Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SERVQUAL scale for quality measurement: a case study in a company of public transport

Various services provided throughout the country in recent years, generated skilled jobs, increased internal and external competitiveness and accelerate innovation. It has expanded customer choice, preferring companies that offer differentiated services that meet their needs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish a measurement of services using SERVQUAL, and five dimensions of quality. It is evident in the public transport company, factors that must improve more efficiently and effectively what customers need and expect of the services received. The methodology was characterized as descriptive as it described the quality and measurement of SERVQUAL guidelines, when dealing with a case study because it involves a single company. In the analysis of results, it was used descriptive statistics and SERVQUAL scale with five dimensions of quality, taking into account the importance of each issue. The issue that stood out was the guarantee, reaching the ideal quality, both in expectancy and experience. It is suggested for future studies, management for an implementation project of the SERVQUAL methodology for continuous measurement of quality enterprise.
A retrospective analysis of a large case series investigating a novel non-incisional periodontal therapy

Chronic periodontitis is a prevalent condition, affecting nearly half of the adult US population aged 30 years or older. When left untreated, the condition can lead to debilitating tooth loss. While there are well established therapies for all degrees of disease, many are expensive and out of reach to those who lack access to care for medical, socio-economic, or geographic reasons. Scaling and root planing (SC/RP) is the recognized first level of care for periodontally affected teeth, but its overall efficacy is limited to about 1 mm of pocket depth reduction even with the introduction of antibiotic co-therapy. The next level of care requires more invasive surgical approaches and requires practitioners with surgical skills, thus added expense for the patient. The typical open surgical flap approaches will also expose the patient to associated risks and morbidities. To address the need for a minimally invasive approach to periodontal defect treatment with greater potential to reduce pocket depth than SC/RP, a novel nonsurgical approach was developed in a private practice setting. The approach avoids the formation of traditional flaps for access and instead uses adaptations of standard instrumentation for non-incisional debridement of the periodontal pocket lining and preparation of the root surface. This report is a dental chart review, a retrospective analysis of the 3 to 6-month post-treatment outcomes for 221 patients treated by the procedure in this private practice. While the data available was limited to “real world” clinical information available in the patient records, they do provide evidence that this procedure has the potential to address periodontal defects in a meaningful way with a mean pocket depth (PD) reduction of 3.44 ± 1.09 mm and with 75% of the treated sites having a final PD of 4 mm or less. Key words: Periodontology, therapy, nonsurgical.
Science Communication Models for Agricultural Transformation in Uganda

This paper focuses on the models of science communication used to promote and support use of agricultural research outputs in Uganda. It also explores quasi-novel approaches of making agricultural research more visible to end-users through strategic communications and extension models that are hoped to increase adoption rates in Uganda. Surveys, literature review and key informants were used to evaluate the communication efforts by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) - the apex body for agriculture research in Uganda. The findings indicated that 31% of respondents perceived NARO as a source of poor products and services. This has resulted in distrust, which is largely attributed to use of ineffective models of communication used in the past. Different approaches of communication and extension are proposed as flagship models that can be implemented through NARO’s projects, private extension partners and, in some cases, through partnership with the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS). These communication and outreach strategies can improve understanding of the technologies, and consequently influence adoption of NARO technologies for improvement of the agricultural sector.Keywords: Agricultural research, Extension, NARO Uganda, Outreach
LOCATION-DEPENDENT DATA CACHING WITH HANDOVER AND REPLACEMENT FOR MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS

Over the last few years, the field of wireless ad hoc networks has attracted tremendous interest from the research community. The ultimate goal of setting up a network is to exchange information. However, it is a challenging task to maintain data accessibility due to physical constraints of ad hoc networks. In this thesis, we propose some location-dependent data caching algorithms to increase data accessibility in mobile ad hoc networks. Location-dependent data handover and replacement schemes are proposed to maintain and further improve the performance of proposed caching schemes. Most of previous work used only Random Waypoint mobility model. In this thesis, Random Direction, Gauss Markov, Manhattan Grid and RPGM are also included. The impact of memory size, the request generating time, the maximum moving speed of mobile nodes on data accessibility is verified. The energy consumption is also examined.
Patch-based pose invariant face feature classification

Real world face recognition systems are now successfully developed to recognise faces in frontal view. One of the most challenging tasks facing state-of-the-art face recognition algorithms is how to handle variations caused by the direction of the face image in terms of angles, that are between the probe and the gallery images. This research work treats the problem caused by variations in pose as a classification problem. We conduct face classification on the FERET database. Firstly, we extract the SIFT features at different scale spaces (σ); by extracting these features at different levels will help us determine which values of (σ) give a better representation of our data. Secondly, we train these features using four machine-learning algorithms: k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), decision trees and neural network pattern recognition. The experiments demonstrate that by increasing the blur (σ) parameter, the classification rate decreases.
The solar Mg abundance from strong spectral lines in the infrared

This project aims to determine the solar Mg abundance with two infrared spectral lines: Mg I λ10811 and λ10965. Downloaded line data from VALD are updated with modern values for the oscillator strengths and van der Waals damping parameters, the latter obtained through ABO theory. Utilizing SME, the Mg abundances of synthetic spectra are fitted with respect to a solar atlas. The derived abundance for varied turbulence configurations is found to be between log AMg + 12 = 7.40–7.52, which is slightly lower than meteoric and 3D-modeled values. Suggested improvements would be to consider the effects of NLTE and line blending.
Understanding buckwheat allergies for the management of allergic reactions in humans and animals

Buckwheat allergy is an immediate hypersensitivity reaction that includes anaphylaxis mediated by specific IgE antibodies. Several IgE-binding proteins in common buckwheat have been reported to be possible clinically relevant buckwheat allergens. Although common buckwheat is popularly consumed in Asia, buckwheat allergy is becoming a serious problem not only in Asia but also in Europe. In addition, common buckwheat has also been found to be a causative agent of allergic symptoms in animals. In recent years, in addition to conventional food allergy testing methods, the development of component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) has improved the diagnostic accuracy of food allergy. The identification of allergens is essential for the construction of CRD. In this review, we introduce the different types of buckwheat allergens and discuss how each buckwheat allergen contributes to the diagnosis of buckwheat allergy. We also present the analysis of buckwheat allergen that will help reduce the allergenicity of common buckwheat and reduce buckwheat allergen molecules. These findings may be beneficial in overcoming buckwheat allergies in humans and animals.
Application of Nursing Quality Index Management in Reducing Tun-neled-Cuffed Hemodialysis Catheter

Objective: To explore how the nursing quality management reduces the infection of tunneled-cuffed hemodia-lysis catheter (TCC). Methods: The TCC infection rate from January 1st to December 31st was used as the baseline data, and the TCC infection rate from January 2014 to December 2017 was used for annual comparison. Through the nursing quality index management mode, the TCC infection rate was compared quarterly, annually and year by year by taking the measures of joint wards checking, optimizing nursing process, analyzing the root cause of infection cases and formulating countermeasures. Results: The number of TCC patients and indwelling catheter days increased year by year from 2013 to 2017, but the rate of TCC infection decreased year by year. Conclusion: The nursing quality index management can effectively reduce the inci¬dence of TCC infection.
What are the Benefits to Flexible Regulatory Mechanisms? Evidence from the Electricity Market

Theory often shows that more flexible industry regulation should increase welfare relative to rigid regulation. However, quantifying the economic benefits to such flexibility is difficult. We take advantage of the exogenous change in the price of natural gas between 2005 and 2011 resulting from technological innovations in extractive industries like hydraulic fracturing to identify the benefits of regulatory flexibility in the electricity sector. We model an electricity purchasers’ (e.g., utilities) problem in the face of load uncertainty when given the regulatory flexibility to purchase electricity from multiple markets: both the day ahead and real time markets. The model predicts that changes in the cost of supplying electricity on the real time market should lead to predictable changes in the fraction of quantity purchased on the real time market. We estimate the date of the structural break in natural gas prices using a Markov Switching Model. Using data from the PJM wholesale electricity market, we test the model’s prediction across the high natural gas price versus low natural gas price regime. We find behavior consistent with the model. We estimate cost savings from this flexible regulatory structure are around $1.2 billion/year within PJM. JEL Classification: Q4, Q5, D8
The Interplay Between Student Loans and Credit Card Debt: Implications for Default in the Recent Crisis∗

We theoretically and quantitatively analyze the interactions between two different forms of unsecured credit and their implications for default behavior of young U.S. households. One type of credit mimics credit cards in the U.S. and the default option resembles a bankruptcy filing under Chapter 7 and the other type of credit mimics student loans in the U.S. and the default option resembles Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In the credit card market financial intermediary offers a menu of interest rates based on individual default risk, which accounts for borrowing and repayment behavior in both markets. In the student loan market the government sets the interest rate and chooses a wage garnishment to pay for the cost associated with default. We prove the existence of a steady-state equilibrium and characterize the circumstances under which a household defaults on each of these loans. We demonstrate that the institutional differences between the two markets make borrowers prefer default on student loans rather than on credit card debt. Our quantitative analysis shows that the increase in student loan debt together with the expansion of the credit card market fully explain the increase in the default rate for student loans in recent normal years (2004-2007). Worse labor outcomes for young borrowers during the recent crisis (20082009) significantly amplified student loan default, whereas credit card market contraction during this period helped reduced this effect. At the same time, the accumulation of student loan debt did not affect much the default risk in the credit card market during normal times, but significantly increased it during the crisis. An income contingent repayment plan on student loans completely eliminates the default risk in the credit card market and induces important redistribution effects. This policy is beneficial (in a welfare improving sense) during crisis years but not during normal times. JEL Codes: D91; I22; G19;
In search of the myth in multicultural website design: the case of English university website versions in the British, the American and the Greek locale

Barthes (1957) has argued that the two orders of signification, namely denotation and connotation, combine to produce a myth which usually remains unobserved as it is very often taken for granted. Myths traverse various aspects of life in western societies and become evident in different forms of communication. In the present article we will attempt to investigate the ideology behind university website design through the comparative study of British and American website macrostructure with Greek websites translated into English. The present research is expected to shed some light on the unexplored area of university website design as semiosis and highlight possible points of convergence or divergence regarding education ideology in original English and translated (into English) Greek university websites.
Functional properties of yellow passion fruit bark (Passiflora edulis) in metabolic syndrome

This study aimed to review the literature on the effect of yellow passion fruit bark flour (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) on the metabolic disorders that make up the metabolic syndrome. It is a systematic review, carried out through a bibliographic survey of studies published between 2005 and 2017, indexed in the IBECS, PubMed, CisSaúde, Cochrame, MedCarib, Lilacs, Medline and SciELO databases, as well as in Google Scholar, theses and dissertations databases. The selected studies evaluated the effect of yellow passion fruit bark (P. edulis) on metabolic syndrome parameters. Experimental studies have demonstrated disagreement regarding the hypoglycemic effect and hypotensive effect. In healthy human studies, supplementation with 30 grams of the P. edulis bark flour showed efficiency in glycemic and lipid reduction for LDL and total cholesterol, without toxicity. In studies with people with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects have also been demonstrated. However, there is still a shortage of publications on the use of P. edulis bark for the treatment of metabolic disorders, and a methodological standardization is necessary to enable its recommendation in clinical practice.
Acceptance of SNW amongst Students-An Application of Theory of Diffusion of Innovation

Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) is a theory of how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures. This study tested the attributes of DOI empirically, using Social networking websites (SNW) as the target innovation. The study was conducted among students of the Post Graduate in New Delhi. The population comprised of people already connected to one social networking site or the other. Data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire administered to 1200 respondents of which 1020 were returned giving 85% return rate. Principal Factor Analysis and Multiple Regression were the analytical techniques used. From the factor analysis performed, it was revealed the constructs: relative advantage, and complexity, of SNW positively affect the attitude towards using the technology while the compatibility, observability and trialability of SNW does not positively affect the attitude towards using the technology. The study concluded that the attitude of students towards SNW does not positively affect the intention to use the technology.
ICT to Enhance The Triangle of Life: A Case Study

This paper reports on the outcomes of an ICT enabled social sustainability project “Green Lanka 1 ” trialled in the Wilgamuwa village, which is situated in the Dambulla district of Sri Lanka. The main goals of the project were focused towards the provision of information about market prices, transportation options, agricultural decision support and modern agriculture practices of the farmer communities to improve their livelihood with the effective use of technologies. The project used Web and Mobile (SMS) enabled systems. The Green Lanka project was sponsored by the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka under the Institutional Capacity Building Programme (ICBP) grant scheme which was sponsored by the World Bank. Six hundred families in Wilgamuwa village participated in the project activities. The project was designed, executed and studied through an Action Research approach. The lessons learned through the project activities provide an important understanding of the complex interaction between different stakeholders in the process of implementation of ICT enabled solutions within digitally divided societies. The paper analyses the processes used to reduce the resistance to change and improved involvement of farmer communities in ICT enabled projects. It also analyses the interaction between stakeholders involved in design and implementation of the project activities to improve the chances of project success.
3D Surface Reconstruction From Video Sequences

This work describes a method for dense scene reconstruction from video, assuming both the external and internal calibration of camera in each frame is known. The method is modular; in the cases of the well studied subproblems, a description of the corresponding algorithms is provided, and where necessary, we present our novel techniques. The method reconstructs the scene in an iterative manner and is highly adaptable to required precision and resolution of the output. This work is accompanied by a complete open-source implementation of the method described.
Private Equity funds and their performance in the post-crisis period

The work covers the topic of private equity funds performance and attempt to identify the impact of macroeconomic conditions on the entire industry. The recent central banks’ actions put a question about the impact of changes in interest rates on the private equity funds performance. With the sample of 100 observations provided by Cambridge Associates, we identified the significant negative effect of prevailing low interest rates on the growth of private equity funds performance. We further attempt to answer the question, whether private equity funds operating in post-crisis years has on average higher growth rate, however, we could not provide the answer as we failed to reject the null, neutral effect hypothesis. Additionally, with a sample of 3092 observations provided by Bloomberg, we found that the effect of cheap debt has increased on average in the postcrisis period, predicting that the private equity performance can suffer once the interest rates rises enough. JEL Classification E44, E58, G21, G23, G24, G34
An Efficient Top-k Query Scheme Based on Multilayer Grouping

The top-k query is to find the k data that has the highest scores from a candidate dataset. Sorting is a common method to find out top-k results. However, most of existing methods are not efficient enough. To remove this issue, we propose an efficient top-k query scheme based on multilayer grouping. First, we find the reference item by computing the average score of the candidate dataset. Second, we group the candidate dataset into three datasets: winner set, middle set and loser set based on the reference item. Third, we further group the winner set to the second-layer three datasets according to k value. And so on, until the data number of winner set is close to k value. Meanwhile, if k value is larger than the data number of winner set, we directly return the winner set to the user as a part of top-k results almost without sorting. In this case, we also return the top results with the highest scores from the middle set almost without sorting. Based on above innovations, we almost minimize the sorting. Experimental results show that our scheme significantly outperforms the current classical method on the performance of memory consumption and top-k query.
Dewandaru fruit extracts (Eugenia uniflora L) reduce oxidative stress and increase Superoxide Dismutase level in excessive activity-induced rats

Background: Oxidative stress occurs when free radicals levels are higher than antioxidants levels. This can trigger cell damage which leads to various diseases such as Alzheimer, atherosclerosis, and degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and premature aging. Oxidative stress can be caused by excessive physical activities. Dewandaru fruit (Eugenia uniflora L), which contains high levels of antioxidants such as phenol, flavonoid, and anthocyanin, can prevent excessive oxidation caused by maximum physical activities. This research aims to test the activity of Dewandaru fruit extract in reducing oxidative levels. Methods: This study used purely experimental planning of posttest only control group design. Twenty-four rats were divided into four groups; control group, P1, P2, and P3. All groups were given maximal physical exercise. The P1, P2, and P3 received 50 mg/kgBW, 100 mg/kgBW, and 200 mg/kgBW of n-butanol extract of Dewandaru fruit respectively. Measurement of Malondialdehyde (MDA), F2isoprostane, 8-OHdG, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) with ELISA was used to determine the level of oxidative stress. Result: The levels of MDA, F2-isoprostane, and 8-OHdG were higher in control group when compared to the treatment group; a higher dose of the extract resulted in lower MDA, F2-isoprostane, and 8OHdG levels (p = 0.001). While the level of SOD was lower in the control group when compared to the treatment group; a higher dose of the extract resulted in a lower SOD level (p = 0.001). Conclusion: N-butanol extracts of Dewandaru fruit at a dose of 50 mg/kgBW, 100 mg/kgBW, and 200 mg/kgBW significantly reduce MDA, Isoprostane, 8-OhdG and increase SOD in rats given maximum physical activities.
MICROSTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR EXTRUSION – NARMA_L2 CONTROL APPROACH

In the present study an attempt was made to control the microstructure evolution during extrusion using the NARMA_L2 Control approach with Neural Networks. The final grain size after extrusion was considered as the optimal criterion and the grain size was expressed in terms of strain, strain rate and temperature. The steps involved in NARMA _L2 Control approach include process modelling, system identification and controller design. The trajectories of the independent variables to achieve the desired grain size were obtained and the strain values were further utilized to optimize the dimensions of the extrusion die profile to achieve the required grain size.