Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A phenomenologically based contingent anatomy of competitive advantage within the construction industry

Sustainable competitive advantage (CA) is a necessary requirement of a rational economic business organisation. Without this CA a business does not have a rational source for appropriating added value in the form of retained profit. Various management research papers have identified numerous factors that may create a source of competitive advantage. Other researchers have shown how industries have changed through time. This thesis shows a temporal development of competitive advantage for the construction industry (CAC). The thesis will structure sources of CA to show the significance of each source during the lifecycle of the business and the industry. The thesis shows how the identified sources vary over time. The thesis will develop the concept of a temporal hierarchy as a model for identifying and developing potential sources of CA at any point in the lifecycle of a particular business entity. The research identifies which sources of CA may be most appropriate (at a given point in the lifecycle) to sacrifice in order to create a further (and higher) source of CA. The proposed temporal hierarchy suggests four 'dynamic' epochs, Factor, Investment, Innovation and Wealth and when these epochs are combined with the 'detail' hierarchies of internal 'detail', distinctive capability 'detail' and external 'detail' a comprehensive anatomy of competitive advantage within the construction industry is presented. The conclusion of the thesis includes examples of the application of the temporal model to a small sample of case studies, showing the representativeness of the model to 'real-life' businesses. The phenomenological reservations implicit in the study are evaluated and recommendations are made for further research.
AN INPUT/OUTPUT MODEL FOR BUSINESS FAILURES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

An input/output model is proposed to explain business failures in the construction industry. The proposed input/output model argues that organizational and environmental factors are the determinants of failure/survival in that they solely or jointly affect the performance of an organization, whose components in turn constitute the symptoms of failure/survival. Dun and Bradstreet's US business failure data are used in the study to populate the input/output model. The proposed input/output model is generated by two processes. In the initial process, environmental and organizational determinants (i.e. inputs) are transformed into performance symptoms (i.e. outputs). According to the results of the study, environmental factors account for 60.7% and organizational factors for the remaining 39.3% of all the determinants of failure. In the final process, performance factors (i.e. symptoms) are considered to be indicators of failure. The study indicates that the most important symptoms of failure are insufficient.
Remote doctoral supervision experiences: Challenges and affordances

ABSTRACT The global pandemic has forced academics to engage in remote doctoral supervision, and the need to understand this activity is greater than ever before. This contribution involved a cross-field review on remote supervision pertinent in the context of a global pandemic. We have utilised the results of an earlier study bringing a supervision model into a pandemic-perspective integrating studies published about and during the pandemic. We identified themes central to remote supervision along five theory-informed dimensions, namely intellectual/cognitive, instrumental, professional/technical, personal/emotional and ontological dimensions, and elaborate these in the light of the new reality of remote supervision.
A blessing in disguise: Beyond cross-cultural online supervision

ABSTRACT This article draws from a mixed-method study of 111 Indonesian doctoral students’ experiences in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews conducted throughout 2020 offer insights into doctoral students’ enforced online supervision experiences. Beyond the inevitable challenges, in-depth interviews reveal that most participants’ narratives involve cross-cultural issues. We highlight one participant’s cross-cultural experience of online supervision, which she called ‘a blessing in disguise’. This student’s narrative epitomises the transformative potential of repositioning oneself in relation to others and strategies involving additional support to operate online. By employing positioning theory, this study provides insights into effective practices for online supervision during a time of crisis.
Tolerant launching scheme for short-reach multimode fibre connections with non-ideal offset connectors

In short-reach connections, large-diameter multimode fibres allow for robust and easy connections. Unfortunately, their propagation properties depend on the excitation conditions. We propose a launching technique using a fibre stub that can tolerate fabrication tolerances in terms of tilts and off-sets to a large extent. A study of the influence of displaced connectors along the transmission link shows that the power distributions approach a steady-state power distribution very similar to the initial distribution established by the proposed launching scheme.
PerSVade: Personalized Structural Variation detection in your species of interest

Structural variants (SVs) like translocations, deletions, and other rearrangements underlie genetic and phenotypic variation. SVs are often overlooked due to difficult detection from short-read sequencing. Most algorithms yield low recall on humans, but the performance in other organisms is unclear. Similarly, despite remarkable differences across species’ genomes, most approaches use parameters optimized for humans. To overcome this and enable species-tailored approaches, we developed perSVade (personalized Structural Variation Detection), a pipeline that identifies SVs in a way that is optimized for any input sample. Starting from short reads, perSVade uses simulations on the reference genome to choose the best SV calling parameters. The output includes the optimally-called SVs and the accuracy, useful to assess the confidence in the results. In addition, perSVade can call small variants and copy-number variations. In summary, perSVade automatically identifies several types of genomic variation from short reads using sample-optimized parameters. We validated that perSVade increases the SV calling accuracy on simulated variants for six diverse eukaryotes, and on datasets of validated human variants. Importantly, we found no universal set of “optimal” parameters, which underscores the need for species-specific parameter optimization. PerSVade will improve our understanding about the role of SVs in non-human organisms.
Parthenogenesis and Sex-Ratio Distorting Bacteria in Empoasca (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Leafhoppers

Abstract Endosymbiotic bacteria can induce parthenogenesis in many haplo-diploid species, but little is known about their role in asexual reproduction in diplodiploids. Bacteria are essential for reproduction in the asexual lineages of springtails and booklice, and possibly some weevils, but whether they are the causative agent of parthenogenesis remains to be proven. This would require comparing unisexual forms and their closely related bisexual species, but such model species are very rare. Empoasca leafhoppers from the Madeira Archipelago provide an excellent case to test whether bacterial infections can cause parthenogenesis. Here we examined the diversity of the sex-distorting bacteria, Wolbachia, Cardinium, Rickettsia, and Arsenophonus, in three apomictic morphotypes (A, B, C) and three bisexual relatives of Empoasca. Wolbachia of group B was present in all unisexual and bisexual species. Rickettsia were the only bacteria restricted to the three unisexual forms, suggesting an association between infection and asexual reproduction. In addition, we found Asaia for the third time in the Cicadellidae, although this may have little to do with the reproductive mode of its host. Adult females of morphotype C reared on plants watered with tetracycline solution did not result in the production of male offspring. To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest a possible association between bacterial infection and parthenogenesis in apomictic XO/XX diplodiploid bisexual species based on a range of sex ratio-distorting bacteria.
NLOS Imaging Assisted Navigation for BVI

Assistive navigation techniques support the activities of blind or visually impaired (BVI) people and improve their life quality. However, current navigation systems cannot detect hidden objects that may run out and become obstacles. In this paper, we propose systems and methods to detect hidden objects using non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging. Because NLOS imaging requires a wall to reflect light, which may not be feasible in the wild, we introduce a method to select the most suitable surface as the wall. In real practice, the environment is dynamic with multiple moving objects in different speeds. We develop a method to track surface object so as to maintain a proper distance and speed for the perception system. Based on the methods of surface object selection and tracking, we design a system to detect hidden object(s). We discuss our methods in details.
Effect of Sense of Direction on Open Card Sorts for Websites

Card sorting is one widely used method to design website information architectures based on an understanding of their users’ mental models. This paper studies the effect of participants’ sense of direction on card sorting results. To this end, a two-phase study for an eshop was conducted. In the first phase, 40 participants rated their sense of direction on the standardized Santa Barbara Sense of Direction scale (SBSOD) and were then involved in an open card sort study. Then, we analyzed the card sort data following a median-split approach based on participants’ self-reported SBSOD score. This resulted in two proposed information architectures for the eshop: one from the SBSOD-low participants and one from the SBSOD-high participants. In the second phase, we first developed two prototypes for the eshop, one for each proposed information architecture. Next, 30 participants were involved in a within-subjects user testing study. Results showed that users interacting with the eshop produced by the SBSOD-high participants were significantly more effective, more efficient and rated the tasks as easier compared to users interacting with the eshop produced by the SBSOD-low participants. No significant difference was observed for users’ perceived usability.
STATIC, FREE VIBRATION, AND STABILITY ANALYSIS OF THIN, ELASTIC SHELLS OF REVOLUTION

Abstract : This project was undertaken to present workable methods of analyses for thin, elastic shells of revolution, and to provide computer programs for performing such analyses. By means of these methods, the following problems for a thin, elastic shell of revolution can be solved: (1) stresses and deflections can be determined when the shell is subjected to arbitrary mechanical and/or thermal loads; (2) natural frequencies and mode shapes can be found for free vibration when the shell is subjected to or is free of prestress; (3) buckling loads, according to the classical stability theory, can be found when the shell is subjected to axisymmetric or sinusoidal nonsymmetric prestress. (Author)
Transection injury differentially alters the proteome of the human sural nerve

Regeneration after severe peripheral nerve injury is often poor. Knowledge of human nerve regeneration and the growth microenvironment is greatly lacking. We aimed to identify the regenerative proteins in human peripheral nerve by comparing the proteome before and after a transection injury. In a unique study design, we collected from the same participants, samples from naïve and degenerating sural nerve. Naïve and degenerating (two weeks after injury) samples were analyzed using mass spectrometry and immunoassays. Using a correlation matrix, we found significantly altered levels following the nerve injury. Mass spectrometry revealed that post-injury samples had 672 proteins significantly upregulated and 661 significantly downregulated compared to naïve samples (q < 0.05, |FC| > 2). We used Gene Ontology pathways to highlight groups of proteins that were significantly upregulated or downregulated with injury-induced degeneration and regeneration. Significant protein changes in key pathways were identified including growth factor levels, Schwann cell de-differentiation, myelination downregulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and axonal regeneration pathways. Having proteome signatures of human peripheral nerves of both the uninjured and the degenerating/regenerating state may serve as biomarkers to aid in the future development of repair strategies and in monitoring neural tissue regeneration.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Derived from Alzheimer’s Disease Mice Worsens Brain Trauma Outcomes in Wild-Type Controls

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, both which increase the risk and accelerate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The gut microbiome is an essential modulator of the immune system, impacting in the brain. AD has been related with reduced diversity and alterations in the community composition of the gut microbiota. This study aimed to determine whether the gut microbiota from AD mice exacerbates neurological deficits after TBI in control mice. We prepared fecal microbiota transplants from 18-24 months old 3xTg-AD (FMT-AD) and from healthy controls (FMT-young) mice. FMTs were administered orally to young control C57BL/6 (wild-type, WT) mice after they underwent controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury, as a model of TBI. Then, we characterized the microbiota composition of the fecal samples by full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. We collected the blood, brain, and gut tissues for protein and immunohistochemical analysis. Our results showed that FMT-AD administration stimulates a higher relative abundance of the genus Muribaculum and a decrease in Lactobacillus johnsonii compared to FMT-young in WT mice. Furthermore, WT mice exhibited larger lesion, increased activated microglia/macrophages, and reduced motor recovery after FMT-AD compared to FMT-young one day after TBI. In summary, we observed gut microbiota from AD mice to have a detrimental effect and aggravate the neuroinflammatory response and neurological outcomes after TBI in young WT mice.
Using Feature Interaction among GPS Data for Road Intersection Detection

Road intersection plays a vital role in road network construction, automatic drive, and intelligent transportation systems. Most methods detect road intersections only using geometrical features without spatio-temporal features, leading to insufficient precision. In addition, the existing methods do not consider the impact of feature interaction. For the issue, this paper proposes a novel way to detect road intersections based on GPS trajectory by extracting spatio-temporal features and using the interaction of the features to enhance the precision of the detection. The proposed method is implemented on DIDI's GPS data in Chengdu. The performance shows that the proposed method can effectively improve the precision of road intersection detection compared with the existing method, which is beneficial for road network construction and makes up for the deficiency of existing methods.
Classification of Shape of Bell Pepper by Machine Vision System

A machine vision method was developed for the objective and rapid classification of the shape of bell (sweet) peppers. Based on the local grading standards, bell peppers are classified in two grades (A and B) based on external color, shape and incidence of bruises or disease. This paper reports on two experiments. In the first experiment, significant features to represent shape properties were selected and a classification test was conducted using these features. As a result, five features (Rt, Cmin, Cr, Hl2m and Hl3m) calculated from three images of each sample were deemed to be relevant. The classified results by a neural network classifier showed that the classification accuracy for shape A, B and all samples was 95.12%, 100% and 95.7%, respectively. In the second experiment, the number of side views and the angle between cameras were optimized using a simulation. Simulated results indicated that the best angle was 90°, when only two views were available. And the classification accuracy was going up following the increasing of number of views from 2 to 18. Relatively better results could be achieved when the number of views was four, the classification accuracy for shape B was 80%, and for all samples was 91%. When the number of views was eight, a satisfied classification accuracy could be obtained, 92 % for shape B, 100 % for shape A and 96% for all the samples.
Information and Communication Technologies and Policing: The Dynamics of Changing Police-Public Communication in the East End of London

One of the problems the police face is how to maintain or improve levels of public access and communication within limited resources and a range of policing priorities. Policing multi-cultural areas with multiple deprivations, such as the East End of London, requires networked information and communication services. The development of information and communication technology (ICT) is potentially a new form of communication for community police services. To develop ICT for police work involves understanding and gaining knowledge about how these technologies fit into police services and with the needs of local residents.
Effects of Magnetized Water on Soil Chemical Components underneath Trickle Irrigation

AbstractMagnetized water has been studied by many researchers. However, to date, there is no study about the effects of magnetized water on soil chemical characteristics such as cations and anions in trickle irrigation. This study was performed at Gorgan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, Gorgan Province, Iran, to investigate soil chemical characteristics under trickle irrigation using magnetized water. Two main treatments of magnetic and nonmagnetized water, and three subtreatments of irrigation water salts, including well water as control and addition of 1 or 2 meq/L calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to irrigation water, were used. The experiment was laid out with a completely randomized block design with three replications. The results showed that mean soil cations (such as calcium, sodium, and magnesium) and anions (such as bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate) at soil depths of 0–20, 20–40, and 40–60 cm below the emitter for magnetized irrigation water treatment were lower than those with non.
START domain mediates Arabidopsis GLABRA2 transcription factor dimerization and turnover independently of homeodomain DNA binding

Class IV homeodomain leucine-zipper transcription factors (HD-Zip IV TFs) are key regulators of epidermal differentiation that are characterized by a DNA-binding homeodomain (HD) in conjunction with a lipid-binding domain termed START (Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory (StAR)-related lipid Transfer). Previous work established that the START domain of GLABRA2 (GL2), a HD-Zip IV member from Arabidopsis, is required for transcription factor activity. Here, we address the functions and possible interactions of START and the HD in DNA binding, dimerization, and protein turnover. Deletion analysis of the HD and missense mutations of a conserved lysine (K146) result in phenotypic defects in leaf trichomes, root hairs and seed mucilage, similar to those observed for START domain mutants, despite nuclear localization of the respective proteins. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that while HD mutations impair binding to target DNA, the START domain is dispensable for DNA binding. Vice versa, protein interaction assays reveal impaired GL2 dimerization for multiple alleles of START mutants, but not HD mutants. Using in vivo cycloheximide chase experiments, we provide evidence for the role of START, but not HD, in maintaining protein stability. This work advances our mechanistic understanding of HD-Zip TFs as multidomain regulators of epidermal development in plants.
Is Categorization in Visual Working Memory a Way to Reduce Mental Effort? A Pupillometry Study

Recent studies on visual working memory (VWM) have shown that visual information can be stored in VWM as continuous (e.g., a specific shade of red) as well as categorical representations (e.g., the general category red). It has been widely assumed, yet never directly tested, that continuous representations require more VWM mental effort than categorical representations; given limited VWM capacity, this would mean that fewer continuous, as compared to categorical, representations can be maintained simultaneously. We tested this assumption by measuring pupil size, as a proxy for mental effort, in a delayed estimation task. Participants memorized one to four ambiguous (boundaries between adjacent color categories) or prototypical colors to encourage continuous or categorical representations, respectively; after a delay, a probe indicated the location of the to-be-reported color. We found that, for set size 1, pupil size was larger while maintaining ambiguous as compared to prototypical colors, but without any difference in memory precision; this suggests that participants relied on an effortful continuous representation to maintain a single ambiguous color, thus resulting in pupil dilation while preserving precision. In contrast, for set size 2 and higher, pupil size was equally large while maintaining ambiguous and prototypical colors, but memory precision was now substantially reduced for ambiguous colors; this suggests that participants now also relied on categorical representations for ambiguous colors (which are by definition a poor fit to any category), thus reducing memory precision but not resulting in pupil dilation. Taken together, our results suggest that continuous representations are more effortful than categorical representations, and that very few continuous representations (perhaps only one) can be maintained simultaneously. Significance statement Visual working memory (VWM) can store visual information in two more-or-less distinct formats: continuous and categorical representations. It is widely assumed that VWM capacity for continuous representations is more limited than for categorical representations, yet this assumption has never been explicitly tested. Here we address this crucial question of whether continuous representations cost more resources, and as a consequence limits VWM capacity, as compared to categorical representations. To do so, we measured pupil size (as a proxy for mental effort) and memory performance in a delayed estimation task. Crucially, our results suggest that continuous representations are more effortful than categorical representations, and that only one continuous representation can be maintained in VWM at one time.
An experimental study of planar impact of a robot manipulator

Provides an experimental study of planar impact of a robot manipulator on a surface. Using the data collected from a series of experiments, it investigates post-impact behavior for different pre-impact conditions such as configuration of the robot, angle and velocity of impact, etc. Understanding the post-impact behavior for various pre-impact conditions can result in the design of improved transition control strategies to stabilize the manipulator onto the surface. Potential applications of this study include robotic surface finishing operations such as polishing, chamfering, deburring, and grinding, etc.