Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Governing Embedded Partner Networks: Certification and Partner Communities in the IT Sector

Purpose The complexity of supplier-partner networks in the Information Technology (IT) sector where large suppliers utilize thousands of authorized partners, requires that organizations reconsider their approach to governing and managing the relationships involved. Traditional dyadic approaches to governance are likely to prove inadequate. This paper investigates the relationship between network governance mechanisms and relationship performance. Specifically, we examine the contingent effect of certification of partners and the use of partner communities (as formal and informal mechanisms of network governance, respectively), on complex and embedded networks of relationships. Design/methodology/approach A model examining the effect of formal and informal network governance on the relationship between embeddedness (structural and relational) and relationship performance is developed. Data was collected from a sample of partners of leading IT suppliers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Three-way interactions assess the contingent effect of certification and partner communities on the relationship between embeddedness and relational performance. Findings Results support the use of a combination of certification and partner communities to strengthen the link between network structure (structural embeddedness) and relational embeddedness, as well as relationship performance. Certification requires the sharing of explicit knowledge with partners whereas partner communities aid the creation and dissemination of more tacit, contextual knowledge. Furthermore, partner communities reinforce positive perceptions of fairness in suppliers’ network management practices, overcoming any perceptions of lock-in or coercive control that certification may suggest. Practical implications Certification, despite all its procedural and reputational benefits, damages partner relationships and needs to be supported by partner communities, which themselves show particularly strong benefits in enhancing network relationships. Originality/value Despite the emerging prevalence of certification and partner communities in business-to-business relationships, to date there is a paucity of research on their effects on partner relationships and performance. Organizations with an extensive network of similar partners may suffer network overload. This research shows that such organizations can manage their partner network more effectively through network governance mechanisms, thereby addressing the challenge of overload.
Agent-Based Modeling to Analyze the Effect of the 2009 Government Stimulus Package on the Labor Market

The unemployment rate can more than double during a recession, and to combat the negative effects of a recession the government stimulates the economy by using various combinations of three primary stimulus methods. These methods-tax cuts, government-funded projects and increasing the duration of unemployment insurance--are not equally effective. In this project I used an agent-based model to analyze the effectiveness of the different components of the stimulus package in improving the labor market. To reflect the U.S. market and the 2008 recession, I adjusted an agent-based model of a simple labor market using NetLogo multi-agent programmable modeling environment. Using this modified model, I ran experiments on individual aspects of the stimulus methods and combinations thereof. The results showed that decreasing tax rate can decrease unemployment, as it makes work more attractive to workers and makes it easier to match workers and employers. Similarly, increasing government funding of projects increases job vacancies, thus decreasing unemployment, because government-funded projects increase demand and create employment opportunities. On the other hand, increasing the duration of unemployment insurance has a detrimental effect on labor market recovery, as it decreases the workers’ willingness to agree to employment. Also, based on the results, we can conclude that agent-based modeling is an effective method for stimulus package analysis. During recessions, such analysis can help maximize the positive effect of government stimulus by balancing various components of the package.
A TEST OF THE BUDGET METHOD : A REFINED APPROACI ! TO THE _ IEASU _ MENT OF FINE ROOT TURNOVER

--The measurement of fine root turnover provides important data for nutrient cycling models, carbon cycling models, and determinations of plant productivity. Previous methods repeated sampling and ingrowth cores have been inadequate because of conceptual and statistical difficulties and disruptions of plants and soil. A new method the budget method attempts to overcome these problems, but requires considerable data: (i) repeated measures of the standing pool of live roots and (2) of dead roots, and (3) estimates of decomposition rates in units of mass/area/time. Production or mortality rate measurement may replace the latter. The method attempts tc keep a continuous budget of organic material moving into the live pool (production), out of the live pool and into the dead pool (mortality), and out of the dead pool (decomposition) . This approach was tested on the upper 25 cm of soil in a mature _Thite oak (Quercus alba) stand in central Missouri. Its estimates of very fine root (< 1 mm diameter) production were compared to independent estimates via (I) ingrowth cores and (2) rhizotrons. Standing pool samples were taken bimonthly for 14 months and divided into living and dead pools using techniques involving triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). Decomposition rates were measured using buried root detritus bags. Ingrowth core and budget estimates of production showed close agreement over the entire 14 month period (56 g/m 2 and 42 g/m 2, respectively). Agreement, however, was poor over the shorter, two month intervals. The new method was judged inappropriate for short time intervals (< 6 months) but an improvement for longer intervals (i to 2 years). Faults of all three methods were reviewed, and a modified, long-term budget approach was suggested
Dislocation Structures in Diamond: Density-Functional Based Modelling and High-Resolution Electron Microscopy

The core structures of perfect 60 and edge dislocations in diamond are investigated atomistically in a density-functional based tight-binding approach, and their dissociation is discussed both in terms of structure and energy. Furthermore, high resolution electron microscopy is performed on dislocation cores in high-temperature, high-pressure annealed natural brown diamond, and HRTEM image simulation allows a comparison of theoretically predicted and experimentally observed structures.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Getting emotional with evolutionary simulations : the origin of affective processing in artificial neural networks

A new hypothesis on the neural mechanisms linking affect to attention is brought forward by evolutionary simulations on agents navigating a virtual environment while collecting food and avoiding predation. The connection strengths between nodes in the networks controlling the agents were subjected to random variation and the fittest agents were selected for reproduction. Unexpectedly, oscillations of node activations emerged, which drastically enhanced the agent’s fitness. Here we analyzed the mechanisms involved in the modulation of attention and found that oscillations acted on competitive networks. Response selection depended on the connection structure, but speed and efficacy of switching between selections was modulated by oscillation frequency. The main focus of this study was the differential emergence of stimulus-specific oscillation frequencies. Oscillations had a higher frequency in an appetitive motivational state than in an aversive state. We suggest that oscillations in biological networks also mediate the affective modulation of attention. This chapter is a modified version of Heerebout & Phaf (2010b). Good Vibrations Switch Attention 58 3.1 Good Vibrations Switch Attention The method of computationally simulating evolutionary processes provides a unique opportunity for the automated development of models and hypotheses on cognitive and affective processes and their underlying neural mechanisms. The role of the modeler is limited to setting up the evolutionary selection procedure (e.g., a genetic algorithm; Holland, 1975), the initial state, and the environmental conditions. This has several advantages of which the opportunity for innovation is not the least. Novel models with mechanisms and functions that had not been previously considered may emerge from these undirected optimization procedures. In previous simulation work (Heerebout & Phaf, 2010a) we serendipitously discovered ‘artificial neural oscillations’ in agents that inhabited a virtual environment (see Figure 1). The oscillations were an emergent property, not intentionally built in, and not even thought of beforehand, which proved to be highly adaptive. These simulations extended our investigation of LeDoux’s (1996) evolutionary justification of his dual-pathway model for the processing of emotional stimuli (den Dulk, Heerebout & Phaf, 2003). The agents, which were controlled by artificial neural networks, increased their chances of reproduction and survival by collecting food while avoiding predators. Analyses of the oscillating agents showed that the evolutionary advantage was conferred by an enhanced capacity for attentional switching when in an oscillatory mode.
Expressive cutting, deforming, and painting of three-dimensional digital shapes through asymmetric bimanual haptic manipulation

Practitioners of the geosciences, design, and engineering disciplines communicate complex ideas about shape by manipulating three-dimensional digital objects to match their conceptual model. However, the two-dimensional control interfaces, common in software applications, create a disconnect to three-dimensional manipulations. This research examines cutting, deforming, and painting manipulations for expressive three-dimensional interaction. It presents a cutting algorithm specialized for planning cuts on a triangle mesh, the extension of a deformation algorithm for inhomogeneous meshes, and the definition of inhomogeneous meshes by painting into a deformation property map. This thesis explores two-handed interactions with haptic force-feedback where each hand can fulfill an asymmetric bimanual role. These digital shape manipulations demonstrate a step toward the creation of expressive three-dimensional interactions.
The biosynthesis of nitric oxide from L-arginine. Nitric oxide formation features and its functional role in mitochondria

Modern data on biochemical patterns of nitric oxide biosynthesis in mammal cells from l-arginine in normoxic conditions is described. The attention of the authors is given to the results of the recent years on the structure and regulation features isoforms of No-synthase. The emphasis is put on the latest conception of the compartmentalization of certain isoforms of these enzymes in cells and on the possibility of the directed transport of nitric oxide in the vascular wall. The central place in the review is devoted to issues on the endogenous formation of NO in mitochondria and its potential physiological significance. Our own results on the identification of NO in mitochondria of the uterine smooth muscle, biochemical characteristics of this process and NO possible role in Са2+ transport regulation by organelles are presented and discussed.
Lipid Oxidation of Catfish (Arius maculatus) after Cooking and Smoking by Different Methods Applied in Cameroon

The influence of different cooking and smoking methods (boiling, frying, frying + boiling, hot and cold smoking) on oxidation and fatty acid composition of catfish (Arius maculatus) commercialized on the Wouri river coast was evaluated including commonly used analytical indexes (peroxide and acid values)and physical analysis by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The mean moisture, protein, ash and fat contents of raw fish were 75.88 ± 0.55; 64.24 ± 0.14; 10.98 ± 0.31 and 23.02 ± 0.88 respectively. All these treatments provoke the modification of the quality indexes. Lipid deterioration, thermolysis and lipid oxidation occurred throughout the treatment. Peroxide value decreased for all cooked and smoked catfish, while free fatty acids of smoked sample increased. The FTIR applied to evaluate lipid oxidation in extracted lipid clearly provided a better picture of the oxidation progress and led to a similar conclusion with chemical analysis. Boiled, bleaching hot and bleaching cold smoking were found to be the suitable treatment methods for catfish because they gave it a high nutritive value compared to other smoking methods.
The Acoustic Realization of Prosodic Prominence in Polish: Word-level Stress and Phrase-level Accent

The current study addresses the question of how word-level (“stress”) and phraseor sentence-level prominence (“accent”) is realized in Polish. For this purpose, a production experiment eliciting semi-spontaneous utterances was conducted, closely following the methodological approach introduced in [1]. Our acoustic analyses are based on identical target syllables which are embedded in sentences under conditions that allow to disentangle word-level and phrase-level prominence. The acoustic realizations of these target syllables are then subject to linear mixed-effect models fitted for various acoustic parameters: duration, fundamental frequency maximum, intensity, and spectral balance. The models indicate that prominence marking in Polish is realized acoustically in a stable fashion on phrase-level only. Word stress marking occurs only in cases where a lexically stressed syllable simultaneously realizes a phrase-level accent.
Formal Abstractions for Attested Execution

Realistic secure processors, including those built for academic and commercial purposes, commonly realize an “attested execution” abstraction. Despite being the de facto standard for modern secure processors, the “attested execution” abstraction has not received adequate formal treatment. We provide formal abstractions for “attested execution” secure processors and rigorously explore its expressive power. Our explorations show both the expected and the surprising. On one hand, we show that just like the common belief, attested execution is extremely powerful, and allows one to realize powerful cryptographic abstractions such as stateful obfuscation whose existence is otherwise impossible even when assuming virtual blackbox obfuscation and stateless hardware tokens. On the other hand, we show that surprisingly, realizing composable two-party computation with attested execution processors is not as straightforward as one might anticipate. Specifically, only when both parties are equipped with a secure processor can we realize composable two-party computation. If one of the parties does not have a secure processor, we show that composable two-party computation is impossible. In practice, however, it would be desirable to allow multiple legacy clients (without secure processors) to leverage a server’s secure processor to perform a multi-party computation task. We show how to introduce minimal additional setup assumptions to enable this. Finally, we show that fair multi-party computation for general functionalities is impossible if secure processors do not have trusted clocks. When secure processors have trusted clocks, we can realize fair two-party computation if both parties are equipped with a secure processor; but if only one party has a secure processor (with a trusted clock), then fairness is still impossible for general functionalities.
A Customer Lifetime Value Framework for Customer Selection and Resource Allocation Strategy

The authors evaluate the usefulness of customer lifetime value (CLV) as a metric for customer selection and marketing resource allocation by developing a dynamic framework that enables managers to maintain or improve customer relationships proactively through marketing contacts across various channels and to maximize CLV simultaneously. The authors show that marketing contacts across various channels influence CLV nonlinearly. Customers who are selected on the basis of their lifetime value provide higher profits in future periods than do customers selected on the basis of several other customer-based metrics. The analyses suggest that there is potential for improved profits when managers design resource allocation rules that maximize CLV. Managers can use the authors’ framework to allocate marketing resources efficiently across customers and channels of communication.
Etude expérimentale et numérique de la diffusion de la chaleur dans la peau : influence de la circulation sanguine

Agir rapidement sur des brulures corporelles, pour eviter la propagation des lesions due a la diffusion de la chaleur est un des objectifs a long terme de cette etude. L'article presente une experimentation et propose un modele numerique de la peau de l'avant-bras. L'evolution de la chaleur est mesuree avec une camera infrarouge et les resultats ont montre une tres nette influence de la circulation sanguine sur la diffusion de la temperature.
Oviposition tests of ant preference in a myrmecophilous butterfly

Butterflies in the family Lycaenidae that have obligate associations with ants frequently exhibit ant‐dependent egg laying behaviour. In a series of field and laboratory choice tests, we assessed oviposition preference of the Australian lycaenid Jalmenus evagoras in response to different species and populations of ants. Females discriminated between attendant and nonattendant ant species, between attendant ant species, and to some extent, between populations of a single ant species. When preferences were found, ovipositing butterflies preferred their locally predominant attendant ant species and geographically proximate attendant ant populations. A reciprocal choice test using adults from a generation of butterflies reared in the absence of ants indicated a genetic component to oviposition preference. Individual females were flexible with respect to oviposition site choice, often ovipositing on more than one treatment during a trial. Preferences arose from a hierarchical ranking of ant treatments. These results are discussed in terms of local adaptation and its possible significance in the diversification of ant‐associated lycaenids.
Inference of Animal Activity From GPS Collar Data on Free-Ranging Cattle

Abstract Global positioning systems (GPSs) enable continuous and automatic tracking of an animal's position. The value of such spatial–temporal information can be improved if the corresponding activity of the animal is known. We evaluated the potential of Lotek GPS collars to predict activity of beef cattle on extensive rangeland in 2 contrasting foraging environments. Collars were configured to record animal location at intervals of 20 minutes (United States) or 5 minutes (Israel), together with counts from 2 motion sensors. Synchronized field observations of collared cows were conducted in 1999 (United States) and in 2002 and 2003 (Israel). Grazing, traveling (without grazing), and resting activities were recorded as minutes out of 20 for each category (United States), or as a single category (Israel). For the US data, stepwise regression models of grazing, traveling, and resting time accounted for 74%–84% of the variation, on the basis of the motion sensor counts for the left–right axis and the distances between GPS fixes. Regression tree analysis of grazing time yielded a simple model (4 splits) that accounted for 85% of the variation. For the Israeli data, the misclassification rates obtained by discriminant analysis and classification tree analysis of animal activity were 14% and 12%, respectively. In both analyses, almost all grazing observations were correctly classified, but other activities were sometimes misclassified as grazing. Distance alone is a poor indicator of animal activity, but grazing, traveling, and resting activities of free-ranging cattle can be inferred with reasonable accuracy from data provided by Lotek GPS collars.
On scientists’ discomfort in fisheries advisory science: the example of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluations

Scientists feel discomfort when they are asked to create certainty, where none exists, for use as an alibi in policy-making. Recently, the scientific literature has drawn attention to some pitfalls of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluation (MSE). For example, while estimates concerning central tendencies of distributions of simulation outcomes are usually fairly robust because they are conditioned on ample data, estimates concerning the tails of distributions (such as the probability of falling below a critical biomass) are usually conditional on few data and thus often rely on assumptions that have no strong knowledge base. The clients of scientific advice, such as the European Commission, are embracing the mechanization of the evaluation of proposed Harvest Control Rules against the precautionary principle and management objectives. Where the fisheries management institutions aim for simple answers from the scientists, giving ‘green/red light’ to a proposed management strategy, the scientists are forced into a split position between satisfying the demands of their advisory role and living up to the standards of scientific rigour. We argue against the mechanization of scientific advice that aims to incorporate all relevant processes into one big model algorithm that, after construction, can be run without circumspection. We rather encourage that fisheries advice should be a dynamic process of expert judgement, incorporating separate parallel concurrent, lines of scientific evidence, from quantitative and qualitative modelling exercises and factual knowledge of the biology and the fishery dynamics. This process can be formalized to a certain degree and can easily accommodate stakeholder viewpoints.
Handwritten character recognizers that using tree-edit-distance and fast nearest neighbour search Juan Ramón Rico-Juan

Although the rate of well classified prototypes using tree-edit-distance is satisfactory, the exhaustive classification is expensive. Some fast methods as AESA and LAESA have been proposed to find nearest neighbours in metric spaces. The average number of distances computed by these algorithms does not depend on the number of prototypes. In this paper we apply these classifiers algorithms to the task of handwritten character recognition and obtain a low average error rate (2%) and a fast classification.
A New Stimulus Set for Cognitive Research

A new stimulus set is described that could prove useful for a wide variety of different cognitive experiments. Each stimulus is a schematic representation of a fish and the stimulus ensemble could potentially be varied on many dimensions. These new stimuli have a number of attractive properties, including 1) a higher degree of ecological validity than most stimuli used in cognitive research, and 2) a large number of qualitatively different types of dimensions that can be varied. Psychophysical properties of the stimuli were studied in two experiments. Experiment 1 measured just noticeable differences on two prominent dimensions, and Experiment 2 used multidimensional scaling to study the structure of the underlying perceptual representations. The result is an ecologically valid stimulus set with a well-understood perceptual representation.