Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clearing the way for institutional investors to invest in offshore wind projects in the Netherlands

During the last few years the offshore wind industry thrived leading to an exponential development of offshore wind parks. Traditionally large energy utilities developed offshore wind projects with merely their own resources in combination with corporate finance. However due to a significant growth of the size of projects and due to changing market conditions external financing sources are increasingly needed to meet the development demand. According to recent literature, institutional investors are able to play an increasing role in the financing and refinancing process of offshore wind parks. This research will focus on the Netherlands. This research will map the variables that influence the decision making of Dutch institutional investors and it shows how their role in Dutch offshore wind projects can be increased. By doing so a literature review study in combination with interview data was used. The result is a theoretical model that shows the interconnectedness of the factors that influence the investment decisions. Currently a knowledge barrier hinders institutional investors to invest in offshore wind projects, this should be mitigated by intensive knowledge sharing. In order to improve the understanding of the decision making process of institutional investors regarding offshore wind investments, further research is needed.
The Effects of Managerial Output Control and Team Autonomy on New Product Development Speed: The Moderating Effect of Product Newness

This study examines the direct and combined effects of managerial output control and team autonomy on the speed of new product development (NPD). The study also explores the moderating effect of product newness on the previous relationships. By studying 247 new product projects, we found that managerial output control is positively related to NPD speed. A positive interaction effect was found between managerial output control and team autonomy on NPD speed. Specifically, the results show that when managerial output control is high, team autonomy has a positive impact on the speed of new product development. Team autonomy has no influence on new product development speed otherwise. Regarding the moderating role of product newness, results indicate that managerial output control is more positively related to the speed of low innovative products than that of high innovative products.
The impact of the economic recession on Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) programs.

There is a paucity of research that addresses the impact of the recent economic recession on Intercollegiate Athletics programs in Canada. This study investigated the impact of the recession as it relates to Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), the national governing body for university sport in Canada. Telephone interviews were conducted with the Director of Athletics at eight universities across the country, as well as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CIS. Results of the study indicated that very few schools had been asked to make dramatic reductions to programming. Athletic programs have proceeded cautiously with budget spending, suspicious that the worst may not be over. The greatest financial impacts were experienced in general University as well as athletic-specific endowments.
Attitude control of a multicopter using L1 augmented quaternion based backstepping

This paper presents a quaternion based backstepping controller and a L1 piecewise-constant adaptive augmentation to address the robust attitude tracking problem of a multicopter in the presence of uncertainties. The strict-feedback form of the multicopter dynamics is utilized to formulate the quaternion based backstepping controller which is designed for nominal conditions. This control law prevents unwinding by using a well-defined quaternion error. The backstepping controller is augmented using a L1 adaptive control to increase the performance in the presence of uncertainties. In order to compare the performance of the baseline and the augmented controllers, different uncertainty cases (within position of the center of gravity and moment of inertia) were compared in simulation. A truncated L2-norm of the tracking error is used for a quantitative comparison. Flight tests which validate the simulation results are presented.
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for Abused Children with Post Traumatic Stress: The Case of Institutionalized Children, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Introduction: Sexual and physical abuse against children and adolescents are major public health and social problems around the world. Child physical and sexual abuses occur in all cultural, socio economic, educational, racial and ethnic groups. The high prevalence and the devastating negative consequences of sexual and physical abuse initiate research inquiry in the intervention and treatment aspects of the problem. Objective: This study examined whether Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (TF-CBGT) is effective in treating both sexually and physically abused children among Kechene and OPRIFS (Organization for Prevention, Rehabilitation and Integration of Female Street Children) Children’s home. Methods: It is a control group’s pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. Sixty female participants aged 8 to 18 were selected purposefully. So as to make equivalent in terms of their score of child post traumatic stress symptoms scale and types of abuse they experienced, participants were divided in to treatment and control group. The treatment group received TF-CBGT for 3 sessions a week for a total of 12 contacts. Child posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms scale (CPSS) used to measure post traumatic stress symptoms of participants. Test was conducted before the treatment, just after the treatment and 15 days after the treatment. Results: TF-CBGT is potentially effective in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder from pretest to posttest measures. However, it is recommended to conduct a large scale study with more sample size and diversity to expand the findings of this study.
Mixed sensitivity H/sub /spl infin// control for LTI systems

A synthesis procedure for a H/sub /spl infin// precompensator and a H/sub /spl infin// dual postcompensator is proposed. Linear time invariant (LTI) systems are considered. Explicit formulas for the stabilizing precompensator and dual postcompensator are proposed. Sufficient stability conditions are given for the overall system. A LTI robust precompensator and dual postcompensator are designed for the nominal plant solving the mixed sensitivity problem. The overall system is implemented by output feedback. A simulation example for a MIMO system is given.
Developing Patient-Centered Treatment Protocols in Brain Stimulation

This article reports and discusses how quantitative (physiological and behavioral) and qualitative methods are being combined in an open-label pilot feasibility study. The study evaluates safety, tolerability, and acceptability of a protocol to treat depression in HIV-infected individuals, using a 2-week block of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second most prevalent psychiatric disorder after substance abuse among HIV-positive adults, and novel antidepressant treatments are needed for this vulnerable population. The authors describe the challenges and contributions derived from different research perspectives and methodological approaches and provide a philosophical framework for combining quantitative and qualitative measurements for a fuller examination of the disorder. Four methodological points are presented: (1) the value of combining quantitative and qualitative approaches; (2) the need for context-specific measures when studying patients with medical and psychiatric comorbidities; (3) the importance of research designs that integrate physiological, behavioral, and qualitative approaches when evaluating novel treatments; and (4) the need to explore the relationships between biomarkers, clinical symptom assessments, patient self-evaluations, and patient experiences when developing new, patient-centered protocols. The authors conclude that the complexity of studying novel treatments in complex and new patient populations requires complex research designs to capture the richness of data that inform translational research.
NGO as outside intellectual: A history of non-governmental organisations' role in the Indonesian labour movement

This thesis examines NGOs’ position in the Indonesian labour movement from an historical perspective, crossing the disciplines of labour history and industrial relations. It argues that while NGOs acted as classical labour intellectuals in late New Order Indonesia (1989-1998), recognition of that role was circumscribed by prevailing definitions of the labour movement. The study makes a case for redrawing the traditional boundaries of that movement to incorporate other types of organisations concerned with labour. Although it focuses on NGOs that dealt with industrial labour in the specific context of Indonesia in the final decade of the twentieth century, its findings suggest that a similar argument could made about other non-traditional labour movement organisations that deal other groups of workers, such as people employed in the informal sector or overseas migrant labour. The structure and methodology of the study are informed by Foucault’s notion of a ‘history of the present’ and Hyman’s call to interrogate the ‘criteria of significance’ on which analyses of industrial relations are based. The thesis examines how definitions of ‘organised labour’ and ‘the labour movement’ were historically constructed to exclude intellectuals and non-union organisations. It does so in order to explain why labour NGOs were considered ‘outsiders’ in the present. The thesis compares accounts of labour history written under the New Order (1967-1998) with those written during the post-Independence period (1945-1965), demonstrating that New Order labour history was a victor’s history, written to emphasise the workingclass composition and the apolitical nature of ‘true’ labour unions. It then examines two phases in development of labour NGOs: the eight years between 1991, when labour NGOs launched their first major campaign, and 1998, when President Suharto fell from power; and the three years immediately following Suharto’s resignation. The developments in the early post-Suharto period (1998-2001) brought tensions between NGOs’ participation in the labour movement and position as non-worker outsiders into sharp relief, demanding we question whether the union-centred definitions of the labour movement reflect the contemporary realities of organised labour in Indonesia.
Fetal mortality in sibships of cases with neural tube defects

Rates of fetal mortality in sibships of probands with neural tube defects (NTDs) may reflect liability to NTDs. Expectations from the multifactorial model predict that fetal loss should be higher in sibships of male probands; in multiplex sibships; and in sibships where the proband had no additional malformations. This was analysed for 715 pregnancies from 398 sibships. In general, the results did not support the expectations of the multifactorial model.
Gyrase inhibitors can increase gyrA expression and DNA supercoiling

Treatment of bacterial cells with inhibitors of gyrase at high concentration leads to relaxation of DNA supercoils, presumably through interference with the supercoiling activity of gyrase. Under certain conditions, however, the inhibitors can also increase supercoiling. In the case of coumermycin A1, this increase occurs at low drug concentrations. Oxolinic acid increases supercoiling in a partially resistant mutant. We found that increases in chromosomal DNA supercoiling, which were blocked by treatment with chloramphenicol, were accompanied by an increased expression rate of gyrA. This result is consistent with gyrase being responsible for the increase in supercoiling. In wild-type cells, increases in gyrA expression were transient, suggesting that when supercoiling reaches sufficiently high levels, gyrase expression declines. Oxolinic acid studies carried out with a delta topA strain showed that drug treatment also increased plasmid supercoiling. The levels of supercoiling and topoisomer heterogeneity were much higher when the plasmid contained one of several promoters fused to galK. Since oxolinic acid causes an increase in gyrA expression, it appears that gyrase levels may be important in transcription-mediated changes in supercoiling even when topoisomerase I is absent.
From the SelectedWorks of Veera Baladandayuthapani 2010 Bayesian Random SegmentationModels to Identify Shared Copy Number Aberrations for Array CGH Data

Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is a high-resolution high-throughput technique for studying the genetic basis of cancer. The resulting data consists of log fluorescence ratios as a function of the genomic DNA location and provides a cytogenetic representation of the relative DNA copy number variation. Analysis of such data typically involves estimation of the underlying copy number state at each location and segmenting regions of DNA with similar copy number states. Most current methods proceed by modeling a single sample/array at a time, and thus fail to borrow strength across multiple samples to infer shared regions of copy number aberrations. We propose a hierarchical Bayesian random segmentation approach for modeling aCGH data that utilizes information across arrays from a common population to yield segments of shared copy number changes. These changes characterize the underlying population and allow us to compare different population aCGH profiles to assess which regions of the genome have differential alterations. Our method, referred to as BDSAcgh (Bayesian Detection of Shared Aberrations in aCGH), is based on a unified Bayesian hierarchical model that allows us to obtain probabilities of alteration states as well as probabilities of differential alteration that correspond to local false discovery rates for both single and multiple groups. We evaluate the operating characteristics of our method via simulations and an application using a lung cancer aCGH data set.
HIPAA Turns 10: Analyzing the Past, Present, and Future Impact

This essay, written in a journalistic style, examines HIPAA over the past decade. The essay discusses the creation of HIPAA, the evolution of HHS enforcement, the impact of the HITECH Act, and the overall influence and effect of HIPAA on healthcare providers and organizations using medical data. Professor Solove combines analysis with interviews of key regulators and practitioners.
Gene therapy for cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, despite significant advances in conventional treatment. The field of gene therapy has progressed rapidly since the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene was cloned. In this review we discuss current knowledge on the underlying molecular defect in CF, and the progress in gene transfer studies from the early in vitro work through to clinical trials, including the development of endpoints to assess efficacy. We highlight the problems encountered, and likely future directions of the field. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flexible Linear Inverted Pendulum Model for cost-effective biped robots

In the area of biped walking control, the Linear Inverted Pendulum Model (LIPM) achieved a great impact, as it is easily applicable due to its simplicity and linearity. Nevertheless, it is capable to generate stable walking motions on a variety of platforms. However, cost-effective robots tend to have flexibility in joints and links due to the lightweight form-factor and PD controlled joint servos. LIPM is not able to reflect this issue and is therefore not applicable in this case. This paper proposes a new model called Flexible Linear Inverted Pendulum Model (FLIPM) that is derived from LIPM and adds a damped spring and a second center of mass. Additionally, a state-space representation is given and a preview controller presented that utilizes the new model. The evaluation proves the advantage by comparing a walk with LIPM and FLIPM on a physical robot where only FLIPM leads to a stable motion.
Associations between Major Depression, Bipolar Disorders, Dysthymia and Cardiovascular Diseases in the General Adult Population

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and affective disorders are both very prevalent in the general population. However, it is unclear on a population level if the prevalence of different subtypes of affective disorders like unipolar major depression or dysthymia is different in individuals with specific CVDs. Methods: In 4,181 participants of the general population, lifetime prevalences for affective disorders were assessed through the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and cardiovascular diseases by self-report and subsequent physician-verified diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression was used in the analysis. Results: Prevalences of unipolar depression, bipolar disorder and dysthymia were significantly higher in participants with coronary heart disease or stroke compared to those without these CVDs. Dysthymia had a stronger (OR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.21–3.39) association with coronary heart disease than unipolar depression (OR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.09–2.30) or any depression (OR = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.37–2.70). In contrast, unipolar depression (OR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.29–3.99) showed a significant OR for the relation with stroke compared to dysthymia that reached no statistical significance. The commonly used category ‘any depression’ revealed higher odds (OR = 2.50; 95% CI = 1.46–4.28) for the relationship with stroke than unipolar depression or dysthymia, but lower odds than bipolar I disorder (OR = 5.71, 95% CI = 1.23–26.66). Conclusions: Classification into diagnostic subgroups of affective disorders is important for an improved clinical and pathophysiological understanding of their relationship with CVDs. Dysthymia, in particular, plays an important role regarding the relation of affective disorders and CVDs. Future research on biological models may elucidate the pathophysiological link between subtypes of affective disorders and CVDs.
Organisational Climate, Service Climate and Customer Satisfaction: An Investigation of Their Relationships in Franchised Hospitality Enterprises

Purpose: This paper offers a comparison of the relative efficacies of a generalised or overall organisational climate measure and a domain specific measure, service climate, as predictors of customer satisfaction, in two international hospitality sector franchise systems. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research method was employed. Data were collected from 122 employees by way of a mail survey and from 220 customers by way of a brief questionnaire, handed to customers during consumption of the service. Data were analysed at the individual employee and franchise (organisational) levels using multiple regression and correlation analyses. Findings: Generalised climate at both levels of analysis was found to explain more of the variance in customer satisfaction than did service climate suggesting that satisfaction is a product of a wider spectrum of organisational factors than simply service itself. Nevertheless, service climate accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in customer satisfaction. Implications: The findings suggest that customer satisfaction and hence business viability may well be enhanced by management attention to the broader workplace experience of all employees rather than simply to customer service initiatives alone. Originality/value: The originality and value of the paper lies in its comparison of organisational climate and service climate as predictors of customer satisfaction.
Structure of Dairy Markets: Past, Present, Future

The U.S. dairy industry, many segments of which supported dairy policy changes in the 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act, is much different than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. This report provides a historical overview of the industry, more detailed examinations of the fluid milk market and selected manufactured dairy product markets, a discussion of future prospects and trends in the industry, and some thoughts on the implications of those prospects and trends for dairy farmers and their organizations, processors, dairy product manufacturers, and retailers.
Board Structure and Role of Outside Directors in Private Firms

We examine the board composition and the role of outside directors in U.S. private firms. We find that compared with public firms, private firms have a higher proportion of outside directors on the boards and select their outside directors in a more responsive way to their advisory and monitoring needs. We also find that private firms’ CEO turnover-performance sensitivity, earnings quality, going-public likelihood, and IPO value increase with the proportion of outside directors. These results are consistent with the view that lack of external governance in private firms, such as hostile takeovers and stock market monitoring, leads to a greater demand for board monitoring for private firms.
The Giardia Median Body Protein Is a Ventral Disc Protein That Is Critical for Maintaining a Domed Disc Conformation during Attachment

ABSTRACT Giardia has unique microtubule structures, including the ventral disc, the primary organelle of attachment to the host, and the median body, a structure of undefined function. During attachment, the ventral disc has a domed conformation and enables Giardia to attach to the host intestinal epithelia within seconds. The mechanism of attachment via the ventral disc and the overall structure, function, and assembly of the ventral disc are not well understood. Our recent proteomic analysis of the ventral disc indicated that the median body protein (MBP), previously reported to localize exclusively to the median body, was primarily localized to the ventral disc. Using high-resolution light and electron microscopy, we confirm that the median body protein localizes primarily to the overlap zone of the ventral disc. The MBP also occasionally localized to the median body during prophase. To define the contribution of MBP to the ventral disc structure, we depleted MBP using an anti-MBP morpholino. We found that the ventral disc was no longer able to form properly and that the disc structure often had an aberrant nondomed or flattened horseshoe conformation. The ability of attached anti-MBP morpholino-treated trophozoites to withstand shear forces and normal forces was significantly decreased. Most notably, the plasma membrane contacts with the surface, including those of the bare area, were defective after the anti-MBP knockdown. To our knowledge, this is the first ventral disc protein whose depletion directly alters ventral disc structure, confirming that the domed ventral disc conformation is important for robust attachment.