Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Importance of Unsaturated Zone Flow for Simulating Recharge in a Humid Climate

Transient recharge to the water table is often not well understood or quantified. Two approaches for simulating transient recharge in a ground water flow model were investigated using the Trout Lake watershed in north‐central Wisconsin: (1) a traditional approach of adding recharge directly to the water table and (2) routing the same volume of water through an unsaturated zone column to the water table. Areas with thin (less than 1 m) unsaturated zones showed little difference in timing of recharge between the two approaches; when water was routed through the unsaturated zone, however, less recharge was delivered to the water table and more discharge occurred to the surface because recharge direction and magnitude changed when the water table rose to the land surface. Areas with a thick (15 to 26 m) unsaturated zone were characterized by multimonth lags between infiltration and recharge, and, in some cases, wetting fronts from precipitation events during the fall overtook and mixed with infiltration from the previous spring snowmelt. Thus, in thicker unsaturated zones, the volume of water infiltrated was properly simulated using the traditional approach, but the timing was different from simulations that included unsaturated zone flow. Routing of rejected recharge and ground water discharge at land surface to surface water features also provided a better simulation of the observed flow regime in a stream at the basin outlet. These results demonstrate that consideration of flow through the unsaturated zone may be important when simulating transient ground water flow in humid climates with shallow water tables.
Country of Origin and Diners’ Perceptions of a Cuisine: The Moderating Effects of Culinary and Institutional Factors

This study examines the roles of country of origin in diners’ perceptions of a cuisine in relation to the moderating effects of culinary and institutional factors. Using the survey data on 247 adults in Seoul, South Korea, this study finds that the country of origin shows substantial impacts on diners’ perceptions of a cuisine. Korea, as a country of origin, functions negatively, whereas China, Japan, and France/Italy assume positive roles. Noteworthy is that the effects of the country of origin are moderated by culinary or institutional factors in accordance with a country’s context. Interestingly, in the case of Korea, where the country’s image is weak, culinary factors, such as menu development, help overcome the negative effects of the country of origin. Therefore, it is proposed that the dynamics underlying country of origin and culinary and institutional factors shape a wide range of formulae to transform diners’ perceptions of a cuisine.
The placental bed vascular pathology revisited: a risk indicator for cardiovascular disease

Abstract Aim: The present paper intends in the first place to clarify the confusing terminology for describing the vascular pathology of the placental bed in relation to long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. Methods: Systematic review of relevant topics. Results: The maternal blood supply to the placenta is achieved by some 100 utero-placental spiral arteries with an outside diameter varying between 200 and 600 microns. Defective physiological changes of the myometrial segment of utero-placental spiral arteries and, particularly in preeclampsia associated to hypertensive disease, the presence of atherosclerosis in their proximal segment are a cause of obstructive vascular pathology. On the other hand, basal arteries which supply the inner myometrium and basal decidua are not affected by physiological change and maintain their musculoelastic structure. They can be identified by their external diameter of less than 120 microns. Acute atherosis is an aspecific vascular lesion that occurs in basal as well as spiral arteries inside, as well as outside, the placental bed in association with a variety of obstetrical conditions. Conclusions: An increased risk of future cardiovascular disease, should be linked to atherosis or, at a later stage, atherosclerosis of utero-placental spiral arteries, rather than to that of decidual basal arteries.
Total quality management practices and results in food companies

Purpose - The paper seeks to focus on the concept of total quality management (TQM) in a specific sector: the food sector. The purpose of this paper is to factorize the TQM concept by analyzing the TQM practices implemented and the results achieved from implementing such practices. It also aims to determine the means by which the quality management results are optimized. Design/methodology/approach - A research project was carried out in 92 Greek food companies that were certified to ISO 9001:2000 and ELOT 1416 standard (hazard analysis critical control points, HACCP system certification). The data collection method used in this study was that of the questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to assess the reliability and validity of the latent constructs/factors (unobserved variables) of the TQM practices implemented and the respective results. The latent constructs/factors that had significant impact on the results achieved were determined through multiple linear regression analyses. Findings - The analysis revealed four latent constructs/factors regarding the TQM practices and three latent constructs/factors regarding the results achieved through implementing such practices. According to the findings, a company's quality improvement is equally influenced by the adoption of quality practices by the top management as well as process and data quality management. A company's quality improvement was found to be the factor that primarily contributes to customer satisfaction, while the customer focus is proved to be of secondary significance. Finally, the findings showed that market benefits are derived from customer satisfaction and a company's internal quality improvement. Research limitations/implications - The small sample size of the food companies participating in this study, the observed variables that were removed from the analysis for the benefit of the measurement model validity (convergent and discriminant) and finally the subjective character of the data collected are the limitations of the present study. However, these limitations suggest future research orientations. Practical implications - The determination of reliable and valid latent constructs/factors of the TQM practices implemented may help food companies to focus their efforts in specific directions, in order to build and implement a robust TQM model. Furthermore, detecting reliable and valid latent constructs/factors of the results achieved through TQM practices implementation may motivate the food companies to strengthen their efforts in broadening their management system towards the TQM philosophy and business excellence. This may help food companies withstand the current business downturn. Originality/value - The paper describes in a reliable and valid manner a framework that consists of the main pillars of the TQM practices implemented and the results achieved in a specific sector: the food sector.
Fast Search for Distance Dependent Chinese Restaurant Processes

The distance dependent Chinese Restaurant Processes(dd-CRP), a nonparametric Bayesian model, can model distance sensitive data. Existing inference algorithms for dd-CRP, such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and variational algorithms, are inefficient and unable to handle massive online data, because posterior distributions of dd-CRP are not marginal invariant. To solve this problem, we present a fast inference algorithm for dd-CRP based on the A-star search. Experimental results show that the new search algorithm is faster than existing dd-CRP inference algorithms with comparable results.
The Benefits and Costs of Employee Suggestions under Gainsharing

Using data for the years 1985–92 from a discontinued suggestion program at a manufacturing plant in the United States, this study examines the benefits and costs of suggestions under gainsharing. The implemented suggestions are found to have improved labor productivity and reduced grievances and disciplinary actions, but more robust evidence suggests that they also incurred transaction costs and implementation costs. The author speculates that substantial transaction and implementation costs may be a factor responsible for the typically modest outcomes and generally short longevity of employee involvement programs and high-performance work practices.
The Effect of Natural Gas Price liberalization on Natural Gas Consumption in Residential sector in Iran

The Balance between demand and supply of energy carriers is an important issue. Price liberalization of natural gas is one of the best solutions to reduce natural gas consumption so we investigated this matter in our study. In this study use of autoregressive distributed lag model and error correction model model and results indicated that in first scenario (2011-13) annual growth of consumption will be 2.7 percent and its second scenario (2011-15) annual growth of consumption will be 4.2 percent. In first scenario annual consumption will be 36258.56, 36075.51 and 37352.13 million cubic meter respectively and in second scenario will be 37965.73, 38003.13, 39414.1, 41454 and 43931.57 13 million cubic meter respectively. Predict that liberalization in first and second scenario will be decrease 29.19 and 37.21 milliard cubic meter of total consumption in these years respectively.
PRIORI A LGORITHM

Data analysis is an important issue in business world in many respects. Different business organizations have data scientists, knowledge workers to analyze the business patterns and the customer behavior. Scrutinizing the past data to predict the future result has many aspects and understanding the nature of the query is one of them. Business analysts try to do this from a big data set which may be stored in the form of data warehouse. In this context, analysis of historical data has become a subject of interest. Regarding this, different techniques are being developed to study the pattern of customer behavior. Materialized view is a database object which can be extensively used in data analysis. Different approaches are there to generate optimum materialized view. This paper proposes an algorithm which generates a materialized view by considering the frequencies of the attributes taken from a database with the help of Apriori algorithm.
Serum Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1(Sicam-1) as Non-Invasive Markers of Liver Fibrosis in Viral Hepatitis, Schistosomiasis mansoni and Co-infected Patients

Background: This study aimed to correlate serum Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), with severity of liver fibrosis as clinically and histologically assessed in viral hepatitis, schistosomiasis mansoni and co-infected patients. Methods: The study was performed on 4 groups: Group 1 (G1) 15 chronic hepatitis patients; Group 2 (G2) 15 chronic schistosomiasis mansoni co-infected with chronic hepatitis patients; Group 3 (G3) 15 chronic schistosomiasis mansoni without hepatitis patients; Group 4 (G4) 15 active schistosomiasis mansoni without hepatitis patients. Results:The results showed a significant high level of HA and sICAM-1 in all groups compared to G4, while a significantly high level of HA in G2 compared to G3. There was a highly significant positive correlation between the level of HA and sICAM-1 and between both of them, and Child-Pugh clinical classification of patients with higher levels in Child-Pugh C. Also, serum level of both HA and sICAM-1 was positively correlated to the severity of liver fibrosis assessed by biopsy, with a highly significant higher level in advanced stages 4 and 5. Conclusions: HA and sICAM-1 showed good diagnostic performance and could discriminate severe from mild liver fibrosis, enabling them to be used as valuable non-invasive markers to identify and follow up patients with liver fibrosis.
Automatic Parameter Tying: A New Approach for Regularized Parameter Learning in Markov Networks

Parameter tying is a regularization method in which parameters (weights) of a machine learning model are partitioned into groups by leveraging prior knowledge and all parameters in each group are constrained to take the same value. In this paper, we consider the problem of parameter learning in Markov networks and propose a novel approach called automatic parameter tying (APT) that uses automatic instead of a priori and soft instead of hard parameter tying as a regularization method to alleviate overfitting. The key idea behind APT is to set up the learning problem as the task of finding parameters and groupings of parameters such that the likelihood plus a regularization term is maximized. The regularization term penalizes models where parameter values deviate from their group mean parameter value. We propose and use a block coordinate ascent algorithm to solve the optimization task. We analyze the sample complexity of our new learning algorithm and show that it yields optimal parameters with high probability when the groups are well separated. Experimentally, we show that our method improves upon L2 regularization and suggest several pragmatic techniques for good practical performance.
ROS and redox balance as multifaceted players of cross-tolerance: epigenetic and retrograde control of gene expression

Retrograde pathways occurring between chloroplasts, mitochondria, and the nucleus involve oxidative and antioxidative signals that, working in a synergistic or antagonistic mode, control the expression of specific patterns of genes following stress perception. Increasing evidence also underlines the relevance of mitochondrion-chloroplast-nucleus crosstalk in modulating the whole cellular redox metabolism by a controlled and integrated flux of information. Plants can maintain the acquired tolerance by a stress memory, also operating at the transgenerational level, via epigenetic and miRNA-based mechanisms controlling gene expression. Data discussed in this review strengthen the idea that ROS, redox signals, and shifts in cellular redox balance permeate the signalling network leading to cross-tolerance. The identification of specific ROS/antioxidative signatures leading a plant to different fates under stress is pivotal for identifying strategies to monitor and increase plant fitness in a changing environment. This review provides an update of the plant redox signalling network implicated in stress responses, in particular in cross-tolerance acquisition. The interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS), ROS-derived signals, and antioxidative pathways is also discussed in terms of plant acclimation to stress in the short and long term.
Valuing non-market benefits derived from allotments in southeast England: A contingent valuation study

The English derive a wide range of values from allotments, but nearly 35% of allotments have disappeared in the last 20 years. The real value of allotments has probably been underestimated. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to give a monetary value to benefits derived from allotments by allotment holders and local residents. The study was conducted in southeast England (Wye and Ashford, Kent and Greater London). A postal survey with open-ended questions was filled in by 124 allotment holders and 74 residents. Respondents were asked to express their maximum willingness to pay for allotments (WTP) and the minimum willingness to accept (WTA) compensation for loss of allotments. The mean annual WTP for keeping allotments of allotment holders were £78.93, £35.64 and £79.43, and for local residents were £41.66, £46.14 and £283.57, in Wye, Ashford and London, respectively. The allotment holders' WTP was strategically more than WTA compensation and they were only willing to pay rent for using allotments, not for retaining them.
Analysis of a Novel Singlet and Its Application in THz Bandpass Filter Design

In this paper, a novel singlet based on TE301 mode resonant cavity is first introduced and analyzed. By using the mode cancelling between the dominant resonance and the spurious resonance, a transmission zero (TZ) is then produced. Furthermore, the position of TZ can be controlled properly by changing the dimensions of the resonant cavity. Based on the novel singlet, a fifth-order filter centered at 140 GHz with two TZs at 131 and 151 GHz has been presented and fabricated by conventional computer numerical control-metal-milling technology. The measured results are in excellent agreement with the simulated ones with a low insertion loss of 0.52 dB and a 3-dB bandwidth of 13 GHz. A high selectivity with a 40 dB outband rejection at 132 and 149 GHz is achieved.
Explaining change in EU education policy

ABSTRACT The article explores the evolution, expansion and dynamics of EU education policy. Applying standard public policy analysis, it examines EU education policy with regard to context and process. The paper claims that EU education policy has, in recent years, been subject to a significant turn in functional terms. An assessment of EU documentation from 1970 to 2006 reveals a shift from politico-economic to economic-functional goals. A strong indicator of the shift is a change in the method of policy-making, which has drifted back from a semi-Community to an inter- or transgovernmental mode of policy-making. In short, there is a paradigmatic shift in policy aims, away from pro-integrationist towards pro-market orientation. The purpose of this macro-policy study is to reveal a new direction in EU education policy, which reflects the increased political and economic salience of education. Following transgovernmentalist logic, the article demonstrates that education policy in the EU frames a new form of policy regime which is characterized by flexibility but also by fragility.
Effects of Cyclic Feeding and Starvation, Mating, and Sperm Condition on Egg Production and Fertility in the Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Abstract Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are now endemic in most major cities, but information regarding their basic biology is still largely based on research done over four decades ago. We investigated the effects of starvation, mating, sperm storage, and female and male age on egg production and hatch. Egg production cycles varied with the number of bloodmeals that females received. Once-mated females fed every 5 d had constant egg production for ∼75 d followed by a monotonic decline to near zero. Percentage egg hatch was high and constant, but declined after ∼30 d to near zero. To determine whether the age of the female, male, or sperm affected these patterns, we mated newly eclosed females to 60-d-old virgin males, 60-d-old mated males, or newly eclosed males. Females produced the most eggs when mated to young males, followed by old mated males, and then old virgin males; percentage hatch followed a similar pattern, suggesting that sperm stored within males for long was deficient. To examine effects of sperm stored within females, we mated newly eclosed females, starved them for 30 or 60 d, then fed them every 5 d. The 60-d starved group produced fewer eggs than the 30-d starved group, and both produced fewer eggs than young females mated to old or young males. Longer periods of sperm storage within females caused lower corresponding percentage hatch. These findings indicate egg production and hatch are governed by complex interactions among female and male age, frequency of feeding and mating, and sperm condition.
Comparison of three noninvasive methods for hemoglobin screening of blood donors

To prevent phlebotomy of anemic individuals and to ensure hemoglobin (Hb) content of the blood units, Hb screening of blood donors before donation is essential. Hb values are mostly evaluated by measurement of capillary blood obtained from fingerstick. Rapid noninvasive methods have recently become available and may be preferred by donors and staff. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time all different noninvasive methods for Hb screening.
Green revolution impacts in Bangladesh: exploring adaptation pathways for enhancing national food security

Bangladesh is considered one of the countries most likely to be affected by negative impacts of climate change. Indeed, a wide range of climate-induced threats endangers national food security. Furthermore, the peculiar environmental characteristics of Bangladesh make it particularly difficult to design and implement comprehensive policies to support agricultural development. At present, national policy-makers need to plan adequate strategies to ensure food security for the growing population while facing biophysical constraints and new challenges (e.g. climate change) that may jeopardize their efforts. Some scientists call for a second Green Revolution (GR) to reach this goal, even though the net effects of the first GR in Bangladesh are still widely debated. The article analyses the practicability of a second GR in Bangladesh by combining a quantitative analysis of the past dynamics of national rice production and a qualitative assessment of key sectorial issues with local stakeholders. The study concludes that to merely re-apply the standard GR pattern would be neither sustainable nor entirely effective, and new research approaches are needed to plan adequate policies for a climate-proof food security.
Introducing reconfigurability and cognitive networks concepts in the wireless world

Wireless communications and IP networks will evolve into a new converged vision, which is called beyond the 3rd generation. This vision can be efficiently realized through the advent of cognitive networks. Cognitive wireless networks are capable of reconfiguring their infrastructure, based also on experience, in order to adapt to the continuously changing environment. Main reconfiguration actions, in the PHY/MAC layers, in the selection of the most appropriate technology and spectrum for operation. Such innovative concepts require a holistic combination of a variety of engineering disciplines. This paper addresses such issues. Emphasis is given on business model aspects, the management architecture and functionality for cognitive wireless networks, as well as on the related hardware aspects that enable reconfiguration
The long-term outcome of arm function after stroke: results of a follow-up study.

PURPOSE To assess the long-term motor and functional recovery of arm function after stroke. DESIGN Cohort study. SUBJECTS Fifty-four patients with a first stroke, who underwent inpatient rehabilitation, were measured early after stroke, after 16 weeks and after 4 years. MEASURES Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FM, upper extremity), Action Research Arm Test (ARA), Barthel Index, Arm Function Questionnaire, shoulder pain and range of motion, sensory function, Ashworth Scale and a perceived problem score. RESULTS Although most of the improvement occurred during the first 16 weeks after stroke, improvement in the FM score continued after 16 weeks in 10 patients. In 13 patients the recovery of arm function only started after 16 weeks. After 4 years a fair to good recovery of arm motor function (FM score > 20) was found in 31 patients. Twenty-seven patients had fair to good functional abilities of the hemiplegic arm (ARA > 25). Submaximal ARA scores for the unaffected arm were found in 11 patients. Barthel scores > 60 were found in 52 patients. Serious shoulder pain persisted in 11 patients. Intact sensory function was found in only 14 patients. It was associated with good motor recovery (FM score > 35 in 11 patients). Loss of arm function was perceived as a major problem by 36 patients. CONCLUSION This is the first study to investigate the recovery of arm function after stroke over a period of 4 years. It is encouraging to note that even after 16 weeks improvement still occurred in some patients. However, considerable long-term loss of arm function, associated disability and perceived problems were found. There is an obvious need to develop effective treatment methods for hemiplegic arm function.