Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Airline Service Quality in South Africa and Malaysia- An International Customer Expectations Approach

This study attempts to identify the various service and value factors that matter most to domestic airline passengers in South Africa and to benchmark it with the domestic airline industry in Malaysia that has similar airline services. A survey methodology involving face-to-face interviews was employed to conduct interviews with 196 participants from South Africa and 189 from Malaysia. Respondents were targeted on a convenience basis. Despite the use of this non-probabilistic sampling method, the data that were yielded showed high levels of internal consistency. A random splitting of each of the two datasets (i.e. South Africa and Malaysia) and subsequent comparison of firstly, demographic characteristics and secondly, the average ratings of key items revealed no significant differences, thus confirming repeatability or reproducibility of measurement. Trained fieldworkers assisted with the interviews. The findings revealed the following. The first research objective identifies those aspects that respondents typically consider most and least important when travelling on a domestic airline. The mean importance ratings obtained for each of the service items were calculated and ranked from highest to lowest scores. The items were ranked within the four broader service dimensions for the two samples. The first dimension is labelled 'convenience of booking' and the results reveal considerable similarities between the two samples, with both South African and Malaysian respondents rating online booking opportunity as the most important aspect within these dimensions. The second service dimension investigated in the study is 'cabin service scapes'. The item that was rated most important by both South African and Malaysian respondents was comforts of the seats. The third service dimension labelled 'cabin crew'. Cabin crew's credibility obtained the highest average importance rating. The last dimension studied was labelled 'timeliness of flight'. The top rated item was on-time departures and arrivals.
Pre-Columbian Population Dynamics and Cultural Development in South Coast Perú as Revealed by Analysis of Ancient DNA

In this paper I report on a study whose principal aim is to understand the development and decline of the southern Peruvian Nasca culture in the upper Rio Grande de Nasca drainage, and its cultural and biological affinities to the preceding Paracas culture. Ancient DNA analyses were conducted on over 300 pre-Columbian individuals from various cemeteries in southern Peru, from periods ranging from the Formative Period to the Middle Horizon. Our results show that the Nasca populations are close related to those of the preceding Paracas culture, and combined with archaeological data, suggest that the Nasca culture was autochthonous to the Rio Grande drainage. Furthermore, one can observe how changes in socioeconomic complexity influence the genetic diversity. The pre-Columbian coastal populations of southern Peru differ significantly from both ancient highland and all present-day Peruvian populations. The genetic differentiation between the main cultural areas of western South America seems to fade with the Middle Horizon.
The effect of stimulus saliency on the modulation of pain-related ongoing neural oscillations: a Registered Report

Ongoing oscillations have been shown to be modulated in different frequency bands following phasic, tonic as well as periodic thermonociceptive stimulation. Yet, it remains unclear whether these modulations are related to pain perception, saliency (i.e., the ability of a stimulus to stand out from its environment) or solely the intensity of these stimuli. To better understand this relationship, we will combine a sustained periodic thermonociceptive stimulation paradigm including periodic oddball events with a frequency-tagging analysis approach. Oddballs will be delivered either at a higher intensity or lower intensity (“high” vs “low” condition) than baseline stimuli. This will allow us to disentangle effects of saliency and intensity and investigate its relationship with pain perception and the modulation of ongoing oscillations. Continuous ratings of pain perception will be collected during the stimulation to track participants’ perception. We expect to see a modulation of the EEG amplitude at the frequency of the oddball in both conditions in the theta, alpha and beta frequency bands. If the modulation is mainly driven by the intensity of the stimulus, we expect that the oddball in the low oddball condition will have a lower amplitude than the high oddball. Conversely, if the modulation is reflecting the saliency of a stimulus, we expect the modulation at the frequency of the oddball to be similar across conditions.
Land use and land cover change detection through remote sensing approach: a case study of Kodaikanal Taluk, Tamil Nadu.

Land use and land cover is an important component in understanding the interactions of the human activities with the environment and thus it is necessary to be able to simulate changes. Empirical observation revealed a change in land use land cover classification in Kodaikanal taluk, a part of Western Ghats located in Tamilnadu state. In this paper an attempt is made to study the changes in land use and land cover in Kodaikanal Taluk over 40 years period (1969­ 2008). The study has been done through remote sensing approach using SOI Taluk map of Kodaikanal (1969), and Land Sat imageries of May 2003 and April 2008. The land use land cover classification was performed based on the Survey of India Kodaikanal Taluk map and Satellite imageries. GIS software is used to prepare the thematic maps. Ground truth observations were also performed to check the accuracy of the classification. The present study has brought to light that forest area that occupied about 70 per cent of the Taluk's area in 1969 has decreased to 33 per cent in 2008. Agricultural land, Built up area, Harvested land and Waste land also have experienced change. Built­up lands (Settlement) have increased from 3 per cent to 21 per cent of the total area. Kodaikanal area is identified as one of the bio­diversity area in India. Proper land use planning is essential for a sustainable development of Kodaikanal Taluk.
Testing Eﬀects of Seed Treatments against Clubroot Disease in Various Oilseed Rape Hybrids

: Clubroot disease, caused by the protist pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae , is an emerging threat to cruciferous crops, including oilseed rape ( Brassica napus L.). Most of the current commercial cultivars are highly susceptible, and eﬃcient management tools are lacking practical implementation. Over three years and three experimental periods, we studied the eﬀects of isotianil in comparison with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU against clubroot disease under greenhouse experiments. Our results show control eﬀects, which were strongly dependent on seasons, host plant genotype, and clubroot isolates: isotianil and B. amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU reduced disease severity consistently at variable, but ﬁeld -relevant spore concentrations of clubroot isolates; with seed treatments showing superior eﬀects compared to drench applications. The co -application of isotianil with B. amyloliquefaciens QST713-HiCFU could, in some cases, increase the eﬃcacy. Inter-estingly, all studied hybrids reacted to treatments, albeit to a somewhat diﬀerent extent. When tested against a ﬁeld isolate, the resu lts obtained with the single spore isolate were partially con-ﬁrmed but with greater variability. Overall, the generally positive eﬀects of isotianil and B. amylo-liquefaciens QST713-HiCFU on the reduction of clubroot were repeatedly observed. The inoculation of clubroot disease with diﬀerent spore counts indicates a dose – response eﬀect for tested products. This study highlights the importance of performing experiments holistically over multiple, consecutive seasons, with various isolates, application types, and diﬀerent genetic resources of host plants.
Novel Approaches to Coherency Conditions in Dynamic LDV Models: Quantifying Financing Constraints and a Firm(cid:146)s Decision and Ability to Innovate

We develop two novel methods for establishing coherency conditions in Dynamic Limited Dependent Variables (LDV) Models, which have intuitive interpretations and are easy to implement and generalize. These methods lead to estimation strategies based on Conditional Maximum Likelihood Estimation (CMLE) for simultaneous LDV models without imposing recursivity. They also allow us to establish for the (cid:133)rst time the coherency of several Dynamic LDV models. We develop a set of extensive Monte-Carlo experiments, which con(cid:133)rm substantive Mean-Squared-Error improvements of the CMLE approach over estimators that make overly restrictive coherency assumptions. We apply our framework to analyse the existence and impact of (cid:133)nancing constraints as a possibly serious obstacle to innovation by (cid:133)rms, with striking results: ceteris paribus, a (cid:133)rm facing binding (cid:133)nance constraints is approximately 30% less likely to undertake innovation, while the probability that a (cid:133)rm encounters a binding (cid:133)nance constraint more than doubles if the (cid:133)rm is classi(cid:133)ed as innovative. Finally, we establish a strong role for state dependence in dynamic versions of our models.
Towards a Fair and Efﬁcient Course Allocation System

—In this paper, we attempt to solve the course allocation problem. That is, allocating M courses among N students. We will explore game theoretic approach to make the process fair, and then use mechanism design principles to make the process computationally efﬁcient. Later we will propose a system design to implement the proposed model.
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) Does Honesty Require Time? Two Preregistered Direct Replications of Experiment 2 of Shalvi, Eldar, and Bereby-Meyer (2012)

Shalvi, Eldar, and Bereby-Meyer (2012) found across two studies ( N = 72 for each) that time pressure increased cheating. These findings suggest that dishonesty comes naturally, whereas honesty requires overcoming the initial tendency to cheat. Although the study’s results were statistically significant, a Bayesian reanalysis indicates that they had low evidential strength. In a direct replication attempt of Shalvi et al.’s Experiment 2, we found that time pressure did not increase cheating, N = 428, point biserial correlation ( r pb ) = . 05, Bayes factor (BF) 01 = 16.06. One important deviation from the original procedure, however, was the use of mass testing. In a second direct replication with small groups of participants, we found that time pressure also did not increase cheating, N = 297, r pb = . 03, BF 01 = 9.59. These findings indicate that the original study may have overestimated the true effect of time pressure on cheating and the generality of the effect beyond the original context.
Jefferson Digital

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the serum hypercoagulability state and common viral and protozoan infections in Coats’ disease versus a normal control group. Materials and methods: In this comparative case series, 22 consecutive patients with Coats’ disease and 19 non-Coats’ patients undergoing lensectomy for congenital, traumatic, or senile cataract between January 2011 and June 2014 were included. Laboratory data for hypercoagu-lability states and common viral and protozoan infections were investigated. Results: The mean age for the Coats’ group was 14.5 years (median 8 years, range: 2 months to 59 years), and for the control group it was 30.6 years (median 17 years, range: 2–82 years). In patients aged 10 years or younger, anticytomegalovirus immunoglobulin G (IgG) ( P # 0.01), homocysteine ( P = 0.03), and serum beta globulin ( P , 0.001) were associated with Coats’ disease. In those older than 10 years, higher serum protein S ( P = 0.04), beta globulin ( P = 0.05), and gamma globulin ( P = 0.04) were related to Coats’ diagnosis. After adjusting for sex and age as confounding factors, only beta globulin was found to be associated with Coats’ disease in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio: 1.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.0–3.1, P = 0.02). Conclusion: Serum beta globulin levels appear to be elevated in patients with Coats’ disease.
Pathway study and systematic evaluation of microRNAs involved in anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients

Background Anthracycline treatment often causes cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients. Imaging and cardiac biomarkers are now used as criteria for cardiotoxicity. However, new biomarkers are needed for early diagnosis. Gene expression may be controlled, in part, by little non-coding RNA molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs). Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been linked to cardiovascular illness and are being studied as indicators for cardiotoxicity caused by cancer treatments.
Musicoterapia como terapia alternativa em Odontologia - uma revisão sistemática

More and more patients seek differentiated treatments, which value the human being and bring him well being. In this context, the demand for alternative therapies that value nature, the human being and the energies present in each organism has grown. There are some possible reasons why music can produce positive effects on health, such as: music is ubiquitous, emotional, involving, distracting, generates a physical demand, is ambiguous, social, communicative, affects behavior and identity. This systematic review an overview of music therapy as an alternative that can be used in the dental office with anxiety control as the benefit of this practice.
Novel Applications of Silk Proteins Based on Their Interactions with Metal Ions

Silk secreted by Bombyx mori L. silkworm has become one of the most important biomaterials, due to its excellent biocompatibility, controllable biodegradability, superior processability, and unique mechanical properties. Silk fibroin and sericin, as the two components of silk, contain abundant polar functional groups, and thus can bind metal ions through electrostatic interaction and chelation. Based on this binding, silk proteins not only can be used to fabricate ecofriendly and efficient adsorbents to remove heavy metals from waterbodies, but also can synthesize metal nanostructures (nanoparticles or nanoclusters) to form silk/metal composites with amazing optical or electrochemical characteristics. This binding also can be manipulated to optimize silk’s performance. This review focuses on discussing and summarizing advances in the use of silk fibroin and sericin for heavy metal ion-contaminated water remediation, biosensing materials, and electrochemical materials from the perspective of the interaction between silk proteins and metal ions. The performance enhancement of silk using metal ions is also analyzed. Moreover, the silk proteins’ interactions with metal ions and related structural features that contribute to the above sustainable applications are illustrated to lay a theoretical foundation. This review will favor the expansion of the applications of silk in both the traditional textile field and new biomaterials.
The MLE is a reliable source: sharp performance guarantees for localization problems

Single source localization from low-pass filtered measurements is ubiquitous in optics, wireless communications and sound processing. We analyze the performance of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) in this context with additive white Gaussian noise. We derive necessary conditions and sufficient conditions on the maximum admissible noise level to reach a given precision with high probability. The two conditions match closely, with a discrepancy related to the conditioning of a noiseless cost function. They tightly surround the Cramér–Rao lower bound for low noise levels. However, they are significantly more precise to describe the performance of the MLE for larger levels. As an outcome, we obtain a new criterion for the design of point spread functions in single molecule microscopy.
Operation Parameters Optimisation of a Machine Swarm Using Artificial Intelligence

Due to improper setting of operating parameters, cigarette machines are subject to a high unqualified production rate. For this reason, in this study, a multiobjective optimisation (MOP) method based on the metaheuristic intelligence optimisation is proposed in this study. First, to eliminate interference parameters, the random forest (RF) is used to analyse the parameter importance of the cigarette machine and select the most important operation parameters for the multiobjective optimisation. Second, an artificial neural network (ANN) optimised by the grey wolf optimiser is designed to establish a mirror model of the cigarette machine to fast calculate the machine output quality factors, including the rod break rate, single cigarette weight, and circumference index. Lastly, an improved multiobjective grey wolf optimisation algorithm is used to optimise these three quality factors simultaneously to obtain the optimal operating parameters of the cigarette machine. A machine swarm (including four cigarette machines) in the real world is used to evaluate the developed optimisation method, and the testing results demonstrate that the proposed multiobjective optimisation method is able to improve the three quality factors by at least 50 %, which greatly reduces the unqualified rate of cigarettes.
Development Characteristics of Pearl River Mouth Basin and Its Geological Conditions for Oil and Gas Accumulation

Integrative and multidisciplinary analyses of the development and evolvement and the geologic functions of Pearl River Mouth Basin reveal that it is filled with two types of source rocks that are Eocene Wenchang Formation middle-deep lacustrine facies and Lower Oligocene fluviolacustrine paludal facies. It had Upper Oligocene Zhuhai Formation facies and Middle-Upper Miocene sandstone reservoirs and the associated caprocks at the stage of faulting-depression. A lot of NWW faults caused by intense tectonic and faulting activities not only controlled the tectonic framework of the basin but also supplied tunnels for the deep oil and gas migration and accumulation. It has reservoirs characterized by lower oil generation and upper oil accumulation as well as continent oil generation and marine accumulation.
Coupling and Slips in Photosynthetic Reactions—From Femtoseconds to Eons

Photosynthesis stands as a unique biological phenomenon that can be comprehensively explored across a wide spectrum, from femtoseconds to eons. Across each timespan, a delicate interplay exists between coupling and inherent deviations that are essential for sustaining the overall efficiency of the system. Both quantum mechanics and thermodynamics act as guiding principles for the diverse processes occurring from femtoseconds to eons. Processes such as excitation energy transfer and the accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere, along with the proliferation of organic matter on the Earth’s surface, are all governed by the coupling–slip principle. This article will delve into select time points along this expansive scale. It will highlight the interconnections between photosynthesis, the global population, disorder, and the issue of global warming.
Properties and Styles of Software Technology Tutorials

A large number of tutorials for popular software development technologies are available online, and those about the same technology vary widely in their presentation. We studied the design of tutorials in the software documentation landscape for five popular programming languages: Java, C#, Python, Javascript, and Typescript. We investigated the extent to which tutorial pages, i.e. resources, differ and report statistics of variations in resource properties. We developed a framework for characterizing resources based on their distinguishing attributes, i.e. properties that vary widely for the resource, relative to other resources. Additionally, we propose that a resource can be represented by its resource style, i.e. the combination of its distinguishing attributes. We discuss three techniques for characterizing resources based on our framework, to capture notable and relevant content and presentation properties of tutorial pages. We apply these techniques on a data set of 2551 resources to validate that our framework identifies valid and interpretable styles. We contribute this framework for reasoning about the design of resources in the online software documentation landscape.
SARS-CoV-2 Papain-like Protease Negatively Regulates the NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway and Pyroptosis by Reducing the Oligomerization and Ubiquitination of ASC

The interaction of viruses with hosts is complex, especially so with the antiviral immune systems of hosts, and the underlying mechanisms remain perplexing. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 may result in cytokine syndrome in the later stages, reflecting the activation of the antiviral immune response. However, viruses also encode molecules to negatively regulate the antiviral immune systems of hosts to achieve immune evasion and benefit viral replication during the early stage of infection. It has been observed that the papain-like protease (PLP) encoded by coronavirus could negatively regulate the host’s IFNβ innate immunity. In this study, we first found that eight inflammasome-related genes were downregulated in CD14+ monocytes from COVID-19 patients. Subsequently, we observed that SARS-CoV-2 PLP negatively regulated the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, inhibited the secretion of IL-1β, and decreased the caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis of human monocytes. The mechanisms for this may arise because PLP coimmunoprecipitates with ASC, reduces ASC ubiquitination, and inhibits ASC oligomerization and the formation of ASC specks. These findings suggest that PLP may inhibit strong immune defenses and provide the maximum advantage for viral replication. This research may allow us to better understand the flex function of CoV-encoding proteases and provide a new perspective on the innate immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses.
S1S2-Water: A Global Dataset for Semantic Segmentation of Water Bodies From Sentinel- 1 and Sentinel-2 Satellite Images

This study introduces the S1S2-Water dataset—a global reference dataset for training, validation, and testing of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for semantic segmentation of surface water bodies in publicly available Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite images. The dataset consists of 65 triplets of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images with quality-checked binary water mask. Samples are drawn globally on the basis of the Sentinel-2 tile-grid (100 km × 100 km) under consideration of predominant landcover and availability of water bodies. Each sample is complemented with metadata and digital elevation model (DEM) raster from the Copernicus DEM. On the basis of this dataset, we carry out performance evaluation of CNN architectures to segment surface water bodies from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images. We specifically evaluate the influence of image bands, elevation features (slope) and data augmentation on the segmentation performance and identify best-performing baseline-models. The model for Sentinel-1 achieves an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.845, Precision of 0.932, and Recall of 0.896 on the test data. For Sentinel-2 the best model produces an IoU of 0.965, Precision of 0.989, and Recall of 0.951, respectively. We also evaluate the performance impact when a model is trained on permanent water data and applied to independent test scenes of floods.