pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Integration, productivity and technological spillovers: Evidence for eurozone banking industries

In the context of the current debate on increased integration of eurozone banking markets following the global financial and sovereign debt crises, this paper evaluates the impact of regulatory reform, starting from the inception of the Single Market in 1992, on bank productivity and assesses the cross-border benefits of integration in terms of technological spillovers. We utilise a parametric meta-frontier Divisia index to estimate productivity change and identify technological gaps. We then assess the extent to which productivity converges within and across banking industries as a result of technological spillovers. Our results suggest that productivity growth has occurred for eurozone countries, driven by technological progress, both at the country and the supra-country level, although the latter slows or in some cases reverses since the onset of the crisis. Technological spillovers do exist, and have led to progression toward the best technology. However, convergence is not complete and significant long run differences in productivity persist. Improvements in technology are increasingly concentrated in fewer banking industries
Surface proximity and boron concentration effects on end-of-range defect formation during nonmelt laser annealing

<p>The effects of surface proximity and B concentration on end-of-range defect formation during nonmelt laser annealing in preamorphized silicon have been studied. These effects were analyzed by observing the activation and diffusion of an ultrashallow B implant, using Hall effect and secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements. By adjusting the preamorphizing implant and laser annealing conditions, B deactivation and diffusion were minimized, resulting in a sheet resistance of similar to 600 Omega/sq with a 16 nm junction depth. This is attributed to a combination of enhanced dissolution of end-of-range defects and preferential formation of B-interstitial clusters due to the surface proximity and high B concentration, respectively.</p
Determination of energy scales in few-electron double quantum dots

The capacitive couplings between gate-defined quantum dots and their gates vary considerably as a function of applied gate voltages. The conversion between gate voltages and the relevant energy scales is usually performed in a regime of rather symmetric dot-lead tunnel couplings strong enough to allow direct transport measurements. Unfortunately, this standard procedure fails for weak and possibly asymmetric tunnel couplings, often the case in realistic devices. We have developed methods to determine the gate voltage to energy conversion accurately in the different regimes of dot-lead tunnel couplings and demonstrate strong variations of the conversion factors. Our concepts can easily be extended to triple quantum dots or even larger arrays
One-dimensional dynamics of nearly unstable axisymmetric liquid bridges

A general one-dimensional model is considered that describes the dynamics of slender, axisymmetric, noncylindrical liquid bridges between two equal disks. Such model depends on two adjustable parameters and includes as particular cases the standard Lee and Cosserat models. For slender liquid bridges, the model provides sufficiently accurate results and involves much easier and faster calculations than the full three-dimensional model. In particular, viscous effects are easily accounted for. The one-dimensional model is used to derive a simple weakly nonlinear description of the dynamics near the instability limit. Small perturbations of marginal instability conditions are also considered that account for volume perturbations, nonequality of the supporting disks, and axial gravity. The analysis shows that the dynamics breaks the reflection symmetry on the midplane between the supporting disks. The weakly nonlinear evolution of the amplitude of the perturbation is given by a Duffing equation, whose coefficients are calculated in terms of the slenderness as a part of the analysis and exhibit a weak dependence on the adjustable parameters of the one-dimensional model. The amplitude equation is used to make quantitative predictions of both the (first stage of) breakage for unstable configurations and the (slow) dynamics for stable configurations
Proper general decomposition (PGD) for the resolution of Navier–Stokes equations

In this work, the PGD method will be considered for solving some problems of fluid mechanics by looking for the solution as a sum of tensor product functions. In the first stage, the equations of Stokes and Burgers will be solved. Then, we will solve the Navier–Stokes problem in the case of the lid-driven cavity for different Reynolds numbers (Re = 100, 1000 and 10,000). Finally, the PGD method will be compared to the standard resolution technique, both in terms of CPU time and accuracy.Région Poitou-Charente
Comparative study of radiation-induced damage in magnesium aluminate spinel by means of IL, CL and RBS/C techniques

International audienceA comparative study of damage accumulation in magnesium aluminate spinel (MgAl2O4) has been conducted using ionoluminescence (IL), cathodoluminescence (CL) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry/channeling (RBS/C) techniques. MgAl2O4 single crystal and polycrystalline samples were irradiated with 320 keV Ar+ ions at fluencies ranging from 1 × 1012 to 2 × 1016 cm−2 in order to create various levels of radiation damage. RBS/C measurements provided quantitative data about damage concentration in the samples. These values were then compared to the luminescence measurements. The results obtained by IL and RBS/C methods demonstrate a two-step character of damage buildup process. The CL data analysis points to the three-step damage accumulation mechanism involving the first defect transformation at fluencies of about 1013 cm−2 and second at about 1015 cm−2. The rate of changes resulting from the formation of nonluminescent recombination centers is clearly nonlinear and cannot be described in terms of continuous accumulation of point defects. Both, IL and CL techniques, appear as new, complementary tools bringing new possibilities in the damage accumulation studies in single- and polycrystalline materials
Cloud service localisation

The essence of cloud computing is the provision of software\ud
and hardware services to a range of users in dierent locations. The aim of cloud service localisation is to facilitate the internationalisation and localisation of cloud services by allowing their adaption to dierent locales.\ud
We address the lingual localisation by providing service-level language translation techniques to adopt services to dierent languages and regulatory localisation by providing standards-based mappings to achieve regulatory compliance with regionally varying laws, standards and regulations. The aim is to support and enforce the explicit modelling of\ud
aspects particularly relevant to localisation and runtime support consisting of tools and middleware services to automating the deployment based on models of locales, driven by the two localisation dimensions.\ud
We focus here on an ontology-based conceptual information model that integrates locale specication in a coherent way
Homography-based ground plane detection using a single on-board camera

This study presents a robust method for ground plane detection in vision-based systems with a non-stationary camera. The proposed method is based on the reliable estimation of the homography between ground planes in successive images. This homography is computed using a feature matching approach, which in contrast to classical approaches to on-board motion estimation does not require explicit ego-motion calculation. As opposed to it, a novel homography calculation method based on a linear estimation framework is presented. This framework provides predictions of the ground plane transformation matrix that are dynamically updated with new measurements. The method is specially suited for challenging environments, in particular traffic scenarios, in which the information is scarce and the homography computed from the images is usually inaccurate or erroneous. The proposed estimation framework is able to remove erroneous measurements and to correct those that are inaccurate, hence producing a reliable homography estimate at each instant. It is based on the evaluation of the difference between the predicted and the observed transformations, measured according to the spectral norm of the associated matrix of differences. Moreover, an example is provided on how to use the information extracted from ground plane estimation to achieve object detection and tracking. The method has been successfully demonstrated for the detection of moving vehicles in traffic environments
Sampling strategies using the "accumulation chamber" for monitoring geological storage of CO2

Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (CIUDEN) is carrying out a project of geological storage of CO2, where CO2 injection tests are planned in saline aquifers at a depth of 1500 m for scientific objectives and project demonstration. Before any CO2 is stored, it is necessary to determine the baseline flux of CO2 in order to detect potential leakage during injection and post-injection monitoring.\ud
\ud
In November 2009 diffuse flux measurements of CO2 using an accumulationchamber were made in the area selected by CIUDEN for geological storage, located in Hontomin province of Burgos (Spain). This paper presents the tests carried out in order to establish the optimum sampling methodology and the geostatistical analyses performed to determine the range, with which future field campaigns will be planned
Exploring the economic value of personal information from firms' financial statements

Currently personal data gathering in online markets is done on a far larger scale and much cheaper and faster than ever before. Within this scenario, a number of highly relevant companies for whom personal data is the key factor of production have emerged. However, up to now, the corresponding economic analysis has been restricted primarily to a qualitative perspective linked to privacy issues. Precisely, this paper seeks to shed light on the quantitative perspective, approximating the value of personal information for those companies that base their business model on this new type of asset. In the absence of any systematic research or methodology on the subject, an ad hoc procedure is developed in this paper. It starts with the examination of the accounts of a number of key players in online markets. This inspection first aims to determine whether the value of personal information databases is somehow reflected in the firms’ books, and second to define performance measures able to capture this value. After discussing the strengths and weaknesses of possible approaches, the method that performs best under several criteria (revenue per data record) is selected. From here, an estimation of the net present value of personal data is derived, as well as a slight digression into regional differences in the economic value of personal information
The threat of predictable and unpredictable pain: Differential effects on central nervous system processing?

Central nervous system performance is disrupted by pain and by the threat of pain. It is not known whether disruption caused by the threat of pain is dependent on the likelihood of pain occurring. We hypothesised that when a painful stimulus is possible but unpredictable central nervous system performance is reduced, but when the pain is predictable and unavoidable it is not. Sixteen healthy subjects performed a reaction time task during predictable and unpredictable conditions (100% and 50% probability of pain, respectively). Group data showed increased reaction time with the threat of pain by 50 ms (95% Cl 16 to 83 ms) for the predictable condition and 46 ms (95% CI 12 to 80 ms) for the unpredictable condition (p < 0.01 for both), but there was no difference between predictable and unpredictable conditions (p = 0.41). However, individual data showed that there was a differential effect in 75% of subjects (p < 0.05 for all) and that there was a greater effect of predictable pain for some subjects and a greater effect of unpredictable pain for others. Reaction time was related to reported anxiety (r = 0.49, p = 0.02 for both conditions). The predictability of a painful stimulus may have a differential effect on central nervous system performance within individuals, but anxiety about the impending pain appears to be important in determining this effect
Mind the wind: microclimate effects on incubation effort of an arctic seabird

The energetic costs of reproduction in birds strongly depend on the climate
experienced during incubation. Climate change and increasing frequency of
extreme weather events may severely affect these costs, especially for species
incubating in extreme environments. In this 3-year study, we used an experimental
approach to investigate the effects of microclimate and nest shelter on
the incubation effort of female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in a wild
Arctic population. We added artificial shelters to a random selection of nesting
females, and compared incubation effort, measured as body mass loss during
incubation, between females with and without shelter. Nonsheltered females
had a higher incubation effort than females with artificial shelters. In nonsheltered
females, higher wind speeds increased the incubation effort, while artificially
sheltered females experienced no effect of wind. Although increasing
ambient temperatures tended to decrease incubation effort, this effect was negligible
in the absence of wind. Humidity had no marked effect on incubation
effort. This study clearly displays the direct effect of a climatic variable on an
important aspect of avian life-history. By showing that increasing wind speed
counteracts the energetic benefits of a rising ambient temperature, we were able
to demonstrate that a climatic variable other than temperature may also affect
wild populations and need to be taken into account when predicting the effects
of climate change.©  2016 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Bohmian Dispositions

This paper argues for a broadly dispositionalist approach to the ontology of Bohmian mechanics. It first distinguishes the ‘minimal’ and the ‘causal’ versions of Bohm’s Theory, and then briefly reviews some of the claims advanced on behalf of the ‘causal’ version by its proponents. A number of ontological or interpretive accounts of the wave function in Bohmian mechanics are then addressed in detail, including i) configuration space, ii) multi-field, iii) nomological, and iv) dispositional approaches. The main objection to each account is reviewed, namely i) the ‘problem of perception’, ii) the ‘problem of communication’, iii) the ‘problem of temporal laws’, and iv) the ‘problem of under-determination’. It is then shown that a version of dispositionalism overcomes the under-determination problem while providing neat solutions to the other three problems. A pragmatic argument is thus furnished for the use of dispositions in the interpretation of the theory more generally. The paper ends in a more speculative note by suggesting ways in which a dispositionalist interpretation of the wave function is in addition able to shed light upon some of the claims of the proponents of the causal version of Bohmian mechanics
Data quality problems in TPC-DI based data integration processes

Many data driven organisations need to integrate data from multiple, distributed and heterogeneous resources for advanced data analysis. A data integration system is an essential component to collect data into a data warehouse or other data analytics systems. There are various alternatives of data integration systems which are created in-house or provided by vendors. Hence, it is necessary for an organisation to compare and benchmark them when choosing a suitable one to meet its requirements. Recently, the TPC-DI is proposed as the first industrial benchmark for evaluating data integration systems. When using this benchmark, we find some typical data quality problems in the TPC-DI data source such as multi-meaning attributes and inconsistent data schemas, which could delay or even fail the data integration process. This paper explains processes of this benchmark and summarises typical data quality problems identified in the TPC-DI data source. Furthermore, in order to prevent data quality problems and proactively manage data quality, we propose a set of practical guidelines for researchers and practitioners to conduct data quality management when using the TPC-DI benchmark
An adaptive space-time Newton–Galerkin approach for semilinear singularly perturbed parabolic evolution equations

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)In this article, we develop an adaptive procedure for the numerical solution of semilinear parabolic problems with possible singular perturbations. Our approach combines a linearization technique using Newton’s method with an adaptive discretization—which is based on a spatial finite element method and the backward Euler time-stepping scheme—of the resulting sequence of linear problems. Upon deriving a robust a posteriori error analysis, we design a fully adaptive Newton–Galerkin time-stepping algorithm. Numerical experiments underline the robustness and reliability of the proposed approach for various examples
Solution of the least squares method problem of pairwise comparison matrices

The aim of the paper is to present a new global optimization method for determining all the optima of the Least Squares Method (LSM) problem of pairwise comparison matrices. Such matrices are used, e.g., in the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Unlike some other distance minimizing methods, LSM is usually hard to solve because of the corresponding nonlinear and non-convex objective function. It is found that the optimization problem can be reduced to solve a system of polynomial equations. Homotopy method is applied which is an efficient technique for solving nonlinear systems. The paper ends by two numerical example having multiple global and local minima
Optimum adhesive thickness in structural adhesives joints using statistical techniques base on Weibull distribution

The geometrical factors defining an adhesive joint are of great importance as its design greatly conditions the performance of the bonding. One of the most relevant geometrical factors is the thickness of the adhesive as it decisively influences the mechanical properties of the bonding and has a clear economic impact on the manufacturing processes or long runs. \ud
The traditional mechanical joints (riveting, welding, etc.) are characterised by a predictable performance, and are very reliable in service conditions. Thus, structural adhesive joints will only be selected in industrial applications demanding mechanical requirements and adverse environmental conditions if the suitable reliability (the same or higher than the mechanical joints) is guaranteed. \ud
For this purpose, the objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of the adhesive thickness on the mechanical behaviour of the joint and, by means of a statistical analysis based on Weibull distribution, propose the optimum thickness for the adhesive combining the best mechanical performance and high reliability. This procedure, which is applicable without a great deal of difficulty to other joints and adhesives, provides a general use for a more reliable use of adhesive bondings and, therefore, for a better and wider use in the industrial manufacturing processes
Development of finite difference schemes near an inflow boundary

Numerical schemes for a convection-diffusion problem defined on the whole real line have been derived by Morton and Sobey (IMA J. Numer. Anal. 1993; 13:141-160) using the exact evolution operator through one time step. In this paper we derive new numerical schemes by using the exact evolution operator for a convection-diffusion problem defined on the half-line. We obtain a third-order method that requires the use of a numerical boundary condition which is also derived using the same evolution operator. We determine whether there are advantages from the point of view of stability and accuracy in using these new schemes, when compared with similar methods obtained for the whole line. We conclude that the third-order scheme provides gains in terms of stability and although it does not improve the practical accuracy of existing methods faraway from the inflow boundary, it does improve the accuracy next to the inflow boundary. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nme.170
Diabetes and mitochondrial oxidative stress: A study using heart mitochondria from the diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat

Increasing evidence shows that the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, induced by diabetic hyperglycemia, contributes to the development of several cardiopathologies. The susceptibility of diabetic hearts to oxidative stress, induced in vitro by ADP-Fe2+ in mitochondria, was studied in 12-month-old Goto-Kakizaki rats, a model of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and normal (non-diabetic) Wistar rats. In terms of lipid peroxidation the oxidative damage was evaluated on heart mitochondria by measuring both the O2 consumption and the concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Diabetic rats display a more intense formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and a higher O2 consumption than non-diabetic rats. The oxidative damage, assessed by electron microscopy, was followed by an extensive effect on the volume of diabetic heart mitochondria, as compared with control heart mitochondria. An increase in the susceptibility of diabetic heart mitochondria to oxidative stress can be explained by reduced levels of endogenous antioxidants, so we proceeded in determinating a-tocopherol, GSH and coenzyme Q content. Although no difference of a-tocopherol levels was found in diabetic rats as compared with control rat mitochondria, a significant reduction in GSH (21.5% reduction in diabetic rats) and coenzyme Q levels of diabetic rats was observed. The data suggest that a significant decrease of coenzyme Q9, a potent antioxidant involved in the elimination of mitochondria-generated reactive oxygen species, may be responsible for an increased susceptibility of diabetic heart mitochondria to oxidative damage.http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:102347502202
1D action and partition function for the 2D Ising model with boundary
  magnetic field

In this article we obtain some exact results for the 2D Ising model with a
general boundary magnetic field and for a finite size system, by an alternative
method to that developed by B. McCoy and T.T. Wu. This method is a
generalization of ideas from V.N. Plechko presented for the 2D Ising model in
zero field, based on the representation of the Ising model using a Grassmann
algebra. In this way, a Gaussian 1D action is obtained for a general
configuration of the boundary magnetic field. In the special case where the
magnetic field is homogeneous, we check that our results are in agreement with
McCoy and Wu's previous work, and we also compute the two point correlation
functions on the boundary. We use this correlation function to obtain the exact
partition function and the free energy in the special case of an inhomogeneous
boundary magnetic field