Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The kHz QPOs as a probe of the X-ray color–color diagram and accretion-disk structure for the atoll source 4U 1728-34

We have taken the kHz QPOs as a tool to probe the correlation between the tracks of X-ray color–color diagram (CCD) and magnetosphere-disk positions for the atoll source 4U 1728-34, based on the assumptions that the upper kHz QPO is ascribed to the Keplerian orbital motion and the neutron star (NS) magnetosphere is defined by the dipole magnetic field. We find that from the island to the banana state, the inner accretion disk gradually approaches the NS surface with the radius decreasing from r ∼ 33.0 km to ∼15.9 km, corresponding to the magnetic field from B(r) ∼ 4.8 × 106 G to ∼4.3 × 107 G. In addition, we note the characteristics of some particular radii of magnetosphere-disk r are: firstly, the whole atoll shape of the CCD links the disk radius range of ∼15.9–33.0 km, which is just located inside the corotation radius of 4U 1728-34 rco (∼34.4 km), implying that the CCD shape is involved in the NS spin-up state. Secondly, the island and banana states of CCD correspond to the two particular boundaries: (I)near the corotation radius at r ∼ 27.2–33.0 km, where the source lies in the island state; (II)near the NS surface at r ∼ 15.9–22.3 km, where the source lies in both the island and banana states. Thirdly, the vertex of the atoll shape in CCD, where the radiation transition from the hard to soft photons occurs, is found to be near the NS surface at r ∼ 16.4 km. The above results suggest that both the magnetic field and accretion environment are related to the CCD structure of atoll track, where the corotation radius and NS hard surface play the significant roles in the radiation distribution of atoll source.
TOWARDS A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE OF A LEADERSHIP MODEL FOR THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY

A leadership model used within a major research university in the United States is described. The model integrates concepts about servant and adaptive leadership. Research universities are inherently flat organizations with key peer leadership roles invested in the faculty. The fact that such organizations are undergoing fundamental change (e.g., the expectation to generate increased economic impact from sponsored research) complicates those selected for senior leadership positions. Leaders must anticipate the need to change and do so proactively while serving those throughout the organization. Alignment of vision and strategy, culture and beliefs, processes, plans, people, and desired outcomes is a critical success factor. Senior leadership must consistently and effectively communicate the vision and strategy (i.e., why the organization does what it does) and inspire a sense of urgency to focus the organization on desired results. Specific leadership models and behaviours are examined that are useful in guiding such change. The paper discusses the use of this leadership model within one research university and then explores peer approaches for encouraging wide spread adoption and use of the model. In particular, the use of leadership stories – both positive and negative – is currently being explored as a means to support a community of practice.
Energy Efficient Communications in MIMO Wireless Channels: Information Theoretical Limits

This chapter is focused on defining and optimizing an energy-efficiency metric for MIMO systems. This metric, which expresses in bit per Joule, allows one to measure how much information is effectively transferred to the transmitter per unit cost of energy consumed at the transmitter. For a MIMO point-to-point communication (single user MIMO channels) this metric can be useful to determine what power level, precoding scheme, training length, or number of antennas have to be used for obtaining the maximum information that is effectively transferred per unit energy spent. Then, we move from a physical layer-type approach to a cross-layer design of energy-efficient power control by including the effects a queue with finite size at the transmitter. As a last step we study a distributed multiple user scenario (MIMO multiple access channels) where each user selfishly maximizes its energy-efficiency by choosing its best individual power allocation policy. Here, we present the most relevant results in this field in a concise and comprehensible manner.
Estimating changes in Scottish soil carbon stocks using ECOSSE. II. Application

In order to predict the response of carbon (C)-rich soils to external change, models are needed that accurately reflect the conditions of these soils. Here we present an example application of the new Estimation of Carbon in Organic Soils - Sequestration and Emissions (ECOSSE) model to estimate net change in soil C in response to changes in land use in Scotland. The ECOSSE estimate of annual change in soil C stocks for Scotland between 2000 and 2009 is -810 ± 89 kt yr -1 , equivalent to 0.037 ± 0.004% yr -1 . Increasing the area of land-use change from arable to grass has the greatest potential to sequester soil C, and reducing the area of change from grass to arable has the greatest potential to reduce losses of soil C. Across Scotland, simulated changes in soil C from C-rich soils (C content >6%) between 1950 and 2009 is -63 Mt, compared with -35 Mt from non-C-rich mineral soils; losses from C-rich soils between 2000 and 2009 make up 64% of the total soil C losses. One mitigation option that could be used in upland soils to achieve zero net loss of C from Scottish soils is to stop conversion of semi-natural land to grassland and increase conversion of grassland to semi- natural land by 125% relative to the present rate. Mitigation options involving forestry are not included here because the data available to calculate losses of soil C do not account for losses of soil C on drainage of semi-natural land.
Evaluating the Effect of Algal Extracts against Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Damage in BALB/c Mice

Ethanol extract of mixed algae—spirogyra and ulothrix was investigated to assess the effect on some biochemical parameters in UVB irradiated mice. The dorsal-thoracic region of mice were shaved and exposed to UVB radiation for 24 h for two consecutive weeks. Five groups of ten mice each were conducted: non-irradiated control and irradiated control. Mice treated with commercial cream (S.M.) at a dose of 0.1 mg/cm 2 and mice treated with ethanol extract of mixed spirogyra and ulothrix at a dose of 0.1 mg/cm 2 or 0.2 mg/cm 2 . Topical application was performed to all treated mice groups once a day for four consecutive weeks. Results showed significant differences between treated and control groups during the whole period of experiment. The clear potentiality of the ethanol extract was detected through body and skin weight, level of total protein, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase (CAT) activities in skin. However, UVB irradiated mice treated with 0.2 mg/cm 2 exhibited the most significant effect when compared to control groups. That may be attributed to anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of algal extract.
User Acceptance of Internet Banking in North India: With Special reference to the Haryana

The economic and financial system of the country considers the Banking Industry as its backbone and also recognizes it as a major service sector contributing tremendously to the Indian economy . The banking Industry has observed a change with respect to the financial reforms from the year 1991. In the current scenario, each and every bank is making an attempt to provide new products and services to its customers. However, for the banks to excel from their competitors, there was a need to reframe their strategies and resort to new technological ways of conducting business, in order to provide improved and better services to its customers. The presence of technology is now seen in all sectors of the economy. Internet Banking is a gift of the new technological advancements taking place in the Banking Industry. It can also be stated known as "Online banking" or "Web based banking”. The paper intends to investigate the factors determining the acceptance of Internet Banking amongst customers in Haryana along with influence of Internet Banking on the extent of satisfaction of customers. The acceptance of Banking via Internet revolves around two broad aspects of decision making together with acceptance of technology. A tailored edition of the theory called TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) (24) will be used as a foundation of the study. TAM states the acceptance of technology by the users to a large extent is affected by their behavior intention towards using the system.
Nanocrystallization of vanadium borophosphate glass for improving the electrical and catalytic properties

75V2O5-10P2O5-15B2O3 ternary-system glasses were prepared and nanocrystallized to examine the catalytic effect and the variations in their structural and electrical properties. These glasses were annealed in a graphite mold above the glass transition temperature for 2 h and heat-treated at the crystallization temperature for 1, 3, and 5 h. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the structural changes in the B-O bonds after nanocrystallization, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed a decrease in V5+ and an increase in V4+. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the structure array (BO3 +V2O5 ↔ BO4 + 2VO2) verified these inferred changes. Structural changes induced by the heat treatment were confirmed by analyzing the molecular volume determined from the sample density. Conductivity and catalytic effects were discussed based on the migration of vanadate ions with different valence states due to the increase in VO2 nanocrystallinity at 275°C. Both conductance and the catalytic effect were higher after nanocrystallization at 275°C for 1 h compared to the annealed sample. Furthermore, compared to the sample heat-treated for 1 h, the conductance and catalytic effect were increased and decreased, respectively, for samples nanocrystallized at 275°C for 3 and 5 h.
IMPACT OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT REVIEWS: EVIDENCE FROM AN ENERGY SUPPLIER

Organisational researchers and managers alike have long held the view that performance reviews, based on performance measurement systems, have a positive impact on business performance. Nevertheless, there is relatively little research to support this hypothesis. This study sets out to tackle this gap by testing the effect of performance reviews on business performance in a UK energy supplier using agency theories. Our evidence shows thirty-three positive effects of performance reviews; twelve of them are identified as the most cited by our interviewees. Seven factors that moderate the firm’s results are identified; the ‘local leadership’ on performance reviews, which is a contribution to knowledge from this research, stood out as one of the most powerful factors that moderate performance reviews. Two negative effects of performance reviews are highlighted by this research. Finally, this research discusses the implications to the body of knowledge and practice.
Social Capital, Collective Morality and HIV/AIDS in Rural South Africa

Abstract This study recognises the importance of social capital in community health interventions. It presents the results of a qualitative study exploring the role of community-level social capital in creating and facilitating pathways through which HIV/AIDS infection can be prevented and mitigated. Drawing on ethnographic narratives of the participants captured mainly through semi-structured interviews, the study reveals social capital as playing a significant role in addressing a host of social determinants of HIV/AIDS such a poverty, social marginalisation and inequality. Study participants were drawn from three (3) villages of the Umkhanyakhude District of KwaZulu-Natal Province. The importance of social capital can be seen in its ability to promote the development of a common morality and the horizontal exchange of resources. The study has established that at the community level, social capital is believed to promote health by fighting social stigma and the provision of social support. This study also emphasised the relevance of localised participation in HIV/AIDS initiatives and its ability to create social capital for HIV/AIDS prevention.
Adoption of Code Restructuring to Enhance Full Cycle End-to-End Integrated Financial Management Information System in the Public Sector in Kenya: A Review Paper

This paper reviewed literature on adoption of Code Restructuring in enhancing adoption of Full Cycle End-To-End Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) in Kenyan Public Sector. The paper reviewed literature published both in Kenya and in other Nations to establish if Code Restructuring can be used to enhance adoption of Full Cycle End-To-End Integrated Financial Management Information System in the public sector in Kenya. The study established that effective adoption of IFMIS has been hindered by poor Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) infrastructure and structure. The study revealed that Code restructuring can be used to enhance quality of IFMIS outcome. Code restructuring can enhance performance of IFMIS applications and interfaces to levels needed to achieve Full Cycle End-To-End IFMIS. In addition, code restructuring can be used to solve system based problems commonly faced in reengineering of IFMIS to a Full Cycle End-To-End IFMIS. The study also established that other factors such as management support, staff training, integration and communication system and stakeholder acceptance are critical determinants of successful adoption of IFMIS. The study recommends that a survey be done in Kenya to assess whether code restructuring can be used to achieve successful Full Cycle End-To-End IFMIS given the conditions and challenges unique to Kenyan public sector.
Phytosynthesis of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Using the Hot Water Extract of Mixed Woodchip Powder and Their Antibacterial Efficacy

This study investigates the phytosynthesis, characterization, and antibacterial efficacy of silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs) produced using the hot water extract of mixed woodchip powder. The woodchip extract (WCE) was successfully used as both a reducing and stabilizing agent for the phytosynthesis of both crystalline metal NPs. The effects of different physicochemical factors affecting the formation of the metal NPs including reaction pH, concentration of the precursor metal salts, amount of WCE, and external energy input were evaluated. The characterization of the metal NPs was performed by transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern analysis. In addition, the antibacterial efficacy of the phytosynthesized NPs was measured. The AgNPs showed clear antibacterial activity against four representative bacterial strains. However, the AuNPs did not exhibit bactericidal activity, probably due to their surface modifications and relatively large size. These results suggest that the phytosynthesis of the metal NPs using WCE is highly efficient, and its convenience makes it suitable for use in large-scale production.
Local descriptors based random forests for human detection

This paper presents a framework based on Random forest using local feature descriptors to detect human in dynamic camera. The contribution presents two issues for dealing with the problem of human detection in variety of background. First, it presents the local feature descriptors based on multi scales based Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) for improving the accuracy of the system. By using local feature descriptors based multiple scales HOG, an extensive feature space allows obtaining high-discriminated features. Second, machine detection system using cascade of Random Forest (RF) based approach is used for training and prediction. In this case, the decision forest based on the optimization of the set of parameters for binary decision based on the linear support vector machine (SVM) technique. Finally, the detection system based on cascade classification is presented to speed up the computational cost.
Identification and calibration of the interaction matrix parameters for AO and MCAO systems

New tomographic Adaptive Optics (AO) concepts require a good knowledge of the system geometry and characteristics. These parameters are used to feed the tomographic reconstructors. In this paper we present a method to precisely identify the parameters required to construct an accurate synthetic set of models such as inuence functions, mis-registrations, directions of analysis or altitude of the DMs. The method is based on a multiparameter t of the interaction matrix. This identication method nds also its application in high contrast AO systems, such as SPHERE : in that case it is used as a diagnostic tool in order to precisely realign the system. The method has been tested and successfully implemented on HOMER, SPHERE and GeMS. Experimental results for these three systems are presented.
Extracts of Thai Indigenous Vegetables as Rancid Inhibitor in a Model System

The antioxidant property of twenty five vegetables extracted with ethanolic and water was determined by monitoring their capacities to scavenge the stable free- radicals DPPH. Oxidative rancidity in oil-in-water emulsion model was evaluated by ferric thiocyanate (FTC) method. Total phenolic content was also determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method. The ethanolic extracts were found to exhibit a higher phenolic content as well as DPPH radical scavenging activities than the water extracts. However, the data indicated that both ethanolic and water extracts had dramatically antioxidant activity determined by FTC method. Sixteen and eighteen plants of ethanolic and water extracts, respectively, performed greater rancid inhibition than synthetic antioxidant (BHA, 10 ppm). This study found no relationship between
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: Do Species Matter?

Abstract:Biological communities perform a variety of functions within ecosystems, including regulation of climatic processes, breakdown of waste, recycling of nutrients, maintenance of soil fertility and provision of natural resources. Although exact numbers and timescales are difficult to determine, it is clear that biodiversity (species and habitat richness, genetic diversity and community complexity) is declining. Studies of biodiversity are thus assuming greater significance as ecologists try desperately to document global biodiversity in the face of unprecedented perturbations, habitat loss and extinction rates. How will such decline in biodiversity affect the biosphere and the quality of human life on the planet? Does biodiversity matter? Internationally, research has begun to investigate whether the current unprecedented losses in biodiversity will damage the functioning of ecosystems. This paper reviews this work and highlights the general patterns identified. Scientific evidence continues to show that, in general, biodiversity does influence the rates or nature of ecosystem processes, and a majority of studies have found that a reduction in biodiversity does have a negative effect on ecosystem function. The paper also considers the potential indirect effects of biodiversity losses on conservation, particularly in relation to fragmentation and critical transition zones between terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
Therapeutic role of glucogalactan polysaccharide extracted from Agaricus bisporus on trimethyltin chloride induced neuropathy in rats

Trimethyltin (TMT) chloride induces limbic system neuro-degeneration, resulting in behavioral alterations including cognitive deficits. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of glucogalactan polysaccharide (GA) which purified from the roots of mushroom Agaricus bisporus extract on the Trimethyltin Chloride (TMT) induced neuropathy in rats. Adult male rats (200 ±10 g) were divided into four groups that were fed with basal diet throughout the experiment (28 days). The first group (G I) was control group, the second group (GII) was treated with 300 mg/kg BW GA intraperitoneally (i.p.) daily for 28 day. The third group (GIII) was administered i.p. with 8.0 mg TMT /kg body weight (BW), and the fourth (G IV) was treated like the third group and was injected with GA 300 mg/kg BW daily for 28 day after 48 h of TMT. Many bioactive compounds, which were found in GA did not cause any changes in the second group compared to normal control group. The results revealed that administrated of GA, when given 48 h after TMT treatment exhibited an excellent neuropathy effect, lowering the average of MDA, HSP70, homocystein and the neurotransmitters in brain tissue homogenate and they were markedly reduced by administration of GA to near-normal levels. Neurotransmitters and NO were significantly increased after GA treatment as compared to TMT group. From the comet assay for DNA revealed that, TMT induced statistically significant (P<0.05) increase in the mean value of the tail length and moment. They significantly decreased after GA treatment, suggesting alleviated oxidative stress mediated by TMT. In GA administered TMT-treated rats, they showed improved brain histology and diminished the level of MDA and nitric oxide (NO) in brain tissue and enhanced total antioxidant capacity in serum compared to TMT group. It could be concluded that GA plays effectively positive role in the improvement of brain function after TMT-induced neuropathy. Taken together, our results suggested that the GA should be useful for developing strategies for protecting nervous system and improving the brain. Key words: Trimethyltin, neuro-degeneration, Agaricus bisporus, glucogalactan
Economic weights for production traits in farmed Atlantic salmon in Chile: A bioeconomic-stochastic approach

Currently, there are few bio-economic studies applied to genetic programs of Atlantic salmon. The goal of this study was to estimate the economic weights and relative importance of the most important traits associated with Atlantic salmon production: harvest weight, Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome (SRS) resistance, fillet pigment content, infestation rate (sea lice day-1) and fillet yield. First, to estimate these values, a bio-economic model was constructed. Historical seawater productive data (≈90,000) were used to develop the model. The model included the effect of temperature and individual weight. A production system of 24 cages with a maximum capacity of 4,500 tonnes cycle-1 was assumed. Then, through a Monte Carlo analysis, 2,000 observations were simulated by trait and discounted economic profits. Each simulated observation was used within a regression model to predict the discounted economic profits. The partial derivative of this function applied by trait allowed estimates the economic weights. The relative importance was estimated using the economic weights and the genetic standard deviation of each trait. Results indicates that harvest weight was the most important trait. By fish and cycle, this represented 62.7% (USD 1.00) of the total discounted economic profits (USD 1.60), followed by Fillet yield and SRS resistance, with values of 26.9% (USD 0.43) and 8.09% (USD 0.13), respectively. The Sea lice day-1 and Fillet pigment content added up only 2.32 % of the total discounting economic profit (USD 1.60). These results will be useful to set up a composite multi-trait economic index, with which the best candidates of a genetic program of Atlantic salmon can be selected to produce the best economic impact for Chilean rearing conditions