Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Investigation into Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation Success: Evidence from Private and Public Sector Organizations

Enterprise resource planning systems are adopted to improve productivity and overall business performance in organizations. Implementation of these systems requires considerable financial and labour investment and therefore, the managers must understand the benefits of the system and the aspects of the system which need improvement. An approach to evaluate and track an ERP system’s success in corporate organizations is therefore, important. In this study, the success of ERP system is measured through the Ifinedo model and a comparison between private and public organizations is made. Interviews conducted by the researchers introduce factors influencing ERP implementation success in organizations. In addition, to understand why some organizations have achieved more ERP success than others, questionnaire responses to some identified critical success factors for ERP implementation are analyzed.
Impacts of cattle on amphibian larvae and the aquatic environment

SUMMARY 1. Agricultural practices such as cattle farming may have direct or indirect negative effects on larval amphibians by decreasing water quality through deposition of nitrogenous waste, causing eutrophication, and grazing shoreline vegetation that contributes to detrital cover and food. 2. We sampled amphibian larvae on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, U.S.A. , twice per week, water quality twice per month and algal and detrital biomass once per month at seven wetlands (three cattle-access and four non-access) from March to August 2005 and 2006. 3. In general, species richness and diversity of amphibian larvae were greater in wetlands without cattle. Mean relative abundance of green frog (Ranaclamitans) and American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) tadpoles was greater in non-access wetlands. Body size of some ranid larvae was larger in cattle-access wetlands but this trend did not exist for juveniles or adults. Dissolved oxygen was lower, while specific conductivity and turbidity were higher in cattle-access wetlands. Mean biomass of detritus was lower in cattle-access wetlands compared to non-access wetlands; no differences were detected in algal biomass. 4. Given the negative impacts of cattle on water quality, detrital biomass, larval amphibian species richness and relative abundance of some amphibian species, we recommend that farmers consider excluding these livestock from aquatic environments.
Can We Talk About Stay-At-Home Moms? Empirical Findings and Implications for Counseling

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to add to feminist research by asking women themselves to articulate the experiences of stay-at-home motherhood when their children became “fully involved” in school (i.e., 3rd or 4th grade) and to recognize mental health concerns these women may have. Seven themes emerged: expectations of mothering role impacts mothering experience; mother’s perception of children further separating; relationship with spouse; identity confusion, exploration, and expansion; responsibility for household; negotiating self-care; and finding support beyond the family system. These themes are discussed in full and implications for marriage and family counselors and future research are presented.
Scaling Agile Software Development Disciplined Agility at Scale By

to scale agile: Tailoring agile strategies to address the scaling challenges – such as geographic distribution, regulatory compliance, and large team size – faced by development teams and adopting agility across your organization. Both visions are important, but if you can’t successfully perform the former then there is little hope that you’ll be successful at the latter. This paper focuses on how to scale agile solution delivery strategies. We begin with an overview of how to go about scaling agile delivery. We show how agile methods such as Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, Agile Modeling (AM), and others provide the process building blocks from which an overall agile delivery process can be tailored to meet your needs. We then overview the Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) framework, describing how it does the “heavy lifting” regarding putting together all of these process building blocks in a coherent manner. We then describe the complexities faced by agile teams at scale. Scaling Agile Software Development Disciplined Agility at Scale
Detection of Protein Crystallizations under Dynamic Environment

We propose an algorithm for automatic detection of protein crystallizations in photomicrographs involving many kinds of crystal growth, extragenous materials, and lighting effects, etc. Our method can improve the detection rate of plate crystals and simplify the tuning of discrimination parameters for screening objects in a photomicrograph. We define simple crystal certainty as circumference, area, and complexity of crystal outlines to discriminate whether it is a crystal or not. It is easy to set parameters by using not only numerical features but also morphological ones
Performance analysis of coherent ultrashort light pulse CDMA communication systems with nonlinear optical thresholder

We theoretically analyze the performance of coherent ultrashort light pulse code-division multiple-access (CDMA) communication systems with nonlinear optical thresholders. The coherent ultrashort light pulse CDMA is one of the promising systems for optical local area networks due to the advantages of asynchronous transmission, high information security, multiple access capability, and optical processing. The nonlinear optical thresholder is based on frequency chirping induced by self-phase modulation (SPM) in optical fibers, and discriminates the ultrashort pulse from multiple access interference (MAI) having picosecond duration. Our results show that the nonlinear optical thresholder can discriminate 400-fs ultrashort pulse from /spl ap/100-ps MAI even if the response time of the photodetector is limited to 100-ps, and that the system performance does not always become better as the total number of users becomes smaller because of thermal noise, which is a unique characteristic of this system.
Capture and Recycling of Sortase A through Site-Specific Labeling with Lithocholic Acid.

Enzyme-mediated protein modification often requires large amounts of biocatalyst, adding significant costs to the process and limiting industrial applications. Herein, we demonstrate a scalable and straightforward strategy for the efficient capture and recycling of enzymes using a small-molecule affinity tag. A proline variant of an evolved sortase A (SrtA 7M) was N-terminally labeled with lithocholic acid (LA)-an inexpensive bile acid that exhibits strong binding to β-cyclodextrin (βCD). Capture and recycling of the LA-Pro-SrtA 7M conjugate was achieved using βCD-modified sepharose resin. The LA-Pro-SrtA 7M conjugate retained full enzymatic activity, even after multiple rounds of recycling.
The Explanatory Autonomy of Cognitive Models

1. Many models, one world The mind/brain, like any other complex system, can be modeled in a variety of ways. 1 Some of these involve ignoring or abstracting from most of its structure: for the purpose of understanding overall glucose metabolism in the body, we can neglect the brain’s intricate internal organization and treat it simply as a suitably discretized homogeneous mass having certain energy demands (Gaohua & Kumura, 2009). Other projects demand more fine-grained modeling schemes, as when we are trying to map cortical white-matter density and connectivity (Johansen-Berg & Rushworth, 2009), or the distribution of various neurotransmitter receptor sites (Zilles & Amunts, 2009). Here, the system’s detailed structural and dynamical properties matter, although not necessarily the same ones in every context. A single system may admit of many possible simplifying idealizations, and how we model a system—which of its components and properties we choose to represent, and how much detail we incorporate into that representation—is fundamentally a pragmatic choice. When we have multiple models of a single target system, we face the problem of how to integrate these models into one coherent picture. We wish to understand these models not merely as singular glimpses, but as parts of a unified view of the system. This problem arises in a variety of domains, from atmospheric and climate modeling (Parker, 2006) to understanding the division of labor among social insects (Mitchell, 2002) to
Multi-agent based simulation for Microgrid energy management

This paper presents a general multi-agent based model for the hierarchical and distributed energy control of a Microgrid. In this model, the agents under three different levels are classified and defined in detail. And based on the model, a novel simulation platform for the energy management system of the Microgrid (EMS-MG) is designed in terms of Client-Server and implemented under C++ Builder environment. Taking the generation automatic control for example and by the proposed model and implemented EMS-MG, a simulation result is shown to illustrate the operation process of the simulation platform and present the benefits of the proposed method.
Significance of Source–Filter Interaction for Classification of Natural vs. Spoofed Speech

Countermeasures used to detect synthetic and voice-converted spoofed speech are usually based on excitation source or system features. However, in the natural speech production mechanism, there exists nonlinear source–filter (S–F) interaction as well. This interaction is an attribute of natural speech and is rarely present in synthetic or voice-converted speech. Therefore, we propose features based on the S–F interaction for a spoofed speech detection (SSD) task. To that effect, we estimate the voice excitation source (i.e., differenced glottal flow waveform, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\dot{g} (t))$</tex-math></inline-formula> and model it using the well-known Liljencrants–Fant model to get coarse structure, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $g_{c}(t)$</tex-math></inline-formula>. The residue or difference, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $g_{r}(t)$</tex-math></inline-formula>, between <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\dot{g} (t)$</tex-math> </inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$g_{c}(t)$</tex-math></inline-formula> is known to capture the nonlinear S–F interaction. In the time domain, the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $L^{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> norm of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$g_{r}(t)$</tex-math> </inline-formula> in the closed, open, and return phases of the glottis are considered as features. In the frequency domain, the Mel representation of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$g_{r}(t)$</tex-math></inline-formula> showed significant contribution in the SSD task. The proposed features are evaluated on the first ASVspoof 2015 challenge database using a Gaussian mixture model based classification system. On the evaluation set, for vocoder-based spoofs (i.e., <italic>S1</italic>–<italic>S9</italic>), the score-level fusion of residual energy features, Mel representation of the residual signal, and Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) features gave an equal error rate (EER) of 0.017%, which is much less than the 0.319% obtained with MFCC alone. Furthermore, the residues of the spectrogram (as well as the Mel-warped spectrogram) of estimated <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\dot{g} (t)$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> $g_{c}(t)$</tex-math></inline-formula> are also explored as features for the SSD task. The features are evaluated for robustness in the presence of additive white, babble, and car noise at various signal-to-noise-ratio levels on the ASVspoof 2015 database and for channel mismatch condition on the Blizzard Challenge 2012 dataset. For both cases, the proposed features gave significantly less EER than that obtained by MFCC on the evaluation set.
Pollen flow in the wildservice tree, Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz. II. Pollen dispersal and heterogeneity in mating success inferred from parent–offspring analysis

Knowing the extent of gene movements from parents to offspring is essential to understand the potential of a species to adapt rapidly to a changing environment, and to design appropriate conservation strategies. In this study, we develop a nonlinear statistical model to jointly estimate the pollen dispersal kernel and the heterogeneity in fecundity among phenotypically or environmentally defined groups of males. This model uses genotype data from a sample of fruiting plants, a sample of seeds harvested on each of these plants, and all males within a circumscribed area. We apply this model to a scattered, entomophilous woody species, Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz, within a natural population covering more than 470 ha. We estimate a high heterogeneity in male fecundity among ecological groups, both due to phenotype (size of the trees and flowering intensity) and landscape factors (stand density within the neighbourhood). We also show that fat‐tailed kernels are the most appropriate to depict the important abilities of long‐distance pollen dispersal for this species. Finally, our results reveal that the spatial position of a male with respect to females affects as much its mating success as ecological determinants of male fecundity. Our study thus stresses the interest to account for the dispersal kernel when estimating heterogeneity in male fecundity, and reciprocally.
Aid Absorption and Spending in Africa: A Panel Cointegration Approach

Abstract This article focuses on the macroeconomic management of large inflows of foreign aid. It investigates the extent to which African countries have coordinated fiscal and macroeconomic responses to aid surges. In practice, we construct a panel dataset to assess the level of aid ‘absorption’ and ‘spending’. This article departs from the recent empirical literature by utilising better measures for aid inflows and by employing cointegration analysis. The empirical short-run results indicate that, on average, Africa's low-income countries have absorbed two-thirds of (grant) aid receipts. This suggests that most of the foreign exchange provided by the aid inflows has been used to finance imports. The other third has been used to build up international reserves, perhaps to protect economies from future external shocks. In the long run, absorption increases but remains below its maximum. Moreover, we also show that aid resources have been fully spent, especially in support of public investment. There is only weak evidence that a share of aid flows have been ‘saved’. Overall, these findings suggest that the macroeconomic management of aid inflows in Africa has been significantly better than often portrayed in comparable exercises. The implication is that African countries will be able to efficiently manage a gradual scaling up in aid resources.
TV controlled via Android application

This paper describes an research of alternative ways of controlling of modern TV device. Used methods, experimentally research and development applications for devices based on Android operating system. Connecting TV devices and devices based on Android operating system is done through a wireless network, messaging is implemented over standard TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) protocol. The achieved result, an Android application that implements one of the alternative management TVs.
Hospital admissions and mortality in patients with COPD exacerbations and vertebral body compression fractures

Background Vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are common in COPD patients, with osteoporosis being the main cause. The clinical impact of VCF derives mostly from both pain and chest deformity, which may lead to ventilatory and physical activity limitations. Surprisingly, the consequences of VCF on the quality outcomes of hospital care are poorly known. Objective To assess these indicators in patients hospitalized due to a COPD exacerbation (ECOPD) who also have VCF. Methods Clinical characteristics and quality care indicators were assessed in two one-year periods, one retrospective (exploratory) and one prospective (validation), in all consecutive patients hospitalized for ECOPD. Diagnosis of VCF was based on the reduction of >20% height of the vertebral body evaluated in standard lateral chest X-ray (three independent observers). Results From the 248 patients admitted during the exploratory phase, a third had at least one VCF. Underdiagnosis rate was 97.6%, and patients with VCF had more admissions (normalized for survival), longer hospital stays, and higher mortality than patients without (4 [25th–75th percentiles, 2–8] vs 3 [1–6] admissions, P<0.01; 12 [6–30] vs 9 [6–18] days, P<0.05; and 50 vs 32.1% deaths, P<0.01, respectively). The risk of dying in the two following years was also higher in VCF patients (odds ratio: 2.11 [1.2–3.6], P<0.01). The validation cohort consisted of 250 patients who showed very similar results. The logistic regression analysis indicated that both VCF and age were factors independently associated with mortality. Conclusion Although VCF is frequently underdiagnosed in patients hospitalized for ECOPD, it is strongly associated with a worse prognosis and quality care outcomes.
Economic evaluation of mental health interventions: an introduction to cost-utility analysis

Finite resources need to be allocated over an ever-increasing range of competing health policies and interventions. Economic evaluation has been developed as a methodology to inform decision makers on the efficiency of particular resource allocations. In this paper we summarize cost-utility analysis, one of the most widely-used forms of economic evaluation in healthcare. We discuss its main elements, interpretation, limitations and relevance to the domain of mental health.
Retinoid Modulation of Plasminogen Activator Production in Rat Sertoli Cells1

Abstract Tissue type (t) and urokinase type (u) plasminogen activators (PAs) have been shown to be secreted by Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules in a cyclic fashion and to be dependent upon FSH stimulation or upon the presence of adjacent spermatogenic cells. In the present study we have analyzed the production of PAs by retinoid-treated rat Sertoli cells. In addition, because retinoids modulate the response of Sertoli cells to FSH either potentiating or antagonizing its action, we have investigated a possible modulation of FSH-stimulated PA production. Under basal conditions, Sertoli cells, isolated from prepubertal rats, secrete predominantly uPA. A significant dose-dependent inhibition of uPA activity was observed after treatment with retinol, while no significant effect was detected upon tPA secretion. When Sertoli cells were cultured in the presence of 0.25 μM retinol, a significant inhibition of uPA activity was evident after 16 h of treatment and reached approximately 80% after 48 h of treatment. The analysis of the mRNA levels revealed that retinol induces an inhibition of the steady-state levels of uPA mRNA without affecting those of tPA. Moreover, retinol affected uPA mRNA levels by increasing mRNA turnover. The effect of retinoids on Sertoli cells isolated from older animals was less evident, possibly due to the reduced production of uPA with the increase of age of the donor animals. Our results on the effect of retinoids upon Sertoli cell uPA production reinforce the importance of retinoids in the control of postnatal testis development.
Sexual objectification and gender role conflict as predictors of drive for muscularity: A test and extension of objectification theory

Objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) is increasingly used to explain the body image-related experiences of men, as research indicates that men are at heightened risk for body image concerns because of sociocultural messages regarding appearance of the male body. However, objectification theory researchers have previously discussed the experiences of men without modifying the theory to consider factors unique to why men are also at risk for sexual objectification and the internalization process that ensues. Gender role conflict is introduced in the present study to better explain the objectification experiences of men. Results of a path analysis were that gender role conflict and sexual objectification experiences were predictive of drive for muscularity through a series of direct and indirect relationships including internalization of cultural standards of appearance, selfobjectification, body surveillance, and body shame. However, results also suggested that the internalization process that men experience in the context of sexual objectification is iv different than the process experience by women. It also appeared that the sexual objectification men experience promotes a drive for muscularity, which provides men with a sense of masculine agency.
Evidence-based measurement

Objective: To compare the 10-item Barthel Index (BI), 18-item Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and 30-item Functional Independence Measure + Functional Assessment Measure (FIM+FAM) as measures of disability outcomes for neurologic rehabilitation. Methods: A total of 149 inpatients from two rehabilitation units in South England specializing in neurologic disorders were studied. Traditional psychometric methods were used to evaluate and compare acceptability (score distributions), reliability (internal consistency, intrarater reproducibility), validity (concurrent, convergent and discriminant construct), and responsiveness (standardized response mean). Results: All three rating scales satisfied recommended criteria for reliable and valid measurement of disability, and are acceptable and responsive in this study sample. The FIM and FIM+FAM total scales are psychometrically similar measures of global disability. The BI, FIM, and FIM+FAM motor scales are psychometrically similar measures of physical disability. The FIM and FIM+FAM cognitive scales are psychometrically similar measures of physical disability. Conclusions: In the sample studied, the BI, FIM, FIM+FAM have similar measurement properties, when examined using traditional psychometric analyses. Although instruments with more items and item response categories generate more qualitative information about an outcome, they may not improve its measurement. Results highlight the importance of using recognized techniques of scale construction to develop health outcome measures.