Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Stability Enhancing Control Strategy for Centralized PV-Grid Systems for Smart Grid Applications

Inverter driven, inertia-less interface of a large photovoltaic (PV) source with power grid raises challenging penetration issues such as bus voltage fluctuation, active power variation, reactive power flow and poor system dynamics. Extensive efforts are underway to overcome these issues, which tend to put a limit on the maximum PV power injection capability for a given local area electric power system. This paper proposes a new control scheme that enables a centralized PV-grid system to damp out the low frequency power swings on the local area network as an ancillary activity apart from its regular function. The proposed scheme enhances the power system stability without incorporating any additional devices or systems (e.g., PSS). The analytical basis of the control law used in this scheme is derived from the structure preserving energy function (SPEF) model. A notable feature of the scheme that makes it highly feasible is that it requires only locally measurable signals. Further, it does not affect the MPPT control of the PV system in any manner. All these features make it highly relevant and suitable for smart grid applications. Relevant simulation results as well as key experimental results for a laboratory level hardware model are included.
Factors encouraging and restricting participation in urban forestry (Case study of Tehran, Iran)

It has been widely recognised that the participation of different groups of people is crucial to urban forest management. This paper aimed to focus on the motivating factors and conditions that foster participation in urban forest management. Also, the main constraints which limit participation were explored. Therefore, a survey using a researcher-designed questionnaire was used to gain information from forest visitors. Exploratory factor analysis was used to categorise all the effective factors and constraints into summarised factors. Using a principal component analysis, it was found that the most important factors encouraging participation in urban forestry were health and environment improvement and involvement spirit. These two factors explained about 60% of citizens’ participation variance. The constraints also were categorized into four categories namely “lack of legal support”, “lack of cooperation spirit”, “lack of motivation” and “lack of time and awareness”. The stepwise regression model with socio-economic features and factors affecting citizens’ participation in forest management also showed that five variables, namely health and environment improvement, having a child, involvement spirit, lack of motivation and income were predicting 45.1% of the effective factors on citizens’ participation. The results suggest that to enable more participation of citizens, the legislative structure should change and institutional support increase. In addition, motivation, particularly economic and increasing awareness are necessary for attracting citizens to participate in forest management plans.
Trading Volume, Volatility and Return Dynamics: Individual and Cross-Market Analysis

In this paper we study the dynamic relationship between trading volume, volatility, and stock returns at the international stock markets. First, we examine the role of volume and volatility in the individual stock market dynamics using a sample of ten major developed stock markets. Next, we extend our analysis to a multiple market framework, based on a large sample of cross-listed firms. Our analysis is based on both semi-nonparametric (Flexible Fourier Form) and parametric techniques. Our major findings are as follows. First, we find no evidence of the trading volume affecting the serial correlation of stock market returns, as predicted by Campbell et.al (1993) and Wang (1994). Second, the stock market volatility has a negative and statistically significant impact on the serial correlation of the stock market returns, consistent with the positive feedback trading model of Sentana and Wadhwani (1992). Third, the lagged trading volume is positively related to the stock market volatility, supporting the information flow theory. Fourth, we find the trading volume to have both an economically and statistically significant impact on the price discovery process and the co-movement between the international stock markets. Overall, these findings suggest the importance of the trading volume as an information variable.
Indirect control of DSRs for regulating power provision and solving local congestions

Inducing a shift in the electricity consumption using a broadcasted dynamic price for the energy is often proposed as a resource for providing regulating power and it is becoming an increasing research focus for enabling higher penetration of renewable energy in the current power system. This paper shows how using indirect control (or control by price) without any precautions, might easily lead to congestions in nearly saturated distribution grids. An auto tuning local controller which acts on the price signal at distribution level is proposed for solving the congestion. Simulations are performed with the CIGRE' MV reference network with 346 electrically heated buildings as Demand Side Resources, DSRs. The dynamic hourly price of the regulating power provided by Nord Pool Spot market has been used as indirect control signal for the flexible demand.
Strategic Management and Financial Performance in South Korean Apparel Retail Stores

The research objectives were to determine (a) interrelationships among components of Korean apparel retail stores’ management strategies, (b) effects of perceived environmental uncertainty on their management strategies, (c) effects of stores’ management strategies on their performance, and (d) market-orientation strategies the stores have implemented. Four hundred top managers of Korean apparel stores in Seoul, Busan, Suwon, Daejeon, and Daegu completed a questionnaire. A structural equations model was used to test the hypotheses concerning relationships between the research variables. The exogenous variables include components of perceived environmental uncertainty (market turbulence, competitive intensity) and top management’s willingness to adapt a changing market (top-management emphasis and risk aversion). The endogenous variables include components of market-orientation strategy (intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination, response design, response implementation), organicity of organizational structure (centralization, formalization, specialization), and satisfaction with store performance (relative to other Korean retail stores, relative to key
The Marketing Budgeting Process: Marketing Management Implications

Most examinations of marketing and advertising budgeting concentrate on techniques ranging from arbitrary “rules of thumb” to complex management science models. The author suggests greater insight is obtained through a focus on the process of marketing budgeting. The processual variables identified in the article provide a framework for managing marketing budgeting that is much more insightful than the simple prescription of budgeting techniques. This insight arises from the source of such processual variables, as they are grounded in the task environment for marketing budgeting. The goal is to develop a conceptual framework for managing marketing budgeting that goes beyond technique to process and structure. This framework can be extended toward an organizational model of marketing budgeting. The argument is illustrated with the findings of a study of U.K. manufacturing firms.
Audience Interactivity on Video Websites and the Business Implications for Online Media Platforms

Abstract This research investigates consumers’ online participatory behavior by analyzing their use of interactive features on video websites. Based on a national consumer panel survey (N=200) among broadband users, the study found that technology-related variables had a much greater impact on people’s online participation than demographic and individual-related variables. It indicates that it is the consumers’ positive perception and experience with technology that drive their decisions to adopt new features. Media practitioners may develop effective ways to evaluate the psychographics of online audiences to take advantage of this highly valuable group.
Insurance Sales Agents and the Internet: The Relationship Between Opinion Leadership, Subjective Knowledge, and Internet Attitudes

The Internet offers a number of opportunities and threats for insurance sales agents. On the one hand, the Internet provides opportunities to communicate with and reach customers. However, it also introduces the risk of losing business to insurance providers or competitors. These opportunities and threats create a need to understand the characteristics that may affect the views of insurance agents regarding the Internet and its impact on their business. This paper compares insurance sales agents' scores on an opinion leadership scale (Flynn, Goldsmith, and Eastman 1996) and subjective knowledge scale (Flynn and Goldsmith 1999) with their attitudes toward the Internet. The results suggest that those insurance sales agents with a higher level of subjective knowledge about the Internet are more likely to be opinion leaders about the Internet. Both opinion leaders and those with higher levels of subjective knowledge have a more positive attitude about the Internet, but only the relationship with opinion leadership is significant. In addition, those insurance sales agents who are younger (than the approximate mean age of 46 years old) are more likely to be opinion leaders and have a higher level of subjective knowledge of the Internet. The results suggest that perceived knowledge and the willingness to discuss the Internet with others impact one's attitude of it, and that the younger insurance agents will play a leading role in how the Internet will be used.
Regulatory oversight and financial reporting incentives: Evidence from SEC budget allocations

This study examines the determinants and consequences of regulatory oversight of corporate disclosures. I investigate the extent to which industry-level political activity influences the intensity of regulatory oversight, and whether variation in the intensity of oversight affects managers' reporting incentives. I exploit variation in the allocation of budgetary resources between the SEC's disclosure review offices as a source of variation in the oversight of financial reporting and disclosures. I find evidence of a significant relationship between industry-level political activity and visibility and the allocation of resources to each office. I then use the amount of budgetary resources allocated to each office as a proxy for the intensity of the SEC oversight that firms in a given industry face. I provide evidence that when SEC oversight is more intense managers report lower discretionary accruals, managers are less likely to issue financial reports that will be subsequently restated, and firms' bid-ask spreads decrease. Overall, the results suggest that SEC oversight plays an important role in shaping managers' reporting and disclosure incentives. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Accounting First Advisor Wayne Guay Second Advisor Luzi Hail
Stress-Induced Declines in Soybean N2 Fixation Are Related to Nodule Sucrose Synthase Activity

Soybean (Glycine max L.) plants were subjected to a number of treatments (drought, 10 mM nitrate, 150 mM NaCl, shoot meristem removal, and removal of approximately 50% of the nodules) to test the hypothesis that metabolic responses contribute to the regulation of N2 fixation. Nitrogenase activity was correlated with the activity of nodule sucrose synthase (SS), but not with that of glutamine oxoglutarate amino transferase. Leghemoglobin levels and other enzyme activities were not significantly or consistently affected by the treatments. SS mRNA was greatly reduced in nodules of drought-, salt-, and nitrate-treated plants; however, this was not correlated with changes in soluble carbohydrate, starch, amino acids, or ureides. Leghemoglobin mRNA was only slightly affected by the treatments. The time course of drought stress showed a decline in the SS transcript level by 1 d, but levels of leghemoglobin, glutamine synthetase, and ascorbate peroxidase mRNA were not markedly affected by 4 d. SS activity at 4 d was reduced by 46%. We propose that N2 fixation in soybean nodules is mediated by both the oxygen-diffusion barrier and the potential to metabolize sucrose via SS. The response to environmental perturbation may involve down-regulation of the nodule SS gene.
How to Study Boron Biodistribution in Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer

Summary The purpose of this study was to evaluate boron distribution for a safe and effective BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) of liver metastases. Samples both from healthy and tumour liver parenchyma were analysed, after i.v. boron administration, by: a particles counting under neutron irradiation; morphological analysis by standard haematoxylin-eosin staining; neutron autoradiography. Our method was unaffected by the cytological heterogeneity inside tumour nodules; it demonstrated selective boron distribution in tumour tissue and predicted estimated mean therapeutic doses in tumour and safety doses in healthy tissue. The time interval for efficient BNCT was 2 to 4 hours after i.v. boron administration.
Dynamic capabilities and the growth of technology-based new ventures

Under the influence of increasing globalisation the creation and development of technology-based entrepreneurial firms is considered a prevalent means to fuel economic growth and prevent further unemployment, especially in Western European economies. This dissertation denotes the process of new venture growth employing a dynamic capabilities framework. In this context, dynamic capabilities are a company’s ability to adapt its organisational setup when growing. The study comprises 44 new and high-growth ventures in the Munich region that are observed over a period of almost 6 years on average. Thus, the research design considers the longitudinal and dynamic character of the entrepreneurial growth process. The findings of this empirical research suggest that the evolution of dynamic capabilities plays a major role in the growth of technology-based new ventures. Firms that are not able to develop certain functional skills jeopardise initial performance. However, not all capabilities fuel organisational growth from the start. Thus, management teams should carefully prioritise to deploy their scarce resources effectively. Reflecting on the results of this study the sequence of capability evolution also has a significant impact on new venture performance. Companies following a “logical” sequence show higher growth rates than other new ventures in their early days.
The Impact of MOOCs on Human Resource Training and Development

As many universities and companies are rushing to a new pedagogical phenomenon known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) many questions remain as to their value, relevance and ability to deliver quality and useful educational and learning experiences. Since their recent introduction in academic circles, corporate leaders and Human Resource training professionals have become aware of MOOCs and have considered their applications to supplement and support corporate training. This paper is an attempt to discuss MOOCs in terms of what they are, how they are being used and their future in higher education and corporate training and learning.
HIGH HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TREATMENT OF FRUIT, FRUIT PRODUCTS AND FRUIT JUICES: A REVIEW ON PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS

Phenolic compounds are healthy substances, therefore amount of phenolic compounds in fruits/fruit juices are important for customers. Flavonoids are the most com­mon and widely distributed group of plant phenolics. Fruits and fruit juices are among the best sources of polyphenols in the human diet because of their high content in most fruits. Processing fruits can change their content of phenolic compounds and heat treatments usually decrease phenolic compounds in fruits. Minimising losses of these bioactive compounds during processing and storage are one of the priorities and challenge for manufacturers. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) is a technology which can be used instead of thermal process such as pasteurization and can be combined with thermal process for sterilization. This study discusses the impact of HHP processing conditions on the stability of phenolic compounds in fruits and their products after process, during storage and compares with thermal process. Matrix of food and processing parameters such as pressure, temperature, time are important for retaining of phenolic compounds. In general, several authors have proven that HHP treatment on different fruit products slightly modified their content of phenolic compounds. There has not been much research comparing HHP with thermal processes on effects of phenolic compounds in fruits and fruit products, and researches generally indicate that HHP is better than thermal processes on retaining phenolic compounds.
On the Relative Efficiency between State-Owned and Private Enterprises in the Development of Strategic Emerging Industries: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Data of Listed Companies from 2005 to 2011

By using BCC model of the data envelopment analysis method,this paper conducts an empirical study of the relative efficiency between state-owned and private listed companies in China's strategic emerging industries from 2005 to 2010. The result shows that the production efficiency of the two kinds of listed companies in the strategic emerging industries is not effective; their lower comprehensive efficiency is mainly resulted from the sharp decrease of the pure technical efficiency.There exist significant differences in comprehensive efficiency,technical efficiency and scale efficiency between the state-owned and private listed companies in the strategic emerging industries.
Coherently integrated cubic function based Doppler parameters estimation for moving-target imaging

A novel moving target imaging algorithm is proposed based on coherently integrated cubic phase function (CICPF) for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system. The CICPF algorithm can solve the identifiability problem caused by cubic phase function (CPF) when dealing with multicomponent signals. Moreover, the CICPF algorithm can estimate the parameters of multicomponent signals without searching procedures and can acquire high anti-noise performance due to its coherent accumulation procedure. With estimated Doppler parameters, high-quality imaging for moving targets can be obtained. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Collagen type I synthesized by pancreatic periacinar stellate cells (PSC) co‐localizes with lipid peroxidation‐derived aldehydes in chronic alcoholic pancreatitis

Chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (CAP) is characterized by progressive pancreatic fibrosis and loss of the acinar cell mass, but the pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis in the human is poorly understood. It has been recently suggested that lipid peroxidation‐derived aldehydes such as 4‐hydroxynonenal (HNE) are involved in tissue damage and fibrosis in other organs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of oxidative stress in the development of alcohol‐induced pancreatic fibrosis in humans, and to assess the contribution of pancreatic periacinar stellate cells (PSC) in the in vivo synthesis of extracellular matrix components during CAP. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated in tissue specimens obtained from patients with CAP who underwent surgical procedures, by immunohistochemistry using a monoclonal antibody directed against HNE–protein adducts. Immunohistochemical determination of collagen type I, α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), and the β subunit of human platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF‐Rβ) was also performed. In addition, the tissue mRNA expression of procollagen I, PDGF‐Rβ, and transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) was evaluated by in situ hybridization. In CAP, increased formation of HNE–protein adducts was evident in acinar cells adjacent to the interlobular connective tissue that stained positively for collagen type I. HNE staining was absent in normal pancreas. Several non‐parenchymal periacinar cells (PSC) underlay the HNE‐stained acinar cells. Those PSC stained positively for α‐SMA and PDGF‐Rβ and showed active synthesis of procollagen type I by in situ expression of the specific mRNAs. The pattern of expression of PDGF‐Rβ mRNA reflected that observed in immunostaining, showing increased amounts of transcripts in PSC. TGF‐β1 mRNA expression was increased in CAP, but transcripts were found in several cell types including PSC, acinar, and ductal cells. These results indicate that significant lipid peroxidation phenomena occur in CAP and that they are associated with active synthesis of collagen by PSC. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Simple Voltage Sensorless Active Damping Scheme for Three-Phase PWM Converters With an $LCL$  Filter

Active three-phase pulsewidth-modulated rectifiers are connected to the grid by an inductance or an LCL filter. Although an filter is more effective since it more efficiently attenuates the switching harmonics, it causes stability problems. To enable a stable operation, either a damping resistor or an active damping (AD) algorithm has to be used. However, while a damping resistor causes additional losses, an AD algorithm usually requires extra sensors. To avoid these disadvantages, this paper shows simulation and experimental results of a simple AC voltage sensorless AD solution that is suitable for industrial applications.
Trading Effort for Money

Services involve cocreation, such that businesses often treat consumers as partial employees to help boost productivity. However, not all consumers are intrinsically motivated to engage in the effort required to produce a service. Hence, service providers offer monetary incentives to compensate consumers for their effort by using cocreation options where consumers can either spend their own effort in exchange for extra savings or have service providers perform such options and incur additional cost. Consumers are likely to evaluate such options by determining the price that they would be willing to pay and the amount that they expect to save if they were to perform such options. In eight studies, this research shows that consumers seek more compensation for their effort than the amount that they are willing to pay a service provider. However, characteristics of the service option (expected vs. not expected), the service provider (fit with effort), the service itself (cost of labor), and consumers (budget constraints, expertise) moderate the differences between willingness to pay and expectations of compensation. Hence, companies that are expanding their markets and pursuing strategies that offer both full service and do-it-yourself service options would need to (a) consider the fit of such options with the positioning of the brand and (b) identify appropriate consumer segments that would be favorably disposed toward such options. Identifying such options and their prices would lead to effective price structures that will provide not only value to consumers but also profitability to firms.
Application of the 1N4148 Diode to Temperature Measurements Between −140 °C and 5 °C

The temperature-voltage relationship of a 1N4148 diode temperature sensor was investigated for temperatures between 5 °C and -140 °C. The ambient air inside a half-filled nitrogen dewar flask was used to provide a temperature ramping mechanism that ranged from room temperature to -140 °C. The 1N4148 diode temperature sensor produced a sensitivity of 2.25 mV/K in the temperature range of 0 °C to -65 °C. This sensitivity value further fell to 2.10 mV/K in the -65 °C to -140 °C temperature range. It was therefore concluded that even though the 1N4148 diode has linear voltage variation with temperature in the investigated range, its sensitivity generally tends to decrease with decreasing temperature.