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The Lunar Cherenkov technique is a promising method for UHE neutrino and cosmic ray detection which aims to detect nanosecond radio pulses produced during particle interactions in the Lunar regolith. For low frequency experiments, such as NuMoon, the frequency dependent dispersive effect of the ionosphere is an important experimental concern as it reduces the pulse amplitude and subsequent chances of detection. We are continuing to investigate a new method to calibrate the dispersive effect of the ionosphere on lunar Cherenkov pulses via Faraday rotation measurements of the Moon's polarised emission combined with geomagnetic field models. We also extend this work to include radio imaging of the Lunar surface, which provides information on the physical and chemical properties of the lunar surface that may affect experimental strategies for the lunar Cherenkov technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current paper consists of a comprehensive review of the studies with impetus on most recent applications of friction stir processing (FSP) in magnesium matrix composite fabrication. The fabrication of composites and effects of various factors on the properties of the fabricated composites have been deliberated. The study is alienated into different sections focusing on different aspects of the process with special reference to the state of the Mg based composites. Wear behaviour studies of surface composites fabricated by FSP with a special focus on magnesium matrix composites. Addition of different reinforcements, the variation in process variables and their effects the tribological properties of the fabricated composites have been discussed. Different properties that govern wear behaviour of the Mg based composites fabricated by FSP have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 50% of all information systems (IS) projects fail around the world. The research question was: Can machine learning (ML) find the failure causes by searching unstructured IS project big data? A pragmatic mixed methods research design was developed. After a literature review, structured programming, random forest ML and parametric statistics were applied to a large big data source containing unstructured IS project metrics. A statistically significant model was created, identifying 7 features from ML at an 80% classification accuracy, and 4 predictors of IS project failure, with a 27% effect size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of directional crystallization with a phase transition region is developed taking into account convective heat and mass transfer in the melt in the case of arbitrary temperatures of the cooling boundary, intensity of convection, nonlinear liquidus line equation, temperature-dependent kinematic viscosity, and thermal expansion coefficients, as well as the arbitrary dependence of the thermal conductivity on the fraction of the solid phase. The solid phase fraction at the boundaries of the two-phase zone and the temperature profile are determined. Approximate analytical solutions correspond to various stages of the crystallization process with a two-phase zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health information systems in developing countries support the political vision of promoting equity in access to health services. However, these data-driven advancements raise severe privacy issues in most developing countries due to the lack of awareness of privacy risks and of measures to counteract those risks. Drawing on social cognitive theory and the Antecedents-Privacy Concerns-Outcomes model, we combine two complementary theoretical lenses to argue that solution-focused and risk-focused privacy awareness-raising measures influence individuals’ data protection behavior through the two channels of privacy self-efficacy and privacy concerns. To test our theorizing, we conducted a randomized, controlled field experiment in collaboration with a nongovernmental organization working on health information systems in West Africa. Our results provide in-depth and context-sensitive insights into how privacy awareness influences privacy behavior. We show that even simple awareness-raising measures increase individuals’ privacy protection behavior when framed in a solution-focused instead of a risk-focused way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge management has been touted to help firms achieve high innovative performance hence it has become an entrenched managerial activity due to the changing perspective of what makes a firm more competitive over its competitors. Due to improvement in technology and increased contact due to globalization, access to and possession of discrete information by firms help to sustain firm absorptive capacity. It may also serve as enabler for distinctive firm positioning which provides benefit to the firm. The pool of knowledge within the firm when is inimitable helps the firm to engage in much innovative activities because the firm will possess both tacit and codified knowledge which other competitors do not have. Some scholars have found that it is more beneficial for firms to seek external knowledge if they aim at introducing new products into the market because the firm cannot produce all the knowledge it needs. This paper seeks to ascertain whether seeking solely external knowledge is determinant for firm's new product introduction in some selected countries in the transition knowledge economies. In the light of the foregoing aim, a logistics regression model has been used employing data from the Harmonized European Union Community Innovative Survey 2012-2014 for the empirical analysis. Our results show that in as much as firm's acquisition of external knowledge aids in introducing new product into the market, firm's internal research activities and professional knowledge management as well provide the firm with the opportunity to introduce new product. In contrast, the empirical results found cases where sourcing for external knowledge had no significant effect on firm's introduction of new product and services. For the management of knowledge in the firm, we argue that since not all the firm's knowledge could be purchased due to the long-term cost associated with it, it is imperative for management to help stimulate employee knowledge sharing atmosphere through collaborative working environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of the Moon as a detector volume for ultra-high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays, by searching for the Askaryan radio pulse produced when they interact in the lunar regolith, has been attempted by a range of projects over the past two decades. In this contribution, I discuss some of the technical considerations relevant to these experiments, and their consequent sensitivity to ultra-high-energy particles. I also discuss some possible future experiments, and highlight their potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wave propagation can be an accurate method for determining material properties. High frequency whistler mode waves (0.7 < ω/|Ωce| < 1) in an overdense plasma (ωpe > |Ωce|) are damped primarily by Doppler-shifted electron cyclotron resonance. A kinetic description of whistler mode propagation parallel to the background magnetic field shows that damping is proportional to the parallel electron distribution function. This property enables an experimental determination of the parallel electron distribution function using a measurement of whistler mode wave absorption. The whistler mode wave absorption diagnostic uses this technique on UCLA's Large Plasma Device (LaPD) to measure the distribution of high energy electrons (5 - 10vte) with 0.1% precision. The accuracy is limited by systematic effects that need to be considered carefully. Ongoing research uses this diagnostic to investigate the effect of inertial Alfv'en waves on the electron distribution function. Results presented here verify experimentally the linear effects of inertial Alfv'en waves on the reduced electron distribution function, a necessary step before nonlinear physics can be tested. Ongoing experiments with the whistler mode wave absorption diagnostic are making progress toward the first direct detection of electrons nonlinearly accelerated by inertial Alfv'en waves, a process believed to play an important role in auroral generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to find out determinants which affect the commercial banks' decision to lend on the interbank market in the Visegrad countries. The data cover the period from 2000 to 2011. The net interbank position of individual banking sectors significantly differs. Results of the probit model showed that banks' decision to lend in interbank market is determined both by bank-specific and macroeconomic factors. Bank liquidity, capital adequacy and quality of the loan portfolio are important bank-specific factors. Growth rate of the gross domestic products, unemployment rate, financial crisis and level of interest rates matter among macroeconomic factors. Although the Visegrad countries have a lot in common, different factors determined the banks' decision in individual countries. Moreover, the direction of influence of some factors may also differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While predicting whether or not a person will default on a loan is nigh unto impossible, modeling the probability that they will incur back-debt by the frequency of missing payments could be a reasonable proxy for this measure. This paper aims to do this by regressing the number of loans that have gone into default during any cycle on a host of measures designed to assess the individual's ability to pay back the loans. The observations have been drawn from a survey of 2,800 households in India. I am interested to see if my logical predictions of which characteristics will cause an individual to fall into default will be proven accurate. The results of this analysis could potentially help microfinance institutions make more-informed decisions regarding whom to provide loans to, in order to minimize their risk factors. Moreover, I am intrigued to analyze the theory that females make better loan candidates than males. On one hand, it does seem logical that their business revenues will be reinvested within the family, engendering more consumption in the community. But will the increase in disposable income from successful businesses affect both genders of borrowers the same? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acceleration of electrons at 1-10 keV energies is the cause of the polar aurora displays, and an important factor of magnetic energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth. Two main families of acceleration processes are observed: those based on coherent quasi-static structures called double layers, and those based of the propagation of Alfvén Waves (AW). This paper is a review of the Alfvénic acceleration processes, and of their role in the global dynamics of the auroral zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "business as usual " model is no longer possible. Globalization, technological and demographical changes have lead to the change in the internal organization structures, processes and behaviour. Environmental, social and governance issues are becoming extremely powerful means of gaining competitive advantage on the global market. The purpose of the paper is to underline the importance of socially responsible business practices for the corporation. In order to emphasize the importance of socially responsible behaviour with regards to financial performance, the research was enriched with of the comparative analysis of the financial performances of 45 corporations listed on Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 2009/2010 that represent the top 10% of the leading sustainability companies out of the biggest 2500 companies in the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index compared with non CSR corporations - not listed on DJSWI. Authors are presenting results of the econometric model which further confirmed that CSR firms in the average enjoy better financial performance that non-CSR firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand particle acceleration during magnetospheric substorms we must consider the problem on multple scales ranging from the large scale changes in the entire magnetosphere to the microphysics of wave particle interactions. In this paper we present two examples that demonstrate the complexity of substorm particle acceleration and its multi-scale nature. The first substorm provided us with an excellent example of ion acceleration. On March 1, 2008 four THEMIS spacecraft were in a line extending from 8 RE to 23 RE in the magnetotail during a very large substorm during which ions were accelerated to >500 keV. We used a combination of a global magnetohydrodynamic and large scale kinetic simulations to model the ion acceleration and found that the ions gained energy by non-adiabatic trajectories across the substorm electric field in a narrow region extending across the magnetotail between x = -10 RE and x = -15 RE. In this strip called the 'wall region' the ions move rapidly in azimuth and gain 100s of keV. In the second example we studied the acceleration of electrons associated with a pair of dipolarization fronts during a substorm on February 15, 2008. During this substorm three THEMIS spacecraft were grouped in the near-Earth magnetotail (x ∼-10 RE) and observed electron acceleration of >100 keV accompanied by intense plasma waves. We used the MHD simulations and analytic theory to show that adiabatic motion (betatron and Fermi acceleration) was insufficient to account for the electron acceleration and that kinetic processes associated with the plasma waves were important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides insights in the effects of networking activities of tenants located in business centres. These tenants are deemed to contribute to the local or regional economy by means of their performances in terms of generating employment and turnover. Drawing of a sample of tenants, and confronting them with a matched sample of firms not located in a business centre, assesses the networking possibilities that business centres are said to offer. Because business centres are part of the policy toolbox of local and regional actors their initiatives aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship are included. The results demonstrate that the critical mass of tenants in business centres is too small to exert a significant effect on the local or regional economy. Policy agencies at local or regional level can see in the creation of business centres at best a supporting role to counter unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a random sample of ninety students from a Catholic college, some variables influencing drinking decisions have been identified. Separate college GPA equations for drinkers and non-drinkers have been estimated correcting for self selection bias. The sample data suggests: drinking alcohol during college years does not affect grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]