Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Too Many to Fail - An Analysis of Time-Inconsistency in Bank Closure Policies

While the ‘too-big-to-fail’ guarantee is explicitly a part of bank regulation in many countries, this paper shows that bank closure policies also suffer from an implicit ‘too-many-to-fail’ problem: when the number of bank failures is large, the regulator finds it ex-post optimal to bail out some or all failed banks, whereas when the number of bank failures is small, failed banks can be acquired by the surviving banks. This gives banks incentives to herd and increases the risk that many banks may fail together. The ex-post optimal regulation may thus be time-inconsistent or suboptimal from an ex-ante standpoint. In contrast to the too-big-to-fail problem which mainly affects large banks, we show that the too-many-to-fail problem affects small banks more by giving them stronger incentives to herd.
Challenging issues in molecular-targeted therapy

There are variety of anticancer treatments including chemotherapeutic drugs, which are known to induce cell growth arrest and apoptosis through DNA damage and cytoskeleton toxicity. Meanwhile, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors could apply their antitumor activity through chromatin remodeling and gene expression modulation that affect the cell cycle and survival pathways. This paper proposes an anticancer three-drug compound and discusses several challenging issues in relation to designing multidrug compounds that could possibly lead to molecular-targeted therapies.
Formulation of the Neural Network for Implicit Constitutive Model (I) : Application to Implicit Vioscoplastic Model

Up to now, a number of models have been proposed and discussed to describe a wide range of inelastic behaviors of materials. The fatal problem of using such models is however the existence of model errors, and the problem remains inevitably as far as a material model is written explicitly. In this paper, the authors define the implicit constitutive model and propose an implicit viscoplastic constitutive model using neural networks. In their modeling, inelastic material behaviors are generalized in a state space representation and the state space form is constructed by a neural network using input-output data sets. A technique to extract the input-output data from experimental data is also described. The proposed model was first generated from pseudo-experimental data created by one of the widely used constitutive models and was found to replace the model well. Then, having been tested with the actual experimental data, the proposed model resulted in a negligible amount of model errors indicating its superiority to all the existing explicit models in accuracy.
Feedlot and Carcass Data: Making “Cents” and Making Decisions [presentation]

Sixty-two percent of calves are sold within 30 days of weaning (47% at weaning; McBride and Mathews, 2011). In the last decade, marketing of finished animals has shifted to selling on value-based systems. In 2012, nearly three times more cattle were sold in a value-based system compared to a traditional cash method. However, those two marketing methods accounted for nearly equal percentages of cattle sold as recently as 2006 (Mike Kasten, RBCS 2013). Therefore, carcass merit is a larger driver of value today compared to when the majority of cattle were sold on a live weight basis. How are feeder calf producers gaining information about their calves post weaning?
HTN Planning for the Composition of Stream Processing Applications

Goal-driven automated composition of software components is an important problem with applications in Web service composition and stream processing systems. The popular approach to address this problem is to build the composition automatically using AI planning. However, it is shown that some of these planning approaches may neither be feasible nor scalable for many large-scale flow-based applications. Recent advances have proven that the automated composition problem can take advantage of expert knowledge describing the many ways in which different reusable components can be composed. This knowledge can be represented using an extensible composition template or pattern. In prior work, a flow pattern language called Cascade and its corresponding specialized planner have shown the best performance in these domains. In this paper, we propose the use of Hierarchical Task Network (HTN) planning for the composition of stream processing applications. To this end, we propose an automated approach of creating an HTN-based problem from the Cascade representation of the flow patterns. The resulting technique not only allows us to use the HTN planning paradigm and its many advantages including added expressivity but also enables optimization and customization of composition with respect to preferences and constraints. Further, we propose and develop a lookahead heuristic and show that it significantly reduces the planning time. We have performed extensive experimentation with stream processing applications and evaluated applicability and performance of our approach.
Just what do the youth of today want? Technology appropriation by young people

What do young people want from information and communication technology? Why do they adopt some technologies but reject others? What roles do mobile technologies play in their lives as they move from childhood toward the adult world? Working from a social constructionist perspective, and on the basis of an extensive empirical research process, we are gaining insight into the variables heeded by young people during the earliest stages of technology use, stages we call 'appropriation'. We propose a model that discusses appropriation in terms of the interplay between what young people desire, the capabilities and implications of technology and the situations of use that young people inhabit. Depending on the balance between these factors, we are able to observe three outcomes: non-appropriation, appropriation and disappropriation. Conceptually, we describe technology use as a process of 'personal construction', which is quite different to the 'construction' processes followed by the designer, but nevertheless equally important.
The Navigation and Control technology inside the AR.Drone micro UAV

Abstract This paper exposes the Navigation and Control technology embedded in a recently commercialized micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the AR.Drone, which cost and performance are unprecedented among any commercial product for mass markets. The system relies on state-of-the-art indoor navigation systems combining low-cost inertial sensors, computer vision techniques, sonar, and accounting for aerodynamics models.
An evaluation of the use made of cosmetic and functional prostheses by unilateral upper limb amputees

There is currenty a distinction drawn between a prosthesis considered to be provided for purely cosmetic reasons and a functional prosthesis provided to enable the amputee to achieve basic hand function. Using video analysis the study reported in this paper demonstrates that for non-manipulative actions cosmetic prostheses are actively used in the performance of everyday tasks as frequently evidence for a cosmetic prosthesis to be presented to an amputee as a realistic initial prosthesis and not as the option of last resort if a functional prosthesis is rejected. It is also recommended that training is provided in the use of cosmetic prostheses in two-handed tasks.
A polynomial algorithm for partitioning problems

This article takes a theoretical approach to focus on the algorithmic properties of hardware/software partitioning. It proposes a method with polynomial complexity to find the global optimum of an NP-hard model partitioning problem for 75% of occurrences under some practical conditions. The global optimum is approached with a lower bound distance for the remaining 25%. Furthermore, this approach ensures finding the 2-approximate of the global optimum partition in 97% of instances where technical assumptions exist. The strategy is based on intelligently changing the parameters of the polynomial model of the partitioning problem to force it to produce (or approach) the exact solution to the NP-hard model.
Reconstructing northern Cordilleran terranes along known Cretaceous and Cenozoic strike-slip faults: Implications for the Baja British Columbia hypothesis and other models

We present a new reconstruction of the mid-Cretaceous (100 Ma) paleogeography of the United States and Canadian Cordillera, based on (a) restoring displacements within the major Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic contractional and extensional belts, and (b) restoring displacements along the major Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic dextral strike-slip faults of the northern Cordillera. The reconstruction moves the southern end of Insular superterrane to the latitude of the southern Klamath Mountains, the southwest Intermontane superterrane to central Oregon, and the southern Coast orogen into the intervening region. Restored terranes partly fill in the region of the Columbia embayment. Total displacements range from ~450 to 900 km, and increase from east to west. These values are smaller than those determined by paleomagnetic studies (1100–3000 ± 500–900 km), but they indicate that discrepancies between geologic and paleomagnetic data sets are not as large as is often assumed. The reconstruction results in the juxtaposition of geologic features that have previously been correlated or that have a high probability of having evolved together. Collectively, these relations lend strong support to the reconstruction, which we call the minimum fault-offset model. The model has important 277 Reconstructing northern Cordilleran terranes along known Cretaceous and Cenozoic strike-slip faults: Implications for the Baja British Columbia hypothesis and other models
Reflectance spectroscopy of chromium-bearing spinel with application to recent orbital data from the Moon

Abstract Visible to near-infrared (V-NIR) remote sensing observations have identified spinel in various locations and lithologies on the Moon. Experimental studies have quantified the FeO content of these spinels (Jackson et al. 2014), however the chromite component is not well constrained. Here we present compositional and spectral analyses of spinel synthesized with varying chromium contents at lunar-like oxygen fugacity (fO2). Reflectance spectra of the chromium-bearing synthetic spinels (Cr# 1–29) have a narrow (~130 nm wide) absorption feature centered at ~550 nm. The 550 nm feature, attributed to octahedral Cr3+, is present over a wide range in iron content (Fe# 8–30) and its strength positively correlates with spinel chromium content [ln(reflectancemin) = –0.0295 Cr# – 0.3708]. Our results provide laboratory characterization for the V-NIR and mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral properties of spinel synthesized at lunar-like fO2. The experimentally determined calibration constrains the Cr# of spinels in the lunar pink spinel anorthosites to low values, potentially Cr# < 1. Furthermore, the results suggest the absence of a 550 nm feature in remote spectra of the Dark Mantle Deposits at Sinus Aestuum precludes the presence of a significant chromite component. Combined, the observation of low chromium spinels across the lunar surface argues for large contributions of anorthositic materials in both plutonic and volcanic rocks on the Moon.
Cytogenetic characterization of four species of the genus Hypostomus Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) with comments on its chromosomal diversity

Abstract Cytogenetic analyses were performed on fishes of the genus Hypostomus (Hypostomus ancistroides (Ihering, 1911), Hypostomus strigaticeps (Regan, 1908), Hypostomus regani (Ihering, 1905), and Hypostomus paulinus (Ihering, 1905)) from the seven tributaries of the Paranapanema River Basin (Brazil) by means of different staining techniques (C-, Ag-, CMA3- and DAPI-banding) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect 18S rDNA sites. All species showed different diploid numbers: 2n=68 (10m+26sm+32st-a) in Hypostomus ancistroides, 2n=72 (10m+16sm+46st-a) in Hypostomus strigaticeps, 2n=72 (10m+18sm+44st-a) in Hypostomus regani and 2n=76 (6m+16sm+54st-a) in Hypostomus paulinus. Ag-staining and FISH revealed various numbers and locations of NORs in the group. NORs were usually located terminally on the subtelocentric/acrocentric chromosomes: on the long arm in Hypostomus strigaticeps (2 to 4) and Hypostomus paulinus (2); and on the short arm in Hypostomus ancistroides (2 to 8) and Hypostomus regani (2 to 4). Conspicuous differences in heterochromatin distribution and composition were found among the species, terminally located in some st-a chromosomes in Hypostomus ancistroides, Hypostomus strigaticeps, and Hypostomus paulinus, and interstitially dispersed in most st-a chromosomes, in Hypostomus regani. The fluorochrome staining indicated that different classes of GC and/or AT-rich repetitive DNA evolved in this group. Our results indicate that chromosomal rearrangements and heterochromatin base-pair composition were significant events during the course of differentiation of this group. These features emerge as an excellent cytotaxonomic marker, providing a better understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the chromosomal diversity in Hypostomus species.
Sea level variability and surface eddy statistics in the Mediterranean Sea from TOPEX/POSEIDON data

Two years of TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data have successfully been used to study the mesoscale field in the Mediterranean and to investigate the seasonal and year-to-year variability of the sea level and eddy statistics in this basin. The mesoscale field described by TOPEX/POSEIDON revealed a strong, but subbasin dependent, seasonal signal. Year-to-year variations are also evident in terms of both intensity and position of the main mesoscale features. Crossover analysis indicated the existence of a meridional transport of eddy momentum away from the Algerian current due to the northward migration of mesoscale eddies. A comparison between mesoscale features detected by the altimeter and contemporaneous features observed using advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) sea surface temperature has been made for the following Mediterranean subbasins: the Algerian basin, the Levantine basin, and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The results definitively prove the direct relation between sea level anomalies and the Mediterranean eddy field.
Jacobians with complex multiplication

We construct and study two series of curves whose Jacobians admit complex multiplication. The curves arise as quotients of Galois coverings of the projective line with Galois group metacyclic groups $G_{q,3}$ of order $3q$ with $q \equiv 1 \mod 3$ an odd prime, and $G_m$ of order $2^{m+1}$. The complex multiplications arise as quotients of double coset algebras of the Galois groups of these coverings. We work out the CM-types and show that the Jacobians are simple abelian varieties.
TEMPERED RADICALS AND SERVANT LEADERS: PORTRAITS OF SPIRITED LEADERSHIP AMONGST AFRICAN WOMEN LEADERS

Judy A. Alston, Advisor There have been few studies on experiences of African women in leadership. In this study, I aimed at contributing to bridging that literature gap by adding the voices of African women leaders who live and work in or near Nairobi Kenya in East Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore, explain and seek to understand women’s leadership through the lived experiences of sixteen women leaders from Africa. The study was an exploration of how these women leaders navigated the intersecting oppressive forces emanating from gender, culture, religion, social norm stereotypes, race, marital status and age as they attempted to lead for social justice. The central biographical methodology utilized for this study was portraiture, with the express aim of celebrating and learning from the resiliency and strength of the women leaders in the face of adversities and challenges to their authority as leaders. Leadership is influence and a process of meaning making amongst people to engender commitment to common goals, expressed in a community of practice. I presented short herstories of eleven of the women leaders, and in depth portraits of the other five who best illustrated and expanded the a priori conceptual framework. The study contributes to the understanding of leadership by adding the voices of African women to the debates on leadership experiences and expressions. The conceptual framework consisted of three elements: Africana spirituality, tempered radicalism and servant leadership. The data demonstrated that the three elements combined to produce what I have referred to as spirited leadership. As servant leaders, the women empower their constituents, build or
cReComp: Automated Design Tool for ROS-Compliant FPGA Component

Autonomous mobile robots require high-performance computation to meet variety of requirements of functions, such as sensing, intelligent image processing and controlling actuators. We focus on FPGA as a hardware platform for autonomous mobile robot system. However, a FPGA-based system is not effective in development cost, since it requires HDL-based design whose productivity is relatively low. In order to solve this problem, we have already proposed a design principle of ROS-compliant FPGA component, which is effective in easy integration of a FPGA device into any robot system. Although it allows ROS-based software to access easily to hardware circuitry in FPGA, high development cost of HDL-based circuitry still remains as a large problem. So, in this paper, we propose cReComp which is an automated design tool to improve productivity of ROS-compliant FPGA component. cReComp generates codes of interface software and hardware automatically. We evaluate cReComp from two major aspects: improvements in design productivity, and operation speed of generated FPGA components by cReComp. Experimental results show that only less than one hour is enough for novice designers to implement a ROS-compliant FPGA component into programmable SoC. Furthermore, our results reveal that generated FPGA component operates 1.85 times faster than the original software-based component.
Performance measurement and adoption of balanced scorecards

To deal with financial constraints and increasing demand on accountability, government administrators have begun implementing modern management tools in their organizations. The balanced scorecard, a performance and strategic management system, has been adopted in for‐profit organizations with success and its application in the government sector is explored in this study. Results of a survey of municipal governments in the USA and Canada show that there is limited use of the balanced scorecard. Most municipal governments, however, have developed measures to assess their organizations' financial, customer satisfaction, operating efficiency, innovation and change, and employee performance. Respondent administrators, in general, have confidence in the quality of the performance measures and about half reported that these measures were used to support various management functions. The respondent administrators also have a good understanding of the balanced scorecard and the implementers are positive about their experience.
VLT spectroscopy of globular cluster systems - II. Spectroscopic ages, metallicities and [α/Fe] ratios of globular clusters in early-type galaxies

An analysis of ages, metallicities, and [α/Fe] ratios of globular cluster systems in early-type galaxies is presented, based on Lick index measurements summarized in Puzia et al. (2004, A&A, 415, 123, Paper I of this series). In the light of calibration and measurement uncertainties, age-metallicity degeneracy, and the relative dynamic range of Lick indices, as well as systematics introduced by abundance ratio variations (in particular variations of [α/Fe] ratios), we find that the most reliable age indicator for our dataset is a combination of the Lick Balmer-line indices HγA, Hβ, and HδA. [MgFe] is used as a spectroscopic metallicity indicator which is least affected by [α/Fe] variations. We introduce an interpolation routine to simultaneously derive ages, metallicities, and [α/Fe] ratios from diagnostic grids constructed from Lick indices. From a comparison of high-quality data with SSP model predictions, we find that ∼2/3 of the globular clusters in earlytype galaxies are older than 10 Gyr, up to 1/3 have ages in the range ∼5−10 Gyr, and only a few cluster are younger than ∼5 Gyr. Our sample of globular clusters covers metallicities from [Z/H] ≈ −1.3 up to ∼0.5 dex. We find that metal-rich globular clusters show on average a smaller mean age and a larger age scatter than their metal-poor counterparts. [α/Fe] diagnostic plots show that globular cluster systems in early-type galaxies have super-solar α/Fe abundance ratios with a mean [α/Fe] = 0.47 ± 0.06 dex and a dispersion of ∼0.3 dex. We find evidence for a correlation between [α/Fe] and metallicity, in the sense that more metal-rich clusters exhibit lower α-element enhancements. A discussion of systematics related to the Lick index system shows that the method suffers to some extent from uncertainties due to unknown horizontal branch morphologies at high metallicities. However, these systematics still allow us to make good qualitative statements. A detailed investigation of indices as a function of data quality reveals that the scatter in Balmer index values decreases for higher-quality data. In particular, extremely low Balmer index values that are lower than any SSP model prediction tend to disappear. Furthermore, we find that observed photometric colors are in good agreement with computed SSP colors using ages and metallicities as derived from the spectroscopic line indices.
Study of ABCB 1 polymorphism frequency in breast cancer patients from Poland B 3 a ¿

Background: The accumulation of mutagenic substances in the human body may result in DNA metabolism disruption followed by carcinogenesis. As a consequence of mutations in the genes coding for transmembrane protein pumps, the intracellular concentration of xenobiotics may significantly increase. This, in turn, may provoke altered risk for cancer development. The gene known to be the most relevant in the transport of numerous compounds is ABCB1 (also known as MDR1). Numerous mutations and polymorphisms that affect the encoded protein’s (PgP) function were identified in this gene. The aim of the study was to define the frequency of 2677G>A,T and 3435C>T polymorphisms in a population of Polish breast cancer patients and to estimate their contribution to cancer development. Methods: The polymorphism frequency analysis (209 patients vs. 202 control subjects) was performed either by allele-specific amplification (2677G>A,T) or by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using the SAU3AI restriction enzyme (3435C>T) followed by verification with hybridization probe assays in a Real-Time system and sequencing. Results: In the control group the frequency of individual 2677 genotypes was: wild homozygous GG = 34%, heterozygous G/T or G/A = 52.5% and variant homozygous AA or TT = 13.5%, while the genotype frequency in the group of studied patients was 43.5, 44.5 and 12%, respectively. In the control group, the frequency of individual 3435 genotypes was: CC = 25.4%, CT = 50.2%, TT = 24.4%, while the genotype frequency in the group of studied patients was 23, 46 and 31%, respectively. Conclusion: Thus, no significant differences in the studied polymorphism frequencies were observed. It is then suggested that the studied polymorphisms, although probably good candidates in other tissue cancer types, might not be good predictive factors in breast cancer risk or development in Caucasians.