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Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in magnetic thin films has attracted much attention due to its potential applications in spintronics devices. Here, we report the continuous strain-mediated PMA in epitaxial (111) CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) thin films grown on (0001) LiTaO 3 substrates. A large variation in lattice strain (∼ 0.9 %) in a continuous way is realized in the CFO thin films by changing substrate temperature during deposition due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between CFO and LiTaO 3. As a result, the PMA of the (111) CFO thin films can be continuously mediated by the strain with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy in the range of 0.12 - 14.69 × 10 6 erg/cm 3. Furthermore, the strain as well as the consequent PMA in the (111) CFO thin films can be maintained within the thickness of 25–205 nm, which is consistent with the scenario of the magnetoelastic effect. Our results reveal that the CFO/LiTaO 3 system can be regarded as an ideal platform to realize robust PMA and its continuous strain tuning in the (111) CFO thin films by virtue of strain-induced magnetic anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the observation of unidirectional magnetoresistance (UMR) in the ferrimagnetic insulator CoFe2O4(CFO)/Pt heterostructures, which stem from the giant interfacial Rashba–Edelstein effect. Furthermore, UMR has been found to show sign reversal and amplitude enhancement characteristics with decrease in temperature. We have ascribed it to the modulated distortion of Fermi contours due to pronounced spin canting at low temperatures. The presence of spin canting induced interfacial magnetic state has also been demonstrated by spin Hall magnetoresistance in CFO/Pt/Co/Al2O3 films. Our work reveals the interfacial magnetic state modulated UMR in CFO/Pt bilayers, thereby paving the way for extending its applications in ferrimagnet-based spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiferroic composites of (1 − x)BaTi0.98Ni0.02O3–(x)CoFe2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.06) were prepared through conventional solid‐state reaction route. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies along with the Rietveld refinement endorse the multiphase nature of the nanocomposite samples. The XRD peaks of the tetragonal bare barium titanate and the inverse cubic spinel of cobalt ferrite nanostructures phase can be identified separately. The tetragonality ratio of the bare barium titanate drops with the addition of the guest material, i.e., cobalt ferrite in the ferroelectric matrix. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirm the main absorption bands near 540–560 cm−1, corresponding to the metal‐oxide absorption band (ν1 mode), and are related to the stretching modes of the Ti–O bonds. The Raman spectra also signify the two symmetries confirming the nanocomposites' ferroelectric and ferromagnetic phases. The surface morphology studies reveal the hexagonal and spherical shape of the grains in the nanostructures and nanocomposites. The energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) spectra confirm the presence of all the elements in the samples. The ferroelectricity in the nanocomposite drops due to fluctuations in the valence state of Fe2+/Fe3+ that enhances the leakage current of the nanocomposites. The magnetic moment and dielectric constant of the nanocomposites are enhanced as the guest compound CoFe2O4 is added to the bare BaTi0.98Ni0.02O3. Thus, the simultaneous coexistence of ferroelectric and magnetic ordering at room temperature confirms the multiferroic behavior of the nanostructure and the nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetostrictive CoFe2O4 (CFO) nanoparticles were encapsulated within a UiO-66 metal--organic-framework layer to form a CFO@UiO-66 nanohybrid. The deforming of CFO, in response to a high-frequency AC magnetic field, initiates the piezocatalytic property of UiO-66 to generate •OH radicals, which can kill cancer cells buried in thick tissues, showcasing bright potential for deep-seated tumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concept of universal health coverage (UHC) encompasses both access to essential health services and freedom from financial harm. The World Health Organization's Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Policy Survey collects data on policies that have the potential to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. The indicator, "Are the following health services provided free of charge at point-of-use in the public sector for women of reproductive age?", captures the free provision of 13 key categories of maternal health-related services, to measure the success of UHC implementation with respect to maternal health. However, it is unknown whether it provides a valid measure of the provision of free care. Therefore, this study compared free maternal healthcare laws and policies against actual practice in three countries. Methods and findings: We conducted a cross-sectional study in four districts/provinces in Argentina, Ghana, and India. We performed desk reviews to identify free care laws and policies at the country level and compared those with reports at the global level. We conducted exit interviews with women aged 15–49 years who used a component service or their accompanying persons, as well as with facility chief financial officers or billing administrators, to determine if women had out-of-pocket expenditures associated with accessing services. For designated free services, prevalence of expenditures at the service level for women and reports by financial officers of women ever having expenditures associated with services designated as free were computed. These three sources of data (desk review, surveys of women and administrators) were triangulated, and chi-square analysis was conducted to determine if charges were levied differentially by standard equity stratifiers. Designation of services as free matched what was reported in the MNCAH Policy Survey for Argentina and Ghana. In India, insecticide-treated bed nets and testing and treatment for syphilis were only designated as free for selected populations, differing from the WHO MNCAH Policy Survey. Among 1046, 923, and 1102 women and accompanying persons who were interviewed in Argentina, Ghana, and India, respectively, the highest prevalence of associated expenditures among women who received a component service in each setting was for cesarean section in Argentina (26%, 24/92); family planning in Ghana (78.4%, 69/88); and postnatal maternal care in India (94.4%, 85/90). The highest prevalence of women ever having out of pocket expenditures associated with accessing any free service reported by financial officers was 9.1% (2/22) in Argentina, 64.1% (93/145) in Ghana, and 29.7% (47/158) in India. Across the three countries, self-reports of out of pocket expenditures were significantly associated with district/province and educational status of women. Additionally, wealth quintile in Argentina and age in India were significantly associated with women reporting out of pocket expenditures. Conclusions: Free care laws were largely accurately reported in the global MNCAH policy database. Notably, we found that women absorbed both direct and indirect costs and made both formal and informal payments for services designated as free. Therefore, the policy indicator does not provide a valid reflection of UHC in the three settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiFeO 3 (BFO) was mixed with BaTiO 3 (BTO) to form a solid solution of large piezoelectric coefficient (d 33) for the fabrication of magnetoelectric (ME) composites with the Zn-doped CoFeO 4 (CFO). The 0.67BFO+0.33BTO solid solution, which was doped with 1 at% MnO 2 for lowering leakage current, showed a high d 33 of 121 pC/N. However, in the composites made with CFO, a much lower d 33 (<42 pC/N) was retained. The microstructure of the composites was featured by the large CFO grains (∼5 μm) embedded in the 0.67BFO+0.33BTO matrix of much finer grains (∼0.5 μm). The CFO grains each had a well-defined morphology with clear boundary discriminating them from the neighboring piezoelectric phase. Both the CFO and piezoelectric grains showed a high crystallinity as indicated by the appearance of clear Kikuchi patterns in electron backscattered diffraction. After reducing DC conductivity of CFO by Zn-doping and the optimization of fractional ratio of the Zn-doped CFO in the composites, a ME voltage coefficient of 81.8 mV/cm-Oe was achieved, which was high among the lead-free particulate ME composites prepared by the conventional solid-state sintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to enhance the piezoelectric and ferromagnetic properties of electrospun poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) scaffold by in-situ formation of CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) within the fibers. To evaluate the effects of CFO on the microstructures and properties of the scaffolds, varying amounts of CFO were utilized (x = 0 to 10 wt %). The results demonstrated the successful formation of CFO at the fiber junctions (x < 2), while the agglomerates were formed within the large fibers (2 < x < 10). The in-situ formation of CFO was confirmed by the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The highest fraction of β phase was achieved at 0.735 and 0.960 for the PVDF-CFO scaffold (x = 1) based on the XRD and Fourier-transform infrared technique (FTIR) results. The dielectric constant, magnetic properties, and piezoelectric sensitivity of the PVDF scaffold were enhanced with the in-situ formation of CFO. The highest coercivity and piezoelectric sensitivity were observed at x = 1. In-vitro analysis of the scaffolds revealed that the highest blood compatibility and antioxidant activity could be achieved through the in-situ formation of 1 wt % of CFO. Eventually, the magnetic hyperthermia ability of scaffolds was evaluated, and the PVDF-CFO scaffolds were recognized as the high potential materials for the hyperthermia treatment according to the specific absorption rate (SAR) of 25–44 W g−1 and intrinsic loss power (ILP) factor of 5–9 nH m2·kg−1. Our findings suggest that by controlling the in-situ formation of CFO within the PVDF electrospun scaffold, the cancer cell eradication process can be performed with a minimum dosage of the ferroelectric-ferromagnetic magnetic composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, our primary goal is to investigate the existence of solutions for an impulsive fractional integro-differential system (IFIDS) subject to boundary value conditions (BVC), utilizing the Caputo-Fabrizio operator (CFO). Through the application of fixed-point methodologies, we derive original insights into the existence of solutions. The final section of the study incorporates three numerical examples, serving to illustrate the practical application of the theoretical concepts introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing the intricate biophysical microenvironment to provide multiple biologically beneficial stimulation is deemed a promising therapeutic strategy. However, developing multi‐biophysical stimuli with wireless integration and accurate management remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a novel design of a magneto‐mechano‐electric (MME) cascade stimulation system based on aligned magnetoelectric nanofibrous membranes (PLLA/CFO) is reported. Simply regulating the loading amount of CFO nanoparticles endows the PLLA/CFO membranes with excellent magnetism, enhanced crystallization, and resultant piezoelectric responsiveness, thus providing built‐in topographical guidance and nanoscale magnetic field as well as manageably remote stimulation. Specifically, assisted by an external magnetic field (EMF), the magnetic response in PLLA/CFO can be amplified to offer an apparent deformation, which then induces the output of mechanical and electrical cues. Benefiting from the slow degradability of PLLA and continuous EMF triggering, such a performance can be well modulated to match the practical wound healing process, demonstrated by the repair of a rat full‐thickness skin defect. More importantly, this work offers a new strategy to reconstruct the complex biophysical microenvironment in a wireless remote manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, the authors report on the facile synthesis of CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) nanoparticles (NPs) with different citric acid (CA) concentrations and at a constant temperature. The synthesized nanostructures were investigated for structural, vibrational, morphological, opto-dielectric, and electrical characteristics. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed their cubic structural phase, while allowing other microstructural parameters to be investigated. The crystallite size based Scherrer and W–H plot methods ranged from 23 to 30 nm and 21–30 nm, respectively, and declined with the increase in CA concentration. The vibrational analysis confirmed the pure phase of CFO at all CA concentrations. Diffused reflectance spectra were measured to determine the bandgap energy of CFO NPs, which increased from 2.10 to 2.35 eV as the CA content increased, whereas CFO NP grain size declined, as confirmed by SEM measurements. EDX analysis and SEM e-mapping study further revealed that the CFO was synthesized with proper composition. According to the dielectric and electrical studies (performed up to 10 MHz), the dielectric constant ranged from 130 to 160, and the highest value was obtained for CFO containing 0.25 g of CA. Finally, the frequency exponent indicates the CBH model of carrier charge conduction mechanism in the CFO samples. Therefore, the low particle size, wide bandgap, and high dielectric constant values of the synthesized CFO NPs make them suitable candidates for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hospital chief financial officer (CFO) contributes to improving health system performance. However, how to become an excellent hospital CFO has rarely been considered from a holistic perspective. This paper aims to identify competencies required by hospital CFO to fulfil the position's responsibilities and explore effective implementation pathways to generate high performance and improve healthcare service. Methods: We conducted 61 semi-structured interviews with individuals in key leadership positions in China's hospitals and researchers focusing on healthcare system management to identify core competencies necessary for hospital CFO. Interviews were analysed through a multi-stage review process and modified via expert vetting using a national panel of 23 professors. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with 32 hospital CFOs from 14 provinces throughout September 2021 to May 2022. We scored the performance of 32 hospital CFOs in various aspects of competency and used the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to explore the competency configurations of excellent CFOs. Results: We identify seven core competencies necessary for a hospital CFO to fulfil management practices, including personal morality, resource management, strategy management, learning ability, negotiating skill, leadership skill, and financial management. The findings indicate that a single competency factor is not a necessary condition to become an excellent hospital CFO. The results of qualitative comparative analysis then make it possible to propose four configurational paths, namely, supportive, interpersonal, all-around development, and technical, to become an excellent hospital CFO and achieve effective managerial performance. Conclusions: The responsibilities of hospital CFOs are complex and varied, hence, a better understanding of competencies required by CFO is essential to implement their responsibilities effectively. The identification in this study of the four effective implementation pathways to becoming an excellent hospital CFO enriches the literature on hospital management and provides implications for China's hospitals and their CFOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The CrossFit® Open (CFO) acts a preliminary round that qualifies men and women for later stages of its annual Games competition. The CFO typically consists of 4–6 workouts that variably challenge an athlete's weightlifting strength, gymnastic skill, and endurance capacity. Except for differences in prescribed intensity loads, workouts are designed the same for men and women to elicit a similar challenge. While all workouts within a single year are unique to each other, one has been repeated from a previous CFO each year between 2012 and 2021. Because previous CFO workouts are often integrated into training, improvements are expected when a workout is officially repeated. However, besides documented record performances, it is unclear whether most athletes are improving, if these improvements affect ranking, or if differences exist between men and women. Purpose: To examine sex-division differences and performance changes across repeated CFO workouts, as well as their effect on CFO and workout ranking. Methods: Eleven separate samples of 500 men and 500 women, who were representative of the same overall percent rank within each year involving one of the nine repeated CFO workouts (2011–2021) were drawn for this study. Each athlete's age (18–54 years), rank (overall and within each workout), and reported workout scores were collected from the competition's publicly-available leaderboard. Each sample had excluded any athlete who had not met minimum performance criteria (e.g., at least one completed round) for all prescribed (Rx) workouts within a given year (including those not analyzed). Since some workouts could be scored as repetitions completed or time-to-completion (TTC), and because programming was often scaled between men and women, all scores were converted to a repetition completion rate (repetitions divided by TTC [in minutes]). Results: Separate sex-division x time analyses of variance with repeated measures revealed significant (p < 0.05) interactions in all but one repeated workout comparison. Initially, men were faster in four workouts (~18.5%, range = 3.9–35.0%, p < 0.001), women in two (~7.1%, range = 5.2–9.0%, p < 0.001), and they tied in the remaining three workouts. When workouts were repeated in subsequent years, men were faster in three workouts (~5.4%, range = 0.9–7.8%, p < 0.05), while women were faster in two (~3.8%, range = 3.5–4.1%, p < 0.01). Though performance improved in seven of the nine workouts (~14.3%, p < 0.001) and percentile rank was controlled, athletes earned a lower rank (overall and within workout) on each repeated workout (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Performance (measured as repetition completion rate) has improved in most repeated CFO workouts, particularly for women. However, improvements seen among all athletes, along with increased participation, have made it more difficult for athletes to improve their overall rank. To rank higher, individual athletes must improve their pace to a greater degree than the average improvements seen across the competitive field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetoelectric (ME) magnetic field sensors utilize ME effects in ferroelectric ferromagnetic layered heterostructures to convert magnetic signals into electrical signals. However, the substrate clamping effect greatly limits the design and fabrication of ME composites with high ME coefficients. To reduce the clamping effect and improve the ME response, a flexible ME sensor based on PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 (PZT)/CoFe2O4 (CFO) ME bilayered heterostructure was deposited on mica substrates via van der Waals oxide heteroepitaxy. A saturated magnetization of 114.5 emu/cm3 was observed in the bilayers. The flexible sensor exhibited a strong ME coefficient of 6.12 V/cm·Oe. The local ME coupling has been confirmed by the evolution of the ferroelectric domain under applied magnetic fields. The flexible ME sensor possessed a stable response with high sensitivity to both AC and DC weak magnetic fields. A high linearity of 0.9988 and sensitivity of 72.65 mV/Oe of the ME sensor were obtained under flat states. The ME output and limit-of-detection under different bending states showed an inferior trend as the bending radius increased. A flexible proximity sensor has been demonstrated, indicating a promising avenue for wearable device applications and significantly broadening the potential application of the flexible ME magnetic field sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have introduced two versions of the jerk model. These versions are commensurate fractional and distributed orders. They appear in several applications of physics and engineering, e.g., laser physics, damped harmonic oscillators, and secure communications. The sufficient condition for the existence and uniqueness of the solution of commensurate fractional-order (CFO) jerk model is studied. We state and prove a theorem to test the dependence of the solutions of the CFO jerk model on initial conditions. The dynamics of the three versions of the jerk model are investigated. Using the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE), we determine the values of the parameters at which these proposed versions have chaotic solutions. The linear feedback control is used to stabilize the chaotic solutions of these versions. Numerical simulations are used to show the chaotic solutions after control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling nanostructures and crystallographic orientations in epitaxial nanocomposite thin films are important for tuning their physical properties. Here, we present epitaxial nanocomposite thin films of (110) oriented CoFe2O4 (CFO) and (1110) oriented Bi5Ti3FeO15 (BTFO15) grown on SrTiO3 (110) substrates with a vertically aligned pillar–matrix type structure. The size and density of CFO pillars embedded in the BTFO matrix were controlled by the growth temperature and CFO concentration. Moreover, BTFO takes intergrowth phases with the general formula of Bi4Ti3O12 • nBiFeO3 (n = 1–∼1.5) depending on the growth temperature. Scanning probe analysis on the ferroelectric properties of BTFO15–CFO nanocomposite thin films suggested that the BTFO has a switchable out-of-plane polarization component originating from the tilted orientation of its a–b plane polarization. For high CFO pillar density, however, a non-negligible number of conductive paths which might be formed at the pillar–matrix interface are likely to prevent the polarization reversal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between top management school-ties represented by the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), and the Auditor with the Audit Fee. This study uses 627 observations from companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2018 and uses the Ordinary Least Square Regression analysis model. This study finds that the combination of school-ties between CFO and Auditor showed a positive relationship with Audit Fee, while the combination of school-ties between CEO and Auditor did not. This study contributes to literature related to the relationship between school-ties and audit fees of public companies in Indonesia. It is also hoped that it can contribute to the implementation of company policies, management, external parties, named regulators, and investors. This study chose school-ties as a part of social-ties to represent the condition of Top company officers and Auditors ties. JEL Classification: H83, M42, G32, G34 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with most of the existing phase I designs, the recently proposed calibration‐free odds (CFO) design has been demonstrated to be robust, model‐free, and easy to use in practice. However, the original CFO design cannot handle late‐onset toxicities, which have been commonly encountered in phase I oncology dose‐finding trials with targeted agents or immunotherapies. To account for late‐onset outcomes, we extend the CFO design to its time‐to‐event (TITE) version, which inherits the calibration‐free and model‐free properties. One salient feature of CFO‐type designs is to adopt game theory by competing three doses at a time, including the current dose and the two neighboring doses, while interval‐based designs only use the data at the current dose and is thus less efficient. We conduct comprehensive numerical studies for the TITE‐CFO design under both fixed and randomly generated scenarios. TITE‐CFO shows robust and efficient performances compared with interval‐based and model‐based counterparts. As a conclusion, the TITE‐CFO design provides robust, efficient, and easy‐to‐use alternatives for phase I trials when the toxicity outcome is late‐onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a computationally efficient maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm for estimating the carrier frequency offset (CFO) of generalized frequency division multiplexing systems. The proposed algorithm uses repetitive subsymbols and virtual carriers to estimate the fractional and integer CFOs, respectively. Through the use of repetitive subsymbols, this study first calculates the ML estimate of the fractional CFO in the time domain and then, accordingly, compensates for it from the received signal. The integer CFO can then be estimated through a virtual-carrier-mapping process in the frequency domain. In addition to improving performance in terms of estimation accuracy and computational complexity, the proposed non-data-aided algorithm is spectrally efficient relative to traditional algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex fractional-order (CFO) transfer functions, being more generalized versions of their real-order counterparts, lend greater flexibility to system modeling. Due to the absence of commercial complex-order fractance elements, the implementation of CFO models is challenging. To alleviate this issue, a constrained optimization approach that meets the targeted frequency responses is proposed for the rational approximation of CFO systems. The technique generates stable, minimum-phase, and real-valued coefficients based approximants, which are not always feasible for the curve-fitting approach reported in the literature. Stability and performance studies of the CFO proportional-integral-derivative (CFOPID) controllers for the Podlubny's, the internal model control, and the El-Khazali's forms are considered to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique. Simulation results highlight that, for a practically reasonable order, all the designs achieve good agreement with the theoretical characteristics. Performance comparisons with the CFOPID controller approximants determined by the Oustaloup's CFO differentiator based substitution method justify the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study focuses on the role of green human resource management (GHRM) practices through providing an empirical insight into the mediating role of the use of environmental performance measures (EPMs) in the association between Simons' (1995) positive levers of control (beliefs and the interactive use of controls) with environmental and organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire was distributed to 577 chief financial officers within Australian manufacturing organisations who were randomly chosen from the OneSource online database. Findings: The use of operational EPMs is found to mediate the association between the use of the positive levers of control with two of the four dimensions of environmental performance (resource usage and stakeholder interaction), and non-financial performance (through stakeholder interaction). In addition, the use of management EPMs mediates the association between the use of the positive levers of control with the regulatory compliance dimension of environmental performance. The findings highlight the importance of GHRM practices, in particular, the need for managers to focus on the positive levers of control and using operational EPMs and management EPMs to a greater extent. Originality/value: The study contributes to the limited empirical research examining GHRM practices, highlighting the importance of EPMs and integrating such measures with internal control mechanisms, specifically beliefs and the interactive use of controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical cantilever beam magnetometer (CBM) setup was used to investigate the angle-dependent in-plane magnetostriction of a polycrystalline CoFe2O4 (CFO) film at room temperature (300 K). We observed compressive and tensile magnetostriction switching in rotation (θ) of magnetic field in the plane of the polycrystalline CFO film. At lower angles, the film exhibits the compressive nature of magnetostriction. However, as the angle of rotation increases, the compressive behavior decays continuously and switches to tensile nature at θ = 35°, and the tensile nature continues to grow up to the angle, θ = 45°. Further rotation of the magnetic field causes the tensile nature of magnetostriction to decline and, at θ = 60°, it switches back to the compressive nature of magnetostriction. The coexistence of compressive and tensile magnetostriction in the polycrystalline CFO film makes it a potentially suitable candidate for designing both sensors and actuators, and thus the film finds a way in developing novel smart materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role of the Big Five personality traits and risk perception profiles among a sample of corporate managers concerning their subjective wellbeing (SWB) and corporate management practices during the Covid-19 pandemic. Two hundred and fifty-five chief executive officers (CEOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs) of companies listed on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) in Poland participated in the study by completing the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Ten-Item Personality Inventory, Stimulation-Instrumental Risk Inventory, and a business survey on the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on company management. Latent profile analysis revealed the existence of diverse profiles among the participants regarding personality traits and risk perception, which were variously related to their SWB and managerial practices during the pandemic. It seems that individual differences in personality traits and risk perception not only matter for the individual life satisfaction of managers but may also translate into effective company management in times of crisis. The results of our study may be an adjunct to understanding underlying sources of managerial biases in corporate management as well as to developing more effective methods of psychological counseling of corporate managers, a topic that remains still a highly understudied research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a promising physical layer candidate for the current and future wireless standards. MIMO increases system throughput while OFDM maximizes spectrum efficiency. To reduce the impacts of frequency selective fading and increase the capacity, MIMO requires precise channel state information (CSI). The presence of carrier frequency offset (CFO) introduces intercarrier interference (ICI) among the subcarriers which degrades the system performance. MIMO channel estimation is done under the assumption of perfect frequency synchronisation between the transmitter and receiver, or zero CFO. However, such an assumption is incorrect for time-varying and frequency-selective wireless channels, and the presence of CFO has an impact on channel estimation accuracy. In the existing methods, CFO and channel estimations are carried out independently using separate training sequences which reduces the spectral efficiency. As a result, the pilot aided interpolation approach is proposed in this paper for the joint estimate and compensation of CFO and channel effects using the same set of pilot tones. Theresults show that the proposed method offers precise CFO and channel estimation which improves the bit error rate performance and carrier to interference power ratio (CIR) of MIMO-OFDM system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hospital chief financial officer (CFO) plays a vital role in supporting the effective management of organization. Understanding their competencies is essential to improve hospital development and health care services in China. This paper aims to explore competencies necessary for hospital CFOs to fulfil their management responsibilities and develop a competency framework for hospital CFOs in China. Methods: A qualitative study was applied by conducting in-depth interviews with 151 participants from 15 Chinese provinces, comprising 89 individuals from 67 hospitals, and 62 individuals from 39 medical universities. Interviews were anonymised, recorded and transcribed. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied through a multi-stage review process and modified via the Delphi process using a national panel of 36 experts. Results: Using content analysis, we identified 17 competencies organized into three themes (personal attitudes, leadership competencies and managerial competencies) to conduct a competency framework for hospital CFO to fulfil their management practices. Those competencies emphasized the integration of different competencies required by the hospital CFO. Conclusions: This paper identified the detailed expertise, abilities and personal traits required by hospital CFOs in China, expanding the insights and perspectives of hospital CFOs currently working in China to literature. The proposed framework will help hospitals establish selection criteria, coaching tools, and development plans for CFOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between a couple of flames often lead to their synchronisation. Flame–flame interaction has recently been linked with thermoacoustic instability in combustors. However, synchronisation caused by the interaction of coupled flames is still not fully understood. Furthermore, the interacting flame oscillators in practical situations often have a slight dissimilarity between them. Here, we systematically study the effects of such dissimilarity on the flame–flame interaction with a simple system consisting of two candle flame oscillators (CFO). The interaction is studied with CFOs having similar and dissimilar amplitudes of oscillations. The distance between the CFOs is parametrically varied. The results indicate that the synchronisation phenomena caused by flame–flame interaction have a complex dependence on the distance between the oscillators. Further, we find the flame–flame interaction to be significantly affected by the dissimilarity of the interacting oscillators. In-phase (IP) synchronisation occurs when the interacting oscillators are separated by a low distance and the oscillators have similar or moderately dissimilar amplitudes of oscillations. On the other hand, for large disparities in the amplitudes of oscillations, lag synchronisation (LS) is observed at a low distance between the CFOs. If the interacting oscillators have similar amplitudes of oscillations, the amplitude death (AD) regime persists throughout the operating range except at a low distance between the CFOs. In contrast, if the interacting oscillators have dissimilar amplitudes of oscillations, different rich dynamical states such as lag synchronisation and partial amplitude death are encountered in addition to amplitude death as the distance between the oscillators is varied. This study might be useful to understand synchronisation due to flame–flame interaction in modern multi-burner turbulent combustors where the constituent burners often have inherent dissimilarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid restriction and diuretic management are mainstays in the postoperative management of cardiac patients, at risk of volume overload and its deleterious effects on primary cardiac function and multi-organ systems. The importance of fluid homeostasis is further emphasized among orthotopic heart transplant recipients (OHT). We sought to investigate the relationship between postoperative volume overload, mortality, and allograft dysfunction among pediatric OHT recipients within 1-year of transplantation. This is a retrospective cohort study from a single pediatric OHT center. Children under 21 years undergoing cardiac transplantation between 2010 and 2018 were included. Cumulative fluid overload (cFO) was assessed as percent fluid accumulation adjusted for preoperative body weight. Greater than 10% cFO defined those with postoperative cFO and a comparison of postoperative cFO vs. no postoperative cFO (< 5%) is reported. 102 pediatric OHT recipients were included. Early cFO at 72 h post-OHT occurred in 14% and overall cFO at 1-week post-OHT occurred in 23% of patients. Risk factors for cFO included younger age, lower weight, and postoperative ECMO. Early cFO was associated with postoperative mortality at 1-year, OR 8.6 (95% CI 1.4, 51.6), p = 0.04, independent of age and weight. There was no significant relationship between cFO and allograft dysfunction, measured by rates of clinical rejection and cardiopulmonary filling pressures within 1-year of transplant. Early postoperative volume overload is prevalent and associated with increased risk of death at 1-year among pediatric OHT recipients. It may be an important postoperative marker of transplant survival, and this relationship warrants further clinical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine the effect of the chief financial officer's educational background and profitability on audit report lag. The research object is infrastructure sector companies for the 2018-2021 period. The method in this research is quantitative research with multiple linear regression tests. The sampling technique used is the purposive sampling method. Based on the study's results, (1) CFO's educational background does not affect audit report lag. (2) Profitability has a positive effect on audit report lag. The limitations of this study are the possibility of other independent variables that can explain in more detail the audit report lag phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-cost, stable, and easy-to-fabricate resistive switching memory (RSM) devices are highly desirable for next-generation nonvolatile memories. Spinel-structured CuFe2O4 (CFO), composed of earth-abundant, environmentally friendly elements, is a multifunctional material mainly featuring super-paramagnetism. This work explores the potential of spin-coated CFO thin films as an active material in RSM. A simple fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/CFO/Ag device shows a bipolar resistive switching behavior with the problems like scattered SET and RESET voltages and endurance deterioration. Adding a TiO2 layer in the conventional device, we overcame the above limitations and achieved additional advantages of multilevel switching and improved temperature stability. The solution-processed FTO/TiO2/CFO/Ag bilayer device shows stable endurance with a maximum ON/OFF ratio of 100 with the ability to have multiple high resistance states and exhibits excellent temperature stability up to 250 °C. Our results further enhance the multifunctionality of CFO with the potential of being low-cost multilevel RSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5G NR aims to enable the high density of Internet of Things (IoT), around one million (10 6) connections per square kilometer, through the Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC). 5G NR employs a Random Access (RA) Procedure for uplink synchronization between User Equipment (UE) and Base Station (gNB). The Zadoff-Chu (ZC) preamble sequence is widely used as the preamble sequence for RA procedure. These ZC sequences have limitations in terms of the total number of unique preambles generated, forcing the reuse of preambles. An increase in the reuse of preambles increases the probability of collision of the preamble of a UE, resulting in the failure of uplink synchronization. This necessitates the study of alternate preamble sequences with higher preamble capacity. In this paper, we propose a preamble sequence called the mALL sequence using the concept of cover sequences to generate a large number of unique unambiguous preambles. We compare the performance of mALL sequence with the ZC sequence and other combination sequences proposed in the literature using the metrics namely, periodic correlation, detection probability, effects of diversity combining, Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR), Cubic Metric(CM), and the effects of Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) on preamble detection. We show that the newly proposed mALL sequence achieves a much higher preamble capacity ( 10 4 times) compared to the legacy ZC sequence, without any deterioration in the correlation properties, detection performance. Further, mALL sequence exhibits a better performance in terms of Cubic Metric. Results also show that the detection of mALL sequence is unambiguous in presence of CFO implying a better detection performance in presence of non-idealities. Thus mALL sequence is a potential candidate to cater to the mMTC use case of 5G. This paper also presents the comparison between Zadoff-Chu, m-sequence and Alltop sequence and their detection performance in RA procedure for different number of receive antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-capacity impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) indoor localization systems are typically based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA) principle. When the fixed and synchronized localization infrastructure, the anchors, transmit precisely timestamped messages, a virtually unlimited number of user receivers (tags) are able to estimate their position based on differences in the time of arrival of those messages. However, the drift of the tag clock causes systematic errors at a sufficiently high magnitude to effectively deny the positioning, if left uncorrected. Previously, the extended Kalman filter (EKF) has been used to track and compensate for the clock drift. In this article, the utilization of a carrier frequency offset (CFO) measurement for suppressing the clock-drift related error in anchor-to-tag positioning is presented and compared to the filtered solution. The CFO is readily available in the coherent UWB transceivers, such as Decawave DW1000. It is inherently related to the clock drift, since both carrier and timestamping frequencies are derived from the identical reference oscillator. The experimental evaluation shows that the CFO-aided solution performs worse than the EKF-based solution in terms of accuracy. Nonetheless, with CFO-aiding it is possible to obtain a solution based on measurements from a single epoch, which is favorable especially for power-constrained applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the stability of the Caputo fractional-order inertial neural network (CFOINN) with destabilizing and stabilizing delay-dependent impulses, separately. Firstly, based on average impulsive delay (AID), stability conditions for the Caputo fractional-order (CFO) system with destabilizing and stabilizing delay-dependent impulses are separately given by utilizing properties of the CFO derivative. Then, by constructing the Lyapunov function for the CFOINN with delayed impulses, some stability criteria are obtained. Finally, numerical examples are presented to verify the effectiveness of the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]