Search

Managing acquired subsidiaries can be daunting. Parent and affiliate executives strive to co-create value, but fixed mindsets around subsidiary autonomy can result in diverging interests and outcomes. Through a longitudinal study of Audi’s post-acquisition integration of supercar manufacturer Lamborghini, this article provides guidance on how to manage the level of acquired subsidiary autonomy as a strategic dial that can be dynamically adjusted over time for mutual benefit. This dynamic approach to autonomy rests on three specific managerial levers—appraisal respect, organizational identity, and resource orchestration. These can enable the renewal of competitive capabilities and sustain post-acquisition success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceresini treehoppers are present in northern California vineyard ecosystems, including the closely related Spissistilus and Tortistilus (Hemiptera: Membracidae). These membracids are not direct pests of wine grapes, but S. festinus is a vector of grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV). No information is available on the ability of Tortistilus spp. to transmit GRBV. In this study, Tortistilus were collected on yellow panel cards across 102 vineyard sites and surrounding areas in Napa Valley, California, USA in 2021-2023. Specimens were morphotyped, sexed and tested for GRBV ingestion and acquisition by multiplex PCR or qPCR. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial sequence of mt-COI and ITS gene fragments of a subset of 40 Tortistilus specimens revealed clustering in a monophyletic clade with T. wickhami with the former barcode sequence. Only 6% (48/758) of the T. wickhami tested positive for GRBV, but none of the heads with salivary glands (0%, 0/50) of the dissected specimens tested positive for GRBV, indicating no virus acquisition. In contrast, half of the dissected heads with salivary glands of S. festinus (52%, 12/23), from the same collection vineyard sites, tested positive for GRBV. Together, our findings confirmed the presence of T. wickhami in northern California vineyards and suggested a dubious role of this treehopper as a vector of GRBV.

The contrasting differences that exist in the English and Cantonese phonological systems result in divergent articulatory production between them. This article aims to investigate the negative transfer of Cantonese EFL learners in acquiring English consonant clusters and the constraint rankings of Cantonese and English syllable systems by comparing syllable structures and analyzing experimental statistics. The objective is to elucidate the reasons behind their negative transfer in English syllable acquisition. The research results demonstrated that Cantonese EFL learners found it easier to acquire consonant clusters in the onset position compared to the coda position. Additionally, an increase in consonants in the coda position posed greater difficulties for Cantonese EFL learners. The results also indicated that participants encountered the most problems with deletion, followed by substitution and epenthesis. The OT analysis reveals that the different rankings of faithfulness and markedness constraints in Cantonese and English led to transfer errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heme, an iron-containing tetrapyrrole in hemoproteins, including: hemoglobin, myoglobin, catalase, cytochrome c, and cytochrome P450, plays critical physiological roles in different organisms. Heme-derived chemicals, such as biliverdin, bilirubin, and phycocyanobilin, are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and have shown great potential in fighting viruses and diseases. Therefore, more and more attention has been paid to the biosynthesis of hemoproteins and heme derivatives, which depends on the adequate heme supply in various microbial cell factories. The enhancement of endogenous biosynthesis and exogenous uptake can improve the intracellular heme supply, but the excess free heme is toxic to the cells. Therefore, based on the heme-responsive regulators, several sensitive biosensors were developed to fine-tune the intracellular levels of heme. In this review, recent advances in the: biosynthesis, acquisition, regulation, and upcycling of heme were summarized to provide a solid foundation for the efficient production and application of high-value-added hemoproteins and heme derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibroseis is the most popular source for land seismic acquisition, being used whenever access is possible due to its repeatability, controllable bandwidth, and low-cost. Despite the increasing popularity of 3D surveys, 2D surveys continue to be acquired. Over the last 30 years several high-productivity Vibroseis techniques have been introduced for 3D surveys, many enabled by the widespread adoption of nodal acquisition systems, but there is little evidence of their adoption for 2D surveys. In this paper I show how the use of a combination of the employment of a nodal acquisition system and a distanced separated acquisition technique increased productivity by 61% over flip-flop and 118% over single-vibrator acquisition, with no detrimental effects on data quality. In the future I anticipate that the employment of such techniques will be routine, particularly given that there is potential to increase productivity even further through the employment of additional vibrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, we are witnessing firms engaging in acquisitions to explore new business models. However, despite operating within similar industry sectors, integrating these business models can be challenging. Beyond the mere integration of operational aspects, this paper argues that business model integration should encompass two crucial dimensions: the integration of market architectural strategies and the assimilation of mindsets that drive market operations. The paper constructs a typology for business model integration, grounded in the integration of market architectural strategies, and mindsets and illustrates the types through international acquisition examples. The paper contributes to existing research by exploring integration within the context of business model acquisitions. The division into market architectural strategies and mindset advances past understanding of business models. The conceptualization of "value‐creation culture" extends the boundaries of past acquisition research and underscores the significance of mindsets associated with new business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While existing literature extensively explores manufacturing firms expanding into services, little is known about the modes of servitisation, the means by which they carry it out. This paper concentrates on acquisitions as a mode of servitisation. Post-acquisition integration is when the potential of an acquisition is realised. The paper therefore aims to categorise types of integrations following the acquisition of servitised firms and discusses their consequences for servitisation. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical part of the paper is based on two case studies, each involving the acquisition of servitised firms. Both acquirers changed their integration approach over time. Findings: The paper conceptualises three types of integrations: rhetorical, insulated and transformative integrations, indicating whether and how the acquirer becomes servitised following the integration. These highlight the analysis of integration based on business models and customer orientation in relation to servitisation. Originality/value: This paper contributes to research on servitisation by emphasising acquisitions as a mode of servitisation and conceptualising three integration types related to business models and customer orientations. Furthermore, the paper highlights how an acquirer's servitisation leads to new offerings targeting new customers, as opposed to strengthening existing relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full‐tensor magnetic gradiometry data have been collected commercially for the last few years. However, to date, there is still no clarity on how to compare these data to scalar total field surveys. Some users display the vertical gradient of the vertical component (Bzz) and compare that to a first vertical derivative of total field with the caveat that ‘they are similar’. Others compute the length of the measured vector and call that total field. We establish the basic formulas to calculate total field from the tensor components and demonstrate this with a real data example from Thompson, Manitoba, Canada. Another key question is whether full‐tensor interpolation is required to obtain total field from tensor data. We compare the results from using a commercial full‐tensor interpolation algorithm with standard minimum curvature of the tensor components individually and with another open‐source code that uses a radial basis function interpolator on the individual tensor components. All three applications produced a total field grid of superior quality to that calculated from a scalar total field survey available for the area of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limitations in acquisition technologies lead to insufficient low‐frequency signals in field seismic data. Local optimization methods are the common approaches for full‐waveform inversion. Inaccurate initial velocity models and lack of low‐frequency signals in seismic data typically cause the local‐gradient‐based full‐waveform inversion to converge to a local minimum due to cycle‐skipping. The existing energy‐based objective functions can generate artificial low‐frequency signals successfully by squaring the pressure but overlook the law of energy conservation, which may mislead model updates. To overcome this issue, we combine acoustic wave potential energy and kinetic energy to develop a new objective function that fits the acoustic wave energy. The new acoustic‐wave‐energy‐based full‐waveform inversion considers the law of energy conservation. The new system creates low‐frequency signals to avoid cycle‐skipping and produce an accurate smooth background velocity model, which provides a sufficient starting model for conventional full‐waveform inversion. Numerical examples demonstrate that the combination of acoustic‐wave‐energy‐based full‐waveform inversion and conventional full‐waveform inversion can deliver more faithful and accurate final results than conventional full‐waveform inversion alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractSiegel claimed that teachers are obliged to provide grounds whenever demanded, as a result of which they must be able to subject to scrutiny whatever they teach. In this paper, however, and taking as a reference Wittgenstein’s On Certainty, it is shown that such a demand cannot work for second language teachers because their main task consists in transmitting ungrounded certainties. To clarify this point, I begin by presenting Wittgenstein’s conception of ‘certainty’, and explaining why I think he was right to provide examples of teachers who refuse to answer their students’ doubts concerning certainties. Thereafter, I analyze two kinds of grounds – i.e. historical and practical – with which a second language teacher might reply to the students’ queries about the certainties that he aims to transmit to them. This will enable me to reveal the consequences of such replies and, by extension, the scenario that would result from allowing students to decide whether they accept whatever is taught to them. In this way, I will show not only that Siegel’s demand is unfeasible, but also why second language teaching provides a clear example that the acquisition of certainties constitutes a final goal in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze potential differences in the financial performance of acquiring companies before and after acquisitions, focusing on Liquidity Ratios (Current Ratio and Quick Ratio), Profitability Ratios (Return on Assets Ratio and Net Profit Margin Ratio), Solvency Ratios (Debt to Equity Ratio and Debt to Assets Ratio), Activity Ratio (Total Assets Turnover Ratio and Fixed Assets Turnover Ratio), and Market Ratio (Earning per Share Ratio and Price Earnings Ratio). The research methodology involves a Quantitative Descriptive and Comparative approach, along with an Event Study comparing the financial performance of companies three years before and after the acquisition. Statistical tests, including Sample Paired t-Test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, were conducted using the EViews application on seven acquiring companies listed on the IDX from 2017 to 2023. The findings indicate a significant difference in the company's financial performance before and after the acquisition, specifically in terms of Return on Assets, while the other financial ratios showed no significant differences before and after the acquisition is conducted. The implications of this study are expected to provide in-depth knowledge about the significance of differences in the company's financial performance before and after the acquisition, which will serve as a basis for decision making for investors and public in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correct alignment of the image receptor (IR) in mammography for the mediolateral oblique (MLO) view of the breast is fundamental to enable the maximum inclusion of breast tissue. This study aims to assess Australian radiographers' knowledge and digital era practice in selecting the IR angle for female body habitus in the MLO view of the breast. An online survey was distributed to all members of the Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (ASMIRT) through their electronic newsletter and via direct email to radiographers holding the Certificate of Mammographic Practice (CMP). Descriptive analysis was undertaken, and a Pearson's chi-squared test of independence was used to compare associations between academic qualification and IR selection data. A value of p < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. A total of 107 valid surveys were returned; 67.3 % reported using the posterior lateral margin to select the IR angle. For linear body habitus, 44.9 % reported using 50°; for all other body habitus, participants most commonly used 45° (59.1 %); 85.1 % used a range of angles between 40 and 55°; 16.8 % recognised the link between correct IR angle selection and breast tissue inclusion. The range of angles used in practice has reduced in the digital era; the frequency of the use of 45° across all body habitus may reflect tube angle movement automation. Few radiographers recognised the important link between correct selection of IR angle and breast tissue inclusion on the image. Understanding of the link between IR angle selection and image quality enhances current practice in the digital era to maximise the inclusion of breast tissue and minimise the potential of missed breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapidly evolving nature of emerging technologies renders artworks made using such technologies a challenging category of objects to be handled by institutions. This paper presents real scenarios of how art made with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) is acquired, exhibited and finally preserved by museums and art institutions, presenting a clear picture of a particular period. Though an extensive body of literature and studies deal with the preservation of 'New Media', very few focus on the challenges faced by museums and private institutions when it comes to artworks that use VR/AR. We used in-depth interviews with eight museum professionals working in six key institutions that engage with VR/AR artworks, and four artists, who create such works, in order to define current institutional practices, understand the challenges museum professionals face when dealing with VR/AR artworks, and identify the preservation-related concerns of artists working with these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new free-space optical (FSO) communication system for moving platform tracking, which can achieve high precision aiming and tracking. Our prototype system consists of three parts. As a coarse sighting structure, the electro-optical pod module is used for target searching and coarse sighting in the initial stage. As a precise aiming structure, the precise targeting loads module located inside the electro-optical pod module uses miniaturized tubular folding optical path technology for high-precision alignment and tracking. The bottom module of the system is used for communication. In the tracking process, the control unit uses spot offset collected by CCD to perform decoupling calculation and then compensates the offset by swinging tracking and aiming structure. We did track experiments on a mobile platform. The experiment successfully tracked a moving target at 100 m distance, and the tracking error was less than 1 mrad. The proposed system can provide stable communication links between the mobile platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the association between the social capital—social norms that encourage altruism and discourage opportunism—in the state of the firm's headquarters and the acquisitions it makes. We find that the cumulative abnormal return around an acquisition announcement is high when an acquirer is headquartered in a high social capital state in the United States. This effect is robust and incremental to the effect of a firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR) ratings and economically comparable to the effect of corporate governance. The effect of social capital is stronger for firms that have lower CSR ratings, which indicates social capital may act as a substitute for CSR. An additional analysis shows that social capital's effect is stronger in a subsample of firms with weak corporate governance. Acquirers from states with high social capital also demonstrate less hubris in acquiring targets than those from states with low social capital as the evidence of lower bid premiums indicates. Overall, our results show that the social norms that social capital measures mitigate potential agency problems in acquisitions by inducing managers to honor their obligations to shareholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal design of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) software receivers should enable the accurate estimation of the receiver's position, velocity, and time under various environmental conditions. The software receivers consist of three sections: acquisition, tracking, and navigation. This paper specifically centers on the acquisition sections of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), BeiDou, and Galileo satellite navigation systems. The acquisition stage necessitates the prompt and precise transmission of the satellite list within the receiver's view, along with Doppler frequency estimation and phase code offset, to facilitate a seamless transition to the tracking stage with the utmost speed and accuracy. Conventional acquisition demonstrates commendable speed, but lacks accuracy, especially in environments with a low Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (CNR). Contrastingly, precise acquisition methods will impede the speed of the acquisition stage. In this paper, a novel acquisition method is proposed. By integrating concepts like resampling, two-stage acquisition, and fine-acquisition, this method enables the attainment of higher accuracy without compromising speed. The results demonstrate that the proposed method enhances accuracy by 7.275% compared to conventional methods and boosts speed by 76.97% compared to methods focused on accuracy improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor learning (ML), which plays a fundamental role in growth and physical rehabilitation, involves different stages of learning and memory processes through different brain regions. However, the neural mechanisms that underlie ML are not sufficiently understood. Here, a previously unreported neuronal projection from the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) to the zona incerta (ZI) involved in the regulation of ML behaviors is identified. Using recombinant adeno‐associated virus, the projections to the ZI are surprisingly identified as originating from the dorsal dentate gyrus (DG) and CA1 subregions of the dHPC. Furthermore, projection‐specific chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulation reveals that the projections from the dorsal CA1 to the ZI play key roles in the acquisition and consolidation of ML behaviors, whereas the projections from the dorsal DG to the ZI mediate the retrieval/retention of ML behaviors. The results reveal new projections from the dorsal DG and dorsal CA1 to the ZI involved in the regulation of ML and provide insight into the stages over which this regulation occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores young English-speaking children’s usage and acquisition patterns of the how come- and why-constructions on the basis of authentic data from the CHILDES (Child Language Data Exchange System) subcorpora. In doing so, it particularly focuses on whether young children show the same or similar acquisition processes of the two constructions which have similar meanings and if not, in what aspects they display different behavior, and what implications they have in children’s acquisition of wh-question constructions in general. A detailed analysis of the data shows that 1) children start to use and acquire the how come-construction later than the why-construction in general; 2) although they use and acquire the two constructions in a similar way to some extent, their usage and acquisition patterns differ rather significantly, regarding the dependent category/construction types, the illocutionary function distributions/preferences; 3) children’s difficulty in employing SAI in the why-construction is demonstrated in a large number of underdeveloped/erroneous instances with a finite sentence dependent at early acquisition stages and frequent occurrences of the small clause dependent in spite of the lack of parents’ input; 4) children use and acquire the why-construction earlier in the positive contexts than in the negative contexts; 5) parents’ input does not play a sole determining role in accounting for children’s usage and acquisition patterns of the two constructions. The findings of this paper thus make a significant contribution to the body of irregular wh-questions including the how come-construction and typical wh-questions such as the why-construction at the same time, inviting further subsequent empirical studies on the related constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Inspired by the resource-based view, this study focuses on two types of capabilities: dynamic (i.e. agility) and ordinary (sales capabilities). We aim to investigate whether SMEs that cultivate exceptional sales capabilities still need to enhance them through agility to maintain their sales growth and under what conditions. Design/methodology/approach: We use a descriptive research design and survey a sample of 235 SMEs from B2B industries in Croatia. We empirically test the conceptual framework with the SPSS Process macro. Findings: Our study results confirm that agility mediates sales capabilities' effect on sales growth. Furthermore, we find a significant positive moderating effect of sales orientation ambidexterity (retention coupled with the acquisition) on the indirect effect of sales capabilities on sales growth through agility. Originality: First, our study thus yields new insights on exploiting greater potential from sales capabilities through agile posture and making them at the forefront of SMEs' competitive advantage in turbulent transition markets. Second, through a moderated mediation framework, we provide actionable implications for managers by showcasing the situations in which the mediating role of agility contributes to sales growth, given the various levels of sales orientation ambidexterity. Finally, we contribute to the literature by focusing on two contextual issues: the transition country perspective and SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proper utilization of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) has been shown to be very effective in preventing malaria and in reducing the incidence of the disease. Getting people to buy and utilize ITNs has proven very difficult especially in low-income settings of sub-Saharan Africa where the disease is endemic. This research work, therefore assesses the effectiveness of the application of social marketing strategies in encouraging the acquisition and utilization of ITNs. Focus of the Article: The marketing mix concept which is usually referred to as the 4Ps of social marketing-price, place, product and promotion-were put to test to identify how the respondents will respond to variation in any of them. The research aims to assess the people's response to a favorable change in the price of ITNs, product quality, product location and target advertisement. Research Question: The research questions that this study aimed to answer is; will the introduction of the traditional marketing mix of social marketing help drive the acquisition and utilization of ITNs by the people in rural communities of Imo State, Nigeria? Program Design/Approach: The research report contained in this manuscript is targeted at health products (tangible and intangible) marketing researchers in resource-limited settings. These researchers who may not be able to afford the acquisition of large quantity health products like the ITNs to conduct their study can adopt the method employed in this study. Here the "prospect" of using social marketing strategies like the traditional marketing mix, to determine a possible increase in the acquisition and utilization of ITNs by the people. Importance to the Social Marketing Field: This study describes how researchers in low-and-middle income countries could conduct a social marketing research on tangible products such as the ITN without really selling ITNs. The people's intent to buy and use ITNs were assessed. More than 10 previous studies from as far back as 1999 were assessed, none of them employed the current methodology. Methodology: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study where a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants. Results: It was found that 55.1% had ITNs, good utilization rate of 80.6% was recorded among those who possessed ITNs. Using the social marketing principle to assess respondents' intent to own and use ITNs, an increase of 27.2%, 38.1%, 31.3%, and 35.9% will be achieved if the cost of acquiring ITNs becomes affordable, when ITNs become accessible, when practical guidance on use was provided, and when quality was improved. The study also revealed that, the vigorous pursue of social marketing techniques can enhance the sales of ITNs and its usage among the people. Recommendation for Research or Practice: This study has justified the usefulness of social marketing in engendering positive behavioural change where people can be motivated to adopt a health innovation. It is therefore recommended that health innovations and products must be sold to the people using social marketing strategies as this has been proven not only to encourage adoption/acquisition, but also utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper evaluates the level of cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in the field of procurement of military equipment. In the practical part, the results of the research on the level of participation of Czech-based suppliers in NSPA activities between 2018 and 2022 are presented. Pareto analysis comparing the participation of the Czech and international companies in contracts implemented by NSPA in terms of their subject, quantity and financial value is used. Qualitative case studies from three different areas illustrate in which NSPA projects the Czech Republic has already been involved in and which benefits and risks are associated with this cooperation for the MoD. Positives and drawbacks in the process of acquiring military equipment in-house and opportunities and threats that may arise from the acquisition of military equipment through the NSPA are summarised in the form of the SWOT analysis. Finally, recommendations are presented on how to improve the cooperation between the MoD and the NSPA in the field of acquisition.

Abstract The optimal design of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) software receivers should enable the accurate estimation of the receiver's position, velocity, and time under various environmental conditions. The software receivers consist of three sections: acquisition, tracking, and navigation. This paper specifically centers on the acquisition sections of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), BeiDou, and Galileo satellite navigation systems. The acquisition stage necessitates the prompt and precise transmission of the satellite list within the receiver's view, along with Doppler frequency estimation and phase code offset, to facilitate a seamless transition to the tracking stage with the utmost speed and accuracy. Conventional acquisition demonstrates commendable speed, but lacks accuracy, especially in environments with a low Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (CNR). Contrastingly, precise acquisition methods will impede the speed of the acquisition stage. In this paper, a novel acquisition method is proposed. By integrating concepts like resampling, two-stage acquisition, and fine-acquisition, this method enables the attainment of higher accuracy without compromising speed. The results demonstrate that the proposed method enhances accuracy by 7.275% compared to conventional methods and boosts speed by 76.97% compared to methods focused on accuracy improvement.

This paper aims to identify the factors affecting employee retention in Nepalese financial institutions, especially commercial banks. Through a questionnaire, the primary data were collected from 400 respondents. The study is based on a dichotomous and 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM smart PLS-4 is used to examine the association between the dependent and independent variables. The results indicate that company image/goodwill, employee benefits, job satisfaction, organizational performance, recruitment and selection, and work environment and culture have a relatively significant relationship with employee retention. Among them, organizational performance was found to be highly significant among all other variables. However, labor unions, leadership support, performance appraisal, training and development, and work-life balance did not have an association with employee retention. The study helps HR managers to formulate appropriate policies and guidelines to retain employees in Nepalese commercial banks. Likewise, it provides a valuable empirical contribution by analyzing which factors affect employee retention in commercial banks in Nepal using a direct SEM model. It also shows which factors play a major role in employee retention.

In space communications, the signal faces long-distance transmission and a high-dynamic relative movement. The long-distance transmission results in a very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the high-dynamic relative movement causes a high-dynamic Doppler-shift on the carrier. To address the low SNR, the traditional acquisition method requires the long-time accumulation of many received signals. However, during the long-time accumulation, the high-dynamic Doppler-shift causes the serious energy dispersion problem. To solve the problem, a two-stage-sparse (TSS) algorithm was proposed to acquire the Doppler-shift. The proposed TSS algorithm firstly used the coarse acquisitions to construct a coarse sparse-search-range, then selected some large elements to construct a fine sparse-search-range, and finally searched the largest element as the acquisition result. Because the sparse-search-range only covers a narrow frequency range, the TSS algorithm excludes more noise elements, thus allowing the signal element to become the largest element. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed TSS algorithm significantly increases the acquisition probability.

While it has been broadly agreed that there is a need for consolidated information about assistive technology, previous attempts have not been sufficient for detailed consumer demands. Researchers sought consumer feedback to determine what should be included in a comprehensive, accessible database of AT. We conducted focus groups with different stakeholder groups (people with diverse disabilities, practitioners, and circles of support). We used a framework analysis to map participant responses to the research questions using focus group transcripts and notes. AT users are looking for quick access to certain information such as the cost versus benefit, reliability, funding, and compatibility. They expect to find this in a variety of formats (video, audio, text) with a collaborative element (reviews and recommendations) from other users. In an AT product database, users want the option to search by activity rather than only disability category, as disability can fluctuate. Accessibility of the database is key, with people preferring modifiable and flexible formats for both adding and consuming information. A community of practice will foster the connections people require to confirm their decisions prior to purchase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: French is traditionally described as a language favoring syntactic means to mark focus, yet recent research shows that prosody is also used. We examine how French-speaking children use prosody to realize narrow focus and contrastive focus in the absence of syntactic means, compared to adults. Method: We elicited SVO sentences using a virtual robot-mediated picture-matching task from monolingual French-speaking adults (N = 11), 4-to 5-year-olds (N = 12), and 7-to 8-year-olds (N = 15). These sentences were produced with narrow focus on either the subject or the object and contrastive focus on the object. Results: Linear mixed-effects logistic regression modeling on duration, mean intensity, mean pitch, and pitch range of the subject and object nouns showed that the 4-to 5-year-olds did not use any of these prosodic cues for focus marking but the 7-to 8-year-olds distinguished narrow focus from non-focus through an increase in duration, mean intensity and to a lesser degree, mean pitch in the object nouns, largely similar to the adults, and tended to use mean pitch for this purpose in the subject nouns, different from the adults, who used duration. Discussion: Our study corroborates previous findings that French-speaking 4-to 5-year-olds do not use prosody for focus. Further, it provides new evidence that 7- to 8-year-olds use prosody to mark narrow focus on the object in a more adult-like manner than narrow focus on the subject, arguably caused by a more dominant role of syntactic means in the subject position in French. Together, these findings show that syntax-dominance can influence both the route and the rate of acquisition of prosodic focus marking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prosodic focus marking in Seoul Korean is known to be achieved primarily through prosodic phrasing, different from the use of prosody for this purpose in many other languages. This study investigates how children use prosodic phrasing for focus-marking purposes in Seoul Korean, compared to adults. Methods: Using a picture-matching game, we elicited semi-spontaneous production of SOV sentences in various focus conditions from monolingual Seoul Korean-speaking children aged 4 to 11 years. Results: We found that the children varied prosodic boundaries to distinguish narrow focus from pre-focus and broad focus in a largely adult-like manner at the age of 4 to 5; at this age, they did not distinguish narrow focus from post- focus or contrastive focus using prosodic boundaries, similar to the adults. Their use of the prosodic boundaries in distinguishing the focus conditions was not fully adult-like in terms of frequency until the age of 10 to 11. Discussion: In conjunction with the findings of previous studies on the acquisition of focus marking in Germanic languages, performed using a similar experimental method, our findings suggest that Seoul Korean-speaking children acquire the use of prosodic phrasing earlier than Dutch-speaking children acquiring the use of pitch accent but slightly later than Stockholm Swedish-speaking children acquiring the use of a prominence-marking high tone. These findings imply that the rate of focus-marking acquisition depends on the transparency of the form-meaning mapping between the phonological cue and focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial Performance is a series of financial activities in a certain period which are reported in financial reports including the profit and loss report and balance sheet. The aim of this research is to find out the comparison of the financial performance of manufacturing companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) and the Malaysia Stock Exchange in 2023. The financial ratios used in this research are Return on Assets (ROA), Debt to Equity Ratio ( DER), Current Ratio (CR), Total Assets Turnover (TATO), and Price Earnings Rasio (PER). The statistical analysis used in this research is the paired sample t-test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The results of previous research show that there is an influence on all the financial ratios studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To date there are no studies of speech sound acquisition in Laki, a language spoken in western regions of Iran. Thus, we set out a pilot study to investigate the speech development of 56 first language Laki-speaking children (aged 3–5 years). Method: Single words were elicited through a picture naming test specifically developed for this study. After recording and transcribing of speech samples, percentage of consonants correct (PCC), percentage of vowels correct (PVC), and proportion of whole word proximity (PWP) were documented in four age groups (36–41, 42–47, 48–53, and 54–59 months) and both genders. Children's phonetic inventories and consonant and vowel accuracy were also described. Result: All the sounds were considered as emerging by 53 months of age. For speech sound accuracy, all the speech sounds except /ɢ, z, ŋ, ʒ/ were mastered by 5 years. The effect of age on PCC values was significant. Also, age groups showed significant differences for PWP but were not significant for PVC. Boys and girls did not differ for PCC, PVC, and PWP values. Conclusion: From a theoretical perspective, findings contribute to theories about phonological acquisition in general and will enable crosslinguistic comparisons. From an applied standpoint, language-specific characteristics are identified, which are much needed for clinical practice with Laki-speaking children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to compare children's performance in a declarative object and subject relative comprehension task. Relativized Minimality proposes that object relative clauses are more difficult to process than subject relative clauses because they feature the intervention of the subject between the head and its trace. A comprehension test to 80 Spanish monolingual children aged from 4;6 to 7;10 was applied. Sentences with subject/object relative clauses when NPs had the same or different morphosyntactic features were tested. A significant statistical difference was found for the performance between object relatives and subject relatives, since the number of correct answers is higher in subject relatives (p < 0.001). In addition, a significant statistical difference was found in object relatives between clauses that had the same or different morphosyntactic features, since the former were more difficult to understand (p < 0.001). The fact that Object Relatives differed in number morphology facilitated the interpretation of the sentence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multiple acquisition contexts nullify benefits of subsequent extinction learning. • Underlying mechanisms of learning in multiple acquisition contexts explored. • Multiple acquisition contexts nullify extinction learning due to generalisation. • First to demonstrate the underlying mechanisms of multiple acquisition contexts. • Use of physical environmental contexts that simulate common household areas. Prior research has demonstrated that conducting acquisition in multiple contexts results in more responding to the point that it can even nullify the benefit of subsequent extinction in multiple contexts on reducing renewal of excitatory responding. The underlying mechanism to explain why this happens has not been systematically examined. Using self-reported expectancy of the outcome, the current study investigates three mechanisms that potentially explain why acquisition in multiple contexts results in more responding—greater generalization, stronger acquisition learning, or slower extinction learning. Participants (N = 180) received discriminative training with a conditioned stimulus (CS+) and outcome pairing and a CS− → noOutcome pairing in either one or three contexts. This was followed by either extinction treatment in a novel context or no extinction. Finally, testing occurred in the acquisition context, the extinction context, or a novel context. Stronger renewal of extinguished conditioned expectation was observed for participants who received CS+ → Outcome pairings in three contexts relative to one context. There was no effect of the number of contexts on the strength of the excitatory CS+ → Outcome association or degree of inhibitory learning that occurred during extinction. This suggests that generalization is the mechanism responsible for the adverse impact to extinction learning when acquisition is conducted in multiple contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavlovian conditioning is widely used to study the substrates of learning and memory in the mammalian brain. In a standard protocol, subjects are exposed to pairings of a conditioned stimulus (CS; e.g., a tone) with an unconditioned stimulus (US; e.g., an electric shock). Subsequent presentations of the CS elicit a range of behaviors that relate to the US (e.g., freezing) showing that animals learned the CS–US relation. However, it is still unclear how neuronal activity pertaining to the CS comes to excite a representation of the US, and thereby, conditioned responses. The current analysis of this problem, based on neurophysiological evidence, views Pavlovian conditioning as a process of facilitating the disinhibition, rather than the excitation, of neuronal responses representing the US. Conversely, Pavlovian extinction is viewed as a process of relearning to inhibit neuronal responses representing the US. We propose a mathematical equation that confirms the predictions made by this novel perspective on Pavlovian conditioning when applied to conditioning phenomena that fall beyond classic associative learning theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third language (L3) lexical acquisition is still underexplored. In this article I overview theoretical and empirical evidence on L3 lexical acquisition and the role of cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in learning L3 words. I explain the mechanism of CLI as resulting from language co-activation in the multilingual learner's/user's mind. Consequently, I aim to ground L3 lexical studies in previous research on second language (L2) word processing and learning, and to emphasize the role of cross-linguistic similarity (cognates and false cognates) in the process. While capitalizing upon similarity predominantly facilitates acquiring L2 and L3 words, the precise mechanisms of L3 lexical acquisition are still obscured. It is unclear whether any overlap of an L3 form with the native or L2 form suffices to boost learning, or whether all previous languages influence L3 lexical acquisition cumulatively. To seek answers to this issue, I review empirical evidence for CLI and cross-linguistic similarity in L3 vocabulary acquisition from three research strands: L3 word processing experiments, L3 cognate guessing tasks, and L3 word learning experiments. Overall, this article aims to bridge the gap between psycholinguistic and applied linguistic research on L3 lexical acquisition, and argues for controlling an array of variables modulating research outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the test at the session, the student (extramural student) expands his knowledge and skills. When checking the work performed in the presence of the teacher, the latter, if necessary, can additionally talk with the student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Linguistica Asiatica is the property of Acta Linguistica Asiatica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study presents the development of a measurement acquisition system for force measurement and temperature cutting using virtual instrumentation. The developed measurement chain enables very efficient, accurate, reliable and fast data collection during the measurement process. The presented acquisition system was developed for the face milling process, but its application is also intended for turning or grinding processes. Emphasis is placed on the creation and description of a software solution in order to manage hardware measuring sensors. Two versions of the virtual instrument are presented. The first one is based on the measurement of three components of cutting forces, obtained by means of a piezoelectric dynamometer. And the second one is upgraded with another channel that represents the temperature change record obtained by the thermocouple. At the end, the experimental results for face milling are shown. A graphical diagram obtained based on some of the data generated by the innovative measuring chain applied to the milling process is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) has played an increasingly important role in corporate decision‐making, the role of CSR disclosure in a firm's investment activities remains poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of CSR disclosure on mergers and acquisitions (M&As), which are pivotal investment activities. We find that firms disclosing voluntary CSR reports experience significantly stronger market reactions to M&A announcements than those that do not disclose such reports. Specifically, acquisitions by voluntary CSR disclosers achieve 1.2% higher returns upon acquisition announcements, leading to a substantial increase in shareholder value. Our findings are consistent across a series of robustness tests. Additional analyses suggest that the positive market reactions are especially tied to voluntary disclosures concerning the protection of employees and customers, and that the quality and financial materiality of voluntary CSR disclosures amplify positive market responses. We also find that voluntary CSR disclosers exhibit better long‐term post‐acquisition market and operational performance. Collectively, our findings suggest that voluntary CSR disclosures bolster acquisition returns by mitigating stakeholder resistance. Additionally, by leveraging the unique conditional CSR disclosure regulation in China and using a staggered DID design, we observe a diminished market reaction for acquirers following mandatory CSR disclosures. Overall, this research provides new insights into the contrasting effects of voluntary and mandatory CSR disclosures, emphasizing the vital role of effective stakeholder CSR communication in the success of M&As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate whether Mandarin short passives contain an implicit external argument (EA; such as an agent or experiencer). Syntactic tests yield inconclusive results in Mandarin. We employ intervention effects as a diagnostic tool and demonstrate that, unlike English, Mandarin short passives do not syntactically project an implicit EA. Our findings are based on spontaneous language data from the CHILDES corpora, encompassing 1182 children aged 2–6 years, and experimental data from 78 Mandarin-speaking children aged 3–6 years. This cross-linguistic structural difference explains the earlier acquisition of short passives in Mandarin compared to English and also raises a learnability question, which we briefly address: how do children know to project an implicit EA or not in their language? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The business landscape in Indonesia is experiencing heightened competition compared to previous periods. Companies must devise robust strategies to mitigate potential downturns caused by various factors. One viable strategy is acquisitions. However, acquisitions can fail if not meticulously planned and executed. This study analyzes financial performance before and after acquisitions using financial ratios such as Current Ratio (CR), Total Assets Turnover (TATO), Return on Equity (ROE), and Debt to Equity Ratio (DER). The observation period covers two years before and three years after the acquisition (t-2 and t+3). We will compare the financial performance of companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) that have undergone acquisitions. The research adopts a comparative approach with a quantitative methodology. The study population consists of fifteen companies listed on the IDX that completed acquisitions between 2018 and 2019. Evaluations are conducted using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test and Paired Sample T Test. Although the study found no significant changes in financial performance before and after acquisitions during the observation period, the CR ratio at t+3 compared to t-1 and the DER ratio at t+1 compared to t-1 showed significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geophysical prospecting signals encompass subsurface structural information and incorporate textual messages generated in accordance with a specific pattern. These signals can be employed in places without radio access to ensure public and worker safety. Therefore, the use of seismic signals to transmit information through the earth has attracted the attention of researchers in the last decade. Presently, achievements in seismic communication are mainly in the coding, generation, and propagation of seismic signals. Little work has been done on methods to convert seismic signals generated by vibroseis sources into text and broadcast them vocally. Therefore, we built a seismic communication system with 6‐bit code using the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. To better recommend the seismic communication system scheme, the origin, state and principles of seismic communication system are illustrated in detail. Then, a seismic transmitting system is devised with a 500 N vibroseis source, which compiles seismic signals through amplitude modulation. After seismic signals propagate through the earth, they are received by geophones and recorded in seismographs. Through data acquisition based on a compression algorithm, seismic signals are converted into text and voice signals, which significantly reduces the storage and transmission of seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine vibrators represent an alternative seismic source technology that could come to market in the near future. A key challenge related to marine vibrator seismic data is the effect that phase dispersion from source motion has on the signal during transmission. As such, the recorded moving vibrator data will benefit from being phase corrected, so that the data appear as if they had been shot with a stationary source. This transformation is called the source motion correction. Previous source motion corrections used either specific dephasing operators for specific sweep types or pre‐correlation methods for any sweep type. A source motion correction dephasing operator has been derived, demonstrated and applied to real seismic data collected during a Marine Vibrator Joint Industry Project field trial of an array of marine vibrators. This dephasing operator has been made more general so that any strictly monotonic sweep through time may be used for this correction regardless of sweep type (e.g. linear or exponential). Moreover, the correction uses the pilot sweep as a direct input, measuring from it, the instantaneous frequency which can then be used to build the dephasing operator. This new more general form brings two key advantages over previous dephasing operator corrections: (1) Non‐analytically defined sweeps can now be source motion corrected, and (2) even when an analytically defined sweep (e.g. linear) is used, the transmitted sweep from the marine vibrator can vary from the theoretical input sweep; this correction can account for these changes. Furthermore, given that this source motion correction is a dephasing operator, it can be applied pre‐ or post‐correlation of the raw data with the pilot sweep, thus allowing greater flexibility in the processing. Lastly, some previously derived source motion corrections based on dephasing operators contained errors in their derivation; this new derivation addresses these errors resulting in an improved correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under certain conditions, multiple nonhuman species have been observed engaging in choice behavior that resulted in less food earned when compared to the amount of food that was available to be earned over the course of a session. This phenomenon is particularly strong in pigeons, but has also been observed in rats and nonhuman primates. Conversely, human participants have demonstrated a propensity to choose more optimally. However, human participants do not exclusively choose the alternative associated with more reinforcement. Framing a task in a real-world narrative has been effective in improving problem-solving on other tasks such as the Wason Four-Card problem. The present study gave human participants a choice task with either abstract stimuli or with a real-world narrative. In addition, participants were given terminal stimuli that were either predictive or unpredictive of reinforcement. Thus, participants were assigned to one of four conditions: Abstract Predictive, Abstract Unpredictive, Narrative Predictive, or Narrative Unpredictive. In contrast to the improved performance on the Wason Four-Card task, the current study found no evidence that the addition of a real-world narrative improved optimal choice performance. Rather, it may have interfered with optimal choice selection in that participants who received the narrative and unpredictive terminal stimuli were at chance performance at the end of the experimental session. Conversely, participants in the Abstract Unpredictive, Abstract Predictive, and Narrative Predictive conditions all demonstrated a preference for the optimal alternative. Possible mechanisms for these findings and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphone ownership has increased rapidly over the past decade, including amongst children and young people. Evidence is mixed in terms of the impact of smartphones on this population; with a number of benefits cited as well as a large number of risks. Given the pace of change in this area, research is sparse, including research to understand the influences on when children and young people acquire a smartphone. This is important because parents report struggling with deciding when to give their child a smartphone. This qualitative study applies the Behaviour Change Wheel to in-depth interviews, with a diverse sample of 11 parents, to report the barriers and enablers to parents giving children their first smartphone between the ages of 9 and 12 years old. Enablers include aspects of the physical and social environment, such as children starting to walk to school or preparing to move to secondary school, as well as the influence of other parents and children. Parents' skills are a barrier whilst their beliefs about the consequences of their child owning a smartphone are a mix of barriers and enablers. Recommendations for interventions include age restrictions, regulations, parental training, education and guidance to support parental decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the crucial role of chief executive officers (CEOs) in post-acquisition integration, focusing on Chegg, a prominent ed-tech company in a rapidly evolving industry. Analyzing CEO actions post-acquisition through interviews and metrics, we find that a three-year CEO retention period significantly contributes to successful integration at Chegg. This research emphasizes the importance of understanding ideal CEO retention and their strategic actions, offering insights for more successful post-acquisition integration and long-term economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subject relative clauses (RCs) have been shown to be acquired earlier, comprehended more accurately, and produced more easily than object RCs by children. While this subject preference is often claimed to be a universal tendency, it has largely been investigated piecemeal and with low-powered experiments. To address these issues, this meta-analysis follows an established and rigorous scientific method to test the generalizability of the subject preference in RC acquisition by evaluating the collective evidence. While the results show a significant crosslinguistic subject preference, there is a large amount of heterogeneity in the data. The manifestation of this subject preference may not be uniform across languages, depending on typological properties such as language headedness, RC headedness, and main clause similarity. The true impact of these features, however, requires research on more typologically diverse languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation models of critical systems often have parameters that need to be calibrated using observed data. For expensive simulation models, calibration is done using an emulator of the simulation model built on simulation output at different parameter settings. Using intelligent and adaptive selection of parameters to build the emulator can drastically improve the efficiency of the calibration process. The article proposes a sequential framework with a novel criterion for parameter selection that targets learning the posterior density of the parameters. The emergent behavior from this criterion is that exploration happens by selecting parameters in uncertain posterior regions while simultaneously exploitation happens by selecting parameters in regions of high posterior density. The advantages of the proposed method are illustrated using several simulation experiments and a nuclear physics reaction model.