Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Temperature Water Gas Shift Reaction over Nanocrystalline Copper Codoped-Modified Ferrites

Nanocrystalline metal (M)-modified ferrite catalysts codoped with copper in atomic ratios Fe/M/Cu = 10/1/0.25 are synthesized and investigated for the high temperature water gas shift (WGS) reaction. The metal modifiers considered in the present work include M = Cr, Ce, Ni, Co, Mn, and Zn. The goal of the present work is to elucidate the role of Cu-codoping in the M-modified ferrites (Fe:M) for the WGS reaction. Interestingly, our shift activity results reveal that Cu act as a promoter for the modified ferrite catalysts, M = Cr, Ni, Co, Mn, and Zn, but it acts as an inhibitor for the case of cerium. XRD measurements indicate that there is a formation of solid solution of type Fe0.875M0. 1Cu0.025 (M = Cr, Ce, Ni, Co, Mn, and Zn) in the case of all copper doped-modified ferrites during the activation of the catalysts except for the case of cerium. The activated catalyst Fe/Ce/Cu shows magnetite and wustite phases in the XRD pattern. Cell parameter measurements show that Cu enters into the magnetite structure.
An analysis on the impact factors of domestic tourism demand by Chinese urban residents

Typical indexes which show impact on domestic tourism demand of urban residents are picked up to construct assessing index system from the points of living standard, population size, education level and transportation condition, and even the primacy factors are extracted by factor analysis method. In the following, the correlative degree between factors and tourism demand is quantitatively measured by gray correlation analysis, as finds out the most important factors impacting on domestic tourism demand.
Forecasting Dynamic Investment Timing under the Cyclic Behavior in Real Estate

This paper applies the Hodrck-Prescott (HP) filter to forecast short-term residential real estate prices under cyclical movements. We separate the trend component from the cyclical component. We show that each regional residential market reacts not only to previous price movements, but also that these regional markets react to previous shocks under Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) modeling. Using the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index, we compare our forecast to index values from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Housing Futures and Options. Our study identifies possible systematic errors from the different price adjustments reflecting current market situations.
Petroleum Retailing, Station Level Demand and the Retail Price Cycles

xii Acknowledgments . xiv
Human Resource Management and Organizational Performance-The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment: Empirical Evidence from the Public Sector in a Non-Western Context

Research in the field of strategic human resource management has attracted a great deal of interest because of its likely impact on bottom line outcomes. Recent work in this area posits that organizational commitment can mediate the relationship between human resource management (HRM)practices and organizational performance. However, most of the studies conducted in this area were concentrated on samples gathered from private organizations, and mainly in western countries. In this paper, the impact of HRM on organizational performance is assessed. Furthermore, this research attempts to shed more light on the ``black box`` between human resource practices and organizational performance by investigating the mediating function of organizational commitment in two public sector entities within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The mediating factor was tested through regression of the data collected from a sample of 371 workers who are employed within the two aforementioned public sector entities. The main findings are in line with the outcomes of earlier HRM-performance studies conducted in western public and private sectors, where employers can expect improved organizational performance when their employees` perceptions of the HRM practices within the organization tend to foster an increase in their organizational commitment.
MARKETING AND PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC SERVICES

Health, education and community services, described as complex, human or welfare services, are classified as 'professional' in marketing. Market type mechanisms introduced under the rubric of NPM have blurred the distinction between public and private realms, as increasingly public services are delivered by non-profit and private agencies. One consequence is a more overt marketing stance by service providers. Ambiguity in the language of marketing leads to confusion between market mechanisms and marketing for public services. There are two issues for professional public services. The first is the application of market type mechanisms. The second is the transfer of marketing strategy and techniques from private to public services. Products, customers and exchange relationships, the core concepts of marketing, are deeply ambiguous for professional public services. This paper examines the managerial implications of the conceptual ambiguity in the language and concepts of marketing for professional public services. Marketing techniques have much to offer public service providers seeking to improve service delivery, client relationships and consultation. Market research techniques have much to contribute to policy analysis and evaluation. However the core concepts of marketing are deeply ambiguous for professional public services with multiple 'customers' and contested 'values'. There is more to social policy than strategic marketing and there is more to service delivery than customer service.
An Empirical Investigation of Factors Affecting Stock Prices in Vietnam

This paper investigates factors affecting Vietnam’s stock prices including US stock prices, foreign exchange rates, gold prices and crude oil prices. Using the daily data from 2005 to 2012, the results indicate that Vietnam’s stock prices are influenced by crude oil prices. In addition, Vietnam’s stock prices are also affected significantly by US stock prices, and foreign exchange rates over the period before the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. There is evidence that Vietnam’s stock prices are highly correlated with US stock prices, foreign exchange rates and gold prices for the same period. Furthermore, Vietnam’s stock prices were cointegrated with US stock prices both before and after the crisis, and with foreign exchange rates, gold prices and crude oil prices only during and after the crisis.
Mixed Species Grazing of Cattle and Goats on Gastrointestinal Infections of Haemonchus Contortus

At the present time, the meat of goat is the faste st growing class of livestock in the U.S.A. Due to the sub-tropical climate in the South Easter n region of the US, internal parasites pose a major constraint to the industry. The blood-feeding nemat ode, Haemonchus contortus results in production losses and even death in untreated animals. The control of H. contortus calls for the use of a combination of different control methods/strategies . An experiment was conducted over three successive years (2008, 2009 and 2010) to evaluate the effects of mixed species grazing on fecal egg counts (FEC in epg), FAMACHA © scores (FS) and Packed Cell Volume (% PCV) in goats. In a 2 ×2 factorial, 50 Spanish does and 14 Brangus cows were randomly assigned to continuous or rotational grazing systems. Goats were allowed to graze alone or mixed with cattle. The rotational pastures were divided into four paddocks and each paddock was grazed for 7d and allowed to rest for 21d. Every 28d Body Weight (BW), body condition scores (BCS; 1 = thin and 5 = fat), FS (1 = red and 5 = white), blood and feces were collected. Fecal and blood samples were analyzed in the lab for FEC and %PCV. Data was statistically analyzed using SAS's MIXED and correlation coefficients were determined among the measurements. Overall means for PCV, FEC, BCS and FS were 27.4%, 613 epg, 2.3 and 2.5, respectively. PCV was negatively correlated to FS ( r = -0.35, p<0.001) and FEC (r = -0.16, p<0.005). BCS was negatively correlated to FS (r = -0.59, p<0 .001) and FEC (r = -0.17, p<0.005), while FS and FEC were positive (r = 0.20, p<0.005). Except for t he effect of month (p<0.05), no differences due to the main effects were observed and interaction effects were significant at only p<0.10. Goats grazing alon e in continuous pastures had a higher PCV and FS scores (28.6% and 2.7, respectively) than goats in mixed rotational pastures (25% and 2.2). The percentages of does in mixed pastures falling in FS-1, FS-2 and FS-3 categories were higher (5.2 Vs 8.9%, 17.0 Vs 2 2.7% and 15.7 Vs 19.6%, respectively) than does grazing alone. Overall, mixed grazing of pastures w ith cattle and goats reduced FEC in goats therefore decreasing FAMACHA scores that resulted in increased PCV and BCS values. The present data suggest alternative approaches for suppression of parasite loads include some management practices such as pasture rotation, mixed livestock species g razing and selective deworming.
IPO's: The Impact of Venture Capital Links?

This paper examines the effects of venture capital (VC) backing on the performance of listed companies on the Australian securities market. We examine measures of the IPO pricing, operational performance after the IPO and market performance after the IPO for a matched sample of VC and non VC-backed IPOs between 1999 and 2005. We find evidence consistent with the certification/monitoring model that VC-backed companies are able to go public more quickly and at higher valuations than non VC-backed companies. The evidence on post IPO performance was mixed with some support for the certification/monitoring model and the adverse selection/grandstanding model. However, after partitioning the sample into old and young VC firms we find clearer evidence of the certification/monitoring role performed by older VC firms whereas younger VC firms show evidence of adverse selection/grandstanding effects.
Stream implementation of the flux tensor motion flow algorithm using GStreamer and CUDA

The flux tensor motion flow algorithm is a versatile computer vision technique for robustly detecting moving objects in cluttered scenes [1]. The flux tensor represents the temporal variations of the optical flow field within the local 3D spatiotemporal volume [2]. In this paper we present a prototype software implementation of the flux tensor based on the GStreamer multimedia framework and leveraging the computational performance of NVIDIA CUDA to achieve realtime motion detection in ultra-high definition video streams (i.e. UHD 4K @ 60fps) on suitably equipped GPU systems. GStreamer is a pipeline-based software framework that links together a wide variety of media processing elements to complete complex workflows [3]. CUDA is a parallel computing platform and application programming interface (API) model created by NVIDIA [4]. We assert that the modular nature of the GStreamer framework a) represents the algorithm naturally and declaratively and b) allows easy incorporation of the algorithm into other video processing systems. Several GStreamer and CUDA concepts are explored, with an emphasis on those relevant to the flux tensor implementation. We further discuss tradeoff decisions made within the current implementation, and conclude with avenues of future work and improvements.
An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Decision Processes in the People's Republic of China

Results of a cross-sectional study of consumers in two major cities in the People's Republic of China (PRC), Beijing and Guangzhou, depict distinctive variations with regard to respondents' needs hierarchy, influence of family members and effect of opinions from friends on consumer choice. However, the two sample groups were fairly similar with respect to the various means of reducing uncertainty in consumer purchases.
Short Tandem Repeat Analysis for Human Identity Testing

Short tandem repeat (STR) typing has become the workhorse of modern forensic DNA analysis. The most common form of STR typing uses laser‐induced fluorescence detection of dye‐labeled polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products following capillary electrophoresis (CE) size‐based separation. This unit describes the techniques and marker systems most widely used around the world in constructing criminal DNA databases and conducting forensic casework. In addition, these same STR loci and multiplex PCR assays are commonly used for paternity testing, missing persons, and mass disaster investigations. Both autosomal and Y‐chromosome STRs are discussed in the context of their various applications. Interpretation issues surrounding degraded or mixed DNA specimens as well as tri‐allelic patterns and variant alleles are also illustrated. Finally, future technologies and DNA marker systems are briefly explored relative to the state‐of‐the‐science today.
Geodesic Iso-Curve Signature

During the last decade a set of surface descriptors have been presented describing local surface features. Recent approaches [COO15] have shown that augmenting local descriptors with topological information improves the correspondence and segmentation quality. In this paper we build upon the work of Tevs et al. [TBW* 11] and Sun and Abidi [SA01] by presenting a surface descriptor which captures both local surface properties and topological features of 3D objects. We present experiments on shape repositories that are provided with ground-truth correspondences (FAUST, SCAPE, TOSCA) which show that this descriptor outperforms current local surface descriptors.
Price Convergence to the Euro Area and Preparedness of theCzech Republic for the Adoption of the Euro.

A monetary union accession is preconditioned by sufficient real convergence of an acceding country to existing member countries of such monetary union. By default, the price level convergence criterion is described as a deviation of an acceding country’s price level from the average price level of the euro area. The Czech price level is lower by 31.3% (2013). We believe this formulation of price convergence is not suitable. Weighted deviation of the Czech price level from the price levels of its main business partners is more cogent. According to the aforementioned new indicator, the Czech price level is only down by 24.5%. The paper also examines the correlation between the actual inflation and the perceived inflation in the euro area and in the Czech Republic, coming to a conclusion about expected significant increase in the perceived inflation after the euro introduction.
The Privacy API: Facilitating Insights in How One’s Own User Data is Shared

This work describes a proposal to increase transparency and legibility for users of services where the service provider is handing over user data to marketeers, advertisers and other third parties in order to cover the costs of providing the service or to increase revenue. The proposed solution takes the form of an API, offered by the service provider to the user, which provides the user with the same data that is passed on to third parties, but limited to data related to this particular user. In this work, it is discussed how such an API should be implemented, how it should be enforced, and which important considerations should be made when implementing it. The API maps directly on already existing channels used by the service provider, and should require minimal implementation effort while substantially increasing transparency. It provides benefits to users by providing better insight in how their data is used and what it is worth, to service providers by making it easier to comply with regulations and by increasing (potential) user trust, and to regulators by providing a consistent framework for assessing compliance. Furthermore, the proposed approach allows the inclusion of consumer organizations or other trusted third parties as part of the information flow.
Payment Card Fraud Identification

This paper introduces the defensive methods and procedures to identify the payment card fraud. Payment card means credit/debit card which is used for payment purpose over internet. With the rapid advancement in internet, almost all the transaction are being offered by internet as online such as railway ticket booking, mobile recharge, paying the electricity or telephone bill, shopping and etc. this is very good thing because we save our time, we have multi option while shopping but when we transact over internet then chances of fraud also exists. In existing system, we know the fraud happened only when the transaction has been occurred. Sometimes, it become very difficult to identify the fraudulent and hence regarding loses occurs. In this article, we proposed a model namely Advanced Hidden Markov Model which will identify the fraud during transaction. This model is different from Hidden Markov Model. In this Advanced Hidden Markov Model, We used some other set of finite states which is linked through probability distribution states and not visible to user. This model first detect whether it is fraudulent or not and after then it process further so chances of fraud can be minimized using advanced hidden markov model.
Causes and outcomes of satisfaction in business relationships

Purpose – This study includes relationship marketing concepts (i.e. trust, commitment, and satisfaction) as precursors to transaction cost theory outcomes (i.e. specific investments, opportunism, and formalization) which are rarely, if ever, included together. Trust and commitment lead to satisfaction and satisfaction in turn leads transaction cost outcomes. The paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach – The random sample is 600 small‐ to medium‐sized Norwegian manufacturers. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling was used to examine the responses from 212 key informants.Findings – The strongest positive associations are from the relationship marketing portion of the model including trust satisfaction and commitment satisfaction. The highest negative association in the model is satisfaction opportunism. Contrary to predictions, satisfaction did not have a significant association with either specific investments or formalization.Research limitations/implication.
Proprotein convertase FURIN regulates T cell receptor‐induced transactivation

Antigen emergence rapidly stimulates T cells, which leads to changes in cytokine production, cell proliferation, and differentiation. Some of the key molecules involved in these events, such as TGF‐β1 and NOTCH1, are synthesized initially as inactive precursors and are proteolytically activated during T cell activation. PCSKs regulate proprotein maturation by catalyzing the proteolytic cleavage of their substrates. The prototype PCSK FURIN is induced upon TCR activation, and its expression in T cells is critical for the maintenance of peripheral immune tolerance. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that FURIN regulates T cell activation. Our data demonstrate that IL‐2 is increased initially in FURIN‐deficient mouse CD4+ T cells, but the TCR‐induced IL‐2 mRNA expression is not sustained in the absence of FURIN. Accordingly, the inhibition of FURIN in human Jurkat T cell lines also results in a decrease in IL‐2 production, whereas the overexpression of WT FURIN is associated with elevated IL‐2 levels. In Jurkat cells, FURIN is dispensable for immediate TCR signaling steps, such as ERK, ZAP70, or LAT phosphorylation. However, with the use of gene reporter assays, we demonstrate that FURIN regulates the AP‐1, NFAT, and NF‐κB transcription factors. Finally, by performing a transcription factor‐binding site enrichment analysis on FURIN‐dependent transcriptomes, we identify the FURIN‐regulated transcription factors in mouse CD4+ T cell subsets. Collectively, our work confirms the hypothesis that the TCR‐regulated protease FURIN plays an important role in T cell activation and that it can specifically modulate TCR‐activated transactivation.
Differential Regulation of Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Protein 1c Transcriptional Activity by Insulin and Liver X Receptor during Liver Development*

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are transcription factors involved in the synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. In adults, the isoform SREBP-1c is the predominant transcript in the liver of fed animals, and it activates triglyceride production from glucose when diet is enriched in carbohydrates. Studies have shown that SREBP-1c expression is dependent on insulin but also on the availability of oxysterols, ligands of the nuclear liver X receptor (LXR). The aim of this study was to investigate the regulation of the hepatic SREBP-1c expression in vivo in situations where drastic nutritional and hormonal changes occur, from the gestation to the weaning period. In this paper, we report the discovery of LXR-independent SREBP-1c transcriptional activity during late gestation. In utero insulin injection prior to the natural rise in insulin in late gestation triggers SREBP-1c mRNA elevation, nuclear SREBP-1c binding activity, and expression of its target genes independently of LXR transactivation. On the other hand, during suckling, we observed strong SREBP-1c mRNA expression despite very low plasma insulin, an expression that may be due to LXR transactivation. In contrast to insulin, LXR is not sufficient to trigger nuclear SREBP-1c binding activity and target gene induction. This could be due to the concomitant induction of INSIG-2a by LXR and subsequent retention of SREBP-1c in the endoplasmic reticulum.
Role of macrophage–derived nitric oxide in suppression of lymphocyte proliferation during blood–stage malaria

Examination of the proliferative responses in vitro to mitogens (concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, lipopolysaccharide) of spleen cells recovered from C57B1/6 mice during blood‐stage Plasmodium chabaudi AS infection revealed that the most severe suppression occurred during the first 14 days post infection, that is, during the acute phase of infection. Coincidently, inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression was found to be up‐regulated in the spleens of infected mice, and both splenic and peritoneal macrophages produced high levels of NO in vitro in response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The roles of NO, a molecule recently found to mediate immunosuppression during parasitic infections, and of the well‐recognized immunosuppressive molecule prostaglandin were, therefore, investigated in the suppression of proliferation to mitogens and specific antigen of spleen cells from 7‐ and 14‐day P. chabaudi AS–infected mice. Addition of either 0.5 mM N G ‐monomethyl‐l‐arginine (L‐NMMA) or 0.5 mM aminoguanidine (AG), inhibitors of NO synthase, or 10 μg/ml indomethacin (INDO), a prostaglandin inhibitor, partially but significantly abrogated the suppression in response to concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Only the addition of INDO significantly increased the responses to LPS. Addition of L‐NMMA or AG in combination with INDO partially but significantly abrogated the suppression in response to Con A and completely abrogated the suppression in response to PHA. The addition of L‐NMMA or AG also significantly increased proliferation in response to parasite antigen. The contribution of NO to suppression of lymphoproliferation was confirmed by adding 3‐morpholino‐sydnonimine‐hydrochloride (SIN‐1), a chemical generator of NO, to mitogen‐stimulated splenocyte cultures prepared from normal mice. The mechanism of NO‐mediated suppression was investigated in coculture experiments using spleen cells from normal mice and peritoneal macrophages from either normal or day 7 infected mice. The addition of 5‐10 104 peritoneal macrophages from infected mice significantly and consistently suppressed Con A– or PHA‐stimulated proliferation of normal splenocytes. Moreover, suppression correlated with production of NO and could be reversed by the addition of L‐NMMA or AG. These results suggest that, in addition to prostaglandin, increased NO production by macrophages within the first 2 weeks after infection with P. chabaudi AS contributes to immunosuppression associated with blood‐stage malaria. J. Leukoc. Biol. 58: 23–31; 1995.