Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Internationalization of knowledge-intensive SMEs: The case of petroleum-related suppliers

Carlsson, E. & Dale, B. 2011. Internationalization of knowledge-intensive SMEs: The case of petroleum-related suppliers. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift–Norwegian Journal of Geography Vol. 65, 191–201. ISSN 0029-1951. The internationalization of the knowledge-intensive industries, which predominantly consist of SMEs, has received increased attention recently. However, the existing body of theories of internationalization is not adequate for our understanding of multifaceted knowledge-intensive industries. The authors aim to shed light on knowledge-intensive SMEs’ internationalization and thereafter to illuminate recent theories with a relational perspective on firms and discuss their fruitfulness regarding the internationalization of SMEs of this type. Empirical data are drawn from a case study of 10 Norwegian firms, located in Trondheim, that are connected to the petroleum industry through subcontracting technology and services. The study indicates that the firms based their internationalization processes on a complex mix of modes or strategies, none of which were mutually exclusive. Planned strategies as well as coincidental processes and events seem to have influenced the internationalization decisions. It is argued that in order to understand the contingencies that may affect the process of internationalization, the concept of ‘preactivity’ may be a useful addition to the more well-known concepts of ‘reactive’ and ‘proactive’ strategies. Moreover, it is demonstrated that a relational approach is fruitful in order to understand internationalization processes among knowledge-intensive SMEs.
Bio/chemical Analysis of Dioxin-like Compounds in Sediment Samples from Osaka Bay, Japan

The combinatorial bio/chemical investigation of sediments (six surface samples and one core sample) from Osaka Bay, Japan was conducted to clarify the horizontal and vertical distribution profiles of persistent organic pollutants in the sediments. Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs), and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) were determined by chemical analysis and compared to bioassay results using H4IIE-luc/Dioxin Responsive- Chemical Activated LUciferase eXpression (DR-CALUX). For surface sediments, World Health Organization-toxicity equivalent (WHO-TEQ) values ranged from 1.8 to 92 pg g−1 dry weight and the bioassay-TEQ (CALUX-TEQ) values (3.7 – 140 pg g−1 dry weight) yielded significant correlation with them (r2 = 0.96). On the other hand, correlation between both TEQs (for WHO-TEQ, 5.5 – 47 and for CALUX-TEQ, 27 – 76 pg g−1 dry weight) for core samples was not so good (r2 = 0.46). Comparing the vertical profiles of CALUX-TEQ and WHO-TEQ, they were different in that WHO-TEQ reached the maximum in the 1957 core section, while CALUX-TEQ reached in the 1984 core section. CALUX-TEQ values were 1-5-fold more than WHO-TEQ values in all the surface and core samples. CALUX-TEQ values were calculated for PBDE and PBDD/F concentrations, employing their CALUX toxicity equivalent factors (CALUX-TEFs). The estimated CALUX-TEQ values obtained for the brominated compounds could explain for 11% on average (range 4.7 – 31%) of the experimentally obtained CALUX-TEQ values in the investigated surface sediments.
On the origin of tropospheric ozone

The effects of NOx (NO + NO2) intrusion from the stratosphere on photochemical ozone production in the upper troposphere are investigated. Using the currently accepted reaction rate coefficients, we find that this upper tropospheric ozone source may be significantly larger than the direct injection of ozone from the stratosphere. Many features of the observed tropospheric temporal and spatial ozone distributions appear to be better explained by this upper tropospheric ozone source hypothesis than by either the classical ‘dynamical control’ or ‘photochemical control’ hypotheses. In addition, we find that NOx emissions from high flying subsonic aircraft in the northern hemisphere may cause an ozone increase in the troposphere. The calculated tropospheric ozone increase due to these NOx emissions is not inconsistent with the increases observed by the northern hemispheric ozonesonde stations.
PERSISTENCE OF GEOPOLITICAL RISKS IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This paper examines geopolitical risk in terms of time series persistence. In doing so we are able to determine the nature of the shocks, which are either transitory or permanent depending on the integration order of the series. We examine 19 countries from January 1985 to February 2020. Our results show evidence of positive time trends in the cases of Mexico and Venezuela, and negative ones for South Africa and Argentina. These results are robust across seasonal and non-seasonal data and for different modelling assumptions for the error term. With respect to the degree of persistence, the different parameter is found to be in the range (0, 1) although we also observe heterogeneity across all countries
Soil Wetting and Texture Effects on Aggregate Stability, Seal Formation, and Erosion

Previous studies about the effect of antecedent moisture content (AMC) on seal formation have shown contradictory results. We hypothesize that this controversy is related to differences in slaking during wetting. The objectives were to analyze the effects of: (i) clay content on aggregate stability and slaking; (ii) clay content and slaking on seal formation and interrill erosion under various wetting rates (WR) and AMC under simulated rain. Aggregate stability was determined on six smectitic soils from Israel with clay content from 80 to 630 g kg -1 . In the rain simulator, soils with 230, 410 and 620 g kg -1 clay were prewetted with WR = 1 and 5 mm h -1 to AMC = 0.25 and 0.5 of field capacity (FC), prior to the application of 80 mm of rain. Aggregate stability and slaking by fast WR increased with increase in clay content. In soils with 230 and 410 g kg -1 clay, raindrop impact was enough to disintegrate the aggregates and sealing was not affected by WR and AMC. Conversely, in the soil with 620 g kg -1 clay, seal formation increased with slaking caused by fast wetting. Thus, final infiltration rate of the clay soil with AMC = 0.5 FC and WR = 1 mm h -1 was 11.1 mm h -1 compared with 6.0 mm h -1 in the air-dry soil (fast wetting by rain). The effects of WR and AMC on soil loss were similar to their effect on runoff but more pronounced. The relation between wetting process and clay content should be considered when predicting soil erosion in smectitic soils.
Measuring Spatial Environmental Deprivation: A New Index and its Application in France

Abstract Despite increasingly stringent environmental regulations, industrial and transportation emissions continue impact public health. Since vulnerable populations bear a disproportionate burden of environmental risks, spatial differentials in environmental exposure contribute to social disparities in health outcomes. Environmental Justice (EJ) analyses tend to focus either on the location of selected point or nonpoint pollution on a whole territory (the geography of toxic waste sites, atmospheric pollution) or on local disproportionate impacts of multiple exposures (demographics near specific industrial clusters). We lack tools that can identify present spatial environmental inequalities and take into account multiple environmental risks through different media over large territories. To address this gap, this study proposes an original, comprehensive, replicable, and scalable spatial environmental deprivation (SED) index. The SED index is applied in the French context. We validate the robustness and .
INSECT POLLINATION OF GRASSES

Speotarus princeps sp. t i . (Fig. 8) HolotypJ ,3 (unique): NEW SOUTH WALES: Ashford Caves, near Itivcrzll, 22.iv. 62 ( K . Renwick). In the Australian National Insect Collection. Similar to /uci/iqu.s i n habitus and colour but much larger and with proportionately longer legs. The head is more bulbous, with a more sharply defined neck and the mandibles are longer and more xutely pointed. 'The pronotum is less distinctiy cordiform, but more obviously lobate than i n the type species, and the elytlal striae ;ire niinutcly but distinctly punctate. The aedeagus scarcely dif'fers froin tkit ol / I Ic.ifugus. Length I I i i i n i : iii:i\iiiiiiiii width 3.6 inm.
Deformation of Rocks under High Confining Pressures: I. Experiments at Room Temperature

A series of experiments was performed to investigate the physical processes underlying rock deformation. The apparatus used took advantage of recent developments in high-pressure technique by Bridgman to carry the range of pressure investigation to four times the amount of confining pressure available in the apparatus of F. D. Adams. Also, an entirely different technique was used, which obviated some of the inherent defects of Adams' apparatus. The relation between strength and confining pressure was investigated up to 11,000 atmospheres confining pressure. Strength was also investigated as a function of time. The effect of confining pressure on fracture and flow was particularly studied. The effect of deformation on the fabric of a rock is briefly described in the case of marble. Quartz was tested under pressures up to 12,000 atmospheres. Tension and torsion tests under high pressure gave paradoxical results. Plans for future work are discussed.
Experimental and analytical studies on shrinkage and creep behavior of RC walls and prisms

A component level experimental study has been carried out on four reinforced concrete (RC) walls subjected to a sustained compressive load for a period of 1 year and shrinkage tests on 10 prisms under ambient environmental conditions. Two extreme longitudinal reinforcement percentages and two grades of concrete were considered and their influence on the time‐dependent behavior studied. It was observed that both longitudinal percentage of steel and concrete grade have a significant influence on the time‐dependent strains. The evolution of time‐dependent strain in RC member was also predicted, adequately accounting for the effect of reinforcement, using a theoretical model which can employ any linear viscoelastic constitutive law for concrete and a linear elastic constitutive law for reinforcing steel. The ACI 209 and fib MC 10 recommendations for creep and shrinkage of plain concrete have been used for the prediction of long‐term strains. It is demonstrated that the analysis predicts the time‐dependent strains reasonably well (with a statistical mean deviation error of 1.16 and 1.00) for the creep tests on RC walls, when the compliance function proposed by ACI and fib is used. However, in the case of shrinkage tests, the accuracy with both ACI and fib models was limited (1.64 and 1.66, respectively). It is further demonstrated that by suitably recalibrating the compliance and shrinkage parameters in both ACI and fib models, the accuracy of shrinkage prediction in the companion RC specimens improves significantly with mean deviation error of 1.07 and 1.05 for ACI and fib models, respectively.
Enjeux de la science et de la gouvernance de la biodiversité

Ouvrant la reflexion sur les enjeux de la perte massive de la biodiversite, l’article s’appuie sur la question elementaire de l’importance de la diversite biologique pour l’homme, a la fois sur le plan economique, biologique et ethique. La maitrise de la nature par l’homme se revele etre une illusion. La realite etant celle de l’interaction, il est permis de dire que les societes humaines agissent sur leurs propres conditions en modifiant les equilibres biologiques pour satisfaire leurs besoins, sans pour autant integrer cette interaction fondamentale dans l’equation d’un rapport viable entre l’homme et la nature. L’approche recente par le biais des analyses des services ecologiques constitue a cet egard un progres sensible. Il aboutit neanmoins au constat de l’impossibilite pour l’humanite de se substituer aux mecanismes naturels permettant de tirer les services de la nature necessaires a sa survie. Plutot que de pretendre controler et maitriser la nature a tout prix, l’homme devrait apprendre a se reconnaitre comme une partie consciente de la nature et a vivre avec la vie qui l’entoure. Cet apprentissage souleve des defis scientifiques, humains et de gouvernance. L’article prone la necessite d’une science de la biodiversite integree et non plus eclatee, condition essentielle pour l’elaboration de politiques economiques et sociales qui integrent la viabilite de l’utilisation des ressources naturelles et des services qu’elles procurent.
MetaLayer: A Meta-Learned BSDF Model for Layered Materials

Reproducing the appearance of arbitrary layered materials has long been a critical challenge in computer graphics, with regard to the demanding requirements of both physical accuracy and low computation cost. Recent studies have demonstrated promising results by learning-based representations that implicitly encode the appearance of complex (layered) materials by neural networks. However, existing generally-learned models often struggle between strong representation ability and high runtime performance, and also lack physical parameters for material editing. To address these concerns, we introduce MetaLayer, a new methodology leveraging meta-learning for modeling and rendering layered materials. MetaLayer contains two networks: a BSDFNet that compactly encodes layered materials into implicit neural representations, and a MetaNet that establishes the mapping between the physical parameters of each material and the weights of its corresponding implicit neural representation. A new positional encoding method and a well-designed training strategy are employed to improve the performance and quality of the neural model. As a new learning-based representation, the proposed MetaLayer model provides both fast responses to material editing and high-quality results for a wide range of layered materials, outperforming existing layered BSDF models.
Research and implementation of comprehensive situation sub-system in simulation platform of multiple UAVs

Cooperative formation flight of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) becomes an attractive research field in recent years. The Simulation Platform of Multiple UAVs is a distributed interactive simulation environment based on High Level Architecture (HLA), which provides a universal simulation platform for the research of multiple UAVs, such as cooperative control, formation flight, mission planning, etc. The platform is composed of several nodes: Mission Control Station (MCS), Formation Control Unit (FCU), UAV Platform, Comprehensive Situation Display, 3-Dimension Display and Simulation Management. As an integral part of the simulation platform, the comprehensive situation sub-system monitors the geography environment and the situation of entities in the simulation. The sub-system is integrated into several nodes of the simulation platform: MCS, FCU and 2-Dimention Situation Display, etc. Considering generalized method and component-based rule, we design and implement comprehensive situation sub-system as well as supporting tool kits. It includes digital map walkthrough environment, map editor with Digital Elevation Model (DEM), bitmap creator, network communication module, situation display module and scenario editor module. Digital map walkthrough environment is a Geographic Information System (GIS) with specific functions, including multiple windows display, map walkthrough and data management. Map editor and bitmap creator create different type of digital map, which is suited for demands of the simulation, and generate terrain data for the UAVs to execute route planning based on DEM. Situation display module displays the situation information of entities in the simulation dynamically and timely. The system is developed without commercial GIS components, and integrated into the environment smoothly.
Analysis of the determinants of fertilizer use decision by farmers in Senegal using a logit model

In Sub Saharan Africa, agriculture plays a central role against hunger and in poverty alleviation. However, it has been noted that agricultural productivity in this area is one of the lowest in the world. One of the reasons of this fact is a decrease of soils fertility due to a lack of nutrients in the soils. To reverse this trend, a solution would be using improved agricultural technologies, like fertilizer. This article aims at determining factors influencing farmers to use fertilizer in Senegal. Data have been collected in five agro ecological zones namely Peanut Basin, Casamance, Niayes, Eastern Senegal and Senegal River Valley. The study sampled 734 household heads for the analysis. For this purpose, a logit model has been estimated through the Maximum Likelihood procedure. Results revealed that household size, gender, relation with extension and research services, farmer organization membership, perception of the cultural practices impact on the land regeneration, connection with Agri-inputs suppliers, cropping cereals and vegetables were statistically significant. The policy implications for a better use of fertilizer are: (i) strengthening extension services capacities in terms of logistics and human resources; (ii) sensitizing farmers to join farmers’ organizations; (iii) strengthening farmers’ capacities in specific themes like good agricultural practices; (iv) putting in place proximity selling points to facilitate fertilizer access to farmers living in isolated areas.
Characteristics of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami Waveform Acquired Around Japan by Nowphas Equipment

The 2011 Tohoku Tsunami was observed around Japan by NOWPHAS equipment. These devices include GPS buoys which measure water surface levels by real-time kinematic GPS technology and which are moored at sites 10 km to 20 km offshore where water depths range from 100 m to 400 m, seabed wave gauges at depths between 20 m and 60 m, and coastal tide gauges. A GPS buoy moored offshore of Kamaishi Port recorded the first tsunami crest, which rose in two steps and exceeded 6 m approximately 30 min after the earthquake. Data from some sets comprising GPS buoys, nearby seabed wave gauges, and coastal tide gauges determined the extent of the tsunami propagation and amplification on the coast. Resonance caused by the tsunami continued a day or more after the initial tsunami arrival in some stations. A Doppler-type wave directional meter located in the Tokyo Bay entrance acquired data on the vertically uniform distribution of the tsunami current traveling in and out the bay. The tsunami was detected at almost all of the tide gauges around Japan, even in the semi-closed Ariake and Yatsushiro Bays located on the East China Sea coast of the Kyushu region.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Resolution Enhancement in High Resolution Wide Swath MIMO

—A new multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) SAR conﬁguration using multiple adjacent azimuth beams are proposed to map wider image swaths with higher cross-range resolution in comparison with the conventional MIMO SAR. The proposed conﬁguration allows to utilise all the phase centres including the overlapping ones to reduce the minimum operating pulse repetition frequency ( PRF ) unlike the case of the conventional MIMO SAR in which only the non-overlapped phase centres and one of each overlapped phase centres are utilised. The waveforms used for transmission share the same bandwidth and have the same centre frequency. Each transmitted waveform consists of a sequence of sub-pulses consisting of conventional linear frequency modulated (LFM) waveforms and the echoes corresponding to different phase centres are separated at the receiver using digital beamforming (DBF) on receive in elevation. The estimated range proﬁle has the property of inter-range cell interference (IRCI) free as a frequency domain system identiﬁcation (FDSI)-based estimation algorithm is used to identify the impulse response in the range dimension. Finally, simulated data is used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed conﬁguration.
Innovative development of countries in the context of global economic imbalances

the places they occupy. Furthermore, they have identified features of innovation strategies of the countries in the proposed groups. The paper also suggests integrated assessment of innovation and economic development of countries, which allows to determine their level, trace the dynamics and determine the relationship between innovation and economic development for every country. Additionally, the study has shown a relationship between the level of innovation and economic development for all countries under analysis. However, there is a difference in the degree of this relationship, which is higher for developing countries. Thus, it is expedient for these countries to pursue an active innovation policy to increase the level of economic development. Despite the fact that developed countries have more opportunities for active development of the innovative component in the national economy, their indicators in innovation and high-tech industries are declining and developing countries come to the fore.
A climate threshold at the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau

Proxy records of summer monsoon moisture at Lake Qinghai on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau reveal a late Quaternary climate history that is subtly different from that of speleothems from southern and eastern China. Total organic carbon and authigenic carbonate in two independently analyzed and dated cores indicate (1) relative stability and aridity during the glacial interval, (2) small variations during the Bølling‐Allerød and the Younger Dryas intervals, (3) comparatively abrupt change at the late Pleistocene/Holocene transition, and (4) relatively high variability during a wet early Holocene. Taken together, the data suggest that a climate threshold exists for penetration of Asian monsoon rainfall onto the Tibetan Plateau, a threshold that was crossed at the beginning of the Holocene. Conceptually, the threshold simply may be related to the topographic barrier that the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau presents to the landward penetration of the monsoon, or it may be related to nonlinearities in the climate system itself, such as sudden shifts in the configuration of the Westerly jet stream. Different mechanisms for producing a threshold are not mutually exclusive and may have combined to affect the dynamics of the Asian monsoon. In any case, the threshold is related to the presence of the Tibetan Plateau, which has a profound influence on the Asia monsoon system.
Newsmaker interview. Amid war, appraising the mineral wealth of Afghanistan. Interview by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee.

Last week, it was reported that officials had "discovered" that Afghanistan harbored mineral wealth estimated at more than $1 trillion. That includes vast deposits of copper and iron ore, cobalt, molybdenum, and gold, which Pentagon officials say could transform Afghanistan9s economy. Two geologists who have helped manage the survey are Jack Medlin, a regional specialist in international programs at the U.S. Geological Survey, and Said Mirzad, who directed the Afghanistan Geological Survey until 1979 and currently serves as Afghanistan Program co-coordinator at USGS. Last week, they spoke to Science about the past, present, and future of mineral exploration in the war-torn country.