Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DOES HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BASED ON CREATIVITY ENHANCE THE INNOVATION CAPABILITY? - AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF FRENCH FIRMS

Nowadays, the competitive advantage of firms is mainly based on innovation. Rough competition and market globalization stimulate firms to conceive and offer a high added value in products and services. Performance of organizations depends more and more on their capability of innovation. The capability of innovation can be defined as the ability of the firm to combine knowledge and management practices in a dynamic way in order to create new products, services, and processes and to respond to the changing environments. Amongst all the resources of the firms, only human resources can innovate. Some specific characteristics of formal and informal structure, communication, culture, management and human resources management practices are able to create an environment that facilitate new ideas’ generation and innovation from all employees. Our paper aims to investigate the relationship between human resources management practices and innovation performance. We realized an exploratory study with 37 French companies based on the innovation capability model of M. Terziovski. Using non-metric tests we were able to suggest some promising links between human resources management based on creativity and innovation performance measured by criteria such as: new products’ turnover, number of innovations, and time of innovation adoption.
Demography of Alberta Grizzly Bears: 1999-2009

This report presents estimates of adult survival, cub survival, and reproductive rate for grizzly bears collared as part of the Foothills Research Institute’s Grizzly Bear Program (FRIGBP) for the period 1999-2009, along the eastern slopes of Alberta. The estimates from this study are compared to estimates from longer-term studies to allow a relative assessment of the status of bear populations obtained from the FRIGB program.
COMPARISON OF THERAPEUTIC VALUES BETWEEN LEUKOTRIENE RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST (MONTELUKAST) AND INHALED GLUCOCORTICOIDE (BECLOMETHASONE PROPIONATE) IN BRONCHIAL ASTHMA OF ADULTS

Objective: To compare therapeutic values between leukotriene receptor antagonists (Monteleukast) and inhaled glucocorticoide (Beclomethasone) in naturally occurring bronchial asthma of adults. Methodology: A total of 765 patients suffering from various respiratory disorders were examined. All of them were adults and belonged to the male gender. Comparison of therapeutic values between the administration of Monteleukast and inhalation of Beclomethasone in naturally occurring bronchial asthma in adults was studied. Results: Out of 765 patients examined, sixty (7.8%) were diagnosed to be asthmatics on the basis of characteristic symptoms, physical and clinical examinations and Lab tests. The patients had persistent cough, wheezing, chest tightness, suffocation and shortness of breath, anxiety and nocturnal paroxysms. They represented 36.6% businessmen, 28.3% textile workers, 18.3% teachers, 10% hospital employees and 6.6% students. All of them were hospitalized for two weeks in the Ali ward of the Divisional Headquarters (DHQ) hospital; Faisalabad. The first group of 30 patients selected randomly was treated for 8 weeks with Monteleukast and the second group of the remaining 30 patients with inhalation of Beclomethasone for the same period. The enzyme, Alanin Transaminase (ALT) was found elevated in all the 30 patients treated with Monteleukast (P<0.001). The Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) of the patients treated with both Monteleukast and Beclomethasone was measured. The mean values of PEFR values obtained with Monteleukast differed favourably for the 1st and 3 rd week (P<0.05) and relatively so during later weeks which was also statistically similar to that of Beclomethasone. The age of the patients appeared to remain uninfluenced with the protocols of the two medicines. Conclusions: The treatment with Montelukast resulted in rise of the enzyme, ALT in all the asthmatic patients and their PEFR values showed more favorable results for the 1st and 3 rd weeks and relatively so around 6 th week and later which was statistically similar to that of Beclomethasone. The age of the patients showed no variations in PEFR values obtainrd with the two types of medication used.
COMPARISON OF THE PROPERTIES OF WOOD AND PULP FIBERS FROM LODGEPOLE PINE ( Pinus contorta ) AND SCOTS PINE ( Pinus sylvestris )

In this study, the relationship between the properties of the wood and kraft pulp fibers as well as paper characteristics of 27-year-old trees, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), was assessed. All trees had been grown in Latvia, within the same forest type, Myrtillosa. Wood density, year ring width, chemical composition and cross-sectional cell wall dimensions were measured. Fiber characteristics were determined, and handsheets were made for all samples from unbeaten kraft pulp. The results showed that the amount of latewood had a positive correlation with wood density for both species and with further positive impact on the paper burst index. Also, slight differences in cross-sectional dimensions were observed. Lodgepole pine provided paper with higher burst strength than Scots pine. Since the former is of higher density, less wood per volume is needed to produce a ton of pulp, and results showed a higher pulp yield in the case of lodgepole pine.
Forecasting Crude Oil Price with Multiscale Denoising Ensemble Model

Crude oil price becomes more volatile and sensitive to increasingly diversified influencing factors with higher level of deregulations worldwide. Current methodologies are being challenged as they have been constrained by traditional approaches assuming homogeneous time horizons and investment strategies. Approximations they provided over the long term time horizon no longer satisfy the accuracy requirement at shorter term and more microlevels. This paper proposes a novel crude oil price forecasting model based on the wavelet denoising ARMA models ensemble by least square support vector regression with the reduced forecasting matrix dimensions by independent component analysis. The proposed methodology combines the multi resolution analysis and nonlinear ensemble framework. The wavelet denoising based algorithm is introduced to separate and extract the underlying data components with distinct features, corresponding to investors with different investment scales, which are modeled with time series models of different specifications and parameters. Then least square support vector regression is introduced to nonlinearly ensemble results based on different wavelet families to further reduce the estimation biases and improve the forecasting generalizability. Empirical studies show the significant performance improvement when the proposed model is tested against the bench-mark models.
Discovering the Virtual Fingerprint: Analyzing Embodiment, Immersion, and Player Personality in Video Games

This thesis set out to explore embodiment, immersion, and personalities in massively multiplayer video games (MMOGs), in particular how players become immersed in a virtual world. Immersion is a focal point in the gaming experience in which players communicate directly with the digital medium. Scholarship has argued that games have specific immersive qualities that draw players into them including storytelling, social and emotional reasoning, among others (Calleja, 2011). Each player has a particular preference as to what immerses them the most in a game. In addition, research has concluded that gamers have unique personalities that they portray while they embody themselves in these virtual environments (Yee, 2007). These personalities align with characteristics of immersion, but the models have not been cross examined until now. Through the correlational analysis of data gathered by MMOG players, relationships between the models became evident. Results were used to develop virtual fingerprints for each personality, or how each persona becomes immersed in an online video game. DISCOVERING THE VIRTUAL FINGERPRINT iv
ASSESSMENT OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN YEAST AND BARLEY BY RETROTRANSPOSON-BASED MOLECULAR MARKERS

Five Molecular genetics techniques (RAPD, ISSRs, IRAP, REMAP and RRAP) were used to study the genetic diversity in five yeast strains and six barley cultivars. New two retrotransposon-based primers (ScM1 and ScM2) were designed. RAPD technique represented the highest polymorphism percentages per primer compared with the other four techniques. ISSR primers represented polymorphism percentages more than IRAP primers in yeast, but lower in barley. Both REMAP and RRAP combinations showed similar results either in yeast or barley. Retrotransposon-based techniques (IRAP, RAP and REMAP) showed more number of bands more than those non-retrotransposon (RAPD and ISSRs) based techniques which make them a useful approach as molecular markers.
Biomimicry in Architecture

In the search of sustainable building design and technology Biomimicry is an alternative solution. The inspiration from nature is driving force in architecture, resulting in majestic works of architecture. Biomimicry is about solution refined and developed by nature. For any sustainable building design, need to consider structural efficiency, water efficiency, zero-waste systems, thermal environment, and energy supply. Biomimicry is about solutions. Biological organisms refined and developed by natural selection over a billion year research and development period can be seen as embodying technologies, functions, and systems that are solutions to the problem of surviving in nature. These problems are often equivalent to those encountered by humans as we seek new ways to design and live sustainably, and in many cases have solved the same problems with a far greater economy of means. This paper aims at revealing how radical increase in resource efficiency can be achieved by looking to the nature for inspiration. Exploring the application of Biomimicry in current architectural design, resulting in a set of design approaches, levels and principles. The paper also discuss about the architects work inspired by nature.
The use of Rough Set and Spatial Statistic in evaluating the Periurban Fringe

The distinction among urban, peri-urban and rural areas inside a territory represents a classical example of uncertainty in land classification. The transition among the three classes is not much clear and can be described with Sorites Paradox, considering the residential buildings and the settlements. Peri-urban fringe can be considered as a transition zone between urban and rural areas, as an area with its own intrinsic organic rules, as a built area without formal organisation or as an abandoned rural area contiguous to urban centres. In any case, concepts as density of buildings, services and infrastructures or the degree of rural, residential and industrial activities, will lead to uncertainty in defining classes, due to the uncertainty in combining some properties. One of the methods which can be utilized is the rough sets theory, which represents a different mathematical approach to uncertainty capturing the indiscernibility. The definition of a set is connected to information knowledge and perception about phenomena. Some phenomena can be classified only in the context of the information available about them. Two different phenomena can be indiscernible in some contexts and classified in the same way (Pawlak 83). The rough sets approach to data analysis hinges on two basic concepts, the lower approximation which considers all the elements that doubtlessly belong to the class, and the upper approximation which includes all the elements that possibly belong to the class. The rough sets theory furthermore takes into account only properties which are independent. This approach has been tested in the case of study of Potenza Province. This area, located in Southern Italy, is particularly suitable to the application of this theory, because it includes 100 municipalities with different number of inhabitants, quantity of services and distance from the main road infrastructures.
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL STATE SPACE OF PERCEPTION

A typical traditional psychophysics has been concerned with a functional relation between a single sensory dimension and a single physical dimension. However, a perceptual object is usually defined by many perceptual dimensions and related to many physical dimensions. Accordingly a multidimensional state-space model of perception is proposed. The state space of visual perception consists of several dimensions including perceptual dimensions of color, shape, size, as well as spatial dimensions. A point in the state space represents a perceptual object which has some color, size, shape, and is located at a certain point in the visual space of an observer. Different points in the state space correspond to different perceptual objects in some perceptual characteristics and/or in location. Distances between these points correspond to differences in perceptual characteristics and/or perceived spatial separation. Interactions between different points indicate some perceptual phenomena related to these objects, e.g. perceptual grouping, apparent motion, etc.
The role of coastal ocean variation in spatial and temporal patterns in survival and size of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Interannual and decadal variability in ocean survival of salmon are well known, but the mechanisms through which environmental variability exerts its effects are poorly understood. Data on hatchery-reared coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from individual releases (1973-1998) along the species' entire North American range were analyzed to provide information on survival and size. Three geographic regions (north of Vancouver Island, Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia, and the outer coast south of the tip of Vancouver Island) showed coherent trends in survival and size of returning fish. Within each region, multivariate nonlinear models were used to relate coho survival and final size to spatially and temporally tailored environmental variables at time periods of release, jack return, and adult return. The most important environmental variable, as indicated by the highest amount of variance explained, was a calculated proxy for mixed-layer depth, followed by sea level. In all regions, survival and adult size were most influenced by environmental conditions at the release time. A shallow mixed layer was associated with increased survival and decreased size in all regions. Improved understanding of the relationship between environmental conditions and size and survival of coho salmon provides insight into production patterns in the coastal ocean.
STRUCTURE RELATIONS FOR ORTHOGONAL POLYNOMIALS

We show how to derive structure relations for general orthogonal polynomials, that is, we find operators whose action on pn is a combination of pn and pn+1 with variable coeficients. We also provide an analogue of the string equation for general orthogonal polynomials. We explore the connection with Toda lattice and polynomials orthogonal with respect to general exponential weights.
Emergent gravity/Non-linear U(1) gauge theory correspondence

Kaluza-Klein gravity is revisted, with renewed interest, in a type IIB string theory on $S^1\times K3$. The irreducible curvature tensors are worked out in the, T-dual, emergent gravity in 4D to yield a non-linear U(1) gauge theory. Interestingly, the T-duality may be seen to describe an open/closed string duality at a self-dual string coupling. The obtained deformation in $AdS_5$ black hole is analyzed to introduce the notion of temperature in the emergent gravity underlying the recent idea of entropic force.
Generalized Causal Dynamical Triangulations in two dimensions

In this thesis we describe a generalization of two-dimensional Causal Dynamical Triangulations (CDT) that relaxes the time-layering condition and was introduced by Jordan [32]. We present two closely related models which we call bubble generalized CDT (gCDT) and spiral gCDT and we set the first steps towards finding an analytical solution to both of the models. After reformulating the method of solving two-dimensional CDT analytically via the transfer matrices, as presented in [13], we devise a similar approach for the bubble gCDT model. We perform the first calculations towards building several simplified versions of the model. We then introduce the framework of matrix models in order to formulate the CDT matrix model that was introduced in [15] and present a generalization for spiral gCDT. We finish with a general discussion of other approaches to gCDT in two dimensions. Painting on the cover by Anneke Kerkhof Generalized CDT in two dimensions CONTENTS
Can loyalty schemes really build loyalty

Customer loyalty schemes have blossomed in the era of customer retention, and have been willingly embraced by both retailers and consumers alike. Today’s loyalty schemes are modelled on the AAdvantage Programme; a frequent flier programme initiated by American Airlines in 1981, and lessons from the air‐line industry are briefly introduced. The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which loyalty schemes really can build loyalty. In order to do this, four categories of loyalty as identified in the literature are considered. Given existing criticisms of loyalty schemes it is concluded that such schemes have an important role to play in situations where no loyalty or spurious loyalty is evident. However, where sustainable loyalty is the ultimate goal, customer loyalty schemes are of importance only as part of a coherent value proposition.
Characterization of Crn7, a novel mammalian Golgi protein

Coronins constitute an evolutionarily conserved family of WD-repeat actin-binding proteins, which can be clearly classified into two distinct groups based on their structural features. All coronins possess a conserved basic N-terminal motif and three to ten WD repeats clustered in one or two core domains. Dictyostelium and mammalian coronins are important regulators of the actin cytoskeleton, while the fly Dpod1 and the yeast coronin proteins crosslink both actin and microtubules. Apart from that, several coronins have been shown to be involved in vesicular transport. C. elegans POD-1 and Drosophila coro regulate the actin cytoskeleton, but also govern vesicular trafficking as indicated by mutant phenotypes. In both organisms, defects in cytoskeleton and trafficking lead to severe developmental defects ranging from abnormal cell division to aberrant formation of morphogen gradients. Crn7 is a ubiquitous mammalian coronin family member. The protein is distributed between the cytosol and Golgi, where it is present at the outer side of the membrane. Golgi localization of Crn7 depends on tyrosine phosphorylation and the integrity of ER-to-Golgi transport. The protein intimately associates with the Golgi membrane and does not require coatomer for its localization. Crn7 is an essential protein, as its knockdown by RNAi leads to a dramatic time- and concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability. Crn7 RNAi cells display scattered Golgi morphology, as demonstrated by electron and light microscopy. Most importantly, the knockdown leads to the block of protein export from the Golgi complex, while the import into the organelle, both anterograde and retrograde, remains unaffected. Further, I established that Crn7 interacts with AP-1 adaptor protein complex participating in the Golgi export by linking cargoes to the clathrin coat. The Golgi complex is the central protein sorting organelle in eukaryotic cells. The Golgi architecture varies significantly between species and cell types, but the organelle executes principally the same function. Upon the cargo protein entry from the endoplasmic reticulum, resident Golgi enzymes modify the cargo in a way that proteins destined to take different transport routes can be biochemically distinguished between and selectively recruited to the corresponding export carriers. We suggest that Golgi-localized Crn7 can function by regulating the cargo export from the Golgi, and thus affect protein sorting and trafficking along the biosynthetic pathway. We anticipate that Crn7 is recruited to the Golgi membranes by cytosolic portions of non-YxxPhi cargoes and cargo proteins, and interacts with AP-1 to allow the Golgi export of such cargoes/receptors.
To cut or not to cut: can Graph Cutting Improve Microarray Gene Expression Reconstruction?

Microarrays produce high-resolution image data that are, unfortunately, permeated with a great deal of “noise” that must be removed for precision purposes. This paper present s a novel technique for such a removal process. On completion of this non-trivial task, a new surface (devoid of gene spots) is subtracted from the original to render more precise gene expressions. The Graph-Cutting technique as implemented has the benefit that only the most appropriate pixels are replaced. This means the influence of outliers and other artefacts are handled more appropriately (than in previous methods) as well as the variability of the final gene expressions being considerably reduced. Experiments are carried out to test the technique again st commercial and previously researched reconstruction methods.
An Automatic Network Live Migration Mechanism for Cloud Computing

The Cloud Computing is the most popular topic at present that allows creating their services on a virtual network environment. The migration mechanism was proposed to provide services, computing jobs and resources moved from a virtual environment to another virtual environment, and service providers can fit out their logic network architectures to offer services for user requirements. In the paper, the migration mechanisms were classified into host migration, resource migration, and network migration. The network migration mechanism can move the set of services and resources from a set of virtual/real machines to another set of virtual/real machines and reconfigure the network configuration automatically based on the migrated network environment. To achieve this, the proposed mechanism is implemented based on Open vSwitch and XEN, and integrates the existing network protocols. In our experimental results, we confirm that the proposed mechanism can provide live
Uncertainty and International Banking

We develop a new measure of uncertainty derived from bank-level data. We apply the measure of firm-level uncertainty developed by Bloom and others (2012) to banking. Uncertainty is measured as the cross-sectional dispersion of shocks to banking-sector specific variables. We then analyze how uncertainty in banking affects lending by domestic and foreign-owned banks. We find that, first, higher uncertainty in banking has negative effects on bank lending. Second, the effect is heterogeneous across banks: Lending by banks which are better capitalized and have higher liquidity buffers tends to be affected less. Third, foreign-owned banks do not react differently to uncertainty in the host country compared to domestically-owned banks.
Effect of the Safe Fall Programme on Children’s Health and Safety: Dealing Proactively with Backward Falls in Physical Education Classes

The aim of this study is to show that the implementation of the Safe Fall programme in physical education classes can help to reduce the negative effects of unintentional backward falls in the adolescent population, by teaching them how to protect themselves when falling. A quasi-experimental research design was applied in a sample of 120 children (M = 15.1 years, SD = 2.45), attending a secondary school in Seville (Spain). Data was collected on an ad hoc observation scale INFOSECA (which records five basic elements during a backward fall: position of the neck, the hands, the trunk, the hips, and the knees), applying descriptive, correlational, and contrast statistics. The criteria for considering statistical significance was p < 0.05 in McNemar’s test. The data indicates that learning safe and protected ways of falling backward is possible through the implementation of the Safe Fall programme, and no differences were found in terms of gender.