Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of strategic planning on organizational performance: a case study of equator flower farm in Eldoret East District, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of strategic planning on organizational performance. The study was conducted at Equator flower farm, Eldoret branch. The objectives of the study was to; to assess the level of organizational policies and action influence on organizational performance at Equator Flowers, Eldoret, to identify the appropriate planning that can be used at Equator Flowers, Eldoret, to determine employees' attitude and participation regarding organizational performance at Equator Flowers, Eldoret and to determine how inndvation and learning influence organizational performance. The study adopted a case study research design. For the purpose of this study, the study targeted the management, departmental heads and employees within the flower organization. The study targeted 2 senior management, 5 departmental heads and 98 employees. A sample size of 31 respondents was selected to participate in the study. The researcher used stratified sampling technique to select the senior management and departmental heads while simple random sampling was used to select the employees. The researcher used questionnaires and interview schedule as data collection instruments in the organization. Questionnaires were administered to the departmental heads and employees while interview schedule was administered to the manager. The computer program, Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17 for windows, was useful in coding the data that was collected. The data was organized, presented, analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics that was used to analyze data was frequencies tables, percentages, and charts. Another method that was used was regression and correlation analysis. The management at the Equator flowers and other organizations will find the study significant in that it provides a useful framework for managing their organizations through strategic plans, v thus understanding the role of strategic planning in the accomplishment of organizational objectives. This way, strategic planning becomes a motivational tool for both the management and employees.
Forearc extension and slow rollback of the Calabrian Arc from GPS measurements

Here we describe the horizontal velocities of continuous GPS stations in the Calabrian Arc (CA) and surrounding regions. The appropriate reference frame to evaluate the crustal motion of the CA is considered by assessing the internal deformation and the relative motion of the crustal blocks in the foreland of the Apennines‐Ionian‐Maghrebides subduction system. We propose that the motion of CA relative to the subducting Ionian lower plate is most properly assessed by minimizing the GPS velocities in Apulia. In this reference frame the significant ≈2 mm/yr southeastward motion of the stations on the Ionian flank of the CA shows that the arc is still moving towards the trench in agreement with the observations of active shortening in the Ioanian wedge. This southeastward migration is associated to 1.4 ± 0.3 mm/yr E‐W extension of the forearc in northern Calabria, comparable with the seismic strain averaged in the last 500 years. The limited subaerial exposure decreases the resolution on locking of the subduction interface but the distribution and direction of crustal extension along the CA impose important constraints on geodynamic interpretations of the area.
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The standardized test is widely considered, even among psychology professionals, to be synonymous with the multiple-choice or single constructed response test. Such a notion is understandable in view of the fact that these formats have dominated the field of tests measuring intelligence, aptitudes and academic performance for many years – and for good reasons, related above all to the range of content they cover and the ease with which they can be marked and scored. However, the standardized test label can also be applied to other formats that fulfill all the requirements of a test and which can show adequate psychometric properties. Among these would be those we refer to here under the heading of performance assessment1, increasingly employed in psychological and educational assessment. Table 1 shows a classification of different types of standardized test format, which can be situated along a series of continuums (Gronlund, 2006). Among the formats considered, those generally regarded as performance assessment are essays, projects, simulations and work samples. As it can be seen, these formats are closer to the extremes characterized by greater authenticity and cognitive complexity, more indepth coverage and response structured by the respondent him/herself. They also tend to be more expensive. Given the wide range of formats performance assessments can take, a possible definition that takes into account such diversity would be as follows: “performance assessments are standardized assessment procedures in which respondents are required to carry out tasks or processes in which they demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge and skills to actions in simulated or real-life situations”. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
The role of seasonality of mineral dust concentration and size on glacial/interglacial dust changes in the EPICA Dronning Maud Land ice core

We present a record of particulate dust concentration and size distribution in subannual resolution measured on the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice core drilled in the Atlantic sector of the East Antarctic plateau. The record reaches from present day back to the penultimate glacial until 145,000 years B.P. with subannual resolution from 60,000 years B.P. to the present. Mean dust concentrations are a factor of 46 higher during the glacial (~850–4600 ng/mL) compared to the Holocene (~16–112 ng/mL) with slightly smaller dust particles during the glacial compared to the Holocene and with an absolute minimum in the dust size at 16,000 years B.P. The changes in dust concentration are mainly attributed to changes in source conditions in southern South America. An increase in the modal value of the dust size suggests that at 16,000 years B.P. a major change in atmospheric circulation apparently allowed more direct transport of dust particles to the EDML drill site. We find a clear in‐phase relation of the seasonal variation in dust mass concentration and dust size during the glacial (r(conc,size) = 0.8) but no clear phase relationship during the Holocene (0 < r(conc,size) < 0.4). With a simple conceptual 1‐D model describing the transport of the dust to the ice sheet using the size as an indicator for transport intensity, we find that the effect of the changes in the seasonality of the source emission strength and the transport intensity on the dust decrease over Transition 1 can significantly contribute to the large decrease of dust concentration from the glacial to the Holocene.
Early Cretaceous Gangdese retroarc foreland basin evolution in the Selin Co basin, central Tibet: evidence from sedimentology and detrital zircon geochronology

Abstract The Selin Co basin in the northern Lhasa terrane includes more than 3000 m of upward coarsening Lower Cretaceous strata, and the sedimentary sequence from the flysch to the molasse indicates the evolution of a foreland basin. Petrographic analysis shows that sandstones are rich in volcanic and sedimentary lithics and most of them fall into recycled orogen and magmatic arc. Uranium–lead (U–Pb) ages were determined for 435 detrital zircons from the Lower Cretaceous strata in the Selin Co basin. Relative probability of detrital zircon ages shows the Eshaerbu Formation was rich in zircon grains with the age of 125–140 and 160–180 Ma, and the Duoni Formation was dominated by one main age cluster of 125–150 Ma. Analysis of the potential provenances suggests the Early Cretaceous zircon grains were primarily derived from the Gangdese magmatic arc to the south. The youngest zircon ages in the lowermost exposure of the Eshaerbru Formation are c. 130 Ma, providing a maximum depositional age of sediments in the Selin Co basin. Collectively, our studies, together with previously documented Cretaceous thrusting in the Lhasa terrane, suggest the Lower Cretaceous Selin Co basin was deposited in a retroarc foreland basin. From 145–90 Ma, a retroarc foreland basin was presumed to develop in the Lhasa terrane, migrating from the south to the north. Crustal thickening, likely associated with the evolution of the retroarc foreland basin, was speculated to start in the Early Cretaceous in the Lhasa terrane.
How sustained is sustained viral response in patients with hepatitis C virus infection?

BACKGROUND Sustained virological response (SVR) is achieved in a high proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis C infection, particularly those with genotype 2 or 3 HCV infection. However, data on long-term durability of virological response in patients who achieve SVR are limited. AIM To evaluate the long-term durability of virological response in patients who have achieved SVR with interferon-based combination therapy. METHODS One hundred patients with chronic HCV infection who had obtained SVR after IFN and ribavirin combination therapy were followed up for up to 8 years with annual HCV RNA testing. RESULTS During a followed up of 6 months to 8 years, 8 of 100 patients with initial SVR developed late relapse of HCV infection. Relapse was more common in patients who had cirrhosis (5/28 [18%] vs. (3/72 [4%] with no cirrhosis; p=0.037). CONCLUSION SVR is durable in most patients, but some patients do have late relapse; long term follow up may be particularly important in a subset of patients with HCV infection who have liver cirrhosis.
SPECT-CT-guided ultrasound for parathyroid adenoma localisation - a one stop approach

: Rationale: To evaluate the accuracy of one-stop (single patient attendance) SPECT-CT-guided ultrasound in the localisation of parathyroid adenomata (PTA). Secondary aims included analysing the effect of multiple PTA and concurrent thyroid disease on sensitivity. Methods: Patients with hyperparathyroidism that had undergone parathyroidectomy were identified over a 5 year period. Pathological correlation with results from preoperative sestamibi SPECT-CT followed by targeted ultrasound of the neck was performed. The number of glands, location and presence of concurrent thyroid disease were reviewed. Results: 146 patients were included (88% single gland, 7% multigland and 5% negative explorations). The sensitivity and specificity of SPECT-CT-guided ultrasound were 83% and 96% respectively. The sensitivity was higher for single gland (87%) as compared to multigland disease (70%). The addition of ultrasound significantly increased the sensitivity of the technique (p<0.001). The presence of concurrent thyroid disease (nodules/thyroiditis) did not adversely affect sensitivity (85% CI 74.2-93.1%) compared with normal or atrophic glands (82% CI 72.3-89.7%). Conclusion: SPECT-CT guided ultrasound represents a useful means of localising PTA, thereby aiding the decision to undertake minimally-invasive or exploratory surgery. The one-stop approach offers patient convenience and enables the radiologist to use the additive benefits of both modalities to optimise localisation. The technique is less sensitive in multi-gland disease, but concurrent thyroid disease does not adversely affect sensitivity.
Northern Hemisphere Extratropical Cyclones in a Warming Climate in the HiGEM High-Resolution Climate Model

AbstractChanges to the Northern Hemisphere winter (December–February) extratropical storm tracks and cyclones in a warming climate are investigated. Two idealized climate change experiments with the High Resolution Global Environmental Model version 1.1 (HiGEM1.1), a doubled CO2 and a quadrupled CO2 experiment, are compared against a present-day control run. An objective feature tracking method is used and a focus is given to regional changes. The climatology of extratropical storm tracks from the control run is shown to be in good agreement with the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA-40), while the frequency distribution of cyclone intensity also compares well.In both simulations the mean climate changes are generally consistent with the simulations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) models, with strongly enhanced surface warming at the winter pole and reduced lower-tropospheric warming over the North Atlantic Ocean assoc.
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Organic Fractions in Degraded vs. Non-Degraded Mollisols in Argentina

The use of no-tillage has notably increased in the Pampas region of Argentina during the last 10 yr. Two tillage experiments with contrasting previous agricultural use, degraded and non-degraded soils, were evaluated in the southeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The objectives were to: (i) quantify the effects of tillage and N fertilization on quantity and vertical distribution of C and N in the soil organic matter (SOM) and particulate organic matter (POM) fractions as well as potentially mineralizable N (PMN), and (ii) evaluate these fractions as indicators of soil quality. Tillage systems were conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and no-tillage (NT) (main plots), and N fertilization rates were 0, 120, and 150 kg ha -1 (subplots). Total organic C (TOC), total N (TN), POM-C, POM-N, and PMN were measured at 0- to 7.5- and 7.5- to 15-cm soil depth. In Exp. I (degraded soil) TOC was greater under NT (27 g kg -1 ) than under CT (24 g kg -1 ) in the 0-N treatments. No differences in TOC and TN were found in Exp. II at 0 to 7.5 cm (non-degraded soil). Carbon in POM and POM-N were greater under NT in the fractions of 212 to 2000 and 53 to 212 μm at 0 to 7.5 cm, but they were similar or greater under CT at 7.5- to 15-cm depth in Exp. I. Stratification of TOC, TN, and POM were observed under NT in Exp. I. Potentially mineralizable N was greater under NT (62 mg kg -1 ) in Exp. I, however, no differences in PMN were observed in Exp. II. Carbon in POM 212 to 2000 μm and PMN were the more sensitive indicators of tillage effects, mainly in Exp. I.
Fast Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares Algorithms for Analysis-Based Sparsity Reconstruction

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for analysis-based sparsity reconstruction. It can solve the generalized problem by structured sparsity regularization with an orthogonal basis and total variation regularization. The proposed algorithm is based on the iterative reweighted least squares (IRLS) model, which is further accelerated by the preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The convergence rate of the proposed algorithm is almost the same as that of the traditional IRLS algorithms, that is, exponentially fast. Moreover, with the specifically devised preconditioner, the computational cost for each iteration is significantly less than that of traditional IRLS algorithms, which enables our approach to handle large scale problems. In addition to the fast convergence, it is straightforward to apply our method to standard sparsity, group sparsity, overlapping group sparsity and TV based problems. Experiments are conducted on a practical application: compressive sensing magnetic resonance imaging. Extensive results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves superior performance over 14 state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of both accuracy and computational cost.
Using Smartphones and Machine Learning to Quantify Parkinson Disease Severity: The Mobile Parkinson Disease Score

Importance Current Parkinson disease (PD) measures are subjective, rater-dependent, and assessed in clinic. Smartphones can measure PD features, yet no smartphone-derived rating score exists to assess motor symptom severity in real-world settings. Objectives To develop an objective measure of PD severity and test construct validity by evaluating the ability of the measure to capture intraday symptom fluctuations, correlate with current standard PD outcome measures, and respond to dopaminergic therapy. Design, Setting, and Participants This observational study assessed individuals with PD who remotely completed 5 tasks (voice, finger tapping, gait, balance, and reaction time) on the smartphone application. We used a novel machine-learning–based approach to generate a mobile Parkinson disease score (mPDS) that objectively weighs features derived from each smartphone activity (eg, stride length from the gait activity) and is scaled from 0 to 100 (where higher scores indicate greater severity). Individuals with and without PD additionally completed standard in-person assessments of PD with smartphone assessments during a period of 6 months. Main Outcomes and Measures Ability of the mPDS to detect intraday symptom fluctuations, the correlation between the mPDS and standard measures, and the ability of the mPDS to respond to dopaminergic medication. Results The mPDS was derived from 6148 smartphone activity assessments from 129 individuals (mean [SD] age, 58.7 [8.6] years; 56 [43.4%] women). Gait features contributed most to the total mPDS (33.4%). In addition, 23 individuals with PD (mean [SD] age, 64.6 [11.5] years; 11 [48%] women) and 17 without PD (mean [SD] age 54.2 [16.5] years; 12 [71%] women) completed in-clinic assessments. The mPDS detected symptom fluctuations with a mean (SD) intraday change of 13.9 (10.3) points on a scale of 0 to 100. The measure correlated well with the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson Disease’s Rating Scale total (r = 0.81; P < .001) and part III only (r = 0.88; P < .001), the Timed Up and Go assessment (r = 0.72; P = .002), and the Hoehn and Yahr stage (r = 0.91; P < .001). The mPDS improved by a mean (SD) of 16.3 (5.6) points in response to dopaminergic therapy. Conclusions and Relevance Using a novel machine-learning approach, we created and demonstrated construct validity of an objective PD severity score derived from smartphone assessments. This score complements standard PD measures by providing frequent, objective, real-world assessments that could enhance clinical care and evaluation of novel therapeutics.
A glaciation indirect aerosol effect caused by soot aerosols

Anthropogenic aerosols can influence the climate indirectly by changing the optical properties and precipitation formation of water clouds. An indirect effect that has not been considered involves the subset of anthropogenic aerosols that act as ice nuclei and thereby determines the lifetime of ice and mixed‐phase clouds. If, in addition to mineral dust, a fraction of the hydrophilic soot aerosol particles is assumed to act as contact ice nuclei as evident from recent laboratory studies, then increases in aerosol concentration from pre‐industrial times to present‐day pose a new indirect effect, a “glaciation indirect effect”, on clouds. Here increases in contact ice nuclei in the present‐day climate result in more frequent glaciation of clouds and increase the amount of precipitation via the ice phase. This effect can at least partly offset the solar indirect aerosol effect on water clouds.
Carbonate ion concentration in glacial‐age deep waters of the Caribbean Sea

On the basis of the whole foraminifera shell weights for G. sacculifer and N. dutertrei from Caribbean cores, it appears that the carbonate ion concentration of water at 1800 m depth in the open Atlantic (i.e., the depth of the Caribbean sill) was ∼14 μmol/kg greater during glacial time than during the Holocene. The sense of this difference is consistent with the observation that the 13C/12C ratio for benthic foraminifera from glacial‐age Atlantic upper deep water was higher than that for their Holocene equivalents. It is also consistent with fragment to whole foraminifera results. However, as several questions regarding the assumptions involved in converting shell weights to paleocarbonate ion concentrations remain unanswered, this reconstruction must be considered tentative. Critical in this regard are the assumptions that shell‐wall thicknesses were the same as today's at any given site during glacial time and that the 0.3 μg per μmol/kg relationship between shell weight and carbonate ion concentration is applicable over the entire deep water column. The records reported here reveal no evidence for an early Holocene preservation event. However, that for core V28‐122 documents a dissolution event close to the MIS 5‐4 boundary.
Characteristics and Changes in Air Temperature and Glacier's Response on the North Slope of Mt. Qomolangma (Mt. Everest)

Abstract Weather and climatic conditions over the Himalaya regions are of great interest to the scientific community at large. The objective of this study is to present spatial and temporal variations of air temperatures and relative humidity on the north slope of Mt. Qomolangma. Both hourly air temperatures and relative humidity were measured at seven automatic weather stations (AWS) from 5207 to 7028 m a.s. l. from May 2007 through September 2008. Long-term (1959–2007) air temperature and precipitation data were obtained from Dingri Meteorological Station. The preliminary results show that the elevational gradient of mean annual air temperature is non-linear, which decreases from 0.2 °C at an elevation of 5207 m to −4.4 °C at 5792 m, and −5.4 °C at 5955 m. The maxima are 14.6, 9.1, and 18.6 °C, and the minima are −24.2, −28.8, and −29.3 °C at the three elevations, respectively. The relative humidity does not change significantly with increasing elevation except over glacier ice, but the mixing ratio decreases due to the decrease in air temperature. The mean diurnal ranges of air temperature and relative humidity decrease with increasing elevation. The daily maximum air temperature occurs significantly later at the high-elevation site than that at the low elevation site because the air temperature at the high-elevation site is affected to a large extent by downward mixing of warm air near the ablation zone of the glacier during daytime. The air moisture content reflects the pronounced alternation of the wet and dry seasons, and the highest water vapor content is associated with the southwesterly Indian monsoon. The mean annual surface air temperature–elevation gradient is 0.72 ± 0.01 °C (100 m)−1, and also shows a pronounced seasonal signature. Mean annual air temperatures have increased by about 0.62 °C per decade over the last 49 years in this region; the greatest warming trend is observed in winter, the smallest in summer. Warmer conditions have been observed since the mid-1980s. Additional studies have shown a reduction in precipitation in the 1960s that resulted in a decrease in net snow accumulation. Therefore, accelerated retreat of the Rongbuk Glacier since the 1980s may be caused by rising air temperature and the decreased precipitation.
Intraoperative fl uorescence delineation of head and neck cancer with a fl uorescent anti-epidermal growth factor receptor nanobody

: Background Intraoperative near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging is a technology with high potential to provide the surgeon with real-time visualization of tumors during surgery. This study explores the feasibility for clinical translation of an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting nanobody for intraoperative imaging and resection of orthotopic tongue tumors and cervical lymph node metastases.