Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Old habits die hard: exploring the effect of supply chain dependency and culture on performance outcomes and relationship satisfaction

This study examines the effect of dependency and culture on relationship performance and satisfaction in an interdependent supply chain. Several studies have empirically tested the relationship between dependence and outcomes but none, to our knowledge, have included the multifaceted construct of organisational culture (OC) as a mediating variable. This study takes a theory-building, longitudinal case-study approach using mixed methods to understand the dynamic between dependence and culture and proposes that interdependence will lead to collaborative OCs over the long term (over five years), and this will positively influence relationship performance and satisfaction. However, our study finds that the rhetoric does not match the reality: interdependence in a supply chain relationship does not necessarily lead to a collaborative culture. It appears that firms use the term ‘collaborative’ as another term for risk management, are still wedded to transactional mechanisms rather than relational mechanisms and are opportunistic in their behaviour when the opportunity presents itself. We also find that collaborative culture is more apparent at the operational level but missing at the strategic level. When a true collaborative culture is absent, satisfaction and performance decline; when it is present, these increase. We propose that when a culture of true collaboration exists this is more stable over time but when this is missing the culture fluctuates between relational and transactional practices.
Scattering polarization in strong chromospheric lines - I. Explanation of the triplet peak structure

Although the triplet polarization structure of the Na  D2 and Ca  4227 A lines in the second solar spectrum has been known for more than two decades, a clear and consistent explanation has been lacking. Here we show that the qualitative profile shape may be explained in terms of the anisotropy of the radiation field and partial frequency redistribution (PRD) effects. The complicated frequency and depth dependence of the anisotropy can be understood in terms of simple arguments that involve the source function gradient and boundary effects. We show in particular that the triplet peak structure of the polarization profile of Na  D2 has basically the same origin as for the Ca  4227 A line. Hyperfine structure and lower-level atomic polarization only modify the core polarization without altering the overall qualitative features. For our calculations we adopt a numerical method that combines the advantages of both the classical formalism with integral source function and the density-matrix formalism. In a first step, a multi-level, PRD-capable MALI code, which solves the statistical equilibrium and the radiative transfer equation self-consistently, computes intensity, opacities and collision rates. Keeping these quantities fixed, we obtain the scattering polarization in a second step by solving the radiative transfer equation for the transitions of interest with the classical formalism, which assumes a two-level atomic model with unpolarized lower level. Quantum interferences and lower-level atomic polarization are included in terms of a wavelength dependent polarizability W2, which is independently obtained with the density-matrix formalism.
Financial deepening and economic growth: A System GMM Panel Analysis with application to 7 SSA countries

The relationship between financial development and economic growth has been a key study in economics field for a long time. This paper examines the link between financial development and economic growth in 7 Sub-Saharan African countries - Nigeria, South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Botswana and Kenya, over the period of 1981-2013. The study applied both static and dynamic panel data approach, to investigate the relation between financial development and economic growth. The results show that financial development has not led to economic growth in the panel of the selected countries when domestic credit provided by the banking sector is used as a proxy for financial development. The results thus lend support for the independent hypothesis postulates that financial development and economic growth are causally independent. Our study also considered foreign direct investment and interest rate as determinant of growth, but only interest rate suggested positive effect on economic growth. The implication of the results is that there is ardent need to develop the financial sector in order to stimulate real growth in the economies of these countries. Development of microfinance institutions as a complement to the conventional commercial banks will play a great role mobilising savings and providing ease access to fund, thus engendering growth process in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
Modeling far-field radio-frequency sheaths in Alcator C-Mod

This paper is motivated by the recent measurement of large (>100 V) plasma potentials in Alcator C-Mod during ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating. The plasma potential is measured on field lines that intersect a limiter but do not pass near a powered ICRF antenna. The measured potential correlates with the local ICRF fast wave electric field and is a prime candidate to cause increased Mo sputtering from the limiter surface. In this paper, it is shown that a theory of ‘far-field’ radio-frequency (rf) sheaths can qualitatively explain this experimental observation. The theory describes rf-sheath formation when unabsorbed fast ICRF waves are incident on a conducting boundary far from the antenna. It is shown that the rf-sheath drive is sensitive to the angle between the surface normal and the equilibrium magnetic field. The main conclusion of this work is that the rapid tangential variation in the B field-limiter geometry near the tip of the limiter promotes the formation of large sheath potentials of the same order as the measured ones.
Call for Attention - Attracting and Activating Innovators

There is empirical evidence that organizations profit from initiatives to open the innovation process. Thus, with their increasing deployment, there is a competition to attract and activate leading innovators to participate. An organization consequently needs to actively design the socio-technical instruments for attraction and activation. This is increasingly realized by an innovation contest. This instrument has continuously gained in relevance as a corporate innovation practice; however the body of knowledge on the means to activate participants is still rudimentary. The paper at hand addresses this gap and explores the question on how leading innovators can be attracted and activated to participate in innovation activities? Building on the set of extant literature on innovation contests, we build on a unique data set of an innovation contest on energy-efficiency organized in a major European city to begin answering this question. We use the theoretical lens of social and weak ties (Granovetter, 1973) to analyze attraction and activation of strong and weak ties participants of an online innovation contest. Our data indicates that instruments used to attract suitable participants were strongly based on the underlying ties. Participants with strong ties contributed about twice the number of comments and five times the number of votes issued by participants with weak ties; whereas both types of ties reached the same degree of innovativeness per participant. Finally, about twice the number of participants with strong ties showed lead user characteristics compared to participant with weak ties.
A New Type of Phase Transition Based on the Clausius-Clapeyron Relation Involving a Change in Spatial Dimension

Using a space filled with black-body radiation, we derive a generalization for the Clausius-Clapeyron relation to account for a phase transition, which in-volves a change in spatial dimension. We consider phase transitions from dimension of space, n, to dimension of space, (n - 1), and vice versa, from (n - 1) to n -dimensional space. For the former we can calculate a specific release of latent heat, a decrease in entropy, and a change in volume. For the latter, we derive an expression for the absorption of heat, the increase in entropy, and the difference in volume. Total energy is conserved in this transformation process. We apply this model to black-body radiation in the early universe and find that for a transition from n = 4 to (n - 1) = 3, there is an immense decrease in entropy accompanied by a tremendous change in volume, much like condensation. However, unlike condensation, the volume change is not three-dimensional. The volume changes from V4, a four-dimensional construct, to V3, a three-dimensional entity, which can be considered a subspace of V4. As a specific example of how the equation works, we consider a transition temperature of 3 × 1027 Kelvin, and assume, furthermore, that the latent heat release in three-dimensional space is 1.8 × 1094 Joules. We find that for this transition, the internal energy densities, the entropy densities, and the volumes assume the following values (photons only). In four-dimensional space, we obtain, u4 = 1.15×10125 J⋅ m-4, s4 = 4.81×1097 J⋅ m-4⋅ K-1, and V4 = 2.14×10-31 m4. In three-dimensional space, we have u3 = 6.13×1094 J⋅ m-3, s3 = 2.72×1067 J⋅ m-3⋅ K-1, and V3 = 0.267 m3. The subscripts 3 and 4 refer to three-dimensional and four-dimensional quantities, respectively. We speculate, based on the tremendous change in volume, the explosive release of latent heat, and the magnitudes of the other quantities calculated, that this type of transition might have a connection to inflation. With this work, we prove that space, in and of itself, has an inherent energy content. This is so because giving up space releases latent heat, and buying space costs latent heat, which we can quantify. This is in addition to the energy contained within that space due to radiation. We can determine the specific amount of heat exchanged in transitioning between different spatial dimensions with our generalized Clausius-Clapeyron equation.
Bacterial Surface Layer Proteins: From Moonlighting to Biomimetics: A New Horizonto Lead

The landmark discovery of moonlighting proteins embarks the significant progress in understanding the biological complexity and their closed-circuit analysis. The growing continuum in the variety of moonlighting functions paved the way for further elucidation of structural-functional aspects of protein evolution and design of proteins with novel functions. Currently, the moonlighting functions in various adhesive properties of surface layer proteins, an essential component of cell surface architecture of archaea and all phylogenetic groups of eubacteria become more prominently recognized. The remarkable credentials of surface layer proteins to self-assemble into supramolecular structures at nano-scale dimension have been exploited for the production of smart biomaterials in the form of biomimetics has been thrust area of research. The finely tuned topological features in terms of shape, size, geometry and surface chemistry of surface layer proteins are crucial for the production of biomimetics. The current developments of biomimetic lipid bilayers and composite membranes find applicability in understanding the functional dynamism of evolutionary relationship of bacterial cell envelopes and vaccine development, drug development and drug delivery. Though the development of biomimetics embraces fascination but faces with technological challenges. The plethora of literature has been available for the moonlighting aspects and nano-technological applications separately but none of the review describes towards the rhythmic transition from moonlighting functions of surface layer proteins of bacteria to biomimetics development and applications. Therefore, this review describes certain basic aspects of moonlighting functions and their mechanism of action, surface layer proteins and their moonlighting functions of commensal bacteria and their transition towards biomimetics. The recent developments of biomimetics based on surface layer proteins have been summarized and also posited different challenges and future prospects.
Rhodococcus opacus strain RW, a resorcinol-degrading bacterium from the gut of Macrotermes michaelseni

The population of resorcinol degrading bacteria in the intestinal tract of fungi-cultivating termite, Macrotermes michaelseni , was estimated to be 6.8 × 10 2 cells/ml. A gram-positive bacterium designated RW, capable of degrading resorcinol, was isolated from the highest positive dilution. Isolate RW could also degrade phenol and benzoic acid aerobically, and anaerobically using nitrate as an electron acceptor. The isolate is a rod-shaped bacterium that exhibited evolutionary relatedness with the genus Rhodococcus, as determined by phenotypic traits and physiological tests, and a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value of 99.6% to the closest Rhodococcus opacus strain. On the basis of these results isolate RW is proposed as a new strain in the species R. opacus . The ability of the isolate to degrade resorcinol, phenol and benzoic acid makes it a potential candidate for use in bioremediation of environments contaminated by such or related compounds. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 639-645, 2005
Investigating Location Differences in Influence of Parameters on Organizational Role Stress among IT Sector Employees

Organizational Role Stress (ORS) experienced at workplace has been recognized to have adverse impact on employee performance in any organizational sector. This paper attempts to investigate on possible differences in the extent to which different parameters such as emotional intelligence, organizational commitment, attitude to change and socio-demographical characteristics influence ORS experienced by Information Technology sector employees working in different locations. The statistical analysis of the survey carried out among employees located in three major cities of South India reveals subtle differences in the extent to which different parameters considered influence ORS, that can possibly be attributed to the differences in employee diversity, regional lifestyles and values.
Fabrication of Plasmonic Crystalline Thin Film of Titanium Nitride (TiN) by Pulsed Laser Deposition with Third Harmonic of Nd:YAG Laser and Its Spectroscopic Analyses

The author has been engaged in the development of a novel optical fiber probe using scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) with an efficient, plasmonic and asymmetric Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) structure at the probe tip. As a metallic layer, titanium nitride (TiN), one of the alternative plasmonic materials, is selected. A pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is used to fabricate the film by high-power Nd:YAG laser. The PLDed films have been analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-Vis/NIR spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Though most of previous PLD studies of TiN film used a titanium target with reactive gases, the study presented in this chapter has significant features of (1) a hot pressed target of crystalline TiN powder and (2) third harmonic of injection-seeded Nd:YAG laser which have temporally smoothed Gaussian with a constant pulse energy. The very first PLD process has succeeded to fabricate flat and dense films of a few hundred nanometers. The TiN film, which lustered like gold, indicated two peaks at 36.7° (111) and 42.6° (200) in XRD patterns that correspond to crystal structure of TiN. An elementary analysis of the TiN film has carried out using XPS, and appropriate spectra with chemical shifts were observed.
THE IMPACT OF GREEN SCHEMES ON THE LIVELIHOOD OF COMMUNITIES IN THE KAVANGO REGION, NAMIBIA

Agricultural production in the dry lands is limited by inadequate rainfall to grow crops but irrigated agriculture increases crop yields for food security and economic benefits to the community. The irrigation projects in Namibia have been termed as Green Schemes as they give a green formation that is different from the surrounding dry vegetation. This study investigated the impacts of the Green Scheme on the livelihood of communities. In particular it sought to ask: are there economic benefits and a change in the diversification of food stuff to people living around the Green Schemes; and what challenges do the people around the Green Schemes experience? A survey was conducted on 30 households in each of the two villages. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select Green Schemes and households respectively. Personal interviews were undertaken using structured and unstructured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, frequencies and cross tabulations were used to outline respondents according to the impacts of the Green Scheme. The study revealed that there was no significant association between economic activities of the two village settings (p>0.05). Most variables were the same before and after the scheme for both village settings. Changes in food diversification for people were assessed and results indicated that food items for consumption reduced for Sikondo village and increased in Siyandeya village. The study further highlights community’s assertion that Green Schemes are not adding significant improvements or changes to community livelihoods as no significant developments in the surrounding villages have been attributed to the Green Schemes. The study further highlights that while there are benefits from the Green Schemes; these are minimal and are not worth their continuing challenges of water shortages and sanitation, their losses and expectations for improved livelihood. Significantly this study highlights the need to inculcate a change in attitude so as to encourage collaborative efforts between communities and the Green Schemes management which will impact on the livelihood of people positively. Keywords: Kavango, Green scheme, Government intervention, Communities, Livelihood, Socio-economics, impacts, irrigation project.
Holocene left-slip rate determined by cosmogenic surface dating on the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun fault (Qinghai, China)

Cosmogenic dating, using in situ {sup 26}Al and {sup 10}Be in quartz pebbles from alluvial terrace surfaces, constrains the late Holocene slip rate on the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun fault in northeastern Tibet. Two terrace risers offset by 24 {+-} 3 and 33 {+-} 4 m, having respective ages of 1799 {+-} 388 and 2914 {+-} 471 yr, imply a slip rate of 12.1 {+-} 2.6 mm/yr. The full range of ages obtained ({le}22.8 k.y., most of them between 6.7 and 1.4 k.y.) confirm that terrace deposition and incision, hence landform evolution, are modulated by post-glacial climate change. Coupled with minimum offsets of 9--12 m, this slip rate implies that great earthquakes (M {approximately}8) with a recurrence time of 800--1000 yr, rupture the Kunlun fault near 94 E.
Laboratory Experiments and Numerical Modelling of the Scouring Effects of Flushing Waves on Sediment Beds

Abstract This paper presents an investigation on the scouring effects of flushing waves on sewer sediment deposits in order to derive guidelines on the design and set-up of flushing devices in sewer systems and in stormwater storage tanks. The investigation comprises both laboratory experiments and numerical modelling. The experimental campaign was carried out on a channel at the laboratory of the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering of the University of Pavia adopting a simple flushing device. The first set of experiments is carried out without sediment and the water levels during the flushing processes are monitored by a digital video-camera. The second set of tests is carried out with uniform layers of sediment at the bottom of the channel and the effects on sediment beds produced by flushes are analysed. The numerical model solves the De Saint Venant equations describing unsteady flow in open channel and the continuity equation of Exner for the conservation of the sediment mass. For this purpose, the MacCormack explicit finite difference scheme is introduced. A sediment erosion relationship linking the rate of erosion to an excess of shear stress at the bottom is included in the model. The comparison between the experimental and computed water depths shows good agreement for different flushing conditions and longitudinal slopes of the channel. The tests with different sediment beds allow the calibration of the parameters that globally describe the erosion process produced by flushes.
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Psychological Well- being of Public and Private Sector Executives: Perspective of Postgraduate Students

Employees in any kind of an organization have to deal with a range of tasks, duties and responsibilities. In order to accomplish their individual objectives and organizational objectives successfully, employees are required to possess a set of competencies and a required level of intelligence. With the evolution of the concept of intelligence, emotional intelligence has become one of the more influential concepts. It demonstrates the ability to monitor ones’ own and others’ feelings and emotions to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones’ thinking and action. Researches in this field have uncovered many relationships between emotional intelligence and different human behavior. The objective of this study was to investigate the nature of the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being of public and private sector executives who are following masters’ degrees from recognized national universities. A sample consisting of 200 participants has taken into consideration and the analysis is conducted by using 182 questionnaires. A structured questionnaire has used to collect primary data for the study. The univariate and bivariate analysis were used to analyze primary data and the major finding of the study was that there is a moderate positive relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being of executives in the sample. Also there is a significant positive impact of emotional intelligence on psychological well-being. Emotionally intelligent employees will possess a higher level of psychological well-being and it will positively impact on their success of their work as well as non-work life. Key words: Emotional Intelligence, Psychological Well- being
Investigation of Factors Related to Sexual Dysfunction in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is an important, but generally underestimated symptom in the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to investigate the factors related to SD in MS patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one MS patients with and 21 MS patients without SD were included in this study. Age, SD duration, disease duration, marital status, educational status, bladder and bowel dysfunction, disability, independence, cognitive performances and psychological functioning and sexual function scales have also been assessed. Results: SD correlated with age (p=0.029), disease duration (p=0.045), bladder dysfunction (X2=0.011; p=0.012). Positive correlations were found between disease duration and 5-point sexual function scale in SD patient (rs=0.419; p=0.027). However, SD did not correlated with bowel dysfunction (X2=0.469; p=0.418), disability (p=0.190), level of independence (p=0.146) and cognitive performances (p=0.212). The brain stem involvement was higher in patients with SD (X2=0.001; p=0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of SD increases with the patient age and prolonged disease duration. SD is related to bladder dysfunction and brain stem involvement. However, increased disability does not affect SD. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2010;56:130-4.