Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Dominance of Diversified Versus Specialized Firms Across Industries

Some industries are populated primarily by diversified firms, while other industries are dominated by specialized firms, which are present only in such a given industry. In this study, we analyze what factors determine the dominance of diversified versus specialized firms, and its effect on firm performance. In line with transaction cost economics, we show that market concentration and the degree of variability in the diversification pattern of firms in the industry are negatively associated with the importance of the activity accounted by specialized firms across the 720 industries in our study.
Novel Intrusion Detection Mechanism with Low Overhead for SCADA Systems

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are a critical part of modern national critical infrastructure (CI) systems. Due to the rapid increase of sophisticated cyber threats with exponentially destructive effects, intrusion detection systems (IDS) must systematically evolve. Specific intrusion detection systems that reassure both high accuracy, low rate of false alarms and decreased overhead on the network traffic must be designed for SCADA systems. In this book chapter we present a novel IDS, namely K-OCSVM, that combines both the capability of detecting novel attacks with high accuracy, due to its core One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM) classification mechanism and the ability to effectively distinguish real alarms from possible attacks under different circumstances, due to its internal recursive k-means clustering algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated through extensive simulations that are conducted using realistic datasets extracted from small and medium sized HTB SCADA testbeds.
The Photograph in Theory

This article gives an account of an ethnographic project which relied on the use of photography: the project involved taking photographs, asking for responses to them, and then analysing both photos and responses. Anything that plays a central role in an ethnographic project requires theoretical consideration. So, as the account of the project proceeds, the photos are considered from different theoretical viewpoints; and an emerging and subsequently recurring theme is the tension between what a photo shows and what a photo means. Discussion of this tension develops into a more general critique of the ways photos are theorised in social science. I conclude that the photograph in social science theory is at present a sad phenomenon, and that in order to remedy this situation, we should seek help from outside social science.
Field Evaluation of Anhydrous Ammonia Manifold Performance

Experiments conducted between August 1999 and April 2002 evaluated anhydrous ammonia manifold distribution during field application at 84- and 168-kg N/ha (75- and 150-lb N/acre) application rates. Multiple manifolds including the conventional (Continental NH3 Model 3497, Dallas, Tex.), Vertical-Dam (Continental NH3 Dallas, Tex.), RotaflowTM(H.I. Fraser Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia), Equa-flowTM(PGI International, Houston, Tex.), FD-1200 prototype (CDS John Blue Co., Huntsville, Ala.), and the Impellicone prototype manifold were tested. Temperature and pressure data were collected along the flow path. Results showed high distribution variation by the conventional manifold at both application rates, with average coefficient of variation (CV) values in excess of 16%. At the 84-kg N/ha (75-lb N/acre) rate, all other manifolds tested had significantly lower application variation (. = 0.05). At the 168-kg N/ha (150-lb N/acre) rate, the conventional manifold grouped statistically with the Vertical-Dam with a corn ring and the FD-1200 prototype, producing CV values between 9.5% and 16.2%. All other manifolds had significantly lower application variation. The Impellicone, Rotaflow. , and Equa-flow. , manifolds performed with the lowest measured variation at both rates, yielding best performance at the 168-kg N/ha (150-lb N/acre) rate with CV in the 6% range. Analysis of recorded temperature and pressure data indicate that NH3 flowing through the system very closely follows the saturation line and acts as a saturated mixture. Predictions of NH3 quality based on calculations of an ideal adiabatic mixture are supported by this result. Investigation for correlation between CV, air temperature, and percent of volume in the vapor phase of NH3 resulted in only a visual trend that may suggest a reduction in CV with lower percent of volume in the vapor phase. Results suggest that replacement of a conventional manifold with a Vertical-Dam manifold or any of the other manifolds tested could reduce application variation between 7.0% and 16.5% at 84 kg N/ha (75 lb N/acre) and 1.0% and 10.2% at 168 kg N/ha (150 lb N/acre). This change could reduce application rate by eliminating the need for over-application to compensate for variations.
Electoral Systems, Legislative Fragmentation and Public Spending: A Comparative Analysis of Brazilian States

A p anel data analysis is performed using a pool of Brazilian states to evaluate how electoral systems, through their impact on legislative fragmentation, affect the size and composition of public spending. Framed within recent political economy models that ex amine the fiscal outcomes of electoral systems, results indicate that the more disproportional the electoral system and the smaller the fragmentation of state assemblies, more is allocated towards public goods and less is allocated towards transfers. Evidence in favor of the common-pool hypothesis at the state level was not compelling. Under some specifications, large and more fragmented state legislatures were found to be associated with smaller state governments.
The Profitability of the Freemium Pricing Strategy for Private Monopolies in Two-Sided Markets

Freemium is a dominant pricing strategy in the software industry that especially seems emerging in two-sided markets. Existing models in the literature have already shown why firms have an incentive to practice the free-pricing strategy in two-sided markets. In this paper models are presented for both the free-pricing strategy and the freemium pricing strategy. By comparing the two models the paper shows that a high network externality between the two market sides contributes to the profitability of the freemium pricing strategy for a private monopoly platform.
The effect of supplementation with press extracted canola meal on feed intake and ruminal ammonia concentration.

Protein-enriched supplementary feeds are essential for ruminants to ensure that nutrient requirements of both the ruminal microorganisms and their host animal are met, and in balanced proportions (Leng, 1992). Press extracted canola meal is a protein enriched feed source, which has become available in Western Australia due to expansion in processing by the canola industry. Research into the feeding value of press extracted canola meal for ruminants is limited. Using a cross-over experimental design, the effect of supplementation with 2 kg/day press extracted canola meal (35.4% CP, 12.9 MJ ME/kg DM, 8% oil) on feed intake and ruminal ammonia concentration was determined in four Holstein steers (with well established rumen cannulae) fed a basal diet of pasture hay (9.6% CP, 8.8 MJ ME/kg DM). Animals were allowed a period of two weeks to adapt to the diet after which ruminal fluid samples (ca. 100 mL) were obtained every 3 h for 24 h using a core sampling suction probe via the rumen cannula. The centrifuged ruminal fluid samples were analysed for ammonia-N concentration using a phenol/ nitroprusside assay. The results are given in Table 1. Supplementation with press extracted canola meal had no effect on the intake of the basal diet, although the animals fed the supplement had a higher total feed intake than the unsupplemented animals. The slight reduction in the intake of the basal diet with supplementation may be due to substitution, given that press extracted canola meal contains a relatively high level of energy. Ruminal ammonia concentrations were significantly higher (PC 0.00 1) in steers supplemented with press extracted canola meal, indicating that part of the protein contained in the supplement is highly degradable in the rumen. Mehrez et al. (1977) reported that a ruminal ammonia concentration of 200-270 mg N/L is required for maximal DM fermentation, which corresponds with the ruminal ammonia concentrations of the animals fed the press extracted canola meal supplement. Animals fed the basal diet had ruminal ammonia concentrations below 50 mg N/L, which is considered the minitnum amount required to support maximum microbial growth and protein synthesis (Satter and Slyter, 1974; Slyter et al. 1979). Results from this study suggest that press extracted canola meal is a useful protein and energy supplement for ruminants, however, the level of feeding used in this study may be excessive given the lack of response in intake of the basal diet (possibly due to a substitution effect).
Analysis of the dynamic behavior and short-pulse modulation scheme for laterally coupled diode lasers

A theoretical investigation of the high-speed coupling phenomena of two laterally coupled diode lasers (LCDL) is presented. The analysis is centered on the spatiotemporal dynamics of the LCDL when coupling between emitters is varied, We have obtained the dynamic behavior of these devices showing high resonance frequencies beyond the well-known resonance frequency of a single diode laser. In this paper, we have presented a new modulation scheme by asymmetric switching of the injected current in both stripes, showing short optical output pulse modulation with a high repetition rate.
Teacher Quality, Teacher Licensure Tests, and Student Achievement

Teacher quality is a key element of student academic success, but little is known about how specific teacher characteristics influence classroom outcomes. This research examines whether teacher licensure test scores and other teacher attributes affect elementary student achievement. The results are based on longitudinal student-level data from Los Angeles. California requires three types of teacher licensure tests as part of the teacher certification process; a general knowledge test, a subject area test (single subject for secondary teachers and multiple subject for elementary teachers), and a reading pedagogy test for elementary school teachers. The student achievement analysis is based on a value-added approach that adjusts for both student and teacher fixed effects. The results show large differences in teacher quality across the school district, but measured teacher characteristics explain little of the difference. Teacher licensure test scores are unrelated to teacher success in the classroom. Similarly, student achievement is unaffected by whether classroom teachers have advanced degrees. Teacher experience is positively related with student achievement, but the linkage is weak and largely reflects poor outcomes for teachers during their first year or two in the classroom.
Evaluation of a Criminal Justice Internship Program: Why Do Students Take It and Does It Improve Career Preparedness?

The internship program in the Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University, is designed to help students: determine their career interests, learn factual and procedural information from practitioners, build relationships that facilitate career opportunities, and to smooth the school-work transition. The current study is an evaluation of this internship program and aimed to determine whether the program increased career preparedness. Surveys of students involved in the internship program were conducted at the beginning and end of the program. Students in other non-internship criminal justice courses completed a similar survey and serve as the comparison group. Results suggest that, relative to the non-internship group, some aspects of career preparedness improved for the interns. However, not all results were in the direction hypothesized. In particular, students’ locus of control, for both internship and non-internship groups, became more external as students’ perceptions that career choice was subject to luck and the influence of powerful others increased.
Comparative study on prevalence and association of some virulence factors with extended spectrum beta-lactamases and AmpC producing Escherichia coli

The aim of this study was to gain further insight into the interplay between both extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC enzymes and different virulence factors (VFs) among Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from Mansoura University Hospitals, Egypt. For this purpose 100 E. coli isolates were collected from different clinical sources. All isolates were investigated for production of ESBL and AmpC enzymes. The prevalence of VF encoding genes including: KPsMII (group2 capsule synthesis), FyuA (ferric yersiniabactin uptake), Afa/dra (Dr-binding a fimbrial adhesins), PapA (P fimbriae), PapC (formation of digalactoside-binding Pap pili), iutA (aerobactin receptor) and BssS (biofilm formation) and associations of these genes with both enzyme types were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. ESBL was produced by 37% of the isolates while AmpC enzyme was produced by 29%. Virulence genes prevalence among ESBL phenotypes were 43.2% KPsMII, 51.35% FyuA, 62.1% Afa/dra, 43.2% PapA, 16.2% PapC, 67.56% iutA and 78.4% BssS. Regarding AmpC phenotypes, the prevalence of virulence genes were: 51.7% KPsMII, 86.2% FyuA, 68.96% Afa/dra, 55.17% PapA, 24.1% PapC, 82.7% iutA and 100% BssS. Of the tested virulence factor encoding genes, BssS, FyuA and iutA were significantly more prevalent among AmpC producers. In addition, AmpC producers exhibited a statistically significant higher prevalence of multivirulence (MV) (MV≥4) than ESBL producers. Furthermore, AmpC phenotypes showed very significantly higher expression (P>0.01) of BssS gene than ESBLs phenotypes. Our results suggest a correlation between AmpC phenotypes and production of some factors that are reported to be involved in the virulence of E. coli. Key words: extended spectrum β-lactamase, AmpC enzymes, virulence factors, Escherichia coli.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF FICUS GLOMERATA LINN . BARK

Ficus glomerata Linn. (Mora ceae), commonly known as Ficus racemosa. A large deciduous t ree distributed all over India and Ceylon , found throughout the year, grows in evergreen forest, moist localities, along the sides of ravines and banks of streams. Gular (Ficus glomerata Linn.) is well known, commonly used plant in various disorders. It has been traditionally claimed to be useful in asthmat ic condition, as an antitussive and anti - inflammatory. Successive soxhlet extractions of dried powdered bark were carried out using petroleum et her and methanol as a solvent . The a ntimicrobial activity of the extracts were te sted in vitro against two different bacterial species Bacillus substilis and Escherichia coli by cup p late diffusion method were used in this investigation. The results of ant imicrobial activity revealed that methanolic extract show ed good activity as compared to petroleum ether extract. Methanolic extract is more potent towards gram - positive bacteria. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were compared with standard a ntibiotics.
On a Contrastive Criterion of Testability II: The Material Inadequacy of Contrastive Testability

Elliott Sober has suggested his contrastive criterion of testability as an improvement over previous criteria of empirical signiﬁcance like falsiﬁability and the standard Bayesian criterion of empirical signiﬁcance. I argue that the criterion fails to meet four of the conditions of adequacy for a criterion of empirical signiﬁcance that follow from Sober’s position or are presumed in his arguments. I suggest to deﬁne empirical signiﬁcance as empirical non-equivalence to a tautology, because this deﬁnition does meet the conditions of adequacy. Speciﬁcally, it is equivalent to the standard Bayesian criterion of empirical signiﬁcance whenever all probabilities are deﬁned and contains falsiﬁability as a special case. This latter feature is important because those conditions of adequacy that apply to criteria of deductive empirical signiﬁcance single out falsiﬁability.
Environmental Assessment of Concrete Structures

In recent decades, with the objective of reach ing a mo re sustainable development, world wide socie ty has increased its concern about environmental protection. Nevertheless, there are still econo mic sectors, such as the construction industry, which produce significant environmental impacts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that enables identifying environ mental issues related to both fin ished products and services, and allo ws focusing efforts to resolve them. The main objective of this paper is to asses LCA applicability on concrete structures so that construction's environmental performance can be imp roved. For this purpose, an attempt is made to provide a decision-making tool for construction-sector stakeholders with reliab le and accurate environmental data. The research methodologies used in this paper are based on a literature review and are applied to a case study. This review was performed to collect information on LCA methodologies currently in use and their pract ical application . The case study subsequently described in this paper involved identificat ion of the most sustainable type of slab for a rein forced concrete structure in a residential building, using two different databases . It was observed that, depending on the database selected and inherent assumptions, results varied. Therefore it was concluded that in order to avoid producing incorrect results when applying LCA, it is highly recommended to develop a more constrained methodology and grant access to reliable construction-sector data.
A STUDY ON MODELING INVESTORS BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ONLINE SHARE TRADING, COIMBATORE

In conventional financial theory, investors are assumed to be rational wealth maximisers, following basic financial rules and basing their investment strategies purely on the risk-return consideration. However, in practice, the level of risk investors are willing to undertake is not the same, and depends mainly on their personal attitudes to risk. Research in behavioral finance has developed rapidly in recent years and provides evidence that investors’ financial decisions are also affected by internal and external behavioral factors. Internet, the new medium that has emerged as a result of convergence between telecommunication and computers, is revolutionizing the way business is done and is making inroads into every conceivable area of business activity. The online financial services offered by banks and financial firms have been changed with the emergent of internet. Internet-based stock trading is where the issuers of securities, intermediaries, service providers and investors are selling and dealing securities services on the internet. Investors would now be able to acquire or sell shares or stocks from anywhere by just using internet-based order submission protocols. With the increase in online offerings, the need to predict behavioral intentions of consumers has also increased. This study will provide information on factors that influence and affect investor’s intention to use online stock trading. In addition, the result of the study could serve as a guideline for online stock broking organizations in understanding the factors INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARKETING AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IJMHRM)
Market Division and Spatial Relocation: The Case of Postwar Japan ⋆

This paper empirically investigates the effect of accessibility to markets on economic growth, using a model of new economic geography and the case of the economic division of Japan and Korea after World War II. Korea was a Japanese colony in 1910–45, and gained independence after World War II. This historical relationship between Japan and Korea can be interpreted as an economic integration and division. We focus on the division side and estimate the effect of the loss of the accessibility to the Korean market on the growth of postwar Japanese cities. By using a difference in differences methodology, we confirm that cities located close to Korea showed a relative decline after division of the colonial market, implying that accessibility to markets positively affects economic growth. Moreover, our results suggest that the large Japanese migratory movement observed in 1950–70 can be interpreted as the relocation of industry resulting from the division shock in 1945.
Exploring the Effect of Different Team Compositions on Team Motivation, Student Satisfaction and Performance in Team Practical Activities

The main source of diversity in engineering education usually is the distinct level of motivation, which sometimes causes lack of engagement. Working in motivated teams is likely to enhance the overall performance of the whole group. The aim of this paper is to find the best composition of teams in practical activities proposed in the classroom for engineering students to enhance team motivation. The experience with a group of Civil Engineering students at the University of West London is presented as a case study. This group was very diverse in the level of individual motivation. In this experiment, the whole group was split in two subgroups, and each one divided in teams of 3 people. For one of the subgroups, the distribution in teams was forced by the lecturer, while for the second one the students were allowed to freely distribute themselves. All teams were requested to solve a practical activity, consisting of the classification of several soils according to three different systems, based on experimental data equally provided to all the students. The different results obtained for both configurations of teams show an overall better performance for the “forced” composition, with a higher level of student satisfaction on the activity and on their achieved learning.
REGRESSION-BASED BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT USING BUILDING INFORMATION MODEL (BIM)

The building sector, the largest consumer of the United States primary energy, has been seeking to take necessary actions to reduce energy use of buildings while keeping them functional and comfortable. As a result, building designers are increasingly expected to improve the energy performance and reduce the carbon footprint of their building models in the design process. Higher energy savings opportunities are available during early stages of design; however, energy performance assessments are typically done during the later phases due to the lack of the easy-to-use and efficient tools that could help architects explore design alternatives. In this paper, we introduce a new Formbased Energy Performance Regression Model (FEPRM) that is capable of real time quantification of the building energy performance based on the form variation in a building information modeling (BIM) tool. FEPRM generates a set of models and simulations based on the project specifiations and provides a seamless energy performance feedback to the designer for decision making during the conceptual design process using a regression-based model. In this paper, we investigated the use of FEPRM on 3 different cases with different AHSRAE climate zones to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method. The comparison between actual simulation and predicted energy performance is provided to study the accuracy of the FEPRM; moreover, a set of extended test cases are also described.