Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Analysis of Integrated Reporting in Ten Countries

The first integrated reports were published in the early 2000’s by corporate pioneers determined to provide information that would improve their shareholders’ and stakeholders’ understanding of the company. The International Integrated Reporting Framework was released in December 2013 to provide organizations with guidance on the content of an integrated report. This paper explores that extent to which companies around the world are using the framework to prepare their reports and whether country-to-country differences exist in the content and quality of integrated reports. The authors selected five companies from each of the following countries: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States for the study. A 0-3 scale was used to evaluate five areas of disclosure — Materiality, Risks and opportunities, Strategy and resource allocation, Performance, and Outlook. We found that countries could be fairly clearly grouped into three categories of qualities of disclosure: High (Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa), Medium (France, Italy, South Korea, and the United Kingdom), and Low (Brazil, Japan, and the United States). We provide some preliminary views on the reasons for these differences.
The Fate of Fresh and Preserved, Noncrushed and Crushed Autogenous Cartilage in the Rabbit Model

This study was conducted to investigate volume retention and chondrocyte survival rate in autogenous fresh noncrushed, fresh crushed, preserved noncrushed, and preserved crushed cartilage grafts in rabbits. During the first phase of this investigation, cartilage was harvested from the right ear of 20 New Zealand white rabbits, then preserved. Four months later during the second phase, two 6-mm discs of previously harvested and preserved cartilage, one crushed and one noncrushed, were applied to the right ear. At the same time, two 6-mm discs of fresh cartilage graft were harvested from the left ear and then placed at a higher level on the same side, one crushed and one noncrushed. Three months after implantation, the rabbits were sacrificed and the grafts were evaluated. The preserved noncrushed cartilage retained 91.34% of the volume (SD = 2.46). Although most of the chondrocytes were nonviable, vascular ingrowth occurred with a significant repopulation of chondrocytes peripherally, in association with vascular endothelial ingrowth. The preserved crushed cartilage retained 74.19% of the volume (SD = 3.06). Most of the original chondrocytes were lost, but vascular ingrowth did occur and some osteoid formation occurred on the crushed cartilages. All chondrocytes on the fresh noncrushed cartilage grafts were viable and the grafts retained 94.54% of the volume (SD = 2.46). Crushed fresh cartilage retained 69.73% of its volume and the amount of viable chondrocytes ranged from 70% to 90% in the specimens evaluated (SD = 5.15). Although there is no question that noncrushed cartilage is superior, crushed cartilage can be used with a fair degree of predictability to attain the aesthetic goal. However, overcorrection is necessary to achieve optimal final results.
Level crossing rate and average fade duration of MRC and EGC diversity in Ricean fading

The average level crossing rate and average fade duration of the output signal of a maximal ratio combiner (MRC) and equal gain combiner (EGC), operating on independent Ricean fading input branch signals, are derived. Exact, closed-form results are obtained for MRC diversity, while precise expressions for EGC diversity are presented with an infinite series method. The results are valid for an arbitrary number of independent, identically distributed diversity branches, isotropic scattering, and a specular component perpendicular to the line of motion of the mobile.
Investigating Factors that Influence the Intention to Adopt Internet Banking A Case Study of USIU Africa Students

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . vi LIST OF TABLES . ix LIST OF FIGURES . x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xi CHAPTER ONE . 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background of the Problem . 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem . 3 1.3 Research Purpose . 4 1.4 Research Questions . 4 1.5 Importance of the Study . 5 1.6 Scope of the Study . 6 1.7 Definition of Terms . 6 CHAPTER TWO . 8 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW . 8 2.
Propeller thrust and drag in forward flight

This paper presents a methodology for modelling the thrust, drag, and torque of propellers used in unmanned-aerial-vehicle (UAV) applications. The model can be used in wide flight regimes from hover to high speed forward flight and is derived from first-principles using Blade Element Theory (BET), Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT), and a parameter fitting procedure to determine aerodynamic parameters. The methodology is applied to three different types of propellers to showcase its versatility, and experiments show that the procedure can accurately predict the rotor forces. Wind tunnel measurements are also included to serve as an additional basis for comparison. A comparison to static thrust models typically used by roboticists is also shown.
Bulk Nanocomposites Produced by Thermally Activated Severe Plastic Deformation

Abstract : In this paper, several versions of extrusion processes were used to provide severe plastic deformation for grain refinement (with a modified ECAE extrusion) and for grain/fiber alignment (with straight extrusion). The process was performed at elevated temperatures to reduce extrusion pressure, and in order to increase strength and avoid grain growth secondary phases were added or in-situ formed. In addition, this study also attempts to develop a one-step material synthesis and net-shape forming technique for shape memory alloys, which starts at elementary metals and the chemical reaction synthesis was triggered at a low temperature (400-600 C) and with sustained reaction. The generated heat was used for compression or extrusion to form desired final components at improved properties. The produced materials were characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In order to understand the process and microstructure alignment, several modeling methods were used, including analytical and finite element methods. The potential for extending this process for manufacturing smart materials with improved performances, such as shape memory effect of nano-grained shape memory alloys in many MEMS and sensor applications, is also discussed.
A 2D extended HMM for speech recognition

A two-dimensional extension of hidden Markov models (HMM) is introduced, aiming at improving the modeling of speech signals. The extended model (a) focuses on the conditional joint distribution of state durations given the length of utterances, rather than on state transition probabilities; (b) extends the dependency of observation densities to current, as well as neighboring states; and (c) introduces a local averaging procedure to smooth the outcome associated to transitions from successive states. A set of efficient iterative algorithms, based on segmental K-means and iterative conditional modes, for the implementation of the extended model, is also presented. In applications to the recognition of segmented digits spoken over the telephone, the extended model achieved about 23% reduction in the recognition error rate, when compared to the performance of HMMs.
Fat Ful‘fill’ment: A Review of Autologous Fat Grafting

For more than a century, clinicians have attempted to utilise fat for the treatment of tissue deficiencies and contour abnormalities. Autologous fat transplantation for soft-tissue augmentation has become increasingly popular in recent years. The popularity of tumescent liposuction has brought renewed interest and accessibility of fat for transplantation. Newer techniques and approaches to augmentation have provided more predictable and reproducible results. Fat augmentation has become an effective, safe and reliable method for restoring volume and correcting the atrophy that accompanies senescence. In this review, the authors have described their approach to fat transplantation.
Genome-Wide Association

It has long been appreciated that there is a genetic component to type 2 diabetes, but progress in gene finding has been slow because the genetic component is complex. Accumulating data on various diabetes-related phenotypes suggest that so-called “type 2 diabetes” is likely a collection of many diseases due to varying but often overlapping underlying mechanisms. As such, the search for the once hoped-for simple genetic basis of type 2 diabetes has proved elusive. This year marks the application of the next gene-finding tool to the study of type 2 diabetes, the genome-wide association study (GWA). This type of study is the logical extension of the candidate gene association study, an approach in which a few (1–20 or so) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a single gene are tested for association with the phenotype of interest. By that approach, the candidate gene is chosen based on biochemistry or physiology related to that phenotype. The candidate gene approach has identified some genes but has not yielded the definitive picture of the genetic contribution to type 2 diabetes (Table 1; reviewed in [1]). In contrast, the GWA approach tests every gene by testing the association of SNPs in every known gene (∼100,000 SNPs) or in both known genes and in regions outside of genes throughout the genome (∼300,000 to 1 million). The GWA is therefore not biased by a priori assumptions based on prior observations of the phenotype (e.g., kinetics of insulin signaling, glucose-mediated insulin secretion, etc). Therefore, the strength of the GWA is that it has the potential to identify genes of high genetic effect that were previously unsuspected as candidates. The latter might be because little was known about the genes previously or because investigators simply had not addressed the action of the products of these genes …
Impact of previous percutaneous coronary intervention on postoperative outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting

Objective. The widespread use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has resulted in an increasing number of patients who have undergone prior PCI being referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The aim of this study was to determine the association between previous PCI and early and midterm outcomes after CABG . Methods . A total of 54 patients undergoing elective CABG (group 1) between January 2008 and January 2009 were compared to 46 patients who had a history of bare metal stent implantation before CABG (group 2). Mean follow-up was 12 months. Results . The average time interval to CABG following initial PCI was 18.5 months. There was no significant difference in demographic features and risk factors between the two groups ( p >0.05). There were also no significant differences in intraoperative and postoperative data, and no significant differences for in-hospital mortality, cardiac mortality and total mortality and in the number of rehospitalizations for cardiac or for all-cause reasons ( p >0.05). Conclusion . In this study, previous PCI did not significantly influence the outcomes of CABG in a 12-month follow-up period.
Adjoints and Automatic (Algorithmic) Differentiation in Computational Finance

Two of the most important areas in computational finance: Greeks and, respectively, calibration, are based on efficient and accurate computation of a large number of sensitivities. This paper gives an overview of adjoint and automatic differentiation (AD), also known as algorithmic differentiation, techniques to calculate these sensitivities. When compared to finite difference approximation, this approach can potentially reduce the computational cost by several orders of magnitude, with sensitivities accurate up to machine precision. Examples and a literature survey are also provided.
Prospects of User Elicited Gestural Interaction Techniques

One way of a user-centered approach to define interactive gestures is to study users’ proposed gestures for a given task or application. The result is a vocabulary of gestures, which is called a user-defined gesture set. However, this approach is a twofold method, which offers great opportunities but also risks for the gestural interaction design, because users cannot be seen as interaction designers. Furthermore, this approach was only incompletely described in the literature, e.g. with regard to study preparation or gesture classification. As a consequence, important aspects of the process, e.g. criteria for selecting elicited gestures, were not sufficiently discussed yet. We propose an enhanced process to work out a conflict free gestural interface. This proposal is based on own work [2]. The twofold character of this method is indicated in every step of the process by naming important artifacts, analysis methods and decisions within the process. It starts with the study design and ends with the evaluation of an implemented interface. With this paper we provide an overview and outlook in the research field of user elicited gestures. Thereby, a comprehensible basis is offered for discussing open questions.
Teleoperation basee sur le concept du robot cache

Par opposition aux schemas de commande classiques des teleoperateurs s'appuyant sur un bilateralisme couplant le dispositif maitre au robot esclave reel ou simule, nous proposons de determiner des schemas de commande dotes d'une bilateralite adaptative pouvant etre rompu si necessaire. Les techniques de la realite virtuelle seront exploitees pour la conception de systemes maitres adaptes aux exigences de l'operateur (ergonomie, facilite d'utilisation, transfert d'habilete, etc. ). Quant aux robots, on cherchera a exploiter leurs capacites d'autonomies pour satisfaire l'adaptation envisagee. A partir d'une analyse des principales caracteristiques des systemes de teleoperation, nous avons regroupe une categorie d'architecture dans une classe nommee : teleoperation a base d'une representation fonctionnelle intermediaire. Cette representation a engendre le concept du robot cache ou l'operateur teleopere indirectement le robot esclave par des taches virtuelles effectuees via une main virtuelle projetee dans la rfi. Le robot esclave etant perceptiblement et fonctionnellement cache a l'operateur, des transformations bilaterales sont necessaires ainsi qu'un recouvrement des eventuelles dissimilitudes entre la rfi et l'environnement reel. Les transformations des actions de l'operateur se fait par la supervision des interactions main virtuelle et rfi selon nu automate deterministe a 4 etats. Le recouvrement d'erreurs est reference capteurs. Des experiences validant ce nouveau concept sont presentees dont une premiere mondiale consistant en la teleoperation a grande distance et en parallele de plusieurs robots.
THE ROLES AND CHALLENGES OF STAY-AT-HOME-FATHERS IN SALATIGA, CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA

This paper describes six men who decided to be a stay-at-home-fathers lived in Salatiga. All respondents believe that parenting roles is a kind of common responsibility for both parent. However, there are also challenges faced by stay-at-home-fathers which divided into the practical challenges related to the double role as father and mother, and also the emotional challenges. Nevertheless, no respondents stated that the roles of stay-at-home-father affects to the concept of masculinity itself but rather a responsibility of a father to protect the family. The division of house works based on gender roles have a close relation to the traditional Javanese concept of a family, which explained that men play an important role as the leader in running all domestic matters as well as being the breadwinner, while women should be responsible to take care of the children and doing house chores. Meanwhile, the idea of equality promoted by feminist thinkers deconstructed the meaning of family that has been understood since a long time ago. The research of this paper uses qualitative phenomenological method, with data collection technique by snowball sampling. In-depth interview conducted for three weeks long to five single fathers and a stay-at-home father living in Salatiga.
Applied nutritional investigation Association between the prevalence of obesity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet: the ATTICA study

Objective: We evaluated the prevalence of obesity in relation to adherence to a Mediterranean diet. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey that randomly enrolled 1514 men (18 to 87 y old) and 1528 women (18 to 89 y old) with no history of cardiovascular disease. Anthropometric indices were measured and frequency of various foods consumed during a usual week was recorded. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet was assessed by a diet score that incorporated the inherent characteristics of this diet. Results: Prevalences of overweight and obesity were 53% and 20% in men and 31% and 15% in women. An inverse relation was observed between diet score, waist-to-hip ratio (r 0.31, P 0.001), and body mass index (r 0.4, P 0.001) after adjusting for sex and age. Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet (i.e., highest tertile) was associated with a 51% lower odds of being obese (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.42 to 0.56) and a 59% lower odds of having central obesity (odds ratio 0.41, 95% confidence 0.35 to 0.47) compared with a non-Mediterranean diet (i.e., lowest tertile) after controlling for age, sex, physical activity status, metabolism, and other variables.
Pediatric Oncologic Imaging: A Key Application of Combined PET/MRI

Abstract Pediatric imaging has been identified as a key application of combined whole-body PET/MRI. First studies have revealed the clinical feasibility and possible advantages of PET/MRI over PET/CT and MRI. Besides a significant reduction in radiation exposure of about 50 – 75 %, combined whole-body PET/MRI offers the diagnostic advantage of the multiparametric characterization of pathophysiologic processes and helps reduce the number of necessary imaging studies. However, very few studies focusing on pediatric PET/MRI have been published to date. Additional studies are necessary in order to fully appreciate the clinical impact of this novel method. This review article shall summarize the existing literature concerning pediatric PET/MRI and give insight into the practical experience derived from over 160 pediatric PET/MRI examinations that were performed in Tübingen. Key Points: • Combined PET/MR is a promising imaging modality in pediatric oncology. • Using combined PET/MRI, diagnostic radiation exposure of pediatric patients and the number of necessary imaging studies can be reduced. • Further clinical studies are necessary in order to define specific indications for combined PET/MRI in pediatric radiology. Citation Format: • Gatidis S, la Fougère C, Schaefer J F Pediatric Oncologic Imaging: A Key Application of Combined PET/MRI. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2016; 188: 359 – 364
Ultrabroadband Antenna With Robustness to Body Detuning for 4G Eyewear Devices

An ultrabroadband antenna design for 4G cellular coverage in eyewear devices is presented in this letter. The antenna has been designed considering a realistic eyewear printed circuit board and its dielectric frame. In order to overcome any negative effects from the antenna's surroundings (frequency detuning due to the head and the hand of the user), the antenna was designed and optimized to cover continuously the 700–2700-MHz band with a reflection coefficient below –6 dB instead of a dual-band behavior usually required for 4G operation: 700–960 and 1700–2700 MHz. The antenna was of capacitive coupling element type with its appropriate matching network to cover the mentioned frequency interval. To emulate a realistic device, an ABS plastic dielectric frame was manufactured using 3-D printing technology. The antenna was simulated and tested in three different use cases as “default case with user's head,” “with head and hand,” and “free space” cases. State-of-the art performance is demonstrated. The specific absorption rate behavior was also investigated through simulations and measurements to check the compliance with regulations.
Atomically Thin Mesoporous Co3O4 Layers Strongly Coupled with N‐rGO Nanosheets as High‐Performance Bifunctional Catalysts for 1D Knittable Zinc–Air Batteries

Under development for next‐generation wearable electronics are flexible, knittable, and wearable energy‐storage devices with high energy density that can be integrated into textiles. Herein, knittable fiber‐shaped zinc–air batteries with high volumetric energy density (36.1 mWh cm−3) are fabricated via a facile and continuous method with low‐cost materials. Furthermore, a high‐yield method is developed to prepare the key component of the fiber‐shaped zinc–air battery, i.e., a bifunctional catalyst composed of atomically thin layer‐by‐layer mesoporous Co3O4/nitrogen‐doped reduced graphene oxide (N‐rGO) nanosheets. Benefiting from the high surface area, mesoporous structure, and strong synergetic effect between the Co3O4 and N‐rGO nanosheets, the bifunctional catalyst exhibits high activity and superior durability for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Compared to a fiber‐shaped zinc–air battery using state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C + RuO2 catalysts, the battery based on these Co3O4/N‐rGO nanosheets demonstrates enhanced and stable electrochemical performance, even under severe deformation. Such batteries, for the first time, can be successfully knitted into clothes without short circuits under external forces and can power various electronic devices and even charge a cellphone.
In Defense of Ambiguity

URIs, a universal identification scheme, are different from human names insofar as they can provide the ability to reliably access the thing identified. URIs also can function to reference a non-accessible thing in a similar manner to how names function in natural language. There are two distinctly different relationships between names and things: access and reference. To confuse the two relations leads to underlying problems with Web architecture. Reference is by nature ambiguous in any language. So any attempts by Web architecture to make reference completely unambiguous will fail on the Web. Despite popular belief otherwise, making further ontological distinctions often leads to more ambiguity, not less. Contrary to appeals to Kripke for some sort of eternal and unique identification, reference on the Web uses descriptions and therefore there is no unambiguous resolution of reference. On the Web, what is needed is not just a simple redirection, but a uniform and logically consistent manner of associating descriptions with URIs that can be done in a number of practical ways that should be made consistent.
The Financing Decision Of Romanian Listed Companies - A Descriptive Approach

This article aims to capture the financing methods chosen by the companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange's Main Market, during the 2014-2016 period, as well as the possible correlations between the capital financing structure and various financial indicators calculated for the companies in the analysed sample , through a descriptive approach. Finally, it was empirically highlighted that the most profitable companies listed on the BSE between 2014 and 2016 were ones with greater leverage and that larger companies were more indebted. In the same period, the Romanian listed companies pn the BSE's Maine Market opted for structuring their financing sources towards equity issuing.