Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of bank market structure: efficiency and political economy variables

This paper analyzes the influence of bank efficiency and political economy variables on bank market structure (market share and market concentration) using a panel data of 2,592 banks from 69 countries over the 1996-2002 period. Results indicate that the validity of the efficiency-structure hypothesis to explain bank market structure varies across countries depending on national political economy variables. In particular, higher entry requirements, more generous deposit insurance and higher extent of government bank ownership reduce the positive influence of bank efficiency on market share and market concentration. However, tighter restrictions on bank activities, better quality of the contracting environment, more market monitoring, and more market orientation and development of the financial system increase the positive influence of bank efficiency on market share and market concentration.
A Novel Power-Saving Transmission Scheme for Multiple-Component-Carrier Cellular Systems

As mobile data traffic levels have increased exponentially, resulting in rising energy costs in recent years, the demand for and development of green communication technologies has resulted in various energy-saving designs for cellular systems. At the same time, recent technological advances have allowed multiple component carriers (CCs) to be simultaneously utilized in a base station (BS), a development that has made the energy consumption of BSs a matter of increasing concern. To help address this concern, herein we propose a novel scheme aimed at efficiently minimizing the power consumption of BS transceivers during transmission, while still ensuring good service quality and fairness for users. Specifically, the scheme utilizes the dynamic activation/deactivation of CCs during data transmission to increase power usage efficiency. To test its effectiveness, the proposed scheme was applied to a model consisting of a BS with orthogonal frequency division multiple access-based CCs in a downlink transmission environment. The results indicated that, given periods of relatively light traffic loads, the total power consumption of the proposed scheme is significantly lower than that of schemes in which all the CCs of a BS are constantly activated, suggesting the scheme’s potential for reducing both energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
The Cost of Carbon Capture

We have conducted a detailed analysis of costs associated with today's technology for CO 2 separation and capture at three types of power plants: integrated coal gasification combined cycles (IGCC), pulverized coal-fired simple cycles (PC), and natural gas-fired combined cycles (NGCC). The analysis was based on studies from the literature that analyzed the economics of capturing CO 2 emitted at power plants. In this paper, we present a composite cost model and perform a sensitivity analysis to identify the cost-drivers for capture. We conclude that with new developments, CO 2 capture and sequestration can become a cost-effective mitigation pathway. INTRODUCTION Fossil fuels currently supply over 85% of the world's energy needs and will remain in abundant supply well into the 21st century. They have been a major contributor to the high standard of living enjoyed by the industrialized world. However, their future is clouded because of the environmental and economic threat posed by possible climate change, commonly referred to as the " greenhouse effect ". The major greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO 2) and the major source of anthropogenic CO 2 is the combustion of fossil fuels. If we can develop technology to capture and sequester the fossil fuel CO 2 in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner, we will be able to enjoy the benefits of fossil fuel use throughout the next century.
The association between cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy and mortality in individuals with diabetes: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To examine by meta-analysis the relationship between cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and risk of mortality in individuals with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We searched Medline for English-language articles published from 1966 to 2001. Fifteen studies having a baseline assessment of cardiovascular autonomic function and mortality follow-up were identified. The analyses were stratified according to whether a single abnormality or two or more measures of cardiovascular autonomic function were used to define CAN. A global measure of association (i.e., relative risk) was generated for each group by pooling estimates across the studies using the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. RESULTS CAN was significantly associated with subsequent mortality in both groups, although the magnitude of the association was stronger for those studies for which two or more measures were used to define CAN. The pooled relative risk for studies that defined CAN with the presence of two or more abnormalities was 3.45 (95% CI 2.66-4.47; P < 0.001) compared with 1.20 (1.02-1.41; P = 0.03) for studies that used one measure. CONCLUSIONS These results support an association between CAN and increased risk of mortality. The stronger association observed in studies defining CAN by the presence of two or more abnormalities may be due to more severe autonomic dysfunction in these subjects or a higher frequency of other comorbid complications that contributed to their higher mortality risk. Future studies should evaluate whether early identification of subjects with CAN can lead to a reduction in mortality.
Interest Rates Liberalization or Economy Control: The Case of the Chinese Banking System

The Chinese Central Bank decided on June 8 and July 6, 2012, on the duplication and consecutive cut of the deposit and loan interest rates, together with the simultaneous loosening of the interest rate floating range of their financial institutions. Unquestionably, these measures resulted in a drastic change of the operating strategies of the whole banking system, for both nationalized and the private commercial banks. The article follows up on the causes and effects of these decisions in the Chinese banking arena, predicting a higher possible level of bad loans and followed by a higher systemic risk due to the three major banks’ reactions and copy-cat decisions in fixing interest rates. The research methodology uses the GARCH (1,1) model and the VaR to identify the way the interests are adjusted and study if this decision indicated a real liberalization or rather a controlled interest rate change by the authorities. Eventually, the Chinese interest rate liberalization brought good and bad news to the economy, while the essence remains in how such liberalization is handled and what is intended for the entire economy.
Concordance between Patient Self-Reports and Claims Data on Clinical Diagnoses, Medication Use, and Health System Utilization in Taiwan

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance between claims records in the National Health Insurance Research Database and patient self-reports on clinical diagnoses, medication use, and health system utilization. Methods In this study, we used the data of 15,574 participants collected from the 2005 Taiwan National Health Interview Survey. We assessed positive agreement, negative agreement, and Cohen's kappa statistics to examine the concordance between claims records and patient self-reports. Results Kappa values were 0.43, 0.64, and 0.61 for clinical diagnoses, medication use, and health system utilization, respectively. Using a strict algorithm to identify the clinical diagnoses recorded in claims records could improve the negative agreement; however, the effect on positive agreement and kappa was diverse across various conditions. Conclusion We found that the overall concordance between claims records in the National Health Insurance Research Database and patient self-reports in the Taiwan National Health Interview Survey was moderate for clinical diagnosis and substantial for both medication use and health system utilization.
Porcupine Is Not Required for the Production of the Majority of Wnts from Primary Human Astrocytes and CD8+ T Cells

Wnts are small secreted glycoproteins that are highly conserved among species. To date, 19 Wnts have been described, which initiate a signal transduction cascade that is either β-catenin dependent or independent, culminating in the regulation of hundreds of target genes. Extracellular release of Wnts is dependent on lipidation of Wnts by porcupine, a membrane-bound-O-acyltransferase protein in the endoplasmic reticulum. Studies demonstrating the requirement of porcupine for Wnts production are based on cell line and non-human primary cells. We evaluated the requirement for porcupine for Wnts production in human primary astrocytes and CD8+ T cells. Using IWP-2, an inhibitor of porcupine, or siRNA targeting porcupine, we demonstrate that porcupine is not required for the release of Wnt 1, 3, 5b, 6,7a, 10b, and 16a. While IWP had no effect on Wnt 2b release, knockdown of porcupine by siRNA reduced Wnt 2b release by 60%. These data indicate that porcupine-mediated production of Wnts is context dependent and is not required for all Wnts production, suggesting that alternative mechanisms exist for Wnts production.
Dissociable neural systems of sequence learning

Although current theories all point to distinct neural systems for sequence learning, no consensus has been reached on which factors crucially define this distinction. Dissociable judgment-linked versus motor-linked and implicit versus explicit neural systems have been proposed. This paper reviews these two distinctions, yet concludes that these traditional dichotomies prove insufficient to account for all data on sequence learning and its neural organization. Instead, a broader theoretical framework is necessary providing a more continuous means of dissociating sequence learning systems. We argue that a more recent theory, dissociating multidimensional versus unidimensional neural systems, might provide such framework, and we discuss this theory in relation to more general principles of associative learning and recent imaging findings.
Dynamical analysis reveals individuality of locomotion in goldfish

SUMMARY Goldfish swimming was analysed quantitatively to determine if it exhibits distinctive individual spatio-temporal patterns. Due to the inherent variability in fish locomotion, this hypothesis was tested using five nonlinear measures, complemented by mean velocity. A library was constructed of 75 trajectories, each of 5 min duration, acquired from five fish swimming in a constant and relatively homogeneous environment. Three nonlinear measures, the `characteristic fractal dimension' and `Richardson dimension', both quantifying the degree to which a trajectory departs from a straight line, and `relative dispersion', characterizing the variance as a function of the duration, have coefficients of variation less than 7%, in contrast to mean velocity (30%). A discriminant analysis, or classification system, based on all six measures revealed that trajectories are indeed highly individualistic, with the probability that any two trajectories generated from different fish are equivalent being less than 1%. That is, the combination of these measures allows a given trajectory to be assigned to its source with a high degree of confidence. The Richardson dimension and the `Hurst exponent', which quantifies persistence, were the most effective measures.
The distinctive determinants of European urban growth: Does one size fit all?

This paper investigates growth differences in the urban system of the EU12. Alternative dependent variables - growth in population and real GDP per capita - are analysed and instructive differences emerge. The US model which assumes perfect factor mobility does not seem well adapted to European conditions. There is evidence strongly suggesting that equilibrating flows between cities are highly constrained in the EU. Models in which growth of real GDP p.c. are the dependent variable perform well and make it possible to test significant hypotheses. Evidence is found which is supportive of a spatial adaptation of the endogenous growth model with the relative size of the university sector having a highly significant role in explaining growth differences. In addition the analysis supports the conclusion that systems of urban governance are strongly related to growth. The variables are formulated in a way which tests hypotheses derived from 'fiscal federalism' viewing growth promotion as the production of a local public good. While international factor flows appear to be constrained as an adjustment mechanism the density of urbanisation in regions of the EU12 seems to produce a strong local 'growth shadow' effect consistent with commuting flows having an important role in spatial economic adjustment processes. Finally new evidence is found supporting the conclusion that integration shocks in the EU favour core areas but that this effect tends to fade with time.
Temporal trimap propagation using motion-assisted shape blending

In digital matting, the availability of an accurate trimap is essential for pulling an accurate matte. This requirement becomes all the more critical in video matting where temporal coherence of the trimap is an added requirement. However, the task of manually drawing a trimap for every frame is not feasible. This paper proposes an adaptive trimap propagation framework that alleviates this task by automatically generating trimaps between two key-frames. 2-D shape blending is coupled with motion flow using a novel strategy based on angle criteria to generate accurate in-between foreground contours for the entire video sequence. A robust trimap generation step ensures temporal coherence between the contours. Quantitative and qualitative comparisons on complex video sequences demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
0 M ay 2 00 1 Information capacity formula of quantum optical channels

The applications of the general formulae of channel capacity developed in the quantum information theory to evaluation of information transmission capacity of optical channel are interesting subjects. In this review paper, we will point out that the formulation based on only classicalquantum channel mapping model may be inadequate when one takes into account a power constraint for noisy channel. To define the power constraint well, we should explicitly consider how quantum states are conveyed through a transmission channel. Basing on such consideration, we calculate a capacity formula for an attenuated noisy optical channel with genreral Gaussian state input; this gives certain progress beyond the example in our former paper [13].
Physical Activity in South Asians: An In-Depth Qualitative Study to Explore Motivations and Facilitators

Background People of South Asian backgrounds living in the UK have a five-fold increased risk of diabetes and a two-fold increased risk of heart disease when compared to the general population. Physical activity can reduce the risk of premature death from a range of conditions. The aim of the study was to explore the motivating and facilitating factors likely to increase physical activity for South Asian adults and their families, in order to develop successful interventions and services. Methodology/Principal Findings This was a qualitative study using focus groups and in-depth interviews. Participants were 59 purposively selected Bangladeshi-, Indian- and Pakistani-origin men and women with an additional 10 key informants. The setting was three urban areas of Scotland: Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. We undertook a theoretically informed thematic analysis of data. Study participants described engaging in a range of physical activities, particularly football and the gym for men, and walking and swimming for women. The main motivators for taking part in physical activity were external motivators – i.e. undertaking physical activity as a means to an end, which included the opportunities that physical activity provided for social activity and enjoyment. The goals of weight reduction and improving mental and physical health and were also mentioned. Role models were seen as important to inspire and motivate people to undertake activities that they may otherwise lack confidence in. Few people undertook physical activity for its own sake (intrinsic motivation). Conclusions/Significance Attempts at promoting physical activity in people of South Asian origin need to take account of the social context of people's lives and the external motivators that encourage them to engage in physical activity. Undertaking group based physical activity is important and can be facilitated through religious, community, friendship or family networks. Role models may also prove particularly helpful.
Against Game Theory

People make choices. Often, the outcome depends on choices other people make. What mental steps do people go through when making such choices? Game theory, the most influential model of choice in economics and the social sciences, offers an answer, one based on games of strategy such as chess and checkers: the chooser considers the choices that others will make and makes a choice that will lead to a better outcome for the chooser, given all those choices by other people. It is universally established in the social sciences that classical game theory (even when heavily modified) is bad at predicting behavior. But instead of abandoning classical game theory, those in the social sciences have mounted a rescue operation under the name of “behavioral game theory. ” Its main tool is to propose systematic deviations from the predictions of game theory, deviations that arise from character type, for example. Other deviations purportedly come from cognitive overload or limitations. The fundamental idea of behavioral game theory is that, if we know the deviations, then we can correct our predictions accordingly, and so get it right. There are two problems with this rescue operation, each of them is fatal. (i) For a chooser, contemplating the range of possible deviations, as there are many dozens, actually makes it exponentially harder to figure out a path to an outcome. This makes the theoretical models useless for modeling human thought or human behavior in general. (ii) Modeling deviations are helpful only if the deviations are consistent, so that scientists (and indeed decision makers) can make predictions about future choices on the basis of past choices. But the deviations are not consistent. In general, deviations from classical models are not consistent for any individual from one task to the next or between individuals for the same task. In addition, people’s beliefs are in general not consistent with their choices. Accordingly, all hope is hollow that we can construct a general behavioral game theory. What can replace it? We survey some of the emerging candidates.
An Audio Visual Corpus for Emergent Leader Analysis

In this paper we discuss our experience designing and collecting a data corpus called ELEA (Emergent LEader Analysis), and describe the use of a light portable scenario to record small group meetings. The corpus was gathered with the aim of analyzing emergent leadership, as a social phenomenon that occurs in newly formed groups. For each group in the corpus, the participants performed the winter survival task. To date, the annotations of the corpus include personality, concepts related to leadership, and participants’ performance in the survival task. In addition, several features have been extracted automatically from audio and video.
World Journal of Surgical Oncology Correlation of Her-2 Over-expression with Clinico-pathological Parameters in Tunisian Breast Carcinoma

Background: Breast carcinoma is a disease with a tremendous heterogeneity in its clinical behavior. Newer prognostic factors and predictors of response to therapy are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of HER-2, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) in breast carcinoma and to compare it with other prognostic parameters such as histological type and grade, tumor size, patients' age, and lymph node metastases.
How nurse prescribing is being used in diabetes services: views of nurses and team members

Aim. To explore the views of nurses, doctors, non-nurse prescribers and administrative staff on how nurse prescribing is being used in diabetes services. Background. Nurse-led services enhance care and improve outcomes for patients with diabetes. Research indicates that care delivered by nurse prescribers can improve efficiency and support new ways of working. There is no evidence reported that explores nurses and team member views on how nurse prescribing is being used in diabetes services. Method. A collective case study of nine practice settings across England in which nurses prescribed medicines for patients with diabetes. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data collected during 2007 and 2008. Participants were qualified nurse prescribers, administrative staff, doctors and non-prescribing nurses. Findings. Nurse prescribing was reported to enhance and support a variety of models of diabetes care. It enabled nurses to work more independently and provide a more streamlined service. Maintaining a team approach ensured that nurses continued to learn and maintained good relationships with doctors. Conclusion. Nurse prescribing is being successfully used to support and develop more streamlined services for patients with diabetes. Individual and organisational factors, as well as the interpretation of policy initiatives are reported to influence how prescribing is used in practice. Understanding the implications of these forces is important if the full potential of this new and developing role is to be realised. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses have an important role to play in the medicines management of patients with diabetes. Nurse prescribing supports and enhances established diabetes services. Prescribing allows nurses to develop diabetes services around the needs of the individual and introduce new ways of working such as the single review process.
Now where was I?: physiologically-triggered bookmarking

This work explores a novel interaction paradigm driven by implicit, low-attention user control, accomplished by monitoring a user's physiological state. We have designed and prototyped this interaction for a first use case of bookmarking an audio stream, to holistically explore the implicit interaction concept. Here, a user's galvanic skin conductance (GSR) is monitored for orienting responses (ORs) to external interruptions; our prototype automatically bookmarks the media such that the user can attend to the interruption, then resume listening from the point he/she is interrupted. To test this approach's viability, we addressed questions such as: does GSR exhibit a detectable response to interruptions, and how should the interaction utilize this information? In evaluating this system in a controlled environment, we found an OR detection accuracy of 84%; users provided subjective feedback on its accuracy and utility.