Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intellectual property rights and economic growth

In dieser Diplomarbeit wird der Einfluss geistiger Eigentumsrechte (IPRs) auf Wirtschaftswachstum untersucht, wobei im Speziellen die Kanale (Handelsflusse, FDI und Lizenzvergabe), durch die IPRs Wachstum beeinflussen konnen, analysiert werden. Dabei wird insbesondere auf die Situation von Entwicklungslandern eingegangen. Neben einer Evaluierung des aktuellen Standes der theoretischen und empirischen Forschung werden auch der Kontext der Entstehung geistiger Eigentumsrechte sowie die Veranderungen des globalen Regimes der geistigen Eigentumsrechte behandelt. Der okonometrische Teil der Arbeit untersucht mittels dynamischer Paneldaten- und Fixed-Effects-Schatzungen sowohl den Effekt geistiger Eigentumsrechte auf Wachstum als auch auf Handelsflusse, FDI und Lizenzvergabe. Wahrend fur die beiden unteren Einkommensgruppen der Lander in der Wachstumsregression weder direkte noch indirekte Effekte von IPRs – gemessen mit dem Ginarte und Park Index – auf Wirtschaftswachstum festgestellt werden konnen, lasst sich ein signifikanter und positiver Einfluss von IPRs auf Importe und Lizenzgebuhren fur diese Landergruppen feststellen.
The Complete Genome Sequence of the Phytopathogenic Fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Reveals Insights into the Genome Architecture of Broad Host Range Pathogens

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a phytopathogenic fungus with over 400 hosts including numerous economically important cultivated species. This contrasts many economically destructive pathogens that only exhibit a single or very few hosts. Many plant pathogens exhibit a “two-speed” genome. So described because their genomes contain alternating gene rich, repeat sparse and gene poor, repeat-rich regions. In fungi, the repeat-rich regions may be subjected to a process termed repeat-induced point mutation (RIP). Both repeat activity and RIP are thought to play a significant role in evolution of secreted virulence proteins, termed effectors. We present a complete genome sequence of S. sclerotiorum generated using Single Molecule Real-Time Sequencing technology with highly accurate annotations produced using an extensive RNA sequencing data set. We identified 70 effector candidates and have highlighted their in planta expression profiles. Furthermore, we characterized the genome architecture of S. sclerotiorum in comparison to plant pathogens that exhibit “two-speed” genomes. We show that there is a significant association between positions of secreted proteins and regions with a high RIP index in S. sclerotiorum but we did not detect a correlation between secreted protein proportion and GC content. Neither did we detect a negative correlation between CDS content and secreted protein proportion across the S. sclerotiorum genome. We conclude that S. sclerotiorum exhibits subtle signatures of enhanced mutation of secreted proteins in specific genomic compartments as a result of transposition and RIP activity. However, these signatures are not observable at the whole-genome scale.
Age- and Gender-Related Differences in the Cortical Anatomical Network

Neuroanatomical differences attributable to aging and gender have been well documented, and these differences may be associated with differences in behaviors and cognitive performance. However, little is known about the dynamic organization of anatomical connectivity within the cerebral cortex, which may underlie population differences in brain function. In this study, we investigated age and sex effects on the anatomical connectivity patterns of 95 normal subjects ranging in age from 19 to 85 years. Using the connectivity probability derived from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography, we characterized the cerebral cortex as a weighted network of connected regions. This approach captures the underlying organization of anatomical connectivity for each subject at a regional level. Advanced graph theoretical analysis revealed that the resulting cortical networks exhibited “small-world” character (i.e., efficient information transfer both at local and global scale). In particular, the precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus were consistently observed as centrally connected regions, independent of age and sex. Additional analysis revealed a reduction in overall cortical connectivity with age. There were also changes in the underlying network organization that resulted in decreased local efficiency, and also a shift of regional efficiency from the parietal and occipital to frontal and temporal neocortex in older brains. In addition, women showed greater overall cortical connectivity and the underlying organization of their cortical networks was more efficient, both locally and globally. There were also distributed regional differences in efficiency between sexes. Our results provide new insights into the substrates that underlie behavioral and cognitive differences in aging and sex.
Occurrence of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater and Their Interaction with Shallow Aquifers: A Case Study of Horní Beřkovice, Czech Republic

The application of innovative technologies in water management, such as wastewater reuse, requires a deeper understanding of emerging pollutants, including pharmaceuticals. This study presents a unique pilot site at Horni Beřkovice in Central Bohemia, where wastewater parameters are significantly influenced by the effluent from a local psychiatric hospital, and where the treated wastewater infiltrates into a shallow aquifer over a long period. The survey compared the quality parameters of local wastewater with those of the wastewater in four other catchments with no sources of concentrated pharmaceutical contamination. A total of 10 pharmaceuticals were detected while monitoring a common sewage system, but their number increased 3-fold at Horni Beřkovice. The water quality data revealed the effectiveness of the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater at the local sewage treatment plant and tracked the fate of substances that move from the treatment plant into the recharge ponds and then gradually into groundwater. The findings showed a significant decrease in all the monitored micropollutants that remained bound in sediments and in the unsaturated zone. Their passage into groundwater was highly reduced, and they virtually disappear after a few hundred meters in the saturated zone. The only exception is carbamazepine. This substance passes through the treatment technology and unsaturated zone. It systematically appears in the groundwater samples collected about 1 km from the infiltration site.
The politics of governing ‘system innovations’ towards sustainable electricity systems

Electricity production and consumption are at the heart of modern life and are therefore of great interest to public policy. Threats such as security of supply concerns, the volatility of fuel and electricity prices, and especially environmental concerns like climate change, are putting increasing pressure on current electricity systems. One key response by governments has been support for innovation. It is widely acknowledged that electricity systems will have to change fundamentally in order to deliver on political goals. This will require deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Incremental change along established technological trajectories is unlikely to be sufficient. Instead ‘system innovations’ have been suggested as a solution by scholars and policy makers. What are the politics of such an endeavour? To answer this question this thesis looks at two distinct policy initiatives to promote more sustainable electricity systems: the ‘Energy Transition’ project in the Netherlands and the ‘Carbon Trust’ in the UK. While the aim of the two policy initiatives is similar, they try to tackle the challenge in very different ways. The analysis is based on semi-structured interviews as well as a review of documents and secondary literature and follows a process tracing method, combining within-case and cross-case analysis. By utilising a framework based on ‘discursive institutionalism’ (as per Hajer and Schmidt) the study aims to shed light on the importance of both discourses and institutional contexts in shaping policy initiatives to promote ‘system innovations’. It demonstrates the mechanisms by which particular framings of the problem, expressed through new storylines, come to legitimate particular government policies. It emerges that existing institutions not only shape which storylines are politically acceptable but also constitute tangible features of the organisational and technical environment which those initiatives must change. In conclusion, the thesis argues that the politics of governing ‘system innovations’ can usefully be conceptualised and explained by struggles about meaning. These are shaped in turn through discursive interactions between actors as well as existing institutions. By highlighting the interplay between discourses, interests and institutions, the results provide an input to scholarly debate and policy making alike, in ways that offer to help inform the rethinking of strategies for fostering socio-technical ‘system innovations’.
Mechanisms and Physiological Roles of the CBL-CIPK Networking System in Arabidopsis thaliana

Calcineurin B-like protein (CBL)-CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) network is one of the vital regulatory mechanisms which decode calcium signals triggered by environmental stresses. Although the complicated regulation mechanisms and some novel functions of CBL-CIPK signaling network in plants need to be further elucidated, numerous advances have been made in its roles involved in the abiotic stresses. This review chiefly introduces the progresses about protein interaction, classification and expression pattern of different CBLs and CIPKs in Arabidopsis thaliana, summarizes the physiological roles of CBL-CIPK pathway while pointing out some new research ideas in the future, and finally presents some unique perspectives for the further study. The review might provide new insights into the functional characterization of CBL-CIPK pathway in Arabidopsis, and contribute to a deeper understanding of CBL-CIPK network in other plants or stresses.
Action growth in $f(R)$ gravity

Inspired by the recent "Complexity = Action" conjecture, we use the approach proposed by Lehner et al. to calculate the rate of the action of the WheelerDeWitt patch at late times for static uncharged and charged black holes in $f\left( R\right) $ gravity. Our results have the same expressions in terms of the mass, charge, and electrical potentials at the horizons of black holes as in Einstein's gravity. In the context of $f\left( R\right) $ gravity, the Lloyd bound is saturated for uncharged black holes but violated for charged black holes near extremality. For charged black holes far away from the ground states, the Lloyd bound is violated in four dimensions but satisfied in higher dimensions.
Childhood deaths from malignant neoplasms in accra.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND Malignant neoplasms are set to become a leading cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa as immunization programmes reduce deaths due to infectious diseases. Knowledge of the pattern of deaths from these neoplasms is therefore desirable. OBJECTIVE To describe the pattern of deaths from paediatric malignancies, compare this to morbidity figures and provide baseline data for planning child care services. METHODS A 10 year retrospective survey of autopsy cases of paediatric malignancies at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Mortuary was carried out based on autopsy files form January 1, 1990 to December 31, 1999 RESULTS: A total of 252 cases of childhood malignant tumours were retrieved, 139 males and 113 females with a male to female ratio of 1.2:1. The most common malignancy was lymphoma forming 54% of cases and almost all of Non-Hodgkin's type. Non-Burkitts type (29%) was the commonest followed by Burkitts (24%) and Hodgkin's disease only one percent. The lymphomas were followed by central nervous system (CNS) tumours (13%), nephroblastomas(10.3%) leukemias (6.7%) hepatic tumours (4%) and sarcomas (2.6%). Less common tumours were Neuroblastomas (2.4%) and retinoblastomas (2%). CONCLUSION Overall the pattern of deaths from paediatric malignancies followed the pattern of relative incidence in morbidity figures from Ghana and the subregion except for a relatively higher proportion of deaths from CNS tumours and a lower proportion from sarcomas. The pattern of cancer deaths seen in this study is similar to that seen in advanced countries except that lymphomas replace leukemia as the commonest cause of death.
E-Hubs : The New B 2 B Marketplaces

BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS commerce on the Internet is generating a lot of interest. Companies like Ariba, Chemdex, Commerce One, FreeMarkets, Internet Capital Group, and SciQuest.com have attained breathtaking stock market capitalizations. Venture capitalists are pouring money into more B2B start-ups. Even industrial stalwarts like General Motors and Ford have announced plans to set up their own Web markets.
Is the algorithm used to process heart rate variability data clinically relevant? Analysis in male adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective To analyze whether the algorithm used for the heart rate variability assessment (fast Fourier transform versus autoregressive methods) influenced its association with cardiovascular risk factors in male adolescents. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1,152 male adolescents (aged 14 to 19 years). The low frequency, high frequency components (absolute numbers and normalized units), low frequency/high frequency ratio, and total power of heart rate variability parameters were obtained using the fast Fourier transform and autoregressive methods, while the adolescents were resting in a supine position. Results All heart rate variability parameters calculated from both methods were different (p<0.05). However, a low effect size (<0.1) was found for all parameters. The intra-class correlation between methods ranged from 0.96 to 0.99, whereas the variation coefficient ranged from 7.4 to 14.8%. Furthermore, waist circumference was negatively associated with high frequency, and positively associated with low frequency and sympatovagal balance (p<0.001 for both fast Fourier transform and autoregressive methods in all associations). Systolic blood pressure was negatively associated with total power and high frequency, whereas it was positively associated with low frequency and sympatovagal balance (p<0.001 for both fast Fourier transform and autoregressive methods in all associations). Body mass index was negatively associated with high frequency, while it was positively associated with low frequency and sympatovagal balance (p values ranged from <0.001 to 0.007). Conclusion There are significant differences in heart rate variability parameters obtained with the fast Fourier transform and autoregressive methods in male adolescent; however, these differences are not clinically significant.
Indian ink : script and print in the making of the English East India Company

A commercial company established in 1600 to monopolize trade between England and the Far East, the East India Company grew to govern an Indian empire. Exploring the relationship between power and knowledge in European engagement with Asia, "Indian Ink" examines the Company at work and reveals how writing and print shaped authority on a global scale in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Tracing the history of the Company from its first tentative trading voyages in the early seventeenth century to the foundation of an empire in Bengal in the late eighteenth century, Miles Ogborn takes readers into the scriptoria, ships, offices, print shops, coffee houses, and palaces to investigate the forms of writing needed to exert power and extract profit in the mercantile and imperial worlds. Interpreting the making and use of a variety of forms of writing in script and print, Ogborn argues that material and political circumstances always undermined attempts at domination through the power of the written word. Navigating the juncture of imperial history and the history of the book, "Indian Ink" uncovers the intellectual and political legacies of early modern trade and empire and charts a new understanding of the geography of print culture.
Transport Decreases the Quality of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation During Simulated Maternal Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND:The purpose of this study was to compare cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for simulated maternal cardiac arrest rendered during transport to the operating room with that rendered while stationary in the labor room. We hypothesized that the quality of CPR would deteriorate during transport. METHODS:Twenty-six teams composed of 2 providers (obstetricians, nurses, or anesthesiologists) were randomized to perform CPR on the Laerdal Resusci Anne SkillReporter™ mannequin during transport or while stationary. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of correctly delivered compressions, defined as compression rate ≥100 beats per minute, correct sternal hand placement, compression depth ≥1.5 inches (3.8 cm), and proper release. Secondary outcomes included interruptions in compressions, position of providers relative to the mannequin during the transport phase, and ventilation tidal volume. RESULTS:The median (interquartile range) percentage of correctly rendered compressions during phase II was 32% (10%–63%) in the transport group and 93% (58%–100%) in the stationary group (P = 0.002, 95% confidence interval of mean difference = 22%–58%). The median (interquartile range) compression rates were 124 (110–140) beats per minute in the transport group and 123 (115–132) beats per minute in the stationary group (P = 0.531). Interruptions in CPR were observed in 92% of transport and 7% of stationary drills (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval of difference = 61%–92%). During transport, 18 providers kneeled next to the mannequin, 2 straddled the mannequin, and 4 ran alongside the gurney. Median (interquartile range) tidal volume was 270 (166–430) mL in the transport group and 390 (232–513) mL in the stationary group (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS:Our data confirm our hypothesis and demonstrate that transport negatively affects the overall quality of resuscitation on a mannequin during simulated maternal arrest. These findings, together with previously published data on transport-related delays when moving from the labor room to the operating room further strengthen recommendations that perimortem cesarean delivery should be performed at the site of maternal cardiac arrest.
Financial Theories in Practice: The Surprising Case of the Air Canada, Canadian Airlines, Onex Affair

In 1999, an intriguing series of events occurred that dramatically reshaped the Canadian airline industry. This clinical study considers these events in relation to several theoretical issues in finance to explore whether these well-accepted financial theories apply in reality. Are companies run to benefit shareholders? Is the maximization of shareholder value a key construct for publicly-traded companies? Can the market discipline the management of poorly performing companies? Do institutional shareholders aid in corporate governance by instigating corporate changes? The results of this study suggest that agency costs are real and that the goals of management are in conflict with and will often supercede those of shareholders, that, in practice, corporate governance can be severely limited even when the vast majority of board members are unrelated to the company, and that institutional shareholders may not be the disciplining force that theory suggests. Overall, the results of the study imply that managerial entrenchment is a powerful motivating force that may be impossible to counter even for a large, poorly performing corporation that is subject to a very attractive takeover offer.
Estimating or Propagating Gradients Through Stochastic Neurons for Conditional Computation

Stochastic neurons and hard non-linearities can be useful for a number of reasons in deep learning models, but in many cases they pose a challenging problem: how to estimate the gradient of a loss function with respect to the input of such stochastic or non-smooth neurons? I.e., can we "back-propagate" through these stochastic neurons? We examine this question, existing approaches, and compare four families of solutions, applicable in different settings. One of them is the minimum variance unbiased gradient estimator for stochatic binary neurons (a special case of the REINFORCE algorithm). A second approach, introduced here, decomposes the operation of a binary stochastic neuron into a stochastic binary part and a smooth differentiable part, which approximates the expected effect of the pure stochatic binary neuron to first order. A third approach involves the injection of additive or multiplicative noise in a computational graph that is otherwise differentiable. A fourth approach heuristically copies the gradient with respect to the stochastic output directly as an estimator of the gradient with respect to the sigmoid argument (we call this the straight-through estimator). To explore a context where these estimators are useful, we consider a small-scale version of {\em conditional computation}, where sparse stochastic units form a distributed representation of gaters that can turn off in combinatorially many ways large chunks of the computation performed in the rest of the neural network. In this case, it is important that the gating units produce an actual 0 most of the time. The resulting sparsity can be potentially be exploited to greatly reduce the computational cost of large deep networks for which conditional computation would be useful.
Variation in complex mating signals in an “island” hybrid zone between Stenobothrus grasshopper species

Abstract Two grasshopper species Stenobothrus rubicundus and S. clavatus were previously shown to meet in a narrow hybrid zone on Mount Tomaros in northern Greece. The species are remarkable for their complex courtship songs accompanied by conspicuous movements of antennae and wings. We analyzed variations in forewing morphology, antenna shape, and courtship song across the hybrid zone using a geographic information system, and we documented three contact zones on Mount Tomaros. All male traits and female wings show abrupt transitions across the contact zones, suggesting that these traits are driven by selection rather than by drift. Male clines in antennae are displaced toward S. clavatus, whereas all clines in wings are displaced toward S. rubicundus. We explain cline discordance as depending on sexual selection via female choice. The high covariance between wings and antennae found in the centers of all contact zones results from high levels of linkage disequilibria among the underlying loci, which in turn more likely results from assortative mating than from selection against hybrids. The covariance is found to be higher in clavatus‐like than rubicundus‐like populations, which implies asymmetric assortative mating in parental‐like sites of the hybrid zone and a movement of the hybrid zone in favor of S. clavatus.
Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy

In Why Do We Recycle? Frank Ackerman examines the arguments for and against recycling, focusing on the debate surrounding the use of economic mechanisms to determine the value of recycling. Based on previously unpublished research conducted by the Tellus Institute, a nonprofit environmental research group in Boston, Massachusetts, Ackerman presents an alternative view of the theory of market incentives, challenging the notion that setting appropriate prices and allowing unfettered competition will result in the most efficient level of recycling. He explains why purely economic approaches to recycling are incomplete and argues for a different kind of decisionmaking, one that addresses social issues, future as well as present resource needs, and noneconomic values that cannot be translated into dollars and cents.