Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Conceptual View of Knowledge Management Adoption in Hospitality Industry of Developing Economies

Existing research addresses and recognises the importance and benefits of knowledge management in the hospitality industry but especially in big hotels and in developed economies. Little or nothing has been researched in developing economies, yet the hospitality industry there is recognised in literature as a means of income redistribution and foreign currency earning. This chapter attempts to fill this gap by developing a theoretical model of KM adoption in the hospitality businesses of developing economies. The major constructs considered relevant are developmental factors, information technology, culture, and intention to adopt KM. Though at the moment a conceptual paper, the implications of the study are presented and they include the need for managers to collaboratively provide infrastructure, information technology, and training. They also have to use culture to their advantage in order to encourage KM use in their businesses.
Tiered Prediction System for Preeclampsia: an integrative application of multiple models

For years, it has been a challenge to identify women at risk of Preeclampsia (PE), one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This would be especially useful in early pregnancy when modifiable factors can be addressed to reduce the risk or severity of outcome. Despite an increasing number of clinical and statistical prediction models being developed, which have been shown to outperform traditional maternal history or Doppler ultrasound approaches, it is still difficult to make accurate predictions based on a single model at a single time-point. Hence, here we investigate the use of multiple models integrated by Bayes' theorem. Methods: Prediction models based on three stages of pregnancy, pre-pregnancy, 15 weeks and 20 weeks of gestation, were developed with varying levels of sensitivity and specificity specific to each stage. Post-test probabilities at each stage are then calculated based on the Likelihood of each test using Bayes' theorem. The accuracy measures and predictive values are evaluated for both pre-test and post-test probabilities. Results: The overall proportion of truly identified cases have improved in the integrated model, with 81% correctly identified at 20 weeks of gestation, compared to 75% by the individual model. A relatively balanced accuracy can be achieved even when individual tests have been specified for higher sensitivity or specificity. Conclusion: Through an integrated prediction system, the accuracy of prediction is further enhanced and tailored for individual women, as the risk is assessed and updated throughout pregnancy based on predictors at different stages, the likelihood of PE from prediction at earlier stages, and clinicians' knowledge or hypotheses.
Beyond the Iron Peak: r- and s-Process Elemental Abundances in Stars with Planets

We present elemental abundances of 118 stars (28 of which are known extrasolar planetary host stars) observed as part of the Anglo-Australian Planet Search. Abundances of O, Mg, Cr, Y, Zr, Ba, Nd, and Eu (along with previously published abundances for C and Si) are presented. This study is one of the first to specifically examine planetary host stars for the heavy elements produced by neutron capture reactions. We find that the abundances in host stars are chemically different from both the standard solar abundances and the abundances in non-host stars in all elements studied, with enrichments over non-host stars ranging from 0.06 dex (for O) to 0.11 dex (for Cr and Y). Such abundance trends are in agreement with other previous studies of field stars and lead us to conclude that the chemical anomalies observed in planetary host stars are the result of normal galactic chemical evolution processes. Based on this observation, we conclude that the observed chemical traits of planetary host stars are primordial in origin, coming from the original nebula and not from a “pollution” process occurring during or after formation, and that planet formation occurs naturally with the evolution of stellar material.
A comprehensive comparison of features and embedding methods for face recognition

: Face recognition is an essential issue in modern-day applications since it can be used in many areas for several purposes. Many methods have been proposed for face recognition. It is a diﬃcult task since variations in lighting, instantaneous mimic varieties, posing angles, and scaling diﬀerences can drastically change the appearance of the face. To suppress these complications, eﬀective feature extraction and proper alignment of face images gain as much importance as the recognition method choice. In this paper, we provide an extensive comparison of the state-of-the-art face recognition methods with the most well-known techniques used in feature representation. In order to test the performances of these various methods, we created a new face database, named the ESOGU face database, which includes frontal images of 100 people taken under diﬀerent lighting and posing conditions. In addition to our new database, we also present experiments on the well-known AR face database to obtain more general and reliable results. Moreover, we investigate the automatic face detection and automatic normalization of the face images in the databases. Based on this, we discuss the use of such automatic methods for face recognition applications.
On Analogy Cellular Automata Model Inaggregation Of Operational Capability

Operational capability aggregation of armaments systems is significant for its future developing, planning, manufacturing and synthesis using. Holistic avalanche character of armaments systems can’t be represented in traditional linear aggregation of operational capability, which regards the “system” or “platform” as the core. Cellular automata that indicate the holistic effect of system evolvement by processing partial conversions is firstly introduced on this paper, on the base of which, analogy cellular automata model is proposed, combing with applied details of operational capability aggregation. Experiment results prove that the model is valid. Keywords-armaments systems; operational capability aggregation; holistic avalanche character; analogy cellular automata model
Special needs students in regular secondary education: Do they aect their classmates?

The impact on regular students is a prominent concern in the inclusive education debate. Recent studies find that the presence of students with special educational needs harms the achievement of regular students. This study investigates similar inclusive practices in Dutch secondary education, where regular schools get substantial financial compensation for educating students with special educational needs. Using student fixed eects and school fixed
Factors Influencing Knowledge Sharing among Personnel of Agricultural Extension and Education Organization in Iranian Ministry of Jihad-e Agriculture

The main purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing knowledge sharing among the personnel of Agricultural Extension and Education Organization in the Iranian Ministry of Jihad-e Agriculture. A survey method was employed for the study, and 110 personnel randomly selected as a sample out of 140 who were busy working in the organization. Data was collected through a questionnaire employed as the tool of the study. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined as 0.93. The personnel were of the belief that knowledge sharing happened in their organization to a large extent. According to the study, there existed significant relationships between the factors of social trust, relational social capital and attitude toward knowledge sharing, and the dependent variable of knowledge sharing. A stepwise regression analysis indicated that relational social capital and attitude towards knowledge sharing could explain about 37 percent in the variations of knowledge sharing.
Managerial Risk-Shifting Incentives of Option-Based Compensation: Firm Risk, Leverage, and Moneyness

This paper studies the relation between option-based compensation grants and managerial risk-taking behavior. We examine risk-shifting in stock and asset risk, where the unobservable asset risk is estimated using the volatility restriction method and Moody's KMV algorithm in a Merton (1974) framework. Our empirical results provide support for the hypothesis that managers increase stock risk by increasing both asset risk and leverage. Furthermore, our unique dataset allows us to investigate whether grant date moneyness affects managers' risk-shifting behavior. Consistent with recent theoretical predictions we find that out-of-the-money option grants cause increased risk-taking, while deep-in-the-money option grants reduce managerial risk-taking.
Multivariable H∞ or Centre of gravity PD control for an active magnetic bearing flywheel system

A state-space model with uncertainties for an active magnetic bearing energy storage flywheel system (Fly-UPS) is developed. A multivariable robust Hi controller for the Fly-UPS is then synthesised. Different weighting schemes are explained and the additive uncertainties between the nominal simulation model and the physical model at varied rotational speeds are characterised. Furthermore, PD controllers are developed using the centre of gravity (COG) coordinate framework for decoupled parallel and conical modal control. Stability robustness is verified via the gain/phase margin stability robustness criterion. The performance robustness (disturbance attenuation) is analysed by assessing model sensitivity with the ISO/CD 14839-3 sensitivity standard. The results obtained show that Hi control and COG coordinate PD control are not fundamentally different.
OPTIMIZATION OF BIOGAS PRODUCTION FROM POULTRY MANURE WASTEWATER IN 250 ML FLASKS

A research was conducted on anaerobic digestion from poultry manure wastewater to produce biogas. This research was considered as a triumph to the concept of waste-to-wealth. The poultry manure collected was characterized and pre-treated to remove excessive ammonia-N which caused inhibition to the biogas production. Central Composite Design (CCD) with five replicates at centre points was used to investigate the simultaneous effect of the variables: agitation (110-130 rpm) and reaction time (2-4 days) on the biogas production. Then, the experiment was designed and analyzed using Design Expert V7.0 software by applying response surface methodology (RSM) concept.The biogas production performance was evaluated on the basis of biogas yield from initial Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and was found ranged from 0.49 to 4.37 mL/g COD. Quadratic model was well fitted (R-squared>0.80) with a confidence level higher than 95 %. The optimum biogas production condition was at agitation: 120 rpm and reaction time: 3.3 days. Under this condition, 4.45 mL/g COD of biogas yield was obtained. This counted for 5.82% error from predicted values.
Origin and Timing of Stratabound Dolomitization in the Cretaceous Carbonate Ramp of Benicassim

Origin and Timing of Stratabound Dolomitization in the Cretaceous Carbonate Ramp of Benicassim / ENRIQUE GOMEZ-RIVAS (1), MERCÈ CORBELLA (2,*), JUANDIEGO MARTÍN-MARTÍN (3) SHERRY STAFFORD (4), ALBERT GRIERA (2), ANTONIO TEIXELL (2) (1) Departament de Geologia. Edificis C. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 08193, Bellaterra (España) (2) Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen. Wilhelmstrasse 56, 72074, Tübingen (Germany) (3) Departament de Geoquímica, Petrologia i Prospecció Geològica, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona (España) (4) ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, P.O. Box 2189, Houston, TX 77584-2189, USA
Rejection of Multi-jet Background in pp̄ → eν + jj̄ Channel through a SVM Classifier

We test and optimize a multivariate discriminant software package, based on the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, to reduce the multi-jet background events in the channel pp̄ → eν + jj̄. We use the CDFII data-set, collected at the TeVatron pp̄ collider, where this channel provides the signature for many important physics processes: e.g. associated Higgs production, WZ, single top events. The Multi-jet background can be large and difficult to reject but, in this paper, we show that an appropriatly trained SVM can handle it in an effective way. The developed programs perform training set selection, efficiency maximization and consistency checks; we also discuss the robustness of the discriminant. A classification accuracy ≥ 95% can be reached using Monte Carlo simulated signal and a data-driven background model (limited by statistic) with a background rejection of ≃ 90%.
Asking about and Predicting Consumer Preference: Implications for New Product Development

Designers do not merely develop concepts; they are increasingly involved in testing product concepts and learning consumer preference. However, designers’ decision making processes in these tasks have been little studied. In the two essays, I apply decision making frameworks to concept testing and preference learning to study consumer’s and designer’s biases. In my first essay, I study consumer bias in concept testing. When consumers test new products, they are often asked to choose which product they prefer. However, a choice question can elicit biased preference because consumers simply choose the product that is superior on the attribute serving their purchase purpose. My studies show that when consumers are asked to predict which product they will enjoy more, they are more likely to prefer the product that actually reflects their consumption utility. These findings suggest that making trade-offs is avoided in the choice question, but is encouraged in the enjoyment prediction question. Thus, a simple change of question format, in otherwise identical product comparisons, elicits different answers. This holds true when product attributes are easy to evaluate; when product attributes are hard to evaluate, changing question format does not affect consumer choice.
The AMBRE project: A new synthetic grid of high-resolution FGKM stellar spectra

Context. Large grids of synthetic spectra covering a wide range of stellar parameters are essential tools for different stellar and (extra-) Galactic physical applications. They can be used for the automatic parametrisation of stellar spectra such as that performed by the AMBRE project whose main goal is to determine the stellar atmospheric parameters of a few hundred thousands of archived spectra of four ESO spectrographs. Aims. To fulfil the needs of AMBRE and similar future projects, we computed a grid of synthetic spectra over the whole optical domain for cool to very cool stars of any luminosity (from dwarfs to supergiants) with metallicities varying from 10 −5 to 10 times the solar metallicity, and considering large variations in the chemical composition of the α-elements. Methods. In these spectrum computations, we used new generation MARCS model atmospheres and the Turbospectrum code for radiative transfer. We also took into account atomic and molecular linelists that were as complete as possible and adopted, in the spectral synthesis, the same physical assumptions and input data as in the MARCS models. This allowed us to present a grid in which there is a high consistency between the atmosphere models and the synthetic spectra. Results. We present a new grid of 16 783 high resolution spectra over the wavelength range 3000 A to 12 000 A computed at a spectral resolution higher than 150 000. Normalised and absolute flux versions are available over a wide range of stellar atmospheric parameters for stars of FGKM spectral types. The parameters covered are 2500 K ≤ Teff ≤ 8000 K, −0.5 ≤ log(g) ≤ 5. 5d ex, and −5.0 ≤ [M/H] ≤ +1.0 dex. Moreover, for each combination of these stellar parameters, five different values of the enrichment in α-elements were considered (0.0, ±0.2 dex and ±0.4 dex around the standard values). This library is thus relevant to any stellar type and luminosity class, present in old and intermediate-age stellar populations with chemical composition varying from extremely metal-poor to metal-rich. This grid is made publicly available through the POLLUX database (about 50% of the spectra have been included in this database) and in FITS format upon request to the authors.
Modelling and Forecasting Exchange-rate Volatility with ARCH- type Models

This paper uses the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity models to estimate volatility (conditional variance) in the monthly returns of the principal stock exchange of Sudan. over the period from January 1999 to December 2013. The models include both symmetric and asymmetric models that capture the most common stylized facts about index returns such as volatility clustering and leverage effect. The empirical results show that the conditional variance process is highly persistent (explosive process), and provide evidence on the existence of risk premium for the return series which support the positive correlation hypothesis between volatility and the expected stock returns. Our findings also show that the asymmetric models provide better fit than the symmetric models, which confirms the presence of leverage effect. These results, in general, explain that high volatility of return series is present in the Sudanese stock market over the period.
Calligraphy: A Vehicle to Self-Reflection

As an auto-ethnographic study, “Calligraphy: A Vehicle to Self-Reflection” was designed to explore the art of Arabic calligraphy and its possibilities. The driving question of this research was: How can understanding calligraphy art, the creative process, and its evolution be transferred by an artist-teacher promoting inspiration to regain self-identity and humanity for young minds? The researcher became the student through studying the history, understanding the theory, and practicing the craft. Traditional work and techniques were investigated as well as modern work. Throughout the study, memos, reflections, and journals were maintained along with photos and videos and each oeuvre created was followed by an artist statement. These sources were analyzed and recommendations made for their use to promote a reflection of belonging, regaining self-confidence, and promoting acceptance of who they are amongst the lost youth of Algeria and other third world countries. Therefore, promoting local craft extracted directly from the milieu was found to be an excellent method to foster the desired self-reflection that would encourage the strengthening of identity, culture, and belonging; furthermore stop the imitation of others and build self-confidence.
Physical Interactive Game for Enhancing Language Cognitive Development of Thai Pre-Schooler.

The intervention for cognitive language development is required to conduct at the young ages. As children usually gain the skill through their plays, this study proposed a physical interactive game to help children improve their language skill in both Thai and English language for pre-schooler. The motivation of this research is to create a game that has a characteristic of a toy where children require bodily engagement to touch and move the objects to enhance their cognitive for gaining language skill using interactive and game technologies. The game is evaluated in three methods: paired t-test is used to determine the overall performance of the proposed game; the 90/90 standard evaluation is also applied to see whether if the game is used for formal education majority of the group (>90%) will achieve the objective of learning. Also, the feedbacks from expert validation are collected. All three evaluations method indicate the primary success of the game to assist Thai pre-schooler in improving their skill at the young age.
Investigations of the Constraints relating to Penetration of Non-Synchronous Generation (NSG) in Future Power Systems

According to recent projections, the installed capacity of renewable energy sources and interconnectors will increase significantly in GB power system. With such a large scale of penetration of converter-interfaced renewable energy sources and HVDC interconnectors, the existing power system, which is predominately supplied by synchronous generation presently, will face system operation challenges which are currently attracting the urgent attention of both industry and researchers. Studies have shown that the instantaneous penetration level limit of non-synchronous generation is approximately 65% in the GB power system in context of first swing angular stability and susceptible to a range of factors. There has been a lack of investigation of the individual factors and the degree to which these factors influence the non-synchronous generation limit. While the general term penetration level is often used as an annual average rather than an instantaneous operational value in many papers, it has not been fully defined or a standard definition agreed to date. In this paper, different definitions of penetration level will be introduced and discussed. System operational issues associated with angular stability will be analysed through simulation results. It will also be illustrated that the conventional analysis method for angular stability is not applicable for future power systems with high penetration levels of NSG. Based on a simplified but high-fidelity power system model in Matlab Simulink, the penetration level limit and different factors that have the potential to influence it will be investigated and analysed. It will be shown that the angular stability limits are governed not only by the reduced system inertia, but are also influenced by factors such as system impedance and fault clearing times. Future work will be carried out to explore the penetration level limits based on GB transmission model to give more reliable results as well as to provide guidance for future requirements for generators (in particular from non-synchronous generation) to support system stability.
Dead on Arrival: Recovering from Fatal Flaws in Email Encryption Tools

Background. Since Whitten and Tygar’s seminal study of PGP 5.0 in 1999, there have been continuing efforts to produce email encryption tools for adoption by a wider user base, where these efforts vary in how well they consider the usability and utility needs of prospective users. Aim. We conducted a study aiming to assess the user experience of two open-source encryption software tools – Enigmail and Mailvelope. Method. We carried out a three-part user study (installation, home use, and debrief) with two groups of users using either Enigmail or Mailvelope. Users had access to help during installation (installation guide and experimenter with domain-specific knowledge), and were set a primary task of organising a mock flash mob using encrypted emails in the course of a week. Results. Participants struggled to install the tools – they would not have been able to complete installation without help. Even with help, setup time was around 40 minutes. Participants using Mailvelope failed to encrypt their initial emails due to usability problems. Participants said they were unlikely to continue using the tools after the study, indicating that their creators must also consider utility. Conclusions. Through our mixed study approach, we conclude that Mailvelope and Enigmail had too many software quality and usability issues to be adopted by mainstream users. Methodologically, the study made us rethink the role of the experimenter as that of a helper assisting novice users with setting up a demanding technology.