Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An exploration of sensorless manipulation

An autonomous robotic manipulator can reduce uncertainty in the locations of objects in either of two ways: by sensing, or by motion strategies. This paper explores the use of motion strategies to eliminate uncertainty, without the use of sensors. The approach is demonstrated within the context of a simple method to orient planar objects. A randomly oriented object is dropped into a tray. When the tray is tilted, the object can slide into walls, along walls, and into corners, sometimes with the effect of reducing the number of possible orientations. For some objects a sequence of tilting operations exists that leaves the object's orientation completely determined. The paper describes an automatic planner that constructs such a tilting program, using a simple model of the mechanics of sliding. The planner has been implemented, the resulting programs have been executed using a tray attached to an industrial manipulator, and sometimes the programs work. The paper also explores the issue of sensorless manipulation, tray-tilting in particular, within the context of a formal framework first described by Lozano-Pérez, Mason, and Taylor [1984]. It is observed that sensorless motion strategies perform conditional actions using mechanical decisions in place of environmental inquiries.
Bank Specific and Macroeconomic Determinants of Bank Profitability: A Case of Nepal

The profitability of commercial banks is becoming a major concern these days and is gaining increasing importance because, in its absence, banks may collapse. The banking sector these days has gone less secure, and hence, the studies devoted to profitability of commercial banks assumes a greater significance. The objective of this study is to determine the factors affecting profitability of Nepalese commercial banks. It considers both bank specific and macro-economic factors. The study is based on pooled cross-sectional analysis of secondary data of 22 banks with 154 observations for the period 2005/06 to 2011/12. As a first approximation to the theory, this study hypothesizes that the profitability of the banks depends on several firm specific and macro-economic variables such as, credit deposit ratio, market share, GDP, inflation, liquidity and non-performing loans. The study revealed that average return on equity was 16.18 percent while the average return on assets was 14.42 percent. The average ratio of non-performing loan to total loans was observed to be 4.23 percent. The beta coefficients for inflation, liquidity, and non-performing loans were negative, while they were positive for credit to deposit ratio, market share and GDP. However, the coefficients were significant for credit deposit ratio and liquidity only at 5 percent level of significance. Thus, this study concludes that credit to total deposit ratio and liquidity are the major determinants of profitability of Nepalese commercial banks.
Nonelectrode Streamers in Deionized Water

In this paper, the study results of nonelectrode streamers initiated by microparticles of sizes less than 50 μm are presented. The used method is anode screening with the help of a preliminarily prepared conductive layer close to an electrode surface. A microparticle initiates multiple simultaneous streamers, both fast cathode and slow anode directed.
The Relevance of Islamic Micro-finance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Despite the impressive score card of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it goes to suggest that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires targeted efforts in reaching the most vulnerable people worldwide. In Muslim societies, Islamic Micro-finance has been regarded as an important tool for the empowerment of poor people especially women, towards developing micro enterprises. The main objective of this study is to explore the conceptual framework on the relevance of Islamic Micro-finance in achieving the SDGs. This study identifies different products of Islamic Micro-finance used to address diverse deprivations, leading to individual’s personal development, increased productivity and income, and participation in economic and social life. The methodology of this study is based on analysis of relevant literatures. The finding of the study indicates that Islamic Micro-finance is a growing market niche with potentials to develop human capabilities towards empowerment, knowledge and skills, self-reliance and social cohesion. The empowerment enables the clients to manage their economic life effectively, reduce stress and increase security, and participate in the community with self-esteem.
Development of actuated Tangible User Interfaces: new interaction concepts and evaluation methods

Making information understandable and literally graspable is the main goal of tangible interaction research. By giving digital data physical representations (Tangible User Interface Objects, or TUIOs), they can be used and manipulated like everyday objects with the users’ natural manipulation skills. Such physical interaction is basically of uni-directional kind, directed from the user to the system, limiting the possible interaction patterns. In other words, the system has no means to actively support the physical interaction. Within the frame of tabletop tangible user interfaces, this problem was addressed by the introduction of actuated TUIOs, that are controllable by the system. Within the frame of this thesis, we present the development of our own actuated TUIOs and address multiple interaction concepts we identified as research gaps in literature on actuated Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs). Gestural interaction is a natural means for humans to non-verbally communicate using their hands. TUIs should be able to support gestural interaction, since our hands are already heavily involved in the interaction. This has rarely been investigated in literature. For a tangible social network client application, we investigate two methods for collecting user-defined gestures that our system should be able to interpret for triggering actions. Versatile systems often understand a wide palette of commands. Another approach for triggering actions is the use of menus. We explore the design space of menu metaphors used in TUIs and present our own actuated dial-based approach. Rich interaction modalities may support the understandability of the represented data and make the interaction with them more appealing, but also mean high demands on real-time precessing. We highlight new research directions for integrated feature rich and multi-modal interaction, such as graphical display, sound output, tactile feedback, our actuated menu and automatically maintained relations between actuated TUIOs within a remote collaboration application. We also tackle the introduction of further sophisticated measures for the evaluation of TUIs to provide further evidence to the theories on tangible interaction. We tested our enhanced measures within a comparative study. Since one of the key factors in effective manual interaction is speed, we benchmarked both the human hand’s manipulation speed and compare it with the capabilities of our own implementation of actuated TUIOs and the systems described in literature. After briefly discussing applications that lie beyond the scope of this thesis, we conclude with a collection of design guidelines gathered in the course of this work and integrate them together with our findings into a larger frame.
Investigating the Dynamics and the Content of Customers’ Social Media Reporting after a Restaurant Service Failure

ABSTRACT This study investigates how the dynamics of service failures in restaurants influence customers’ attitudes and electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) intentions on Social Media (SM). This study explores the escalating service failure continuum, including failure types, failure severity, and recovery efforts. Study 1 examines the influence of the different failures on customers’ positive and negative eWOM intentions. The findings suggest that the prevalent path begins with escalation of service failures that leads to customers’ attitude and eventually influences customers’ negative eWOM intentions. Study 2 further investigates various negative eWOM contents in SM. The findings suggest that customers’ negative eWOM becomes more aggressive as the service failure escalates. Interestingly, results also suggest that customers hold restraint and self-control with aggressiveness of their negative eWOMs.
Effects of Vertical and Horizontal FDI Projects on a Host Country's Economy

This paper examines the effects of an FDI on a host country's trade balance and the local-linkages relative to various types of FDI projects, i.e., vertical FDI projects vs. horizontal FDI projects. It was assumed that the effects of FDIs on host country's economy are different with regard to a vertical vs. horizontal FDI project. Based on 108 FDI projects undertaken by Korean firms, it was found that vertical investment projects have a greater effect on both, the export-creation and import-creation than with horizontal investment projects. Horizontal foreign investment projects, however, have a greater effect than vertical foreign investment projects with respect to local linkages. These findings suggest that the host government's policy (e.g. incentives or regulations) towards inward FDIs should be differentiated by the types of FDI projects based on different contributions made to the host country economy.
Sleep with the Rhythm of your Heart

Arrhythmias during sleep are often detected on routine cardiac monitoring. Specialist cardiology opinion and input is often sought in order to assess whether nocturnal arrhythmias are clinically relevant or not. For the most part, bradyarrhythmias in the young fit individual are a variation of normal and require no further investigations. However even in normal sleep there are cardiovascular diseases that predispose patients to malignant arrhythmias, including heart failure, coronary heart disease and certain cardiac channelopathies. Primary sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea and alterations in sleep patterns during shift work have also been shown to have a proarrhythmogenic effect. This review aims to provide the reader with a broad overview of which arrhythmias are simply a reflection of normal changes in cardiac physiology during sleep, and which abnormal potentially dangerous arrhythmias require referral and treatment.
Minimal Lipidation of Pre-β HDL by ABCA1 Results in Reduced Ability to Interact with ABCA1

Objectives—The aim of this study was to determine the role of ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) on generation of different-sized nascent HDLs. Methods and Results—HEK293 cells stably-transfected with ABCA1 (HEK293-ABCA1) or non-transfected (control) cells were incubated with lipid free 125I-apoA-I for 24 hours. Incubation of apoA-I with HEK293-ABCA1 cells, but not control cells, led to the formation of heterogeneous-sized, pre-β migrating nascent HDL subpopulations (pre-β1 to -4) that varied in size (7.1 to 15.7 nm), lipid, and apoA-I content. Kinetic studies suggested that all subpopulations were formed simultaneously, with no evidence for a precursor-product relationship between smaller and larger-sized particles. When isolated nascent pre-β HDLs (pre-β1 to -4) were added back to HEK293-ABCA1 cells, their ability to bind to ABCA1 and efflux lipid was severely compromised. Heat-denaturation of pre-β1 HDL resulted in partial recovery of ABCA1 binding, suggesting that initial interaction of apoA-I with ABCA1 results in a constrained conformation of apoA-I that decreases subsequent binding. Conclusions—Interaction of apoA-I with ABCA1 results in the simultaneous generation of pre-β HDLs of discrete size and chemical composition. These nascent particles are poor substrates for subsequent lipidation by ABCA1 and presumably require additional non-ABCA1-mediated lipidation for further maturation.
Carbon performance versus financial performance

Abstract Extant literature has failed to document consistent evidence that socially responsible activities are positively related to financial performance. Such an inconclusive result raises the question of identifying the incentive for firms to voluntarily commit resources for carbon mitigation. Our study attempts to address this issue by investigating the relation between carbon performance and financial performance. We employ a sample of US S&P 500 corporations and use emissions reduction to measure carbon performance and Tobin’s Q to measure financial performance. In order to mitigate the concern of endogeneity, we also consider the influence of carbon disclosure on the relation by conducting simultaneous equations analysis. The results show a positive relation between carbon performance and financial performance. In addition, we find firms with better financial performance tend to be more transparent in carbon disclosure. These findings contrast with previous studies that typically report mixed results. A higher degree of correspondence between carbon performance and financial performance indicates managers who have financial and social obligations and who have chosen carbon projects that have not only improved firm green image but have also generated tangible economic benefit.
A case of late onset leukoencephalopathy with cerebral calcifications and cysts in a 59‐year‐old woman

Background: Leukoencephalopathy with cerebral calcifications and cysts (LCC) is a recently described, very rare entity, clinically characterized by progressive neurological deficits such as cognitive decline, epileptic seizures, pyramidal, extrapyramidal and cerebellar symptoms/signs. With the exception of two patients with adult onset, in all previously described cases symptoms onset occurred between early infancy and adolescence.
Decreased insular and increased midbrain activations during decision‐making under risk in adolescents with excess weight

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to explore the brain substrates of decisions under risk in excess weight adolescents. Decreased activations of the brain regions signaling risk (orbitofrontal cortex [OFC], insula) were expected during anticipation of higher rewards and increased activations of the brain regions involved in reward processing (OFC, striatum) were expected after reward receipt in excess weight adolescents compared to normal weight controls.
Parachloroidium gen. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), a novel genus of coccoid green algae from subaerial corticolous biofilms

Neustupa J., Němcová Y. , Veselá J., Steinová J. and Škaloud P. 2013. Parachloroidium gen. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), a novel genus of coccoid green algae from subaerial corticolous biofilms. Phycologia 52: 411–421. DOI: 10.2216/13–142.1 The Watanabea clade of the Trebouxiophyceae included mostly unicellular coccoid microalgae that thrived in various terrestrial microhabitats. The diversity of these morphologically uniform microalgae was little known, and several new genus-level lineages had recently been described on the basis of molecular data. In this study, we provided a taxonomic description of a new trebouxiophycean genus, Parachloroidium, found in the Mediterranean in corticolous phototrophic biofilms. Their simple chlorelloid morphology did not unambiguously distinguish the Parachloroidium strains from other similar green algae. However, ultrastructural characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the 18S ribosomal (r)DNA, internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the chloroplast ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase gene sequences provided a basis for the discrimination of Parachloroidium from related genera of the Watanabea clade. The four strains investigated formed two species, P. laureanum and P. lobatum, which differed in plastid morphology and in ITS and 18S rDNA sequences. All four strains were characterized by globular or ellipsoidal cell shapes, single parietal plastids and asexual reproduction by autospores. Their plastids lacked typical pyrenoids; however, plastids included peculiar thylakoid-free regions of irregular shape. On the basis of accumulating molecular data, we concluded that the Watanabea clade was a diverse phylogenetic lineage within the subaerial chlorelloid green algae.
IS10/Tn10 transposition efficiently accommodates diverse transposon end configurations.

Transposon Tn10 and its component insertion sequence IS10 move by non‐replicative transposition. We have studied the array of reaction intermediates and products in a high efficiency in vitro IS10/Tn10 transposition reaction. Synapsis of two transposon ends, followed by cleavage and strand transfer, can occur very efficiently irrespective of the relative locations and orientations of the two ends. The two participating ends can occur in inverted or direct orientation on the same molecule or, most importantly, on two different molecules. This behavior contrasts sharply with that of Mu, in which transposition is strongly biased in favor of inverted repeat synapsis. Mechanistically, the absence of discrimination amongst various end configurations implies that the architecture within the IS10/Tn10 synaptic complex is relatively simple, i.e. lacking any significant intertwining of component DNA strands. Biologically these observations are important because they suggest that the IS10 insertion sequence module has considerable flexibility in the types of DNA rearrangements that it can promote. Most importantly, it now seems highly probable that a single non‐replicative IS10 element can promote DNA rearrangements usually attributed to replicative transposition, i.e. adjacent deletions and cointegrates, by utilizing transposon ends on two sister chromosomes. Other events which probably also contribute to the diversity of IS10/Tn10‐promoted rearrangements are discussed.
Quality improvement financial incentives for general practitioners

Executive Summary Policy Context Australia’s recently released National Primary Health Care Strategic Framework aims to improve access and reduce inequity in health care using a range of strategies including funding models and incentives as mechanisms to promote high quality care. Currently, the Australian health system relies on a mixed funding model with a focus on fee-for-service, which does not actively reward quality of care. Blended models, which include financial incentives such as pay for performance (P4P), have been proposed to encourage improvements in the quality and safety of health care provided, and the uptake and meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). Nevertheless, incentives are not sufficient to impact on care provision without both appropriate infrastructure and the engagement of general practice. Key Findings Quality improvement includes aspects of self-reflection and benchmarking, with continued evaluation to identify where additional improvements to practice can be made. Measures of the quality of care are typically structure (e.g. related to an organisation’s operations), process (e.g. clinical guidelines or care pathways) or outcomes-based (e.g. physiological indicators). Improvements can be measured in relative or absolute terms. The likelihood of engaging with incentives and the behavioural responses of health professionals are affected by the different characteristics of financial incentives, which may be directed at networks of practices, individual practices, or specific health care professionals. Payments may be offered as a bonus or addition to usual earnings, or may be withheld if practices do not achieve desired outcomes. Payments may be prospective or retrospective and may be linked to fixed thresholds or individual patients.
Earnings Baths by Bank CEOS During Turnovers

This study investigates the development of income-decreasing discretionary expenses surrounding CEO turnovers at banks. We expect incoming CEOs to take an earnings bath during the initial stage of their tenure. For a sample of German banks over the period 1993-2012, we document that (1) incoming CEOs increase discretionary expenses, i. e. engage in big bath accounting, during their first (partial) year in charge, (2) incoming CEOs from outside the bank take a larger earnings bath than insiders, and (3) incoming CEOs take a smaller earnings bath when the incumbent CEOs retire than when they leave for other reasons. Our findings are robust to several modifications. Most importantly, they also hold true when the incoming CEO's objective of rectifying shortages in the existing stock of risk provisions has been taken into account, which may provide an alternative explanation for observing extraordinary amounts of discretionary expenses in turnover years.
Disentangling the Effect of Private and Public Cash Flows on Firm Value

This paper presents a simple model for dual-class stock shares, in which common shareholders receive both public and private cash flows (i.e. dividends and any private benefit of holding voting rights) and preferred shareholders only receive public cash flows (i.e. dividends). The dual-class premium is driven not only by the firm's ability to generate cash flows, but also by voting rights. We isolate these two effects in order to identify the role of voting rights on equity-holders' wealth. In particular, we employ a cointegrated VAR model to retrieve the impact of the voting rights value on cash flow rights. We finnd a negative relation between the value of the voting right and the preferred shareholders' wealth for Brazilian cross- listed firms. In addition, we examine the connection between the voting right value and market and firm specific risks.
SA8000 as CSR‐Washing? The Role of Stakeholder Pressures

This article analyzes the extent to which stakeholder pressure contributes to the CSR-washing phenomena and its impact on the organizational outcomes. To that end, this work analyzes the relationships involved using primary data obtained from a survey of 130 Italian organizations that have implemented the SA8000 international CSR standard. The article contributes to both the theoretical and empirical literature on CSR-washing by proposing an integrated approach that sheds more light on the driving factors behind and outcomes from the internationalization of a well-defined and comprehensively monitored set of CSR practices, namely the SA8000 standard. The implications for managers, policy makers and other stakeholders are discussed.
Socially Responsible Mutual Funds

Conversations about socially responsible investing are difficult because they combine facts with beliefs. Proponents of socially responsible investing believe that combining social goals with investments does good; opponents believe that such combinations are unwise or even illegitimate. In this article, I try to separate facts from beliefs. I report that the Domini Social Index, an index of socially responsible stocks, did better than the S&P 500 Index and that socially responsible mutual funds did better than conventional mutual funds over the 1990–98 period but the differences between their risk-adjusted returns are not statistically significant. Both groups of mutual funds trailed the S&P 500 Index.
On Internalization of Externalities

Externalities can be internalized through market mechanism, government regulation, or self-governing institutions or a mix of these institutions. We recommend the institutional route which minimizes total cost (sum of technology, management, and transaction costs) to the firm. These costs are influenced by the externality attributes (occurrence, polluter, spatial, time and technology). Different institutions may be appropriate for different stages and social contexts of an externality.