Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Psychological Contract Violation on Interpersonal Trust during Mergers and Acquisitions

We explored the relationship between knowledge workers’ perceptions of psychological contract violation and their interpersonal trust during mergers and acquisitions (M&As) to determine whether or not perceived commitment human resource (HR) practices can moderate the relationship between psychological contract violation and interpersonal trust. We collected 210 questionnaire responses from enterprises that were in the process of M&As in China, and structural equation modeling and regression analyses were used to analyze the data. We found that in certain contexts organizational trust (or distrust) can transfer to interpersonal trust (or distrust). This issue merits further discussion.
Energy aware management framework for HPC systems

High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems provide access to high end resources for parallel jobs execution. Resource monitoring and management are the most important aspects of providing a successful HPC environment. Improving performance, reducing energy consumption and operating costs for HPC environment is crucial. There can be different management strategies to manage HPC resources like energy, performance and operating cost based on the overall system's state, the nature of the workload queued and the administrator's choice. As per the current research trends, there is a need to put all these strategies under one umbrella. This paper presents a design of an energy aware framework which bundles all these strategies to autonomically identifying the best suitable resource management strategy. This framework works with the help of multiple intelligent agents and also uses the past knowledge of the application behavior to decide the strategy. We have explained how this framework intends to reduce the energy consumption and operating cost of HPC Systems by selecting the proposed energy management strategy.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Life history differences favour evolution of male dimorphism in competitive games

Many species exhibit two discrete male morphs: fighters and sneakers. Fighters are large and possess weapons but may mature slowly. Sneakers are small and have no weapons but can sneak matings and may mature quickly to start mating earlier in life than fighters. However, how differences in competitive ability and life history interact to determine male morph coexistence has not yet been investigated within a single framework. Here we integrate demography and game theory into a two-sex population model to study the evolution of strategies that result in the coexistence of fighters and sneakers. We incorporate differences in maturation time between the morphs and use a mating-probability matrix analogous to the classic hawk-dove game. Using adaptive dynamics, we show that male dimorphism evolves more easily in our model than in classic game theory approaches. Our results also revealed an interaction between life-history differences and sneaker competitiveness, which shows that demography and competitive games should be treated as interlinked mechanisms to understand the evolution of male dimorphism. Applying our approach to empirical data on bulb mites (Rhizoglyphus robini), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and bullhorned dung beetles (Onthophagus taurus) indicates that observed occurrences of male dimorphism are in general agreement with model predictions.
A Generalised Simulation System To Support Strategic Resource Planning In Healthcare

Healthcare services within the western economies are currently undergoing many fundamental changes. Growing demand within a context of economic constraint are creating a need for efficiency savings and tighter control of limited resources. Healthcare managers are invariably faced with organisations which are highly complex and interactive in nature. Increasingly they require the tools which will enable them to accurately assess and quantify the impact of possible changes. This paper describes a generalised simulation system aimed to address some of these needs. This has been developed in liaison with health authorities in West Yorkshire, UK. where a new hospital is currently planned. The simulation system is designed as a ‘shell’ to support the development and use of a wide range of models rather than representing a bespoke solution to a specific issue. Developed in the Windows environment it utilises a Visual Basic graphical user interface linked to WITNESS simulation software. Key features are its ease of use, visual interaction and its flexibility, making it an accessible tool for direct use by healthcare managers. A sample case study is summarised which illustrates the use of the system to conduct ‘what-if’ type experiments. The results are validated against real healthcare data and the potentials of the system are evaluated within the strategic management process.
Emergence of Power Laws in Networked Control Systems

In this paper we study multiple systems connected over an unreliable communication network. The links in the networks are modeled as drop-out channels. We consider the closed loop mean square stability of multi agent systems formations, and use our analysis result to evaluate the fragility of the networked system to packet losses or link drop-outs. We present a case where the packet drops can lead to loss of mean square stability. Systems that are not mean square stable have heavy tail distributions of their states. Simulations show the power law nature of such distributions. While having identical agents may lead to a simplified nominal stability analysis and to scalable solutions, it does not seem to reduce the complexity of the mean square stability analysis. We show that fading networks, which are spatially invariant in the mean, do not suffer from this limitation and allow for the maximal tolerable uncertainty to be distributed arbitrarily among the links
Computers and Mathematics with Applications ( ) – Computers and Mathematics with Applications Fractional Governing Equations for Coupled Random Walks

Keywords: Fractional calculus Anomalous diffusion Continuous time random walk Central limit theory Operator stable law a b s t r a c t In a continuous time random walk (CTRW), a random waiting time precedes each random jump. The CTRW is coupled if the waiting time and the subsequent jump are dependent random variables. The CTRW is used in physics to model diffusing particles. Its scaling limit is governed by an anomalous diffusion equation. Some applications require an overshoot continuous time random walk (OCTRW), where the waiting time is coupled to the previous jump. This paper develops stochastic limit theory and governing equations for CTRW and OCTRW. The governing equations involve coupled space–time fractional derivatives. In the case of infinite mean waiting times, the solutions to the CTRW and OCTRW governing equations can be quite different.
Interaction network based early warning indicators for the Atlantic MOC collapse

[1] Early warning indicators of the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) have up to now mostly been based on temporal correlations in single time series. Here, we propose new indicators based on spatial correlations in the time series of the Atlantic temperature field. To demonstrate the performance of these indicators, we use a meridional-depth model of the MOC for which the critical conditions for collapse can be explicitly computed. An interaction network approach is used to monitor changes in spatial correlations in the model temperature time series as the critical transition is approached. The new early warning indicators are based on changes in topological properties of the network, in particular changes in the distribution functions of the degree and the clustering coefficient. Citation: van der Mheen, M. , H. A. Dijkstra, A. Gozolchiani, M. den Toom, Q. Feng, J. Kurths, and E. Hernandez-Garcia (2013), Interaction network based early warning indicators for the Atlantic MOC collapse, Geophys. Res. Lett. , 40, 2714–2719,
Screening of antibacterial activity in marine green, red and brown macroalgae from the western coast of Libya

Marine macroalgae are considered as an excellent source of bioactive compounds which has a broad range of biological activities including antibacterial and antioxidant. Crude methanolic and water extracts of 19 marine algal species (6 Chlorophyta, 8 Phaeophyta and 5 Rhodophyta) collected from the western coast of Libya were evaluated for antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria (4 Gram-positive, 4 Gram-nega- tive). The extracts showed a significant antibacterial activity against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus spp., and Staphylococcus epidermidis) as well as Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella spp., and Pseudomonas aerugi- nosa). The algal aqueous and methanolic extracts displayed different degrees of antimicrobial activities against different bacteria, in some cases methanolic extracts showed higher antibacterial activity than aqueous extracts. Among tested algae, Brown algae namely Cystoseira crinite exhibited the highest antibacterial activity among tested algal species.
Casimir Rack and

As the technological advances lead to miniaturization of mechanical devices, engineers face new challenges that are brought about by the fundamentally different rules that apply at small scales. One of the biggest problems in small machines is the excessive wear of the many surfaces that work in contact with each other, which severely constrains the durability of such machine parts. Here, a force that is caused by the quantum fluctuations of electromagnetic field— known as the lateral Casimir force—is employed to propose a design for a potentially wear-proof rack and pinion with no contact, which can be miniaturized to nano-scale. We demonstrate that both uniform and harmonic lateral motion of the rack can be converted into unidirectional rotation of the pinion. The robustness of the design is studied by exploring the relation between the pinion velocity and the rack velocity in the different domains of the parameter space. The effects of friction and added external load are also examined.
Heuristics for the Operating Theatre Planning and Scheduling

In this paper, we present a two-stage approach for planning and scheduling of operating theatres. The first stage concerns the operating theatre planning problem with the objectiveof minimizing number of days required to assign all surgical cases and number of days wasted for failure to meet surgical cases deadlines. The second stage refers to the operating theatre scheduling problem with the objective of minimizing total tardiness of surgical cases and total waiting time of surgeons in operating rooms. For each problem investigated, a mathematical formulation using a mixed integer programming has been suggested. And to solve the foregoing problems, we propose firstly a set of dispatching rulebased heuristics and secondly three metaheuristics. Finally, computational experiments are presented to compare the performances of these heuristics.
Standardised Analysis of Visual-spatial Perception after Brain Damage

Disorders of visual space perception and cognition are frequent in patients with brain damage. In this paper we describe further developments of a new PC-based system (termed VS) that allows the quantitative assessment of a variety of visual-spatial abilities (Subjective Visual Axes, Visual Orientation Discrimination, Length, Distance, Form and Position Discrimination, and Line and Distance Bisection). Besides other features, VS offers various useful properties, i.e. the automatic computation of psychophysical parameters (method of limits), the experimental manipulation of task parameters, the definition of macro files, and the configuration of high quality graphic laser printouts. The basic features of this system have already been described in a preceding paper (Kerkhoff & Marquardt, 1995). In the present paper we describe five useful clinical standard examinations together with preliminary normative data and present graphic printouts of the results developed with this system. These standard examination.
An Efficient Temporal Data Prefetcher for L1 Caches

Server workloads frequently encounter L1-D cache misses, and hence, lose significant performance potential. One way to reduce the number of L1-D misses or their effect is data prefetching. As L1-D access sequences have high temporal correlations, temporal prefetching techniques are promising for L1 caches. State-of-the-art temporal prefetching techniques are effective at reducing the number of L1-D misses, but we observe that there is a significant gap between what they offer and the opportunity. This work aims to improve the effectiveness of temporal prefetching techniques. To overcome the deficiencies of existing temporal prefetchers, we introduce Domino prefetching. Domino prefetcher is a temporal prefetching technique that looks up the history to find the last occurrence of the last one or two L1-D miss addresses for prefetching. We show that Domino prefetcher captures more than 87 percent of the temporal opportunity at L1-D. Through evaluation of a 16-core processor on a set of server workloads, we show that Domino prefetcher improves system performance by 26 percent (up to 56 percent).
Preliminary Result of Frascati (ADONE) on the Nature of a New 3.1-GeV Particle Produced in e+ e- Annihilation

fications system is not functioning and we therefore cannot separate muons from strongly interacting particles. However, outside the peak the data are consistent with our previously measured p. -pair cross section. Since a large wg or EE branching ratio would be unexpected for a resonance this massive, the two-body enhancement observed is probably but not conclusively in the p, -pair channel. The e'e hadron cross section is presumed to go through the one-photon intermediate state with angular momentum, parity, and charge conjugation quantum numbers J~c = 1 . It is difficult to understand how, without involving new quantum numbers or. selection rules, a resonance in this state which decays to hadrons could be so nal row. We wish to thank the SPEAR operations staff for providing the stable conditions of machine performance necessary for this experiment. Special monitoring and control techniques were developed on very short notice and performed excellently.
Bioequivalence of an ezetimibe/simvastatin combination tablet and coadministration of ezetimibe and simvastatin as separate tablets in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE To assess the bioequivalence of an ezetimibe/simvastatin (EZE/SIMVA) combination tablet compared to the coadministration of ezetimibe and simvastatin as separate tablets (EZE + SIMVA). METHODS In this open-label, randomized, 2-part, 2-period crossover study, 96 healthy subjects were randomly assigned to participate in each part of the study (Part I or II), with each part consisting of 2 single-dose treatment periods separated by a 14-day washout. Part I consisted of Treatments A (EZE 10 mg + SIMVA 10 mg) and B (EZE/SIMVA 10/10 mg/mg) and Part II consisted of Treatments C (EZE 10 mg + SIMVA 80 mg) and D (EZE/SIMVA 10/80 mg/mg). Blood samples were collected up to 96 hours post-dose for determination of ezetimibe, total ezetimibe (ezetimibe + ezetimibe glucuronide), simvastatin and simvastatin acid (the most prevalent active metabolite of simvastatin) concentrations. Ezetimibe and simvastatin acid AUC(0-last) were predefined as primary endpoints and ezetimibe and simvastatin acid Cmax were secondary endpoints. Bioequivalence was achieved if 90% confidence intervals (CI) for the geometric mean ratios (GMR) (single tablet/coadministration) of AUC(0-last) and Cmax fell within prespecified bounds of (0.80, 1.25). RESULTS The GMRs of the AUC(0-last) and Cmax for ezetimibe and simvastatin acid fell within the bioequivalence limits (0.80, 1.25). EZE/ SIMVA and EZE + SIMVA were generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS The lowest and highest dosage strengths of EZE/SIMVA tablet were bioequivalent to the individual drug components administered together. Given the exact weight multiples of the EZE/SIMVA tablet and linear pharmacokinetics of simvastatin across the marketed dose range, bioequivalence of the intermediate tablet strengths (EZE/SIMVA 10/20 mg/mg and EZE/SIMVA 10/40 mg/mg) was inferred, although these dosages were not tested directly. These results indicate that the safety and efficacy profile of EZE + SIMVA coadministration therapy can be applied to treatment with the EZE/SIMVA tablet across the clinical dose range.
Programming Model Support for Dependable, Elastic Cloud Applications

An attractive approach to leveraging the ability of cloud-computing platforms to provide resources on demand is to build elastic applications, which can scale up or down based on resource requirements. To ease the development of elastic applications, it is useful for programmers to write applications with simple, inelastic semantics and rely on runtime systems to provide elasticity. While this approach has been useful in restricted domains, such as MapReduce, we argue in this paper that adding elasticity to general distributed applications introduces new fault-tolerance challenges that must be addressed at the programming model and run-time level. We discuss a programming model for writing elastic, distributed applications, and describe an approach to fault-tolerance that integrates with the elastic run-time to provide transparent elasticity and fault-tolerance.
Variation in supermarket exposure to energy-dense snack foods by socio-economic position

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to examine the availability of energy-dense, nutrient-poor snack foods (and fruits and vegetables) in supermarkets located in socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Design Cross-sectional supermarket audit. Setting Melbourne, Australia. Measures included product shelf space and number of varieties for soft drinks, crisps, chocolate, confectionery and fruits and vegetables, as well as store size. Subjects Thirty-five supermarkets (response 83 %) from neighbourhoods in the lowest and highest quintile of socio-economic disadvantage. Results Shelf space allocated to soft drinks (23·6 m v. 17·7 m, P = 0·006), crisps (16·5 m v. 13·0 m, P = 0·016), chocolate (12·2 m v. 10·1 m, P = 0·022) and confectionery (6·7 m v. 5·1 m, P = 0·003) was greater in stores from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. After adjustment for store size (stores in disadvantaged areas being larger), shelf space for confectionery (6·3 m v. 5·6 m, P = 0·024) and combined shelf space for all energy-dense foods and drinks (55·0 m v. 48·9 m, P = 0·017) remained greater in stores from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The ratio of shelf space allocated to fruits and vegetables to that for energy-dense snack foods also varied by socio-economic disadvantage after adjustment for store size (most disadvantaged v. least disadvantaged: 1·7 v. 2·1, P = 0·025). Varieties of fruits and vegetables and chocolate bars were more numerous in less disadvantaged areas (P < 0·05). Conclusions Exposure to energy-dense snack foods and soft drinks in supermarkets was greater in socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This may impact purchasing, consumption and cultural norms related to eating behaviours and may therefore work against elimination of the known socio-economic gradient in obesity levels. Reform of supermarket stocking practices may represent an effective means of obesity prevention.
Carreau: CARrier REsource Access for mUle, DTN Applied to Hybrid WSN / Satellite System

Both WSNs (Wireless Sensor Networks) and observation satellites are able to get measurements from a geographic area. To interconnect these technologies, we propose to use a store-carry-and-forward architecture relying on the DTN (Disruption and Delay Tolerant Networking) Bundle Protocol. This architecture aims at being generic, so it is application-agnostic and suits a wide range of scenarios. WSN may collect sporadically large data volume while terrestrial stations communicating with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites have to endure long link disruptions when the satellite is not in the line of sight. These sporadic growths within the WSN coupled with the large latency on satellite links require to schedule data to provide quality of service to several flows. We propose a scheduling policy based on deadline of Bundles and compare it with classical DTN solutions.
A scatter method for data and variable importance evaluation

We designed an algorithm in order to examine the importance of variables in data sets for variable evaluation and weighting. In particular, it is designated for the evaluation whether a data set includes such information that is useful for the separation of classes in classification and prediction. Such an evaluation can be performed for an entire data set or separately classes or variables. The scatter method is based on traversing through a data set as near neighbour cases and counting class changes, i.e., when the classes of near cases are changed. The fewer the changes, the more compact the classes are in a variable space so that they are possible to separate with high classification accuracy. We tested the method with different data sets of medical origin. Their results showed that the scatter method can be used to explore how separable the classes in these data sets were. This is useful for variable evaluation and weighting.
Prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision in Timor-Leste

Aim: To estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision in people aged ⩾40 years in Timor-Leste. Method: A population-based cross-sectional survey using multistage cluster random sampling to identify 50 clusters of 30 people. A cause of vision loss was determined for each eye presenting with visual acuity worse than 6/18. Results: Of 1470 people enumerated, 1414 (96.2%) were examined. The age, gender and domicile-adjusted prevalence of functional blindness (presenting vision worse than 6/60 in the better eye) was 7.4% (95% CI 6.1 to 8.8), and for blindness at 3/60 was 4.1% (95% CI 3.1 to 5.1). The adjusted prevalence for low vision (better eye presenting vision of 6/60 or better, but worse than 6/18) was 17.7% (95% CI 15.7 to 19.7). Gender was not a risk factor for blindness or low vision, but increasing age, illiteracy, subsistence farming, unemployment and rural domicile were risk factors for both. Cataract was the commonest cause of blindness (72.9%) and an important cause of low vision (17.8%). Uncorrected refractive error caused 81.3% of low vision. Conclusion: Strategies that make good-quality cataract and refractive error services available, affordable and accessible, especially in rural areas, will have the greatest impact on vision impairment.
New Orhagonal Matching Pursuit Algorithm for 2D different dimenssion sparse signal reconstruction

The recovery algorithm is the backbone of compressed sensing (CS). Most of the algorithms were designed for 1D signal reconstruction and a few were designed for 2D signals. To reconstruct 2D signals, in most cases signals were converted into 1D signal. In some application signals and images with 2D different dimension (N-by-M) can't be recovered with existing 1D or 2D recovery algorithms, thus in this work we proposed a new recovery algorithm known as 2D Different Dimension Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) Algorithm, so as to solve the problem of 2D Different Dimension Sparse Signals and images, which is represented an accomplishment of 2D OMP. In the 2D different dimension OMP the observation / measurement is processed as a matrix instead of vectors in the other CS algorithms. Comparing the proposed algorithm with current algorithms, the proposed algorithm reconstructs the 2D different dimension sparse signal faster than the other algorithms, and can be implemented easier.