Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Evaluation of 6LoWPAN Gateway Used in Actual Network Environment

IPv6 over low-power wireless personal area networks (6LoWPANs) will be a key technology for smart devices such as sensors, smart home, industrial control and even toys to Internet protocol (IP) based networks. But, how to realize 6LoWPAN network connect to IPv6 network? In this paper, we implement a 6LoWPAN gateway that interfaces between them. We provide a performance evaluation of 6LoWPAN gateway used in actual network based on the round trip times, delay variance, packet loss, and the average throughput. These performance tests are executed in various size of payload. The experiment shows that the gateway can realize 6LoWPAN network and IPv6 network interconnection, and it can run well in actual network environment.
Assessing the Influence of a Genetic Characteristic on Disease in the Presence of a Strong Environmental Etiology

An inference as to the possible causal role of a genetic characteristic in the development of a disease is strengthened when there is a large disparity in disease incidence between persons with and without that characteristic. If the disparity is particularly great when, based on the presence or absence of a strong environmental risk factor, we would predict it to be so, then a causal inference is further strengthened. Only analyses that focus on the gene–disease association, conditional on the environmental factor, directly bear on the etiologic role of the genetic characteristic.
What will be the risk-free rate and benchmark yield curve following European monetary union?

Using a linear factor model, we study the behaviour of French, Germany, Italian and British sovereign yield curves in the run up to EMU. This allows us to determine which of these yield curves might best approximate a benchmark yield curve post EMU. We find that the best approximation for the risk free yield is the UK three month T-bill yield, followed by the German three month T-bill yield. As no one sovereign yield curve dominates all others, we find that a composite yield curve, consisting of French, Italian and UK bonds at different maturity points along the yield curve should be the benchmark post EMU.
Comparison of pre- vs. post-incisional caudal bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in unilateral pediatric herniorrhaphy: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

Introduction: This study was designed to evaluate the pre- vs. post-incisional analgesic efficacy of bupivacaine administered caudally in children undergoing unilateral hernia repair. Methods: Fifty children aged 6 months to 6 years were included in the study. Children were divided blindly between the two groups to receive pre- vs. post-incisional caudal bupivacaine. The preincisional group received 1 ml/kg of 0.125% bupivacaine caudally after induction of anesthesia and the postincisional group received the same dose caudally at the end of surgery. Heart rate, SaO2, end tidal CO2, and noninvasive arterial blood pressure were recorded every 10 min. The duration of surgery, extubation time, and duration of recovery period were also recorded. The pain scores were measured with using an Oucher chart in the recovery room, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery. Time to first analgesia, numbers of supplementary analgesics required by each child in a 24-h period and total analgesic consumptions were recorded. Any local and systemic complications were recorded. Quantitative data were compared using a two-tailed t-test. Sex distribution and frequency of acetaminophen consumption were measured using χ2 test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The Oucher pain scale at 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after surgery, the total analgesic consumption and the numbers of demand for supplemental acetaminophen were lower statistically in preincisional group (P < 0.05). Extubation time and duration were higher in preincisional group (P < 0.05). Mean changes of heart rates were statistically lower during the anesthesia period and recovery time in preincisional group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Preincisional caudal analgesia with a single injection of 0.125% bupivacaine is more effective than the postincisional one for postoperative pain relief and analgesic consumption in unilateral pediatric herniorrhaphy.
A Heat Pump Desiccant Unit for Dehumidification and Humidification

A novel self-regenerating electric vapor compression heat pump desiccant (HPD) unit is introduced. The HPD unit dehumidifies the outdoor air during ventilation while cooling is needed, and uses only the moisture in the outdoor and return air to humidify the indoors during ventilation when heating is needed, and does not require additional water sources like the conventional humidifiers. It is found that the HPD unit provides and maintains the target indoor humidity ratio of 10 g/kg during the dehumidification mode, and for the humidification mode, it is obtained that, the HPD unit can trap significant amount of return air humidity and add it to the outdoor air.
Primary Vitrectomy for the Treatment of Retinal Detachment in Highly Myopic Eyes with Axial Length over 30 mm

Purpose To assess the functional and anatomical outcome of primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in highly myopic eyes with axial length over 30 mm. Methods In this retrospective, interventional case series, we evaluated the outcome of primary vitrectomy without scleral buckling in 67 highly myopic patients (67 eyes) with RRD. Anatomical success rate was defined as complete reattachment of the retina without definitive silicone oil tamponade. Results Retinal reattachment was achieved with a single surgery in 49 of 67 eyes (73.1%) and after 2 or 3 surgeries in 54 eyes (80.6%). The characteristics of retinal tears did not influence the final outcome. Multivariate analysis revealed that a longer axial length was the only factor associated with a higher failure rate, p = 0.0061. Mean preoperative visual acuity significantly increased after surgery, p = 0.0003. Conclusions The study demonstrated fair efficacy of vitrectomy and fluid–gas exchange in the treatment of retinal detachment in highly myopic eyes with an axial length over 30 mm.
Implied Volatility Smiles, Option Mispricing and Net Buying Pressure: Evidence Around the Global Financial Crisis

Using the recent global financial crisis as an exogenous setting, we examine the presence and source of implied volatility smile phenomena in Australian S&P ASX 200 index options. We find a pronounced implied volatility smile for index puts in both bull and bear markets and a smile for index calls in the bear but not bull market. Implied volatilities of out-of-the money puts tend to be upwards biased whilst those of calls tend to be downwards biased. We also find that the bias in implied volatilities yields excess returns based on unhedged and delta-neutral trading strategies, suggesting that implied volatilities are related to option mispricing. Net buying pressure from market participants appears to be a source of mispricing in the case of out-of-the-money index puts with excess demand particularly pronounced during the bull period before the global financial crisis unfolded.
Intercultural education in Greece: the case of thirteen primary schools

The present study deals with headteachers' and teachers' perceptions of the nature of intercultural education and the necessity of its implementation in intercultural primary schools in Greece. It also seeks to explore teachers' and headteachers' views on the teaching methods adopted and the events and activities organised in the classrooms and in the school to implement intercultural education, and why. The research methodology adopted is a mixed-method approach. It has been employed in order to add breadth and depth to the analysis and to achieve a better and more complete understanding of the social phenomenon examined. The research methods used include questionnaires administered and interviews undertaken with teachers and headteachers. Teachers and headteachers seem to have a clear idea of the meaning of intercultural education and of its principles. In addition, they support the implementation of intercultural education for a number of reasons. The results indicate that great importance is attributed to the use of cooperative learning, group work and the interdisciplinary approach to implementing intercultural education. Teachers and headteachers also seem more confident to implement intercultural education in language studies and social studies as well as in art studies. Data analysis reveals that teachers organise a variety of events and activities in order to implement intercultural education. The findings provide suggestions for the creation of a school environment in which the intercultural dimension in education will be promoted in the school, so as to meet the educational needs of native, foreign, and repatriate pupils attending both intercultural and mainstream primary schools. The contribution of the present study to the topic examined is significant, since there has been no previous research conducted in all 13 intercultural primary schools in Greece.
Geography of the Family

We study the residential choice of siblings who are altruistic towards their parents. If some siblings moves further away, he or she can shift some of the burden of takin care for the parents to his or her siblings. Thus, siblings have a strategic incentive to move away that only children do not have. Siblings locate futher away from parents than only children, and, for some preferences, asymmetric location patterns emerge. These theoretical predictions are also confirmed by empirical data.
Constructing a performance measuring model for small and medium sized family businesses

Recent recognition of the intertwinement of family and business aspects in family firms has led to the perspective that family business performance should be assessed from both family and business angles. The focus of this conceptual paper is the elaboration of a performance measurement model aligned with this perspective. The proposed framework captures all quoted performance measurements within the two proposed constructs, namely leading and lagging constructs. Each construct is further dichotomised into the family and family business dimensions, mirroring the complexity of family business performance. It is anticipated that this conceptual exploration will surface debate on the uniqueness of family business performance appraisal.
Green E-Business Adoption in Developing Countries: A Conceptual model

Of the past recent, the use of e-business has been up-taken amazingly in various business sectors considering its characteristics of ubiquity, universal standards, global reach, richness, information density, interactivity, and personalization or customization of messages (Laudon & Traver, 2006). The growth is said to be stimulated by the increasing demand for data processing and storage, that is driven by several factors including: growth of the internet communication and entertainment use; increase in online shopping and related transactions; increase in electronic transactions in financial services such as online banking and electronic trading; shift to electronic of company records; growth in global commerce and services; and, adoption of satellite navigation and electronic shipment tracking in tracking. It has in turn been promising both for economic gains and environmentally sustainability (due to reduced commuting and use of paper works). However, concerns are emerging following this heavy usage of ICT to transact business, that the ebusiness technologies use energy too (Ali and Frew, 2000; Padayachee, 2004 and Siikavirta et al, 2003) and thus can contribute to Green House Gases (GHGs) emission and other environmental related problems. Studies document that the increased usage has lead to increased mass of data storage and processing. It is estimated that, disposal and use of ICT equipments contribute to around 2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, an amount that is equivalent to that contributed by the aviation industry. As the use of ICT to transact business grows, its emissions are likely to increase and, further estimate indicate that, ICT will be responsible for 3% of global emissions by 2020 (Goasduff and Forsling, 2007). Furthermore, costs of electricity related to ICT usage are reported to always rising. Besides, electronic waste is emerging as one of the fastest growing waste (Babu, Parande, and Basha, 2007) that requires serious attention. Both in the developed and developing countries the situation is alarming. Yu et al (2010) forecasted that the global generation of obsolete personal computers will reach 400-700 million units in developing countries, and at 200-300 million units in developed countries by 2030. This is scaring not only to environment but also to the human health as the hazardous substance associated with computing equipment is dizzying (Tedre, Chachage and Faida, 2009). The substances for example include asbestos, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, organotin, polybrominated biphenyl (PBBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibensodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs), red phosphorus, short chain chlorinated paraffin (SCCPs), arsenic, brominated compounds (including TBBPA), chlorinated compounds, mercury, phthalates (including DEHP, DBP, BBP, and DINP), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and sulphuric acid. The effects of those substances on humans are disastrous. It should however be noted that, although the most
The Impact of Unemployment Rate on the Size of Romanian Shadow Economy

This article estimates the size of the Romanian shadow economy (SE) using the currency demand approach, in order to evaluate if there is any relationship between the SE and unemployment rate (UR). Using Granger causality tests and error correction models, we examine the impact of both registered and International Labour Office unemployment rates (ILO_UR) on the Romanian SE covering the period between 2000Q1 and 2010Q2. We find that the Romanian SE as a percentage of official gross domestic product (GDP) is decreasing over the analyzed period, from 36.5 percent at the end of 2000 to 31.5 of real GDP at the middle of 2010. Our empirical results also support a unidirectional Granger causality that runs from the URs to the SE. The generalized impulse response functions indicate the existence of a short-run negative relationship between URs and the Romanian SE. The empirical results also indicate that there is a positive long-run relationship between both URs and SE, with a 1 percent increase in URs leading to an increase in the SE of 0.36 percent due to the registered unemployment rate and an increase of 2.27 percent due to the ILO_UR.
3-(3-Chloropropyl)-7,8-dimethoxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepin-2-one at 125 K

In the title compound, C15H20ClNO3, the seven-membered ring adopts a distorted boat–sofa conformation; the methylene C atoms of this ring are coplanar with the benzene ring. Both methoxy groups are almost coplanar with the attached benzene ring [C—C—O—C = 6.5 (2) and −13.5 (3)°]. An intramolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond is observed in the molecular structure. In the crystal structure, a C—H⋯π interaction involving the benzene ring is observed.
Prolonged Stimulation of the Adrenals by Corticotropin Suppresses Hepatic Low-Density Lipoprotein and High-Density Lipoprotein Receptors and Increases Plasma Cholesterol.

Pituitary ACTH has been shown to strongly stimulate adrenal receptors for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) scavenger receptor class B type 1(SR-BI) to provide precursor cholesterol for glucocorticoid synthesis. The present study aimed to determine the effects of ACTH on hepatic cholesterol metabolism and plasma lipoproteins. Treatment of Sprague Dawley rats or normal C57BL/6J mice with ACTH for 3.5 d reduced hepatic SR-BI and LDL receptors. Simultaneously, cholesterol in plasma LDL and HDL was increased. None of these effects could be reproduced using glucocorticoids instead of ACTH, and they were abolished in adrenalectomized rats, indicating an obligate role of the adrenals for the effects of ACTH observed in the liver. When ACTH was given to LDL receptor-deficient mice, plasma LDL did not increase and the increase in HDL cholesterol remained, as did the suppression of hepatic SR-BI. Our data show that prolonged ACTH treatment suppresses hepatic SR-BI and LDL receptors in vivo in rodents, resulting in elevated plasma HDL and LDL. The adrenals are obligate for these effects, suggesting that ACTH releases some factor(s) that suppresses hepatic LDL and SR-BI receptors. Hypothetically, this novel mechanism would further promote channeling of cholesterol to the adrenals in situations of prolonged stress.
Three‐dimensional MRI of cerebral projections in rat brain in vivo after intracortical injection of MnCl2

In this study we investigated the potential of in vivo MRI detection of axonal Mn2+ transport for tracing neuronal projections originating in the sensorimotor cortex in healthy and lesioned rat brains. Special attention was given to the potential of visualizing neuronal sprouting of central nervous system across the midline. After injecting unchelated MnCl2 into the forelimb area of sensorimotor cortex of 18 healthy and 10 lesioned rats corticofugal projections could be traced through the internal capsule to the cerebral peduncle and the pyramidal decussation. Although the neuronal tract was visible as early as 6 h after MnCl2 injection, best contrast was achieved after 24–48 h. Beside the cortico‐spinal tract, the cortico‐thalamic fibres were also visualized by anterograde Mn2+ transport. Cortico‐striatal fibres were partially masked by the very high signal near the MnCl2 injection site but could be discerned as well. Slight, diffuse signal enhancement of cortical tissue contralateral to the MnCl2 injection site in healthy rat brains suggests interhemispheric connections or passive diffusion of Mn2+. However, enhanced fibre tract contrast connecting both hemispheres was visible 16 weeks after onset of focal photothrombotic cortical injury. In conclusion our study has shown that we were able to visualize reproducibly the main descending corticofugal projections and interhemispheric connections by non‐invasive MRI after localized injection of MnCl2. The appearence of interhemispheric Mn2+‐enhanced fibres after photothrombotic focal injury indicates that the method may bear potential to follow non‐invasively gross plastic changes of connectivity in the brain after injury. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Impact of Supplier Development on Financial Performance in the Restaurant Industry

ABSTRACT Many firms have come to recognize the crucial role that cooperative relationships with suppliers play in determining high financial performance. Of main concern in many firms are supplier development activities and behaviors (SDABs) of buying firms, which are an attempt to meet current and future business needs such as high financial performance by improving supplier performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how buying firms' SDABs affect supplier performance (in delivery as well as product and service quality) and its impact on financial performance of the buying firms. The authors critically revisit extant knowledge on the subject, develop a conceptual framework integrating buyer and supplier relationship marketing/management practices, and test the framework in the independent restaurant industry context. Using structural equation modeling and data collected from 236 restaurant owners and/or presidents in the United States, the results of this research support the usefulness of the framework, showing that buying firms' SDABs directly affect supplier performance, which leads to high financial performance of the buying firms.
Joint ESPIRIT for time delay estimation of chirp spread spectrum

In this paper we present a technique to estimate the time delay of IEEE 802.15. 4a chirp spread spectrum (CSS). Conventionally, the time delay can be estimated by the phase estimation of the samples of a dechirped sinusoid. We estimate the phase differences not between samples in a sub-chirp but between samples of adjacent sub-chirps to magnify the phase differences making this technique more robust even in low SNR. We used joint ESPRIT technique in order to retain the phase information of each dechirped sinusoids in low and high bands. We have verified this technique through simulation and implementation.
Long-Term Wide-Temperature Supercapacitor Ragone Plot Based on Manufacturer Datasheet

Methodology for obtaining realistic supercapacitor (SC) Ragone from manufacturer datasheet only is presented in this letter, allowing to predict long-term wide-temperature SC power and energy performance for given terminal voltage limits. Analytical derivations are based on the simplified RC equivalent SC model, connected to a constant power element, taking into account manufacturer provided age and temperature parameter dependences. The main goal of the proposed approach is to allow practical energy engineer to quickly design a SC pack according to the desired long-term performance without performing further tests or requesting additional data. Simulation and experimental results are presented in order to validate the suggested methodology.
Economic Freedom and the Motivation to Engage in Entrepreneurial Action

Using institutional theory, the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal 2003 Index of Economic Freedom, and the 2002 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we regress opportunity–motivated entrepreneurial activity (OME) and necessity–motivated entrepreneurial activity (NME) on 10 factors of economic freedom and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita for 37 nations. We find that both OME and NME are negatively associated with GDP per capita and positively associated with labor freedom, but that various other factors of economic freedom are uniquely related to either OME or NME. Specifically, we find that OME, but not NME, is positively associated with property rights, while NME, but not OME, is positively associated with fiscal freedom and monetary freedom. Thus, governmental restrictions of economic freedom appear to impact entrepreneurial activity differently depending on the particular freedom restricted by government and the entrepreneur's motive for engaging in entrepreneurial action.
Limiting Contractual Freedom in Corporate Law: The Desirable Constraints on Charter Amendments

This paper takes issue with the increasingly influential view that companies should be completely free to opt out of corporate law rules by adopting appropriate charter provisions. I argue that the contractual view of the corporation, on which supporters of free opting out rely, offers substantial reasons for placing limits on opting out. The analysis focuses on opting out done by charter amendment, after a company has been formed, and highlight the differences between opting out by charter amendment and opting out in the initial charter. Analyzing the informational and collective action problems involved in the charter amendment process, I conclude that the case for placing limits on opt-out amendments is so compelling that even strong believers in free markets should recognize the need for such limits. I also provide criteria for determining the issues with respect to which, and the circumstances under which, opting out by charter amendment should be prohibited or restricted.