Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Staff perceptions on pigeon control strategies on the University of South Africa’s Muckleneuk campus

Pigeons are often considered a nuisance in urban environments, leading to the attempted control or eradication of their populations. This study explored the perceptions of 246 staff members employed on the University of South Africa’s Muckleneuk campus to ascertain the extent and nature of the perceived pigeon problem, suggested control methodologies and their anticipated results. The study found that the majority of staff do not consider the pigeons to pose a problem on the campus and that, should control be imposed, humane, non-lethal measures were preferred over eradication. The isolated pigeon-related complaints revealed that the management’s negative perceptions of the pigeons were not representative of staff members in general. The study concludes that a comprehensive public participation process is a necessary and integral part of the development and implementation of a sustainable and efficient pigeon control plan.
Warning System for Detecting Malicious Applications on Android System

Android, Google open source operating system for mobile devices, has been rapidly grown. Android applications (apps) are uploaded to not only official market, play store, but also other alternative markets. These markets have no inspection system for detecting malicious apps. So, malicious apps can be easily uploaded on the market. Many studies have presented to detect malicious apps for the secure Android mobile environment. But without user participation, it is difficult to detect all of malicious apps. We present a Warning System for detecting malicious applications on Android system. The warning system monitors API calls related suspicious behaviors running on the service layer. After analysis malicious apps, we find that almost malicious apps use similar API calls. We proposed modified Android platform to warn suspicious API calls are running on the service layer. The warning system lets user realize the information of suspicious API calls and block the API calls.
BSO 12 ROBUST MULTI-CRITERIA DESIGN OPTIMISATION IN BUILDING DESIGN

This paper’s contribution is to increase the ability to predict the impact of design variables using statistical sensitivity analysis on top of building performance simulation (BPS), and based on this find Pareto optimal solutions. To perform the optimisation an evolutionary multi-objective optimisation algorithm (SMS EMOA) was equipped with robustness estimation/uncertainty handling. To allow the optimisation under uncertatiny, Kriging metamodels are used. The design optimisation of an office building located in the Netherlands serves to validate the method. The building is an ideal case study as it combines spacial flexibility (in terms of the office layout) and function.
Risk and Fdi Flows to developing CountRies

The explanatory power of institutional and macroeconomic variables for FDI stock accumulation in developing countries is investigated. Hypotheses are tested by means of pooled least squares regressions. The impact of institutional variables on FDI flows produced mixed results: levels of economic freedom facilitate inward FDI; political risk dampens investment. Some macroeconomic variables displayed significant explanatory power: market size (as measured by per capita income in the base year) and absolute growth of GDP positively impacts FDI inflows. Other key macroeconomic variables, such as lower current account balance, appreciation of host country’s currency, and lower inflation rate stimulate FDI inflows.
CONTROL METHOD WITH DISTRIBUTION OF PHASES WINDINGS FOR S\MITCHED RELUCTAIICE MOTOR

This paper presents control method with distribution of phases windings applied to 6-phases 12/10 switched reluctance motor (SRM). The proposed distribution of the phase’s windings with control method allows getting short flux path instead of long flux path. This decreases the current required to establish the flux in the airgap. Control method relies on excited two phases for every rotor position, thus contributing to the improvement of torque. Circuit-coupled time stepping finite element analysis was used to obtain the magnetization characteristics for dynamical modeling applications.
A ug 2 01 0 EPRL / FK Group Field Theory

The purpose of this short note is to clarify the Group Field Theory vertex and propagators corresponding to the EPRL/FK spin foam models and to detail the subtraction of leading divergences of the model. pi-qg-194 ICMPA-MPA/2010/15 Pacs: 11.10. Ef, 11.10. Gh
A study of user’s intention to purchase paid mobile apps

While many reports indicate that the mobile application (app) market will be huge, little is known about why users have an intention to purchase paid apps. This study proposes a behavioral model by amending expectation confirmation model and incorporating app rating, free alternatives to paid apps and habit as belief-related constructs to predict users’ behavior. Data will be collected via online survey. We believe the results may provide further insights into app marketing strategies.
Leading twist nuclear shadowing: Uncertainties, comparison to experiments, and higher twist effects

Using the leading twist approach to nuclear shadowing, which is based on the relationship between nuclear shadowing and diffraction on a nucleon, we calculate next-to-leading order nuclear parton distribution functions (nPDFs) and structure functions in the region 0.2>x>10{sup -5} and Q{sup 2}{>=}4 GeV{sup 2}. The uncertainties of our predictions due to the uncertainties of the experimental input and the theory are quantified. We determine the relative role of the small ({approx}Q{sup 2}) and large (>>Q{sup 2}) diffractive masses in nuclear shadowing as a function of x and find that the large mass contribution, which is an analog of the triple Pomeron exchange, becomes significant only for x{<=}10{sup -4}. Comparing our predictions to the available fixed-target nuclear deep inelastic scattering data, we argue, based on the current experimental studies of the leading twist diffraction, that the data at moderately small x{approx}0.01 and Q{sup 2}{approx}2 GeV{sup 2} could contain significant higher twist effects hindering the extraction of nPDFs from that data. Also, we find that the next-to-leading order effects in nuclear shadowing in the ratio of the nucleus to nucleon structure functions F{sub 2} are quite sizable. Within the same formalism, we also present results for the impact parameter dependence of nPDFs.more » We also address the problem of extracting the neutron F{sub 2n}(x,Q{sup 2}) from the deuteron and proton data. We suggest a simple and nearly model-independent procedure of correcting for nuclear shadowing effects using F{sub 2}{sup A}/F{sub 2}{sup D} ratios. « less
Moments of inertia , nucleon axial-vector coupling , the 8 , 10 , 10 , and 27 3 / 2 mass spectra and the higher SU ( 3 ) f representation mass splittings in the Skyrme model

The broad importance of a recent experimental discovery of pentaquarks requires more theoretical insight into the structure of higher representation multiplets. The nucleon axial-vector coupling, moments of inertia, the 8, 10, 10, and 273/2 absolute mass spectra and the higher SU(3)f representation mass splittings for the multiplets 8, 10, 10, 27, 35, 35, and 64 are computed in the framework of the minimal SU(3)f extended Skyrme model by using only one free parameter, i.e., the Skyrme charge e. The analysis presented in this paper represents simple and clear theoretical estimates, obtained without using any experimental results for higher (10,. . . ) multiplets. The obtained results are in good agreement with other chiral soliton model approaches that more extensively use experimental results as inputs.
Cavitation in trees and the hydraulic sufficiency of woody stems

The cohesion theory of sap ascent (Dixon, 1914) forms the basis of our current understanding of the mechanism of water transport in the xylem of plants. Evaporation from cell wall surfaces in the leaf causes the air-water interface to retreat into the fine porous spaces between cellulose fibers in the wall. Capillarity (a consequence of surface tension) tends to draw the interface back up to the surface of the pores and places the mass of water behind it under negative pressure. This negative pressure is physically equivalent to a tension (a pulling force) transmitted to soil water by a continuous water column; any break in the column necessarily disrupts water flow. In xylem, a break in the water column is
Experience with the use of Biomarkers as Risk Indicators in Environmental Risk Assessment of oil based discharges offshore

An approach using probabilistic risk assessment for off shore oil based discharges utilising biomarkers has recently been developed (called “Biomarker Bridges”). The purpose is to enable the use of biological responses (biomarkers) as Risk Indicators in procedures for Environmental Risk Assessment. The aim of the present paper is to discuss experiences gained from applying the Biomarker Bridges approach to existing data from the monitoring of an offshore oil field. The data are from the biomonitoring case study of an oil field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The field had no discharge of produced water at the time of the survey and sediment contaminated with drill cuttings was expected to be the main source of contamination. Applying the Biomarker Bridges approach revealed that different response patterns could indeed be detected using this method when compared to responses that would commonly be associated with produced water. Examination of the different biomarker responses in this pattern revealed effects of a different chemical discharge than produced water.
Reading Acquisition and Phonological Awareness: Beyond the Segmental Level

Problem statement: Phonological awareness is a major contributor to reading development. While the literature has primarily focused on the segmental aspect of phonology, suprasegmental information, namely prosody, has been largely underexplored in comparison. Approach: This review focuses on recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies on the development of prosody sensitivity during early childhood and the influence of prosody on reading processes. Results: Overall, the literature highlights the importance of prosodic information, not only during reading acquisition in children, but also during silent reading in skilled readers. This contribution is independent of segmental phonology, but may influence the development of phonological awareness. Conclusion: The current findings open the door to the development of new reading assessment tools that can allow determining whether pre-literacy students are at risk for reading development difficulties.
International Year of Planet Earth 9. Geology in the Urban Environment in Canada

Over 80% of Canadians are urban dwellers, and geology plays a major role in their living environment. Aggregates, water supply, waste disposal, and building problems associated with compressible or sensitive sediments, swelling clays, and dense tills, are major urban geological concerns. A variety of geological hazards impact our cities, including earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, landslides, flooding and, along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, sea level rise. New urban challenges arise from declining reserves of fossil fuels and global climate change, both of which require a rapid transition to alternative energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal) and rebuilt infrastructure. Canada will increasingly face urban issues that require enhanced public education and the services of geologists. SOMMAIRE Plus de 80 % des Canadiens sont citadins, et la geologie joue un role majeur dans leur milieu de vie. Qu’il s’agisse d’agregats, d'approvisionnement en eau, de l'elimination des dechets, et de problemes de construction lies aux sediments compressibles ou sensibles, d’argiles gonflantes, et de tills denses, voila autant de preoccupations geologiques majeures concernant les agglomerations urbaines. Une variete de risques geologiques ont des repercussions sur nos villes, dont les tremblements de terre, tsunamis, eruptions volcaniques, glissements de terrain, inondations et, l’elevation du niveau de la mer le long des cotes du Pacifique et de l'Atlantique. Des defis recents se posent pour les agglomerations urbaines du au declin des reserves de combustibles fossiles et au changement climatique mondial, chacun imposant une transition rapide vers des sources d'energie alternatives (eoliennes, solaire, geothermique) et une reconfiguration des infrastructures. De plus en plus le Canada est confronte a des problemes urbains qui appellent une amelioration des connaissances de la population et un recours accru aux services des geologues.
STAR FORMATION RATES AND STELLAR MASSES OF Hα SELECTED STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT z = 0.84: A QUANTIFICATION OF THE DOWNSIZING

In this work we analyze the physical properties of a sample of 153 star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 0.84, selected by their Hα flux with a narrowband filter. B-band luminosities of the objects are higher than those of local star-forming galaxies. Most of the galaxies are located in the blue cloud, though some objects are detected in the green valley and in the red sequence. After the extinction correction is applied, virtually all these red galaxies move to the blue sequence, unveiling their dusty nature. A check on the extinction law reveals that the typical extinction law for local starbursts is well suited for our sample but with E(B − V)stars = 0.55 E(B − V)gas. We compare star formation rates (SFRs) measured with different tracers (Hα, far-ultraviolet, and infrared), finding that they agree within a factor of three after extinction correction. We find a correlation between the ratios SFRFUV/SFRHα, SFRIR/SFRHα, and the EW(Hα) (i.e., weighted age), which accounts for part of the scatter. We obtain stellar mass estimations by fitting templates to multi-wavelength photometry. The typical stellar mass of a galaxy within our sample is ∼1010 M☉. The SFR is correlated with stellar mass and the specific SFR decreases with it, indicating that massive galaxies are less affected by star formation processes than less massive ones. This result is consistent with the downsizing scenario. To quantify this downsizing we estimated the quenching mass MQ for our sample at z ∼ 0.84, finding that it declines from MQ ∼ 1012 M☉ at z ∼ 0.84 to MQ ∼ 8 × 1010 M☉ at the local universe.
Exploring Enterprise Life Cycle: Differences in Informal and Formal Institutional Measures of Business Ethics Implementation

Since science recognizes the fact that an enterprise passes through different life cycle stages, and that life cycle stages differ in terms of management systems, formal structures, control systems, documentation of transactions, and number of procedural hurdles, our main research problem was focused on differences in informal and formal institutional measures of business ethics implementation. The case study research methodology was applied to explore the differences of informal and formal institutional measures of business ethics implementation at different stages of enterprise life cycle. The pre-designed questionnaire was used in conducting face-to-face interviews with 40 managers who were in most cases also owners of the studied enterprises.
DNA EXTRACTION FROM HEAVY OIL CONTAMINATED MICROCOSMS AND RPOB GENE PCR AMPLIFICATION

This work describes a new method for extracting genomic DNA from heavy oil-contaminated soils. This method combines soil washes using three washing solutions with enzymatic lysis (SW-EL method). The suitability of the SW-EL method was validated by extracting DNA from samples as small as 0.5 g from model microcosms comprising soil artificially contaminated with 1 and 10% (w/w) heavy petroleum and seeded with a bacterial consortium. Compared with an established protocol for lysis and DNA purification using the commercial kit GeneReleaserTM (Bioventures) (GRL method), the novel SW-EL method provided higher DNA yields. With the addition of GeneReleaser to the PCR reaction to function as a chelating resin, rpoB genes (serving as model genes) could be successfully amplified. The SW-EL method has potential to be of use for DNA-based analysis of microbial consortia present in heavy-oil contaminated soils.
Ultraviolet Transient Absorption Spectrometer with Sub-20-fs Time Resolution

We describe a transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy system in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral range, for the study of the ultrafast optical response of biomolecules. After reviewing the techniques for the generation and characterization of ultrashort UV pulses, we describe the experimental setup of our ultrabroadband UV TA spectrometer. The setup combines sub-20-fs UV pump pulses tunable between 3.35 and 4.7 eV, with broadband white-light-continuum probe pulses in the 1.7–4.6 eV range. Thanks to the broad tunability of the pump pulses in the UV spectral range, the extremely high temporal resolution and the broad spectral coverage of the probe, this TA system is a powerful and versatile tool for the study of many biomolecules. As an example of its potential, we apply the TA spectrometer to track ultrafast internal conversion processes in pyrene after excitation in the UV, and to resolve an impulsively excited molecular vibration with 85-fs period.
READING PSALM 78 MULTIDIMENSIONALLY:THE DIMENSION OF THE READER

This article is the third and final one in a series of articles on Psalm 78. The different articles are part of an experiment in a multidimensional reading and each of them deals independently with an aspect of the interpretation of Psalm 78. While the previous two articles deal with the textual and authorial dimensions of Psalm 78, this article will deal with the dimension of the reader and will make some final concluding remarks on the whole series. The diachronic aspect of the reader, on the one hand, can be described from the first (original) hearers/readers of the text up to modern readers because reception is an ongoing process which constitutes a continuation of the diachronic aspect. On the other hand, the synchronic aspect of the reader is constituted by the context in which and from which readers operate. As stated in the first article of this series accepting the principle of a pluralism of exegetical methodologies is a methodological presupposition for this study. Based on this presupposition various exegetical methods that elucidate the meaning of the psalm have been employed in this study. As basis for this plurality of exegetical methodologies, the communication model has been adapted as hermeneutical framework. As a result, the three basic elements of the communication process (the sender, the medium, and the receiver) constitute the model of this multidimensional reading of Psalm 78. Based on the mutual relationship between diachronic and synchronic aspects, the investigation of the heading, of the tradition history, of the dating and the historical setting (with Sitz im Leben), and the study of the canonical shape of Psalm 78 have all contributed to yield some new and fresh insight for understanding the psalm’s own genesis.
Selecting text entries using a few positive samples and similarity

This research was inspired by procedures that are used by human bibliographic searchers: Given some textual and only 'positive' (relevant, interesting) examples coming just from one category, find promptly and simply in an available collection of various unlabeled documents the most similar ones that belong to a relevant topic defined by an applicant. The problem of the categorization of unlabeled relevant and irrelevant textual documents is here solved by using a small subset of relevant available patterns labeled manually in advance. Unlabeled text items are compared with such labeled patterns. The unlabeled samples are then ranked according their degree of similarity with the patterns. At the top of the rank, there are the most similar (relevant) items. Entries receding from the rank top represent gradually less and less similar entries. The authors emphasize that this simple method, aimed at processing large volumes of text entries, provides initial filtering results from the accuracy point of view and the users can avoid the demanding task of labeling too many training examples to be able to apply a chosen classifier, and at the same time, they can obtain quickly the relevant items. The ranking-based approach gives results that can be possibly further used for the following text-item processing where the number of irrelevant items is already not so high as at the beginning. Even if this relatively simple automatic search is not errorless due to the overlapping of documents, it can help process particularly very large unstructured textual data volumes.
An Interactive Modeling Method of 3D Model Based on National Cultural Resource Database

Aiming at solving the problems of low efficiency and complicated operation of 3D modeling in the process of virtual product development of national culture, this paper discusses a synthesis approach of surface geometry model based on data-driven. Firstly, a shape-based matching algorithm is used to retrieve the corresponding components in the database. Secondly, a new model will be generated through segmenting and assembling these components. Finally, this approach is applied to construct 3D model of scenes and characters in ancient Badong town. The application shows that this approach can generate the geometric model of characters and scenes efficiently and economically in cultural activities.
Neural network-based shape retrieval using fuzzy clustering and moment-based representations.

The shape of an object is a fundamental image feature and belongs to one of the most important image features used in Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR). In this thesis, we propose use of Neural Network-Based Shape Retrieval System in which Moment Invariants and Zernike Moments serve as the feature vector to describe shape. Fuzzy /(-means Clustering is used to group similar images in an image collection into /(-clusters whereas Neural Network is used to facilitate retrieval against a given query image. Neural Network is trained by the clustering results of all of the images in the collection in which feature vector formed by moments serves as its inputs and the output dictates the degree of membership among the /(-Clusters. The suggested approach is compared with /(-means Clustering for a number of different distance functions.
The December 2004-January 2005 floods in the Garden Route region of the Southern Cape, South Africa

The December 2004-January 2005 floods in the Garden Route region of the Southern Cape in South Africa have had a significant impact on local development and economic activities, tourism products andlocal institutions. This article aims to capture the dynamism between a number of related fields within the context of transdisciplinary research. Qualitative research methods were used to target a representative sample of the affected population. This article considers the history of the flooding events of December 2004/January 2005 along the Garden Route, as well as the manner in which emergency/disaster management personnel responded to the crisis. The effect of the floods on the tourism sector along the Garden Route was researched in general and the effects of the floods on tourists, local residents, and particularly communities in disadvantaged areas were specifically determined. The research reflects on the disaster risk management strategies that were in place at the time of the floods to determine what local authorities could have done to cope with the potential conditions of crisis. The research found that although some tourism products were severely affected, the 2004/2005 floods did not have a significant impact on the number of tourists frequenting the area. In terms of disaster risk management, concerns remain regarding the lack of the following factors: capacity, adequate early warning systems, proper infrastructure maintenance, local institutions, and an in-depth understanding of the disaster risk profile of the area.