Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of recomWell Treponema, a novel recombinant antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of syphilis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic performance of an enzyme immunosorbent assay (recomWell Treponema) for the diagnosis of syphilis. The novel recombinant antigens Tpn47, TpN17 and TpN15 were utilized. METHODS A total of 782 human serum specimens, belonging to four different categories (blood donors, n = 200; routine laboratory screening for syphilis, n = 400; syphilis patients, n = 122; potential cross-reactors, n = 60), were evaluated to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the recomWell Treponema kit with a standard whole Treponema pallidum cell lysate antigen-based ELISA (Syphilis Screening) and with micro-haemagglutination (MHA-TP). RESULTS The overall specificity and sensitivity of the recomWell Treponema IgG was 98.9% and 98.3%, respectively. The specificity and sensitivity of Syphilis Screening ELISA was 98.7% and 98.3%, respectively. The agreement between recomWell Treponema and Syphilis Screening was 100%, 97.8%, 95.9% and 95% among the blood donor specimens, screening samples, syphilis specimens and the potential cross-reactors, respectively. Values of concordance varying from 96.7% to 98.3% were found in the different groups of sera between recomWell Treponema and MHA-TP. In addition, recomWell Treponema demonstrated a good diagnostic performance when used to detect the IgM to T. pallidum. No false-positive sera were identified and, in 17/19 samples from primary infection, an IgM immune response was found. CONCLUSIONS recomWell Treponema was shown to be a highly specific and sensitive method in all stages of syphilis screening and it can be considered as alternative to other ELISA tests based on native antigen preparations.
LAND DEVELOPMENT AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR FLORIDA INTERCHANGE AREAS

Freeways are heavily-traveled thoroughfares that allow us to quickly get from here to there. Freeway interchange areas have become important points for providing necessities and conveniences that aid in travel comfort. Americans thrive on convenience, and yet unmanaged access to highway-oriented services causes inconvenience and disrupts the very purpose of an interchange, which is to move traffic between the freeway and arterial. Advanced planning and access management can reduce traffic conflicts and create a balance between access and mobility needs. This report reviews issues and problems in managing interchange area development and sets forth strategies, for both state and local agencies, to improve planning and management of interchange areas.
Novel Subband Autoencoder Features for Detection of Spoofed Speech

Deep Neural Network (DNN) have been extensively used in Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) applications. Very recently, DNNs have also found application in detecting natural vs. spoofed speech at ASV spoof challenge held at INTERSPEECH 2015. Along the similar lines, in this work, we propose a new feature extraction architecture of DNN called the subband autoencoder (SBAE) for spoof detection task. The SBAE is inspired by the human auditory system and extracts features from the speech spectrum in an unsupervised manner. The features derived from SBAE are compared with stateof-the-art Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) features. The experiments were performed on ASV spoof challenge database and the performance was evaluated using Equal Error Rate (EER). It was observed that on the evaluation set, MFCC features with 36-dimensional (static+∆+∆∆) features gave 4.32% EER which reduced to 2.9% when 36-dimensional SBAE features were used. Further on fusing SBAE features at score-level with MFCC, a further reduction till 1.93% EER was observed. This improvement in EER was due to the fact that the dynamics of SBAE features captured significant spoof specific characteristics leading to detect significantly even vocoderindependent speech, which is not the case for MFCC. Index Terms Subband autoncoder, spoof detection, vocoder speech.
Rural Non-farm Livelihood Diversification and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria

The aim of this research is to provide analysis of the rural non-farm sector in Nigeria by investigating inter-linkages between farm and non-farm activities. By critical analysis using quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate farm and non-farm sectors, the research attempts to reveal the complex linkages between these activities undertaken by rural households. The analysis employs household surveys aimed at collecting primary data undertaken to investigate various aspects of rural livelihoods including sources of income, employment, diversification and determinants of household income. The research provides analysis of Rural Micro and Small Enterprises (RMSEs) in the nonfarm sector. It investigates the sources of rural livelihoods, which are primarily based on farming activities. However, farming in this area is still carried out by about 80 percent of households in a traditional subsistence system with crude implements and in scattered plots of about 2.0 hectares or less. This subsistence farming system has resulted in increasing changes in decision making, along with dynamic processes of socio-economic and cultural changes including assets and resources which households depend on for their survival. Diversification of income activities has become an important aspect of rural livelihoods due to continued low agricultural income and output. Non-farm income activities have the potential to reduce rising rural unemployment, providing more income opportunities for young people, women and other vulnerable groups. It can provide capital for investment in child education, home improvement, asset formation and on-farm innovation or expansion. This research argues for an integrated approach towards rural development and poverty reduction through the promotion of both agriculture and non-agricultural sectors. Analysis of household income structure and determinants indicate that non-farm income accounts for about 44% of total household income and non-farm income has become an important source of capital for on-farm and off-farm investment. Ownership of non-farm enterprise, household labour force, level of education, age, farm size (land), financial capital (level of savings) and access to basic infrastructure are the main determinants of household income. Using disaggregated and distributional data the study found variations in effect of the various factors on household income on different groups of households.
Fabrication and characterization of nanostructures on insulator substrates by electron-beam-induced deposition

Abstract The fabrication, characterization, and decoration with metallic nanoparticles of nanostructures such as nanowhiskers, nanodendrites, and fractal-like nanotrees on insulator substrates by electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) are reviewed. Nanostructures with different morphologies of whiskers, dendrites, or trees are fabricated on insulator (Al2O3 or SiO2) substrates by EBID in transmission electron microscopes by controlling the irradiation conditions such as the electron beam intensity. The growth of the nanostructure is related to the accumulation of charges on the surface of a substrate during electron-beam irradiation. A high concentration of the target metallic element and nanocrystal grains of the element are contained in the fabricated nanostructures. The process of growth of the nanostructures is explained qualitatively on the basis of mechanisms in which the formation of the nanostructures is considered to be related to the nanoscaled unevenness of the charge distribution on the surface of the substrate, the movement of the charges to the convex surface of the substrate, and the accumulation of charges at the tip of the grown nanostructure. Novel composite structures of Pt nanoparticle/tungsten (W) nanodendrite or Au nanoparticle/W nanodendrite are fabricated by the decoration of W nanodendrites with metallic elements. Because they have superior features, such as a large specific surface area, a freestanding structure on substrates, a typical size of several nanometers of the tip or the branch, and high purity, the nanostructures may have applications in technologies such as catalysts, sensors, and electron emitters. However, there are still some subjects that should be further studied before their application.
Combining Extreme Learning Machine, RF and HOG for Feature Extraction

Feature extraction and classifier is crucial for content-based image retrieve and analysis. In this paper, a novel method for handwritten numeral image extraction is proposed based on Random Forest(RF) and Histogram of Oriented Gradient(HOG). The main contribution of the proposed method is to consider the advantage of HOG and RF. Further, our method extract the impactful information of image, and reduce the input dimension. Therefore, the method can effectively improve the accuracy of handwriting recognition. And the training speed of classifier is faster than multi-layer neural network. We performed the proposed method on MNIST and USPS datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed method has higher accuracy and faster training speed than HOG-ELM and ML-ELM.
Working in Japan: Lessons from Women Expatriates

Many firms commonly place expatriate women in positions abroad, yet know little about the women's job adjustment and performance. The authors have studied in depth the factors that help and hinder foreign women in one particularly difficult environment ? Japan ? and found that, while women can be successful and bring some advantages to the assignment, they face special challenges. Based on the findings from their study, the authors suggest how firms can increase the effectiveness of foreign women in assignments abroad.
Learning to Detect Contours with Dynamic Programming Snakes

Contour detection is an important and challenging task in computer vision, with many applications in the analysis of natural scenes and biomedical images. Although there are many general approaches to contour detection, achieving good performance in any given application often requires considerable hand-tuning of algorithm parameters, optimization criteria, or pre-processing of the images themselves. We propose a novel framework for contour detection that combines learning of a probabilistic classifier with dynamic programming-based contour optimization. On test images, we find that our system is able to learn to detect specific types of contours in images, often from just a single example contour. After learning, the system can be used to speed up interactive contour detection, requiring the user only to click once on each target object, or it can be used to automatically detect all contours of the same type in an image or set of images.
Effect of the level and type of starchy concentrate on tissue lipid metabolism, gene expression and milk fatty acid secretion in Alpine goats receiving a diet rich in sunflower-seed oil

The potential benefits on human health have prompted an interest in developing nutritional strategies for reducing saturated and increasing specific unsaturated fatty acids (FA) in ruminant milk. The impact of the level and type of starchy concentrate added to diets supplemented with sunflower-seed oil on caprine milk FA composition and on mammary, omental and perirenal adipose, and liver lipid metabolism was examined in fourteen Alpine goats in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square with 21 d experimental periods. Treatments were a grass hay-based diet with a high level of forage (F) or a high level of concentrate with either maize grain (CM) or flattened wheat (CW) as source of starch and supplemented with 130 g/d sunflower-seed oil. Milk yield was enhanced (P < 0·01) and milk fat content was decreased on the CM and CW diets compared with the F diet, resulting in similar milk fat secretion. Both high-concentrate diets increased (P < 0·05) milk yield of 10 : 0-16 : 0 and decreased trans-9,11-18 : 1 and cis-9, trans-11-18 : 2. The CW diet decreased (P < 0·05) the output of Σ C18 and Σ cis-18 : 1 and increased (P < 0·05) the output of trans-10-18 : 1 in milk. The expression and/or activity of fourteen proteins involved in the major lipogenic pathways in mammary tissues and of lipogenic genes in adipose and liver tissues were similar among treatments. In conclusion, high starch concentrates alter milk FA yield via mechanisms independent of changes in mammary, liver or adipose tissue lipogenic gene expression. Furthermore, data provided indications that mammary lipogenic responses to starch-rich diets differ between caprine and bovine ruminants.
Risk Control in ERP Implementations: The flow-on effect of prior decision making in the control of risks for Project Managers

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been in existence for over 2 decades yet businesses are still losing billions of dollars annually in the implementation of software designed to reduce costs and increase profitability. The inability to manage risks is an area that contributes to these losses, specifically due to uncertain outcomes when dealing with an interconnected construct such as risk, and a research gap at the tactical and operational levels between risks and controls. A comparative case study approach, encompassing 12 different organisations was adopted to explore emerging patterns at the project implementation level, and from this three contributions emerged. After observing risks behaving in a hierarchical fashion with predictable results, Hierarchy of Risk models representing different implementation stages were constructed. Although these models are still in their formative stages, it may prove useful in furthering our understanding of the close inter-relationship between different risks, where they occur in ERP implementations and the implications of managerial choice when determining risk prioritisation. A second finding is that no direct linear relationship appears to exist between risks and controls. Rather, this counter-intuitive finding suggests that it is additional factors including risk categories, implementation stages, prior control decision making and the hierarchical flow-on effect of impacts as a consequence of identified risks. Finally, by combining the Hierarchy of Risk models and the risk-to-impact-to-control relationship, a method of reverse engineering portfolios of control was discovered. This potentially offers an explanation as to how portfolios of control can be constructed, and why they are essential in ERP implementations.
DO TAX-EXEMPT BONDS REALLY SUBSIDIZE MUNICIPAL CAPITAL?

We argue that the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds provides little or no subsidy to capital investment by communities. Instead, the tax exemption simply provides arbitrage opportunities to high and low tax bracket individuals while leaving individuals in intermediate tax brackets essentially unaffected. We also argue that the revenue cost of the tax exemption is much less than traditionally thought, due to the portfolio rebalancing that would occur if the tax exemption were eliminated. Finally, we note that the only way to prevent all municipal arbitrage possibilities would be to pass through municipal interest income and payments to residents for tax purposes.
Default Prediction Modeling for Small Enterprises: Evidence from Small Manufacturing Firms in Northern and Central Italy

Previous empirical research shows the effectiveness of using sets of economic-financial ratios for company default prediction statistical modeling. However, such research rarely focuses on small enterprises (SEs) as specific units of analysis. In Italy, SEs account for more than 98% of all firms and employ over 70% of the total workforce. The results of our statistical analyses, conducted on a sample of small manufacturing firms in Northern and Central Italy, show that both discriminant analysis and logistic regression are effective tools for designing SEs’ default prediction models based on economic-financial ratios. In addition, the proposed models gain in prediction accuracy when they are specifically constructed for separate business sectors and separate company size groups. Without denying the value of jointly using quantitative and qualitative variables to measure a firm’s rating, this paper confirms that: i) SEs’ credit rating models must adequately weight sets of appropriately selected financial and economic ratios; ii) SEs’ credit rating should be modeled separately from that of large and medium-sized firms; and iii) SEs’ credit rating models need to be specifically designed so as to take into account the diverse economic and financial profiles of firms in different industries and at different stages of growth.
Childhood leukemia incidence in Brazil according to different geographical regions

Resource‐rich countries tend to have a higher incidence of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), whereas lower rates are seen in more deprived countries. This study describes the incidence of childhood acute leukemia in Brazil, an upper middle‐income country, based on data from 16 population‐based cancer registries (PBCRs).
HRM in Transition in Croatian Subsidiaries of MNCs in Line with Central And Eastern European Survey

The Central and Eastern European International Research Team (hereafter CEEIRT) – composed of researchers from universities from the Central and Eastern European Region has developed a model of human resource management practices in the subsidiaries of multinational corporations in CEE Region. This model was used to explore and describe the changes of key HR variables in the light of different fi rm specifi c factors. The model was equally applied across the SEE Region and in research have been included 12 countries and 286 subsidiaries of foreign owned companies. Based on this model, an interview and on-line survey of top level HR executives at 10 subsidiaries of large multinational companies in Croatia and at 276 executives in other CEE countries was completed. The paper describes how these practices and roles have developed in response to the sweeping economic changes within the region and points out the expectations of practitioners for the future. According to the model applied, the research has covered the most important organizational and economic characteristics of the MNC subsidiaries in Croatia, key indicators of the HR function, the most important HR characteristics of the period examined, knowledge management in the fi eld of HR including main directions, methods and characteristics of knowledge fl ows, and fi nally, the future of HR describing the most signifi cant changes from a HR point of view occurring in the next period.
Predicted Responses of Small Mammals to Reintroduction of Fire Along a Northern Prairie River Valley

Fire is being reintroduced to restore native mixed-grass prairie that has been invaded by woody vegetation and introduced species of grasses at 8000-ha (20,000-ac) Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern North Dakota. Implications of this management for much of the local fauna are merely speculative without basic inventory data. We measured the occurrence and habitat relationships of small mammals (< 450 g [< 1 lb]) in prairie and woodland on the refuge. Using snaptraps, we captured 7 mammal species on 42 75-m (245-ft) radius plots in prairie during summer 1998 (n = 193 individuals in 5,208 trap-nights) and 5 species on 32 11-m (36-ft) radius plots in woodland during summer 2000 (n = 289 individuals in 2,560 trap-nights). We found 13-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) and western jumping mouse (Zapus princeps) almost exclusively in open prairie and southern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) almost exclusively in woodland. Based on logistic regression analysis, occurrence of 13-lined ground squirrel related inversely to vegetation height, which generally decreases in northern mixed-grass prairie when recurrent fire is returned. Reintroduction of fire likely will expand the local distribution of 13-lined ground squirrel and western jumping mouse while decreasing that of southern red-backed vole. Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conference 20:325-331
Homologous Recombination in Procaryotes

Suimmary: Homologolus recombination is a lubiqluitolus biological process in which chromosomes pair, break, and rejoin by the sequiential a(ction ofJenzymes. Knowledge of the molecuilar mechanisms of this process is most extensive in procary'otes. This knowledge has guided the successfiil search fur recombination-promoting enzymes in eucaryotes. Enzymatic stuidies on procaryotes have also provided the basis for detailed molecular models ofrecombination. Parallel genetic stuidies on recombination-deficient procaryotic mutants have led to the concept of alternative enzymnatic path way's leadinsg to recombination. Since the forms of deoxyribonucleic acid that recombine varv from circular duplexes to linear single strands, the pathways promoting recombination necessarily vary. This reviewt, discuisses the forms of deoxyribonucleic acid that recombine following conjugation, transdluction, transformation, and phage injection and during growth of partially diploid cells. The abilities of recombination-promoting enzymes to act on these deoxyribonucleic acid slubstrates are considered within the context of alternative recombinational path ways. Two molecular models of recombination that attempt to unify the genetic and enzymatic finctions pro/noting recombination in these diverse circumstances are described.
On the frequency control in high efficiency induction heating system with resonant inverter

This paper is focused on the possibilities of implementing an auto-adaptive control, without a phase-locked loop circuit, for the operating frequency in an induction heating system with single-phase voltage source inverter and resonant L-LC load. Based on the phasor diagram of the equivalent resonant load under resonance condition, three possibilities have been identified to express an error to be canceled in order to obtain the operation at resonance frequency. This error is proposed to be the input quantity of a PI frequency controller. To minimize the switching losses in the voltage source inverter, an increasing of the control frequency over the resonance value is achieved by increasing the component associated to the inductive current in the error expression. The Matlab/Simulink implementation and simulation results for the heating process of a seamless pipe confirm the theoretical findings. The results of the real-time implementation of the control algorithm on an experimental setup based on dSPACE DS1103 controller board illustrate its effectiveness.
Effects of gastrointestinal hormones on pancreatic growth

This article discusses experiments demonstrating that the gastrointestinal hormones, gastrin, secretin, and CCK (cholecystokinin), stimulate the growth of the exocrine pancreas. Exogenous gastrin, secretin, and CCK increase pancreatic weight DNA, RNA and protein content of the rat pancreas. Antrectomy, which removes most endogenous gastrin, decreases pancreatic growth. The effects of antrectomy are prevented by exogenous gastrin. Infusion of HCI into the duodenum to release secretin and infusion of amino acids into the duodenum to release CCK also stimulate pancreatic growth. These results provide evidence that the regulation of pancreatic growth is an important action of the gastrointestinal hormones.