Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the measurement of the delta Radar Cross Section (ΔRCS) for UHF tags

This paper presents a methodology for the practical measurement of the variation of the Radar Cross Section for the RFID UHF tags. This is a very critical parameter, and will govern the tag performance. It also influences both the reading distance as well as the sensitivity of UHF tag. The paper includes the analysis procedure and the experimental setup. The later is based on standard equipments such as an anechoic environment, a vector signal generator and a vector signal analyzer. The application of the proposed method is illustrated on some samples of EPC GEN2 UHF Tag. The delta RCS is obtained as a function of the reader power.
Cultural Assumptions Underlying Message Design Logic: Premises of Development, Preference, and Understanding

In 1988, O’Keefe proposed the theory of message design logics. Rather than a theory of communication, it is a “theory of communication theories,” focusing on the bases from which individuals envision the practice and possibilities of communication. In this view, three message design logics represent fundamentally different ways to see the communicative world. O’Keefe assumes a developmental continuum, with certain communicators progressing toward more sophistication and an ability to produce messages designed to accomplish multiple goals and assumed to be preferred by others. In this article, these last assumptions of the theory are questioned. Toward this end, the theory and associated design logics are reviewed. The development of message design logics is examined. The relationship between cultural upbringing and design logic is discussed. Finally, attention is given to design logic preference and message evaluation. In particular, interest centers in interactions where communicators are employing different logics, which may occur especially frequently in intercultural interactions.
A minor arginine tRNA mutant limits translation preferentially of a protein dependent on the cognate codon

The Escherichia coli argU gene encodes a rare arginine tRNA (anticodon UCU) that translates the similarly rare AGA codon. The argU10(Ts) mutation is a transition that changes the first nucleotide of the mature tRNA from G to A, presumably destabilizing the acceptor stem. This mutation, when present in haploid condition in the chromosome, reduces the growth rate at 30 degrees C and results in cessation of growth after 60 to 90 min at 43 degrees C. The mutation also preferentially limits (compared with total protein synthesis) translation of an induced gene that depends on five AGA codons, i.e., the lambda cI repressor gene. Translation of another inducible protein, beta-galactosidase, which does not involve AGA codons, was inhibited to a much lesser extent. The chromosomal argU(Ts) mutation also confers the Pin phenotype, that is, loss of ability of the host, as a P2 lysogen, to inhibit growth of bacteriophage lambda, probably the result of reduced translation of the P2 old gene, which contains five AGA codons (E. Haggård-Ljungquist, V. Barreiro, R. Calendar, D. M. Kurnit, and H. Cheng, Gene 85:25-33, 1989).
Initial Selective Information Technology Outsourcing: An Exploratory Study of Large Organizations in Mexico

Abstract Ever since Kodak outsourced its information technology (IT) in 1988-89, an increasing number of large public and private companies have been outsourcing their IT projects. Several factors, including firm size, cost, methodology, and consultants’ backgrounds, affect the outsourcing decision. This paper examines and explains the decision-making process which five large Mexican companies used in 1997 to outsource their initial selective IT projects. Initial selective IT (ISIT) outsourcing projects are outsourcing projects in which outsourcing is begun, but not maintained, and in which some, but not all, of the IT functions are outsourced. The research findings show that large companies justify ISIT outsourcing based on simplified organizational management, improved control over transactions, and/or enhanced efficiency processes in IT. Furthermore, the research findings show that outsourcing experience is the main explanatory factor for selecting an ISIT outsourcing provider. Other factors, such as cost and elapsed time, are not relevant in selecting the provider1.
Effect of equity ownership on the survival of international joint ventures

This note extends transaction cost analysis of international joint ventures (IJVs) to include explicitly the effect of equity. It challenges the common practice of treating all foreign investments with between 5 percent and 95 percent equity as IJVs. A fine‐grained analysis of the role of foreign equity ownership on the survival of 12,984 overseas subsidiaries confirms a declining, nonlinear, and asymmetrical relationship between equity and mortality in overseas subsidiaries. While investments involving small ownership levels ( 80%) have mortality rates comparable to that of wholly owned subsidiaries. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Old vs the New View of Dividend Taxation: An Empirical Test Based on a Natural Experiment ∗

Evidence on the impacts of dividend taxation on dividend distributions and investment is still unsettled and based mainly on the behaviour of large companies that are listed on the stock exchange. This paper utilises a large, register-based, panel data set, where the large majority of firms are small and medium sized enterprises, to examine the responses to the Finnish dividend tax increase of 2005. This reform creates a useful opportunity to measure enterprise behaviour, since it involves exogenous variation in the tax treatment of different types of firms. The results, based on differences-in-differences estimation and matching methods, indicate that dividends dropped somewhat in closely held corporations that faced a tax increase, perhaps for timing reasons, while investments did not decline. These findings are probably more in line with the new rather than the old view of dividend taxation.
INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL PERFORMANCE AND ITS IMPACT ON CORPORATE PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM MODARABA SECTOR OF PAKISTAN.

The aim of study of this is to examine the Intellectual Performance (IC) of 12 Modaraba companies and its impact on corporate performance. This study examines the performance of three main components of VAIC™ i.e. Human Capital Efficiency (HCE), Structural Capital Efficiency (SCE) and Capital Employed Efficiency (CEE) and its impact on corporate performance by employing the predictive analysis. The empirical results reveal that one of the important components to strengthen the IC performance is Human Capital Efficiency (HCE) which means investing more to boost the employees productive would increase the human efficiency of employees. The results show that HCE has significant relation at (P>0.1) with financial performance (ROE and EPS), SCE at (P >0.1) and (P>0.05) with financial performance (ROE) and (EPS) respectively. Whereas CEE has substantive effect with ROE and ROI at (P>0.05) and with (EPS) at (P>0.1) respectively.
Transcription regulation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO5 gene by the Ino2p and Ino4p basic helix–loop–helix proteins

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO5 gene product accounts for a majority of the acid phosphatase activity. Its expression is induced by the basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) protein, Pho4p, in response to phosphate depletion. Pho4p binds predominantly to two UAS elements (UASp1 at −356 and UASp2 at −247) in the PHO5 promoter. Previous studies from our lab have shown cross‐regulation of different biological processes by bHLH proteins. This study tested the ability of all yeast bHLH proteins to regulate PHO5 expression and identified inositol‐mediated regulation via the Ino2p/Ino4p bHLH proteins. Ino2p/Ino4p are known regulators of phospholipid biosynthetic genes. Genetic epistasis experiments showed that regulation by inositol required a third UAS site (UASp3 at −194). ChIP assays showed that Ino2p:Ino4p bind the PHO5 promoter and that this binding is dependent on Pho4p binding. These results demonstrate that phospholipid biosynthesis is co‐ordinated with phosphate utilization via the bHLH proteins.
Marketing and corporate social responsibility within food stores

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory case study of how the UK's top ten food retailers are employing corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a means of marketing to customers while they are within stores.Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a short review of the characteristics and origins of CSR and it is followed by a literature review of current thinking on the relationships between marketing and CSR and a brief outline of the structure of food retailing in the UK. Data obtained from an internet search and a simple walk through visual inspection and information collection survey conducted within the largest store operated by each of the top ten retailers within the towns of Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK provides the empirical material for the case study.Findings – The survey revealed that the principal CSR themes being employed within stores were value for money, support for local food producers, Fairtrade, healthy living and healthy eating, commitment to organ.
Dynamic cell association for downlink sum rate maximization in multi-cell heterogeneous networks

In this work, we consider a heterogeneous network consisting in several macro nodes and pico nodes. Our goal is to associate users, belonging to this network, to one of the nodes, while maximizing the sum rate of all users. We also want to analyze the load balancing achieved by this association. Therefore, we develop a new theoretical framework to study cell association for the downlink of multi-cell networks and derive an upper bound on the achievable sum rate. We propose a dynamic cell association heuristic, which achieves performance close to optimal. Finally, we verify our results through numerical evaluations and implement the proposed heuristic in an LTE simulator to demonstrate its viability.
Brand extension feedback effects: towards a mediated framework

Purpose – Brand extension attitude is a key antecedent of consumers' reciprocal evaluations of parent brand equity. Traditionally, the link from brand extension attitude to change in parent brand equity is modeled as a direct path, potentially obfuscating any underlying processes. The current research aims to propose that the impact of brand extension attitude on change in parent brand equity materializes via change in parent value equity perceptions of a parent brand.Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model is developed, positioning change in parent value equity as a mediator of the effect of brand extension attitude. The model is estimated on a sample of 888 Australian consumers using a cross‐sectional self‐administered survey. Drawing upon actual industry dynamics, a hypothetical scenario of Australian supermarkets extending into the banking sector is used as stimulus.Findings – The research model demonstrates acceptable fit to data, confirming most hypotheses. Change in parent value equity med.
Processes, Relationships, Settings, Products and Consumers: The Case for Qualitative Diary Research

Purpose – This paper makes the case for the use of real diaries as an alternative methodology in marketing research. It is argued that Qualitative Diary Research (QDR) in marketing and consumer research is an innovative way to capture rich insights into processes, relationships, settings, products and consumers.Design/methodology/approach – To illustrate the utility of QDR this paper explores the phenomenon of text messaging. One hundred and twenty two “texters” were recruited to maintain personal introspective diaries for 1 week; recording, not only each of their incoming and outgoing text messages, but also the personal thoughts that each communication initiated. The paper then offers a frame narrative that attempts to analyse, interpret and re-present the embedded diary narratives.Findings – This empirical analysis illustrates that QDR is particularly suited to exploring processes, relationships, settings, products, and consumers. It is shown how the arrival of a text message and its actual content can create: consumer excitement when text messages arrive, consumer pleasure when constructing and deconstructing sent and received text messages, and provides a facility to lie and attract the opposite sex. The downsides of texting were also explored, such as how consumers loath getting either too many or too few text messages.Originality/value – ODR is a useful way of capturing genuine “thick description”. The use of real diaries presents an exciting methodological alternative for research in marketing and consumer behaviour.
Promotional Elasticities and Category Characteristics

The authors study the relationships between product category characteristics and average brand promotional elasticity within the category. They present a framework for understanding these relationships and use it to generate hypotheses. The authors also consider three types of promotions and seven category characteristics. They study 108 product categories and use data compiled from weekly scanner data, scanner panel data, and survey data. Their results indicate that promotional elasticities are higher for categories with relatively fewer number of brands, higher category penetration, shorter interpurchase times, and higher consumer propensity to stockpile. The authors find no statistically significant relationship between promotional elasticity and either impulse buying or private label market share. They discuss the reasons for these results and their managerial implications.
A rolling horizon rescheduling strategy for flexible energy in a microgrid

In this work an Energy Management System (EMS) prototype for an isolated renewable-based microgrid is presented. The proposed management model not only considers the management of energy sources (generation) but also includes the possibility of flexible timing of energy consumptions (demand management) by modelling controllable and uncontrollable loads. The EMS consists of two stages: first a deterministic management model is formulated and subsequently is integrated into a rolling horizon control strategy, in which the actions on microgrid devices respond to an optimization criterion related to the estimation of the future system behaviour that is continually predicted by updatable forecasts in order to reduce uncertainty in both, production capacity and energy demand. Finally, this contribution presents and discusses a case study where the results of the operation with and without optimal demand management for the same group of loads are evaluated.
A Peek under the Hood of iOS Malware

Malicious software specially crafted to proliferate in mobile platforms are becoming a serious threat, as reported by numerous software security vendors during last years. Android and iOS are nowadays the leaders of mobile OS market share. While malware targeting Android are largely studied, few attention is paid to iOS malware. In this paper, we fill this gap by studying and characterizing malware targeting iOS devices. To this regard, we study the features of iOS malware and classify samples of 36 iOS malware families discovered between 2009 and 2015. We also show the methodology for iOS malware analysis and provide a detailed analysis of a malware sample. Our findings evidence that most of them are distributed out of official markets, target jailbroken iOS devices, and very few exploit any vulnerability.
No-clean polymer flux evaluations and its impact on BGA solder joint quality and board level reliability

In the automotive industry, electronic systems are expected to perform well under harsh reliability conditions. There is an emphasis to continuously develop ball grid array (BGA) IC packages that perform increasingly well with respect to board level temperature cycling reliability. This paper is a study of three No-Clean Polymer Flux (NCPF) materials and evaluation of their performance relative to a standard water-soluble flux. The study was targeted to evaluate NCPF's effect on processability, package ball grid array (BGA) solder joint quality and more importantly, its effect on temperature cycling reliability on board. Results showed that NCPFs generally performed comparatively on par or better than standard water-soluble flux. The NCPF variant selected for board level temperature cycling reliability test proved to have a positive impact in improving BGA solder joint reliability.
Protein-DNA interactions associated with the onset of testis-specific expression of the mammalian Pgk-2 gene

We have identified difference in protein-DNA interactions associated with the promoter of the mammalian spermatogenesis-specific Pgk-2 gene in expressing and nonexpressing cells, using a band shift assay. We compared DNA-binding activities in nuclear protein extracts from expressing adult testis cells versus nonexpressing prepuberal testis cells and nonexpressing somatic cells. One or two DNA-binding activities were found to be uniquely associated with the expressed state of Pgk-2, while a third appears to be associated with the nonexpressed state. All three of these activities map to a region within the first 40 bp upstream from the core promoter of this gene. The Pgk-2 core promoter lacks a TATA box but contain a GC box and a CAAT box. We show that the GC box binds the ubiquitous transcription factor Sp1 and that the CAAT box binds CTF-1, both of which are present in extracts from all three tissue types tested. These results suggest that tissue-specific transcription of the Pgk-2 gene is associated with changes in protein-DNA interactions occurring within a 40-bp enhancer region and that different arrays of protein-DNA interactions in this region are associated with the actively expressed state of the Pgk-2 gene in spermatocytes and spermatids and with the terminally repressed state of Pgk-2 in somatic cells.
Growth Options, Equity Risk and Returns: Evidence from Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Firms

Recent real options models predict that a creation and exercise of growth options are important determinants of firms’ riskiness and expected returns. I test these predictions by examining firm-level risk and return dynamics around two discrete and economically important instances of the creation and exercise of growth options: the approvals of highly-innovative new drugs and awards of patents underlying these drugs. I find that both events are associated with a significant short and medium-term increase in stock prices. The magnitude of the stock price reaction is positively related to the value of growth options embedded in both events. The systematic and idiosyncratic equity risk increases following the patent awards and the idiosyncratic equity risk decreases following the drug approvals. However, I find no evidence that the equity risk changes are systematically related to the stock prices changes.
Was there a contagion between major European and Croatian stock markets? An analysis of co-exceedances

This article examines extreme returns co-movement and contagion between the Croatian and 10 European stock markets during major financial market distress periods in the period from end of 2003 until start of 2012. The extreme return co-movement analysis is based on analysis of coincidences of extreme return shocks (co-exceedances; extreme returns are defined as lower 5% daily returns in the empirical return distributions) across investigated countries. I found that the first instances of co-exceedances between the Croatian and the observed European stock markets occurred in the 2007, during the subprime mortgage crisis as the predecessor of the global financial crisis. With the start of the global financial crisis, the count of co-exceedances across all observed pairs of stock markets markedly increased. In order to separate contagion from interdependence, I further applied a multinomial logistic function, that enabled me to control for common world and regional factors that affected all investigated stock markets simultaneously. In controlling for these factors I found that the increase in the count of negative return co-exceedances between the Croatian and major European stock markets during the global financial crisis and the eurozone debt crisis cannot be attributed to contagion.
Comparison of the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale and the Emergency Department Work Index for quantifying emergency department crowding.

BACKGROUND Emergency department (ED) crowding is just beginning to be quantified. The only two scales presently available are the National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale (NEDOCS) and the Emergency Department Work Index (EDWIN). OBJECTIVES To assess the value of the NEDOCS and the EDWIN in predicting overcrowding. The hypothesis of this study was that the NEDOCS and the EDWIN would be equally sensitive and specific for overcrowding. METHODS The NEDOCS, the EDWIN, and an overcrowding measure (OV) were determined every two hours for a ten-day period in December 2004. The NEDOCS is a statistically derived calculation, and the EDWIN is a formula-based calculation. The overcrowding measure is a composite of physician and charge nurse expert opinion on the degree of overcrowding as measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary outcome, overcrowding, was based on the dichotomized OV VAS score at the midpoint of 50 mm (> or =50, overcrowded; <50, not overcrowded). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) and an index of adequacy (relative prognostic content) of each measure, on the basis of the likelihood ratio chi-square statistic, were computed to evaluate the performance of NEDOCS and EDWIN. RESULTS There were 130 completed sampling times over ten days. The OV indicated that the ED was overcrowded 62% of the time. The AUC for the NEDOCS was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.75 to 0.90), and the AUC for the EDWIN was 0.80 (95% CI = 0.73 to 0.88). The NEDOCS score accounts for 97% of the prognostic information provided by combining all variables used in each model into one combined model. The EDWIN score accounts for only 86% (chi2 test for difference, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Both scales had high AUCs, correlated well with each other, and showed good discrimination for predicting ED overcrowding. This establishes construct validity for these scales as measures of overcrowding. Which scale is used in an ED is dependent on which set of data is most readily available, with the favored scale being the NEDOCS.
A 16mW 78dB-SNDR 10MHz-BW CT-ΔΣ ADC using residue-cancelling VCO-based quantizer

Voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) based analog-to-digital conversion presents an attractive means of implementing high-bandwidth oversampling ADCs [1,2]. They exhibit inherent noise-shaping properties and can operate at low supply voltages and high sampling rates [1-3]. However, usage of VCO-based ADCs has been limited due to their nonlinear voltage-to-frequency (V-to-F) transfer characteristic, which severely degrades their distortion performance. Digital calibration is used to combat nonlinearity in an open-loop VCO-based ADC, but 1st-order noise-shaping mandates high OSRs, thus increasing power dissipation in digital circuits, even in a nanometer-scale CMOS process [1]. In [2], nonlinearity is suppressed by embedding the VCO in a ΔΣ loop. While this technique works in principle, the need for large loop gain at high frequencies makes it very difficult to achieve high SNDR. For instance, the suppression level near the band edge is approximately 20dB for a VCO-based 2nd-order modulator operating with an over-sampling ratio (OSR) of 30. Our ADC overcomes the impact of VCO non-linearity by minimizing the input signal processed by the VCO. The prototype achieves 78.3dB SNDR in a 10MHz signal bandwidth at 600MHz sampling rate, while consuming 16mW power.