Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Emergence Of The IT-Enabled Extended Organizational Form In Knowledge-Intensive Firms – An Empirical Study 1 . 0

We investigate the emergence of IT-enabled organizational forms wherein firms outsource information-intensive work to offshore (and onshore) partners. We will identify knowledge intensive firms in the Financial Services and Biotech industries (in Singapore) and study the governance structures associated with strategic outsourcing in these firms. We formulate two important theoretical scales, the Knowledge Continuum which disaggregates knowledge work into its constituent units and the Value Hierarchy of Processes which orders processes by their revenue implications to firms. We use these to study the evolution of BPO contracts and explore how governance forms may evolve over time in knowledge-intensive sectors of the economy. The panel of firms that we survey will be drawn from the US, Singapore, Manila (Philippines) and India. 1 Email: raviaron@wharton.upenn. edu; Tel:(215) 573 5677. 2 Email: singhj@wharton.upenn. edu; Tel:(215) 898.6055. The Emergence Of The IT-Enabled Extended Organizational Form In Knowledge-Intensive Firms – An Empirical Study
Nonlinear Lateral Control of Vision Driven Autonomous Vehicles *

This paper presents the results of a lateral control strategy that has been applied to the problem of steering an autonomous vehicle using vision. The lateral control law has been designed for any kind of car-like vehicle presenting the Ackerman kinematic model, accounting for the vehicle velocity as a crucial parameter for adapting the steering control response. This makes the control strategy suitable for either low or high speed vehicles. The stability of the control law has been analytically proved and experimentally tested by autonomously steering Babieca, a Citroen Berlingo prototype vehicle.
Role of Boron in Vascular Plants and Response Mechanisms to Boron Stresses

To date, the primordial function of boron is its structural role in the cell wall through stabilization of molecules containing cis-diol groups (borate esters with apiose residues of rhamnogalacturonan II). Nonetheless, boron is a micronutrient also involved in a great variety of physiological processes in vascular plants. However the mechanisms underlying the various metabolic disorders caused by boron deficiency are indeed unknown. Recently it has been reported that boron deficiency and toxicity induce stress-responsive genes. In this contribution we review the mechanisms involved in boron uptake and distribution, the role of boron in vascular plants, the effects of boron deficiency and toxicity on them, as well as the interaction boron toxicity and salt stress. In addition, we discuss the most recent hypotheses proposed to explain how boron could exert its function in vascular plants from a mechanistic point of view. The importance of understanding the role of boron in plants as well as the response mechanisms to its deficiency and toxicity will allow us to improve the tolerance of crops to boron stresses. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Microdosimetric investigations at the fast neutron therapy facility at Fermilab

Microdosimetry was used to investigate three issues at the neutron therapy facility (NTF) at Fermilab. Firstly, the conversion factor from absorbed dose in A-150 tissue equivalent plastic to absorbed dose in ICRU tissue was determined. For this, the effective neutron kerma factor ratios, i.e. oxygen tissue equivalent plastic and carbon to A-150 tissue equivalent plastic, were measured in the neutron beam. An A-150 tissue equivalent plastic to ICRU tissue absorbed dose conversion factor of 0.92 {+-} 0.04 determined. Secondly, variations in the radiobiological effectiveness (RBE) in the beam were mapped by determining variations in two related quantities, e{sup *} and R, with field size and depth in tissue. Maximal variation in e{sup *} and R of 9% and 15% respectively were determined. Lastly, the feasibility of utilizing the boron neutron capture reaction on boron-10 to selectively enhance the tumor dose in the NTF beam was investigated. In the unmodified beam, a negligible enhancement for a 50 ppm boron loading was measured. To boost the boron dose enhancement to 3% it was necessary to change the primary proton energy from 66 MeV and to filter the beam by 90 mm of tungsten.
Exploring avatar roles for motivational effects in gameful environments

This paper explores avatar roles and design principles in helping to develop motivation in game environments. Different avatar applications could influence the experience of players in at least three ways: as a customisation tool, game strategy, and personal identification. These possible influences could be enhanced by the application of avatar design for motivational purposes, reflected through the integration between game design elements and the avatar implementation. This paper aims to situate avatar design as a design strategy to motivate users to change their behaviour and promote adherence to new habits. We start by reviewing the current papers that address avatar design utilisations for motivation in to Serious Games. Then, we analyse the main elements in gameful applications (e.g. Re-Mission, Pain Squad, CodeInGame and Monster Manor), in order to understand and explore the design of avatars. The analysis is followed by the development of a model for Avatar Design in Motivational contexts (ADAM), which could be used to provide the necessary guidance for designers and developers of gameful systems for motivational environments.
An investigation of ways to support older adults when using mobile interfaces

In this paper, we describe a study designed to examine the effects of modality, target size and other design features on task performance. The study has specifically focused on older adults when accessing a mobile interface. Twelve participants (aged 55-89) conducted a set of pointing and steering tasks. Targets 32px in size were found to be most effective to support pointing performance, while targets 64px in size assisted older adults when performing steering tasks. Shorter lasting steering tasks (6 seconds) were performed with lower levels of error compared with 12 second tasks. Guidance from the study offers a reference point for mobile developers interested in designing touch screen interfaces to cater to the needs of older adults.
A Review on the Page Recommendation Model using Machine Learning Approaches

The word “page or product range” means to rank the system to display the results and to provide suggestions to others. In day to day activities we rely on E-commerce ranking system such as the page indexing or product ranking of movies like reviews of movies from newspaper etc These E-commerce ranking basically help us to decide what we should opt for when we have multiple options An E-commerce ranking system (RS) helps people that have not sufficient personal experience or competence to evaluate the, potentially overwhelming, number of alternatives offered by a Web site In their simplest form RSs recommend to their users personalized and ranked lists of items Provide consumers with information to help them decide which items to purchase. In this paper, we have propsoed the improved model for the purpose of product recommendation with the higher accuracy and optimized elapsed time based parameters.
Self-sufficient sensor for oxygen detection in packaging via radio-frequency identification

Abstract. A new disposable radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor for detecting oxygen in packages with a protective atmosphere is presented. For safety reasons and system costs in consumer packages, no battery or energy harvesting devices can be used. Each part of a package, especially in food packaging, must be completely safe even if it is swallowed. Several materials have been investigated that safely react with oxygen and thus change electrical parameters without the need of an additional energy supply. In particular linseed oil was tested, because it is known to react in oxygen-containing atmosphere from liquid to solid. Linseed oil is used not only as food but also as a key part in ecological paint coatings. A significant relative change of capacity was observed during linseed oil drying, which results in −20% after 5 h and −38% after 30 h at an oxygen concentration of 20.5 and 50% relative humidity, respectively. Pure unsaturated fatty acids were also tested in an oxygen-containing atmosphere and showed similar behaviour. The reaction speed is partially dependent on the level of unsaturation of fatty acids. The oxygen sensor is coupled with an RFID front end with an internal charge time measurement unit for capacity determination. The combination of sensor element, sensitive material and RFID allows for biocompatible and save systems that indicate the presence of oxygen within a package.
Reflection of solar wind hydrogen from the lunar surface

The solar wind continuously flows out from the Sun and directly interacts with the surfaces of dust and airless planetary bodies throughout the solar system. A significant fraction of solar wind ions reflect from an object's surface as energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). ENA emission from the Moon was first observed during commissioning of the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission on 3 December 2008. We present the analysis of 10 additional IBEX observations of the Moon while it was illuminated by the solar wind. For the viewing geometry and energy range (> 250 eV) of the IBEX‐Hi ENA imager, we find that the spectral shape of the ENA emission from the Moon is well‐represented by a linearly decreasing flux with increasing energy. The fraction of the incident solar wind ions reflected as ENAs, which is the ENA albedo and defined quantitatively as the ENA reflection coefficient RN, depends on the incident solar wind speed, ranging from ~0.2 for slow solar wind to ~0.08 for fast solar wind. The average energy per incident solar wind ion that is reflected to space is 30 eV for slow solar wind and 45 eV for fast solar wind. Once ionized, these ENAs can become pickup ions in the solar wind with a unique spectral signature that reaches 3vSW. These results apply beyond the solar system; the reflection process heats plasmas that have significant bulk flow relative to interstellar dust and cools plasmas having no net bulk flow relative to the dust.
Contribution of Multi-Frequency, Multi-Sensor, and Multi-Temporal Radar Data to Operational Annual Crop Mapping

Information on agricultural land use (crop inventory) is needed by various organizations on an annual basis. To meet this operational requirement, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has carried out a multi-year (2004 - 2007), multi-sensor (Landsat TM, SPOT, RADARSAT-1, ASAR), and multi-site (five provinces: Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, P.E.I.) research activity to develop a robust methodology to inventory crops across Canada's large and diverse agricultural landscapes. Results clearly demonstrated that multi-temporal satellite data can successfully classify crops for a variety of cropping systems across Canada. Overall accuracies of at least 85% were achieved. When available, multi-temporal (2 to 3 scenes acquired at different growth stages) optical data are ideal for crop classification. However due to cloud and haze interference, good optical data are not always obtainable. A SAR-optical combination offers a good alternative. This research has found that when only one optical image is available, the addition of two ASAR images acquired in VV/VH polarization will provide acceptable accuracies. Of particular interest is the observation that with the incorporation of radar, crop inventories can be delivered earlier in the growing season.
Training HMMs in GMTK

The Graphical Models ToolKit (GMTK) is a powerful and flexible prototyping language for designing dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs). This tutorial is meant to help new users’ understanding of GMTK by presenting hidden Markov models (HMMs) which make use of some of the software’s large number of features. Generative and discriminative training approaches supported in GMTK are discussed with relevant examples, as well as testing using an HMM for a simple classification task. All described models and scripts are available in the tarball housing this document. The following examples are intended for those interested in using the Graphical Models ToolKit (GMTK) to perform various forms of inference/learning utilizing graphical models. Using GMTK, we will first train and test a hidden Markov model (HMM) whose emission states are discrete (Section 1), then train and test one whose emission states are real valued (conditionally Gaussian) (Section 2). Also discussed are generative and discriminative training approaches supported in GMTK. 1 Classifying the weather: discrete observations Consider the scenario wherein the area you work/reside only encounters three types of weather: sunny, rainy, and foggy. Assume that you go to work in an office everyday, and during your working hours you do not get to see nor experience a given days weather (you’re office also has no windows looking outside; this was my office in Hawaii ironically enough). Curiosity mounts as time goes on and you become more and more curious about what the daily weather is. Your hope lies in that you have an office mate who comes in hours later than you, and this office mate brings in an umbrella some days, and no umbrella all other days. In the framework of the HMM, the hidden layer is the state of the weather (indeed, it is hidden from you). The observed layer consists of the daily observations of weather your office mate has brought
Assessment of Ultra-Thin SiO2 Film Thickness Measurement Precision by Ellipsometry

The ellipsometric film thickness measurement precision for equivalent oxide thickness as prescribed by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors is quite high. Although short‐term precision on a single ellipsometric instrument can be quite high, deviations of measured film thickness from instrument‐to‐instrument and from lab‐to‐lab for short‐term and long‐term periods of time need to be addressed. Since the derived film thickness is dependent on many factors, each one has to be dealt with in turn. These factors include: ellipsometric instrument precision and accuracy, consistency of film/substrate modeling, optical constants, regression analysis, and film surface contamination. Recommendations for standard models and optical constants are given along with the need to ensure high ellipsometric instrument precision and accuracy and controlled film surfaces and environmental conditions. In this study ultra‐thin refers to oxide films starting at 10 nm and being as thin as the native oxide.
Changing work and OHS: the challenge of labour hire employment

The expansion of labour hire employment from traditional clerical placements to a range of blue collar occupations raises concerns about the level of occupational safety risks labour hire workers encounter. Overseas evidence points to a higher incidence and severity of injury for such workers. Is this pattern of injury replicated in Australia? This paper explores this issue through an analysis of workers’ compensation claims in Victoria, and preliminary investigation into case histories of 220 injured Victorian labour hire employees. Overseas research findings in relation to injury are confirmed through aggregate data analysis. The paper then provides a preliminary examination of agency-related employment factors such as the extent and nature of training and supervision provided by the host, and the timing of injuries in relation to commencement with the host. The evidence suggests both agency and host employers need to be more proactive in overcoming the vulnerability experienced by these workers.
Power system state estimation via globally convergent methods

This paper introduces backtracking and trust region methods into power system state estimation. The traditional Newton (Gauss-Newton) method is not always reliable particularly in the presence of bad data, topological or parameter errors. The motivation was to enhance convergence properties of the state estimator under those conditions, and together with QR factorization to make a globally convergent and reliable algorithm. The trust region formulation shows that such a model is more robust than the traditional Newton (Gauss-Newton) or Backtracking (line search) algorithm. Both algorithms have been programmed and applied to representative power networks, and the computational requirement has been found.
Access to healthcare services for people living with HIV experiencing homelessness – a literature review

Objective People living with HIV (PLHIV) who are homeless or at risk of homelessness experience significantly worse health outcomes than those in stable housing. They are more likely to be diagnosed late, use substances, engage in high–risk sexual activities and have difficulty adhering to treatments. This review identifies strategies described and evaluated in the international social science literature which can improve access to HIV–treatment and care for PLHIV who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to inform policy and service development in Australia. Setting The principle research question addressed in this review is: • What strategies enhance the ability of PLHIV who are homeless to access health care services, in particular community nursing services? A literature review of social science research relating to the research question in the international and Australian contexts was conducted. Primary argument No literature was identified that addressed access to community nursing services for PLHIV experiencing homelessness in Australia, and very little internationally. Community–based nursing organisations are well– placed and experienced in engaging marginalised groups in health care. Specific interventions need not always be developed: rather, better use could be made of existing services that utilise assertive outreach models of care and co–location with other services. Conclusion HIV–specialist community nursing services could be better integrated with homelessness services to enhance access to care, link PLHIV into the health system and keep them engaged in care. The absence of research on engagement with HIV specialist community nursing services demands exploration.
The S=1 Underscreened Anderson Lattice model for Uranium compounds

Magnetic properties of uranium and neptunium compounds showing coexistence of the Kondo effect and ferromagnetic order are investigated within the degenerate Anderson Lattice Hamiltonian, describing a 5f2 electronic configuration with S = 1 spins. Through the Schrieffer-Wolff transformation, both an exchange Kondo interaction for the S = 1 f-spins and an effective f-band term are obtained, allowing to describe the coexistence of Kondo effect and ferromagnetic ordering and a weak delocalization of the 5f-electrons. We calculate the Kondo and Curie temperatures and we can account for the pressure dependence of the Curie temperature of UTe.
A mobile ECG monitoring system with context collection

Preventative health management represents a shift from the traditional approach of reactive treatment-based healthcare towards a proactive wellness-management approach where patients are encouraged to stay healthy with expert support when they need it, at any location and any time. This work represents a step along the road towards proactive, preventative healthcare for cardiac patients. It seeks to develop a smart mobile ECG monitoring system that requests and records context information about what is happening around the subject when an arrhythmia event occurs. Context information about the subject’s activities of daily living will, it is hoped, provide an enriched data set for clinicians and so improve clinical decision making. As a first step towards a mobile cardiac wellness guideline system, the authors present a system which can receive bio-signals that are wirelessly streamed across a body area network from Bluetooth enabled electrocardiographs. The system can store signals as they arrive while also responding to significant changes in Electrocardiogram activity. The authors have developed a prototype on a handheld computer that detects and responds to changes in the calculated heart rate as detected in an ECG signal. Although the general approach taken in this work could be applied to a wide range of bio-signals, the work focuses on ECG signals. The components of the system are, - A Bluetooth receiver, data collection and storage module - A real-time ECG beat detection algorithm. - An Event-Condition-Action (E-CA) rule base which decides when to request context information from the user. — A simple user interface which can request additional information from the user. A selection of real-time ECG detection algorithms were investigated for this work and one algorithm was tested in MATLAB and then implemented in Java. In order to collect ECG signals (and in principle any signals), the generalised data collection architecture has also been developed using Java and Bluetooth technology. An Event-Condition-Action (ECA) rule based expert system evaluates the changes in heart beat interval to decide when to interact with the user to request context information.
The Deacetylase SIRT 1 Regulates the Replication Properties of Human Papillomavirus 16 E 1 and E 2

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) replicate their genomes in differentiating epithelium using the viral proteins E1 and E2 in association with host proteins. While the roles of E1 and E2 in this process are understood, the host factors involved and how they interact with and regulate E1-E2 are not. Our previous work identified the host replication and repair factor TopBP1 as an E2 partner protein essential for optimal E1-E2 replication and for the viral life cycle. The role of TopBP1 in host DNA replication is regulated by the class III deacetylase SIRT1; activation of the DNA damage response prevents SIRT1 deacetylation of TopBP1, resulting in a switch from DNA replication to repair functions for this protein and cell cycle arrest. Others have demonstrated an essential role for SIRT1 in regulation of the HPV31 life cycle; here, we report that SIRT1 can directly regulate HPV16 E1-E2-mediated DNA replication. SIRT1 is part of the E1-E2 DNA replication complex and is recruited to the viral origin of replication in an E1-E2-dependent manner. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to generate C33a clones with undetectable SIRT1 expression and lack of SIRT1 elevated E1-E2 DNA replication, in part due to increased acetylation and stabilization of the E2 protein in the absence of SIRT1. The results demonstrate that SIRT1 is a member of, and can regulate, the HPV16 replication complex. We discuss the potential role of this protein in the viral life cycle. IMPORTANCE HPV are causative agents in a number of human diseases, and currently only the symptoms of these diseases are treated. To identify novel therapeutic approaches for combating these diseases, the viral life cycle must be understood in more detail. This report demonstrates that a cellular enzyme, SIRT1, is part of the HPV16 DNA replication complex and is brought to the viral genome by the viral proteins E1 and E2. Using gene editing technology (CRISPR/Cas9), the SIRT1 gene was removed from cervical cancer cells. The consequence of this was that viral replication was elevated, probably due to a stabilization of the viral replication factor E2. The overall results demonstrate that an enzyme with known inhibitors, SIRT1, plays an important role in controlling how HPV16 makes copies of itself. Targeting this enzyme could be a new therapeutic approach for combating HPV spread and disease.