Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Family Firms Heterogeneity on the Internationalisation and Performance Relationship

Many papers have addressed the influence of different characteristics of family businesses on strategic decisions, including those of internationalisation. However, little is known about the relationship between the internationalization of family firms and firm profitability. For this reason, from the socioemotional wealth perspective, in this paper, we focus on the moderating role of some heterogeneous characteristics of family firms on the relationship between internationalisation and business performance. Specifically, we analyse a sample of 76 companies belonging to the Spanish hotel industry, one of the most internationalised sectors and with a large presence of family businesses. The results show that family involvement in ownership and management, as well as generation, moderates the relationship between internationalisation and profitability in the Spanish hotel industry.
Family Dynamics and Well-Being among Rural Communities in Malaysia During Covid-19 Pandemic

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic currently faced worldwide does not only negatively impact the aspects of physical health and national economies but also on one’s well-being. Such effect is felt by communities living in urban and rural areas alike, without compromise. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the determinants of family dynamics (i.e., family relationships, family conflict, social support, financial stress, and stress) and well-being among rural communities in Malaysia during the pandemic. The data for this study were gathered from an online survey participated by 1,587 respondents from the Family and Community Empowerment Programme (FACE). To this end, a total of 916 respondents who were part of the rural communities in Malaysia were included in the present study. The findings revealed that family relationships and social support posed a significantly positive correlation with well-being. The results also showed that financial stress, family conflict and stress were significantly and negatively correlated with well-being. Meanwhile, multiple regression analysis outcomes indicated that family relationships yielded the strongest influence on well-being. In conclusion, healthy family relation ships greatly influence an individual’s well -being, especially in the context of rural communities in Malaysia during the Movement Control Order.
Common Structural Deficiencies Identified in Canterbury Buildings and Observed versus Predicted Performance

This paper presents a list of common structural deficiencies identified following the Canterbury earthquakes. The deficiencies are based on detailed engineering evaluations of hundreds of buildings in Christchurch and its surrounding areas. The deficiencies identified are common to some of the more prominent collapses but are also found in buildings with limited or concealed damage. The detailed evaluations identified these deficiencies and limited the occupancy, triggered strengthening, or lead to the demolition of the structure. In addition, this paper includes a comparison of observed versus predicted performance of three concrete buildings in the Christchurch area that survived the Lyttelton event with limited damage. The predicted performance utilizes nonlinear time history analysis and is relative to the acceptance criteria specified in ASCE 41-06. In general, the observed performance was found to be better than the predicted. Sources of uncertainty and potential conservatism are evaluated including foundation stiffness, kinematic effects, and vertical accelerations.
Semi‐Brittle Deformation of Carrara Marble: Hardening and Twinning Induced Plasticity

Semi‐brittle flow occurs when crystal plasticity and cataclastic mechanisms operate concurrently and may be common at mid‐levels of the Earth's crust. Using a Paterson gas‐deformation apparatus, we performed 67 conventional triaxial deformation experiments on dry samples of Carrara marble in the temperature range of T = 20–800°C; confining pressures (PC) were 30, 50,100, 200, and 300 MPa, and strain rates ( ε˙ $\dot{\varepsilon }$ ) were 10−3, 10−4, 10−5, and 10−6 s−1. Axial strains (ε) were ≲0.12. The measured (differential) stress, Δσ=σ1−PC ${\Delta}\sigma ={\sigma }_{1}-{P}_{\mathrm{C}}$ , changes with strain at most applied conditions. At ε = 0.05, both stress and the hardening coefficient (h), that is, the rate of increase of stress with strain, increase as T decreases and PC increases. At T ≲ 400°C, h is quite large and the sensitivity of Δσ ${\Delta}\sigma $ on ε˙ $\dot{\varepsilon }$ is low, while both are sensitive to increasing pressure. In this temperature range, the mechanical behavior of the marble is very similar to that exhibited by high‐strength, high‐ductility, hexagonal metals that deform by processes called twinning induced plasticity (TWIP). Twinning and dislocation motion are abundant in the samples, as are inter‐ and intracrystalline microfractures. The concurrent activation of these deformation mechanisms leads to complex relationships of Δσ ${\Delta}\sigma $ and h with the applied T ‐ PC ‐ ε˙ $\dot{\varepsilon }$ conditions. This behavior suggests that peak stresses for calcite rocks deforming by semi‐brittle processes will occur at PC ‐ T conditions of the middle crust, and that they might be more strongly influenced by total strain rather than by strain rate.
Quality of Life: Assessment for Transportation Performance Measures

pp 161. The research encompassed three phases between 2010 and 2011: (1) an extensive literature review on QOL, (2) 24 focus groups that asked Minnesota’s citizens about their QOL, and (3) a mail questionnaire about what matters in quality of life, transportation and their intersection. Results reveal: QOL is complex and transportation plays an important and consistent role in it across Minnesota; transportation is critical to QOL because it connects us to important destinations in aspects that matter most; and Minnesotans can readily identify what matters and how the state is performing within the breadth of transportation services.
Diagnostic value of aquaporin-4-IgG live cell based assay in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders

Objective Determine the utility of aquaporin 4 IgG (AQP4-IgG) testing (live cell-based assay) for Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD). Methods We included Mayo Clinic patients (1/1/2018-12/31/2019) tested for serum AQP4-IgG by live cell-based flow-cytometric assay. Medical records were reviewed to assess if patients fulfilled 2015 NMOSD criteria. Results Of 1371 patients tested, 41 were positive (3%) and all fulfilled NMOSD criteria with AQP4-IgG (specificity = 100%). Only 10/1330 testing negative met NMOSD criteria without AQP4-IgG (sensitivity = 80%) and seven of these 10 were MOG-IgG positive. Conclusions AQP4-IgG by live cell-based assay was highly specific and without false positives in a high throughput setting.
Formalization of metatheory of the Lambda Calculus in constructive type theory using the Barendregt variable convention

Abstarct We formalize in Constructive Type Theory the Lambda Calculus in its classical first-order syntax, employing only one sort of names for both bound and free variables, and with α-conversion based upon name swapping. As a fundamental part of the formalization, we introduce principles of induction and recursion on terms which provide a framework for reproducing the use of the Barendregt Variable Convention as in pen-and-paper proofs within the rigorous formal setting of a proof assistant. The principles in question are all formally derivable from the simple principle of structural induction/recursion on concrete terms. We work out applications to some fundamental meta-theoretical results, such as the Church–Rosser Theorem and Weak Normalization for the Simply Typed Lambda Calculus. The whole development has been machine checked using the system Agda.
FAULT AND EVENT-TREE TECHNIQUES IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-SAFETY SYSTEMS - PART II: STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Fault-Trees (FT) and Event-Trees (ET) are useful analytic tools for the assessment of reliability and safety of complex technical systems, and occupational health-safety systems (OHSS), as well. In this work we broaden and expand our previous study regarding the features of FT/ET methods. To clarify this further, in the present article we statistically analyzed the results of a literature survey, concentrated on FT/ET techniques applied in risk assessment (RA) of OHSSs, in order to (i) depict the subsistent situation of their application in various occupational fields, and (ii) enhance their handling and usage in RA of OHSS. The paper consists of two parts, including: (i) a literature survey (for years 2000-2012), concentrated on the main categories of FT/ET techniques concerning OHSS RA, and (ii) an examination and statistical analysis of the corresponding scientific papers published by thirteen representative scientific journals of Elsevier_B. V. and IEEE_Inc. The review shows that: (a) FT/ET techniques are classified into three basic categories (qualitative, quantitative, hybrid), (b) in risk assessment of occupational worksites, FT/ET application is not quite expanded and has not been extensively incorporated in the main RA methodologies of OHSSs, despite their significance, (c) the papers with FT/ETs constitute a very small part of the literature (~0.71%), (d) the qualitative methods present the highest relative occurrence-frequency (59%), and (e) the field of “Industry” concentrates the highest percentage of the papers (34%).
Early Cost Estimate of Product during Design Stage Using Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) Principles

Application of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) methodologies can be beneficial to industries involved in the design and development of products. Improper design decisions are responsible for higher manufacturing cost for a product. Thus it is important to include DFMA by combining principles of both DFM and DFA principle early in the design process. This paper presents a case study of manufacture and assembly costs estimation during the design phase of washing machine and which is to be manufactured in company located in India, and intends to make this economically feasible. Solidworks and Solidview software tool were used to generate CAD models which were further analysed using DFMA software tool. The result obtained was accepted by industry and match with the market value of washing machine.
Customer Brand Engagement through Chatbots on Bank Websites– Examining the Antecedents and Consequences

ABSTRACT Chatbots are virtual conversation agents that offer innovative features to connect with customers and thus offer a promising avenue to engage customers. Currently many private and nationalized banks are deploying chatbots for connecting and communicating with customers. This technology is expected to dominate the banking sector in the future by improving customer service. However, the success of banking chatbots will be effective when customers are satisfied with the chatbots and engage in using them. To probe in to the question, this study investigates the antecedents and consequences of customer brand engagement in using banking chatbots, with the lens of diffusion of innovation theory. The antecedents include interactivity, time convenience, compatibility, complexity, observability, and trialability. The consequences are satisfaction with the brand experience and customer brand usage intention. The theorized model has been validated with 470 Indian banking chatbot customers usable responses. The results suggest that trialability, compatibility, and interactivity positively influence customer brand engagement through a chatbot, thereby influencing satisfaction with the brand experience and customer brand usage intention. The paper presents theoretical and managerial implications which enable banks to strengthen customer engagement, satisfaction and brand usage intention through chatbots.
Modeling the Relationships of Factors Affecting Dissemination of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) in China

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems have been employed in the Chinese building sector and many policies and legislations have been issued by the government for its dissemination because of its great potential for energy saving. However, the relationships among the factors affecting dissemination of such technologies have been little studied and therefore, supporting measures may have limited impact on their dissemination. This research employed Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT) to model the associations among the factors affecting dissemination of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems in China, laying out a theoretical foundation for policy makers and future research.
What Is Human Centred Design?

ABSTRACT Reflections upon the meaning of the word ‘design’ are made and a relatively complete definition of the paradigm of human centred design is formulated. Aspects of both the background and the current practice of the paradigm are presented, as is a basic structural model of the design questions addressed. Examples are provided of the economic benefit of human centred design in business settings as an approach for designing products, systems and services which are physically, perceptually, cognitively and emotionally intuitive. Examples are further provided of the coherence of the paradigm with the logic and structure of several currently popular marketing and banding frameworks. Finally, some strategic implications of adopting human centred design as a business strategy are suggested.
Structure of the Flow Field of a Nonpremixed Gas Jet Flame in Cross-Flow

Experimental studies on nonpremixed turbulent flames in cross flow are necessary as the current analytical and numerical tools are unable to provide acceptable quantitative information about their complex flow fields. This study, which complements the results ofa previous study by the authors on the flame structure in the stabilization region of a partially lifted turbulent diffusion flame in cross-flow (TDFCF), presents the measured turbulence quantities in the flow field of the same flame. Results include mean velocities in the cross-stream and spanwise directions, the vertical and horizontal components of fluctuating components of velocity, Reynolds stress, power spectra, and autocorrelations useful for developing and validating theoretical models of TDFCF in the moderate momentum flux ratio range
Seismic vulnerability assessment using regional empirical data

This article presents a procedure developed for the seismic performance assessment of low‐ to mid‐rise reinforced concrete buildings in Turkey. The past performance of reinforced concrete buildings during major earthquakes have been compiled and analysed comprehensively using statistical procedures in order to study the empirical correlation between the significant damage inducing parameters and the observed damage. A damage database of nearly 500 representative buildings experiencing the 1999 Kocaeli and Düzce earthquakes have been used and discriminant functions expressing damage score in terms of six damage inducing parameters have been developed. In order to extrapolate the procedure to other regions that are likely to be subjected to major earthquakes a new approach that takes into account different local soil conditions, site‐to‐source distance and the magnitude of the earthquake has been introduced. The procedure has been applied to a pilot area in Istanbul to estimate expected damage distribution under a credible scenario earthquake. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Deterministic Blade Row Interactions in a Centrifugal Compressor Stage

The three-dimensional viscous flow in a low speed centrifugal compressor stage is simulated using an average passage Navier-Stokes analysis. The impeller discharge flow is of the jet/wake type with low momentum fluid in the shroud-pressure side corner coincident with the tip leakage vortex. This nonuniformity introduces periodic unsteadiness in the vane frame of reference. The effect of such deterministic unsteadiness on the time-mean is included in the analysis through the average passage stress, which allows the analysis of blade row interactions. The magnitude of the divergence of the deterministic unsteady stress is of the order of the divergence of the Reynolds stress over most of the span, from the impeller trailing edge to the vane throat. Although the potential effects on the blade trailing edge from the diffuser vane are small, strong secondary flows generated by the impeller degrade the performance of the diffuser vanes.Copyright © 1991 by ASME
An empirical analysis of effective TQM implementation in the Hong Kong electronics manufacturing industry

The objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model of total quality management (TQM) implementation and test it empirically. The main research problem of this study is to investigate the effect of adopting TQM principles on quality achievement in manufacturing. The hypotheses specifying relationships between the core parts of the model including quality management infrastructure, core quality management practices, quality performance, and customer satisfaction are tested using survey research method. Data were collected from 50 managers of 25 manufacturing companies in Hong Kong. Correlation analysis on the ratings given by two different respondents from the same company shows that employee relations strongly facilitates the use of quality data and reporting, while training supports the function of product design, supplier quality management, and quality data and reporting. The results also indicate that employee relations and training have direct effects on quality performance which, in turn, relates to customer satisfaction. Practitioners are advised to build a supportive environment with a strong emphasis on human and organizational aspects to promote effective TQM implementation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
SYSTEM RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT OF 3D STEEL FRAMES DESIGNED PER AISC LRFD SPECIFICATIONS

This paper presents the system reliability analysis of a three-dimensional steel frame designed per AISC LRFD with respect to the collapse limit state under the dead and live loads. The system reliability is evaluated using the first-order reliability method (FORM)-based adaptive response surface approach. The uncertainties in the material properties, geometric properties of frame members, initial geometric imperfection of the structure, dead load and live load as well as the spatial variability of the live load are accounted for in the reliability analysis. The analysis results suggest that the system reliability of the example frame is similar to that of the planar steel frames designed per AISC LRFD and evaluated in a previous study. It is observed that the spatial variability of the live load leads to a decreased system reliability. Results of the sensitivity analysis indicate that the failure probability of the example frame increases by almost one order of magnitude if the coefficient of variation of the steel yield strength increases from 0.06 to 0.1. Furthermore, the system reliability decreases drastically if the upper bound of the magnitude of initial geometric imperfection is greater than 0.4% of the overall height of the example frame.
Compact wide stopband lowpass filter using spiral loaded tapered compact microstrip resonator cell

A new spiral loaded tapered compact microstrip resonator cell (SPLT-CMRC) is presented. The addition of spiral stubs to the CMRC creates transmission zeroes in the stopband which extended the stopband of the ﬁlter. The proposed resonator is used to design a compact lowpass ﬁlter (LPF) with wide and high rejection in stopband. The fabricated ﬁlter has a 3 dB cutoff frequency at 8 GHz. The insertion loss in the passband is less than 0.2 dB from DC to 7.2 GHz. The proposed ﬁlter has wide stopband from 9.47 to 40 GHz with attenuation level of −20 dB. The demonstrated filter is designed and fabricated. There is a good agreement between the measured and simulated S-parameters.
Age-Dependent Decline of NAD+—Universal Truth or Confounded Consensus?

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an essential molecule involved in various metabolic reactions, acting as an electron donor in the electron transport chain and as a co-factor for NAD+-dependent enzymes. In the early 2000s, reports that NAD+ declines with aging introduced the notion that NAD+ metabolism is globally and progressively impaired with age. Since then, NAD+ became an attractive target for potential pharmacological therapies aiming to increase NAD+ levels to promote vitality and protect against age-related diseases. This review summarizes and discusses a collection of studies that report the levels of NAD+ with aging in different species (i.e., yeast, C. elegans, rat, mouse, monkey, and human), to determine whether the notion that overall NAD+ levels decrease with aging stands true. We find that, despite systematic claims of overall changes in NAD+ levels with aging, the evidence to support such claims is very limited and often restricted to a single tissue or cell type. This is particularly true in humans, where the development of NAD+ levels during aging is still poorly characterized. There is a need for much larger, preferably longitudinal, studies to assess how NAD+ levels develop with aging in various tissues. This will strengthen our conclusions on NAD metabolism during aging and should provide a foundation for better pharmacological targeting of relevant tissues.
Collaboration and information sharing in global contract manufacturing networks

In the semiconductor and telecommunications industry original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) outsource manufacturing to contract manufacturers who are specialist electronic manufacturing service providers. There are a large number of such specialists in existence who collaborate with the original equipment manufacturers at one end and the component suppliers at another end and provide engineering, manufacturing and distribution services. But there do not exist good theoretical developments supporting these real world operations. We consider a global manufacturing system consisting of the contract manufacturer, logistics provider, and OEM and study the influence of sharing scheduling and demand information over the Internet. More specifically, we consider an OEM operating an Internet-based private exchange as a channel master with its contract manufacturers and their suppliers participating by sharing information. We develop a linear program based optimization model for this environment. Specifically, our LP model calculates the quantity of raw materials that is to be procured in each time period from each of the suppliers in order to meet the given demand. We compare these results with traditional make-to-stock linear supply chains with sequential order flow. Our numerical experiments show that information sharing results in cost and inventory reduction.