Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling of Decision Making Ontology

Making large data decisions requires the development of effective methods for processing and analyzing information. One possible way in this direction is creation of ontologies. The purpose of the work is to construct a decision making meta-ontology and to develop on its basis basic objective ontologies, which are used in the future for the design of systems for supporting decision making in the social sphere. To assess the quality of the developed ontologies, a multi-criteria approach is proposed, in which criteria are formed on the basis of the theory of fuzzy sets and the theory of graphs. The model of metaontology decision making and two basic ontologies of decision making have been constructed: the court decision making and management of the pharmacies network development.
Expression of angiogenic VEGF‐A (soluble isoforms 121, 165) and lymphangiogenic VEGF‐C in colorectal cancers with micro‐satellite instability

Colorectal cancers (CRC) with high‐level micro‐satellite instability (MSI‐H) show reduced metastatic potential and better prognosis compared to stage‐matched stable (MSS) cancers. Angiogenesis/lymphangiogenesis, central to tumour growth and spread, is mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) cytokines, but little is known of their relationship to MSI.
The reluctant Hong Kong consumer: purchasing travel online

Hong Kong consumers have embraced the web but appear reluctant to buy airline tickets online, suggesting that perceptions of risk outweigh perceived convenience. In this study we identify that both risk and convenience factors are associated strongly with willingness to purchase, particularly privacy, security and poor customer service, time savings, site usability and information provision. We identify further that the experienced shopper is only moderately satisfied and that satisfaction appears to be associated strongly with willingness to make further purchases. Overall, findings suggest that although consumers recognize a number of benefits, there is deep-rooted resistance to buying this particular product online. The explanation may lie in a combination of the physical density of the Hong Kong market, love of the whole shopping experience and a desire to minimize risk. We conclude that to tempt consumers online airlines and agents must target the Hong Kong market with a clear value proposition which includes user-friendly sites, streamlined payment procedures, on- and offline customer support, price-related promotions and tailored offline services which reinforce online offerings.
South Africa as dystopia: diaspora views from Canada

The high-profile case of the ‘white refugee’ in Canada, Brandon Huntley, temporarily soured relations between Canada and South Africa and raised serious questions about the Canadian refugee protection determination system. In constructing a plausible narrative to convince the judge that Huntley qualified for refugee protection, his lawyers painted a picture of a country in which all whites were being persecuted because of their race. Although the decision was overturned on appeal, the case raises the question of how South Africans in the diaspora more generally view the country. This paper shows that despite a strong personal South African identity, South Africans in Canada are a deeply disengaged diaspora. In order to rationalise their departure, disengagement and decision never to return, this post-apartheid diaspora paints itself as victims of post-apartheid South Africa and draws on the same narrative reservoir of images as Huntley's lawyers. The Huntley case therefore represents something much more than an egregious but exceptional miscarriage of justice.
In Vivo Correlation of Tumor Blood Volume and Permeability with Histologic and Molecular Angiogenic Markers in Gliomas

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tumor angiogenesis is very heterogeneous and in vivo correlation of perfusion imaging parameters with angiogenic markers can help in better understanding the role of perfusion imaging as an imaging biomarker. The purpose of this study was to correlate PCT parameters such as CBV and PS with histologic and molecular angiogenic markers in gliomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six image-guided biopsy specimens in 23 patients with treatment-naive gliomas underwent PCT examinations. We correlated MVD, MVCP, VEGFR-2 expression, tumor cellularity, and WHO grade of the image-guided biopsy specimens with the PCT parameters. Histologic sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, CD34, and VEGFR-2 and examined under a light microscope. These histologic and molecular angiogenic markers were correlated with perfusion parameters of the region of interest corresponding to the biopsy specimen. Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses by using clustering methods were performed to assess these correlations. RESULTS: CBV showed a significant positive correlation with MVD (r = 0.596, P < .001), whereas PS showed a significant positive correlation with MVCP (r = 0.546, P = .001). Both CBV (r = 0.373, P = .031) and PS (r = 0.452, P = .039) also showed a significant correlation with WHO grade. VEGFR-2 positive specimens showed higher PS and CBV; however, neither was statistically significant at the . 05 level. CONCLUSIONS: CBV showed a significant positive correlation with MVD, whereas PS showed a significant positive correlation with MVCP, suggesting that these 2 perfusion parameters represent different aspects of tumor vessels; hence, in vivo evaluation of these could be important in a better understanding of tumor angiogenesis.
Separability of Tones and Rhymes in Chinese Speech Perception: Evidence from Perceptual Migrations

This study used the perceptual-migration paradigm to explore whether Mandarin tones and syllable rhymes are processed separately during Mandarin speech perception. Following the logic of illusory conjunctions, we calculated the cross-ear migration of tones, rhymes, and their combination in Chinese and English listeners. For Chinese listeners, tones migrated more than rhymes. For English listeners, the opposite pattern was found. The results lend empirical support to autosegmental theory, which claims separability and mobility between tonal and segmental representations. They also provide evidence that such representations and their involvement in perception are deeply shaped by a listener’s linguistic experience.
Exchange Rate Exposure, Foreign Currency Debt, and the Use of Derivatives: Evidence from Brazil

This paper studies the exchange rate exposure and its determinants for a sample of nonfinancial Brazilian companies from 1996 to 2006. The results indicate that the number of firms exposed to exchange rate fluctuations is higher in periods of crisis and under a fixed exchange rate regime. In addition, the results point out that, although companies' international activities, operational hedging, and financial policies are important determinants of firms' exposure, the changes in companies' exposure that took place when Brazil moved from a fixed to a floating exchange rate regime were mainly driven by changes in companies' foreign currency borrowing and the use of derivatives that occurred in that period.
Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education

* Preface * Introduction: The Old Education and the Think-Academy *1. Socratic Self-Examination *2. Citizens of the World *3. The Narrative Imagination *4. The Study of Non-Western Cultures *5. African-American Studies *6. Women's Studies *7. The Study of Human Sexuality *8. Socrates in the Religious University * Conclusion: The New Liberal Education * Notes * Index
Multitemporal SAR images denoising and change detection: applications to Sentinel-1 data. (Débruitage et détection de changements pour les séries temporelles d'images SAR: applications aux données Sentinel-1)

The inherent speckle which is attached to any coherent imaging system affects the analysis and interpretation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. To take advantage of well-registered multi-temporal SAR images, we improve the adaptive nonlocal temporal filter with state-of-the-art adaptive denoising methods and propose a patch based adaptive temporal filter. To address the bias problem of the denoising results, we propose a fast and efficient multitemporal despeckling method. The key idea of the proposed approach is the use of the ratio image, provided by the ratio between an image and the temporal mean of the stack. This ratio image is easier to denoise than a single image thanks to its improved stationarity. Besides, temporally stable thin structures are well-preserved thanks to the multi-temporal mean. Without reference image, we propose to use a patch-based auto-covariance residual evaluation method to examine the residual image and look for possible remaining structural contents. With speckle reduction images, we propose to use simplified generalized likelihood ratio method to detect the change area, change magnitude and change times in long series of well-registered images. Based on spectral clustering, we apply the simplified generalized likelihood ratio to detect the time series change types. Then, jet colormap and HSV colorization may be used to vividly visualize the detection results. These methods have been successfully applied to monitor farmland area, urban area, harbor region, and flooding area changes.
Organizational culture and physician satisfaction with dimensions of group practice.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE To assess the extent to which the organizational culture of physician group practices is associated with individual physician satisfaction with the managerial and organizational capabilities of the groups. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Physician surveys from 1997 to 1998 assessing the culture of their medical groups and their satisfaction with six aspects of group practice. Organizational culture was conceptualized using the Competing Values framework, yielding four distinct cultural types. Physician-level data were aggregated to the group level to attain measures of organizational culture. Using hierarchical linear modeling, individual physician satisfaction with six dimensions of group practice was predicted using physician-level variables and group-level variables. Separate models for each of the four cultural types were estimated for each of the six satisfaction measures, yielding a total of 24 models. SAMPLE STUDIED: Fifty-two medical groups affiliated with 12 integrated health systems from across the U.S., involving 1,593 physician respondents (38.3 percent response rate). Larger medical groups and multispecialty groups were over-represented compared with the U.S. as a whole. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Our models explain up to 31 percent of the variance in individual physician satisfaction with group practice, with individual organizational culture scales explaining up to 5 percent of the variance. Group-level predictors: group (i.e., participatory) culture was positively associated with satisfaction with staff and human resources, technological sophistication, and price competition. Hierarchical (i.e., bureaucratic) culture was negatively associated with satisfaction with managerial decision making, practice level competitiveness, price competition, and financial capabilities. Rational (i.e., task-oriented) culture was negatively associated with satisfaction with staff and human resources, and price competition. Developmental (i.e., risk-taking) culture was not significantly associated with any of the satisfaction measures. In some of the models, being a single-specialty group (compared with a primary care group) and a group having a higher percent of male physicians were positively associated with satisfaction with financial capabilities. Physician-level predictors: individual physicians' ratings of organizational culture were significantly related to many of the satisfaction measures. In general, older physicians were more satisfied than younger physicians with many of the satisfaction measures. Male physicians were less satisfied with data capabilities. Primary care physicians (versus specialists) were less satisfied with price competition. CONCLUSION Some dimensions of physician organizational culture are significantly associated with various aspects of individual physician satisfaction with group practice.
Nominal inertia and shock persistence in UK business cycles

A structural VAR methodology is used for UK data to identify and map out the effects of innovations in the money supply, employment, output, wages and prices. Moreover, bands of two standard errors are computed for the impulse response functions so that comment may be made on the significance of the dynamic responses of the variables to the simulated shocks. This allows conclusions to be drawn on the persistence of shocks. Results suggest that output variation is largely determined by aggregate demand shocks over the business cycle frequency. Importantly, evidence is also found of rigidities in the form of price inertia and nominal wage stickiness.
Silymarin in the treatment of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis with a suboptimal response to ursodeoxycholic acid

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a safe and effective medical therapy for most patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but some patients show an incomplete response. Silymarin is a potent antioxidant with immunomodulatory and antifibrotic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and assess the efficacy of silymarin in patients with PBC who had shown a suboptimal response to UDCA. Twenty‐seven patients with PBC who had been on UDCA (13‐15 mg/kg/day) therapy for 7 to 221 months and had shown a persistent elevation of alkaline phosphatase activity at least 2 times the upper limit of normal for more than 6 months were enrolled. Oral silymarin, 140 mg 3 times daily was given for 1 year, and patients continued on the same dosage of UDCA. No significant changes in serum alkaline phosphatase activity (897 ± 84 vs. 876 ± 95, P = .5), total bilirubin (0.9 ± 0.1 vs. 1 ± 0.1, P = .07), aspartate transaminase (AST) (58 ± 5 vs. 56 ± 6, P = .4), albumin (4.0 ± .06 vs. 4.1 ± .06, P = .4), or Mayo risk score (3.82 ± 0.2 vs. 3.88 ± 0.2, P = .4) were noted after 1 year of treatment with combination therapy. Transitory gastrointestinal adverse events occurred in 2 patients. In conclusion, although silymarin was well tolerated, this medication did not provide benefit to patients with PBC responding suboptimally to UDCA. The results of this pilot study would seem to discourage further controlled trials of silymarin in patients with PBC.
Workers on the Border between Employment and Self-employment*

Abstract The number of workers on the border between self-employment and employment has strongly increased across Europe over the last decade. This paper investigates whether and in what respect these workers differ from employees and self-employed, and analyses whether these work relationships are a stepping stone to more stable employment in the short-run using Italian data. Depending on the data source, the “para-subordinates” represent between 1.8 percent and 5.3 percent of the Italian labor force. Since most of them work only for one company and are strongly integrated into the firm of the contract partner, we argue that labor and social security law discriminates against these workers whose status is in fact very close to employees. We find that they are not low-qualified workers, but young, highly educated professionals. At the same time these contracts seem not to be a port of entry into the labor market nor do we find that they are a vehicle to more stable jobs. However, they are a possibility for women to work part-time.
Shatter the glass ceiling: Women may make better managers

There is considerable evidence that women encounter a glass ceiling or barrier to advancement into the executive ranks of organizations. Although many expected this barrier to be obliterated with the large influx of women entering the work force over the last two decades, little change has actually occurred in the most senior ranks. In most sectors, women still comprise less than 5 percent of board directorships and corporate officerships. This article focuses on emerging evidence which indicates that the trend in U.S. corporations toward high-involvement work teams, consensus decision making, and empowerment may actually benefit the leadership styles that women already exhibit. Preliminary evidence is also provided which indicates that female managers are seen as more transformational than their male counterparts—a leadership style that has been shown to have a strong positive impact on individual, group, and organizational performance.
European Competitiveness: A Semi-Parametric Stochastic Metafrontier Analysis at the Firm Level

In this paper a semiparametric stochastic metafrontier approach is used to obtain insight into firmlevel competitiveness in Europe. We differ from standard TFP studies at the firm level as we simultaneously allow for inefficiency, noise and do not impose a functional form on the input-output relation. Using AMADEUS firm-level data covering 10 manufacturing sectors from seven EU15 countries, (i) we document substantial, persistent differences in competitiveness (with Belgium and Germany as benchmark countries and Spain lagging behind) and a wide technology gap, (ii) we confirm the absence of convergence in TFP between the seven selected countries, (iii) we confirm that the technology gap is more pronounced for smaller firms, (iv) we highlight the role of post-entry growth for competitiveness.
Determinants of Trade Flows among D8 Countries: Evidence from the Gravity Model

A special grouping within the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) – the so called D8 Group comprises of eight developing countries – has formed an economic development alliance. Among its objectives are to improve member countries’ positions in the world economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, and enhance participation in decision-making at the international level. In this context, the present paper identifies the factors affecting export flows among the D8 countries. The results from a gravity model, which is estimated using Panel Correlated Standard Errors (PCSE), demonstrate that the trading partners’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP), exchange rate, population of exporter country, border and distance are the notable factors affecting the volume of export flow among the countries in the D8 group. In line with the results, the countries would do better if they focus on exporting more to their neighbouring countries within the group and also undertake the measures which ensure low transportation costs. Additionally, the currency depreciation would increase the trade flows among the members when other adverse effects are taking into account.
SME Financing in Emerging Markets: Firm Characteristics, Banking Structure and Institutions

Using the World Bank Enterprise Survey indicator database, we investigate (1) how firm characteristics affect financing of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets; (2) how cross-country differences in the banking sector affect SME financing; and (3) how financing of SMEs is influenced by economic development and institutions. Our findings confirm that younger and smaller firms in nonmanufacturing sectors consistently face severe financing obstacles/constraints and rely heavily on internal financing. Moreover, the availability of credit information and the bank concentration ratio, as well as economic development and the institutional environment, can significantly affect SME financing, and access to external financing in particular.
Income and Income Inequality as Social Determinants of Health. Do Social Comparisons Play a Role?

Two of the most prominent phenomena in the study of social determinants of health, the socio-economic gradient in health and the income inequality–health association, have both been suggested to be explainable by the mechanism of status comparisons. This, however, has rarely ever been tested in a direct fashion. In this article, we explicate and test this mechanism by assessing the role of social comparison orientation. Research has shown that individuals vary in their propensity to engage in social comparisons, and those with a higher propensity are also more likely to be affected by the outcomes of such comparisons. In our analysis, we check whether the tendency to compare one’s income to that of others can contribute to explaining socio-economic disparities in health. Using individual-level data (N = 18,356) from 23 European countries on self-rated overall health and psychological well-being, we show that a high-income comparison orientation neither moderates the negative effect of income inequality on health nor the health differences by relative income. Our findings cast doubt on the crucial role that researchers such as Wilkinson and Pickett (2010) have attributed to the mechanism of status differentiation as the link between social stratification and health outcomes.
SIRT5: A Safeguard Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Apoptosis in Cardiomyocytes

Background: SIRT5 is located in the mitochondria, and plays a crucial role in the regulation of metabolic process and cellular apoptosis. Cardiomyocytes are abundant in mitochondria. However, the role of SIRT5 in oxidative stress-induced apoptosis is still unknown in cardiomyocytes. Methods and Results: Western blots analysis revealed that SIRT5 is significantly down-regulated in cardiomyocytes upon oxidative stress. MTT assay, DAPI staining, and caspase 3/7 activity assay were used to estimate apoptosis development. The result suggested that compared with the wild-type group, SIRT5 knockdown results in a marked reduction in cell viability, and a significant increase in the number of apoptotic cells and the caspase 3/7 activity. Protein immunoprecipitation revealed a direct interaction between Bcl-Xl and SIRT5. Apoptosis assay and western blot anaylsis suggested that SIRT5 levels could affect the levels of Bcl-Xl expression, but have no effect on the apoptosis development in Bcl-Xl knockdown cells. Conclusion: This study reveals a novel role of SIRT5 in the regulation of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. Pharmacological interventions on SIRT5 expression may be useful in the treatment of oxidative stress-related cardiac injury.
Risk-Taking, Global Diversification, and Growth

This paper develops a dynamic continuous-time model in which international risk sharing can yield substantial welfare gains through its positive effect on expected consumption growth. The mechanism linking global diversification to growth is an attendant world portfolio shift from safe, but low-yield, capital into riskier, high-yield capital. The presence of these two types of capital is meant to capture the idea that growth depends on the availability of an ever-increasing array of specialized, hence inherently risky, production inputs. A partial calibration exercise based on Penn World Table consumption data implies steady-state welfare gains from global financial integration that for some regions amount to several times initial wealth.