Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Marketing Effectiveness and Business Performance: The Study of Hospitality and Tourism Organizations in Nigeria

The concept of marketing effectiveness has been extensively discussed because of its strong association with many valuable organizational outcomes such as stable, long-term growth, enhanced customer satisfaction, a competitive advantage and a strong marketing orientation (Nwokah and Ahiauzu, 2009). Despite the avalanches of studies on marketing effectiveness, there seems to exist a scarce literature on its conceptual measures. Kotler (1977, 1997) operationalised marketing effectiveness as Amalgam of five components, notably: customer philosophy, integrated marketing organization; adequate marketing information, strategic orientation; and operational efficiency. Later, Appiah-Adu et al (2001), Nwokah and Ahiauzu (2008,2009) adopted the earlier measures but further argued that, the basis of studying marketing effectiveness is to first identify the importance of studying the market, recognize its numerous opportunities, then selecting the most appropriate segments of the market to operate in and endeavoring to offer superior value to meet the selected customer’s needs and wants. Nwokah (2008) in his study on Marketing in governance: leader-managerial practices for efficiency in competency-based administration and transformational marketing model argue that marketing effectiveness of a firm is achievable if the firm has suitable staff to enable it perform marketing analysis, planning and implementation. Sequentially, marketing effectiveness calls for management to have sufficient information for the purpose of planning and effective resource allocation to varying markets, products and territories (Nwokah and Ahiauzu, 2008, 2009). Marketing effectiveness is also contingent upon the adeptness of managers to deliver profitable strategies from its philosophy, organization and information resources.
Dynamic facial expression recognition using autoregressive models

A dynamic facial expression recognition method based on the auto-regressive (AR) models using combined features of both shape and texture features is proposed in this paper. The AR model is effective to model complicated facial motions. In this work, six AR models are first learned for six basic expressions based on the fusion of shape and texture features of the difference between the neutral image and expressive face image. The difference tends to focus the facial parts that are changed from the neutral to expressive face and eliminate the influence of identity of the facial image. The shape features are facial feature point displacements between the normalized neutral and expressive face images while the texture features are local texture. Then the AR models are used to generate the predicted sequence which is compared with the actual sequence. The corresponding expression is inferred from the most similar predicted sequence to the actual one. Finally a line segment based method is proposed to compute the similarity between the predicted and actual expression sequences. The experiments have been conducted based on the extended Cohn-Kanade database. Encouraging results suggest a strong potential for dynamic facial expression.
A Study of Hematological Biomarkers in Depressed Postmenopausal Females

Context: Due to the heterogeneity in the occurrence of depression in postmenopausal women and a lack of adequate data on correlation of severity of depression with the co-occurrence of thyroid, lipid and vitamin metabolism derangements in these women, this study was planned to examine the prevalence of these derangements and its correlation with severity of depression in depressed postmenopausal women. Aims: The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence and correlation of TSH, Lipid Profile, Folate and Vitamin B12 derangements with the severity of depression in postmenopausal women. Settings and design: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, SMS Medical College, Jaipur. After screening 150 consecutive depressed postmenopausal females (age group of 45-60 years), 40 females and 40 healthy female controls, matched sociodemographic profile were included in the study. Materials and methods: After taking written informed consent, all subjects were assessed using Hamilton rating scale for depression, Menopausal rating scale and blood levels of TSH, lipid profile, folate and vitamin B12 was assessed. Statistical analysis used: Group comparisons were done with chi-square test, T-test and Pearson’s correlation, with help of SPSS, ver. 21.0. Results: There is significantly more prevalence and correlation of TSH and lipid profile derangements in depressed post-menopausal women, and the derangement in TSH levels worsens with the severity of depression. The folate levels are also significantly worse in the depressed group, but not Vitamin B12. Both did not correlate with severity of depression in the current study. Conclusion: Management of thyroid and lipid derangements can help manage depression in post-menopausal women more holistically. The role of folate and vitamin B12 replenishment can also be considered when judging treatment response in these patients.
Recycling of Phosphorus Resources in Agricultural Areas Using Woody Biomass and Biogenic Iron Oxides

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element in plant nutrients, because many biochemical processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and energy transfer depend on inorganic P or its organic derivatives. However, P is difficult for plants to obtain from the rhizosphere and P deficiency is one of the major limitations on crop production. This is because soluble P in soil, the primary P source for plants, is extremely low concentration (Condron et al., 2005) and significant portions of P in the soil are various organic complexes and unavailable (Raghothama, 2005). On a worldwide scale, land covering 5.7 billion hectares is estimated to be deficient in P for optimal crop production (Batjes, 1997). Since the soluble P in the soil is easily taken up by plants and microorganisms, continuous application of P fertilizer is necessary for crop production. The global demand for P has increased 10-fold since the beginning of the 20th century (Cordell et al. 2009) and approximately 80% of the demand is for agricultural fertilizers (Steen, 1998). Thus, more P will be required as the world’s population increases. However, there is concern that world P resources will be depleted in the next 50–100 years, because the reserves of high-grade phosphate rock are limited (Runge-Metzger, 1995; Steen, 1998; Smil, 2000; Stewart et al., 2005). Therefore, the recovery of P is essential for sustaining food production. Figure 1 shows a conceptual illustration of the global P cycle, which is completed by P flux from the ocean to the land, and is intimately linked to global ocean circulation. The P derived from weathering or fertilizer application on the land is washed down in rivers and enters the ocean food chain. In deep ocean water (about 2,000–3,000 m in depth), the P concentration is considerably higher than that at the surface because dead fish and plankton fall on the ocean floor. However, the P-rich water is too deep for humans to exploit. In the deep ocean, the water flows from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean via the Antarctic and the Indian Ocean, while the surface water flows in the opposite direction. This movement is very slow; about 2000 years is required to complete this circulation. In some areas of the Pacific Ocean, the flow rises from the bottom to the surface, but this is rare phenomenon. Because the occurrence of this rising flow depends on a complex combination of sea currents, winds, and geographical features. Consequently, these selected areas are abundant in plankton and fish. However, the P flux from ocean to land occurs only via
Security increasing in Industrial robotics based on artificial vision

This paper describes a vision validation system allowing security increasing in industrial robotics applications using, as case study, a playful application: the chess robot system. This system allows remote users to play chess, using a six axes anthropomorphic robot to move chess pieces in the chessboard on getting commands from the player and from the application chess engine. In this work, the mechanism to detect pieces in the chessboard is based in artificial vision due to its hardware simplicity. The developed vision software implements a positioning calibration allowing a high degree of system flexibility: positioning of the chessboard, and its distance to the camera. The calibration of colours is also possible in order to change the chessboard and pieces colours without interference. In this paper are presented and discussed some image processing algorithms and the future work.
IN VITRO PLANT REGENERATION OF ROSE (Rosa hybrida L.) CV. "BENJAMIN PAUL" THROUGH VARIOUS EXPLANTS

Explants were excised from 5 years old field grown rose plants. The excised explants were cultured on MS medium containing different concentrations of BAP, Kinetin, NAA and IBA. In vitro root formation was investigated by using full and half-strength of MS medium supplemented with macro, micro elements and vitamins. The results showed that the highest (100 %) shoot proliferation was obtained on modified MS medium containing 2.0 mg L -1 BAP and 0.1 mg L -1 NAA. Nodal segment explants were found excellent for shoot regeneration; earliest bud break and maximum multiple shoot production. The results also showed that the half concentration of macro, micro salts and vitamins of MS med ium containing 0.5 mg L -1 IBA was the most suitable medium for in vitro rooting. The in vitro rooted plantlets were transferred to sterilized potting mixtures and the maximum (84%) survival of plantlets was found in Sand +Soil + FYM (1:1:1, v/v) mixture under greenhouse conditions.
Body composition and dietary intake of adolescents from public schools in Blumenau (Brazil)

The objective of this study was to characterize the body composition and dietary intake of adolescents from public schools in Blumenau, Santa Catarina. A total of 268 students aged 12 to 16 years were selected by random non-probability sampling. Anthropometric measures including weight, height, waist circumference, and skinfold thickness were collected using pre-established protocols to estimate nutritional status and body composition. Dietary intake was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire. Descriptive analysis, frequency analysis, and the Student t-test were used (p 2493.5 kcal), with the distribution of macronutrients being in accordance with current recommendations. However, 84% of the adolescents consumed excess saturated fatty acids (>10%) and 46% consumed excess cholesterol (>300). Comparison of dietary intake between genders showed a significant difference for protein (t=2.234, p<0.026), vitamin C (t=2.128; p<0.034), iron (t=2.654; p<0.008), and calcium (t=2.239; p<0.026). In conclusion, the results indicate the need to better understand and evaluate food intake in adolescents in order to develop intervention strategies.
COPD-Patients adherence to care and quality of counseling

Objective : The aim of this study was to describe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients’ adherence to care and to identify quality of counseling in tertiary care. The objective was to improve the quality of care of COPD patients and receive baseline information factors which improve their adherence to care. Background: It has been reported that the treatment of patients with COPD may not be optimal. It is also known that COPD-patients have various limitations in daily life due their disease, and may experience emotional distress, which can reduce adherence to care. Methods : The data were collected during COPD-patients’ (n = 141) visits or admissions to a tertiary hospital between November 2007-June 2009. This study was cross-sectional survey and the data analysed by descriptive statistics, averaged variables and multivariate regression analysis. Results : The response rate was 62%. Most of patients were men and they have been COPD patients for several years. Nearly all patients were adherent to their care and medication, but support from health care providers was inadequate. Counseling had been benefit about half of COPD-patients and it increased self-care activities and coping at home. Counseling was not implemented in a patient-centred way and mutual goal setting was insufficient. Multidisciplinary counseling and quality care transition were both significantly factors with adherence to care and the support of the health care providers. Conclusions : The patient with COPD adhere well to care, but support health care providers were in adequate. Multidisciplinary team and high quality counseling is crucial, although in practice delivery is not always appropriate for the patient.
Sympathetic reactivity to experimentally induced stress in alexithymia

La alexitimia describe un trastorno especifico del procesamiento emocional que se manifiesta mediante una marcada dificultad para identificar y expresar emociones. El objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido valorar la relacion entre los patrones de activacion simpatica, medidos mediante la actividad electrodermal, y el nivel de alexitimia, en una situacion de estres inducido experimentalmente en el laboratorio. Se emplearon mujeres jovenes con niveles altos y bajos de alexitimia, clasificadas mediante las puntuaciones que obtuvieron en el TAS-20. El experimento comprendio seis fases, en las que se evaluo su reactividad simpatica en cada una de ellas mediante el empleo del Indice de Sudoracion Palmar, un indicador sensible al numero de glandulas ecrinas activas. Los resultados mostraron que en ambos grupos se produjeron incrementos significativos en el numero de glandulas sudoriparas activas durante las fases de estres, asi como reducciones en las fases de relajacion. Se obtuvieron tambien diferencias significativas en los que obtuvieron puntuaciones altas y bajas en el TAS-20 durante las distintas fases experimentales, pero no se apreciaron evidencias de intereacion entre las fases y los niveles de alexitimia. Los resultados proveen un moderado apoyo a la hipotesis que sostiene que los alexitimicos son mas reactivos fisiologicamente al estres.
Feasibility Study in the use of contract-based approaches to deal with safety-related properties in CPS

This work concerns a feasibility study on the use of contract-based approaches as a means of reasoning and understanding a cyber-physical system (CPS) which should meet safety properties. We show the problems, the analysis methodology and the results on a railway industrial system case study. Our results suggest that contract-based design provides a rigorous approach for reasoning at the interaction of safety-related properties in CPS.
Cross-over between magnetic and electric edges in quantum Hall systems

We report on the transition from magnetic edge to electric edge transport in a split magnetic gate device which applies a notch magnetic field to a two-dimensional electron gas. The gate bias allows tuning the overlap of magnetic and electric edge wave functions on the scale of the magnetic length. Conduction at the magnetic edges, in the two-dimensional bulk, is found to compete with conduction at the electric edges until the magnetic edges become depleted. Current lines then move to the electrostatic edges as in the conventional quantum Hall picture. The conductivity was modeled using the quantum Boltzmann equation in the exact hybrid potential. The theory predicts the features of the bulk-edge crossover, in good agreement with experiment.
A NOVEL APPROACH TO TARGET LOCALIZATION THROUGH UNKNOWN WALLS FOR THROUGH-THE- WALL RADAR IMAGING

This paper mainly deals with the problem of target localization with unknown wall parameters for through-the-wall radar imaging (TWRI) applications. A novel approach is presented to correct the shift in target position due to the ambiguities of the wall parameters. This approach is based on imaging by using at least two assumed wall relative permittivities. For each assumed relative permittivity, a sequence of target images are obtained using difierent assumed wall thicknesses, and a linear trajectory is formed via Radon transform. The intersection of these linear trajectories corresponding to difierent assumed relative permittivities is the estimated target position. Besides, the estimated wall parameters are acquired to form the high-quality image. Simulation and experiment results show that the estimated target positions with the proposed approach are well consistent with the true target locations, and the high-quality images are generated with the estimated wall parameters.
Brand community integration and customer satisfaction of social media network sites among students

Article history: Received: February 1, 2017 Received in revised format: July 6, 2017 Accepted: July 31, 2017 Available online: August 2, 2017 The aim of the study was to examine how consumers integrate into brand communities on social media network sites (SNSs) and how it affects overall satisfaction of social media sites users among students. The study depends on the service-dominant logic (SDL) to develop the constructs for hypotheses testing. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. The data were collected using a web-based survey of university of Nairobi Students. In all, a total of 608 students participated in the survey. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling with AMOS software. The results revealed that frequency of usage of SNSs and duration of usage positively affect the self –perceived relevance of SNSs. Also, the self-perceived relevance leads to building brand community which finally leads to customer satisfaction. The research was limited to only students of Nairobi and selecting students in itself, which is a limitation as well as limiting it to university of Nairobi. The younger or the millennial are not the only users of SNSs. We have older generations as well, who also use SNSs for various activities such as professional development among others. Understanding why consumers of social media network site would integrate brand community is seminal for both local and foreign firms doing business in a developing country. This would enable marketing practitioners to craft marketing strategies best for community brand building. © 2017 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
On glacial refugia, genetic diversity, and microevolutionary processes: deep phylogeographical structure in the endemic newt Lissotriton italicus1

We investigated the phylogeographical patterns of Lissotriton italcus, a newt endemic to the Italian peninsula, aiming to determine why hotspots of intraspecific diversity so ‘hot’. We found two main mitochindrial DNA lineages (net sequence divergence of 6.8% at two fragments of total length of 1897 bp): one restricted to part of the Calabrian peninsula (i.e the southernmost portion of the species range) and the other widespread throughout the rest of the species range. Both lineages, which had a parapatric distribution, showed evidence of further subdivisions, with an overall number of eight terminal haplogroups, most of whose times to the most recent common ancestors were estimated at the Late Pleistocene. Analysis of molecular variance suggested that partitioning populations according to the geographical distribution of these haplogroups can explain 97% of the observed genetic variation. These results suggest that L. italicus underwent repeated cycles of allopatric fragmentation throughout the Pleistocene, and that it likely survived the Late Pleistocene paleoenvironmental changes within eight separate refugia. Thus, the current hotspot of intraspecific diversity of L. italicus (within the Calabrian peninsula) has not been moulded by long-term stability of large populations but rather by multiple events of allopatric fragmentation and divergence. When compared with the patterns recently identified in other species, these results suggest that the occurrence of phases of allopatric divergence (eventually followed by secondary admixture) could be a common, albeit probably underrated feature in the history of formation of hotspots of intraspecific diversity. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 105, 42‐55.
Substrate selection and spatial segregation by two congeneric species of Eustala (Araneae: Araneidae) in southeastern Brazil

Abstract Habitat and microhabitat selection by spiders are influenced by abiotic and biotic factors, including vegetation structure, natural enemies, and prey availability. Some species are highly dependent on particular conditions, such as the presence of substrates where they remain camouflaged, constantly humid sites or the occurrence of plants bearing glandular trichomes. Others are distributed in areas that include a wide range of physical conditions and interact with several types of prey, predators and competitors. In the present study, we evaluated spatial distribution and substrate selection of two sympatric congeneric species with distinct body shapes and colors, Eustala taquara (Keyserling 1892) and E. sagana (Keyserling 1893), in an area of Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. We focused on the following factors regarding habitat selection: i) distance from the border (forest edge or interior); ii) altitudinal distribution, ranging from 740 to 1294 m; iii) web height above ground level; and iv) plant species used for web attachment. All individuals of both species were located at the forest edge, especially on dry branches. However, they occurred preferentially in different host plants and altitudes. Eustala taquara individuals were strongly associated with Conyza bonariensis, and E. sagana with Hyptis suaveolens and C. sumatrensis. Dry branch preferences might be important to reduce species conspicuousness to visually oriented predators, such as birds and wasps. Spatial segregation between closely related species possibly minimizes interference interactions, such as competition for particular sites or prey items.
Development of Dual Fuel Single Cylinder Natural Gas Engine an Analysis and Experimental Investigation for Performance and Emission

The present study reports the experimental investigations carried and upgradation of 395 cc air cooled engine to dual fuel (CNG/Gasoline) application. The original 395 cc direct injection naturally aspirated, air cooled diesel engine was first converted to run on Gasoline by addition of electronic ignition system and reduction in compression ratio to suit both gasoline and CNG application. CFX software has been employed to calculate and improve the cooling capacity of engine with the use of CNG. Materials of major engine components were reviewed to suit CNG application. The engine was subsequently tuned with dual multi-mapped ignition timing for bi-fuel stoichiometric operation on engine dynamometer and then fitted on a 3-Wheeler vehicle. The vehicle was optimized on a chassis dynamometer to meet the proposed Bharat Stage-III norms. The engine has passed current BS-II emission norms with 48% margin in CO emission and 76% margin in NMHC (Non-Methane Hydrocarbons) and Extensive trials were conducted on engine and vehicle to optimize with CNG kit and minimum loaded three way cat-con to finally to met proposed BS-III norms.