Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Firms’economic crisis and firm exit: do intangibles matters?

The crisis regarding the Euro area has caused several business closures, especially in the periphery of the EMU. In this paper, we use an original Italian firm-level dataset to determine why firms exit the market during times of economic crisis, paying particular attention to the role of intangibles. We argue that intangibles strengthen a firm’s resilience, which improves the firm’s ability to cope with adverse events and unexpected shocks. We obtain two main results: first, we show that the presence of intangibles significantly reduces the probability of firm exit, especially during the initial phase of the crisis; second, we find that financial constraints become more relevant than intangibles in explaining firm exit during the later stages of the crisis. Thus, the process of firm selection during the crisis has undergone a rapid transformation, with distortions that may lead even skilled firms to exit. Implications of these findings for EU recovery policies are discussed.
Impact of U.S. Export Regulations on the Timely Response to an Influenza Pandemic

In the event of a pandemic, such as the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009, worldwide cooperation in vaccine production, exchange of virus samples among countries affected and also regulatory approvals are essential to combat the widespread disease. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia coordinates public health information for the nation and keeps the public informed about outbreaks, vaccination, treatment and availability of vaccines. Between April and December 2009, the CDC estimated that an average of 55 million people were infected with H1N1 virus.
FDTD channel modelling with time domain huygens' technique

Much interest is currently being shown in mm-wave high data rate, short range communication links. The modelling of these types of links presents considerable challenges. In this paper, a 60 GHz link consisting of two Cavity Backed Slot antennas, the terminals on which they are mounted and the intervening environment, is modelled using an enhanced FDTD technique. This type of problem can be expensive in computer resources because of the existence of small geometrical detail and also a large computational space. To improve on this, the problem is split into three parts which are linked using a Time Domain Huygens (TDH) approach. An improvement of around 56 % is obtained in the overall run time compared to a direct FDTD run. The approach has much potential and is suitable to be applied in larger and more complex communications links.
Assessing fire risk in stand-level management in Galicia (north-western Spain)

Forest fires are the most important threat that forest plantations have to face in Galicia. Due to both economic and ecological losses that fire cause in the region, fire risk must be integrated in forest management planning. Nevertheless, the complexity of forest fires and the dependence of their consequences on many uncontrollable factors (i.e., wind speed, fuel moisture, flame intensity, etc), makes it difficult to predict these consequences. Fire risk is the probability of occurrence multiplied by the proportion of damaged timber. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of fire risk on the optimal management schedule of Pinus radiata stands under two different ways of assessing risk: endogenous and exogenous approach, both with and without timber depreciation. The results show that optimal rotation length shortens with increasing fire risk if there is timber depreciation. Without timber depreciation the trend is similar except for very high values of exogenous salvage rate and endogenous salvage; in these situations, rotation length increases when fire risk increases.
Taxonomy, fermentation, biological activities, isolation and characterization of metabolites obtained from a new strain of Streptomyces noursei (KC46)

An isolate, KC46 active against clinical resistant strains was isolated from Indian soil. Based on morphological features and biochemical characteristics it was identified as Streptomyces noursei. The active compounds isolated from KC46 using various fermentation methods (fermentation in shake flasks, in P-flasks, and also in a fermenter, using starch casein nitrate medium containing zinc sulphate) were characterized based on spectral data. The sulfur rich peptide, nosiheptide and related antibiotics were identified. Nosiheptide has been reported for the first time from a strain of S. noursei .
Long‐term results of a randomized trial comparing preoperative short‐course radiotherapy with preoperative conventionally fractionated chemoradiation for rectal cancer

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy does not alter anal sphincter preservation or postoperative complications compared with short‐course radiotherapy alone in patients with clinical stage T3 or T4 resectable rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to compare survival, local control and late toxicity in the two treatment groups.
Supplementary symmetrical logic circuit structure

The Supplementary Symmetrical Logic Circuit Structure (SUS-LOC) is a fully active, self sustaining architecture intended primarily for the design and fabrication of logic synthesizing circuits with a radix greater than two. Any 'r'-valued logic function of 'n'-places (where: 'r' is the radix and an integer greater than I, and 'n' is an integer greater than 0) can be implemented with the SUS-LOC structure.
Broadcast News Organizations' Perceptions of Viewer Generated Content

BROADCAST NEWS ORGANIZATIONS’ PERCEPTIONS OF VIEWER GENERATED CONTENT Christopher L. Atkins Viewer generated content refers to the recent phenomenon of broadcast viewers taking to the streets and creating content for the stations they watch. This study surveys the managers in broadcast news organizations across the country gauging their thoughts and station usage of content produced by their viewers. This study shows how pervasive the use of viewer generated content is in the broadcast news industry today, and how it is utilized by not only some news organizations but by nearly all stations. The phenomenon of viewer generated content is not only widespread but also has broadcast news organizations rethinking the way they consider content. The results of this study will aid not only the broadcast news industry but also viewers on deciding if they should take the time to create content.
Effects of long-term storage on Mal d 1 content of four apple cultivars with initial low Mal d 1 content.

BACKGROUND Up to 6.6% of adults and 11.5% of children aged between 0 and 6 years are reporting a perceived fruit allergy. In the last group 8.5% perceived reactions against apple. To keep allergic reactions as low as possible and to make apple consumption more tolerable for patients allergic to apple, the Mal d 1 content of four apple cultivars ('Boskoop', 'Elise', 'Pinova', 'Santana' and 'Topaz') were analyzed, to identify apple cultivars with only a low Mal d 1 content. Further, the development of Mal d 1 content of low-allergenic cultivars should be investigated during long-term storage. RESULTS The lowest Mal d 1 content was measured for fruits of the cultivar 'Santana' at harvest, followed by 'Pinova' and 'Elise' after storage without 1-MCP. Nearly all fruits treated with 1-MCP had a significantly lower Mal d 1 content than fruits without 1-MCP, except for 'Boskoop' fruits after 44 weeks of storage. Apple cultivars with a low Mal d 1 content are not a cross of 'Golden Delicious' with another cultivar, with the exception of 'Pinova' which is a cultivar from the so-called 'Pi-series', which have a moderate resistance to scab and mildew. First experiments on tomatoes and peanuts have shown a reduction of allergic proteins in older and child generations after transfer of RNA. This reduction is probably based on an alteration of gene expression regulating the synthesis of allergic proteins, leading to changes in protein composition in the fruit. CONCLUSION Individuals allergic to apple should choose the described cultivars with relative low Mal d 1 content. If breeders want to breed cultivars with low allergy, they should avoid crossings with 'Golden Delicious'.
On the optimal control of an animal-vegetation ecological system

This paper studies the optimal control of an animal-vegetation system where growth in the animal stock is density independent. The ecological system is shown to have a limit cycle, under certain parameter values, but can also be stabilized by a simple harvesting rule. The managing unit maximizes profits from selling the meat, over an infinite planning horizon. With a domestic animal stock, costs are related to keeping a large animal stock, and not to harvesting. An optimal steady state is described, and the effects of parameter changes is discussed, in particular the discount rate. The effect of discounting on the optimal stock size is demonstrated to be ambiguous. The optimal approach path is derived analytically, and is shown to be a saddle path in state-state space. The model is exemplified with a numerical analysis that compares the discounted profit from the optimal harvest regime to a management regime implying a constant harvest ratio. Finally, a postitive stock effect is discussed. JEL Codes: C61, C62, C63, Q24, Q57
Vascular endothelial growth factor isoforms display distinct activities in promoting tumor angiogenesis at different anatomic sites.

The gene for the major angiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), encodes several spliced isoforms. We reported previously that overexpression of two VEGF isoforms, VEGF(121) and VEGF(165), by human glioma U87 MG cells induced tumor-associated intracerebral hemorrhage, whereas expression of a third form, VEGF(189), did not cause vessel rupture. Here, we test whether these VEGF isoforms have distinct activities for enhancing vascularization and growth of gliomas in mice. U87 MG cells that overexpressed VEGF(165) or VEGF(189) grew more rapidly than the parental cells in both s.c. and intracranial (i.c.) locations. However, cells that overexpressed VEGF(121) only showed enhancement of i.c. tumor growth but had a minimal effect on s.c. glioma progression. At both anatomical sties, VEGF(165) and VEGF(189) strongly augmented neovascularization, whereas VEGF(121) only increased vessel density in brain tumors. In each type of glioma, expression of VEGF receptors -1 and -2 largely phenocopied the tumor vasculature, because increased VEGF/VEGF receptor-activated microvessel densities were strongly correlated with the angiogenicity and tumorigenicity elicited by the VEGF isoforms at both anatomical sites. One notable difference between the sites was the expression of vitronectin, a prototypic ligand of alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(5) integrins, detected in i.c. but not in s.c. , gliomas. Endothelial cell migration stimulated by VEGF(121) was potentiated by vitronectin to a greater extent than that stimulated by VEGF(165). This data demonstrates that VEGF isoforms have distinct activities at different anatomical sites and suggest that the microenvironment of different tissues affects the function of VEGF isoforms.
Uptake of Human Papillomavirus Virus-Like Particles by Dendritic Cells Is Mediated by Fcγ Receptors and Contributes to Acquisition of T Cell Immunity1

Chimeric human papillomavirus virus-like particles (HPV cVLP) are immunogens able to elicit potent CTL responses in mice against HPV16-transformed tumors; however, the mechanism of T cell priming has remained elusive. HPV VLP bind to human MHC class II-positive APCs through interaction with FcγRIII, and immature dendritic cells (DC) become activated after incubation with HPV VLP; however, it is unclear whether FcγR on DC are involved. In mice, FcγRII and FcγRIII are homologous and bind similar ligands. In this study, we show that binding and uptake of VLP by DC from FcγRII, FcγRIII, and FcγRII/III-deficient mice are reduced by up to 50% compared with wild-type mice. Additionally, maturation of murine DC from FcγRII/III-deficient mice by VLP is also reduced, indicating that DC maturation, and thus Ag presentation, is diminished in the absence of expression of FcγR. To investigate the in vivo contribution of FcγR in the induction of cellular immunity, FcγR single- and double-knockout mice were immunized with HPV16 L1/L2-E7 cVLP, and the frequency of E7-specific T cells was analyzed by tetramer binding, IFN-γ ELISPOT, and cytotoxicity assays. All readouts indicated that the frequency of E7-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells induced in all FcγR-deficient mice after immunization with cVLP was significantly diminished. Based on these results, we propose that the low-affinity FcγR contribute to the high immunogenicity of HPV VLP during T cell priming by targeting VLP to DC and inducing a maturation state of the DC that facilitates Ag presentation to and activation of naive T cells.
Analysis of technological factors's influence on solar cell's performance by PC1D simulation

In this work, we study the influence of various technological factors on silicon solar cells efficiency. We use simulation by personal computer one dimension software package (PC1D) solving equations describing the transport of electrons and holes in devices based on semiconductor materials. We highlight the most critical steps and the technological factors to be improved to increase solar cells efficiency. We also discuss the influence of cell front face reflection, impurity concentration of the emitter and the base as well as the introduction of a p+ layer known as BSF, to reduce recombination losses in the cell rear face.
Market‐facing strategic alliances in the fashion sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate market‐facing fashion industry strategic alliances in the fashion industry by studying a specific case in context of the existing literature. It has three key objectives: to explore the motives causing strategic alliance formation in the fashion industry; to understand the processes involved in the creation and management of such an alliance, and to identify factors defining the success of the alliance.Design/methodology/approach – Case study methodology was employed studying an instance of market‐facing strategic alliance in the fashion sector.Findings – It was found that while issues generic within the literature may be discerned in instances of strategic alliance in the fashion industry, industry‐specific factors, especially competence in marketing, branding and retailing, impact on the motives for alliance, partner selection and alliance implementation and alliance.Research limitations/implications – The usual limitations of any case study apply.Pr.
Optimization of Spectral Efficiency in Massive-MIMO TDD Systems with Linear Precoding

Massive Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna system, with hundreds or thousands of antennas at the base station and number of simultaneous active users in each cell, is a promising technology for the future to meet the ever growing needs of wireless data traffic. Since wireless spectrum is a limited resource maximizing the spectral efficiency (SE) of the available spectrum is the best option to meet the growing demand of wireless data traffic. In this paper we analyse the different ways to optimize the spectral efficiency (SE) of a massive MIMO in Time Division Duplex (TDD) architecture. The system performance under various practical constraints and conditions such as limited coherence block length, number of base station (BS) antennas, and number of active users are evaluated through simulation. The SE performance is also compared under different linear precoding techniques zero forcing (ZF) and maximum ratio combing (MRC). Simulation results demonstrated that a massive MIMO with hundreds of BS antennas can easily achieve very high improvements in the spectral efficiency.
Designing a Learning Network Organization

This paper aims to contribute to filling the knowledge gap on practical, non-vague recommendations how to design a learning organization, usingthe analysis of organizational network structure in the context of organizational learning. We draw on the importance of organizational design as an enabler of organizational learning. We usea research case study approach as an empirical background. We apply organizational network analysis in order to describe how network density, reciprocity, reachability, blocks and cut-points as well as design efficiency – effectiveness balance can promote support and enable learning. We define practical implications for managers on how to manage work and knowledge flows in their organizations.
Instrument fault detection and isolation: state of the art and new research trends

The paper presents the state of the art of residual generation techniques adopted in instrument fault detection and isolation. Both traditional and innovative methods are described evidencing their advantages and their limits. The improvement of analytical redundancy technique performances for better dealing with high-dynamic systems and/or with on-line applications are pointed out as the most interesting needs on which to focus the research efforts.
Heuristics for Flexible CMP Synthesis

Flexible Chip Multiprocessor (CMP) systems are implemented on field programmable devices to exploit both task-level parallelism and architecture customization for parallel programs. The idea is to simultaneously allocate processor resources, map and schedule tasks to them, and to allocate one or several intertask communication resources such that the throughput or execution time is optimized. The design space of such systems is huge, requiring means to automatically optimize design parameters so as to facilitate wide and disciplined explorations. The complexity resulting from corresponding system modeling necessitates the use of optimization heuristics to cope with excessively long runtime for large problem instances. This paper provides a formal proof for the existence of optimum linear time synthesis algorithms for one of two classes of problem instances, and proceeds to present three greedy-like heuristics which exploit the structure of the synthesis problem. A comparison of results for real-time and non-real-time parallel programs is given against integer linear programming, where a synthesis strategy is proposed to achieve good results.
The Impact of Foreign Mnes in Service Sectors on Productivity of Local Manufacturing Firms: Vertical Linkages and Spillovers

This paper deals with forward and backward linkages stemming from foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) in services sectors and their impact on the productivity of local manufacturing firms. We distinguish between pecuniary and technological spillovers. Using a database on foreign MNEs in service sectors in Italy, over the 1999-2005 period, we find that pecuniary spillovers positively influence local manufacturing firms through forward and backward linkages, provided that foreign MNEs contribute to increasing competition in the local relevant service sector. Likewise, technological spillovers impact local manufacturing firms according to the latter absorptive capacity and capabilities. We claim also that the foreign involvement of the local manufacturing firms acts as a moderating factor for the transmission of spillovers.
The Long-Term Stability of Corporate Capital Structure: Evidence from Japanese Firms

This paper attempts to examine whether there exists long-term stability of corporate leverage among Japanese firms, following the study of Lemmon, Roberts and Zender (2008) who find that US firms exhibit the remarkable long-term stability of leverage. The obtained results show that the leverage cross-sections of Japanese firms are also stable for a long time. Specifically, firms with relatively high (low) leverage continue to exhibit relatively high (low) leverage for twenty years. The results indicate that the theory of capital structure should incorporate permanent, time-invariant factors as important determinants of corporate capital structure. We also obtain the additional evidence that loans from commercial banks contribute to the stability of leverage considerably for Japanese firms.
Braess's paradox for the spectral gap in random graphs and delocalization of eigenvectors

We study how the spectral gap of the normalized Laplacian of a random graph changes when an edge is added to or removed from the graph. There are known examples of graphs where, perhaps counter‐intuitively, adding an edge can decrease the spectral gap, a phenomenon that is analogous to Braess's paradox in traffic networks. We show that this is often the case in random graphs in a strong sense. More precisely, we show that for typical instances of Erdős‐Rényi random graphs G(n, p) with constant edge density p∈(0,1) , the addition of a random edge will decrease the spectral gap with positive probability, strictly bounded away from zero. To do this, we prove a new delocalization result for eigenvectors of the Laplacian of G(n, p), which might be of independent interest. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 50, 584–611, 2017
Reliability Analysis of Road Transportation System

This paper built up a reliability model for the road transportation system, and pointed out that the system is a redundancy system with the decisive person’s mistakes. Some reliability indexes of the system were obtained from the model. The author finds that the failure of the system is a function of person’s mistake when the parameter of system hardware breakdown is kept constant.
Paclitaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles surface modified with transferrin and Pluronic®P85, an in vitro cell line and in vivo biodistribution studies on rat model

The development of multidrug resistance (due to drug efflux by P-glycoproteins) is a major drawback with the use of paclitaxel (PTX) in the treatment of cancer. The rationale behind this study is to prepare PTX nanoparticles (NPs) for the reversal of multidrug resistance based on the fact that PTX loaded into NPs is not recognized by P-glycoproteins and hence is not effluxed out of the cell. Also, the intracellular penetration of the NPs could be enhanced by anchoring transferrin (Tf) on the PTX-PLGA-NPs. PTX-loaded PLGA NPs (PTX-PLGA-NPs), Pluronic®P85-coated PLGA NPs (P85-PTX-PLGA-NPs), and Tf-anchored PLGA NPs (Tf-PTX-PLGA-NPs) were prepared and evaluted for cytotoxicity and intracellular uptake using C6 rat glioma cell line. A significant increase in cytotoxicity was observed in the order of Tf-PTX-PLGA-NPs > P85-PTX-PLGA-NPs > PTX-PLGA-NPs in comparison to drug solution. In vivo biodistribution on male Sprague–Dawley rats bearing C6 glioma (subcutaneous) showed higher tumor PTX concentrations in animals administered with PTX-NPs compared to drug solution.
Lessons from arts experiences for service‐dominant logic

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider whether art experiences can inform service‐dominant logic (SDL) discourse through an exploration of the co‐production and co‐creation processes of art experiences.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical knowledge gained about art experiences is analysed to identify emergent themes about co‐production and co‐creation. Four modes of qualitative data collection are employed: research participant diaries, photo elicitation, in depth interviews and focus groups.Findings – Key findings are there are three stakeholders involved in the co‐creation of art experiences, which all have critical and different roles; co‐creation and co‐production are both temporally based and evolving and there are points where they interact and intersect; and high levels of engagement in co‐production enhance individuals' contribution to the co‐creation of positive value and make their participation in future co‐production opportunities more likely.Research limitations/implications – .