Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Merton-Model Approach to Assessing the Default Risk of UK Public Companies

This paper shows how a Merton-model approach can be used to develop measures of the probability of failure of individual quoted UK companies. Probability estimates are then constructed for a group of failed companies and their properties as leading indicators of failure assessed. Probability estimates of failure for a control group of surviving companies are also constructed. These are used in probit regressions to evaluate the information content of the Merton-based estimates relative to information available in company accounts and in assessing Type I and Type II errors. We also look at power curves and accuracy ratios. The paper shows that there is much useful information in the Merton-style estimates.
Dynamin:Gtp Controls the Formation of Constricted Coated Pits, the Rate Limiting Step in Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis

The GTPase dynamin is essential for receptor-mediated endocytosis, but its function remains controversial. A domain of dynamin, termed the GTPase effector domain (GED), controls dynamin's high stimulated rates of GTP hydrolysis by functioning as an assembly-dependent GAP. Dyn(K694A) and dyn(R725A) carry point mutations within GED resulting in reduced assembly stimulated GTPase activity. Biotinylated transferrin is more rapidly sequestered from avidin in cells transiently overexpressing either of these two activating mutants (Sever, S., A.B. Muhlberg, and S.L. Schmid. 1999. Nature. 398:481–486), suggesting that early events in receptor-mediated endocytosis are accelerated. Using stage-specific assays and morphological analyses of stably transformed cells, we have identified which events in clathrin-coated vesicle formation are accelerated by the overexpression of dyn(K694A) and dyn(R725A). Both mutants accelerate the formation of constricted coated pits, which we identify as the rate limiting step in endocytosis. Surprisingly, overexpression of dyn(R725A), whose primary defect is in stimulated GTP hydrolysis, but not dyn(K694A), whose primary defect is in self-assembly, inhibited membrane fission leading to coated vesicle release. Together, our data support a model in which dynamin functions like a classical GTPase as a key regulator of clathrin-mediated endocytosis.
Exploring the user acceptance of business intelligence systems in Taiwan's electronics industry: applying the UTAUT model

There appears to be a current trend for companies to invest in business intelligence (BI) systems to improve analytical capabilities to support decision making. Although much attention has been paid to decision-making benefits of BI adoption, limited research has examined factors that influence user acceptance of BI systems. Therefore, this study utilises the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to investigate the determinants of users’ behavioural intention to use BI systems, and the moderating effects of gender, age, experience and voluntariness of use on the relationships between the determinants and behavioural intention/usage behaviour. Data was collected from 330 firms in Taiwan’s electronics industry. This result shows that performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and computer anxiety were significant determinants of users’ behavioural intention to use BI systems, while effort expectancy was not. Facilitating conditions and behavioural intention were significant predictors of users’ usage behaviour of BI systems.
Recovering time-varying networks of dependencies in social and biological studies

A plausible representation of the relational information among entities in dynamic systems such as a living cell or a social community is a stochastic network that is topologically rewiring and semantically evolving over time. Although there is a rich literature in modeling static or temporally invariant networks, little has been done toward recovering the network structure when the networks are not observable in a dynamic context. In this article, we present a machine learning method called TESLA, which builds on a temporally smoothed l1-regularized logistic regression formalism that can be cast as a standard convex-optimization problem and solved efficiently by using generic solvers scalable to large networks. We report promising results on recovering simulated time-varying networks and on reverse engineering the latent sequence of temporally rewiring political and academic social networks from longitudinal data, and the evolving gene networks over >4,000 genes during the life cycle of Drosophila melanogaster from a microarray time course at a resolution limited only by sample frequency.
End-to-End Eye Movement Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Common computational methods for automated eye movement detection - i.e. the task of detecting different types of eye movement in a continuous stream of gaze data - are limited in that they either involve thresholding on hand-crafted signal features, require individual detectors each only detecting a single movement, or require pre-segmented data. We propose a novel approach for eye movement detection that only involves learning a single detector end-to-end, i.e. directly from the continuous gaze data stream and simultaneously for different eye movements without any manual feature crafting or segmentation. Our method is based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) that recently demonstrated superior performance in a variety of tasks in computer vision, signal processing, and machine learning. We further introduce a novel multi-participant dataset that contains scripted and free-viewing sequences of ground-truth annotated saccades, fixations, and smooth pursuits. We show that our CNN-based method outperforms state-of-the-art baselines by a large margin on this challenging dataset, thereby underlining the significant potential of this approach for holistic, robust, and accurate eye movement protocol analysis.
Low-Harmonic-Input Three-Phase Rectifier With Passive Auxiliary Circuit: Comparison and Design Consideration

A novel passive correction approach to improve the input currents of a conventional three-phase rectifier with dc-side C filter is studied in this paper. By adding an inductor and capacitor passive auxiliary circuit to the ac side of the rectifier, good mains behavior would be achieved. A family of low-harmonic-input three-phase rectifiers with passive auxiliary circuit is derived. From the comparative analytical results in operation principle, auxiliary circuit design, characteristic discussion, and simulation results, some important conclusions are drawn. Experimental results from the prototypes built in the laboratory with different specifications are shown to confirm the validity of the analysis and the feasibility of the proposed approach.
Long-term Outcomes of Titanium Ossiculoplasty in Chronic Otitis Media

Objective The primary objective is to report long-term hearing outcomes (>2 years) after titanium ossiculoplasty in patients with chronic otitis media. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Tertiary care hospital. Subjects and Methods In total, 156 patients with chronic otitis media undergoing titanium ossiculoplasty were included. The primary outcome measure was the long-term postoperative ABG. The stability of hearing over time was determined by comparing short-term and long-term postoperative air-bone gap (ABG). Secondary outcome measures included ΔABG, postoperative speech reception thresholds, air-conduction pure-tone average (AC PTA), word recognition scores, and percentage of patients achieving ABG ≤20 dB. Revision and extrusion rates were examined. Results At short-term follow-up (<6 months), mean postoperative ABG was 18.4 ± 10.6 dB and AC PTA was 31.7 ± 15.2 dB; 67% of patients achieved ABG ≤20 dB. At long-term follow-up (>2 years), mean ABG was 20.0 dB ± 15.4 and AC PTA was 35.3 ± 16.1 dB; 60% of patients achieved ABG ≤20. At both short- and long-term follow-up, ABG and AC PTA were significantly improved compared with preoperative values. No difference in hearing outcomes was observed when comparing partial titanium ossicular prostheses (PORPs) to total titanium ossicular prostheses (TORPs) at either short- or long-term follow-ups. In patients with both short- and long-term follow-up (n = 50), deterioration in hearing was noted (3.4 dB, P = .04). When analyzed by type of prosthesis, PORPs demonstrated statistically significant deterioration in ABG over time (4.9 dB, P = .02), while TORPs did not (2.5 dB, P = .50). The long-term extrusion rate was 3.2%. Conclusion With a minimum follow-up of 2 years, titanium ossiculoplasty provides good long-term hearing results. Modest deterioration in hearing is noted over time.
Effect of body mass and midsole hardness on kinetic and perceptual variables during basketball landing manoeuvres

Abstract This study investigated the effects of body mass and shoe midsole hardness on kinetic and perceptual variables during the performance of three basketball movements: (1) the first and landing steps of layup, (2) shot-blocking landing and (3) drop landing. Thirty male basketball players, assigned into “heavy” (n = 15, mass 82.7 ± 4.3 kg) or “light” (n = 15, mass 63.1 ± 2.8 kg) groups, performed five trials of each movement in three identical shoes of varying midsole hardness (soft, medium, hard). Vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) during landing was sampled using multiple wooden-top force plates. Perceptual responses on five variables (forefoot cushioning, rearfoot cushioning, forefoot stability, rearfoot stability and overall comfort) were rated after each movement condition using a 150-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). A mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Body Mass × Shoe) was applied to all kinetic and perceptual variables. During the first step of the layup, the loading rate associated with rearfoot contact was 40.7% higher in the “heavy” than “light” groups (P = .014) and 12.4% higher in hard compared with soft shoes (P = .011). Forefoot peak VGRF in a soft shoe was higher (P = .011) than in a hard shoe during shot-block landing. Both “heavy” and “light” groups preferred softer to harder shoes. Overall, body mass had little effect on kinetic or perceptual variables.
On the Extreme Variability and Change of Cold-Season Temperatures in Northwest Canada

Abstract The Mackenzie River basin (MRB) in northwestern Canada is a climatologically important region that exerts significant influences on the weather and climate of North America. The region exhibits the largest cold-season temperature variability in the world on both the intraseasonal and interannual time scales. In addition, some of the strongest recent warming signals have been observed over the basin. To understand the nature of these profound and intriguing observed thermal characteristics of the region, its atmospheric heat budget is assessed by using the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis dataset. The composite heat budgets and large-scale atmospheric conditions that are representative of anomalous winters in the region are examined in unison to study the processes that are responsible for the development of extreme warm/cold winters in the MRB. It is shown that the large winter temperature variability of the region is largely a result of the strong variability of atmospheric circulations over the North Pacif.
Steroid Hormones in Drosophila: How Ecdysone Coordinates Developmental Signalling with Cell Growth and Division

1.1 The ecdysone pathway directs Drosophila development Ecdysone is the major steroid hormone in all holometabolous insects responsible for driving the metamorphosis of larval tissues into adult structures. During metamorphosis, ecdysone is essential for upregulating the genes required to control apoptosis and differentiation, essential processes for removal of larval structures which have become obsolete and for tissue remodelling. In addition, ecdysone directs cell growth and division in many tissues throughout the larval to pupal transition. This chapter will discuss the many diverse mechanisms reported for connecting the ecdysone pulse to the developmentally regulated cell growth and cycle progression required for tissue growth and for insects to reach their target body size. Like all other holometabolous insects, the size of Drosophila adult flies is set by the size of the larvae prior to metamorphosis, at the time of pupariation when feeding has ceased and growth can no longer occur. The major developmental hormone in Drosophila, the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), commonly known as ecdysone, is required for all the developmental transitions needed for metamorphosis (Figure 1-3; (Thummel 1995, 1996, 2001)). Ecdysone is produced in and released by the prothoracic gland (PG), a component of the ring gland, which also contains the corpora allata (CA) and corpora cardiaca (CC) (Figure 1; (Zitnan et al. 2007; McBrayer et al. 2007)). Ecdysone release is controlled by a complex combination of upstream factors, including peptide hormones and neuropeptide signals (see section 2.2). For example, Prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) from the central nervous system (CNS) is required to regulate the synthesis and release of ecdysone from the PG (McBrayer et al. 2007). Ecdysone pulses from the PG are required for all aspects of morphogenesis, starting with the formation of the body plan during late embryogenesis, hatching and development of the first larval instar, and for cuticle moulting at the end of the first and second instars. A large
Optimal Capacitor Placement and Sizing in Unbalanced Distribution Systems With Harmonics Consideration Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Shunt capacitors installation in distribution systems requires optimal placement and sizing. More harmonics are being injected into distribution systems. Adding shunt capacitors may lead to high distortion levels. The capacitor placement and sizing problem is a nonlinear integer optimization problem, with locations and ratings of shunt capacitors being discrete values. The goal is to minimize the overall cost of the total real power loss and that of shunt capacitors while satisfying operating and power quality constraints. This paper proposes to solve the problem using particle swarm optimization (PSO). A discrete version of PSO is combined with a radial distribution power flow algorithm (RDPF) to form a hybrid PSO algorithm (HPSO). The former is employed as a global optimizer to find the global optimal solution, while the latter is used to calculate the objective function and to verify bus voltage limits. To include the presence of harmonics, the developed HPSO was integrated with a harmonic power flow algorithm (HPF). The proposed (HPSO-HPF)-based approach is tested on an IEEE 13-bus radial distribution system (13-Bus-RDS). The findings clearly demonstrate the necessity of including harmonics in optimal capacitor placement and sizing to avoid any possible problems associated with harmonics.
Alcohol and retrograde memory effects: role of individual differences.

OBJECTIVE When alcohol is consumed following learning, the effect on delayed, sober memory can vary from person to person. We examined a range of individual differences to look for predictors of this variability. METHOD Male social drinkers (N = 65; average age 23.3 years) were exposed to emotionally charged verbal stimulus materials while sober. Participants consumed 1.0 ml/kg alcohol immediately afterward and remained in an environment designed to minimize retrograde interference. Stimulus recall and recognition were tested 24 hours later, when participants had breath-alcohol concentrations of zero. Relationship between memory scores and individual differences (in age, education, alcohol consumption, vocabulary, verbal learning, emotionality, mood state 24 hours after learning, response to alcohol, personality and alcohol expectancies) were determined. RESULTS Only age and vocabulary were significantly associated with memory score following drinking, probably because they constrained initial understanding of the statements and mediated the effects of alcohol on memory consolidation. CONCLUSIONS The effects of a given dose of alcohol on emotionally charged verbal memory are similar for men of equal age and verbal skill, but independent of other individual differences. It is most likely that alcohol affects incidental memory by nonspecific enhancement or interference processes.
Age Effects on Serotonin Receptor 1B as Assessed by PET

Previous imaging studies have suggested that there is an age-related decline in brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) measures in healthy subjects. This paper addresses whether the availability of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1B (5-HT1B) is seen to decrease with aging via PET imaging. Methods: Forty-eight healthy control subjects (mean age ± SD, 30 ± 10 y; age range, 18–61 y; 33 men, 15 women) underwent 11C-P943 scanning on a high-resolution PET tomograph. Regions were examined with and without gray matter masking, the latter in an attempt to control for age-related gray matter atrophy on nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) as determined by a validated multilinear reference tissue model. Results: 5-HT1B BPND decreased in the cortex at an average rate of 8% per decade without and 9% with gray matter masking. A negative association with age was also observed in all individual cortical regions. Differences in the putamen and pallidum (positive association) were significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. No sex- or race-related effects on 5-HT1B BPND were found in any regions. Conclusion: These findings indicate that age is a relevant factor for 5-HT1B in the cortex of healthy adults.
Helical Shape of Helicobacter pylori Requires an Atypical Glutamine as a Zinc Ligand in the Carboxypeptidase Csd4*

Background: Csd4 is required for the helical shape of Helicobacter pylori. Results: Csd4 activity relies on a Gln-zinc ligand to cleave cell wall tripeptides and produce helical shape. Conclusion: Carboxypeptidase activity can be achieved with a Gln, His, and Glu zinc coordination. Significance: Csd4 represents a new subfamily of carboxypeptidases. Peptidoglycan modifying carboxypeptidases (CPs) are important determinants of bacterial cell shape. Here, we report crystal structures of Csd4, a three-domain protein from the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. The catalytic zinc in Csd4 is coordinated by a rare His-Glu-Gln configuration that is conserved among most Csd4 homologs, which form a distinct subfamily of CPs. Substitution of the glutamine to histidine, the residue found in prototypical zinc carboxypeptidases, resulted in decreased enzyme activity and inhibition by phosphate. Expression of the histidine variant at the native locus in a H. pylori csd4 deletion strain did not restore the wild-type helical morphology. Biochemical assays show that Csd4 can cleave a tripeptide peptidoglycan substrate analog to release m-DAP. Structures of Csd4 with this substrate analog or product bound at the active site reveal determinants of peptidoglycan specificity and the mechanism to cleave an isopeptide bond to release m-DAP. Our data suggest that Csd4 is the archetype of a new CP subfamily with a domain scheme that differs from this large family of peptide-cleaving enzymes.
Recent apparent changes in relationships between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Australian rainfall and temperature

High quality historical temperature and rainfall data sets have been used to produce time series of annual rainfall and temperature, averaged over Australia. The relationships between these series, and with the Southern Oscillation Index, have been examined. A change in the relationships between the variables appeared in the early 1970s. Since then, for any value of the SOI or rainfall, maximum temperature has tended to be higher than previously. Likewise, rainfall, for any value of the SOI, has tended to be greater than would have been expected for such an SOI value in previous years. Artificial changes, such as changes in instrumentation, seem unlikely to account for these observed changes in relationships. Model experiments have duplicated some of the changes in the relationships. Increased Indian Ocean temperatures may be the causal factor underlying these changes.
Models for scattering of light from rough surfaces with applications in IR signature simulations

The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) for a surface is an important quantity in simulation and prediction of ultraviolet, visible and infrared signatures from objects. In this paper we briefly give some background for modelling of rough surface scattering and present a selection of models for scattering of light from rough surfaces. Emphasis is placed on some analytical (approximate), physics-based methods, through which the BRDF can be calculated from surface topography and material optical data. Ranges of validity and limitations of the models are discussed. We also touch upon the relation between these analytical models and some more empirical, parametric, models for BRDF which are sometimes used in computer programs for three-dimensional visualization and scene simulation. Some examples from calculations using rough surface scattering models are presented.
Performance of psychiatric diagnostic groups on measures and strategies of verbal fluency

ABSTRACT Analysis of cognitive deficits in people with psychiatric disorders can increase our understanding of those disorders. Here we contrast the performance of 5 diagnostic groups (n = 120; schizophrenia, mild-to-moderate and moderate-to-severe depression, panic disorder, and healthy controls) on word and letter fluency tasks using 3 scoring systems (Abwender, Swan, Bowerman, & Connolly, 2001; Raskin, Silwinski, & Brood, 1992; Troyer, Moscovitch, & Winocur, 1997) that differ in complexity to determine what system best differentiates diagnostic groups. The 3 scoring methods differ in the range of cognitive strategies assessed and how strategies are defined. Groups with schizophrenia and major depression were hypothesized to show greater deficits in fluency than groups with panic disorder and healthy controls. Results showed that the group with schizophrenia had the lowest level of fluency regardless of scoring method, with the group with severe major depression also showing deficits. The healthy control and panic disorder groups, and unexpectedly, the mild-to-moderate depression group showed few, if any, deficits. The scoring method proposed by Abwender et al. (2001) proved to be most comprehensive and sensitive to group differences.
Evaluation of five satellite products for estimation of rainfall over Uganda / Evaluation de cinq produits satellitaires pour l'estimation des précipitations en Ouganda

Abstract Five satellite-based rainfall estimation algorithms (TRMM 3B42, CMORPH, TAMSAT, RFE 2.0 and PERSIANN) are assessed against historical monthly rainfall statistics from raingauges within four regions of Uganda. Results are discussed in terms of the accuracy of the products, the effect of climate variability, and differences between products. Products are able to reasonably reflect seasonal patterns in rainfall, and also the spatial patterns in rainfall between regions. Patterns in the occurrence of rainfall are better reflected than patterns in rainfall amounts. There is significant scope for improving the estimation of amounts by calibration to the raingauge data. TRMM 3B42, CMORPH and TAMSAT show most promise in this application followed by RFE 2.0 and the PERSIANN system. However, the relative performance of the products depends on what aspects of the rainfall regime are being considered. Differences between the products are large and the use of more than one product for any application is recommended.