Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supported Decision-Making from Theory to Practice: Implementing the Right to Enjoy Legal Capacity

The right to equal recognition before the law, protected by Article 12 of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), mandates the use of supported decision-making practices to enable disabled people, particularly those with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, to enjoy their legal capacity. Finding ways to translate this theoretical mandate into practice poses a number of particularly challenging socio-legal issues, which this research seeks to address. The English Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) sets out a right to support with decision-making (s.1(3)), underpinned by a presumption of capacity (s.1(2)). Qualitative interviews with intellectually disabled people, their supporters, and care and support professionals were undertaken to explore how disabled people make decisions in their everyday lives, the kinds of support they need, and the strategies for supported decision-making used in practice. Analysis of these interviews suggests that a range of supported decision-making techniques have been developed in practice and are effective in supporting everyday preferences and some life choices. Paradoxically, it appears that as decisions become more complex, the support available to disabled people reduces. Specifically, much less support is available for more difficult decisions around finances, healthcare and legal matters. We argue that the reasons for this are due to a web of regulatory, social and policy issues. We conclude that implementing the right to enjoy legal capacity through supported decision-making will require a combination of regulatory reform, social change and policy amendment.
Evidence of Sea Level Acceleration at U.S. and Canadian Tide Stations, Atlantic Coast, North America

ABSTRACT Boon, J.D. , 2012. Evidence of sea level acceleration at U.S. and Canadian tide stations, Atlantic Coast, North America. Evidence of statistically significant acceleration in sea level rise relative to land is found in a recent analysis of monthly mean sea level (mmsl) at tide stations on the Atlantic coast of North America. Serial trend analysis was used at 11 U.S. Atlantic coast stations and 1 Canadian station (Halifax, Nova Scotia) with record lengths exceeding 75 years to examine change in the linear trend rate of rise over time. Deriving trend estimates that apply in the median year of fixed-length mmsl series, reversals in rate direction (increasing or decreasing) were observed around 1939–40 and again in the mid-1960s except at the northeasternmost stations in the latter period. What has not been observed until recently is a sharp reversal (in 1987) followed by a uniform, near-linear change in rise rate that infers constant acceleration at eight mid- to NE Atlantic tide stations, change not seen at SE U.S. Atlantic stations. Quadratic regression and analysis of variance applied to mmsl series over the last 43 years (1969–2011) confirms that addition of a quadratic term representing acceleration is statistically significant at 16 tide stations from Virginia to Nova Scotia. Previous quadratic model studies have focused on sea level series of longer spanning periods with variable serial trends undermining quadratic expression of either accelerating or decelerating sea level. Although the present 43-year analysis offers no proof that acceleration will be long lived, the rapidity of the nascent serial trend increase within the region of interest is unusual. Assuming constant acceleration exists and continues, the regression model projects mmsl by 2050 varying between 0.2 and 0.9 m above mean sea level (MSL) in the NE region and between −0.3 and 0.4 m above MSL in the SE region.
Spatial and temporal variability of heat, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and momentum air-sea exchange in a coastal environment

The spatial and temporal variability of heat, moisture, momentum, and CO2 turbulent fluxes in a coastal environment were assessed using simultaneous eddy correlation measurements from a tower, a boat, and an aircraft platform. The flux measurements were made using new instrument systems, including new CO2 and H2O sensors, low-flow distortion packages, and careful sensor motion correction systems. The flux tower was operated on the windward beach of Florida's Bahia Honda Key, while the boat was stationed upwind between 1 and 15 km offshore. The airplane flew transects 10 to 20 m above the ocean surface, along flight paths extending from the tower to 40 km offshore. Dissolved CO2 in the coastal waters and atmospheric CO2 concentrations were continuously measured throughout the experiment. The results indicate good agreement among the different sensing systems and demonstrate that air-to-sea trace gas, momentum, and energy flux density measurements are achievable from both a boat and an aircraft. Further, the observations emphasize the complex temporal and spatial trends possible in a coastal region. Due to the nonequilibrated boundary layer, generated by spatial trends, nearshore measurements are not representative of either the entire coastal region or of the open ocean. The observed 10 W m−2 sensible heat flux was time-invariant but did vary spatially with surface temperature, which was strongly correlated with ocean depth. The 100 to 200 W m−2 evaporative moisture flux dominated energy exchange and varied both in space and in time. No consistent diurnal variation was observed, but the spatial trend also followed surface temperature. As expected, momentum flux scaled with wind speed. CO2 exchange showed large spatial and temporal variance. Spatially, the surface temperature warmed as the shore was approached and CO2 was apparently driven off. Temporally, CO2 exchange varied greatly, as did ΔpCO2 which ranged from +50 to −100 ppm. This large variability in ΔpCO2 is thought to illustrate the importance of biological and physical processes and to explain the large CO2 fluxes observed (not always in the same direction) in this and other flux studies in nearshore conditions. Ten kilometers from shore, where the spatial and temporal variability was less, CO2 transfer velocities were of the order of 0.1 cm s−1.
Price Dispersion and Frictions in the Physical Capital Market ∗

We study the market valuation of physical capital and the frictions associated with its trading. Using a unique dataset on a panel of nonresidential structures listed for trade, we document a large degree of price differences that cannot be explained by the rich set of characteristics included in the listings. We also show that listings with high price relative to their listed characteristics have systematically higher expected returns, but longer expected durations. We analyze the empirical support for alternative theories explaining these facts and find that the data patterns are consistent with theories of frictional trading with asymmetric information in capital quality. We use this environment, together with our empirical evidence, to quantify the implications of these frictions for investment inefficiencies and misallocation.
Resource Allocation in Backhaul Constrained Small Cell Networks

Resource Allocation in Backhaul Constrained Small Cell Networks Zhe Cui Master of Applied Science Graduate Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Toronto 2015 Small cell networks have the potential to significantly increase data rates in existing cellular networks by increasing frequency reuse due to reduced transmit powers. Contrary to their large cell counterparts, small cell access points (APs) are connected to the core network via a backhaul link with limited capacity. In this thesis, we study the joint resource allocation problem of maximizing the weighted sum rate of users in small cell networks where APs are subject to finite backhaul capacity constraints. We develop a low-complexity iterative algorithm for the case of single antenna (SISO) and multiple antenna (MISO) APs that converges to a locally optimal solution of this nonconvex problem. The key innovation is the efficient use of bisection search to satisfy both power and backhaul constraints resulting in decreased complexity. Distributed and semidistributed variants of the algorithm are provided that allow trade-off between signaling overhead and performance.
Strategic Dual Sourcing as a Driver for Free Revealing of Innovation

This paper examines the role of dual sourcing (e.g., outside options) in vertical and horizontal relations. In a bilateral monopoly market, if either the upstream or downstream firm has outside options, the other firm could lose from seemingly positive shocks, e.g., market expansion or technology improvements. We extend this setting to a bilateral duopoly market in which each downstream firm has outside options and upstream firms can engage in cost reducing investments and generate technological spillovers. We find that each upstream firm has an incentive to voluntarily generate technological spillovers to its upstream rival if the downstream firms have better outside options.
Versatile Double Bandgap Photonic Crystals of High Color Saturation

Double bandgap photonic crystals (PCs) exhibit significant potential for applications in various color display-related fields. However, they show low color saturation and inadequate color modulation capabilities. This study presents a viable approach to the fabrication of double bandgap photonic inks diffracting typical secondary colors and other composite colors by simply mixing two photonic nanochains (PNCs) of different primary colors as pigments in an appropriate percentage following the conventional RGB color matching method. In this approach, the PNCs are magnetically responsive and display three primary colors that can be synthesized by combining hydrogen bond-guided and magnetic field (H)-assisted template polymerization. The as-prepared double bandgap photonic inks present high color saturation due to the fixed and narrow full-width at half-maxima of the parent PNCs with a suitable chain length. Furthermore, they can be used to easily produce a flexible double bandgap PC film by embedding the PNCs into a gel, such as polyacrylamide, facilitating fast steady display performance without the requirement of an external magnetic field. This research not only presents the unique advantages of PNCs in constructing multi-bandgap PCs but also establishes the feasibility of utilizing PNCs in practical applications within the fields of anti-counterfeiting and flexible wearable devices.
A generalized directional distance function in data envelopment analysis and its application to a cross-country measurement of health efficiency

Economic activity produces not only desirable outputs but also undesirable outputs that are usually called negative externalities in economic theory. Negative externalities are usually omitted from efficiency assessments (i.e., applications of Data Envelopment Analysis) which fail to express the true production process. In the present paper we develop a generalized directional distance function method for handling asymmetrically both desirable and undesirable outputs in the assessment process. Unlike the existing directional distance function-based approaches, the proposed method is units-invariant even in case assumptions for the direction vectors are relaxed. The new method is applied to data from national health systems of 160 countries. Desirable and undesirable outputs are incorporated to obtain a clear view of the efficiency status of the national health systems.
External Validity of Hypothetical Surveys and Laboratory Experiments

We compare the ability of three preference elicitation methods (hypothetical choices, non-hypothetical choices, and non-hypothetical rankings) and three discrete-choice econometric models (the multinomial logit, the independent availability logit, and the random parameter logit) to predict actual retail shopping behavior in three different product categories (ground beef, wheat flour, and dishwashing liquid). Overall, across all methods, we find a reasonably high level of external validity. Our results suggest that the non-hypothetical elicitation approaches, especially the non-hypothetical ranking, outperformed the hypothetical choice experiment in predicting retail sales. We also find that the random parameter logit can have superior predictive performance, but that the multinomial logit predicts equally well in some circumstances.
New insights into particle detection with superheated liquids

We report new results obtained from calibrations of superheated liquid droplet detectors used in dark matter searches with different radiation sources (n, α, γ). In particular, detectors were spiked with α-emitters located inside and outside the droplets. It is shown that the responses have different temperature thresholds, depending on whether α-particles or recoil nuclei create the signals. The measured temperature threshold for recoiling 210Pb nuclei from 214Po α-decays was found to be in agreement with test beam measurements using mono-energetic neutrons. A comparison of the threshold data with theoretical predictions shows deviations, especially at high temperatures. It is shown that signals produced simultaneously by recoil nuclei and α-particles have more acoustic energy than signals produced by one or the other separately. A model is presented that describes how the observed intensities of particle-induced acoustic signals can be related to the dynamics of bubble growth in superheated liquids. A growth scenario that is limited by the inertia of the surrounding liquid shows a trend that is supported by the data. An improved understanding of the bubble dynamics is an important first step in obtaining better discrimination between particle types interacting in detectors of this kind.
An Approximately Bayesian Delta-Rule Model Explains the Dynamics of Belief Updating in a Changing Environment

Maintaining appropriate beliefs about variables needed for effective decision making can be difficult in a dynamic environment. One key issue is the amount of influence that unexpected outcomes should have on existing beliefs. In general, outcomes that are unexpected because of a fundamental change in the environment should carry more influence than outcomes that are unexpected because of persistent environmental stochasticity. Here we use a novel task to characterize how well human subjects follow these principles under a range of conditions. We show that the influence of an outcome depends on both the error made in predicting that outcome and the number of similar outcomes experienced previously. We also show that the exact nature of these tendencies varies considerably across subjects. Finally, we show that these patterns of behavior are consistent with a computationally simple reduction of an ideal-observer model. The model adjusts the influence of newly experienced outcomes according to ongoing estimates of uncertainty and the probability of a fundamental change in the process by which outcomes are generated. A prior that quantifies the expected frequency of such environmental changes accounts for individual variability, including a positive relationship between subjective certainty and the degree to which new information influences existing beliefs. The results suggest that the brain adaptively regulates the influence of decision outcomes on existing beliefs using straightforward updating rules that take into account both recent outcomes and prior expectations about higher-order environmental structure.
Salidroside suppresses the growth and invasion of human osteosarcoma cell lines MG63 and U2OS in vitro by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway

Previous research has reported that salidroside exerts antitumor properties on numerous types of tumor cells; however, its effect on osteosarcoma cells remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of salidroside on the viability, apoptosis and invasion of osteosarcoma cells in vitro, and determine the underlying mechanism of action. The results of an MTT revealed that salidroside suppressed the viability of osteosarcoma cells (MG63 and U2OS cells) in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The results of cell morphological analysis (profile observations and Hoechst 33258 staining) and the detection of apoptosis by flow cytometry further indicated that the decrease in osteosarcoma cell viability induced by salidroside was associated with cell apoptosis. Western blot analysis not only confirmed these results but also suggested that salidroside induced the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells by activating the caspase-9-dependent apoptotic pathway. In addition, we reported that salidroside induced G0/G1 phase arrest and suppressed the invasion of osteosarcoma cells, as measured by flow cytometric cell cycle analysis and a Transwell invasion assay, respectively. Western blot analysis confirmed the aforementioned results. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated that salidroside induced the apoptosis, G0/G1 phase arrest and suppressed the invasion of osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting the janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway, as determined by western blot analysis. In summary, the findings of the present study suggested that salidroside may inhibit the progression of osteosarcoma by suppressing the growth and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Furthermore, the investigations into the underlying mechanism demonstrated that salidroside exerted notable antitumor activity in osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Debt Reduction and Automatic Stabilization

This paper presents an optimal fiscal policy response to address the basic trade-off between the automatic stabilisation properties of budgets and the long run fiscal positions. The framework is an overlapping generations model la Weil (1989), extended to account for stochastic endowments and borrowing constrained households. A benign government chooses over the optimal degree of responsiveness of net taxes to individual incomes, an optimal measure of long-run public debt, or both, in order to smooth households' consumption across states of nature. In the presence of a deficit constraint for the government, the results unambiguously point to the desire for lower debt levels than those currently prevailing in order to enable a more effective hedging of personal income uncertainty by means of more active fiscal stabilisers. Citizens in economies exhibiting more pronounced cycles will favour less automatic stabilisation combined with a more aggressive policy of debt reduction. JEL Classification: H31, H63, E63
High-resolution MR Elastography ( MRE ) reveals differences in Subcortical Gray Matter Viscoelasticity between Young and Healthy Older Adults

Volumetric structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used to determine the extent of neuronal loss in aging, indicated by cerebral atrophy. The brain, however, exhibits other biophysical characteristics such as mechanical properties, which can be quantified with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). MRE is an emerging noninvasive imaging technique for measuring viscoelastic tissue properties, proven to be sensitive metrics of neural tissue integrity, as described by shear stiffness, m and damping ratio, x parameters. The study objective was to evaluate global and regional MRE parameter differences between young (19e30 years, n 1⁄4 12) and healthy older adults (66e73 years, n 1⁄4 12) and to assess whether MRE measures provide additive value over volumetric magnetic resonance imaging measurements. We investigated the viscoelasticity of the global cerebrum and 6 regions of interest (ROIs) including the amygdala, hippocampus, caudate, pallidum, putamen, and thalamus. In older adults, we found a decrease in m in all ROIs, except for the hippocampus, indicating widespread brain softening; an effect that remained significant after controlling for ROI volume. In contrast, the relative viscous-toelastic behavior of the brain x did not differ between age groups, suggesting a preservation of the organization of the tissue microstructure. These data support the use of MRE as a novel imaging biomarker for characterizing age-related differences to neural tissue not captured by volumetric imaging alone. 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
From mental strain to burnout

This study examines the relationships between burnout and short-term consequences of mental strain within and outside human services professions, at the same time contributing to the understanding of the development of burnout as a long-term effect of impairing work and job design. A total of 294 German employees working in human services (N=149) and industrial production (N=145) completed the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and four scales measuring short-term consequences of mental strain. Results of factor analyses confirmed that the elements of the OLBI's two-factor structure-exhaustion and disengagement-are distinct from a range of impairing short-term consequences of mental strain. In addition, structural equation modelling showed that each burnout dimension is differentially related to specific short-term consequences of strain: Exhaustion is primarily related to mental fatigue, whereas disengagement is primarily related to satiation and the experience of monotony. The findings did not differ substantially for the two occupational groups. Burnout, as a long-term consequence of impairing mental strain, is distinct from and presumably temporally-causally related to specific impairing short-term consequences of mental strain, which, in turn, can be attributed to inadequate job design.
Selective Asymmetric Capital Financing Behavior: Preference Towards Equity Financing

Using data from 1,217 publicly traded Chinese companies from 1994–2006, we show that the capital financing behavior of Chinese firms deviates substantially from the pecking order theory in that equity issues are always the preferred financing source for funding requirements. We further document the existence of a stylized asymmetric financing pattern — equity issues are used much more heavily over debt issues under the condition of a fund flow surplus versus a fund flow deficit, which is the result of Chinese firms selecting the degree of inherent equity-issue preference feasible to pursue given their fund flow condition.