Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A sacrificial layer approach to highly laminated magnetic cores

The incorporation of laminations into micromachined magnetic components has the potential to reduce eddy current losses induced in the cores of these components. This paper reports a manufacturing technique for the fabrication of highly laminated cores. The approach is based on an alternating, conformal sequential electroplating of layers of NiFe and Cu, followed by selective sacrificial etching of the Cu. Since the copper sacrificial interlayer is itself conducting, it can act as a plating base for the subsequent deposition of NiFe without the necessity of multiple vacuum steps, multiple coating of insulating layers, or multiple photolithography steps. Highly laminated structures can therefore be achieved merely by alternating plating baths during fabrication, followed by selective removal of the Cu layers to provide electrical insulation between the magnetic layers. The fabrication approach can be readily adapted to a wide range of core geometries. To illustrate the improvements in magnetic properties achievable using this technique, the magnetic core fabrication technology has been successfully combined with integrated solenoid-like coils in order to fabricate a complete integrated inductor, which has been designed to operate in the low MHz range for power conversion applications. Inductors with highly laminated cores fabricated using the sacrificial layer approach exhibit quality factors exceeding those of unlaminated core devices by a factor of 2-3 at a frequency of 1 MHz.
Physiology and Pharmacology of Temperature Regulation Exercise can be pyrogenic in humans

Bradford, Carl D. , James D. Cotter, Megan S. Thorburn, Robert J. Walker, and David F. Gerrard. Exercise can be pyrogenic in humans. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 292: R143–R149, 2007. First published August 3, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00926. 2005. —Exercise increases mean body temperature ( Tbody) and cytokine concentrations in plasma. Cytokines facilitate PG production via cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, and PGE2 can mediate fever. Therefore, we used a COX-2 inhibitor to test the hypothesis that PG-mediated pyrogenicity may contribute to the raised T body in exercising humans. In a double-blind, cross-over design, 10 males [age: 23 yr (SD 5), V̇O2 max: 53 ml kg 1 min 1 (SD 5)] consumed rofecoxib (50 mg/day; NSAID) or placebo (PLAC) for 6 days, 2 wk apart. Exercising thermoregulation was measured on day 6 during 45-min running ( 75% V̇O2 max) followed by 45-min cycling and 60-min seated recovery (28°C, 50% relative humidity). Plasma cytokine (TNF, IL-10) concentrations were measured at rest and 30-min recovery. T body was similar at rest in PLAC (35.59°C) and NSAID (35.53°C) and increased similarly during running, but became 0.33°C (SD 0.26) lower in NSAID during cycling (37.39°C vs. 37.07°C; P 0.03), and remained lower throughout recovery. Sweating was initiated at T body of 35.6°C in both conditions but ceased at higher T body in PLAC than NSAID during recovery [36.66°C (SD 0.36) vs. 36.39°C (SD 0.27); P 0.03]. Cardiac frequency averaged 6 min 1 higher in PLAC (P 0.01), whereas exercising metabolic rate was similar (505 vs. 507 W m ; P 0.56). A modest increase in both cytokines across exercise was similar between conditions. COX-2 specific NSAID lowered exercising heat and cardiovascular strain and the sweating (offset) threshold, independently of heat production, indicating that PGE-mediated inflammatory processes may contribute to exercising heat strain during endurance exercise in humans.
The Influence of Levodopa and the COMT Inhibitor on Serum Vitamin B12 and Folate Levels in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Serum folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured in 67 consecutive Parkinson’s disease patients treated either with levodopa + dopa decarboxylase inhibitor (DDC-i) plus catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors (COMT-i) or only with levodopa + DDC-i. The data were compared to 67 age-matched controls. Our findings show that levodopa-treated Parkinson’s disease patients have low folate (p < 0.0007) and vitamin B12 levels (p < 0.0003). They also demonstrate that the addition of a COMT-i to levodopa + DDC-i treatment causes lower serum vitamin B12 (p < 0.03) and folate levels (p < 0.005) than levodopa + DDC-i treatment alone. We suggest supplementary treatment with vitamin B12 and folic acid in these situations.
Investment Timing When External Financing is Costly

This paper analyzes the investment timing of firms facing two dimensions of financing constraints: Liquidity constraints and capital market frictions inducing financing costs. We show that liquidity constraints are not sufficient to explain voluntary investment delay. However, when additionally considering financing costs, we can explain both voluntary delay and acceleration of investment. More precisely, we find that investment thresholds are U-shaped in liquid funds. For high-liquidity firms, investment thresholds are decreasing (i.e., accelerated investment takes place) in either dimension of financing constraint. In contrast, investment thresholds are increasing (i.e., investment is further delayed) in either form of financing constraint for low-liquidity firms. For intermediate levels of liquidity, investment thresholds are U-shaped in market frictions. Copyright (c) 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The Economic Crisis and its Impact on Health and Health Care in Latin America and the Caribbean

The economic crisis that struck most Latin American and Caribbean countries beginning in 1982 has caused sharp reductions in domestic investment and in imports; domestic consumption has been less affected, while public sector spending has responded in different degrees in different countries. In general, public spending on health decreased, sometimes quite dramatically, but some countries were able to maintain the real value of noninvestment spending for health by central governments. It is much harder to tell what may have happened to output of health services, and still harder to know how health status has been affected. Scattered evidence suggests two conclusions. First, worsened economic conditions can seriously damage health status, with effects on infant mortality and on the patterns of disease and death, especially for children. Second, these repercussions do not have to occur, and public programs designed specifically to maintain basic health services and to assure adequate nutrition are effective in offsetting the worst consequences of economic hardship.
Magnetic oscillatory responses to lateralization changes of natural and artificial sounds in humans

Oscillatory signals in human magnetoencephalogram were investigated as correlates of cortical network activity in response to sound lateralization changes. Previously, we found lateralized presentations of a monosyllabic word to elicit posterior temporo‐parietal gamma‐band activity, possibly reflecting synchronization of neuronal assemblies in putative auditory dorsal stream areas. In addition, beta activity was decreased over sensorimotor regions, suggesting the activation of motor networks involved in orientating. The present study investigated responses to lateralization changes of both a barking dog sound and a distorted noise to test whether beta desynchronization would depend on the sound's relevance for orientating. Eighteen adults listened passively to 900 samples of each sound in separate location mismatch paradigms with midline standards and both right‐ and left‐lateralized deviants. Lateralized distorted noises were accompanied by enhanced spectral amplitude at 58–73 Hz over right temporo‐parietal cortex. Left‐lateralized barking dog sounds elicited right and right‐lateralized sounds elicited bilateral temporo‐parietal spectral amplitude increases at ≈ 77 Hz. This replicated the involvement of posterior temporo‐parietal areas in auditory spatial processing. Only barking dog sounds, but not distorted noises, gave rise to 30 Hz desynchronization over contralateral sensorimotor areas, parieto‐frontal gamma coherence increases and beta coherence reductions between sensorimotor and prefrontal sensors. Apparently passive listening to lateralized natural sounds with a potential biological relevance led to an activation of motor networks involved in the automatic preparation for orientating. Parieto‐frontal coherence increases may reflect enhanced coupling of networks involved in the integration of auditory spatial and motor processes.
Initial Public Offerings of State-Owned Enterprises: An International Study of Policy Risk

Abstract Policy risk, rather than information asymmetry, explains the cross-sectional underpricing of privatized initial public offerings. The issuer governments of high policy risk issues tend to retain a large equity stake and underprice more with underpricing increasing in retained equity. While the issuer government's retained equity is an observable signal for policy risk, we find that the quality of a country's bureaucratic machinery is a more intuitive and practical measure of policy risk. Policy risk also explains the absence of a systematic relation between the initial returns on privatized and private initial public offerings.
Board busyness and crash risk: evidence from Indian stock market

This study examines the impact of board busyness (busy directors) on future stock prices crash risk. Using a large sample of Indian firms, we find that board busyness reduces future stock prices crash risk. We attribute this finding to the effectiveness of board busyness since busy directors are more experienced. We also show that busy boards are effective in standalone firms compared to firms affiliated with a business group. Lastly, we find that busy boards are positively associated with conditional accounting conservatism and therefore, accounting conservatism reduces stock prices crash risk. Overall, our results conclude that experienced directors do matter for effective monitoring in emerging stock markets.
A Positive Model of Earnings Forecasts: Top Down Versus Bottom Up

This article analyzes the behavior of two groups of corporate earnings forecasters: analysts, who follow individual company fortunes, and market strategists, who predict earnings for various company aggregates. Using data for two market indices, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, we document that bottom-up forecasts are systematically more optimistic than top-down forecasts made by strategists. This difference is not driven by the difference in the forecast target. This finding may be explained by the incentives that analysts face and/or by cognitive bias.
Innovation, Imitation, and Economic Growth

This paper develops a dynamic general equilibrium model of economic growth. The model has a steady-state equilibrium in which some firms devote resources to discovering qualitatively improved products and other firms devote resources to copying these products. Rates of both innovation and imitation are endogenously determined on the basis of the outcomes of $R & D$ races between firms. Innovation subsidies are shown to unambiguously promote economic growth. Welfare is enhanced, however, only if the steady-state intensity of innovative effort exceeds a critical level.
The problem of identity and trust in European works councils

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look analytically at the relationship between identity and trust in the context of European industrial relations.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing from a case study of a European works council from a large, multinational firm in the traditional manufacturing sector, the problem of exclusionary identity choices along the lines of national cultures and industrial relations is examined via ethnographic methods.Findings – In the light of the delegates' assumed identities, it was found that trust relations in the European Works Council case study were characteristically sub‐optimal both between worker and employers' representatives and also among the workers themselves. The extensive lack of trust in the forum was thought to be problematic with respect to the prospects for co‐operation. As a result, employers' representatives are able to use the European works council as a self‐serving tool of human resource management.Practical implications – The implications for .
Leptin expression in dogs with cardiac disease and congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND Leptin belongs to the group of adipokines and has recently attracted attention because of its effects on the cardiovascular system. Increased leptin concentrations are reported in obese dogs but its role in cardiac disease (CD) is not known. Therefore, we investigated leptin expression in blood samples from dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF), and from myocardial samples of dogs with CDs. METHODS Leptin mRNA was analyzed from blood samples of 8 dogs presented for cardiac screening in which no abnormalities were detected and 8 dogs in CHF. In addition, myocardial samples (interventricular septum, right and left atria, and ventricles) of 10 dogs with no cardiac abnormalities (controls), 7 dogs with acquired and 3 dogs with congenital CDs were investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS Dogs with CHF had significantly higher blood concentrations of leptin mRNA than dogs without CD (P = .013). Myocardial leptin expression was significantly increased in acquired (P = .035) and decreased in congenital CD (P = .016) in comparison to controls. Dogs in heart failure stage D showed higher myocardial leptin concentrations than dogs in stage C3 and B (P = .031). Differences according to myocardial region (P < .05) were detected and higher leptin concentrations were present in the atria in comparison to the ventricles in dogs with CD (P = .005). Comparing male and female dogs with CD revealed higher leptin concentrations in female dogs (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate leptin mRNA concentrations vary with CD, severity of CD, myocardial region, and possibly sex. Therefore, leptin might play a role in canine CD.
More Productive Than Maize in the Midwest: How Does Miscanthus Do It?1[W][OA]

In the first side-by-side large-scale trials of these two C4 crops in the U.S. Corn Belt, Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) was 59% more productive than grain maize (Zea mays). Total productivity is the product of the total solar radiation incident per unit land area and the efficiencies of light interception (ϵi) and its conversion into aboveground biomass (ϵca). Averaged over two growing seasons, ϵca did not differ, but ϵi was 61% higher for Miscanthus, which developed a leaf canopy earlier and maintained it later. The diurnal course of photosynthesis was measured on sunlit and shaded leaves of each species on 26 dates. The daily integral of leaf-level photosynthetic CO2 uptake differed slightly when integrated across two growing seasons but was up to 60% higher in maize in mid-summer. The average leaf area of Miscanthus was double that of maize, with the result that calculated canopy photosynthesis was 44% higher in Miscanthus, corresponding closely to the biomass differences. To determine the basis of differences in mid-season leaf photosynthesis, light and CO2 responses were analyzed to determine in vivo biochemical limitations. Maize had a higher maximum velocity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylation, velocity of phosphoenolpyruvate regeneration, light saturated rate of photosynthesis, and higher maximum quantum efficiency of CO2 assimilation. These biochemical differences, however, were more than offset by the larger leaf area and its longer duration in Miscanthus. The results indicate that the full potential of C4 photosynthetic productivity is not achieved by modern temperate maize cultivars.
Enhancement of Auditory-evoked Potentials in Musicians Reflects an Influence of Expertise but not Selective Attention

Instrumental tones and, in some instances, simple sine-wave tones were shown to evoke stronger auditory-evoked responses in musicians compared to nonmusicians. This effect was taken as an example for plasticity in the auditory cortex elicited by training. To date, however, it is unknown whether an enlarged cortical representation for (instrumental) tones or increased neuronal activity provoked by focused attention in musicians accounts for the reported difference. In an attempt to systematically investigate the influence of attention on the processing of simple sine wave and instrumental tones, we compared auditory-evoked potentials recorded from musicians and nonmusicians. During the electroencephalogram recording, the participants were involved in tasks requiring selective attention to specific sound features such as pitch or timbre. Our results demonstrate that the effect of selective attention on the auditory event-related potential (AEP) has a different time course and shows a different topography than the reproduced effect of music expertise at the N1 component or the previously demonstrated effect at the P2 component. N1 peak potentials were unaffected by attention modulation. These results indicate that the effect of music expertise, which was traced by current density mapping to the auditory cortex, is not primarily caused by selective attention, and it supports the view that increased AEPs on tones in musicians reflect an enlarged neuronal representation for specific sound features of these tones. However, independent from the N1P2 complex, attention evoked an Nd-like negative component in musicians but not in nonmusicians, which suggests that plasticity also affects topdown processes.
STUDY OF NOISE AND HEARING IN JUTE WEAVING.

A retrospective study of hearing in a female population exposed to weaving noise is described. The noise is believed to have remained substantially unaltered over periods of exposure ranging from less than 1–52 years. The deterioration of hearing due to noise has been assumed to be estimated by the difference between the recorded hearing level and the expected hearing level from other published presybcusis data. Patterns of deterioration of hearing are described for various audiometric frequencies. The most conspicuous feature is an initial deterioration in the first 10–15 years of exposure, followed by a period of about 10–15 years where deterioration attributable to noise is small. Thereafter, after 20–25 years of exposure, further deterioration occurs, especially marked at 2000 cps. The possible distribution of noise‐induced threshold changes is briefly considered.
Full‐time students? Term‐time employment among higher education students in Ireland

A good deal of research has focused on part‐time employment among full‐time students in higher education. However, little attention has been paid to the way in which these patterns may reflect societally specific processes rather than universal trends. This paper examines ways in which the higher education system itself can influence variation in student employment, using the Republic of Ireland as a case study. The Irish case is interesting because of the presence of rapid economic growth side by side with marked increases in educational participation rates. This paper reports on a national survey of 3900 higher education students. It indicates the way in which employment levels vary according to course requirements and funding arrangements as well as socio‐demographic factors. In addition, the paper places student involvement in part‐time work in the context of their overall workload and its impact on levels of life satisfaction, an area largely neglected in international research. It is argued in this paper that inadequate policy attention to the changing profile of higher education students and appropriate financial support structures for students risks reinforcing inequalities among students.
Wealth Effects for Buyers and Sellers of the Same Divested Assets

There has been a major restructuring of corporate assets over the past decade in America. Some of the most notable restructuring activity includes mergers of whole firms. However, much restructuring involves the selling and/or buying of units, divisions, and selected assets of firms. These types of nonmerger restructuring of divisions and assets are called sell-offs and/or divestitures and are the focus of this study. Sell-offs typically occur to strategically realign the firms' assets and streamline operations or to raise capital for firms in financial difficulty or close to financial distress. Moreover, the sales of divisions or divested assets are often made without competitive bids from more than one firm. Often the price of the transaction is not made public at the announcement of the divestiture. There have been other studies that have measured the wealth impacts of divestitures on the buyers and sellers separately, but the purpose of this paper is to measure the wealth effects of both the buyers and sellers of the same divested assets to determine how these wealth gains are shared among buyers and sellers in a controlled sample of matched pairs.
Tourism Towns and Entrepreneurial Orientation: The Identification and Exploitation of Opportunities

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and the process of identifying and exploiting business opportunities. The focus of the research is a case study of a town visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year and in which there appears to be no business activity linked to the tourism and leisure sector. The paper analyses 34 firms established in the town (83% of the population) using a structural equation model (partial least square). The results demonstrate, first, that the most entrepreneurial businesses are those most open to identifying new opportunity and this identification is the main determinant of the decision to exploit that opportunity. Second, results show that younger entrepreneurs with high level of education and experience are more orientated to identify new opportunities. And, third, younger and smaller firms demonstrate a more entrepreneurial behaviour.
Color Consistency and Local Contrast Enhancement for a Mobile Image-Based Change Detection System

Mobile change detection systems allow for acquiring image sequences on a route of interest at different time points and display changes on a monitor. For the display of color images, a processing approach is required to enhance details, to reduce lightness/color inconsistencies along each image sequence as well as between corresponding image sequences due to the different illumination conditions, and to determine colors with natural appearance. We have developed a real-time local/global color processing approach for local contrast enhancement and lightness/color consistency, which processes images of the different sequences independently. Our approach combines the center/surround Retinex model and the Gray World hypothesis using a nonlinear color processing function. We propose an extended gain/offset scheme for Retinex to reduce the halo effect on shadow boundaries, and we employ stacked integral images (SII) for efficient Gaussian convolution. By applying the gain/offset function before the color processing function, we avoid color inversion issues, compared to the original scheme. Our combined Retinex/Gray World approach has been successfully applied to pairs of image sequences acquired on outdoor routes for change detection, and an experimental comparison with previous Retinex-based approaches has been carried out.