Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Measurement in Global Product Development: The selection and application of key performance indicators

An organisation looking to form collaborations across borders is a consequence of an increasingly competitive world market. Recent studies highlighted key challenges and success factors organisation’s face when globalising stages of product development. To optimize performance along these factors there is a requirement for the process to be monitored and measured relative to the business strategy of an organisation. It was found that performance measurement is a process that helps achieve sustainable business success, encouraging a learning culture within organisations. To this day, much of the research into how performance is measured has focussed on the process of product development. However, exploration of performance measurement related to global product development is relatively unexplored and a need for further research is evident. This paper contributes towards understanding how performance is measured in global product development. More specifically, results from a survey and interviews highlight a need for further development in current performance measurement frameworks used in product development to facilitate the key factors and metrics in global product development.
Usefulness of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference in Assessment of Nutritional Status of Elderly Persons in Urban India

1Assistant Professor, Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, INDIA. 2Department of Biostatistics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, INDIA. 3Professor, Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, INDIA. 4Professor and Head, Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, INDIA.
Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on Martial Adjustment among Women

Background and goal: marital adjustment is one of the most important issues has been considered in societies. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is an effective method in increase of marital adjustment; hence, the purpose of this study is to determine effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on marital adjustment among women. Materials and method: the plan of research is experimental with type of pretest and posttest with control group. Statistical population of this study included all persons who had referred to two Counseling Centers in Rasht City, Iran in 2015. Qualified persons to enter into the study filled out Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and 30 members were randomly chosen out of 50 members who had gained the lower score than cut off point of marital adjustment (100) and then placed into two test and control groups. Experimental intervention (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) was implemented on test group and post test was conducted for both groups after the end of intervention. The obtained data from Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) were analyzed through SPSS 22 software. Findings: The obtained results indicated mindfulness training had a significant effect on marital adjustment among women (P<0/01). Conclusion: according to the obtained results, it can be stated that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy would lead to increase in marital adjustment of women.
White dwarf-red dwarf binaries in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. Sample definition

Context. A significant fraction of binary stars consisting of a white dwarf and a low-mass main-sequence star (red dwarf) are expected to be close binaries that are the end products of common-envelope (CE) evolution. Aims. To gain a better understanding of CE evolution, we want to study white dwarf-red dwarf binaries. For this it is fundamental to establish a well-defined sample. Methods. To reduce contamination by more distant sources, such as quasars, we have selected candidate white dwarf-red dwarf binaries from the catalogue of proper motion stars drawn from the intersection of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the USNO-B1.0 catalogue. To separate single from binary sources and to cut spurious sources out, we define selection criteria based on a combination of the (u − g), (g − r), and (r − i) colours. Results. We evaluate and discuss the selection criteria on the basis of both the publicly available SDSS spectra and the predicted colours of white dwarf-red dwarf binaries. We define a sample of 651 binary candidates. However, we find that for r magnitudes brighter than ∼16.5 the proper motion catalogue is heavily contaminated with sources that have incorrect colours due to the r magnitudes being relatively too faint, most likely due to saturation effects. Conclusions. We show that the level of contamination can be reduced by either excluding sources brighter than r = 16.5 mag or by excluding sources bluer than (u − g) = −0. 5o r (g − r) = −0.6 and brighter than r = 16.0 mag. We expect ∼85% of the remaining sources to be genuine white dwarf-red dwarf binaries. We estimate that we exclude ∼5−10% of the white dwarf-red dwarf binaries in the proper motion catalogue.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Minority Children: Diagnoses and Treatment Challenges

The present literature review was conducted to explore the factors that can prevent minority children from or delay them in receiving attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses and treatment services. A total of 38 studies were located and reviewed. The results indicated that the complex nature of ADHD can be associated with many factors that make diagnosing ADHD symptoms among minority children complicated. Furthermore, the results revealed that minority parents’ lack of knowledge about ADHD and their low socioeconomic statuses are fundamental factors that can delay minority children in receiving suitable ADHD intervention. The limitations of this study and recommendations for future research and practices are discussed. Keywords: ADHD, Diagnoses, Treatment, Minority children
Review of the key results of a large integrated air quality project in Australia.

[Summary]: It was established that improvement in air quality in livestock buildings could produce significant benefits for animals, workers and the environment. In order to achieve a sustained reduction in the concentration of airborne pollutants in livestock building; the different management, environmental and housing factors, which could influence the concentrations within and emissions of airborne pollutants from livestock buildings had to be statistically evaluated. Thus a broad study of air quality in piggery buildings was designed (1) to determine the key piggery design and management factors that affect the internal concentrations and emissions of airborne pollutants and then to (2) model and therefore able to predict the concentrations and emission rates of the main pollutants. This article considers the implications of the main results of this significant research project.
Fiscal Federalism: a European Union

Addressing the cumbersome state fiscal federalist its architecture. Fiscal federali sm is, inter alia one of the principles of European fiscal policy, redistribution of political responsibilit capacity of a system compared to that of the EU fis cal capacity of a system from a state with a federa l organizational structure, as the U.S., addressing e ght areas in crisis prevention comparison helps to establish priorities for the Eur opean fiscal system, leading to the conclusion that a more federalist is not the most important measure to be adopted to combat state
Lipase Catalysed Ethanolysis of Jatropha Oil for Biodiesel Production

This study investigated ethanolysis of both crude and pre-treated Jatropha oil using immobilized lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia. The methods employed were stepwise addition of ethanol and n-hexane as solvent. The ethanol was added three times in a stepwise way so as to prevent enzyme inhibition. The effects of reaction temperature and oil to ethanol ratio were studied. Maximum yields of fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE) of 66.7 wt%, 72.1 wt% and 58.8 wt% were obtained at oil to ethanol ratio of 1:4 for crude Jatropha curcas oil at reaction temperatures of 30, 40, and 50 oC respectively. Each run of the experiment took an overall reaction period of 48 h. These results showed the best optimized reaction temperature to be 40 oC. A maximum FAEE yield of 96.1 wt% was obtained when pre-treated Jatropha curcas oil was transesterified at the best optimized conditions. The loss noticed after 13 cycles in the activity of the enzyme was quite negligible. This proved it to be a stable one. The physical properties of the biodiesel obtained from the pre-treated Jatropha oil met the ASTM standard of D-6751.
Recent Low-Flow and Groundwater Storage Changes in Upland Watersheds of the Kanto Region, Japan

Annual trends in baseflow and groundwater storage over the past 40 years are deduced from stream flow observations in four upland catchments in the northern parts of the Kanto region. The analysis is based on the assumption that baseflow is an exponential decay function of time, which yields a linear relationship between storage and baseflow. These catchments are part of the water supply system for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area, and groundwater constitutes an integral component of their storage capacity. Although the data exhibit great variability from year to year, no evidence was found that any persistent or systematic changes in low streamflow regime and in groundwater storage have taken place in this region over the period of record.
Evaluation of Inter - Area Available Transfer Capability of Nigeria 330KV Network

The radial topology of Nigeria Grid makes various part of the network prone to blackout and even system collapse on occurrences of line outage, hence the need for transmission network performance evaluation. Available Transfer Capability (ATC) is an index for transmission network performance. This paper presents a hybridized Continuation-Repeated power flow structure for ATC computation that provides a good approximate alternative to determine the maximum loadability. Single line outage (N – 1) criterion is used to simulate the effect of line outages on ATC values thereby identifying overloaded transmission facility.
Effect of plant growth regulators on growth, flowering, yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replication at horticultural research farm of Udai Pratap Autonomous College, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh during year 2015-16. Max/min, temperature/humidity was measured 29 C/12.4 C, 89%/63%. The objectives are to study the effect of varying levels of NAA, 2, 4-D and GA3 on growth, quality and yield of tomato and to ascertain the best concentration of NAA, 2, 4-D and GA3 for vegetative growth and fruit quality of tomato. The experiment consisted tomato variety viz. kashi vishesh (H-86) and different levels of NAA (15, 30, 45 ppm), 2, 4-D (5, 10, 15 ppm) and GA3 (20, 30, 40 ppm) of different concentrations were used. From the result it was observed that concentration of GA3 @ 40 ppm concentration showed significant effects on growth, flowering, yield and quality of tomato.
Design and Analysis of Balloon-expandable Stainless Steel Coronary Stent

This thesis uses “Volume Control” ballon-stent model, and according to results of deformation of a stent and vascular during implantation, we obtain the stress contours of the stent during implantation. The results conclude by ANSYS simulation show that during the implantation process, expansion of balloon body will make the narrow part of the blood wall fragment tough. After placement of the stent, due to blood flow in vessel makes that the inner wall of blood vessels has uneven distribution of shear stress; And, in the vicinity of the stent structure, it has a lower [7] shear stress to vessel wall. During the expansion of the stent, the maximum principal stress concentrate on the connection between coronary stent itself and stiffeners.
Effect of seed enhancement treatment on field performance of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important winter season pulse crop in India grown in drought prone semi-arid and tropical regions. The aim of present investigation was to find out the effect of seed enhancement treatment on field performance of chickpea. Seeds of Chickpea Desi cultivar Pusa 256, Pusa 2028, and Kabuli cultivar Pusa1053, Pusa1108, each of fresh and 4 yrs old lots were taken for seed enhancement treatments like osmo-priming, halo-priming, fungicidal, botanical and polymer coating alone and in combination with thiram and neem oil. It was observed that seed treatment with thiram alone or in combination with polymer (PVP or PEM) significantly enhances germination and field emergence. Old seed lots of particularly Pusa 256 gives better result. The speed of emergence was invariably high in fresh seed lot (9.43) than old seed lots (4.84). However, in old seed lots, only halo-priming and polymer (PVP) in combination with thiram improved the speed of emergence significantly. Thus seeds treatment with thiram or in combination with hydrophilic polymers could be used for enhancing theperformance of chickpea.
Interteaching: An Evidence-Based Approach to Instruction.

This paper describes interteaching as an evidence-based method of instruction. Instructors often rely on more traditional approaches, such as lectures, as means to deliver instruction. Despite high usage, these methods are ineffective at achieving desirable academic outcomes. We discuss an innovative approach to delivering instruction known as interteaching that is derived from the behavioral sciences and has empirical support with regard to applications in higher education. In an interteaching session, the instructor composes a preparation guide consisting of several questions that outline a required reading and distributes the guide during class. Students form small groups and work collectively on the guide while the instructor goes from group to group to answer questions. Following the session, the instructor gives a short, intensive lecture on problem areas. Previous research has shown that this approach is effective and allows for frequent assessment of instructional materials and timely guidance of student progress. Suggestions for application and areas of future research are presented. For an instructor in higher education, the need to stay responsive to the evolving educational system is vital. Over the past 20 years, the nature of higher education has gone through extensive change. The number of students seeking higher education is rising (Snyder & Dillow, 2011), but funding for academic institutions has diminished (Tandberg, 2010).
Export-led growth in Europe: Where and what to export?

From the late 70s onwards, the literature has produced numerous studies, mostly for developing countries, relating exports and economic growth. Since several European Union (EU) countries face strong recessions in the sequence of the economic crisis and the related fiscal consolidation measures, exports emerge as a meaningful source of growth for developed countries with rather stagnant domestic markets. In this context, we assess if and how the product and the destination structures of exports shape the growth dynamics for the EU countries. Estimation of fixed effects model using panel data of 23 European Union (EU) members over the period 1995-2010. We find that economic growth is foster through export specialization in high value-added products, such as manufactures and high-technology. Moreover, we find evidence that higher growth is fostered by export diversification across partners while enlarging the portfolio of partners, mainly to less developed and more distant countries, has negative impacts on European growth. Unambiguously, relative concentration of exports should be directed towards higher growth countries.
On the Relationship between Job Satisfaction, Teacher Burnout, and Teacher Autonomy

In order to be autonomous, teachers should enjoy teaching and be satisfied with their teaching. Teacher autonomy, therefore, may be related to teacher burnout and job satisfaction. The present study investigated the relationship between job satisfaction, teacher burnout, and teacher autonomy. Two hundred and seven language teachers at language institutes in Karaj and Tehran were given three questionnaires to complete. Convenience sampling was used to select language teachers in this study, and IBM SPSS (version 22) was used to analyze the data. Three non-parametric statistical tests were used to analyze the collected data. According to the findings of this study, job satisfaction had a weak negative relationship with teacher burnout, and teacher autonomy correlated negatively with job satisfaction. Moreover, no relationship between teacher autonomy and teacher burnout was found. Although the findings should be interpreted with care because of sample size, the paper ends with implications for language teachers and policy makers.
Perception of Online Polls, Information Literacy, Political Efficacy and Online Polls Participation in Mainland China

The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of participation in online polls and its relationships to the perception of online polls, information literacy, and the political efficacy of Internet users in mainland China. Data were gathered from a sample of 419 Internet users aged 15 and higher. Results show that perceptions of online polls (both in effectiveness and trustworthiness) were positively correlated to participation in online polls but not to information literacy or political efficacy. Hypothesized relationships between information literacy and political efficacy and online polls participation were partially supported. Contrary to expected, political efficacy was found not to be related to online polls participation. However, regression results suggest that Internet users who often participated in online polls are usually male, literate in publishing, and believing that online polls are effective and trustworthy means to express opinions on public issues. Limitations and implications for future studies are discussed.
Eye-closure improves memory for a witnessed event under naturalistic conditions

Eye-closure may help people remember live and videotaped mundane events and videotaped violent events. The present study extended this research by examining memory for a forensically relevant live event (a staged verbal altercation) and by interviewing witnesses under naturalistic conditions. Ninety-six witnesses were interviewed either inside in a quiet setting or outside on a busy street, with eyes open or closed. In free recall, eye-closure significantly increased the number of correct details reported, without harming testimonial accuracy. These benefits were significant for witnesses interviewed inside but not for witnesses interviewed outside. This finding highlights the potential role of spontaneous mental context reinstatement in the eye-closure effect. In cued recall, eye-closure improved fine-grain correct recall of visual details for both groups of witnesses. From an applied perspective, the findings suggest that police interviewers should instruct witnesses to close their eyes, both during initial statements taken on the street and during full interviews conducted at the police station.
Synthesis and magnetic characterization of LaMnO3 nanoparticles

LaMnO_(3) Nanoparticles systems were prepared by the sol-gel auto-combustion method, in order to analyze the structure and magnetic behavior presented by the compound prepared following a new alternative route of synthesis. Structural characterization, morphology and crystallite size was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and electron microscopy (TEM). The XRD study together with a Rietveld analysis showed that the LaMnO_(3) compound crystallized in a perovskite hexagonal structure. The IR spectra showed that the compound has tensile energy bands in the Mn-O-Mn bonds related with the octahedron MnO_(3); which are attributed to a characteristic vibration of the ABO_(3) perovskite. An estimated size and morphological analysis was carried out by applying the Scherrer's formula and using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), revealing non-spherical shape and particle sizes between 13 nm and 18 nm. The magnetic measurements M(T) were performed by using zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) protocols which revealed a positive Weiss temperature indicating the presence of ferromagnetic interactions with a Curie temperature, Tc = 150 K.
ELT Majors' Cross Sectional Evaluation of Academic Lexical Competence and Performance

Academic vocabulary knowledge and use are critical for students’ language proficiency and academic achievement. Through the constructs of lexical competence and performance, the multidimensional nature of academic vocabulary and its interrelated components could be described better so that students’ development of academic vocabulary knowledge through their education could be revealed effectively. Considering this, the present study aimed to examine the university students’ academic lexical competence and performance combing all main dimensions, namely receptive (size; how many words), and productive (use) dimensions. In that way, it was aimed to reveal 371 ELT majors’ academic vocabulary development in English as Foreign Language environment through cross-sectional evaluation. Applying multi-test approach, the receptive and productive sub-dimensions were investigated. The results indicated that both academic lexical competence and performance developed through the years. Particularly, a salient jump of size of academic vocabulary from the 1st year to the 2nd year indicated the effect of proficiency and education. In spite of promising increase in the students’ academic lexical competence, limited use of academic vocabulary in the essays drew attention. It was observed that the students tend to avoid using academic vocabulary while writing. In this study, the reasons underlying these findings were discussed within related literature.
The impact of R&D on factor-augmenting technical change – an empirical assessment at the sector level*

ABSTRACT The aim of the paper is to quantify endogenous factor-augmenting technical change driven by R&D investments in a panel of 11 OECD countries over 1987–2007. This paper contributes to the scant empirical evidence on the speed, sources and direction of technical change for various sectors and production factors. Assuming cost-minimization behavior, a CES framework is used to derive a system of equations that is estimated by a GMM system estimator. The estimated factor-augmenting technology parameters show that in most sectors, technical change was labor-augmenting and labor-saving. Statistically significant effects of manufacturing and services R&D were found on factor-augmenting technical change (with the highest R&D elasticities found in the high-tech manufacturing and transport, storage and communication sectors). Whereas ‘in-house’ R&D stimulates total factor productivity, R&D spilled over to other sectors has a capital-augmenting effect accompanied by a higher use of labor. The results of this study provide a starting point for incorporating endogenous factor-augmenting technical change in impact assessment models aimed at broad policy analysis including economic growth, food security or climate change.