Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new “slotting-fee-based” contract to coordinate a retailer-dominant newsvendor-product channel with sales effort effects

“Slotting fee” (hereafter “SF”) is an upfront fee a “supplier” is required to pay the retailer in order to have his product sold on the retailer's shelves. It is becoming increasingly common, but also widely reviled. The question we pose is: given that a Stackelberg-dominant retailer of a newsvendor product has to choose a pricing contract with which she transacts with the supplier, how would the supply-chain stakeholders fare when the retailer implements SF instead of another practical pricing contract. We show that, contradicting its negative public image, choosing SF can often provide a better outcome for all the stakeholder-groups. That is, the supplier's and the retailer's profits are higher, the production workers are asked to produce more, and the consumers pay a lower retail price. We also propose a new “composite” contract format that incorporates both the slotting-fee and “buyback” features. This composite format performs even better than the basic SF.
A highly pleiotropic amino acid polymorphism in the Drosophila insulin receptor contributes to life‐history adaptation

Finding the specific nucleotides that underlie adaptive variation is a major goal in evolutionary biology, but polygenic traits pose a challenge because the complex genotype–phenotype relationship can obscure the effects of individual alleles. However, natural selection working in large wild populations can shift allele frequencies and indicate functional regions of the genome. Previously, we showed that the two most common alleles of a complex amino acid insertion–deletion polymorphism in the Drosophila insulin receptor show independent, parallel clines in frequency across the North American and Australian continents. Here, we report that the cline is stable over at least a five‐year period and that the polymorphism also demonstrates temporal shifts in allele frequency concurrent with seasonal change. We tested the alleles for effects on levels of insulin signaling, fecundity, development time, body size, stress tolerance, and life span. We find that the alleles are associated with predictable differences in these traits, consistent with patterns of Drosophila life‐history variation across geography that likely reflect adaptation to the heterogeneous climatic environment. These results implicate insulin signaling as a major mediator of life‐history adaptation in Drosophila, and suggest that life‐history trade‐offs can be explained by extensive pleiotropy at a single locus.
A Modified Model for Efficient Explicit Congestion Reduction in High Traffic High Speed Networks Through Automated Rate Controlling

The conventional TCP suffers from poor performance on high bandwidth delay product links meant for supporting data transmission rates of multi Gigabits per seconds (Gbps). This is mainly due to the fact that during congestion, the TCP's congestion control algorithm reduces the congestion window cwnd to ¿ and enters additive increase mode, which can be slow in taking advantage of large amounts of available bandwidth. In this paper we have presented a modified new model and to overcome the drawbacks of the TCP protocol and propose to carry out a study of the modified model based on various parameters viz., Throughput, Fairness, Stability, Performance and Bandwidth Utilization for supporting data transmission across the High Speed Networks.
Closed-Loop MRAS speed observer for linear induction motor drives

This paper presents a Closed-Loop Model Reference Adaptive System (CL-MRAS) speed observer developed for linear induction motor (LIM) drives. Starting from the structure of the CL-MRAS speed observer in literature, It is based on a LIM dynamic model taking into consideration the dynamic end-effects. Particularly, the following aspects are original: it employs the voltage and current models of the LIM considering the dynamic end effects, it proposes a net thrust model including the braking force caused by the dynamic end-effects, it considers the friction load of the LIM drive experimentally obtained with off-line tests. The proposed sensorless technique has been tested on a purposely developed experimental set-up. Results show that the CL-MRAS observer permits the drive to operate down to the speed of 0.02 m/s, i.e. about 0.03 % of the rated speed, which is about 10 times lower than the minimum working speed achieved with other observers implemented on the same LIM drive, like the TLS EXIN full-order Luenberger Observer and the TLS EXIN Kalman Filter.
A Provably Secure Server-Aided Verification Signature

A server-aided verification signature scheme consists of a standard signature scheme and a server-aided verification protocol. Signatures can be verified by executing the server-aided verification protocol with the server, which is generally untrusted. Therefore, it is suitable for low-power computation devices. In 2011, Wu et al. defined three security notions for server-aided verification signatures, i.e., existential unforgeability, security against collusion attacks and security against strong collusion attacks. In this paper, we propose a new server-aided verification signature, which is provably secure against strong collusion attacks.
Learning and retention of auditory warnings

Auditory warnings are used in a variety of settings such as hospitals and the cockpits of modern military aircraft. This paper describes a study in which sets of auditory warnings comprised of speech, auditory icons (environmental sounds) and abstract sounds were compared with respect to ease of learning and retention. Speech warnings and auditory icons were learnt and retained with equal ease, while abstract-sound warnings were found to be learnt and retained with far greater difficulty.
The potential for give and take in plant–microbiome relationships

Mutualistic microbes present in plant-associate microbial communities provide a variety of benefits for their host, including reciprocal exchange of nutrients and/or protection from biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. Plant microbiomes have remarkably robust composition in comparison to the complex and dynamic microbial environments from which they form, suggesting finely tuned discrimination by the plant host. Here the intersection between the plant immune system and microbiomes will be explored, both as a possible means of shaping community membership and as a consequence elicited by certain colonizing microbes. Notably, the advent of massive parallel sequencing technologies allows the investigation of these beneficial microbial functions within whole community settings, so we can now ask how engagement of the immune response influences subsequent microbial interactions. Thus, we are currently poised for future work defining how the plant immune system impacts microbiomes and consequently host health, allowing us to better understand the potential of plant productivity optimization within complex microbial surroundings.
Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive accuracies of non-invasive tests, singly and in combination, for diagnosis of hibernating myocardium.

OBJECTIVE To determine the best test(s) for predicting functional recovery of hibernating myocardium after reperfusion. METHODS A prospective study to compare echocardiographic left ventricular diastolic wall thickness (> or =5 mm), low-dose dobutamine echocardiography and rest-redistribution thallium-201 scintigraphy, alone and in combination, for predicting recovery of left ventricular akinesis after surgical revascularization. RESULTS Twenty-eight consecutive patients aged 58+/-9 years were studied. Of the 448 left ventricular segments, 263 were akinetic at rest; 230/263 (87%) had wall thickness > or =5 mm, 135 (51%) had a positive response and 175 (66.5%) were graded viable on thallium. Of akinetic segments 61% improved after surgery. Left ventricular score decreased from 2.3+/-0.4 to 1.8+/-0.4 (P<0.01) and ejection fraction increased from 27+/-10 to 37+/-14% (P<0.01). For predicting results at 1 year, diastolic wall thickness had a sensitivity and a predictive accuracy of a negative test of 100% but a specificity of 28% and predictive accuracy of a positive test of 61%. The addition of dobutamine echocardiography or thallium-201 improved the predictive accuracy of a positive test to 76% and 69%, respectively; the addition of both tests was not of greater benefit than that of a single test. CONCLUSIONS Diastolic wall thickness <5 mm on echocardiography was the best simple and single predictor of non-recovery of left ventricular dysfunction. The addition of dobutamine echocardiography or thallium-201, but not both, was the best solution for predicting recovery of left ventricular dysfunction. In times of limited resources, these findings are important from a clinical point of view.
Política de dividendos e ciclo de vida das empresas

Os dividendos sao considerados uma das mais importantes decisoes fi nanceiras empresariais. Teorias como as da agencia ou da informacao assimetrica e dos sinais tem contribuido com argumentos teoricos e determinantes fi nanceiros para explicar o nivel dos resultados distribuidos pelas empresas. Este estudo testa o efeito do ciclo de vida empresarial, e das fases por onde a empresa passa ao longo da vida, na sua politica de dividendos. Ao mesmo tempo, testam-se determinantes fi nanceiros apontados pelas teorias acima mencionadas como signifi cativos: a rendibilidade, a dimensao, o risco, o numero de investidores, o crescimento dos resultados do exercicio, o crescimento dos resultados no ano seguinte, o investimento, o endividamento, o crescimento das vendas ou os dividendos do ano anterior. O estudo empirico baseia-se numa amostra de empresas europeias de 6 paises (Alemanha, Dinamarca, Finlândia, Italia, Reino Unido e Suecia). Os resultados nao comprovam as hipoteses quanto a teoria do ciclo de vida, mostrando que as empresas em fase de maturidade nao sao necessariamente as que apresentam maiores dividendos. Os resultados, porem, validam outras das hipoteses do estudo e reforcam alguns determinantes fi nanceiros do nivel de dividendos empresariais e mostram diferencas e semelhancas entre o nivel dos dividendos e seus determinantes para os diferentes paises.
E VALUATING C ONTENT E XTRACTION ON HTML D OCUMENTS

A BSTRACT A variety of applications uses methods to determine and extract the main textual contents of an HTML document. The performance of the methods employed in this task is rarely evaluated. This paper fills this gap by introducing a platform independent and extensible framework for measuring, evaluating and comparing the performance of methods for Content Extraction. We further give an overview over extraction algorithms found in domain specific applications and present an adaptation of a related algorithm to perform Content Extraction. We compare the algorithms using the developed framework and show that our adapted algorithm performs best on most HTML documents.
Treatment of the Complex Idiopathic Clubfoot

Treatment with the Ponseti method corrects congenital idiopathic clubfeet in the majority of patients. However, some feet do not respond to the standard treatment protocol. We describe the characteristics and treatment results of these complex idiopathic clubfeet. We identified 50 patients (75 clubfeet) from 762 consecutive patients treated at five institutions. Clinically, complex clubfeet were defined as having rigid equinus, severe plantar flexion of all metatarsals, a deep crease above the heel, a transverse crease in the sole of the foot, and a short and hyperextended first toe. The Achilles' tendon was exceptionally tight and fibrotic up to the middle of the calf. Correction was achieved in all patients by modifying the Ponseti manipulation and casting technique. Correction required an average of five casts (range, 1-10 casts). Two patients (4%) not initially recognized as having complex clubfeet had a posterior release with tendo Achillis lengthening. There were seven relapses that responded to casting. Three patients had a second tenotomy. Modifying the treatment protocol for complex clubfeet successfully corrected the deformity without the need for extensive corrective surgery. Level of Evidence:Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The Exchange Rate Susceptibility of Some European Core Industries and the Currency Union

This paper investigates the relationship between real exchange rate changes and the German, French and UK automobile and mechanical engineering sector. In stylized models, exports decline whenever the domestic currency appreciates and vice versa. Strategic firm behavior, however, can obscure the unambiguousness of this relationship, rendering the impact of a strengthening Euro on exports and on overall order volume unclear. To quantify the impact of the EUR/USD real exchange rate on German and French key exporting industries, we estimate a trivariate VAR based on monthly data from 1995 to 2010, respectively. We proceed analogously with the GBP/USD rate and the UK automobile and mechanical engineering sector series. Our findings indicate that an appreciating Euro hampers exports in the German and French core sectors, but does not cause these industries “pain” in the sense of an aggravated business climate. The latter does not apply to the respective time series for the UK. Time varying parameter VAR estimates confirm this immunization for members in the period after installation of the currency union.
Stock Evolution under Stochastic Volatility : A Discrete

This paper examines the pricing of options by approximating extensions of the Black{Scholes setup in which volatility follows a separate diiusion process. It generalizes the well{known binomial model, constructing a discrete two{ dimensional lattice. We discuss convergence issues extensively and calculate prices and implied volatilities for European{ and American{style put options. A Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst scholarship through HSP III (a joint program by the Federal and State Governments in Germany) is gratefully acknowledged.
Workplace bullying and intention to leave: the moderating effect of perceived organisational support

This study examined whether perceived organisational support (POS) moderates the relationship between workplace bullying and victims’ intention to leave. Based on data from 335 schoolteachers, a hierarchical regression analysis using the product term revealed that POS moderates the effects of bullying on intention to leave. Furthermore, a series of univariate regression analyses revealed that the effects of bullying on intention to leave were significant with lower levels of POS but were non-significant with higher levels of POS. Several implications for future research and policy are drawn from the findings.
Rocker Is a New Variant of the Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channel Gene Cacna1a

Rocker (gene symbol rkr), a new neurological mutant phenotype, was found in descendents of a chemically mutagenized male mouse. Mutant mice display an ataxic, unstable gait accompanied by an intention tremor, typical of cerebellar dysfunction. These mice are fertile and appear to have a normal life span. Segregation analysis reveals rocker to be an autosomal recessive trait. The overall cytoarchitecture of the young adult brain appears normal, including its gross cerebellar morphology. Golgi-Cox staining, however, reveals dendritic abnormalities in the mature cerebellar cortex characterized by a reduction of branching in the Purkinje cell dendritic arbor and a “weeping willow” appearance of the secondary branches. Using simple sequence length polymorphism markers, the rocker locus was mapped to mouse chromosome 8 within 2 centimorgans of the calcium channel α1a subunit (Cacna1a, formerly known as tottering) locus. Complementation tests with the leaner mutant allele (Cacna1ala) produced mutant animals, thus identifying rocker as a new allele ofCacna1a (Cacna1arkr ). Sequence analysis of the cDNA revealed rocker to be a point mutation resulting in an amino acid exchange: T1310K between transmembrane regions 5 and 6 in the third homologous domain. Important distinctions between rocker and the previously characterized alleles of this locus include the absence of aberrant tyrosine hydroxylase expression in Purkinje cells and the separation of the absence seizures (spike/wave type discharges) from the paroxysmal dyskinesia phenotype. Overall these findings point to an important dissociation between the seizure phenotypes and the abnormalities in catecholamine metabolism, and they emphasize the value of allelic series in the study of gene function.
A Brave New World for M&A of Financial Institutions in Japan: Big Bang Financial Deregulation and the New Environment for Corporate Combinations of Financial Institutions

Japanese financial institutions have long been shackled by a web of legal restriction and labyrinthine regulation that has segmented financial institutions into limited fiefdoms, insularly limiting their ability to compete against one another. The catastrophic result of such daimyo-style regulation1 is evident in the general non-competitiveness of Japanese financial institutions, massive nonperforming loan problems, and the bankruptcies of several prominent financial institutions. In response to this financial malaise, Japan recently has begun loosening many of the legal shackles that have, inter alia, traditionally prohibited and restricted mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions in Japan's tightly segmented financial industry. The poor performance of Japanese financial institutions has given them the incentive to utilize this freedom to combine in new ways to achieve business objectives in an environment less encumbered by restrictions on financial integration. As financial institutions, both domestic and foreign,
Selective Determination of Floquet Quantities for the Efficient Assessment of Limit Cycle Stability and Oscillator Noise

We present a mixed time-frequency domain algorithm for the approximate computation of the Floquet quantities (exponents and both direct and adjoint eigenvectors) resulting from the linearization of index-1 differential-algebraic equations around a periodic limit cycle. The approach allows to select the number of Floquet exponents to be calculated approximating the matrix of the obtained eigenvalue problem. The error in the evaluation (for both exponents and eigenvectors) is proved to tend to zero along with the ratio between the norms of the neglected and retained rows of the relevant matrix.
The Flexibility of Conceptual Pacts: Referring Expressions Dynamically Shift to Accommodate New Conceptualizations

In a classic paper, Brennan and Clark argued that when interlocutors agree on a name for an object, they are forming a temporary agreement on how to conceptualize that object; that is, they are forming a conceptual pact. The literature on conceptual pacts has largely focused on the costs and benefits of breaking and maintaining lexical precedents, and the degree to which they might be partner-specific. The research presented here focuses on a question about conceptual pacts that has been largely neglected in the literature: To what extent are conceptual pacts specific to the local context of the interaction? If conceptual pacts are indeed temporary, then when the local context changes in ways that are accessible to participants, we would expect participants to seamlessly shift to referential expressions that reflect novel conceptualizations. Two experiments examined how referential forms change across context in collaborative, task-oriented dialog between naïve participants. In Experiment 1, names for parts of an unknown object were established in an “item” identification stage (e.g., a shape that looked like a wrench was called “the wrench”). In a second “build” stage, that name was often supplanted by an object-oriented name, e.g., the “leg. ” These changes happened abruptly and without negotiation. In Experiment 2, interlocutors manipulated clip art and more abstract tangram pictures in a “slider” puzzle to arrange the objects into a target configuration. On some trials moving an object revealed a picture that could be construed as a contrast competitor, e.g., a clip art picture of a camel after “the camel” had been negotiated as a name for a tangram shape, or vice versa. As would be expected, modification rates increased when a potential contrast was revealed. More strikingly, the degree to which a name had been negotiated or the frequency with which it had been used did not affect the likelihood that the revealed shape would be considered as a potential contrast. We find little evidence that names that are introduced as part of a conceptual pact persist when either the task goals or informational needs change. Rather, conceptual pacts are fluid temporary agreements.
Building Knowledge Models Using KSM

This paper describes the operation with the software environment called KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager) that supports a methodology for building and reusing knowledge models. The methodology is a useful tool for developers who need to build large and complex knowledge models in real world projects. The enviroment helps developers in applying the whole methodology to build the final system and it also assists end users during the operation and maintenance of existing knowledge models. The paper introduces first briefly the knowledge modeling concept of KSM and, then, the operation with the environment is described and illustrated with some examples of screens. Finally, the paper presents some technical details about the software architecture of KSM
Bi-level document image compression using layout information

Most bi-level images stored on computers today comprise scanned text, and are stored using generic bi-level image technology based either on classical run-length coding, such as the CCITT Group 4 method, or on modern schemes such as JBIG that predict pixels from their local image context. However, image compression methods that are tailored specifically for images known to contain printed text can provide noticeably superior performance because they effectively enlarge the context to the character level, at least for those predictions for which such a context is relevant. To deal effectively with general documents that contain text and pictures, it is necessary to detect layout and structural information from the image, and employ different compression techniques for different parts of the image. The authors extend previous work in document image compression in two ways. First, we include automatic discrimination between text and non-text zones in an image. Second, the system is tested on a large real-world image corpus.
India education report

1. Indian Engagement with Adult Education and Literacy 2. Literacy Campaigns and Social Mobilization 3. Education of Girls and Status of Women 4. Caring for the Young Child: Status of Early Childhood-care and Education 5. Children, Work and Education: Rethinking on Out-of-School Children 6. Reaching the Marginalized: Education of Dalits 7. Education of the Urban Disadvantaged 8. Educating the Educator:Problems of Teacher Education 9. Quality of our Schools and Conditions of Learning 10. Texts in Context: Development of curricula, Textbooks, and Teaching Learning Materials 11. Education and Civil Society: Role of NGOs in Education 12. Financing of Elementary Education 13. Decentralization Management and Empowerment of the People