Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Workplace flexibility in Poland – the polytomous IRT models formulated by latent class approach

Summary: Item response theory is considered to be one of the two trends in methodo-logical assessment of the reliability scale. In turn, latent class models can be viewed as a special case of model-based clustering, for heterogeneous multivariate discrete data. The combination of the two mentioned latent variable models concerns the assumption that the population under study is composed by homogeneous classes of individuals with very similar latent trait levels. In this approach, the model selection is based on the ordered steps consisting of se-lecting specific features, such as the number of latent dimensions, the number of latent classes, and the constraints on the item parameters. The main goal of the paper is to find groups of Poles not currently working for pay with similar workplace flexibility levels and to analyse the (selected) item characteristics of the International Social Survey Programme questionnaire, as well using the discre-tized variant of polytomous IRT models, formulated by a latent class approach.
Introducing Lean Improvement into the UK Highways Agency Supply Chain

The U.K. Highways Agency’s Lean deployment strategy was introduced in 2009 with the establishment of an in-house Lean division. This paper describes the way in which the Highways Agency has engaged with its supply chain, helping to build capability so that suppliers can undertake Lean projects and champion them within their own organisations. This is followed by a discussion of the methods used to assess the supply chain’s progress in Lean, measure benefits and transfer knowledge gained from individual Lean projects so that those benefits can be multiplied across the highways sector. Four projects are then discussed, both within the supply chain and within the Agency, which show a range of Lean methods being used to support delivery of major projects and maintenance works.
The impact of financial management on innovation

In the current competitive market, innovation has become a crucial element for organizations, willing to grow. Financial management in this regard is playing a significant role in improving firms' innovation capacity. This research paper evaluates the impact of financial management components on innovativeness of Austrian SMEs. Using data of 118 employees from 41 SMEs operating in Austria, the research finds a significant impact of the financial management model on firms' innovation. The three components: liquidity, controlling, and financial literacy are statistically significant is explaining innovativeness at 1% level. The study suggests focus on the three financial management constructs in order to improve their innovation capability and capacity.
Change detection and assessment of fire-damaged concrete using terrestrial laser scanning

Fire is one of the serious potential hazards to most structures and damage assessment is the first and the most important job for structural safety evaluation of a structure subjected to fire. The extensive use of concrete as a structural material has neccessitated an investigation into more robust and cost-effective techniques for the assessment of fire-damaged concrete using terrestrial laser scanning. Although concrete is known to be a fire resistant structural material, it undergoes severe changes when exposed to elevated temperatures and this can affect the load bearing capacity of structural bearing elements in several ways. Apart from spalling, there can be a permanent loss of strength in the remaining material. In the aftermath of a fire on a structure, various workers get involved in a variety of response and recovery from disaster operations. Furthermore, following a catastrophic failure of a structure after a fire, rescue workers and emergency responders may be required to enter the fire-damaged structure which can be risky and so an assessment method which has the potential to improve safety was investigated. Within the field of structural and civil engineering, the methods employed in assessing fire-damaged concrete involve both field and laboratory investigations to determine the extent of fire damage in order to design appropriate and cost effective repairs or to decide whether to demolition the structure. Concrete structures show significant loss of strength when heated above 300oC. This study aimed at investigating whether terrestrial laser scanning can be used to detect fire-damaged concrete using specimens heated up to 1000oC as it is important to estimate the maximum temperature attained in a fire. The results obtained from the study clearly demonstrated the feasibility of using terrestrial laser scanning to detect fire-damaged concrete via modelling and analysis of laser returned intensity. Laser scanning has emerged as a complementary assessment method of fire-damaged concrete with a couple of advantages in that the whole concrete element can be scanned and an average intensity value over the area concerned can be determined which would represent the whole element overcoming the challenge of some traditional methods where cores are drilled in limited areas. Scanning is rapid with millions of points measured in a few seconds. Laser scanning of the fire-damaged structure can be done from a distance without having to enter the structure and this improves safety. Laser scanning is a non-destructive technique for detecting fire-damaged concrete.
Firm-Worker Matching in Industrial Clusters FEP WORKING

In this paper we use a novel approach and a large Portuguese employer-employee panel data set to study the hypothesis that industrial agglomeration improves the quality of the rm-worker matching process. Our method makes use of recent developments in the estimation and analysis of models with high-dimensional xed e¤ects. Using wage regressions with controls for multiple sources of observed and unobserved heterogeneity we nd little evidence that the quality of matching increases with rms clustering within the same industry. This result supports Freedmans (2008) analysis using U.S. data. JEL classi cation: R12, R39, J31.
Energy-Aware Cloud Computing Simulators: A State of the Art Survey

Cloud computing is an emerging technology that offers pay-per-use IT services around the world. The daily increase in Cloud infrastructures and modern IT demands (such as web applications, scientific, and business) results in large-scale data centers that lead to additional electricity consumption. The high energy consumption causes a high operating cost and involves a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions that are harmful to the atmosphere. Many academic, governmental, and industrial studies show that energy consumed by computers and different communication units in a data center plays a significant role in the increase of data center operating costs. It is difficult to calculate the performance, security problems, and energy consumption in a true Cloud computing infrastructure. Therefore, in recent years, several simulation tools have been introduced to help researchers for the analysis of a Cloud computing environment. Cloud simulators need to perform simulation tests to reduce the various complexities in Cloud computing environments. Some Cloud simulators have been specially created to test the performance of Cloud computing environments. This study presents the comparative analysis of the state-of-the-art energy aware Cloud simulators. For comparison, several characteristics, functions, and models are employed for most famous energy aware Cloud simulators such as Green Cloud, CloudSim, iCanCloud, Cloud Analyst, Network CloudSim, and CloudReport.
Italian municipalities' NPFM reforms: an institutional theory perspective

Entender las razones del fracaso o el exito de las reformas impulsada por el NPFM es un tema que ha atraido recientemente la atencion de la literatura sobre la gestion del sector publico. Sobre la base de un estudio de caso realizado en el gobierno local italiano, la investigacion analiza el estado de real aplicacion de las reformas mencionadas anteriormente, y contribuye al debate teorico sobre las razones que explican las diferencias entre los cambios formales y sustanciales en la administracion utilizando un enfoque institucional. Para este fin se realizo una encuesta sobre una muestra estadisticamente representativa de los municipios italianos con mas de 5.000 habitantes y una serie de entrevistas semi-estructuradas con observadores privilegiados. Basandose en los resultados del analisis, la introduccion de reformas inspiradas en el NPFM en Italia se puede considerar como un caso en el que la innovacion anunciada por la ley es mas formal que de fondo. En cuanto a las razones de la brecha entre los cambios administrativos de forma y de fondo, los resultados del estudio sugieren la hipotesis de una correlacion directa entre las practicas contables y, respectivamente, las presiones isomorfas que han acompanado a la introduccion de nuevas herramientas de contabilidad -nuevo institucionalismo sociologico (NIS)- la cultura organizacional de los municipios -viejo institucionalismo economico (VIE)- y el tamano de los gobiernos locales. Understanding the reasons for the failure or the success of NPFM reforms is an issue that has recently attracted the attention of public sector management literature. Basing on the Italian Local Government -LG- case, the research analyses the NPFM reform actual implementation, and contributes to the theoretical debate about the reasons for the discrepancies between actual and formal accounting changes using an institutional approach. To this end a survey carried out on a statistically representative random sample of Italian municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants together with semi-structured interviews to privileged observers are used. According to the results of the analysis, the Italian NPFM reforms introduction can be regarded as a case wherein innovation heralded by the law is rather formal than substantial. As regards the reasons for the gap between formal and actual changes the study findings suggest the hypotheses of a direct correlation between accounting practices and respectively isomorphic pressures affecting the introduction of the new accounting tools -New institutional sociology (NIS)-, municipality’s organisational culture -Old institutional economics (OIE)- and municipalities’ size
Research on Ride Comfort Model of Wheel Motor Driving Vehicle Based on Matlab/Simulink

Simulink is a visual simulation tool in MATLAB; through Simulink software, to establish a model can reduce the amount of programming workload, and improve the efficiency of the establishment of automotive models. The ride comfort of the vehicle is a measure of the most basic indicators of a car performance. By establishing a ride comfort model in Matlab/Simulink, the wheel motor electric vehicle mainly affects the smoothness of the car mainly in the following aspects: pavement, tire, suspension, motor and so on. Through the establishment of the above model, we can effectively study the wheel motor drive electric vehicle ride comfort research.
An evidence-based predictive tool for motivating engagement, completion, and success in freshmen engineering students

In general, teachers deploy several methods to encourage their students to engage early with their learning during their course of study. These methods include: presentation of previous years' pass/fail rates; feedback from previous students; and anecdotal evidence suggesting that active engagement, punctuality in attending lectures, and good performance in interim assessments will contribute to success. We postulate that engineering students will be more inclined to improve their behaviour if they are provided with quantitative evidence that adopting certain behaviours will enhance success and improve course grades. Furthermore, we postulate that students will embrace a conceptual and logical tool that allows them to take control of the course outcome they seek. A tool based on these principles has already been accepted and used enthusiastically by some students in another department at Unitec(Mellalieu, 2011). Inspired by the success of this approach, we have conducted a data mining analysis of previous students' class attendance and assessment performance records to develop a similar tool for a freshman course within an undergraduate engineering programme at the same institution. The model underpinning the tool demonstrates empirically that better attendance in lectures and higher performance in interim summative assessments are associated with higher final examination results. Furthermore, the tool enables the lecturer to achieve early detection of 'at risk' and struggling students who may not achieve successful course completion without a significant intervention by the teacher, and/or change in behaviour by the student. At Unitec, a conscious effort is made to attract to engineering education students from communities whose participation hitherto has been low. Identifying and following up those who may be experiencing difficulties is crucial for their retention and maintaining diversity. All New Zealand tertiary institutes are now increasing their focus on successful completions (outputs) rather than the number of enrolments (inputs). The tool described is one useful approach to providing necessary and timely additional support to students at risk of failing to complete.
Results of the De Vega Plasty in Tricuspid Insufficiencies Secondary to Mitral and Aortic Rheumatic Valve Diseases: Study of 58 Cases

Assess the short, medium and long-term efficiency of the De Vega tricuspid plasty. The study was retrospective (7 years and 11 months) and included all patients operated for valve diseases associated with functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR). The Epi Info software was used for descriptive analysis and logistic regression. There was a total of 58 patients with an average age of 26 years. In preoperative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), 44.6% of patients had stage III TR. After De Vega plasty, the immediate postoperative TTE showed no tricuspid leak in 23.5% of patients, a minimal leak in 62% of patients and a moderate leak in 14.5% of patients. After a 41-month follow-up, 25% of living patients had no more TR and 30.56% had minimal insufficiency. Moderate insufficiency persisted in 30.56% of cases, and severe in 13.89% of cases. All patients with severe long-term TR had hemodynamic instability during reanimation (p = 0.002). De Vega plasty is a low-cost technique that does not extend the surgical time. It is adapted to the functional tricuspid regurgitation surgery in disadvantaged areas.
COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION AND PLASTIC STRAIN FOR IMPACT OF ELEMENTS WELDED WITH MICRO-JET COOLING

Summary. The main purpose of investigations is the qualification how post-accident repair of model car body parts influence on the value of coefficient of restitution. Evaluation of impact energy absorption by model car body parts repaired with MIG welding (with and without micro-jet cooling) was carried out. The results of investigations present that the value of coefficient of restitution changes with speed of impact. Coefficient of restitution is bigger for elements welded with micro-jet cooling than for element welded with ordinary method. This could have influence on passive safety of vehicle.
Gasoline Prices Jump Up on Mondays: An Outcome of Aggressive Competition?

This paper examines Norwegian gasoline pump prices using daily station-specific observations from March 2003 to March 2006. Whereas studies that have analyzed similar price cycles in other countries find support for the Edgeworth cycle theory (Maskin and Tirole, 1988), we demonstrate that Norwegian gasoline price cycles involve a form of coordinated behavior. We also show that gasoline prices follow a fixed weekly pattern, with prices increasing significantly every Monday at noon, and that gasoline companies appear to use the recommended price as a coordination device with a fixed link between the retail and recommended prices. Moreover, the weekly pattern changed in April 2004; whereas Thursday had been the high-price day, Monday now became the high-price day. The price–cost margin also increased significantly after the weekly pattern changed in April 2004.
Sustainability and Scalability of University Spinouts: A Business Model Perspective

Most previous studies of university spinouts (USOs) have focused on what determines their formation from the perspectives of the entrepreneurs or of their parent universities. However, few studies have investigated how these entrepreneurial businesses actually grow and how their business models evolve in the process. This paper examines the evolution of USOs' business models over their different development phases. Using empirical evidence gathered from three comprehensive case studies, we explore how USOs' business models evolve over time, and the implications for the financial sustainability and operational scalability of these ventures. This paper extends existing research on the development of USOs, and highlights three themes for future research.
Pattern of DNA cytosine methylation in Aeluropus littoralis during temperature stress

DNA methylation as an epigenetic mediator plays the important role in spatial and temporal gene regulation and ensures the stability and the plasticity of organism. In this investigation, methylation sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) were assessed in CCGG sites on a halophytic plant, Aeluropus littoralis in response to different temperature stresses including freezing, low and high temperatures. A combination of 13 primers were able to produce 500 bands, of which 74%, 20.8% and 5.2% were of type I (non methylated fragments), type II (CpG methylated fragments) and type III (CpCpG methylated fragments), respectively. Among these bands, 130 bands were methylated fragments with the highest occurrence of methylation at CpG internal cytosine. The results showed that up to 2% of all methylated bands were polymorphic, which belonged to types II and III. Highest levels of methylation alternations were detected under high and freezing temperatures. The results suggest that apart from cis regulatory logic plant response to the environmental temperatures may be regulated by methylation of CCGG sites of stress-related loci.
MOLECULAR DOCKING AND QSAR STUDIES ON CDK4 INHIBITORS USING IN SILICO TECHNIQUES

Cyclin - dependent kinases are a sm all family of serine/threonine protein kinases which control the cell cycle progression. Literature survey revealed that CDKs, their regulators, and substrates are the targets of genetic alteration in many human cancers. The best characterized case of such alteration is the p16 - CDK4, 6/cyclin D - retinoblastoma pathway found in more than half of all human cancers. Therefore, CDK4 is an attractive target for the development of a novel anticancer agent. Computer aided drug design strategy has gained much promin ence due to the fast and efficient means of studying protein - ligand interactions. A molecular docking was performed using Molegro Virtual Docker 6.0 with the CDK4 protein and the selected compounds from literature as ligands. QSAR toxicity analysis has bee n performed using FAF Drugs ADME/tox filtering server. Considering the molecular properties of the ligands, higher inhibitory activity is associated with reduced molecular flexibility, as measured by lower polar surface area (TPSA), LogP, lower hydrog en bo nd counts, confirming the capability of the compounds for binding at the active site of the receptor.
Differential GPS aided Inertial Navigation: a Contemplative Realtime Approach

Abstract Extended Kalman Filtering (EKF) based GPS-INS has poor performance when there are strong nonlinearities and the measurements are corrupted by noise or outliers. This paper proposes a Contemplative Realtime (CRT) framework for tightly coupled Differential GPS aided inertial navigation. This method guarantees low latency for real-time application and meanwhile enhances the accuracy and reliability of navigation. To realize these improvements, a Bayesian optimization based smoothing is combined with conventional filtering in an efficient way. For demonstration purpose, this CRT framework is implemented on an automotive vehicle with differential pseudorange and IMU measurements. The implementation result shows that compared to standard EKF method, the proposed approach could provide accurate vehicle navigation with robustness.
The Determinants of the Patent Applications at United States Universities - How Can Vietnamese Universities Learn from the Evidence

This paper presents findings from an analysis of the effects of commercialization process and start-up company formation on the outcome of research activities at universities in the United States (U.S.). In particular, we implement the fixed effect model differentiating both the level effects and the rate effects of licensing income and start-ups. We find some interesting results. First, the elapsed time to compensate the initial value loss of a patent application from the commercialization process is approximately 3.6 years. Second, it takes around 3.8 years to offset the initial reduction of patent applications from generating a new start-up company formation. In addition, the paper also finds that patent applications have not developed in Vietnam. Specifically, Vietnamese universities have not generated considerable revenue from licensing university intellectual property in the forms of patents as well as establishing start-up company formation.
Who’s Bad? Attitudes Toward Resettlers From the Post-Soviet South Versus Other Nations in the Russian Blogosphere

Communication in social media is increasingly being found to reproduce or even reinforce ethnic prejudice and hostility toward migrants. In Russia of the 2010s, with its world’s second largest immigrant population, polls have detected high levels of hostility of the Russian population toward migranty (migrants), a label attached to resettlers from Central Asia and the Caucasus. We tested the online hostility hypothesis by using the data of 363,000 posts from the Russian-language LiveJournal . We applied data mining, regression analysis, and selective interpretative reading to map bloggers’ attitudes toward migranty, among other ethnicities and nations. Our findings significantly alter the picture drawn from the polls: Migranty neither provoke the biggest amount of discussion nor experience the worst treatment in Russian blogs, in which Americans take the lead. Furthermore, Central Asians and North Caucasians are treated very differently.
THE IMPINGEMENT OF A NORMAL LIQUID JET ON A HORIZONTAL SURFACE

In this study, the impingement of a vertical liquid jet on a solid horizontal surface which leads to the formation of a circular hydraulic jump (CHJ) is numerically simulated by using the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method. The results show that increasing the volumetric flow rate will increase the radius of the jump which is confirmed by the experimental observations. Also, the numerical results are compared with the CHJ observed in experiments and that of the theory.