Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detecting Discontinuous and Occluded Boundaries from Point Clouds of Building Interiors

Range scans of occupied building interiors will often generate a cumulative point cloud with disconnected regions due to varying data density and the presence of numerous partially occluded objects. Boundary detection methods based on surface normal vectors and curvature have difficulty in accurately representing occluded region boundaries because of the geometric uncertainty associated with the underlying polygonal surfaces used to determine the desired geometric parameters. An occluded boundary detection algorithm that works directly on point clouds without the need to reconstruct rough underlying surface models is presented in this paper. The algorithm uses a side-ratio constraint to identify the discontinuous boundary points which lie along successive scan lines. The basic principle is that the distance between the immediate neighboring points at the discontinuous boundary exhibits a large disparity when compared to the other points in a contiguous surface. The side ratio distance defines the spatial separation of the proceeding and succeeding data points on the local grid. The algorithm is also able to handle small density inconsistencies by continuously comparing the side-ratios of the nearest points within a preset window. Spurious point data incorrectly identified as discontinuous boundary points are removed using a density-based outlier detection technique. The effectiveness of the two-step algorithm is demonstrated on real-world data acquired using a FARO® LS 880 laser scanner.
“Hej Seppo, Could You pls Comment on This!”—Internal Email Communication in Lingua Franca English in a Multinational Company

Kankaanranta, Anne ”Hej Seppo, could you pls comment on this! ” – Internal Email Communication in Lingua Franca English in a Multinational Company Jyvaskyla: Centre for Applied Language Studies,University of Jyvaskyla, 2005, 459 p. ISBN 951-39-2320-7 Finnish Summary
Do Management Practices Affect the Economic Performance of Firms Located in Southeast Wisconsin, USA?

Historically, businesses in southeast Wisconsin enjoyed decades of prosperity when the region was a manufacturing center from approximately the 1880s to the early 2000s. Since the late 1980s the area’s economy has been plagued with high unemployment due to the loss of many manufacturing companies. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether a firm’s management practices were related to its economic performance defined as increases/decreases in the number of employees. A review of the relevant peerreviewed, scholarly and industry related literature concerning management practices and their affect on the performance of businesses was conducted. The outcome of the literature review demonstrated that management practices have a direct impact on firm performance. The literature was replete in demarcating management theory and financial measurements. However, few if any scholars have been able to demonstrate a connection between the two elements due to the inability to a reliable methodology to connect the most vital management practices to economic performance. As a consequence, economists, financial analysts and accountants have utilized the most reliable and acceptable measures available, fiscal ratios, balance sheets and etc. However, Bloom and Van Reenen (2007) provided a methodology and survey tool to illuminate the correlation between management decisions and firm economic performance. The author of this study composed a survey composed of 15 general firm identifier questions and 18 management practices defined by Bloom and Van Reenen (2007) as operations, monitoring, targets and incentives and sent it to the chief executive officers of all 682 qualified for-profit manufacturing and service firms in southeast Wisconsin. Upon analysis of the survey data, it was determined that each of the four null hypotheses in this study could not be rejected. However, an examination of the survey data based upon firm ownership type demonstrated that management practices had a significant effect on the economic performance of family owned and operated firms as well as privately owned firms in southeast Wisconsin at the . 007 level of significance.
Factors Influencing the Financing of Business Start-ups by Commercial Banks in South Africa

The failure rate of new business start-ups is very high in South Africa. Inaccessibility to debt finance from commercial banks is one of the causes of failure. The study examined the factors that influence the financing of business start-ups (specifically new small and medium enterprises) by commercial banks in South Africa. The websites of the four big banks were critically reviewed for the lending requirements. Interviews were conducted with four bank officials responsible for credit about the important factors that banks take into consideration when evaluating the credit applications of new small and medium enterprises. The findings indicated that the availability of business plan, collateral, maintenance of a good relationship, managerial competency and a good credit score are critical lending requirements. The study recommends that there is the need for small business owners to be proactive and be aware of the lending requirements. In addition, commercial banks need to better communicate the lending requirements to small business owners. Government agencies that assist small businesses can also help to create awareness of the lending requirements. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n20p94
Evolution in measuring the quality of dying.

PURPOSE Despite multiple efforts to improve the experience for dying patients, researchers still struggle to identify appropriate outcome measures that assess patients' and families' experiences. If health care systems are to provide excellent, compassionate care to dying patients and their families, there must be a valid means of assessing the quality of those experiences and interventions to improve care. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate quality-of-life instruments currently used to assess the experiences of dying patients, and to offer a design for a next generation instrument to measure quality at the end of life. DESIGN Sources were attained through a review of the quality of life, quality of dying, and end-of-life care literatures. The terms quality of life, quality of care, terminal care, hospice, assessment, and measurement were used singly and in combination in the MEDLINE database from 1966 to 2001. DISCUSSION An appropriate clinical quality of dying instrument must be derived from the perspectives of end-of-life care participants and include the multiple domains of experience important to patients and families. Because dying patients are often too ill to communicate, nonresponse bias is a major problem in this population. Researchers must identify additional objective and subjective measures that clearly reflect, correspond well (or predictably) with, and serve as alternatives to patients' self-ratings. Additionally, an appropriate assessment tool must accommodate individual definitions of the quality of dying and demonstrate sensitivity to change over time.
Accounting reform, institutional environment and timeliness in loss recognition in China

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of accounting reform in improving the timeliness in loss recognition relative to gains, in the context of the unique institutional infrastructures in China. With rapid development in the accounting system and capital market in the past 10 years, China is undergoing fundamental change in the institutional environment. The Chinese GAAP gradually converges to IAS. However, the issuance of these IAS-based standards does not necessarily improve the reported accounting information, given the unique institutional background in China. The results show that predominance of state ownership and weak legal environment are two key factors that limit the effectiveness of the accounting reform. As state-owned firms are faced with non-profit maximization goals and poor monitoring by shareholders, creditors, and auditors, the state-owned firms incorporate loss in a less timely fashion and the improvement of timeliness in loss recognition along the accounting reform is much less than the non-state-owned firms. However, the results also show that the inefficiency of state ownership could be mitigated by the stricter enforcement of laws. When cross-listed in the markets with more stringent legal environment, the timeliness in loss recognition by state-owned firms is not significantly different from that in non-state-owned firms. In addition, the differences in legal environment within China also influence reporting behavior of state-owned firms. The gap in the timeliness in loss recognition between state-owned firms and non-state-owned firms in regions with stringent legal environment is smaller than that in provinces with poor legal infrastructure. vi ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
Sepsis Severity Score: An Internationally Derived Scoring System From the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Database*

Objective:As the Surviving Sepsis Campaign was assessing patient-level data over multiple countries, we sought to evaluate the use of a pragmatic and parsimonious severity-of-illness scoring system for patients with sepsis in an attempt to provide appropriate comparisons with practical application. Design:Prospective, observational evaluation. Patients:Data from 23,438 patients with suspected or confirmed sepsis from 218 hospitals in 18 countries were evaluated. Setting:This analysis was conducted on prospective data submitted to a database from January 2005 through March 2010. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Maximum likelihood logistic regression was used to estimate model coefficients, and these were then used to develop a Sepsis Severity Score. The probability of hospital mortality was estimated using the Sepsis Severity Score as the sole variable in a logistic regression model. Univariable logistic regression determined which variables were included in the multivariable predictor model. The scale of continuous variables was assessed using fractional polynomials. Two-way interactions between variables were considered for model inclusion if the interaction p value is less than 0.05. The prediction model was developed based on randomly selecting 90% of available patients and was validated on the remaining 10%, as well as by using a bootstrapping technique. The p values for the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodnessof-fit statistic in the developmental and validation datasets were considerably greater than 0.05, suggesting good calibration. Development and validation areas under the receiver operator curve curves were 0.736 and 0.748, respectively. Observed and estimated probabilities of hospital mortality for the total population were both 0.334. The validation and the developmental datasets were gradually compared over deciles of predicted mortality and found to be very similar. Conclusion:The Sepsis Severity Score accurately estimated the probability of hospital mortality in severe sepsis and septic shock patients. It performed well with respect to calibration and discrimination, which remained consistent over deciles. It functioned well over international geographic regions. This robust, population-specific evaluation of international severe sepsis patients provides an effective and accurate mortality estimate allowing for appropriate quality comparisons with practical clinical and research application.
Price Discovery and Dissemination of Private Information by Loan Syndicate Participants

We delineate key channels through which flows of confidential information to loan syndicate participants impact the dynamics of information arrival in prices. We isolate the timing of private information flows by estimating the speed of price discovery over quarterly earnings cycles in both secondary syndicated loan and equity markets. We identify borrowers disseminating private information to lenders relatively early in the cycle with firms exhibiting relatively early price discovery in the secondary loan market, documenting that
Rapid Novel Facile Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles From Bacterial Release Induce Biogenicity and Concentration Dependent In Vivo Cytotoxicity With Embryonic Zebrafish—A Mechanistic Insight

In this study, rapid one step facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was done using culture supernatant of two Gram positive (B. thuringiensis and S. aureus) and Gram negative (E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium [STAgNP]) bacterial strains and were termed as "Bacillus thuringiensis," "Staphylococcus aureus," "Escherichia coli," and "STAgNP," respectively. Synthesized AgNPs were well characterized with the help of different standard techniques like FESEM, DLS, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared. Mechanism of AgNPs synthesis was elucidated using in silico approach. In vivo cytotoxicity of synthesized AgNPs was assessed in embryonic Zebrafish model with the help of uptake, oxidative stress, and apoptosis induction experimental assays, and the mechanism was investigated through in silico approach at the molecular level. The result showed successful biosynthesis of 20-40 nm sized AgNPs stable with zeta potential of - 45 to - 35 mV having standard silver nanoparticles SPR peaks due to the interaction of reduced silver particles with amino acid residues of bapA proteins of the bacterial supernatant. In vivo cytotoxicity with embryonic Zebrafish was found to be dependent on biogenicity and concentration of biosynthesized AgNPs as consequence of oxidative stress induction and apoptosis due to the influential regulation of sod1 and tp53 genes clarified by pathway analysis with reference to experimental and computational results. The study suggested that cytotoxicity of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles from bacteria depends on strain specificity with significant difference in use of Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains.
Novel Lightweight Metal Foam Heat Exchangers

An overview of open cell metal foam materials with application to advanced heat exchange devices is presented. The metal foam materials considered consist of interconnected cells in a random orientation. Metal foam materials, manufacture and fabrication into complex heat exchange components are described. Experiments with flat foam panels brazed to copper sheets shows increasing heat removal effectiveness with decreasing product pore size at equivalent coolant flow rates. However, the high-pressure drop associated with flow through small pore-size material makes the use of larger pore size material more attractive.
Velocity distribution for a gas with steady heat flow.

An exact solution to the nonlinear Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook kinetic equation representing heat transport in one direction is obtained. The velocity distribution function is given explicitly and illustrated for both small and large temperature gradients. The Chapman-Enskog expansion for this function is proved to be divergent but asymptotic. Also, the relationship of this solution to infinite hierarchies of moment equations is discussed. In the following paper this special solution is analyzed in the context of more physical boundary-value problems.
Boosting Trade Finance in Developing Countries: What Link with the WTO?

The paper discusses the efforts deployed by various players, mainly multilateral financial institutions, regional development banks, export credit agencies, to mobilize greater flows of trade finance for developing countries, with a view to help them integrate in world trade. As an institution geared towards the balanced expansion of world trade, the WTO is in the business of making trade possible. Its various functions include reducing trade barriers, negotiating and implementing global trade rules, and settling disputes on the basis of the rule of law. The WTO is also interested in strengthening the supply-side of developing countries so that they can respond to new market opportunities. To this end, it supports various initiatives aimed at improving the trade infrastructures of developing countries, ranging from the ability to meet international product, safety and sanitary standards, to run efficient customs, or to participate effectively to the multilateral trade negotiations by training public servants. The WTO carries out various initiatives with other partners (public and private sector institutions), in the context of its own technical assistance program, or in the context of multi-agency projects such as the Integrated Framework or the Aid-for-Trade Initiative. Since more than 90% of trade transactions involve some form of credit, insurance or guarantee, one can reasonably say that trade finance is the lifeline of trade. Producers and traders in developing or least-developed countries need to have access to affordable flows of trade financing and insurance to be able to import and export, and hence integrate in world trade. From that perspective, an efficient financial system is one indispensable infrastructure to allow trade to happen. In line with the above initiatives, the WTO has been following actively, and at times, directly supporting, initiatives to boost the availability of trade finance in developing and least-developed countries wherever it was needed. Since the WTO is not a financial institution, it has been supporting in the past few years partners engaged in this effort such as international financial institutions, export credit agencies, large banks and regional development banks. (.) This paper provides background on the difficulties of some countries and traders to access affordable trade credit and finance, on the growing divide between these low income countries and economically advanced countries in handling modern trade finance instruments, and on the joint reflection undertaken by the WTO, most recently under the Aid-for-Trade programme, and previously under the umbrella of the WGTDF and the Coherence Mandate, to help strengthen developing countries' capacities in this area.
Email flow awareness and deferral strategies

The investigative methods traditionally employed by email researchers do not adequately capture the intricacies of email use over an entire day. This thesis improves upon these methods by using a novel combination of daylong in-situ shadowing and passive interface monitoring to provide new insights into how new messages are handled. The findings revealed previously undocumented actions for dealing with email on an ongoing basis, and showed that deferred message handling is a critical usage strategy that has been understudied. Interface logs were used to explore the defer action further and identified two types of email deferral: intra-session and inter-session deferral. This investigation highlights the frequent use of email as a real-time task and attention management tool, and demonstrates why this usage should be supported within email clients. This thesis finally makes the recommendation that future interface improvements should provide more flexible and lightweight mechanisms for integrating email into the user's workflow.
High resolution real time ultrasound of the carotid bifurcation

We have been using a high resolution real time ultrasound mechanical sector scanner to visualize the carotid bifurcation. Twenty‐six patients were studied before carotid arteriography for transient ischemic attacks. One bifurcation was not adequately visualized. Of the remaining 51, plaques were identified correctly in 29; absence of plaques was identified correctly in 15; small plaques were demonstrated by ultrasound in two that did not appear on the arteriogram; and four small plaques and one significant stenosis were not identified by ultrasound.
Formal Institutions, Culture, and Venture Capital Activity: A Cross-Country Analysis

Why does the level of venture capital activity vary across countries? This study suggests that the variation can be attributed to the different levels of formal institutional development. Further, this study proposes that venture capitalists respond differently to the incentives provided by formal institutions depending on different cultural settings. Analysis of VC activity for 68 countries during the 1996–2006 period shows that formal institutions have a positive effect on the level of venture capital activity, but this effect is weaker in more uncertainty-avoiding societies and in more collectivist societies. This study has useful theory and policy implications for venture capital and entrepreneurship development.
Network Position and Perceptions of Destination Stakeholder Importance

ABSTRACT This paper examines the organization and governance of the inter-organizational networks of key tourism organizations within the Gold Coast, Australia and how the position of individual stakeholders in a destination network is related to their perceived salience. In this study 22 key organizations identified using a reputation method were interviewed and asked about the skills and power of the 21 other organizations. Based on this data three analyses were conducted. Firstly, an analysis identified the order of the perceived salience of the organizations studied. Secondly, a k-core clustering analysis identified the organizational network as having a core- periphery structure. Thirdly, the network salience of each stakeholders was correlated with their perceived salience resulting in a correlation coefficient of 0.51. Together these analyses indicate that the key stakeholders on the Gold Coast are located in the core of the network and form an elite that is seen as more salient while peripheral stakeholders are seen as less important and suggest that destination management is controlled by a limited number of stakeholders.
An optimal solution for RANSAC using constraint of saliency region

RANSAC and RANSAC-like algorithm are most employed for the robust computation of relations from a number of potential matches in the field of computer vision, such as stereo matching, image retrieval, mosaic and elsewhere. There have been a number of recent efforts that aim to increase the efficiency of the standard RANSAC algorithm. This paper presents a novel optimal solution of the RANSAC algorithm that is much more efficient. The contributions of this work are two-fold: firstly, the nearest neighbor mutual constraint rule is used to get matching feature points; secondly, the relate information of saliency region is proposed as a constraint condition to refine the corresponding points. The results on real-world images demonstrate that the proposed method is able to achieve a significant performance gain compared to the standard RANSAC and PROSAC.
In Vitro Activities of 3-(Halogenated Phenyl)-5-Acyloxymethyl- 2,5-Dihydrofuran-2-ones against Common and Emerging Yeasts and Molds

ABSTRACT Three 3-(halogenated phenyl)-5-acyloxymethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-ones were evaluated for activity against 191 strains of common and emerging yeasts and Aspergillus species by the broth microdilution test performed according to NCCLS guidelines. The furanone derivatives displayed broad-spectrum in vitro activity against potentially pathogenic yeasts and molds, especially Aspergillus spp. (MIC ≤ 2.0 μg/ml) and fluconazole-resistant yeast isolates, including Candida glabrata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The 4-bromophenyl derivative was the most effective derivative against the majority of species tested, except for the Candida tropicalis and C. glabrata strains, which were more susceptible to the 3-chlorophenyl derivative. The 3,4-dichlorophenyl derivative possessed a lesser in vitro antifungal effect. The potential of further experiments on animal infection and clinical studies is supported by the relatively low cytotoxicity and acute toxicity of the 4-bromophenyl compound. Thus, the halogenated 3-phenyl-5-acyloxymethyl derivatives of 2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one represent a novel, promising group of compounds with significant activity against relevant opportunistic fungi that are pathogenic to humans.