Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile crowd-sensing in the Smart City

The Smart City connects citizens in novel ways by leveraging the latest advances in information and communication technologies (ICT). Smart citizens have various ICT solutions at their disposal, which allow them to optimize their day-to-day activities in the urban environment they live and/or work. The integration of rich sensing capabilities (e.g. camera, microphone, GPS, accelerometer, barometer) in today’s mobile devices allows their users to sense their urban environment in often unforeseen ways. In mobile crowd-sensing the citizens of the Smart City collect, share and jointly use services based on the sensed data, e.g. the Waze application for optimized car-based navigation, the Smart Citizen project for collecting meteorological measurements. This paper presents the current state-of-the-art and future challenges in mobile crowd-sensing in urban environments, by focusing on sensing in the following focus areas: environment, citizen collaboration, urban traffic systems, health/fitness and social networking. From each of these areas a set of representative applications (e.g. Waze, Foursquare, Ushahidi) were selected, analyzed and compared based on the following criteria: expected social and economic impact
Cykl życia spółki a polityka dywidend i poziom realizowanych inwestycji

The article discusses the problem of the relationship between the life cycle of the company, dividend policy and its level of investments. These factors affect firm’s choice of financing sources for the development. In the first two phases of their life cycle (start and expansion) companies do not pay dividends. They allocate saved-up profits to equity in order to increase the capacity for incurring debt. In the phase of rapid growth dividends may amount to 5–15% of net profit and are paid as dividends in shares. Retained earnings and debts are targeted on investments. In the phase of stable growth companies may allocate 40–60% of net profit as dividends, as the pace of investment falls which reduces the need for capital and at the same time the company has a greater ability to use the debt market. In the last phase of the life cycle – the maturity, level of dividends depends on the scope of investments and restructuring that are made to avoid bankruptcy. Part of net profit is being redirected to investments in consolidation or diversification of activities. keywords: company’s life cycle, dividend policy, financing sources, investments
The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children's reading, spelling and phonological processing skills

This paper reports on an intervention study that considered the impact of text messaging on 9- to 10-year-old children's literacy skills. One hundred and fourteen children who had never owned a mobile phone before were recruited and randomly allocated to either the intervention or control conditions. All children were pre- and post-tested on a range of reading, spelling and phonological awareness measures. Children in the intervention group were given access to a mobile phone (enabled for text messaging only) for weekends and during half-term break for a 10-week period. It was found that there were no significant differences between the two groups of children in terms of their literacy attainment during that period. However, within the mobile phone group, there was evidence that use of text abbreviations was positively related to gains in literacy skills. Moreover, after controlling for individual differences in IQ, and the children's performance at pre-test, textism usage was able to account for a significant amount of variance in post-test spelling scores. These results show that text messaging does not adversely affect the development of literacy skills within this age group, and that the children's use of textisms when text messaging is positively related to improvement in literacy skills, especially spelling.
Inactivation mechanisms of lactic acid starter cultures preserved by drying processes

The preservation of lactic acid starter cultures by drying are of increased interest. A further improvement of cell viability is, however, still needed, and the insight into inactivation mechanisms of the cells is a prerequisite. In this present work, we review the inactivation mechanisms of lactic acid starter cultures during drying which are not yet completely understood. Inactivation is not only induced by dehydration inactivation but also by thermal‐ and cryo‐injuries depending on the drying processes employed. The cell membrane has been reported as a major site of damage during drying or rehydration where transitions of membrane phases occur. Some drying processes, such as freeze drying or spray drying, involve subzero or very high temperatures. These physical conditions pose additional stresses to cells during the drying processes. Injuries of cells subjected to freezing temperatures may be due to the high electrolyte concentration (solution effect) or intracellular ice formation, depending on the cooling rate. High temperatures affect most essential cellular components. It is difficult to identify a critical component, although ribosomal functionality is speculated as the primary reason. The activation during storage is mainly due to membrane lipid oxidation, while the storage conditions such as temperature moisture content of the dried starter cultures are important factors.
Diagnostic accuracy of pre‐treatment biopsy for grading cutaneous mast cell tumours in dogs

Mast cell tumours (MCTs) are common tumours of the canine skin, and are estimated to represent up to 20% of all skin tumours in dogs. Tumour grade has a major impact on the incidence of local recurrence and metastatic potential. In addition to helping the clinician with surgical planning, knowledge of the tumour grade also assists in proper prognostication and client education. For pre-treatment biopsies to be useful, there must exist a high level of correlation between the histopathological grade obtained from the pre-treatment biopsy and the actual histopathological grade from the excisional biopsy. The aim of this study was to determine concordance of tumour grade between various biopsy techniques (wedge, punch, needle core) and the "gold standard" excisional biopsy method. We found an overall concordance rate of 96% based on the Patnaik grading system, and an overall concordance rate of 92% based on the Kiupel grading system. The accuracy of the various biopsy techniques (wedge, punch and needle core) when compared with excisional biopsy was 92%, 100% and 100%, respectively, based on the Patnaik grading system, and 90%, 95% and 100%, respectively, based on the Kiupel grading system. Of the cases with discordant results, the pre-treatment biopsies tended to underestimate the grade of the tumour. Based on these results, we conclude that pre-treatment biopsies are sufficiently accurate for differentiating low-grade from high-grade MCTs, regardless of biopsy technique or tumour location.
Knowledge mining by imprecise querying: a classification-based approach

Knowledge mining is the process of discovering knowledge that is hitherto unknown. An approach to knowledge mining by imprecise querying that utilizes conceptual clustering techniques is presented. The query processor has both a deductive and an inductive component. The deductive component finds precise matches in the traditional sense, and the inductive component identifies ways in which imprecise matches may be considered similar. Ranking on similarity is done by using the database taxonomy, by which similar instances become members of the same class. Relative similarity is determined by depth in the taxonomy. The conceptual clustering algorithm, its use in query processing, and an example are presented. <<ETX>>
The Pricing of the Real Earnings Management Evidence from Malaysian Stock Exchange Jehad Feras Alqerm

This study investigates the usage of real earnings management in the listed companies in the Malaysian stock market and whether this usage is informative or opportunistic from the capital market perspective. We used Roychowdhury model (2006) to estimate three measures of REM namely; price discounts, discretionary expenses, and manufacturing cost. By using a sample of the manufacturing industries for the period from 2002 – 2010, we found evidence about the opportunistic use of the REM to affect the accounting earnings. But, regarding the capital market perspective, we found that the investors are unaware of the REM and they are misled by such practices because they rely heavily on the fixed number of earnings. Thus, the findings of the study provide evidence about the managers’ tendency to use REM techniques opportunistically, but the market is unable to evaluate such practices correctly.
Improving letter-to-pronunciation accuracy with automatic morphologically-based stress prediction

Robust text-to-speech (TTS) systems require a letter-to-pronunciation module for generating the pronunciations of words missing from the system lexicon. These pronunciations must specify not only the phone sequence that corresponds to an input orthography, but also the location of lexical stress. However, letter-to-pronunciation modules that make use of a window of context letters around a target letter normally cannot “see” larger-context morphological information that is highly correlated with stress location. The present work demonstrates that by adding a new component that uses morphological information to predict which letter of a word might receive primary stress, and then using the resulting “stressed letters” as input to a decision tree stressed-letter-to-pronunciation component, improvements to both stress accuracy and phone accuracy are obtained in American English, British English, and German. Furthermore, using stressed letters as the input to the decision tree also improves phone accuracy when stress is not required in the output pronunciation, as is conventionally the case for automatic speech recognition (ASR).
Multi-sensory tourism in the Great Bear Rainforest

This article draws on images and stories generated during filming for a documentary about the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada. Specifically, I use material filmed during a trip with Spirit Bear Adventures, a First Nation-operated ecotourism venture. This journey provides rich material to rethink ‘knowing’ about the Great Bear Rainforest by reflecting on the varied experiences from the ‘sensescapes’ encountered. In this article, I discuss different, multi-sensory experiences and tourist performances in the context of hiking in the Great Bear Rainforest.
The ErbB signaling network: receptor heterodimerization in development and cancer

Cells are continuously exposed to diverse stimuli ranging from soluble endocrine and paracrine factors, to signaling molecules on neighboring cells. It is of great importance that these extracellular signals are correctly interpreted by the cell, in order to achieve an appropriate developmental or proliferative response. Receptors of the tyrosine kinase family play pivotal roles in this process. By binding to specific peptide ligands they are able to integrate these external stimuli with internal signal transduction pathways, contributing in this fashion to the ability of the cell to respond correctly to its environment. In this review, we will concentrate on the role of ErbB receptors as normal signal transducers and their contribution to the process of malignant transformation during tumor development. ErbB proteins belong to subclass I of the superfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). There are four members of the ErbB family: epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (also termed ErbB1/HER1), ErbB2/Neu/HER2, ErbB3/HER3 and ErbB4/HER4. We will refer to them, henceforth, as the ErbB receptors. All family members have in common an extracellular ligand‐binding domain, a single membrane‐spanning region and a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase domain. A family of ligands, the EGF‐related peptide growth factors, bind the extracellular domain of ErbB receptors leading to the formation of both homo‐ and heterodimers. Dimerization consequently stimulates the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity of the receptors and triggers autophosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues within the cytoplasmic domain. These phosphorylated residues serve as docking sites for signaling molecules involved in the regulation of intracellular signaling cascades. Ultimately, downstream effects on gene expression determine the biological response to receptor activation. ErbB receptors are expressed in a variety of tissues of epithelial, mesenchymal and neuronal origin, where they play fundamental roles in development, proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, deregulated expression of ErbB receptors, in particular ErbB1 and ErbB2, has …
Applying the HIPAA Nondiscrimination Rules to Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs

Applying the HIPAA Nondiscrimination Rules to Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs Employer-sponsored health and wellness programs have been studied with increasing rigor during the past several decades, and it is now generally accepted that such programs generate an excellent return on investment. For example, a review of studies (2) showed that for every dollar spent on well-designed employee health and wellness programs, there is an average savings of $4.30 on both health care costs and absenteeism. Furthermore, reduced on-thejob productivity because of health-related factors (presenteeism) tends to accrue higher expenses than direct medical care costs for many chronic conditions (6). It is evident that chronic disease (e.g., cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes) and risk factors (e.g., smoking, inactivity, and poor nutrition) significantly contribute to medical and productivity costs (3,8,11). In 2003, cardiovascular disease and stroke cost $351.8 billion inmedical and productivity costs, and in 2000, physical inactivity cost 76 billion in medical costs (12). These costs, which continue to escalate, are not only eroding corporate profits, but impacting the economy aswell.
Research on control method of three-level NPC voltage source rectifier

In this paper, the mathematical model of three-phase four-wire three-level neutral-point-clamped (NPC) voltage source rectifier (VSR) using switching functions is founded and its operating principle analyzed. Then a new nonlinear control law based on Lyapunovpsilas stability theory for the PWM rectifier is presented. With this control law, the converter can be stabilized globally for handling large-signal disturbances, and exhibit good transient response. Also, by designing new three-level sinusoidal PWM method, this paper solves effectively the problem that the neutral point potential of DC-link has triple-harmonic fluctuation resulting from existing three-level SPWM method. Computer simulations of the system confirm the validity of the mathematical model and the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Enhancing ISO/IEC 25021 quality measure elements for wider application within ISO 25000 series

This article presents an innovative approach to the determination of a core set of Quality Measure Elements (QME), and a comparative analysis aimed at enhancing applicability of ISO/I E C 25021, which are critical to the ISO/I E C 25000 SQuaRE series of standards. The research presents the methodology, allowing for moving from an outdated and extensive set of measures, to a core list of base measures, which can be further diversified through contexts of use, parameters, and considerably simplify the development of derived measures.
Electronic Customer Relationship Management (E-CRM) Practices of Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises in Ghana

This book chapter is aimed at finding out how SMEs in Ghana employ electronic customer relationship management (E-CRM) to improve their business performance.Case studies were used and five companies were selected and their managers interviewed. The study found that there is a growing awareness among SME owners about social media platforms. It also found that SME owners use such platforms for marketing and e-CRM purposes. The most reported social platforms used for e-CRM were found to be Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Regarding the effectiveness of these platforms for marketing and e-CRM, the SME owners interviewed intimated that they are fast, convenient, and cost effective marketing platforms. This study concludes that SMEs in Ghana are aware of and use mostly free internet platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for e-CRM. Specifically, SMEs use such platforms to share information with clients and build and maintain relationships.
Psychiatric phenomenology of child and adolescent bipolar offspring.

OBJECTIVE To establish prodromal signs of and risk factors for childhood bipolar disorder (BD) by characterizing youths at high risk for BD. METHOD Structured diagnostic interviews were performed on 60 biological offspring of at least one parent with BD. Demographics, family histories, and parental history of childhood disruptive behavioral disorders were also assessed. RESULTS Fifty-one percent of bipolar offspring had a psychiatric disorder, most commonly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression or dysthymia, and BD. BD in offspring tended to be associated with earlier parental symptom onset when compared with offspring without a psychiatric diagnosis. Bipolar parents with a history of childhood ADHD were more likely to have children with BD, but not ADHD. Offspring with bilineal risk had increased severity of depressed and irritable mood, lack of mood reactivity, and rejection sensitivity, while severity of grandiosity, euphoric mood, and decreased need for sleep were not preferentially associated with such offspring. CONCLUSIONS Bipolar offspring have high levels of psychopathology. Parental history of early-onset BD and/or childhood ADHD may increase the risk that their offspring will develop BD. Prodromal symptoms of childhood BD may include more subtle presentations of mood regulation difficulties and less presence of classic manic symptoms.
Impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Special Items

The enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) contributes to the increase in frequency of special items on income statements. This increase is not concentrated in special item types implicated in earnings management or restructuring activities, nor does it depend on the sign of special items. The frequency increase may result from managers and auditors becoming more diligent in recognizing special items. It is an unintended consequence of SOX that should be considered by regulators in their cost-benefit analysis for SOX.
A Real-time Navigator for the Visible Human

Adapting data transfer to network throughput enables real-time interactive Web-based navigation of large 3D anatomical data sets. This article focuses mainly on network performance and data encoding issues. We describe our implementation and the principles of slice and label extraction. Evaluating the proposed solution's performance and the server's behavior when serving multiple clients simultaneously points to several issues for further exploration.
Factors Affecting the Internet Adoption in Riyadh City

The objective of this article is to study the use of Internet in Saudi Arabia (SA) by companies and organizations. A survey covered a sample of different profit companies and non-profit organizations in Riyadh City, SA. Several descriptive statistics related to the Internet use and non-use of these companies and organizations are provided. In addition, Chi-Square tests for independence are carried out to see which factors affect the use or non-use of internet. The results showed that there is a relationship between the adoption of the Internet and the type of ownership, annual revenue, budget, size of a company, availability or unavailability of department for computer center. However, the way these factors affect the adoption and the degree of this relationship vary among these factors.
Modeling and characterization of multi-rate direct sequence CDMA system using dynamic resource allocation scheme

In this paper the resource allocation problem in multirate direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) has been discussed. A spectral efficiency maximization algorithm for a CDMA system comprising of variable bit rate (VBR) groups has been proposed here. The developed algorithm is capable to utilize the available radio resources efficiently to maximize the spectral efficiency of the system. The power of each group is dynamically controlled to minimize the cell interference thereby enhancing the system capacity. A mathematical model is also developed to estimate the effect of voice activity factor and antenna sectorization on dynamic resource allocation. The proposed model shows significant improvement in bandwidth utilization. The Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of the above model is also measured in presence of Gaussian Noise and Rayleigh fading.
Detection of actA and InlB genes in Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from women with Spontaneous abortions

Background & Objective: Assessment of the extent of the role of L. monocytogenes in human spontaneous abortions, using isolation methods and PCR analysis for the presence of actA and InlB genes. Methods and Materials: In this descriptive study, vaginal swabs were collected from 96 women with spontaneous abortions who referred to Tehrans hospitals. The samples were cultured in to Listeria specific media (PALCAM agar). Then, the Listeria genus was verified by differentiation biochemical tests, such as, hemolysis on Blood agar, Catalase and Oxidase reactions, and motility at room temperature. PCR technique was performed on all samples and detected the actA and InlB genes of L. monocytogenes. Results: In culture, 7 of 96 samples were positive for L.monocytogenes. With the PCR technique, actA and InlB genes were detected from 12 and 2 vaginal samples, respectively. Conclusions: The occurrence of pathogenic L. monocytogenes in cases of spontaneous abortions was 12.5%. It seems that the actA and InlB genes have important roles as essential virulence factors in pathogenic L.monocytogenes. The results show the PCR method is more sensitive, easier and faster than culture to detect L.monocytogenes.
MIMO Performance Gains – A Signal Processing Point of View

In order to wisely use the degrees of freedom which a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) offers, it is necessary to identify and quantify the possible gains in performance one can expect from MIMO signal processing. In this paper, we derive measures which allow to quantify the amount of antenna gain, diversity gain, and multiplexing gain of a MIMO system. It turns out that it is impossible to maximize all three gains, or any pair of two gains at the same time. The necessary trade-off between performance gains is demonstrated.