Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of IT infrastructure library (ITIL) in Australia: progress and success factors

[Abstract]: Despite the phenomenal popularity of ITIL as reported in IT practitioner magazines, there has been little academic research published to date about issues related to ITIL adoption and implementation. After reviewing current literature, this research provides preliminary findings from a survey conducted at the recent Australian itSMF conference. All 110 respondents have adopted ITIL, and ITIL implementation progress is associated with the staff size of the organisation and also the number of IT staff. Surprisingly, private sector firms are more advanced than public sector organisations in ITIL implementation. Less than one third of respondents are also implementing CobiT, and for these organisations, ITIL progress is further advanced than CobiT implementation. More than half the respondents are of the opinion that ITIL has met or exceeded their expectations.
Intrusion Detection Using Ensemble of SVM Classifiers

The Current researches show that different classifiers provide different results about the patterns to be classified. These different results combined together yields better performance than individual classifiers. An ideal classifier, which is popularly known as the ensemble approach, is combined to take the final decision instead rely on a single classifier for decision on our intrusion detection system. Weight voting rule, unlike majority voting rule, is a highlight of our ensemble performance. The remarkable highlight is choosing the optimal weights strategy. In the performance of our intrusion detection system, the weight values are based on the accuracy of a given data class actually classified by each classifier respectively. In fact, our experiments show that Intrusion Detection performances can be improved by combining an ensemble of SVM classifiers.
The Relationship Between Executive Stock Options Compensation and Firm Value

The objective of this study is to provide a basic and direct empirical investigation into the impact of executive stock options on the value of the firm. In order to achieve this, we investigate the relationship between measures of stock option values and earnings. We also examine the impact of executive stock options on the firm's cost of capital using the firm's earnings volatility and probability of bankruptcy as proxies, thus providing evidence on the impact of executive stock options on both the primary components of firm value which include earnings and cost of discounting the earnings. The findings show that using executive stock options could have positive impact on the value of the firm, as reflected in the coefficient significance of the Black-Scholes measure of stock options on the reported operating income as well as nondiscretionary earnings. The empirical evidence on the proxy for the cost of capital, i.e. probability of bankruptcy using Altman (1968) Z-Score, also reinforces these findings. The results from this study contribute to the literature on executive stock options compensation.
Train driver scheduling with windows of relief opportunities

Train driver scheduling is the problem of finding an assignment of drivers to cover all train vehicle work, such that cost is minimized while all constraints are satis¯ed. Relieving of drivers happens mostly at train stops; in many cases the train will stop for several minutes, giving rise to a window of relief opportunities (WRO), but current industry practice is to consider relieving only at the time the train arrives at the station. This thesis studies an extension of the train driver scheduling problem to exploit relieving drivers within WROs at times other than the arrival. While extending the problem in this way may lead to a more expressive model, and better solutions, it also gives rise to problem sizes too large for existing scheduling methods. Two different approaches to solve the problem of driver scheduling with WROs are presented. In the first, relief opportunities inside WROs are evaluated in terms of their role in generating solutions unavailable to the relief-on-arrival formulation. Heuristics based on this evaluation result in instance sizes that are manageable with current generate-and-select (GaS) methods. Experiments produce new best-known solutions for some real-life instances of the problem. The second approach is a hybridized system that generates an initial solution using GaS on a relief-on-arrival formulation, which is fed into a local search method running on a full WRO model. This method is then extended by allowing infeasible solutions to be considered during the search. A novel way of costing infeasible solutions is introduced, where the cost of an infeasible solution is derived from a repaired, feasible version of that solution. This strategy is embedded in a local search framework that alternates between exploration of feasible and infeasible regions, where infeasibility arises from complex moves that remove undesirable structural features in the current feasible solution.
Country of Origin vs. Consumer Perception: A Literature Review

The concept of Country of Origin (COO) has been used by many researchers in order to study the context of purchasing products made in the home country vis-a-vis products that are available globally. The concept of COO is viewed as an important cue which would impact consumer decision-making process. This paper presents an extensive literature review of COO. The study has been done from a marketing perspective, and it also tries to draw a relationship between COO and Brand Origin (BO), and considers the role of COO in purchase decision making. A holistic approach has been adopted to understand all the related attributes of COO.
Situational factors affecting Requirement Engineering process in Global Software Development

A most favorable Requirement Engineering process is considered to be subject of situational characteristics of Software Requirement Engineering settings. These characteristics are related to organizations, project, process, requirements, stakeholders etc. However, list of situational factors affecting the Requirement Engineering process during Global Software Development is presently not available. The lack of such study is challenging as it not only restrain the ability to improve Requirement Engineering process, but also it can undermine the competence of Requirement Engineering team to determine the core constraints and characteristics of developing software. To address this scarcity, we have merged a considerable related research into an initial list of situational factors that affect the Requirement Engineering Process during Global Software Development. We have performed Systematic Literature Review for situational factors identification. To carry on data merging, we have used thorough data coding techniques adopted from Grounded Theory. The initial list of situational factors consists of 37 factors, which is the sound initial reference list for Requirement Engineering process definition in Global Software Development environment. The outcome of this study symbolizes a significant contribution to the Requirement Engineering body of knowledge.
The Lifestyles of Working Parents: Implications and Opportunities for New Technologies

This report summarises an in-depth investigation into the lifestyles of working parents taking into account both their home activities and their work activities, and how these are part of a complex lifestyle in which family and work commitments are met. We look at their patterns of mobility, stresses and strains, use of technology, home-work crossover, and domestic routines, as well as examining some aspects of their lives more closely such as the ways in which they use artefacts in planning and reminding and in household communication. Through this, we begin to focus on potential technological opportunities for HP, and point toward more in-depth research that needs to be carried out to understand the requirements for such technolo gies. Apart from the Introduction (Section 1) and Method (Section 3), any of the other sections in this report can be read as stand-alone topics. For the reader who wants a succinct summary of the main findings, and the implications of those findings, skip directly to Section 13.
Business Attributes of Successful Music Groups

Abstract Very little research exists on the marketing and management of musical groups. The purpose of this paper is to examine the business practices of musical groups through exploratory research. Music is a service industry, but it has some special characterisitcs in terms of the standard criteria used to define a service and in its relationship with stakeholders. Success of a musical group was hypothesized to be related to use of outside professionals and using the Internet for promotion, and attitudes towards stakeholders. The questionnaire was distributed through the Louisiana Music Directory. Three items from the questionnaire were used as measures of relative success of the bands: • I (we) sold the following number of units of the last recording I (we) produced (closed choice). • The typical amount of money I or my band makes from a gig per person is (closed choice). • My band has gone on tour within the past year (yes/no). Our exploratory results indicated generally that the success measures were significantly related to outsourcing activities, with mixed results for promotional activities. Additional research is needed to (1) identify other indicators of success, and (2) to explore in more depth what factors may predict success among musical groups.
Organizational Effectiveness and Capacity: The Critical Role of Organizational Health

The effectiveness and functional capacity of any organization is determined by two major elements. The first of these is Organizational Structure, and this has traditionally provided the basis for corporate management paradigms. We are all aware of the structural components such as finance, physical plants, product, market position, and access to resources and market. We also know that infrastructure elements such as governance models, reporting structures, staffing models, information management systems, strategic planning, and research and development allocations are critical to the success of any organization. In fact, organizational structure provides the basic architecture, or skeleton, for an organization and determines the potential extent of its particular capacity. However, and critically, what bring that structure to life are the people who animate it. This is the second element of organizational effectiveness and capacity – Organizational Health. Organizational Health encompasses all the psychological, physiological and social components of the organizational system – all the distinctly human parts. Based on both research and best practice, the author has developed the 4‐Tier, 12‐Factor Organizational Health Model. Critically important to the model is the causal hierarchy of the 12 factors which fall into a base set of Foundation elements (Tier 1), and three layers of outcome elements (Tiers 2‐4). The following schematic briefly describes the model.
Clinical and Genetic Findings of Five Patients with WT 1-Related Disorders

Aim: To present phenotypic variability of WT1-related disorders. Methods: Description of clinical and genetic features of fi ve 46,XY patients with WT1 anomalies. Results: Patient 1: newborn with genital ambiguity; he developed Wilms tumor (WT) and chronic renal disease and died at the age of 10 months; the heterozygous 1186G>A mutation compatible with Denys-Drash syndrome was detected in this child. Patients 2 and 3: adolescents with chronic renal disease, primary amenorrhea and hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism; patient 2 had a gonadoblastoma. The heterozygous IVS9+4, C>T mutation, compatible with Frasier syndrome was detected. Patient 4: 9-year-old boy with aniridia, genital ambiguity, dysmorphisms and mental defi ciency; a heterozygous 11p deletion, compatible with WAGR syndrome was detected. Patient 5: 2 months old, same diagnosis of patient 4; he developed WT at the age of 8 months. Conclusions: Constitutional abnormalities of WT1 cause gonadal and renal anomalies and predisposition to neoplasia and must be investigated in patients with ambiguous genitalia, chronic renal disease and(or) Wilms tumors; primary amenorrhea with chronic renal disease; and aniridia, genital ambiguity and dysmorphisms. (Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab 2008; 52/8:1236-1243)
Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games

The broad range of topics covered by The Art of Immersion is both its biggest strength and, arguably, its biggest weakness. Successive chapters discuss topics as diverse as the effect of video games on dopamine receptors, creating emotion through digital characters, and the art of fictional universe building. This makes the book feel occasionally disjointed, and prevents Rose from exploring any one area too deeply. ultimately, this is not an issue for the reader simply because Rose’s book, in a funny way, practises what he preaches as a living example of deep media. If the reader becomes particularly interested in any one topic or chapter, he or she is only a Google search away from digging deeper and learning more. for instance, a reader fascinated by Rose’s discussion of the additional story content created by J.J. Abrams, Carlton Cuse and damon Lindelof for Lost may ultimately find themselves reading Ivan Askwith’s exhaustive 174-page exploration of the subject, Television 2.0 (2007). Rose himself also provides regular supporting content through a frequently updated blog and Twitter account. Things are moving too quickly in the digital world for any single text to become a magic bullet. Nonetheless, The Art of Immersion constitutes an essential overview for anybody interested in the field. Applications in the academic world are clear (it is already on the syllabi for classes at uSC and Columbia), but it also constitutes a prerequisite for those wishing to enter Hollywood, and marketers or PR professionals wishing to engage an increasingly fragmented audience. References
Low-Noise CMOS single-photon avalanche diodes with 32 ns dead time

The implementation of single-photon avalanche diode detectors (SPAD) in a standard high voltage 0.7-mum CMOS technology is presented. Two different device structures, combined with integrated quenching circuits, have been fabricated and successfully tested. A novel biasing scheme is proposed allowing the reduction of afterpulsing effect and the decrease of minimum device-to-device distance. Good noise performance is obtained for the 100 mum2 active area device where over 50% of the population has a dark count rate below lOOcps and afterpulsing lower than 0.3% with a 4-V excess bias and a 32-ns dead time. The peak photon detection probability is about 30%, while the overall system, upper limit, for the time resolution is 144 ps.
The small molecule mimetic agonist trimebutine of adhesion molecule L 1 contributes to functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice

Curing spinal cord injury (SCI) in mammals is a daunting task because of the lack of permissive mechanisms and strong inhibitory responses at and around the lesion. The neural cell adhesion molecule L1CAM (L1) has been shown to favor axonal regrowth and enhance neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity, and thus constitutes a viable target to promote regeneration after SCI. Since delivery of full-length L1 or its extracellular domain could encounter difficulties in translation to therapy in humans, we have identified several small organic compounds that bind to L1 and stimulate neuronal survival, neuronal migration, and neurite outgrowth in an L1-dependent manner. Here, we assessed the functions of two L1 mimetics, trimebutine and honokiol, in regeneration following SCI in young adult mice, hoping to identify increasingly effective compounds. Using the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) score, we found that the ground locomotion in trimebutine-treated mice recovered better than honokiol-treated or vehicle only receiving mice. Enhanced hindlimb locomotor functions in the trimebutine group were observed at 6 weeks after SCI by evaluating foot-stepping and rump-heights, compared to the vehicle control group. Immunohistology of the spinal cords rostral and caudal to the lesion site showed reduced areas and intensities of glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity in both trimebutine and honokiol groups, whereas increased regrowth of axons was observed only in the trimebutine-treated group. Both L1and L1 mimetic-mediated intracellular signaling cascades in the spinal cord lesion sites were activated by trimebutine and honokiol, with trimebutine being more effective than honokiol. In cultured mouse cerebellar granule cells, both trimebutine and honokiol increased the expression of L1 and activated L1-mediated intracellular signaling cascades. These observations suggest that trimebutine and, to a lesser extent under the present experimental conditions, honokiol have a potential for therapy in regeneration of mammalian spinal cord injuries. D is ea se M o de ls & M ec ha ni sm s • D M M • A dv an ce a rt ic le
Robust estimation of seismic coda shape

SUMMARY We present a new method for estimation of seismic coda shape. It falls into the same class of methods as non-parametric shape reconstruction with the use of neural network techniques where data are split into a training and validation data sets. We particularly pursue the wellknown problem of image reconstruction formulated in this case as shape isolation in the presence of a broadly defined noise. This combined approach is enabled by the intrinsic feature of seismogram which can be divided objectively into a pre-signal seismic noise with lack of the target shape, and the remainder that contains scattered waveforms compounding the coda shape. In short, we separately apply shape restoration procedure to pre-signal seismic noise and the event record, which provides successful delineation of the coda shape in the form of a smooth almost non-oscillating function of time. The new algorithm uses a recently developed generalization of classical computationalgeometry tool of α-shape. The generalization essentially yields robust shape estimation by ignoring locally a number of points treated as extreme values, noise or non-relevant data. Our algorithm is conceptually simple and enables the desired or pre-determined level of shape detail, constrainable by an arbitrary data fit criteria. The proposed tool for coda shape delineation provides an alternative to moving averaging and/or other smoothing techniques frequently used for this purpose. The new algorithm is illustrated with an application to the problem of estimating the coda duration after a local event. The obtained relation coefficient between coda duration and epicentral distance is consistent with the earlier findings in the region of interest.
Differential Gamma Interferon- and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Driven Cytokine Response Distinguishes Acute Infection of a Metatherian Host with Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum

ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum (both Apicomplexa) are closely related cyst-forming coccidian parasites that differ significantly in their host ranges and ability to cause disease. Unlike eutherian mammals, Australian marsupials (metatherian mammals) have long been thought to be highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis and neosporosis because of their historical isolation from the parasites. In this study, the carnivorous fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) was used as a disease model to investigate the immune response and susceptibility to infection of an Australian marsupial to T. gondii and N. caninum. The disease outcome was more severe in N. caninum-infected dunnarts than in T. gondii-infected dunnarts, as shown by the severity of clinical and histopathological features of disease and higher tissue parasite burdens in the tissues evaluated. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of spleens from infected dunnarts and mitogen-stimulated dunnart splenocytes was used to define the cytokine repertoires. Changes in mRNA expression during the time course of infection were measured using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) for key Th1 (gamma interferon [IFN-γ] and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]), Th2 (interleukin 4 [IL-4] and IL-6), and Th17 (IL-17A) cytokines. The results show qualitative differences in cytokine responses by the fat-tailed dunnart to infection with N. caninum and T. gondii. Dunnarts infected with T. gondii were capable of mounting a more effective Th1 immune response than those infected with N. caninum, indicating the role of the immune response in the outcome scenarios of parasite infection in this marsupial mammal.
Purification and crystallization of benzoylformate decarboxylase

A new large‐scale purification method for benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida has allowed us to undertake an X‐ray crystallographic study of the enzyme. The previously observed instability of the enzyme was overcome by addition of 100 μM thiamine pyrophosphate to buffers used in the purification. The final enzyme preparation was more than 97% pure, as determined by denaturing gel electrophoresis and densitometry. The mobility of the enzyme on a gel filtration column indicates that it is a tetramer of 57‐kDa subunits. Large, single crystals of benzoylformate decarboxylase were grown from solutions of buffered polyethylene glycol 400, pH 8.5. The crystals diffract to beyond 1.6 Å resolution and are stable for days to X‐ray radiation. Analysis of X‐ray data from the crystals, along with the newly determined quaternary structure, identifies the space group as 1222. The unit cell dimensions are a = 82 Å, b = 97 Å, c = 138 Å. An average Vm value for the crystals is consistent with one subunit per asymmetric unit. The subunits of the tetramer must be arranged with tetrahedral 222 symmetry.
An Adaptive Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Scheme Based on the Optimal Data Fusion Rule

Spectrum sensing is a key technology in cognitive radio (CR). It provides the CR system with available vacant channels list by sensing the spectrum environment over a wide frequency band. However, local sensing by single node will be compromised if the sensing node experiences shadowing or fading effect. Cooperative spectrum sensing is derived to solve this problem. In this paper, we propose an adaptive cooperative spectrum sensing scheme by using the optimal data fusion rule. To implement such a rule, the probabilities of detection and false alarm of each sensing node must be known, but these probabilities are not readily available in practice. So we develop an iterative algorithm to estimate the probabilities of detection and false alarm. Two different methods are also developed to enhance the adaptability of the proposed estimating algorithm in time-varying environment. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can approach the ideal optimal performance but do not need any prior information of the primary users' (PU) signal.
Studies on the mechanism of toxicity of the mycotoxin, sporidesmin. V. Generation of hydroxyl radical by sporidesmin

Sporidesmin, the mycotoxin responsible for ‘facial eczema’ in ruminants, has previously been shown to generate superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide. In the present study, the formation of the third ‘active oxygen’ species, hydroxyl radical, has been demonstrated. This species is produced both during the autoxidation of the reduced (dithiol) form of the mycotoxin and in the cyclic reduction/autoxidation reaction between sporidesmin and glutathione. In view of the exceptional reactivity of the hydroxyl radical, this substance may be the proximate agent responsible for the toxic effects of sporidesmin.