Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategic Capital Budgeting: Asset Replacement under Uncertainty¤

We consider a . rm’s decision to replace an existing production technology with a new, more cost-e¢cient one. Kulatilaka and Perotti [1998, Management Science ] . nd that, in a two-period model, increased product market uncertainty could encourage the . rm to invest strategically in the new technology. This paper extends their framework to a continuous-time model which adds ‡exibility in timing of the investment decision. This ‡exibility introduces an option value of waiting which increases with uncertainty. In contrast with the two-period model, despite the existence of the strategic option of becoming a market leader due to a lower marginal cost, more uncertainty always increases the expected time to invest. Furthermore, it is shown that under increased uncertainty the probability that the . rm . nds it optimal to invest within a given time period always decreases for time periods longer than the optimal time to invest in a deterministic case. For smaller time periods there are contrary e¤ects so that the overall impact of increased uncertainty on the probability of investing is in this case ambiguous.
The North American Mercury Model Intercomparison Study (NAMMIS): Study description and model‐to‐model comparisons

[1] An atmospheric mercury model intercomparison study has been conducted to compare three regional-scale atmospheric mercury models, CMAQ, REMSAD, and TEAM, in a tightly constrained testing environment with a focus on North America. Each of these models used the same horizontal modeling grid, pollutant emission information, modeled meteorology, and boundary conditions to the greatest extent practical. Three global-scale atmospheric mercury models were applied to define three separate initial condition and boundary condition (IC/BC) data sets for elemental mercury, reactive gaseous mercury, and particulate mercury air concentrations for use by the regional-scale models. The monthly average boundary concentrations of some mercury species simulated by the global models were found to vary by more than a factor of 10, especially at high altitudes. CMAQ, REMSAD, and TEAM were each applied three times, once for each IC/BC data set, to simulate atmospheric mercury transport and deposition during 2001. This paper describes the study design and shows qualitative model-to-model comparisons of simulation results on an annual basis. The air concentration patterns for mercury simulated by the regional-scale models showed significant differences even when the same IC/BC data set was used. Simulated wet deposition of mercury was strongly influenced by the shared precipitation data, but differences of over 50% were still apparent. Simulated dry deposition of mercury was found to vary between the regional-scale models by nearly a factor of 10 in some locations. Further analysis is underway to perform statistical comparisons of simulated and observed mercury wet deposition using weekly and annual sample integration periods.
Facilitating conditions for boundary-spanning behaviour in governance networks

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of two facilitating conditions for boundary-spanning behaviour in urban governance networks. While research on boundary spanning is growing, there is little attention for antecedents. Combining governance network literature on project management and organizational literature on facilitative and servant leadership, we examine two potential conditions: a facilitative project management style and executive support. We conducted survey research among project managers involved in urban governance networks in order to test these relationships. We found positive relationships between facilitative project management and boundary-spanning behaviour, while executive support indirectly, via facilitative management, contributed to boundary-spanning behaviour.
Optimal Decomposition Level of Discrete Wavelet Transform for Pixel Based Fusion of Multi - Focused Images

The fast development of digital image processing leads to the growth of feature extraction of images which leads to the development of Image fusion. Image fusion is defined as the process of combining two or more different images into a new single image retaining important features from each image with extended information content. There are two approaches to image fusion, namely Direct Fusion and Multi resolution fusion. In Direct fusion, the pixel values from the source images are directly summed up and taken average to form the pixel of the composite image at that location. Multi resolution fusion uses transform for representing the source image at multi scale. The most common widely used transform for image fusion at multi scale is Wavelet Transform. This paper describes the optimal level of decomposition of discrete wavelet transform required for better pixel based fusion of multi focused images in terms of root mean square error, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio, Quality Index and Image fidelity.
Depression anxiety and stress scale (dass-21) - short form: adaptação e validação para adolescentes brasileiros

Este estudo teve como objetivo adaptar e validar a Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) - Short Form para adolescentes brasileiros. Participaram do estudo 426 adolescentes de 12 a 18 anos (M = 14,91; DP = 1,66), sendo 264 meninas (62%) e 162 meninos (39%), de escolas publicas da cidade de Porto Alegre-RS, que responderam a uma versao adaptada, nomeada Escala de Depressao, Ansiedade e Estresse para Adolescentes (EDAE-A). As subescalas demonstraram niveis adequados de consistencia interna, variando entre 0,83 e 0,90. A analise fatorial confirmatoria indicou que o melhor modelo foi o de tres fatores, confirmando o modelo original com as dimensoes depressao, ansiedade e estresse. No escore total e por fatores, houve diferenca por sexo, com maior media entre as meninas em todos os escores. Conclui-se que a EDAE-A apresenta qualidades psicometricas favoraveis, mostrando-se um simples e adequado instrumento de levantamento de sintomas de depressao, ansiedade e estresse para adolescentes brasileiros.
Direct and productivity‐mediated indirect effects of fertilization, mowing and grazing on grassland species richness

Recent declines in biodiversity have given new urgency to questions about the relationship between land‐use change, biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Despite the existence of a large body of research on the effects of land use on species richness, it is unclear whether the effects of land use on species richness are principally direct or indirect, mediated by concomitant changes in ecosystem processes. Therefore, we compared the direct effects of land use (fertilization, mowing and grazing) on species richness with indirect ones (mediated via grassland productivity) for grasslands in central Europe. We measured the richness and above‐ground biomass in 150 grassland plots in 3 regions of Germany (the so‐called Biodiversity Exploratories). We used univariate and structural equation models to examine direct and indirect land‐use effects. The direct effects of mowing (−0.37, effect size) and grazing (0.04) intensity on species richness were stronger compared with the indirect effects of mowing (−0.04) and grazing (−0.01). However, the strong negative effect of fertilization (−0.23) on species richness was mainly indirect, mediated by increased productivity compared with the weak direct negative effect (−0.07). Differences between regions in land‐use effects showed five times weaker negative effects of mowing (−0.13) in the region with organic soils (Schorfheide‐Chorin), strong overall negative effects of grazing (−0.29) for the region with organic soils opposed to a similar strong positive effect (0.30) in the Hainich‐Dün region, whereas the Schwäbische Alb region displayed a five times weaker positive effect (0.06) only. Further, fertilization effects on species richness were positive (0.03) for the region with organic soils compared to up to 25 times stronger negative effects in the other two regions. Synthesis. Our results clearly show the importance of studying both direct and indirect effects of land‐use intensity. They demonstrate the indirect nature, via productivity, of the negative effect of fertilization intensity on plant species richness in the real‐world context of management‐induced gradients of intensity of fertilization, mowing and grazing. Finally, they highlight that careful consideration of regional environments is necessary before attempting to generalize land‐use effects on species diversity.
Efficient Translation of Dnmt1 Requires Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation and Musashi Binding Elements

Regulation of DNMT1 is critical for epigenetic control of many genes and for genome stability. Using phylogenetic analysis we characterized a block of 27 nucleotides in the 3′UTR of Dnmt1 mRNA identical between humans and Xenopus and investigated the role of the individual elements contained within it. This region contains a cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE) and a Musashi binding element (MBE), with CPE binding protein 1 (CPEB1) known to bind to the former in mouse oocytes. The presence of these elements usually indicates translational control by elongation and shortening of the poly(A) tail in the cytoplasm of the oocyte and in some somatic cell types. We demonstrate for the first time cytoplasmic polyadenylation of Dnmt1 during periods of oocyte growth in mouse and during oocyte activation in Xenopus. Furthermore we show by RNA immunoprecipitation that Musashi1 (MSI1) binds to the MBE and that this element is required for polyadenylation in oocytes. As well as a role in oocytes, site-directed mutagenesis and reporter assays confirm that mutation of either the MBE or CPE reduce DNMT1 translation in somatic cells, but likely act in the same pathway: deletion of the whole conserved region has more severe effects on translation in both ES and differentiated cells. In adult cells lacking MSI1 there is a greater dependency on the CPE, with depletion of CPEB1 or CPEB4 by RNAi resulting in substantially reduced levels of endogenous DNMT1 protein and concurrent upregulation of the well characterised CPEB target mRNA cyclin B1. Our findings demonstrate that CPE- and MBE-mediated translation regulate DNMT1 expression, representing a novel mechanism of post-transcriptional control for this gene.
Long-Term Outcome after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in Patients with Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single-Center Study

Background/Aims Superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC) is being increasingly detected during screening endoscopy. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) allows for en bloc and histologically complete resection of lesions. This study assessed the technical feasibility and long-term outcomes of ESD for SESCCs. Methods Between January 2005 and August 2012, 27 patients with 28 SESCCs underwent ESD at Pusan National University Hospital. The en bloc and pathologically complete resection rates, complication (perforation and bleeding) rate, incidence of esophageal stricture after ESD, and overall and disease-specific survival rates were evaluated. Results The en bloc and pathologically complete resection rates were 93% and 83%, respectively. No significant bleeding occurred, and perforation with mediastinal emphysema was observed in two patients (7%). Post-ESD stricture occurred in two patients (7%) who had mucosal defects involving more than three-fourths of the esophageal circumference. During a mean follow-up of 23 months, local tumor recurrence was seen in two of four lesions with pathologically incomplete resection; one was treated by re-ESD, and the other was treated by surgical esophagectomy. The 5-year overall and disease-specific survival rates were 84% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions ESD seems to be a feasible, effective curative treatment for SESCCs. All patients should be closely followed after ESD.
Mystery in experimental psychology, how to measure aesthetic emotions?

SUMMARY The wealth of human emotional expe-rience is made by aesthetic emotions.There are possibly thousands of aestheticemotions. They evolved relatively recentlycompared to basic emotions designatedby speciﬁc words. Measuring aestheticemotions, which may not be designatedby speciﬁc words, is more complicatedthan measuring basic emotions. Speciﬁcdifﬁculties have been discussed as wellas tentative approaches to overcomingthese difﬁculties. I challenge the experi-mental community to develop proceduresfor measuring aesthetic emotions beyondwords. REFERENCES Blood, A. J., and Zatorre, R. J. (2001). Intenselypleasurable responses to music correlatewith activity in brain regions implicated inreward and emotion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.U.S.A. 98, 11818–11823. doi: 10.1073/pnas.191355898Bonniot-Cabanac, M. -C. , Cabanac, M. , Fontanari,F. , and Perlovsky, L. I. (2012). Instrumentalizingcognitive dissonance emotions. Psychology 3, 1018–1026. doi: 10.4236/psych.2012. 312153Darwin, C. R. (1871). The Descent of Man, andSelection in Relation to Sex.
Notice of RetractionInvestigating the relationship among extreme climate indices by a varying-coefficient regression model

Because the changing frequency of extreme climate events generally has profound impacts on our living environment, research of the related topic has received much attention in social sciences. Based on the daily data collected from 753 meteorological stations in China during 1961-2005, the present work studies the relationship among some extreme climate indices, that is, FEP(frequency of extreme precipitation), FWD(frequency of warm days), FWN(frequency of warm nights), FCD(frequency of cold days) and FCN(frequency of cold nights). Since a varying-coefficient regression (VCR) model is a useful extension of a linear regression model by allowing the coefficients to vary with a covariate such as time, it was used to examine the extent to which FWD, FWN, FCD and FCN affect FEP over the period 1961-2005 by the coefficient functions estimated by local linear fitting method. The results show that FWD and FWN exert a much stronger influence on FEP than FCD and FCN. Meanwhile, the varying trends of FWD and FWN on FEP are almost identical except for the fact that the relationship between FWD and FEP is negative while that between FWN and FEP is positive.
Hidden credential retrieval from a reusable password

We revisit the venerable question of access credentials management, which concerns the techniques that we, humans with limited memory, must employ to safeguard our various access keys and tokens in a connected world. Although many existing solutions can be employed to protect a long secret using a short password, those solutions typically require certain assumptions on the distribution of the secret and/or the password, and are helpful against only a subset of the possible attackers. After briefly reviewing a variety of approaches, we propose a user-centric comprehensive model to capture the possible threats posed by online and offline attackers, from the outside and the inside, against the security of both the plaintext and the password. We then propose a few very simple protocols, adapted from the Ford-Kaliski server-assisted password generator and the Boldyreva unique blind signature in particular, that provide the best protection against all kinds of threats, for all distributions of secrets. We also quantify the concrete security of our approach in terms of online and offline password guesses made by outsiders and insiders, in the random-oracle model. The main contribution of this paper lies not in the technical novelty of the proposed solution, but in the identification of the problem and its model. Our results have an immediate and practical application for the real world: they show how to implement single-sign-on stateless roaming authentication for the internet, in a ad-hoc user-driven fashion that requires no change to protocols or infrastructure.
B-RafV600E and thrombospondin-1 promote thyroid cancer progression

Although B-RafV600E is the most common somatic mutation in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), how it induces tumor aggressiveness is not fully understood. Using gene set enrichment analysis and in vitro and in vivo functional studies, we identified and validated a B-RafV600E gene set signature associated with tumor progression in PTCs. An independent cohort of B-RafV600E-positive PTCs showed significantly higher expression levels of many extracellular matrix genes compared with controls. We performed extensive in vitro and in vivo validations on thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), because it has been previously shown to be important in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis and is present in abundance in tumor stroma. Knockdown of B-RafV600E resulted in TSP-1 down-regulation and a reduction of adhesion and migration/invasion of human thyroid cancer cells. Knockdown of TSP-1 resulted in a similar phenotype. B-RafV600E cells in which either B-RafV600E or TSP-1 were knocked down were implanted orthotopically into the thyroids of immunocompromised mice, resulting in significant reduction in tumor size and fewer pulmonary metastases from the primary carcinoma as compared with the control cells. Treatment of orthotopic thyroid tumors, initiated 1 week after tumor cell implantation with PLX4720, an orally available selective inhibitor of B-RafV600E, caused a significant tumor growth delay and decreased distant metastases, without evidence of toxicity. In conclusion, B-RafV600E plays an important role in PTC progression through genes (i.e., TSP-1) important in tumor invasion and metastasis. Testing of a patient's thyroid cancer for B-RafV600E will yield important information about potential tumor aggressiveness and also allow for future use of targeted therapies with selective B-RafV600E inhibitors, such as PLX4720.
Use of mTOR inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer: an evaluation of factors that influence patient outcomes

Many systemic treatment options are available for advanced breast cancer, including endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) therapy, and other targeted agents. Recently, everolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, combined with exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor, has been approved in Europe and the USA for patients suffering from estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer previously treated by a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor, based on the results of BOLERO-2 (Breast cancer trials of OraL EveROlimus). This study showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in median progression-free survival. Results concerning the impact on overall survival are expected in the near future. This clinically oriented review focuses on the use of mTOR inhibitors in breast cancer. Results reported with first-generation mTOR inhibitors (ridaforolimus, temsirolimus, everolimus) are discussed. The current and potential role of mTOR inhibitors is reported according to breast cancer subtype (estrogen receptor-positive HER2-negative, triple-negative, and HER2-positive ER-positive/negative disease). Everolimus is currently being evaluated in the adjuvant setting in high-risk estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer. Continuing mTOR inhibition or alternatively administering other drugs targeting the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B-mTOR pathway after progression on treatments including an mTOR inhibitor is under evaluation. Potential biomarkers to select patients showing a more pronounced benefit are reviewed, but we are not currently using these biomarkers in routine practice. Subgroup analysis of BOLERO 2 has shown that the benefit is consistent in all subgroups and that it is impossible to select patients not benefiting from addition of everolimus to exemestane. Side effects and impact on quality of life are other important issues discussed in this review. Second-generation mTOR inhibitors and dual mTOR-phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitors are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.
The Regulatory Connection between the Activity of Granule Cell NMDA Receptors and Dendritic Differentiation of Cerebellar Purkinje Cells

It is known that cerebellar granule cells are powerful inducers for the differentiation of Purkinje cells. However, the detailed mechanism of this regulation has not yet been clarified. Here, using cerebellar neuronal culture, we show that the activation of NMDA receptors expressed by granule cells triggers the signaling pathway for the dendritic differentiation of Purkinje cells. This signal has been shown to promote the granule cell survival through BDNF-mediated TrkB activation, leading to Purkinje cell differentiation by increasing the granule–Purkinje cell interaction. Among the possible signal molecules provided to the dendrites of Purkinje cells from granule cells, nitric oxide was found to have no effect on the dendritic outgrowth and branching, but electrical activity and the subsequent intracellular Ca2+ increase were thought to play an important role in the branching and thickening of the dendrites, because blockade of both non-NMDA and metabotropic glutamate receptors caused a significant decrease in the number of branch points and the diameter of Purkinje dendrites without apparently affecting the dendrite extension and spine formation. Collectively, these results suggest that Purkinje cell differentiation is regulated by two successive steps. The first step is initiated by the NMDA receptor-mediated signal in granule cells, which acts as a trophic factor for granule cells. The second step involves the activation of granule–Purkinje synapses, providing neurotrophic substances and electrical activity essential for Purkinje cell differentiation.
Response to Marie Gottschalk’s and Naomi Murakawa’s reviews of Arresting Citizenship: The Democratic Consequences of American Crime Control

One-third of America's adult population has passed through the criminal justice system and now has a criminal record. Many more have never been convicted, but are still subject to surveillance by the state. Never before has the government maintained so vast a network of institutions dedicated solely to the control and confinement of its citizens. A provocative assessment of the contemporary carceral state, Arresting Citizenship argues that the broad reach of the criminal justice system has recast the relation between citizen and state, resulting in a sizable-and growing-group of second-class citizens. From police stops to court cases and incarceration, at each stage of the criminal justice system, disempowered individuals belonging to this group experience a state-within-a-state that reflects few of the country's core democratic values. The authors show how this contact with police, courts, and prisons decreases faith in the capacity of American political institutions to respond to citizens' concerns and diminishes the sense of equal citizenship - even for those not found guilty of any crime. They go on to offer concrete proposals for reforms to reincorporate this large group of citizens as active participants in American political life.
A two-and-a-half-D motion-blur algorithm

Algorithms are presented for raster and vector motion blur, which produce images and masks suitable for combination by the 21/2-D compositing process. The raster algorithm is based on a "skew, blur, unskew" scheme, using a very efficient one-dimensional blurring algorithm. The vector algorithm extends the ideas of anti-aliased scan conversion to motion blur.