Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Long Run Performance of Firms Following Loan Announcements

A tension link control device generally comprised of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder with a uniquely configured fracture link connected therebetween. The link has a specially configured thread and cross sectional area which permits a considerable amount of axial play in the threads. Slots are provided at the interface end of the outer cylinder. Tapped holes are provided in the inner cylinder to align the slots. The inner cylinder has a flange which mates with the outer cylinder assembly. The axial compression loads are absorbed in the outer housing by allowing the cylinders to contact before axial play in the threads will allow compression to be transmitted to the fracture link.
Exploring Perturbation Based Testing for Web Services

Web service is a modern technology commonly used to integrate software projects among different platforms, operating systems or even programming languages. This distributed and heterogeneous nature complicates the testing activity which is, in general, expensive and effort demanding. Adequate and cost effective testing methods are needed for Web services. An extended approach based on XML messages perturbation has been introduced to test pairs of Web services. Perturbation operators produce modified XML messages, which are used as test cases. This paper explores the use of such promising approach by introducing new perturbation operators for SOAP messages and describing a supporting tool, named SMAT-WS. An experimental study was accomplished with this tool. The obtained results allow an evaluation of the perturbation operators regarding cost and efficacy
Similarity of Initial States in A+A and p+p Collisions in Constituent Quarks Framework

The multiparticle production results from A+A and p(p)+p collisions have been compared based on the number of nucleon participants and the number of constituent quark (parton) participants. In both normalizations, we observe that the charged particle densities in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions are similar for both sNN = 62.4 and 200 GeV. This implies that in symmetric nucleus‐nucleus collisions the charged particle density does not depend on the size of the two colliding nuclei but only on the collision energy. In the nucleon participants framework, the particle density at mid‐rapidity as well as in the limiting fragmentation region from A+A collisions are higher than those of p(p)+p collisions at the same energy. Also the integrated total charged particle in A+A collisions as a function of number nucleon participants is higher than p(p)+p collisions at the same energy indicating that there is no smooth transition between peripheral A+A and nucleon‐nucleon collisions. However, when the comparison is made i.
Enabling the business strategy of SMEs through e-business capabilities: A strategic alignment perspective

Purpose – The present study aims at a deeper understanding of the performance outcomes of the alignment between the e‐business capabilities of manufacturing small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and their business strategy in terms of Miles and Snow's recognised strategic typology that includes prospectors, analyzers, and defenders.Design/methodology/approach – From a contingency theory perspective, a survey of 107 Canadian manufacturers was used to collect data that were analyzed through correlation analysis.Findings – Results indicate that the ideal e‐business profiles vary in the relation to the firms' strategic orientation, whether it is of the defender, analyzer or prospector type. E‐business alignment has positive performance outcomes for manufacturing SMEs in terms of growth, productivity and financial performance.Research limitations/implications – The nature of the sample impose care in generalizing the results of the study. These results also allow us to emphasise the nature rather than the.
Teaching critical thinking: Cultural challenges and strategies in Singapore

Among the challenges faced by educators in promoting critical thinking is that of cultural compatibility. Using Singapore as an illustrative case study, this paper explores the cultural challenges and recommended strategies for the teaching of critical thinking in schools. The research for this study is based on a theoretical framework that focuses on two dominant practices of critical thinking: confrontational and individualistic on the one hand, and collegial and communal on the other. Research data shows that the main cultural challenges are the social expectations of teachers as knowledge transmitters and a perception that critical thinking is essentially adversarial. The recommended strategies are the utilisation of cooperative learning strategies and the provision of a safe learning environment. There are two major implications arising from this research study. The first is a need for policymakers and educators to be cognisant of cultural constraints in the teaching of critical thinking. The second is the significance of teacher efficacy to engender student engagement and successful learning within socio-cultural constraints. The Singapore experience adds to the existing literature by highlighting the existence and significance of communitarian practices of critical thinking in an Asian context.
Incorporating household structure into a discrete-event simulation model of tuberculosis and HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases the risks of developing tuberculosis (TB) disease following infection, and speeds up disease progression. This has had a devastating effect on TB epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, where incidence rates have more than trebled in the past twenty years. Current control methods for TB disease have failed to keep pace with this growth, and there is an urgent need to find TB control strategies that are effective in high-HIV prevalent settings. This article describes a discrete-event simulation model of endemic TB that includes the effects of HIV and of household structure on the transmission dynamics of TB. Incorporating a social structure allows us to compare the effectiveness of contact-tracing interventions with case-finding targeted at high risk groups. We describe the modeling of the household structure in some detail, as this has applications to the modeling of other infectious diseases.
Cluster mass profiles from weak lensing II

In Schneider, King & Erben (2000) we developed likelihood techniques to compare the constraints on cluster mass profiles that can be obtained using the shear and magnification information. This work considered circularly symmetric power-law models for clusters at fairly low redshifts where the redshift distribution of source galaxies could be neglected. Here this treatment is extended to encompass NFW profiles which are a good description of clusters from cosmological N-body simulations, and NFW clusters at higher redshifts where the influence of various scenarios for the knowledge of the redshift distribution are examined. Since in reality the overwhelming majority of clusters have ellipsoidal rather than spherical profiles, the singular isothermal ellipsoid (SIE) is investigated. We also briefly consider the impact of substructure on such a likelihood analysis. In general, we find that the shear information provides a better constraint on the NFW profile under consideration, so this becomes the focus of what follows. The ability to differentiate between the NFW and power-law profiles strongly depends on the size of the data field, and on the number density of galaxies for which an ellipticity can be measured. For higher redshift NFW profiles, there is very little reduction (~1.5%) in the dispersion of parameter estimates when spectroscopic redshifts, as opposed to photometric redshift estimates, are available for the galaxies used in the lensing analysis.
Multi-Shot Deblurring for 3D Scenes

The presence of motion blur is unavoidable in hand-held cameras, especially in low-light conditions. In this paper, we address the inverse rendering problem of estimating the latent image, scene depth and camera motion from a set of differently blurred images of the scene. Our framework can account for depth variations, non-uniform motion blur as well as mis-alignments in the captured observations. We initially describe an iterative algorithm to estimate ego motion in 3D scenes by suitably harnessing the point spread functions across the blurred images at different spatial locations. This is followed by recovery of latent image and scene depth by alternate minimization.
The mitochondrial citrate transporter, CIC, is essential for mitochondrial homeostasis

Dysregulation of the pathways that preserve mitochondrial integrity hallmarks many human diseases including diabetes, neurodegeration, aging and cancer. The mitochondrial citrate transporter gene, SLC25A1 or CIC, maps on chromosome 22q11.21, a region amplified in some tumors and deleted in developmental disorders known as velo-cardio-facial- and DiGeorge syndromes. We report here that in tumor cells CIC maintains mitochondrial integrity and bioenergetics, protects from mitochondrial damage and circumvents mitochondrial depletion via autophagy, hence promoting proliferation. CIC levels are increased in human cancers and its inhibition has anti-tumor activity, albeit with no toxicity on adult normal tissues. The knock-down of the CIC gene in zebrafish leads to mitochondria depletion and to proliferation defects that recapitulate features of human velo-cardio-facial syndrome, a phenotype rescued by blocking autophagy. Our findings reveal that CIC maintains mitochondrial homeostasis in metabolically active, high proliferating tissues and imply that this protein is a therapeutic target in cancer and likely, in other human diseases.
Higher education employees’ self-assessment of person–organization fit: the role of work conditions and job satisfaction

Abstract In the public sector, the relationships between person–organization (P–O) fit and important individual outcomes, such as work performance and turnover intention, are well established in the literature. However, substantially less research has focused on the structural factors and mechanisms through which job incumbents may experience subjective P–O fit. In particular, in higher education, the types of hierarchy observed in traditional organizations are less visible in the ways in which faculty collaborate with others. Thus, greater effort to understand the role(s) played by contextual factors (e.g. physical settings) in job incumbents’ perception of organizational fit in higher education is clearly warranted. Therefore, we propose and test a multiple mediation model to examine the role(s) of perceived job-related (autonomy and role clarity), supervisor-related (leader support), and organization-related (communication, procedural justice, and distributive justice) work conditions on affective attitude (job satisfaction), which in turn influences job incumbents’ evaluation of P–O fit. The findings indicate that work conditions significantly and consistently contributed indirectly, rather than directly, to higher education employees developing positive perceptions of P–O fit, as a result of developing an affective attitude. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
A Psychometric Study of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development in Persian Language Children

Objective Bayley Scales of infant & toddler development is a well-known diagnostic developmental assessment tool for children aged 1–42 months. Our aim was investigating the validity & reliability of this scale in Persian speaking children. Materials & Methods The method was descriptive-analytic. Translation- back translation and cultural adaptation was done. Content & face validity of translated scale was determined by experts’ opinions. Overall, 403 children aged 1 to 42 months were recruited from health centers of Tehran, during years of 2013-2014 for developmental assessment in cognitive, communicative (receptive & expressive) and motor (fine & gross) domains. Reliability of scale was calculated through three methods; internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, test-retest and interrater methods. Construct validity was calculated using factor analysis and comparison of the mean scores methods. Results Cultural and linguistic changes were made in items of all domains especially on communication subscale. Content and face validity of the test were approved by experts’ opinions. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was above 0.74 in all domains. Pearson correlation coefficient in various domains, were ≥ 0.982 in test retest method, and ≥0.993 in inter-rater method. Construct validity of the test was approved by factor analysis. Moreover, the mean scores for the different age groups were compared and statistically significant differences were observed between mean scores of different age groups, that confirms validity of the test. Conclusion The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development is a valid and reliable tool for child developmental assessment in Persian language children.
Adaptive emotion regulation, academic performance and internalising problems in Flemish children with special educational needs: a pilot study

Abstract School readiness of children with special educational needs (SEN) is still understudied. The present study examined how the presumed bidirectional relationship between impaired academic performance (AP) and internalising problems (IP) could be favourably influenced. In this regard, it was assumed that children’s adaptive emotion regulation plays a crucial role, as it was shown to be independently related to improved AP and fewer IP. However, to gain stronger evidence for this assumption, it should be further clarified whether adaptive emotion regulation, AP and IP are also jointly associated and, if so, how this is reflected in children with SEN. To explore these issues, two different models were tested in a cross-sectional pilot including 61 Flemish elementary school children with SEN (39 boys and 22 girls, mean age = 10.0 years old). Teachers reported on adaptive emotion regulation, AP and IP. The results indicated that AP partially mediated the relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and IP (Model 1), while IP fully mediated the relationship between adaptive emotion regulation and AP (Model 2). Practical implications, strengths and limitations were discussed.
Control and Optimization Challenges in Liquid-Loaded Shale Gas Wells

Abstract Shale gas reservoirs are classified as unconventional reservoirs. Their key features include low permeability, rapid decline in production rate, and liquid loading at the well-bottom. An industrial perspective towards automation in Shale gas is provided in this paper. Specifically, the challenges and opportunities in controlling the liquid loading problem and optimizing the production from shale gas wells are discussed. Automation systems and control hierarchy are discussed and parallels with the more familiar Process Industries are highlighted. The key components of reservoir modeling, well-bore modeling, feed-back control, model parameter update, multi-well optimization, and production management are presented. An example of periodic shut-in operation is used to underline the various concepts discussed in this paper.
Quadratic lower bounds for deterministic and nondeterministic one-tape turing machines

We introduce new techniques for proving quadratic lower bounds for deterministic and nondeterministic l-tape Turing machines (all considered Turing machines have an additional oneway input tape). In particular we produce quadratic lower bounds for the simulation of 2-tape TM's by l-tape TM's and thus answer a rather old question (problem No.1 and No.7 in the list of Duris, Galil, Paul, Reischuk [3]). Further we demonstrate a substantial superiority of nondeterminism over determinism and of co-nondeterminism over nondeterminism for l-tape TM's.
TYK2 Kinase Activity Is Required for Functional Type I Interferon Responses In Vivo

Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) is a member of the Janus kinase (JAK) family and is involved in cytokine signalling. In vitro analyses suggest that TYK2 also has kinase-independent, i.e., non-canonical, functions. We have generated gene-targeted mice harbouring a mutation in the ATP-binding pocket of the kinase domain. The Tyk2 kinase-inactive (Tyk2K923E) mice are viable and show no gross abnormalities. We show that kinase-active TYK2 is required for full-fledged type I interferon- (IFN) induced activation of the transcription factors STAT1-4 and for the in vivo antiviral defence against viruses primarily controlled through type I IFN actions. In addition, TYK2 kinase activity was found to be required for the protein’s stability. An inhibitory function was only observed upon over-expression of TYK2K923E in vitro. Tyk2K923E mice represent the first model for studying the kinase-independent function of a JAK in vivo and for assessing the consequences of side effects of JAK inhibitors.
Trust and Member Inclusion as Communication Factors to Foster Collaboration in Globally Distributed Teams

The article discusses the factors that influence trust among distributed software teams. According to the author, trust is critical for a distributed software engineering team because it manages uncertainty and complexity in collaboration for remote COMMUNICATION FACTORS TO SUPPORT COLLABORATION 13 members. He says that a tool has been developed based on the continuous coordination (CC) paradigm to address the concern of team trust. The principles of the CC paradigm are outlined. It suggests that team size, project type and team diversity are forces that impact trust in distributed teams. Summary. In this article, trust is defined as a key factor in collaboration of distributed teams. The authors expand that theory to state that the lack of this trust, or distrust, produces negative collaboration effects such as constant monitoring of other teammates and/or working in isolation. Through a series of one-on-one interviews, consisting of 16 participants and experience from 3 to 45 years, and a mean of 19.3 years of experience within collocated and distributed projects, the authors conclude that while project type, team size, and diversity are forces that affect collaboration in distributed teams, in order to facilitate the development of trust to support collaboration; teams must (a) provide awareness of key coordination events and (b) visualize a larger context to the distributed project. In addition, communication within the team must (a) contain pertinent coordination information, (b) engage with appropriate personnel, (c) be conducted at the right time, and (d) be non-obtrusive. The authors seek continuous coordination (CC) tools to bridge this gap, increasing team member visibility, thus promoting trust and effective
On the Relation between Break-Even Inflation and Inflation Forecasts : An Empirical Study of Indexed Government Debt Securities

This study investigates the efficiency of the U.S. market for inflation-indexed government bonds. In particular, a framework is developed were a signal based on inflation forecasts is constructed and the effectiveness of several trading strategies to provide abnormal returns is investigated. The results indicate that the market for U.S. American TIPS offer the possibility to obtain excess returns if information about future inflation is combined with a trading strategy speculating on the movement of break-even inflation. These results are fairly consistent over time for the shorter maturity regardless of market frictions introduced in the return calculation. The results do also suggest that index-linked government bonds can be considered as an asset class with idiosyncratic characteristics as compared to nominal government bonds, which makes them an important part of an investment portfolio. * Corresponding author. Tel. : +31-43-388-3859; fax +31-43-388-4875. E-mail address: t.lehnert@berfin.unimaas. nl .
Regulasi Diri Remaja Penghafal al-Qur’an di Pondok Pesantren al-Qur’an Jami’atul Qurro’ Sumatera Selatan

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui lebih dalam mengenai gambaran regulasi diri remaja penghafal al-Qur’an di Pondok Pesantren al-Qur’an Jami’atul Qurro’ Sumatera Selatan. Adapun subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah lima remaja penghafal al-Qur’an berusia 17-19 tahun yang memiliki aktivitas di luar, seperti sekolah di lembaga formal. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif, sedangkan metode yang digunakan adalah fenomenologi. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan beberapa tema dalam regulasi diri pada remaja penghafal al-Qur’an. Adapun tema tersebut yaitu pertama, faktor pendorong yang mencakup segala hal yang menjadi sumber kekuatan remaja untuk memantapkan hati dalam menghafal al-Qur’an yaitu niat, tujuan, sumber motivasi. Kedua, faktor penghambat yang mencakup beberapa hal yang dirasakan oleh remaja penghafal al-Qur’an seperti gangguan mood , perasaan jenuh, bosan, males, capek dalam menghafal, gangguan asamara dan lain-lain. Ketiga, proses penjaganaan terdiri dari dua hal yang penting yaitu strategi mencapai tujuan seperti menjaga kelurusan niat, mengulang hafalan yang telah dikuasai, mengatur pemilihan waktu dan tempat yang tepat serta berahlak Qur’ani, dan strategi mengatasi masalah seperti membaca buku selain kitab al-Qur’an, mendengarkan musik, meminta nasihat dari guru. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah semakin mampu meregulasi diri sendiri dengan baik, maka akan semakin baik pula hafalan al-Qur’annya.
Applying Priming Manipulations during Ratings to Relate Individualism and Collectivism with Discomfort towards Performance Appraisal and Leniency

The issue under scrutiny in this study is to answer whether priming manipulations can influence performance appraisal in terms of discomfort towards the appraisal process and leniency. We viewed priming manipulations as a potential palliative for rating elevation as well as a tool for research in performance appraisal. Following previous studies, 278 participants were primed with collectivism or individualism to alter interdependent and independent self-construals. We hypothesized that, in comparison to participants primed with individualism, participants primed with collectivism would: (1) Display more discomfort towards the rating phase of the appraisal process, and (2) provide higher ratings. Results showed significant difference neither in means of discomfort towards the rating phase of the appraisal process nor in rating elevation. We discuss practical implications concerning the use of priming in the appraisal process. Further analysis suggested that predominantly interdependent raters feel less discomfort towards rating but are more prone to elevate ratings as compared to predominantly independent raters.