Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Firm Growth and R&D in the Korean Pharmaceutical Industry

We explore the impact of research and development (R&D) on sales growth rate with firm-specific factors under the Korean pharmaceutical industry structure using listed Korea pharmaceutical company data from 2007 to 2018 with the quantile regression technique. We find that R&D intensity has a positive effect on firm growth rate while R&D scale a negative effect on the firm growth rate at the upper quantile, whereas the result is opposite at the lower quantile. Firm size has a mixed relationship with sales growth at the upper quantile, thus Gibrat’s law is rejected in the Korean pharmaceutical industry. Firm age has a negative relationship with the sales growth rate at the upper quantile, which shows the consistent result with previous research that young firms grow faster. Patent persistence has a negative relationship with sales growth at the upper quantile, while a positive effect at the lower quantile. We show that young firms and firms with high R&D intensity contribute to the high growth rate, while the relationship is not clear at the lower quantile. Therefore, policy implication in this research is that the government should pay attention to encouraging and supporting R&D investment activities and small firms as well as consider ways to enhance patent rights.
A Surgical Technique for Management of the Metopic Suture in Syndromic Craniosynostosis.

OBJECTIVES The objective is to describe a new surgical procedure developed in the San Jose Pediatric University Hospital for the management of syndromic synostosis of the metopic suture in a patient clinically diagnosed with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome. METHODS The diagnosis of Saethre-Chotzen syndrome, bilateral coronal sutures, and metopic suture synostoses was made through photographic, anthropometric, exophthalmometric, and computed tomography analysis. The keel-like frontal bone deformity was corrected following resection using a fusiform osteotomy, remodelling was obtained by milling the edges, and the bony fragments were repositioned and fixed on the posterior wall of the frontal bone. Additionally, a fronto-orbital advancement with a self-stabilizing bar was performed. RESULTS The 1-year postoperative results showed improvement in the position of the fronto-orbital bar, adequate cranial expansion, satisfactory correction of the upper facial third alteration, and correction of the keel-like deformity. CONCLUSIONS The surgical approach has not previously been described in the literature and offers an alternative management for syndromic craniosyntostosis of the metopic suture, avoiding skull irregularities.
Multi-Stage Switching Networks for Waveguide Optical Technology

Multi-stage switching is very suitable for implementing interconnection systems operating at different physical scale (from rack-to-rack to on-chip) and with several technologies (either photonics or electronics). Several multistage architectures have been proposed to design these systems in a highly modular and efficient way. Since these proposals are general and applicable to a vast range of technologies, optimizations are possible once a specific technology is considered. In this work we aim at optimizing multi-stage banyan and EGS architectures in case of optical waveguide technology implementation. We propose a method to decrease the number of waveguide crossovers, while avoiding an excessive increase of waveguide bends.
A Wide-Range Active and Reactive Power Flow Controller for a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Power Conditioning System

A wide-range active and reactive power flow controller is designed to operate the inverter in pure leading, pure lagging, and the mix with active and reactive power conditions. The key to achieving lagging power flow control is to ensure sufficiently high enough DC bus voltage to avoid duty cycle saturation. The key to achieving precision power flow control for a wide range of power level is to adopt the quasi-proportional resonant controller for the current loop and the admittance compensator to cancel the grid-voltage-induced negative power flow. In this paper, the current loop transfer function has been systematically derived for the controller design purpose. Phasor analysis was adopted to explain the need of dc bus voltage requirement. A 5-kVA grid-tie fuel cell inverter was used as the platform to show current loop controller design and admittance compensation. The proposed controller has been simulated, and the same parameters have been used for a DSP-based controller. Both simulation and hardware experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis.
A Comparison of Business Management Characteristics in U.S., German, and Japanese Manufacturing Corporations

Abstract Comparing the management characteristics of business firms in different countries has been a popular research topic in business administration. In this paper, we compare the management characteristics of U.S., German, and Japanese manufacturing corporations. The findings of our study can provide valuable insights for corporate managers and global investors. We find that U.S. manufacturing corporations have the lowest liquidity risk (i.e., U.S. manufacturing firms have higher liquidity levels) compared with German and Japanese manufacturing corporations. German manufacturing corporations have the highest bankruptcy risk (i.e., German manufacturing firms have higher liability levels) compared with U.S. and Japanese manufacturing corporations. The average collection period of accounts receivable and the average payment period of accounts payable are significantly shorter in U.S. manufacturing corporations compared with their German and Japanese counterparts. Due to the extensive use of the just-in-time inventory management system in Japanese Keiretsu industry groupings, Japanese manufacturing corporations have higher inventory turnover rates (i.e., Japanese manufacturing corporations carry lower inventory levels) compared with U.S. and German manufacturing corporations. U.S. manufacturing corporations are able to earn higher operating profit margins compared with their German and Japanese counterparts because they are able to charge higher product prices to customers and/or they are able to have lower manufacturing costs. Japanese manufacturing corporations have the lowest annual sales and total assets growth rates compared with U.S. and German manufacturing corporations.
160-gb/s all-optical limiter based on spectrally filtered optical solitons

We demonstrate all-optical limiting of a 160-Gb/s optical time-division-multiplexed signal by using spectrally filtered optical solitons. Signal input power tolerance for improving Q factors is 3.6 dB. Q factors after 230-km transmission were improved by 1.8 dB.
Maximum power available to stress onto the critical component in the equipment under test when performing a radiated susceptibility test in the reverberation chamber

We show, by theory and experiment, that the stress put onto the equipment under test (EUT) when performing a radiated susceptibility test in a reverberation chamber (RC) is not affected by either the directivity pattern or the receiving polarization pattern of the EUT. The stress put onto the EUT will differ from the stress measured by a reference antenna in the RC. We have developed distribution functions for this discrepancy.
Experimental Studies of Anode and Cathode Materials in a Repetitive Driven Axial Vircator

Repetitive use of a high-power-microwave radiation source implies strong erosion on cathode and anode materials. Electrode-material endurance has been studied in a series of experiments with an axial virtual cathode oscillator powered by a compact Marx generator. The Marx generator is operated in a 10-Hz repetitive mode with a burst of ten pulses. Velvet and graphite was used as electron-emitting materials, and they showed markedly different pulse characteristics. The following three different anode materials were used: stainless-steel mesh, stainless-steel wires, and molybdenum wires, which all had different influence on the pulse characteristics.
On the Dual Decomposition Based Sum Capacity Maximization for Vector Broadcast Channels

The dual decomposition based sum capacity maximization algorithm for the vector broadcast channels consists of two nested loops: the inner loop is an iterative water-filling like algorithm which optimizes the covariance matrices for a fixed water level, and the outer loop is a bisection method which searches for the optimum water level. Recently, an improved version has been proposed, where the inner loop is optimized only to a certain tolerance that still guarantees the algorithm convergence. This requires tracking the instantaneous error of the inner loop, and this issue has not yet been addressed. In this paper, we provide a tight upper bound of the instantaneous error of the inner loop which can be used to construct a non- heuristic stopping criterion. Specifically, we derive the Lagrange dual function of the inner optimization problem and provide a method to obtain a feasible dual variable from which a tight upper bound of the instantaneous error can be easily computed.
Improving and Qualifying Spectrum Analysis Made by Digital Scopes

The paper deals with a FFT based measurement procedure which has been implemented in a software module for wide bandwidth digital scopes. The software module can be installed with the purpose of enhancing the scope performance in the frequency domain measurements, in terms of amplitude and frequency uncertainty. The implemented measurement algorithms and uncertainty auto-evaluation procedure are described in detail. Finally, some experimental results are reported with the aim of showing both performance and output format of the signal analysis
A software defined radio direct conversion receiver

In this paper, we present a new direct conversion receiver based on multiport structures that are very suitable for software defined radio applications. The proposed receiver is a five-port architecture which provides some advantages in compare to the previous architectures. The microwave simulations have been conducted to show its abilities as a direct demodulator. Meanwhile, the measured results indicate that the introduced five-port can be effectively used as a software defined radio receiver.
Design and implementation of a nonblocking 2-dilated flattened butterfly switching network

High-performance computing is highly dependent on the communication network connecting the nodes. In this paper, we present a design and implementation of the 2-dilated flattened butterfly(2DFB) network topology, which provides non-blocking performance for relatively low cost overhead. The attened butterfly is known to be a cost efficient topology for high-radix networks. Because of its inherent path diversity, it is able to provide comparable cost/performance with the folded-Clos network in adversarial traffic conditions. However, the flattened butterfly is a blocking network and this blocking behavior can degrade the performance of the network when all compute nodes are transmitting and receiving data at full bandwidth. 2DFB network exhibits nonblocking behavior which is a critical factor in deciding the quality of any high performance computing system network. We have implemented the network using the NetFPGA as the switching element and verified the nonblocking behavior of 2DFB. We also compare the performance of a 2DFB with other switching networks. We also show that the 2DFB topology can be used to build high speed switching systems with reduced cost.
Predictive Target Detection and Sleep Scheduling for Wireless Sensor Networks

In tracking a mobile target using wireless sensor networks (WSN), efficient sleep scheduling is needed to reduce energy consumption without severely deteriorating the tracking performance. Conventional prediction-based sleep scheduling techniques require position, velocity and even acceleration of the target in order to wake up the nodes according to the next predicted location of the target. In these data, effects of sensor faults and uncertainties are included, which can degrade the overall performance. In order to address this issue, we propose a new predictive target detection algorithm which uses only local measurement, eliminating the need for communication among nodes. The proposed prediction algorithm provides a prediction of the number of detections that will occur starting from the moment when a target enters the sensor coverage area until it leaves. This algorithm is evaluated via experiments including several movement scenarios of the target. The results show that the algorithm accurately reflects the remaining number of target detections until the target leaves. In addition, the prediction algorithm is applied to sleep scheduling and compared with the circle-based sleep scheduling. Our scheduling strategy improves energy efficiency with a very small, negligible loss in the tracking performance.
Large magnetocaloric effects and Landau coefficients of itinerant electron metamagnetic La(Fe/sub x/Si/sub 1-x/)/sub 13/ compounds

The paramagnetic-ferromagnetic (P-F) transition, also known as itinerant electron metamagnetic transition, is accompanied by large magnetocaloric effects (MCEs) such as the isothermal entropy change and the adiabatic temperature. In this work, the relation between MCEs and Landau coefficients of itinerant electron metamagnetic La(Fe/sub x/Si/sub 1-x/)/sub 13/ (x = 0.87, 0.88) compounds is experimentally examined. Expressions describing the Helmholtz magnetic free energy, magnetic entropy and the equation of state H(M,T) are derived. The coefficients A(T), B(T) and C(T) are then experimentally determined from the magnetization curves by curve fitting of H(M,T), and are found to exhibit temperature dependence reflecting the thermal variation on the amplitude of spin fluctuations. The first-order P-F transition at Curie temperature appears in the region A(T) > 0, C(T) > 0, B(T) < 0 and 5/28 < A(T)C(T)B(T) < 3/16. From these Landau coefficients, the energy barrier between the F and P states and its influence in the demagnetisation process is calculated.
Effect of Communicative Language Teaching Approach on SS 2 Science Students’ use of English Passives in Katsina-Ala Lga of Benue State, Nigeria

This article reports a study that sought to determine if the communicative language teaching approach was more effective than traditional grammar translation in enabling SS II science students to make use of the passive voice to report science experiments. 150 SS II science students consisting of 62 male and 88 female students in two schools in Katsina-Ala, Benue State, Nigeria participated in the experiment which lasted for six weeks. Two intact classes with a similar English proficiency levels were used and one each group received a total of twelve lessons each lasting for forty minutes. Two research questions were asked and hypotheses tested at P< . 05 level of significance to confirm the answers. Data were collected through an Achievement Test on English Passives (ATEP) designed by the researcher and analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANCOVA and paired-sample t-test. The findings indicated statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups with the experimental group showing better performance in all the two variables namely (a) sentence transformation from the active to the passive voice, and (b) use of passives to report science experiments. Based on the findings it was concluded that students learn the passive voice better through the communicative approach than with traditional grammar translation. The researcher therefore, recommended that communicative language teaching should be adopted in secondary schools since it was found to enhance the learning of the English passives.
Beam Transmission of Ultra Short Waves

Part I of this paper is devoted to a description of various experiments performed at wavelengths below 200 cm. Curves are given to show the effect of the earth and various types of inductively excited antennas called "wave directors. " Part I is concluded with a discussion of beam and horizontally polarized radiation. Part II is devoted chiefly to the magnetron tubes used for the production of very short wavelengths (as low as 12 cm.) and the circuit arrangements employed. It is shown that the geometry of the tube and its external connections are of great importance. The effect of variation of plate voltage, magnetic field strength and other factors on the high-frequency output, is described.
Operations for evolving specifications

We have been studying a model of software specification reuse which begins with the retrieval of relevant specification components, and then successively adapts and composes these components to construct a desired complete specification. The focus of the paper is on the composition of reusable specification components. We use semantically-based composition operations-that is, operations that are designed to guarantee certain semantic properties of the composite artifact if certain properties hold of the input artifacts-to build complex specifications and to design new reusable specification components reactively. We describe the implementation of four composition operations, and illustrate their use by means of a small scenario. <<ETX>>
Evaluation of in-vitro methods to select effective streptomycetes against toxigenic fusaria

Biocontrol microorganisms are emerging as an effective alternative to pesticides. Ideally, biocontrol agents (BCAs) for the control of fungal plant pathogens should be selected by an in vitro method that is high-throughput and is predictive of in planta efficacy, possibly considering environmental factors, and the natural diversity of the pathogen. The purpose of our study was (1) to assess the effects of Fusarium strain diversity (N = 5) and culture media (N = 6) on the identification of biological control activity of Streptomyces strains (N = 20) against Fusarium pathogens of wheat in vitro and (2) to verify the ability of our in vitro screening methods to simulate the activity in planta. Our results indicate that culture media, Fusarium strain diversity, and their interactions affect the results of an in vitro selection by dual culture assay. The results obtained on the wheat-based culture media resulted in the highest correlation score (r = 0.5) with the in planta root rot (RR) inhibition, suggesting that this in vitro method was the best predictor of in planta performance of streptomycetes against Fusarium RR of wheat assessed as extension of the necrosis on the root. Contrarily, none of the in vitro plate assays using the media tested could appropriately predict the activity of the streptomycetes against Fusarium foot rot symptoms estimated as the necrosis at the crown level. Considering overall data of correlation, the activity in planta cannot be effectively predicted by dual culture plate studies, therefore improved in vitro methods are needed to better mimic the activity of biocontrol strains in natural conditions. This work contributes to setting up laboratory standards for preliminary screening assays of Streptomyces BCAs against fungal pathogens.
Analysis and fabrication of broadband add/drop filters using a Bragg grating-assisted mismatched coupler

The unified coupled-mode formalism derived from Maxwell's equation is employed to analyze the add/drop filters using a Bragg grating assisted mismatched coupler. By writing a linearly chirped Bragg grating over the uniform coupling region of the coupler, a filter with maximum reflectivity and 3dB bandwidth at the drop port about 20 dB and 0.8 nm, respectively, is obtained. The experimentally measured results are in good agreement with the numerical calculations. A broadband add/drop filter using a Bragg grating-assisted mismatched coupler can be obtained by writing a linearly chirped Bragg grating over the uniform coupling region of the coupler.
Interoperable EV detection for dynamic wireless charging with existing hardware and free resonance

The implementation of wireless charging for electric vehicles (EVs) in dynamic charging applications such as on highways requires extra hardware in both the vehicle and on the ground to detect the oncoming EV and energise the appropriate ground pads. A detection scheme is proposed in this paper that utilises free resonant currents in the pad windings to detect small changes in coupling between neighbouring ground pads as the EV moves over them. The detection scheme can be made to be interoperable with all magnetic pad topologies and utilises components that already exist on most popular electronic topologies. Experimental results demonstrating the vehicle detection with a dynamic charging system operating at 3.3 kW are presented.
The Adaptor Protein Nck1, but not Nck2, Mediates Shear Stress-Induced Endothelial Permeability

Alteration in hemodynamic shear stress at atheroprone sites promotes endothelial paracellular pore formation and permeability. Previously, we have reported that a peptide inhibitor to Nck prevented shear stress-induced p21 activated kinase (PAK) activation and endothelial permeability. However, the specificity of this peptide is unclear, and the role of individual Nck isoforms remain unknown. Here, we show that genetic deletion of Nck1/2 adaptor proteins significantly ameliorates shear stress induced permeability, and selective isoform depletion suggests distinct signaling mechanisms. Only Nck1 deletion significantly reduces flow-induced paracellular pore formation and permeability, whereas Nck2 depletion has no significant effects. Additionally, Nck1 reexpression, but not Nck2, restores shear stress-induced permeability in Nck1/2 knockout cells, confirming the non-compensating roles. In vivo, using the partial carotid ligation model of disturbed flow, Nck1 knockout prevented the increase in vascular permeability, as assessed by both Evans blue extravasation and leakage of plasma fibrinogen into the vessel wall. Domain swap experiments mixing SH2 (phosphotyrosine binding) and SH3 (proline rich binding) domains between Nck1 and Nck2 showed a dispensable role for SH2 domains but a critical role for the Nck1 SH3 domains in rescuing shear stress-induced endothelial permeability. Consistent with this, both Nck1 and Nck2 bind to PECAM-1 (SH2 dependent) in response to shear stress, but only Nck1 ablation interferes with shear stress-induced PAK2 activation (SH3 dependent). This work provides the first evidence that Nck1 and Nck2 play distinct roles in flow-induced vascular permeability. New and Noteworthy The present study shows a specific role for Nck1 in endothelial permeability in response to shear stress. Using in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrate improvement in endothelial barrier integrity in cells subjected to disturbed flow only following Nck1 but not Nck2 deletion. Selective Nck1 inhibition may limit endothelial permeability at sites of disturbed flow to reduce atherosclerosis without affecting angiogenesis, which requires both Nck1 and Nck2 inhibition.
Robust Output Feedback Guaranteed Cost Control of Nonlinear Stochastic Uncertain Systems Via an IQC Approach

This technical note presents a new approach to constructive output feedback robust nonlinear controller design based on the use of IQCs and minimax LQG control. The approach involves a class of controllers which include copies of the nonlinearities in the controller. The linear part of the controller is synthesized using minimax LQG control theory which is closely related to H infin control theory.