Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of the Extracellular Matrix in Skeletal Development 1

The extracellular matrix of cartilage and bone is composed mostly of collagen with lesser amounts of other constituents such as proteoglycans. The focus of this brief review will be on the dynamic expression of collagens and proteoglycans in the cartilage and bone extracellular matrices. Recent research has shown the presence of different collagen types and proteoglycans that are differentially expressed in cartilage, in the transition from cartilage to bone, and in the bone extracellular matrices. These findings suggest the complexity of the skeletal extracellular matrix as well as its dynamic expres(
Laser beam welding tempered 300M ultrahigh mechanical strength steel

AISI 300M ultrahigh strength steel has been used in a number of high demanding applications, such as the VLS Brazilian rocket project. This work intends to propose laser beam welding, with subsequent tempering, as a possible route for the fabrication of engineering pieces of this steel. A 2 kW fiber laser was used to produce welded coupons for metallographic, hardness and tensile strength tests. It has been shown that convenient laser parameters for a 3 mm thick plate are 50 mm/s welding speed and 1200 W laser power. However, both welded materials and heat-affected zones presented high hardness and negligible plastic deformation. In order to produce useful engineering parts, it was suggested a tempering treatment for 2 hours at temperatures of 200 or 400oC. Tensile mechanical testing has shown that welded and tempered coupons presented both yield and maximum strengths comparable to the unwelded material. On the other hand, a maximum elongation of about 4% was obtained, in comparison with 12% from the bulk sample.
Reliability and Validity Tests of Singelis's Self-Construal Scale (1994).

Two studies focused on the reliability and validity of T.M. Singelis's 24-item Self-Construal Scale (SCS) (1994). In the first study, Cronbach alphas were calculated to assess the internal consistency of the reliability of the two subscales that were supposed to measure individuals' independent and interdependent self construals. The sample was composed of 421 students drawn from a Midwestern university. Results indicated that the scale had moderate internal consistency. In the second study, three types of validity were assessed. Construct validity was tested by using the above sample. Results of factor analysis suggest that about half of the items need to be revised, at least for this specific sample. A second sample of 184 students who had participated in Study 1 was drawn to assess the criterion-related validity. Concurrent validity and predictive validity failed to be established by correlating SCS with Triandis and Singelis's (1998) subjective individualism collectivism scale, and Kim, Sharkey, and Singelis's (1994) conversational constraints. Possible reasons, limitations, and implications are discussed. Future research should be directed at reexamining the items that have composed SCS. (Contains 4 tables of data and 26 references.) (Author/NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 1 Running head: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY TESTS OF SELF-CONSTRUAL SCALE Reliability and Validity Tests of Singelis's Self-Construal Scale (1994)
Linkages Among Precious Metals Commodity Futures Prices: Evidence from Tokyo

We investigate whether long-term co-movements among the prices of precious metals commodity futures contracts can be observed. The past literature on agricultural commodity futures prices obtains the mixed results. We find that there is no long-term interdependence among the prices of the four non-agricultural commodity products traded at the Tokyo Commodity Exchange. The finding provides new evidence against interdependence of commodity futures prices.
PaRaM: Path-Sensitive Monitoring of Web Applications against SQL Injection Attacks.

MARRI, MADHURI REDDY. PaRaM: Path-Sensitive Monitoring of Web Applications against SQL Injection Attacks. (Under the direction of Dr. Tao Xie.) Web applications are ubiquitous and are accessed by a large number of users, making these applications susceptible to various types of attacks. Among these attacks, SQL Injection attacks belong to one of the most popular attack types, since a web application’s vulnerability to SQL injection attacks poses serious threat to information security. The primary reason for these attacks is dynamic construction of SQL queries using string concatenation. In this thesis, we present a novel runtime-monitoring approach, called PaRaM, that guards a web application against SQL injection attacks. The key insight of our approach is that two executions that dictate the same program path result in SQL queries with the same structure, i.e., queries with the same sequence of SQL keywords. Therefore, the structure of the queries can be predetermined and mapped to the execution paths of the application. In general, runtime monitoring requires instrumentation of the web application and can cause high runtime overhead on the performance of the application. To address this challenge, PaRaM includes a minimization algorithm that reduces the number of program points to be monitored without sacrificing the effectiveness of monitoring against attacks. To evaluate the effectiveness of PaRaM, we apply PaRaM on five web applications. Our results show that our execution-path-sensitive approach is more effective than a related path-insensitive approach, and also causes low performance overhead. c ⃝ Copyright 2010 by Madhuri Reddy Marri
“ Quality and Public Transport Service Contracts " WP-EMS # 2007 / 08

Public authorities and transport operators are both involved in the provision of public transport services. There is a contrast between the social goals of the former and the private ones of the latter. Regulation plays an important role especially failing competition. Service contracts are the natural method to set bilateral commitments. After a brief description of the most important regulatory procedures, we focus our attention on the quality framework in service contracts. In recent years the inclusion of quality requirements in contracts is becoming common practice, especially when adopting price cap regulation. This paper suggests a criterion for service quality definition, measurement and integration in contracts for the production of socially valuable transport services. Using stated preferences methods and choice-based conjoint analysis to analyse customer preferences we estimate the passengers’ evaluation of different service features and calculate a service quality index. A case study demonstrates the procedure to follow for measuring service quality in local public transport.
Monograph review of Tomasz Wnuk-Pel entitled Management Accounting Innovations. The Case of ABC in Poland

The monograph Management Accounting Innovations. The Case of ABC in Poland is dedicated to an important and pertinent issue, i.e. activity-based costing (ABC). As the author stresses, modern solutions of management accounting have been known among Polish academicians and popularized by some researchers, however, they were not put into practice as often as in highly-developed countries (which stemmed from our historical, political and economic conditioning). Nowadays, the gap between the use of modern tools of management accounting (including activity-based costing) by Polish companies and companies in highly-developed countries is narrowing, but it still remains significant. The structure of the monograph is appropriate and logical. The work consists of an introduction, five chapters (the first two are theoretical whereas the remaining ones are empirical), conclusions and a bibliography. The introduction explains the context and the subject of the study and signalizes the content of the monograph i.e. the research problems that the monograph deals with (the validity of individual problems for the purpose of the work is clarified). The author points out the main aim of the study and six specific aims, as well as theses and hypotheses along with research methods used to verify the hypotheses and prove the theses. It should be emphasized that the aims of the study have been positively realized, the theses proved and hypotheses verified. In the first chapter the Author presents the historical background of ABC, and analyzes the evolution of the method and works of some researchers, which laid the ground for the concept. What seems really valuable is the fact that the study presents individual generations of ABC and accentuates different approaches within the generations. It helps to understand better the phenomenon of activity-based costing and its complex nature which seems especially significant in terms of designing an ABC system in an individual company. The study also has another advantage – it presents in a coherent way the patterns which enable understanding individual generations of ABC and explains specific differences between them. This chapter is a concise analy-
The smallest sets of points not determined by their X‐rays

Let F be an n ‐point set in Kd with K∈{R,Z} and d⩾2 . A (discrete) X‐ray of F in direction s gives the number of points of F on each line parallel to s . We define ψKd(m) as the minimum number n for which there exist m directions s1,…,sm (pairwise linearly independent and spanning Rd ) such that two n ‐point sets in Kd exist that have the same X‐rays in these directions. The bound ψZd(m)⩽2m−1 has been observed many times in the literature. In this note, we show ψKd(m)=O(md+1+ε) for ε>0 . For the cases Kd=Zd and Kd=Rd , d>2 , this represents the first upper bound on ψKd(m) that is polynomial in m . As a corollary, we derive bounds on the sizes of solutions to both the classical and two‐dimensional Prouhet–Tarry–Escott problem. Additionally, we establish lower bounds on ψKd that enable us to prove a strengthened version of Rényi's theorem for points in Z2 .
The Contribution of Commercial Fertilizer Nutrients to Food Production

technology and intensified production often involve a greater need for commercial fertilizer nutrients to avoid Nutrient inputs in crop production systems have come under innutrient depletion and ensure soil quality and crop procreased scrutiny in recent years because of the potential for environductivity. The need for increased inputs correctly raises mental impact from inputs such as N and P. The benefits of nutrient inputsareoftenminimizedindiscussionsofpotentialrisk.Thepurpose questions about associated risks. Potential risks are ofof this article is to examine existing data and approximate the effects ten widely publicized while the associated benefits of of nutrient inputs, specifically from commercial fertilizers, on crop an abundant, affordable, and healthful food supply can yield. Several long-term studies in the USA, England, and the tropics, be overlooked or understated. To judge any such pracalong with the results from an agricultural chemical use study and ticeorsystem,therisksmustbeevaluatedincomparison nutrient budget information, were evaluated. A total of 362 seasons with the benefits. While misuses of agricultural fertilizof crop production were included in the long-term study evaluations. ers have undoubtedly occurred and concerns about how Crops utilized in these studies included corn (Zea mays L.), wheat fertilizers affect the environment have sometimes been (Triticum aestivum L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ], rice (Oroverstated, the purpose of this article is not to address yza sativa L.), and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ]. The these issues but to provide evidence of the impact comaverage percentage of yield attributable to fertilizer generally ranged from about 40 to 60% in the USA and England and tended to be mercial fertilizers have had on agricultural production. much higher in the tropics. Recently calculated budgets for N, P, and Several attempts have previously been made to estiKindicatethatcommercialfertilizer makesupthemajorityofnutrient mate how much of the crop production in the USA is inputs necessary to sustain current crop yields in the USA. The results attributable to commercial nutrient inputs. These estiof this investigation indicate that the commonly cited generalization mates usually range from about 30 to 50% for major that at least 30 to 50% of crop yield is attributable to commercial grain crops (Nelson, 1990). Determining these estimates fertilizer nutrient inputs is a reasonable, if not conservative estimate. presents significant challenges, and assumptions are always required regardless of the approach taken. One difficulty that arises is that crops respond differently to M
Adjustable nanofabricated atomic size contacts

Metallic point contacts and tunnel junctions with a small and adjustable number of conduction channels have been obtained in the last few years using scanning tunneling microscope and break junction techniques. For conventional break junctions, the reported drift of the interelectrode spacing in the tunnel regime is typically of the order of 0.5 pm/min (1 pm=10−12 m). We have nanofabricated break junctions which display a drift smaller than 0.2 pm/h. The improvement results from the scaling down by two orders of magnitude of the device dimensions. We describe the nanofabrication process, which can be adapted to most metals. We have performed measurements on Al, Cu, and Nb devices. The results illustrate the ability of the technique to explore phenomenalike conductance quantization and two level fluctuations. These new adjustable atomic size contacts and tunnel junctions can be integrated in complex circuits.
The Effect of Customer Value on Behavioral Intentions in Tourism Industry

Tourism has been seen as the driving force for regional development (Chen and Tsai, 2007). In an increasingly competitive international tourism market with emerging new destinations, mature tourist destinations can gain a competitive edge through repeat visitation (Alegre and Cladera, 2009). Tourism which is managed professionally might increase society income, reduce unemployment, and increase government’s revenues. How to attract tourists to visit, revisit and recommend the destination to other people is crucial for the success of destination tourism development. Recent years, perceived value has been emphasized as the object of attention by researchers in tourism (Meng, Liang and Yang, 2011; Pechlaner, Smeral and Matzier, 2002; Oh et. al, 2004; Petrick, 2004; Petrick, Morais, and Norman, 2001; Sanchez et. al, 2006). The creation and transmission of value to tourists has become a competitive advantage of Vol. 5 | No. 1 ISSN: 2089-6271
Parameterising secondary organic aerosol from α-pinene using a detailed oxidation and aerosol formation model

Abstract. A new parameter model for α-pinene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is presented, based on simulations with the detailed model BOREAM (Biogenic hydrocarbon Oxidation and Related Aerosol formation Model). The parameterisation takes into account the influence of temperature, type of oxidant, NOx-regime, photochemical ageing and water uptake, and is suitable for use in global chemistry transport models. BOREAM is validated against recent photooxidation smog chamber experiments, for which it reproduces SOA yields to within a factor of 2 in most cases. In the simple chemical mechanism of the parameter model, oxidation of α-pinene generates peroxy radicals, which, upon reaction with NO or HO2, yield products corresponding to high or low-NOx conditions, respectively. The model parameters – i.e. the temperature-dependent stoichiometric coefficients and partitioning coefficients of 10 semi-volatile products – are obtained from simulations with BOREAM, including a prescribed diurnal cycle for the radiation, oxidant and emission levels, as well as a deposition sink for the particulate and gaseous products. The effects of photooxidative ageing are implicitly included in the parameterisation, since it is based on near-equilibrium SOA concentrations, obtained through simulations of a two-week period. In order to mimic the full BOREAM model results both during SOA build-up and when SOA has reached an equilibrium concentration, the revolatilisation of condensable products due to photochemical processes is taken into account through a fitted pseudo-photolysis reaction of the lumped semi-volatile products. Modelled SOA mass yields are about ten times higher in low-NOx than in high-NOx conditions, with yields of more than 50% in the low-NOx OH-initiated oxidation of α-pinene, considerably more than in previous parameterisations based on smog chamber experiments. Sensitivity calculations indicate that discrepancies between the full model and the parameterisation due to variations in assumed oxidant levels are limited, but that changes in the radiation levels can lead to larger deviations. Photolysis of species in the particulate phase is found to strongly reduce SOA yields in the full model. Simulations of ambient conditions at 17 different sites (using oxidant, radiation and meteorological data from a global chemistry-transport model) show that overall, the parameterisation displays only little bias (2%) compared with the full model, whereas averaged relative deviations amount to about 11%. Water uptake is parameterised using fitted activity coefficients, resulting in a good agreement with the full model.
Performance analysis in sport and leisure management

This commentary documents a programme of research conducted between 1995 and 2012 which, perhaps unconventionally, applied performance analysis techniques frequently used in the business context to evaluate and analyse performance, both financial and non-financial, in sport and leisure. Use of performance analysis in the sport and leisure sectors was found to be lacking by the Audit Commission and therefore provided considerable research opportunities. The research presented was carried out in: professional cricket; major sports events; elite sport development systems; and initiatives to stimulate demand in sport and leisure. The philosophical underpinnings of the research are influenced by critical realism and pragmatism. The former holds that we can have only a partial understanding of reality and that this is subject to revision. The latter focuses on the practical uses and successes of research rather than concern with grand theories and is based upon empirical evidence-based, rather than a priori, principles. In professional cricket, conventional ratio analysis found a seemingly healthy industry that was strategically vulnerable to fluctuations in the performance of the England team; and which was in urgent need of reform to become competitive. The establishment of UK Sport in 1997 created the opportunity for research into the economic and social impacts of major sports events; and, performance analysis in elite sport. Both of these areas of research are underpinned by an approach which devised methodologies for data collection; implemented standardisation techniques; and constructed predictive models which have been subsequently tested, refined and retested. In the context of stimulating demand for sport and cultural activities, price on it is own is found to be a crude weapon particularly for generating market development effects. The coherence of this research is founded upon its commonality of method: in all four areas of research the subject organisations were in receipt of subsidy and the effective use of this subsidy has been examined by employing performance analysis techniques.
The PA/SN Distinction in Korean

Lee, Hye-Kyung. (2005). The PA/SN distinction in Korean. Language Research 41(4), 807-827. This paper explores the so-called P A/SN distinction in Korean and proves that there IS that distinction in Korean. This claim is supported by the fact that the two types of contrastive connection are realized by different kinds of connectives. It is also proved that the relevant connection and connectives are sensitive to different types of implicatures, which is observed in several other languages such as German, Spanish, Japanese and so on. At the same time, this paper demonstrates the versatile nature of the discourse marker kuntey, especially in spoken discourse. In doing so, I support that the discourse marker kuntey has expanded its functions and that it shows differences from similar connectives in other languages.
Social Relation Recognition in Egocentric Photostreams

This paper proposes an approach to automatically categorize the social interactions of a user wearing a photo-camera (2fpm), by relying solely on what the camera is seeing. The problem is challenging due to the overwhelming complexity of social life and the extreme intra-class variability of social interactions captured under unconstrained conditions. We adopt the formalization proposed in Bugental’s social theory, that groups human relations into five social domains with related categories. Our method is a new deep learning architecture that exploits the hierarchical structure of the label space and relies on a set of social attributes estimated at frame level to provide a semantic representation of social interactions. Experimental results on the new EgoSocialRelation dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposal.
Relationships Between Corporate Governance and Perceived Financial Performance of Firms: A Study

Corporations should have strong capital to sustain their operations. Investors should feel safe and be able to have access to accurate information about firms to invest their capital in those firms. These two factors are vital issues for the sustainability of corporations in the 21st century business. With the proper establishment of corporate governance practices, investors will be protected and feel safe and then a trust will develop, capital inflow will be facilitated and ultimately corporations with stronger financial foundations will emerge. A questionnaire was applied in this study to investigate the relationships between the corporate governance and perceived financial performance of the top 100 manufacturing firms operating in the Kayseri Organized Industrial Region. The results revealed that the number of employees had significant effects on the corporate governance and perceived financial performance scores of the firms and institutionalization level also affected perceived financial performance. The other independent variables (sectoral distribution, firm age, and export/revenue ratio) did not have any significant effects on corporate governance and perceived financial performance scores of the firms.
Voices from the Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers' Interactions with Supervising Teachers.

Teaching practice is an important requirement to acquire a teaching qualification from South African universities. During teaching practice, it is customary for supervising teachers to guide and evaluate the students’ performance. However, very little is known about how the interaction with supervising teachers influences the students’ views about the teaching profession. Forty final-year Bachelor of Education students at the University of the Witwatersrand gave their consent to participate in a qualitative study using open-ended questionnaires. This research aimed to explore pre-service teachers’ voices, using Denise Batchelor’s (2008; 2006) research pertaining to conceptualisations of voice, namely, practical, epistemological and ontological, which were used to analyse the data. The findings suggested that pre-service teachers’ pedagogical choices were linked to the supervising teachers’ guidance. Many of the supervising teachers framed teaching as a profession that foregrounded administrative tasks and classroom management. Some of the supervising teachers’ negative perceptions of the profession caused pre-service teachers to question their choice to become teachers. Another issue was that pre-service teachers wish to feel welcomed and supported at schools, but most experienced a lack of mentorship from their supervising teachers. We recommend that supervising teachers attend workshops and courses on how to mentor pre service teachers.