Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innovation and Firm Value : An Investigation of the Changing Role of Patents and Firm Publications

How to measure R&D capabilities is a key concern for policymakers and practitioners alike. This paper examines the changing role of patents and firm publications as a signal of scientific and technical competence. We argue that recent patent reforms might have reduced the informational value of USPTO patents relative to EPO patents. Moreover, the global trend toward stronger patent enforcement may have raised the cost of freely disclosing research results in the scientific domain. Using data from more than 33,000 mergers and acquisitions deals between 1985 and 2007, we provide support for these conjectures. Controlling for patent citations or restricting attention to specialized or within-country deals reduces as expected the relative importance of EPO patents. Our results do not appear to be driven by changes in the importance of patenting in multiple jurisdictions. JEL Classification: O31, O32, O16
Palmoplantar Psoriasis versus Eczema: Major Histopathologic Clues for Diagnosis

Background & Objectives: Accurate differentiation of eczema and psoriasis can be difficult, especially in areas of palm and sole. This study was designed to evaluate histopathological features and identify statistically significant parameters in distinguishing palmoplantar psoriasis from eczema of these regions in patients referring to Razi Skin Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the patients referring to Razi Skin Hospital were subjected. Biopsies of 36 patients with palmoplantar psoriasis and 16 patients with eczema of these regions were collected from archive of pathology. All of the biopsies were examined blind to the clinical diagnosis by four dermatopathologists separately and data collection forms were completed. Then obtained data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The females were more affected than males. There was no difference on involving palm and sole between psoriasis and eczema. Hypogranulosis (P<0.0001), Monro’s microabscess (P<0.0001), tortuous blood vessels in papillary dermis (P<0.0001), suprapapillary plate thinning (P=0.020), confluent parakeratosis ( P=0.044) and spongiform pustule (P=0.047) were found to be statistically significant contributors to the clinicopathological concordance in cases of psoriasis. Plasma mounds (P=0.022) were significantly associated with diagnosis of eczema. Conclusion: Psoriasis was more common than eczema in the palms. Histopathologic finding like hypogranulosis, Monro’s microabscess, tortuous blood vessels in papillary dermis, suprapapillary plate thinning, confluent parakeratosis and spongiform pustule had significant relationship with psoriasis and might be useful for its diagnosis.
Beyond the Spectrum Constraint: Concentration and Entry in the Broadcasting Industry

The broadcasting industry is still very concentrated all over the world, after 15 years in which new technologies and public policies allowed to overcome the constraint of limited availability of frequencies on the radio spectrum. We argue that the monopolistic competition set up, traditionally used to analyze the broadcasting industry, does not fit the empirical evidence. Instead we analyze the free entry equilibrium in a multistage game in which the decision on program quality (attractiveness) is crucial and the associated fixed costs are endogenously determined. We show that concentration might arise in the long run even in large markets despite entry is free. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Institute of Physics Publishing Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering a Valveless Micro Impedance Pump Driven by Electromagnetic Actuation

Over the past two decades, a variety of micropumps have been explored for various applications in microfluidics such as control of pico-and nanoliter flows for drug delivery as well as chemical mixing and analysis. We present the fabrication and preliminary experimental studies of flow performance on the micro impedance pump, a previously unexplored method of pumping fluid on the microscale. The micro impedance pump was constructed of a simple thin-walled tube coupled at either end to glass capillary tubing and actuated electromagnetically. Through the cumulative effects of wave propagation and reflection originating from an excitation located asymmetrically along the length of the elastic tube, a pressure head can be established to drive flow. Flow rates were observed to be reversible and highly dependent on the profile of the excitation. Micro impedance pump flow studies were conducted in open and closed circuit flow configurations. Maximum flow rates of 16 ml min −1 have been achieved under closed loop flow conditions with an elastic tube diameter of 2 mm. Two size scales with channel diameters of 2 mm and 250 µm were also examined in open circuit flow, resulting in flow rates of 191 µl min −1 and 17 µl min −1 , respectively.
Object-Based 2D-to-3D Video Conversion for Effective Stereoscopic Content Generation in 3D-TV Applications

Three-dimensional television (3D-TV) has gained increasing popularity in the broadcasting domain, as it enables enhanced viewing experiences in comparison to conventional two-dimensional (2D) TV. However, its application has been constrained due to the lack of essential contents, i.e., stereoscopic videos. To alleviate such content shortage, an economical and practical solution is to reuse the huge media resources that are available in monoscopic 2D and convert them to stereoscopic 3D. Although stereoscopic video can be generated from monoscopic sequences using depth measurements extracted from cues like focus blur, motion and size, the quality of the resulting video may be poor as such measurements are usually arbitrarily defined and appear inconsistent with the real scenes. To help solve this problem, a novel method for object-based stereoscopic video generation is proposed which features (i) optical-flow based occlusion reasoning in determining depth ordinal, (ii) object segmentation using improved region-growing from masks of determined depth layers, and (iii) a hybrid depth estimation scheme using content-based matching (inside a small library of true stereo image pairs) and depth-ordinal based regularization. Comprehensive experiments have validated the effectiveness of our proposed 2D-to-3D conversion method in generating stereoscopic videos of consistent depth measurements for 3D-TV applications.
Treatment of Child Sex Offenders: Examining Effectiveness Towards Reducing Recidivism From the Offender's Perspective

One of the worst crimes that someone can commit is a sexual assault against a child. So it is no wonder that America’s solution is to lock assailants in prison. Housing an offender in prison is not going to prevent them from reoffending when released in the future, but teaching the individual to change his deviant sexual thoughts will. The American Psychiatric Association has recommended turning towards therapeutic intervention as a means of reducing recidivism among sex offenders. This qualitative research project examines the perceived effectiveness of treatment from the perspective of the offenders. The sample size is comprised of eight child sex offenders. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted using progressive focusing. Interviews were transcribed and coded on six themes that were prevalent in prior studies. The results indicated that offenders do view treatment as effective at reducing their risk to reoffend.
3-D Gaussian scatter density propagation model employing a directional antenna at BS

In this paper, a propagation model is presented for the land mobile radio cellular systems with 3-D Gaussian distributed scatterers around Mobile Station (MS). The Base Station (BS) equipped with a directional antenna is located outside of the scattering region. The effect of directional antenna is thoroughly observed on spatial and temporal characteristics of the proposed model. General expressions for joint and marginal probability density functions (PDFs) of Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) observed at MS and BS in correspondence with azimuth and elevation angles are derived. Novel expressions for the trivariate and the bivariate density functions for Time-of-Arrival (ToA) / AoA in correspondence with azimuth and elevation angles are derived. Exploiting the proposed model, the theoretical results along with observations are presented to illustrate the effect of directional antenna on the spatio-temporal characteristics of channel. Obtained theoretical results for spatial statistics at BS are compared with an empirical set of measured data, which also demonstrates the validity of proposed model.
Cognitive rehabilitation in the elderly: A randomized trial to evaluate a new protocol

This study provides an introduction to, and overview of, several papers that resulted from a randomized control trial that evaluated a new cognitive rehabilitation protocol. The program was designed to improve general strategic abilities in ways that would be expressed in a broad range of functional domains. The trial, which was conducted on a sample of older adults who had experienced normal age-related cognitive decline, assessed performance in the following domains: memory, goal management, and psychosocial status. The general rationale for the trial, the overall experimental design, and the approach to statistical analyses that are relevant to each paper are described here. The results for each functional domain are reported in separate papers in this series (JINS, 2007, 13, 120–131.)
Exploring the Links

Exploring the Links was printed on Domtar Sandpiper – paper stock containing 100% post-consumer fibre and processed chlorine free. The views and interpretations reflected in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the United Nations Environment Programme or the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Personal Strengths and Health Related Quality of Life in Dementia Caregivers from Latin America

The research literature has begun to demonstrate associations between personal strengths and enhanced psychosocial functioning of dementia caregivers, but these relationships have not been examined in the context of dementia caregivers in Latin America. The present study examined whether personal strengths, including resilience, optimism, and sense of coherence, were associated with mental and physical health related quality of life (HRQOL) in 130 dementia caregivers in Mexico and Argentina. Structural equation modeling found that the personal strengths collectively accounted for 58.4% of the variance in caregiver mental HRQOL, and resilience, sense of coherence, and optimism each had unique effects. In comparison, the personal strengths together accounted for 8.9% of the variance in caregiver physical HRQOL, and only sense of coherence yielded a unique effect. These results underscore the need to construct and disseminate empirically supported interventions based in part on important personal strengths, particularly sense of coherence, for this underrepresented group.
Influences on Job Search Self-Efficacy of Spouses of Enlisted Military Personnel

In this cross-sectional study we examine antecedents of the job search self-efficacy (JSSE) of 6,411 spouses of enlisted military personnel. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we suggest that individual circumstances either impact an individual's mastery beliefs about job search skills or act as barriers, which can impede job search activity and efficacy through a form of resource drain. Antecedents explored in this analysis represent environmental, behavioral, and personal factors that may be associated with self-efficacy beliefs. Structural equation modeling analysis indicates that mastery mechanisms of current employment status, education level, financial resources, and use of employment assistance programs offered by the military are positively related to JSSE. In addition, family responsibility variables (e.g., number of children and financial resources) operate as barriers to JSSE via childcare conflict's negative relationship with this specific form of self-efficacy. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.
On the Riemann-Lie algebras and Riemann-Poisson Lie groups

A Riemann-Lie algebra is a Lie algebra $\cal G$ such that its dual ${\cal G}^*$ carries a Riemannian metric compatible (in the sense introduced by th author in C. R. Acad. Paris, t. 333, S\'erie I, (2001) 763-768) with the canonical linear Poisson sructure of ${\cal G}^*$. The notion of Riemann-Lie algebra has its origins in the study, by the author, of Riemann-Poisson manifolds (see Preprint math.DG/0206102 to appear in Differential Geometry and its Applications). In this paper, we show that, for a Lie group $G$, its Lie algebra $\cal G$ carries a structure of Riemann-Lie algebra iff $G$ carries a flat left-invariant Riemannian metric. We use this characterization to construct a huge number of Riemann-Poisson Lie groups (a Riemann-Poisson Lie group is a Poisson Lie group endowed with a left-invariant Riemannian metric compatible with the Poisson structure).
Psychological Outcomes in Reaction to Media Exposure to Disasters and Large-Scale Violence: A Meta-Analysis

Objective: A quantitative meta-analysis set out to consolidate the effect of experimental studies of media exposure to disasters and large-scale violence on negative psychological outcomes. Method: The meta-analysis included 18 experimental studies with an overall sample size of 1,634 to obtain an overall effect size and information regarding moderators of the effect size. Results: An overall significant and large effect size of Hedges’ g of 1.61 showed that, across studies, media exposure to disasters and large-scale violence was followed by negative psychological outcomes. Outcome type was a significant moderator, with anxiety reactions showing an especially strong effect. Community sensitization was a significant moderator, with studies conducted in a region that had recently been exposed to the type of disaster or violence portrayed in the media showing especially large effect sizes. Conclusion: The results indicate that media exposure to disasters and large-scale violence can cause negative psychological outcomes, at least transiently. Limitations included a lack of statistical power in some moderator analyses and the inability to draw inferences about the duration of effects. There is a need for further research aimed at identifying the possible cumulative effects of media exposure and identification of groups at greatest risk for harmful outcomes.
Depth-aware saliency detection using discriminative saliency fusion

In this paper, we propose a multi-stage depth-aware saliency model for salient region detection. We evaluate saliency on different features at low, mid and high levels, by taking account of primary depth and appearance contrasts, different feature weighted factors and location priors, respectively. Unlike most existing depth-aware saliency models that use a linear or experiential fusion formula to combine saliency maps from different features, we calculate saliency of each feature individually at each level and learn a discriminative saliency fusion (DSF) regressor based on random forest to estimate the saliency measures of regions. Both subjective and objective evaluations on two public datasets designed for depth-aware saliency detection demonstrate that the proposed saliency model consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art saliency models on saliency detection performance.
Precision, Not Confidence, Describes the Uncertainty of Perceptual Experience: Comment on John Morrison's “Perceptual Confidence”

Morrison puts forth a view he calls “perceptual confidence,” defined as “the view that perceptual experiences assign degrees of confidence” (Morrison 2016). He contrasts this view with “postperceptual confidence,” which holds that degrees of confidence are assigned subsequent to perceptual experience. The question of the relation between perceptual experience and confidence is an important one, but the perceptual confidence view has a problem. Namely, degrees of confidence cannot be assigned to an experience; they can only be assigned to a decision outcome, and so cannot be a general attribute of perception. Perceptual uncertainty is not a new idea, but it is separate from and precedes determinations of confidence. Morrison’s approach, however, conflates uncertainty and confidence. Here, I raise concerns about the perceptual confidence view. I ask a series of questions about the scope of perceptual confidence, which I suggest is limited at best; discuss how Morrison’s construction of perceptual confidence conflicts with the scientific literature; and describe how sensory representations can underlie both uncertain perceptual experience and, only at a later stage, confidence. I propose that perceptual precision, not confidence, is a general approach for describing the uncertainty of perceptual experience.
Detecting false financial statements using published data: some evidence from Greece

This paper examines published data to develop a model for detecting factors associated with false financial statements (FFS). Most false financial statements in Greece can be identified on the basis of the quantity and content of the qualifications in the reports filed by the auditors on the accounts. A sample of a total of 76 firms includes 38 with FFS and 38 non‐FFS. Ten financial variables are selected for examination as potential predictors of FFS. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques such as logistic regression are used to develop a model to identify factors associated with FFS. The model is accurate in classifying the total sample correctly with accuracy rates exceeding 84 per cent. The results therefore demonstrate that the models function effectively in detecting FFS and could be of assistance to auditors, both internal and external, to taxation and other state authorities and to the banking system.
Women Managers in High Tech: A Discursive Perspective

This paper brings a discourse analytic perspective to an examination of the experiences of women managers working in the high tech sector. A detailed examination of the discursive descriptions of strategies, experiences, and advice reveals a tension between the use of unequivocal language for providing advice for managing everyday gender challenges encountered in the high tech workplace and the use of much more tempered language when trying to articulate an understanding for the basis of the issues and when discussing recommendations for change. The paper highlights the insights into gendered organizational experiences and understandings garnered through a close examination of organizational discourse.
Gene Expression in Osteolysis: Review on the Identification of Altered Molecular Pathways in Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Aseptic loosening (AL) due to osteolysis is the primary cause of joint prosthesis failure. Currently, a second surgery is still the only available treatment for AL, with its associated drawbacks. The present review aims at identifying genes whose expression is altered in osteolysis, and that could be the target of new pharmacological treatments, with the goal of replacing surgery. This review also aims at identifying the molecular pathways altered by different wear particles. We reviewed preclinical and clinical studies from 2010 to 2016, analyzing gene expression of tissues or cells affected by osteolysis. A total of 32 in vitro, 16 in vivo and six clinical studies were included. These studies revealed that genes belonging to both inflammation and osteoclastogenesis pathways are mainly involved in osteolysis. More precisely, an increase in genes encoding for the following factors were observed: Interleukins 6 and 1β (IL16 and β), Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNFα), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB), Nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATC1), Cathepsin K (CATK) and Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). Titanium (Ti) and Polyethylene (PE) were the most studied particles, showing that Ti up-regulated inflammation and osteoclastogenesis related genes, while PE up-regulated primarily osteoclastogenesis related genes.
Group lassoing change-points in piecewise-stationary AR signals

Regularizing the least-squares criterion with the total number of coefficient changes, it is possible to estimate time-varying (TV) autoregressive (AR) models with piecewise-constant coefficients. Such models emerge in various applications including speech segmentation, biomedical signal processing, and geophysics. To cope with the inherent lack of continuity and the high computational burden when dealing with high-dimensional data sets, this paper introduces a convex regularization approach enabling efficient and continuous estimation of TV-AR models. To this end, the problem is cast as a sparse regression one with grouped variables, and is solved by resorting to the group least-absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso). The fresh look advocated here permeates benefits from advances in variable selection and compressive sampling to signal segmentation. An efficient block-coordinate descent algorithm is developed to implement the novel segmentation method. Issues regarding regularization and uniqueness of the solution are also discussed. Finally, an alternative segmentation technique is introduced to improve the detection of change instants. Numerical tests using synthetic and real data corroborate the merits of the developed segmentation techniques in identifying piecewise-constant TV-AR models.
Construction of N-body time-symmetric initial data sets in general relativity

Given a collection of N asymptotically Euclidean ends with zero scalar curvature, we construct a Riemannian manifold with zero scalar curvature and one asymptotically Euclidean end, whose boundary has a neighborhood isometric to the disjoint union of a specified collection of sub-regions of the given ends. An application is the construction of time-symmetric solutions of the constraint equations which model N-body initial data.
The Relationship between Perceived Organizational Justice, Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction

ne of the most important determinants of functional quality and performance of organizations is their human resources (hence HR). Commitment and loyalty of HR can result in the performance of organizational duties with efficiency and precision. Organizational commitment facilitates organizational efficiency and operations. In an active environment, indifferent, irresponsible and passive employees will be considered organizational impediments who deteriorate quantitative and qualitative characteristics of employees’ performance (1). Economic, social and national development of countries can be accomplished through reliance on efficient HR. Today, scholars and researchers emphasize the importance of HR in national development of any country (2). For instance, the basis of health-care organizations consists of HR (3). Generally, health-care organizations cannot function efficiently without HR (4). Therefore, proper emphasis on motives and morale of the staff acquires supreme priority (5). Today, with regard to the comprehensive and pervasive role of organizations in society, justice has become one of the key issues in organizational environments. Justice is an abstract concept with various interpretations. O Abstract