Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stereotypic behavior in Asiatic black and Malayan sun bears

The stereotypies of individually caged Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) and Malayan sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) were studied in detail. Stereotypies were performed by 27 of the 29 subjects, were primarily locomotory in form (e.g., pacing), and occupied on average 18% (standard error of the mean (SEM)=2.5) of daylight hours. Stereotypy levels during the night were almost negligible and were highly correlated with daytime levels. Total stereotypies peaked prior to food arrival, although oral stereotypies were most frequent after feeding. In general, stereotypies were performed in locations from which food arrival could be viewed, although Asiatic black bears were equally likely to exhibit stereotypy near a neighboring bear. Across individuals, stereotypy frequency was inversely correlated with inactivity and increased with age. Older bears also showed less normal activity and a reduced diversity of normal behavior. Stereotypy levels were unrelated to levels of “compulsive” behavior (e.g., hair plucking) or repetitive self-sucking–a potential deprivation stereotypy. More frequent stereotypies were performed more invariantly (i.e., were more predictable from one repetition to the next) and in more diverse contexts, namely 1) outside the pre-feeding period, and 2) during the night. Contrary to observations reported elsewhere, higher frequencies of stereotypy were not associated with reduced behavioral diversity, or with a more elaborate repertoire of stereotypy forms and sequences. Although the two species did not differ in overall frequency, the stereotypies of sun bears appeared to be more food-motivated than those of Asiatic black bears: the sun bears displayed a higher frequency and diversity of oral stereotypies, and higher levels of pre-feeding stereotypy, and performed significantly more of their total stereotypies in locations from which they could view food arrival. This study demonstrates how analyzing stereotypies in detail can help identify the motivations that underlie these behaviors, and potentially reveal their degree of establishment–both of which are important factors in stereotypy treatment. Zoo Biol 23:409–430, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Towards a universal definition of competitive intelligence

Copyright: © 2013. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Background: Enterprises face intense competition caused by globalisation. Consequently, enterprises look for tools that provide a competitive advantage. Competitive intelligence (CI) provides a competitive advantage to enterprises of all sizes. There are many definitions of CI but no universally accepted one.
Design and Synthesis of Nano-Sized Polymer Stabilized Hybrid Materials Based on Iron Oxide and Silver Nanoparticles and their Antifungal activity

The high level of resistance of yeast species of the genus Candida to antifungal agents used in the practice, defines the scientific interest to investigate the antifungal properties of newly synthesized hybrid materials. The research is directed to find a viable alternative for the treatment of infections caused by the highly resistant Candida species. The tested in the experiments nano-sized bimetallic polymer stabilized hibrid materials based on iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (γFe2O3/AgNps/PVA), were characterized by different techniques and for the first time tested onto six clinical Candida strains with a predetermined resistance to different antimycotics. The results showed the presence of very strong antifungal activity.
People's knowledge, Attitude, and Self-efficacy towards Preventive Nutritional Behaviors of Cardiovascular Diseases

This paper should be cited as: Rad Merikhi S, Ahmadi Tabatabaei V, Jahani Y, Rajizadeh A, Mohseni M. People's knowledge, Attitude, and Self-efficacy towards Preventive Nutritional Behaviors of Cardiovascular Disease. Journal of Nutrition and Food Security (JNFS), 2017; 2 (4): 279-287. People's knowledge, Attitude, and Self-efficacy towards Preventive Nutritional Behaviors of Cardiovascular Diseases
Uses and Gratifications of Online Communities in Japan

In recent years, a variety of online communities have gained popularity among internet users. In order to understand the motives behind using online communities, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Tokyo in 2005 (N = 455). A factor analysis of 21 statements regarding motives for visiting online communities found that four-factor models accounted for 67% of the variance. The four factors included self-disclosure, socializing, information seeking, and entertainment. The first dimension, i.e., the self-disclosure motive, was significantly and negatively correlated with age. These motives are conceptualized along two dimensions, namely, ritualized/instrumental and information/relationship dimensions. The self-disclosure motive is a ritualized and relationship-oriented motive, which has not been systematically discussed in previous studies. Results indicate that this motive was significantly correlated with positive attitudes toward virtual relationships and was especially associated with the use of social networking services. The theoretical meanings of this newfound motive were also discussed.
Learning from engineering changes - operationalizing knowledge management at GKN Aerospace

This master’s thesis has investigated how the engineering change and product development processes can be utilized in order to increase learning between both the manufacturing and product development departments as well as between projects. GKN Aerospace Sweden has experienced insufficient learning between manufacturing and product development, which contributes to issues in its robustness and manufacturability of products. This partly takes its form in a large amount of engineering changes. The engineering changes do, however, provide a channel for feedback from manufacturing to product development, that could be utilized to improve inter-project and inter-functional learning. A knowledge management framework has been developed based on a literature review, that highlights important factors to take into account when developing knowledge management initiatives. Based on the framework, interviews and a focus group, a process model has been developed that utilizes the engineering change and product development processes in order to operationalize learning at GKN Aerospace Sweden. The knowledge management framework and the process model can work as enablers for knowledge management and lessons learned at GKN Aerospace Sweden, which through an increased learning can increase its robustness and manufacturability. The process model could in the long term be applied to several similar processes, enabling even further knowledge transfer. As future work, the organization should conduct a quantitative, longitudinal study that measures and investigates the outcome of working more consciously with knowledge management and lessons learned. Furthermore, the organization should investigate how its knowledge management system can be optimized to increase user friendliness and searchability.
Credibility of online reviews and initial online trust in hotel services: the roles of similarity and review quality

As a new type of word-of-mouth media, online hotel review sites have a significant role in travelers’ decision making. Despite of growing popularity and adoption among travelers, online reviews are often questioned for their credibility. The purpose of this study is to investigate how review quality and perceived similarity affect travelers’ perception of credibility of the reviews and their initial trust in the hotel being reviewed. A survey involving 430 real travelers from 16 countries was conducted in popular tourist destination. Results confirm that (1) review quality affects credibility and initial trust in hotel services; (2) similarity affects credibility and initial trust in hotel services; (3) credibility of online reviews affects initial trust in hotel services.
TNFAIP8 protein expression in pancreatic associated diseases and its effect on the apoptosis and invasion of human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells

Objective: To observe the expression in tissue of pancreatic related diseases, and to investigate the effect of TNFAIP8 on the apoptosis and invasion of pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cell. Methods: RT-PCR method for detection of TNFAIP8 expression in normal pancreatic tissue, pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer tissues; electroporation transfection method of transfecting TNFAIP8 siRNA into PANC-1 cells, Western blot method for the expression of TNFAIP8 in PANC-1 cells after TNFAIP8 siRNA transfected; flow cytometry and Transwell to detect the apoptosis and invasion ability changes of PANC-1 cells after silencing TNFAIP8. Results: The expression level of TNFAIP8 in pancreatic cancer tissues was (2.83 ± 0.38), which was significantly higher than that of normal pancreatic tissue (0.98 ± 0.12) and pancreatitis (1.26 ± 0.28) (P<0.01); after using RNA interference method to silence TNFAIP8 expression level in PANC-1 cells of pancreatic cancer, apoptosis level of PANC-1 cell increased from (5.83 ± 1.54%) to (28.92 ± 6.29%) (P<0.01), and the invasive ability of PANC-1 cells was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Conclusion: High expression of TNFAIP8 in pancreatic cancer tissues may promote the invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cell and inhibit the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells, involving in the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer.
Simultaneous Detection and Tracking of Pedestrian from Panoramic Laser Scanning Data

Abstract. Pedestrian traffic flow estimation is essential for public place design and construction planning. Traditional data collection by human investigation is tedious, inefficient and expensive. Panoramic laser scanners, e.g. Velodyne HDL-64E, which scan surroundings repetitively at a high frequency, have been increasingly used for 3D object tracking. In this paper, a simultaneous detection and tracking (SDAT) method is proposed for precise and automatic pedestrian trajectory recovery. First, the dynamic environment is detected using two different methods, Nearest-point and Max-distance. Then, all the points on moving objects are transferred into a space-time (x, y, t) coordinate system. The pedestrian detection and tracking amounts to assign the points belonging to pedestrians into continuous trajectories in space-time. We formulate the point assignment task as an energy function which incorporates the point evidence, trajectory number, pedestrian shape and motion. A low energy trajectory will well explain the point observations, and have plausible trajectory trend and length. The method inherently filters out points from other moving objects and false detections. The energy function is solved by a two-step optimization process: tracklet detection in a short temporal window; and global tracklet association through the whole time span. Results demonstrate that the proposed method can automatically recover the pedestrians trajectories with accurate positions and low false detections and mismatches.
Complex Nature of Neural Tube Defects: A Regional Experience

Objective: The underlying gene-environment interaction of fetal neural tube defects is affected by several factors including geography, ethnicity and time. Local features of fetal neural tube defects were described.Study Design: A prospective cohort study of 48 fetal neural tube defects in a single tertiary medical center at the northwestern region of Turkey (2013-2015) was done via ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), conventional karyotyping, maternal methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.677C>T (rs1801133) single-nucleotide polymorphism and maternal serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B12 and zinc. For comparison of means, a Student’s T-Test was used.Results: The prevalence of neural tube defects was 11.4 per 10000 births (48/42000) in northwestern Turkey. The defects on the cranium (n=23; 47.9%) and spine (n=25; 52.1%) were ultrasonographically detected. MRI did not give additional benefit over the ultrasonography. The ratio of associated anomalies in neural tube defect group was 25%. Two fetal neural tube defects with Down syndrome were remarkable. The rate of homozygous methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase c.677C > T SNPs among the mothers of neural tube defect fetuses (n=20) was 15%. Comparing with gestationally matched healthy pregnancies, although maternal BMIs and periconceptional folate intake of neural tube defect group were significantly different, maternal serum folic acid, vitamin B12 and zinc levels were similar.Conclusion: The northwestern region appeared to be a relatively low prevalence area of Turkey for fetal neural tube defects. Any association with maternal serum folic acid, vitamin B12 and zinc levels could not be shown in this region.
Performance and Cost Evaluation of Query Plans from the Student Database Using Specific G.A. Technique

Many educational institutions in India have already established online teaching and learning methodologies with different capabilities and approaches. After inspired from foreign universities, they have successfully adopted the learning online network with computer assisted personalized approaches. Usually, two kinds of large data sets are involved with the system, e.g. educational resources such as web pages, demonstrations, simulations, and individualized problems designed for use on homework assignments, and information about users who create, modify, assess, or use these resources. Genetic Algorithms (GAs) may be implemented as an effective tool to use in pattern recognition. The important aspect of GAs in a learning context is their use in pattern recognition. There are two different approaches for application of GA in pattern recognition. First of all apply a GA directly as a classifier. In this case G.A. may be applied to find the decision boundary in N dimensional feature space. Then use a GA as an optimization tool for resetting the parameters in other classifiers. Most applications of GAs in pattern recognition optimize some parameters in the classification process. In many applications of GAs, feature selection has been used. GAs has also been applied to find an optimal set of feature weights which improve classification accuracy. In this paper, it is intended to use a GA to optimize a combination of classifiers. The objective is to predict the students’ semester grades of a reputed Engineering college of India based on some acquired features. It is also intended to evaluate the size of each chromosome, e.g. student level at each query level as well as cost of query plans which may be associated with the student level. The objective is also aimed to evaluate the performance of the queries as well as query plans associated with the student database.
Forecast errors and the macroeconomy — a non-linear relationship?

The paper analyses reasons for departures from strong rationality of growth and inflation forecasts based on annual observations from 1963 to 2004. We rely on forecasts from the joint forecast of the so-called "six leading" forecasting institutions in Germany and argue that violations of the rationality hypothesis are due to relatively few large forecast errors. These large errors are shown - based on evidence from probit models - to correlate with macroeconomic fundamentals, especially on monetary factors. We test for a non-linear relation between forecast errors and macroeconomic fundamentals and find evidence for such a non-linearity for inflation forecasts.
Slab stiffness control of trench motion: Insights from numerical models

Subduction zones are not static features, but trenches retreat (roll back) or advance. Here, we investigate the dominant dynamic controls on trench migration by means of two‐ and three‐dimensional numerical modeling of subduction. This investigation has been carried out by systematically varying the geometrical and rheological model parameters. Our viscoplastic models illustrate that advancing style subduction is promoted by a thick plate, a large viscosity ratio between plate and mantle, and a small density contrast between plate and mantle or an intermediate width (w ∼ 1300 km). Advancing slabs dissipate ∼45% to ∼50% of the energy in the system. Thin plates with relatively low viscosity or relatively high density, or wide slabs (w ∼ 2300 km), on the other hand, promote subduction in the retreating style (i.e., slab roll‐back). The energy dissipated by a retreating slab is ∼35% to ∼40% of the total dissipated energy. Most of the energy dissipation occurs in the mantle to accommodate the slab motion, whereas the lithosphere dissipates the remaining part to bend and “unbend. ” With a simple scaling law we illustrate that this complex combination of model parameters influencing trench migration can be reduced to a single one: plate stiffness. Stiffer slabs cause the trench to advance, whereas more flexible slabs lead to trench retreat. The reason for this is that all slabs will bend into the subduction zone because of their low plastic strength near the surface, but stiff slabs have more difficulty “unbending” at depth, when arriving at the 660‐km discontinuity. Those bent slabs tend to cause the trench to advance. In a similar way, variation of the viscoplasticity parameters in the plate may change the style of subduction: a low value of friction coefficient weakens the plate and results in a retreating style, while higher values strengthen the plate and promote the advancing subduction style. Given the fact that also on Earth the oldest (and therefore probably stiffest) plates have the fastest advancing trenches, we hypothesize that the ability of slabs to unbend after subduction forms the dominant control on trench migration.
‘You Can’t Take It Personally’: Emotion Management as Part of the Professional Nurse’s Role

This study looks into the culture of nursing professionals in the present-day Czech health-care system at a time of personal, generational, and educational transitions (reforms), which have driven a change of organisa- tional-cultural means in the relationship between two key professions: doc- tors and nurses. The article presents the results of a biographical study of nurses, paying detailed attention to their emotional labour in cooperation with doctors in accident and emergency ward settings. The study draws on the concept of organisational culture in practice/action, on a Goffmanian and Garfi nkelian ethnomethodology of scripts of interaction (rules, norms) in or- der to reconstruct the feeling rules that govern a nurse's emotional display and her role in cooperating with doctors. The article stresses the importance of emotion management as a substantial part of the gendered professional identities of health-care workers and discusses the situations when nurses' subordinate status requires a kind of stressful emotion management to keep the doctor-nurse professional relationship intact, which is not required from doctors. The study also presents a variety of coping strategies or practices normalising these morally questionable feeling rules and norms, which guide action as an integral part of the ordinary practices of the social organisation of the nurse's occupation in hospital settings.
Trade-off between Inflation, Interest and Unemployment Rate of Pakistan: Revisited

This study analyses the interrelationship of unemployment rate, interest rate and inflation rate in Pakistan over the period from 1974 to 2013. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model has been employed to find co-integration among variables of the models. Vector Error-Correction model is utilized for analysing short run dynamics of the models. The results do not provide significance trade-off between unemployment rate and inflation rate. Trade off exists in interest rate analysis over short run with inflation rate and unemployment rate. The empirical results show population growth and exchange rate have negative whereas external debt plays a positive role in determining unemployment rate in Pakistan. Money supply is revealed as major cause of inflation while exchange rate and imports have contributed negatively in inflation. The rate of interest has positive impact on domestic credit to private sector whereas it is negatively related to exchange rate.
Numerical Study on Wall Temperature and Surface Heat Flux Natural Convection Equations Arising in Porous Media by Rational Legendre Collocation Approach

In this paper, a new powerful approach, called rational Legendre collocation method (RLC) is used to obtain the solution for nonlinear ordinary deferential equations that often appear in boundary layers problems arising in heat transfer. These kinds of the equations contain infinity boundary condition. The main objective is to reduce the solution of the problem to a solution of a system of algebraic equations, which do not require linearization and imposing the asymptotic condition transforming and physically unrealistic as- sumptions. Numerical results are compared with those of other methods, showing that the collocation method leads to more accurate results.
MICROBIAL UTILIZATION OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC M A T T E R L E A C H E D F R O M RIPARIAN TREE SPECIES OF DIFFERENT SERAL STAGES by

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) leached from five coastal forest litterfall types. Red alder, vine maple, western red cedar, western hemlock and Douglas-fir, were studied to assess their D O M chemistry and relative ability to support growth of heterotrophic, stream bacteria. Bacterial growth was measured using [ H] leucine incorporated into protein over 24 hours of exposure to nutrient-amended leachates. Bacterial growth was greatest in deciduous and western red cedar leachates when controlling for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. The bacterial growth rates on most leachate types were greatest after one hour, then declined in a negative exponential pattern. The D O M less than 10 000 nmw supported lower bacterial growth rates than D O M from whole leachates on a per mg DOC basis. The D O M carbon to nitrogen atomic ratio was the best predictor of bacterial growth (r = 0.84). A seven day leaching experiment revealed that DOC release from western hemlock needles increased linearly while the majority of red alder and western red cedar DOC was released after one or two days, respectively. The patterns recorded in stream D O M quantity and quality indicated that riparian vegetation type may directly influence stream D O M chemistry. Through successional changes in tree species composition, riparian forests can influence the stream microbial productivity based on the changes in dissolved organic matter.
How Relevant Are Academic Degrees In The Workplace

Education expenditure is vital to most economies. Many countries aim to allocate the largest share of their national budget to education with the hope of obtaining high returns. Lately, unemployment among the youth with degrees has been soaring in developing economies such as Botswana. In addition, many successful young entrepreneurs have made a living using their own talents without college training. This raise eyebrows and makes one think- how relevant are academic degrees in the workplace? This paper evaluates how contributive a college degree is in the workplace and if it is still necessary to invest in education. This paper is structured as follows. Firstly, an examination of the importance of a university degree in the workplace is discussed. This will be followed by reasons why a college degree is not critical in the work environment. Lastly, a conclusion of the research follows with implications and recommendations.