Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MAPS FOR MANAGERS: WHERE ARE WE? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Research on managerial cognition in general, and on cognitive mapping in particular, is receiving a great deal of attention in Europe and the US, but the work being done is currently disparate and loosely coupled. Furthermore, the development of maps as a decision aid has tended to focus on specific sub-areas of cognition. In this article we argue that the broad strategic concerns of managers require a portfolio of different kinds of cognitive maps. The interactions among these maps are as important as the functions of each one separately. We develop a framework for classifying cognitive maps and argue for the importance of managing multiple maps.
An Impact of Macroeconomic Variables on the functioning of Indian Stock Market: A Study of Manufacturing Firms of BSE 500

The study investigated the impact of macroeconomic variables on the functioning of Indian Stock Market. , The monthly data of ten macroeconomic variables, namely Broad Money, Call Money Rate, Crude Oil Price, Exchange Rate, Foreign Exchange Reserve, Foreign Institutional Investors, Gross Fiscal Deficit, Index of Industrial Production, Inflation Rate and Trade Balance and one stock market index i.e. BSE 500 have been used to attain the objectives of the research. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) Test, Multiple Regression and Granger Causality Tests were employed to find out the results. It was found that Foreign Institutional Investors became stationary at level, Call Money Rate, Crude Oil Price, Exchange Rate, Foreign Exchange Reserve, Gross Fiscal Deficit, Inflation Rate and Trade Balance at Ist difference and Broad Money and Index of Industrial Production at IInd difference. This stationary data has been applied to find out the significant macroeconomic variables through multiple regression technique. The two macroeconomic variables Foreign Institutional Investors and Exchange Rate were found significant. Granger causality test was used to check the causality relationship between these two significant variables and average closing prices of manufacturing firms of BSE 500. It has been observed that these variables have no relationship with closing prices of BSE 500 manufacturing firms. The study also revealed that the Indian Stock Market was a weak form efficient because no relationship was found amongst the variables during the study period.
Conditional Choice Probabilities and the Estimation of Dynamic Models

This paper develops a new method for estimating the structural parameters of dynamic programming problems in which choices are discrete. The method reduces the computational burden of estimating such models. We show the valuation functions characterizing the expected future utility function associated with such choices often can be represented as an easily computed function of the state variables, structural parameters, and the probabilities of choosing alternative actions for states which are feasible in the future. Under certain conditions, nonparametric estimators of these probabilities can be formed from sample information on the relative frequencies of observed choices using observations with the same (or similar) state variables. Substituting the estimators for the true conditional choice probabilities in formulating optimal decision rules, we establish the consistency and asymptotic normality of the resulting structural parameter estimators. To illustrate our new method, we estimate a dynamic model of parental contraceptive choice and fertility using data from the National Fertility Survey.
Ecology and long-term history of fire in New Zealand.

Fire is a complex physical and ecological process and one that has dramatically affected New Zealand’s landscapes and ecosystems in the post-settlement era. Prior to human settlement in the late 13th century, the Holocene palaeoenvironmental record suggests that fire frequencies were low across most of New Zealand, with the notable exception of some wetland systems. Because few of New Zealand’s indigenous plant species show any real adaptation to fire, the greatly increased fire activity that accompanied human settlement resulted in widespread, and in some cases permanent, shifts in the composition, structure and function of many terrestrial ecosystems. The combined effects of Maori and European fire have left long-lasting legacies in New Zealand’s landscapes with the most obvious being the reduction of forest cover from 85–90% to 25% of the land area. Here we review the long-term ecological history of fire in New Zealand’s terrestrial ecosystems and describe what is known about the fire ecology of New Zealand’s plant species and communities, highlighting key uncertainties and areas where future research is required. While considerable emphasis has been placed on describing and understanding the ‘initial burning period’ that accompanied Maori arrival, much less ecological emphasis has been placed on the shifts in fire regime that occurred during the European period, despite the significant effects these had. Post-fire successional trajectories have been described for a number of wetland and forest communities in New Zealand, but in contemporary landscapes are complicated by the effects of exotic mammalian species that act as seed and seedling predators and herbivores, reduced pollination and dispersal services due to declines in the avifauna, and the presence of pyrophyllic exotic plant species. Many invasive plant species (e.g. Pinus spp., Acacia spp., Hakea spp., Ulex europaeus) are favoured by fire and now co-occur with indigenous plant species in communities whose long-term composition and trajectory are unclear. On the other hand, some highly-valued ecosystems such as tussock grasslands may require recurrent fire for their long-term persistence. Combined, the direct and indirect effects of the introduction of anthropic fire to New Zealand may have shifted large areas into successional ‘traps’ from which, in the face of recurrent fire, escape is difficult. Developing appropriate management strategies in such a context requires a nuanced understanding of the place of fire in New Zealand’s ecosystems.
Morpho-Physiological and Biochemical Studies on Foliar Applications of Zinc, Iron and Boron in Maize (Zea mays L.).

A pot experiment was conducted in the farm of Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University to study the effect of foliar spray micronutrient (zinc, iron and boron) on some morphophysiological and biochemical parameters of maize. The experiment was conducted in completely randomized design (CRD), containing three replications with the following treatments: T0 control (not received spray), T1, T2 (Zinc as form ZnSO4 [0.5%, 1% resp.]), T3, T4 (Fe as form FeSO4) at 0.5% and 1% respectively. Treatments T5, T6 boron (B as form boric acid) at 0.3% and 0.6% respectively. Treatments were sprayed on plant leaves at the vegetative growth stage 30 DAS and 40 DAS. The experimental results revealed that morpho-physiological parameters like plant height (cm), number of leaves, leaf area (cm) as well as total dry matter per plant (g) was significantly increased through application of zinc and iron as compared with the control treatment. The biochemical traits also shown significant increment in chlorophyll content, sugar, starch and protein content (mg gFW) as foliar spray of different micronutrients (Zn, Fe and B) compared with the control treatment. The study revealed that the foliar applications of iron and zinc significantly increases some biochemical characteristics like chlorophyll content and sugar (mg gFW) respectively while starch content shown significant enhancement by effect boron foliar spray as compared to control treatment.
Photometric survey of 67 near-Earth objects

Context. The near-Earth object (NEO) population is a window into the original conditions of the protosolar nebula, and has the potential to provide a key pathway for the delivery of water and organics to the early Earth. In addition to delivering the crucial ingredients for life, NEOs can pose a serious hazard to humanity since they can impact the Earth. To properly quantify the impact risk, physical properties of the NEO population need to be studied. Unfortunately, NEOs have a great variation in terms of mitigation-relevant quantities (size, albedo, composition, etc.) and less than 15% of them have been characterized to date. Aims. There is an urgent need to undertake a comprehensive characterization of smaller NEOs (D < 300 m) given that there are many more of them than larger objects; their small sizes make them intrinsically fainter and therefore harder to study. One of the main aims of the NEOShield-2 project (2015–2017), financed by the European Community in the framework of the Horizon 2020 program, is therefore to retrieve physical properties of a wide number of NEOs in order to design impact mitigation missions and assess the consequences of an impact on Earth. Methods. We carried out visible photometry of NEOs, making use of the DOLORES instrument at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG, La Palma, Spain) in order to derive visible color indexes and the taxonomic classification for each target in our sample. Results. We attributed for the first time the taxonomical complex of 67 objects obtained during the first year of the project. While the majority of our sample belong to the S-complex, carbonaceous C-complex NEOs deserve particular attention. These NEOs can be located in orbits that are challenging from a mitigation point of view, with high inclination and low minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID). In addition, the lack of carbonaceous material we see in the small NEO population might not be due to an observational bias alone.
Radiation-induced acute kidney toxicity: Protective effect of L-carnitine versus amifostine

Background : The aim of the study was to compare the radioprotecve efficacy in the kidney of L-carnine to that of amifosne. Materials and Methods : Thirty three-month-old Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups: Group 1 (Control); Group 2 (Irradiaon alone); Group 3 (amifosne plus irradiaon); and Group 4 (L-carnin e before irradiaon). The rats in Groups 2, 3, and 4 were irradiated individually with a single dose of 20 Gy to whole abdomen. L-carnine (300 mg/kg) or amifosne (200 mg/kg) was administered 30 minutes before irradiaon. Euthanasia was performed 5 days a/er irradiaon, and kidneys were evaluated histopa thologically. Results: Dilataon of Bowman's capsule, congeson of blood v essels, and tubular epithelial degeneraon were significantly different among the groups (p < 0.05). Pretreatment with both L-carnine and amifosne reduced the radiaon-induced dilataon of Bowman's capsule (p < 0.05), congeson of blood vessels (p < 0.05), and tubular epithelial degeneraon (p < 0.05). L-carnine and amifosne were similar in protecve effect. Conclusion: L-carnine was equally effecve as amifosne in prot ecng the kidney against acute irradiaon damage.
A Study on the Efficacy of Spirituality-Based Intervention on Spiritual Well Being of Patients with Leukemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Leukemia is the most common malignancy in young adults that has a life-threatening nature which increases the patients' spiritual needs, leading to emergence of spiritual crises. However, evidences indicate that spiritual needs of patients and their spiritual well-being are not emphasized among health care personnel. According to the cultural, religious and social backgrounds as well as contradictory findings in studies, this study intends to determine the effects of a spiritual-based intervention on spiritual well-being of patients with leukemia. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at Sayyed-Al-Shohada Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) in 2012-2013. We randomly divided 64 adult patients with leukemia into experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, a spiritualbased intervention that included supportive presence and support for religious rituals was implemented for three days. Both groups completed the Palutzian and Ellison Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire before and after the intervention. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA, chi-square, the Mann-Whitney U-test, and paired and independent t-tests in SPSS (Version 18, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results: There was a significant difference in the scores of the experimental group before and after the intervention ( P<0.001). This difference was absent in the control group. According to ANCOVA results, the mean score of spiritual well-being after spiritual-based intervention in the experimental group was more than the mean score of spiritual well-being in the control group. This result was statistically significant (P<0.001, F=63.303) Conclusion: Our spiritual-based intervention promoted the spi ritual well-being of patients with leukemia. Therefore, in cases of refractory diseases such as leukemia, nurses should apply a holistic care approach with emphasis on spirituality-based intervention.
Covariance based MIMO Radar Beampattern Design in Non- Uniform Arrays

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) radar is an emerging technology which has attracted many researchers in recent years. A MIMO radar system unlike a conventional phased array radar, can choose freely the probing signals transmitted via its antennas to maximize the power around the locations of the targets of interest, or more generally to approximate a given transmit beampattern, and also to minimize the cross correlation of the signals reflected back to the radar by the targets of interest. In this paper, we show how the above desirable features can be achieved by designing the covariance matrix of the probing signal vector transmitted by the radar and location of antennas. Until now many papers have investigated cross correlation matrix only, but in this paper we will include location of transmitter antennas as well to improve the results. And we will show that changing into location of antennas is equivalent to change into career frequency. Additionally, we demonstrate the advantages of several MIMO transmit beampattern designs, including a pushing away sidelobes which are next to main lobe design case and to maximize the power around the locations of the targets of interest with producing any extra sidelobes.
Option Pricing in Non-Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Markets

Non-Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes allow to model several distributional features of assets’ returns, including volatility clustering, fat tails and leverage. The most common specifications however do not allow to model long range dependence in the volatility process or self-exciting dynamics. Here we focus on the recently introduced class of Volatility Modulated non-Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (VMOU) processes, that introduce a Stochastic Volatility of Volatility (SVV) component, allowing for richer dynamics for the processes, while maintaining good analytical properties. We present the framework, showing how to introduce SVV and how to compute structure preserving equivalent martingale measures. We also recall the Fourier transform option pricing setting, showing an implementation based on Non-Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes. Finally, we run a simulation study to highlight the empirical properties of VMOU processes, with particular attention to the clustering of volatility of volatility.
The Transmission-Line Matrix Method--Theory and Applications

This paper presents an overview of the transmission-line matrix (TLM) method of analysis, describing its historical background from Huygens's principle to modem computer formulations. The basic algorithm for simulating wave propagation in two- and three-dimensional transmission-live networks is derived. The introduction of boundaries, dielectric and magnetic materials, losses, and anisotropy are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the various sources of error and the limitations of the method are given, and methods for error correction or reduction, as well as improvements of numerical efficiency, are discussed. Finally, some typical applications to microwave problems are presented.
An automatic optical inspection system for measuring a microlens array with an optical interferometric microscope and genetic algorithm

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an automatic optical inspection system for measuring the surface profile of a microlens array.Design/methodology/approach – The system set‐up was constructed according to the principle of the Fizeau interferometer. After capturing the ring interference fringe images of the microlens with a camera, the diameter, profile information and optical properties were analyzed through a microlens surface profile algorithm using innovative image pre‐processing with a precision of less than 0.09 micron.Findings – By integrating with the genetic algorithm, the XY‐Table shortest moving path of the system is calculated to achieve the purpose of high‐speed inspection and automatic microlens array surface profile measurement.Originality/value – The measurement results of this system were also compared with other systems, including the atomic force microscope and stylus profiler, to verify the measurement precision and accuracy of this system.
In silico analysis of SNPs in coding region of human c-Myc gene.

Deregulation and over expression of human c-Myc proto-oncogene protein can induce cancer. Presence of genetic variations is a key player among many others which affect susceptibility and progression of disease. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most frequent variations in human genome. Non synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) leading to change in amino acids may result in altered protein structure, function and molecular morphology. We used SIFT, PolyPhen and SNPeffect algorithms to predict tolerant and deleterious SNPs in coding region of c-Myc gene and their possible structural, molecular and phenotypic effects on c-Myc protein. Effect of four nsSNPs of coding region; rs114570780 (Tyr47His), rs150308400 (Cys148Tyr), rs137906262 (Leu159Ile) and rs200431478 (Ser362Phe) is predicted to be damaging. These results may form the basis for further large-scale population based association studies.
Urginea maritima (L.) Baker (Liliaceae) extract induces more cytotoxicity than standard chemotherapeutics in the A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line

Urginea maritima (Um) is a plant native to especially Turkey and the Mediterranean area. In this study, we investigated whether Um extract exerted cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Materials and methods: We made various extracts of Um. These extracts in varying concentrations were added to an A549 NSCLC cell culture, alone or with gemcitabine and/or cisplatin. Growth inhibition was tested by the MTT assay and an Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit Results: The onion Um extract (1 µg/mL) was more cytotoxic than cisplatin (1 µg/mL), gemcitabine (1 nm/mL), and leaf Um extract (1 µg/mL) with P < 0.001, P = 0.097, and P < 0.001, respectively. The efficacy of Um extract was further improved by the addition of an antioxidant cocktail to an IC50 value of 0.02 µg/mL. Conclusion: Um extract has been shown for the first time to be a strong candidate for drug development in solid tumors. Our studies continue to further define the specific antitumor compound(s) in this extract.
Lengths of closed geodesics on random surfaces of large genus

We prove Poisson approximation results for the bottom part of the length spectrum of a random closed hyperbolic surface of large genus. Here, a random hyperbolic surface is a surface picked at random using the Weil-Petersson volume form on the corresponding moduli space. As an application of our result, we compute the large genus limit of the expected systole.
Turbulence measurements suggest high rates of new production over the shelf edge in the northeastern North Sea during summer

<p>The potential for vertical mixing to support new production in the upper layers of the northeastern portion of the North Sea was analysed from observations obtained during the stratified period in July 2016. Five transects across the shelf edge between the relatively shallow central North Sea and the deep Norwegian trench showed a clear frontal structure in hydrography, turbulent mixing, nutrients and chlorophyll a across the shelf edge. Relatively large (up to >0.5&#8201;mmol&#8201;N&#8201;m<sup>&#8722;2</sup>&#8201;d<sup>&#8722;1</sup>) nitrate fluxes due to turbulent vertical mixing into the euphotic zone were found at some stations over the shelf edge, while low values (<&#8201;0.1&#8201;mmol&#8201;N&#8201;m<sup>&#8722;2</sup>&#8201;d<sup>&#8722;1</sup>) were found in the deeper open area north of the shelf edge. The low vertical mixing rates implied f ratios less than 0.02 in the open waters north of the shelf edge. In the shallow (<50&#8201;m) southern and central part of the study area, inorganic nutrients were low and nitrate undetectable, suggesting negligible new production here, despite relatively high concentrations of chlorophyll&#160;a being found in the bottom layer. Thus, high rates of new production seem to be concentrated around the shelf-edge zone and in association with localized features exhibiting enhanced vertical mixing. We find that the nutricline depth is significantly deeper at the shelf edge and interference with increased mixing in this deeper depth range can explain the increased diapycnal nitrate fluxes. Overall, this suggests that the shelf-edge zone may be the major nutrient supplier to the euphotic zone in this area during the period of summer stratification. Potential impacts on plankton ecosystem structure are discussed. </p><p>Reference:</p><p>Bendtsen, J. and Richardson, K. : Turbulence measurements suggest high rates of new production over the shelf edge in the northeastern North Sea during summer, Biogeosciences, 15, 7315&#8211;7332, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7315-2018, 2018. </p>
The Impact of Moderators and Trust on Consumer’s Intention to Use a Mobile Phone for Purchases

Abstract Purpose: This paper examines the consumers′ acceptance and usage of technology, which is an important and widely discussed topic. The aim is to explore the impact of moderators (gender, age, experience in using mobile Internet technologies) and trust towards one’s intention to use a mobile phone for purchases (to acquire goods). Methodology: Empirical research was conducted among Warsaw students with the use of the UTAUT2 model (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology), extended so as to encompass the concept of trust. Data was analysed using partial least squares path modelling (PLS-SEM) and the SmartPLS 3 programme. The multi-group analysis was employed (PLS-MGA) to measure the impact of moderating variables. Findings: Research results indicate that trust has no significant impact on one’s intention to use a mobile phone for purchases. Gender is an important moderator of the relationship between the independent variable of price value and the independent variable of habit with the dependent variable of the intention to use a mobile phone for purchases. Age is an important moderator in the relationship between the independent variable of hedonic motivation and the independent variable of habit with the dependent variable of the intention to use a mobile phone for purchases. Experience is not an important moderator of any relationship specified in the hypotheses.