Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Nondirective Plane Wave MLFMA Stable at Low Frequencies

A novel method, called the nondirective stable plane wave multilevel fast multipole algorithm (NSPWMLFMA), is presented to evaluate the low-frequency (LF) interactions that cannot be handled by the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA). It is well known that the MLFMA cannot be used for LF interactions, since it suffers from numerical instability. Contrary to current techniques, the proposed technique is not based on the spectral representation of the Green function. Instead the addition theorem of the MLFMA is manipulated into a form that allows numerically stable translations along the z axis. The translation operator for these translations is derived in closed form. A QR-based method is devised to allow stable translations in all the other directions. Interpolations and anterpolations are also provided, allowing a full multilevel algorithm. Since the NSPWMLFMA is based on the same mathematical foundations as the MLFMA, it requires limited adaptations to existing MLFMA codes. The fact that a QR is needed limits this algorithm to LF interactions. However, a coupling with the MLFMA is straightforward, allowing the easy construction of a broadband algorithm. The DC limit of the algorithm is also presented and it is shown that the algorithm remains valid for static problems. Finally, it is shown that the error introduced in the different steps of the algorithm is controllable, and a single-level vectorial version of the algorithm is applied to a generic scattering application to demonstrate its validity.
Have TQM Organisations Adjusted Their Performance Management (appraisal) Systems? A Study of UK-Based TQM-Driven Organisations

Reports findings from a survey designed to measure the consistency and congruity of HR performance evaluation systems with quality management precepts in UK‐based quality‐focused organisations. Twelve a priori features of HR performance evaluation were used to measure HR performance evaluation systems. Since a fundamental reason for the purported incompatibility between TQM and HR performance evaluation is the assertion that most variance in performance is caused by system factors, and due to indications from various sources that HR performance evaluation focuses managerial attention on person factors rather than on system factors, the survey was also developed with the intention of discovering the extent to which these system criteria are used for measuring employee performance. The findings confirm that most HR performance evaluation systems fail to meet quality management expectations and contradict TQM assumptions about individual and system performance.
The Effect of Anticoagulant Choice on Apparent Total Antioxidant Capacity using Three Different Methods

We assessed total antioxidant capacity using three different methods, in plasma samples treated with either EDTA or heparin as anticoagulant, from 26 healthy subjects. Total antioxidant capacity was determined using an oxygen electrode (as the total peroxyl radical-trapping antioxidant parameter), by enhanced chemiluminescence, and by measurement of the antioxidant-mediated quenching of the absorbance of a radical cation. The choice of anticoagulant had a profound effect on antioxidant capacity with heparinized plasma giving consistently higher values than plasma anticoagulated with EDTA. Using the oxygen electrode the mean value was 786·5 ± 171·5 μmol/L (heparin) compared to 681·4 ± 160·4 μmol/L (EDTA, P < 0·01). The chemiluminescence technique gave a mean antioxidant capacity of 915·6 ± 214·1 μmol/L in heparin samples and 714·4 ± 195·4 μmol/L in EDTA samples (P < 0·0001). The absorbance quenching technique gave a mean value of 867·0 ± 199·2 μmol/L (heparin) and 675·5 ± 245·4 μmol/L (EDTA, P < 0·001). All methods tested showed comparable results for EDTA plasma, but the chemiluminescence technique gave higher apparent antioxidant capacity than either of the other two techniques when heparin plasma was used. We suggest that either heparin is interacting to enhance antioxidant protection perhaps through release of superoxide dismutase, or the chelation of metal ions by EDTA is limiting the activity of antioxidant metalloenzymes. Consistency in the choice of anticoagulant is clearly extremely important.
An International Actor under Pressure: The Impact of the War on Terror and the Fifth Enlargement on EU Voting Cohesion at the UN General Assembly 2000-05

This article examines empirically whether Iraq and the fifth enlargement affected EU voting cohesion at the UN General Assembly 2000-05. It poses the question of whether the entrants' willingness to co-operate might have ameliorated the expected adverse effects of Iraq and an increase in the number of new members. Copyright (c) 2009 The Author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
An Empirical Note on the Influence of the US Stock Market on Australian Economic Activity

This paper empirically examines the impact of the US stock market on Australian economic activity as one explanation of the strong correlation in the Australian and US business cycles. It is found that both the US and Australian share markets appear to have a significant impact on Australian activity. Copyright 2000 by Blackwell Publishers Ltd/University of Adelaide and Flinders University of South Australia
Standing out from the crowd: the visibility-enhancing effects of IPO-related signals on alliance formation by entrepreneurial firms

In this study, we explore how multiple signals related to entrepreneurial companies at the time of their initial public offering (IPO) influence the firms' ability to acquire non-financial resources over time. Specifically, the study looks at how signals based on investors' initial reactions to the IPO, analyst coverage and affiliations with experienced venture capitalists and prominent underwriters combine to enhance the IPO firm's visibility and reduce uncertainty, thereby influencing its ability to form post-IPO alliances. We also consider the extent to which the effects of each of the signals are sustained or diminish over time.Their analysis of 404 IPOs conducted by technology companies between 1995 and 2000 shows that these signals are positively related to alliance formation patterns, and that the effects of these signals deteriorate at different rates over time.
Differential Interaction of the Staphylococcal Toxins Panton–Valentine Leukocidin and γ-Hemolysin CB with Human C5a Receptors

Staphylococcus aureus is well adapted to the human host. Evasion of the host phagocyte response is critical for successful infection. The staphylococcal bicomponent pore-forming toxins Panton–Valentine leukocidin LukSF-PV (PVL) and γ-hemolysin CB (HlgCB) target human phagocytes through interaction with the complement receptors C5aR1 and C5aR2. Currently, the apparent redundancy of both toxins cannot be adequately addressed in experimental models of infection because mice are resistant to PVL and HlgCB. The molecular basis for species specificity of the two toxins in animal models is not completely understood. We show that PVL and HlgCB feature distinct activity toward neutrophils of different mammalian species, where activity of PVL is found to be restricted to fewer species than that of HlgCB. Overexpression of various mammalian C5a receptors in HEK cells confirms that cytotoxicity toward neutrophils is driven by species-specific interactions of the toxins with C5aR1. By taking advantage of the species-specific engagement of the toxins with their receptors, we demonstrate that PVL and HlgCB differentially interact with human C5aR1 and C5aR2. In addition, binding studies illustrate that different parts of the receptor are involved in the initial binding of the toxin and the subsequent formation of lytic pores. These findings allow a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of pore formation. Finally, we show that the toxicity of PVL, but not of HlgCB, is neutralized by various C5aR1 antagonists. This study offers directions for the development of improved preclinical models for infection, as well as for the design of drugs antagonizing leukocidin toxicity.
Norway and its impact on the European Union: the Internal Energy Market and the licensing and gas directives.

This work is meant to provide theoretical and empirical elements in order to understand the current situation of Norway which given the chance to be part of the European Union (EU) has rejected it twice. However it does not mean that this European country is totally isolated from the integration process. Since 1960 they are part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) organisation founded by several European countries, which left it in order to be part of the EU. Since 1994 three from the four EFTA states (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein excluding Switzerland, which decided not to be part of it) signed the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement which links them to the EU. The EEA agreement allows all the twenty-eight countries (the now twenty-five from the EU and three from EFTA) access to an Internal Market governed by the same rules. Nevertheless the position of the EFTA states is asymmetrical compared to the EU states, given the fact that in the creation of the legislation for such common market, the former countries can participate in the early stages of the policy making as ? policy shapers? but cannot be decision-makers. This does not mean that they have to accept all EU legislation adapting their national legislation; they have the right to veto and can have some influence in informal ways as well, particularly if the policy in question is considered of national interest. In this case, the Internal Energy Market and its policies are very relevant, provided that Norway is a country rich in natural resources and energy. Here two controversial directives will be presented as examples of Norway as negotiator in the framework of the EEA agreement and the impact they had in the final outcome.
Studies on the cryopreservation of eggs of Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Abstract The possibility of cryopreserving the eggs of Angiostrongylus cantonensis collected from the uterus of female worms was investigated. Eggs were cultured in NCTC 109 medium containing 50% rat serum, and various growth stages, from one-cell eggs to embryonated eggs, were used in this study. As a cryoprotective agent, dimethylsulphoxide (Me2SO) was added to the medium at a final concentration of 1 M. Eggs suspended in 0·2 ml of the medium at 37°C were cooled to 0°C at a rate of l°C min−1, then an equal volume of 2M-Me2SO solution was added. After equilibration for 15min, the freezing procedures were started. In the freezing procedures, the effectiveness of (i) a seeding process, (ii) different cooling and warming rates and (iii) the relationship between the growth stages of the eggs and their tolerance to freezing at −20°C were investigated. It was found the highest level of survival could be obtained with 32-cell eggs cooled at a rate of 0·3° C min−1 or more slowly with seeding at −4°C and warming at a rate of 5°C min−1. Survival was influenced more by cooling rate than by warming rate. Using these optimum conditions, the survival of eggs was then investigated following cooling to various temperatures. While more than 50% of eggs were found to survive cooling to −30–C, extremely low survival was noted from lower temperatures.
Financial Socialization of College Students: A Comparison of University Students in Ankara and Florida

This study explores financial social learning opportunities among university students, comparing survey data from Turkey(Ankara; N = 3983) with data from a similar study conducted in the United States (Florida; N = 3320). Mean comparison analysis of pooled data confirmed persistent, country and gender differences. Students inFlorida, especially male, reported more frequently financial social learning opportunities compared to Turkish students. Turkish student who were female reported more social learning opportunities than Turkish male, on the other hand, male students inFlorida reported more social learning opportunities than female students inFlorida.
Social Capital and its Influence on Changes in Internationalization Mode among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

This article explores how social capital influences a firm to change its internationalization mode. The authors use an in-depth qualitative study to identify 36 internationalization mode changes in ten New Zealand and ten Swedish small and medium-sized enterprises. This article contributes to the internationalization mode literature by focusing on relationships and mode change. Using the network approach, the authors develop three categories of social capital and discuss their role in influencing mode change. The roles include the efficacy role, the serendipity role, and the liability role of social capital. These three roles incorporate both the positive and the negative aspects of social capital. The liability role is the most frequently observed form of social capital to influence mode change. The most frequent type of mode change is toward a high-control internationalization mode.
Creativity as Investment

This article describes an investment theory of creativity. It suggests that a creative person needs to defy the crowd to buy low and sell high in the realm of ideas, just as a successful financial investor defies the crowd and buys stocks when they are out of favor and sells them when they become popular. Creative ideas are often unpopular. To overcome the resistance to those ideas, creative people—as well as companies desiring to encourage creativity—need to invest in six resources: knowledgeintellectual abilities; thinking styles; motivation; personality; and environment. All of these resources need to be present for a creative enterprise to succeed.
Innovation Audits by Means of Formulating Problems

Prior innovation audits consist of scorecards that firms use to assess their innovation processes and capabilities. The multifaceted nature of innovation means that this approach does not contextualize the audit for the audited firms. This paper proposes an innovation audit method that identifies and formulates valuable innovation-related problems. It comprises four sequentially dependent modules which follow a structured process that allows the firm's innovation processes and capabilities to be audited. The audit was developed based on performing innovation audits with five multinational companies in the manufacturing and hygiene sectors, and nine pulp and paper companies. The paper discusses the pros and cons of different innovation audits. We suggest that the innovation audit process may be a means for changing a firm's strategic innovation orientation, and contribute to the development of innovation capabilities.
Comparison and Correlation of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup B Immunologic Assay Results and Human Antibody Responses following Three Doses of the Norwegian Meningococcal Outer Membrane Vesicle Vaccine MenBvac

The prediction of efficacy of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB) vaccines is currently hindered due to the lack of an appropriate correlate of protection. For outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines, immunogenicity has primarily been determined by the serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) assay and OMV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, the opsonophagocytic assay (OPA), surface labeling assay, whole blood assay (WBA), and salivary antibody ELISA have been developed although correlation with protection is presently undetermined. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate further the usefulness of, and relationships between, MenB immunologic assays. A phase II trial of the OMV vaccine, MenBvac, with proven efficacy was initiated to compare immunologic assays incorporating the vaccine and six heterologous strains. Correlations were achieved between the SBA assay, OMV ELISA, and OPA using human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and human complement but not between an OPA using HL60 phagocytic cells and baby rabbit complement. Correlations between the surface labeling assay, the SBA assay, and the OMV ELISA were promising, although target strain dependent. Correlations between the salivary antibody ELISA and other assays were poor. Correlations to the WBA were prevented since many samples had results greater than the range of the assay. The study confirmed the immunogenicity and benefit of a third dose of MenBvac against the homologous vaccine strain using a variety of immunologic assays. These results emphasize the need for standardized methodologies that would allow a more robust comparison of assays between laboratories and promote their further evaluation as correlates of protection against MenB disease.
Cooperative R&D Under Uncertainty with Free Entry

This paper analyzes the effects of cooperative R&D arrangements in a model with stochastic R&D and output spillovers. Our main innovation is to allow for free entry in both the R&D race and product market. Moreover, in contrast with the literature, we assume that cooperative R&D arrangements do not have to include all the firms in the industry. We show that sharing of research outcomes is a necessary condition for the profitability of cooperative R&D arrangements with free entry. The profitability of RJV cartels depends on their size. Subsidies may be desirable in cases of larger RJVs since they are the ones which are less likely to be profitable.
Best Practices for Building High Performance in Human Resource Management

Human resource (HR) professionals have long realized the value of learning from the experiences of other leading organizations—that taking a best practices approach to the HR function can drive the high performance necessary to survive and thrive in a competitive market. An overview of recent studies concerning best practices points to the effectiveness of these approaches in human resource management: providing job security, offering job rotations to stellar performers, providing ongoing training to develop employees' skills, conducting developmental performance appraisals, sharing information and knowledge, providing career opportunities, fostering employee participation, and using performance-based incentives to reward employees. The application of these and other HR-oriented best practices that complement an organization's mission, strategy, and culture can help it achieve its objectives while enhancing its reputation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Generalized 2D principal component analysis

A two-dimensional principal component analysis (2DPCA) by J. Yang et al. (2004) was proposed and the authors have demonstrated its superiority over the conventional principal component analysis (PCA) in face recognition. But the theoretical proof why 2DPCA is better than PCA has not been given until now. In this paper, the essence of 2DPCA is analyzed and a framework of generalized 2D principal component analysis (G2DPCA) is proposed to extend the original 2DPCA in two perspectives: a bilateral-projection-based 2DPCA (B2DPCA) and a kernel-based 2DPCA (K2DPCA) schemes are introduced. Experimental results in face recognition show its excellent performance.
Winds of Change and Policies: The Inequality-Employment Trade-Off in the OECD

Using a data-set of OECD countries from 1980 to 2004, we assess the cross-country evidence on the trade-off between wage inequality and employment performance by relying on Data Envelopment Analysis, a nonparametric technique usually employed in the analysis of productive efficiency. DEA allows for the simultaneous determination of inequality and employment and treats the potential trade-off between inequality and employment in a very flexible way. We attribute the variations in the rates of unemployment and non-employment to two components: the changes due to a variation in wage inequality along the inequality-employment trade-off and the changes in efficiency which simultaneously affect inequality and employment). We find that changes in efficiency are a fairly important component of total changes.
Convergence: The Useful Myth?

Many academics have questioned the thesis (most prominently associated with Osborne and Gaebler’s Re-inventing government) that there is an inevitable and global convergence towards a particular, new style of public management. Yet, despite the ongoing production of scholarly evidence of global diversity, pronouncements of convergence continue to be made by politicians, civil servants and some academics. In this paper it is suggested that, better to understand this apparent controversy, a more subtle conceptualization of convergence is needed. First, convergence can take place at different stages or levels — for example, there can be convergence in debate, convergence in reform decisions, convergence in actual practices, or, ultimately, convergence in results. There is no automatic succession from one stage to the next: the momentum of convergence can (and frequently does) stall or dwindle at any point. Furthermore, it should be recognized that convergence claims may have a value of their own, whether or not they lead to actual convergence of practice or improvements in outcomes. Convergence, in short, may be a useful myth.
Rate and Predictors of Endoscopic Mucosal Healing in Biologic Naive Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Azathioprine Treatment: A Real World, 10 Years' Experience from a Single Centre in Turkey.

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that endoscopic mucosal healing (EMH) is a key target in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapy. However, there is limited evidence of EMH rates with conventional IBD therapy outside of Western population groups. AİM To evaluate the role of azathioprine (AZA) in inducing EMH in IBD patients. METHODS Patients with inflammatory bowel disease were evaluated in terms of endoscopic mucosal healing and the incidence of surgical interventions during the azathioprine treatment between 1995 to 2014. RESULTS A total of 120 inflammatory bowel disease patients were enrolled. Endoscopic mucosal healing was found in 37% patients with inflammatory bowel disease (42% in chronic ulcerative colitis and 33% in Crohn's disease). Male gender had a negative impact on the efficacy of azathioprine (P<0.05). Responder inflammatory bowel disease patients were older (age at the IBD diagnose) than the nonresponder (P<0.05). Azathioprine therapy reduced the number of the surgical interventions (P<0.05). CONCLUSİON We showed that azathioprine therapy significantly induced endoscopic mucosal healing in biologic naïve patients with active inflammatory bowel disease as well as decreasing the surgical interventions, with negative predictive factors identified by a younger age at IBD presentation and male gender.
De facto independence after delegation: A fuzzy‐set analysis

The phenomenon of delegating public authority from elected politicians (or ministries headed by elected politicians) to formally independent regulatory agencies (RAs) is becoming increasingly widespread. This paper examines the relation between formal independence, as prescribed in the constitutions of agencies, and de facto independence. Toward this end, it conceptualizes and assesses de facto independence of RAs, and discusses organizational, institutional, and political explanations for divergence from formal independence. The complex relations between de facto and formal independence are examined with a cross-national, cross-sectoral comparison of 16 Western European RAs using fuzzy-set analysis. The results show that formal independence is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for explaining variations in the de facto independence of agencies. Other factors, such as the lifecycle of agencies, veto players, and European networks of agencies, have a decisive impact.