Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction of a Decision Analysis Tool for Choosing Corporate Environmental Management Systems

Environmental managers are continually faced with new challenges to improve stakeholder relationships, save money and reduce the organization's environmental footprint. Many of these challenges can be efficiently addressed by implementation of an environmental management system (EMS). However, there are a number of different environmental management systems which are available, from industry specific standards such as the Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS) to international standards such as ISO14001. Selecting the system that is the best fit for an organization is a challenge, especially for smaller organizations with limited resources. Fortunately, multicriteria decision analysis is well-suited to this type of decision problem. The objective of this project was to construct a decision analysis tool to differentiate among various environmental management systems based on organizations' preferences. The project focused on three environmental management systems: ISO14001, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and The Natural Step (TNS). The tool was built using the expertise of environmental management system practitioners to evaluate the systems on criteria representing financial, logistical and environmental goals. I tested the tool using the preferences of environmental managers at four facilities: one small chemical facility, one large chemical facility, one small manufacturing facility and one large manufacturing facility, to show that the tool is useful. I then improved the tool's accuracy and user-friendliness based on comments from a typical user. The results showed that the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme system scored best on the majority of attributes, and thus was the preferred alternative for three out of four sample cases. Additionally, the most important attributes amongst all respondents in the overall evaluation were verification reliability and environmental stewardship. Organizations want to know that their system is verifiable and that it will help prepare them for future environmental challenges. Slight similarities in the importance rating of attributes were seen between the facilities of equivalent size, especially with respect to those attributes which helped to improve shareholder return. iii Overall, the process demonstrated that how an EMS is implemented at an organization will be based on the preferences of the organization and what they are hoping to accomplish with their system. While some organizations want to focus on saving money, others choose to focus on a reduction in emissions. The decision analysis tool I developed is flexible enough to accommodate such differences in priorities. Finally, this research showed that none of these three systems scored perfectly on all company objectives. It is possible to …
Meeting energy demand and global warming by integrating renewable energy into the grid

Capricorn Coast's is the most promising and growing regions in Queensland, Australia due to the national and international ecological icon Great Keppel Island and the Great Barrier Reef. Over the last couple of decades, these places attracted the attention of the local communities, national and international tourists which caused steady growth of population in the Capricorn Coast region. This growing population has not only increased the electricity demand but also caused significant damages to the climate in many ways. In this study, a feasibility study has been carried out to explore the potential for deployment of both small-scale and large-scale renewable energy in the Capricorn Coast region to meet the growing energy demand and reduce global warming. Hybrid renewable energy model has been developed using HOMER and RETScreen simulation software to investigate the cost-economic and climate-friendly attributes of the systems. Simulation study clearly indicates that renewable energy not only meets the energy-crisis but it is also economically viable and can play an active role in improving climate of the Capricorn Coast region.
Consumer Market Research Handbook

PART ONE: TECHNIQUES OF MARKET RESEARCH. Introduction (R.M. Worcester). Chapters: 1. Desk Research (N. Newson-Smith). 2. Qualitative Research and Motivation Research (P. Sampson). 3. Experimental Designs and Models (J. Rothman). 4. Sampling (M. Collins). 5. Questionnaire Design (J. Morton-Williams). 6. Interviewing and Field Control (J.F. Drakeford and V. Farbridge). 7. Trade Research (B. Pymont and G. Welch). 8. Panel Research (J. Parfitt). 9. Omnibus Surveys (R. Davies). 10. Telephone, Mail Order and Other Techniques (L. England and P. Arnold). 11. Editing, Coding, and Processing of Market Research Data (G.W. Roughton). 12. Statistics and Significance Testing (P. Harris). 13. Multivariate Analysis of Market Research Data (C. Holmes). PART TWO: USE OF CONSUMER MARKET RESEARCH. Introduction (J. Downham). Chapters: 14. Segmenting and Constructing Markets (T. Lunn). 15. Research for New Product Development (C. Greenhalgh). 16. Advertising Research (M. Lovell). 17. Packaging Research (W. Schlackman and D. Chittenden). 18. Research on 'Below the Line' Expenditure (M. Simmons). 19. Market Testing and Experimentation (J. Davis). 20. Market Modelling (T. Lunn, C. Blamires and D. Seaman). 21. Corporate Image Research (R.M. Worcester). 22. Market Research in the Financial Field (J.F. Swift and R.J. Stubbs). 23. International Market Research (J. Downham). 24. Print Media Research (M. Brown). 25. Television Media Research (W.A. Tyman). 26. Radio, Outdoor and Cinema Research (F. Teer). Bibliography. Biographies of Contributors. ICC/ESOMAR International Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice. Index.
Efficient Linear Amplification Using Digitally Predistorted Overdriven Power Amplifiers

This paper investigates the effects of crest factor reduction and digital predistortion on the performances of communication and broadcasting systems. The overdrive of digitally predistorted power amplifiers is proposed for power efficient linear amplification of amplitude modulated signals having high peak to average power ratio. This is achieved by adding, at the input of the digital predistortion system, a clipping function to allow for an overdrive of the linearized power amplifier while meeting spectrum emission mask linearity requirements. The proposed technique is experimentally validated using a GaN Doherty power amplifier driven by long-term evolution (LTE) signals. Measurement results show that the overdriven power amplifier can deliver up to 2.5 dB extra output power, up to 80% enhancement in the power utilization factor, and up to 20% relative increase in the power efficiency while being compliant with the linearity requirements of the LTE standard.
Living the Thai Life—A Case Study of Volunteer Tourism at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, Thailand

Despite the growth of the volunteer tourism market, and the coverage afforded by the popular press, volunteer tourism has received little academic attention. This paper is based on an ethnographic case study of volunteering at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) in Thailand. The study explored the relationship between volunteers, their volunteering experiences and the outcomes that eventuated. The study findings revealed that volunteers were provided with substantial opportunities to make positive contributions to wildlife conservation. However, the findings also demonstrated that the volunteering experience was much more than just the work duties carried out at the project. Volunteers also engaged in local village life and undertook tourist activities, and the current paper focuses on these aspects of the volunteering experience. Living in shared accommodation at the project headquarters, in a small village on the island of Phuket, volunteers' free time was spent socialising and sightseeing with other volunteers and local Thais. Thus, volunteers were able to go beyond the superficial interactions that travel is often restricted to. Indeed, many volunteers discussed how living in this way enabled them to become immersed in the Thai culture and the way of life. These experiences contributed to ‘personal growth’ and a ‘changed view of the world’ being frequently identified benefits of volunteering.
Vietnam - A Case Study for Sustainable Technology Transfer

The TRIPS Agreement recognizes the role of technology in social and economic welfare. The treaty provides WTO member countries with flexibilities for approaching different measures within their legal systems and practices, including, but not limited to, granting compulsory licenses and parallel import licenses, in order to promote public interest goals such as health, nutrition and environmental conservation. It also permits the national governments with similar options to tackle the issues regarding abuses of intellectual property rights by right holders for the purposes of restraining competition, provided that certain requirements are satisfied. Nonetheless, how technology transfer occurs in practice depends a great deal upon how developing countries utilize flexibilities defined under the TRIPS Agreement to promote inflows of technology. Developing countries should take advantage of these flexibilities in an appropriate manner to maximize the benefits of domestic competition and minimize the social costs of adopting a strong IP regime required by the TRIPS Agreement.In this context, Vietnam provides an interesting case study for developing countries for compulsory licensing and parallel import licensing trends in the technology sector. After a long period of self-isolation, late 1980s Vietnam has openly recognized the importance of international economic cooperation. Hence, like most other emerging economies, Vietnam is still a net importer of technology. Therefore, central issues for the government of Vietnam are (i) how to assess or acquire technology (especially IPR-intensive technology) at low cost and (ii) how to intervene in markets with legitimate measures to help the Vietnamese companies develop indigenous innovation based on imported technology. This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of IP and competition policies in Vietnam in relation to compulsory licensing and parallel importation with a focus on technology transfer. It aims to demonstrate how Vietnamese policy makers deal with the larger issue of links between intellectual property protection, attracting investment, protecting competition and improving social welfare. The position of the paper is that intellectual property protection affects the inventive behavior of firms and technology transfer in varied ways. The effects of such behavior depends upon factors such as national IP strategies, socioeconomic conditions, cooperation of IP holders with the competent state authorities and other stakeholders, coordination between intellectual property law and competition law, and cooperation between competent state authorities.
Subcutaneous Administration of Sodium Alginate Oligosaccharides Prevents Salt-Induced Hypertension in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats

Objective: We investigated the mechanism of antihypertensive effects of sodium alginate oligosaccharides, which are enzymatic products of high-molecular-weight natural alginate from seaweeds, in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) rats. Materials and Methods: Dahl S rats fed a high-salt (4% NaCl) diet were subcutaneously administered sodium alginate oligosaccharides (60 mg/day using a continuous osmotic mini-pump) for 14 days. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured using the tail-cuff method, and we determined the influence of the alginate treatment on the metabolism of sodium by measuring sodium excretions in the feces and urine. Results: SBP increased in an age-dependent manner in the untreated Dahl S rats. Sodium alginate oligosaccharide treatment via the subcutaneous route almost completely abolished salt-induced hypertension in Dahl S rats fed a high-salt diet. The level of fecal or urinary sodium excretion did not significantly change during the treatment period with the alginate oligosaccharides. The reduction in SBP rapidly recovered after cessation of the treatment. Moreover, the level of urinary protein excretion was lower in the treated Dahl S rats than in the untreated rats during the experimental period. Conclusions: Our results suggest that sodium alginate oligosaccharides attenuate salt-induced hypertension in Dahl S rats not through reducing salt absorption, but probably through a direct action on vascular vessels.
Investigation and modeling of space radiation effects in quantum dot solar cells

Novel nanomaterials and devices based on them offer significant advantages over traditional technologies in terms of light-weight and efficiency for applications in satellite and space systems. Examples of such novel devices include quantum dot (QD) based solar cells and photodetectors. However, the radiation effects modeling tools are not yet available for these devices, and the response to radiation are not well understood (Figure 1). Review of numerical models and experimental investigation of radiation effects in quantum dot based solar cells are provided. Although some studies have been conducted on degradation of solar cells in high-radiation environment of space and test data on the performance of solar cells in a radiation environment are collected, the mechanisms of radiation-induced degradation of QD solar cells has yet to be established. We develop the Nanoscale Technology Computer Aided Design (NanoTCAD) simulation software for simulation of radiation effects in QD-based photovoltaic (PV), and use conducted proton irradiation experiments to develop models and perform a direct comparison of radiation hardness of quantum dot based cells and regular solar cells. These NanoTCAD tools are based on advanced drift-diffusion and quantum models for the simulation of QD based devices and materials.
Consumer animosity and product choice: might price make a difference?

Purpose – This study aims to examine animosity's role in determining consumers' product choices. Considerable research attention has been devoted to studying the relationship between animosity and consumers' willingness to buy foreign products. Few studies, however, have considered that individual consumers may harbor varying degrees of animosity toward different countries, thus, differentially affecting their willingness to buy products from these countries. The within‐subject comparison of the present study seeks to provide a clearer and cleaner approach to examining the impact of animosity on consumers' preferences for foreign products. Extending this line of inquiry, it also aims to explore the link between consumers' choice of products from high versus low animosity countries at different price levels.Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted to examine the impact of consumer animosity on product choice. Study 1 contains a survey study, and Study 2 is a full factorial conjoint analysis.
Discovering Spatio-Temporal Relationships Among Activities in Videos Using a Relational Topic-Transition Model

Discovering motion activities in videos is a key problem in computer vision, with applications in scene analysis, video categorization, and video indexing. In this paper, we propose a method that uses probabilistic topic modeling for discovering patterns of motion that occur in a given activity. Our method also identifies how the discovered patterns of motion relate to one another in space and time. The topic-modeling approach used by our method is the relational topic model. Our experiments show that our method is able to discover relevant spatio-temporal motion patterns in videos.
The impact of road traffic congestion on supply chains: insights from Auckland, New Zealand

Extant research into traffic congestion in relation to freight transportation and logistics is usually conducted in the context of economies (e.g. he USA) where road traffic congestion in a single region (e.g. Los Angeles County) will have negligible overall impact on supply chains. The Auckland region in New Zealand (NZ) represents an exception: it accounts for a third of NZ’s population but only about 2% of NZ’s landmass. (Only Athens in Greece and Buenos Aires in Argentina manifest similar population concentrations.) Therefore, road traffic congestion in the Auckland region is considered a national problem: in terms of lost income, time and pollution, congestion is estimated annually to cost the NZ economy about 1% of NZ’s GDP. The Auckland region, then, serves as a fertile context for uncovering rich, micro-level insight into the impact of road traffic congestion on manufacturers and distributors and their supply chains. We found congestion affects businesses in varied ways and degrees depending on the nature of the market for the company’s products, the nature of raw materials and finished products, the location of the factory/warehouse, etc. Congestion is often an amplifier of delays and costs, which themselves burgeon for a variety of reasons. These include business growth, increasing levels of service, urban sprawl and bio-security regulation. Since it is not always easy to isolate the impact of congestion on logistics costs, organisations are tempted to impute rising logistics costs to congestion more than is justifiable. In some cases, however, the same strategies that are employed to satisfy efficiently just-in-time replenishment by customers in small consignment sizes also blunt the impact of congestion.
ONLINE GREY PREDICTION OF SHIP ROLL MOTION USING VARIABLE RBFN

Ship's roll motion at sea is a complex system featured by nonlinearity, uncertainty, and time-varying dynamics. In this paper, a grey neural prediction scheme is presented for online ship roll motion prediction. The grey data processing approach is employed to alleviate the unfavorable effects of the uncertainty exhibited in measurement data, and grey relational analysis method is also involved to determine the structure of the grey prediction scheme. To represent the time-varying dynamics of nonlinear system, a variable structure radial basis function network (RBFN) is online constructed by learning samples in a sliding data window sequentially. Simulations of ship roll motion prediction are conducted via different approaches to validate the effectiveness of the proposed variable-RBFN-based grey prediction method. Measurement data employed in simulation is obtained during sea trials of the scientific research and training ship Yu Kun. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed prediction method.
Study on the Problems and Countermeasures of Information Security

Information has become a significant resource of strategy. The selection, the handling and the ability to keep safety of the information constitute an important section of a country’s comprehensive national power. The information security counters about the stability of society, even the state security. Thus, it’s time to take measures to guarantee our nation’s information security. Recent years, the area of information security has acquired more new science results, which develops fast. Through discussing about Internet security, the major aspect of information safety, this dissertation points out the defections in our national security, and then presents some countermeasures to solve the problems.
Electrophysiological and Beta‐Receptor Blocking Effects of MJ 1999 on Dog and Rabbit Cardiac Tissue

Effects of MJ 1999 (1 × 10-9M to 1 ×10-2M) on rabbit right atrial and canine Purkinje fiber preparations were studied. MJ 1999 had a pA2 of 6.1 against the chronotropic effect of isoproterenol on rabbit SA node. Significant slowing first occurred with MJ 1999 at 1 × 10-4M. The spontaneous firing rate of Purkinje fibers in vitro did not change significantly after exposure to MJ 1999 1 × 10-4M. Idioventricular rate was slowed and idioventricular escape time was prolonged in dogs with atrioventricular block after MJ 1999, 2.0 mg/kg. MJ 1999, 1 × 10-7M to 5 × 10-4M, had no effect on resting potential, overshoot and amplitude of phase 0 of transmembrane potentials (TMP) recorded from canine ventricular muscle, canine Purkinje fibers or rabbit atrial fibers nor did it affect phase 0 Vmax of TMP recorded from the Purkinje or atrial fibers. Similar concentrations of MJ 1999 had no effect on membrane responsiveness in Purkinje fibers. In Purkinje fibers, control action potential duration (APD) was 325 msec and the effective refractory period (ERP) 277 msec. MJ 1999, 1 × 10-3M, increased the APD to 470 msec and ERP to 404 msec. In ventricular muscle fibers, APD was 230 msec and the ERP was 223 msec, under control conditions. MJ 1999, 1 × 10-3M, increased the APD to 281 msec and ERP to 267 msec. Changes in APD and ERP induced by MJ 1999 were magnified at slower rates of stimulation. The effects of MJ 1999 on both APD and ERP were more marked in Purkinje fibers than in ventricular muscle fibers. The effects of MJ 1999 on phase 0 of the TMP and on repolarization and refractoriness of the TMP differ markedly from those seen with quinidine, procainamide, and lidocaine.
Applying conditional processing to design low-power array processors for motion estimation

In this paper we introduce the concept of conditional processing and discuss its application to the development of low-power systolic architectures for full search-block matching (FS-BM) motion estimation. We prove that the intermediate results sequentially generated with FS-BM systolic algorithms can be used to design efficient low-power array architectures based on conditional processing. Simulation results on benchmark video sequences show that the power consumption of FS-BM processors is significantly reduced with the proposed architectures.
Photon Time‐of-Flight‐Assisted Positron Emission Tomography

In positron emission tomography (PET), the annihilation radiation is usually detected as a coincidence occurrence that localizes the position of the annihilation event to a straight line joining the detectors. The measure of the difference between the time of flight (TOF) of the annihilation photons between their inception and their detection permits the localization of the position of the annihilation event along the coincidence line. The incorporation of TOF information into the PET reconstruction process improves the signal-to-noise ratio in the image obtained. The utilization of scintillation detectors utilizing cesium fluoride scintillators, fast photomultiplier tubes, and fast timing circuits allows sub-nanosecond coincidence timing resolution needed for the effective use of TOF in PET. Mathematical considerations and pilot experiments show that with state-of-the-art electronic components and through the application of proper reconstruction algorithms, the combination of TOF and PET positional data improves severalfold the signal-to-noise ratio with respect to conventional PET image reconstruction at the cost of increasing the amount of data to be processed. The construction of a TOF-assisted PET device is within the capability of state-of-the-art technology.