The impact of FDI inflows on R&D activities in developing countries: a panel data analysis

This study investigates the impact of FDI inflows on R&D activities in 48 developing countries for the 1996-2013 periods. The results based on the system Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator show that FDI inflows tend to discourage R&D activity in developing countries. Additionally, there is evidence that R&D activity benefits from import and stronger legal protection

Position Tracking Of Automatic Rack And Pinion Steering Linkage System Through Hardware In The Loop Testing

VehicIe handling behavior is much influenced by the performance of steering system and its mechanism. Steering linkage play a very important role in maneuvering of a vehicle. In this paper, a set of kinematic relations of rack and pinion steering linkage system are modeled in MATLAB SIMULINK environment based on kinematic model equations is presented in study tile relationship between steering wheel angle and tire angle. A Hardware-in-the-loop simulations (HILS) test rig with actual rack and pinion mechanism has been set up using XPC TARGET environment, LVDT and encoder sensors installed for data measurement at various steering angle. Results from simuIation model demonstrate a linear pattern occurred from maximum lock-to-lock steering wheel angle and it is closely follow the sine input trend through HILS experiment with acceptable error

Financial integration - growth nexus: a quantile regression analysis

Our study aims to examine the role of economic development in moderating the relationship between international financial integration and economic growth, and we find that international financial integration has a positive impact on economic growth by and large. However, the growth impact of international financial integration does not exist in countries where economic development is too low or in highly developed countries. This suggests that policy makers, especially in developing countries, should ensure the presences of capabilities in order to gain from the financial market integration. The method involves a quantile regression technique on cross-sectional data of 73 countries

Pseudogene product YqiG is important for pflB expression and biohydrogen production in Escherichia coli BW25113

Pseudogenes in the Escherichia coli genome are assumed to be non-functional. In this study, Keio collection BW25113∆yqiG and YqiG-producing strain (BW25113/pCA24N-YqiG) were used to evaluate the importance of pseudogene yqiG in hydrogen metabolism. Our results show pseudogene protein YqiG was identified as an essential protein in the production of biohydrogen from glucose. The mutant yqiG decreased biohydrogen production from 37 µmol mg−1 protein to 6 µmol mg−1 protein compared to the wild-type strain, and glucose consumption was reduced by 80%. Through transcriptional analysis, we found that the yqiG mutation represses pflB transcription tenfold; pflB encodes pyruvate-formate lyase, one of the key enzymes in the anaerobic metabolism of E. coli. Moreover, production of YqiG stimulated glycolysis and increased biohydrogen productivity 1.5-fold compared to that of the wild-type strain. Thus, YqiG is important for the central glycolysis reaction and is able to influence hydrogen metabolism activity in E. coli

MODELING AND VALIDATION OF SIX-BAR RACK AND PINION STEERING LINKAGE SYSTEM

A vehicle handling behavior is much influenced by the performance of steering system and its mechanism. Steering linkage play a very important role in maneuvering of a vehicle. In this paper, a planar six-bar rack and pinion steering linkage is modeled in MATLAB SIMULINK to study the relationship between steering wheel angle and tire angle. A set of kinematic relations of steering system is used to analyze the kinematics of a planar linkage. The steering system consists of rack and pinion, tie rod end, tire and steering wheel column are modeled in MATLAB SIMULINK environment based on kinematic model equations is presented. The model is then validated using Hardware-in-the-loop simulations (HILS) consists of LVDT and rotary encoder sensors installed in actual steering system for data measurement at various steering angle. Results from simulation model has been developed demonstrates a linear pattern occurred from maximum lock-to-lock steering wheel angle and it’s closely follow the trend through HILS experiment

The conductivity study of hybrid solar cells of TiO2 and doped with Bixa orellana for solar cells application

The application of nature dyes was explored for solar cells due to several advantages for green technology. These can be supporting in renewable energy alternatives, which must include solar energy. This system was fabricated as hybrid solar cells, which consist of organic and non-organic materials. Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS), TiO2, was selected as charge separation and transport. Bixa orellana used as extracted natural dyes solution in order to enhance the absorption of photons. The dyes were extracted by using immerging in methanol solution and left until dyes being extracted. The dyes were coated on ITO glass by using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) varied by 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 layers of scan. This work focuses on conductivity and charge carrier study of thin film. The result shows the conductivity was increase due to several parameters that are, thickness of thin films, and intensity of light, mixture of natural dyes and concentration of dyes solution. The conductivity was then supported with the energy band gap via UV-Vis Spectroscopy

FDI inflows and R&D activity in developing countries

This study investigates the impact of FDI inflows on R&D activity in 48 developing countries for the 1996-2013 periods. The results based on the system Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator show that FDI inflows discourage R&D activity in developing countries. This finding is consistent with the view that foreign R&D investment is a substitute for domestic R&D efforts. This suggests that firms in developing countries are more inclined toward imitation of the existing products rather than innovation of a new technology. However, domestic R&D activity appears to benefit from imports of machinery and equipment, stronger legal protections, better human capital and higher economic growth

Measuring intention to use ip-belt among pregnant mothers using tam model: technology-based innovation in road safety / Wan Mohd Farid Wan Zakaria ...[et al.]

This study presents the behavioral intention to use an innovation of a safety belt specially developed for pregnant mothers, named IP-Belt. This newly developed innovation aims to enhance the safety of these pregnant mothers when they are behind the wheel, or as passengers; and this research is done as an extension to the development of this innovation. Technology Acceptance Model (i.e. TAM) was adopted in predicting the behavioral intention to use the IP-Belt. A survey was conducted among pregnant mothers to see their intention to use the said innovation. The data was analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling technique with Partial Least Square estimation theory. The analysis indicated that Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness had a positive significant influence towards Attitude and Trust, whereas all other variables (i.e. Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Attitude, and Trust) also significantly influenced behavioral intention to use the IP-Belt. In addition, the study indicated that Attitude and Trust had a partial mediating effect towards the relation of Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness towards behavioral intention to use the IP-Belt

Morphological and electrical characterization of hybrid thin-film composed of titania nanocrystals, Poly (3-hexylthiophene) and Piper Betle Linn

In this research, the effect of scan numbers of titania nanocrystals (TiO2 NCs) on the morphological and electrical characteristics of hybrid thin-films is investigated. These hybrid thin-films consist of a combination of organic (Piper Betle Linn extraction and Poly (3-hexytlthiophene) (P3HT)) and inorganic TiO2 NCs (anatase structure) materials. These hybrid thin-films are fabricated in bilayer heterojunction of ITO/TiO2 NCs/P3HT/Piper Betle Linn via electrochemistry method using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The scan numbers of TiO2 NCs are varied by 1, 3 and 5 number of scans. The morphological characterization is carried out via Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) meanwhile the electrical characteristic of the hybrid thin-film is measured by using four point probes. FESEM image indicates the particle size was found to be around 17-34 nm. The increment of scan number of TiO2 NCs from one to five scan numbers of TiO2 NCs in bilayers thin films showed that the atomic percentage of titanium decrease from 5.23% to 2.20%. This result indicates that as the thickness of thin films increases, the electrons required more energy to excite into conduction band of TiO2. Meanwhile, the electrical conductivities of hybrid solar cell increase from 0.385 Scm-1 to 0.389 Scm-1 as the scan numbers of TiO2 increase from one to three, however the electrical conductivity decrease to 0.346 Scm-1 at five scan numbers. As a conclusion, this study shows that the morphological and electrical properties of hybrid thin-films can be significantly affected by the scan number of TiO2 NCs

Colorectal cancer and potential predictors of never screened for faecal occult blood test: A narrative review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health threat. Therefore, CRC screening uptake has been a focus with the established precancerous lesion and the strong association of early detection with staging and survival of the disease. However, CRC screening is relatively low in many countries. This article briefly discussed the current situation of CRC, recommendations, and current uptake of CRC screening in various countries. Besides that, this article also highlights the potential factors that help to predict the CRC screening uptake worldwide. Identification of those factors could guide policymakers to develop an effective strategy to improve the CRC screening uptake and ultimately improve the health outcome of the population