Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
) — — Title : NanoComposites and their Applications : A review

Nanocomposites are high performance materials which reveal rare properties. Nanocomposites have an estimated annual growth rate of 25% and fastest demand to be in engineering plastics and elastomers. Their prospective is so prominent that they are valuable in numerous areas ranging from packaging to biomedical applications. In this review the various types of matrix nanocomposites are discussed highlighting the need for these materials, their processing approaches and some recent results on structure, properties and potential applications. Perspectives including need for such future materials and other interesting applications. Being environmentally friendly, applications of nanocomposites propose new technology and business opportunities for several sectors of the aerospace, automotive, electronics and biotechnology industries.
Revisiting the sensitivity analysis of Google’s PageRank

PageRank is widely known as a prominent method used for indexing web pages and has significantly contributed to the development of Google’s search engine. Significant contributions have been made to the analyses of PageRank, in particular, its sensitivity analyses. However, the arguments presented thus far are within in the range of the matrix perturbation theory or the analyses of Markov chains. This paper explores the application of Kato ’s perturbation theory to study the sensitivity analyses of PageRank, which enables the consideration of a larger number of general situations than those in established arguments.
Why People Cannot Work with Each Other? Examining the Barriers to Collaborative Destination Marketing

The objective of this study is to identify barriers that might jeopardize the success of collaboration in the tourism industry and to identify the role employees’ personal characteristics play in collaborative relationships. Understanding these barriers is not only important, but also the key to the future creation of collaborative relationships, its success, and effectiveness. Given the exploratory nature of this study, a qualitative case study approach was adopted. A total of thirty two in-depth interviews were collected during August 2009. This study can provide management with an overview of the barriers and personal characteristics tourism businesses may face when entering interfirm partnerships.
How and why the extent to which marriage leads to greater subjective well-being depends on national collectivism

The positive relationship between marriage and subjective well-being is a robust finding in the academic field. There is, however, a growing demand for contextualization of this relationship. It is for instance suggested that the influence of marriage on well-being varies across cultures. Although an understanding of these cross-cultural variations is lacking, existing research does provide indications of what cultural trait might play a role in these variations: national collectivism. Since authors remain ambivalent when it comes to pinpointing what role collectivism plays exactly in the well-known relationship between marriage and subjective well-being, this study aims to fill this gap. Based on a thorough review of relevant literature, this study proposes two ways in which the role of collectivism can be understood, to explain why collectivism either strengthens or weakens the wellbeing-effect of marriage. First, a cultural interpretation based on the normative nature of marriage is proposed based on sociological literature on social norms and conformity. Second, adopting a different theoretical approach, marriage is interpreted as a source of social support, resulting in a structural interpretation of the role of collectivism. The role of collectivism and both proposed interpretations are empirically tested using all available rounds (2002-2012) of the European Social Survey (N = 212,683). Multilevel analyses reveal that the relationship between marriage and wellbeing is weaker in collectivistic countries, demonstrating the importance of taking cross-cultural variations into account. The analyses also show that neither of the proposed interpretations can sufficiently explain the dampening role of collectivism. Therefore, an alternative interpretation of the findings is offered in the conclusion, to serve as a stepping stone for future research.
Gamification across borders: The impact of culture

5 Introduction 6 Background 6 Problem discussion 6 Purpose and research question 8 Delimitations 9 Research outline 9 Literature review 1​1 Gamification studies 1​1 Gamification and meaningful gamification 1 ​1 Gamification, motivation and engagement 1 ​4 Gamification design frameworks 17 Segmentation in gamification 2 ​0 Cultural studies 2​5 National culture 2 ​6 Organizational culture 3 ​2 Motivational studies 3​5 Maslow’s pyramid and the Barrett model 3 ​5 The Eastern/Western schism 37
A SIAN J OURNAL OF C HEMISTRY A SIAN J OURNAL OF C HEMISTRY Rapid Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles without Heating Process

Several methods have been developed to synthesize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), but it is not effective since a high temperature and long time reaction are required. This research developed a rapid and simple synthesis of gold nanoparticles at room temperature using a green reducing agent, L-ascorbic acid. The AuNPs could be synthesized using this method only in 2 s without assisted ultrasonic bath or another reactor. The effects of the concentration of HAuCl 4 and L-ascorbic acid, pH and time reaction were investigated in this work. The AuNPs were characterized with the UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The UV-visible spectroscopy confirmed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AuNPs at 524-535 nm, depends on the synthesis parameters. The TEM result showed that the AuNPs synthesized was monodisperese and have a spherical shape. The XRD measurement performed that AuNPs has a crystallite phase with correspond to the fcc structure of gold nanocrystal. The information obtained in this experiment can be used to design AuNPs synthesis without heating step. Moreover, the method is green, effective and efficient.
Processor scheduling algorithms for minimizing buffer requirements in multimedia applications

The increasing use of audio, video and other multimedia applications on workstations, mandates the use of real-time processor scheduling techniques. Real-time scheduling algorithms have mostly concentrated on seeking to meet application deadlines (such as those required for video playback for example). Another important requirement of such applications is large buffer memory due to the high data rates involved. We investigate priority allocation algorithms for static priority based preemptive real-time scheduling of periodic task sets. These algorithms are directed at applications in which worst case execution latency is not critical so that priority allocation should be directed towards buffer minimization rather than meeting deadlines. Examples of such applications include video and audio playout/ recording, browsing through a database with audio/ video data and all types of non-interactive real-time applications (we refer to these as throughput oriented real-time applications). The techniques developed retain the simplicity of implementation of static priority scheduling while eliminating their drawback of not being able to achieve 100% processor utilization. In addition, we are able to obtain hard bounds on worst case execution time which are low enough for most practical deadline based applications also. We show that the standard Rate-monotone priority allocation algorithm is not optimal in terms of our goal of minimising input buffer size. Approximate algorithms are then derived, which perform better than the rate-monotone algorithm and bounds on their performance are derived. Average case performance is studied using simulation. The best performance is seen in an algorithm which combines rate-monotone and shortest job first type of priority orderings. Finally, it is shown that these approaches can also be used to obtain deadline-based scheduling algorithms for task sets with arbitrary deadlines. The existence of an optimal buffer minimization algorithm is left as an open problem.
Leasing as the means of equipment financing: Comprehensive assessment

A Lease is a contract that allows a certain entity to use property that it doesn’t possess in exchange for series of periodic payments to the owner. Thereby, a lessee - an entity such permit is granted to, can generate earnings from its use. In essence, leasing is simply another method of financing in contrast to bank loans, private placements and other. The Survey of Corporate Leasing Analysis (Makherjee, 1991:96) conducted by Tarun K. Makherjee in 1988 showed that for the firms surveyed (Fortune 500) leasing was not a predominant means of financing an asset, moreover, only 14% of companies expected their lease levels to increase. Despite this fact, more equipment is financed today by equipment leases that by … any other method of equipment financing (Fabozzi, 2008: 531). For this reason, understanding the mechanics of lease financing as well as its benefits and drawbacks in relation to other methods is an issue of high significance. For this reason, description of the mechanics of lease financing and its comprehensive assessment in comparison to other alternatives is the main research focus of this paper. While some assume that the principal reason for leasing to exist is the possibility to derive different cost benefits from owning an asset, in reality leasing is more that just financing vehicle. Apart from exploiting the tax benefits, companies can also use leasing to promote the sales of their products and secure their receivable portfolios. Benefits of leasing vary greatly depending on the company and the type of lease, however, as a general rule “firms have found financing their product via leasing a highly profitable business” (Fabozzi, 2008: 531). The company examples include, but not limited to IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco and many others.
Can Voluntary Workplace Partnership Deliver Sustainable Mutual Gains?

This article draws on two Irish case studies to examine the nature and outcomes of voluntary workplace partnership (WP), and the conditions affecting its durability. We found that WP delivered mutual gains for all stakeholders at Aughinish Alumina (AAL), which were quite equally divided. While WP delivered most gains for management at Waterford Crystal (WC), and some for the union, worker gains were less. The WC partnership broke down after 10 years, but the AAL partnership continues. Voluntarist mutual gains partnership is feasible, but success and durability depends on specific clusters of contextual conditions, notably management support, a quality-focused competitive strategy, insulation from market pressures, union postures, vertically aligned bundles of mutual gains practices, institutional supports, emphasis on fairness, all party commitment to performance enhancement and capital-intensive technology. Conditions supporting WP were stronger at AAL than WC. More generally, as supports for WP in Ireland are weaker than retardants, we conclude that few mutual gains partnerships will take root, and even fewer will endure.
HOW ARE UNIVERSITY REPUTATION PRACTICES AND REPUTATION PERCEPTIONS RELATED

Bu calismanin temel amaci, universite uygulamalari ile itibar algisi arasinda bir iliski olup olmadigini bir kamu universitesi orneklemine dayanarak irdelemektir. Bu amac dogrultusunda yapisal esitlik modeli kullanilarak kantitatif bir arastirma gerceklestirilmistir. Arastirma orneklemi 1021 lisans ve yuksek lisans ogrencisinden olusmaktadir. Arastirma sonuclari, kurumsal uygulamalar ile kurum itibari algisi arasinda anlamli bir iliski oldugu hipotezini desteklemektedir. Arastirma bulgularina dayanilarak universiteler icin yonetsel uygulamalarla ilgili sonuclar cikarilabilir. Universiteler, ogrenciler tarafindan tercih edilmek, destek almak ve donanimli akademisyenlere sahip olmak istiyorlarsa rekabetci olmalidirlar. Bu calismanin baslica katkisi, universite itibarinin arttirilmasi icin etkin stratejilerin gelistirilmesinin onemli olduguna isaret etmesidir.
Foundation phase teachers’ interpretation of the life skills programme with regard to the teaching of natural science

Scientific literacy should be promoted through the teaching of science from Grade R and for this to happen, teachers need to understand what science should be taught and how it should be taught. This interpretive, qualitative study explores the degree to which four foundation phase teachers interpret the life skills programme with regard to the teaching of natural science by using an adapted version of a theory of implementation. Analyses of a questionnaire, documents (Revised National Curriculum Statement and lesson plans) and interviews enabled us to build a picture of how each teacher interpreted the curriculum with regard to a number of constructs. The findings show that foundation phase teachers have great difficulty interpreting the curriculum because the foundation phase curriculum does not give clear guidance with regard to the teaching of science. Their poor content knowledge, the poor understanding of what integration of science in numeracy and literacy entails, as well as their poor understanding of the instructional methods used to teach science exacerbate the problem.
Errors and adverse events in medical and hospital assistance

Currently, one of the biggest challenges in medical and hospital assistance organizations is the implementation of actions to reduce the frequency of human errors and faults in processes and establishment of ways to ensure healthcare security. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize, measure, and evaluate the adverse errors/events and their determinants, and propose actions for better practices. This theme is of great relevance, particularly to critically ill patients, in the face of their significant susceptibility to complications. Errors in assistance processes potentiate risks of complications with consequent increases in morbidity, mortality, and welfare costs. The literature review shows how patients are exposed to a variety of adverse errors/events related to the medical and hospital assistance, which should be tackled as a real public health problem because of its deep impact (often irreversible) on individuals and the collective community, which also becomes a victim of these errors, resulting in sky-high costs related to complications that are shared by the entire society.
Biopsy Proven Non-Amyloid Glomerular Diseases in Patients With Familial Mediterranean Fever

AIM: Kidney involvement is the most serious organ involvement of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), while the most common cause is AA type amyloidosis with serum amyloid AA deposition. However, vasculitis and other types of glomerulonephritis (GN) also have been reported. With this study we evaluated biopsy proven non-amyloid glomerular diseases in patients with FMF. Methods: At our Nephrology clinic, total 950 patients followed by diagnosis of FMF have been evaluated. Nine patients who had positive proteinuria ( >500 mg/day) but had negative amyloidosis in the tissue biopsy were made renal biopsy. Results: Nine patients underwent a renal biopsy, two patients were found to have IgA nephropathy (IGAN), three mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN), three membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) and one had immune complex glomerulonephritis. Two patients with IGAN and one patient with MGN with non-nephrotic proteinuria exhibited significant improvement with colchicine and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) therapy. Other patients were treated with colchicine, an ARB and immunosuppressive drugs. Upon evaluation for the FMF gene mutation, different mutations have been found for the same glomerulonephritis type. Conclusions: Other glomerular causes also must be investigated alongside amyloidosis in the case of kidney involvement in FMF patients. While patients with IGAN and other glomerulonephrities with non-nephrotic proteinuria can respond well to colchicine treatment, patients with more aggressive kidney involvement may require immunosuppressive therapy. Further studies are needed for revealing the relationship between FMF gene mutation and non-amyloid glomerular diseases.
Determinants of unemployment in CEE-10 economies: the role of labour market institutions and the macroeconomic environment in 2002–2012

The view that an institutional structure causes rigidities of the labour market is broadly accepted by policy makers. This assessment is conventionally based on unemployment theories that establish a linkage between labour market institutions and unemployment in the long run. Empirical research engages in investigation if the theoretical link between unemployment and labour market institutions could be proved to prevail. This paper provides an econometric analysis of determinants of unemployment in the long run in a set of Central and Eastern European countries for the period of 2002–2012. The evidence that institutional structure cause rigidities of the labour market and have direct effects on unemployment rate in these economies is found in this study. A set of non-structural indicators, accounted by macroeconomic shocks, also prove to have effects on the labour market outcomes. From a policy making perspective such implications suggest that structural labour market reforms and increases in the overall labour market flexibility in these economies is required to bring unemployment rates down.
The Lake CHAd Deep DRILLing project (CHADRILL) – targeting  ∼ 10 million years of environmental and climate change in Africa

Abstract. At present, Lake Chad (∼ 13∘′ N, ∼ 14∘ E) is a shallow freshwater lake located in the Sahel/Sahara region of central northern Africa. The lake is primarily fed by the Chari–Logone river system draining a ∼ 600 000 km2 watershed in tropical Africa. Discharge is strongly controlled by the annual passage of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and monsoon circulation leading to a peak in rainfall during boreal summer. During recent decades, a large number of studies have been carried out in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB). They have mostly focused on a patchwork of exposed lake sediments and outcrops once inhabited by early hominids. A dataset generated from a 673 m long geotechnical borehole drilled in 1973, along with outcrop and seismic reflection studies, reveal several hundred metres of Miocene–Pleistocene lacustrine deposits. CHADRILL aims to recover a sedimentary core spanning the Miocene–Pleistocene sediment succession of Lake Chad through deep drilling. This record will provide significant insights into the modulation of orbitally forced changes in northern African hydroclimate under different climate boundary conditions such as high CO2 and absence of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. These investigations will also help unravel both the age and the origin of the lake and its current desert surrounding. The LCB is very rich in early hominid fossils (Australopithecus bahrelghazali; Sahelanthropus tchadensis) of Late Miocene age. Thus, retrieving a sediment core from this basin will provide the most continuous climatic and environmental record with which to compare hominid migrations across northern Africa and has major implications for understanding human evolution. Furthermore, due to its dramatic and episodically changing water levels and associated depositional modes, Lake Chad's sediments resemble maybe an analogue for lake systems that were once present on Mars. Consequently, the study of the subsurface biosphere contained in these sediments has the potential to shed light on microbial biodiversity present in this type of depositional environment. We propose to drill a total of ∼ 1800 m of poorly to semi-consolidated lacustrine, fluvial, and eolian sediments down to bedrock at a single on-shore site close to the shoreline of present-day Lake Chad. We propose to locate our drilling operations on-shore close to the site where the geotechnical Bol borehole (13∘28′ N, 14∘44′ E) was drilled in 1973. This is for two main reasons: (1) nowhere else in the Chad Basin do we have such detailed information about the lithologies to be drilled; and (2) the Bol site is close to the depocentre of the Chad Basin and therefore likely to provide the stratigraphically most continuous sequence.
Effect of cross-linking agent on the characteristics of celecoxib loaded chitosan microspheres

The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the characteristics of the microspheres of chitosan prepared using two different cross-linking agents: viz. formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde and by simple heat treatment. Chitosan microspheres were prepared by emulsification cross-linking method. Microspheres were characterized for entrapment efficiency, particle size, in-vitro drug release and surface morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The entrapment efficiency of the glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde cross-linked microspheres was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the heat-cross-linked microspheres. In-vitro drug release studies indicated that the microspheres cross-linked using glutaraldehyde showed slower release rate than those cross-linked with formaldehyde while the heat cross-linked microspheres showed the fastest release.
Linearisation of feed-forward artificial networks to study input importance

In the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) for real-life applications there is a need for determining the importance of each input variable for the decisions of the artificial neural network. By comparing more complex ANN:s with the simple perceptron, a basic method to determine some form of importance is found. This is tested on three different datasets of which one is based on a real life dataset of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The results from these tests indicate that the method works.
Multimodal Integration in Embodied Conversational Kiosk with Augmented Reality

A multimodal integration module is designed and implemented for Media Lab Autonomous Conversational Kiosk (MACK). MACK is an embodied conversational kiosk that has an augmented reality paper map as part of its user interface. In this study, we examined several multimodal systems as well as important techniques in designing multimodal architectures. We also reviewed powerful multimodal integration frameworks such as Semantic Frame Merging, Unification, and Finite-State, and have designed MACK's integrator based on the technique that would maximize mutual disambiguation of speech and pen-input. The final integrator is built based on Johnston's finite-state transducer (FST) approach. Considering the context of MACK, we felt that the FST approach offered the most simple, cost-effective, and scaleable solution. Thesis Supervisor: Justine Cassell Title: Professor of Media Arts & Sciences