Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Within-Platform Competition in Two-Sided Business Models

We analyze the impact of exogenous changes in competition within one side of a two-sided market on the optimal pricing of both sides. We take into account both its impact through indirect network externalities and its impact through higher competition in the marketplace. We find that within-platform competition increases the price charged to the other side, while its impact on the same side price is ambiguous. We test our hypotheses in the U.S. airport industry, exploiting an increase in within airport competition driven by a change in regulation. As hypothesized, we estimate that an increase of airline competition within an airport increases commercial revenues per passenger, only in airports that adopt a platform business model. We also investigate the impact of passenger type and airport pricing approach on the airport response to this exogenous change.
An Analysis of the SURF Method

The SURF method (Speeded Up Robust Features) is a fast and robust algorithm for local, similarity invariant representation and comparison of images. Similarly to many other local descriptor-based approaches, interest points of a given image are defined as salient features from a scale-invariant representation. Such a multiple-scale analysis is provided by the convolution of the initial image with discrete kernels at several scales (box filters). The second step consists in building orientation invariant descriptors, by using local gradient statistics (intensity and orientation). The main interest of the SURF approach lies in its fast computation of operators using box filters, thus enabling real-time applications such as tracking and object recognition. The SURF framework described in this paper is based on the PhD thesis of H. Bay [ETH Zurich, 2009], and more specifically on the paper co-written by H. Bay, A. Ess, T. Tuytelaars and L. Van Gool [Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 110 (2008), pp. 346–359]. An implementation is proposed and used to illustrate the approach for image matching. A short comparison with a state-of-the-art approach is also presented, the SIFT algorithm of D. Lowe [International Journal of Computer Vision, 60 (2004), pp. 91–110], with which SURF shares a lot in common.
Behavioural responses to photovoltaic systems in the UK domestic sector

Microgeneration technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV), have recently been cited as a potential solution to energy policy challenges such as climate change and security of supply. International evidence suggests that the benefit of a PV installation will depend on both the amount of electricity generated and the technology’s influence on energy consumption behaviour. This study seeks to quantify and explain this ‘double-dividend’ effect by examining photovoltaics in the UK domestic sector.Questionnaire and interview data were collected from owner-occupier PV households, revealing that the installation of PV increased awareness of electricity generation and consumption in the home. Guided by monitoring devices, an overall electricity saving (~8%) and load-shifting behaviours were observed. Although the installation of PV followed a series of other energy-saving measures, respondents showed an ongoing commitment to environmentally responsible behaviour and further reduction of the carbon footprint of household energy consumption. PV household electricity data and interviews with industry and government found that electricity tariffs, metering and other institutional constraints were important determinants of a household’s behavioural response. As these parts of the domestic PV system are largely still evolving, it is recommended that households and industry work together to develop systems that support sustainable electricity use, for both the early adopting households studied here and future adopters.
Pointing and tracing gestures may enhance anatomy and physiology learning

Abstract Background: Currently, instructional effects generated by Cognitive load theory (CLT) are limited to visual and auditory cognitive processing. In contrast, “embodied cognition” perspectives suggest a range of gestures, including pointing, may act to support communication and learning, but there is relatively little research showing benefits of such “embodied learning” in the health sciences. Aim: This study investigated whether explicit instructions to gesture enhance learning through its cognitive effects. Methods: Forty-two university-educated adults were randomly assigned to conditions in which they were instructed to gesture, or not gesture, as they learnt from novel, paper-based materials about the structure and function of the human heart. Subjective ratings were used to measure levels of intrinsic, extraneous and germane cognitive load. Results: Participants who were instructed to gesture performed better on a knowledge test of terminology and a test of comprehension; however, instructions to gesture had no effect on subjective ratings of cognitive load. Conclusions: This very simple instructional re-design has the potential to markedly enhance student learning of typical topics and materials in the health sciences and medicine.
The Schizosaccharomyces pombe JmjC-Protein, Msc1, Prevents H2A.Z Localization in Centromeric and Subtelomeric Chromatin Domains

Eukaryotic genomes are repetitively packaged into chromatin by nucleosomes, however they are regulated by the differences between nucleosomes, which establish various chromatin states. Local chromatin cues direct the inheritance and propagation of chromatin status via self-reinforcing epigenetic mechanisms. Replication-independent histone exchange could potentially perturb chromatin status if histone exchange chaperones, such as Swr1C, loaded histone variants into wrong sites. Here we show that in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Swr1C is required for loading H2A.Z into specific sites, including the promoters of lowly expressed genes. However S. pombe Swr1C has an extra subunit, Msc1, which is a JumonjiC-domain protein of the Lid/Jarid1 family. Deletion of Msc1 did not disrupt the S. pombe Swr1C or its ability to bind and load H2A.Z into euchromatin, however H2A.Z was ectopically found in the inner centromere and in subtelomeric chromatin. Normally this subtelomeric region not only lacks H2A.Z but also shows uniformly lower levels of H3K4me2, H4K5, and K12 acetylation than euchromatin and disproportionately contains the most lowly expressed genes during vegetative growth, including many meiotic-specific genes. Genes within and adjacent to subtelomeric chromatin become overexpressed in the absence of either Msc1, Swr1, or paradoxically H2A.Z itself. We also show that H2A.Z is N-terminally acetylated before, and lysine acetylated after, loading into chromatin and that it physically associates with the Nap1 histone chaperone. However, we find a negative correlation between the genomic distributions of H2A.Z and Nap1/Hrp1/Hrp3, suggesting that the Nap1 chaperones remove H2A.Z from chromatin. These data describe H2A.Z action in S. pombe and identify a new mode of chromatin surveillance and maintenance based on negative regulation of histone variant misincorporation.
Influence of regional organizations on consumers preferences: The dairy market of Eurasian Custom Union

The establishment of the Eurasian Custom Union created a common market in Russia, Belorussia and Kazakhstan and increased trade flows among the countries. Elimination of trade barriers among countries of the union changed the market landscape due to on one hand, the producers from the countries achieving competitive advantages against producers from countries outside the union; on the other hand, competition within the union increased. These changes in turn impact purchasing habits of consumers. This paper explores the influence of regional integration on consumer attitudes toward domestic products. A survey was conducted to examine consumer attitudes toward domestic and foreign dairy products in markets of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belorussia before and after the establishment of Eurasian Custom Union. The survey also compared the influence of the Eurasian Custom Union on the attitude of consumers from different social groups segmented by gender, age, country of residence, income level and ethnic belonging. The results of the survey reveal that there were some differences in perception of changes in diversity of dairy products by consumers from different ethnic groups but it was not statistically significant.
The Relationship between Financial Accounting Information and Market Values of Quoted Firms in Nigeria

This paper examines the value relevance of accounting information in the Nigerian stock market with a view to determining whether accounting information has the ability to significantly affect share prices of quoted firms. This study used secondary data to investigate the value relevance of accounting data. The secondary data were sourced from the Nigerian Stock Exchange Fact Books, Annual Financial reports of companies quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Market Annual reports. The Generalized Least Squared (GLS) regression method was employed on the panel model for the analysis. Findings show that there is a significant relationship between accounting information and share prices of companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Information on earnings, dividend, book value and cash flows can be used to predict share prices of quoted firms. This implies that accounting information serves as a guide to investors’ investment decisions in Nigeria. As a result, this paper recommends that any effort geared towards improving quality of accounting information is in a right direction. It is also recommended that standards should be better complied with by Nigerian companies and that more standards that can improve quality of accounting information should be issued.
Cephalometric Norms for Orthognathic Surgery in Kerala Population

[1] [2] [3] [4] Wong , Harala-bakis , Altemus , and Kotak has indicated that normal measurements of one racial group cannot be considered normal for some other racial groups. So the knowledge of normal dentofacial pattern of adults belonging to various ethnic groups is important to determine the nature of skeletal, dental and soft tissue defect for clinical and research purposes. Thus different racial groups will have to be treated according to their own individual facial features.
Integrated rice-fish farming as a business: The case of Golinga irrigation scheme small farmers

he purpose of the Golinga Rice-fish farming project was to improve the capacities of members of a Farmer Based Organization (FBO) to carry out environmentally friendly, sustainable rural farming business using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques at the Golinga Irrigation Project (GIP) in northern Ghana. The project assisted small scale peasant farmers at GIP to integrate fish farming into their rice cultivation. The FBO members acquired critical IPM skills from the project demonstration farms which they applied to their own rice plots and thus improved rice productivity from mean yields of 3.5 to 4.6 - 5.8 t/ha in the project area. The project evolved a strategy for managing the FBO’s two fish ponds which was based on low-input and self-reliance of the farmers. Mean fish yield from the two ponds was 2300 kg/ha which was generally higher than reported yields (500 to 1000 kg/ha) obtained from similar low- input fish ponds in the country. The arrangement helped to maximize water use efficiency and contributed to a drastic reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides at GIP. The FBO members improved their capacities in integrated farming rice and fish and enhanced their incomes from sales of both commodities. Key words: Rice-fish farming, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Golinga, Oreochromis niloticus (L), Katanga rice, value- chain.
The Impact of Board Characteristics on Corporate Governance and Disclosure Practices of Firms Listed in Indian Stock Exchange

The study of internal corporate governance mechanisms such as board characteristics plays a crucial role in explaining variation in corporate governance and disclosure practices across firms. The effectiveness of such corporate governance mechanism in maintaining healthy relationship between management and shareholders depends significantly on the board effectiveness. Two major attributes that affect a board’s effectiveness are the board size and its composition. Board size refers to the total number of directors who sit on the board of a company, while board composition refers to the type of directors on the board. Hence, this paper focuses in this direction and identifies the relationship between board characteristics, i.e., board size and board composition and corporate governance and disclosure practices of firms listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
Capital Structure Theories and Empirical Results - a Panel Data Analysis

In this paper we analyze factors influencing firm leverage. We use market capital ratio, book capital ratio and book debt ratio as measures of leverage. We compare factors that influencing firm leverage using unbalanced panel data of seven countries: Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the US. We find that firm size, profitability, tangibility, and market-to-book ratio have significant impact on the capital structure choices of firms. Tangibility is positively related to leverage, while profitability shows a negative significant relation to leverage across all seven countries. More profitable firms tend to borrow less. Size of the firm is positively and significantly related to firms' financial leverage. The impact of the market-to-book ratio varies in the book debt ratio model but shows a negative and significant relation in the market leverage model for all countries except Denmark, which shows an insignificant parameter value. Evidences we find from the seven countries are consistent with the findings in conventional capital structure theories, for example the pecking order theory and the static trade-off theory, i.e. risky firms borrow less.
German cooperatives: Property right hybrids with strong tenant security

Cooperatives in Germany can be considered a hybrid tenure, which offers a bundle of property rights that lies in between renting and owning. Being a cooperative occupier of a dwelling should allow for more secure occupancy rights than ordinarily available to renters and less secure occupancy rights than ordinarily available to owner-occupiers. This claim is evaluated in terms of how the formal (in the sense of legal) bundles of rights of cooperative housing differ from those in conventional renting and owner-occupation. The text draws from the literature on economic approaches to property rights in an effort to clarify the concept of secure occupancy. Here, this concept is defined as a certain bundle of formal rights associated with occupying a dwelling. In cooperative housing, the bundles of property rights that secure occupancy is defined to exist of turn out to be different from those associated with renting or owning. As an analysis of market friction and efficiency suggests, the property rights are quite secure and clearly defined from a legal point of view.
Sleep Disorders in Chronic Liver Disease

Abstract Sleep-related complaints and disturbances are increasingly recognized in the setting of chronic liver disease and have recently been shown to be an important prognostic factor in patients with advanced chronic liver disease. This article reviews the literature surrounding sleep disturbances and disorders in a variety of types of chronic liver disease. This includes the association of sleep disturbances with hepatitis C and antiviral therapy, primary biliary cirrhosis, and Wilson disease as well as the circadian rhythm abnormalities present in cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy. The association between chronic liver disease, particularly nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and sleep-disordered breathing is also reviewed in detail.
The acute effects of different sources of dietary calcium on postprandial energy metabolism

Dairy Ca intake has been shown to be superior to elemental Ca in increasing the loss of body fat during energy restriction. We questioned whether the mechanisms involved an increase in postprandial energy expenditure, fat oxidation and/or a greater lipolysis. The acute effects of different sources of Ca were examined in eight subjects, aged 47–66 years and BMI 27·6–36·1kg/m2, in a three-way cross-over study. Subjects were randomly provided breakfast meals either low in dairy Ca and vitamin D (LD; control), high in non-dairy Ca (calcium citrate) but low in vitamin D (HC) or high in dairy Ca and vitamin D (HD). Diet-induced thermogenesis, fat oxidation rates (FOR), carbohydrate oxidation rates (COR), insulin, glucose, ΔNEFA and glycerol were measured hourly over a 6h postprandial period. Postprandial data were calculated as a change (Δ) from the fasting value. Results showed that ΔNEFA was significantly different between meals (LD −1·50 (sem 0·26), HC −1·22 (sem 0·32), HD −0·94 (sem 0·27) mmol/l×6h; P=0·035), with a lesser suppression following both high-Ca meals. ΔFOR was significantly higher following the two high-Ca meals (LD −6·5 (sem 2·2), HC 2·93 (sem 2·34), HD 3·3 (sem 2·5) g×6;h; P=0·005), while reciprocally ΔCOR was significantly lower. ΔGlycerol was less suppressed following the high-Ca meals but statistical significance was not achieved. No differences in diet-induced thermogenesis, insulin or glucose were observed. Regardless of source, Ca intake acutely stimulated postprandial fat oxidation; and there was a lesser suppression of NEFA following these meals.
Is the International Diversification Potential Diminishing for Foreign Equity Inside the US

One of the most enduring puzzles in international macroeconomics and finance is so-called “home bias”; i.e., the tendency for investors to disproportionately weight their asset portfolios towards domestic securities and thereby forego gains to international diversification. Errunza et al (1999) argue that domestic US investors need not go to foreign markets to obtain international diversification. Rather, they can implement home-based foreign diversification using foreign stocks and other foreign risks in the US. At the same time, the betas of foreign stocks cross-listed in the US increase in the US after the cross-listing, as documented in the literature surveyed by Karolyi (2006). In this paper, I ask what the changing asset pricing characteristics of foreign stocks in the US imply about the potential for home-based international diversification. For this purpose, I extend the break-date estimation approach of Bai and Perron (1998) to consider potentially changing covariances over time. I then calculate minimum variance portfolios for using a portfolio of foreign equity in the US as well as the home markets of these foreign companies. I find that the overall risk minimization improvement properties of foreign equity in the US have declined over the past two decades. At the same time, however, the foreign company stocks have generally provided comparable risk reduction as their home market indices consistent with home-based diversification.
An Error-Oriented Approach to Word Embedding Pre-Training

We propose a novel word embedding pre-training approach that exploits writing errors in learners’ scripts. We compare our method to previous models that tune the embeddings based on script scores and the discrimination between correct and corrupt word contexts in addition to the generic commonly-used embeddings pre-trained on large corpora. The comparison is achieved by using the aforementioned models to bootstrap a neural network that learns to predict a holistic score for scripts. Furthermore, we investigate augmenting our model with error corrections and monitor the impact on performance. Our results show that our error-oriented approach outperforms other comparable ones which is further demonstrated when training on more data. Additionally, extending the model with corrections provides further performance gains when data sparsity is an issue.
Gentamicin treatment of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy due to nonsense mutations

Aminoglycosides have previously been shown to suppress nonsense mutations, allowing translation of full‐length proteins in vitro and in animal models. In the mdx mouse, where muscular dystrophy is due to a nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene, gentamicin suppressed truncation of the protein and ameliorated the phenotype. A subset of patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy similarly possess a nonsense mutation, causing premature termination of dystrophin translation. Four such patients, with various stop codon sequences, were treated once daily with intravenous gentamicin at 7.5 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks. No ototoxicity or nephrotoxicity was detected. Full‐length dystrophin was not detected in pre‐ and post‐treatment muscle biopsies.
The long‐term effects of sales promotions on brand attitude across monetary and non‐monetary promotions

This study compares the influence of sales promotions on brand attitude across promotion types over time. An experiment is conducted with 154 subjects, who are exposed to test materials for 12 weeks. Evidence shows that the long-term effects of sales promotions on brand attitude vary across deal types. Non-monetary promotions seem to work better in eliciting consumers' favorable brand attitude than monetary promotions over time. However, such effects are moderated by consumers' deal proneness. Although monetary promotions may induce more negative effects than non-monetary promotions, these effects are weaker for high deal-prone consumers than for low deal-prone consumers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effect of Exogenous PGF2α and Oxytocin on Postpartum Anestrus and Uterine Involution in Kundhi Buffaloes

A study was designed to evaluate the effect of Prostaglandins(PG)F2α (Cloprostenol) and oxytocin on postpartum anestrus and uterine involution of Kundhi buffaloes. Total 30 multiparous Kundhi buffaloes of similar parity from potential farm in the vicinity of Tandojam city were selected. These animals were divided into three groups i.e. I, II and III having 10 numbers of animals in each group. The buffaloes of group I were treated with 2ml of PGF2α (0.150 mg Cloprostenol) intramuscularly , the buffaloes of group II was given 2ml of oxytocin (100 I.U.) intramuscularly and the buffaloes group III were treated as control group and administered 2ml of normal saline intramuscularly immediately after starting of labor pains. The time required for expulsion of fetal membranes, uterine involution and occurrence of first postpartum estrus were recorded in all groups. Significantly (p
The Role of Venture Capital in Corporate Development

Many corporations have now discovered the value of a venture capital programme as an aid to the corporate development function. The article describes the venture capital business, reviews its history, and indicates the reasons for the resurgence of interest in corporate venturing. The problems of direct venture capital investment by corporations are enumerated and the trend towards investment in outside venture capital partnerships is explained. The conclusion drawn is that, whereas venture capital is a useful tool for corporate development, it is difficult to do internally and an outside partnership investment can serve as an alternative first step or as a supplement.