Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceived authenticity of traditional branded restaurants (China): impacts on perceived quality, perceived value, and behavioural intentions

ABSTRACT This study attempts to investigate the perceived authenticity of consumers in Chinese traditional branded restaurants, as well as to investigate the specific factors that contribute to consumers’ perceived authenticity. It constructs a systematic model addressing whether, and how, consumers’ perceived authenticity, can influence their behavioural intentions through perceived quality of food, service, and dining environment, as well as perceived values in traditional branded restaurants. Results were derived from a mixed-method approach where 68 consumers were initially interviewed, followed by interviewer-administered questionnaire survey with additional 418 consumers. Qualitative analysis, along with exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed five factors that influencing consumers’ authenticity perceptions: historical and cultural value, brand value, nostalgia, environment authenticity, and food authenticity. Structural equation modelling analysis revealed positive impacts of consumers’ perceived authenticity and perceived service quality on their perceived value of dining experience, which in turn predict consumers’ behaviour intentions.
Risk factor for contralateral occult carcinoma in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma

Purpose The extent of surgery necessary in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) on preoperative radiologic imaging is still in doubt. In this study, we aimed to define risk factors that could be indicators for malignant nodules in the contralateral thyroid lobe. Methods We included 438 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy between January 2011 and December 2014 at our institution. In this study, patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of contralateral occult carcinoma identified by postoperative pathological examination. We analyzed the clinicopathologic factors including characteristics of coexistent nodules in the contralateral lobe based on preoperative radiological imaging. Results A total of 96 patients (21.9%) had PTC in the contralateral lobe. There were no significant differences between patients with or without contralateral occult carcinoma with respect to gender, age, primary tumor size, central lymph node metastasis, extrathyroidal extension and stage. The presence of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis was an independent predictive factor for contralateral occult carcinoma (P=0.01). Conclusion A risk factor for contralateral occult carcinoma in unilateral PTC patients is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Therefore, more caution is needed when determining optimal surgical methods for PTC patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
A Multi-FoV Viewport-Based Visual Saliency Model Using Adaptive Weighting Losses for 360$^\circ$ Images

360<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> media allows observers to explore the scene in all directions. The consequence is that the human visual attention is guided by not only the perceived area in the viewport but also the overall content in 360<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula>. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the 360<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> saliency map which extracts salient features from the entire 360<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> image in each viewport in three different Field of Views (FoVs). Our model is first pretrained with a large-scale 2D image dataset to enable the interpretation of semantic contents, then fine-tuned with a relative small 360<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> image dataset. A novel weighting loss function attached with stretch weighted maps is introduced to adaptively weight the losses of three evaluation metrics and attenuate the impact of stretched regions in equirectangular projection during training process. Experimental results demonstrate that our model achieves better performance with the integration of three FoVs and its diverse viewport images. Results also show that the adaptive weighting losses and stretch weighted maps effectively enhance the evaluation scores compared to the fixed weighting losses solutions. Comparing to other state of the art models, our method surpasses them on three different datasets and ranks the top using 5 performance evaluation metrics on the Salient360! benchmark set. The code is available at <uri>https://github.com/FannyChao/MV-SalGAN360</uri>.
A comparative study of tapentadol versus tramadol in the treatment of low back pain

Background: Nontraumatic musculoskeletal disorders are the main reason for presentation to the emergency department with Rachialgia being the most common reason to request medical assessment among them. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, parallel group open labelled study conducted in a district level tertiary care hospital attached to a medical teaching institute. Patients were randomized into two groups. Group I (63 patients) received tablet tramadol 50 mg twice daily orally and group II (63 patients) received tablet tapentadol 50 mg twice daily orally. Results: The mean age of the patients of group I was 40.6±9.6 years and in the group II was 42.7±10.6 years. A total of 61 males participated in the study of which 31 males were enrolled in group I and 30 in group II while 65 females participated in the study of which 32 females were enrolled in group I and 33 in group II. The mean reduction of pain intensity VAS score at the end of 4 weeks from baseline in group I and group II were 34.57 and 37.55 respectively. The difference in the mean reduction of pain intensity VAS between the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusions: We conclude that both the drugs show significant reduction in the pain intensity in moderate to severe CLBP patients. Tapentadol is as efficacious as tramadol in moderate to severe CLBP. However, tapentadol is better tolerated than tramadol.
How do police officers talk about their encounters with ‘the public’? Group interaction, procedural justice and officer constructions of policing identities

Despite widespread empirical support for Procedural Justice Theory, understanding the role of police psychology in shaping encounters with ‘citizens’ is relatively opaque. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature by exploring how officers talk about themselves and their colleagues and deploy social categories to understand their interactions with ‘the public’. The qualitative thematic analysis draws upon 22 semi-structured interviews conducted with officers in various roles and teams within a large metropolitan police force in England. Our thematic analysis demonstrates the centrality of procedural fairness in officers’ talk (in terms of internal relations with colleagues and external relations with ‘the public’). Interviewees described complex internalised theories of social relations, differentially positioning themselves in relation to other colleagues and multiple ‘publics’ often depicted along socioeconomic and geographical lines. Officers described their interactions with ‘the public’ in sequential and historical terms with complex and changing (often intergroup) power dynamics. Implications of the analysis for understanding the role of social identity processes among police officers and how this underlying conceptualisation might shape police–‘citizen’ encounters are discussed.
Multi-scale transport and exchange processes in the atmosphere over mountains

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A finite element approach for determining the full load–displacement relationship of axially loaded shallow screw anchors, incorporating installation effects

Screw anchors have been recognised as an innovative solution to support offshore jacket structures and floating systems, due to their low-noise installation and potential enhanced uplift capacity. Results published in the literature have shown that for both fixed and floating applications, the tension capacity is critical for design, but may be poorly predicted by current empirical design approaches. These methods also do not capture the load–displacement behaviour, which is critical for quantifying performance under working loads. In this paper, a finite element methodology is developed to predict the full tensile load–displacement response of shallow screw anchors installed in sand for practical use, incorporating the effects of a pitch-matched installation. The methodology is based on a two-step process. An initial simulation, based on wished-in-place conditions, enables the identification of the failure mechanism as well as the shear strain distribution at failure. A second simulation refines the anchor capacity using soil–soil interface finite elements along the failure surface identified previously and also models installation through successive loading–unloading of the screw anchor at different embedment depths. The methodology is validated against previously published centrifuge test results. This simplified numerical approach has been derived to approximate the results in a single step.
Triple Solutions and Stability Analysis of Mixed Convection Boundary Flow of Casson Nanofluid over an Exponentially Vertical Stretching/Shrinking Sheet

In this paper, we studied the 2D steady laminar boundary layer flow and heat transfer of Casson based nanofluid over an exponentially vertical stretching and shrinking sheet using one phase model. The thermal radiation and heat source/sink parameters are incorporated in the heat transfer equation and the slip parameters for the velocity and temperature are considered in the boundary conditions. The similarity variables have been used to convert the governing equations as a system of partial differential equations to the ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are then solved by applying shooting technique, shootlib in Maple software. The numerical solutions for the governing equations indicate that the triple solutions arise when high suction is imposed for both stretching/shrinking sheet at certain ranges of the pertinent parameters. To examine the stability of the solutions, stability analyses is done by using BVP4c in Matlab software. The first solution is found to be a stable solution and physical realizable while the remaining solutions are not stable. The inclusion of three different nanoparticles shows that Copper – Casson nanofluid has the highest heat transfer rate compared to Aluminum-Casson and Graphite Oxide-Casson nanofluid.
Understanding the Influence of the Electrode Material on Microbial Fuel Cell Performance

In this thesis, I deploy sets of electrodes into microbial fuel cells (MFC), characterize their performance, and evaluate the influence of both platinum catalysts and carbon-based electrodes on current production. The platinum work centers on improving current production by optimizing the use of the catalyst using nano-fabrication techniques. The carbon-electrode work seeks to determine the influence of the bare electrode on biofilm-anode current production. The development of electrodes for MFCs has boomed over the past decade, however, experiments aimed at identifying how catalyst deposition methods and electrode properties influence current production have been limited. The research conducted here is an attempt to expand this knowledge base for platinum catalysts and carbon electrodes. In the initial chapters (4 and 5), I discuss our attempt to decrease catalyst loadings while increasing current production through the use of platinum nanoparticles. The results demonstrate that incorporating platinum nanoparticles throughout the anode and cathode is an efficient means of increasing MFC current production relative to surface deposition because it increases catalyst surface area. The later chapters (chapters 6 and 7) develop an understanding of the importance of electrode properties (i.e. surface area, activation resistance, conductivity, surface morphology) by electrochemically evaluating well-studied anode-respiring pure cultures on different carbon electrode architectures. Two different architectures are produced by using tubular and platelet shaped constituent materials (i.e. carbon fibers and graphene nanoplatelets) and the morphologies of the electrodes are varied by altering the size of the constituent material. The electrodes are characterized and evaluated in MFCs using either Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 or Geobacter sulfurreducens as the innoculant because their bioelectrochemical physiologies are the most documented in the literature. Using the electrochemical results, the electrode characterizations and previous studies on their physiology I am able to extrapolate that it is the difference in the electrode morphology that significantly alters current production. For the carbon fiber, smaller constituent materials create a tighter mesh and spacing that is more amenable to biofilm colonization and increases current production. In the second experiment, the larger graphene-nanoplatelet constituents provided a morphology that better promoted biofilm-growth, after the initial colonization, which enabled significantly higher current production.
Sexism and Ageism in a P2P Lending Market: Evidence from Korea

This study attempts to identify gender and age discrimination by individual lenders in P2P lending markets by analyzing empirical transaction data from multiple platforms including Moneyauction, Popfunding, and 8percent. To do this, the study investigates the effects and importance of a borrower’s gender and age on individual lenders’ preferences and a borrower’s actual repayment performance using multiple linear regression and relative weight analyses. As a result, no gender discrimination is found in the three Korean P2P lending markets, and such indiscrimination is rational, on the grounds that the borrower’s gender does not have a statistically significant impact on the lenders’ preferences as well as his/her actual repayment performance, and its relative importance is minimal. While, there marginally exists age discrimination against a borrower in the markets, and such ageism is likely to be irrational, on the grounds that the borrower’s age has a partly significant and minimally important impact on the lenders’ preferences, but has no significant and important impact on his/her repayment performance. For the first time, these findings help to clarify gender and age discrimination issues in the P2P lending market by identifying the rationality of individual lenders’ preferences to the borrower’s gender and age in the Korea.
Food Wastage as a Display of Consumer Behaviour

The article deals with consumer behavior in terms of food and its wastage. The main aim is to identify consumer behavior in relation to food consumption and food waste in the households in the Czech Republic as an effect of healthy competitive environment. Food consumption and its wastage is analyzed in terms of quantity and food expenditure in general as well as with the use of primary data from the Household Budget Survey. According to a household diary survey, the highest wastage is of cereal and dairy products, with the lowest being meat. The consumption and quantity of wasted food are significant in relation to price. The data obtained during daily monitoring of wasted food in September 2018 are used to test the impact of the household identification characteristics on the quantity of wasted food along with the types. A logit regression is used to estimate the anticipated quantity of wasted food according to individual kinds of food and in relation to household identification characteristics. The age, education and economic activity of consumers have a significant effect on the quantity of wasted food. In addition, the results show that the people who waste the most are over 65 years of age, with the lowest wastage connected with university graduates.
A STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING DECISION TO USE 4G SERVICES: A CASE STUDY

4G has been developed in Vietnam for a long time with commitments to superior speed and interactions compared with 3G services from telecommunications service suppliers such as Viettel, VinaPhone, MobiFone, Gmobile. However, by now, the growth rate of 4G services in Vietnam still remains low and the services are not highly appreciated by users in comparison with some countries in the region and the world. It is therefore very necessary to identify factors affecting the decision to use 4G services. The article proposes a research model on factors affecting the decision to use 4G services of Vietnamese customers based on TAM model and previous research findings. The research model is set up to measure the factors affecting the decision to use 4G services of Vietnamese customers, so that suppliers can further develop their services to meet the demand of users and attract more customers. On the side of users, they can enjoy more conveniences that this advanced technology brings to their work, study and communication so as to raise their work performance and improve their quality of life.
Characterization of epicathechin contents in the Ziziphus spina-christi L. root extracts using LC-MS analyses and their insecticidal potential

Abstract The goal of this study was to assess the phenolic composition of the various Ziziphus spina-christi root extracts (aqueous, methanlic, ethanolic and acetonic). The highest amounts of total phenols (60.47 mg GEA/g DW) flavonoids (12.04 mg QE/g DW) and tannin (23.98 mg CE/g DW) were showed in the ethanol solvent. Epicatechin contents were detected, using Liquid Chromatography-mass spectrometry, at level of 6 µg/ml. Furthermore, the concentration of the extract required to scavenge 50% of free radicals (CI 50), investigated by means of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2-azinobis-(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) and Fe2+ chelating assays, reached levels of 0.41 ± 0.01; 0.33 ± 0.14 and 0.24 ± 0.03, respectively. The toxic potential against Lasioderma serricorne showed the highest insecticidal potential of Ziziphus spina-christi roots extract. The LC95 values were 3.17 and 4.86 µg/insect respectively for the ethanolic and acetonic extract. The present investigation improves the value of Ziziphus spina-christi as resource of epicathechin, which could be used as bioantioxidant and bioinsecticides.
COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: A review

Background: An ongoing outbreak of pneumonia associated with a novel coronavirus was reported in Wuhan city, China. This new virus was named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the Coronavirus Study Group (CSG) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. That disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the WHO. The outbreak has since spread across the globe, including countries in Africa. Main body: The dominant mode of transmission is from the respiratory tract, via droplets or indirectly via fomites, and to a lesser extent via aerosols. The rapidity with which the infection spread throughout the world was unexpected. The disease has now affected 212 countries, areas, or territories, with more than 2.1 million total confirmed cases and over 144 thousand fatalities as at the time of writing. It, therefore, behooves countries of the world to take firm public health measures for the pandemic is to be contained. Conclusion: Nigeria, with a population of at least 170 million people, is of global interest because a rapid rise in the number of infected people will have serious implications not only for the country but for the whole African continent. %MCEPASTEBIN%
The relationship between volume increment and stand density in Norway spruce plantations

An understanding of the relationship between volume increment and stand density (basal area, stand density index, etc.) is of utmost importance for properly managing stand density to achieve specific management objectives. There are two main approaches to analyse growth–density relationships. The first relates volume increment to stand density through a basic relationship, which can vary with site productivity, age, and potentially incorporates treatment effects. The second is to relate the volume increment and density of thinned experimental plots relative to that of an unthinned experimental plot on the same site. Using a dataset of 229 thinned and unthinned experimental plots of Norway spruce, a growth model is developed describing the relationship between gross or net volume increment and basal area. The models indicate that gross volume increases with increasing basal area up to 50 m2 and thereafter becomes constant out to the maximum basal area. Alternatively, net volume increment was maximized at a basal area of 43 m2 and decreased with further increases in basal area. However, the models indicated a wide range where net volume increment was essentially constant, varying by less than 1 m3 ha−1 year−1. An analysis of different thinning scenarios indicated that the relative relationship between volume increment and stand density was dynamic and changed over the course of a rotation.
SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein-based Vaccine: A Promising Candidate against the Recent Imperial Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

In time past, to date combating against diseases and fatal disorders (of known or idiopathic cause) is a major effort among the human race. The emergence of several, novel and pathogenic viral infections have posed a great threat to humanity and could wipe us out of existence if there are no counter measures. Among the increasing number of pathogenic viruses in this past decade, the advent of the recent imperial SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus type cannot be underestimated as it is not just a malady endemic to a nation, but have also triggered an emergency of public health across the globe. SARS-CoV-2 a memorial of the initial Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) reported in China in (2003) is the etiological agent of the mysterious COVID-19 reported to originate from Wuhan, Hubei province, China in 2019. Though the virus exhibit mild pathogenicity compared to other previously emerged human coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, MERSCoV, and SARS-CoV), however, the high transmissibility and infectivity among human is alarming. In spite the evidences from the increasing number of substantiated global cases and deaths resulting from the epidemic outbreak to date, curative measures to curtail and treat this disease are Review Article Galley Proof Chukwuemeka et al.; IJPR, 4(3): 40-62, 2020; Article no.IJPR. 58283 41 still lacking. Just like SARS-CoV, it has been revealed that SARS-CoV-2 also uses similar receptor for infectivity and shares similar disease pathogenesis. This knowledge presents a therapeutic target against COVID-19. The presence of cross-reactive epitopes in the spike protein subunit of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 present the use of neutralization antibodies from convalescent SARS challenged patients against COVID 19. However, limited cross-neutralization due to lower sequence conservation in the Spike protein subunit could render this approach ineffective. Realizing the urgent need for developing potent therapeutics against the imminent risk of COVID19 on humanity, this review article, suggests the use of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant Spike proteinbased vaccine as an immunotherapeutic target to combat COVID-19 based on garnered knowledge from researches on consanguineal coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV), and current trends in vaccine development against this infection.