Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Medieval Borough of Torksey: Excavations 1960–2

The study of deserted medieval settlements has led archaeologists to turn interested eyes on the site of the borough of Torksey. The description of it by William Leland, the Tudor antiquary, together with its known history, seemed to promise that here, as nowhere else in the east Midlands at any rate, it would be possible to study by excavation the character of an urban settlement in the early middle ages. Hence the decision of the Adult Education Department of Nottingham University to start in 1960 a programme of annual excavations as the focal activity of summer schools on medieval archaeology.
Direct Updating of an RNA Base-Pairing Probability Matrix with Marginal Probability Constraints

A base-pairing probability matrix (BPPM) stores the probabilities for every possible base pair in an RNA sequence and has been used in many algorithms in RNA informatics (e.g., RNA secondary structure prediction and motif search). In this study, we propose a novel algorithm to perform iterative updates of a given BPPM, satisfying marginal probability constraints that are (approximately) given by recently developed biochemical experiments, such as SHAPE, PAR, and FragSeq. The method is easily implemented and is applicable to common models for RNA secondary structures, such as energy-based or machine-learning-based models. In this article, we focus mainly on the details of the algorithms, although preliminary computational experiments will also be presented.
Optimal Reactive Power Allocation

A systematic procedure is developed to locate reactive power devices in a power system based on a set of indices, that are based on overall system conditions. After identifying the desired locations, the cost of installation and number of reactive power devices, subject to any required practical and real economic constraints are minimized. Existing controllers are fully utilized before adding any new devices. Linearized sensitivity relationships of power systems are used to obtain an objective function for minimizing the cost of installation. The constraints include the limits on dependent variables(reactive powers of the generators, load bus voltages) and control variables(generator voltages, tap positions, switchable reactive power sources). A parametric linear programming technique based on active set analysis is proposed to solve the reactive power allocation problem.
The Effects of Marketing Mix Elements on Service Brand Equity

Abstract This paper explores the effects of selected marketing mix elements on service brand equity. Research hypotheses about the relationship between marketing mix elements, brand equity dimensions and brand equity itself, in the context of service brands, are defined on the basis of the literature review. A survey was conducted in order to collect relevant empirical data. Structural equation modeling is used to test research hypotheses. The findings of the research indicate that some marketing mix elements may have a negative effect on service brand equity. Also, the findings suggest that advertising, employees, interior appearance, price level and service operation have a positive effect on service brand equity. The results indicate the importance of a strategic approach to building service brands, with establishing the equity of service brands being the long-term goal. The main contribution of this paper comes from the findings about the effects of different marketing mix elements on service brand equity, and the importance of a strategic approach to building and managing service brands.
Exploring the dimensions of IT-based Organizational Learning Ability

This paper reports the results of an exploratory study aimed at identifying the underlying dimensions of a complex concept known as organizational learning ability (OLA). Understanding OLA is important because it is a vital part for explaining why firms are sometimes reluctant to accept and use new technologies with confidence. A good understanding of OLA is also essential to the development of a valid and reliable OLA measurement instrument. Such an instrument, in the context of information technology adoption, does not exist yet. Drawing from the prior literature and several focus group interviews, 42 items purporting to measure OLA were generated. A questionnaire developed from these 42 items was administered to 1200 firms, yielding a response rate of around 15%. The responses were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis, indicating that the co-variation among the proposed OLA 42 items can be explained by a correlated six-factor measurement which may be interpreted as: adaptability, compatibility, accessibility, information management, awareness and unit support . This study not only contributes to a better understanding of the OL concept, but also provides a basis for the construction of an instrument for measuring OLA.
An extensible and configurable trace-driven web server cluster simulation platform

Scheduling algorithm and cache replacement algorithm are two important aspects in a web server cluster, which affect, even determine, the performance of the cluster system. However, their performance depends on client access pattern and some key system parameters to a large extent. In this paper, we design and implement a trace–driven web server cluster simulation platform based on JavaSim, called WSCSim, to evaluate the two kinds of algorithms. The algorithms are directly written in Java, so complicated algorithms can be simulated. In the platform, users are allowed to add new trace parsers to support different trace formats, and can utilise the timer and hook component to collect related information and then calculate the performance indexes they are interested in. Especially, the platform adopts loosely–coupled component architecture to facilitate extension, and all the extensible components are plug and play (PnP). All the components and their parameters can be configured in a configuration file of XML format. Two simulation application scenarios show the feasibility and validity of WSCSim.
A framework for personalized dynamic cross-selling in e-commerce retailing

Cross-selling and product bundling are prevalent strategies in the retail sector. Instead of static bundling offers, i.e. giving the same offer to everyone, personalized dynamic cross-selling generates targeted bundle offers and can help maximize revenues and profits. In resolving the two basic problems of dynamic cross-selling, which involves selecting the right complementary products and optimizing the discount, the issue of computational complexity becomes central as the customer base and length of the product list grows. Traditional recommender systems are built upon simple collaborative filtering techniques, which exploit the informational cues gained from users in the form of product ratings and rating differences across users. The retail setting differs in that there are only records of transactions (in period X, customer Y purchased product Z). Instead of a range of explicit rating scores, transactions form binary datasets; 1-purchased and 0-not-purchased. This makes it a one-class collaborative filtering (OCCF) problem. Notwithstanding the existence of wider application domains of such an OCCF problem, very little work has been done in the retail setting. This research addresses this gap by developing an effective framework for dynamic cross-selling for online retailing. In the first part of the research, we propose an effective yet intuitive approach to integrate temporal information regarding a product's lifecycle (i.e., the non-stationary nature of the sales history) in the form of a weight component into latent-factor-based OCCF models, improving the quality of personalized product recommendations. To improve the scalability of large product catalogs with transaction sparsity typical in online retailing, the approach relies on product catalog hierarchy and segments (rather than individual SKUs) for collaborative filtering. In the second part of the work, we propose effective bundle discount policies, which estimate a specific customer's interest in potential cross-selling products (identified using the proposed OCCF methods) and calibrate the discount to strike an effective balance between the probability of the offer acceptance and the size of the discount. We also developed a highly effective simulation platform for generation of e-retailer transactions under various settings and test and validate the proposed methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to address the topic of real-time personalized dynamic cross-selling with discounting. The proposed techniques are applicable to cross-selling, up-selling, and personalized and targeted selling within the e-retail business domain. Through extensive analysis of various market scenario setups, we also provide a number of managerial insights on the performance of cross-selling strategies.
Polarimetric four-wave mixing in a single-mode fiber

We demonstrate a new polarimetric four-wave mixing process in a single-mode fiber with two wavelengths, where energy conversion takes place among the polarization components of the lightwaves. With a 6-km-long fiber, we obtain a conversion efficiency of /spl sim/1.2%. Although no new wavelengths can be generated from this process, it can result in polarization-induced crosstalk among wavelength-division-multiplexed channels. On the other hand, this process provides an effective means for transfer of baseband signals from one wavelength to another wavelength, which may find applications in wavelength conversion and system surveillance.
Effects of platelets and platelet‐derived material on the activated partial thromboplastin time (Cephotest®) coagulation test

Objective. The Cephotest® is an activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) test used to measure the activity of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation. To perform this test, blood is usually centrifuged to obtain plasma that is almost without erythrocytes and leucocytes and with only a minimal amount of platelets. Material and methods. In the present experiments blood was centrifuged at different speeds to produce either platelet‐poor plasma (PPP) or platelet‐rich plasma (PRP). PPP and PRP obtained from the same whole blood samples from each of several persons were tested in pairs using the standard Cephotest reagent to observe the consequences of Cephotest being performed on plasma containing platelets. The same procedure was used with a Cephotest reagent with a reduced concentration of phosphatidylserine. In succeeding experiments the PRP was preincubated with SFLLRN or Ca‐ionophore to activate the platelets, a procedure also known to produce platelet‐derived microparticles. PPP and PRP were compared by thrombin time and reptilase time tests to find out at which stage platelets might influence the Cephotest. Results. The results showed that the platelets did influence Cephotest when using both the regular reagent and the phospholipid‐reduced agent. When using the regular reagent, PRP showed a tendency towards a longer APTT than PPP. It is suggested that this was caused by platelets consuming some of the first traces of thrombin generated. Conclusions. When using the phospholipid‐reduced reagent, PRP showed a shorter APTT than PPP, probably because the platelets contributed phosphatidylserine to the system. When the platelets were activated before testing, their effects on the tests were increased. Microparticles that formed during platelet activation may have contributed to these effects.
Control of 2D scalar conservation laws in the presence of shocks

We analyze a model optimal control problem for a 2D scalar conservation law: The so-called inverse design problem, the goal being to identify the initial datum leading to a given final time configuration. The presence of shocks is an impediment for classical methods, based on linearization, to be directly applied. We develop an alternating descent method that exploits the generalized linearization that takes into account both the sensitivity of the shock location and of the smooth components of solutions. A numerical implementation is proposed using splitting and finite differences. The descent method we propose is of alternating nature and combines variations taking account of the shock location and those that take care of the smooth components of the solution. The efficiency of the method is illustrated by numerical experiments.
Spectrum analysis of the mechanomyogram: elimination of the longitudinal shortening component of muscle fibers

The mechanomyogram (MMG) is a record of very small vibrations appearing on the body surface above an active muscle. It is attributed to an increase in the radius of the muscle fiber in the lateral direction. In pinnate muscle, however, the muscle fibers run in the radial direction, and it is expected that vibration due to the shortening of the muscle fiber in the longitudinal direction will be included in the MMG. The purpose of this study is to verify that a longitudinal shortening component exists in the MMG derived from the tetraceps femoris, a pinnate muscle, and then to propose a method of separating the components. In this study, the existence of the longitudinal shortening component in the MMG is verified by cross-spectrum analysis between the vibration signal FT derived from the rough surface of the tibia and the MMG. Then, based on the coherence between the MMG and FT, a method of separating the lateral expansion component and the longitudinal shortening component from the MMG is devised. The method is applied to measured MMGs and its validity is verified; the separated longitudinal shortening component exhibits the same tendency as the FT in both power and average frequency. It is also shown that the MMG after elimination of the longitudinal shortening component more clearly represents the activity of the muscle fiber. Thus, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 31(13): 57–64, 2000
Bionic upper orthotics with integrated EMG sensory

In this paper a novel design of an actively powered arm orthotics is discussed. A light and effective electromechanical motor gear combination is designed which produces torque directly at the elbow. The modular design of the drive system makes it possible to use it in different applications in the field of orthotics, prosthetics and exoskeletons. The EMG sensors are used to measure the nerve impulses. These impulses are then analyzed to generate the reference torque and position values and send it to the motion control unit. This type of actively powered orthotics is developed as a part of an European research project for patients with apoplectic stroke. However, the same principle can also be used in exoskeleton robots.
SPEECH RECOGNITION IN DEAF SUBJECTS WITH MULTICHANNEL INTRACOCHLEAR ELECTRODES a

Although an effective treatment for the sensorineural deaf does not exist, results of experiments using cochlear implants indicate that these devices may eventually make speech communication possible for some profoundly deaf individuals. The goal of this area of research is to use electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve to elicit the patterns of neural activity the brain requires to understand speech. Several research groups are working to attain this goal and as a result several different stimulation systems have been developed. This paper briefly describes the basic elements of these stimulation systems and reports the results of recent speech recognition experiments conducted with two deaf volunteers using multichannel systems. Finally, results and analyses that give some insight about the possible cues these volunteers use to recognize speech will be described.
Earnings management and trade union activity : Results from Belgium

It has often been documented in the accounting literature that earnings are managed in the presence of contracts that implicitly or explicitly use accounting numbers. This paper examines the hypothesis that, in firms with strong trade unions, management manipulates reported earnings downward, as compared to firms without trade union activity. We use a direct output measure of trade union activity based on firm level information in a Belgian context. This country is characterised by important labour union bargaining over wages and employment. Using the Jones and modified Jones model to detect earnings management we find no evidence of lower reported earnings in Belgian firms with fierce trade union activity relative to firms without trade union activity. key words: earnings management, trade unions.
On Time-Series Properties of Time-Varying Risk Premium in the Yen/Dollar Exchange Market

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the changes in risk premium in the 1980s. A five-variable vector autoregressive model (VAR) is constructed to calculate a risk premium series in the foreign exchange market. The risk premium series is volatile and time-varying. The hypothesis of no risk premium is strongly rejected for the entire sample and each of the two subsamples considered. Various tests using the constructed risk premium series suggest that a risk premium existed but it was neither constant nor stable over subsamples and that its volatility was considerably reduced after October 1982.
Study of diagnosis of diabetes mellitus under healthcare

Now-a-days diabetes has become worldwide problem wherein it starts with any stage of life. Diabetes is becoming day by day critical issue that among two, every second person is suffering from it. Their always exists a situation where we find many uncertainties and differences in opinions in medical diagnosis process so their exists an need to find ultimate solution to avoid risk factor in life. Hence this article helps us in reviewing the current scenario under healthcare that how fast we can detect disease and treat accordingly to such an unenviable disease. This paper helps us to find problems with existing expert systems and to know the recent out comings under the diabetes section.
Over‐expression of heat shock factor 1 phenocopies the effect of chronic inhibition of TOR by rapamycin and is sufficient to ameliorate Alzheimer's‐like deficits in mice modeling the disease

Rapamycin, an inhibitor of target‐of‐rapamycin, extends lifespan in mice, possibly by delaying aging. We recently showed that rapamycin halts the progression of Alzheimer's (AD)‐like deficits, reduces amyloid‐beta (Aβ) and induces autophagy in the human amyloid precursor protein (PDAPP) mouse model. To delineate the mechanisms by which chronic rapamycin delays AD we determined proteomic signatures in brains of control‐ and rapamycin‐treated PDAPP mice. Proteins with reported chaperone‐like activity were overrepresented among proteins up‐regulated in rapamycin‐fed PDAPP mice and the master regulator of the heat‐shock response, heat‐shock factor 1, was activated. This was accompanied by the up‐regulation of classical chaperones/heat shock proteins (HSPs) in brains of rapamycin‐fed PDAPP mice. The abundance of most HSP mRNAs except for alpha B‐crystallin, however, was unchanged, and the cap‐dependent translation inhibitor 4E‐BP was active, suggesting that increased expression of HSPs and proteins with chaperone activity may result from preferential translation of pre‐existing mRNAs as a consequence of inhibition of cap‐dependent translation. The effects of rapamycin on the reduction of Aβ, up‐regulation of chaperones, and amelioration of AD‐like cognitive deficits were recapitulated by transgenic over‐expression of heat‐shock factor 1 in PDAPP mice. These results suggest that, in addition to inducing autophagy, rapamycin preserves proteostasis by increasing chaperones. We propose that the failure of proteostasis associated with aging may be a key event enabling AD, and that chronic inhibition of target‐of‐rapamycin may delay AD by maintaining proteostasis in brain.
Factors Related to Fatal Single-Vehicle Run-Off-Road Crashes

Run-Off-Road crashes cause a large proportion of fatalities and serious injuries to the vehicle occupants. In this study, fatal crashes from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for passenger vehicles (passenger cars and LTVs) during the period 1991 to 2007 were used to identify the roadway (e.g., rural/urban nature and curve existence), driver (e.g., age, gender, drowsy, and alcohol use), environmental (e.g., weather, lighting condition), and vehicle-related factors (e.g., speeding) associated with the fatal single-vehicle run-off-road crashes. The results show that the factors driver sleep, drivers with alcohol use, roadway alignment with curve, speeding vehicle, passenger car, rural roadway, high speed limit road, and adverse weather were significant factors related to the high risk of fatal single-vehicle run-off-road crashes. Also, in the adverse weather condition and for the younger drivers, the vehicle speeding would increase the risk of fatal single-vehicle run-off-road crashes by an additional factor.
Quantitative PCR Assay To Evaluate Ampicillin, Ofloxacin, and Doxycycline for Treatment of Experimental Leptospirosis

ABSTRACT The susceptibility of Leptospira interrogans serovar icterohaemorrhagiae strain Verdun to selected antibiotics used in medical practice (ampicillin, doxycycline, and ofloxacin) was evaluated in a Syrian hamster model, to determine the efficacy of these antibiotics during the course of the disease. A quantitative PCR assay was used to monitor the density of leptospires in blood and in target organs (liver, kidney, lung, heart, and spleen). Our results demonstrated the ability of ampicillin at a high dose (100 mg/kg of body weight) to clear leptospires from the host, except from kidneys and heart, where 102 leptospires/g remained at day 6. Ofloxacin (30 mg/kg) was unable to clear bacteria from blood or kidneys. With doxycycline (10 mg/kg), the clearance of leptospires occurred in 2 days in all the target organs studied, with the exception of liver, which required 3 days. Our data demonstrate the value of monitoring the kinetics of experimental leptospiral infection in order to accurately evaluate the efficacy of antibiotics. We have demonstrated the potential value of doxycycline for the treatment of leptospirosis cases, except in circumstances where it is contraindicated. This experimental model could be used to define better therapeutic strategies for human leptospirosis, by testing associations or new formulations of antibiotics.
Construction of a New Universal Plant Overexpression Vector for cDNA Transformation

The transformation of cDNA into plant is still not carried out directly by a universal transgenic vector, hence it is not convenient for the transgenic application of those function-important cDNAs. Herein we introduced a rapid, cost-effective PCR-based DNA synthesis method to construct a new universal plant overexpression vector for the direct inserting of target cDNA during transgenic application. The new engineered transgenic vector was based on the pCAMBIA vector backbone, which was inserted by five motifs, including a promoter, an enhancer, a Linker DNA fragment, a endoplasmic reticulum retention signal (KDEL), and a NOS-T DNA. The target cDNA can be directly inserted into the new universal vector to construct the workable transgenic plasmid according to the interesting need of transgenic users. The result reported here will promote the plant transgenic application of cDNAs