Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Large are the Coinsurance Benefits of Mergers?

Using a structural model, I estimate the value gain from coinsurance when two firms merge. For most mergers, the estimated gains from coinsurance are small, smaller than the counterfactual gains if firms were to merge randomly, suggesting that coinsurance is not the primary motivation for most mergers. Diversifying mergers produce no higher coinsurance than related mergers. Target leverage and relative size predict coinsurance better than cash flow correlation. The cumulative abnormal return around merger announcement increases 0.89% for every 1% estimated value gain from coinsurance, suggesting that stockholders benefit from coinsurance, contrary to a common claim in textbooks.
Dynamic Traffic Regulation in NoC-Based Systems

In network-on-chip (NoC)-based systems, performance enhancement has primarily focused on the network itself, with little attention paid on controlling traffic injection at the network boundary. This is unsatisfactory because traffic may be over injected, aggravating congestion, and lowering performance. Recently, traffic regulation is proposed as an orthogonal means for performance improvement. Rather than as soon as possible admission, traffic regulation may hold back packet injection by admitting packets into the network only when the accumulated traffic volume at any time interval does not exceed a threshold. These regulation techniques are, however, often static, likely causing overregulation and underregulation. We propose dynamic traffic regulation to improve the system performance for NoC-based multi/many-processor systems-on-chip (MPSoC) and chip multi/many-core processor (CMP) designs. It can be applied to MPSoCs for intellectual property integration in an open-loop fashion by injecting traffic according to its run-time profiled characteristics. It can also be applied to CMPs in a closed-loop fashion by admitting traffic fully adaptive to the traffic and network states. Through extensive experiments and results, we show that both the open-loop and closed-loop dynamic regulation techniques can significantly improve the network and system performance.
Global analysis of Firing Maps

In this paper, we study the behavior of pulse- coupled integrate-and-fire oscillators. Each oscillator is char- acterized by a state evolving between two threshold values. As the state reaches the upper threshold, it is reset to the lower threshold and emits a pulse which increments by a constant value the state of every other oscillator. The behavior of the system is described by the so-called firing map: depending on the stability of the firing map, an important dichotomy characterizes the behavior of the oscillators (synchronization or clustering). The firing map is the composition of a linear map with a scalar nonlinearity. After briefly discussing the case of the scalar firing map (corresponding to two oscillators), the stability analysis is extended to the general n-dimensional firing map (for n + 1 oscillators). Different models are considered (leaky oscillators, quadratic oscillators,. . . ), with a particular emphasis on the persistence of the dichotomy in higher dimensions. I. INTRODUCTION Populations of interacting oscillators have attracted con- tinuing interest among the scientific community for the last decades. While the behavior of a single oscillator is simple, the nonlinear nature of the interactions may trigger com- plex behaviors of the whole system. Beyond their practical interest, such systems have led to numerous exciting open problems (1), (2), (3). In the present paper, we focus on systems of integrate-and- fire oscillators (4) characterized by an impulsive coupling. Although the model was first described to study pacemaker cells of the heart (5), it applies to other contexts. In particular, pulse-coupled oscillators are used to simulate neurons (6). The seminal work of Mirollo and Strogatz (7) reduces the analysis of n + 1 coupled integrate-and-fire oscillators to the analysis of the firing map, a map describing the n phase differences at successive firing times. The n + 1- dimensional firing map has a very special structure: it is the composition of a linear (isometric) map and a nonlinear map deriving from the corresponding scalar firing map defined over the phase interval (0, 1). The latter can be analytically computed from the scalar differential equation modeling the (integrating) behavior of a single phase oscillator.
Multi-Recursive Constraint Demotion

A signi cant source of di culty in language learning is the presumed \incompleteness" of the overt information available to a language learner, termed here an `overt form', when they hear an utterance. The complete structural description assigned to an utterance by linguistic analysis includes representational elements not directly apparent in the overt form, but which play a critical role in linguistic theory. Because the central principles of linguistic theory, including those determining the space of possible human grammars, make reference to these elements of `hidden structure', recovering them is necessary if the overt data are to be brought to bear on the task of determining the correct grammar. Hidden structure, although not directly perceivable, need not be a great di culty if it can easily be reconstructed based upon the overt form. Hidden structure becomes a problem when the overt form is ambiguous. If a given overt form is consistent with two or more di erent full structural descriptions, then the correct structural description cannot be determined from the information in that overt form alone. Presumably, other data, from other overt forms, is necessary to determine the correct structural description. In Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky, 1993), learning a grammar means nding a correct ranking for the universal constraints. The learner, given a collection overt forms (presumed to be the overt re exes of grammatical utterances), must arrive at a ranking of the constraints such that, for each overt form, there is a matching structural description which is optimal for some input under that ranking. Tesar and Smolensky (Tesar and Smolensky, to appear) have demonstrated that, given the correct full structural descriptions, a constraint ranking can be determined e ciently which makes all of those structural descriptions optimal. Thus, if the problem of hidden structure can be overcome, constraint rankings can be learned. Recent work by Tesar on language learning in Optimality Theory has used an iterative strategy to approach the problem of determining hidden structure (Tesar, to appear) (Tesar, 1997). The strategy processes overt forms in serial fashion, one at a time. One notable property of that work is that, when the processing of an overt form is complete, the procedure retains as information only a single hypothesized constraint hierarchy. Upon receipt of an overt form, the algorithm modi es its hypothesized constraint ranking as necessary to accommodate the overt form, but then retains only the resulting constraint hierarchy as information when moving on to the next overt form. This behavior is standard practice in what is known as the \language learnability in the limit" framework(Gold, 1967). One motivation for this type of limitation is to avoid learning procedures which remember an unbounded number of utterances. However, limiting the
A new 7L-PUC multi-cells modular multilevel converter for AC-AC and AC-DC applications

In this paper, a new cell based Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) for AC-AC and AC-DC applications is presented. The new topology makes use of an efficient Packed U-Cells (PUC) structure to form the Multi-Cells Modular Multilevel Converters (M3C). It is a member of MMC root family, with extended operational capability covering therefore AC-AC and AC-DC modes of operation. A dynamic model of the PUC and the single phase M3C will be used along with predictive control method to validate the effectiveness of different operation modes of the converter.
Mutation of the surface‐exposed amino acid Trp2313 to Ala in the FVIII C2 domain results in defective secretion of the otherwise functional protein

The C2 domain of factor VIII (FVIII) is important for FVIII–phospholipid (PL) and FVIII–von Willebrand factor (VWF) interactions. A FVIII structural model, derived by electron crystallography, suggests four hydrophobic loops at the FVIII C2 domain–PL interface. Within loop four, the solvent‐exposed amino acid, Trp2313, is believed to contribute to FVIII–PL binding. To analyse this interaction, the amino‐acid exchange Trp2313 to Ala (W2313A) was introduced into the C2 domain of B‐domain‐deleted FVIII (dBFVIII). Both proteins, dBFVIII and W2313A, were expressed in a mammalian expression system. Labelling experiments showed that the mutation W2313A resulted in reduced secretion but did not affect intracellular synthesis of the protein. Specific activity, kinetic parameters, binding to VWF and haemostatic potential in a murine model of haemophilia A were found to be similar for both proteins. Binding studies to synthetic 4% phosphatidyl‐l‐serine vesicles showed, however, a 28‐fold higher KD for W2313A, indicating the important role of Trp2313 in the FVIII–PL interaction. In conclusion, the C2‐domain‐surface‐exposed residue Trp2313, is critical for secretion of the protein. The W2313A mutation weakens binding to phosphatidyl‐l‐serine vesicles but the mutant protein has the same effector function as dBFVIII in vitro and in vivo.
Solution-state structure of a DNA dodecamer duplex containing a Cis-syn thymine cyclobutane dimer, the major UV photoproduct of DNA.

The solution structures of a duplex DNA dodecamer containing a cis-syn cyclobutane thymine dimer d(GCACGAAT[cs]TAAG). d(CTTAATTCG TGC) and its native parent sequence were determined using NMR data collected at 750 MHz. The dodecamer sequence corresponds to the section of a site-specific cis-syn dimer containing 49-mer that was found to be the binding site for the dimer-specific T4 denV endonuclease V repair enzyme by chemical and enzymatic footprinting experiments. Structures of both sequences were derived from NOE restrained molecular dynamics/simulated annealing calculations using a fixed outer layer of water and an inner dynamic layer of water with sodium counterions. The resulting structures reveal a subtle distortion to the phosphodiester backbone in the dimer-containing sequence which includes a BII phosphate at the T9pA10 junction immediately 3' to the dimer. The BII phosphate, established experimentally by analysis of the 31P chemical shifts and interpretation of the 3JP-H3' values using an optimized Karplus relationship, enables the DNA helix to accommodate the dimer by destacking the base 3' to the dimer. Furthermore, the structures provide explanations for the unusually shifted T8-N3H imino, A16-H2 and T8-Me proton resonances and T9pA10 (31)P NMR resonance and are consistent with bending, unwinding, and thermodynamic data. The implications of the structural data for the mechanism by which cis-syn dimers are recognized by repair enzymes and bypassed by DNA polymerases are also discussed.
At the Bench: Helicobacter pylori, dysregulated host responses, DNA damage, and gastric cancer

Helicobacter pylori infection is the strongest known risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. Given that ∼50% of the global population is infected with this pathogen, there is great impetus to elucidate underlying causes that mediate progression from infection to cancer. Recent evidence suggests that H. pylori‐induced chronic inflammation and oxidative stress create an environment conducive to DNA damage and tissue injury. DNA damage leads to genetic instability and eventually, neoplastic transformation. Pathogen‐encoded virulence factors induce a robust but futile immune response and alter host pathways that lower the threshold for carcinogenesis, including DNA damage repair, polyamine synthesis and catabolism, antioxidant responses, and cytokine production. Collectively, such dysregulation creates a protumorigenic microenvironment within the stomach. This review seeks to address each of these aspects of H. pylori infection and to call attention to areas of particular interest within this field of research. This review also seeks to prioritize areas of translational research related to H. pylori‐induced gastric cancer based on insights garnered from basic research in this field. See related review by Dalal and Moss, At the Bedside: H. pylori, dysregulated host responses, DNA damage, and gastric cancer.
X-ray and optical counterparts of hard X-ray selected sources from the SHEEP survey: first results

We present follow-up observations of five hard X-ray sources from the ASCA 5-10 keV Search for the High Energy Extragalactic Population (SHEEP) survey, which has a limiting flux of ∼ 10 -13 erg cm -2 s -1 . Chandra data have been obtained to improve the X-ray positions from a few arcmin to < 1 arcsec, which allows unambiguous optical identification. While the objects almost certainly house active galactic nuclei (AGNs) based on their X-ray luminosity, optical spectroscopy reveals a variety of properties. The identifications indicate that the SHEEP survey samples the same populations as deeper surveys which probe the origin of the X-ray background, but because the SHEEP sources are far brighter, they are more amenable to detailed follow-up work. We find a variety of classifications and properties, including a type II quasi-stellar object (QSO), a galaxy undergoing star formation and a broad-line AGN which has a very hard X-ray spectrum, indicating substantial absorption in the X-ray but none in the optical. Two objects have X-ray/optical flux ratios which, were they at an X-ray flux level typical of objects in Chandra deep surveys, would place them in the 'optically faint' category. They are both identified with broad line QSOs at z ∼ 1. Clearly, this survey - which is relatively unbiased against obscured objects - is revealing a set of remarkable objects quite different to the familiar classes of AGNs found in previous optical and soft X-ray surveys.
Lecture # 06 : Edge Detection

This lecture covers edge detection, Hough transformations, and RANSAC. The detection of edges provides meaningful semantic information that facilitate the understanding of an image. This can help analyzing the shape of elements, extracting image features, and understanding changes in the properties of depicted scenes such as discontinuity in depth, type of material, and illumination, to name a few. We will explore the application of Sobel and Canny edge detection techniques. The next section introduces the Hough transform, used for the detection of parametric models in images;for example, the detection of linear lines, defined by two parameters, is made possible by the Hough transform. Furthermore, this technique can be generalized to detect other shapes (e.g., circles). However, as we will see, the use of Hough transform is not effective in fitting models with a high number of parameters. To address this model fitting problem, the random sampling consensus (RANSAC) is introduced in the last section; this non-deterministic approach repeatedly samples subsets of data, uses them to fit the model, and classifies the remaining data points as "inliers" or "outliers" depending on how well they can be explained by the fitted model (i.e., their proximity to the model). The result is used for a final selection of data points used in achieving the final model fit. A general comparison of RANSAC and Hough transform is also provided in the last section.
Probabilistic Visitor Stitching on Cross-Device Web Logs

Personalization -- the customization of experiences, interfaces, and content to individual users -- has catalyzed user growth and engagement for many web services. A critical prerequisite to personalization is establishing user identity. However the variety of devices, including mobile phones, appliances, and smart watches, from which users access web services from both anonymous and logged-in sessions poses a significant obstacle to user identification. The resulting entity resolution task of establishing user identity across devices and sessions is commonly referred to as ``visitor stitching. '' We introduce a general, probabilistic approach to visitor stitching using features and attributes commonly contained in web logs. Using web logs from two real-world corporate websites, we motivate the need for probabilistic models by quantifying the difficulties posed by noise, ambiguity, and missing information in deployment. Next, we introduce our approach using probabilistic soft logic (PSL), a statistical relational learning framework capable of capturing similarities across many sessions and enforcing transitivity. We present a detailed description of model features and design choices relevant to the visitor stitching problem. Finally, we evaluate our PSL model on binary classification performance for two real-world visitor stitching datasets. Our model demonstrates significantly better performance than several state-of-the-art classifiers, and we show how this advantage results from collective reasoning across sessions.
Distribution of Introns in Fungal Histone Genes

Saccharomycotina and Taphrinomycotina lack intron in their histone genes, except for an intron in one of histone H4 genes of Yarrowia lipolytica. On the other hand, Basidiomycota and Perizomycotina have introns in their histone genes. We compared the distributions of 81, 47, 79, and 98 introns in the fungal histone H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 genes, respectively. Based on the multiple alignments of the amino acid sequences of histones, we identified 19, 13, 31, and 22 intron insertion sites in the histone H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 genes, respectively. Surprisingly only one hot spot of introns in the histone H2A gene is shared between Basidiomycota and Perizomycotina, suggesting that most of introns of Basidiomycota and Perizomycotina were acquired independently. Our findings suggest that the common ancestor of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota maybe had a few introns in the histone genes. In the course of fungal evolution, Saccharomycotina and Taphrinomycotina lost the histone introns; Basidiomycota and Perizomycotina acquired other introns independently. In addition, most of the introns have sequence similarity among introns of phylogenetically close species, strongly suggesting that horizontal intron transfer events between phylogenetically distant species have not occurred recently in the fungal histone genes.
Thermo-mechanical simulations of a copper-to-copper direct bonded 3D TSV chip package interaction test vehicle

Through-silicon via (TSV) technology has the potential to overcome existing limitations of miniaturization and to increase the performance of electronic devices. However, the interface between the solder and copper via has introduced some reliability issues. In contrast to conventional solder-based interconnects, Cu-Cu direct thermo-compression bonding (CuDB) presents an alternative to enable 3D package integration. Direct copper bonding has many advantages, including a reduction in soldering process steps, fine interconnect density, enhanced thermal conductivity, and less concern about intermetallic compounds (IMC) formation. To study the reliability of a device using direct copper bonding, a parametric study based on thermo-mechanical simulations is conducted to evaluate the design of a 3D test vehicle with direct copper bonding. Sub-modeling and lumped parameter methods are employed to account for the large differences in scale from the TSV level to the package level. Thermal simulations are performed for various package and heat source configurations using both finite element analysis and compact thermal models. Parameters of interest include TSV density, heater locations, power density and number of active layers. These thermal simulations yield global temperature distributions, as well as junction temperatures and the locations and magnitudes of hotspots. From the thermal modeling, temperature distributions and their corresponding temperature gradients are used in the mechanical analysis of the structures using finite element analysis for both linear and nonlinear constitutive behavior. The contact method is implemented to account for brittle layers of SiO2 at the CuDB interfaces. Induced stress at the CuDB interfaces and warpage of the full model are analyzed with respect to the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch and applied thermal gradients. In addition, effects of design parameters such as die thickness, TSV pitch, and copper pad size are quantified with respect to the thermal performance and reliability of the package.
An analysis of manoeuvring in dense crowds

In high-density crowds, one can observe torso twists; people rotate their upper body to decrease their width perpendicular to the motion path, in order to squeeze through narrow spaces between other crowd members. In this paper we investigate such behaviour, by recording and analysing dense crowds. Apart from the common approach, where only the position of each person in the crowd is recorded, we also record and analyse the torso orientations. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been done before in the context of dense crowds. We show that the paths chosen by the participants can be predicted by Generalized Voronoi Diagrams based on line segment representations of the participants' torsos, and attest that the medial axis of a capsule-shaped representation of the torso is a good choice for such line segments.
Cross-batch Reference Learning for Deep Classification and Retrieval

Learning feature representations for image retrieval is essential to multimedia search and mining applications. Recently, deep convolutional networks (CNNs) have gained much attention due to their impressive performance on object detection and image classification, and the feature representations learned from a large-scale generic dataset (e.g., ImageNet) can be transferred to or fine-tuned on the datasets of other domains. However, when the feature representations learned with a deep CNN are applied to image retrieval, the performance is still not as good as they are used for classification, which restricts their applicability to relevant image search. To ensure the retrieval capability of the learned feature space, we introduce a new idea called cross-batch reference (CBR) to enhance the stochastic-gradient-descent (SGD) training of CNNs. In each iteration of our training process, the network adjustment relies not only on the training samples in a single batch, but also on the information passed by the samples in the other batches. This inter-batches communication mechanism is formulated as a cross-batch retrieval process based on the mean average precision (MAP) criterion, where the relevant and irrelevant samples are encouraged to be placed on top and rear of the retrieval list, respectively. The learned feature space is not only discriminative to different classes, but the samples that are relevant to each other or of the same class are also enforced to be centralized. To maximize the cross-batch MAP, we design a loss function that is an approximated lower bound of the MAP on the feature layer of the network, which is differentiable and easier for optimization. By combining the intra-batch classification and inter-batch cross-reference losses, the learned features are effective for both classification and retrieval tasks. Experimental results on various benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.