Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acoustical Imaging in Heterogeneous Environments

This review describes methods of reconstruction of acoustic images of objects located in heterogeneous environments. These methods can be divided into two groups: linear methods (the matched filtering and time reversed acoustics) and non-linear methods of speckle holography and speckle interferometry, which began to develop rapidly in recent years as alternative to linear methods.
Economic overview of the international state-building of Kosovo in the light of liberal peace thesis: Development trends of the economic system of Kosovo, through UNMIK administration, actuality and the future

In the aftermath of Cold War, the system of United Nations (UN) Peace Missions assumed new proportions, by adjusting the nature of political developments, which characterized the international relations stage in this period. In the peace-keeping agenda of these missions, special focus was given to issues related to “international state-building” in the post-conflict situations, as well as attempts to prevent and manage consequences of the state’s failure. In pursuit of these goals and as part of this agenda, it is believed that liberal western values, especially as part of the “liberal peace thesis”, have become ever more widespread and commonplace. The models of state-building, according to this thesis, include combination of values of liberal democracy and principles of the market economy, as precondition to overall social development, which would contribute to long-term peace. According to this conception According to this conception, it is clear that the transitional process from war to peace and that of state-building, in addition to the political dimensions, also has significant economic dimensions. Therefore, the authors of this study are focused on and aim to analyze and explain the role the economic sector plays in the construction and functioning of the state system in a post-conflict society, as is the case of Kosovo. At the contextual level, the study consists of understanding the role played by UNMIK, as international administration, in the direction of this sector. One part of the study is dedicated to analysing immediate and long-term strategies and approaches of the peacekeeping mission, aimed at reconstruction, i.e. the development of the economic sector from scratch, which would impact directly and indirectly on the creation of an enabling socio-political environment for a lasting peace. But the rest of the study focuses on macroeconomic indicators such as GDP level, monetary policy, as well as import and export situation (trade balance, which realistically reflects the current status of economic development in Kosovo, as well as for measuring the gap between the expected targets and achieved concrete results. This means that these indicators reflect the degree of success or failure of the mission in relation to the fulfillment of this objective. Finally, by analysing the previous and current results, we will try to explain development trends of Kosovo’s economy in the short-term.
The role of different urban amenities in attracting knowledge workers. Presenting the research design and first results

Human capital is a fundamental factor for every major urban agglomeration in modern-day society and economy. Urban amenities facilitate face to face contact both for pleasure and for productivity. Hence, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between these amenities and the presence of highly-educated knowledge workers on a neighbourhood level: do amenities such as shops respond, through time, to the presence of knowledge workers or lack thereof, and to what extent? Or do amenities such as theatres attract knowledge workers? Identifying relationships between amenities and knowledge workers can offer local policy makers better tools for planning strategies to attract more highly-educated people with high incomes to the urban area. We aim to present an analysis on a highly-detailed spatial scale-level (e.g. four-digit zip code or neighbourhood areas) by linking lifestyle-data on level of education, income, et cetera about inhabitants (with a special focus on highly-educated knowledge workers) to detailed data about different types of urban and cultural amenities in the vicinity. We plan to first do a cross-section analysis to explore the relationships. To address causality issues, we will subsequently expand our analysis by including a time-dimension in our model. Both data sets are available on a detailed spatial scale and for a series of years.
A newly discovered double–double candidate microquasar in NGC 300

We present the discovery of a powerful candidate microquasar in NGC 300, associated with the S 10 optical nebula (previously classified as a supernova remnant). Chandra images show four discrete X-ray knots aligned in the plane of the sky over a length of ≈150 pc. The X-ray emission from the knots is well fitted with a thermal plasma model at a temperature of ≈0.6 keV and a combined 0.3–8 keV luminosity of ≈10^37 erg s^−1. The X-ray core, if present at all, does not stand out above the thermal emission of the knots: this suggests that the accreting compact object is either currently in a dim state or occulted from our view. We interpret the emission from the knots as the result of shocks from the interaction of a jet with the interstellar medium (possibly over different epochs of enhanced activity). Cooler shock-heated gas is likely the origin also of the optical bubble and lobes near the X-ray structure, detected in images from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope. In the radio bands, we observed the region with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, and discovered an elongated radio nebula (about 170 × 55 pc in size) with its major axis aligned with the chain of Chandra sources. The radio nebula has an integrated 5.5 GHz radio luminosity of |${\approx }10^{34}\, \rm{erg\,s^{-1}}$| for a distance of 1.88 Mpc. The morphology, size, and luminosity of the extended X-ray, optical, and radio structure suggest that NGC 300-S 10 belongs to the same class of powerful (P_jet > 10^39 erg s^−1) microquasars as SS 433, Ho II X-1, and NGC 7793-S 26.
Revealing structure formation in PCPDTBT by optical spectroscopy

The low-bandgap polymer poly{[4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-cyclopenta-(2,1-b;3,4-b')dithiophen]-2,6-diyl-alt-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-4,7-diyl} (PCPDTBT) is widely used for organic solar cell applications. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the optical properties as a function of temperature for PCPDTBT in solution and in thin films with two distinct morphologies. Using absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy as well as Franck-Condon analyses, we show that PCPDTBT in solution undergoes a phase transformation at 300 K from a disordered to a truly aggregated state on cooling. The saturation value of aggregates in solution is reached in PCPDTBT thin films at any temperature. In addition, we demonstrate that the photophysical properties of the aggregates in films are similar to those in solution and that a low percentage of thermally activated excimer states is present in the films at temperatures above 200 K.
Investigation of carbon dioxide capture from hydrogen using the thermal pressure swing adsorption process: Central composite design modeling

In this study pre-combustion capture of carbon dioxide from hydrogen was performed using a 5A zeolite adsorber. A one column thermal pressure swing adsorption (TPSA) process was studied in the bulk separation of a CO2/H2 mixture (50:50 vol%). The adsorption dynamics of the zeolite bed were investigated by breakthrough experiments to select the suitable range for operational factors in the design of experiments. Combined effect of three important variables namely, adsorption time, purge to feed ratio, and regeneration temperature on hydrogen purity, recovery and productivity were investigated in the TPSA process using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Predicted models show an interaction between adsorption time and regeneration temperature in the range that the experiments were performed. Optimization of the TPSA process was performed based on the goal of responses. As hydrogen purity has the large impact with respect to hydrogen recovery and productivity in industry, the optimum condition was proposed based on maximum purity of hydrogen. In this condition, predicted values for adsorption time, purge to feed ratio, and regeneration temperature were 7.99 min, 0.2, and 204 °C, respectively. Predicted values of responses for hydrogen purity, recovery, and productivity were 99.88%, 50.71%, and 1.32, respectively. Acquired models were validated by experimental data in predicted conditions and actual responses were very close to predicted values. These results confirmed the accuracy of obtained models.
Dispersion and Risk Assessment of Bacterial Aerosols Emitted from Rotating- Brush Aerator during Summer in a Wastewater Treatment Plant of Xi'an, China

A microbial risk assessment was carried out for the rotating-brush aerator used during summer in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Xi’an, China. Bacterial aerosols were first collected by an Andersen cascade impactor at selected sampling sites near the rotating-brush aerator. The concentrations of airborne bacteria were used to obtain microbial emission rate by back calculation. The downwind concentrations of airborne bacteria were then calculated by a modified Gaussian dispersion model accounting for environmental impact and microorganism decay. Subsequently, the exposure parameters suitable for Chinese people were incorporated into a risk assessment model to evaluate non-carcinogenic risks of airborne mesophilic bacteria to sewage workers and surrounding residents. The results indicate that both mean bacterial concentrations at ground level and the exposure hazard quotient decrease rapidly with downwind distance. The exposure hazard quotient by inhalation route is over 10 5 times more than by dermal contact route for both children and adults, suggesting that inhalation route is the major exposure pathway of microbial aerosol intake for surrounding people. Although the present model gives acceptable low risk values at various downwind distances, it is worth noting that health risks of microbial aerosols associated with rotating-brush aeration for children are generally much more than those for adults.
Over-expression of ZmPti 1 , a homologue to Pti 1 , increases salt tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana

Studies have shown that Pti1 plays an important role in plant disease resistance pathway. However, Pti1 have not been studied for its roles under salt stress condition. Previous study has shown that maize ZmPti1 is induced by salicylic acid (SA), low-temperature, mannitol and salt. In order to analyze the further biological functions of ZmPti1, ZmPti1 was over-expressed in Arabidopsis. Under salt stress, compared to wild type, transgenic plants grew better, had higher seedling fresh and dry weight (FW, DW), seed yields and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity; Seedling FW and DW of S1-1, S2-1 transgenic plants increased significantly than that of WT; Seed weight of S1-1, S2-1 transgenic plants increased 71 and 106% respectively; However malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electric conductivity (ion leakage) of transgenic plants were kept to a relative lower level. Based on the present knowledge, this is the first report that showed that the over-expression of Pti1-like gene enhances the salt resistance in plants.
Mass transport in the heliosphere by energetic neutral atoms

Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) are recognized as a powerful tool for remote probingof distant hot space plasmas, in particular the plasmas abundant at the heliosphericboundary where the expanding solar wind meets the surrounding local interstellarmedium. We show here for the first time that the heliospheric ENAs originating in theheliospheric sheath between the termination shock and the heliopause and reaching theinner heliosphere also provide an important and heretofore unaccounted source of atomichydrogen in the Sun’s vicinity. These ENAs are a major contributor to the density ofinterplanetary hydrogen at heliocentric distances <1 AU and could dominate in thedownwind (interstellar wind) region under typical solar and interstellar conditions. Masstransport by heliospheric ENAs may become especially important for determining theorigin of the pickup ions attributed to the inner source of neutral particles in the Sun’svicinity and for characterization of the three-dimensional solar wind flow by imaging inextreme ultraviolet.
An Investigation of First-Year Students’ Pedagogical Readiness to E-Learning and Assessment in Open and Distance Learning: An University of South Africa Context

Despite the predominance of e-learning in both the literature and within instructional settings, first year students’ pedagogical experiences of e-learning readiness and assessment in open and distance learning are rarely assessed. This research study sought to obtain empirical evidence of first-year students’ pedagogical readiness to e-learning and assessment at the University of South Africa (Unisa), an open and distance learning (ODL) institution. The research question: Are Unisa’s first-year students pedagogically ready for e-learning and e-assessment? Provided the focus the study. Focus-group and individual interviews were conducted to collect data. The interviews were digitally recorded, trancribed and analysed using Collaizi’s data analysis framework. This framework was chosen because of its ability to provide clear steps for data analysis. Findings show that there is a high level of acceptance towards the adoption of e-learning and e-assessment as modes of teaching and learning despite shortage of e-learning resources. Furthermore, the study revealed that e-readiness is important because it allows enablers and policy makers to take appropriate policy measures and implement development plans that help create informed participants in e-learning endeavors. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013. v4n13p353
Product Market Competition, Ownership Differences, and Earnings Management: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies

This research uses data of Chinese listed companies during 2009-2012 to test the effects of product market competition on the incentives to engage in earnings manipulation in companies with different ownership type. Results show that competitive market has no impact on earnings management in state-owned companies, while nonstate-owned companies in more competitive markets have less incentive to engage in earnings manipulation. Results also show that all kinds of companies with higher status in product market tend to incur higher level of earnings management. Moreover, for non-state-owned companies, concentrated ownership structure weakens the effect of product market competition but strengthen the effect of market status on earnings management. Keywords-Competition; Ownership Differences; Stateowned; Non-state-owned; Earnings Management
An Investigation of the Job Performance of Administrative Staff in Government Hospitals, Malaysia

Stress can cause a negative effect on the psychological condition and affect the overall job performance of an employee. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between job stress and job performance among administrative staff in Selangor (state of Malaysia) Hospitals. Probability sampling techniques were used as the name of the respondents and a simple random sampling was used to conduct this study. List of Government Hospitals has been obtained from the official website and the directory of Ministry of Health Malaysia. The results show that all the variables such as work stress, workload, work-life conflict time pressure, and social pressure significantly influence the job performance of Hospital administrative staffs. The research results help to improve employee performance by understanding the behavior and attitudes of hospital staff against work stress. The implication of the study has been explaining in detail with limitation and future research study for his current research.
Determination of the stability of recombinant plasmid containing the coding sequence of the human growth hormone in bioreactor

Escherichia coli is one of the most widely used hosts for production of heterologous proteins. Some non-glycosylated proteins are biologically active, being prokaryotic expression systems preferred in their production. One example of these recombinant proteins is the human growth hormone (hGH), a pituitary-derived polypeptide with a wide range of biological functions including protein synthesis, cell proliferation and therapeutic applications in different treatments (TABANDEH, 2004). The use of plasmids as vector for the production of recombinant proteins is essential for example, to produce high value proteins such as human growth hormone, in sufficient amounts in industrial production line and research. In commercial production with recombinant microorganisms, one of the most important problems is plasmid instability, a tendency of the transformed cells to loose their engineered properties because of changes to, or loss of, plasmids. Instability of plasmids can result in a significant loss in productivity, being important to know whether they have structural and segregational stability (ZHANG, 1996), important factor determining either success or failure in fields of plasmid application. Structural stability describes the correct replication during cultivation of plasmid bearing cells leading to a non-altered base sequence of the plasmid. When plasmids are passed on to the daughter cells, so that each daughter cell has at least one copy, the system shows segregational plasmid stability (FRIEHS, 2004). The plasmid stability test determines the proportion of the cells maintain the target plasmid and the ability to express the target protein. In the present study we produce the hGH using Escherichia coli and we are particularly interested in the establishment of a protocol to study the stability of the
THE BILATERAL IMPACT OF NTMS IN GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS

In this paper, we examine the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on trade between countries at the 6-digit level of the Harmonized System (HS) over the period 2002-2011. We draw on existing information on NTM notifications to the WTO from the Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (I-TIP) distinguishing various NTMs, e.g. Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). Following existing literature (e.g. Kee et al., 2009) a gravity approach is chosen to assess whether NTMs facilitate or impede trade across countries. In doing so, the effects of NTMs are distinguished by the broad economic categories (BEC) classification, which allows assessing whether the effects of NTMs differ, for example, for intermediary products or final goods. The approach also allows one to calculate implied ad-valorem equivalents (AVEs) for NTMs which can be differentiated by NTM types, country groups, industries and product categories.
Exploration and comparison of several AODV implementations: a survey

An ad-hoc network consists of mobile nodes constructing a network that the topology changes dynamically. The Ad-hoc On Demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV) protocol is an algorithm used for the implementation of such networks. The connection between nodes is established for the duration of one session, so no need to have a base station in order to establish such a connection between nodes. Nodes discover other target nodes that are out of range by broadcasting the network with Rout Requests (RREQ) that are forwarded by each node. If the destination node get the RREQ, then it sends back Route Reply (RREP) to the source node. After the route has been discovered between source node and destination node, then it’s the time to start sending data thru that route. This paper is an exploration and comparison of several AODV implementations including: Mad-hoc, AODV-UCSB, AODV-UU, Kernel-AODV and AODV-UIUC. It gives details on how AODV works. In addition, this paper presents a discussion of the advantages as well as disadvantages of each implementation. Also, it explains implementation techniques of the AODV protocol to determine the needed events, such as: Snooping, Kernel Modification, and Netfilter. AODV-UU has been used as a routing agent for mobile nodes in the Network Simulator NS-2. Because of AODV-UU is publicly recommended implementation of AODV and more portable than the other implementations, I choose to install and configure AODV-UU implementation and run it in Network Simulator NS-2.
Hiding Data in Text Through Changing in Alphabet Letter Patterns (CALP)

Recent years have witnessed the rapid development of the Internet and telecommunication techniques But due to hostilities of environment over the internet, confidentiality of information have increased at phenomenal rate. Therefore to safeguard the information from attacks, number of data/information hiding methods have evolved. Steganography is an emerging area which is used for secured data transmission over any public media. Steganography is of Greek origin and means "Covered or hidden writing". Considerable amount of work has been carried out by different researchers on Steganography. In this paper the authors propose a novel text steganography method through changing the pattern of English alphabet letters. Considering the structure of English alphabets, secret message has been mapped through some little structural modification of some of the alphabets of the cover text . This approach uses the idea of structural and feature changing of the cover carrier which is not visibly distinguishable from the original to the human beings and may be modified for other India language also. This solution is independent of the nature of the data to be hidden and produces a stego text with minimum degradation. Quality of the stego text is analyzed by trade off between no of bits used for mapping. Efficiency of the proposed method is illustrated by exhaustive experimental results and comparisons.
Estimations of Pistia stratiotes L. by using Chromatographic Methods

The leaf methanolic extract scavenged each gas NO and DPPH radical with a dose dependent manner. However the pet ether fraction of root was found to possess highest effectuality in Fe3+ reducing power assay. Flavonoid was found to contain highest within the pet ether fraction of root in terms of quercetin equivalent, equally highest quantity of total phenolic resin compounds (assayed as acid equivalents) were found to contain within the same fraction. The methanol fractions appeared less cytotoxic compared to pet ether extracts. The plant extracts caused a dose dependent decrease in soiled BM in each cathartic and atomic number 12 sulfate induced looseness of the bowels, wherever as leaf extracts in every solvent appeared only. Also, the plant extracts showed anthelmintic activity in oligochaete worm by causing palsy and death in an exceedingly dose dependent manner. At highest doses all fractions were nearly effective because the positive management helminthic citrate. Conclusion: Thus, besides this cytotoxic effect its traditional claim for therapeutic use can never be overlooked.