Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced transverse shear strain shell formulation applied to large elasto‐plastic deformation problems

In this work, a previously proposed Enhanced Assumed Strain (EAS) finite element formulation for thin shells is revised and extended to account for isotropic and anisotropic material non‐linearities. Transverse shear and membrane‐locking patterns are successfully removed from the displacement‐based formulation. The resultant EAS shell finite element does not rely on any other mixed formulation, since the enhanced strain field is designed to fulfil the null transverse shear strain subspace coming from the classical degenerated formulation. At the same time, a minimum number of enhanced variables is achieved, when compared with previous works in the field. Non‐linear effects are treated within a local reference frame affected by the rigid‐body part of the total deformation. Additive and multiplicative update procedures for the finite rotation degrees‐of‐freedom are implemented to correctly reproduce mid‐point configurations along the incremental deformation path, improving the overall convergence rate. The stress and strain tensors update in the local frame, together with an additive treatment of the EAS terms, lead to a straightforward implementation of non‐linear geometric and material relations. Accuracy of the implemented algorithms is shown in isotropic and anisotropic elasto‐plastic problems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factors Determining the Assessment of Quality of Life Made by Patients Who Have Had a Stroke

Introduction. Increasingly, studies relating to the consequences of chronic neurological diseases depart from the principle of exclusively biological evaluation of human health and a more holistic point of view is adopted, in which particural attention is drawn to the emotional experience of patients, their well-being and ability to function in daily life. Aim. This work aims at analysing the factors determining the assessment of the quality of life made by patients who have had a stroke. Materials and Methods. The study group consisted of 95 post-stroke patients. The research was carried out by means of: Ferrans & Powers Quality of Life Index — version III, evaluating the overall quality of life and the quality of life in terms of health and functional, socio-economic, psycho-spiritual as well as family aspects. The study also included the Acceptance of Ilness Scale (AIS) and Functional Indicator “Repty”. Results. The studies showed significant (p=0.006) differences in the level of acceptance of the disease by respondents with different degrees of functional capacity. As a necessary condition for fulfillment in life, 91.6% of respondents indicated the possibility of work continuing. For 84.20% of respondents good relationships with children were necessary for their fulfilment in life. 80% of the study population included health as an element of basic welfare. For 78.90% of respondents hapiness of their families was necessary to achieve their own happiness, and approximately three-quarters of respondents considered religious practices to be very important for their self-fulfilment (75.80%), health of immediate family (75.80%) and getting rid of chronic pain (74.70%). Conclusions. 1) The ability to function independently favours the acceptance of the consequences of stroke. 2) The biggest problem with adjusting to the new reality of living with the disease referred to those respondents who were independent but in some activities had to rely on the assistance from others. 3) More than ninety per cent of respondents as a prerequisite for fulfillment in life pointed to the possibility to continue working. 4) The quality of life perceived is drastically reduced in patients who had a stroke within the period ranging from three months to a year before participation in the study. 5) The reduced sense of well-being of the respondents was mostly affected by the negative impact of the growing problems in performing basic activities of daily life, particularly in terms of health and functioning. 6) The functional capacity limited after the stroke and the problems with the acceptance of the disease do not disturb, according to patients’ assessment, family relationships. (JNNN 2016;5(4):136–143)
The Relevance of Deferred Charges and Goodwill in the Valuation of Brazilian Companies

The objectives of this work are: (1) to analyze the relevance of accounting variables to explain the behavior of the share prices of Brazilian companies traded on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa); (2) to propose a model to calculate goodwill; and (3) to check the incremental explanatory power of deferred charges and goodwill, where the share price is a function of earnings, book value of equity, deferred charges and goodwill. International studies on intangible capital and goodwill indicate that the accounting information prepared, according to American rules and standards, specifically for companies in the so-called new economy, does not have predictive power to evaluate the behavior of companies’ share prices. Since in Brazil the accounting rules allow registering expenditures on research and development (R&D), specifically deferred charges of an intangible nature, we sought to evaluate whether the Brazilian accounting model, because it contemplates aspects particular to the “recognition” of these items, has incremental power in the valuation of the share prices of Brazilian companies. We used the panel data technique and according to the results, found that the current prices of Brazilian companies’ shares can be explained by accounting variables (earnings, book value, deferred charges) and by goodwill, with statistically significant coefficients.
Does trade cause divergence? Dynamic panel data evidence

This paper argues that the empirical trade-growth relationship should be modelled using a dynamic panel data approach and that it is best estimated with Blundell and Bond’s (1999) system-GMM estimator. This procedure remedies some econometric problems such as regressor endogeneity, measurement error and weak instruments, and allows to control for time-invariant country-specific effects such as institutions or geography. The findings are largely plausible and satisfy intuition better than previous results. They confirm the existence of a strong causal effect of trade on growth but fail to find evidence for trade as an independent factor of divergence. Hence, one cannot blame trade as such for the disappointing performance of initially poor countries.
Mass Media and Public Services: The Effects of Radio Access on Public Education in Benin

Does radio access improve public service provision? And if so, does it do so by increasing government accountability to citizens, or by persuading households to take advantage of publicly-provided services? Prior research has argued that citizens with greater access to mass media receive greater benefits from targeted government welfare programs, but has not addressed these questions for public services such as in education and health. Using unique data from Benin, this paper finds that literacy rates among school children are higher in villages exposed to signals from a larger number of community radio stations. The effect is identified based on a"natural experiment"in the northern communes of Benin where within-commune variation in village access to radio stations is exogenous to observed and unobserved village characteristics. In contrast to prior research, the authors find that this media effect does not operate through government accountability: government inputs into village schools and household knowledge of government education policies are no different in villages with greater access to community radio. Instead, households with greater access are more likely to make financial investments in the education of their children.
Thermal effects on the mechanical behaviour of saturated clays

These Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne EPFL, n° 2828 (2003)Section de genie civilFaculte de l'environnement naturel, architectural et construitInstitut des infrastructures, des ressources et de l'environnementLaboratoire de mecanique des solsJury: Peter Bluemling, Thomas Hueckel, Serge Leroueil, Aurele Parriaux, Anton Schleiss, Laurent Vulliet Public defense: 2003-9-29 Reference doi:10.5075/epfl-thesis-2828Print copy in library catalog Record created on 2005-03-16, modified on 2016-08-08
Spectrographic Characteristics of Turkish / h / Esra Ertan

/h/ is described differently by different researchers. While some argue that /h/ is a glottal fricative, others argue that it is the voiceless counterpart of the following vowel, yet others argue that /h/ is a glide or an approximant. However, detailed acoustic studies focusing on /h/ are very limited. This study aims to describe the spectrographic characteristics of /h/ in Turkish. Test words consisted of 48 monosyllabic and disyllabic words containing /h/ which was followed by eight Turkish vowels. Totally 1440 tokens were analyzed. After segmentation, /h/ was classified based on its spectrographic characteristics: 1) segment exhibiting formants, 2) segment exhibiting frication (but no formants) with energy in lower frequencies and 3) segment exhibiting almost no energy. In order to find out if there is a significant difference among these three categories, Chi-square test was applied. The spectrographic characteristics of /h/ in Turkish suggest that it is more like the voiceless version of the surrounding vowels, significantly when it is in syllable initial position and the preceding vowel when in syllable final position.
A multilevel item response model for item position effects and individual persistence

The paper presents a multilevel item response model for item position effects. It includes individual differences regarding the position effect to which we refer to as the persistence of the test-takers. The model is applied to published data from the PISA 2006 science assessment. We analyzed responses to 103 science test items from N = 64.251 students from 10 countries selected to cover a wide range of national performance levels. All effects of interest were analyzed separately for each country. A significant negative effect of item position on performance was found in all countries, which is more prominent in countries with a lower national performance level. The individual differences in persistence were relatively small in all countries, but more pronounced in countries with lower performance levels. Students’ performance level is practically uncorrelated with persistence in high performing countries, while it is negatively correlated within low performing countries.
Placing of enrichment and its impact on the distribution of hens in the outdoor run

The majority of the organic egg producers in Sweden are certified according to the rules of the organisation KRAV, who have stricter directions than the legislation of the European commission. In 2013, KRAV decided to clarify the rule on use of the outdoor area to ensure a maximum utilization of the offered area. This was met with dissatisfaction among many egg producers who saw great difficulties in encouraging hens to move around the entire pasture area. As a response, KRAV formed a project group to investigate different methods to increase the hens' utilization of the outdoor run. This master thesis was included in the project with the purpose to compare how two different arrangements of the same type of artificial enrichment affected the distribution of the hens on the range. The experiment was conducted on four organic egg farms in Ostergotland county in Sweden during April and May in 2015. In one paddock on each farm, two arrangements of enrichments were set up. Each arrangement consisted of eight tin roofs with four wooden legs and eight big straw bales. In one arrangement the enrichment was placed in a line with a straw bale and thereafter a roof and so on. In the other arrangement one roof was paired with a straw bale and these pairs were placed in a zigzag formation with ten meters in diagonal from each other. The 30-meter empty area between the two arrangements of enrichment functioned as a control area. The enriched areas attracted more hens than the control area but the difference between the two arrangements of enrichment was not as clear. The zigzag arrangement seemed to be more favourable, with a higher number of hens than the line formation, but the result was not statistically significant and differed between farms. Hens moved further out within the enriched areas, but usually no more than 35 meters, with only a few hens as far out as 50 meters on a few occasions. Due to other parameters such as weather condition and differences in paddock design between farms it is difficult to draw a conclusion of which one of the arrangements is more preferable than the other. As found in several earlier studies, there are indications in this study that enriched areas attract more birds compared to areas with no enrichment.
Three Mechanisms to Enter Under-Developed Markets: The Case of Investment in Mongolian Market by Korean Firms

This paper analyzes processes of market entry and business development of an under-developed market from the perspective of three mechanisms. When entering an under-developed market, a different set of strategies is required, compared to when entering a developed or developing markets. In this study, we suggest three mechanisms that are needed to enter an under-developed market for FDI while seeking competitive advantages: selecting, learning, and coordinating. We have explored a dynamic market exploiting process through Sky Group, a joint venture (JV) between Tai-Han Electronic Wire and SK Telecom in Mongolia. The selecting mechanism helps firms identify local market chance and proper mode of entry. The Skytel, a Korean telecommunication service provider in Mongolia shows the selecting mechanism by establishing a JV with Tai-Han in order to reenter the Mongolian market. After selecting an entry mode, according to a business opportunity, the learning mechanism is needed for efficient market exploitation. The learning mechanism closely related to Multinational enterprise (MNE)'s absorptive capacity in a market. The Sky Group case shows the learning mechanism through its international operations to absorb the local market knowledge. In case of under-developed country, they have various constraint factors that shrink business activities. To overcome this efficiently, the coordinating mechanism is needed. The coordinating mechanism is essential for networking and integrates each firm's absorptive capacity. The Sky Group case is a good example that shows synergy effects through the coordinating mechanism.
The incidence of some components of the metabolic syndrome in children in medium sized town and rural area in Poland

Introduction. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of chosen components of the meta­bolic syndrome in Caucasian children and adolescents living in small town and rural area in central Poland. The parents’ knowledge on eating habits and level of physical activity of their children was also analyzed. Material and methods. We measured anthropometric parameters, fasting blood glucose, systolic and dias­tolic blood pressures in 842 school children aged 7 to 16 years. Questionnaire was used to assess the parents’ knowledge about the eating habits and physical activ­ity of the children. Results. In studied populations the prevalence of obe­sity was higher in boys than in girls. Blood pressure ≥ c95 was observed significantly more often in obese individuals. There was a positive correlation between obesity and abdominal obesity. Increased waist circum­ference was observed more frequently in boys in the youngest age group. Elevated blood pressure was most frequently seen in children with abdominal obesity. Adolescents aged 16 years spent the most time in front of the TV/computer, and those most often consumed “fast foods” meals. Both in small town and rural areas girls were less physically active than boys. Over 50% of parents in both populations regarded the physical activity of children as normal, and almost 90% of the parents accepted children’s dietary habits. Conclusions. Our results point out the key role of envi­ronmental factors and gender in the development of overweight and obesity. It seems necessary to take all preventive measures to reduce the risk of complica­tions of obesity in the future life. (Clin Diabetol 2017; 6, 6: 195–203)
Using microtechnology to evaluate the between and within match variability of professional Twenty20 cricket fast bowlers

This study assessed the between- and within-match variability of external training load measures during two consecutive Twenty20 cricket seasons in professional fast bowlers. Global positioning system (GPS) and accelerometer data (PlayerLoad™) were collected from eight fast bowlers in 17 matches of domestic Twenty20 competition. Using GPS-accelerometry systems the variables selected for analysis were; total distance, low speed running distance (≤14.4 km.h-1), high-speed running distance (≥14.4 km.h-1), total sprint distance (≥18 km.h-1), number of sprint efforts (n), peak speed (km.h-1) and PlayerLoad™ (arbitrary units; AU). These variables were further categorised into specific reference periods; between-match (overall and bowling only) and within-match (between-over). Data were log transformed and the coefficient of variation (CV) and between-subject standard deviation determined (both expressed as percentages). The data shows that between-match variability was greatest in high-speed running distance (32.9% CV), total sprint distance (49.0% CV) and number of sprint efforts (48.0% CV). Similarly, within-match between-over data was greatest in high-speed running distance (12.8% CV), total sprint distance (17.1% CV) and number of sprint efforts (12.3% CV), yet this variability was markedly reduced compared to between-match observations. The results show that global measures of external training load (total distance and PlayerLoad™; 5.5-13.3% CV) are relatively stable, yet high-speed locomotive activities exhibit a larger degree of variability both between- and within-match. These findings have importance for practitioners, who seek to facilitate performance by informed training prescription based on replicating match demands.
CONVERGENCE BETWEEN BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS AND ECONOMICS ON THE EXPLANATION OF CHOICE BEHAVIOR

This paper aims to identify how behavior analysis and economics are complementary on the explanation of choice behavior, particularly intertemporal choices, through a literature review. Both behavior analysis and economics researchers have used mathematical models, usually exponential and hyperbolic formulations, to quantify intertemporal choice behavior. Considering theoretical aspects and characteristic models from each area, the present paper concludes that, despite differences in approach, exchange between findings from behavior analysis and economics can contribute to the integrated advance of scientific knowledge. Keywords : behavioral economics, choice behavior, intertemporal choice, quantification of choice.
A Novel Agribusiness Model for Backward Linkages with Farmers: A Case of Food Retail Chain

One of the leading food retail chains, ‘Spencers’ have established backward linkages with farmers for procuring fresh fruits and vegetables. The main strategy of this system ensures a steady and continuous supply of fresh vegetables to the food retail chain and flow of income to farmers. This linkage has been able to change the method of farming and the marketing arrangement followed by the food retail chains. The marketing arrangement by Spencers food retail chain has reduced the market risks and transaction cost of farmers and has helped them in breaking away from the clutches of traditional brokers/wholesalers/commission agents. Direct supply by farmers has allowed the retail chain to simultaneously increase control over quality, supply reliability and price stability. An added advantage of this model is that it provides flexibility to the farmers to exit from this system, if they are not satisfied with its functioning, since there are no written contracts. This model of linkage is specially suited to small and marginal farmers and improves their economic conditions by providing an opportunity to grow and supply high-value vegetables round the year at a fairly decent price. The study has analyzed the impact of food retail chain linkage on farmers.
Clusters of Entrepreneurship

Employment growth is strongly predicted by smaller average establishment size, both across cities and across industries within cities, but there is little consensus on why this relationship exists. Traditional economic explanations emphasize factors that reduce entry costs or raise entrepreneurial returns, thereby increasing net returns and attracting entrepreneurs. A second class of theories hypothesizes that some places are endowed with a greater supply of entrepreneurship. Evidence on sales per worker does not support the higher returns for entrepreneurship rationale. Our evidence suggests that entrepreneurship is higher when fixed costs are lower and when there are more entrepreneurial people.
Suspicious Success—Cheating, InequalityAcceptance and Political Preferences

Supporters of left-wing parties typically put more emphasis on redistributive policies than right-wing voters. I investigate whether this difference in tolerating inequality is amplified by suspicious success — achievements that might arise from cheating. Using a laboratory experiment, I exogenously vary cheating opportunities for stakeholders who work on a real effort task and earn money according to their self-reported performances. An impartial spectator is able to redistribute the earnings between the stakeholders, albeit it is not possible to detect cheating. I find that the opportunity to cheat leads to different views on whether to accept inequality. Left-wing spectators substantially reduce inequality when cheating is possible, while the treatment has no significant effect on choices of right-wing spectators. Since neither differences in beliefs nor differences in norms about cheating can explain this finding, it seems to be driven by a difference in preferences. These results suggest that redistributive preferences will diverge even more once public awareness increases that inequality might be to a certain extent created by cheating.