Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A major boost to the website performance of up-scale hotels in Vietnam

Abstract The study aims to enhance the customer experience on hotel websites in the context of venue’s booking channels to others. The online filed survey is conducted with 321 internet bookers. The exploratory factor analysis is adopted to analyze the data. The progression of customer satisfaction proceeds in a linear fashion on luxury (ranking from 4-star to 5-star hotels) websites. Moreover, the study reveals how hotel website performance would affect the levels of customer attitude and its sustainable development in the context of perceived e-service quality. The exploratory results show that customer satisfaction in online environment has identical processes in the context of up-scale hotel industry. The female group compared to male group, has more sensitive to perceive the impact of functionality of lodging website in developing customer satisfaction. Caution is advised in generalizing findings of this study due to stratified sampling even though the study confirms results of previously conducted studies. This study provides practical tips for website sustainable progress especially for hotel management to pay more attention to the e-service formation process. Therefore, the appropriate marketing strategy can be established to fill gender specific expectations towards individual degree of customer satisfaction.
Task design for L2 oral practice in audioblogs

The development of oral skills poses a challenge in language teaching whether this takes place face-to-face, through distance education or in blended learning contexts. Two main problems arise: first of all students don’t have enough opportunity to use their target language orally, and secondly, students oral performance is mostly unrecorded and therefore there is little opportunity for the student to revise it or for the teacher to give detailed feedback and design post-task activities for raising language awareness. New web 2.0 tools have opened new possibilities for the practice of oral skills outside the classroom, or within virtual classrooms. There are now many tools that make it possible for students to make audio or video recordings and share them easily and in an inexpensive manner. However it is important to find a way of managing these recordings efficiently within a classroom situation and to embed these oral activities within pedagogical tasks that will make the most out of their language learning potential. Audioblogs can be a solution for these problems and offer a favourable environment for oral tasks. This paper describes the results of a study looking at different ways teachers in a distance education university make use of LANGblog, an audioblog developed within the framework of the SpeakApps project 2 .
Cytotoxic Potential of the Novel Horseshoe Crab Peptide Polyphemusin III

Biological activity of the new antimicrobial peptide polyphemusin III from the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus was examined against bacterial strains and human cancer, transformed, and normal cell cultures. Polyphemusin III has the amino acid sequence RRGCFRVCYRGFCFQRCR and is homologous to other β-hairpin peptides from the horseshoe crab. Antimicrobial activity of the peptide was evaluated and MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) values were determined. IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) values measured toward human cells revealed that polyphemusin III showed a potent cytotoxic activity at concentrations of <10 μM. Polyphemusin III caused fast permeabilization of the cytoplasmic membrane of human leukemia cells HL-60, which was measured with trypan blue exclusion assay and lactate dehydrogenase-release assay. Flow cytometry experiments for annexin V-FITC/ propidium iodide double staining revealed that the caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, did not abrogate disruption of the plasma membrane by polyphemusin III. Our data suggest that polyphemusin III disrupts the plasma membrane integrity and induces cell death that is apparently not related to apoptosis. In comparison to known polyphemusins and tachyplesins, polyphemusin III demonstrates a similar or lower antimicrobial effect, but significantly higher cytotoxicity against human cancer and transformed cells in vitro.
tmpfs: A Virtual Memory File System

An apparatus and a method are described for separating magnetizable particles from a fluid in which they are suspended. The apparatus comprises a separating chamber having an inlet and an outlet for permitting fluid to enter and leave the separating chamber, a matrix of a plurality of ferromagnetic filaments arranged substantially parallel to one another and to the general direction of flow of fluid through the matrix and disposed in the separating chamber, magnet means for establishing a high intensity magnetic field in the separating chamber perpendicular to the general direction of flow of the fluid through the matrix, and removal means for removing magnetizable particles attracted to the matrix within the separating chamber. The method comprises establishing a high intensity magnetic field in a matrix of a plurality of ferromagnetic filaments arranged substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field and passing fluid containing magnetizable particles through the matrix generally in the direction of alignment of the filaments and removing magnetizable particles retained on the matrix.
Reliable Interconnection Networks for Parallel Computers

This technical report describes a new protocol, the Unique Token Protocol, for reliable message communication. This protocol eliminates the need for end-to-end acknowledgments and minimizes the communication effort when no dynamic errors occur. Various properties of end-to-end protocols are presented. The unique token protocol solves the associated problems. It eliminates source buffering by maintaining in the network at least two copies of a message. A token is used to decide if a message was delivered to the destination exactly once. This technical report also presents a possible implementation of the protocol in a worm-hole routed, 3-D mesh network.
Characterization of background traffic in hybrid network simulation

Abstract : The information transfer across the battlespace is expanding at an ever increasing pace. Simulations have to be carried out to ensure the quality of service of the different applications (sensors, command and control systems, voice communications, .) all integrated in a dynamic network environment. Two approaches are common: discrete event simulation and fluid approximation. A discrete event simulation generates a huge amount of events for a full-blown battlefield communication network resulting in a very long runtime. The usability of this simulation technique is very limited for a rapid changing combat theater. A faster fluid based approximation lacks the accuracy wanted for a realistic simulation. A hybrid simulator separates the traffic in two classes. The packets of the foreground traffic, for which fine-grained performance details are needed, are simulated by an event driven approach, while the background traffic, for which less detailed information is required, is approximated by a fluid model. A research area of this hybrid approach is the characterization of the fluid data flow. Classical statistics are inappropriate for real network data due to the heavy-tailed behaviour and the self-similarity of network traffic. This paper discusses the estimates based on the Large Deviations asymptotic, the Central Limit Theorem and a range of scaling laws in between both limits, a so called Moderate Deviations approximation. Based on real network traces the loss probability of a data stream can be estimated for all models. The results of this protocol independent analysis can be incorporated in a discrete-event simulation allowing a considerable reduction of computation time and memory consumption. The desired fine-grained details of the foreground application behaviour can be obtained while taking into account the background traffic.
Application of Differential Geometry for a High Performance Induction Motor Drive

An attempt has been made in the present work to improve the dynamic and steady state performances of the vector controlled induction motor drive. Concepts of differential geometry has been used for input-output linearization of induction motor drive and to decouple the flux and torque loop. State feedback controller has been designed to obtain desired dynamic and steady state responses. Simulation results show that the performance of the drive system with the designed controller is comparable to that with vector controller and the proposed drive system is more flexible.
Inhibition of α‐adrenergic vasoconstriction in exercising human thigh muscles

The mechanisms underlying metabolic inhibition of sympathetic responses within exercising skeletal muscle remain incompletely understood. The aim of the present study was to test whether α2‐adrenoreceptor‐mediated vasoconstriction was more sensitive to metabolic inhibition than α1‐vasoconstriction during dynamic knee‐extensor exercise. We studied healthy volunteers using two protocols: (1) wide dose ranges of the α‐adrenoreceptor agonists phenylephrine (PE, α1 selective) and BHT‐933 (BHT, α2 selective) were administered intra‐arterially at rest and during 27 W knee‐extensor exercise (n= 13); (2) flow‐adjusted doses of PE (0.3 μg kg−1 l−1) and BHT (15 μg kg−1 l−1) were administered at rest and during ramped exercise (7 W to 37 W; n= 10). Ultrasound Doppler and thermodilution techniques provided direct measurements of femoral blood flow (FBF). PE (0.8 μg kg−1) and BHT (40 μg kg−1) produced comparable maximal reductions in FBF at rest (−58 ± 6 versus−64 ± 4%). Despite increasing the doses, PE (1.6 μg kg−1 min−1) and BHT (80 μg kg−1 min−1) caused significantly smaller changes in FBF during 27 W exercise (−13 ± 4 versus−3 ± 5%). During ramped exercise, significant vasoconstriction at lower intensities (7 and 17 W) was seen following PE (−16 ± 5 and −16 ± 4%), but not BHT (−2 ± 4 and −4 ± 5%). At the highest intensity (37 W), FBF was not significantly changed by either drug. Collectively, these data demonstrate metabolic inhibition of α‐adrenergic vasoconstriction in large postural muscles of healthy humans. Both α1‐ and α2‐adrenoreceptor agonists produce comparable vasoconstriction in the resting leg, and dynamic thigh exercise attenuates α1‐ and α2‐mediated vasoconstriction similarly. However, α2‐mediated vasoconstriction appears more sensitive to metabolic inhibition, because α2 is completely inhibited even at low workloads, whereas α1 becomes progressively inhibited with increasing workloads.
RECOLED: A group-aware collaborative text editor for capturing document history

This paper presents a usability analysis of RECOLED, a shared document editor which supports recording of audio communication in remote collaborative writing sessions, and transparent monitoring of interactions, such as editing, gesturing and scrolling. The editor has been designed so that the collaboration results in the production of a multimedia document history which enriches the final product of the writing activity and can serve as a basis for post-meeting information retrieval. A discussion is presented on how post-meeting processing can highlight the usefulness of such histories in terms of tracking information that would be normally lost in usual collaborative editing settings.
Fundamental and realized feeding niche breadths of sexual and asexual stick insects

The factors contributing to the maintenance of sex over asexuality in natural populations remain largely unknown. Ecological divergences between lineages with different reproductive modes could help to maintain reproductive polymorphisms, at least transiently, but there is little empirical information on the consequences of asexuality for the evolution of ecological niches. Here, we investigated how niche breadths evolve following transitions from sexual reproduction to asexuality. We estimated and compared the realized feeding niche breadths of five independently derived asexual Timema stick insect species and their sexual relatives. We found that asexual species had a systematically narrower realized niche than sexual species. To investigate how the narrower realized niches of asexual versus sexual species come about, we quantified the breadth of their fundamental niches but found no systematic differences between reproductive modes. The narrow realized niches found in asexuals are therefore likely a consequence of biotic interactions that constrain realized niche size in asexuals more strongly than in sexuals. Interestingly, the fundamental niche was broader in the oldest asexual species compared to its sexual relative. This broad ecological tolerance may help explain how this species has persisted over more than a million years in absence of sex.
Sustained inflations and avoiding mechanical ventilation to prevent death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a meta-analysis

Sustained inflations and avoidance of endotracheal mechanical ventilation (eMV) are delivery room interventions aimed at preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Their effectiveness is the subject of the present meta-analysis. The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of preterm infants that compared: 1) sustained inflations with intermittent positive-pressure ventilation; and 2) a non-intubated strategy of respiratory support with one that prescribed eMV at an earlier stage. Data extraction and analysis followed the standard methods of the Cochrane Collaboration. The primary outcome was death or BPD, defined as need for oxygen or positive pressure treatment at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age. Avoiding eMV (nine RCTs, 3486 infants) reduced the risk of death or BPD, with a risk ratio of 0.90 (95% CI 0.84–0.97) and a number needed to treat of 35. After sustained inflations (six RCTs, 854 infants), the risk ratio was 0.85 (95% CI 0.65–1.12). A current multicentre RCT of sustained inflations in very preterm infants was halted for increased early mortality in the sustained inflations arm. While strategies aimed at avoiding eMV had a small but significant impact on preventing BPD, sustained inflations had no effect and may even increase mortality in very preterm infants. Meta-analysis of RCTs in preterm infants showed that delivery room strategies to avoid mechanical ventilation reduced bronchopulmonary dysplasia, whereas sustained inflations had no effect and may even increase mortality http://ow.ly/je6u30mxS58
Enhanced Peroxidase-Like Activity of MoS2 Quantum Dots Functionalized g-C3N4 Nanosheets towards Colorimetric Detection of H2O2

MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) functionalized g-C3N4 nanosheets (MoS2@CNNS) were prepared through a protonation-assisted ion exchange method, which were developed as a highly efficient biomimetic catalyst. Structural analysis revealed that uniformly-dispersed MoS2 QDs with controllable size and different loading amount grew in-situ on the surface of CNNS, forming close-contact MoS2@CNNS nanostructures and exhibiting distinct surface properties. Compared to MoS2 QDs and CNNS, the MoS2@CNNS nanocomposites exhibited a more than four times stronger peroxidase-like catalytic activity, which could catalyze the oxidation of 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2 to generate a blue oxide. Among the MoS2@CNNS nanocomposites, MoS2@CNNS(30) was verified to present the best intrinsic peroxidase-like performance, which could be attributed to the more negative potential and larger specific surface area. A simple, rapid and ultrasensitive system for colorimetric detection of H2O2 was thus successfully established based on MoS2@CNNS, displaying nice selectivity, reusability, and stability. The detection limit of H2O2 could reach as low as 0.02 μM. Furthermore, the kinetic and active species trapping experiments indicated the peroxidase-like catalytic mechanism of MoS2@CNNS. This work develops a novel, rapid, and ultrasensitive approach for visual assay of H2O2, which has a potential application prospect on clinical diagnosis and biomedical analysis.
Geração de colunas para problemas de corte em duas fases

The Compartmentalized Knapsack Problem is an extension of the classical Knapsack Problem, where the ordered items are partitioned into classes, in such way that the knapsack must be divided into compartments, each one having limited capacity. In addition, the building of a compartment has a fixed cost and involves a loss of the overall capacity. The objective is to maximize the sum of the items utility value, minus the fixed costs of the compartments. This dissertation presents two solving methods. The first approach is a heuristic method, which is a combination of two heuristics from the literature. The second approach is a Column Generation method, that apart from it gives a new upper bound to the Compartmentalized Knapsack Problem, in the end of the method the master problem was solved with the variables defined as integer, that supplies a feasible solution. In both methods, the mathematical non linear model is decomposed into two linear models, one generates the compartments, and the other selects them to compose the knapsack. The results obtained with these two approaches were compared with an upper bound and they showed very efficient.
Do new business graduates have the computing skills expected by employers

Computers have become ubiquitous. Most households have access to a computer and certainly schools from kindergarten to university give their students the use of computers and other technology on a daily basis. The high prevalence of computer use may lead employers to assume university graduates will have good computing skills. Such assumptions may be the reason that employers use broad terms to advertise the computing tasks required for graduate-level positions. This paper investigates how well the expectations of employers match the perceptions of senior students about their computer skills. Four graduate-level positions seeking to attract recent graduates with business degrees were identified from advertisements. The employers who were responsible for the writing of these advertisements were surveyed by interview and questionnaire. Twenty-one senior students about to graduate from a university business studies programme were also interviewed and surveyed. Results showed that the wording used in the advertisements did not clearly articulate the requirements and intentions of the employers. Results also show that the senior students, while about to enter the workforce, had little idea of the end-user computing that would be required of them and that the perceptions they had of their own computing skill frequently did not meet the expectations held by employers. This study highlights implications for three groups: employers, graduates and educators.
Hybrid RAKE/multiuser receivers for UWB

We demonstrate the effectiveness of combining multiple arm RAKE reception with adaptive minimum mean square error (MMSE) combining to combat both narrow and wide band interference in an ultra-wide-band (UWB) pulse-based spread spectrum (SS) communications system. Whether a single user SS UWB system, or a direct sequence SS code division multiple access (CDMA) UWB system, the proposed receiver offers robust suppression of a narrowband interference, in marked contrast to the RAKE only receiver. When DSSS is used with CDMA, this receiver provides much greater rejection of multiuser access interference (wideband interference), avoiding an error floor for moderate system load. RAKE reception alone exhibits an error moderate system load. RAKE reception alone exhibits an error floor even at light system load. The proposed hybrid can be considered an enhancement of RAKE reception, replacing the maximum ration combining the MMSE, or as a reduced complexity alternative to adaptive MMSE multiuser detection.
Automatic evaluation of the peri-infarct area of myocardial infarction from delayed enhancement MRI

Delay Enhancement - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DE-MRI) can be considered as the gold standard for the assessment of myocardial viability after myocardial infarction (MI). Around the infarcted areas that appear with hyper-enhanced signal, there is a peri-infarct border zone that may be an important arrhythmogenic substrate. The extent of this area is an independent predictor of post-MI mortality (1). However, it is difficult to separate peri-infarct border zones from infarct core or normal areas, because of their intermediate signal intensity. We propose a new automatic approach to detect this area, based on a modified Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and spatial-weighted fuzzy clustering.
Design of new CD38 inhibitors based on CoMFA modelling and molecular docking analysis of 4‑amino-8-quinoline carboxamides and 2,4-diamino-8-quinazoline carboxamides

ABSTRACT In this study, based on molecular docking analysis and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) modelling of a series of 71 CD38 inhibitors including 4‑amino-8-quinoline carboxamides and 2,4-diamino-8-quinazoline carboxamides, new CD38 inhibitors were designed. The interactions of the molecules with the greatest and the lowest activities with the nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) binding site were investigated by molecular docking analysis. A CoMFA model with four partial least squares regression (PLSR) components was developed to predict the CD38 inhibitory activity of the molecules. The r2 values for the training and test sets were 0.89 and 0.82, respectively. The Q2 values for leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO-CV) and leave-many-out cross-validation (LMO-CV) tests on the training set were 0.65 and 0.64, respectively. The CoMFA model was validated by calculating several statistical parameters. CoMFA contour maps were interpreted, and structural features that influence the CD38 inhibitory activity of molecules were determined. Finally, seven new CD38 inhibitors with greater activity with respect to the greatest active molecules were designed.
Challenges and supports for women conservation leaders

Leadership and inclusivity are increasingly recognized as fundamental to conservation success, yet women's leadership within the conservation profession is understudied. This study identifies gender‐related challenges women conservation leaders experienced in their careers, and supports helping them advance. Using an intersectionality framing to identify intersections between gender, race/ethnicity, age, and leadership position, we conducted and analyzed semi‐structured interviews with 56 women leaders in conservation organizations across the United States. All interviewees reported experiencing or witnessing a gender‐related workplace challenge in at least one of six categories, and the vast majority reported encountering four or more of these challenges: salary inequality and difficulty negotiating, formal exclusion, informal exclusion, harassment and inadequate organizational response, assumptions of inadequacy, and assumptions of wrongness. Participants also experienced two categories of supports: structural supports and supportive relationships. Women's experiences varied based on age, race and ethnicity, and leadership position. Our results indicate more effort is needed to identify effective strategies for making conservation a more inclusive, empowering, and appealing profession in which to work.