Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional HYDRA simulations of National Ignition Facility targets

The performance of a targets designed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are simulated in three dimensions using the HYDRA multiphysics radiation hydrodynamics code. [M. Marinak et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 1125 (1998)] In simulations of a cylindrical NIF hohlraum that include an imploding capsule, all relevant hohlraum features and the detailed laser illumination pattern, the motion of the wall material inside the hohlraum shows a high degree of axisymmetry. Laser light is able to propagate through the entrance hole for the required duration of the pulse. Gross hohlraum energetics mirror the results from an axisymmetric simulation. A NIF capsule simulation resolved the full spectrum of the most dangerous modes that grow from surface roughness. Hydrodynamic instabilities evolve into the weakly nonlinear regime. There is no evidence of anomalous low mode growth driven by nonlinear mode coupling.
Commissural and cortico-cortical "columns" in the somatic sensory cortex of primates

Anatomical experiments demonstrate that commissural and cortico-cortical fibers arising and terminating in the somatic sensor- cortex of monkeys terminate in layers I through IV in a mosaic of precisely ordered vertical bands. The cells of origin of these fibers, found predominantly in layer III, are also arranged in vertical aggregations.
Total Board Compensation, Governance and Performance of Spanish Listed Companies

In this paper we present empirical evidence on the relationship between board remuneration of a sample of large Spanish companies and a set of explanatory variables such as performance and size of the company. The objective is to provide additional empirical evidence based on the agency theory for the Spanish institutional context, which differs from most 'Anglo-Saxon' model studies. We focus on the impact of a company's governance structure on the relationship between pay and performance. Specifically, we consider ownership concentration and firm leverage as key determinants of the board-shareholders relationship. Our results confirm the positive relationship between board remuneration and company performance, which is stronger for book values than for stock market measures. Industry performance also explains the remuneration and provides useful information for evaluating board behaviour. Company size is also related to board remuneration and affects the pay-performance relationship, although it is not relevant when we use an elasticity approach. Finally, the governance structure of companies is relevant when explaining the power of the compensation-performance relationship, and differences between the impact of ownership concentration and firm leverage on this relationship are found. Copyright Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2003.
An empirical study on the positive externality of building refurbishment

Purpose – The paper's objective is to empirically study the effects of building refurbishment on the prices of the dwelling units in a contiguous housing estate in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approach – In a congested living environment like Hong Kong, it is difficult, if not impossible, to have a view unobstructed by buildings. As such, the quality of views is dependent on the aesthetic quality of surrounding buildings. It is likely that poorly maintained buildings will impose negative visual effects on their immediate surroundings. Refurbishing these poor buildings should, therefore, reduce or even counter this negative externality. To study the positive externality brought about by building refurbishment, a hedonic price analysis was conducted on a set of panel data consisting of property transactions in a large housing estate located in Pokfulam. This estate was chosen because its adjoining buildings underwent refurbishment in 1998.Findings – The results showed that the refurbishment increased signif.
AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF INTEREST RATES DEREGULATION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA (1964-2009)

Nigeria’s financial sector reforms of 1986 which began with interest rates deregulation, was aimed at enhancing funds mobilization and disbursement to achieve economic growth and development. However, the deregulation exercise has been met with mix feelings. While some believe the exercise would help to promote investment and economic growth by enhancing savings, others are of the opinion that the exercise would push up real lending rates thereby discouraging investments, in view of the inverse relationship between investment and real lending rate. It was against this backdrop that this research was carried out to assess the impact of interest rate deregulation on economic growth in Nigeria. The objectives of the research were to establish the relationship that exists between deregulated interest rates and economic growth through savings and investment in Nigeria, and also to make a comparative analysis between the impact of regulated and deregulated interest rates on economic growth in Nigeria. It was hypothesized that interest rates deregulation do not have significant influence on economic growth in Nigeria. The research used Time series data, sourced mainly from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) bulletin and World Bank data base. Four separate models were estimated to capture the relationship between; Real Deposit Rate (RDR) and Total Savings (TS) (Model 1), Real Lending Rate (RLR) and investment (INV) (Model 2), INV and economic growth (Model 3), and, RLR and economic growth (RGDP) (Model 4) for both the deregulation era (1987-2009) and the regulation era (1964-1986). The research revealed that RDR does not have significant impact on total savings before and after the deregulation exercise, RLR also does not have significant impact on investment before and after the deregulation exercise, investment has a positive and significant impact on economic growth before and after the deregulation of interest rate, and, RLR does not have a significant impact on economic growth before and after the deregulation exercise. This may be due to the incomplete deregulation of interest rates as its value is still tied to the monetary policy rate even after the deregulation exercise. It is therefore recommended that interest rates should be effectively deregulated to allow the country reap the full benefits of the financial reforms introduced about 25 years ago with very little satisfactory results.
NOT JUST A WOMEN'S ISSUE: HOW MALE UNDERGRAD UATE STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THEIR DEVELOPMENT AS SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIES FOR PREVENTING MEN'S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

OF DISSERTATION NOT JUST A WOMEN’S ISSUE: HOW MALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THEIR DEVELOPMENT AS SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIES FOR PREVENTING MEN’S VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Men’s violence against women includes acquaintance rape, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and partner stalking and occurs at particularly high rates on college campuses (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). Although men are increasingly becoming involved in efforts to prevent these forms of violence, little is known about their motivation and the processes that lead to their involvement. The purpose of this project was to examine how undergraduate male students become social justice allies involved in preventing men’s violence against women. The theoretical frameworks of this study included transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1997, 2000) and feminist theory (Worell & Remer, 2003). Data were generated from six male social justice ally exemplars nominated for their sustained involvement in prevention work. Eligible and interested participants completed two individual interviews, demographic forms, Social Locations Worksheets (Worell & Remer, 2003), and male social justice ally development timelines. The qualitative data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) by the author and three peer debriefers. Findings provide an initial framework for conceptualizing male social justice ally development, including predisposing factors and shifts in perspective that were critical to their antiviolence work and factors that sustained their involvement. Participants also described integrating their social justice ally work into their identity and connecting with other forms of social activism. These themes provide a framework for understanding how men become invested in preventing men’s violence against women as undergraduate students and implications for ways to engage more men in these efforts.
A Model of Multinational Income Shifting and an Application to Tax Planning with E-Commerce

ABSTRACT: This manuscript develops an investment model that incorporates the joint consideration of income shifting by multinational parents to or from a foreign subsidiary and the decision to repatriate or reinvest foreign earnings. The model demonstrates that, while there is always an incentive to shift income into the U.S. from high-foreign-tax-rate subsidiaries, income shifting out of the U.S. to low-tax-rate countries occurs only under certain conditions. The model explicitly shows how the firms' required rate of return for foreign investments affects both repatriation and income shifting decisions. We show how the model can be used to refine extant research. We then apply it to a novel setting—using e-commerce for tax planning. We find firms in manufacturing industries with high levels of e-commerce have economically significant lower cash effective tax rates. This effect is magnified for firms that are less likely to have taxable repatriations. JEL Classifications: G38, H25, H32, M41.
Languages, Fees and the International Scope of Patenting

This paper analyzes firms’ choices regarding the geographic scope of patent protection within the European patent system. We develop an econometric model at the patent level to quantify the impact of office fees and translation costs on firms’ decision to validate a patent in a particular country once it has been granted by the EPO. These costs have been disregarded in previous studies. The results suggest that both translation costs and fees for validation and renewals have a strong influence on the behavior of applicants. The estimates are then employed to simulate the impact of the London Protocol, a recent policy reform which reduces translation requirements in the European patent system. National validations of patents granted by the EPO are estimated to increase by 29%.
Clearly Irrational Financial Market Behavior: Evidence from the Early Exercise of Exchange Traded Stock Options

This paper analyzes the early exercise of exchange-traded options by different classes of investors over the 1996 to 1999 period. A large number of exercises are identified as clearly irrational without invoking any model of market equilibrium. Customers of discount brokers and customers of full-service brokers both engage in a significant number of irrational exercises while traders at large investment houses exhibit no irrational early exercise behavior. Rational and irrational exercise is triggered for discount and full-service customers by the underlying stock price attaining its highest level over the past year and by high returns on the underlying stock. Copyright 2003 by the American Finance Association.
Risk scoring for predicting mucositis in Indian patients with esophageal carcinoma receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE Mucositis is a common and troublesome adverse effect of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, often causing treatment interruption and compromising treatment outcome. We sought to identify predictors of mucositis in southern Indian patients treated for gastroesophageal carcinoma. METHODS Patients (N = 90) receiving cisplatin 40 mg/m(2) and concurrent local radiotherapy at 40 to 50 Gy for esophageal carcinoma were retrospectively assessed for predictors of mucositis. Hypothesized risk factors were age, presence of comorbid conditions, low white blood cell (WBC) count, nutritional status (assessed by serum albumin level), continuing tobacco use, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) as a measure of acute inflammation, World Health Organization (WHO) performance status, and disease stage. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to identify cut-off values for risk factors, and a risk scoring model was developed. RESULTS On the basis of cutoff values on ROC analysis, a risk score of 1 was assigned for each risk factor as follows: age > 50 years, ESR > 3 times upper limit of normal, albumin < 3.3 g/dL, WBC < 2.5 x10(9)/L, WHO performance status > 2, and > stage III disease, with use of tobacco and presence of any comorbid condition also each being assigned a score of 1. For individual patients, a score of < 3 was associated with a 25% risk of grade 3 or 4 mucositis, whereas a score of >/= 6 was associated with 80% risk. CONCLUSION The scoring system is accurate in predicting the development of mucositis in southern Indian patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma.
The explanatory factors of intellectual capital disclosure to financial analysts

Abstract The objective of this paper is to assess the information dealing with intellectual capital that firms disclose in presentations to sell-side analysts and the influences on these disclosures. Analysis of a sample of 257 reports from listed Spanish companies for 2000–2001 shows differences in disclosure levels by categories of intellectual capital. Companies usually report information regarding strategy, customers, and processes; information about research, development, and innovation is less often reported to financial analysts. Larger companies disclose higher levels of intellectual capital information, frequently outside presentations conducted after quarterly, half-year, or annual results announcements.
Retinoblastoma Tumor Suppressor Targets dNTP Metabolism to Regulate DNA Replication*

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor, RB, is a negative regulator of the cell cycle that is inactivated in the majority of human tumors. Cell cycle inhibition elicited by RB has been attributed to the attenuation of CDK2 activity. Although ectopic cyclins partially overcome RB-mediated S-phase arrest at the replication fork, DNA replication remains inhibited and cells fail to progress to G2 phase. These data suggest that RB regulates an additional execution point in S phase. We observed that constitutively active RB attenuates the expression of specific dNTP synthetic enzymes: dihydrofolate reductase, ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) subunits R1/R2, and thymidylate synthase (TS). Activation of endogenous RB and related proteins by p16ink4a yielded similar effects on enzyme expression. Conversely, targeted disruption of RB resulted in increased metabolic protein levels (dihydrofolate reductase, TS, RNR-R2) and conferred resistance to the effect of TS or RNR inhibitors that diminish available dNTPs. Analysis of dNTP pools during RB-mediated cell cycle arrest revealed significant depletion, concurrent with the loss of TS and RNR protein. Importantly, the effect of active RB on cell cycle position and available dNTPs was comparable to that observed with specific antimetabolites. Together, these results show that RB-mediated transcriptional repression attenuates available dNTP pools to control S-phase progression. Thus, RB employs both canonical cyclin-dependent kinase/cyclin regulation and metabolic regulation as a means to limit proliferation, underscoring its potency in tumor suppression.
Employee Engagement: The Key to Improving Performance

Employee engagement is a vast construct that touches almost all parts of human resource management facets we know hitherto. If every part of human resources is not addressed in appropriate manner, employees fail to fully engage themselves in their job in the response to such kind of mismanagement. The construct employee engagement is built on the foundation of earlier concepts like job satisfaction, employee commitment and Organizational citizenship behaviour. Though it is related to and encompasses these concepts, employee engagement is broader in scope. Employee engagement is stronger predictor of positive organizational performance clearly showing the two-way relationship between employer and employee compared to the three earlier constructs: job satisfaction, employee commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour. Engaged employees are emotionally attached to their organization and highly involved in their job with a great enthusiasm for the success of their employer, going extra mile beyond the employment contractual agreement.
An On-the-Job Search Model of Crime, Inequality, and Unemployment

We extend simple search-theoretic models of crime, unemployment and inequality to incorporate on-the-job search. This is valuable because, although the simple models can be used to illustrate some important points concerning the economics of crime, on-the-job search models are more relevant empirically as well as more interesting in terms of the types of equilibria they generate. We characterize crime decisions, unemployment, and the equilibrium wage distribution. We use quantitative methods to illustrate key results, including a multiplicity of equilibria with different unemployment and crime rates, and to discuss the effects of changes in labor market and anti-crime policies.
Off‐farm work, technical efficiency, and rice production risk in Taiwan

This article investigates the differences in yield production, production efficiency, and yield risk for farmers both with and without off-farm work. Using a nationwide survey of rice farmers in Taiwan, we estimate two stochastic production frontier models that accommodate technical inefficiency and production risk simultaneously for farmers both with and without off-farm work. The stochastic dominance criterion is then applied to compare the differences in the distributions of the estimated technical efficiency and yield risk between groups. The empirical results indicate that these two groups of farmers use resources in different ways, and off-farm work is not necessarily associated with lower technical efficiency. For farmers in the lower percentiles of the efficiency distribution, those with off-farm work are more efficient than their counterparts without off-farm work. In addition, farmers with off-farm work face higher production risk and this result is robust for the entire distribution.
Cytoplasmic steps of peptidoglycan synthesis in Escherichia coli

The cellular pool levels of most of the cytoplasmic precursors of peptidoglycan synthesis were determined for normally growing cells of Escherichia coli K-12. In particular, a convenient method for analyzing the uridine nucleotide precursor contents was developed by associating gel filtration and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography techniques. The enzymatic parameters of the four synthetases which catalyze the stepwise addition of L-alanine, D-glutamic acid, meso-diaminopimelic acid, and D-alanyl-D-alanine to uridine diphosphate-N-acetylmuramic acid were determined. It was noteworthy that the pool levels of L-alanine, D-glutamic acid, meso-diaminopimelic acid, and D-alanyl-D-alanine were much higher than the Km values determined for these substrates, whereas the molar concentrations of the uridine nucleotide precursors were lower than or about the same order of magnitude as the corresponding Km values. Taking into consideration the data obtained, an attempt was made to compare the in vitro activities of the D-glutamic acid, meso-diaminopimelic acid, and D-alanyl-D-alanine adding enzymes with their in vivo functioning, expressed by the amounts of peptidoglycan synthesized. The results also suggested that these adding activities were not in excess in the cell under normal growth conditions, but their amounts appeared adjusted to the requirements of peptidoglycan synthesis. Under the different in vitro conditions considered, only low levels of L-alanine adding activity were observed.
Critical roles of arginine in growth and biofilm development by Streptococcus gordonii

Streptococcus gordonii is an oral commensal and an early coloniser of dental plaque. In vitro, S. gordonii is conditionally auxotrophic for arginine in monoculture but biosynthesises arginine when coaggregated with Actinomyces oris. Here, we investigated the arginine‐responsive regulatory network of S. gordonii and the basis for conditional arginine auxotrophy. ArcB, the catabolic ornithine carbamoyltransferase involved in arginine degradation, was also essential for arginine biosynthesis. However, arcB was poorly expressed following arginine depletion, indicating that arcB levels may limit S. gordonii arginine biosynthesis. Arginine metabolism gene expression was tightly co‐ordinated by three ArgR/AhrC family regulators, encoded by argR, ahrC and arcR genes. Microarray analysis revealed that > 450 genes were regulated in response to rapid shifts in arginine concentration, including many genes involved in adhesion and biofilm formation. In a microfluidic salivary biofilm model, low concentrations of arginine promoted S. gordonii growth, whereas high concentrations (> 5 mM arginine) resulted in dramatic reductions in biofilm biomass and changes to biofilm architecture. Collectively, these data indicate that arginine metabolism is tightly regulated in S. gordonii and that arginine is critical for gene regulation, cellular growth and biofilm formation. Manipulating exogenous arginine concentrations may be an attractive approach for oral biofilm control.
Genistein and zinc synergistically stimulate apoptotic cell death and suppress RANKL signaling‐related gene expression in osteoclastic cells

The effects of the combination of genistein and zinc, which have an anabolic effect on bone metabolism, on osteoclastic cells in mouse marrow culture system in vitro was investigated. The macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF)‐dependent bone marrow macrophages were cultured in the presence of M‐CSF (10 ng/ml) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB (NF‐kB) ligand (RANKL; 50 ng/ml) for 4 days. The osteoclastic cells formed were further cultured in medium containing either vehicle, genistein, zinc sulfate (zinc), or genistein plus zinc with or without M‐CSF (10 ng/ml) and RANKL (50 ng/ml) for 24 or 72 h. The number of osteoclastic cells was significantly decreased with culture of genistein (10−6 M) plus zinc (10−5 M) in presence or absence of M‐CSF and RANKL for 24 or 72 h as compared with the value for genistein or zinc alone. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed the presence of low‐molecular weight deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments of adherent cells cultured with genistein (10−6 M) plus zinc (10−5 M) for 24 or 72 h, indicating that the combination of two chemicals induces apoptotic cell death. Such an effect was not seen in the case of each chemical. Genistein plus zinc‐induced decrease in osteoclastic cells were significantly inhibited in the presence of caspase‐3 inhibitor (10−8 or 10−7 M). Culture with genistein (10−6 M) plus zinc (10−5 M) for 72 h caused a significant increase in caspase‐3 mRNA expression in the presence or absence of M‐CSF and RANKL as compared with the value for each chemical alone. Genistein plus zinc‐induced increase in caspase‐3 mRNA expression was completely inhibited in the presence of cycloheximide (10−7 M), an inhibitor of protein synthesis, or 5, 6‐dichloro‐1‐β‐D‐ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB; 10−6 M), an inhibitor of transcription activity. The mRNA expression of tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) or cathepsin K was significantly decreased with culture of genistein plus zinc in the presence of M‐CSF and RANKL for 72 h as compared with genistein or zinc alone. Nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) mRNA expression was significantly decreased with culture of genistein plus zinc in the presence of M‐CSF and RANKL for 24 or 72 h as compared with each chemical alone, while NF‐kB mRNA expression was significantly changed. This study demonstrates that the combination of genistein and zinc has potent stimulatory effects on apoptotic cell death and suppressive effects on osteoclastic cell function. J. Cell. Biochem. 101: 529–542, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.