve hunting success. Managers seeking to remove entire packs must maintain control long enough to ensure that all pack members are targeted.
DETECTION OF CORROSION-INDUCED DAMAGE IN REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS BASED ON STRUCTURAL DAMPING IDENTIFICATION

This article examines the possibility of corrosion damage detection in reinforced concrete (here after RC) beams based on modal damping changes. Four RC beams were damaged artificially by inducing uniform and localized corrosions on the beams. Modal tests were performed on the test beams before and after the corrosion damages, and extracted modal parameters were compared with each other. The result showed certain amount of changes in modal parameters, namely natural frequency and modal damping ratio, and the modal damping ratio was more sensitive than the natural frequency against corrosion-induced damages. This indicates that the local and small corrosion damage might be detectable by monitoring the modal damping ratio of RC structures.
Different foraging strategies within congenerics? The diet of Proceratophrys cristiceps (Müller, 1883) from a dry forest in northeast Brazil

In the present study we analyze the diet of Proceratophrys cristiceps from a caatinga dry forest in northeast Brazil. Thirteen individuals of P. cristiceps were analysed in order to access gut content, all of which had food in their stomachs. Prey was identified with a stereomicroscope and proper identification keys. Isoptera was the most frequent item and also the most important numerically and volumetrically, displaying the highest index of relative importance. Other important preys were Coleoptera and Orthoptera. Although the presence of sedentary clustered prey, such as Isoptera, in the diet is typically considered a characteristic of active foragers, Proceratophrys species are usually regarded as sit-and-wait predators. Considering the generally hot and dry environment in which this population was found, the high proportion of Isoptera in P. cristiceps diet may be due to the sharing of the same moist microhabitats by frogs and termites. We believe this to be a case where feeding strategy is phylogenetically determined, while diet composition is the result of recent ecological interactions. Information on the seasonal variation in the diet of P. cristiceps, as well as of other species in the genus will surely help to elucidate such relationships.
The role of mergers in driving morphological transformation over cosmic time

Understanding the processes that trigger morphological transformation is central to understanding how and why the Universe transitions from being disc-dominated at early epochs to having the morphological mix that is observed today. We use Horizon-AGN, a cosmological hydrodynamical simulation, to perform a comprehensive study of the processes that drive morphological change in massive (M > 10^10 MSun) galaxies over cosmic time. We show that (1) essentially all the morphological evolution in galaxies that are spheroids at z=0 is driven by mergers with mass ratios greater than 1:10, (2) major mergers alone cannot produce today's spheroid population -- minor mergers are responsible for a third of all morphological transformation over cosmic time and are its dominant driver after z~1, (3) prograde mergers trigger milder morphological transformation than retrograde mergers -- while both types of events produce similar morphological changes at z>2, the average change due to retrograde mergers is around twice that due to their prograde counterparts at z~0, (4) remnant morphology depends strongly on the gas fraction of a merger, with gas-rich mergers routinely re-growing discs, and (5) at a given stellar mass, discs do not exhibit drastically different merger histories from spheroids -- disc survival in mergers is driven by acquisition of cold gas (via cosmological accretion and gas-rich interactions) and a preponderance of prograde mergers in their merger histories.
Statistical analyses make the Christmas Bird Count relevant for conservation

AMERICAN BIRDS 21 First, NABCI requires a greater understanding of the relationships between bird populations and features of the landscape that we can manage, such as amounts and dispersion of habitats. Much of our present understanding of these relationships is based on models developed from survey data, and NABCI has been the motivation for new modeling exercises from CBC and Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Issues such as “how best to manage a national forest to enhance the populations of priority bird species,” “how to predict the consequences of habitat management for birds on a refuge,” and “how to achieve a bird population goal for a Bird Conservation Region” can only be addressed using these models. Second, NABCI places a priority on use of surveys for direct assessment of the effects of management. The subtle shift away from “barometric” surveys, in which the general status of populations is assessed, to “management-oriented” surveys, in which the response of bird populations to specific management (or other environmental) changes is assessed, has enormous ramifications for surveys. Many surveys are poorly designed because their uses were poorly defined; new surveys are required to provide specific information, and hence require better designs focused on the new uses for the data. Management themes, such as adaptive management, place surveys in a central role in assessing the consequences of management and in improving our understanding of how management influences bird populations. Third, NABCI reflects the understanding that many issues of geographic scale have become important in bird conservation. Managers need to have information for local areas to assist in local management, but also need to know the relative importance of their areas for regional populations of the species. Again, more emphasis is placed on the use of survey data to estimate population change and abundances in new contexts. Finally, NABCI has caused introspection about surveys and their application. Uses of long-term databases such as the CBC and the BBS are now getting reevaluated in the context of this new focus. Suggestions for new analyses using data and changes in the design of the survey to enhance the quality of the information are a frequent topic of discussion in the bird conservation community.
Abdominal and Thigh Muscle Attenuation Is Associated With Visceral Fat and Age in Children and Adolescents With Obesity

Objective. This study investigated relationships between adipose tissue deposition within skeletal muscle and morphological and biochemical variables in children with obesity. Methods. Fifty-one Japanese children (16 girls) aged 7 to 16 years were assigned to either mild (<20%), moderate (≥20% to <50%), or severe obesity groups (≥50%). Computed tomography images were taken to calculate the cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue (VAT, for abdomen only), and muscle signal intensities, as an index of intramuscular adipose tissue in the anterior, lateral, and posterior muscles of the abdomen and quadriceps, hamstring and adductor muscles in the thigh. Fasting blood samples were collected to measure plasma lipids, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, uric acid, glucose, and HbA1c. Results. Signal intensity in the severe obesity group was significantly lower than mild and moderate obesity groups in the abdomen and significantly lower than the moderate obesity group in the thigh. Stepwise regression analysis with signal intensity as dependent variable revealed that VAT CSA and age in abdominal muscles and VAT CSA, age, and triglycerides in thigh muscles are predictors of signal intensities. Conclusions. These results suggest that VAT CSA and age are predictors of intramuscular adipose tissue of the abdominal and thigh in children with obesity.
Biopreservation of Fresh Orange Juice Using Antilisterial Bacteriocins101 and Antilisterial Bacteriocin103 Purified from Leuconostoc mesenteroides

Recently, as the consumption of fresh fruit juice has been increasing the demand for natural and potent biopreservative has also been increased. Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most important and serious intracellular foodborne pathogen that threatens immunocompromised individuals. The main objective of this study is to investigate the biopreservative potential of Antilisterial Bacteriocin101 and Antilisterial Bacteriocin103 on comparison with a chemical preservative. Preservation of fresh orange juice was carried out in two sets i.e., unpasteurized (no heat pretreatment) and pasteurized (pretreated at 72oC for 2 min). Listeria monocytogenes MTCC 657 at an initial concentration of 6.75 log CFU/ml was inoculated into both unpasteurized and pasteurized fresh orange juice then chemical preservative (12 ppm), Antilisterial Bacteriocin101 (40 ppm) and Antilisterial Bacteriocin103 (40 ppm) were added and stored for 12 days at 4oC and checked for the viability of the indicator strain at 24 h regular intervals. Antilisterial Bacteriocins showed potential reduction of viable counts upto 4th day in unpasteurized fresh orange juice and upto 6th day in case of pasteurized fresh orange juice. This study has revealed that both the Antilisterial Bacteriocins show high potential in reduction of microbial population and is more effective than chemical preservative even at low concentration.
The Impact of the Development of Trading Systems on Bid-Ask Spreads

Following the closure, on 30 June 2005, of the open outcry system on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), trading in MSCI Taiwan futures on the SGX has since taken place under the electronic system only. Prior to the change, however, a hybrid form of trading existed, with open outcry and electronic trading occurring side-by-side within the SGX. This study sets out to investigate the development of the SGX trading system and its impact on bid-ask spreads at the different stages of full open outcry trading, simultaneous open outcry and electronic trading, and electronic trading only. Our results show that liquidity, as measured by daily bid-ask spreads, is lower under the electronic trading system than it was under open outcry trading. We find that there was no appreciable difference in daily bid-ask spreads under the electronic trading system, either prior to, or after, the closure of the open outcry pit. Furthermore, when the two systems were running side-by-side, daily bid-ask spreads were lower under the electronic trading system than under open outcry trading. Based upon measures of bid-ask spreads, we find that, in terms of liquidity, the electronic trading system has an advantage over open outcry trading.
RESONANT TE WAVE MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRON CLOUD DENSITY USING MULTIPLE SIDEBANDS

A change in electron cloud (EC) density will change the resonant frequency of a section of beam-pipe. With a fixed drive frequency, the resulting dynamic phase shift across the resonant section will include the convolution of the frequency shift with the impulse response of the reso- nance. The effect of the convolution on the calculated mod- ulation sidebands is in agreement with measured data, in- cluding the absolute value of the EC density obtained from ECLOUD simulations. These measurements were made at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) which has been reconfigured as a test accelerator (CESRTA) with positron or electron beam energies ranging from 2 GeV to 5 GeV.
World edible oil prices prediction: Evidence from mix effect of ever difference on Box-Jenkins approach

The Box Jenkins model assumed that the time series is stationary. Generally, researchers will conduct the first order difference as a necessary procedure of stationarity data. The first or second order difference seems to be good solution towards nonstationarity counterparts and this effort might lead into the possible overdifference. Thus, alternative procedure of fractionally difference can be considered as a solution towards the overdifference, since it permitted the non-integer value of d . However, the fractionally difference has been proved by several researchers to produced poor out-sample forecast as compared to its rival models. Therefore, we investigate the overdifference’s effect on five selected world edible oil prices what been observed to have long memory behavior. We compare the performance of two difference models, that are the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (ARFIMA) models in forecasting the time series data that observed with the overdifference behavior. The general finding show mixed results and the addressed overdifference seems not to give a significant effect neither ARIMA nor ARFIMA models. We also found that the ARFIMA model is not demonstrates poor out-sample forecasting.
CHARACTERISTICS OF BRUSH ELECTROPLATED COPPER SELENIDE THIN FILMS

Cu2Se thin films were prepared for the first time by the brush electrodeposition technique on conducting tin oxide substrates. The deposition temperature was varied in the range of 30 80 C from the precursors copper chloride and selenium di oxide. Film thickness varied in the range of 2.0 – 2. 5μm. The films were polycrystalline and exhibited cubic structure. Optical measurements indicated a direct band gap value of 2.18 eV. The value of the resistivity decreased with deposition temperature. Mobility and carrier concentration of the films increased with deposition temperature. The films exhibited reasonable photo activity from photoelectrochemical studies.
Modelling the effect of sediment coarseness on local scour at wide bridge piers

Experimental data from a physical model of scouring around a cylindrical wide pier embedded in two types of uniform sediment beds are presented. The effects of sediment sizes and various pier widths on scour development and equilibrium scour depth of wide bridge piers are described. Existing literature suggest that the empirical scour prediction equations based on laboratory data over-predict scour depths for large structures. The present study has attempted to fill this gap for a cylindrical wide pier. Further, equations for the estimation of non-dimensional maximum scour depth for a wide cylindrical pier embedded in uniform sediment were proposed as functions of the sediment coarseness.
Analysis and Design of Line of Sight MIMO transmission systems

A cost-effective solution to the problem of guaranteeing backhaul connectivity in mobile cellular networks is the use of point-to-point microwave links in the Q-Band and E-Band. The always increasing rate in mobile data traffic makes these microwave radio links a potential bottleneck in the deployment of high-throughput cellular networks. A fundamental way to characterize the impact of phase noise on the throughput of these systems is to study their Shannon capacity. Unfortunately, the capacity of the phase-noise channel is not known in closed-form, even for simple channel models. The effect of phase noise in telecommunication systems is more evident in presence of multiple antennas at transmitter and receiver because of the overlapping of phase noise contribution in receivers. We propose a simulated-based tool to compute a lower bound to channel capacity for SISO and MIMO systems in presence of phase noise with one oscillator shared among the antennas per side and we give a non asymptotic expression of an upper bound to capacity always for SISO and MIMO channels. Finally we present a low complex phase detector based on combination of Phase Locked Loop (PLL) exploiting the decisions made by a turbo decoder. The aim of this work is showing a way to bound the channel capacity for single antenna and multiple antennas channels impaired by phase noise generated by instabilities in oscillators driving all the transceivers, and compare the performance of the proposed phase detector to those theoretical limits