Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unfair Commercial Practices and Individual Consumer Claims for Damages – The Transposition of Art. 11a UCP Directive in Germany and Austria

Article 11a(1) UCP Directive obliges the Member States to provide individual rights for consumers harmed by unfair commercial practices. This new provision is intended to ensure that consumers have access to proportionate and effective remedies, including compensation for damage suffered and, where relevant, a price reduction or the termination of the contract. Although the laws against unfair competition in Germany and Austria have similar basic structures, the transposition of Art. 11a(1) UCP Directive shows some significant differences in the way national law provides individual protection for consumers. The legal systems in Germany and Austria are confronted with challenges both in the correct transposition of Art. 11a(1) UCP Directive and the incorporation of individual consumer claims for damages into the structures of domestic law. This article intends both to give a first overview and also to attempt to answer some of the open questions.
A NOTE ON FROBENIUS EXTENSIONS IN HOPF ALGEBRAS

Let H be a Hopf algebra over a field with bijective antipode and K a Hopf subalgebra with K =coπ(H)(H), where π(H)= H/HK+. Using Miyashita-Ulbrich type action on Endl−H −K(H), we show (Cor of Thm 2) that the extension K ⊂H is of right integral type in the sense of [FMS] if and only if it is β-Frobenius such that both βand the β-Frobenius map are H-colinear. We also improve some results in [FMS]. Throughout H denotes a Hopf algebra over a field k with comultiplication △, counit eand antipode S. Let B ⊂A be an extension of right H-comodule algebras, that is, A is a right H-comodule algebra with structure map ρA and B is a subalgebra with ρA(B) ⊂ B⊗H In this note we consider when B ⊂A is a β-Frobenius extension such that both βand the corresponding β-Frobenius map are H-colinear. Following [T] we call such an extension a β-H-Frobenius extension, we follow Fischman-Montgomery-Schneider's paper [FMS] for the terminology on β-Frobenius extensions, extensions of right integral type, etc.
Polarization dispersion measurement on twisted single-mode optical fibers

A new method for measuring polarization dispersion between two eigen polarization modes is presented. It utilizes the measured phase shift corresponding to birefringence difference between two adjacent wavelengths. This method makes it possible to measure small polarization dispersion by using a short test piece even when eigen polarization modes are elliptically polarized. A polarization dispersion of 0.4 ps/km in twisted single-mode fibers can be measured in an approximately 4-m-long fiber by using 1.152- and 1.161-μm lines in a He-Ne laser. Experimental data that polarization dispersion decreases with an increase in fiber twist ate in very close agreement with theoretical results.
Valuation bases for extensions of valued vector spaces

Let V v be any valued vector space and V v a subspace Then V v admits a valuation basis over V v if and only if it admits a nice composition series over V v We show that this is always the case if v V nV is reversely well ordered If v V is reversely well ordered we show that V is nice in any extension and that it admits a valuation basis over every subspace Finally we show that the property of admitting a valuation basis is preserved under countable dimensional extensions
Effects of the Quadrupole Moment of Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars on the Motion of the Accretion Disks

We investigate the effects of the quadrupole moment of rapidly rotating neutron stars (NSs) on the motion of the accretion disks. The geometry outside rapidly rotating NSs does not agree with that of Kerr black holes, so that we must correctly take into account the quadrupole moment (and the higher multipole moments) of NS, which depends on their equation of state. We show that the magnitude of the quadrupole dependent term appearing in several orbital frequencies is comparable to that of the spin-orbit (SO) coupling term for orbits near the surface of rapidly rotating NSs, and effects of the quadrupole moment largely suppress the SO coupling effect. Observations of the low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with the Rossi X-ray
A CATALOG OF INFRARED MAGNITUDES AND H-I-VELOCITY WIDTHS FOR NEARBY GALAXIES

Integrated infrared (1.6 .mu.m) magnitudes and 21 cm velocity widths are presented for 308 nearby spiral galaxies. Positions, types inclinations, diameters, H I velocities and flux density integrals, and distances are also listed. These data form the basis for a recent analysis of the velocity field in the Local supercluster.
Combinatorial Constructions for Transitive Factorizations in the Symmetric Group

We consider the problem of counting transitive factorizations of permutations; that is, we study tuples (σr , . . . , σ1) of permutations on {1, . , n} such that (1) the product σr · · · σ1 is equal to a given target permutation π , and (2) the group generated by the factors σi acts transitively on {1, . , n}. This problem is widely known as the Hurwitz Enumeration Problem, since an encoding due to Hurwitz shows it to be equivalent to the enumeration of connected branched coverings of the sphere by a surface of given genus with specified branching. Much of our work concerns the enumeration of transitive factorizations of permutations into a minimal number of transposition factors. This problem has received considerable attention, and a formula for the number c(π) of such factorizations of an arbitrary permutation π has been derived through various means. The formula is remarkably simple, being a product of well-known combinatorial numbers, but no bijective proof of it is known except in the special case where π is a full cycle. A major goal of this thesis is to provide further combinatorial rationale for this formula. We begin by introducing an encoding of factorizations (into transpositions) as edge-labelled maps. Our central result is a bijection that allows trees to be “pruned” from such maps. This is shown to explain the appearance of factors of the form kk in the aforementioned formula for c(π). It also has the effect of shifting focus to the combinatorics of smooth maps (i.e. maps without vertices of degree one). By providing decompositions for certain smooth planar maps, we are able to give combinatorial evaluations of c(π) when π is composed of up to three cycles. Many of these results are generalized to factorizations in which the factors are cycles of any length. We also investigate the Double Hurwitz Problem, which calls for the enumeration of factorizations whose leftmost factor is of specified cycle type, and whose remaining factors are transpositions. Finally, we extend our methods to the enumeration of factorizations up to an equivalence relation induced by possible commutations between adjacent factors.
Fast codeword search technique for the encoding of variable-rate vector quantisers

The authors present a fast search algorithm for the encoding of variable-rate vector quantisers (VQs). The optimal encoder for the variable-rate full-search VQs considers both the squared distance and channel index length for the search of codewords. Therefore, the existing fast search algorithms for the fixed-rate full-search VQs might not be able to effectively reduce the computational complexities for the variable-rate VQs. An algorithm is presented which solves this problem using a two-stage search process. A large number of undesired codewords are removed at the first stage of the search with a small computational overhead. At the second stage, the optimal codeword are searched among the remaining codewords using the partial distance search technique in the transform domain. Simulation results show that the algorithm is more effective than other fast search algorithms for the variable-rate VQs.
New Graph Coloring Algorithms

Two new heuristic graph-coloring algorithms, based on known heuristic algorithms, have been introduced. One of them is a modification of the Largest Degree Ordering (LDO) algorithm, and the other one is a modification of the Saturation Degree Ordering (SDO) algorithm. The two new algorithms proposed in this paper, were compared empirically, in terms of used colors, with some of the known heuristic graph-coloring algorithms such as: Largest Degree Ordering (LDO), First Fit (FF), Saturated Degree Ordering (SDO), and Incident Degree Ordering (IDO). As a result of this comparison, it was found that the proposed algorithms were better than the original ones with respect to the number of used colors.
A numerical model for biodiversity

A numerical model is presented based on Alfred Lotka's notion that the mathematics of evolutionary models would be simpler, not more complex, if the evolution of the organisms and of their physical environment was considered as a single process. The model is concerned with the climate and the community ecology of an imaginary planet, Daisyworld, in orbit around a star like the Sun. The stabilizing influence of environmental feedback is used to enable experiments in community ecology that might otherwise be impossible. The model planetary ecosystem is populated with numerous types of organism distributed in up to three trophic levels. There follows a preliminary report of an exploration of this model planet and an account of its biodiversity and species richness.
Impact of bismuth as dopant on ZnSe material syntheses for photovoltaic application

ABSTRACT In this study, bismuth-doped zinc selenide ZnSe/Bi single crystals were deposited on conducting glass substrates to study the effects of single crystals’ molar concentration on a variety of properties. These properties were characterised using SEM, EDX, XRD, and UV–vis. The various characterisations were carried out to determine the material’s morphological, elemental, structural, optical, and electrical characteristics. The ZnSe material’s diffraction peaks were found at (1 1 1), (2 0 1), and (2 1 1), while the ZnSe/Bi material’s peaks were found at (2 2 0), (2 2 1), and (3 0 0), which correspond to the angles (26.12°), (31.00°), (37.02°) (51.73°), (62.67°), and (65.83°), respectively. The material showed a smaller nano-grain size that covered the entire substrate, indicating uniform deposition. A band gap energy of 1.55 to 1.72 eV was obtained. ABSTRACT
Subcontracting with availability guarantees: production control and capacity decisions

We present a simplified model of a system with a producer, a subcontractor and a random demand. The demand level alternates between a high level and a low level with exponential switching times. The producer does not have enough capacity to meet the high demand. Therefore, it either produces to stock in advance or uses a subcontractor to receive additional capacity when it needs. The subcontractor serves a number of manufacturers and guarantees a long-term availability that is defined as the long-term probability that the subcontractor will be available when it is requested, to each manufacturer. Therefore, a manufacturer may not receive the requested capacity from the subcontractor immediately and waits until the subcontractor becomes available. The times that the subcontractor is available and not available are also exponential random variables. The producer uses a threshold-type policy that depends on the state of the inventory/backlog to decide how much to produce and how much to request from the subcontractor. This system is modeled analytically based on a stochastic flow rate control problem with continuous flow and discrete states in a Markovian setting. A numerical analysis of the model is used to analyze the effects of guaranteed availability on the manufacturer's and subcontractor's performances. Extensions to the producer's and subcontractor's capacity decisions and the subcontractor's pricing decisions are also discussed.
Some non-equilibrium invariant states for the asymmetric exclusion QMS at level one

We review the Asymmetric Exclusion QMS in the light of new results, taking as a starting point the dynamics in the one particle space. We give a condition for the Asymmetric Exclusion QMS to be conservative, prove that an invariant state is necessarily diagonal and give conditions on eigenvalues of such an invariant state. We also give, a necessary condition to annul the generator of the predual semigroup; with this and the weighted detailed balance condition, we propose a method to construct some non-equilibrium invariant states.
Crossing Levels: The Potential for Numerical Taxonomy and Fuzzy Set Approaches to Study Multi-Level Longitudinal Change

This article demonstrates how we might explore trajectories of complex systems through time when we are dealing with multiple levels of systems with intersecting causal propensities. Using ‘social exclusion’ as an illustrative example, the objective is to develop a methodological approach, using available secondary data sources, that transcends the linear and uni-directional faults of conventional multi-level modelling. This alternative approach consists of a sequential combination of cluster analysis, tallying, documentary analysis and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). The authors argue that this alternative methodology allows for both a descriptive and causal explanation of change and continuity within and between multiple levels of observation, whilst also stressing the importance of context and the possibility of all configurations of change and continuity within and between the different levels to be considered.
BOUNDING THE STATIONARY DISTRIBUTION OF THE M/G/1 QUEUE SIZE

We start with a simple derivation of an identity connecting the conditional expected residual service time as seen by an arrival and the steady-state tail distribution function of the number of customers in the system, which was previously proven by Mandelbaum and Yechiali. We then show how to use it to obtain bounds on the the stationary distribution of the number of customers in the M/G/1 queue.
Consensus control for a class of networks of dynamic agents

In this paper, the consensus problems for networks of dynamic agents are investigated. The agent dynamics is adopted as a typical point mass model based on the Newton's law. The average‐consensus problem is proposed for such class of networks, which includes two aspects, the agreement of the states of the agents and the convergence to zero of the speeds of the agents. A linear consensus protocol for such networks is established for solving such a consensus problem that includes two parts, a local speed feedback controller and the interactions from the finite neighbours. Two kinds of topology are discussed: one is fixed topology, the other is switching one. The convergence analysis is proved and the protocol performance is discussed as well. The simulation results are presented that are consistent with our theoretical results. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Attenuation of initial pilocarpine‐induced electrographic seizures by methionine sulfoximine pretreatment tightly correlates with the reduction of extracellular taurine in the hippocampus

Initiation and development of early seizures by chemical stimuli is associated with brain cell swelling resulting in edema of seizure‐vulnerable brain regions. We previously reported that pretreatment with a nonconvulsive dose of glutamine (Gln) synthetase inhibitor methionine sulfoximine (MSO) mitigates the intensity of initial pilocarpine (Pilo)‐induced seizures in juvenile rats. We hypothesized that MSO exerts its protective effect by preventing the seizure‐initiating and seizure‐propagating increase of cell volume. Taurine (Tau) is an osmosensitive amino acid, whose release reflects increased cell volume. Therefore, we tested whether the poststimulus rise of amplitude of Pilo‐induced electrographic seizures and their attenuation by MSO are correlated with the release of Tau from seizure‐affected hippocampus.
Developing customer-based brand equity from both employee and customer perspectives

ABSTRACT In recent years, there has been an increasing number of hotel management studies. However, until now, there has been no integrated perspective or precise guidance for hotel branding and marketing strategies. The current study used an integrated study of 996 participants (e.g., Study 1: 597 employees and Study 2: 399 customers) to extend customer‐based brand equity (CBBE) theory. The results of Study 1 show that entrepreneurial orientation and corporate vision have a mediating effect on the relationship between brand identity and brand value. Furthermore, brand culture has a significant moderating effect on brand value from the employee perspective. The results of Study 2 show that brand value indirectly affects brand loyalty through visit intention and brand image from the customer perspective. In addition, customer engagement is a critical attribute moderating the brand loyalty development process. Several alternative models are also provided to verify the robustness of the research findings. 摘要 近年來，酒店管理研究的數量不斷增加。 然而，到目前為止, 對於酒店品牌成立和行銷策略運用則尚無整合的觀點或精確的引導。 本整合型研究研究有996名參與者(舉例來說:第一個研究有597名員工;第二個研究有399名顧客), 主要擴展顧客基礎品牌權益(CBBE)理論基礎。 研究一結果顯示:創業導向和企業願景對品牌認同和品牌價值之間的關係具有中介作用。 此外, 從員工的角度來看, 品牌文化對品牌價值有顯著的調節作用。 第二個研究結果顯示:品牌價值可以透過顧客的訪問意圖和品牌形象間接影響品牌忠誠度。 此外, 顧客參與在品牌忠誠度發展過程中擔任至關重要的調節效果。 本研究還提供了幾個替代模型來驗證實證結果的穩健性。 關鍵字:顧客基礎品牌權益; 品牌權益; 品牌價值; 品牌文化,參與
H-polarized scattering from single and multiple elongated cavities

H-polarized scattering is investigated for perfectly conducting surfaces containing one, two, or many parallel grooves. Incidence is transverse to the axes of the cavities, which are of rectangular cross section and on the order of the incident wavelength in size. For cases with many regularly spaced cavities, a Floquet and waveguide mode-matching scheme is used that incorporates the effects of a nonplanar nonuniform incident beam, a corresponding receiving pattern, and a finite target size. For single grooves, point matching between waveguide mode and integral expressions is used. Measured backscatter patterns show negligible coupling effects for two nearby cavities; thus, pattern multiplication using single-cavity patterns is applied to obtain results for dual-cavity structures. Calculated patterns for single-cavity and multiple-cavity targets agree well with Ka-band laboratory measurements and show grating type behavior for two or more scattering cavities. The results suggest an ability to estimate individual cavity width and separation for sets of similar cavities, and to estimate cavity separation even for dissimilar cavities. >
Structural sensitivity of the first instability of the cylinder wake

The stability properties of the flow past an infinitely long circular cylinder are studied in the context of linear theory. An immersed-boundary technique is used to represent the cylinder surface on a Cartesian mesh. The characteristics of both direct and adjoint perturbation modes are studied and the regions of the flow more sensitive to momentum forcing and mass injection are identified. The analysis shows that the maximum of the perturbation envelope amplitude is reached far downstream of the separation bubble, where as the highest receptivity is attained in the near wake of the cylinder, close to the body surface. The large difference between the spatial structure of the two-dimensional direct and adjoint modes suggests that the instability mechanism cannot be identified from the study of either eigenfunctions separately. For this reason a structural stability analysis of the problem is used to analyse the process which gives rise to the self-sustained mode. In particular, the region of maximum coupling among the velocity components is localized by inspecting the spatial distribution of the product between the direct and adjoint modes. Results show that the instability mechanism is located in two lobes placed symmetrically across the separation bubble, confirming the qualitative results obtained through a locally plane-wave analysis. The relevance of this novel technique to the development of effective control strategies for vortex shedding behind bluff bodies is illustrated by comparing the theoretical predictions based on the structural perturbation analysis with the experimental data of Strykowski & Sreenivasan (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 218, 1990, p. 71).
An efficient inverse scattering algorithm for the design of nonuniform fiber Bragg gratings

Presents an efficient method for the design of complex fiber Bragg gratings. The method relies on the synthesis of the impulse response of the grating by means of a differential layer-peeling algorithm. The algorithm developed takes into account all the multiple reflections inside the grating, giving an exact solution to the inverse scattering problem. Its low algorithmic complexity enables the synthesis of long fiber gratings. The method is illustrated by designing several filters with interest for optical fiber communication systems: dispersionless bandpass filters and second- and third order dispersion compensators.
FRACTURE MECHANISM IN CEMENT-BASED MATERIALS SUBJECTED TO COMPRESSION

The fracture processes in cement-based materials (cement paste, mortar, and concrete) subjected to compressive loads are examined. The use of friction-reducing materials reduced the end constraints and eliminated the barrel effect. The material composition as well as the end-shear confinement was found to affect the nonuniform deformations observed at the early stages of loading. Primarily, cracks propagated parallel to the loading direction for all tested material compositions. A nondestructive measuring system utilizing digital image correlation was developed for the fracture study of quasi-brittle materials. Theoretical predictions on crack growth were made based on fracture mechanics approaches in conjunction with experimental observations. Two different approaches for the computation of the stress intensity factors were made; one (for cement paste) was based on discrete cracks in a three-dimensional body, and the other (for concrete) was based on multiple sliding cracks relying on a damage mechanics concept.