Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE IMPACT OF CONSIDERATION OF PAYMENT CONDITIONS IN CASH FLOW FORECASTING ON FINANCING COSTS IN CONSTRUCTION

Financing costs have been considered to have effects on profit of business, especially when carrying out a construction project. The contractors always desire to minimize the financing costs which are determined basing on factors including the interest rate and penalties accrued on unused portions of credit limit. The establishment of bank overdraft calculated by forecasting project cash flow has been used as the method of financing construction projects. Generally, the cost-schedule integration (CSI) technique has been employed to estimate projects cash flow, but it has still indicated that it does not reflect reality. The payment conditions comprising payment time lags, frequency, and components suggested that they should be modeled in cash flow forecasting. However, there has been no simulation of cash flow forecasting through considering these conditions to examine the impact on project financing costs. This paper is a result of three experiments comprising the experiments calculated according to CSI approaches, simulated by varying payment conditions, and by uniform payment conditions. Data to the simulation was obtained from surveying two projects. Comparison of financing costs incurred among three experiments was performed. The results showed that the consideration of the payment conditions in cash flow forecasting of both projects made a significant difference in financing costs. It made a considerable difference between CSI models and uneven payment conditions. The difference lies in 95% and 71% of total interest charges in projects A and B, respectively. This study pointed out the importance of the terms of payment which may have an impact on forecasting profits and providing overdrafts to financing cash requirements of projects.
The Effects of Positive and Negative Placebos on Human Memory Performances

Two experiments investigated the possible effects of memory-enhancing and memory-impairing placebo capsules (which participants believed to contain active drugs) on participants' performance in a delayed free recall task. In both experiments participants were randomly assigned to either control, positive, or negative placebo conditions, and their memory performance was tested prior to (baseline trial) and after (test trial) the administration of the placebo. Different patterns of results emerged for positive and negative placebos for actual memory performance measures. Whereas negative placebo produces standard placebo effects by impairing both free recall and accuracy scores on test trial, positive placebo does not affect either of these measures (null placebo effect). On the other hand, both positive and negative placebos produce standard placebo effects with respect to participants' self-reports of perceived changes in memory performance: those in the positive placebo group tend to report that the “dru.
Human lung tissue provides highly relevant data about efficacy of new anti-asthmatic drugs

Subgroups of patients with severe asthma are insensitive to inhaled corticosteroids and require novel therapies on top of standard medical care. IL-13 is considered one of the key cytokines in the asthma pathogenesis, however, the effect of IL-13 was mostly studied in rodents. This study aimed to assess IL-13 effect in human lung tissue for the development of targeted therapy approaches such as inhibition of soluble IL-13 or its receptor IL-4Rα subunit. Precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) were prepared from lungs of rodents, non-human primates (NHP) and humans. Direct effect of IL-13 on human lung tissue was observed on inflammation, induction of mucin5AC, and airway constriction induced by methacholine and visualized by videomicroscopy. Anti-inflammatory treatment was evaluated by co-incubation of IL-13 with increasing concentrations of IL-13/IL-13 receptor inhibitors. IL-13 induced a two-fold increase in mucin5AC secretion in human bronchial tissue. Additionally, IL-13 induced release of proinflammatory cytokines eotaxin-3 and TARC in human PCLS. Anti-inflammatory treatment with four different inhibitors acting either on the IL-13 ligand itself (anti-IL-13 antibody, similar to Lebrikizumab) or the IL-4Rα chain of the IL-13/IL-4 receptor complex (anti-IL-4Rα #1, similar to AMG 317, and #2, similar to REGN668) and #3 PRS-060 (a novel anticalin directed against this receptor) could significantly attenuate IL-13 induced inflammation. Contrary to this, IL-13 did not induce airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in human and NHP PCLS, although it was effective in rodent PCLS. Overall, this study demonstrates that IL-13 stimulation induces production of mucus and biomarkers of allergic inflammation in human lung tissue ex-vivo but no airway hyperresponsiveness. The results of this study show a more distinct efficacy than known from animals models and a clear discrepancy in AHR induction. Moreover, it allows a translational approach in inhibitor profiling in human lung tissue.
The Effectiveness of Private Motorized Trips Indicators in Reducing Car Usage

Neighborhoods with similar design may have different travel behavior due to the impacts of socio-economic indicators. There are also some effective indicators such as residents’ income, age, and self-selection factors related to this case that cannot be evaluated easily, and which question the reliability of previous efforts to describe the effects of private motorized trips indicators on car usage universally. On the other hand, private motorized trips indicators are effective factors that influence travel behavior, but these indicators have not been evaluated in a considerable number of studies. This paper introduces a multiple-linear regression analysis to estimate the relationship of private motorized trips indicators and car usage in various cities in different parts of the world with various socio-economic contexts. The results of this study are reliable enough to illustrate this relationship with international scale. The significant private motorized trips factors are also identified in this research for being utilized in car reduction strategies in urban areas.
Activation of Hes1 and Msx1 in Transgenic Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Increases Differentiation into Neural Crest Derivatives

The neural crest (NC) comprises a multipotent cell population that produces peripheral neurons, cartilage, and smooth muscle cells, among other phenotypes. The participation of Hes1 and Msx1 when expressed in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) undergoing NC differentiation is unexplored. In this work, we generated stable mESCs transfected with constructs encoding chimeric proteins in which the ligand binding domain of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which is translocated to the nucleus by dexamethasone addition, is fused to either Hes1 (HGR) or Msx1 (MGR), as well as double-transgenic cells (HGR+MGR). These lines continued to express pluripotency markers. Upon NC differentiation, all lines exhibited significantly decreased Sox2 expression and upregulated Sox9, Snai1, and Msx1 expression, indicating NC commitment. Dexamethasone was added to induce nuclear translocation of the chimeric proteins. We found that Collagen IIa transcripts were increased in MGR cells, whereas coactivation of HGR+MGR caused a significant increase in Smooth muscle actin (α-Sma) transcripts. Immunostaining showed that activation in HGR+MGR cells induced higher proportions of β-TUBULIN III+, α-SMA+ and COL2A1+ cells. These findings indicate that nuclear translocation of MSX-1, alone or in combination with HES-1, produce chondrocyte-like cells, and simultaneous activation of HES-1 and MSX-1 increases the generation of smooth muscle and neuronal cells.
PERSONNEL PROTECTION OF THE CERN SPS NORTH HALL IN FIXED TARGET PRIMARY ION MODE

While CERN's Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is able to deliver both secondary proton and primary ion beams to fixed targets in the North Area, the experimental areas (North Hall) are widely accessible during beam. In ion mode all normal safety elements involved in producing secondary beams are removed, so that an accidental extraction of a high-intensity proton beam into the North Hall would expose personnel to a radiation hazard. This has required an injector reconfiguration restricting operation to either ions or protons. However, demands for operational flexibility of CERN accelerators have led to a need to mix within the same SPS super-cycle both highintensity proton cycles for LHC or HiRadMat and ion cycles for the North Area. We present an active interlock designed to mitigate this hazard: Beam Current Transformers are used to measure the beam intensity, and if above a set threshold, pulsing of the extraction septa is vetoed. The safety function is implemented by means of two logically equivalent but diverse and separate interlock chains. This interlock is expected to be in place once the SPS resumes operation after the first Long Shutdown in 2014.
Toxic effects of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama on clearance rate of the blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

The effects of Heterocapsa circularisquama (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) on the clearance rate of blue mussel Mytilus galloprovjncialis were studied in the laboratory to clarify the mechanism involved in the toxic effects of dinoflagellates on bivalve mollusks The clearance rate of blue mussels was s~gnificantly reduced when exposed to H. circularisquama, even at a low dinoflagellate cell density (50 cells ml-'). Mussels also showed extreme retraction of the mantle edge and no production of feces or pseudofeces. The reduction in clearance rate did not seen1 to be caused by slze, density, or shape of H. circularisquama, since no inhibitory effect was observed when mussels were exposed to other n~orphologically similar dinoflagellates, i.e. Scrippsiella trochoidea and Heterocapsa tnquetra. A filtrate of the H. circularisquama culture d ~ d not repress the clearance rate of M. galloprovincial~s. 'Naked cells' of H. circularisquama (without cell wall), which were prepared by centrifugation, showed no inhibitory effect on clearance rate. Therefore, it is quite likely that the source of toxicity of H. circularisquama is localized on the cell surface. The inhibitory effect of H. circularisquama was inactivated by treatment of intact cells with trypsin and sodium dodecylsulfate. These results indicate that the toxic response of M . galloprovincialis to H. circularisquama is caused by a protein-like substance involving the outer cell components. T h ~ s is the first study to explain the specific inhibition process of H circulansquama on the filtering activities of bivalve mollusks.
RcppArmadillo: Easily Extending R with High-Performance C++ Code

The R statistical environment and language has demonstrated particular strengths for interactive development of statistical algorithms, as well as data modelling and visualisation. Its current implementation has an interpreter at its core which may result in a performance penalty in comparison to directly executing user algorithms in the native machine code of the host CPU. In contrast, the C++ language has no built-in visualisation capabilities, handling of linear algebra or even basic statistical algorithms; however, user programs are converted to highperformance machine code, ahead of execution. We present a new method of avoiding possible speed penalties in R by using the Rcpp extension package in conjunction with the Armadillo C++ matrix library. In addition to the inherent performance advantages of compiled code, Armadillo provides an easy-to-use template-based meta-programming framework, allowing the automatic pooling of several linear algebra operations into one, which in turn can lead to further speedups. We demonstrate that with the aid of Rcpp and Armadillo, conversion of linear algebra centered algorithms from R to C++ becomes straightforward, with the algorithms retaining the overall structure as well as readability, all while maintaining a bidirectional link with the host R environment. Empirical timing comparisons of R and C++ implementations of a Kalman ltering algorithm indicate a speedup of several orders of magnitude.
The Southern Ocean Waves Experiment. Part III: Sea Surface Slope Statistics and Near-Nadir Remote Sensing

Abstract During the Southern Ocean Waves Experiment (SOWEX), registered ocean wave topography and backscattered power data at Ka band (36 GHz) were collected with the NASA Scanning Radar Altimeter (SRA) off the coast of Tasmania under a wide range of wind and sea conditions, from quiescent to gale-force winds with 9-m significant wave height. Collection altitude varied from 35 m to over 1 km, allowing determination of the sea surface mean square slope (mss), the directional wave spectrum, and the detailed variation of backscattered power with incidence angle, which deviated from a simple Gaussian scattering model. The non-Gaussian characteristics of the backscatter increased systematically with the mss, suggesting that a global model to characterize Ka-band radar backscatter from the sea surface within 25° of nadir might be possible.
Ventilation of subterranean CO 2 and Eddy covariance incongruities over carbonate ecosystems

Abstract. Measurements of CO2 fluxes with Eddy Covariance (EC) systems are ongoing over different ecosystems around the world, through different measuring networks, in order to assess the carbon balance of these ecosystems. In carbonate ecosystems, characterized by the presence of subterranean pores and cavities, ventilation of the CO2 accumulated in these cavities and pores can act as an extra source of CO2 exchange between the ecosystem and the atmosphere. In this work we analyse the effect of the subterranean heterogeneity of a carbonate ecosystem on measurements of CO2 fluxes by comparing measurements from two EC systems with distinct footprints. Results showed that both EC systems agreed for measurements of evapotranspiration and of CO2 in periods when respiratory and photosynthetic processes were dominant (biological periods), with a regression slope of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively. However, in periods when the main source of CO2 comes from the ventilation of subterranean pores and cavities (abiotic periods) agreement is not good, with a regression slope of 0.6. Ground-penetrating radar measurements of the sub-surface confirmed the existence of high sub-surface heterogeneity that, combined with different footprints, lead to differences in the measurements of the two EC systems. These results show that measurements of CO2 fluxes with Eddy covariance systems over carbonate ecosystems must be taken carefully, as they may not be representative of the ecosystem under consideration.
Antileishmanial activity of medicinal plants from Africa: A review

*Corresponding author: Abdelhakim Bouyahya, Laboratory of Human Pathologies Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, and Genomic Center of Human Pathologies, Mohammed V University, Rabat 4, Av. Ibn battouta BP1014, Rabat, Morocco. Tel: +2126013508 E-mail: boyahyaa-90@hotmail.fr Peer review under responsibility of Hainan Medical University. The journal implements double-blind peer review practiced by specially invited international editorial board members.
Ramadan Fasting and Competitive Sports: Psychological Adaptation within Socio-cultural Context

The article examines the influence of socio-cultural practices of Ramadan fasting in competitive sports and adaptation pathway of the athletes. The study describes how the socio-cultural context acts as the social “panopticon” and explains the adaptation pathways among Muslim archers. Foucauldian concept explains individual actions and behaviors within social and cultural settings, and adaptation pathways during Ramadan fasting. Eleven elite Malaysian Muslim archers participated in an open ended interview to identify individual experiences of competing in high level sports while engaging in Ramadan fasting. Relevant quotes were extracted to identify means and methods leading to a pathway toward adaptation. The inductively identified pathway viz. understanding of the context, control and adjustment, willpower and self enhancement, belonging and gravitating, trust and support culminates in the dimension of adaptation. The study highlights how cultural and societal influences have a bearing on actions, behaviors, and decisions of competitive athletes.
Breakable Solid Transportation Problem with Hybrid and Fuzzy SafetyFactors using LINGO and Genetic Algorithm

nvironments. If we carrying the produce from sources to destination by the means of unlike conveyances then due to insurgency, land slide and bad road, there are some risks or difficulties to transport the items. By this motive we initiate “Safety Factors” in transportation problem. Due to this reason desired total safety factor is being introduced. Also our objective is to evaluate the solution of STP using expected value model. Here we develop six models where first three models are formulated taking crisp unit transportation cost but the remaining three models are formulated taking hybrid unit transportation cost. To build up the different models we consider breakability and safety factor which is taken as crisp, fuzzy and hybrid for assorted models. All the fuzzy and hybrid models are reduced into its crisp equivalent using expected value modeling. Finally by Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG) method using LINGO.13 optimization software and Genetic Algorithm we solve the mathematical models and put a enlarge discussion on it.
Might Heterostyly Underlie Spider Occurrence on Inflorescences? A Case Study of Palicourea rigida (Rubiaceae), a Common Shrub from Brazilian Cerrado

We carried out a research on thePalicourea rigida (Rubiaceae) inflorescences, a distylous shrub of Brazilian Cerrado. Our objective was to compare the inflorescence architectural complexity and its quality in the two floral morphs and search for any relationship with spider occurrence. In order to assess the quality of inflorescence resources, we quantified the nectar volume and its sugar concentration and the number of fruits and flowers (intact and aborted) for both inflorescence morphs with and without spiders. For the architectural heterogeneity, we quantified floral structures and inflorescence levels of branching. Spider occurrence was higher in longistylous inflorescences than in brevistylous ones. The sampled spiders were classified into the guilds ambushers, jumpers, or orb-weavers. Ambushers, jumpers, and total richness were much higher among longistylous inflorescences. We found no difference between morphs neither in volume or nectar concentration nor in amount of fruits and flowers. However, longistylous inflorescences presented greater architectural heterogeneity than brevistylous ones. Therefore, we suggested that architectural heterogeneity is an important factor underlying the occurrence of cursorial spiders onP. rigida inflorescences, which possibly arose from the relationship between refuge availability and inflorescence architecture.
LONG DISTANCE COUPLING OF THE LOWER HYBRID WAVES ON TORE SUPRA

The Lower Hybrid (LH) couplers on reactor like tokamaks will have to be situated far away from the main plasma, to reduce the heat load they receive. On ITER for example, the LH couplers, as well as any component inside the vacuum vessel, will be situated at the first wall, 5 cm behind the poloidal limiter [1]. The total distance between the couplers and the separatrix, dcp, will be ~15 cm during the burn phase. Extrapolating roughly from simulations of the plasma edge of ITER [1], it is easily seen that, at this radial position, the plasma density is likely to be less than the cut-off density (ne,cut-off ~ 3 x 10 17 m for 5 GHz) necessary for good coupling of the LH waves. The density in front of the grill, ne,grill, will have to be increased locally, if we want to couple efficiently the LH waves. On Tore Supra, long distance shots have been achieved with good coupling for dcp up to 14.8 cm [2]. This paper shows the detail of these experiments, and emphasises the importance of ne,grill on the coupling of the LH waves, bringing out the need to control actively the plasma in front of the grill.
The Evaluation of Business Intelligence: A Case Study in a Major Financial Institution

Business intelligence (BI) is the current industry movement that addresses the use of IT to support management decision making. Unlike previous approaches to decision support, BI systems are large-scale information systems. Whereas the development of small-scale personal decision support systems (PDSS) and executive information systems (EIS) may be authorised and funded at an individual executive’s discretion, BI systems require evaluation and approval processes more like those used in large-scale operational IT projects. This paper presents a framework for BI and proposes that Symon’s Context-Content-Process model is useful for understanding BI projects. A pilot case study of BI evaluation in a major bank is described and analysed in terms of the Context-Content-Process model. The findings include the recognition of the importance of nonfinancial intangible factors in BI evaluation, the use of operational justification for strategic BI systems, and the varying perspectives of different stakeholders in BI systems. The framework and case findings provide part of the foundation for a larger project concerning the development of a BI evaluation method.
Geochemical Evaluation of Drinking Water in Arak City, Iran

This paper presents results of an assessment of dominant hydro-geochemical processes controlling groundwater chemical composition, using an integrated application of cluster analysis and factor analysis. The area is located in south of saline playa and in Arak city. Cluster analysis classified samples into two main clusters according to their dominant chemical composition: cluster A (dominant composition: Ca, Cl and SO4) and cluster B (dominant composition: Ca–HCO3). These clusters were in turn described by factor analysis. Results of factor analysis and geochemical interpretation suggest that spatial variation of groundwater quality in the area is influenced by different processes: Analyses revealed three major sources of variation in groundwater composition: carbonat and silicate mineral weathering, saltwater intrusion and anthropogenic contamination. Factor 1 shows processes of dissolution of C and SO4 evaporative salts (for samples close to Arak playa). Factor 2 exhibits strong positive correlation in Zn and Cu and show anthropogenic or industrial sources. Factor 3 exhibits HCO3 and NO3 and is resulted from weathering of carbonate and silicat minerals by percolating water and disposal of domestic wastes.