Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A UTP approach towards probabilistic protocol verification

This paper describes an approach towards protocol verification, which is based on the Unifying Theories of Programming framework and the associated refinement calculus: we encode protocol runs as predicates, in the form of homogeneous relations between probability distributions on the state space at the beginning and at the end of the protocol. The attacker model is a variation of the classical Dolev-Yao model, where cryptographic primitives can be broken probabilistically. We obtain a lattice of traces, where safe runs with respect to the attacker not achieving a given goal of the protocol are at the bottom and possible attacks are above in the order of increasing probability of success for the attacker. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design of a V-band power amplifier/combiner based on spatial power-combining technique

A V-Band solid-state power amplifier/combiner is demonstrated in this paper. 8-way radial-line power combiner/divider and microstrip-to-waveguide transitions are proposed and designed. The insert losses of the passive combiner/divider is 2.6 dB as tested in back-to-back configuration, which indicates about 0.3 dB insert loss of the combine/divider network, and exhibits a combining efficiency of 93% at 60 GHz. Active circuit test results show the maximum total output power is 18 dBm. Further discussion is presented to analyze the reasons of power degradation, this is mainly due to the wildly unequal phase delays of the power combine/divider, and the position of the coaxial probe obviously affects the uniformity of the combine/divider network.
ANALISIS PENGARUH BAURAN PEMASARAN TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN, KEPUASAN DAN LOYALITAS KONSUMEN DALAM PEMBELIAN ROTI CERIA DI JEMBER

Roti Ceria is sweet bakery products sold in Jember district. On business development, management will expand the sales area in each district. The Company choose the low end segment which is realized at low cost, and determine product positioning in the market sweet bread alone. Management of Roti Ceria has conducted the marketing mix of product strategy, pricing, distribution, and promotion, but do not know the effectiveness, problems for the expansion of sales areas need to be scientifically conducted studies to measure the marketing mix and its influence on the decision, satisfaction and customer loyalty as a Roti Ceria ideas for follow-up. This study shows the overall hypothesis is acceptable, in this case there is a significant influence of the product, distribution, and promotion of the decision; there is a significant influence on satisfaction of products and pricing; there is a significant influence on decision satisfaction, and there is the influence significant decisions and satisfaction to loyalty.
Speech Synthesis Based on Hidden Markov Models

This paper gives a general overview of hidden Markov model (HMM)-based speech synthesis, which has recently been demonstrated to be very effective in synthesizing speech. The main advantage of this approach is its flexibility in changing speaker identities, emotions, and speaking styles. This paper also discusses the relation between the HMM-based approach and the more conventional unit-selection approach that has dominated over the last decades. Finally, advanced techniques for future developments are described.
Export Mix Changes and Firm Performance: Evidence from Chile

In this paper we analyze changes in the export mix of Chilean firms, looking particularly at differences between large firms and SMEs. To do that, we use detailed information of exported products by firms during the period 1995-2005. Our econometric results, which look at the impact of export product churning on firm performance, are heterogeneous by type of change inexport mix and by firm size. In general, export mix changes are associated with improvements on productivity, although our results suggest that this positive effect is only for SMEs. In terms of employment and sales, we find that export product churning has positive effect on large firms and lower - and in some case negative - on SMEs. It seems that changes in export mix are more important for firm growth in large firms, but not in terms of productivity. In contrast, SMEs can have a higher potential for productivity improvement through export product churning but this does not translate necessarily in significant increase in sales and employment.
Branding in UK banks and building societies: a relationship approach

Branding in financial services has not really achieved the differentiation that providers of these services have been seeking. Banks and building societies (B&BS) have also invested heavily in the building of relationships, which may form a stronger basis for branding. The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative approach to branding, based on relationships. In-depth interviews were conducted with managers charged with customer relationships in a selection of UK high street banks and building societies to elicit the range of relationships that have the potential for branding initiatives. From the findings emerges a number of stakeholders who are then plotted into the brand environment of B&BS. This study develops an empirically derived approach to branding based stakeholder relationships and hence already embedded in the B&BS strategy.
Ontology Based Image Analysis in Autonomous Computer Environment

Human visual system can interpret and perceive images at different levels where colour, shape, texture and object detection are low level features interpreted well by healthy human visual system, in the same manner detected objects are perceived according to ontological approach. This paper is devoted to present Content Based Image Retrieval system as continues efforts to bridging the semantic gap between semantic concepts and low level feature of images. The proposal presented by this paper is focusing on investigating images for conceptual objects topology, by integrating knowledge of multiple Agents collaborated to abstract images into concepts. Agents individually or collaborative ly will promote low level image features to semantic concepts and these concepts will be subjected to certain ontology designed in specific domain to semantically index this image and later to be retrieved according to special query accommodating indexing strategy.
Types of embedded ties in buyer-supplier relationships and their combined effects on innovation performance

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the impact of three types of embedded ties, namely, specialized complementary resources, idiosyncratic investments and knowledge sharing, on the innovation capacity of firms. It also examines the particularities of the machine-tool industry. Design/methodology/approach – The evaluation of the embedded buyer-supplier ties is based on the potential sources of relational rents proposed by Dyer and Singh (1998). It also draws on Uzzi and Lancaster (2003) and Noordhoff et al. (2011), among others, to discuss the positive and negative aspects of embedded ties. Using data from a survey of 202 European machine-tool firms acting as buyers and sellers, the study proposes and evaluates a structural equation model. Findings – Only knowledge-sharing routines exert a significant positive effect on product innovation performance. Neither an increase in idiosyncratic investments nor in complementary resources and capabilities enhances innovation performance. Moreover, knowledge-sharin.
Can direct government assistance improve efficiency performance of manufacturing SMEs

This paper examines the impact of government assistance in the forms of credit at start-up, credit during operation and premises\land at start-up on efficiency performance of Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs. Analysing firm level data from surveys of manufacturing SMEs during the period 2002-2007, the paper finds that the impact of the above forms of government assistance on efficiency performance of domestic non-state SMEs is limited. There is no significant relationship or a negative relationship between government assistance in these forms and the technical efficiency of the manufacturing SMEs sector in aggregate. Meanwhile, the positive influence of the assistance is only observed in some sub-sectors. The results are discussed in details in the paper which also offers evidence-based policy recommendations.
Links between internal and external cooperation in product development: An exploratory study

While there is an overwhelming amount of publications on cooperation in product development projects, they mainly,focus on cooperation between business functions within an organization (internal cooperation) or on cooperation between organizations (external cooperation). Yet the relationship between internal and external cooperation has received only scarce attention. This article studies how internal and external cooperation relate. Following an extensive literature study and 12 exploratory interviews with managers in eight organizations, a case-research design was set up. More specifically, six product development projects were studied in depth, combining data from interviews, questionnaires, and information from secondary sources. Based on these cases, the authors present four different links between internal and external cooperation: (1) Internal cooperation may serve as a mechanism to coordinate external cooperation; (2) Internal cooperative norms are similar to external cooperative norms; (3) External cooperation may stimulate internal cooperation; and (4) Internal cooperation may be an essential part of organizational learning from external partners. The results of this exploratory study prove the interaction between internal and external cooperation to be a subject worthy of investigation and demonstrate that in order to appreciate fully the quality of a firm's external cooperation efforts, they should be studied in combination with the firm's internal interfaces. The authors also show the managerial implications of these links, as well as some directions for further research.
Cluster and meta‐analyses on factors influencing stress‐induced alcohol drinking and relapse in rodents

Numerous preclinical studies have focused on the identification of biological and environmental factors that modulate stress and alcohol interactions. Although there is a good qualitative description of the determinants of alcohol consumption in rodents, the magnitude of the variables influencing stress‐induced ethanol intake and its dynamics are still poorly understood. We therefore carried out a clustered meta‐analysis on stress‐induced alcohol consumption in 1520 rats. Two‐step clustering of the literature‐derived dataset suggests a strong dependency of the experimental outcome on the method used to measure alcohol intake. Free‐choice home cage drinking versus operant self‐administration is the most critical determinant of stress‐induced increases in alcohol consumption in rats. Stress does not typically result in enhanced alcohol consumption in operant self‐administration paradigms, whereas it leads to increased home cage drinking. Stress‐induced alcohol consumption is age dependent, with adults being more sensitive than adolescents. In addition, foot shock and forced swim stress enhance alcohol intake, while restraint stress does not. In contrast, a meta‐analysis of 327 rats on stress‐induced reinstatement of alcohol‐seeking behavior shows less influence of those modulating factors, and usually foot shock or yohimbine leads to a reinstatement of approximately 300 percent of extinction level responding. Via accurate characterization of the significant factors in the interplay of alcohol consumption, relapse and stress, our quantitative description not only improves the understanding of underlying mechanisms, but also provides an appropriate framework for the optimal experimental design of preclinical studies that more accurately translates to the human condition.
Modeling photovoltaic optimized charging of electric vehicles

When charged with renewable energy, electric vehicles can reduce the CO2 emissions of the transportation sector. As a result, the German government has set the target of one million electric vehicles by 2020. At the same time, it is predicted that renewable energies will contribute 35 % to the national energy consumption by 2020. Because photovoltaic systems can be connected to the same grid node as electric vehicles, they seem to be the first choice for charging electric vehicles with renewable energies. In this paper, the synergies between photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles will be analyzed from a technical as well as from an economic point of view. Specifically, a model has been developed in order to determine the amount of solar energy used by the electric vehicle, the grid load/feed-in and the cost savings for owners of an electric vehicle and a photovoltaic system.
An Attempt to Profile the Finances of China's Enterprise Sector

This paper examines the leverage, efficiency, and debt-repayment capacity of the Chinese enterprise sector using aggregate and firm level data. The cash coverage of interest expense, in particular, is used as a bridge between enterprise finances and banks' asset quality in order to develop insights on banking soundness. The interest coverage analysis corroborates the high level of nonperforming loans in the financial system. This underscores the urgency of hardening budget constraints on state-owned enterprises and stemming the flow of new bad loans by accelerating ongoing structural reforms.
How Auctions Amplify House-Price Fluctuations

I develop a tractable dynamic model of the housing market where the prices are determined in auctions rather than by Nash bargaining as in the standard housing search model. Markets that use auctions mimic actual housing markets, in that the model can portray a ``hot" market where numerous buyers flock to each new house on the market and a ``cold" market, where numerous houses are on the market and a buyer has a wide choice without competing directly with other buyers. In the auction model prices are higher, the inventory is bigger and waiting times are longer in the steady state compared to the standard model. The dynamic response of prices to shocks is larger in the auction model than in the bargaining model. Auctions amplify the response of house prices to shocks because prices respond more to changes in the present value of the housing services, and the option value to sell is more sensitive to the state of the housing market. The equilibrium allocations of the auction and Nash bargaining model are not socially efficient, so the government interventions are desirable.
Authoring for Adaptive Web-Based Learning Systems: A Case Study

Adaptive Educational Hypermedia aims to provide tailored and personalised learning experiences to different students. However, one of its limitations which have resulted in its poor adoption by the e-learning community is the complexity of its authoring process. This paper tries to address this issue in order to push those adaptive systems forward. First, it presents an authoring aid for an existing adaptive system. Lessons learned from this case study are then used to provide a high-level design specification for an authoring tool with an accessible interface to ordinary teachers with limited IT-skills.
Challenges to existing strategy theory in a postindustrial society

In the postindustrial era, firms are facing increasing complexity for a number of reasons, two of which are fundamentally altering the competitive context of firms and managers, namely knowledge and technology dissemination. In this article, we argue that these global changes at the societal as well as the individual level affect strategic management theory and practice in two ways: they alter the relationships between firms and external stakeholders (e.g., customers), and they alter the relationships between firms and internal stakeholders (e.g., employees). After briefly outlining the changes observed, we analyze a number of contributions to strategic management theorizing and argue that as researchers we tend to focus primarily on one of these dimensions of complexity: internal or external. We then continue by discussing how the postindustrial context will require fundamentally different approaches, as the dimensions of internal vs. external collapse, and as a result even the notion of an industry, becomes blurred. In this new context, we need to go beyond the theoretical lenses and paradigms we have been trained in, to explore the implications of these changes at a more fundamental level. For the traditional theories, we need to refocus attention on the underlying assumptions, in order to explore their areas of applicability and the limits to their relevance. In addition, we need to discover and invent new theories and approaches relevant to this specific context. Since we do not know at this point in time what the postindustrial organization may be, we must not limit our creativity as researchers nor as managers by prematurely investing in assumptions and frameworks which may turn out to be less than ideal for the new opportunities (and threats) to be discovered. We need to explore alternative solutions with managers dealing with extreme complexity on a day-to-day basis, try out alternative options and invent new ones, and more than ever be critical about the relevance of the existing body of knowledge as well as sensitive to the possibilities created in this new and exciting context. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Earnings and Labour Market Volatility in Britain

We provide new evidence about earnings and labour market volatility in Britain over the period 1992-2008, and for women as well as men. (Most research about volatility refers to earnings volatility for US men.) We show that earnings volatility declined slightly for both men and women over the period but the changes are not statistically significant. When we look at labour market volatility, i.e. including in the calculations individuals with zero earnings as well as employees with positive earnings, there is a marked and statistically significant decline for both women and men, with the fall greater for men. Using variance decompositions, we show that the fall in labour market volatility is largely accounted for by changes in employment attachment rates. Labour market volatility trends in Britain, and what contributes to them, differ from their US counterparts in several respects.
ADAM-12 (meltrin alpha) is involved in chondrocyte proliferation via cleavage of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 in osteoarthritic cartilage.

OBJECTIVE ADAMs are a gene family of multifunctional proteins. We undertook this study to determine which ADAM species is up-regulated in osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage and to examine its pathobiologic function. METHODS Expression of the 13 different metalloproteinase-type ADAMs was screened by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and expression levels of prototype membrane-anchored ADAM-12 (ADAM-12m) were determined by real-time PCR. ADAM-12m expression in articular cartilage was examined by in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting. Chondrocytes were used for functional analyses of ADAM-12m. RESULTS ADAM-12m was selectively expressed in 87% of OA cartilage, and the expression level was significantly higher in OA cartilage than in normal cartilage. In situ hybridization showed that OA chondrocytes were responsible for the expression. ADAM-12m was immunolocalized on the membranes of OA chondrocytes, and its immunoreactivity correlated directly with the Mankin score and with degrees of chondrocyte cloning and proliferation. Immunoblotting analysis of OA chondrocytes demonstrated an active form of ADAM-12m. ADAM-12m expression in OA chondrocytes was selectively enhanced by transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta), which also induced chondrocyte proliferation and degradation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP-5). TGFbeta-induced chondrocyte proliferation was inhibited by suppression of IGF-1 signaling. In addition, TGFbeta-induced chondrocyte proliferation, chondrocyte cloning in agarose gel culture, and digestion of IGFBP-5 were inhibited with ADAM inhibitor, anti-ADAM-12 antibody, and small interfering RNA for ADAM-12. CONCLUSION These data suggest a novel function of ADAM-12m in chondrocyte proliferation and cloning in OA cartilage through enhanced bioavailability of IGF-1 from the IGF-1-IGFBP-5 complex by selective IGFBP-5 digestion.
Strategic Options for LDC Exports to Developed Countries

Investigates export marketing performance and internationalisation strategies of Central American firms engaged in non‐traditional exports to developed countries. A five‐country survey of Central American firms identified three patterns of export performance. Each performance pattern is associated with distinct marketing strategies and organisational characteristics. The evidence is consistent with the notion of a stage‐wise internationalisation process. The discussion points out how the transition from low‐price and cost‐oriented exporting to differentiated marketing poses hurdles which many currently successful exporters have yet to overcome.
Decrease in risk of lung cancer death in Japanese men after smoking cessation by age at quitting: Pooled analysis of three large‐scale cohort studies

To evaluate the impact of smoking cessation on individuals and populations, we examined the decrease in risk of lung cancer death in male ex‐smokers by age at quitting by pooling the data from three large‐scale cohort studies in Japan. For simplicity, subjects were limited to male never smokers and former or current smokers who started smoking at ages 18–22 years, and 110 002 men aged 40–79 years at baseline were included. During the mean follow‐up of 8.5 years, 968 men died from lung cancer. The mortality rate ratio compared to current smokers decreased with increasing attained age in men who stopped smoking before age 70 years. Among men who quit in their fifties, the cohort‐adjusted mortality rate ratios (95% confidence interval) were 0.57 (0.40–0.82), 0.44 (0.29–0.66) and 0.36 (0.13–1.00) at attained ages 60–69, 70–79 and 80–89 years, respectively. The corresponding figures for those who quit in their sixties were 0.81 (0.44–1.48), 0.60 (0.43–0.82) and 0.43 (0.21–0.86). Overall, the mortality rate ratio for current smokers, relative to non‐smokers, was 4.71 (95% confidence interval 3.76–5.89) and those for ex‐smokers who had quit smoking 0–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15–19, 20–24 and ≥25 years before were 3.99 (2.97–5.35), 2.55 (1.80–3.62), 1.87 (1.23–2.85), 1.21 (0.66–2.22), 0.76 (0.33–1.75) and 0.67 (0.34–1.32), respectively. Although earlier cessation of smoking generally resulted in a lower rate of lung cancer mortality in each group of attained age, the absolute mortality rate decreased appreciably after stopping smoking even in men who quit at ages 60–69 years. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 584–589)