Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IMPACT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ON THE GOVERNANCE MODE DECISIONS OF ENGINEERING MANAGERS DURING THE ESTABLISMENT OF RESEARCH ALLIANCES WITH PUBLICLY FUNDED ENTITIES ABSTRACT Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) for publicly financed research and development (R&D) ensures that res

Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) for publicly financed research and development (R&D) ensures that research organisations maximise the full national value of the Intellectual Property (IP) that they generate, but potential negative spill over effects on the perceived value of a research alliance might deter an existing alliance partner from continued collaboration, or a potential alliance partner from future collaboration. This study, performed in 2010 within the context of a prominent South African research council, aimed to develop a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based Value-Mediation Governance (VMG) decision making model that will enable engineering managers at publicly financed R&D organisations to select optimal governance mode structures for the research alliances they are establishing to grow their organisations’ R&D capabilities.
Dual income taxation: the choice of the imputed rate of return

In this article we study a crucial aspect of a Dual Tax System: the choice of the imputed rate of return. Under interest rate uncertainty, its optimal value will be shown to depend on the nature of investment. Following Fane (1987), if investment is reversible, the imputation rate ensuring neutrality is proportional to the interest rate on default-free bonds. If, instead, investment is irreversible, the imputation rate must be higher, in order to compensate for the discouraging effects of irreversibility.
The Elusive Stepping Pattern

Stepping is a class of complex coordinated movements allowing a standing individual to relocate oneself locally with a potentially large body reorientation. Being a key component of numerous higher-level activities, it deserves to be studied for itself. Due to the local nature of the relocation such stepping movement is holonomic, i.e. one exploits fully two degree of mobility of instantaneous translation. This fact clearly contrasts with the sole 1D displacement along the tangent to the body trajectory in the locomotion pattern. Hence, this key difference and the absence of a periodic steady state prevent the analysis of stepping as a variant of the locomotion pattern. In this paper we present a method for recording and analyzing a wide range of stepping movements including two to five steps and reorientations up to 135°.
Optimisation of laser driven proton beams by an innovative target scheme

Proton beams driven by the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism exhibit large divergence and a broad energy distribution with low particle number at high energy. Such undesirable characteristics of the beam can be controlled and optimised by employing a recently developed helical coil technique, which exploits the transient self-charging of solid targets irradiated by intense laser pulses. Highly chromatic focusing of the broadband proton beams was achieved by employing this technique at the TARANIS laser system, where the selected energy slice was tuned by varying the pitch of the coil. A quasi-collimated, narrow energy band proton beam of ∼ 107 particles at 10 MeV was achieved, through a combination of focussing, energy selection and in-situ post-acceleration. This technique may provide a platform for a generation of compact, all-optical ion accelerators.
H ∞ control for nonlinear systems with time-varying delay using matrix-based quadratic convex approach

control problem for nonlinear system with time-varying delay is considered by using a set of improved Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals including some integral terms, and a matrix-based on quadratic convex, combined with Wirtinger's inequalities and some useful integral inequality. controller is designed via memoryless state feedback control and new sufficient conditions for the existence of the state feedback for the system are given in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained result.
Somatisation and function of HPA in fibromyalgia: an investigation using sham and true pain stimuli

Introduction: Studies have shown hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysfunction in fibromyalgia, particularly when associated with depression or anxiety. Although research has demonstrated a close relationship between fibromyalgia and somatoform disorder, there is as yet no literature on how this association affects HPA activity in fibromyalgia. We set out to investigate the influence of somatoform dimensions on HPA activity using nocebo and cold pressure test (CPT) stimuli. Method: HPA activity was compared in fibromyalgia patients (n. 20 females) and pain-free controls (n. 14 females) using a one-way between-subjects design. Blood samples were taken at 10:00–10:30 am on the tenth day after the start of menstruation in both groups, and on two consecutive days thereafter, to measure levels of cortisol and ACTH. Nocebo testing and CPT were performed in both groups 30 minutes before this procedure on days 2 and 3, respectively. The Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS), Illness Behaviour Questionnaire, and Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire 20 were used to investigate somatoform dimensions. Results and conclusions: Fibromyalgia subjects showed a statistically significant blunted cortisol variation after these three stressful stimuli, as compared to controls (F=4.41 p=0.03), a difference that was correlated with increased Somatosensory Amplification (F=6.77; p=0.01). Correspondence to: Antonella Ciaramella, Aplysia onlus, GIFT Institute for Integrative Medicine, p.za Cairoli 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy, E-mail: ciarantogift@gmail.com / antonella.ciaramella@medpat.unipi. it
The Factors That Influence The Firm Performance In The Furniture Industry Jepara

Furniture industryinJeparais one ofIndonesias main commoditiesto be proud ofandbe maintainedevenif itneeds to be improved. The industryoccupiesa strategicpositionof being ableto contributeto regional revenueby 26% byvalue ofexports ofU.S. $ 130million ormorethanRp1trillionin 2010andin 2011reachedU.S. $ 111.65million. However,exportsfromJeparafurnitureislikely to declinedue toa variety of things. This study aimstoanalyze firm performance through, market orientation, learning orientation, and innovationin furnitureindustryinJepara. The samplesin this study were110smallandmedium-sizedenterprises. Sixthhypothesis with SEManalysis resultsof the researchare: (1) learningorientationhave a significant effecton firm performance, (2) learningorientationsignificant effect oninnovation, (3) marketorientation havea significant effect oninnovation, (4) marketorientationsignificantly influence on firms performance, (5) innovationno significant effect on firm performance. Indicatorvariablesthatneed to be consideredinlearningorientationisopen-mindednessandsharingof knowledge, whiletheindicatorvariable of themarket-orientation is competitororientationasa significant effect oninnovationandfirm performance.
On the Communication Requirements of Secure and Dominant Strategy Implementation

The literature on communication requirements of goal functions (or social choice rules) mostly assume that agents act sincerely. In the case that incentive compatibility must be met, these results give only a lower bound for the number of messages needed. In this paper we show that the lower bound of sincere behavior is also an upper bound for a wide class of goal functions when the appropriate incentive compatibility requirement is secure- or dominant strategy implementation.
Superluminal crays from the Crab pulsar

A tachyonic spectral fit to the pulsed c-ray flux of the Crab is performed, based on the superluminal spectral densities generated by ultra-relativistic electrons. The c-ray wideband of the pulsar can be reproduced by a tachyonic cascade spectrum, capable of generating the spectral curvature in double-logarithmic plots as well as the extended spectral plateau defined by COMPTEL and EGRET flux points in the MeV band. Estimates on the magnetospheric electron population generating the radiation are inferred from the spectral fit, such as power-law indices, electron temperature and the electronic source count. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 95.30. Gv; 11.10. Lm; 97.60. Gb; 98.70. Sa
Impact of bush fire on grazing behaviour of herbivores in Masai Mara

Fire is commonly used in African savannas to remove long, dry, low-nutritious grass and generate fresh grass, both for livestock and wildlife. Since different herbivore species have different demands on amount and quality of biomass, bush fires might change the composition of the herbivore community. I studied how grass fires on the savannah affected habitat choice and foraging behaviour of the animals in the Masai Mara Conservancy in south-western Kenya. In August and September 2005 I observed several species of animals on burnt and non-burnt areas. Along a set of transects we recorded abundance and behaviour on burnt and non-burnt areas. Each of the 54 transects was 1000 m long and 300 m wide, thus covering an area of 0.3 km2. The study was carried out during August and September 2005, after fires in June and October 2004 and July 2005. We placed 18 transects on areas burnt one month ago, 18 were burnt in the previous year, and 18 were controls which had not been burnt for at least two years. Recently burnt areas provided less biomass but of higher energy and protein content with less fibre than controls and areas burnt during the previous year. All observations were made between 6.30 am and 18.30 pm. This range of time was divided into 12 one-hour periods, and during the study each transect was driven once in each one-hour period. From 35 observed species I present data from the most frequent species; blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli), Thomson's gazelle (Gazella thomsonii), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), African elephant (Loxodonta africana), buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and topi (Damaliscus lunatus) were more thoroughly examined. Wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle and warthog were all found in larger numbers the burnt areas. There were more zebras on burnt areas but I failed to show a statistical significance. Zebra and Thomson were on areas with shortest grass of highest quality and wildebeest on medium-high grass. Buffalo and elephant were predominantly found on tall grass. Although the elephants were only observed on tall grass, the observations were too few to generate a significant difference. There was no significant difference in the numbers of topis on the burnt and non-burnt areas, respectively. Differences between species can be explained in part by the anatomy and physiology of their digestive systems, and could also be affected by the increased visibility of predators in the shorter vegetation on the burnt areas. With these data we gain knowledge on how fires can be used to influence vegetation and abundance of herbivore
Along-Strike Discontinuity of Active Normal Faults and Its Influence on Quaternary Travertine Deposition; Examples From Western Turkey

Detail mapping of active fault zones bounding four travertine masses in the Gediz and Menderes grabens of western Turkey revealed that they are divided into geometric fault segments up to 13 km long. Fissures, supplying the carbonate-rich waters that give rise to the travertines are preferentially developed at the ends of the fault segments or in extensional step-over zones where the offset between the fault strands is about 1 km or more. The deposition of travertines in such structural settings is probably a consequence of the network of fissures supplying the carbonate-rich waters being highly interconnected where extensional strains were complex. It follows that during a neotectonic survey directed at finding active faults and identifying potentially hazardous segment boundaries it might be worthwhile searching for, and surveying, late Quaternary travertine bodies. Because the orientations of fissures and the long axes of fissure-ridges are related to local stresses in and around step-over zones, caution should be exercised when employing fissure orientations during regional palaeostress reconstructions. The main boundary faults penetrating down at depths probably act as the main deep conduits for the carbonate-rich thermal waters to ascend to the surface along the graben margins in the study area. However, at shallow depths in step-over zones and adjacent to fault tips, waters also probably flow through the complex fracture networks that commonly occur in these areas.
COMPUTATION OF MAGNETIC FORCES IN MOVING COIL DRIVERS USING MEAN AND DIFFERENCE POTENTIALS

The purpose of the work is to investigate the performance of the mean and difference potentials method for the calculation of magnetic forces using a test problem that is axisymmetric and unbounded. The force-displacement characteristic of a conventional loudspeaker’s moving coil is firstly obtained by the mean and difference potentials technique, and this characteristic is compared to those produced by the methods of weighted Maxwell stress tensor and Lorentz force. The alternative approach to the calculation of forces and torques combines the principles of virtual work and superposition, and can be applied to any sequence of magnetically linear boundary-value problems which differ only in the placement of their excitations. The method avoids numerical differentiation entirely, and the numerical integrations are performed in the regions containing the field sources, wherein the field distributions are usually homogeneous and less prone to numerical error. The nonlinearity and asymmetry of the force-displacement characteristic obtained by the mean and difference potentials approach are in accordance with the physical understanding of the device, and the force values are computationally equivalent to those produced by the benchmark force methods.
High-Order Interpolation for Predicting Decisions and Recovering Missing Data

We propose a scheme for improving existing tools for recovering and predicting decisions based on singular value decomposition. Our main contribution is an investigation of advantages of using a functional, rather than linear approximation of the response of an unknown, complicated model. A significant attractive feature of the method is the demonstrated ability to make predictions based on a highly filtered data set. An adaptive high-order interpolation is constructed, that estimates the relative probability of each possible decision. The method uses a flexible nonlinear basis, capable of utilizing all the available information. We demonstrate that the prediction can be based on a very small fraction of the training set. The suggested approach is relevant in the general field of manifold learning, as a tool for approximating the response of the models based on many parameters. Our experiments show that the approach is at least competitive with other latent factor prediction methods, and that the precision of prediction grows with the increase in the order of the polynomial basis.
Fiscal Policy in the United States: Automatic Stabilizers, Discretionary Fiscal Policy Actions, and the Economy

We examine the effects of the economy on the government budget as well as the effects of the budget on the economy. First, we provide measures of the effects of automatic stabilizers on budget outcomes at the federal and state and local levels. For the federal government, the deficit increases about 0.35 percent of GDP for each 1 percentage point deviation of actual GDP relative to potential GDP. For state and local governments, the deficit increases by about 0.1 percent of GDP. We then examine the response of the economy to the automatic stabilizers using the FRB/US model by comparing the response to aggregate demand shocks under two scenarios: with the automatic stabilizers in place and without the automatic stabilizers. Second, we provide measures of discretionary fiscal policy actions at the federal and state and local levels. We find that federal policy actions are somewhat counter-cyclical while state and local policy actions have been somewhat pro-cyclical. Finally, we evaluate the impact of the budget, from both automatic stabilizers and discretionary actions, on economic activity in 2008 and 2009.
Families of graphs with maximum nullity equal to zero forcing number

Abstract The maximum nullity of a simple graph G, denoted M(G), is the largest possible nullity over all symmetric real matrices whose ijth entry is nonzero exactly when fi, jg is an edge in G for i =6 j, and the iith entry is any real number. The zero forcing number of a simple graph G, denoted Z(G), is the minimum number of blue vertices needed to force all vertices of the graph blue by applying the color change rule. This research is motivated by the longstanding question of characterizing graphs G for which M(G) = Z(G). The following conjecture was proposed at the 2017 AIM workshop Zero forcing and its applications: If G is a bipartite 3- semiregular graph, then M(G) = Z(G). A counterexample was found by J. C. -H. Lin but questions remained as to which bipartite 3-semiregular graphs have M(G) = Z(G). We use various tools to find bipartite families of graphs with regularity properties for which the maximum nullity is equal to the zero forcing number; most are bipartite 3-semiregular. In particular, we use the techniques of twinning and vertex sums to form new families of graphs for which M(G) = Z(G) and we additionally establish M(G) = Z(G) for certain Generalized Petersen graphs.
Fibrinogen Synthesis in the Lung in Response to Particulate Air Pollution

The mechanisms by which elevated levels of particulate air pollution increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV)-related deaths remain unclear. A role for plasma fibrinogen has been proposed with the suggestion that particle induced inflammation in the lung may stimulate an hepatic acute phase response and thereby increase plasma fibrinogen concentration, a known risk factor for CV disease. Human alveolar epithelial cells have been reported to synthesize fibrinogen and we therefore investigated the possibility that particle deposition may, through direct and indirect mechanisms, induce local alveolar production of fibrinogen. Here we present data to suggest that PM 10 exposure could stimulate alveolar epithelial cell synthesis of fibrinogen indirectly, through the induction of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6. Locally produced fibrinogen may exacerbate pulmonary inflammation and potentially contribute to systemic levels of plasma fibrinogen, thereby increasing the risk of CV responses in susceptible, PM 10 exposed individuals.
Artificial Neural Networks based Approach for Predicting LVDT Output Characteristics

This paper presents a novel approach for training and output prediction of data of a Linear variable differential transformer (LVDT). LVDT is a commonly used device used in laboratories for measuring linear displacements in specific situations. This article considers application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for learning and output estimation of LVDT. Real-time experiments were conducted and results were collected for training of ANNs. The Regression results and outputs verified the learning and prediction capability of ANNs.
The λ-Characteristics of the Ring Laser Based on Non-Uniform SOA

Semiconductor optical amplifier-based ring cavity laser (SOA-RL), which has been widely used in optical communications, optical fiber sensing, and biophotonics fields, can be tuned at an ultra high speed up to Mega Hertz over 100 nm bandwidth range with high SNR and flatness output. A steady-state model and segmentation algorithms are employed to investigate the gain spectra of four kinds of non-uniform SOA and the lasing wavelength of the SOA-RL. It shows that the dependence of the lasing wavelength on the average width is stronger when the light propagates from narrower to wider end than conversely, and there are some particular structures to show ultra high stability lasing wavelength. It is supposed that the main reason could be the carrier density distribution along the propagation.
Analysis of Firm Risk around S&P 500 Index Changes

In this study we extend the work of Vijh (1994), Barberis, Shleifer, and Wurgler (2005), Denis, McConnell, Ovtchinnikov and Yu (2003) and Geppert, Ivanov and Karels (2011) by examining the effects of the addition to or deletion from the S&P 500 index on the firm's Fama - French four factor model loadings before and after the event. We find that added to and deleted from the S&P 500 index firms experience unique sensitivity to the Small cap minus Big cap (SMB) and momentum (UMD) factors. This finding and robustness tests indicate that addition to and deletion from the S&P 500 index have a unique and profound fundamental effect on the added and deleted firm.
Species-Specific Knowledge About the Environment: A Biophilosophical View

The biological work of Jacob von Uexkull (1934) raised an hypothesis that different animal species living in the same environment would have different knowledge about it. He suggested that each species perceives the world according to the structure of their effectors. In this essay I discuss mechanisms in the animal brain possibly responsible for the "embodied" or "pragmatic" character of cognition.
The Politics of Decentralized Natural Resource Governance

As human populations and their demands on natural resources continue to grow, citizens and officials from around the world search ever more intensely for effective solutions to environmental problems. Various factors conspire to make natural resources difficult to govern well. First, since many larger scale natural resources can be common pool resources, they pose different—and arguably more difficult—challenges to governance than private or public goods. Second, the use of natural resources can produce significant externalities. Third, the complex spatial and temporal boundaries of natural resources along with their potential externalities rarely conform to existing political institutions. Environmental problems often take decades or even centuries to emerge; their solutions may take equally long.
The role of market orientation on market chaos: A case study fast food industry

Article history: Received October 28, 2013 Received in revised format 25 November 2013 Accepted 19 January 2014 Available online January 23 2014 This paper investigates the effect of market orientation on small businesses active in fast food industry. Using a simple random method, the study selects a sample 278 fast food units out of approximately 1000 existing restaurants in city of Tehran, Iran. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale and distributes it among regular fast food consumers. Using structural equation modeling, the study has detected that there were positive and meaningful relationships between continuous changes on consumer preferences on products and services on one side and market orientation on the other side.
Interaction of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized by laser target evaporation with polyacrylamide in composites and ferrogels

Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with average diameter 11.7 nm synthesized by laser target evaporation were used for the synthesis of composites and ferrogels based on polyacrylamide network. The chemical composition of MNPs corresponded to maghemite. It was shown that intact MNPs strongly interacted with polyacrylamide polymeric network, while the adsorption of electrostatic stabilizer on the surface of MNPs efficiently prevents such interaction. Synthesis of ferrogels was performed by the radical polymerization of acrylamide in electrostatically stabilized suspensions of MNPs in water. It was shown that the molecular structure, water uptake, and compression modulus can be controlled by the concentration of monomer taken in the synthesis.