Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ergogenic effect of music during running performance

In running competitions portable music players and headphones are often banned. In some cases, runners have been disqualified after using such devices during competition. In this paper, it is discussed whether, aside from possible safety reasons, such competition regulations make sense and whether music can have an ergogenic effect on performance. Although a definitive conclusion on the regulation matter is not of our concern here, we review evidence of the fact that music is capable of enhancing performance in running and a range of different sports, predominantly for short duration exercise with low-to-medium intensity. The use of music players can be beneficial for training. However, it is reasonable to avoid these devices and headphones in case of championships for professional athletes.
ERIM R EPORT S ERIES R ESEARCH IN M ANAGEMENT

In this paper we derive the worst-case ratio of an online algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) with two disclosure dates. This problem, a variant of the online TSP with release dates, is characterized by the disclosure of a job’s location at one point in time followed by the disclosure of that job’s release date at a later point in time. We present an online algorithm for this problem restricted to the positive real number line. We then derive the worst-case ratio of our algorithm and show that it is best-possible in two contexts – the first, one in which the amount of time between the disclosure events and release time are fixed and equal for all jobs; and a second in which the time between disclosure events varies for each job. We conclude that the value of advanced information can be attributed to the location information alone – yielding an optimal solution in favorable instances
The Maize Contribution in the Human Health

Maize (Zea mays) is a cereal very important around the world and is a fundamental element of the Mexican cuisine. The basis of Mexican traditional food is maize prepared by the process of “nixtamalización” which conserves the properties of the whole grain cereal. The phytochemical profiles of Z. mays contain total phenolics, ferulic acid, carotenoids, and flavonoids called anthocyanins. It is generally accepted that anthocyanin food colors do not exert obvious toxicity, teratogenicity, or mutagenicity and, indeed, anthocyanins may inhibit mutagenesis. Nutraceutical properties of phenolic and anthocyanin compounds in the maize that offer antioxidant activities is shown in five types of corn (white, yellow, high carotenoid, blue, and red). Therefore, the consumption of maize or its derivates such as tortillas, tortilla chips, etc., become functional food, with the ability to be used to prevent the incidence of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative disorders. Likewise, a diet that includes corn can be used during the management of these diseases. However, it is necessary to carry out more studies that highlight the efficiency of corn byproduct consumption during these diseases.
Essays on China ’ s Economic Growth and Regional Economic Development

Article history: Received 16 September 2010 Received in revised form 22 December 2010 Accepted 5 January 2011 Available online 12 January 2011 Seaports have historically played a key role in facilitating trade and growth. This paper is the first attempt in the literature to analyse the formation of Chinese seaport cities and the dynamics that drives it. First, we aim to identify theoretically the emergence of urbanized seaports with the help of a formal economic geography model. Second, employing an empirically plausible parameterisation of the model, we calibrate the evolutionary process and spatial distribution of seaports along the Chinese coastline. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. JEL classification: R11 R12 R41
An Impact of Social Audits on Corporate Performance: Analyses of Nigerian Manufacturing Firms.

This study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility on the profitability of firms in Nigeria. The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility and firms’ profitability in Nigeria. The study makes use of secondary data, sourced from ten (10) randomly selected firms’ annual report and financial summary between “1999-2008”. The study makes use of ordinary least square for the analysis of collected data. Findings from the analysis show that the sample firms invested less than ten percent of their annual profit to social responsibility. The co-efficient of determination of the result obtained gives 0.622016 (62%), this depicts that the explanatory variable account for about 62% changes or variations in selected firms performance (PAT) are caused by changes in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Nigeria. The study concludes and recommends that laws and regulations to obligate firms to recognize and to comply with social responsibility should be enacted. Also, adequate attention should be given to social accounting in terms of social costs. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; firms’ profitability; Social Audit; Nigeria.
Night Vision for Small Telescopes

We explore the feasibility of using current generation, off-the-shelf, indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) near-infrared (NIR) detectors for astronomical observations. Light-weight InGaAs cameras, developed for the night vision industry and operated at or near room temperature, enable cost-effective new paths for observing the NIR sky, particularly when paired with small telescopes. We have tested an InGaAs camera in the laboratory and on the sky using 12 and 18 inch telescopes. The camera is a small-format, 320 × 240 pixels of 40 μm pitch, shortwave infrared (SWIR) device from Sensors Unlimited. Although the device exhibits a room-temperature dark current of 5.7 × 104 e − s − 1 per pixel, we find observations of bright sources and low-positional-resolution observations of faint sources remain feasible. We can record unsaturated images of bright (J = 3.9) sources due to the large pixel well-depth and resulting high dynamic range. When mounted on an 18 inch telescope, the sensor is capable of achieving milli-magnitude precision for sources brighter than J = 8. Faint sources can be sky-background-limited with modest thermoelectric cooling. We can detect faint sources (J = 16.4 at 10σ) in a one-minute exposure when mounted to an 18 inch telescope. From laboratory testing, we characterize the noise properties, sensitivity, and stability of the camera in a variety of different operational modes and at different operating temperatures. Through sky testing, we show that the (unfiltered) camera can enable precise and accurate photometry, operating like a filtered J-band detector, with small color corrections. In the course of our sky testing, we successfully measured sub-percent flux variations in an exoplanet transit. We have demonstrated an ability to detect transient sources in dense fields using image subtraction of existing reference catalogs.
HYBRID RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM USING CUK-SEPIC CONVERTER

Environmentally friendly solutions are becoming more prominent than ever as a result of concern regarding the state of our deteriorating planet. This paper presents a new system configuration of the front-end rectifier stage for a hybrid wind/photovoltaic energy system. This configuration allows the two sources to supply the load separately or simultaneously depending on the availability of the energy sources. The inherent nature of this Cuk-SEPIC fused converter, additional input filters are not necessary to filter out high frequency harmonics. Harmonic content is detrimental for the generator lifespan, heating issues, and efficiency. The fused multi input rectifier stage also allows Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) to be used to extract maximum power from the wind and sun when it is available. An adaptive MPPT algorithm will be used for the wind system and a standard perturb and observe method will be used for the PV system.
Burnout and Depressive Symptomatology of the Employees in Institutions of Chronic Diseases

Abstract The purpose of the research is twofold: a) to determine whether the employees in Greek Institutions of Chronic Diseases show burnout and depressive symptomatology and to connect them with sociodemographic characteristics and b)to investigate the relation between these two health factors. The participants completed a Greek version of Maslach's Burnout Inventory (MBI), a Greek version of Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and a questionnaire regarding the socio-demographic characteristics. According to the results of the research, a significant percentage of participants show burnout and depressive symptomatology. The exhaustion was found to be associated with gender, age, employment and marital status. The scientific staff has less depressive symptoms than the auxiliaries. Finally, higher levels of burnout effect on higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Based on the results, it is necessary to make interventions on a preventive level as well as to deal with burnout problems and depression of employees on time. In conclusion, there is a need to conduct further researches that, among others, check the targeting and the effectiveness of interventions.
Differential Gene Expression ( DGE ) by RNA sequencing analysis and development of software for integrating different DGE methods

Begomoviruses (whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses) cause severe diseases of high economic impact on a variety of agriculturally relevant crops in tropical and subtropical areas. Current climate changes are expected to alter more the whitefly distribution along the globe posing a major threat to agriculture worldwide. This is particularly true for the case of tomato plants which are inflicted by a complex population of emergent species of tomato-infecting begomoviruses. Here we uncovered a novel regulatory mechanism of plant cells to fight plant DNA virus infection. By mutating the immune receptor NIK, which is a target of the begomovirus protein NSP, we promoted the activation of an antiviral defense response in tomato, which was effective to confer tolerance to different species of begomoviruses. Our results also shed light on the mechanism underlying the NIK-mediated defense. A comparison of the gain-offunction mutant (T474D)-induced transcriptome with infected WT transcriptome using a combination of four different clustering methods and four different normalization factors provided by the edgeR package revealed that the T474Dinduced transcriptome mimicked the infected transcriptome as they clustered together with high confidence and they differ from the normal NIK-induced expression profile. Furthermore, the elimination of the mock T474D DE genes from the raw of all treatments further indicates that the expression profile induced by the T474D mutant mimics greatly the response to the viral infection, as the mockand infected-induced transcriptomes from each genotype clustered together with high significance. These results indicate that the viral infection was the trigger of the NIK-mediated antiviral response. Furthermore, we employed four different methods for DGE analysis and the enrichment GSEA method to statistically analyze the RNA-seq data, which revealed that ectopic expression of T474D causes a massive down-regulation of the translation-related genes and up-regulatiom of immune system-associated
The nature of X-ray spectral variability in MCG-6-30-15

The flux–flux plot (FFP) method can provide model-independent clues regarding the X-ray variability of active galactic nuclei. To use it properly, the bin size of the light curves should be as short as possible, provided the average counts in the light-curve bins are larger than ∼200. We apply the FFP method, performed in 2013, to the simultaneous XMM–Newton and NuSTAR observations of the Seyfert galaxy MCG–6-30-15, in the 0.3–40 keV range. The FFPs above ∼1.6 keV are well described by a straight line. This result rules out spectral slope variations and the hypothesis of absorption-driven variability. Our results are fully consistent with a power-law component varying in normalization only, with a spectral slope of ∼2, plus a variable, relativistic reflection arising from the inner accretion disc around a rotating black hole. We also detect spectral components that remain constant over ∼4.5 d (at least). At energies above ∼1.5 keV, the stable component is consistent with reflection from distant, neutral material. The constant component at low energies is consistent with a blackbody spectrum of kTBB ∼ 100 eV. The fluxes of these components are ∼10–20% of the average continuum flux (in the respective bands). They should always be included in the models that are used to fit the spectrum of the source. The FFPs below 1.6 keV are non-linear, which could be due to the variable warm absorber in this source.
Are Funds True to Label? Matching Qualitative and Quantitative Information – Internet Appendix

A number of prior studies have examined qualitative and quantitative indicators that help investors decide which funds to invest in. The majority of these have focused on indicators of performance, which fit broadly into two categories: measures of the funds’ historical performance (e.g. risk adjusted returns, expense ratios etc.), and manager characteristics independent of past investment decisions (e.g. education and experience of the fund managers themselves). Recent studies, including Foster and Warren (2014), have highlighted the importance of non-performance characteristics (e.g. people and processes) that significantly influence the investment decision, particularly for institutional multi-manager investors. With the context of these past studies in mind, this research seeks to determine the value of Investment Management Questionnaires in accurately capturing true investment characteristics of the funds.The paper "Are Funds True to Label? Matching Qualitative and Quantitative Information" to which these Appendices apply is available at the following URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2513658
Globalisation outcomes and the real output in the sub-Saharan Africa LICs: a cointegration analysis

Abstract This article examines the effects of trade openness, foreign direct investment (FDI), and product diversification of exports to the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 11 sub-Saharan Africa Low Income Countries (LIC): Benin, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe over the period 1970–2010. We consider time series analysis, including structural break(s) and cointegration modelling. The results indicate that long-run relationships only exist in Kenya, Liberia, Malawi and Sierra Leone. We also document that (1) FDI spurs the real GDP per capita in Kenya; (2) trade openness positively contributes to the real output in Liberia; (3) trade openness is negatively associated with the real GDP per capita in Malawi in the short-run; and (4) product diversification of exports promotes the real GDP per capita in Sierra Leone.
Private School Advantage in Pay Growth Among Early Entrants to High-Status Graduate Jobs

Graduates from state schools are less likely than their private school peers to enter “professional” jobs on leaving university (Macmillan et al., 2015). However, more can be learnt about the advantages accruing from private schooling by considering the pay growth of those who do enter such jobs. This paper considers differences in the salary growth of graduates that secure a high-status job by whether they attended a private secondary school, using data from a recent survey of English graduates. While there is faster pay growth among those who attended a private school, after controlling for a range of background characteristics, individuals from state schools are just as likely to remain in highstatus jobs at this early stage of their careers. Nevertheless, it is evidently not enough simply to ensure fair access to professional jobs and assume that those who enter will go on to achieve similar levels of financial success regardless of background.
Design and Implementation of Online Data Assessment Based on E Format

With the extended development of complication of power system, the accurate reflection of power system operation has become an important factor of power system stability. In order to get more accurate data, this paper proposes a software design philosophy of online data assessment system based on E format, which includes Online/Offline data modeling matching, online/offline parameter estimation and online data adjustment. The research plays an important role on practical power system real-time analysis.
Investigating the Semi-strong Efficiency in Namibia's Foreign Exchange Market

This paper analyses the semi-strong form efficiency of the foreign exchange market in Namibia using three bilateral exchange rates. The semi-strong form efficiency was examined using the cointegration test and Granger causality test. The study applied these tests on the monthly nominal spot exchange rate data for the period between the years 1993 and 2011. The results from the study indicated that semi-strong form efficiency was evident within Namibia’s foreign exchange market. This suggests that historical data cannot be used to predict current and future market prices. The semi-strong form efficiency on the Namibia stock market is attributable to its correlation with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Furthermore, the results should be interpreted with caution; in light of thin trading which has been identified as a problem for Namibia’s financial markets attributable to dual-listing of stocks.
Propuesta de método para el estudio de la formación de la función simbólica en la edad infantil

espanolEl objetivo de este articulo es presentar algunas reflexiones teoricas sobre el metodo de investigacion experimental formativo para el estudio del desarrollo de la funcion simbolica en preescolares, considerando las principales implicaciones de su aplicacion en los ambitos psicologico y educativo. Desde la postura historico-cultural, el estudio de la funcion simbolica se realiza en el proceso de su formacion durante el juego tematico de roles sociales. Aqui, se propone la realizacion de acciones de evaluacion e intervencion de manera integrada y sistemica. En este estudio se trabajo con 36 ninos con edades comprendidas entre los 5 y 6 anos, divididos en dos grupos: control y experimental. El analisis pretest/postest permitio observar transformaciones en la funcion simbolica en los niveles materializado simbolico, perceptivo simbolico y verbal simbolico de los ninos del grupo experimental, grupo al que se le aplico el metodo de juego de roles, despues de la intervencion. El estudio plantea una forma de intervencion novedosa para la formacion gradual de la funcion simbolica por etapas dentro del aula de clase, ademas se constituye en una posibilidad de transformacion del quehacer pedagogico actual. EnglishThe aim of this article is to present some theoretical reflections of experimental research formative method for the study of the development of the symbolic function in preschoolers, considering the major implications of their application in psychological and educational fields. From the historical-cultural posture, the study of symbolic function is carried out in the process of their formation during the thematic social role game. Here, the implementation of measures of assessment and intervention in an integrated and systematic manner is proposed. In this study worked with 36 children between 5 and 6 years old, divided in two groups: control and experimental. The pretest/post-test analysis allowed to observe changes in the symbolic function in symbolic materialized levels, symbolic perceptive and verbal symbolic from children of the experimental group, which was applied the role play method, after the intervention. The study proposes a new form of intervention to the gradual formation of the symbolic function in stages within the classroom; it is also constituted in a possibility of transforming in the current pedagogical practice.
Requirements for the design of electronic dictionaries and a proposal for their formalisation

We discuss recent analyses of the requirements for the design of electronic dictionaries, building primarily on the accounts by de Schryver (2003), Chiari (2006), Heid (2006) and Tarp (2008). These requirements suggest a richer formalization of dictionary models than is usually the case in traditional database and plain XML-based approaches, and we therefore argue in favour of a formalisation of these requirements in the framework of a strongly typed formalism. The discussion focusses on users. needs, needs of specific applications of Natural Language Processing, and multifunctionality-in the sense suggested by Gouws (2006) and Heid/Gouws (2006). We further point out the benefits of a richer formalization of dictionary models that goes beyond the traditional view on lexical resources, and strengthens our claim by providing evidence from related work on lexicon modelling in OWL DL (Burchardt et al., 2008).
Classification of Gesture based on sEMG Decomposition: A Preliminary Study

Multi-channel surface electromyography (sEMG) recognition has been investigated extensively by researchers over the past several decades. However, due to the nature of sEMG sensors, the more sensors are used, the greater chance for the sEMG to be influenced by environment noise. Furthermore, it is not feasible to use multi-sensors in some cases because of the bulky size of the sensors and the limited area of muscles. This paper proposes a novel sEMG recognition method based on the decomposition of single-channel sEMG. At first, sEMG is acquired while the participant does 5 predetermined hand gestures. Then, this signal is decomposed into its component motor unit potential trains (MUAPTs), which includes 4 steps: 2-order differential filtering, spikes detection, dimension reduction and clustering with Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). Finally, 5 MUAPTs are obtained and used for hand gestures classification: four features, integral of absolute value (IAV), maximum value (MAX), median value of non-zero value (NonZeroMed) and index of NonZeroMed (Ind) are extracted to form feature matrix, which is then classified with the algorithm of Linear Discriminate Analysis (LDA). The classification results indicate this method can achieve an accuracy of 74.7% while the accuracy of traditional classification method for single-channel sEMG is about 52.6%.
Determination of Iron(II) in Pharmaceuticals Based on Its Catalytic Effect on the Bromate–Crystal violet Reaction by Spectrophotometric Detection

A simple, selective, and sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric method with no need for removing iron(III) interference is proposed for determination of iron(II) in pharmaceutical and water samples. This method is based upon the catalytic effect of iron(II) on the sodium bromate– crystal violet system in acidic media. Decolourization of crystal violet was used to monitor the reaction spectrophotometrically at 630 nm. The variables affecting the reaction rate were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, iron(II) can be determined in the range of 0.10 – 3.0 μg ml -1 with a 3σ detection limit of 0.025 μg ml -1 . The relative standard deviations for ten replicate determinations of 0.50, 1.0, and 1. 5µg ml -1 were 1.94%, 0.43%, and 0.28% , respectively. The influence of various foreign species was studied and it was found that without addition of a masking agent, Fe(III) did not interfere with the Fe(II) determination up to 50-fold concentration of this ion.