Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasible metabolisms in high pH springs of the Philippines

A field campaign targeting high pH, H2-, and CH4-emitting serpentinite-associated springs in the Zambales and Palawan Ophiolites of the Philippines was conducted in 2012-2013, and enabled description of several springs sourced in altered pillow basalts, gabbros, and peridotites. We combine field observations of pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potential with analyses of major ions, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and dissolved gas phases in order to model the activities of selected phases important to microbial metabolism, and to rank feasible metabolic reactions based on energy yield. We document changing geochemical inventories in these springs between sampling years, and examine how the environment supports or prevents the function of certain microbial metabolisms. In all, this geochemistry-based assessment of feasible metabolisms indicates methane cycling, hydrogen oxidation, some iron and sulfur metabolisms, and ammonia oxidation are feasible reactions in this continental site of serpentinization.
Evaluating Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Material Classification

Determining the material category of a surface from an image is a demanding task in perception that is drawing increasing attention. Following the recent remarkable results achieved for image classification and object detection utilising Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), we empirically study material classification of everyday objects employing these techniques. More specifically, we conduct a rigorous evaluation of how state-of-the art CNN architectures compare on a common ground over widely used material databases. Experimental results on three challenging material databases show that the best performing CNN architectures can achieve up to 94.99\% mean average precision when classifying materials.
Measuring student satisfaction at a UK university

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the design and use of a questionnaire to measure student satisfaction at Liverpool John Moores University's Faculty of Business and Law.Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilised the concept of the service‐product bundle to design the survey questionnaire and then used SPSS and Quadrant Analysis to analyse the results to determine which aspects of the University's services were most important and the degree to which they satisfied the students.Findings – The most important aspects were those associated with teaching and learning, while the least important were those associated with the physical facilities.Practical implications – The concept of the service‐product bundle is a valid and reliable tool for the design of a satisfaction survey and segments a University's service offering in such a way as to allow management to target resources at those areas that are perceived to be low satisfaction and high importance. The questionnaire can be utilised.
Talking your way out of trouble

When was the last time you faced an uncomfortable interview, when your mind went blank after a crucial question was asked or you uttered a clumsy sentence that you didn't mean to? The chances are that this has happened to you at some time or other, whether it be at a job interview, an appraisal interview, or with a work colleague when a problem is a disciplinary one, or where an area of conflict needs to be resolved.
Investigation on effectiveness of mid-level feature representation for semantic boundary detection in news video

In our past work, we have attempted to use a mid-level feature namely the state population histogram obtained from the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) of a general sound class, for speaker change detection so as to extract semantic boundaries in broadcast news. In this paper, we compare the performance of our previous approach with another approach based on video shot detection and speaker change detection using the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). Our experiments show that the latter approach performs significantly better than the former. This motivated us to examine the mid-level feature closely. We found that the component population histogram enabled discovery of broad phonetic categories such as vowels, nasals, fricatives etc, regardless of the number of distinct speakers in the test utterance. In order for it to be useful for speaker change detection, the individual components should model the phonetic sounds of each speaker separately. From our experiments, we conclude that state/component population histograms can only be useful for further clustering or semantic class discovery if the features are chosen carefully so that the individual states represent the semantic categories of interest.
Transitioning to the classroom: reflections of second‐career teachers during the induction year

In recent years teacher educators have witnessed an increase in the number of alternative pathways to university‐based teacher education for prospective teachers. One option is for second‐career teachers to enter post‐baccalaureate programs in education; however, the experiences of second‐career teachers are largely unexplored in the international literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the teaching beliefs that post‐baccalaureate students brought into a graduate level teacher certification program, and the extent to which those beliefs persevered or changed during their first year of teaching. Written philosophy statements and semi‐structured interviews from the three participants were analyzed to identify emerging themes. Outcomes, presented in the form of vignettes, suggested that second‐career teachers experienced many of the same contextual pressures as baccalaureate teachers and struggled adapting to the teaching profession and implementing their stated teaching beliefs. Implications include continued research on second‐career teachers as they represent a distinct population entering the teaching profession.
The effect of corporate social actions on organizational reputation

Purpose - – The paper analysed how the strengths and weaknesses of a firm's social actions with its different types of primary stakeholders impact on its reputation. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach - – This research adopts Mattingly and Berman's typology to measure corporate social performance data, which differentiates primary stakeholder between institutional and technical. The first provides intangible support and the second tangible support to the firm. The hypotheses compare the effect that different social actions measures can have on corporate reputation (CR). The authors test the hypotheses empirically using two samples composed of US firms and two CR measures. Findings - – The authors found that institutional stakeholders are deemed to hold normative expectations of a firm's behavior, impacting strongly on CR, unlike technical stakeholders, that have an economic exchange relationship with the firm. In addition to corporate social actions toward technical stakeholders are viewed as self-serving actions and are therefore less likely to impact on CR. Practical implications - – The research can be very useful for business managers since it provides theoretical discussion and empirical proof about the effect of social actions on CR, which can assist them in designing or modifying social responsibility strategies used by the firm in order to build a positive CR. Originality/value - – The paper develops a framework on CR, highlighting the valuable roles that different types of social actions play in reputation building, and proposes a new model that identifies the impact of different types of social actions on organizational reputation.
Ouabain and Streptomycin: Their Different Loci of Action on Saccular Hair Cells in Goldfish

Ouabain, when applied to the periotic spaces, that is, to the basal end of the saccular hair cells, suppressed microphonic potentials of the inner ear in goldfish. In contrast, streptomycin produced such an effect only when it was applied directly into the endolymph, that is, to the hair-bearing ends of the hair cells.
TRIANGLE: A Multi-Media test-bed for examining incidental learning, motivation and the Tamagotchi-Effect within a Game-Show like Computer Based Learning Module

At first sight, “TRIANGLE” appears to be just another piece of learning software but it is much more than this, it is an experimental test-bed for examining motivational factors in computer based training. Such a multi-media application derives its power of attraction from the quality of the interface design and the multi-medial content. Used as a trial on a defined target group of K12-students this learning module returns results on three basic effects; motivation, incidental learning and what we term a “Tamagotchi-Effect” within a Game-Show-Setting. Depending on how much an avatar has learned, it can answer questions for the player in the GameShow. The avatar serves as a personal “Tamagotchi”. Mathematics was chosen because it is rarely the favorite subject of K12-students at the age of 14-16, therefore it is ideal for testing motivational factors.
The Design of School Improvement Efforts

If school improvement is to gain identity and integrity as an endeavor, attention to its design and implementation considerations will be required. This understanding can draw on the endeavors of research, development, evaluation, dissemination, training, technical assistance, and other such functions. However, it is too facile to view school improvement either as synonymous to or as an application of these functions singly or in combination.
Cosmic microwave background bispectrum and slow-roll inflation

ABSTRA C T Recent tentative findings of non-Gaussian structure in the COBE-DMR data set have triggered renewed attention on candidate models from which such intrinsic signature could arise. In the framework of slow-roll inflation with built-in non-linearities in the inflaton field evolution, we present expressions for both the cosmic microwave background (CMB) skewness and the full angular bispectrumC ‘1‘2‘3 in terms of the slow-roll parameters. We use an estimator for the angular bispectrum recently proposed in the literature and calculate its variance for an arbitrary ‘i multipole combination. We stress that a real detection of nonGaussianity in the CMB would imply that an important component of the anisotropies arises from processes other than primordial quantum fluctuations. We further investigate the behaviour of the signal-to-(theoretical) noise ratio and demonstrate for generic inflationary models that it decreases in the limited range of small ‘s considered for increasing multipole ‘, while the opposite applies for the standardC‘s.
Unresolved struggles: Educating social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand

This article introduces key themes that arise throughout the history of social work education and are central to the education of social workers today. Curriculum and the goodness of fit between agency demands and professional standards, accreditation, provision of social work courses, and more recently, the competency movement, have constantly been significant, albeit in changing forms. In New Zealand, cultural awareness and knowledge of indigenous models for practice together with re-organisation of social service delivery systems have implications for social work education. Managerial devices such as the purchaser/provider split and risk/case management approaches to social work and their impact on social work education and practice are discussed. The role of the national accrediting body and the ensuing tensions around accreditation are discussed. A discussion of opportunities and concerns for the future considers relationships between those who teach social work, those who practice it, their employers and the role of Industry Training Organisations.
The Cultural Economy of Cities

An increasingly important fraction of contemporary economic activity is devoted to the production of cultural outputs, i.e. goods and services with high levels of aesthetic or semiotic content. This kind of economic activity is especially, and increasingly, associated with a number of large cities scattered over the globe. A conceptual account of this phenomenon is provided on the basis of an exploration of the character of place‐specific forms of culture generation and the agglomerative tendencies of many kinds of cultural products industries. The empirical cases of Los Angeles and Paris are briefly discussed. The dynamics of production, distribution and location of major cultural products industries are also examined. The paper ends with a brief allusion to the modalities of spatial differentiation of culture in contemporary capitalism and to a prospective cultural politics.
Augmented TLR9-induced Btk activation in PIR-B–deficient B-1 cells provokes excessive autoantibody production and autoimmunity

Pathogens are sensed by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressed in leukocytes in the innate immune system. However, excess stimulation of TLR pathways is supposed to be connected with provocation of autoimmunity. We show that paired immunoglobulin (Ig)-like receptor B (PIR-B), an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif–harboring receptor for major histocompatibility class I molecules, on relatively primitive B cells, B-1 cells, suppresses TLR9 signaling via Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) dephosphorylation, which leads to attenuated activation of nuclear factor κB p65RelA but not p38 or Erk, and blocks the production of natural IgM antibodies, including anti-IgG Fc autoantibodies, particularly rheumatoid factor. The autoantibody production in PIR-B–deficient (Pirb−/−) mice was further augmented in combination with the Faslpr mutation, which might be linked to the development of autoimmune glomerulonephritis. These results show the critical link between TLR9-mediated sensing and a simultaneously evoked, PIR-B–mediated inhibitory circuit with a Btk intersection in B-1 cells, and suggest a novel way toward preventing pathogenic natural autoantibody production.
An ultrawideband (UWB) switched-antenna-array radar imaging system

A low-cost ultrawideband (UWB), 1.926–4.069 GHz, phased array radar system is developed that requires only one exciter and digital receiver that is time-division-multiplexed (TDM) across 8 receive elements and 13 transmit elements, synthesizing a fully populated 2.24 m long (λ/2 element-to-element spacing) linear phased array. A 2.24 m linear phased array with a 3 GHz center frequency would require 44 antenna elements but this system requires only 21 elements and time to acquire bi-static pulses across a subset of element combinations. This radar system beamforms in the near field, where the target scene of interest is located 3–70 m down range. It utilizes digital beamforming, computed using the range migration synthetic aperture radar (SAR) algorithm. The phased array antenna is fed by transmit and receive fan-out switch matrices that are connected to a UWB LFM pulse compressed radar operating in stretch mode. The peak transmit power is 1 mW and the transmitted LFM pulses are long in time duration (2.5–10 ms), requiring the radar to transmit and receive simultaneously. It will be shown through simulation and measurement that the bi-static antenna pairs are nearly equivalent to 44 elements spaced λ/2 across a linear array. This result is due to the fact that the phase center position errors relative to a uniform λ/2 element spacing are negligible. This radar is capable of imaging free-space target scenes made up of objects as small as 15.24 cm tall rods and 3.2 cm tall metal nails at a 0.5 Hz rate. Applications for this radar system include short-range near-real-time imaging of unknown targets through a lossy dielectric slab and radar cross section (RCS) measurements.
Improved Carrier Injection in Ultrathin-Body SOI Schottky-Barrier MOSFETs

The impact of the gate oxide and the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) body thickness on the electrical performance of SOI Schottky-barrier (SB) MOSFETs with fully nickel silicided source and drain contacts is experimentally investigated. The subthreshold swing S is extracted from the experimental data and serves as a measure for the carrier injection through the SBs. It is shown that decreasing the gate oxide and body thickness allows to strongly increase the carrier injection and hence, a significantly improved on-state of SB-MOSFETs can be obtained
Performance analysis of a miniaturized implantable PIFA antenna for WBAN at ISM band

A flexible implantable PIFA (Planar Inverted F Antenna) antenna for biomedical applications is proposed in this study. The main notability of this design refers to its subtle dimension, flexibility and subordinate thickness that makes it perfectly suitable for implementing inside human or animal tissues. The antenna is aimed to operate in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band (2.4–2.4835 GHz). The thickness of this antenna is only . 735 mm, which implies that this antenna is reliable to perform under bent conditions. The antenna offers a compact design with a dimension of 9.48 mm × 7.8 mm × . 735 mm (54.348 mm3). Copper and Rogers R03010 are chosen as the patch material and substrate material accordingly. The antenna is encapsulated inside biocompatible material Rogers R03010 for safety concern in skin or muscle tissues. Several types of calculations and performance measurement of this antenna have been done by using CST Microwave studio in both planar and bent conditions by maintaining all the electrical properties of human skin tissue. Finally, Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and thermal loss are evaluated to comply with the antenna safety issues.
Simulation model and soft commutation strategy for current-fed matrix converter

An accurate simulation model for the three-phase matrix converter (TPMC) is derived to validate easily the control strategy of the TPMC by using conventional PC software tools such as Matlab/Simulink first. To significantly reduce the switch loss and thermal stress of the active switches, insensitivity to input voltage distortion and fast dynamic performance, a current-fed controller which integrates soft commutation strategy with the conventional hysteretic current control is proposed and verified using 1KW prototype.
INFUSING WITH ERP SYSTEMS: A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF CONTROL AND EMPOWERMENT Research-in-Progress

Organizations have made significant investments in ERP systems with the strategic expectation that employees will utilize this technology to enhance organizational performance. However, research indicates that ERP systems are under-utilized. In order to entangle the challenge of under-utilization, this paper addresses the impact of control and empowerment on infusion – the deep and comprehensive usage of an information system. We apply a longitudinal design with two measurements to research whether the level of infusion of ERP users changes over time, and if so to what extent. Moreover we hypothesize that ‘soft’ characteristics like the organizational position, organization commitment and trust influence the relation between control, empowerment and the level of infusion of the ERP user. A survey was conducted in a large public organization which has been using an ERP system for several years. A sample of 178 matched pairs (For T1 and T2) of ERP system users and their supervisors has been collected. In this research in progress we present the theoretical mechanisms and methodological framework we employed for the data collection.
Konrad-zuse-zentrum F ¨ Ur Informationstechnik Berlin on the Maximum Cardinality Search Lower Bound for Treewidth on the Maximum Cardinality Search Lower Bound for Treewidth *

The Maximum Cardinality Search algorithm visits the vertices of a graph in some order, such that at each step, an unvisited vertex that has the largest number of visited neighbors becomes visited. An MCS-ordering of a graph is an ordering of the vertices that can be generated by the Maximum Cardinality Search algorithm. The visited degree of a vertex v in an MCS-ordering is the number of neighbors of v that are before v in the ordering. The visited degree of an MCS-ordering ψ of G is the maximum visited degree over all vertices v in ψ. The maximum visited degree over all MCS-orderings of graph G is called its maximum visited degree. Lucena [14] showed that the treewidth of a graph G is at least its maximum visited degree. We show that the maximum visited degree is of size O(log n) for planar graphs, and give examples of planar graphs G with maximum visited degree k with O(k! ) vertices, for all k ∈ N. Given a graph G, it is NP-complete to determine if its maximum visited degree is at least k, for any fixed k ≥ 7. Also, this problem does not have a polynomial time approximation algorithm with constant ratio, unless P=NP. Variants of the problem are also shown to be NP-complete. We also propose and experimentally analysed some heuristics for the problem. Several tiebreakers for the MCS algorithm are proposed and evaluated. We also give heuris-tics that give upper bounds on the value of the maximum visited degree of a graph, which appear to give results close to optimal on many graphs from real life applications.
Adenovirus Infections in Immunocompetent and Immunocompromised Patients

SUMMARY Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are an important cause of infections in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals, and they continue to provide clinical challenges pertaining to diagnostics and treatment. The growing number of HAdV types identified by genomic analysis, as well as the improved understanding of the sites of viral persistence and reactivation, requires continuous adaptions of diagnostic approaches to facilitate timely detection and monitoring of HAdV infections. In view of the clinical relevance of life-threatening HAdV diseases in the immunocompromised setting, there is an urgent need for highly effective treatment modalities lacking major side effects. The present review summarizes the recent progress in the understanding and management of HAdV infections.
Monoamines, BDNF, Dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA-Sulfate, and Childhood Depression—An Animal Model Study

Basal levels of monoamines and DHEA in four main limbic brain regions were measured in prepubertal Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats (a putative animal model of childhood depression). Basal levels of “Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)” were also determined in two regions in the hippocampus, compared with Wistar strain controls. In the second phase, we examined the responsiveness of prepubertal WKY rats to different types of chronic antidepressant treatments: Fluoxetine, Desipramine, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). WKY prepubertal rats exhibited different monoamine levels in the limbic system, reduced DHEA levels in the VTA and lower levels of BDNF in the hippocampus CA3 region compared to controls. In prepubertal WKY rats, only treatment with DHEAS produced a statistically significant decrease in immobility, compared to saline-administered controls in the forced swim test. Wistar controls were not affected by any antidepressant. The results imply that DHEA(S) and BDNF may be involved in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of childhood depression.