Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Position and Variability of 2A 1704+241

We present results of analyses of observations of the X‐ray source 2A 1704+241 with the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) and the High Resolution Imager (HRI). The source 2A 1704+241 was first associated with the M giant star HD 154791 based on observations with the HEAO 1 scanning modulation collimator and the Einstein IPC and analysis of a spectrum of HD 154791 obtained with the International Ultraviolet Explorer. This identification was unusual because there are few bright X‐ray binaries associated with an M giant star. We observed 2A 1704+241 with the PSPC and the HRI in order to determine more accurately the position of the X‐ray source and in order to study the previously seen 900 s variability in the Einstein data. Based on the previous identification and determination of the position of MS 1703.7+2417, an active galactic nucleus in the field, and the position of three previously unreported X‐ray sources that we have associated with stars in the USNO‐A2.0 catalog, we have greatly reduced the X‐ray positional error of 2A 1704+241. HD 154791 remains the prime candidate as the optical counterpart of the X‐ray source. While the 50% modulation in the X‐ray flux seen by the Einstein IPC is apparent in the ROSAT data, it appears to be at a slightly different frequency.
Exploring Approaches to Drivers and Barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation in Academic Literature

CSR implementation is a relatively untapped area of study. Barriers are components that block and test the execution of CSR in an organization while drivers are positive CSR performance indicators. There is a dearth of academic literature of exploration of barriers and drivers of CSR in developing economies. This paper focuses on synthesizing existing scholarly research literature on drivers and barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility from the perspectives of developed and developing economies. With most companies around the world joining the CSR bandwagon in a bid to positively influence their relationships with employees and stakeholders, it is imperative that CSR research addresses the barriers and drivers that companies are likely to face during the implementation of their CSR strategies.
POChP — czy są nam potrzebne ? Biomarkers in COPD — do we need them ?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still a leading cause of death, with a huge socioeconomic impact. Disease is mostly caused by cigarette smoking, characterized by persistent and progressive airway inflammation with pathological changes in the lungs and extrapulmonary and systemic consequences. The standard methods for classifying disease (i.e. forced expiratory volume in 1 second measurement) do not reflect individual characteristics and clinical status of COPD patients, and do not provide information regarding disease activity or the underlying pathologic process. Regarding the clinical evolution and prognosis, several clinical characteristics have been correlated to biomarkers. New strategies for the management of COPD are required, not only for identifying the origin of the exacerbation episodes, but also for phenotyping, assessing prognosis and tailoring treatment for each patient. We have made major gains in biomarker knowledge over the past decade. There are large-scale studies presently underway to identify novel biomarkers in COPD. Results of these investigations may lead to the development of new drugs and other interventions to improve the health outcomes of COPD patients.
A MULTI-WAVELENGTH HIGH-RESOLUTION STUDY OF THE S255 STAR-FORMING REGION: GENERAL STRUCTURE AND KINEMATICS

We present observational data for two main components (S255IR and S255N) of the S255 high mass star-forming region in continuum and molecular lines obtained at 1.3 mm and 1.1 mm with the Submillimeter Array (SMA), at 1.3 cm with the Very Large Array, and at 23 and 50 cm with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. The angular resolution was from ∼2″ to ∼5″ for all instruments. With the SMA we detected a total of about 50 spectral lines of 20 different molecules (including isotopologues). About half of the lines and half of the species (in particular N2H+, SiO, C34S, DCN, DNC, DCO+, HC3N, H2CO, H2CS, SO2) have not been previously reported in S255IR and partly in S255N at high angular resolution. Our data reveal several new clumps in the S255IR and S255N areas through their millimeter wave continuum emission. Masses of these clumps are estimated at a few solar masses. The line widths greatly exceed expected thermal widths. These clumps have practically no association with NIR or radio continuum sources, implying a very early stage of evolution. At the same time, our SiO data indicate the presence of high-velocity outflows related to some of these clumps. In some cases, strong molecular emission at velocities of the quiescent gas has no detectable counterpart in the continuum. We discuss the main features of the distribution of NH3, N2H+, and deuterated molecules. We estimate properties of decimeter wave radio continuum sources and their relationship with the molecular material.
Identifying Hidden Patterns in Students' Feedback through Cluster Analysis

The analysis and assessment of the students’ feedback in improving the educational environment as well as enhancing students' learning experience is one of the critical issues for the higher education community. The conventional methods of analysis and assessment are not sufficient to explore the hidden information from the student feedback data repositories. In this paper we present the analysis of students’ feedback data using k-means clustering algorithm for effective decision making by educational community responsible for monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of educational programs and for improving the quality of teaching and learning experience for their students.
Spatial Analysis of Shoreline Recession and Accretion

An optimal sampling design is an important consideration when collecting large volumes of data: Too few data lead to inconclusive results and oversampling is inefficient and often costly. Due to the wide geographical impact of coastal processes along the shore, shoreline responses (erosion or accretion) do not significantly vary from transect to transect at some sample spacings. Thus, shoreline rates of change exhibit a "nearest neighbor" effect or spatial autocorrelation. This phenomenon inhibits the utility of conventional statistical models for sample size determination. In this paper we capitalize on this spatial autocorrelation by using the Theory of Regionalized Variables or geostatistics. Geostatistics enables global estimates of along-the-shore rates of change, point estimates at unsampled locations, and provides nomograms for optimal sample designs based on standard errors of this estimate. Results of the spatial analyses show that using local estimation variances, obtained by ordinary kriging, is an effective means of determining optimal sample size. The 50 m spacing of transects along Hatteras Island, North Carolina, provides an excellent estimate of rates between transects. This dense sampling scheme is, however, redundant due to the high degree of spatial autocorrelation. Last, our confidence in estimation of rate-of-change values in the spatial domain (due to spatial continuity) far exceeds our confidence in rate values calculated at a sample location in the temporal domain.
Institutional reorientation: the case of Universidade Aberta

The goal of this study is to provide guidelines for the restructuring process of Universidade Aberta, which is the Portuguese distance learning university. The external and internal assessments were performed using multiple instruments, of which we highlight a survey with responses from over twenty countries. This survey was analyzed using advanced data mining methods along three dimensions: educational offer, target publics and operating model. The specific guidelines are based on the assumption of a certain status quo in the higher education sector.
Use of IUDs for emergency contraception: current perspectives.

Emergency contraception is an essential intervention for the prevention of unplanned pregnancy worldwide. The copper intrauterine device (IUD) is highly effective at preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. Unfortunately its usage in this context is low and far exceeded by hormonal forms of emergency contraception. These have higher failure rates and unlike the IUD are not effective post-fertilization. This review aims to summarize the literature surrounding IUD use as emergency contraception contrast it with the hormonal options and provide suggestions for increased usage.
Cottonwood Fiber Farm Pest Managment: Cottonwood Leaf Beetle

Defoliation by the cottonwood leaf beetle, CLB, (Chrysomela scripta F.) can pose a significant threat to the growth and development of one and two-year old Populus plantings. In the southeastern United States, guidelines for monitoring CLB populations at the landscape level have not been fully developed. Accurate determination of when CLB are present in the field could greatly aid in the efficient management of this pest. To address this situation, we compiled data regarding the developmental rate of the CLB to test predictive models of CLB development. Based upon comparisons with field observations, current temperature-dependent growth models hold promise for predicting the occurrence of first generation adult CLB in the field. Prediction of the appearance of specific CLB life stages, especially in subsequent generations, may be somewhat more difficult and requires
A Memory‐Efficient Fingerprint Verification Algorithm Using a Multi‐Resolution Accumulator Array

Using biometrics to verify a person's identity has several advantages over the present practices of personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. At the same time, improvements in VLSI technology have recently led to the introduction of smart cards with 32‐bit RISC processors. To gain maximum security in verification systems using biometrics, verification as well as storage of the biometric pattern must be done in the smart card. However, because of the limited resources (processing power and memory space) of the smart card, integrating biometrics into it is still an open challenge. In this paper, we propose a fingerprint verification algorithm using a multi‐resolution accumulator array that can be executed in restricted environments such as the smart card. We first evaluate both the number of instructions executed and the memory requirement for each step of a typical fingerprint verification algorithm. We then develop a memory‐efficient algorithm for the most memory‐consuming step (alignment) using a multiresolution accumulator array. Our experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce the required memory space by a factor of 40 and can be executed in real time in resource‐constrained environments without significantly degrading accuracy.
Branchiness of Norway spruce in northeastern France: predicting the main crown characteristics from usual tree measurements

Cette etude s'insere dans le cadre d'un projet qui vise a proposer une nouvelle methode d'evaluation de la qualite de la ressource a partir des donnees issues d'un inventaire forestier regional. Ce projet s'appuie notamment sur un logiciel de simulation de la qualite des sciages qui necessite une description detaillee de la morphologie et de la branchaison de chaque arbre (.)
The diet-heart hypothesis, obesity and diabetes

Abstract Human feeding studies show that dietary fat quality, but not total fat intake, influences levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Meta-analyses indicate an association with reduced coronary heart disease (CHD) risk when saturated fatty acid is replaced with polyunsaturated fatty acid or with low-glycaemic index carbohydrates. A meta-analysis of eight small trials supports this benefit. Secular trends in populations that modified fat intake and quality show a consistent reduction in LDL cholesterol levels and CHD risk. The increase in obesity and diabetes in many developed countries does not track consistently with the implementation of dietary guidelines aimed at lowering fat intake. Obesity is more likely to be due to increases in total energy intake, coupled with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. However, cohort studies indicate that poor dietary quality is associated with future weight gain. Both cohort studies and secular trends implicate the increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages as being associated with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Weight reduction can be achieved with a range of energy-restricted diets, including low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets and low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets. Metabolic benefits are proportional to the degree of weight reduction, irrespective of the dietary approach used. The prevention of CHD requires an emphasis on fat quality, rather than fat quantity, while the prevention of obesity and diabetes requires a focus on energy balance and carbohydrate quality.
Physicochemical characteristics of the water of six sources located in Tyikomiyne region, watershed of Guir, Morocco oriental

In order to effect an assessment of the physico-chemical quality of the water in the sources in Tyikomiyne, Talssint region, eastern Morocco. Many samples ofwater fromthese sourcesweremade during two campaigns in a low water period (May and June of 2011). Spatial variations of some physico-chemical parameters were studied in six sources. The results have shown that the pH values ranged from values close to neutrality to basic values, while the electrical conductivity values were above the reference value set by the European standards and this of the World health Organization (WHO) standards. In addition, in the water of the majority of the studied sources, the noted values of the concentration in Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO4 2- were higher than the guideline value set by the WHO standard. Those chemical characteristics are probably due to the geological nature of the terrain traversed by the water.
Service sector in terms of changing environment Profitability Determinants of the Macedonian Banking Sector in Changing Environment

This paper analyzes bank-specific, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank profitability. Dynamic panel analysis is applied on the sample of 16 banks in the Macedonian banking system in the period between 2005 and 2010. According to the obtained results, among internal factors of bank profitability, the most important one is operating expense management. Further, the profitability is influenced by solvency risk and liquidity risk. Regarding the external variables, economic growth, banking system reform and concentration show significant effect on bank profitability in the Republic of Macedonia. © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of University of St. Kliment Ohridski – Bitola, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Ohrid
Visual analytics framework for clinical trial support

A clinical trial is a complex process and in order to be successful it needs to be transparent so that all possible problems could be early detected and fixed. In a clinical trial both patients and clinicians should adhere to the protocols and to the system guidelines; otherwise, problematic situations occur. An example of a deviation from the original plan in a clinical trial would be an unexpectedly high number of adverse events. Data analytics can help to detect any anomalies such as hospital readmissions. However, in order to extract complete information and draw any conclusion, the reason for readmissions or any other kind of anomalies should be determined, as well. In order to fulfill this goal visual analytics techniques are used. Visual analytics makes data and information processing transparent to all stakeholders by eliminating human intervention. In this thesis work, based on a real case study, we came up with a Clinical Trial Analytics framework. This framework is based on visual analytics and it can be used to support a clinical trial analysis by translating the data from the clinical trial into meaningful information. That way, patterns are discovered that would be difficult to be investigated by the medical researchers without the functionality enabled by visual analytics. Based on this case study, we additionally provide an instantiation of this framework as a web-based exploratory tool. This tool allows the user to apply broad inspection and intuitive exploration of data related to patients’ compliance, patients’ population information and hospitalizations. The user would be able to easily identify unknown trends or patterns in data, drill down into details and incomplete records, evaluate the quality or significance of information and perform more complex data queries easily. Visual Analytics Framework for Clinical Trial Support iii
Ocular monochromatic aberration statistics in a large emmetropic population

The primary objective of this study was to explore the statistics of ocular higher-order aberrations in a nearly emmetropic population. The wavefront aberration of 393 eyes of 218 subjects was obtained under natural conditions using the WaveLight WaveFront Analyser. The spherical equivalent of eyes ranged between +0.75 and − 1.25 D, with the astigmatism being less than 0.75 D. Mean age was 33.0±4.8 years. Analysis was performed for a 6 mm pupil. A significant dispersion in all Zernike coefficients was found. Population average values of Zernike coefficients were almost zero, with the exemption of primary spherical ( µm) and oblique trefoil ( ) aberrations. Mean higher-order RMS error was 0.26 µm, corresponding to an equivalent defocus of 0.20 D. An increase in higher-order RMS with age (at pre-presbyopic range) was found, which was accompanied by changes in coma-like aberrations, while spherical aberration remained unchanged. Emmetropic eyes appear to have on average lower individual and combined higher-order aberrations than previously reported values on myopic eyes. Although aberration levels at fixed pupil diameter increase with age, their effect on retinal image quality is possibly cancelled out by senile miosis.
Psychometric Properties of the Physical Self-perception Profile: Short Clinical Version in Geriatric Populations

The short clinical version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile – (CPSPP) was constructed to measure self-perceptions in the physical domain in older people and patients in clinical and rehabilitation settings. It is made up of subscales to assess perceptions of physical function, physical health, strength, sports competence, body attractiveness and also overall physical self-worth (PSW). Using confirmatory factor analysis, the present study tested the factorial validity of CPSPP, with 1002 Portuguese participants aged 65 or more (74.39 ± 7.11). This included 501 males (74.26 ± 7.08) and 501 females (74.52 ± 7.15) from private and social security institutions or who were living alone but attending senior daily care centres in clinical and rehabilitation settings. Cronbach Alpha values for subscales ranged from . 64–. 80, showing adequate to very good internal consistency. Linear regression results showed that the Function subscale alone was able to explain 62.2% of the total variance of PSW in males and 43.3% in females. Together, Function, Body and Strength subscales were able to explain 73.7% of the total PSW variance in males and 60.1% in females. In confirmatory factor analysis, a model of five correlated latent variables showed a better goodness of fit for female than for male participants. However the goodness of fit obtained for the total sample was satisfactory with NFI = . 89, IFI = . 90, CFI = . 90 and RMSEA = . 08. Results support the future use of the instrument for assessment of physical self-perceptions with this population and may be particularly useful in rehabilitation and exercise therapy settings.
A Comment on the Timm Baenke and Carsten Schroeder paper " Country inequality rankings and conversion schemes

This paper looks at the impact of variations in household equivalizing (square root and squared square root rule scaling) and weighting schemes (needs and size) on country inequality rankings using a generalized entropy (GE) class of inequality measures applied to countries in the Luxembourg income study. A bootstrap approach to developing confidence intervals for differences was followed together with using Kendall’s Tau to examine changes in country rankings each of which revealed that rankings were sensitive to weighting schemes for “reasonable” within household economies of scale in consumption, none of which I would dispute. However I would argue that the study has missed an opportunity to thoroughly explore issues in equivalizing incomes that have beset the practice in the last quarter century. The paper could have done with a discussion of the issues and an attempt at looking at equivalizing scales that varied with the size of equivalized income.
Turbulence for different background conditions using fuzzy logic and clustering

Abstract. Wind and turbulence estimated from MST radar observations in Kiruna, in Arctic Sweden are used to characterize turbulence in the free troposphere using data clustering and fuzzy logic. The root mean square velocity, νfca, a diagnostic of turbulence is clustered in terms of hourly wind speed, direction, vertical wind speed, and altitude of the radar observations, which are the predictors. The predictors are graded over an interval of zero to one through an input membership function. Subtractive data clustering has been applied to classify νfca depending on its homogeneity. Fuzzy rules are applied to the clustered dataset to establish a relationship between predictors and the predictant. The accuracy of the predicted turbulence shows that this method gives very good prediction of turbulence in the troposphere. Using this method, the behaviour of νfca for different wind conditions at different altitudes is studied.
Transmission coefficient of a one-dimensional multi-layer medium from a sum over all light-rays.

The transmission coefficient for the amplitude of an electromagnetic field that propagates through a one-dimensional N-layer medium is obtained from summing the coefficients that belong to the individual transmitted light-paths. The medium does not have to be periodic; the layers can have arbitrary physical lengths and arbitrary field response parameters. As compared to the traditional transfer-matrix derivation for the transmission coefficient, the sum-over-all-paths derivation results in a transparent representation that reveals that the presence of the medium can effectively be described as a self-interaction of the field.
Comparative Evaluation of Clothing Thermal Insulation Measured on a Thermal Manikin and on Volunteers

This paper analyses the results of comparative clothing thermal insulation measurements determined in tests on volunteers and on a thermal manikin under specified conditions, i.e. a standing man and a standing manikin in a climatic chamber under wind-free conditions. The tests were performed with three ensembles of disposable medical clothing. In tests with a thermal manikin, the heat balance was determined and the temperature and heat losses on the manikin’s surface were measured, whereas in tests with volunteers, calculations were made for dry heat losses under the conditions of heat comfort. Clothing thermal insulation values obtained in tests on a manikin and on human subjects were then compared. The results showed the following: 1) thermal insulation of clothing ensembles determined on human subjects was 13% higher than that measured on the manikin; 2) the measurements taken on the manikin were considerably more accurate than those taken on tests with volunteers (manikin’s error 2%, subjects’ error 12-18%).