Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring the Stimulated Release of Dopamine with In Vivo Voltammetry. II: Clearance of Released Dopamine from Extracellular Fluid

Abstract: Microvoltammetric electrodes implanted in the caudate nucleus of the anesthetized rat have been used to monitor dopamine released following electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle. These electrodes are fabricated from unmodified carbon fibers and have been used with normal pulse voltammetry. Dopamine appears in the vicinity of the electrode when the stimulation is initiated, and disappears almost immediately when the stimulation is terminated. The data suggest that the effective diffusion distance is < 100 μm. Postmortem analysis using liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection shows that dopamine released in this manner is metabolized to 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC); however, neither substance is observed electrochemically in the extracellular fluid within seconds after the stimulation. In addition, inhibitors of neuronal uptake of dopamine, amphetamine (1.8 or 15 mg · kg−1) or benztropine (25 mg · kg−1), or of dopamine metabolism, pargyline (150 mg · kg−1) or tropolone (100 mg · kg−1), do not significantly affect the rate at which dopamine disappears from extracellular fluid, although they can affect the amount released. These results suggest that dopamine cannot freely diffuse in the extracellular fluid because an extraneuronal uptake mechanism exists that clears dopamine from extracellular fluid into an extraneuronal pool where metabolism to 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid occurs. Dopamine can be observed during electrical stimulation of the ascending fibers because neuronal and extraneuronal uptake systems are unable to remove dopamine on these short time scales.
Typology of phishing email victims based on their behavioural response

A victim of phishing emails could be subjected to money loss and identity theft. This paper investigates the different types of phishing email victims, with the goal of increasing such victims' defences. To obtain this kind of information, an experiment which involves sending a phishing email to participants is conducted. Quantitative and qualitative methods are also used to collect users' information. A model for detecting deception has been employed to understand victims' behaviour. This paper reports the qualitative results. The findings suggest that victims of phishing emails do not always exhibit the same vulnerability. The cause of being a victim is a result of three weaknesses in the detection process: (1) lack of knowledge; (2) weak confirmation channel, and; (3) victims' high propensity towards risk-taking. Therefore, it is suggested that users be provided with suitable confirmation channels and be more risk averse in their behaviour so that they would not fall victim to phishing emails.
THE PRINCIPLE OF EXERCISING OPTIONS ON THE ELECTRICITY MARKET

Continual price ﬂ uctuations are possible to hedge by using various ﬁ nancial instruments, including options. An option buyer buys the right to the settlement price of an underlying asset such as electricity. Due to the volatility of the asset price, the buyer is not obliged to exercise the option. In such a case, the buyer’s only loss is the purchased right or the option premium, which is equal to the option price. Mathematical models for option pricing have been developed in the last hundred years. These models were very popular during the 1970s, owing to the application of the Black-Scholes formula for the calculation of theoretical option prices. In this article, options are distinguished according to various criteria, speciﬁ c exercising methods are described and the historical development of option pricing models is reviewed. An example of option exercising with closing out of the margins on the largest Middle European electricity exchange, EEX, is presented.
Material Characterization of Dual-Energy Computed Tomographic Data Using Polar Coordinates

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new dual-energy computed tomographic postprocessing approach on the basis of the transformation of dual-energy radiodensity data into polar coordinates. Given 2 corresponding dual-energy computed tomographic images, the attenuation data D(U1), D(U2) in Hounsfield units of both tube voltages (U1,U2) were transformed for each voxel to polar coordinates: r (distance to the radiodensity coordinate origin) is an approximate measure of electron density and &phgr; (angle to the abscissa) differentiates between materials.
Herpetic Infection in Epidermolysis Bullosa

Abstract: Patients with various forms of epidermolysis bullosa have fragile skin which can act as a breeding ground for multiple microbial agents. Standard wound care practices advocate the use of special dressings on open erosions as well as antibiotic topical medications to treat and prevent cutaneous infections. We report a child with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa admitted to our institution because of fevers at home. She was treated with multiple antibiotics for a cutaneous infection of the right hand. During her hospital stay, she sustained persistent fevers, and oral erosions developed, with progressive hemorrhagic crusting. Viral culture of the lip grew herpes simplex virus type 1, consistent with a diagnosis of herpetic gingivostomatitis. We present this patient to illustrate the importance of investigating wounds of epidermolysis bullosa patients for viral agents when faced with managing a child with an unclear source of fever. To the best of our knowledge, although this is the first report of herpetic gingivostomatitis in association with epidermolysis bullosa, it is likely to be more prevalent than the literature could suggest.
Transpositional Periacetabular Osteotomy with Allografting in Patients with Severe Dysplasia: Mid-Term Results

Aim The purpose of this study was to analyse the extent of surgical correction and the early clinical results obtained using periacetabular osteotomy with allogenic bone grafting in patients with severe acetabular dysplasia. Methods 44 hips in 38 patients were confirmed to have severe acetabular dysplasia and underwent this procedure. The mean follow-up period was 4.2 (range 1.5-8.2) years. Severe acetabular dysplasia was defined as a centre-edge angle less than 0°, an acetabular-head index less than 50% and an acetabular roof obliquity greater than 30°. Periacetabular osteotomy was performed with transpositional osteotomy of the acetabulum. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the radiographic appearance: 34 hips in the early stage group and 10 hips in the advanced stage group. Postoperatively, the hips were radiographically assessed for dysplasia correction. The clinical results and hip function were measured using the Harris Hip Score. Results The average pre-operative Harris Hip Score improved from 70 to 91 points at the latest follow-up. The average centre-edge angle, acetabular-head index and acetabular roof obliquity improved from −9° to 36°, 41% to 91% and 31° to 2°, respectively. Continuity of the Shenton line improved from 15 to 35 hips. No instances of nonunion or of transported segment collapse were encountered in this series; however, a grafted allogenic bone was absorbed in 1 case. Conclusions The usage of allogenic bone grafting combined with periacetabular osteotomy is an effective technique for treating severe acetabular dysplasia. In this series, the early clinical and radiographic results were excellent.
An application of linear response learning

Linear response is an approximation method for Boltzmann machines based on mean field theory. It is known that in the absence of hidden units this method can learn the network quite accurately with the costs of only one matrix inversion. We show that adding a flat distribution to the target can decrease the classification error. We apply linear response learning to a real world data set of digit recognition. We show that the this method can compete with other known methods. An advantage of linear response is the fast learning. 1 Introd uction Boltzmann machines are networks of stochastic binary variables (neurons) . All neurons Si are linked to each other with symmetric weights Wij = Wji. Due to this symmetry the probability distribution is given by the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution which is a known function of the weights and thresholds of the network [1] . Since the exact computation of the statistics is intractable, one has to make an approx­ imation. A well known approach to deal with this intractability was given by Peterson and Anderson [2] and is called 'mean field'. This method can be seen as a first order expansion around a tractable network, for which usually a decoupled network is used, but other struc­ tures are possible [3]. Kappen and Rodrfguez present in [4] a nice way to obtain a better approximation for the correlations in the network which is still based on the mean field approximation. Additionally, in the absence of hidden units, their so called 'linear response method' allows fast approximate learning. In this paper we learn ten Boltzmann machines with linear response and use them to solve an existing problem of digit recognition. We compare the performance with other known methods. 'Foundation for Neural Networks tReat World Computing Partnership
Packer: Minimizing multi-resource fragmentation and performance interference in datacenters

Cloud applications perform rich and complex tasks, with time-varying demands for multiple types of resources (CPU, memory, disk I/O and network). However, multi-resource allocation is APX-Hard and, consequently, providers simplify it by (i) allocating computing resources according to slots (which leads to fragmentation); and (ii) allowing the network to be shared in a best-effort manner (which leads to performance interference among applications). Recent efforts cannot minimize multi-resource fragmentation and, at the same time, provide guaranteed network performance. In this paper, we introduce Packer, a scheme that aims at minimizing multi-resource fragmentation and providing predictable and guaranteed network performance with work-conservation. Packer employs a novel allocation strategy that (a) extends previous heuristics developed for multi-dimensional bin packing; and (b) uses as input a new abstraction, called Time-Interleaved Multi-Resource Abstraction (TI-MRA), for specifying temporal multi-resource requirements of applications. It also leverages Software-Defined Networking to dynamically enforce bandwidth guarantees and to provide work-conserving sharing. Since Packer brings more benefits if temporal requirements are specified, it is better suited for applications that present a predefined behavior, repeatedly running the same type of tasks with similar input sizes and data sets (such as PageRank and traffic analysis). Results show that, in comparison to the state-of-the-art, acceptance ratio is increased, datacenter utilization is improved (i.e., fragmentation is minimized), provider revenue is augmented and applications achieve predictable and guaranteed network performance with work-conservation, with the cost of taking more (yet acceptable) time to allocate applications.
Coefficient estimation of the energy functional area term

Many applications of computer vision, such as variation frameworks, operate using level set methods which require some unknown parameters to be chosen before evolution of the level set function. In general, the parameters should be estimated using provided data, however, in some cases, it can be defined empirically. The present work focuses on estimation of the coefficient in the energy functional that computes a weighted area of the region inside the contour and speeds up its motion toward the object boundaries. The paper discusses a new approach for the coefficient estimation comprised the image features such as mean and variance values of pixel intensities and image gradients. The advantages of the precise estimation of this parameter are following: (1) the convergence of the evaluation process is getting faster if the value of the coefficient in the weighted area term is higher that, therefore, may speed up the curve evolution; (2) the contour may pass through the object boundary in some lower contrast images if the coefficient is too large, thus the calculation of the coefficient may avoid this effect called boundary leakage. The provided result shows that the suggested approach on parameter estimation can increase the speed and quality of the convergence driving the motion of the zero level curve in images with different contrast.
The study of corporate risk disclosure in the case of Thai listed companies

In this age of globalization, firms are automatically put into a more vulnerable position to risks. This affects both business operation of the firms and decision making process of stakeholders. Therefore, risk management and risk reporting is gaining more interest from business, as well as academic community. In this paper, a developing Asian country, Thailand, is selected as a country of focus. The study composed of two parts. The first part is a review of accounting standards development and actual reporting practices in Thailand and other selected countries. It is found that standard development of Thailand, like other Asian countries, tends to follow the trend of international standard setting. Since Thailand is trying to gain its place in the world competition level, it may hardly be develop its own set of reporting standards regardless of international trend. The part of empirical study then proceeds in performing content analysis on the sample of 30 annual reports of Thai listed companies. It is found that company size and level of company’s risk potentially affect volume of risk disclosures in a positive ways. Firms in financial industry also seem to disclose more risk information than non-financial firms. Empirical result further uncovers specific areas on Thai risk reporting that improvement is needed, which are neutrality of disclosures, i.e., readers may need more specific disclosures that can inform them about potentiality in good or bad state of the event. More disclosures on future risks also likely enhance decision making of stakeholders. Existing level of monetary risks and financial risks is comparatively low. The tone of risks are found to be mostly positive, confirming the attribution theory that directors normally make disclose good news more than bad news.
Block Trades and Market Liquidity on Euronext Paris

This paper analyzes block trades (the upstairs market) on Euronext Paris. Previous studies concentrated on price effects and trading costs of block trades. We add to the literature by investigating liquidity effects around block trades with the perspective of market fragmentation. On the cross-sectional dimension, we show that stocks that have an active upstairs market are more liquid and have a larger trading volume on the downstairs market, compared to other stocks. We analyze the time-series dimension using panel vector autoregression with daily measures of trading activity and liquidity. We find that over time, low liquidity on the main market does not induce investors to route their orders to the upstairs market. The results show that the upstairs market is not a substitute for the downstairs market, but is a complement. Overall, the findings contradict the cream-skimming hypothesis in favor of the risk sharing hypothesis.
Determinants of financial inclusion in Mexico based on the 2012 National Financial Inclusion Survey (ENIF)

Even though 97% of the population in Mexico has at least one access point into the financial system, only 38% has some sort of saving or credit product in a formal financial institution. These figures show the insufficient use of the formal financial system and highlight the importance of analysing the determinant factors for financial inclusion in Mexico in more depth. This paper explores the factors determining financial inclusion in Mexico from the demand side, based on information from the 2012 National Financial Inclusion Survey (ENIF in the Spanish acronym). In order to identify the relevant factors, we have built financial inclusion indicators using the multiple correspondences method of analysis, taking into account whether people have credit and savings products, whether jointly (Aggregate Indicator) or individually (Savings Indicator and Credit Indicator). Using a non-linear regression analysis we endeavour to explain the factors influencing financial inclusion, bearing in mind not only whether people are banked, but also the possession of a set of formal financial products. In addition, we carry out the same analysis for the sub-group in the informal labour market, the sector of the population which generally suffers most financial exclusion. The results obtained for a range of financial inclusion indicators, both for the total population and for workers in informal sectors, show the need for making detailed analyses in order to encourage more participation in the formal financial system, by designing specific public policies for each population group depending on their socio-economic circumstances and geographical location.
Impacts of Financial Development and Operating Scale on Bank Efficiencies in Taiwan

This paper adopts a two-stage data envelopment analysis to explore the impacts of financial development and bank operating scale on bank efficiencies. The sample comprises unbalanced panel data of 32 Taiwanese listed domestic commercial banks over the period 1998 to 2013. Empirical results show that pure technical efficiency is positively related to financial development, whereas the effect of financial development on scale efficiency is insignificant. Enlargement of bank operating scale improves bank efficiencies, but the efficiency gains are decreased gradually when the scale increases. Increases in capital adequacy ratio and market power of loans lead into a growth of bank efficiencies. Keywords—Financial development, Operating scale, Efficiency, DEA.
PERMANENT GENETIC RESOURCES: Development of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the endangered Topeka shiner, Notropis topeka

We have developed a set of eight polymorphic microsatellite markers for the endangered Topeka shiner, Notropis topeka. Allelic diversity at each of these loci was assessed in a single isolated population from eastern South Dakota, USA. The allelic diversity ranged from four to 15 alleles. These are the first microsatellite markers to be reported for this species. These markers are being used in a more thorough study of the population structure throughout the remaining range of this species.
Dynamic process modelling for business engineering and information systems evaluation

This research is concerned with the pre-implementation evaluation of investments in Information Systems (IS). IS evaluation is important as organisations need to assess the financial justifiability of business change proposals that include (but usually are not limited to) the introduction of IS applications. More specifically, this research addresses the problem of benefits assessment within IS evaluation. We contend that benefits assessment should not be performed at the level of the IS application, as most extant evaluation methods advocate. Instead, to study the dynamics and the interactions of the IS applications with their surrounding environment, we propose to adopt the business process as the analytic lens of evaluation and to assess the impacts of IS on organisational, rather than on technical, performance indicators. Drawing on these propositions, this research investigates the potential of dynamic process modelling (via discrete-event simulation) as a facilitator of IS evaluation. We argue that, in order to be effective evaluation tools, business process models should be able to explicitly incorporate the effects of IS introduction on business performance, an issue that is found to be under-researched in previous literature. The above findings serve as the central theme for the development of a design theory of IS evaluation by simulation. The theory provides prescriptive elements that refer both to the design products of the evaluation and the design process by which these products can come into reality. The theory draws on a set of kernel theories from the business engineering domain and proposes a set of meta-requirements that should be satisfied by business process models, a meta-design structure that meets these requirements, and a design method that provides guidance in applying the theoretical propositions in practice. The design theory is developed and empirically tested by means of two real-life case studies. The first study is used to complement the findings of a literature review and to drive the development of the design theory's components, while the second study is employed to validate and further enhance the theory's propositions. The research results support the arguments for simulation-assisted IS evaluation and demonstrate the contribution of the design theory to the field.
Founding Entrepreneurs' Characteristics: Impacts on New Ventures’ Internationalization

One of the main challenges for scholars studying micro-level international expansion is to identify new proxies for firm-specific advantages (FSAs), in lieu of - or in addition to - strengths in R&D/patents and advertising/brand names, and to predict which firms are most likely to engage earlier than other ones in economic activities abroad. We investigate the propensity of new venture firms to internationalize, thereby becoming international new ventures (INVs). We suggest that particular founding entrepreneurs’ characteristics can function as FSAs supporting early internationalization. We empirically test our new conceptual approach using Kauffman firm-level survey data, thereby including 4,928 U.S.-based new businesses founded in 2004. Our results show that three parameters, namely the education level of INV owners, their status/experience as immigrants, and the number of other businesses they started, are closely linked to early new venture internationalization, and can be usefully interpreted as INV FSAs. Recognizing these new types of FSAs confirms internalization theory as the core theory in international business and entrepreneurship studies.
Post-Earnings Announcement Drift: Evidence from the Corporate Bond Market

This study examines the bond pricing behaviour over a 30-day interval subsequent to earnings announcements in the sample period of 2002 – 2010. Our results report a significant and positive relation between bond returns and earnings surprises over the 30-day post-earnings announcement period. In addition, we find that this post-earnings announcement drift is mainly driven by negative earnings news. Bond prices do not exhibit a significant response to positive earnings news. This evidence is consistent with the bond asymmetric payoff function according to Black and Scholes (1973). Furthermore, we examine the impact of bond riskiness on bond price reaction to earnings announcements. We find evidence of a stronger reaction from riskier (speculative-grade) bonds to earnings announcements over the 60-day interval.