Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Hostile Suffering Effect: Mediated Encounters With the Suffering of Opponents, Recognition, and Moral Concern in Protracted Asymmetrical Conflict

Few studies have empirically examined how and to what extent media exposure to representations of the suffering of opponents in conflicts affects audiences’ responses. Using public opinion polling ( N = 671), we examine, in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the extent to which exposure to media coverage of the suffering of opponents predicts empathy toward the opponents and willingness to recognize their suffering. In line with our hypotheses, the findings demonstrate a hostile suffering effect in which higher exposure to media coverage of Palestinian pain and suffering predicts decreased Jewish-Israeli willingness to recognize this suffering. This association is mediated by decreased empathy toward Palestinians. The implications of our findings for understanding the role of the media in eliciting moral concern are discussed.
Modelling planktic foraminifer growth and distribution using an ecophysiological multi-species approach

Abstract. We present an eco-physiological model reproducing the growth of eight foraminifer species (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma, Neogloboquadrina incompta, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei, Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinoides ruber, Globigerinoides sacculifer, Globigerinella siphonifera and Orbulina universa). By using the main physiological rates of foraminifers (nutrition, respiration, symbiotic photosynthesis), this model estimates their growth as a function of temperature, light availability, and food concentration. Model parameters are directly derived or calibrated from experimental observations and only the influence of food concentration (estimated via Chlorophyll-a concentration) was calibrated against field observations. Growth rates estimated from the model show positive correlation with observed abundance from plankton net data suggesting close coupling between individual growth and population abundance. This observation was used to directly estimate potential abundance from the model-derived growth. Using satellite data, the model simulate the dominant foraminifer species with a 70.5% efficiency when compared to a data set of 576 field observations worldwide. Using outputs of a biogeochemical model of the global ocean (PISCES) instead of satellite images as forcing variables gives also good results, but with lower efficiency (58.9%). Compared to core tops observations, the model also correctly reproduces the relative worldwide abundance and the diversity of the eight species when using either satellite data either PISCES results. This model allows prediction of the season and water depth at which each species has its maximum abundance potential. This offers promising perspectives for both an improved quantification of paleoceanographic reconstructions and for a better understanding of the foraminiferal role in the marine carbon cycle.
Validation of the UTAUT Model: Re-Considering Non-Linear Relationships of Exogeneous Variables in Higher Education Technology Acceptance Research

Over the years, The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) has served many researchers in unravelling technology acceptance intentions. What has become a chasm in the literature has been the seeming exclusion of non-linear relationships of UTAUT exogeneous variables (Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence and Facilitating Conditions) in model formation and the overall determination of construct predictive relationships. Secondly, there is a dearth in technology acceptance research in distance-based higher education settings. In an attempt to bridge these gaps, this study adopted the UTAUT model and utilized the Partial Least Squares approach to evaluate a combined linear and non-linear relationships based UTAUT model. The survey design was employed in which a questionnaire was used to obtain data from a sample of 267 respondents (tutors) from a distance-based higher education milieu with a country-wide distribution. Results obtained indicated that non-linear relationships exist between exogeneous factors to better explain constructs’ behaviour in the model. A new relationship between facilitating condition and social influence was also discovered. The study thus concluded that in technology acceptance research, there is the need to include non-linear relationships in the UTAUT model to augment the predictive effects and explanations of the constructs’ relationships. It further recommended a comparative analysis between a proposed comprehensive UTAUT model with non-linear relationships and moderators to the original UTAUT model for further empirical analysis. This is to compare results in terms of coefficient of determination (R2) and predictive relevance (Q2).
An Aggressive Interaction Between Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Estuarine Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Southern Brazil

For the first time we report on an aggressive interaction between wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and estuarine dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) observed in Baia Norte, southern Brazil. Three bottlenose dolphins aggressively herded a Sotalia guianensis calf, which was the main target of the aggressive and threatening behaviours of the bottlenose dolphins. Another two to four adult S. guianensis were involved in the interaction and were constantly chased by the bottlenose dolphins. After approximately two hours, the bottlenose dolphins left the calf and the area, and no dead or wounded animals were seen afterwards. We provide a detailed spatial and temporal description of the interaction, and discuss the potential causes of this event.
Computer assisted analysis of orthopedic radiographic images

Over the past few years, computers have become indispensable in many fields. This also happened in medicine, where the need for speed and precision has led to the replacement of some human activities with those, faster and more accurate, of the computers. Nevertheless, despite the accuracy and the computing power, at this moment, for superior results, there is still a need for the human presence, to supervise and interpret the results. This is why we have developed a software application that will help doctors working in a small segment of medicine: Hip Arthroplasty.
Developing an Online Academic Community of Practice KatyaToneva

Constructivist approaches to learning suggest that learning within groups is more effective than individual learning. Communities of practice are an example of how individuals can unite around a common theme and collaboratively work together in order exploit the collective knowledge of the group members. Higher education professionals may find particular benefits of working within such communities due to the diverse nature of the profession and the wide knowledge and experience that can be found among their peers. At St Mary’s University College, London, U.K., a strong tradition of excellence in teaching and learning guides institutional strategies to enhance the learning experience for students. An online academic community of practice is being developed in order to heighten the dissemination of good practice among colleagues and improve the sense of community among staff. This paper describes the stages of the development process. It is argued that the developing community of practice is already improving collaboration and dissemination of good practice among St Mary’s staff. The key benefits are accessibility, interactivity and feeling of ownership. As the community evolves and matures, it is expected that knowledge sharing and collaboration will continue to increase, if the barriers that have been identified can be overcome successfully. Keywords–online Academic Community of Practice (ACoP); Microsoft SharePoint; Moodle; social constructivism; interaction; collaboration.
The role of the trailing stratiform region in convective momentum transport and mesoscale convective system motion

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) are commonly characterized by a leading convective line followed by a region of stratiform precipitation. The trailing stratiform region (TSR) is typically 50 – 200 km wide and features two main flow regimes: front-to-rear flow that ascends from middle to upper levels, and rear-to-front flow that descends from middle to low levels. Both airstreams are of dynamical and structural importance to the MCS itself; the ascending frontto-rear flow distributes hydrometeors into the stratiform region from the leading convective region, and the rear-to-front flow (or rear-inflow jet) is heavily influenced by the TSR itself and may directly impact the surface cold pool. The connection between the rear-inflow jet (RIJ) and surface cold pool is one way that the TSR and its associated dynamics may have a marked effect on MCS motion.
What Constrains Spread Growth in Forecasts Initialized from Ensemble Kalman Filters

Abstract The spread of an ensemble of weather predictions initialized from an ensemble Kalman filter may grow slowly relative to other methods for initializing ensemble predictions, degrading its skill. Several possible causes of the slow spread growth were evaluated in perfect- and imperfect-model experiments with a two-layer primitive equation spectral model of the atmosphere. The causes examined were the covariance localization, the additive noise used to stabilize the assimilation method and parameterize the system error, and the model error itself. In these experiments, the flow-independent additive noise was the biggest factor in constraining spread growth. Preevolving additive noise perturbations were tested as a way to make the additive noise more flow dependent. This modestly improved the data assimilation and ensemble predictions, both in the two-layer model results and in a brief test of the assimilation of real observations into a global multilevel spectral primitive equation model. More gener.
SEAFLOOR FAULTING AND ITS RELATION TO SUBMARINE VOLCANIC ACTIVITIES BASED ON SUB BOTTOM PROFILING (SBP) ANALYSES IN WEH ISLAND WATERS AND ITS SURROUNDING, NANGROE ACEH DARUSSALAM PROVINCE

Sub bottom Profiling survey using strata box, a specially designed low penetration sub bottom Profiling (< 80 m) for coastal waters exploration, found out evidence of submarine volcanic activities in northern coastal waters of Weh Island, NanggroeAceh Darussalam Province. Gas bubbling could be observed at water columns of the digital sub bottom Profiling records as acoustic turbidity. There are at least 33 spots of volcanic gas bursts observed from the sub bottom Profiling. Examination of gas bursts at coastal area which show fumaroles and solfatara indicate reduce volcanic activity either at submarine or terrestrial. Identification of seafloor gas burst by diving team found out that center of such burst is occurred at a north - south opened lineation assumed as normal fault. It seems that the seafloor normal fault is the continuation of terrestrial fault of the same direction as observed from terrain earth google of Weh Island. Keywords: seafloor faulting, submarine volcanic activities, shallow sub bottom Profiling data, Weh Island Aceh Survei penampang bawah dasar laut (SBP) menggunakan strata box, suatu alat SBP penetrasi rendah yang didisain untuk eksplorasi perairan pantai, mendapatkan bukti-bukti aktivitas gunungapi bawah laut di perairan sebelah utara Pulau Weh, Provinsi Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Gelembung-gelembung gas dapat diamati pada kolom air rekaman digital penampang bawah dasar laut sebagai turbiditas akustik. Sedikitnya dijumpai 33 titik semburan gas volkanik yang teramati dari penampang bawah dasar laut tersebut. Pemeriksaan semburan-semburan gas pada wilayah pantai sebagai fumarola dan solfataramenunjukkan telah berkurangnya aktivitas volkanik apakah pada dasar laut maupun darat. Identifikasi semburan gas dasar laut oleh tim selam mendapatkan bahwa pusat semburan berada pada kelurusan berarah utara - selatan yang diduga sebagai sesar normal. Tampaknya adalah bahwa sesar normal dasar laut tersebut merupakan kelanjutan sesar darat yang berorientasi sama seperti teramati dari citra earthgoogle terrain Pulau Weh. Kata kunci: pensesaran dasar laut, aktivitas gunungapi bawah laut, data penampang bawah dasar laut, Pulau Weh Aceh
A study on consistency and accuracy of pulse diagnosis in Eight-Constitution Medicine

The aim of this study is to evaluate appraiser's consistency and accuracy about pulse diagnosis (PD) in discrimination of eight-constitutions using Gage R&R study. Cumulative numbers of PD for discrimination of eight constitutions of three appraisers' experience were 75,000 cases, 50,000 cases, 1,100 cases, respectively. Three Appraisers diagnosed subject's eight-constitutions by PD with blinded method. Gage R&R study was used to verify the results. In the measurements of consistency, appraiser B (agreement = 80%, Value of k = 0.8276) was very good, appraiser A (agreement = 70%, Value of k = 0.7465) was good, and appraiser C (agreement = 50%, Value of k = 0.5365) was moderate. In the measurements of accuracy, appraiser B (agreement = 70%, Value of k = 0.6812) was good, appraiser A (agreement = 60%, Value of k = 0.6414) was good, and appraiser C (agreement = 0%, Value of k = -0.1000) was poor. The results suggest that accuracy of discrimination of constitutions relatively depend on experience and number of cases of PD. Further large controlled study is needed to evaluate the accuracy of PD.
Does Financial Liberalization Stimulate Economic Growth and Reduce Poverty in Six Sub-Saharan African Countries

This paper examines the linkage between financial liberalization, economic growth and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan African countries (SSA). The study apply the recent panel Co-integration and vector error correction mechanism to address the heterogeneity and cross-border interdependence over the period of 1980 to 2010. The results reveal that economic growth is positively associated with poverty reduction and financial liberalization coefficients are positively related to economic growth. This implies that financial liberalization causes economic growth. However, the coefficients of financial liberalization are not significant in the poverty equation, which suggests that financial liberalization does not have direct impact on poverty reduction in the six Sub-Saharan African countries. This implies that the financial liberalization effects of poverty are upon contingent on the distributional changes introduced by the growth and the configuration of institutions and policies accompanying the liberalization process and the existence of good governance.
Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for the Detection of LT, STIa and STIb Genes in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Results: In this study, 430 stool samples were tested and 52 (12.1%) were identified as contaminated with E. coli using standard biochemical tests. The ETEC were detected in eight patients (15.4%) with diarrhea by the MRT-PCR and MPCR methods. The results of this study showed that four out of eight strains (50%) were STI a producer, and three out of eight strains were ST producers (37.5%). Also, one strain (12.5%)
Deriving physical parameters of unresolved star clusters. IV. The M 33 star cluster system

Context. When trying to derive the star cluster physical parameters of the M33 galaxy using broad-band unresolved ground-based photometry, previous studies mainly made use of simple stellar population models, shown in the recent years to be oversimplified. Aims. In this study, we aim to derive the star cluster physical parameters (age, mass, and extinction; metallicity is assumed to be LMC-like for clusters with age below 1\,Gyr and left free for older clusters) of this galaxy using models that take stochastic dispersion of cluster integrated colors into account. Methods. We use three recently published M33 catalogs of cluster optical broad-band photometry in standard $UBVRI$ and in CFHT/MegaCam $u^{*}g'r'i'z'$ photometric systems. We also use near-infrared $JHK$ photometry that we derive from deep 2MASS images. We derive the cluster parameters using a method that takes into account the stochasticity problem, presented in previous papers of this series. Results. The derived differential age distribution of the M33 cluster population is composed of a two-slope profile indicating that the number of clusters decreases when age gets older. The first slope is interpreted as the evolutionary fading phase of the cluster magnitudes, and the second slope as the cluster disruption. The threshold between these two phases occurs at $\sim$300\,Myrs, comparable to what is observed in the M31 galaxy. We also model by use of artificial clusters the ability of the cluster physical parameter derivation method to correctly derive the two-slope profile for different photometric systems tested.
Can ParaSight-F be used for rapid diagnosis of Falciparum malaria in Nepal?

1 Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine, Dept. of Community Medicine, Public Health Research Laboratory Nepal. 2 Division of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. Address for Correspondence: Dr. Jeevan B. Sherchand, Public Health Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 10404, Kathmandu, Nepal. E-mail: Jeevan@itdrc.healthnet. org.np Can ParaSight-F be used for rapid diagnosis of Falciparum malaria in Nepal ?
Evaluation of models for assessing Medicago sativa L. hay quality

A study was conducted to evaluate current proposed models for assessing Medicago sativa L. hay quality, using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) analyses and Cornell Nett Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) milk production prediction as a criterion of accuracy. Application of the theoretically-based summative total digestible nutrients (TDNlig) model of Weiss et al. (1992), using lignin to determine truly digestible NDF, explained almost all of the variation in milk yield (MY) (r² = 0.98). However, this model involves high analysis costs to develop and maintain NIRS calibrations and several of its components were poorly predicted by NIRS and therefore, not suited for quality assessment in practice. Current available models (forage quality index (FQI), relative forage quality (RFQ); relative feed value (RFV)) for assessing Medicago sativa L. hay quality revealed lower accuracies (r² = 0.83, r² = 0.76, r² = 0.61, respectively), especially when protein was included in the model (total forage quality index (TFI); r² < 0.49). The developed empirical equation named lucerne milk value (LMV), including ADF, ash and lignin (Y = b0 – b1ADF – b2ash – b3lignin) (r² = 0.96), proved to be the most practical, simplistic, economical and accurate quality evaluation model for commercial application.
Correction of high spatial frequency errors on optical surfaces by means of ion beam figuring

The Ion Beam Figuring is a well known technique able to correct shape errors on optical surfaces with high accuracy. The size of the ion beam dictates strongly the higher spatial frequencies that can be corrected on the optical surface. The correction of small optics of some cm in diameter or containing high spatial frequencies can be very time consuming or impossible. A system that permits the Ion Beam Figuring of small optical components has been developed in the Astronomical Observatory of Brera (INAF-OAB). It has a small ion beam size and large removal rate. The system employs a concentrator able to force the broader beam emitted from an ion source into a smaller spot having large removal rate. The concentrator is placed between the ion source and the optical surface to be figured and doesn't influence the long term stability of the source. It consists of a conical cavity in which is injected the beam extracted from the grids of the source. The grazing incidence angle of impact of the ions with the walls of the cone ensure a very low level of sputtering of the cone material and meanwhile permits the creation of a very small spot removal function having large removal rate. To demonstrate its functionality a number of test optics has been figured using this system with very good results.
How to keep open-source based innovation approaches sustainable: a view from the intellectual property perspective

Open Source-based innovation has an exponentially increasing significance for companies seeking to improve their product portfolio without maintaining a costly research department. The abundant product-related data provided by users in virtual communities in form of comments, feedbacks, and recommendations is already today an essential source of innovation for the goods- producing, but also the tertiary sector. While these data are basically freely accessible on the web, the questions remains in how far this approach is sustainable, i.e. secure and safe also in legal terms. In fact, there are various intellectual property issues protecting the user’s contribution (see e.g. copyrights, patents, utility- and design models) which are often not taken into account by companies making use of the respective data, causing an eventual infringement of protected rights and therefore the sustainability of the company’s innovation policy.
An Empirical Study of the Acceptance and Use of Knowledge Management Systems in Taiwanese Insurance Industry

The main purpose of this study is to explore the acceptance and use of knowledge management systems by survey method. Furthermore, the proposed research model is built on the basis of unified theory of acceptance and use (UTAUT). Data has collected by a questionnaire survey sent to the employees of insurance industry who have the experiences in using knowledge management systems in Taiwan. The implications of the findings for practice are discussed. Moreover, this study will provide a valuable reference for business managers who are initiating or conducting the implementation of knowledge management systems in the knowledge-based economy era, and for researchers interested in the acceptance and use of e-business applications.
Associations between the Classroom Learning Environment and Student Engagement in Learning 2: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

This report is about the second of two phases in an investigation into associations between student engagement in classroom learning and the classroom-learning environment. Whereas the first phase utilized Rasch modelling (Cavanagh, 2012), this report uses latent variable modelling to explore the data. The investigations in both phases of this study employed a novel model of engagement in classroom learning based on flow theory and bio-ecological frameworks. An 85-item survey item was used to collect data from 1760 secondary-school students. Comparable to the findings of the first phase, there was strong evidence for the psychometric properties of the instrument measuring the latent constructs of student engagement in classroom learning and the characteristics of the classroomlearning environment. Furthermore, classroom-learning environment characteristics had direct effects on students’ self-esteem and had direct and indirect effects on students’ expectations of the classroom environment. Classroom characteristics directly influencing students’ self-esteem included the educational values, learning outcomes, classroom learning and parental support. Classroom characteristics directly influencing students’ expectations included the educational values, learning outcomes, classroom learning, support from fellow students and expectations of the teacher. Among other benefits, the two phases of this study enable comparison of contemporary analytic approaches: Rasch and Structural Equation Modelling.