Preemption, Predation, and Minimum Quality Standards

We present a model of vertical product differentiation and exit where a domestic and a foreign firm face fixed setup costs and quality-dependent costs of production and compete in quality and price in the domestic market. Quality-dependent costs are quadratic in qualities, but independent of the quantities produced. The domestic government may impose a minimum quality standard binding for both foreign and domestic firms. In the presence of an initial cost advantage of the domestic firm, a sufficiently high minimum quality standard set by the domestic government will enable the domestic firm to induce exit of the foreign firm, i.e. to engage in predation. However, the same standard would lead to predation by the foreign firm, if the foreign firm had the initial cost advantage!vertical product differentiation, oligopoly, trade, quality, country asymmetries

Financing and performance of female-owned firms in Middle Eastern and African Economies

Empirical evidence suggests that lack of access to financing is a major constraint to performance by female-owned firms in most countries. Firm performance, financing structure, and constraints have been well explored for firms in developed economies but this is not the case for firms in developing economies, especially in Africa and the Middle-East. Largely due to lack of data availability, existing literature on African firms has presented some survey-based evidence on firm performance and financing structures while detailed financial evidence is lacking. This paper aims at filling this research gap. We identify female-owned firms and examine the impact of ownership structure on financing and firm performance. We use cross-sectional financial data covering 25,500 companies in the Middle East and Africa for the years 2006 to 2014. Our results reveal a clear, but perhaps surprising, gender-specific pattern

Rural-urban inequality in Africa: A panel study of the effects of trade liberalization and financial deepening

Using panel data from 39 countries, this paper examines the effects of financial deepening and openness to trade and foreign capital (FDI) on rural-urban inequality in Africa. Four estimations were performed–OLS pooled cross-section, GLS pooled cross-section, fixedeffects model and an adjusted fixed-effects specification with regional dummy terms. We have developed an alternative measure of rural-urban inequality, namely the ratio of growth in agricultural output to growth of manufacturing output. Overall, the econometric results show that openness to trade seems to contribute to reducing rural-urban inequality. However, the empirical evidence does not unambiguously delineate the nature of the impact FDI and financial deepening have on the rural-urban gap. The findings imply that there may be some support for the so-called offsetting-trend in inequality (OTI) hypothesis

Simulation and analysis of measurement techniques for the fast acquisition of head-related transfer functions

DFG, 174776315, FOR 1557: Simulation and Evaluation of Acoustical Environments (SEACEN

The contribution of income, social capital, and institutions to human well-being in Africa

Using cross-sectional time series data from a large group of African countries, we examine the effects of income, institutions and social capital—with emphasis on the latter—on literacy and life expectancy. The empirical results confirm that income has a positive contribution. We also show that an improvement in institutions has positive influence on literacy but does not seem to affect life expectancy. Moreover, we find that the interaction between good institutions and high social capital produces a positive contribution to human well-being. This result suggests that social capital and institutions are complements, and underscores the important role of institutions

A cross-correlation sub-sampling receiver for low power applications in a low SINR environment

Wireless sensor networks have recently emerged in a wide range of applications. Many attributes are essential for such networks such as: low cost, small form-factor, limited peak power consumption and the ability to operate in harsh interference scenarios. Most of these networks do not require high data-rates to operate. In this respect, sub-sampling receivers have shown promising results but suffer from noise folding and interference aliasing. In this paper, a sub-sampling receiver in combination with cross-correlation is used to enhance sensitivity and interference robustness while maintaining the sub-sampling advantages. An architecture which uses two different sampling frequencies is proposed. It shows ∼2dB SNR improvement compared to traditional architectures due to cross-correlation and an additional ∼2dB for each doubling of integrations. For a BER of 10– 3 , the required SIR is reduced with 4.5dB, 11.5dB and 14.5dB after using cross-correlation with the same, half and quarter data-rate used respectively. These improvements allow for a lower-power and lower-cost implementation

Knowledge Sharing in Manufacturing using Large Language Models: User Evaluation and Model Benchmarking

Recent advances in natural language processing enable more intelligent ways to support knowledge sharing in factories. In manufacturing, operating production lines has become increasingly knowledge-intensive, putting strain on a factory's capacity to train and support new operators. This paper introduces a Large Language Model (LLM)-based system designed to retrieve information from the extensive knowledge contained in factory documentation and knowledge shared by expert operators. The system aims to efficiently answer queries from operators and facilitate the sharing of new knowledge. We conducted a user study at a factory to assess its potential impact and adoption, eliciting several perceived benefits, namely, enabling quicker information retrieval and more efficient resolution of issues. However, the study also highlighted a preference for learning from a human expert when such an option is available. Furthermore, we benchmarked several commercial and open-sourced LLMs for this system. The current state-of-the-art model, GPT-4, consistently outperformed its counterparts, with open-source models trailing closely, presenting an attractive option given their data privacy and customization benefits. In summary, this work offers preliminary insights and a system design for factories considering using LLM tools for knowledge management.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, and 1 table. Under revie

Energetska tranzicija i vodonična evolucija

The escalating concerns over climate changes and environmental disturbances resulting from anthropogenic influence have propelled the scientific community to seek efficient models for the energy transition. Hydrogen emerges as a promising energy carrier with the potential to replace fossil fuels and mitigate global warming, a pressing threat to life on Earth. This research paper primarily focuses on the electrolytic production of hydrogen, deemed the environmentally acceptable method for this purpose. The central emphasis lies in enhancing the electrodes utilized in this process to elevate the significance of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER). By improving HER, a pivotal step in the hydrogen production process, the trajectory of civilization's evolution can be positively influenced.Sve veća zabrinutost zbog klimatskih promena i ekoloških poremećaja koji su rezultat antropogenog uticaja naterali su naučnu zajednicu da traži efikasne modele za energetsku tranziciju. Vodonik se pojavljuje kao perspektivan nosilac energije sa potencijalom da zameni fosilna goriva i ublaži globalno zagrevanje, goruću pretnju životu na Zemlji. Ovaj istraživački rad se prvenstveno fokusira na elektrolitičku proizvodnju vodonika, koja se smatra ekološki prihvatljivom metodom za ovu svrhu. Centralni naglasak je na poboljšanju elektroda koje se koriste u ovom procesu kako bi se podigao značaj reakcije evolucije vodonika (HER). Poboljšanjem HER, ključnog koraka u procesu proizvodnje vodonika, može se pozitivno uticati na putanju evolucije civilizacije