Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unraveling Home and Host Country Effects: An Investigation of the Hr Policies of an American Multinational in Four European Countries

This article argues that the institutional "home" and "host" country effects on employment policy and practice in multinational corporations (MNCs) need to be analyzed within a framework which takes more account both of the multiple levels of embeddedness experienced by the MNC, and processes of negotiation at different levels within the firm. Using in-depth case study ana- lysis of the human resource (HR) structure and industrial relations and pay policies of a large U.S.-owned MNC in the IT sector, across Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the article attempts to move towards such a framework.
Radiation-mediated Shocks in Gamma-Ray Bursts: Pair Creation

Relativistic sub-photospheric shocks are a possible mechanism for producing prompt gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission. Such shocks are mediated by scattering of radiation. We introduce a time-dependent, special relativistic code which dynamically couples Monte Carlo radiative transfer to the flow hydrodynamics. The code also self-consistently follows electron–positron pair production in photon–photon collisions. We use the code to simulate shocks with properties relevant to GRBs. We focus on plane-parallel solutions, which are accurate deep below the photosphere. The shock generates a power-law photon spectrum through the first-order Fermi mechanism, extending upward from the typical upstream photon energy. Strong (high Mach number) shocks produce rising νFν spectra. We observe that in non-relativistic shocks the spectrum extends to , where v is the speed difference between the upstream and downstream. In relativistic shocks the spectrum extends to energies where its slope softens due to Klein–Nishina effects. Shocks with Lorentz factors γ > 1.5 are prolific producers of electron–positron pairs, yielding hundreds of pairs per proton. The main effect of pairs is to reduce the shock width by a factor of . Most pairs annihilate far downstream of the shock, and the radiation spectrum relaxes to a Wien distribution, reaching equilibrium with the plasma at a temperature determined by the shock jump conditions and the photon number per proton. We discuss the implications of our results for observations of radiation generated by sub-photospheric shocks.
Assessing service quality improvement through horizontal cooperation in last-mile distribution

Horizontal cooperation is a relevant strategy that logistic service providers can follow in order to achieve greater efficiency. While literature has mainly focused on economic benefits, this article discusses the impact of horizontal cooperation on service quality in last-mile distribution. An agent-based simulation model is introduced to assess savings in lead times due to various horizontal cooperation agreements under consideration of trust related factors. Results of computational experiments show that cooperation enables companies to reduce lead times substantially, which increases service quality and competitiveness.
Biodegradation of Crude Oil, Refinery Effluent andSome Petroleum Components by Penicillium Sp. andMortierella Sp. Isolated From Oil Contaminated Soilin Auto Mechanic Workshops

Ten isolates of five different types of fungi identified as Penicillium sp. (B101F, B202F and B302F), Aspergillus sp. (B102F, B104F and B304F), Fusarium sp. (B501F), Trichoderma sp. (K602F and K561F) and Mortierella sp. (B1002F) were isolated from contaminated soil samples obtained from auto mechanic workshops in Minna, Nigeria. Mycelial extension rate measurement method was used for the isolation of the best crude oil, refinery effluent and some other petroleum hydrocarbons degraders. Two fungal strains B101F and B1002F were selected based on their ability to degrade (Lagoma light) crude oil and some other petroleum components as both carbon and nitrogen sources in mineral salt medium (MSM). The biodegradation study showed Penicillium strain B101F and Mortierella strain B1002F performed degradation at an optimum pH and temperature of 5.0 and 280C respectively. The optimum concentration of (Lagoma light) crude oil, refinery effluent and other hydrocarbons in mineral salt medium (MSM) for fungal growth was 0.5% within an incubation period of 21 days. When complex medium such as maize bran was utilized as nitrogen source with crude oil in mineral salt medium (MSM) omitting NaNO3, the optimum growth was attained on the 14th day of fermentation for both the isolates. With respect to the selected strains ability to degrade crude oil, these organisms have shown significance in reducing pollution that arise from oil spills in our environments.
Analysis of axially symmetric wire antennas by the use of exact kernel of electric field integral equation

The paper presents a new method for the analysis of wire antennas with axial symmetry. Truncated cones have been applied to precisely model antenna geometry, while the exact kernel of the electric field integral equation has been used for computation. Accuracy and efficiency of the method has been further increased by the use of higher order basis functions for current expansion, and by selecting integration methods based on singularity cancelation techniques for the calculation of potential and impedance integrals. The method has been applied to the analysis of a typical dipole antenna, thick dipole antenna and a coaxial line. The obtained results verify the high accuracy of the method. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-32005]
Effective Corporate Taxation, Tax Incidence and Tax Reforms: Evidence from OECD Countries

The present study provides estimates of the Effective Marginal Tax Rates (EMTRs) for a sample of 17 OECD countries and 11 manufacturing sectors in a single framework encompassing capital, labour and energy taxes. Our cross-country/cross-sector approach allows us comparing the incentives provided by the tax systems and gauging the effects of tax changes taking explicitly into account the possible substitution between factors as well as their tax incidence. Our results suggest that the OECD tax systems provide different incentives for manufacturing activity across countries and that tax systems are relatively neutral with respect to the sectoral composition of manufacturing activities. The impact of potential tax increases on firms´ activity is found to be most attenuated when shifted towards consumers and/or employees rather than energy consumption and/or capital investors. These results are robust to alternative hypotheses regarding the tax incidence parameters, elasticity of substitution between factors and mark-up on final prices. In addition, policy strategies favouring tax increases on energy consumption and lowering taxes on labour can substantially reduce the EMTRs and thus yield substantial efficiency gains for firms. These reforms should in some instances be ambitious enough to produce desired effects on firms’ EMTRs, however.
The Effect of Interaction Fidelity on User Experience in Virtual Reality Locomotion

In virtual worlds, designers often consider “real walking” to be the gold standard when it comes to locomotion, as shown by attempts to incorporate walking techniques within tasks. When real walking is not conceivable due to several different limitations of virtual interactions (space, hardware, tracking, etc.) a walking simulation technique is sometimes used. We call these moderate interaction fidelity techniques and based upon literature, we can speculate that they will often provide an inferior experience if compared to a technique of high or low fidelity. We believe that there is an uncanny valley which is formed if a diagram is created using interaction fidelity and user effectiveness. Finding more points on this graph would help to support claims we have made with our hypothesis. There are several studies done previously in the field of virtual reality, however a vast majority of them considered interaction fidelity as a single construct. We argue that interaction fidelity is more complex involving independent components, with each of those components having an effect of the actual effectiveness of an interface. In addition, the intention of the designer can also have influence on how effective an interface can be. In this study we are going to be doing a deeper look into devices which attempt to overcome the limitations of physical space which we will call semi-natural interfaces. Semi-natural interfaces are sometimes difficult to use at first due to mismatch of cues or possibly due to a lack of fidelity, but training has been shown to be beneficial to overcome this difficulty. As of today, designers have not yet found a fully general solution to walking in large virtual environments. The experiments in this document attempt to add merit to the previously defined uncanny valley thesis by comparing devices of varying levels of fidelity, including one invented by our team. The Effect of Interaction Fidelity on User Experience in Virtual Reality Locomotion
Next 24-Hours Load Forecasting Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the Western Area of Saudi Arabia

Load forecasting has become in recent years one of the major areas of research in electrical engineering. Most traditional forecasting models and artificial intelligence neural network techniques have been tried out in this task. Artificial neural networks (ANN) have lately received much attention, and a great number of papers have reported successful experiments and practical tests. This paper presents the development of an ANN-based short-term load forecasting model with improved generalization technique for the Regional Power Control Center of Saudi Electricity Company, Western Operation Area (SEC-WOA). The proposed ANN is trained with weather-related data, special events indexes and historical electric load-related data using the data from the calendar years 2003, to 2007 for training. The models tested for one week at two different seasons, typically, summer and Ramadan seasons, the mean absolute average error for day-ahead load forecasting are found 1.57% and 1.82% respectively.
On the Convergence Among the EU Five Main Countries in A Club Model Under A Memory Hypothesis with Spread Measure

After an examination of the public choice theory of clubs and of Buchanan theory regarding Governments as club and after the analysis of the theory of convergence for the optimal currency area theory in club perspective, the paper focuses on the EU (European Union) and EMU (Euro-monetary Union) as clubs. On the basis of the modern growth theory, we develop an empirical research on the convergence path, in a new model, under the memory formalism hypothesis, with spread measures, on the 5 EU main countries, with 15 parameters deducted from neoclassical theory of growth and from the EU-EMU rules. The convergence and stability of the 5 main countries in the EU club, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK as affected by the EMU club( to which 4 of the 5 countries do belong), is examined, by measuring their 15 teen parametric spreads, from 2003 (first year of normal circulation of Euro) to 2011 ( last year of available official statistics). The convergence with growth actually developed before the great financial fluctuation, in which divergence spread out. Convergence, then, reappeared, but did not last long, because the consolidation policies were not counteracted by appropriate expansionary fiscal policies at the EU level and by timely non conventional expansionary policy. Divergence cum semi stagnation did develop. GDP and unemployment are the dominant parameters, while GDP per capita is the least important. A memory explanation of the paradox is suggested. To assure stability cum growth of the two clubs, one needs monetary and fiscal policy tools coherent with their models, which are already institutionally available. Further integration would face the same issues, in a less free situation.
A dynamical link between the Arctic and the global climate system

By means of simulations with a global coupled AOGCM it is shown that changes in the polar energy sink region can exert a strong influence on the mid‐ and high‐latitude climate by modulating the strength of the mid‐latitude westerlies and storm tracks. It is found, that a more realistic sea‐ice and snow albedo treatment changes the ice‐albedo feedback and the radiative exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean‐sea‐ice system. The planetary wave energy fluxes in the middle troposphere of mid‐latitudes between 30 and 50°N are redistributed, which induces perturbations in the zonal and meridional planetary wave trains from the tropics over the mid‐latitudes into the Arctic. It is shown, that the improved parameterization of Arctic sea‐ice and snow albedo can trigger changes in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oscillation pattern with strong implications for the European climate.
Economic analysis of cocoa production in Ghana: the case of eastern region

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao Lineus) has remained a valuable crop and major foreign exchange earner among other agricultural commodity export of the Ghanaian economy. The main purpose of this study is to examine the economics production of cocoa in Eastern Region. Eastern Region (East Akim, Aboakwa North, New Juaben, Suhum Kraboa Coatal and Akwapim North districts) being the study area was particularly chosen for this study because of its prime place in cocoa production in Ghana. Data used for the study were collected from 80 cocoa farmers using a well-structured questionnaire for the 2013-2014 farming season. Descriptive statistics, farm budget analysis, profitability and ordinary least square regression were the major analytical tools employed for the study. Results of the analysis showed that the average production cost of cocoa was GHC 1.34 per kg and profit margin was GHC1.80 per kg in cocoa producer enterprises. The gross margin and net profit were calculated as GHC 956.78 and GHC 621.24 per hectare respectively. Relative profit was calculated as 1.49 which indicates that cocoa production in the study area is profitable. Farm size, farmer’s age, farming experience and other cost less labour cost were identified as the significant factors affecting the output of cocoa production in the study area. The price of the cocoa is the most pressing problem the cocoa farmer faced. The study therefore recommends that cocoa farmers should be provided with credit facilities from formal credit institutions at affordable interest rates in order to boost cocoa production in the country and government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture should establish large scale of cocoa farm to employ the youth in order to ease the unemployment rate which is a big problem in the country.
Running head : MEMORY FOR VERTICAL LOCATIONS 1 Spatial Memory for Vertical Locations

Most studies on spatial memory refer to the horizontal plane, leaving an open question as to whether findings generalize to vertical spaces where gravity and the visual upright of our surrounding space are salient orientation cues. In three experiments, we examined which reference frame is used to organize memory for vertical locations: the one based on the body vertical, the visual room vertical, or the direction of gravity. Participants judged inter-object spatial relationships learned from a vertical layout in a virtual room. During learning and testing, we varied the orientation of the participants’ body (upright vs. lying sideways) and the visually presented room relative to gravity (e.g., rotated by 90o along the frontal plane). Across all experiments, participants made quicker or more accurate judgments when the room was oriented in the same way as during learning with respect to their body, irrespective of their orientations relative to gravity. This suggests that participants employed an egocentric body-based reference frame for representing vertical object locations. Our study also revealed an effect of body-gravity alignment during testing. Participants recalled spatial relations more accurately when upright, regardless of the body and visual room orientation during learning. This finding is consistent with a hypothesis of selection conflict between different reference frames. Overall, our results suggest that a body-based reference frame is preferred over salient allocentric reference frames in memory for vertical locations perceived from a single view. Further, memory of vertical space seems to be tuned to work best in the default upright body orientation.
Selective and Simultaneous Solid Phase Extraction of Polar and Non–Polar Organophosphorus Pesticides Using Sol–Gel Hybrid Silica–Based Sorbent

A new sol–gel hybrid silica–based sorbent, methyltrimethoxysilane–cyanopropyltriethoxysilane (MTMOS–CNPrTEOS) produced in our laboratory was used for highly selective and simultaneous solid phase extraction (SPE) of two polar organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) and four non–polar OPPs from water samples. The two polar OPPs used as test analytes are dicrotophos and methamidophos while the four non–polar OPPs are diazinon, malathion, methidathion, and chlorpyrifos. Analysis of OPPs was performed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in scan mode. Extraction efficiency (based on peak area response) of the new sol–gel hybrid MTMOS–CNPrTEOS was superior to commercial C18 SPE sorbent. The new sorbent showed higher selectivity towards the polar dicrotophos and methamidophos and it was also able to simultaneously extract the four non–polar OPPs with higher extraction efficiency. The limit of detection at S/N=3 for the new sol–gel hybrid sorbent is 5–9× lower and similar accuracy for the six OPPs compared to commercial C18 SPE sorbent. The new sol–gel hybrid material showed high potential as an alternative sorbent material for solid phase extraction of OPPs of wide polarity. It was successfully applied to the selective and simultaneous extraction the six OPPs from tap water and lake water samples.
Thymus Hypertrophy in Orchidectomized Rats: An Immunohistochemical Study

Background: The thymus is considered to be a primary sex hormone-responsive organ, which plays an important role in maintaining a competent immune system. Aim of the Work: This research was conducted to study the orchidectomy-induced changes in the lymphocytic as well as the non-lymphocytic contents of the rat thymus using histological, immunohistochemical and histometrical methods. Material and Methods: Twenty male adult rats were randomly divided into two groups (control and orchidectomized). The animals were housed in cages with softwood granules as bedding. They had free access to standard diet and drinking water. Animals were sacriﬁced by cervical dislocation after four weeks of orchidectomy. The entire thymuses were dissected out, plot dried and weighed. Organ weights were expressed as absolute and relative weight (g/100g body weight). Five-μm sections were stained using Weigert’s haematoxylin and van Gieson’s stains for ﬁbrous tissue, Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) for glycoproteins, methyl green-pyronin for plasma cells, Unna stain for mast cells and S-100 immunoperoxidase stain for interdigitating cells. Results: In orchidectomized rats the absolute and relative thymic weight, the mean thickness of the cortex and the cortex/medullary ratio were signiﬁcantly increased in comparison to the control rats. Using image analysis and color subtraction, the area% of the interdigitating cells in cortex and medulla was calculated, there was a signiﬁcant decrease in the area% of the interdigitating cells both in the cortex and the medulla of the orchidectomized rats versus the control. Conclusions: Thymus is an androgen – responsive tissue. The extract role of interdigitating cells in age induced thymic atrophy remain to be elucidated
Complete Nucleotide Sequences and Construction of Infectious Clones of Two Jordanian Isolates of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus

The complete nucleotide sequences of two Jordanian isolates of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) were determined and compared with other reported TYLCV isolates. Sequence analysis revealed that one isolate belonged to the mild strain, TYLCV-Mld, while the other isolate belonged to the Israel strain, TYLCV-IL. Agrodrench inoculation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants with a 1.8-mer infectious clone of TYLCV-IL[JO:Ju:08] resulted in the development of severe symptoms, while tomato plants infected with a 1.8-mer infectious clone of the isolate TYLCV-Mld[JO:Ju:08] resulted in milder symptoms. The infectious clones can be an important tool for improved understanding of TYLCV-tomato interactions.
Expecting Marketing Activities and New Product Launch Execution to be Different in the U.S. and China : an Empirical Study

Our model explores the effects of marketing and launch activity execution, launch timing, and nature of the product on performance, considering also the SBU's level of cross-functionl integration and market orientation, and levels of channel cooperation. We empirically test the model using new product managers from the U.S. and China, and generate insights into cross cultural differences in marketing conduct.
ANTI OXIDATIVE ACTIVITY OF THE ETHANOL EXTRACT OF DESMODIUM GYRANS DC. LEAVES

Objective: Desmodium gyrans DC is commonly known as “Thozhukanni” in Tamil and “Namaskari” in Sanskrit. It is widely used as an antidote, cardiac-tonic and for wound healing. The antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract of D. gyrans has been studied for its free radical scavenging property on different in-vitro models and biochemical parameters on in-vivo models. Methods: Four groups of rats were used in each method. Two test groups received D. gyrans ethanolic extract of the leaves at doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg; standard group received silymarin (25mg/kg), and the control group received only vehicle in in-vivo.The standard group received ascorbic acid (100µg/kg), Control group received carboxy methyl cellulose in in-vitro model. On the 8th day animals were sacrificed and antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were estimated in liver homogenate. In free radical scavenging activity assay based on neutralization of DPPH, superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical were determined spectrophotometrically. Results: The extract showed good dose dependent antioxidant activity as compared to standard. It exhibits low IC50 value 36.6 ± 1.47 for DPPH, 55.3 ± 1.29 for superoxide radical, 43.7 ± 2.43 for hydroxyl radical. A significant (p<0.001) increase in SOD and CAT were noticed. Conclusion: The results showed that Desmodium gyrans ethanolic extract of the leaves has potant antioxidant activity.
A protocol for rapid propagation of genetically true to type Indian turmeric(Curcuma longa L.) through in vitro culture technique

As the plant Curcuma longa L. is an ethnomedicinally important one and almost all the parts of the plant are reported to contain curcumin and its structural analogues. Rhizomatous explants from two months old buds were cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of cytokinins and auxins. During the first culture on 2.5 mg/l of 6-benzylamino purine (BAP) and 1.5 mg/l of α Napthalenic acetic acid (NAA) yeilds 9.00±0.57a number of shoots with an average shoot length of 7.20±1.01a cm. The elongated shoots produced 9.66±1.20a roots on half strength MS liquid medium supplemented with 2 mg/l of Indole 3 butyric acid (IBA) and showed 86 % survivability after hardening. Genetic fidelity of the micropropagated plantlets was confirmed using RAPD analysis employing 12 primers. This system provides high fidelity micropropagation system for efficient and rapid micropropagation of this important medicinal plant