Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investors as Capabilities: Intra-Investor Complementarities and Startup Performance

The contribution of investors to the performance of their portfolio companies within the VC industry has been researched thoroughly. A novel aspect of this paper is that it examines the impact of a syndicated investment using two different measures: (a) the total number of investors; and (b) the total number of different investor types. Using a novel dataset and while controlling for the endogeneity, this paper finds that having more investors of the same type has a positive curvy-linear impact on the portfolio company's performance. However, a larger number of investor types has only a positive linear impact on the company's performance. It is suggested that a tradeoff between having more investor complementarities and increased coordination costs is the driving mechanism of these results.
Tourism and Sustainability: New Tourism in the Third World

Increasingly advocates of tourism argue that tourism growth offers a means for Third World countries to escape the confines of 'underdevelopment' and that new forms of tourism in particular allow this transition to be achieved sustainably and equitably. Building upon this fundamental precept, this book explores and challenges the notions of sustainability, globalisation and development and their relationship to contemporary tourism in the third world. Adopting a broad geographical and conceptual perspective, the authors contend that a clear understanding of the tourism process and its relationship to development can only be achieved by an interdisciplinary approach, touching on environmentalism, sociocultural studies, human geography, economics and development studies. In the first part of the book the emergence of the concepts of sustainability, globalisation and development and their application to contemporary tourism are critically examined. Tracing the inception of sustainability within environmentalism, it is argued that sustainability has emerged as a hegemonic discourse. The meaning of sustainability is competed over by a variety of interests and the relationshi between these interests and the growth of new forms of tourism are discussed. It is argued that tourism can only be fully assessed within a broader consideration of the structure and relationships of power. Developing this conceptual framework, the second part of the book explores a number of critical themes. There are chapters on tourists, their relationship to new social movements, tour operators, tourist destinations the policies adopted by national governments and on the impact of international and supranational agencies. The conclusion of the book draws the various strands together and considers a number of alternative ways in which the development of tourism in the Third World might progress.
The Effect of Time Scale Differences and Time Delays on the Structural Stability of oscillations in a Two-Gene Network

Biological networks are often modeled by systems of ordinary differential equations. In chemical reaction kinetics, for instance, sigmoid functions represent the regulation of gene expression via transcription factors. Solutions of these models tend to converge to a unique steady state, and feedback control mechanisms are required for a more complex dynamic behavior.This paper focuses on periodic behavior in two-component regulatory networks. Here, a key issue is that oscillations in chemical reaction systems are usually not robust with respect to parameter variations. Small variations lead to bifurcations that change the system's overall qualitative dynamic behavior. This concerns the mechanisms stabilizing periodic behavior in living cells. Using a small sample network, we demonstrate that oscillations can efficiently be stabilized by large time scale differences that correspond to reactions with different velocities. Furthermore, the inclusion of a time delay, reflecting transport and diffusion processes, has a similar effect. This suggests that processes of this kind potentially play a crucial role in biological oscillators.
Shareholder or Management Rights Plan

This dissertation analyses the market reaction upon the announcement of corporations’ intent to adopt a poison pill, in Canada and in the United States. The two neighbouring countries have different takeover landscapes and dissimilar regulatory requirements faced by targets in light of the defense adoption. Two hypotheses are put forward in this study: the managerial entrenchment and the shareholders’ wealth maximization. Data on all poison pill announcements between January 1st, 1983 and December 31st, 2010 was collected, yielding 672 and 8,862 Canadian and U.S. announcements, respectively. Event study methodology was employed to identify the existence of market reaction around the announcement news. Empirical results support the shareholders’ wealth maximization hypothesis for both the U.S. and the Canadian sample characterized by significantly positive cumulative abnormal returns during the event window, with the Canadian sample demonstrating more positive abnormal returns. Additionally, the U.S. sample of issuing companies is examined further and a transition from a negative market reaction in the early 1980s to significantly positive abnormal returns in 1990s and 2000s is documented. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the proportion of institutional investors in target firms announcing the adoption of poison pills positively benefited the target by being partially responsible for more positive market reaction in light of the announcement news.
N-(2,6-Dichlorophenyl)succinamic acid

In the crystal of the title compound, C10H9Cl2NO3, the conformations of the amide O atom and the carbonyl O atom of the acid segment are anti to each other and to the H atoms on the adjacent –CH2 groups. The C=O and O—H bonds of the acid group are syn to one another. In the crystal, molecules are packed into infinite chains through intermolecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.
Variation in two phases of post‐winter development of a butterfly

The temporal aspects of life cycle characteristics, such as diapause development, are under strong selection in seasonal environments. Fine‐tuning of the life cycle may be particularly important to match the phenology of potential mates and resources as well as for optimizing abiotic conditions at eclosion. Here, we experimentally study the spring phenology of the orange tip butterfly, Anthocharis cardamines, by analysing post‐winter pupal development in three populations along a latitudinal cline in each of Sweden and the United Kingdom. These countries differ substantially in their seasonal temperature profile. By repeatedly recording pupal weights, we established that post‐winter development has two separate phases, with a more rapid weight loss in the second phase than in the first, likely corresponding to a ramping up of the rate of development. Variation in the duration of the first phase contributed more strongly than the second phase to the differences in phenology between the localities and sexes. We found that insects from Sweden had a faster overall rate of development than those from the United Kingdom, which is consistent with countergradient variation, as Sweden is colder during the spring than the United Kingdom. Similar trends were not observed at the within‐country scale, however. A cogradient pattern was found within Sweden, with populations from the north developing more slowly, and there was no clear latitudinal trend within the United Kingdom. In all localities, males developed faster than females. Our results point to the importance of variation in the progression of post‐winter development for spring phenology.
Business Applications of Neural Networks:The State-of-the-Art of Real-World Applications

Neural networks are increasingly being used in real-world business applications and, in some cases, such as fraud detection, they have already become the method of choice. Their use for risk assessment is also growing and they have been employed to visualise complex databases for marketing segmentation. This boom in applications covers a wide range of business interests — from finance management, through forecasting, to production. The combination of statistical, neural and fuzzy methods now enables direct quantitative studies to be carried out without the need for rocket-science expertise.
Are Fast Court Proceedings Good or Bad?: Evidence from Japanese Household Panel Data

We analyze the effect of the degree of judicial enforcement on the probability of credit constraints, the amount of loan and the probability of default. Contrary to the traditional view on judicial efficiency of credit market, our estimation results show that better judicial enforcement increases the probability of being rationed and decreases credit granted by banks, consistent with laziness effects. In order to confirm the laziness effect more directly, we analyzed the effect of the degree of judicial enforcement on the probability of default and found that better judicial enforcement increases the probability of default, as expected.
Human Resource Practices, Knowledge-Creation Capability And Performance In High Technology Firms

This study examines the relationship among key HR practices (i.e., effective acquisition, employeedevelopment, commitment-building, and networking practices), three dimensions of knowledge-creation capability (human capital, employee motivation, and information combination and exchange), and firm performance. Results from a sample of 78 high technology firms showed that the three dimensions of knowledge creation interact to positively affect sales growth. Further, the HR practices were found to affect sales growth through their affect on the dimensions of knowledge-creation capability.
NeuFlex metacarpophalangeal prostheses tested in vitro

Abstract This paper describes the testing of three single-piece silicone NeuFlex metacarpophalan-geal prostheses in a finger function simulator and describes the resulting modes of prosthesis failure. In all cases, failure was due to imminent fracture of the prosthesis across the pivot of the central hinge section. This result is in contrast with previous in-vitro and in-vivo experience with single-piece silicone Swanson and Sutter metacarpophalangeal prostheses, which both tend to fracture at the junction of the distal stem and the hinge. In comparison with earlier in-vitro simulator tests of the Sutter metacarpophalangeal prosthesis, the NeuFlex prostheses showed a greater longevity before fracture. To date, no other reports of fracture of the NeuFlex metacarpophalangeal prosthesis have been reported, either in vitro or in vivo.
Perioperative and Long-term Clinical Outcomes for Bone Morphogenetic Protein Versus Iliac Crest Bone Graft for Lumbar Fusion in Degenerative Disk Disease: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Study Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Objectives: To compare the perioperative and long-term postoperative effectiveness of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) for lumbar arthrodesis in skeletally mature adults with degenerative disk disease (DDD) to that of the current golden standard treatment, iliac crest autologous bone graft (ICBG). Summary of Background Data: The treatment efficacy of lumbar arthrodesis in DDD is a complex clinical and economic issue for patients and health care providers. Methods: Comprehensive electronic literature search was performed using following databases: Ovid MEDLINE; Embase; Cochrane Library; Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects; Methodology Register; Technology Assessment Database; and Economic Evaluation Database. The full year ranges of each database until May of 2012 were included. Results: Eight randomized controlled clinical trials of 383 citations were selected. The included studies involved 1138 participants. The pooled 2-year postoperative clinical outcomes were equivalent in BMP and ICBG groups, and exceeded minimum clinically important differences for Oswestry Disability Index, SF-36 (physical scale), and numeric rating scale (back pain). ICBG was associated with increased pain and complications at the donor site (P<0.01). The pooled average operative time was 21 minutes less in BMP versus ICBG (P<0.001). The pooled rate of additional surgical treatment was 2 times less in the BMP than in the ICBG groups (P=0.006). The pooled risk of nonunion at 24-month follow-up was 2 times less in the BMP than in the ICBG groups (P=0.037), however, this effect was likely biased. Conclusions: BMP, in particular rhBMP-2, is a good alternative to autogenous bone graft, especially in cases when harvesting of autologous bone is contraindicated or undesirable, operation time is limited, and there are no contraindications for BMP use. However, the current study did not reveal evidence robust enough to develop strong medical recommendations concerning BMP use for lumbar arthrodesis in degenerative disk disease.
On the diversification of international freight forwarders: A UK perspective

Purpose – This paper examines the diversification of services and activities by freight forwarders in the UK. Following similar studies conducted in the USA, the paper analyses the trends towards service and revenue diversification that has been observed in this sector.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a survey of 100 UK‐based freight forwarders‐based and empirically tests the firms' respective revenue generation structures, as well as the range of services offered. The survey is complemented by semi‐structured interviews at a further four companies in order to provide additional contextual explanations of the empirical findings.Findings – The results show that diversification appears to be closely related to both company size and a diversified asset base. The motivation for diversification stems mainly from a perceived erosion of the traditional freight forwarding revenue streams, as companies are seeking higher profit margins outside their traditional core business, while addressing th.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN COLD TOLERANCE AND TEMPERATE BIOGEOGRAPHY IN A WESTERN ATLANTIC SYMBIODINIUM (DINOPHYTA) LINEAGE 1

Many corals form obligate symbioses with photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium Freudenthal (1962). These symbionts vary genotypically, with their geographical distribution and abundance dependent upon host specificity and tolerance to temperature and light variation. Despite the importance of these mutualistic relationships, the physiology and ecology of Symbiodinium spp. remain poorly characterized. Here, we report that rDNA internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) defined Symbiodinium type B2 associates with the cnidarian hosts Astrangia poculata and Oculina arbuscula from northerly habitats of the western Atlantic. Using pulse‐amplitude‐modulated (PAM) fluorometry, we compared maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII of type B2 to that of common tropical Symbiodinium lineages (types A3, B1, and C2) under cold‐stress conditions. Symbiont cultures were gradually cooled from 26°C to 10°C to simulate seasonal temperature declines. Cold stress decreased the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII and likely the photosynthetic potential for all Symbiodinium clades tested. Cultures were then maintained at 10°C for a 2‐week period and gradually returned to initial conditions. Subsequent to low temperature stress, only type B2 displayed rapid and full recovery of PSII photochemical efficiency, whereas other symbiont phylotypes remained nonfunctional. These findings indicate that the distribution and abundance of Symbiodinium spp. , and by extension their cnidarian hosts, in temperate climates correspond significantly with the photosynthetic cold tolerance of these symbiotic algae.
LIPID METABOLISM INDICES AND FATTY ACIDS PROFILE IN THE BLOOD SERUM OF BROILER CHICKENS FED A DIET WITH LIGNOCELLULOSE

The aim of the research was to determine lipid metabolism indices and fatty acid profile in the blood serum of Ross 308 chickens (n = 48), fed a finisher mixture supplemented with 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0% of lignocellulose. The feeding trial lasted from 21 to 42 d of the birds' age. Blood samples were collected from each chicken at 42d of age from the pterygoid canal vein. In the blood serum the content of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TCHOL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction was determined by the spectrophotometric method. The fatty acids concentration was estimated with the use of the gas chromatography method. Lignocellulose in doses of 0.5 and 1.0% significantly reduced the concentration of triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) content was not affected by dietary treatments whereas lignocellulose significantly influenced the profile of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from n-3 and n-6 families. Insoluble fiber decreased (p< 0.05) serum concentration of a-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) and increased share of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3), dihomogammalinolenic acid (C20:3n-6) and arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) in total PUFA, compared to the control birds. The results of the present study have shown that the incorporation of limited amounts of lignocellulose into the broiler diet can influence the lipid metabolism in the chickens.
Proposed Multi-Object Tracking Algorithm Using Sobel Edge Detection Operator * Corresponding

Tracking of moving objects that is called video tracking is used for measuring motion parameters and obtaining a visual record of the moving objects, it is an important area of application in image processing. In general there are two different approaches to obtain object tracking: the first is Recognition-based Tracking, and the second is the Motion-based Tracking. Video tracking system raises a wide possibility in today’s society. This system is used in various applications such as military, security, monitoring, robotic, and nowadays in dayto-day applications. However the video tracking systems still have many open problems and various research activities in a video tracking system are explores. This paper presents an algorithm for video tracking of any moving targets with the uses of contour based detection technique that depends on the sobel operator. The proposed system is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications. Our approach has the advantage of extending the applicability of tracking system and also, as presented here improves the performance of the tracker making feasible high frame rate video tracking. The goal of the tracking system is to analyze the video frames and estimate the position of a part of the input video frame (usually a moving object), our approach can detect, tracked any object more than one object and calculate the position of the moving objects. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to construct a motion tracking system for moving objects. Where, at the end of this paper, the detail outcome and result are discussed using experiments results of the proposed technique.
High-Accuracy Subpixel Image Registration With Large Displacements

This paper aims to achieve computationally efficient and high-accuracy subpixel image registration with large displacements under the rotation–scale–translation model. This paper employs the classical phase correlation algorithm and the Lucas–Kanade (LK) algorithm in a two-stage coarse-to-fine framework, for which the motivation is from the observation that the two algorithms exhibit strong complementary property between convergence range and subpixel accuracy. In this framework, the LK algorithm will also become computationally efficient owing to the small residual displacement. On the other hand, this paper takes into account the residual model with respect to the compensation scheme explicitly, and deduces formulas for the final results combination, which is expected to be closer to the true displacement vector and thus further improve the estimation accuracy. Since the compensation can be applied to either the target image or the reference image, two algorithms are presented accordingly, and analysis as well as comparison are also performed. Finally, both simulations and real image experiments are performed to verify the motivation, and the results are consistent with the analysis.
Experimenting level set-based snakes for contour segmentation in radar imagery

The aim of this work is to explore the applicability of a relatively new snakes formulation called geometric snakes, for robust contour segmentation in radar images. In particular, we are looking for clear experimental indicators regarding the usefulness of such tool for radar imagery. In this work, we mainly concentrate on various contour segmentation problems in airborne and spaceborne SAR images (swatch and inverse mode). As an example, we study the segmentation of coastlines and ship targets. We observe that the dynamical and adaptive properties of geometric contours is better suited to determine the morphological properties of the contours. For high-resolution radar images of ships, the underlying motivation is that these properties could help providing robust extraction of ship structures for automatic ship classification.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Pandoraea apista LMG 16407 Type Strain

ABSTRACT Pandoraea species, in particular Pandoraea apista, are opportunistic, multidrug-resistant pathogens in persons with cystic fibrosis (CF). To aid in understanding the role of P. apista in CF lung disease, we used Illumina MiSeq and nanopore MinION technology to sequence the whole genome of the P. apista LMG 16407T.
A Mixed Content Awareness Tool for Safe Browsing

Web pages that contain both content that are served over HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and content that are served over HTTPS are called mixed content pages. Such pages are susceptible to eavesdropping and modification by third parties owing to the unsecured HTTP communication. Consequently, various countermeasures have been implemented in modern Web browsers with the aim of protecting users from such risks. However, the implemented measures have proven inadequate. In this study, we designed and implemented a tool that enables safe browsing by ensuring that users take action when mixed content pages are encountered. The tool provides five functions that can be applied along with a browser’s native countermeasure to notify users of mixed content. The results of experiments conducted to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of our tool showed that it made most users aware when they encountered mixed display (passive) content. Thus, our tool effectively informs and protects users from mixed content risks.
Authenticated key exchange with entities from different settings and varied groups

Authenticated key exchange (AKE) protocol is one of the most widely used cryptographic primitives, and lots of protocols have been proposed either in the certificate-based (cert-based) setting or in the identity-based (id-based) setting. In practical applications, entities from different settings may have the requirement to communicate with each other. Though there are works concentrated on supporting either multiple certification authorities (CAs) or multiple key generation centers (KGCs), very few papers have focused on the interoperability between the two settings. Furthermore, existing approaches are still inadequate in supporting parameters from different algebraic groups introduced by multiple CAs and multiple KGCs. In this paper, we focus on AKE protocols integrating cert-based settings and id-based settings with varied groups, and propose an AKE protocol where one entity is cert-based and the other is id-based, and the parameters of both entities may come from different groups. An extended AKE security model of [6,22] is proposed to support multiple KGCs and CAs. The proposed protocol is proved to be secure in the extended security model. Finally, we extend the protocol to achieve forward secrecy and resistance to leakage of both ephemeral keys.