Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forest Mapping and Forest Cover Change Detection in a Mediterranean Area Using Coarse Resolution Data and Advanced Image Analysis Techniques

The aim of this study is to differentiate forest from non-forested areas and to detect changes on the forest cover by using SPOT-VEGETATION (SPOT-VGT) and simulated PROBA-V data (simulated Landsat and MODIS). More specifically, a) three advanced image analysis techniques, namely, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Object-based Image Analysis – Nearest Neighbourhood (OBIA-NN) are applied on the SPOT-VGT image and the PROBA-V simulated data and their performance is evaluated in differentiating forest from non-forested areas; and b) multi-temporal Principal Components Analysis (mPCA) is applied on the SPOT-VGT image and the PROBA-V simulated data in order to detect and identify changes on the forest cover, due to forest fires, over a period of time. The resulted products from the two sensors are also compared for their ability in detecting changes on the forest cover. The study area is a typical Mediterranean region located in central Greece. Studying the results from the classification accuracies, the SVM classifier produce the most accurate ‘Forest/Non forest’ maps not only in the case of SPOT-VGT (86.35%, ΚΙΑ=0.55) but also in the case of PROBA-V simulated Landsat data (71.43%, ΚΙΑ=0.46). However, in the case of MODIS it is ANN that produced the most accurate ‘forest-non-forest’ map (89.86%, ΚΙΑ=0.61). In relation to the detection of changes on the forest cover, the PCA method proves to be quite successful (MODIS 88.26% kappa 0.63, PROBA-V 75.28% ΚΙΑ= 0.58 and finally on SPOT-VGT 74.33% KIA 0.58). In conclusion, SVM proves to be the best performing classifier in differentiating areas covered by forest from other classes while the PROBA-V sensor proves to detect forest cover changes due to fires with higher accuracy.
Cross-platform Smartphone Application Development with Kotlin Multiplatform Possible Impacts on Development Productivity, Application Size and Startup Time

The objective of this master’s thesis has been to evaluate the Kotlin Multiplatform feature for developing cross-platform mobile applications for Android and iOS. This has been done in comparison to natively developed applications for the two platforms. The method of evaluation has been to develop a sample application natively for Android and iOS, respectively. The same sample application has then been developed using the Kotlin Multiplatform feature. Finally, the multiplatform Android application has been compared to the natively developed Android application, and the multiplatform iOS application has been compared to the natively developed iOS application. The evaluation has focused on measuring the startup time of the applications, as well as the application size of the installed sample applications, comparing the native ones to the multiplatform ones. An attempt has also been made to try to determine if there can be any productivity gains in using the Kotlin Multiplatform feature instead of doing the development natively for each of the studied platforms. For productivity, the evaluation has included measuring number of lines of code, and build time (compilation time) for the applications. The results indicate that it is possible to write less code if making use of the Kotlin Multiplatform feature. However, the results also indicate an increased build time with Kotlin Multiplatform, for both Android and iOS, and an increased startup time for Android. No indication of an increased startup time for the multiplatform iOS application could be found. As for the application sizes, the results show an increased size for the multiplatform applications.
A Numerical Analysis of Cumulative Probability of Incident Wave Indoor Propagation

The digital terrestrial broadcasting services for m bile receivers had already been started in Japan [1]-[3]. The service is effective as communic ation means at outbreaks of natural disaster. Experimental studies of the reception characteristi c n various environments and countermeasures for the deterioration of reception are carried out up to now. A large-scale numerical analysis by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) tech nique is effective for this purpose [4], [5]. Especially, it is effective to deal with indoor pro agation and incident waves in limited areas such as a classroom, a laboratory or a hallway. In the previous report [6], we considered the incid ence plane wave of digital terrestrial broadcasting due to clarifying its indoor propagati on characteristics. We carried out a computer simulation about indoor propagation of the incident plane wave toward the rooms and showed the propagation characteristics for the two models, an empty room and a room with a set of furniture. As a result, cross polarized components against the incident wave with the horizontal polarization were relatively increased for the room with a set o f furniture. This paper discusses and evaluates numerically cumu lative probabilities for electromagnetic distributions as well as cross polarization charact eristics in the room with a set of furniture. Also the spatially high resolution laboratory model will be d veloped.
Health Disparities and Cardiovascular Disease

The number one leading cause of death in 2017 for Americans was cardiovascular disease (CVD), and health disparities can exacerbate risks. This study evaluates the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (n = 437,436) to estimate population risks for behavioral, socio-economic, psychological, and biological factors. A general linear model with a quasi-binomial link function indicated higher risks for the following groups: smokers (odds ratio, OR = 0.688), individuals with higher body mass index scores (OR = 1.023), persons unable to work (OR = 2.683), individuals with depression (OR = 1.505), workers who missed more days due to mental issues (OR = 1.12), the elderly, males (OR = 1.954), those in race categories “indigenous Americans, Alaskan non-Hispanics”, “Black Hispanics,” or “other, non-Hispanic,” and individuals with lower income. Surprisingly, increased consumption of alcohol was not found to be a risk factor as in other studies. Additional study of alcohol risk factors is needed. Further, Black non-Hispanics were associated with lower rates of CVD/MI (myocardial infarction), a finding that is supported by recent evidence of more unhealthy behaviors in other races. The results of this study highlight 2018 CVD/MI disparities based on the BRFSS and suggest the need for additional policy interventions including education and providing increased access to health care for the disadvantaged. The principles of beneficence and justice require policy interventions such as these.
Access to credit and economic well-being of rural households: Evidence from Eastern India

We evaluate the impact of access to credit on rural households’ annual income using an endogenous switching regression approach, an increasingly popular method of tackling the selection bias issue in impact analyses. Using a large survey of rural households in eastern India, we find that access to credit is strongly associated with rural households’ socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Additionally, access to credit increases rural households’ economic well-being; nonborrower rural households would benefit the most from access to credit. Access to credit affects recipients heterogeneously, implying that credit policies should be adaptable to different rural household groups.
The Approach of SMEs to Using the Customer Databases and CRM: Empirical Study in the Slovak Republic

Sustainability of (small and medium-sized enterprises) SMEs in a globalized economy depends on several factors. According to available studies, effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of the factors affecting the competitiveness of SMEs in a positive way. This paper is focused on creating customer databases and on using the CRM strategy in SMEs in Slovakia. The aim of the paper is to cluster SMEs in Slovakia based on using customer databases and CRM and to identify differences in clusters according to the selected attributes. The outputs of the research focused on marketing communication and on creating the CRM strategy in Slovak enterprises are presented in the paper. Quantitative nonexperimental research using the questionnaires was conducted at the end of 2017 and throughout the year 2018. The research results are based on the responses of 1009 Slovak SMEs. Basic descriptive statistics, K-means cluster analysis, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey HSD test were used to process the data. The resulting clusters show three typical attitudes of Slovak SMEs to creating the database, using the CRM and its effectiveness. Moreover, attitude to the application of ethical principles and holistic, integrated, and socially responsible marketing are presented in the clusters. Following the results, the fact that SMEs can be divided into the three following clusters with equal size can be stated: 1st cluster (in 92.2% and consisting of micro- and small-sized enterprises), customer databases are created for the purpose of marketing communication; 2nd cluster, consisting of the highest percentage of medium-sized enterprises and enterprises with foreign equity participation using the customer databases and CRM; and 3rd cluster characterized with smaller-sized enterprises with domestic property not focused on marketing communication and using the customer databases. The research results provide the basis for further research and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Worldwide Hydrogen Provision Scheme Based on Renewable Energy

The threats of climate change and the sustainable supply of clean energy are global challenges that require an international approach to the energy supply. Utilizing the wind and solar energy potential of regions where these renewable sources are especially viable to produce hydrogen by means of water electrolysis represents an attractive option to counter the above-mentioned challenges. Within the scope of this techno economic analysis of a worldwide hydrogen supply infrastructure based on renewable energy, selected regions are assessed on the basis of their wind or solar energy potential. In contrast to established analyses of hydrogen infrastructures, this paper introduces a worldwide allocation approach to the supply hydrogen from strong wind and solar regions to different demand regions on the premise of a global supply cost minimum. The allocation results show a significant dependence of hydrogen export volumes and the oversea transport distances of potential trading partners. Hence, the transnational trading flows of hydrogen derived from wind and solar energy are concentrated in continental regions.
Social norms and female labour participation in Brazil

Over the last half-century, the role of women in society has changed substantially. However, the gender income gap and the difference in labour force participation persist. Akerlof and Kranton introduce the concept of identity from sociology and social psychology at the economic analysis; based on this we search less traditional factors for understanding this persistence. We extend the analysis proposed by Bertrand et al. for Brazil. Specifically, we analyse the impact of gender identity, focusing on the prescription that ‘a man should earn more than his wife’ on social and economic results. Based on the Censuses for 1991, 2000, and 2010 we observed that for only 7 per cent of married couples does the wife earn more than her husband. We found evidence that the wives with greater probability of earning more than their husbands are less likely to participate in the labour force. Once she does participate in the labour force, she has a higher probability of earning less than her potential income, working fewer hours, and having an informal job.
The robustness of self-report data on predation: A comparison of two Karoo surveys

This paper compares estimates of losses to predators from two questionnaire surveys of sheep farmers in the Central Karoo. The first questionnaire, in 2008, was administered as a cross-section telephonic survey. The second was a panel study involving face-to-face interviews, conducted from 2012 to 2014. We compared the two estimates to see if there was any evidence that farmers may have overestimated reported losses to predators in 2008, as this was at the height of the conflict over predator management policy in the Western Cape. This first estimate valued predation at R1.39 billion (US$ 100 million) per year, 30% of industry turnover. While a refined estimate is presented for the Karoo, the main contribution is not ‘a’ number, but rather an analysis of how predation rates differ depending on how they are calculated. We show that, when the same methodology is applied to both datasets, the figures for the Central Karoo converge on 5% (4.85% in 2008 and 4.7% in the period 2012 to 2014). This suggests that farmers were providing consistent estimates, irrespective of interview method or the timing of the survey. In this work, an important decision in estimating predation rates is whether to assign all, some or no perinatal losses to predation, because lamb remains are usually not recovered in a good enough condition to be sure of cause of death, and because predators probably target lambs that would have died anyway. For longitudinal monitoring, it is important to standardise calculations and it would be good for industry to encourage the adoption of ultrasound scanning to confirm conception.
Investigating Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing Intentions among Islamic Banking Employees: A TRA Perspective

Received: 04 June 2018 Accepted: 22 June 2018 Abstract. This study investigates Knowledge Sharing (KS) in Islamic banks. Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) has been used as a theoretical framework. Close ended questionnaire was used to gather data from employees of Islamic banks. This study examined the effect of independent variables i.e., Anticipated Extrinsic Rewards (AER), Sense of Self-Worth (SSW), and Organization-Based Self-Esteem (OBSE) and Anticipated Reciprocal Relationship (ARR) on variables i.e., Intentions towards Knowlede Sharing (IKS), Attitude to Knowledge Sharing (ATKS). The objective was to find out the strongest predictor. Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) has been applied to examine the hypothesized relations. Analysis shows strong association between IKS and ATKS. Hypotheses relating SSW and OBSE were endorsed. While ARR and AER did not influence KS attitude, yet the OBSE was found to have strongest impact on KS attitude. In the light of results, it is suggested that Islamic banks should focus on other ways to encourage KS rather than investing in reward systems. They should also focus on relationship improvement and also ensure support to employees by means of carrier planning and job security.
Site-dependent difference in the density of sympathetic nerve fibers in muscle-innervating nerves: a histologic study using human cadavers

The autonomic nerve supply of skeletal muscle has become a focus of interest because it is closely related to the adaptation of energy metabolism with aging. However, there is no comprehensive information concerning the sympathetic nerves present in muscle-innervating nerves (muscle-nerve). At the point of entry of muscle-nerves into 8 striated muscles (the soleus, extensor carpi radialis, infraspinatus, genioglossus, extra- ocular medial rectus, temporalis, lateral pterygoid, and digastricus anterior belly) in 15 cadavers of elderly people, we counted both tyrosine hydroxylasepositive nerve fibers (TH- fibers) and motor nerve fibers to estimate the ratio of THfiber/ motor fibers. The 3 limb muscles were found to have a high ratio (soleus, 58%; infraspinatus; 45%; extensor, 36%), whereas the 4 head muscles (digastricus, 23%; genioglossus, 15%; temporalis, 10%; lateral pterygoid, 6%; medial rectus, 1%) had relatively low ratios. The site- dependent characteristics of the THfibers seemed to reflect their commitment to muscle activity. However, some discrepant characteristics were noted: 1) In spite of the tonic and continuous activity required for both the genioglossus and infraspinatus, the proportions of TH-fibers were quite different between the tongue and the shoulder muscles; 2) Likewise, the soleus and extra-ocular rectus showed a considerable difference, even though rapid and phasic contraction is essential for both muscles. Rather than reflecting the influence of postnatal functional demand, these site- dependent characteristics might develop as a result of differences in sympathetic innervation of the striated muscles during fetal development, i.e., a short course along the arteries feeding the head muscles, or a long course along the muscle-nerves to the limb muscles.
Community Monitors vs. Leakage: Experimental Evidence from Afghanistan∗

We study whether trained community-based monitors improve the quality of road construction in Afghanistan, a context of dramatic development spending, pervasive corruption, and a violent conflict preventing government and international workers from monitoring contractors. We partner with a large, well-established organization to randomize its monitor training program, which couples technical training in construction inspections with community mobilization for accountability. Our experiment spans five Afghan provinces and four years of road quality measurement using our own trained technical teams. We find that trained monitors cause dramatic improvements in road quality, producing roads that are better able to endure difficult Afghan winters. Our two-level randomization design shows these effects are not concentrated near trained villages, but spill over to the entire road. Four years after the training, treatment effects have attenuated, potentially because the monitoring program was removed. Finally, interviews with trained monitors suggest the program was effective due to the combination of the technical training and the newly created channels of accountability, helping to reconcile mixed findings in past literature where programs often provided only one of these.
Frequency domain theory for functional time series: Variance decomposition and an invariance principle

This paper is concerned with frequency domain theory for functional time series, which are temporarily dependent sequences of functions in a Hilbert space. We consider a variance decomposition, which is more suitable for such a data structure than the variance decomposition based on the Karhunen–Loéve expansion. The decomposition we study uses eigenvalues of spectral density operators, which are functional analogs of the spectral density of a stationary scalar time series. We propose estimators of the variance components and derive convergence rates for their mean square error as well as their asymptotic normality. The latter is derived from a frequency domain invariance principle for the estimators of the spectral density operators. This principle is established for a broad class of linear time series models. It is a main contribution of the paper.
Insulin Resistance Due to Periodontal Disease in an Old Diabetic Female Poodle

Alan Gomes Poppl, Fernanda Muller, Luciana Queiroga and Félix Hilário Díaz González Adjunct Professor, Department of Animal Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves 9090, Agronomy, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Dentist. Rua Germano Petersen Junior, 627/401, Help, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Anesthesiologist, Department of Animal Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves 9090, Agronomy, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Titular Professor, Department of Animal Clinical Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves 9090, Agronomy, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Localised Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Cancer

Introduction Cancer is a major global public health problem, with 1 in 4 deaths in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) due to cancer [1, 2]. However, in the US between 2006 and 2010 cancer death rates decreased by 1.8% per year in men and 1.4% per year in women, while in the last two decades cancer death rates have declined by 20% [1]. A similar trend can be seen in the UK with deaths due to cancer decreasing by 27% in males and 20% in females between 1990 and 2012 [2]. Deaths due to cancer are predicted to fall by 17% between 2011 and 2030 in the UK [3]. Treatment will depend on the type and stage of the cancer as well as the patient’s general health and whether or not they will be able to tolerate the treatment. For example, early stage cancers which are localized to a particular anatomical site (i.e. cervix, bladder etc.) without evidence of spreading or intermediate cancers, with a much larger mass and/or evidence of having spread to the lymph nodes maybe removed by surgical resection followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells and reduce the risk of resection, while the treatment option for late stage cancers, which have spread to other parts of the body is usually chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. However, partial surgical resection of late stage cancers can be used for palliative care and to improve the patient’s quality of life [4, 5], but must be considered against the risks to the patient. The 5 year survival rate for most cancers is higher at either an early or intermediate stage diagnosis compared to late stage diagnosis [6]. All current cancer treatments can be very invasive and involve extended stays in or repeated visits to the hospital and in the case of chemo and radiotherapy can result in significant side-effects, reducing the patients overall quality of life during the treatment.
Determinants of Customer’s Intention to Use Murabaha Financing In Indonesia: Modified the TRA Model

This study aims to investigate factors influencing customer’s intention to use murabaha financing in Indonesia, and to what extent do attitude, social influence, religious obligation, price mechanism, and government support affect customer’s intention to use murabaha financing in Indonesian Islamic banks. 200 customers of Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Mandiri were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. The study modifies the theory of reasoned action and extends the earlier research conducted by Amin et al. (2011) and Ali et al. (2015). The findings show that attitude, social influence, government support, and price mechanism have a positive and strong relationship with intention to use murabaha financing. In the contrary, the religious obligation is not the main factors that determine the customer’s intention to use murabaha financing. The findings have practical implications to fill the gap between the current practices of Islamic banks and perception from a consumer point of view. This study also analyzed possible variables that may influence the strategies to attract more customers to use murabaha financing and increase Islamic bank’s market share. To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first study which modified the TRA model in the context of murabaha financing in Indonesian Islamic Banks.