Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectral methods to approximate the likelihood for irregularly spaced spatial data

Likelihood approaches for large irregularly spaced spatial datasets are often very difficult, if not infeasible, to use due to computational limitations. Even when we can assume normality, exact calculations of the likelihood for a Gaussian spatial process observed at n locations requires O(n) operations. We present a version of Whittle’s approximation to the Gaussian log likelihood for spatial regular lattices with missing values and for irregularly spaced datasets. This method requires O(nlog2n) operations and does not involve calculating determinants. Due to the edge effect the estimated covariance parameters using this approximated likelihood method are efficient only in one dimension. To remove this edge effect, we introduce data tapers. In spatial statistics, data tapers are often the tensor product of two one-dimensional tapers. However, we generally need more tapering for the corner observations. Thus, we introduce here a new spatial data taper, a circular taper, that gives more tapering to the corner observations. Therefore, with less overall tapering, we get the amount of smoothing that we need without losing so much information. We present simulations and theoretical results to show the benefits and the performance of the data taper and the spatial likelihood approximation method presented here for spatial irregularly spaced datasets and lattices with missing values.
THE EXCHANGE RATE VOLATILITY AND EXPORT PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF INDONESIA'S EXPORTS TO JAPAN AND THE US

This paper investigates the long-run and short-run impacts of the exchange rate volatility on Indonesia’s real exports to its major trading partners; Japan and US. The study uses monthly data from January 1998 to October 2015 in order to capture the structural break period of the Global Financial Crisis 2008. In addition, commodity price is included as an explanatory variable. The index of exchange rate volatility is generated using moving sample standard deviation of the growth of the real exchange rate. This paper estimates the long-run cointegration using Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing, while for the short-run dynamic this paper use error-correction-model (ECM). The findings suggest rupiah volatility against the Japanese yen reduces Indonesia’s export to Japan, both in the short and the long-run. Fluctuation of rupiah against the US dollar helps Indonesia’s export to the US in the short run, but the impact is not carried out to the long-run. On the other hand, the impact of commodity price shock is negligible, except for the long-run export to Japan.
Subcutaneous adipocyte size and body fat distribution 1 – 3

Background: Both body fat distribution and adipocyte size are associated with metabolic abnormalities. Objective: We defined the extent to which subcutaneous adipocyte size is related to regional fat mass and to the sizes of adipocytes in other subcutaneous depots independent of adiposity, age, and sex. Design: Data collected from 188 women and 133 men who were 18–50 y old and who had a body mass index (in kg/m) of 18 to 50 were analyzed. The mean size of isolated subcutaneous abdominal, femoral, and gluteal adipocytes was measured by direct microscopy or by automated analysis of digital images. Visceral fat area was measured with computed tomography. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to calculate adiposity. Results: Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that abdominal adipocyte size was associated positively with visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat areas and negatively with lower-body fat mass as a percentage of total-body fat, after control for sex and percentage body fat. Femoral adipocyte size was related to percentage body fat (P 0.0001), whereas gluteal adipocyte size was related to visceral fat area (P 0.002), which suggests that these 2 lower-body fat depots are distinct. Analyses of data from a subset of volunteers (n 99) for whom we had adipocyte size from all 3 depots showed that adipocyte size from 1 depot could be better predicted if adipocyte size from other depots were known. Conclusions: Abdominal adipocyte size is related to body fat distribution. Adipocyte size in a person seems to be globally regulated by factors independent of variations in body fat distribution. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:56–63.
The Art of Promotions: The Side You Don’t See

Baseball organizations are always looking for new ways to fill the seats in their stadiums. Promotions have a positive effect on whether or not a fan will attend a minor league baseball game. This study examines the motivational elements of fans and why promotions have a role in persuading fans to attend a game. After polling the St. John Fisher College campus on their attitudes toward promotions, it was clear that promotions had a large affect on whether or not they would attend a game. For the professionals that were surveyed, it was clear that each had similar processes that they completed to plan their promotions. The data from both the campus and the professionals show that the professionals and the surveyed population have similar opinions on what will result in success. Document Type Undergraduate Project Professor's Name Emily Dane-Staples Subject Categories Sports Management This undergraduate project is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/sport_undergrad/43 Running Head: PROMOTIONS 1 The Art of Promotions: The Side You Don’t See Trevor Stearns St. John Fisher College February 27, 2011
Symmetry Between True, False, and Uncertain: An Explanation

In intuitionistic fuzzy sets, there is a natural symmetry between degrees of truth and falsity. As a result, for such sets, natural similarity measures are symmetric relative to an exchange of true and false values. It has been recently shown that among such measures, the most intuitively reasonable are the ones which are also symmetric relative to an arbitrary permutation of degrees of truth, falsity, and uncertainty. This intuitive reasonableness leads to a conjecture that such permutations are not simply mathematical constructions, that these permutations also have some intuitive sense. In this paper, we show that each such permutation can indeed be represented as a composition of intuitively reasonable operations on truth values. Need for intuitionistic fuzzy logic: a brief reminder. In the traditional fuzzy logic (see, e.g., [3, 4]), the degree of truth of each property P on an object x is characterized by a number μP (x) from the interval [0, 1]. It is usually assumed that the degree to which this object x has the opposite property ¬P is equal to μ¬P (x) = 1 = −μP (x). In many practical situations, this assumption leads to good application results. However, in some cases, this assumption is not fully adequate. For example, if we have no information about the property P , then we have no reason to prefer P or ¬P . In this case, it makes sense to assign the same degree to both opposite statements P (x) and ¬P (x), i.e., to take μP (x) = μ¬P (x). Since in the traditional fuzzy approach, we have μ¬P (x) = 1− μP (x), the above equality leads to μ¬P (x) = μP (x) = 0.5. On the other hand, sometimes, we know a lot about P , and for some object x, we have exactly as many reasons to believe that P holds as to believe that P does not hold. In this case, in the traditional fuzzy logic, we also assign the same degree 0.5 to both values: μ¬P (x) = μP (x) = 0.5.
Extending Geometric Singular Perturbation Theory to Nonhyperbolic Points - Fold and Canard Points in Two Dimensions

The geometric approach to singular perturbation problems is based on powerful methods from dynamical systems theory. These techniques have been very successful in the case of normally hyperbolic critical manifolds. However, at points where normal hyperbolicity fails, the well-developed geometric theory does not apply. We present a method based on blow-up techniques, which leads to a rigorous geometric analysis of these problems. A detailed analysis of the extension of slow manifolds past fold points and canard points in planar systems is given. The efficient use of various charts is emphasized.
Cultural influences on IS service quality perceptions

While Information services function’s (ISF) service quality is not a new concept and has received considerable attention for over two decades, cross-cultural research of ISF’s service quality is not very mature. The author argues that the relationship between cultural dimensions and the ISF’s service quality dimensions may provide useful insights for how organisations should deal with different cultural groups. This paper will show that ISF’s service quality dimensions vary from one culture to another. The study adopts Hofstede’s (1980, 1991) typology of cultures and the “zones of tolerance” (ZOT) service quality measure reported by Kettinger & Lee (2005) as the primary commencing theory-base. In this paper, the author hypothesised and tested the influences of culture on users’ service quality perceptions and found strong empirical support for the study’s hypotheses. The results of this study indicate that as a result of their cultural characteristics, users vary in both their overall service quality perceptions and their perceptions on each of the four dimensions of ZOT service quality.
The normal range of diurnal changes in peak expiratory flow rates. Relationship to symptoms and respiratory disease.

Measuring peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR) several times a day can provide an objective assessment of functional changes relative to environmental or occupational exposures. This report describes the pattern of diurnal changes in PEFR in a reference population, and defines ranges of "normal" between- and within-day variability. An index of diurnal changes was defined as the ratio between maximal and minimal values, where the maximal value was restricted to PEFR measured at noon or in the evening (N, E) and the minimal value was restricted to the morning or at bedtime (M, B). A ratio greater than normal represented an exaggeration of the normal diurnal pattern in PEFR. Normal limits, based on the ninety-fifth percentile in the reference population, were larger for children (130%) than for adults 15 to 35 yr of age (117%) and those older than 35 yr of age (118%). The meaningfulness of excessive diurnal changes in PEFR was examined by relating this ratio (Max/Min), and a similar measure (the amplitude percent mean) to chronic respiratory symptoms and diseases in 938 adults and children who recorded PEFR values 2 to 4 times per day for as long as 14 days. There was a strong relationship of diurnal changes in PEFR that exceed normal limits with physician-confirmed asthma (relative risk of 2.99 with Max/Min), with exertional dyspnea (Grade 2+), and with more frequent reporting of acute symptoms of wheeze, attacks of wheezing dyspnea, cough, and chest colds. In addition, those exceeding the normal limits had about 2.9 times greater risk of having a FEV1 below 80% of predicted, and nearly 7 times greater risk of being below 70%. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Correlation between the width of maxillary anterior teeth and several facial landmarks of indonesian female and male

Prescribing the correct tooth size and proportion to prosthodontics patients is a challenge. Several studies state that the total width of six maxillary anterior teeth (WAT) can be predicted from intercanthal distance (ICD), interalar width (IAW) or commisural width (CMW). A recent study in the USA compares anterior tooth proportions among subjects, including Asian, with even sex distribution. However, it is known that craniofacial characteristics are subjected to environmental adaptations. Therefore, this study was performed to correlate the width of six maxillary anterior teeth and several facial landmarks of Asian living in Asia (Indonesia). Thirty -six females and 24 males (age 20 – 35 y.o.) participated in the study. ICD, IAW and CMW were measured intraorally using caliper three times for each. WAT was measured by adding mesiodistal width of each anterior tooth. The means and standard deviations of each variable were calculated. Correlations between variables were analyzed using Spearman/Pearson correlation coefficient. The mean values were significantly different for male and female for CMW (P = 0.000), IAW(P = 0.000), ICD (P = 0.007) and WAT (P = 0.000). Male has a statistically significant strong correlation between WAT and CMW (P = 0.004, r = 0.53). These results suggested that for this particular population, for males the width of six maxillary anterior teeth is strongly correlated with commissural width. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2017; 10 (Special Issue): pp. 648-651)
LEAN THINKING WITHIN PUBLIC SECTOR PURCHASING DEPARTMENT: THE CASE OF THE U.K PUBLIC SERVICE

Can Lean work in public procurement, or is the field too complex and varied for a lean approach to succeed? In May 2010 the UK government announced a reform of public procurement; a key proposal was to use lean procurement to shorten timescales and reduce costs. This paper describes the Cabinet Office's work to develop a lean sourcing process and examines its practical implementation. Early implementation experience is discussed alongside lean principles and theory and we consider the effect on procurement success in the public sector environment where strategic outcomes are paramount. We also seek to identify whether there are key enablers or preconditions which must exist in order for public procurement bodies to use a lean sourcing approach.
Preparation and in vitro characterization of non-effervescent floating drug delivery system of poorly soluble drug, carvedilol phosphate

Abstract The objective of the study was to enhance the solubility of carvedilol phosphate and to formulate it into non-effervescent floating tablets using swellable polymers. Solid dispersions (SD) of carvedilol were prepared with hydrophilic carriers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone and poloxamer to enhance solubility. Non-effervescent floating tablets were prepared with a combination of optimized solid dispersions and release retarding polymers/swellable polymers such as xanthan gum and polyethylene oxide. Tablets were evaluated for physicochemical properties such as hardness, thickness and buoyancy. SD prepared with the drug to poloxamer ratio of 1:4 by melt granulation showed a higher dissolution rate than all other dispersions. Formulations containing 40 mg of polyethylene oxide (C-P40) and 50 mg xanthan gum (C-X50) were found to be best, with the drug retardation up to 12 hours. Optimized formulations were characterized using FTIR and DSC and no drug and excipient interactions were detected.
Distributed Fair Transmit Power Adjustment for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Improving the safety of drivers and passengers by wirelessly exchanging information between vehicles represents a major driving force for the design of vehicular ad hoc networks. In a heavy loaded 802.11-based network, however, safety-related packets might collide frequently and cannot be decoded by a receiver, thus they might not be effective in increasing the safety level on the roads. In this paper, we propose to use transmit power control in order to reduce packet collisions, while taking into account the major design goal of vehicular ad hoc networks, i.e. increasing safety. While previous work has addressed the issue of power control primarily for optimizing network capacity and/or connectivity, the optimization criterion for improving safety has to be built upon the concept of fairness: a higher transmit power of a sender should not be selected at the expense of preventing other vehicles to send/receive their required amount of safety information. In this paper, we propose a fully distributed and localized algorithm called D-FPAV (distributed fair power adjustment for vehicular networks) for adaptive transmit power adjustment which is formally proven to achieve max-min fairness. Furthermore, we investigate the effectiveness and robustness of D-FPAV through extensive simulations based on a realistic highway scenario and different radio propagation models
The National Immunisation Programme in the Netherlands : Surveillance and developments in 2018-2019

In 2018 zijn ongeveer 880.000 kinderen van 0 tot 19 jaar gevaccineerd via het Rijksvaccinatieprogramma (RVP). In totaal ontvingen zij 2.266. 000 vaccinaties. De daling in deelname aan het RVP die sinds 2014 was te zien, is tot stilstand gekomen. Net als in voorgaande jaren waren er in 2018 weinig meldingen van Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib; 43), meningokokken-C (3), difterie (2), tetanus (1), rodehond (0) en polio (0). Het aantal meldingen van bof was iets hoger (73 versus 46 in 2017); het aantal meldingen van kinkhoest bleef onverminderd hoog (4897). In 2018 overleed een jonge zuigeling aan kinkhoest, en begin 2019 een zuigeling en een ongevaccineerde oudere patient. Het aantal gevallen van mazelen nam toe van 24 in 2018 tot 45 in de eerste helft van 2019. In juni 2019 begon een lokale uitbraak van mazelen in Urk, een gemeente met relatief weinig gevaccineerde mensen. De uitbraak is inmiddels voorbij. Het aantal mensen met pneumokokkenziekte door een serotype dat in het vaccin zit bleef erg laag (1 kind jonger dan 5 jaar). Wel hebben wat meer mensen pneumokokkenziekte gekregen door serotypes die niet in het vaccin zitten (70 kinderen jonger dan 5 jaar in winterseizoen 2018/2019 ten opzichte van 46 in 2017/2018). Door een stijging van het aantal gemelde meningokokkenziekte type W sinds 2015 is in 2018 de MenACWY-vaccinatie ingevoerd. In de eerste zes maanden van 2019 daalde het aantal meldingen van meningokokkenziekte type W (39). Alleen bij mensen die ouder zijn dan 80 was deze daling niet te zien. De Gezondheidsraad heeft geadviseerd dat de eerste vaccinatie van een baby kan worden uitgesteld wanneer de moeder tegen kinkhoest is gevaccineerd tijdens de zwangerschap. Het aantal vaccinaties voor de baby kan hierdoor worden teruggebracht van drie naar twee. De vaccinatie voor zwangeren start in december 2019. Het ministerie van VWS heeft op advies van de Gezondheidsraad besloten om de HPV vaccinatie ook voor jongens aan te bieden en de leeftijd van vaccinatie te verlagen van 12 naar 9 jaar. Ook wordt gekeken naar de mogelijkheden om ongevaccineerde jongens en meisjes de vaccinatie tot en met 26 jaar nog aan te bieden.
ANALYSIS OF E-EXAM DATA USING DATA MINING TECHNIQUES

The assessment of knowledge and competences is an integral part of the learning process. It summarizes the level of student success in achieving the corresponding outcomes and objectives. This paper focuses on analyzing electronic exam data using clustering and association rules in data mining. The aim of this work is to obtain and interpret the results and propose solutions to improve the eexamination system using a descriptive model.
Hormonal changes associated with ageing and induced moulting of domestic hens

1. The effect of age on ovarian function was studied in 245-, 350-, 500-, 700- and 800-d-old Lohmann hens. The effect of three different methods for moult induction on ovarian function and corticosterone concentration was studied in 500-d-old hens. 2. No significant reductions in ovarian weight or in number of follicles before the age of 700 d were found. The ability to produce progesterone and oestradiol-17β was unchanged up to the age of 700 d and the circadian secretion of these two steroids was identical in young (225 d) and old hens (600 d). 3. The effects of induced moulting by feed withdrawal (FW) and a high Zn (HZn) diet on body weight and ovarian function were very similar; those of a moderate Zn with low Ca (MZn/LCa) diet were smaller. 4. The first significant effect of moulting was a decrease in oestradiol-17β plasma concentration (d 2). Plasma progesterone decreased more gradually than oestradiol-17β, and reached a nadir on d 6 in FW- and HZn-treated hens and on d 9 in MZn/LCa-treated ones. 5. Hens treated with either FW or the MZn/LCa, but not those with the HZn diet, showed a very sharp rise in corticosterone concentration on d 2 of treatment. Thus the MZn/LCa diet was less efficient than the other treatments in induction of ovarian involution, but had a similar effect on stress induction, as indicated by increases in plasma corticosterone.
Spin and Orbital Moments and Magnetic Order in Fe 3 O 4 Nanoparticle Assemblies

Spin and Orbital Moments and Magnetic Order in Fe3O4 Nanoparticle Assemblies Yanping Cai Department of Physics and Astronomy, BYU Master of Science Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles of 5 to 11 nm in size were prepared by organic methods. Particle size was analyzed by both X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) techniques. Zero Field Cooling (ZFC) / Field Cooling (FC) and magnetization loop measurements were recorded by VSM, and they confirmed superparamagnetic behavior in the sample. The blocking temperature is found to be in the range of 30 K ⇠ 170 K. It has a dependence on the particle size. ZFC / FC curves also indicate the presence of magnetic coupling between particles. X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) measurements of these nanoparticles were measured at 80 K and 300 K. By using the sum rules, spin and orbital magnetic moments were calculated from the XMCD signal. The results confirm a quenching orbital moment and a large spin moment. The calculated total magnetic moments are somewhat smaller than in bulk Fe3O4. Also, the spin moment at 80 K was found to be larger than at 300 K. X-ray Resonant Magnetic Scattering (XRMS) measurements at different temperatures, polarizations and fields were carried out. The intensity profile gives information on the interparticle distance between nanoparticles which is consistent with TEM results. A magnetic signal was extracted by calculating the dichoroic term, when the energy is tuned to resonant edges. This magnetic signal is confirmed by comparing the dichroic terms at different conditions.
Harmonizing data from the UK Expenditure and Food Survey and the National Food Survey: an application to fruit and vegetable demand

Given the increasing obesity rates and incidence of diet-related ill health in western countries, unhealthy eating and food consumption have recently entered the policy agenda of most European governments and reliable information on food consumption patterns has become highly desirable for policy makers. The present work focuses on the UK which has experienced the most dramatic increase in obesity rates in Europe in the last 15 years. The papers illustrates the harmonization of two different sources of data on food consumption which has produced an unique multiple cross-sections dataset containing purchases information for more than 250 food items, recorded on about 6000 households each year, over 13 years (from 1997 to 2009). Potential helpfulness of the new dataset is here demonstrated through a preliminary analysis on fruit and vegetable consumption: a demand system for fruit and vegetables and price elasticities are estimated. The availability of this unique dataset clears the way to a large range of potential analysis which might result very informative for policy purposes.