Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of technological diversity on innovation performance in Chinese automobile industry

Studies on innovation are attracting a lot of researchers’ attention all over the world due to its crucial role in today's competitive world. In our paper we made an attempt to find the nature of the relationship between technological diversity and innovation performance. We have collected the data for 59 firms from China's automobile industry, from the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. Then we used the Negative binomial regression to test the hypothesis with four models. We found that correlation between technological diversity and innovation performance has an inverse U-shape form. Keywords: diversification, patents, specialization
3D Heterogeneous Staggered-grid Finite-difference Modeling of Seismic Motion with Volume Harmonic and Arithmetic Averaging of Elastic Moduli and Densities

We analyze the problem of a heterogeneous formulation of the equation of motion and propose a new 3D fourth-order staggered-grid finite-difference (FD) scheme for modeling seismic motion and seismic-wave propagation. We first consider a 1D problem for a welded planar interface of two half-spaces. A simple physical model of the contact of two media and mathematical considerations are shown to give an averaged medium representing the contact of two media. An exact heterogeneous formulation of the equation of motion is a basis for constructing the corresponding heterogeneous FD scheme. In a much more complicated 3D problem we analyze a planar-interface contact of two isotropic media (both with interface parallel to a coordinate plane and interface in general position in the Cartesian coordinate system) and a nonplanar-interface contact of two isotropic media. Because in the latter case 21 elastic coefficients at each point are necessary to describe the averaged medium, we consider simplified boundary conditions for which the averaged medium can be described by only two elastic coefficients. Based on the simplified approach we construct the explicit heterogeneous 3D fourth-order displacement-stress FD scheme on a staggered grid with the volume harmonic averaging of the shear modulus in grid positions of the stress-tensor components, volume harmonic averaging of the bulk modulus in grid positions of the normal stress-tensor components, and volume arithmetic averaging of density in grid positions of the displacement components. Our displacement-stress FD scheme can be easily modified into the velocity-stress or displacement-velocity-stress FD schemes. The scheme allows for an arbitrary position of the material discontinuity in the spatial grid. Numerical tests for 12 configurations in four types of models show that our scheme is more accurate than the staggered-grid schemes used so far. Numerical examples also show that differences in thickness of a soft surface or interior layer smaller than one grid spacing can cause considerable changes in seismic motion. The results thus underline the importance of having a FD scheme with sufficient sensitivity to heterogeneity of the medium. Manuscript received 21 May 2001.
A Thermo-Hygro-Coupled Model for Chloride Penetration in Concrete Structures

Corrosion damage due to chloride attack is one of the most concerning issues for long term durability of reinforced concrete structures. By developing the reliable mathematical model of chloride penetration into concrete structures, it can help structural engineers and management agencies with predicting the service life of reinforced concrete structures in order to effectively schedule the maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation program. This paper presents a theoretical and computational model for chloride diffusion in concrete structures. The governing equations are taking into account the coupled transport process of chloride ions, moisture, and temperature. This represents the actual condition of concrete structures which are always found in nonsaturated and nonisothermal conditions. The fully coupled effects among chloride, moisture, and heat diffusion are considered and included in the model. The coupling parameters evaluated based on the available material models and test data are proposed and explicitly incorporated in the governing equations. The numerical analysis of coupled transport equations is performed using the finite element method. The model is validated by comparing the numerical results against the available experimental data and a good agreement is observed.
Toxicological Assessment of Ethanolic Extract of the Leaves of Newbouldia l aev is (P. Beauv)

Newbouldia laevis (P. Beauv) is a med icinal plant trad itionally used to treat various diseases across African countries. In Nigeria the leaves of the plant are used in the treat ment of convulsions, diabetes, and different bacterial infections. In this study, the acute and sub-chronic toxicity profiles of the ethanolic ext ract of the leaves of N. laevis were evaluated. The effects of the extract on water intake and food consumption change in body weight, hematological and blood biochemical parameters like aminotransferases, creatinine and urea as well as histology of liver and kidney were assessed for morphological changes and inflammatory cells. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract was calcu lated to be 5400 mg/kg in albino mice. In the sub-chronic toxicity study, all the biochemical and hematological parameters assessed in the treated albino rats were not significantly different fro m the control except the platelet count that was significantly high at high doses. Likewise, examination of liver and kidney sections did not show any morphological changes and inflammatory cells infiltrat ions. The results of this study suggest that the ethanolic leaf ext ract of Newbouldia laevis has low to xicity profile regarding hematological, blood biochemical and histological parameters.
Two traditional African settlements - context and configuration

Vernacular African settlements and buildings are widely appreciated for their human scale, aesthetic clarity and harmony with nature. But this appreciation appears to be limited to their iconic and picturesque qualities, and there seems to be little understanding of the value of these architectural traditions as products of historical, ecological, cultural and economic circumstances. This study compares a traditional Tonga compound at Siamundela, southern Zambia with a Banoka village near Khwai in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Whereas Siamundela is totally remote, the Banoka are occasionally exposed to passing safari traffic. These case studies demonstrate how the built environments of different cultures renect changes in social structures in response to the varying degrees of exposure to external influences. The two case studies are described in terms of context (historical perspectives, socio-economic and cultural conditions, geography) and dwelling and settlement patterns. The emphasis is on a comparison of spatial organisation and fabric.
Measure Transformed Independent Component Analysis

In this paper we derive a new framework for independent component analysis (ICA), called measure-transformed ICA (MTICA), that is based on applying a structured transform to the probability distribution of the observation vector, i.e., transformation of the probability measure defined on its observation space. By judicious choice of the transform we show that the separation matrix can be uniquely determined via diagonalization of several measure-transformed covariance matrices. In MTICA the separation matrix is estimated via approximate joint diagonalization of several empirical measure-transformed covariance matrices. Unlike kernel based ICA techniques where the transformation is applied repetitively to some affine mappings of the observation vector, in MTICA the transformation is applied only once to the probability distribution of the observations. This results in performance advantages and reduced implementation complexity. Simulations demonstrate the advantages of the proposed approach as compared to other existing state-of-the-art methods for ICA.
Incidence, clinical outcome, and risk stratification of ventilator-associated pneumonia—a prospective cohort study

Context and Aim: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains to be the commonest cause of hospital morbidity and mortality in spite of advances in diagnostic techniques and management. This project aims to study the various risk factors and the common microbial flora associated with VAP. It also evaluates the use of APACHEIII scores for prognostication. Study Design: A prospective cohort study was conducted over 1 year in medical critical care unit (CCU) of a tertiary-care teaching hospital. Methods and Material: VAP was diagnosed using the clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) of more than 6. The study cohort comprised 51 patients. All CCU patients requiring mechanical ventilation for more than 48 h formed the study group. Statistical Analysis Used: Univariate analysis, c2-test, and paired t -test. Results: Twenty-four out of fifty-one cases developed VAP. These cases had an average APACHEIII score of more than 55 on admission to critical care unit (CCU). They needed prolonged mechanical ventilation and had lower PaO2/FiO2 ratio as compared with the remaining patients who did not develop VAP. Pseudomonas aeroginosa was the commonest and most lethal organism. The mortality in the VAP group was 37% and correlated very well with higher APACHEIII scores on admission. Conclusions: Longer duration of mechanical ventilation and the need of reintubation are associated with proportionate rise in the incidence of VAP. Deteriorating PaO2/FiO2 ratio correlated well with the onset of VAP. Higher APACHEIII scores on admission stratify the mortality risk.
Badanie obecności fragmentów genu RHD u dawców RhD ujemnych z zastosowaniem minipulowania i technologii real-time PCR Mass screening for RHD gene fragments in RhD negative donors by minipool testing system using real-time PCR technology

Streszczenie Wstęp: Podłożem fenotypu RhD ujemny u osób rasy białej jest delecja genu RHD. Są jednak osoby, u których gen lub jego fragmenty są obecne, lecz ekspresja białka RhD nie zachodzi, jest obniżona lub białko to nie posiada pewnych epitopów. Występowanie takich zjawisk może się wiązać z ryzykiem immunizacji bądź z ryzykiem fałszywych wyników badań, co jest szczególnie istotne przy nieinwazyjnej diagnostyce RHD płodu. Celem badania była analiza możliwości wykrywania RHD u dawców RhD ujemnych z zastosowaniem strategii minipulowania osocza. Materiał i metody: Badano próbki osocza 2907 dawców RhD ujemnych. Z przygotowywanych pul osocza od 48 dawców izolowano DNA i badano w nim obecność RHD metodą real-time PCR ze starterami do eksonu 7, 10 i intronu 4. Jeśli wynik był dodatni, prowadzono dalsze badania, by zidentyfikować dawcę z RHD. Próbki RHD dodatnie badano dodatkowo w kierunku eksonu 4 RHD i pseudogenu RHDY oraz wariantów D słaby i D częściowy metodami molekularnymi i serologicznymi. Wyniki: Fragmenty genu RHD wykryto u 13 z 2907 dawców RhD ujemnych. W żadnym przypadku nie wykryto RHDY. U 7 dawców wykryto ekson 7, 10 i intron 4, u 5 tylko ekson 10, a w jednym przypadku tylko ekson 7 i intron 4. W dalszych badaniach 3 przypadki zaklasyfikowano jako D słabe typu 11 (2 dawców) i DFR (1 dawca), a 4 jako hybrydowe warianty RHD-CE-D. Wnioski: Ustalono, że genotypowanie RHD z DNA wyizolowanego z puli osocza od dawców RhD ujemnych jest użyteczną metodą identyfikacji wariantów genu RHD i może być stosowane do badań na szeroką skalę. U 0,45% polskich dawców RhD ujemnych wykryto fragmenty genu RHD. Słowa kluczowe: gen RHD, fenotyp RhD, antygen D, D słaby, D częściowy, immunizacja, alloprzeciwciała anty-D
Ecology and natural history of "Hypsiboas curupi" (Anura, "Hylidae"): An endemic amphibian to the southern Atlantic Forest

Data on habitat use and life history are essential for evaluation of the conservation status of species, and may direct policy for preservation of natural environments. Over the course of a year, we investigated populations of Hypsiboas curupi regarding (i) nighttime activity patterns; (ii) associations with climatic variables; (iii) the spatial distribution patterns of males and females with respect to microhabitat use; and (iv) variation in body size. The study was carried out from August 2010 to July 2011 in the Parque Estadual Fritz Plaumann, a seasonal deciduous forest fragment in the western region of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Calling activity was highest from August to November. The number of calling males was highest at 23h, and the frequency of occurrence was influenced by the air humidity. Calling males, non-calling males, and females differed in their distance from the bank and substrate type used. Females were significantly larger and heavier than males. Our results indicate that H. curupi is highly dependent on bank vegetation, and that changes in riparian vegetation structure due to human activity can result in the loss of sites for calling and oviposition, and may reduce availability of food and shelter. Keywords: life history, riparian forest, stream-dwelling amphibians, seasonal deciduous forest, microhabitat use.
Estimation of Genetic Divergence in Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.)under Temperate Ecology of Kashmir

Thirty five genotypes of mung bean were evaluated during kharif 2011 with the objective to work out the genetic divergence in the genotypes for future breeding studies. Significant differences were observed for all the traits studied. The material was subjected to genetic analysis and further, based on Mahalanobis D2 statistics genotypes were grouped into seven clusters, with cluster II having maximum of 13 genotypes, cluster-I 11 genotypes and cluster IV and V, (4 genotypes each) and the rest of the cluster were monogenotypic. Inter-cluster distance was maximum between cluster VI and VII (9308.29) followed by cluster IV and VII and Cluster I and VII (5236.69) the cluster means for seed yield plant-1 revealed that the magnitude of differences among the means ranged from (4.65 g) in cluster IV to (2.83 g) in cluster V. On the basis of divergence between clusters, genotypes from cluster-VI and VII followed by cluster-IV and VII can be involved in the hybridization program for recovery of superior recombinants or transgressive segregants in segregating generations.
Persistence of government funding in small business finance

This paper studies the interaction of Finnish manufacturing firms and a state-owned specialized financing company, whose objective is to cure credit market imperfections. The study ex-amines how the presence of such agency affects the behavior of the firms over time. Specifically, the study analyzes whether the observed persistence in the subsidized financing originates from true state dependence or unobserved firm-specific heterogeneity. The results show that there is positive state dependence in the granted government loans and guarantees. The findings indicate that the private sector agents may adjust their financing behavior in response to the government intervention in the credit markets. The unobserved firm-specific heterogeneity accounts for much of the observed persistence, which provides another reason for why some firms are more dependent on the government funding than the others.
Anti-Oxidative Effects of Pyrogollol Lipid Derivatives on the Oxidation of Unilamellar Vesicles and Rat Blood Plasma

Amphipathic pyrogallol lipid derivatives (PD) containing different carbon atomic length alkyl chains, including –H, –C5H11, –C10H21, –C15H31, and –C20H41 in the C-4 position of the benzene ring were synthesized. 4-Decylpyrogallol displayed contact hypersensitivity, but other compounds did not induce an allergic reaction when rat ears were sensitized with the compounds daily for 10 days. PDs containing more than five carbon atoms in the alkyl chain showed high lipophilicity in n-octanol/ water partition experiments and high rate of incorporation to liposome membranes. In addition, PDs showed higher radical-scavenging activity on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl than α-tocopherol and 3-pentylcatechol. PDs efficiently inhibited lipid peroxidation of egg yolk phosphatidyl choline large unilamellar vesicle liposomes induced by lipid- and aqueous-soluble radical generators. Moreover, PDs attenuated the formation of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides in rat blood plasma induced by copper ions. These results suggest that non-allergenic PDs may act as potent antioxidants against the oxidative damage of cellular and subcellular membranes.
Time-to-Build Approach in a Sticky Price, Sticky Wage Optimizing Monetary Model

One of the most significant characteristics of optimizing models is that the behavioral equations involved are typically forward looking, i.e. agents are concerned about the futures rather than the past. This creates difficulties when modelling some of the business-cycle patterns widely observed in modern economies. For example, it is not easy to obtain the delay in the response of the rate of inflation to a monetary shock. This paper shows that an optimizing monetary model with endogenous capital, sticky prices, sticky wages, and adjustment costs of investment, can replicate a lag in the maximum response of both output and inflation to an interest rate shock when taking into account a time-to-build requirement for investment projects. JEL Classification: E12, E22, E47
Toxicities comparison of rotenone and acetone extract of Tephrosiavogelii and Derris trifoliate against Solenopsis invicta

The high rotenone content and the rotenone crude extract of Tephrosia vogelii and Derris trifoliata were evaluated for its efficacy in the control of red imported fire (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta under both laboratory and field conditions. The acetone extracts of D. trifoliata roots and T. vogelii leaves exhibited strong toxicity to macroergate and micrergate of RIFA. When active ingredients of the crude extracts were convert to rotenone, the activity of the acetone extracts were higher than that of rotenone technical material. At the same time, the extracts showed significant inhibitory effect on walking ability and grasping ability of worker ants and stronger than the effect of 98.6% rotenone technical material. Under field conditions, the 0.01% rotenone-bait, formulated with the acetone extract of D. trifoliata roots and T. vogelii leaves, had the same control effect on RIFA as that of 0.01% fipronil-bait when treated after 30 d. The bait formulated with the extract of D. trifoliata exhibited quicker and higher effect on RIFA than that of rotenone technical material. It was showed that the acetone extracts of D. trifoliata roots and T. vogelii leaves are able to control S. invicta under both laboratory and field conditions and can be used as an effective agent against RIFA.
Arginine, Glutamate, and Proline as Substrates for Oxidation and for Glycogenesis in Cephalopod Tissues

In addition to the usual metabolic roles for arginine and proline in cephalopod metabolism (the first serving in anaerobic metabolism and the second in augmenting the Krebs cycle pool of intermediates), we found that arginine and proline were vigorously oxidized and that their catabolism appeared to proceed through two common intermediates, glutamate and ornithine. In addition, we found that glutamate and proline were both capable of supplying precursors for the gluconeogenic pathway. On a unit mass basis, highest rates of 14C-glutamate and 14C-proline incorporation into glycogen occurred in the kidney, but when overall organ and tissue mass were considered, muscle, kidney, and gill displayed comparable rates of glycogen formation from these amino acids. The possibility was considered that these interactions between arginine, proline, and glycogen metabolism may be utilized during replenishment of all three substrate stores during recovery from exhaustive exercise. tabolism either directly as an energy source or as a means for augmenting the Krebs cycle (Storey and Storey 1978). Arginine, on the other hand, is thought to be involved in anaerobic metabolism, being stored as arginine phosphate under energy-rich conditions and being "dumped" into octopine during activated anaerobic metabolism, during burst swimming, for example (Giide 1980). So much attention has been devoted to these obvious functions of arginine and proline in cephalopod metabolism that other potentially important roles have generally been overlooked. We were led to consider such alternate metabolic functions for these two amino acids because preliminary experiments in this study revealed that arginine could be oxidized at surprisingly high rates by cephalopod tissues (see below; also see Hochachka et al. 1982) and because arginine and proline are potentially interconvertible through the common intermediates, glutamate and ornithine. This interconversion, known from mammalian and bacterial studies, is based on nutritional, tracer, and enzymatic evidence and can be schematically summarized as follows (Adams and Frank 1980):
Double-Difference Relocation and Empirical Green’s Function Analysis of Storfjorden Earthquakes

On 21 February 2008, an earthquake of magnitude Mw 6.1 occurred in Storfjorden on Svalbard. Since then, more than 2000 earthquakes have been recorded in this region. More recently, on 29 March 2016, an earthquake of magnitude Mw 5.2 occurred close to Edgeøya. This event marks the north-eastern extension of the earthquake sequence. In this study, in order to improve the initial hypocenter locations, the double-difference relocation method has been applied to earthquakes in the Storfjorden area. In addition, earthquake source parameters are derived applying the empirical Green’s function method. By using smaller earthquakes in the sequence as empirical Green’s functions, the effects from path, site and instrument are removed from the seismogram of a larger correlated earthquake by deconvolution. The earthquake relocation reveals at least four NE-SW trending structures, that are steeply dipping to the south-east. Faults of other directions are also indicated from fault plane solutions. However these are not resolved in the relocation of the earthquakes. Stress drop estimates reveal a decrease of static stress drop with decreasing seismic moment. This indicates that the seismicity in Storfjorden is attributed to a complex tectonic structure that is activated under the present state of stress. Moreover, the non-constant stress drop imply varying fault properties between larger and smaller earthquakes.