Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Epistemology of Entrepreneurial Orientation: Conceptual Formation, Modeling, and Operationalization

In this manuscript, we examine the evolution of the Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) concept in an effort to identify areas of concern for the future development of knowledge around the construct and provide conceptual analyses to suggest how we might best move forward in the construct's development. We suggest that the continued accumulation of knowledge in the field is best facilitated by conceptualizing EO as a reflective model utilizing three dimensions that can be extended through the use of a classical classification scheme and that additional subcategories of EO should be developed within the EO conceptual family utilizing new measurement items.
The Tax-Capm with Stochastic Dividends (Das Tax-Capm Mit Stochastischen Dividenden)

The IDW (Institut der Wirtschaftsprufer in Deutschland) proposes to derive the cost of capital, that are required for valuation with the DCF-approach, by using the Tax-CAPM. The original version of the model assumes deterministic dividends. To valuate stochastic cash-flows however, a Tax-CAPM with stochastic dividends is required. The paper deals with integrating stochastic dividends into the Tax-CAPM. In the first part of the paper, the equilibrium equation of the Tax-CAPM with stochastic dividends is derived for different assumptions concerning the tax system. A former version of an equilibrium equation, that does not model the influence of taxation on the beta-factor appropriately, is corrected. In the second part, an interpretation of the equilibrium equation is given. In the third part, single-period valuation equations are derived.
Binaural suppression of nonechoes.

A brief diotic conditioner has been shown to effectively disrupt lateralization of a brief dichotic probe presented after a short interval (4-10 ms, onset to onset) with an interaural time delay that is clearly discriminable in the absence of the conditioner [e.g., P. M. Zurek, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 66, 1750-1757 (1980)], even when the conditioner and the probe are different sounds [P. L. Divenyi and J. Blauert, in Auditory Processing of Complex Sounds, edited by W. A. Yost and C. S. Watson (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 1987), pp. 146-155]. The present experiments investigated lateralization suppression of a narrow-band dichotic probe centered at 2 kHz by a narrow-band diotic conditioner, in situations in which the probe could not be regarded as an echo of the conditioner. In one case, the conditioner was identical to the probe but was presented in opposite phase; in other conditions, the center frequency of the conditioner was different, with the center frequency to bandwidth ratio remaining constant. The effects of frequency and temporal separation between the conditioner and the probe on the suppression of the lateralization of the probe were explored. Suppression of lateralization was measured as the increase in the just-noticeable interaural time difference (jnd), with respect to the interaural time jnd obtained for the probe alone. Low-frequency (0.5 to 1.5 kHz) conditioners were more effective in suppressing the lateralization of the probe than those at or above the probe frequency. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Effect of Federal Davis-Bacon and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Regulations on Highway Maintenance Costs

The author compares winning bids on state and federal highway maintenance projects in Colorado between 2000 and 2011 to determine whether federal prevailing wage and disadvantaged business enterprise regulations are associated with increased construction costs. The effect of the Davis-Bacon Act is evaluated when average wage rates prevail for almost all workers involved in highway maintenance for most of the period of the study. The federal minimum for work completed by disadvantaged businesses is 10%. The goal for Colorado exceeds this minimum by two to three percentage points. Summary data indicate that federal projects are more expensive than state projects, but projects funded by the federal government are also larger and more complex. Regression results indicate that, with controls for project size and complexity, no statistically significant difference is found in the cost of federal and state projects. Results also indicate that federal regulations are not associated with reduced bid competition, an important determinant of project cost.
An Area-Efficient Design for Modular Inversion in GF(2m)

Modular inversion is one of the kernel arithmetic operations in error control codes and cryptography, so the design of the low-cost and high-speed hardware implementation is absolutely necessary. A novel algorithm and hardware implementation for modular inversion in finite fields GF(2m) with the standard basis representation is presented. The algorithm used is based on a modification of the extended Euclid's algorithm. The proposed architecture is O(m) area complexity and O(m) time complexity. It is highly regular, modular and thus well suited to VLSI implementation. Compared with two related architectures with the same time complexity, it can save at least 22.5% combinational area
Basic fibroblast growth factor upregulates the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in vascular smooth muscle cells. Synergistic interaction with hypoxia.

BACKGROUND Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a hypoxia-inducible direct angiogenic factor. Upregulation of VEGF is thought to mediate many of the angiogenic effects of growth factors that are not direct endothelial cell mitogens. Like VEGF, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is considered to induce angiogenesis by a direct effect on endothelial cells. This study investigated the possibility that bFGF may also act indirectly by regulating VEGF expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). METHODS AND RESULTS Incubation of confluent and quiescent cultures of rabbit VSMCs with bFGF caused a time- and concentration-dependent increase in steady-state levels of VEGF mRNA, as analyzed by Northern blot hybridization. Exposure of VSMCs to a threshold hypoxic stimulus (2.5% O2) caused a modest increase in VEGF mRNA levels. However, the combination of 2.5% O2 with bFGF had a marked synergistic effect. This effect was specific for VEGF as hypoxia did not enhance bFGF-induced expression of the proto-oncogene c-myc. Synergistic upregulation of VEGF mRNA expression also was observed between hypoxia and TGF-beta 1. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that bFGF may promote angiogenesis both by a direct effect on endothelial cells and also indirectly by the upregulation of VEGF in VSMCs. The synergy demonstrated between hypoxia and either bFGF or TGF-beta 1 suggests that multiple diverse stimuli may interact via the upregulation of VEGF expression in VSMCs to amplify the angiogenic response.
Multiple Video Objects Extraction for MPEG-4 Application

MPEG-4 is an object-oriented video compression standard which allows content-based representation of a video sequence. This requires a decomposition of scenes into semantic video objects (VOs). Many algorithms had been developed to extract VOs with accurate boundaries, however, the issue of multiple objects is less addressed. We proposed to use a simple clustering method based on distance transform to group moving pixels into different VOs. The objects will then be tracked by using Hausdorff distance and their boundaries are refined to form VOs with accurate boundaries. Experimental results show that the algorithm successfully finds and tracks multiple objects in different video sequences.
Constant frequency aircraft electric power systems with harmonic reduction

The ever-increasing number of power electronic converters connected to the aircraft electric power system significantly increases harmonic levels and voltage transients in that system. Stringent limits on harmonic current distortion and perturbation of the aircraft electric power supply demands accurate simulation and development of high performance filters for the mitigation of harmonics and minimization of system transients. This paper presents the simulation, modeling, and transient analysis of conventional and advanced aircraft electric power systems with harmonic mitigation using passive harmonic filters. The aircraft electric power system is analyzed considering equivalent passive AC and DC loads under transient and steady state operating conditions. The electric power source is simulated by a controlled motor-generator set to provide a constant frequency and a constant output voltage source. The DC power is generated using 12-pulse converters. Moreover, to mitigate the harmonics generated by the converters a passive input filter is designed to meet the harmonic standards for the AC side of the aircraft electric power system.
Analysing The Deleveraged Performance Of Australian Wholesale Property Funds

Abstract This research examines the impact of debt on the performance of Australian unlisted wholesale property funds. The research benchmarked eight leading property funds leveraged and deleveraged performance to the corresponding property market indices. The results for the 2002–2009 period were mixed as to the leveraged property funds outperforming their respective property market indices. On removing debt, only one property fund managed to beat both the return and risk reading from the corresponding property market index. The marked variations between leveraged and deleveraged performance had limited impact on property fund rankings as it appeared the variation in commercial property lending rates had a greater impact than property fund leverage levels, which averaged 15.31%. To add to the familiar risk and return benchmarks, the risk adjusted performance (RAP) measure, first outlined by Modigliani and Modigliani (1997), provided a comparative return for a given level of risk. On quarterly unleveraged property fund data, the RAP 1.74%–3.25% range highlighted the considerable differences in the property funds performance for a given level of risk. Of the eight selected property funds, only one provided excess returns from portfolio selection. This RAP approach is a powerful investment tool, as it can highlight the property fund manager’s asset allocation capabilities to add value.
Optimization Methods for Supervised Machine Learning: From Linear Models to Deep Learning

The goal of this tutorial is to introduce key models, algorithms, and open questions related to the use of optimization methods for solving problems arising in machine learning. It is written with an INFORMS audience in mind, specifically those readers who are familiar with the basics of optimization algorithms, but less familiar with machine learning. We begin by deriving a formulation of a supervised learning problem and show how it leads to various optimization problems, depending on the context and underlying assumptions. We then discuss some of the distinctive features of these optimization problems, focusing on the examples of logistic regression and the training of deep neural networks. The latter half of the tutorial focuses on optimization algorithms, first for convex logistic regression, for which we discuss the use of first-order methods, the stochastic gradient method, variance reducing stochastic methods, and second-order methods. Finally, we discuss how these approaches can be employed to the training of deep neural networks, emphasizing the difficulties that arise from the complex, nonconvex structure of these models.
Long-run groundwater reserves under uncertainty

In this paper the long-run effects of demand and recharge uncertainty on the socially optimal management of groundwater reserves are studied. Demand uncertainty is modeled in a dynamic framework by letting the demand function shift randomly but continuously through time according to a random shock that follows a stochastic process. Likewise, uncertainty about natural recharge is characterized by identifying that variable as a stochastic process. The results show how the effects on long-run groundwater reserves depends crucially on the properties of the demand function. Basically, the long-run groundwater reserves increase (decrease) with an increase in uncertainty if the demand function is convex (concave). These effects occur because the random changes in demand and natural recharge cause an expected increase (decrease) in price depending on the curvature of the demand function. En este articulo se estudian los efectos a largo plazo de la incertidumbre de recarga y de demanda sobre la gestion socialmente optima de las reservas de aguas subterraneas. La incertidumbre de demanda se trata en un marco dinamico dejando que la funcion de demanda cambie aleatoriamente pero continuamente a lo largo del tiempo de acuerdo con un shock aleatorio que sigue un proceso estocastico. Asimismo, la incertidumbre sobre la recarga natural se caracteriza identificando esa variable con un proceso estocatico. Los resultados muestran como los efectos sobre las reservas de aguas subterraneas a largo plazo dependen crucialmente de las propiedades de la funcion de demanda. Basicamente las reservas de aguas subterraneasa largo plazo aumentan (disminuyen) con un aumento en la incertidumbre si la funcion de demanda es convexa (concava). Estos efectos ocurren porque los cambios aleatorios en la recarga natural y en la demanda provocan un aumento (disminucion) esperado en el precio dependiendo de la curvatura de la funcion de demanda.
Preparation for Entrepreneurship

We begin with preparation. Cooper and Mehta review the files of nearly 3,000 firms to assemble data sets to analyze a series of straightforward questions about preparing to start a business. Does it matter how much time a person spent in preparing to start her or his business? Is it better if the idea for the new business came from a prior business? Some say timing is everything. How important is timing when starting a new business? Does it matter if the founder quit their job only so they could start the new business? And how important was the role of professional advisors in the start-up? If any of these questions seem interesting to you, take a look at our lead piece.
Expression of a novel antigen, EEM‐1, in the mouse embryo and embryonic stem cell–derived embryoid bodies

A novel monoclonal antibody designated EEM‐1 is described. EEM‐1 recognizes an intracellular protein with an apparent molecular weight of >250 kDa. Expression of the EEM‐1 antigen is largely confined to extra‐embryonic membranes, but some expression does occur in the embryo. In the embryonic day 6 (E6) and E7 embryo it is expressed in visceral and parietal endoderm; later derivatives of these structures in the yolk sac are negative. The outer layer of the amnion also stains. Within the embryo proper, antigen is expressed in limited regions of the gut, kidney, and pancreas. EEM‐1 is also expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiating in vitro. Undifferentiated ES cells do not express the antigen. Embryoid bodies (EBs) derived from ES cells have patches of EEM‐1–positive cells on their surface at 2 days in culture. Older EBs have increasing numbers of positive cells which are confined to the surface. A special class of EBs, termed “cystic EBs,” are covered by a cell layer which strongly express EEM‐1 antigen. The EEM‐1 antibody will be useful for investigating the development of extra‐embryonic membranes and their counterparts in the ES cell in vitro model. Dev Dyn;218:207–211. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Education and the Middle Class

It is often assumed that for middle class and academically able children, schooling is a straightforward process that leads to academic success, higher education and entry into middle class occupations. However this fascinating book shows these relationships to be complex and often uncertain. Based on the biographies of 350 young men and women who might have been considered 'destined for success' at the start of their secondary schooling, the book maps out the educational pathways they took. It analyses their subsequent achievements and entry into employment and compares them with their parents, with one another, and with their generation. Identifying patterns in the data, it also explores examples of extraordinary success and failure, and various forms of interrupted and disrupted careers. As well as documenting a compelling human story, the findings have important implications for current policy debates about academic selection, access to elite universities, and the limits of meritocracy.
Stem and leaf hydraulic properties are finely coordinated in three tropical rain forest tree species.

Coordination of stem and leaf hydraulic traits allows terrestrial plants to maintain safe water status under limited water supply. Tropical rain forests, one of the world's most productive biomes, are vulnerable to drought and potentially threatened by increased aridity due to global climate change. However, the relationship of stem and leaf traits within the plant hydraulic continuum remains understudied, particularly in tropical species. We studied within-plant hydraulic coordination between stems and leaves in three tropical lowland rain forest tree species by analyses of hydraulic vulnerability [hydraulic methods and ultrasonic emission (UE) analysis], pressure-volume relations and in situ pre-dawn and midday water potentials (Ψ). We found finely coordinated stem and leaf hydraulic features, with a strategy of sacrificing leaves in favour of stems. Fifty percent of hydraulic conductivity (P50 ) was lost at -2.1 to -3.1 MPa in stems and at -1.7 to -2.2 MPa in leaves. UE analysis corresponded to hydraulic measurements. Safety margins (leaf P50 - stem P50 ) were very narrow at -0.4 to -1.4 MPa. Pressure-volume analysis and in situ Ψ indicated safe water status in stems but risk of hydraulic failure in leaves. Our study shows that stem and leaf hydraulics were finely tuned to avoid embolism formation in the xylem.
The LADIES solution

The idea of the LADIES solution is to assign part of the 3.6-3.8 GHz frequency band to a diffusive or asymmetric communications system integrated in a full standard WiMax system, operating at the 3.5 GHz band. The result of this solution is a powerful way of accessing the end user, by delivering different services, IP and DVB-T/S compliant. The LADIES system is interoperable with others existing telecommunication systems and enables a convergence scenario in a user-friendly information society.
The intravascular lifespan of monocytes.

Monocytes, defined as peroxidase positive mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood of healthy rats, were labeled by frequent intermittent injections of tritiated thymidine. About 25 per cent of the monocytes were labeled within 1 day and 82 per cent in 8 days. Both labeled and unlabeled monocytes disappeared from the circulation in accordance with an exponential function with a half-time of about 3 days. Mean grain counts increased asymptotically toward a limit reached in 4 or 5 days. The monocyte turnover rate in the rat is in the neighbourhood of 3.6 x 10 6 cells per day. It is concluded that monocytes leave the circulation at random and not as a consequence of senescence. It is probable that they are the product of a cell lineage consisting of about 3 generations from the primitive precursor to the mature form, and that the average generation time is about 24 hours. Because of the rapid appearance of large numbers of labeled cells, it is unlikely that they are derived from lymphocytes which acquire label much more slowly.
Demographic and Socioeconomic Differentials in Residential Propinquity to Hazardous Waste Sites and Environmental Illness

This study addresses the critical issues of hazardous waste distribution, environmental injustice, and associated human health problems. Demographic and socioeconomic disparities in residential propinquity to hazardous waste sites and related health problems are evaluated through discriminant analysis and logistic regression models. Respondents' perceptions of specific environmentally induced morbidity such as lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and respiratory problems are presented. Findings indicate that while Blacks are most likely to reside near hazardous waste facilities, they are less likely to perceive hazardous waste sites as the most serious problem. Furthermore, gender and socioeconomic factors are statistically significant in predicting the likelihood of environmental illness. Minority status (Black) was found to be more significant than socioeconomic factors in predicting residence propinquity to hazardous waste sites, controlling for demographic and economic variables. Thus, the assertion of env.
The 213‐amino‐acid leucine‐rich repeat region of the Listeria monocytogenes InlB protein is sufficient for entry into mammalian cells, stimulation of PI 3‐kinase and membrane ruffling

The Listeria monocytogenes InlB protein is a 630‐amino‐acid surface protein that mediates entry of the bacterium into a wide variety of cell types, including hepatocytes, fibroblasts and epithelial cells such as Vero, HEp‐2 and HeLa cells. Invasion stimulates host proteins tyrosine phosphorylation, PI 3‐kinase activity and rearrangements in the actin cytoskeleton. We previously showed that InlB is sufficient for entry of InlB‐coated latex beads into cells and recent results indicate that purified InlB can stimulate PI 3‐kinase activity and is thus the first bacterial agonist of this lipid kinase. In this study, we identified the region of InlB responsible for entry and stimulation of signal transduction events. Eight monoclonal antibodies directed against InlB were raised and, of those, five inhibited bacterial entry. These five antibodies recognized epitopes within the leucine‐rich repeat (LRR) region and/or the inter‐repeat (IR) region. InlB‐staphylococcal protein A (SPA) fusion proteins and recombinant InlB derivatives were generated and tested for their capacity to mediate entry into cultured mammalian cells. All the InlB derivatives that carried the amino‐terminal 213‐amino‐acid LRR region conferred invasiveness to the normally non‐invasive bacterium L. innocua or to inert latex beads and the corresponding purified polypeptides inhibited bacterial entry. In addition, the 213‐amino‐acid LRR region was able to stimulate PI 3‐kinase activity and changes in the actin cytoskeleton (membrane ruffling). These properties were not detected with purified internalin, another invasion protein of L. monocytogenes that displays LRRs similar to those of InlB. Taken together, these results show that the first 213 amino acids of InlB are critical for its specific properties.