Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Com-fusion: fusion between on-line and off-line through communicative interaction

The research expounded in the volume (Strizzolo 2009), of which we are presenting an outline, explores the diverse places on the Internet where communication, intended as interaction and therefore as social action (Malizia 2005), is acted out in parties and off-line events that are also possible settings for the assumption of illegal substances (Mori 2007; Bertolazzi 2008). Regarding the possible relationship and connection between Internet use and diffusion of drugs, international research has emphasized: A correlation between Internet use and the spread of drug abuse among teenagers (Boyer, Shannon & Hibberd 2005), the latter facilitated by on-line purchasing (Katz 2007); Possible damage reduction by using a publicity campaign on the Internet (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2004); Exchange of information and advice on the illegitimate use and production of drugs in order to permit drug-dealing and the organization of a trafficking structure (International Narcotics Control Board 2001); The possibility of qualitatively analyzing teenagers conversations on drugs in on-line blogs and communities (Simon and Majewski 2007; Baratt and Lenton – ongoing research).
Property Prices and Urban Forest Amenities

Abstract Quantitative information on residents' valuations attached to urban forests is needed for assessing urban land-use. The aim of this study is to value implicitly non-priced urban forest amenities by comparing dwelling prices and specific amounts of amenities associated with dwelling units. The empirical study is based on data from the sales of terraced houses in the district of Salo in Finland. According to the estimation results a one kilometer increase in the distance to the nearest forested area leads to an average 5.9 percent decrease in the market price of the dwelling. Dwellings with a view onto forests are on average 4.9 percent more expensive than dwellings with otherwise similar characteristics.
DOES THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TIMING OF ECLOSION OF THE FRUIT FLY DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER REFLECT DIFFERENCES IN THE CIRCADIAN ORGANIZATION?

The eclosion rhythm of a laboratory population of Drosophila melanogaster was studied under 12h light, 12h dark (LD 12:12) cycles. Although most of the flies were found to eclose just after “lights on” in LD 12:12, termed within gate (WG) flies, a few flies were found to eclose nearly 10h after peak eclosion, termed outside gate (OG) flies. The circadian parameters of the clocks controlling oviposition rhythms in the WG and the OG flies were estimated to understand the cause of such differences in the timing of eclosion. The distribution of the fraction of individual flies exhibiting single, multiple, and no significant period in the WG flies was significantly different from distribution in the OG flies. Compared to the WG flies, more OG flies were found to exhibit oviposition rhythm with multiple periodicity, whereas more WG flies exhibited an oviposition rhythm with a single significant period. The fraction of flies with arrhythmic oviposition was similar in both the WG and the OG flies. Free-running period τ in constant darkness (DD) and the phase angle difference ψ in LD 12:12 for the oviposition rhythm of WG and OG flies were significantly different. These results suggest that the differences in the time of eclosion between the flies eclosing within the gate and outside the gate of eclosion are probably due to differences in the circadian system controlling eclosion, which is reflected by the differences in their oviposition rhythm. (Chronobiology International, 18(4), 601–612, 2001)
Resource Allocation and End-to-End Quality of Service for Cellular Communications Systems in Congested and Contested Environments

This research addresses the concept of radio resource allocation for cellular communications systems operating in congested and contested environments with an emphasis on end-to-end quality of service (QoS). The radio resource allocation is cast under a proportional fairness formulation which translates to a convex optimization problem. Moreover, the resource allocation scheme considers subscription-based and traffic differentiation in order to meet the QoS requirements of the applications running on the user equipment in the system. The devised resource allocation scheme is realized through a centralized and a distributed architecture and solution algorithms for the aforementioned architectures is derived and implemented in the mobile devices and the base stations. The sensitivity of the resource allocation scheme to the temporal dynamics of the quantity of the users in the system is investigated. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the resource allocation scheme to the temporal dynamics in the application usage percentages is accounted for. In addition, a transmission overhead of the centralized and distributed architectures for the resource allocation schemes is performed. Furthermore, the resource allocation scheme is modified to account for a possible additive bandwidth done through spectrum sharing in congested and contested environments, in particular spectrally coexistent radar systems. The radar-spectrum additive portion is devised in a way to ensure fairness of the allocation, high bandwidth utilization, and interference avoidance. In order to justify the aforesaid modification, the interference from radar systems into the Long Term Evolution (LTE) as the predominant 4G technology is studies to confirm the possibility of the spectrum sharing. The preceding interference analysis contains a detailed simulation of radar systems, propagation path loss models, and a third generation partnership project compliant LTE system. The propagation models are Free Space Path Loss (FSPL) and Irregular Terrain Model (ITM). The LTE systems under consideration are macro cell, outdoor small cells, and indoor small cells. Furthermore, the resource allocation under channel consideration is formalized such that the resources are allocated under a congested environment and based on the quality of channel the users have in the network as well as the quality of service requirements of the applications running on the mobile devices.
Different types of Na+ and A‐type K+ currents in dorsal root ganglion neurones innervating the rat urinary bladder.

1. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp recording in combination with axonal tracing techniques was used to examine the electrical properties of afferent neurones innervating the urinary bladder of the adult rat. Individual bladder afferent cells were labelled by Fast Blue (FB), injected into the bladder wall. 2. Passive and active electrical parameters at room temperature (20‐22 degrees C) in FB‐labelled bladder afferent neurones were comparable with those in unlabelled neurones. Unselected dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones as well as bladder afferent neurones exhibited two different types of action potential: high‐threshold humped spikes in small‐sized neurones and low‐threshold narrow spikes in large‐sized neurones. 3. The majority (70%) of bladder neurones which were small in size expressed high‐threshold tetrodotoxin (TTX)‐resistant Na+ channels and slow‐inactivating A‐type K+ channels (KA), which were available at the resting membrane potential, whereas large‐sized DRG neurones had low‐threshold TTX‐sensitive Na+ channels and fast‐inactivating KA channels, which were almost completely inactivated at the resting membrane potential. 4. Half‐maximal conductances of activation of TTX‐resistant and TTX‐sensitive Na+ currents were obtained at ‐10.3 and ‐25.3 mV, respectively. The TTX‐resistant and TTX‐sensitive Na+ currents were half‐inactivated at ‐25.3 and ‐56 mV, respectively. 5. In the TTX‐resistant neurones, the transient outward K+ current (A‐type current, IA) with half‐maximal conductance at ‐40.8 mV was half‐inactivated at ‐77.5 mV, and exhibited slower decaying kinetics (mean decay constant (tau), 240 ms) than the IA current recorded from the large‐sized TTX‐sensitive neurones (mean tau, 20 ms). 6. These results suggest that the majority of bladder afferent neurones have high electrical thresholds for spike activation due to the TTX‐resistant Na+ current and the slow‐inactivating IA current, which reflect the large population of unmyelinated high‐threshold C fibre afferents that innervate the urinary bladder.
Joint Discriminative Dictionary and Classifier Learning for ALS Point Cloud Classification

To efficiently recognize on-ground objects in airborne laser scanning (ALS) point clouds, we design a method that jointly learns a discriminative dictionary and a classifier. In the method, the point cloud is segmented into hierarchical point clusters, which are organized by a tree structure. Then, the feature of each point cluster is extracted. The feature of a leaf node is obtained by aggregating the features of all its parent nodes. The feature of the leaf node is called the hierarchical aggregation feature. The hierarchical aggregation features are encoded by sparse coding. We introduce a new label consistency constraint called “discriminative sparse-code error,” and combine it with the reconstruction error, the classification error, and $L_{1}$ -norm sparsity constraint to form a unified objective function. The objective function is efficiently solved by using the proposed label consistency feature sign method. We obtain an overcomplete discriminative dictionary and an optimal linear classifier. Experiments performed on different ALS point cloud scenes have shown that the hierarchical aggregation features combined with the learned classifier can significantly enhance the classification results, and also demonstrated the superior performance of our method over other techniques in point cloud classification.
Bike Rental Station Deployment Planning in Wuhan

Little has been done in China to address what a bike sharing system planning does with the performance of the system. Based on an experimental practice of bike sharing system planning in Wuhan, this paper presents a general planning approach, i.e., overall system-size control, bike rental station grouping and zoning, station size balancing and adjusting accordingly. With bike rental stations classified into bus stops, public/commercial buildings, and stations affiliated to residential areas, recreational facilities, and campuses, the paper investigates the spatial and scale relations between stations in residential areas and other stations, arguing that a station in residential areas should be more or less in size than the ones of bus stops, buildings, and campuses. The paper also includes a planning proposal to deploy 800 bike rental stations in 2009 in Wuhan.
Predicting sustained virological response and anaemia in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) plus ribavirin.

AIM To assess the likelihood of a sustained virological response (SVR) vs. the likelihood of anaemia in patients with chronic hepatitis C. METHODS Data from 1732 patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) plus ribavirin in two randomized, multinational studies were pooled. Probabilities of SVR and anaemia were modelled using the generalized additive logistic model, with numerous clinical variables considered for entry into the model. Baseline haemoglobin was only considered in the analysis for anaemia. RESULTS The probability of anaemia increased from 6 to 16% as a function of the ribavirin dose kg(-1) (12-16 mg kg(-1)), whereas the relationship between SVR and ribavirin dose kg(-1) was influenced by hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype. The probability of an SVR was not influenced by the ribavirin dose kg(-1) in patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3 infection, but increased as a function of ribavirin dose kg(-1) in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection (40-50% increase in probability of SVR for 12-16 mg kg(-1) dose ribavirin increase). The probability of an SVR in patients included with HCV genotype 1 decreased with increasing HCV RNA level to about 3 million copies ml(-1), but was relatively independent of increasing HCV RNA level thereafter. In addition, older age, a higher ribavirin apparent oral clearance and cirrhosis had a negative impact on achieving an SVR, but improved with increasing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) quotient. Sex and ribavirin dose kg(-1) were the most important prognostic factors for anaemia, followed by baseline haemoglobin, age, baseline ALT quotient and cirrhosis. CONCLUSION This study supports individualizing ribavirin dosages by HCV genotype and body weight, and highlights several clinical variables that influence the likelihood of an SVR compared with anaemia in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) plus ribavirin.
Seizure Outcome after Temporal Lobectomy: Current Research Practice and Findings

Summary: Purpose: The literature regarding seizure outcome and prognostic factors for outcome after temporal lobectomy is often contradictory. This is problematic, as these data are the basis on which surgical decisions and counseling are founded. We sought to clarify inconsistencies in the literature by critically examining the methods and findings of recent research.
Nanoparticles in the lung and their protein corona: the few proteins that count

Abstract The formation of protein coronae on nanoparticles (NPs) has been investigated almost exclusively in serum, despite the prevailing route of exposure being inhalation of airborne particles. In addition, an increasing number of nanomedicines, that exploit the airways as the site of delivery, are undergoing medical trials. An understanding of the effects of NPs on the airways is therefore required. To further this field, we have described the corona formed on polystyrene (PS) particles with different surface modifications and on titanium dioxide particles when incubated in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). We show, using high-resolution quantitative mass spectrometry (MSE), that a large number of proteins bind with low copy numbers but that a few “core” proteins bind to all particles tested with high fidelity, averaging the surface properties of the different particles independent of the surface properties of the specific particle. The averaging effect at the particle surface means that differing cellular effects may not be due to the protein corona but due to the surface properties of the nanoparticle once inside the cell. Finally, the adherence of surfactant associated proteins (SP-A, B and D) suggests that there may be interactions with lipids and pulmonary surfactant (PSf), which could have potential in vivo health effects for people with chronic airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or those who have increased susceptibility toward other respiratory diseases.
Ileal Digesta Nondietary Substrates from Cannulated Pigs Are Major Contributors to In Vitro Human Hindgut Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production.

BACKGROUND It has been assumed that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colon originate mainly from dietary fiber fermentation. However, SCFAs in the colon are also produced from the fermentation of nondietary material. OBJECTIVES We aimed to predict the relative contributions of dietary and nondietary substrates in the production of SCFAs with the use of a human fecal inoculum for diets containing kiwifruit as a model fiber. METHODS Terminal ileal digesta were collected from ileal-cannulated male pigs [n = 7; mean ± SD: 41.4 ± 2.98 kg body weight] adapted (44-d feeding) to diets containing either 25 g/kg dry matter (DM) of kiwifruit fiber (KFf) (25 KFf) or 50 g/kg DM of KFf (50 KFf) and then again after receiving a fiber-free diet (n = 14) for a further 7 d. Pigs were used as a model for adult humans for digestion in the upper digestive tract (mouth to the terminal ileum). The ileal digesta (either unfractionated or fractionated into crude mucin and microbial fractions) were fermented in vitro for 24 h with the use of a fresh human fecal inoculum to predict SCFA production in the human hindgut. RESULTS SCFAs of nondietary origin were the main source (65%) of total SCFAs predicted to be produced in the human hindgut. The contribution of SCFAs from KFf was only 26% of the total SCFAs, and that from total dietary material was 35%. The higher contribution of nondietary material to total predicted SCFA production was observed at both dietary fiber concentrations. Predicted SCFA intake from dietary fiber was 76 and 105 mmol/kg diet DM intake for the diets containing 25 KFf and 50 KFf, respectively, and from the nondietary substrates it was 178 and 280 mmol/kg diet DM intake, respectively. CONCLUSION A considerable proportion of the SCFAs produced in the human hindgut seems to be derived from the fermentation of nondietary substrates.
Immediate Manager Gender and Wages of Female Employees: The Importance of Manager Position

One argument for increasing female representation in management is the anticipation that female managers will be particularly beneficial for female employees through, e.g., role modeling, mentoring or providing other incentives to enhance female productivity. We explore this issue by analyzing the association between female wages and the gender of their immediate managers using Swedish matched employee-employer data. Contrary to the expected positive association, we find that wages are overall 3% lower for female employees with a female instead of male manager. However, dividing the sample by managerial position, and controlling for important sorting of employees with respect to, e.g., non-cognitive traits, work tasks and establishment gender composition, the negative association is found only among female employees working for lower-level managers, not for a manager at the highest level of management. One possible explanation could thus be a difference in decision-making power if lower-level female managers have more limited resources for their subordinates compared to lower-level male managers.
Chemical and physical characteristics of five Nigerian varieties of fresh green immature soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill)

Purpose – The study aims to investigate the potential of green immature soybean among Nigeria soybean varieties as human food.Design/methodology/approach – Five Nigeria soybean varieties were harvested at 90 days old. The fresh green immature soybean seed were evaluated for chemical composition, physical and sensory characteristics. The physical characteristics looked into seed size (breadth and length), weight, seed colour, hull thickness and percentage of hydration. The chemical composition was compared to mature soybean seeds while the sensory attributes were compared to fresh green peas.Findings – The raw mature soybean (RMS) was significantly higher and lower in chemical composition and anti‐nutritional factors respectively. The highest moisture content ranges from 62.8 per cent in TGX 1019‐2EB to 65.4 per cent in TGX 1485‐1D. The protein content (15.3 per cent) was highest in TGX1485‐1D and lowest value in TGX1448‐2E. The level of tannin was significantly higher in TGX1448‐2E and 923‐2E while trypsi.
Part‐time employees in food retailing

This article considers the reasons why food retailers currently employ predominantly part‐time staff from the employers’ perspective based on both primary and secondary research. It examines the reasons and considers the differences between part‐time and full‐time staff in terms of ratio, equal treatment and capacity in which part‐time staff are employed. The impact of new legislation is briefly reviewed. Lessons from the food retail industry, where flexibility in terms of part‐time staff has been commonplace for many years, can be applied to other sectors and employment practices in general.
A quality assurance‐oriented methodology for handling trade‐offs in supplier selection

In an era of global sourcing, the firm’s success often hinges on the most appropriate selection of its suppliers. Supplier selection is sometimes very complicated, owing to a variety of uncontrollable and unpredictable factors which affect the decision. Describes a multiple attribute utility theory based on the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA), aimed at helping purchasing managers to formulate viable sourcing strategies in the changing market place. An application of the methodology using actual data retrieved from a firm operating in the bottling industry is illustrated. DEA has proved to be capable of handling multiple conflicting attributes inherent in supplier selection while simultaneously trading‐off key supplier selection criteria.
Performance indicators for urban transport development in Nigeria

Developing countries are experiencing simultaneous growth of population, income and private vehicle ownership, which significantly affects urban transport environment and poses challenges to policymakers and urban transport professionals. Experience shows that the performance of urban transport service delivery in many developing countries is low; policy makers have incomplete information to make decisions and managers and professionals rarely have a clear picture of their operational performance, best practices elsewhere or the desired level of their service provision, which is the case of urban transport services in Nigeria. Urban transport in Nigeria is largely an unregulated market and inadequate both in quality and quantitative terms. Urban transport technology in use in Nigeria is a combination of Para-transit modes, consisting of shared taxis, minibuses, motorcycles and tricycles. Only in the cities of Lagos and Abuja are conventional buses in use, but even in both cities the use of Paratransit modes of transport is obviously dominant. As a matter of fact, Nigeria remains the only country in the world where densely populated cities with over 6 million people do not have an organized urban transport system based on a combination of conventional buses and rail. It will be therefore imperative to identify Key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to measure and improve the performance of urban transport services in Nigeria. This paper is focused on the identification of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for urban transport development in Nigeria. The KPIs that have been identified in this paper following the performance measurement framework can be used to monitor and evaluate urban transport performance in Nigeria and eventually guide the further development and modernization of urban transport system in Nigeria, in the sense that the KPIs will assist in identifying key areas for improvement and also serve as a guide for transport policy makers in making decisions. The KPIs presented in this paper have been categorized into Safety, Security, Environmental pollution, Financial perspective, Traffic management and Customer satisfaction.
Study on Relationship of Organizational Learning,Innovation Atmosphere and Innovation Performance

Based on the resource- based view theory,organizational learning theory,the theory of dynamic capabilities and personal- Scenario interaction theory,the paper proposes a relational model of organizational learning and innovation performance. Under the help of other scholars' developed measurement scale,it selects 16 high- tech enterprises in Guangdong province delta region of 219 RD staff,marketing staff,senior managers to conduct research,using SPSS statistical analysis software to analyze data,test hypotheses and models. The results show that organizational learning and innovation performance are positively correlated,innovative atmosphere has a significant role in the regulation of the relationship between organizational learning and innovation performance.