Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WhatsApp group as a social and collaborative information seeking platform for Muslim expatriate women in Qatar

Drawing on the unified framework of Social and Collaborative Information Seeking (SCIS) and situated in the context of everyday life information seeking (ELIS), this study explores the information seeking behaviour of expatriate Muslim women as they move into and acclimate to life in the Middle East. Using the communication and information exchanges amongst an existing, user-initiated WhatsApp group whose sole purpose is to support women moving into the capital city of Qatar, this research examines the unique information needs expressed through group chat as well as the dynamic roles members play alternating between information seekers, providers, collaborators, and supporters. Computational analysis, qualitative coding, and questionnaire data help us understand how the group functions as a tool for women as they seek information and make sense of their new environment with the help and support of virtual strangers.
A Current-mode CMOS Imager Using Shunting Inhibition-based Dynamic Range Compression

An ultra-wide dynamic range current-mode CMOS imager is presented. It achieves dynamic range compression by using biologically inspired shunting inhibition vision models. As a result, it features retina-like characteristics, enabling the sensor to adapt to a wide range of scene illumination conditions. Local image contrast and edge information are preserved and can be further enhanced. The properties of the shunting inhibition-based dynamic range compression can be defined by a simple set of externally-tunable parameters, making the proposed current-mode CMOS imager architecture fully programmable. The prototype was designed in full custom ALCATEL 0. 5μm CMOS technology. Key-Words: CMOS imager, Shunting Inhibition, Dynamic Range, edge enhancement, VLSI, System-OnChip
MEDIAÇÃO DOCENTE E DISTÂNCIA TRANSACIONAL: USO DO FACEBOOK NUM MESTRADO EM REGIME MISTO (B-LEARNING)

O Ensino a Distância (EAD) continua a ser uma modalidade alternativa ao ensino presencial e nele persiste o problema da Distância Transacional. Nao sendo esta distância apanagio do EAD, ela constitui um problema concreto, porem passivel de minimizacao/resolucao. O professor pode exercer uma mediacao pedagogica caracterizada por um comportamento de suscitador, facilitador e orientador da aprendizagem. Para tal pode servir-se do Facebook para interagir com os estudantes, criando um ambiente de familiaridade e informalidade. Apresenta-se aqui um caso de lecionacao num curso de mestrado academico em Educacao que funciona em regime b-learning e no qual foi usado o Facebook, para alem da plataforma institucional, como forum de discussao e espaco de partilha de trabalhos e sensibilidades. Para recolha de dados foram usadas as tecnicas da observacao e analise de documentos. O curso desenrolou-se num ambiente de investigacao-acao critica no qual o professor investigou as suas praticas com a colaboracao dos estudantes. Conclui-se que uma mediacao plastica exercida pelo professor, servindo-se do sistema de rede social Facebook para criar um ambiente de familiaridade e informalidade, pode contribuir para superar a distância transacional no ensino superior online.
A pilot study of over-education in Hong Kong

Over-education has long been an issue among developed economies in the western world for decades. Researchers have conducted studies and estimated the ratio of over-education of their respective countries; however, there was not much done, if any, for Hong Kong. The purposes of this study are: first, to estimate the proportion of over-education in Hong Kong; second, to compare differences across different demographic factors including majors of studies, years of work experience, income levels, academic qualification levels, industries, and gender.The data set consists of 279 respondents. The subjective (self-reported) over-education rate for current job is 34.1 percent. At the 0.05 significance level, the population proportion, or overall subjective over-education rate in Hong Kong is estimated at between 28.54 percent and 39.66 percent. The sample proportion of objective over-education, measured by the excess of highest qualification over minimum requirement for the current job, is 49.1 percent. At the 0.05 significance level, the population proportion of objective over-education is estimated to be between 43.23 percent and 54.97 percent. The correlation between subjective and objective over-education is 0.342. It is not a very strong positive relationship, but it is significant (p = 0.000). Differences between the two are also significant (p = 0.000). While over-education appears to be a serious issue, the sample shows an objective under-education rate of 2.5 percent.Overall, differences of demographic factors are mostly insignificant, but multiple comparisons among sub-groups for subjective over-education have found that medicine, dentistry and health majors are significantly different from other majors.Results of this study will narrow the research gap for Hong Kong on over-education. It also opens the door for future research and deeper study concerning over-education in Hong Kong between graduates of government-funded and privately-funded higher education institutes, across different majors and industries. These will not only have substantial financial implications on government spending on higher education but also provide directions for students? choices.
IS THE THINLY-TRADED BUTTER FUTURES CONTRACT PRICED EFFICIENTLY?

After over eight years of trading, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange butter futures contract remains thinly traded, possibly impeding price discovery. Pricing efficiency was assessed using cointegration techniques and error correction models. Results suggest that market efficiency could not be rejected up to a two-month forecast horizon. Illiquid markets reduce hedging performance, which in turn discourage liquidity growth.
Characterization of Strains of Viridans Deoxyribonucleic Acid Hybridization and Streptococci by Physiological Tests

Relationships among selected species of viridans streptococci were studied by using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridization and biochemical and serological tests. The results of hybridization experiments performed with DNA immobilized on membrane filters and index DNA made radioactive with [methyl3H]thymidine indicated that Streptococcus intermedius ATCC 27335T (type strain), Streptococcus constellatus ATCC 27823T, Streptococcus mitis ATCC 9895, “Streptococcus MG-intermedius” CDC SS 899, group F strain MGH 8153, and group F strain SFGH 879 are closely related to each other genetically, even though physiological tests indicated that this is a relatively heterogeneous group of organisms. The relative binding ratios for these six strains ranged from 60 to 99%, and the majority of values were greater than 85%, indicating that these strains should be considered members of the same species. Type strain ATCC 33399 (called S. mitis) is not a typical S. rnitis strain based on biochemical test results, and only moderate relatedness (41%) was observed in hybridization experiments performed with a typical S. mitis strain (strain SS 429). Streptococcus sanguis I ATCC lO55ST and S. sanguis I1 ATCC 10557 do not belong in the same species. A low relative binding ratio (13%) for these strains confirmed similar findings by previous investigators.
Migration in OECD countries: Labour Market Impact and Integration Issues

immigration for natives' labour market outcomes, as well as issues linked to immigrants' integration in the host country labour market. Changes in the share of immigrants in the labour force may have a distributive impact on natives' wages, and a temporary impact on unemployment. However, labour market integration of immigrants (as well as integration of second-generation immigrants - both in terms of educational attainments and of labour market outcomes) remains the main challenge facing host economies. In both cases, product and labour market policies have a significant role to play in easing the economy's adjustment to immigration. Les migrations dans les pays de l'OCDE : Impact sur le marche du travail et integration Les pays de l'OCDE connaissent une periode de forte croissance des pressions migratoires. Cet article s'interroge sur les consequences de ce phenomene d'une part sur le marche du travail domestique, d'autre part sur les trajectoires d'integration propres aux immigres dans les pays d'accueil. Des changements dans la proportion d'immigres dans la force de travail peuvent avoir un impact distributif sur les salaires des natifs et un impact temporaire sur leur taux de chomage. Cependant, l'integration des immigres sur le marche du travail (de meme que l'integration des immigres de seconde generation, aussi bien sur le plan de la reussite scolaire que sur celui de la performance sur le marche du travail) demeure l'enjeu principal auquel se doivent de faire face les economies d'accueil. Dans les deux cas, la regulation des marches de produits et la politique du marche du travail ont un role important a jouer afin de favoriser les ajustements economiques associes a l'immigration.
Destiny of Destinations: Can TDM Help?

Tourism destination management (TDM) is a popular catchword of current tourism research. A research, co-financed by the European Union through the Hungary-Croatia IPA Cross-border Co-operation Programme, within the project ’Health &Rural Tourism DM Model’ (project no.: HUHR/1101/2.1.3/0006), was carried out in 2013 to analyse the specialities of TDM in health tourism destinations, the physical and human resources of such destinations, aspects of sustainability and competitiveness, the main factors of success. Primary data were collected by surveys and interviews carried out in six spa towns of Western Hungary. The main findings indicated, that the major natural natural endowment is medicinal water in the research area, tourism infrastructure and superstructure are sufficient, although the range of services, and marketing of health tourism services should be improved. Destination management organisations perform least efficiently in attracting investors. The attitudes of stakeholders of the tourism sector towards the idea of TDM differ, while in less successful destinations they are more inclined to cooperate this way, they are rather reluctant to do so in successful destinations. Assessing the traits of tourism service providers, the natural assets, the local community and the targeted tourist segments a general model of health tourism destinations is outlined by the four componenets of the well-known VICE model.
Parameterizations of Chromospheric Condensations in dG and dMe Model Flare Atmospheres

The origin of the near-ultraviolet and optical continuum radiation in flares is critical for understanding particle acceleration and impulsive heating in stellar atmospheres. Radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations in 1D have shown that high energy deposition rates from electron beams produce two flaring layers at T ∼ 104 K that develop in the chromosphere: a cooling condensation (downflowing compression) and heated non-moving (stationary) flare layers just below the condensation. These atmospheres reproduce several observed phenomena in flare spectra, such as the red-wing asymmetry of the emission lines in solar flares and a small Balmer jump ratio in M dwarf flares. The high beam flux simulations are computationally expensive in 1D, and the (human) timescales for completing NLTE models with adaptive grids in 3D will likely be unwieldy for some time to come. We have developed a prescription for predicting the approximate evolved states, continuum optical depth, and emergent continuum flux spectra of RHD model flare atmospheres. These approximate prescriptions are based on an important atmospheric parameter: the column mass ( ) at which hydrogen becomes nearly completely ionized at the depths that are approximately in steady state with the electron beam heating. Using this new modeling approach, we find that high energy flux density (>F11) electron beams are needed to reproduce the brightest observed continuum intensity in IRIS data of the 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare, and that variation in from 0.001 to 0.02 g cm−2 reproduces most of the observed range of the optical continuum flux ratios at the peak of M dwarf flares.
A Label Extended Semi-supervised Learning Method for Drug-target Interaction Prediction

Computational methods for predicting the new drug-target interactions are more efficient that those experimental methods. Many machine learning based methods have been proposed but most of them suffer from false negative problem. In this paper we extend the original label matrix and adopt weighted lose function to overcome the traditional false negative problem and then propose a label extended semi-supervised learning method called LESSL for drug-target prediction. In our experiment we use two kinds of cross-validation.The results show that our method can raise AUC average by 0.03 and raise AUPR average by 0.04. At last we use the whole dataset as a training set and predict over 10 new drug-target interactions.To conclude our method is efficient and practicable.
Characterization of Two O.-Methyltransferase-like Genes in Barley and Maize

Abstract Tricin (3′,5′-dimethoxy-5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavone) is a characteristic flavone constituent of cereal grain plants that is credited for a variety of potential health benefits to humans. We have characterized the flavone-specific O. -methyltransferase genes of barley (Hordem vulgare. L., Gramineae), HvOMT1,. and maize (Zea mays. L., Gramineae), ZmOMT1. , whose gene products use the flavone tricetin (5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentahydroxyflavone) as the preferred substrate and give rise to its 3′,5′-dimethyl derivative, tricin, as the major product. The fact that homologous enzymes catalyze the same reaction also in wheat and rice suggests the existence in cereal grain plants of a flavone-specific O. -methyltransferase multigene family. The natural occurrence of tricin in most monocot species implies the widespread occurrence of this gene family. The pharmacological significance of tricin as a naturally occurring constituent with a potential use as a nutraceutical, and the application of metabolic engineering methods to obtain tricin-enriched cereal grain products, are discussed.
Cartel Stability, Mark-Up Cyclicality and Product Dierentiation

Based on seminal Rotemberg and Saloner (1986) contribution, we build a theoretical framework featuring a Bertrand duopoly with sto- chastic demand and product dierentiation, where the analysis of car- tel stability under partial collusion points towards procyclical pricing. According to the intensity of demand cyclicality, this can produce a procyclical mark up or - at least - render it less countercyclical than ex- pected, with relevant consequences, for example, on the transmission mechanism of …scal policy. In particular, the non-monotone relation- ship between demand and the intensity of collusion, if products are not signi…cantly dierentiated, is a useful indicator for an antitrust agency, and can be used as evidence against colluding …rms.
Interactive comment on “ Synergistic effects of iron and temperature on Antarctic plankton assemblages ” by J

The paper by Rose et al. addresses an important and timely scientific question synergistic effects of Fe and temperature on Antarctic phytoplankton and microzooplankton assemblages. The title is somewhat misleading in that only <200 micron plankton are included; mesozooplankton are not included. Top-down effects of mesozooplankton grazing/predation on the <200 micron fraction could alter the magnitude of effects of both Fe and temperature in the plankton community.
Cellular factors promoting efficient baculovirus internalization and gene delivery into human cells

Turkki, Paula Cellular factors promoting efficient baculovirus internalization and gene delivery into human cells Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2013, 76 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Biological and Environmental Science ISSN 1456-9701; 268) ISBN 978-951-39-5424-6 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-5425-3 (PDF) Yhteenveto: Bakuloviruksen sisäänmenoon ja geeninsiirtoon vaikuttavat solun ominaisuudet In order to efficiently infect or transfer genetic material into the cell, viruses utilize several cell surface and intracellular molecules. In this thesis, cellular factors associated with trafficking and efficient gene transfer of baculovirus (BV) were studied. BV is an insect pathogen that has a lot of potential as a human gene therapy vector. Despite intensive research and a growing number of BV-based applications, the cell surface receptor and the factors affecting virus internalization into human cells have not been identified. Here, BV was shown to use cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan as its binding receptor on the cell surface. Binding was mediated by the heparan sulfate chains and specifically by 6-Oand N-sulfated heparan sulfates. In the cell lines under study, syndecan-1 was found to be responsible for the virus binding while other members of the syndecan family showed no association with the virus. BV internalization was shown to lead to extensive membrane ruffling and to induce simultaneous uptake of E. coli into non-phagocytic cells. Even though the BV containing vesicles showed similarity to macropinosomes, common macropinosome regulators did not affect BV internalization. Neither was the clathrin-, caveolae-, flotillin-, GPI-anchored protein-enrichedor IL-2R mediated endocytosis route involved in the BV entry. Rather, BV internalization resembled phagocytosis and was shown to be regulated by Arf6, RhoA and dynamin. BV non-permissive Ea.hy926 and MG-63 cells showed a strong vimentin network and high activity of PKC epsilon and low activity of PKC alpha. Furthermore, efficient BV transduction was shown to correlate with loose vimentin network and activation and down regulation of PKC subtypes alpha and epsilon, respectively. Remarkably these factors observed in the BV nonpermissive cells, also correlated with the infection of a non-related human pathogen, a picornavirus echovirus-1.
Investigating the security of android security applications

Encryption is commonly used to provide confidentiality of sensitive or personal information when held on smartphones. While many Android devices feature inbuilt full-disk encryption as a precaution against theft of a device, this is not available on all devices, and doesn't provide security against a device which is turned on and in use. For this reason, a wide variety of applications are available within the Google Play Store, offering to encrypt user data. Modern, strong encryption offers strong assurances of confidentiality when used correctly, although the fundamental cryptographic primitives are complex, with many opportunities for mistakes to be made. The security of a number of implementations of Android-based encryption applications is investigated. Highly popular applications, including those by Google-endorsed "Top Developers", are considered. A number of major weaknesses in the implementation of encryption within these applications is presented. This highlights the importance of both well-audited open-source cryptographic implementations, as well as the underlying cryptographic algorithms themselves, given the vulnerabilities identified in these applications. In many cases, there was no encryption in use by the application, and file headers were undergoing trivial static obfuscation, such that files would appear corrupted. In other cases, encryption algorithms were used, but with significant implementational errors. In these cases, plaintext recovery was still possible, due to the use of static keys for every installation of the app, and the re-use of cipher initialisation vectors.
Legal Protection, Equity Dependence and Corporate Investment: Evidence from Around the World

In this paper, we investigate the effects of legal protection of investors and the equity-financing channel on the relationship between corporate investment and stock prices in an international setting. We find that firms in countries with stronger legal protection of investors have investments that are more sensitive to their stock prices. In addition, equity-dependent firms display a higher investment-to-price sensitivity than do nonequity-dependent firms, which is consistent with the equity-financing channel argument. Finally, the positive relation between legal protection and the investment-to-price sensitivity is more pronounced for equity-dependent firms than for nonequity-dependent firms. Overall, our evidence complements the earlier finding by Baker et al. (2003) and suggests that both legal protection of investors and the equity-financing channel influence managers' corporate investment decisions with respect to changes in stock prices.
Heavy Metal Distributions in Water of the Aras River, Ardabil, Iran

Aras (situated on the frontier river) is one of Iran’s important rivers which is situated on the west North of the country. The concentration of heavy metals in this river was studied around Ardabil province during the 1389 in all four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter). The cluster analysis technique with the help of the results gained from density of metals like (Zn, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, Cd) was used in the water of Aras river for classifying quality of the river. Accord- ing to the gained results from the cluster analysis, the stations were divided into three groups with high pollution (HP), medium pollution (MP) and low pollution (LP). In general, S3, S5 stations with high pollution, S2, S4 stations with medium pollution and S1 station with low pollutions are classified in the water of Aras River.
Some Studies on Poly (vinyl chloride)/Layered Silicate Nanocomposites: Electrical, Antibacterial and Oxygen Barrier Properties

The influence of 1.31PS organoclay content relative to PGV grade on the properties of PVC compounds was analyzed. Dielectric properties (i.e. permittivity ' & dielectric loss " ) of the PVC nanocomposites were investigated in the frequency range 10 2 - 10 5 Hz at room temperature  25 o C. In addition to the dielectric properties the experimental data of conductivity term  were also detected. The initial results show that nanoparticles of 1.31PS clay can improve electrical insulation properties of PVC by lowering "(at 2.5 phr) and  (at 4 phr). The nano 1.31PS shows a significant influence on the electrical resistivity of PVC by enhancing it up to 1.4 x 10 -11 ohm.cm. Biodegradation percentage (BD%) and optical density (OD) of tested samples have been screened in testes against both Gram-positive bacteria such as Micrococcus luteus RM1 and Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa HR1.The particle size and morphology of PVC/1.31PS was found to play a significant role in indicating the antimicrobial efficiency. The results indicate a remarkable and significant resistance of PVC/1.31PS (2.5phr) to both kinds of microorganism, as compared with PVC containing 1.31PS (10phr). The oxygen permeability was measured at 23 o C and 50% relative humidity. With increasing 1.31PS content up to 6 phr the oxygen permeability of the PVC matrix is reduced based on the tortuous path formation.