Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Music and amount of information: do they matter in an online apparel setting?

In the context of an online apparel setting, this study examined the effects of amount of information and music on consumers’ affective states (i.e. pleasure and arousal) and cognitive states (i.e. perceived risk and attitude toward the site), which in turn may affect consumer shopping response (purchase intent). The moderating role of situational involvement with online shopping on the relationship between music/amount of information and affective/cognitive stateswas further examined. Results revealed significant effects for amount of information and music in relation to consumer situational involvement with online shopping. In addition, results revealed a significant effect for pleasure on perceived risk and attitude toward the site which in turn affected purchase intent. The findings of this study provide valuable managerial insights to online retailers by indicating the importance of the amount of information available on an apparel website. Additionally, this study is a springboard in determining the significant effect of music on affect and shopping responses on online shopping websites.
Lens of the eye dose calculation for neuro-interventional procedures and CBCT scans of the head

The aim of this work is to develop a method to calculate lens dose for fluoroscopically-guided neuro-interventional procedures and for CBCT scans of the head. EGSnrc Monte Carlo software is used to determine the dose to the lens of the eye for the projection geometry and exposure parameters used in these procedures. This information is provided by a digital CAN bus on the Toshiba Infinix C-Arm system which is saved in a log file by the real-time skin-dose tracking system (DTS) we previously developed. The x-ray beam spectra on this machine were simulated using BEAMnrc. These spectra were compared to those determined by SpekCalc and validated through measured percent-depth-dose (PDD) curves and half-value-layer (HVL) measurements. We simulated CBCT procedures in DOSXYZnrc for a CTDI head phantom and compared the surface dose distribution with that measured with Gafchromic film, and also for an SK150 head phantom and compared the lens dose with that measured with an ionization chamber. Both methods demonstrated good agreement. Organ dose calculated for a simulated neuro-interventional-procedure using DOSXYZnrc with the Zubal CT voxel phantom agreed within 10% with that calculated by PCXMC code for most organs. To calculate the lens dose in a neuro-interventional procedure, we developed a library of normalized lens dose values for different projection angles and kVp’s. The total lens dose is then calculated by summing the values over all beam projections and can be included on the DTS report at the end of the procedure.
Highly Selective and Stable Reduction of CO2 to CO by a Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Carbon Nanotube Composite Electrocatalyst.

A stable and selective electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction was fabricated by covalently attaching graphitic carbon nitride onto multiwall carbon nanotubes (g-C3 N4 /MWCNTs). The as-prepared composite is able to reduce CO2 exclusively to CO with a maximum Faraday efficiency of 60 %, and no decay in the catalytic activity was observed even after 50 h of reaction. The enhanced catalytic activity towards CO2 reduction is attributed to the formation of active carbon-nitrogen bonds, high specific surface area, and improved material conductivity of the g-C3 N4 /MWCNT composite.
Voluntary Disclosure, Ownership Structure, Information Asymmetry and Cost of Capital

The aim of this study is at examining the influence of voluntary disclosure, information asymmetry and ownership structure towards the cost of capital method by employing WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital) method. The analysis method used in this research is the pathway analysis. The sample selection using purposive sampling generates 93 observations (31 companies *3 years) manufacturing company in 20112013. The results show that the extent of disclosures concerning the company's information will build investor confidence in the investment, so that the expected rate of return is low and as a result the company’s incurred capital costs is low. The low rate of return is due to the disclosure of required information by the company’s management which would establish investor confidence in the investment.
Estimators for Reliability Measures in Geometric Distribution Model Using Dependent Masked System Life Test Data

Masked system life test data arises when the exact component which causes the system failure is unknown. Instead, it is assumed that there are two observable quantities for each system on the life test. These quantities are the system life time, and the set of components that contains the component leading to the system failure. The component leading to the system failure may be either completely unknown (general masking), isolated to a subset of system components (partial masking), or exactly known (no masking). In the dependent masked system life test data, it is assumed that the probability of masking may depend on the true cause of system failure. Masking is usually due to limited resources for diagnosing the cause of system failures, as well as the modular nature of the system. In this paper, we present point, and interval maximum likelihood, and Bayes estimators for the reliability measures of the individual components in a multi-component system in the presence of dependent masked system life test data. The life time distributions of the system components are assumed to be geometric with different parameters. Simulation study will be given in order to 1) compare the two procedures used to derive the estimators for the reliability measures of system components, 2) study the influence of the masking level on the accuracy of the estimators obtained, and 3) study the influence of the masking probability ratio on the accuracy of the estimators obtained
Addition of artesunate to chloroquine for treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Gambian children causes a significant but short‐lived reduction in infectiousness for mosquitoes

Objectives Combination therapy using existing anti‐malarials together with artesunate (AS) has been advocated as a method to slow the spread of drug resistance. We assessed the effect on Plasmodium falciparum transmissibility of the addition of AS to chloroquine (CQ) in an area of The Gambia where resistance to CQ is increasing.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (Gem) - 2001 Scotland

As in 2000, the 2002 GEM report for Scotland finds that under 10% of the population engages in entrepreneurial activity. This places Scotland in the low rank (5 to 9%) among countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research project. Three investigation methods are used in the GEM studies: an adult population survey; interviews with entrepreneurship experts in that country; and selected national and demographic data.The GEM model examines general framework conditions for economic growth and nine entrepreneurial framework conditions – financial support, government policy, government programs, education and training, research and development transfer, commercial and professional infrastructure, market openness, access to physical infrastructure and cultural and social norms. Among the findings: The rate of entrepreneurs starting firms from opportunity as opposed to necessity is low—half that of other small countries. Access to formal sources of funding is good, but access to informal sources is low, with only 1% of the population funding startups. Women start firms at about half the rate of men, which is similar to other GEM countries. Cultural attitudes are the most significant factor hindering entrepreneurship, including fear of failure, lack of perception of opportunities, and poor networking. Recommendations are to increase enterprise education and encourage networking, which may help increase access to informal funding. (CBS)
Residents' involvement in tourism and their perceptions of tourism impacts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the differences in residents' attitude to tourism by considering those who receive social and economic benefits from tourism and those who perceive that they do not; and those who want to move away from the Sunshine Coast and those who do not.Design/methodology/approach – In conducting this investigation, information is collected from Sunshine Coast residents by using a survey approach. Altogether, 732 responses are received with a response rate of 14.64 per cent. Social, economic and cultural benefits are considered.Findings – The paper finds notable differences in residents' attitude according to the type of benefit they receive from tourism. Similar observations are made regarding residents who are willing to move away from the Sunshine Coast and those who are not.Research limitations/implications – Not many studies are available comparing Sunshine Coast with other major cities such as Sydney or Melbourne in Australia. Therefore, in future .
Board Informal Hierarchy and Firm Financial Performance: Exploring a Tacit Structure Guiding Boardroom Interactions

We consider boards as human groups in the uppermost echelon of corporations and examine how an informal hierarchy that tacitly forms among a firm’s directors affects firm financial performance. This informal hierarchy is based on directors’ deference for one another. We argue that the clarity of the informal hierarchy can help coordinate boardroom interactions and thereby improve the likelihood of the board’s contributing productively to the firm’s performance. We further identify a set of internal and external contingencies affecting the functioning of the informal hierarchy. Our analysis of seven-year panel data on 530 U.S. manufacturing firms provides support for our arguments.
Effects of psychotherapy for depression in children and adolescents: what we can (and can't) learn from meta-analysis and component profiling.

In this column, we comment on the state of the science regarding psychotherapy for youths (including children and adolescents) with depression. We begin by discussing our recent meta-analysis of the youth depression clinical trials literature to illustrate how meta-analysis can be of use to clinicians. We consider how to interpret measures of effect size, introduce some cautionary notes, and discuss the Treatment of Adolescent Depression Study (TADS; TADS Team, 2004) as an example of factors that may contribute to effect size. Then, using a component profile, we describe the techniques most often used in the most successful treatments for youth depression. When combined, we suggest, metaanalysis and component profiling can shed light on the magnitude of treatment benefit and on the treatment techniques associated with that benefit. PART I: META-ANALYSIS Meta-Analysis 101: The Basics
The Physical Relation between Disc and Coronal Emission in Quasars

We propose a modified version of the observed non-linear relation between the X-ray (2 keV) and the ultraviolet (2500 \AA) emission in quasars (i.e. $L_{\rm X}\propto L_{\rm UV}^{\gamma}$) which involves the full width at half-maximum, FWHM, of the broad emission line, i.e. $L_{\rm X}\propto L_{\rm UV}^{\hat\gamma}~FWHM^{\hat\beta}$. By analysing a sample of 550 optically selected non-jetted quasars in the redshift range of 0.36-2.23 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey cross matched with the XMM-Newton catalogue 3XMM-DR6, we found that the additional dependence of the observed $L_{\rm X}-L_{\rm UV}$ correlation on the FWHM of the MgII broad emission line is statistically significant. Our statistical analysis leads to a much tighter relation with respect to the one neglecting FWHM, and it does not evolve with redshift. We interpret this new relation within an accretion disc corona scenario where reconnection and magnetic loops above the accretion disc can account for the production of the primary X-ray radiation. For a broad line region size depending on the disc luminosity as $R_{\rm blr}\propto L_{\rm disc}^{0.5}$, we find that $L_{\rm X}\propto L_{\rm UV}^{4/7} ~FWHM^{4/7}$, which is in very good agreement with the observed correlation.
The Influence of Store Atmosphere on Emotional Responses and Re-Purchase Intentions

Shopping experiences are not only how consumer acquires goods but also how the experiences fulfill pleasure and happiness. This study examines the store environments (physical facilities, display of product and point of purchase) that could influence emotional responses (positive emotion and satisfaction) and repurchase intention. This study employed 260 customers of grocery stores in Surabaya, Indonesia. The results show that physical facilities affect satisfaction. Display of product and point of purchase have influence positive emotions. Positive emotion gives impact to customer satisfaction, then in turn satisfaction affect repurchase intention. However, positive emotion was not influence repurchase intention, significantly.
Spatial Regulation of Histidine Kinases Governing Biofilm Formation in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Bacillus subtilis is able to form architecturally complex biofilms on solid medium due to the production of an extracellular matrix. A master regulator that controls the expression of the genes involved in matrix synthesis is Spo0A, which is activated by phosphorylation via a phosphorelay involving multiple histidine kinases. Here we report that four kinases, KinA, KinB, KinC, and KinD, help govern biofilm formation but that their contributions are partially masked by redundancy. We show that the kinases fall into two categories and that the members of each pair (one pair comprising KinA and KinB and the other comprising KinC and KinD) are partially redundant with each other. We also show that the kinases are spatially regulated: KinA and KinB are active principally in the older, inner regions of the colony, and KinC and KinD function chiefly in the younger, outer regions. These conclusions are based on the morphology of kinase mutants, real-time measurements of gene expression using luciferase as a reporter, and confocal microscopy using a fluorescent protein as a reporter. Our findings suggest that multiple signals from the older and younger regions of the colony are integrated by the kinases to determine the overall architecture of the biofilm community.
A szervezeti elkötelezettség és a munka-család konfliktus összefüggései az ügyfélszolgálati munkában = Organizational Commitment and Work-Family Conflict in Customer Service Centres

Jelen disszertacio celja, hogy uj tudomanyos ismeretekkel szolgaljon a szervezeti elkotelezettsegnek az előzmenyeiről valamint a munka-csalad konfliktussal valo osszefuggeseről azaltal, hogy a kerdest egy a tema szempontjabol relevans es altalanos tanulsagok alapjaul szolgalhato kontextusban vizsgalja: ugyfelszolgalati szervezeteknel. Onkitoltős kerdőivek reven mertuk fel a vizsgalatba bevont ugyfelszolgalati szervezetek munkavallaloinak szervezeti elkotelezettseget, a szervezeti elkotelezettseguk előzmenyvaltozoit, illetve a munkavallalok altal megelt munka-csalad konfliktust. Sokvaltozos matematikai statisztikai eszkozok alkalmazasaval elemeztuk a valtozok alakulasat illetve egymassal valo osszefuggeset.
Screening Instruments for Alcohol Problems: A Comparison of Cut Points between Mexican American and Mexican Patients in the Emergency Room

The performance of alcohol use disorder screening instruments (CAGE, BMAST, AUDIT, TWEAK) at various cut points were compared between a Mexican American emergency room (ER) sample (n = 586) and a sample of ER patients in Mexico (n = 1,417) using ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence and harmful drinking/abuse by gender and injury status. Lowering cut points improved instrument performance substantially for females in both samples. Further research is needed to explore instrument performance by gender and level of acculturation.
Nano-manipulator force transducer modeling based on atomic force microscopy

Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is primarily a tool for characterizing surface topography, but there is also a strong interest in using AFM as a nano-manipulator to modify the sample surface or manipulate nano-structures. Nano-manipulation using the atomic force microscope has been extensively investigated for many years. It is greatly important to understand the mechanics of AFM-based nano-robotic manipulation for efficient and reliable handling of nano-particles. However, the micro/nano microscopes for this kind of application have not been developed completely. Moreover, real-time monitoring of the manipulation process is almost impossible. Since the same tool is used as either the imaging or manipulation tool at a given instant, imaging is almost not possible during nano-manipulation operation. As one approach to this problem, researchers scan the area, where the target particle exists, before and after the manipulation. Thus, by using some fixed reference features, the new relative position of the particle is obtained from the images. However, this imaging is offline, and the unexpected problems during nano-manipulation cannot be detected. This paper illustrates AFM cantilever force transducer modeling, which can convert the three-dimensional deflections measured by the detection system to corresponding three-dimensional force signals, so the real-time force information can be utilized during nano-manipulation for reliable handling of nano-particles.
Back-to-back stacked multicell converter

This paper proposes a new topology for a stacked multicell converter (SMC) that generates higher number of output voltage levels with lower number of power electronic switches. This topology is composed of two conventional SM converters, which are connected back to back by two low-frequency switches. In comparison with the conventional SM converter, the main advantages of the proposed topology are increased number of output voltage levels, reduced numbers of switches and capacitors, and decreasing the converter losses. Furthermore, the stored energy and voltage rating of flying capacitors are reduced. A new method for determination of the value of the dc voltage source has also been presented. The proposed converter is simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC software and the results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed topology.
On-line scheduling of hard deadline aperiodic tasks in fixed-priority systems

This paper presents a new algorithm for the on-line scheduling of hard deadline aperiodic tasks in a real-time system in which hard deadline periodic tasks are scheduled using a fixed priority algorithm. The algorithm for jointly scheduling the periodic and aperiodic tasks extends the slack stealing algorithm introduced by Lehoczky and Ramos-Thuel (1992), and thus provides the largest amount of time for aperiodic task processing subject to meeting all periodic task deadlines. The analysis permits the periodic tasks to consist of a set of serially executed subtasks each of which has its own fixed execution priority as defined by (Gonzalez Harbour et al., (1991)) Thus the model permits the direct inclusion of operating system functions as well as certain types of synchronization protocols directly into the schedulability analysis. The methods provide a unified framework for dealing with several related problems including: reclaiming unused periodic and aperiodic execution time, load shedding, balancing hard and soft aperiodic execution time and coping with transient overloads. <<ETX>>
Corporate E-Governance Disclosure in the Digital Age: An Empirical Study of Spanish Listed Companies

Corporate governance research has focused mainly on the analysis of the information that firms ought to disclose and the effects of disclosure, basically without considering the media involved. This paper examines the relevance of technology, and particularly the internet, for the improvement of corporate governance and transparency in listed companies. The need for this study is clear in view of the increasing interest shown by supervisory authorities for the oversight of the European and US capital markets in regulating not only content but also the manner in which corporate governance information is disclosed over the internet. In this paper we have quantified three corporate governance transparency indexes and empirically identified the variables that explain the levels of disclosure attained. Our results reveal that the firms scoring highest in terms of transparency are also those that are most likely to use the internet as a channel for the disclosure of corporate governance information. Key factors underlying the levels of transparency observed include the degree to which firms are followed by analyst, the time they have been listed, their visibility and the fact of belonging to the communications and information services sector.
A Fast Depth-Buffer-Based Voxelization Algorithm

This paper presents a fast and easy to implement voxelization algorithm, which is based on the z-buffer. Unlike most existing methods, our approach is suitable both for polygonal and analytical objects. The efficiency of the method is independent of the object complexity and can be accelerated by taking advantage of widely available, low-cost hardware.
Bio-Oxidation of Air-Borne Hydrophobic VOCs in Activated Sludge Aeration Tanks-Effects of Activated Sludge Concentration and Gas Diffuser

An activated sludge aeration basin (20 cm i.d., 140 cm height) equipped with either a coarse air diffuser (a plastic pipe perforated with 56 orifices of 2 mm in diameter) or a fine diffuser (porous plastic type with 100-micrometer pores) was utilized to treat an air-borne hydrophobic VOC (toluene, 700-800 mg/m^3). The purposes of this study were to test the influences of both MLSS and diffuser type on the VOC removal efficiency. Results show that higher MLSS (mixed liquor suspended solids) such as 10,000-40,000 mg/L in the mixed liquor did not enhance greatly the transfer and removal of the introduced toluene. Instead, activated sludge basins with a normal MLSS (e.g., 2000-4000 mg/L) in the mixed liquor and an efficient gas diffusion system with volumetric VOC transfer coefficient of around 10-15 1/h can be used for the removal of hydrophobic VOCs from the introduced gas. For achieving a removal of over 95% of the introduced toluene or similar hydrophobic VOCs, commercial air diffusers for aerobic biological wastewater treatment basins can be used with a submerged liquid depth of over 0.40 m over the diffusers and an aeration intensity (air flow rate/basin cross-sectional area) of lower than 5.0 m^3/m^2.h.
Cognitive Change in Parkinson Disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, affecting 1 in 100 individuals over the age of 60. Dementia in the setting of PD (PDD) may be among the most debilitating symptoms associated with disease progression. Estimates of cognitive decline and dementia in PD suggest that up to 14% per year of patients over age 65 with PD will develop some cognitive impairment. Unfortunately, PDD is not well characterized and the relationship of PDD to Alzheimer disease remains unclear. PDD has been proposed as part of a spectrum with dementia with Lewy bodies, and PDD and dementia with Lewy bodies frequently coexist with Alzheimer disease. It is uncertain, however, whether there is a meaningful distinction between the different disorders. It has also been difficult to gain understanding of the interaction of motor and nonmotor symptoms that affect quality of life in PD and confound cognitive and psychomotor performance. This review will examine the clinical, cognitive, neuropsychiatric features of cognitive deficits associated with PD, discuss their pathologic basis and propose avenues for future research.