Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Market orientation and marketing management of traditional food producers in the EU

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the market orientation and the marketing management capabilities of SMEs that produce traditional food products, by identifying their critical points in marketing activities.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical framework of this analysis relates to market orientation approach. Marketing management capability was evaluated through a questionnaire using proxies to study the different stages of marketing management. The survey involved 150 firms of which 118 are SMEs producing traditional food products, located in Hungary, Belgium, and Italy. The data were collected by a self‐administered internet survey and were analysed using multivariate analyses.Findings – Cluster analysis resulted in four clusters with different marketing management capabilities. Most of the SMEs in the sample lack marketing management capabilities, even if a considerable proportion of the firms considered report good marketing capabilities that lead to a market orientation. Th.
Speech recognition of a limited vocabulary using the convolution Kernel compensation approach

This paper introduces a simple speech recognition approach based on the convolution kernel compensation (CKC). The processing method is reveal in detail and applied to a specific vocabulary of 11 Slovenian words suitable to control a wheelchair. Experimental results are compared with the outcomes of two more sophisticated approaches, i.e. dynamic time warping (DTW) and neural networks (NN). The obtained recognition rates are 67.12 % for NN, 90 % for our CKC-based method and 97.72 % for DTW.
T-IRS: textual query based image retrieval system for consumer photos

In this demonstration, we present a (quasi) real-time textual query based image retrieval system (T-IRS) for consumer photos by leveraging millions of web images and their associated rich textual descriptions (captions, categories, etc.). After a user provides a textual query (e.g., "boat"), our system automatically finds the positive web images that are related to the textual query "boat" as well as the negative web images which are irrelevant to the textual query. Based on these automatically retrieved positive and negative web images, we employ the decision stump ensemble classifier to rank personal consumer photos. To further improve the photo retrieval performance, we also develop a novel relevance feedback method, referred to as Cross-Domain Regularized Regression (CDRR), which effectively utilizes both the web images and the consumer images. Our system is inherently not limited by any predefined lexicon.
Multi-task Learning in Deep Neural Networks at EVALITA 2018

English. In this paper we describe the system used for the participation to the ABSITA, GxG, HaSpeeDe and IronITA shared tasks of the EVALITA 2018 conference. We developed a classifier that can be configured to use Bidirectional Long Short Term Memories and linear Support Vector Machines as learning algorithms. When using Bi-LSTMs we tested a multitask learning approach which learns the optimized parameters of the network exploiting simultaneously all the annotated dataset labels and a multiclassifier voting approach based on a k-fold technique. In addition, we developed generic and specific word embedding lexicons to further improve classification performances. When evaluated on the official test sets, our system ranked 1st in almost all subtasks for each shared task, showing the effectiveness of our approach. Italiano. In questo articolo descriviamo il sistema utilizzato per la partecipazione agli shared task ABSITA, GxG, HaSpeeDe ed IronITA della conferenza EVALITA 2018. Abbiamo sviluppato un sistema che utilizza come algoritmi di apprendimento sia reti di tipo Long Short Term Memory Bidirezionali (Bi-LSTM) che Support Vector Machines. Nell’utilizzo delle Bi-LSTM abbiamo testato un approccio di tipo multi task learning nel quale i parametri della rete vengono ottimizzati utilizzando contemporaneamente le annotazioni presenti nel dataset ed una strategia di classificazione a voti di tipo k-fold. Abbiamo creato word embeddings generici e specifici per ogni singolo task per migliorare ulteriormente le performance di classificazione. Il nostro sistema quando valutato sui test set ufficiali ha ottenuto il primo posto in quasi tutti i sotto task di ogni shared task affrontato, dimostrando la validità del
Differences in spatial genetic population structure between African and Asian elephant ( Loxodonta africana, Elephas maximus) as revealed by sequence analysis of the mitochondrial Cyt b gene

Tiedemann R. , Kurt F. , Haberhauer A. and Hartl G. B. 1998. Differences in spatial genetic population structure between African and Asian elephant (Loxodonta africana, Elephas maximus) as revealed by sequence analysis of the mitochondrial Cyt b gene. [In: Ecological genetics in mammals III. G. B. Hartl and J. Markowski, eds). Acta Theriologica, Suppl. 5: 123-134. To assess spatial genetic population structure of both extant elephant species, we investigated sequence variation in 369bp of the mitochondrial Cyt b gene in 23 specimens of African elephant Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach, 1797) from three regions in the Southern part of Africa. In an integrated analysis, these results were compared to data of a previous study, where the same gene region had been analysed in 53 Asian elephants Elephas maximus (Linnaeus, 1758) from 5 different regions on Sri Lanka and Asian mainland. In Loxodonta, 14 polymorphic sites defined 6 different mitochondrial haplotypes with a mean sequence divergence of 2.085%. In Elephas, 6 polymorphic sites defined 8 different haplotypes with a mean sequence divergence of 0.942%. Compared to other mammals, genetic variation is high in Loxodonta and moderate in Elephas. The difference in genetic variation among the species could be explained either by a Pliocene bottleneck in Elephas or by different long term effective population sizes. In Elephas, a star like phylogeny of haplotypes was found, indicative of a population expansion after a bottleneck. In Loxodonta, very divergent mtDNA lineages coexisted, suggesting the absence of any bottleneck in population history. Within regional subpopulations, both species showed similar mean haplotype diversities, while mean nucleotide diversity within regions was higher in Loxodonta than in Elephas. This suggest larger long-term effective population sizes in Loxodonta, while short-term effective population sizes are presumably similar in both species. Spatial genetic population structure in Loxodonta is mainly determined by isolation-by-distance, while in Elephas it is impacted by human translocation. Human translocation might have prevented isolated small Elephas populations from severe genetic depletion. Institut fur Haustierkunde, Christian-Albrechts-Universitat zu Kiel, Olshausenstrase 40, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
The effects of the cluster environment on the galaxy mass-size relation in MACS J1206.2-0847

The dense environment of galaxy clusters strongly influences the nature of galaxies. Their abundance and diversity is imprinted on the stellar-mass–size plane. Here, we study the cause of the size distribution of a sample of 560 spectroscopic members spanning a wide dynamical range down to 108.5 M (log (M)-2) in the massive CLASH cluster MACSJ1206.2-0847 at z=0.44. We use Subaru SuprimeCam imaging covering the highest-density core out to the infall regions (3 virial radii) to look for cluster-specific effects on a global scale. We also compare our measurements to a compatible large field study in order to span extreme environmental densities. This paper presents the trends we identified for cluster galaxies divided by their colors into star forming and quiescent galaxies and into distinct morphological types (using Sersic index and bulge/disk decompositions). We observed larger sizes for early-type galaxies and smaller sizes for massive late-type galaxies in clusters in comparison to the field. We attribute this to longer quenching timescales of more massive galaxies in the cluster. Our analysis further revealed an increasing importance of recently quenched transition objects (“red disks”), where the correspondence between galaxy morphology and color is out of sync. This is a virialized population with sizes similar to the quiescent, spheroid-dominated population of the cluster center, but with disks still in-tact, and found at higher cluster-centric radii. The mass-size relation of cluster galaxies may therefore be understood as the consequence of a mix of progenitors formed at different quenching epochs. We also investigate the stellar-mass–size relation as a representation of galaxy sizes smoothly decreasing as a function of bulge fraction. We find that at an identical bulge-to-total ratio and identical stellar mass, quiescent galaxies are smaller than star forming galaxies. This is likely because of a fading of the outskirts of the disk, which we saw in comparing sizes of their disk-components. Ram-pressure stripping of the cold gas and other forms of more gradual gas starvation are likely responsible for this observation.
Differential ionosphere modelling for single-reference long-baseline GPS kinematic positioning

The ionospheric effect is considered to be one of the most important error sources limiting the quality of GPS kinematic positioning. Over longer distances, differential ionospheric residuals become larger and may affect the ambiguity resolution process. We present here a Kalman-filter-based GPS ionosphere model for long-baseline kinematic applications. This observational model includes the differential ionosphere as an additional unknown factor with position coordinates and ambiguities, while the temporal correlations of the state vector are specified in the dynamic model. The temporal behaviour of ionospheric residuals is determined by the analysis of their autocorrelation function. This newly developed method was applied on a set of data collected by a roving receiver located offshore of Oran (Algeria). The results show that for baselines of about 80 km, the root mean square is at the level of a few centimetres. For tests of baselines of about 51 km, the comparison between short- and longbaseline solutions revealed that mean differences of a few millimetres and 2 cm are obtained for the horizontal coordinates and vertical component, respectively, and the standard deviation (σ) of differences on the scale of a few centimetres.
Studies on Arabidopsis ERF9 and NSL2 involved in stress responses

Title Studies on Arabidopsis ERF9 and NSL2 involved in stress responses [an abstract of dissertation and a summary of dissertation review] Author(s) 丸山, 洋介 Issue Date 2013-12-25 Doc URL http://hdl.handle. net/2115/54659 Rights(URL) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.1/jp/ Type theses (doctoral abstract and summary of review) Additional Information There are other files related to this item in HUSCAP. Check the above URL. File Information Yosuke_Maruyama_review. pdf (審査の要旨)
Evaluation of biochemical markers of oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways in major depression.

Background: Major depression is characterized by decreased antioxidant status, an induction of the oxidative and nitrosative pathways. Abnormal levels of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation further substantiate the role of free radical in major depression. The objective of this study is to evaluate & compare serum levels of oxidative stress markers and peroxidation marker and nitrosative stress pathway markers. Methodology: The study included 100 subjects consisting of 50 healthy controls and 50 newly diagnosed patients of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Informed consent and institutional ethics committee approval was taken. Serum MDA levels was compared with parameters like SOD, Uric acid, NO, Vitamin E, Vitamin C. Clinical severity was diagnosed by trained psychiatrist using 21-items Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Results: Serum MDA, NO levels were significantly (p < 0.05) increased and SOD, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Uric acid were significantly decreased in MDD patients as compared to healthy controls. There was moderate positive correlation between MDA levels and clinical severity of depression as measured by 21-items Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) score which was found to be statistically significant (r = 0.317, p value = 0.025). Conclusion: The study concluded that serum MDA, SOD, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Uric acid and NO combined together provided fairly useful index of oxidative stress and nitrosative stress pathways in MDD. Evaluation of such critical biomarkers would be useful and supportive for early diagnosis and treatment response.
Assessing the Impact of Poverty Reduction Programs in Vietnam

This paper aims to examine the poverty targeting and impacts of three poverty reeducation programs including programs ‘exemption of educational fees’, ‘provision with health care insurance’, and ‘micro-credit for the poor’ in Vietnam. It is found that the three programs have reached the poor quite well as compared to the international standard. The poor account for around 70 percent of participants in these programs. However the coverage of the programs over the poor is rather low, from 5 percent for the credit program to 11 percent for the health insurance program. There is no impact of the programs found on expenditure per capita, since it might take a long time for the programs to have large effects on income and expenditure. On average, households who were provided with preferential credit are more likely to have a pig, cow, buffalo, horse than other households.
When nurses take the lead in residential care : a qualitative study on the role of HRM frames

The growing importance of the healthcare sector and the ability of HRM to contribute to improved healthcare outcomes has received much attention in the literature. Several external factors, together with some distinctive factors for the healthcare sector create challenges that call for effective management of those working in the healthcare sector. The use of strategic human resource management to tackle these issues, leads to devolution, creating a gap between those intending and those realizing HR, and thus a possible gap between intended and realized HR practices. Several researchers have already shown that this gap exists, however, little research exists exploring the reasons for this gap. The primary objective of this study was to identify the difference between intended and realized HR practices in Dutch healthcare organizations and put forward a reason for this difference. This research argues for influence of HRM frames on the difference between intended and realized HR practices. This was done by the means of a case study in a residential care facility in the Netherlands. The findings of this study indicate a possible influence of organizational members’ perception of strategic motivation and ownership, on the success of the implementation of HR practices in residential care.
Maïdo observatory: a new high-altitude station facility at Reunion Island (21° S, 55° E) for long-term atmospheric remote sensing and in situ measurements

Abstract. Since the nineties, atmospheric measurement systems have been deployed at Reunion Island, mainly for monitoring the atmospheric composition in the framework of NDSC/NDACC (Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change/Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change). The location of Reunion Island presents a great interest because there are very few multi-instrumented stations in the tropics and particularly in the southern hemisphere. In 2012, a new observatory was commissioned in Maido at 2200 m above sea level: it hosts various instruments for atmospheric measurements, including lidar systems, spectro-radiometers and in situ gas and aerosol measurements. This new high-altitude Maido station provides an opportunity: 1. to improve the performance of the optical instruments above the marine boundary layer, and to open new perspectives on upper troposphere and lower stratosphere studies; 2. to develop in situ measurements of the atmospheric composition for climate change surveys, in a reference site in the tropical/subtropical region of the southern hemisphere; 3. to offer trans-national access to host experiments or measurement campaigns for focused process studies.
Roles of plant soluble sugars and their responses to plant cold stress

Plants can enhance freezing tolerance by gradual exposure to low temperature known as cold acclimation. Soluble sugars have been confirmed to play an important role during the process. This is based on the fact they are most commonly detected in various species of terrestrial plants that have undergone seasonal cold acclimation. Soluble sugars exert their positive effects to protect plant cells from damage caused by cold stress through many ways including serving as osmoprotectants, nutrients as well as interacting with the lipid bilayer. In addition to these functions, more focus is on their important hormone-like functions as primary messengers in signal transduction nowadays. On the other hand, higher sugar concentrations can trigger leaf senescence, which indicates that the accumulation of soluble sugars during cold acclimation might impact on plants negatively. Further study can be done to investigate the mechanisms by which soluble sugars are involved in the plants’ response to the cold signal by advanced molecular biology methodology to examine sugar-regulated gene expression under cold condition.
A DELPHI STUDY OF THE IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR BI SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS

This paper depicts the effect of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) on business intelligence (BI) system implementations in Malaysian context by applying a Delphi study. The results of this study provides insight to the most important CSFS which assist the Malaysian public sector organizations to organize their resources through understanding those CSFs that are most likely to have an impact upon the implementation of the BI system. The modified Delphi study was selected to conduct this study. Result of first round of Delphi study revealed that the user access is insignificant factor for the success of BI system implementation. Moreover, overall finding of Delphi study highlighted the continuous management support, scalable and flexible system, BI team skill, resource allocation, organization culture, and coordination between IT and business units as most important CSFs for implementation of BI system.
Anti-atherogenic properties of a functional herbal mixture

In this work, anti-atherogenic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of a herbal mixture, rich in polyphenols, and composed of 35% of buckthorn bark (Frangulae cortex), 20% of mint leaves (Menthae piperita folium), 20% of caraway fruit (Carvi fructus) and 25% of parsley fruit (Petroselinum fructus) were studied by monitoring biochemical parameters in experimental animals. Experimental animals (Wistar rats) were subjected to five different feeding regimes. Plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, cholesterol bound to high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and cholesterol linked to low-density lipoproteins (LDL) were monitored in different time periods. The feces of experimental animals was analysed for seven bile acids, as well as for total cholesterol. Simultaneously, the activities of alanine aminotranferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. The introduction of herbal mixture into fatty food did not have significant influence on enzyme activities; however, the effect on induced hyperlipidemia was significant. Total atherogenic index was reduced by 43.3%, whereas total cholesterol and cholesterol bound to low density lipoproteins were reduced by 18.2% and 18.8%, respecti-vely. Total bile acids concentrations dropped by 13.2%, whereas cholesterol was reduced by 33%. Anti-atherogenic on catechin, anthocyanins and anti-atherogenic effects of diet enriched with of and were studied by monitoring plasma levels of total cholesterol, cholesterol bound to low and high-density lipoproteins, atherogenic index and activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in experimental animals.
Natural hydrous amorphous silica: Quantitation of network speciation and hydroxyl content by 29Si MAS NMR and vibrational spectroscopy

Abstract Natural and synthetic hydrous amorphous silicas were investigated with single-pulse 29Si magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR and with vibrational spectroscopic methods. Samples included a volcanically derived silica coating on young basalt from Kilauea, Hawaii, as well as hyalite (opal-AN), silica sinters, and synthetic silica gels and silicic acid. Pulse delays of up to an hour were employed for silica samples with slow spin lattice relaxation rates, and nearly fully relaxed spectra (90-100%) were demonstrably achieved for all samples. 29Si NMR spectra consisted of two broad, overlapping peaks at -111 and -102 ppm and a smaller peak at -92 ppm, corresponding to Q4, Q3, and Q2 sites, respectively. The Hawaiian silica coating and silicic acid samples displayed high Q3 and Q2 contents; in particular, the structural Si-OH content of the coating was unusually high for a natural silica (5.4 ± 0.4 wt% H2O). Saturation-recovery spectra of the Hawaiian silica with increasing delay times were consistent with “stretched exponential” relaxation behavior and three-dimensional distribution of paramagnetic centers. Attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) and Raman spectra of the silica powders indicated fully amorphous structures, and displayed hydrous (SiO3OH) and anhydrous silicate vibrational bands in positions consistent with previous work. Raman spectra of some samples indicated modest grain to grain heterogeneity. Inferred Si-OH contents from ATR-IR band ratios were strongly correlated with hydroxyl contents calculated from NMR spectra. The high Si-OH content of the Hawaiian silica coating suggests it is diagenetically immature and has not been exposed to elevated temperatures.
Taxation of financial intermediation : measurement principles and application to five African countries

The purpose of this study is to set out a practical method for analyzing how inflation, interest ceilings, reserve requirements and like impositions have had tax-like effects and how they can be compared with explicit taxes. Using this method estimates of the varying magnitudes of the total taxation of financial intermediation in five African economies during recent years are computed. The paper explores the macroeconomic and fiscal dynamics which have contributed to the use of heavy taxation on the financial sector in certain countries and for certain periods. The likely impact of these taxes on efficiency is also examined.
A Multicore Architecture Focused on Accelerating Computer Vision Computations

This paper deals with accelerating computer vision computations using a specialized multicore architecture. Computer vision is one of the fastest-evolving segments of computer science. Even though computer vision uses time-consuming methods, the processing can be accelerated using specialized multicore processor architectures. Single- core processors are a legacy, since they have reached their physical limits. The way to go is to use multicore architectures, which can be also used to accelerate computations in specialized areas such as computer vision. This paper describes a specialized multicore architecture that can be used to accelerate time-consuming calculations in the field of computer vision. The architecture proposed in this paper belongs to the Harvard architecture family.