Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Product Characteristics on Distribution Strategy Selection

Nowadays companies must look to develop new distribution strategies in order to achieve the required performance from their supply chain. In this quest, companies wonder about the consistency of their distribution strategies with the types of products they are selling. This article deals with the issue of product segmentation and distribution strategy selection (cross-docking versus traditional warehousing). In the literature many factors have been described that affect product segmentation and supply chain selection. In this article the selection is based on the impact of product shelf space, demand variability, product value, and lead time on the supply chain performance (store inventory, service level). We carry out a simulation investigation to determine the impact of each product characteristic on the supply chain performance for the two different strategies. This article provides a framework to help managers understand the nature of their products and choose the right distribution strategy for each one.
Economic sustainability analysis of Gaushalas in selected districts of Telangana state

: In India, with the increasing cattle population the number of stray cattle has also been increasing. While indigenous cattle constitute a major portion of the total cattle population their proportion has been showing a declining trend. Gaushalas can serve as an alternative for housing the increasing stray cattle and also for preserving the indigenous germplasm. However, Gaushalas are functioning with insufficient funds mostly from donations and government grant. Hence, in this study, an attempt was made to undertake economic sustainability analysis of Gaushalas by covering 14 Gaushalas in select districts of Telangana state. The data was collected from Gaushalas for the period 2014 to 2019 using a semi structured interview schedule. It was found that the major source of income to Gaushalas was from donations (82.5 per cent) followed by income from sale of milk and milk products (12.9 per cent). The expenses of the Gaushalas mainly included feed and fodder cost (82.5 per cent) followed by veterinary and miscellaneous expenditure (6.7 per cent). The overall net income for all the Gaushalas was negative. The returns over variable cost were positive for almost all the Gaushalas indicating that the Gaushalas were able to meet their immediate expenses in the short run. Economic Sustainability Index (ESI) was computed which ranges from 0 to 1 using 5 indicators viz . , net income per animal, returns over variable cost, self-sufficiency, dependency and percentage of productive animals. The values of ESI of the Gaushalas ranged from 0.302 to 0.457. Among14 Gaushalas 2 Gaushalas fell under low economic sustainability and rest 12 Gaushalas were under medium economic sustainability category. A significant positive relationship was found between income diversification and sustainability of the Gaushalas ( r =0.73, P<0.01). So, there is a need to diversify income sources such as income from sale of milk, milk products and other by-products.
Writing development in a study abroad context

Se ha demostrado que las estancias en el extranjero a nivel universitario puedan ser beneficiosas para muchos aspectos de la competencia en una lengua extranjera, sobre todo las habilidades orales. Aun asi, no se sabe mucho sobre como estas estancias afectan las habilidades escritas. Este estudio investiga el desarrollo de la escritura en ingles en un grupo de 30 aprendices de ingles como lengua extranjera durante un periodo de 15 meses. Se compara el progreso de los aprendices en dos contextos de aprendizaje diferentes: una estancia en el extranjero y un periodo de instruccion en el aula en el pais de origen. Se evalua la escritura de los aprendices antes y despues de cada contexto por medio de un grupo de evaluadores expertos, por un lado, y por otro mediante un conjunto de herramientas computacionales, midiendo progreso en los dominios siguientes: complejidad, correccion, fluidez, diversidad y sofisticacion lexica, y cohesion. Se considera el efecto del nivel inicial de competencia en el ingles, y tambien se compara, en terminos de calidad y caracteristicas cuantitativas, con la escritura de 28 hablantes nativos de ingles que escribieron textos sobre el mismo tema y en condiciones iguales. Los resultados indican que la escritura mejora significativamente despues de la estancia al extranjero y que los aprendices desarrollan sus habilidades escritas mas cuando estan en el extranjero que en el contexto de instruccion al aula en el pais de origen.
Trading activity on social trading platforms – a behavioral approach*

PurposeSocial trading platforms are considered to be amongst the major innovations in online trading. The purpose of this article is to analyze the trading activity of traders on social trading networks by taking a behavioral approach. Additionally, the authors investigate the factors that influence the irrational part of trading activity derived from the key characteristics of these platforms, i.e. those dealing with social interaction.Design/methodology/approachThe investigation utilizes an extensive set of trading data from two major platforms in Germany to study the trading behavior. The authors apply a fixed effects two-stage least squares (2SLS) approach to quantify the relationship between trading activity and performance and define overconfidence as the part of trading activity that is irrationally motivated and results in negative returns.FindingsThe results provide evidence for the negative relationship between overconfidence and return on social trading platforms. The authors find that the number of followers and some platform-specific features significantly affect the trading behavior of the traders.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the existing literature by exploring how the novel social interaction characteristics of online trading impact trading activity by giving rise to a new dimension of overconfidence. In addition, the authors evidence that the different frameworks of the platforms motivate heterogenous behavioral responses by the signalers. Finally, the authors refine existing studies by applying a distinct methodology for modeling overconfidence.
Heat stability of high-protein ultrafiltration retentate: Effect of concentration factor and stabilizing salts

Pasteurized cow skim milk (PCSM, 1×) was concentrated using ultrafiltration (UF) from 2 ×-7 × concentration factor (CF) to obtain retentates with different protein to total solids (TS) ratio. Alteration in chemical make-up led to poor thermal stability in UF retentates. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the changes in permeate flux, chemical composition, pH, viscosity and heat coagulation time (HCT) of UF/DF retentates as a function of CF. Impact of high-shear (20,000 rpm/ 5 min), diafiltration (DF) with 150mM NaCl solution and stabilizing salts on HCT of high-protein 7×UF retentates were also evaluated. With increase in CF; TS, protein, fat, ash, calcium contents and viscosity increased significantly (p<0.05), while permeate flux, lactose content, pH and HCT of retentates significantly decreased (p<0.05). Poor HCT (1 min) of 7×UF retentate was significantly increased (p<0.05) up to 60 min by addition of stabilizing salts (NaH 2 PO 4 , Na 2 HPO 4 and Na 3 C 6 H 5 O 7 ). Correlation was established between chemical constituents, pH, viscosity, HCT, permeate flux and concentration factor. Overall, this investigation established that identification of correct stabilizing salts via HCT-pH curve of PCSM and their appropriate addition converted thermally unstable (poor HCT) high-protein (7× UF) retentates to thermally stable product. Hence, they could be now explored in number of food applications.
How Voters Respond to Currency Crises: Evidence From Turkey

A burgeoning literature shows that international trade and migration shocks influence individuals’ political attitudes, but relatively little is known about how international financial shocks impact public opinion. This study examines how one prevalent type of international financial shock—currency crises—shapes mass political attitudes. I argue that currency crises reduce average citizens’ support for incumbent governments. I also expect voters’ concerns about their own pocketbooks to influence their response to currency crises. Original survey data from Turkey support these arguments. Exploiting exogenous variation in the currency’s value during the survey window, I show that currency depreciations strongly reduce support for the government. This effect is stronger among individuals that are more negatively affected by depreciation, and it is moderated by individuals’ perceptions of their personal economic situation. This evidence suggests that international financial shocks can strongly influence the opinions of average voters, and it provides further support for pocketbook theories.
Nanotechnology and industrial renewal in Finland - A synthesis of key findings

Nanotechnology enables the manipulation and control of matter and processes at very small scales where materials, devices and systems often gain new functionalities. It is often seen as a rapidly emerging general purpose technology which can enable both incremental and radical innovation in a broad range of industries, leading to potentially significant impacts on our economies and the way in which we live our lives. To unlock the possibilities supportive technologies, innovations, organisations, institutions and coordinated policies will be needed. This report synthesises the key findings of the project Nanotechnology and industrial renewal in Finland which examined the present significance and future possibilities of nanotechnology in renewing established industries, and creating new ones, in Finland. The project was motivated by the increasingly significant attention that nanotechnology has been receiving in recent times in innovation policies in Finland and most other industrialized countries in the absence of substantive analysis of its nature, challenges and economic implications. The report discusses, and provides policy observations on, the following issues in nanotechnology developments in Finland : R&D investments and programs Publication and patenting activity Technology transfer from the public research sector to industry Commercialisation and the role of new and small versus large companies Application industries and linkages to existing areas of technological specialization
Management of Scirtothrips dorsalis in Grape

Three nicotinoid molecules (imidacloprid 17.8% SL @ 0.3 g, acetamaprid 20% SP @ 0.3g and thiamethoxam 25%WG @ 0.3g), dimethoate 30EC @ 1.7ml, azadirachtin 0.03% EC @ 5.0m/litre of water and water spray were evaluated against grape thrips Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood during 2006–07 and 2007–08. The three nicotinoid molecules were found on par with each other and superior over standard check dimethoate 30EC@1.7ml in reducing thrips injury on grape berries at seven, 14 and 21 days after treatment. In large scale studies conducted with two superior molecules viz., acetamaprid 20% SP and thiamethoxam 25%WG and standard check dimethoate 30%EC, the two nicotine molecules recorded lowest population of thrips per vine at five days after spraying (10.40 and 8.80 resply) and ten days after spraying (1.50 and 1.90 resply) after first spray wherein dimethoate recorded 27.85 and 11.00 thrips at 5 and ten days after spraying. Same trend was recorded after second spray also. Acetamaprid 20% SP yielded 29.6t/ha of healthy berry yield and thiamethoxam 25% WG recorded 29.8 t/ha. Dimethoate 30EC recorded 22.9 t/ha of berry yield across two years. Injury grade according to 0–10 grade rating scale is one for two nicotine molecules and two for standard check.
Excessive Worrying as a Central Feature of Anxiety during the First COVID-19 Lockdown-Phase in Belgium: Insights from a Network Approach

Since the WHO declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020, the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has profoundly impacted public health and the economy worldwide. But there are not the only ones to be hit. The COVID-19 pandemic has also substantially altered mental health, with anxiety symptoms being one of the most frequently reported problems. Especially, the number of people reporting anxiety symptoms increased significantly during the first lockdown-phase compared to similar data collected before the pandemic. Yet, most of these studies relied on a unitary approach to anxiety, wherein its different constitutive features (i.e., symptoms) were tallied into one sum-score, thus ignoring any possibility of interactions between them. Therefore, in this study, we seek to map the associations between the core features of anxiety during the first weeks of the first Belgian COVID-19 lockdown-phase (n = 2,829). To do so, we implemented, in a preregistered fashion, two distinct computational network approaches: a Gaussian graphical model and a Bayesian network modelling approach to estimate a directed acyclic graph. Despite their varying assumptions, constraints, and computational methods to determine nodes (i.e., the variables) and edges (i.e., the relations between them), both approaches pointed to excessive worrying as a node playing an especially influential role in the network system of the anxiety features. Altogether, our findings offer novel data-driven clues for the ongoing field’s larger quest to examine, and eventually alleviate, the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A 2010 Snapshot of Educational Technology use by Teaching Staff of Charles Sturt University

This paper presents a snapshot of Charles Sturt University teaching staff attitudes towards and usage of technologies for teaching and learning, drawing on an institution wide online questionnaire completed in 2010 by 246 teaching staff. One of the most interesting findings from this study is the high usage figures for many teaching technologies, including technologies which most would assume would still be used only by early adopters. The study also highlights technologies with relatively low current usage but very high desired usage, including plagiarism checking software for student use, and online assignment marking and return. The study also indicates that teaching staff have genuine educational reasons for choosing to use technologies in their teaching. The findings of this study make it further very clear that assumptions about staff or students‘ technology preferences, usage or proficiency based on age would be highly misguided. A key finding from this study is that teaching staff at Charles Sturt University are highly diverse in their attitudes towards and usage of technology and consequently, university initiatives need to cater effectively for different stages of technology adoption.
Psychometric characteristics of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) in adults with sickle cell disease

ABSTRACT Objective Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most frequent monogenic disease worldwide. Psychological and behavioural factors are often reported as playing a significant role in predicting SCD health outcomes. When focusing on adaptation to a specific health condition and its treatment, the Common Sense Model of Health and Illness (CSM) has proven to be of heuristic value. In other health conditions, illness outcomes are directly influenced by illness perception. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the psychometric proprieties of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Design We performed a cross-sectional assessment on 517 adult patients with sickle cell disease and collected the results of 406 IPQ-R. With these data, we verified the factor structure of the Belief scale and proposed modifications to improve its fit to the data with a confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, we explored the factorial structure of the Causal attribution scale with an exploratory factor analysis. Results The initial model showed poor fit with the data. After structural modifications, elimination of two items with a low loading (model 2), covariance added between items (model 3) and items reallocation (model 4), the last model proposed presented a correct fit with the data. Before doing this model specification, we reviewed and compiled the nine studies that explored the psychometric properties of the IPQ-R in order to highlight all the modifications made by the other authors who have adapted the IPQ-R to a specific population and to allow a comparison with our own modifications. Conclusion Considering previous findings, this research suggests further work is needed on the structure of the dimensions of the IPQ-R.
A Noise Suppression Method for Speech Signal by Jointly Using Bayesian Estimation and Fuzzy Theory

Speech recognition systems have been applied to inspection and maintenance operations in industrial factories to recording and reporting routines at construction sites, etc. where hand-writing is difficult. In these actual circumstances, some countermeasure methods for surrounding noise are indispensable. In this study, a new method to remove the noise for actual speech signal was proposed by using Bayesian estimation with the aid of bone-conducted speech and fuzzy theory. More specifically, by introducing Bayes’ theorem based on the observation of air-conducted speech contaminated by surrounding background noise, a new type of algorithm for noise removal was theoretically derived. In the proposed noise suppression method, bone-conducted speech signal with the reduced high-frequency components was regarded as fuzzy observation data, and a stochastic model for the bone-conducted speech was derived by applying the probability measure of fuzzy events. The proposed method was applied to speech signals measured in real environment with low SNR, and better results were obtained than an algorithm based on observation of only air-conducted speech.
The Effects of Scientific Argumentation on High School Students' Critical Thinking Skills

One needs higher order thinking skills in positioning perspectives for any kinds of problems that affect one’s view of life in order to develop a fundamental scientific understanding. For this reason, science teaching requires thinking skills instruction to be included in classes. This study aimed observing the effects of student-centered activities, which were formed through scientific argument centered teaching method, on the critical thinking development of students, comparing it with those of traditional approach in chemistry classes. The research was conducted in two 11 th grade classes of a high school in the city of Çankırı in Turkey. Classes were carried out with the teaching approach based on scientific argumentation in the experiment group with 17 students and with the conventional teaching approach in the control group with 17 students. The study lasted for 29 weeks with 11 th grade students in two groups. In the experimental group, argumentation-centered instruction activities, which were based on Toulmin’s argument model, were conducted. Data were obtained through Watson Glasser Critical Thinking Scale and achievement tests named Achievement Test 1: Reaction Rate, Achievement Test2: Chemical Equilibrium, Achievement Test 3: Solubility Product, Achievement Test 4: Equilibrium in Acid-Base Solutions were applied at the beginning and end of the intstructions as pre-test and post-test. Wilcoxon test and Mann Whitney U test were used to analyze the data quantitaviely. With regard to the results, critical thinking skills of experimental group and control group students made progress but there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Also, when students’ answers in achievement tests are analyzed qualitatively in terms of critical thinking subskills, it can be seen that all critical thinking sub skills of the experimental group students have developed more than the control group. study were: Is there a significant difference between the experimental group students and control group students in terms of critical thinking? This study aimed at investigating the effects of student-centered activities based upon scientific argumentation in chemistry classes on the critical thinking skill development of students. of inferences from given Recognition of (CTS2, 6 items), samples to assertions. Test 3: Deduction (CTS3, 7 items), samples ability reason premises, inference from premises. Test 4: Interpretation (CTS4, 6 items), samples ability focus evidence and to distinguish between (a) generalizations from given not warranted beyond a doubt, and (b) be warranted beyond a reasonable doubt. Test 5: Evaluation of Argument (CTS5, 6 items), samples ability to distinguish between arguments are strong relevant are or irrelevant to a question at issue. The highest score be obtained from the WGCTSS is 40. The application time of the set to be 45
Inside-out Signalling From Aminopeptidase N (CD13) To Complement Receptor 3 (CR3, CD11b/CD18)

Upon ligand engagement, certain receptors can activate an integrin through a mechanism called inside-out signalling. This phenomenon prepares the cell for the next steps of the process it will perform. CR3 (Complement receptor 3), the most abundant β2 integrin in monocytes and macrophages, and CD13 (aminopeptidase N) are two immune receptors with overlapping activities: adhesion, phagocytosis of opsonized particles, and respiratory burst induction. They can be found together in functional signalling microdomains, or lipid rafts, on the surface of human leukocytes. Thus, given their common functions, shared physical location and the fact that some phagocytic and adhesion receptors activate a selection of integrins, we hypothesized that CD13 could activate CR3 through an inside-out signalling mechanism. To test this hypothesis, we first ascertained the activation of CR3 after CD13 crosslinking in human monocyte-derived macrophages. We used an integrated analysis of bioinformatics and experimental data to suggest two possible signalling cascades that could explain the phenomenon. Finally, we show that the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Syk is a key attenuator of this pathway. Our results demonstrated that, even in the absence of canonical signalling motifs, and despite having a noticeably short cytoplasmic tail (7-10 amino acids), CD13 was capable of triggering an inside-out signalling cascade, adding a new function to those already known for this moonlighting protein. One Sentence Summary Stimulation of CD13 activated the integrin CR3 via an inside-out signalling pathway, a mechanistic model is proposed.