Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Patterns of Innovation and Trade Competitiveness The Case of Italy

A renewed interest has been growing recently for the spatial dimension of trade and knowledge flows. Several contributions have shown that knowledge proximity matters in mediating flows of knowledge and that knowledge spillovers tend to occur within limited geographical boundaries. Theoretical works have also shown that geographical concentration of knowledge spillovers may play a fundamental role in shaping national and regional patterns of specialisation and comparative advantages through cumulative processes. In spite of such advances, still few empirical works exist attempting to verify the relationship between localised knowledge spillovers and regional patterns of trade specialisation and comparative advantages. This paper aims to provide a first empirical assessment of the relationship between localised technological externalities and trade performance in high technology industries in Italy. The data used in the analysis are based on the European Patent Office data base and on trade statistics from the five digit SITC classification, and are spatially referenced to the Italy NUT3 regional partition. The analysis adopts a spatial econometric approach where knowledge externalities are modelled through the inclusion in regression estimates of spatially lagged variables for innovations. Results from econometric estimates provide some evidence of impact of local technological spillovers on regional trade performance. Local knowledge spillovers appear to positively affect the trade performance in the industrial automation and instruments sectors. No evidence of localised effects of technological externalities on trade competitiveness is instead found in most electronics sectors.
Importance of Brand Personality To Customer Loyalty: A Conceptual Study

Customer loyalty is viewed as the strengths of the relationship between an individual’s relative attitude and repeat patronage. Here an attempt has been made to probe into the behaviour of a customers’ willingness to buy a brand/product, of what are the related factors which influences his buying behaviour and attitude towards the brand. An investigation is done to highlight a point of what are the influencing factors which compels him to be a loyal for a brand. The theoretical study and the conceptual model, here, envisages the concept of brand loyalty by passing through the concept of brand personality. The study findings suggest a conceptual model that combines the theories of brand personality with the necessary dispositional variables to explain the customer’s loyalty processes. This model also rises to the marketing challenge of building long-term consumer relationships. Customer‘s loyalty, therefore, might be strengthened or retained by keeping in consideration various other factors through communicating a good brand relationship by involving the concept of brand personality, thus, enhancing the customer relationship building with social and resource exchanges and thus positively affecting the satisfaction of the customer. The theoretical framework will help the researches to further investigate into the concept of brand personality enhancing the customer loyalty. Keywords: Brand Personality, Customer Loyalty, Conceptual Model
Long-term immune effects of Lactobacillus casei Shirota during lactation

Verkennend onderzoek naar de toediening van probiotica aan zuigelingen duidt op de mogelijke ontwikkeling van allergie en autoimmuniteit later in het leven. Probiotica worden in reclameboodschappen ook wel 'goede bacterien' genoemd. Fabrikanten claimen een positief effect op de darmflora van de consument, op zijn weerstand en op mogelijk preventie van allergieen. Echter, zowel werkzaamheid als veiligheid van dit soort producten is wetenschappelijk niet onderbouwd. Momenteel is er nog geen regelgeving op het gebied van probiotica. Producten zoals zuigelingenvoeding worden als veilig beschouwd. De effecten van vroege blootstelling aan probiotica zijn bestudeerd met behulp van twee experimentele proefdiermodellen. De waargenomen effecten zijn gering, maar duiden wel op een potentieel risico van probiotica. Om meer inzicht te verkrijgen in de negatieve effecten van probiotica is verder onderzoek nodig.
Effectiveness of Key Knowledge Spreader Identification in Online Communities of Practice : A Simulation Study from Network Perspective

With the rapid development of online communities of practice (CoPs), how to identify key knowledge spreader (KKS) in online CoPs has grown up to be a hot issue. In this paper, we construct a network with variable clustering based on Holme-Kim model to represent CoPs, a simple dynamics of knowledge sharing is considered. Kendall's Tau coefficient is used to investigate the effectiveness of four typical KKS indicators from a network perspective. We also examine the relationship between knowledge acceptance rate (KAR) of members in CoPs and the effectiveness of indicators. The results conclude that variable clustering will lead to unstable fluctuation of the effectiveness of KKS indicators, and the change of KAR during knowledge sharing will lead to effectiveness of KKS indicators fluctuating with a Ushape. The conclusion suggests that indicators should be used under suitable conditions in practice to improve the efficiency of knowledge sharing.
Testing for Fractional Integration Versus Short Memory with Structural Breaks*

Although it is commonly accepted that most macroeconomic variables are non-stationary, it is often difficult to identify the source of the non-stationarity. Integrated processes and short-memory models with trending components, possibly affected by structural breaks, imply similar features in the data and, accordingly, are hard to distinguish. The goal of this article is to extend the classical testing framework of I(1) versus I(0) + trends and/or breaks by considering a more general class of models under the null hypothesis: fractionally integrated (FI) processes. The asymptotic properties of the proposed tests are derived and it is shown that they are very well-behaved in finite samples. An illustration using US inflation data is also provided.
Do three-spined sticklebacks group with kin?

Peuhkuri, N. , Integrative Ecology Unit, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Population Biology, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland Seppa, P., Department of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Population Biology, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; and Department of Sciences, P.O. Box 56, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki; Present address: Department of Genetics, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 7003, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
An analysis on the factors affecting profitability level of Sharia banking in Indonesia

The purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) Third Party Funds (TPF), Non Performing Financing (NPF), Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR), Operation Cost Operating Income (OCOI), Net Operating Margin (NOM), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation and Return on Asset (ROA) as a proxy of Islamic bank’s profitability in Indonesia during 2011-2014 periods. The population of study was Sharia banking (BS) in Indo-nesia. Time series data from Indonesian Banking Statistics 2011-2014 were used as the primary data. Multiple linear regression was applied as method of analysis. The result shows that CAR, NPF, FDR and NOM did not affect profitability, while TPF, OCOI had negative effect on profitability. Meanwhile, GDP and inflation variable had significant effect with positive direction.
KinectFusion for Faces: Real-Time 3D Face Tracking and Modeling Using a Kinect Camera for a Markerless AR System

In this paper we present an extension to the KinectFusion algorithm that allows a robust real-time face tracking and modeling using the Microsoft’s Kinect sensor. This is achieved changing two steps of the original algorithm: pre-processing and tracking. In the former, we use a real-time face detection algorithm to segment the face from the rest of the image. In the latter, we use a real-time head pose estimation to give a new initial guess to the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm when it fails and an algorithm to solve occlusion. Our approach is evaluated in a markerless augmented reality (MAR) system. We show that this approach can reconstruct faces and handle more face pose changes and variations than the original KinectFusion’s tracking algorithm. In addition, we show that the realism of the system is enhanced as we solve the occlusion problem efficiently at shader level.
Lightweight visualization of SysML models in PDM systems

Increasing product complexity and diversity especially in case of mechatronic products leads to the need for extended method and tool support during product development. Specialized authoring tools allow the creation of descriptive product models utilizing modelling languages like the Systems Modelling Language (SysML). The high level of complexity also requires a lot of coordination and collaboration effort and the associated data exchange between a variety of stakeholders. Although specifications exist, exchange of SysML model data – in particular of graphical diagram information – is often not possible due to compatibility problems. Hence, a concept for visualizing SysML models in Product Data Management (PDM) systems without using an authoring tool is introduced. A layer model generated by using design phase information delivered by the Requirements, Functional, Logical, Physical (RFLP) product design approach is proposed. Furthermore, various functions of the visualization module are presented. The so-called “Lightweight Visualization” approach shall ease the exchangeability of SysML model data within distributed development networks.
Improving semi-automated glacier mapping with a multi-method approach: applications in central Asia

Abstract. Studies of glaciers generally require precise glacier outlines. Where these are not available, extensive manual digitization in a geographic information system (GIS) must be performed, as current algorithms struggle to delineate glacier areas with debris cover or other irregular spectral profiles. Although several approaches have improved upon spectral band ratio delineation of glacier areas, none have entered wide use due to complexity or computational intensity. In this study, we present and apply a glacier mapping algorithm in Central Asia which delineates both clean glacier ice and debris-covered glacier tongues. The algorithm is built around the unique velocity and topographic characteristics of glaciers and further leverages spectral and spatial relationship data. We found that the algorithm misclassifies between 2 and 10 % of glacier areas, as compared to a ~ 750 glacier control data set, and can reliably classify a given Landsat scene in 3–5 min. The algorithm does not completely solve the difficulties inherent in classifying glacier areas from remotely sensed imagery but does represent a significant improvement over purely spectral-based classification schemes, such as the band ratio of Landsat 7 bands three and five or the normalized difference snow index. The main caveats of the algorithm are (1) classification errors at an individual glacier level, (2) reliance on manual intervention to separate connected glacier areas, and (3) dependence on fidelity of the input Landsat data.
Modeling of the Black Sea Region Climate Changes in the XXI Century

Numerical experiments on producing regional projections of climate changes in the Black Sea region in the end of the XXI century are performed. The regional numerical climate model HadRM3P and input data of the atmosphere-ocean general circulation global model INMCM4 (Institute of Numerical Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences) are used. Application of the regional model permits to reproduce mesoscale climate processes and to obtain new numerical estimates of regional climate changes with high spatial resolution which supplement large-scale assessments with new values. Changes of temperature and precipitation seasonal values in the future 2071 – 2100 period are compared with those of the control period in 1971 – 2000. According to the INMCM4 model, temperature in the Black Sea region will increase by 2.5 – 3 °C in winter and 4 – 4.5 °C in summer. In summer it will be accompanied by precipitation decrease up to 40 %. For the territory of Ukraine and the central European part of Russia, the regional model produces more pronounced temperature growth in summer: up to 25 – 30 %. The regional model forecast of summer precipitation changes in Ukraine and in the Balkan Peninsula is 30% lower than the analogous forecast of the global model. The obtained projections of climate changes in the Black Sea region can be considered as quite unfavorable for the agricultural sector.
Biomass Modelling of Androstachys johnsonii Prain: A Comparison of Three Methods to Enforce Additivity

Three methods of enforcing additivity of tree component biomass estimates into total tree biomass estimates for Androstachys johnsonii Prain were studied and compared, namely, the conventional (CON) method (a method that consists of using the same independent variables for all tree component models, and for total tree model, and the same weights to enforce additivity), seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) with parameter restriction, and nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NSUR) with parameter restriction. The CON method was found to be statistically superior to any other method of enforcing additivity, yielding excellent fit statistics and unbiased biomass estimates. The NSUR method ranked second best but was found to be biased. The SUR method was found to be the worst; it exhibited large bias and had a poor fit for the biomass. Therefore, we recommend that only the CON and NSUR methods should be used for further estimates, provided that their limitations are considered, that is, exclusion of contemporaneous correlations for the CON method and consideration of the significant bias of the NSUR method.
Fabrication of ultrafine carbon fibers possessing a nanoporous structure from electrospun polyvinyl alcohol fibers containing silica nanoparticles

Ultrafine carbon fibers with a nanoporous structure were fabricated by the template method using silica nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in fibers of approximate diameter 500 nm, electrospun from an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol, CoCl2, silica NPs, and N,N-dimethylformamide. Black, conductive fibers were obtained by heat treatment in air and a chemical vapor deposition reaction under methanol vapor for more than 5 h. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the fabricated fibers after silica removal had a porous structure originating from 15 nm diameter silica NPs. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis combined with TEM confirmed the removal of silica from the fibers by NaOH treatment at 80°C. Total surface area and total pore volume of the fibers after silica removal, determined by nitrogen adsorption measurement, were 318m2/g and 1.67 cm3/g, respectively. The sheet resistivities of the fabricated fibers were 35.1-477Ω/□, which were relatively high, compared with that reported for polyacrylonitrile-based fibers carbonized at 800°C. D and G bands detected in the Raman spectrum of the NaOH-treated fibers showed that the prepared carbon fibers were more crystalline than natural carbonaceous materials.
Progressive Failure Analysis of Adhesively Bonded Joints in Crash Simulations

The phenomenological description for the mechanical behaviour of ductile, toughened polymers is currently an active field of research in interfacial mechanics, since the recently developed crashmodified adhesives are well suited to bond structural components of automotive bodies reliably. Therefore, constitutive models for the inelastic behaviour of adhesives and substitute elements for the effective modelling of thin layers are needed for the crashworthiness analysis of bonded car structures. The transition is shown from solid elements with three-dimensional constitutive models to interface elements for the analysis of thin adhesive layers in this contribution. Two different material models for the rate-dependent, ductile mechanical behaviour of toughened adhesives are briefly discussed. The first approach is based on a three-dimensional elastic-plastic continuum model with a rate-dependent yield stress and a failure criterion. The second approach makes use of an interface element with a traction-separation model for ductile materials. A reliable estimate for the size of the critical step length is provided, if the equations of motion for the substitute element of the adhesive layer are numerically integrated in time by means of explicit methods. An adequate experimental setup for testing the inelastic behaviour of a thin layer of crash-modified adhesives up to fracture is analyzed with the finite element method by making use of the substitute element for the bonding. The numerical investigations comprise various modes of failure of the adhesive layer under pure and combined loading in normal and shear direction. The results of the simulation are compared to the corresponding data form experimental tests.
An Emotional System for Effective and Collaborative e-Learning

Though e-learning is being debated to have some advantages over person to person teaching, the latter is considered to be superior with respect to the effectiveness of teaching. One of the reasons for this advantage of human expert tutors is their ability to deal with the emotional aspects of the learner. We introduce an emotion sensitive e- learning model which is sensitive to both emotional aspects as well as the learning ability of the learner. This is a major difference with the other similar attempts to make effective e-learning systems and the preliminary analyses indicate considerable promise. We hope this would complement the effectiveness of e-learning.
Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs: Narrative Systematic Review

Teachers’ beliefs represent an important element in teaching and classroom management. Teachers’ efficacy represent a base concept in beliefs domain researches, because of its correspondence with teachers’ availability to apply innovative methods, and to remain in educational system. This paper presents a systematic narrative review of articles, which approach teachers’ beliefs, indexed in PsycInfo, ERIC, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and Google Scholar. There were analysed 22 articles (N=3572) which used as a research instrument, different scales to measure teachers’ efficacy. This concept was introduced fourth decades ago, as a highly predictor of pupils’ motivation and learning being a measure of perceived capability. The results of this review reflected the decisive role of teachers’ beliefs about efficacy in pupil and subjects to teach approach, pupil control, on pupil motivation, achievement and learning, their beliefs acting as a filters, frames, or guides. Teachers’ beliefs exist as a complex system, and one of the main challenges is to change those beliefs, which are dysfunctional. The complexity on this concept generated three other concepts: self-efficacy, general efficacy, and collective efficacy. © 2016 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy. org.uk
An Assessment and Management of Green Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) Fishery in the Jazan Area (Red Sea, Saudi Arabia)

The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and the correspond- ing values of fishing effort (number of fishing days) were estimated for the green tiger shrimp, Penaeus semisulcatus fishery in the Jazan area of the Red Sea. The equilibrium as well as the non-equilibrium approach was used to fit the surplus-production model on the statisti- cal data of catch and fishing effort. The study area extends from Lat 17o40' N southwards to the Yemeni border which supports the activity of more than 90% of the bottom trawlers exploiting the shrimp fishery in the Saudi Red Sea coast . Results from both treatments indicated that the current fishery for the tiger shrimp is under the level of maximum sustainable exploitation. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) was estimated at 945.3 and 829.8 tonnes by the equilibrium and non-equilibrium model, respective- ly. The corresponding levels of fishing effort required to generate the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) were estimated by the two models, respectively at 21.620 and 17.370 fishing days per fishing season.
Building of Forest Fire Early Warning System based on Modular Structure

The forest fire precautionary warning system is composed of wired and wireless communications. Its hardware and software adopt modular structure, so as to compose the system flexibly and adapt to forest fire precautionary warning system of different sizes, different circumstances and different requirements. Any part extracted from the whole system can constitute a complete system. In short, users can select the most rational allocation of software and hardware resources according to the actual situation in order to achieve a higher performance price ratio, which is extremely important for industrialization.
A Novel Dual-Band Patch Antenna with Complementary Split Ring Resonators Embedded in the Ground Plane

In this paper, a novel design of dual-band microstrip antenna with complementary split ring resonators (CSRRs) is presented. A simple and successful dual-band antenna can be realized by etching three CSRRs in the ground plane of a conventional patch antenna. The proposed antenna shows good performances at both resonant frequencies. The CSRRs embedded in the ground plane make a major contribution to the flrst operating band, but has minor efiect on the second operating band. It is beneflcial for designing a dual-band antenna as well as a miniaturized antenna ∞exibly. The simulation results are analyzed and compared with measured results in a good agreement.
Plasmon-enhanced fluorometry based on gold nanostructure arrays. Method and device

In this work, we describe a method of surface-enhanced fluorometry, based on the phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonance in unordered gold nanostructure arrays. The theoretical approach for the model system "gold nanoparticle-dielectric spacer" in the electrostatic approximation by solution of Laplace's equation is considered. The developed technology for manufacturing the plasmonic substrates as well as design of the novel laser-based compact fluorometer are presented. The arrays of gold nanostructures on solid substrates (nanochips) coated with different thicknesses of SiO2 were developed and fabricated by thermal annealing of gold island films with subsequent dielectric spacer deposition. As an example for verification of the proposed method, the fluorescence properties of the system "gold nanostructures array - SiO2 dielectric coating - Rhodamine 6G" were studied. It has been shown that enhancement of dye emission up to 22 times for dielectric coating with the thickness of about 20 nm is possible. Presented method is of importance for the development of the novel nanoscale sensors, biomolecular assays and nanoplasmonic devices.