Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A system engineering approach for the design optimization of a hydraulic active suspension

A procedure for the optimal design of an active suspension with skyhook control scheme is presented. A 15 Degrees of Freedom vehicle model has been implemented and, once correlated with test data, the control strategy has been plugged in and tuned in function of the vehicle manufacturer target requirements. Achievable performances of the vehicle equipped with active components have been estimated through the implementation of the “quarter car model”, successively extended towards the full controlled vehicle. The active damper system, to be manufactured by Tenneco, has been separately modeled and the suspension design definition has been optimized with reference to performance achievements and power consumption requirements.
Policy Attitudes of Party Members in Canada: Evidence of Ideological Politics

This article considers the degree to which characteristics of the ideological model of political parties are evident in the Canadian party system. Four questions are considered: are members attracted to parties on the basis of their policy positions; is there a structure to party members' issue attitudes; is there significant attitudinal space between the parties; and is there cohesion within the parties on the identified attitudinal measures? Data collected through a national mail survey of members of the five federal parties are used to answer these questions. The article finds there is substantial evidence of the ideological model in the Canadian party system and concludes by considering the effect this may have on the brokerage traditions of Canadian parties.
Optimal Monetary Policy Rules in an Estimated Sticky-Information Model

This paper uses a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with sticky information as a laboratory to study monetary policy. It characterizes the model's predictions for macro dynamics and optimal policy at prior parameters, and then uses data on five US macroeconomic series to update the parameters and provide an estimated model that can be used for policy analysis. The model answers a few policy questions. How does sticky information affect optimal monetary policy? What is the optimal interest rate rule? What is the optimal elastic price-level targeting rule? How does parameter uncertainty affect optimal policy? Are the conclusions for the Euro area different? (JEL E13, E31, E43, E52)
Exploring the Effects of Corporate Governance on Intellectual Capital Disclosure: An Analysis of European Biotechnology Companies

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between governance variables and voluntary intellectual capital disclosure in a sample of European biotechnology firms. We extend previous research by simultaneously considering governance mechanisms such as the proportion of independent directors, board dimension, CEO duality and board structure in relationship to voluntary disclosure on intellectual capital. We understand voluntary disclosure as a multidimensional and complex concept and, hence, use the semantic properties of the information disclosed, and on the content of information, as proxies for the quality of disclosure. Our results suggest that governance-related variables strongly influence the quantity of information disclosed, thus confirming our hypotheses. In regard to the quality of disclosure, our results show that (1) the proportion of independent directors is positively related to the disclosure of internal structure, (2) CEO duality is negatively linked to the disclosure of forward-looking information, and (3) board structure helps to improve the annual report's overall readability. We contribute to agency theory by indicating that corporate governance mechanisms and voluntary disclosure can be used strategically to reduce agency conflicts. The results of this study might be of interest to regulators, investment analysts and market participants.
Conformational study of N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine adducts of recombinant alpha-crystallins.

PURPOSE Lens proteins underwent nonenzymatic glycation, and the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were detected by immunological assays. One of the major AGE structures is N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML). Since the involvement of AGEs in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications is speculated, the effects of CML formation on proteins were studied. METHODS CML adducts were generated in recombinant alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins by incubation with glyoxylic acid and NaBH3CN. SDS-PAGE and size exclusion chromatography were used to detect subunit degradation and high-molecular-weight (HMW) aggregation. Conformational change was determined by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) measurements. The chaperone function was studied by DTT-induced aggregation of insulin. RESULTS Lysine modification was estimated to be 60-90% depending on the conditions of incubation. No subunit degradation or HMW aggregation was observed. Fluorescence and CD measurements detected a conformational change in CML adducts. Measurements of chaperone-like activity, however, indicated that the formation of CML increased the protein's ability to protect insulin against DTT-induced aggregation. CONCLUSIONS Although CML adducts of alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins, the major AGE structures formed in vitro, changed protein conformation, no subunit degradation and HMW aggregation were observed. Moreover, the CML adducts increased chaperone-like activity of both alphaA- and alphaB-crystallins. The results suggest that CML formation alone may not play a major role in protein aggregation and lens opacity.
The impact of strategy, leadership and culture on organisational performance: a case study of an SME

This paper presents the main findings of a case study conducted in an SME manufacturing firm in the UK to determine the applicability of strategy, leadership and culture to overall corporate performance. The findings indicate that corporate strategy impacts positively on culture and organisational performance. Specifically, the findings indicate that enhanced effectiveness in communication and functional coordination are key drivers of the success of the strategy being pursued. The study also shows that leadership is a key factor in the implementation of strategic plans and a key link between the subsidiary and the holding company.
Efficient Signalling with Dividends and Investments

An efficient signaling equilibrium with dividends and investment, or equivalently, dividends and either sales or repurchases of stock, is constructed and its properties are identified. Because corporate insiders can exploit two signals, the efficient mix minimizes dissipative costs. In equilibrium, many firms both distribute dividends and deviate from first-best investment. Also, the impact of dividends on stock prices is positive. By contrast, the announcement effect of new stock is negative for firms with private information primarily about assets in place and positive for firms with inside information mainly about opportunities to invest. Copyright 1987 by American Finance Association.
The explanatory and predictive power of different specifications of the Ohlson (1995) valuation models

Accounting-based valuation studies of US firms tend to support Ohlson's proposition that residual income and book value numbers have information content in explaining observed market values. But European evidence also suggests that the conservative/liberal orientation of accounting tradition can produce significant national differences in associations between accounting performance measures and stock prices - in earnings behaviour, coefficient values and parameter sensitivity. We address these issues from an equity valuation perspective using Swedish data to assess the additional information content of Ohlson's information dynamics and analysts' forecasts in relation to market valuations in a more conservative accounting environment than the US. The study compares the explanatory and predictive power of Ohlson's (1995) residual income model (RIV) with a linear information dynamics version (LIM) that specifies both residual income and non-accounting information as autoregressive processes. Both versions are applied with, and without, future performance expectations from non-accounting sources (analysts' forecasts). As with US evidence, we find that the inclusion of analysts' forecasts improves both (i) cross-sectional correlations with current prices for both RIV and LIM models and (ii) the predictive power of RIV models in relation to future annual cross-sectional stock returns. The contribution of linear information dynamics is significant but varies across approaches. We also find significant differences between Swedish and US firms in earnings behaviour and associations between accounting numbers and market equity prices.
Trade with Heterogeneous Multiple Priors

This paper presents a general framework to understand the possibility of a purely speculative trade under asymmetric information, where the decision making rule of each trader conforms to the multiple priors model (Gibloa and Schmeidler, 1989): the agents are interested in the minimum of the conditional expected value of trade where the minimum is taken over the set of posteriors. In this framework, we derive a necessary and sufficient condition on the sets of posteriors, thus implicitly on the updating rules adopted by the agents, for non-existence of trade such that it is always common knowledge that every agent expects a positive gain.
A Framework for Promoting Retirement Savings

This article identifies the constructs that influence an individual’s intention to save for retirement and discusses how and when these factors can be changed by an agent trying to induce an individual to enroll in a retirement plan, increase his or her contribution to a plan, or purchase a particular retirement product. A broad array of psychological theories is used to develop a series of persuasive communications that can encourage a person to save. In addition, the persuasive communication approach is placed in the broader context of all efforts used to promote retirement savings.
Geographic aggregation and induced innovation in American agriculture

The induced innovation hypothesis is tested for the USA and western regions using cointegration procedures. An error correction model separates short-run and long-run effects of relative price changes. A significant difference in the elasticities of factor substitution along the isoquant and the innovation possibility curve implies induced innovation. The estimated results support the hypothesis for Washington, the Pacific Northwest, and the Western Region, but not for the nation. Corroborative tests of weak exogeneity fail to support the hypothesis in any of the geographic units. Changes in output level and research investment do not significantly bias agricultural technology in the USA.
Glucan: Mechanisms Involved in Its “Radioprotective” Effect

It has generally been accepted that most biologically derived agents that are radioprotective in the hemopoietic‐syndrome dose range (eg. endotoxin, Bacillus Calmette Guerin, Corynebacterium parvum, etc) exert their beneficial properties by enhancing hemopoietic recovery and hence, by regenerating the host's ability to resist life‐threatening opportunistic infections. However, using glucan as a hemopoietic stimulant/radi‐oprotectant, we have demonstrated that host resistance to opportunistic infection is enhanced in these mice even prior to the detection of significant hemopoietic regeneration. This early enhanced resistance to microbial invasion in glucan‐treated irradiated mice could be correlated with enhanced and/or prolonged macrophage (but not granulocyte) function. These results suggest that early after irradiation glucan may mediate its radioprotection by enhancing resistance to microbial invasion via mechanisms not necessarily predicated on hemopoietic recovery. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that glucan can also function as an effective free‐radical scavenger. Because macrophages have been shown to selectively phagocytize and sequester glucan, the possibility that these specific cells may be protected by virtue of glucan's scavenging ability is also suggested.
B‐mode ultrasonic examination of the testes

This study was carried out to determine the potential value of B‐mode ultrasonography in the identification and diagnosis of intratesticular disorders, information heretofore obtainable only through biopsy. Fifty‐nine cases have been examined to date. Fifty‐three were referred from an infertility clinic and include oligospermic and azoospermic subjects as well as individuals with normal semen analyses. There have been two hydroceles, two neoplasms, one abscess and one Klinefelter's syndrome. Our initial results indicate no difference between individuals with normal or subnormal semen quality with respect to the presence and pattern of internal testicular echoes. A characteristic echo pattern is obtained from the region of the rete testis but otherwise the testis remains echo‐free. The hydrocele, testicular abscess, and tumor had appearances distinctly different from the usual pattern. The technique affords an accurate measurement of testicular thickness and may have the potential for revealing early testicular neoplasms.
Basis of the Superiority of Cefoperazone Amphotericin Teicoplanin for Isolating Campylobacter upsaliensisfrom Stools

ABSTRACT The optimum method for isolating Campylobacter upsaliensis from stools has not been clearly defined. In a preliminary study, cefoperazone amphotericin teicoplanin (CAT) selective medium isolated six C. upsaliensis strains which were not detected using modified cefoperazone charcoal deoxycholate (mCCDA). In order to identify the factors that underlie the superiority of CAT over mCCDA for isolating C. upsaliensis, we examined the effect of incubation time and antibiotic content of culture media on the growth of C. upsaliensis isolates using semiquantitative methods. The recovery of a subgroup of C. upsaliensis isolates from seeded stool specimens was also evaluated. Differences in growth ofC. upsaliensis on CAT and mCCDA were modest and were not explained by the antibiotic profiles of the two media. Recovery of C. upsaliensis from spiked human feces on CAT was superior to that on mCCDA at lower concentrations of organisms (103 CFU/ml). We conclude that although CAT is more suitable than mCCDA for the isolation ofC. upsaliensis from stools, the superiority of CAT for detecting this organism is not accounted for by the antibiotic composition of the medium.
Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on brain activation during an arithmetic task: an fMRI study.

BACKGROUND While behavioral studies have established that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in diminished arithmetic processing capability, the underlying neural correlates of this deficit are still unclear. The aim of the present study was to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine the effect of PAE on neuronal activation during a subtraction task. METHODS Participants were young adults from a low socio-economic status population who were identified prenatally; the sample consisted of healthy unexposed controls (n = 17) and PAE who were subdivided based on the presence (n = 19) or absence of physical dysmorphic signs (n = 18). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine extent of activation and percent signal change during arithmetic processing, using a letter-matching task as the baseline. Region of interest analysis of activation was performed in the native space and normalized for each individual to compensate for the considerable variability in head size observed in the alcohol-exposed population. RESULTS An exposure-dependent response was observed in task performance and neuronal activation. Dysmorphic PAE individuals showed significantly lower task-related performance and activation in regions known to be associated with arithmetic processing, including left superior and right inferior parietal regions and medial frontal gyrus, while the nondysmorphic PAE group was generally intermediate but not significantly different from the control group in task performance and activation. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that there is a range of effects of PAE on arithmetic processing and that the severity of this deficit may be dependent on degree of impairment demonstrated by the exposed individual. Evidence of physical dysmorphia may be indicative of functional damage to regions associated with arithmetic calculation, resulting in markedly impaired neuronal recruitment.
Mesenteric Pulsatility Index Analysis Predicts Response to Azathioprine in Patients with Crohn's Disease

Objective: Mesenteric blood flow measurement has been found to predict relapse after steroid‐induced remission in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, we assessed prospectively the possible relationship between changes in mesenteric blood flow and prognosis in chronically active patients with need of immunosuppressive therapy with azathioprine (AZA) or 6‐mercaptopurine (6‐MP). Methods: Doppler ultrasound (DUS) measurements of the pulsatility index (PI) of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) were performed in 52 patients with chronically active inflammatory bowel disease (CD 31 patients; UC 21 patients) before beginning therapy with AZA/6‐MP (US1) and during clinical remission (CD activity index <150, Truelove index score I) (US2). Patients were weaned from concomitant therapy with corticosteroids as soon as possible and were followed up for 12 months. Results: After 1 year, 16 patients with CD (51.6%) and 13 patients with UC (61.9%) were in remission, whereas 23 patients had recurrent disease or had undergone surgery. A decreased SMA PI at US2 predicted clinical relapse in all patients with CD [100%; P < 0.001; mean (±SD) 77 ± 67 d after US1], but only 4 of 8 patients (50%; difference not significant; mean 84 ± 75 d after US1) with UC. Conversely, an increase of SMA PI was associated with sustained remission in the majority of CD patients (12/16 patients; 75%; P < 0.002), but in only 7 of 13 patients (54%) with UC. Flow measurements in the IMA and postprandial values for both arteries were less reliable. Conclusion: Repeated DUS measurements of the SMA PI predict response to AZA/6‐MP in patients with chronic active CD.
THE NERVE GAP: SUTURE UNDER TENSION VS. GRAFT

Conduction velocities and amplitudes of evoked responses were used in experimental models to compare reinnervation through nerve gaps sutured under tension or bridged with nerve grafts. The best results were obtained when end-to-end suture was done without tension. Regeneration through mildly stretched nerve repairs was equivalent to applying a properly tailored graft. Minimal axonal activity was exhibited by severely stretched repair sites.
Effects of orientation on the identification of rotated objects depend on the level of identity.

Matching names and rotated line drawings of objects showed effects of object orientation that depended on name level. Large effects, in the same range as object naming, were found for rotations between 0 degrees and 120 degrees from upright with subordinate names (e.g., collie), whereas nonsignificant effects were found with superordinate (e.g., animal) and basic names (e.g., dog). These results support image normalization, after contact with orientation-invariant representations, that provide basic-level identity. They consequently fail to support theories of object recognition in which rotated object images are normalized to the upright position before contact with long-term object representations.
Disentangling the Dividend Information in Splits: A Decomposition Using Conditional Event-Study Methods

While folklore in finance holds that split valuation effects are due to dividend increases associated with splits, little is known about magnitudes of dividend and nondividend components of split announcement effects. We find that splits and dividends are indeed informational substitutes, a notion we characterize more precisely, but a significant portion of split valuation effects, 46% according to our estimates, cannot be attributed to dividend information in splits. Our techniques extend the literature on conditional event-study methods and we illustrate their practical value in testing hypotheses and analyzing data not amenable to analysis by standard procedures. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
NED survival in head and neck cancer

Abstract A common feature of reporting head and neck squamous cancer statistics in recent years has been to consider patients dying with no evident disease (NED) as successfully treated. We present two patients who died with no clinically evident squamous cancer and who could therefore have been reported as cured but for autopsy findings which showed significant distant spread. These findings are supported by several reports of distant metastases in squamous head and neck cancer and it is suggested that rates of post-mortem examinations be included in survival figures in the future.
Far Out on the Yield Curve

Data on short investments in Swedish long-term bonds as the bonds mature contains unusually rich information about the relationship between duration and the first and second moments of bond returns. We identify three different channels through which duration affects bond returns. The liquidity preference hypothesis yields a direct link between duration and returns, which however disappears once indirect effects through the variance of returns and the price of risk are taken into account. The risk premia obtained from a multivariate GARCH-M model extended to allow the variance to depend on duration are of the same size as observed excess returns. Finally, duration appears to affect the relationship between bond returns and the risk free interest rate. One additional year of duration implies that the beta-coeffcient increases by 0.66.
Side-Opened Suspended Core Fiber-Based Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor

An integrated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based on an Au-film-coated, side-opened suspended core fiber is proposed and simulated to develop a highly sensitive, real-time refractive index sensor. The inner surface of the side-opened hole is supposed to be uniformly deposited with a thin Au film for realizing the SPR operation. Such a sensor not only ensures a fast response time, but also brings up a designing flexibility for SPR biosensing applications. Two potential sensing mechanisms, i.e., monitoring the transmission loss spectrum peak shift and measuring the transmission power change at a fixed wavelength are utilized and analyzed to achieve a better sensitivity. Moreover, our calculation results show that this novel sensor could cover a wide index detection range with an optimized resolution of up to 2.3e-5 refractive index unit.
Nonparametric Forward-Looking Value-at-Risk

This paper proposes a new model for computing value-at-risk forecasts. The model is fully nonparametric and easy to implement. Further, it incorporates information about the market’s perceived uncertainty about the future. The forward-looking information is obtained from the option market via the Chicago Board Options Exchange’s implied volatility index (VIX). Using S&P 500 data from 1990 to 2010 we find that the use of option implied volatility compares favorably with generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH)-type models in terms of forecast performance. By comparing the model primarily used in the banking sector to our new model, we find that a financial institution using our model has on average a lower market induced capital requirement (MCR). However, during the time period leading up to the financial crisis our model gives a 40% higher MCR.