Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resolution analysis of compressed sensing based methods for single frequency radar imaging

This paper investigates the resolution performance of compressed sensing (CS) based methods for single frequency cross range radar imaging. Classical definition based CS (DCS) method and Fourier transform based CS (FTCS) method are compared with the conventional backpropagation (BP) technique. Numerical results show the DCS method has super-resolution ability while the FTCS and BP methods do not. In addition, the resolving power of the DCS method is highly related to the region of interest (ROI), that is, the smaller the ROI is, the higher resolution the DCS method has.
Targeted Ablation of Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide-producing Cells in Transgenic Mice Reduces Obesity and Insulin Resistance Induced by a High Fat Diet*

The K cell is a specific sub-type of enteroendocrine cell located in the proximal small intestine that produces glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), xenin, and potentially other unknown hormones. Because GIP promotes weight gain and insulin resistance, reducing hormone release from K cells could lead to weight loss and increased insulin sensitivity. However, the consequences of coordinately reducing circulating levels of all K cell-derived hormones are unknown. To reduce the number of functioning K cells, regulatory elements from the rat GIP promoter/gene were used to express an attenuated diphtheria toxin A chain in transgenic mice. K cell number, GIP transcripts, and plasma GIP levels were profoundly reduced in the GIP/DT transgenic mice. Other enteroendocrine cell types were not ablated. Food intake, body weight, and blood glucose levels in response to insulin or intraperitoneal glucose were similar in control and GIP/DT mice fed standard chow. In contrast to single or double incretin receptor knock-out mice, the incretin response was absent in GIP/DT animals suggesting K cells produce GIP plus an additional incretin hormone. Following high fat feeding for 21-35 weeks, the incretin response was partially restored in GIP/DT mice. Transgenic versus wild-type mice demonstrated significantly reduced body weight (25%), plasma leptin levels (77%), and daily food intake (16%) plus enhanced energy expenditure (10%) and insulin sensitivity. Regardless of diet, long term glucose homeostasis was not grossly perturbed in the transgenic animals. In conclusion, studies using GIP/DT mice demonstrate an important role for K cells in the regulation of body weight and insulin sensitivity.
Retail shopping behaviour: understanding the role of regulatory focus theory

This study attempts to investigate the relationships between promotion focus, prevention focus, impulsiveness, attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty. Field survey data with multivariate statistical techniques tested the theoretical propositions. Results reveal that promotion focus positively influences impulsiveness, whereas prevention focus negatively influences impulsiveness. Promotion focus negatively influences both attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty, whereas prevention focus positively influences both attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty. Finally, impulsiveness has negative impacts on both attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty. Implications for theory and practice, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Can CRM survive integrating franchisees with a corporate giant

Purpose – A paucity of literature considers a growing trend within the retail space whereby franchise companies and their franchisees market and sell products and services across multiple channels, including company‐owned retail stores. This case study aims to explore the processes used to support the customer experience, the control mechanisms that are in place, and the channels by which these customer‐company interactions occur.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach employing an adaptation of the grounded theory method for data collection, coding, and analysis was used and this study specifically focused on an international van‐based service franchise during the integration of the franchise company's service into the retail brick‐and‐mortar locations of the parent company. Participants included retail employees of the parent company, franchise company support staff, franchisees, and third‐party call center agents working for the parent company.Findings – Findings suggest a relationship exi.
Dynamic optimization with restricted and unrestricted moves between changes: A study on the dynamic maximal covering location problem

Adaptation to changes in real scenarios is not a “cost-free” operation. However, in general, this is not considered in most of the studies done in dynamic optimization problems. Our focus here is to analyse what happens when a relocation cost is added in the dynamic maximal covering location problem, that is, when the adaptation to changes entails some cost. Comparing two models with and without “cost-free” adaptation, respectively, we study how much coverage is lost, how similar are the solutions obtained for both problems along the time and we preliminarily explore the relation between solution similarity and coverage differences.
Employing consumer electronic devices in physiological and emotional evaluation of common driving activities

It is important to equip future vehicles with an onboard system capable of tracking and analyzing driver state in real-time in order to mitigate the risk of human error occurrence in manual or semi-autonomous driving. This study aims to provide some supporting evidence for adoption of consumer grade electronic devices in driver state monitoring. The study adopted repeated measure design and was performed in high-fidelity driving simulator. Total of 39 participants of mixed age and gender have taken part in the user trials. The mobile application was developed to demonstrate how a mobile device can act as a host for a driver state monitoring system, support connectivity, synchronization, and storage of driver state related measures from multiple devices. The results of this study showed that multiple physiological measures, sourced from consumer grade electronic devices, can be used to successfully distinguish task complexities across common driving activities. For instance, galvanic skin response and some heart rate derivatives were found to be correlated to overall subjective workload ratings. Furthermore, emotions were captured and showed to be affected by extreme driving situations.
Price promotions effects of virtue and vice products

Purpose – This paper aims to propose models that capture the own effect of price promotions of virtue and vice products on sales and cross effects within the subcategory, between subcategories and between periods. The hypotheses assume that, due to reverse consumption self-control, the demand for vice products is more price-sensitive than demand for virtue products, but the demand for vice products is less price-sensitive between periods than demand for virtue products; furthermore, due to the degree of impulse-buying and to licensing, the demand sensitivity of the products of a subcategory and of those of other subcategories varies according to the type of promoted product (vice or virtue). Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on different econometrical models that estimate the total net effect of price promotions of virtue and vice products on sales. Findings – The results show a greater own effect for price promotions of vice products than for virtue products. However, the complementa.
A fast analytical approach for static power-down mode analysis

In this paper, a new method for static analysis of the power-down mode of analog circuits is presented. Floating nodes are detected. The static node voltages are estimated. It can be verified that no current is flowing. The method is based on circuit structure. No numerical simulation is needed. The presented approach solves an integer constraint program. Experimental results show a speed-up of factor 2.5 compared a state-of-the-art voltage propagation algorithm. Furthermore, the presented analytical problem formulation enables fast implementation of the method using a constraint programming solver.
Food and grocery supply chains: a reappraisal of ECR performance

Purpose – The paper aims to reappraise efficient consumer response (ECR) in the grocery and food industry to determine whether financial and operating performance improves with ECR adoption.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a time‐series multiple regression model. The methodology overcomes historical shortcomings in ECR and supply chain management research related to small sample size, one‐tier investigation, and short‐longitudinal focus.Findings – ECR adoption has beneficial impacts for both financial and operational performance.Research limitations/implications – Two limitations exist. First, determining the actual time of implementation for supply chain management strategies by firms in the food industry is extremely difficult. The method used to classify firms as ECR adopters in this paper is believed to be sound and unbiased, but errors may exist. Second, this analysis does not account for differences in the implementation level for ECR. For simplicity, a binary variable is used to disting.
Electric Vehicle Li-Ion Battery Evaluation Based on Internal Resistance Analysis

Internal resistance (IR) is considered one of the most important parameters of a battery, as it is used to evaluate the battery's power performance, energy efficiency, aging mechanisms or equivalent circuit modeling. In addition, in electric vehicle (EV) applications, the IR provides essential information related with regenerative braking capabilities, dynamic charge and discharge efficiencies, or physical degradation of the battery. This work aims to provide the insight details of the IR of a battery under several testing conditions and methods, to present its practical implications on EVs. The experimental tests are carried out on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries ranging from 16 Ah to 100 Ah, suitable for its use in EVs. We study the IR dependency with battery's capacity, SOC and the charge/discharge rate; also, the convenience of using a certain IR measurement method is evaluated. Furthermore, the main results are put into context for practical EV applications, to enhance the design of battery management systems (BMS) in relation with the system's energy efficiency.
Description of Helicobacter valdiviensis sp. nov., an Epsilonproteobacteria isolated from wild bird faecal samples.

Two Gram-stain-negative, gently curved rod-shaped isolates (WBE14(T) and WBE19), recovered from wild bird faecal samples in the city of Valdivia (Southern Chile) were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Results of a genus-specific PCR indicated that these isolates belonged to the genus Helicobacter. This was further confirmed by a phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA, 60 kDa heat-shock protein (cpn60) and gyrase subunit B (gyrB) genes, where both strains formed a novel phylogenetic line within this genus. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of strain WBE14(T) to the type strains of all other species of the genus Helicobacter examined ranged from 89.4 to 97.0%; Helicobacter brantae and Helicobacter pametensis were the most closely related species. However, on the basis of the protein-coding genes Helicobacter pullorum and Helicobacter canadensis are the most closely related species. These data, together with their different morphological and biochemical characteristics, revealed that these strains represent a novel species, for which the name Helicobacter valdiviensis sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain WBE14(T) ( = CECT 8410(T) = LMG 27920(T)).
Influence of Control and Family Management in the Indebtedness of Brazilian Open Business: a Quantitative Study

This research investigated the influence of the family on the debt of Brazilian open business companies. Although there is a vast national and international literature on capital structure, there are still doubts on the importance of family in business management. In Brazil, due to the large number of family businesses, it is even more evident the need to investigate the issue. The studied population was composed of companies listed on the BM&FBovespa, in 2010, and the final sample consisted of 356 companies. Six years were analyzed (2004-2009), in a total of 2,136 observations. The results show that the studied companies that are familiar or that have family management have become less indebted than others. This result is in accordance with national and international studies, according to which family firms tend to be more conservative in their investments, seeking to use more equity than third party capital.
Comparative Analyses of Arabidopsis complex glycan1 Mutants and Genetic Interaction with staurosporin and temperature sensitive3a1[W][OA]

We compare three Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) complex glycan1 (cgl1) alleles and report on genetic interaction with staurosporin and temperature sensitive3a (stt3a). STT3a encodes a subunit of oligosaccharyltransferase that affects efficiency of N-glycan transfer to nascent secretory proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum; cgl1 mutants lack N-acetyl-glucosaminyltransferase I activity and are unable to form complex N-glycans in the Golgi apparatus. By studying CGL1-green fluorescent protein fusions in transient assays, we show that the extra N-glycosylation site created by a point mutation in cgl1 C5 is used in planta and interferes with folding of full-length membrane-anchored polypeptides in the endoplasmic reticulum. Tunicamycin treatment or expression in the stt3a-2 mutant relieved the folding block, and migration to Golgi stacks resumed. Complementation tests with C5-green fluorescent protein and other N-glycosylation variants of CGL1 demonstrated that suppression of aberrant N-glycosylation restores activity. Interestingly, CGL1 seems to be functional also as nonglycosylated enzyme. Two other cgl1 alleles showed splicing defects of their transcripts. In cgl1 C6, a point mutation affects the 3′ splice site of intron 14, resulting in frame shifts; in cgl1-T, intron 11 fails to splice due to insertion of a T-DNA copy. Introgression of stt3a-2 did not restore complex glycan formation in cgl1 C6 or cgl1-T but suppressed the N-acetyl-glucosaminyltransferase I defect in cgl1 C5. Root growth assays revealed synergistic effects in double mutants cgl1 C6 stt3a-2 and cgl1-T stt3a-2 only. Besides demonstrating the conditional nature of cgl1 C5 in planta, our observations with loss-of-function alleles cgl1 C6 and cgl1-T in the stt3a-2 underglycosylation background prove that correct N-glycosylation is important for normal root growth and morphology in Arabidopsis.
Risk Assessment Of Loan Pricing (A Case Study at PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia Malang Kawi Branch Office)

The tight competition in banking sector has stimulated banks to initiate breakthrough by providing a wide range of banking products and facility to their customers. This undeniably effects the assessment of loan pricing and credit risk. The purpose of this study is to understand the methods used by a bank in loan pricing and credit risk analysis. In addition, this study is aimed to find out whether the effect of the magnitude of inherent risks have a role in determining the credit interest rate. This research employs descriptive qualitative as the research method in which the object under study is PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia Malang Kawi Branch Office. This study focuses on the process of credit retail realization, specifically on credit risk assessment. Based on the analysis, the findings show that PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia uses two methods in the analysis of credit risk. The methods are 5C’s and Credit Risk Rating (CRR). It was found that the implementation of the methods were in line with the Basel Principles formulated by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Credit analysis process is also used by the bank as a reference in determining lending rates. Keywords: Credit Bank, Loan Pricing, Credit Risk, Credit Risk Analysis.
Applying RFID technology in warranty service information system

Many manufacturers are seeing the benefit of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and striving to find the real-world applications of RFID technology. The benefit and uniqueness of RFID is the ability to track, trace and sneak, but the silent tracking ability usually accompanies the privacy problem. Some advocates of privacy worry that readers may spy on the consumer information via the unauthorised scanning. In this paper, we apply the RFID technology to a warranty-service application in business. We do not only use the tags on the product and the warranty card against worn bar codes and texts. Our aim is to design an efficient and secure warranty service information system for both consumer and company and, at the same time, avoid tracking and tracing.
The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative on Sustainable Livelihood Capitals of Cocoa Farmers in Ghana

JYVÄSKYLÄN YLIOPISTO Tiedekunta – Faculty Faculty of Development and International Corporation Laitos – Department: Department of Social Science and Philosophy Tekijä – Author: Obeng Godfred Adduow Työnnimi – Title: The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility initiative on Sustainable Livelihood capitals of Cocoa Farmers in Ghana: A Case Study of Cocoa Livelihood Program in Ahafo Ano South District Oppiaine – Subject: Social and Public policy TyönLaji – Level Master’s thesis Aika – Month and Year Autumn, 2015 Sivumäärä – Number of pages . , X appendices Tiivistelmä – Abstract The Cocoa Livelihood Programme (CLP), an initiative of corporate organizations in collaboration with the World Cocoa Foundation (WFC) in line with their corporate social responsibility (CSR), was introduced in Ghana by Solidaridad West Africa in the year 2009. This CSR initiative is to promote sustainable livelihoods of cocoa farmers. Qualitative research method of approach was used to examine the impact of the CLP on the livelihoods of participating cocoa farmers in the Ahafo Ano South District using the five capitals of the Sustainable Livelihood (SL) Framework. Two research questions were answered using thematic coding and analysis. The findings show that the cocoa livelihood programme (CLP) is impacting positively on the lives of cocoa farmers studied thereby contributing to their social, natural, physical, financial and human capital livelihoods. The CLP programme has resulted in sound environmental management and practices among the cocoa farmers, preventing landing degradation whiles yields from their cocoa cultivation has increased which is helping them to save some money for future use. The study also reveals some challenges to cocoa farmers, which inhibit the realization of sustainable livelihood, even with the achievements under the CLP. Cheating through weighing scale adjustments by cocoa purchasing clerks (PCs) confirms earlier researches. Providing legal support to get official registration of the lands of cocoa farmers and business trainings are some of the findings, which were not captured in the literatures reviewed under this study. The conditions that farmers needs to fulfil in order to participate in the CLP initiative should be reviewed as some farmers may be excluded from the program. Also there should be effective enforcement of laws to prevent illegal encroachments of farmlands by both gold seekers and timber merchants to enable cocoa farmers achieve sustainable livelihood. Asiasanat –
B-cell-activating factor receptor expression on naive and memory B cells: relationship with relapse in patients with rheumatoid arthritis following B-cell depletion therapy

Objectives To examine the expression of B-cell-activating factor receptor (BAFF-R) on naive CD27− and memory CD27+ B cells in normal individuals and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing B-cell depletion therapy with rituximab. Patients and Methods BAFF-R expression on B-cell subsets was determined in normal controls (NC; n=11), active patients with RA pre-rituximab (pre-RX; n=15), relapsing patients either concordant for B-cell repopulation (C-R, n=13) or discordant, with relapse more than 3 months after repopulation (D-R, n=11) and patients in remission over 3 months postrepopulation (discordant non-relapsing (D-NR), n=5). Serum BAFF was measured by ELISA and analysed using Mann–Whitney. Results There was no significant difference between NC, pre-RX and D-NR patients in %BAFF-R-positive B cells or mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) in naive and memory B cells. Relapsing patients had significantly lower MFI and %BAFF-R-positive cells in both naive and memory compartments from NC and pre-RX (C-R and D-R; p<0.01). BAFF levels in pre-RX patients were within the normal range and did not correlate with BAFF-R expression in any patient group. D-NR patients had relatively lower proportions of pre and postswitch CD27+ B cells than pre-RX patients (D-NR vs pre-RX; p<0.05 for both) and also lower numbers of postswitch B cells than D-R patients (D-NR vs D-R, p<0.05). Conclusion BAFF-R expression was significantly reduced on both naive and memory B cells in patients at relapse, regardless of the relationship with B-cell repopulation or serum BAFF levels. Re-establishment of active disease was also associated with an increase in class-switch recombination. Factors responsible for lower levels of BAFF-R may relate to altered thresholds for autoreactive B-cell generation at relapse in patients with RA.
Low Temperature Fabrication of Chalcogenide Microsphere Resonators for Thermal Sensing

We report microsphere resonators fabricated with a gallium germanium antimony sulfide (2S2G) chalcogenide glass and demonstrate whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in the wavelength range of 1.65-2 μm. Typical quality factors (Q factors) measured with 2S2G microspheres fabricated in our lab are approximately 6×104. Compared with other chalcogenide glasses used in microsphere resonators, this 2S2G glass has a lower melting temperature and a higher characteristic temperature, and therefore, the fabrication temperature in the sphere-forming process can be reduced and the crystallization problem can be mitigated. We also demonstrate apparent shifts of resonant peaks in the measured WGMs as the environmental temperature varies, implying that these 2S2G microspheres can be used as compact temperature sensors. The thermal sensitivity measured with a 108.52-μm-diameter 2S2G microsphere is 28 pm/°C.