Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two-, six-, and 12-minute walking test in respiratory disease.

SIR,-We read with interest the short report by Dr R Butland and others (29 May, p 1607) on walking tests in respiratory disease. We agree that while a 12-minute walk is a useful measure of exercise tolerance it is time consuming to perform. They attempted to shorten the test by reducing the specified time in which the patient walks from 12 to six or even two minutes. This, however, produces difficulties since, as they and others" have observed, patients usually start walking at a faster pace before settling to a remarkably constant speed. Shortening the walking time thus tends to measure the initial spurt rather than the true exercise tolerance. A much better method is to determine the patient's walking pace over a constant distance; we have found 100 m to be the optimum distance (two lengths of a 50 m corridor). Patients are instructed as for a 12-minute walk and the time taken for each 50 m is recorded. Most patients rapidly reach a constant pace, as shown by almost identical 50 m times. Time taken to walk the next 100 m is then recorded, and if required the 12-minute walking distance may be calculated. Initial results in 13 patients show a high degree of correlation between actual and calculated walking times. We are hopeful that the 100-m walk will prove the simplest, quickest, and most accurate method of producing an index of exercise tolerance in respiratory disease. ALYN MORICE T SMITHIES
Materiality in Corporate Governance: The Statement of Significant Audiences and Materiality

Materiality is an elusive, but fundamentally important concept in corporate reporting of all kinds—not only in traditional financial reporting, but in sustainability and integrated reporting as well. In the end, materiality is entity‐specific and based on judgment. Moreover, it is a judgment that should ultimately be made by a company's board of directors, which makes materiality as much a governance as a reporting issue.Whether a given ESG issue is material is in large part a function of the corporate stakeholders, or “audiences,” that the company's board of directors deems to be “significant”—that is, important to the company's ability to create value over the short, medium, and long term. The identification of such audiences—together with the time frames the board uses to evaluate the impact of the company's decisions on these audiences—provides the basis for determining the sustainability issues that corporate management must focus on for performance and reporting purposes.To help ensure that decisions about materiality receive the attention they deserve, the authors propose that corporate boards articulate their views in an annual “Statement of Significant Audiences and Materiality. ” Contrary to the prevailing belief that the fiduciary duty of the board is to place shareholders’ interests first, nothing precludes corporate boards from issuing such a statement. Recent research, including the compilation of legal memos on fiduciary duty and nonfinancial reporting for all G20 countries, makes it clear that the board's fiduciary duty is to “the corporation itself. ” In exercising this duty, directors have full discretion, under the business judgment rule and other authorities, to decide which audiences, along with the company's shareholders, should be deemed significant.
Empirical Experience and Experimental Evaluation of Open5GCore over Hypervisor and Container

One of the most important technologies for future 5G networks is to utilize Network Function Virtualization (NFV) to virtualize the network components. NFV provides flexibility, short time to market, and low cost solution to build network services, which are important features of 5G networks. Although the idea of virtualization is just being applied to cellular networks, it has been used in the community of cloud computing. There are two main virtualization techniques, hypervisor and container. In this paper, we present our practical experience of virtualizing Open5GCore, a commercial product of SDN-enabled Evolved Packet Core (EPC), over hypervisor and container. In addition to describing how to virtualize Open5GCore, we also present the experimental performance evaluation of the systems. Finally, some important lessons learned are provided.
Uncertain data cluster based on DBSCAN

Uncertain data mining has recently attracted interests from researchers due to its presence in many applications such as Global Positioning System (GPS) Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), Moving Object Tracking. This paper is researching uncertain data clustering problem, almost all the existed algorithms of uncertain data calculate expectation to express the distance of objects, so they can cluster like certain data. But they neglect the distribution of objects and consume much more running time to calculate expectation. In the paper, we propose CIR-DBSCAN, an algorithm based on a representation model of distance distribution between uncertain objects, which uses the Core Influence Rate (CIR) to extend the traditional DBSCAN algorithm in uncertain data. To evaluate its performance and accuracy, a comparison against the clustering algorithm FDBSCAN is performed using synthetic datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm CIR-DBSCAN outperforms FDBSCAN in some cases.
Fabrication of piezoelectric ceramic micro-actuator and its reliability for hard disk drives

A new U-type micro-actuator for precisely positioning a magnetic head in high-density hard disk drives was proposed and developed. The micro-actuator is composed of a U-type stainless steel substrate and two piezoelectric ceramic elements. Using a high-d/sub 31/ piezoelectric coefficient PMN-PZT ceramic plate and adopting reactive ion etching process fabricate the piezoelectric elements. Reliability against temperature was investigated to ensure the practical application to the drive products. The U-type substrate attached to each side via piezoelectric elements also was simulated by the finite-element method and practically measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer in order to testify the driving mechanics of it. The micro-actuator coupled with two piezoelectric elements featured large displacement of 0.875 /spl mu/m and high-resonance frequency over 22 kHz. The novel piezoelectric micro-actuators then possess a useful compromise performance to displacement, resonance frequency, and generative force. The results reveal that the new design concept provides a valuable alternative for multilayer piezoelectric micro-actuators.
Risk and Return--An Experimental Analysis

An investment experiment in which a real monetary profit or loss can occur is designed to test the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and the generalized CAPM (segmented market model) with ex-ante parameters. Risk and return are found to be strongly associated. While in most cases the generalized CAPM beta provides the best results, the CAPM beta (and even the individual asset's variance, being a good proxy to the generalized CAPM beta) reveals a strong positive association with mean returns. The author concludes that the risk-return equilibrium model is not dead; it is alive and doing better than previous empirical studies have revealed. Copyright 1997 by Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and the Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association.
Automatic wire modeling to explore novel FPGA architectures

Correct modeling of the FPGA architecture is a fundamental step in the design and testing of new architectures. Such modeling must include the logic components of the FPGA as well as the wires connecting these components. In recent years, researchers have been investigating tools to perform automatic modeling of FPGAs with either a fixed structure (e.g., COFFE) or even unconstrained architecture designs (e.g., FPRESSO). And, although these tools highlight the importance of intercomponent wire modeling, FPRESSO does not model wire loads due to the difficulty in determining the length of the wires without a fixed cluster structure, while COFFE approximates the wirelength by assuming a simplified topology and a predefined placement of components. In this paper, we present an automatic and generic method to not only model the intercomponent wires but also to minimize the total wirelength, by floorplanning the cluster and finding the best placement of its components. Our algorithms were integrated into FPRESSO to improve its modeling by including wire loads in its FPGA architecture modeling.
Dissection of familial correlations in hepatitis C virus (HCV) seroprevalence suggests intrafamilial viral transmission and genetic predisposition to infection

Objective: Unsafe injections and transfusions used during treatments are considered to be responsible for many cases of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in developing countries, but cannot account for a substantial proportion of present infections. The aim of the present work was to investigate familial clustering of HCV infection in a population living in a highly endemic area. Design, setting and participants: A large seroepidemiological survey was conducted on 3994 subjects (age range, 2–88 years) from 475 familial clusters in an Egyptian rural area. Epidemiological methods appropriate for the analysis of correlated data were used to estimate risk factors and familial dependences for HCV infection. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to investigate HCV strain similarities within and among families. Main outcome measures: HCV familial correlations adjusted for known risk factors, similarities between viral strains. Results: Overall HCV seroprevalence was 12.3%, increasing with age. After adjustment for relevant risk factors, highly significant intrafamilial resemblances in HCV seroprevalence were obtained between father–offspring (odds ratio (OR) = 3.4 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.8 to 6.2)), mother–offspring (OR = 3.8 (95% CI, 2.5 to 5.8)), and sibling–sibling (OR = 9.3 (95% CI, 4.9 to 17.6)), while a weaker dependence between spouses (OR = 2.2 (95% CI, 1.3 to 3.7)) was observed. Phylogenetic analysis showed greater HCV strain similarity between family members than between unrelated subjects, indicating that correlations can be explained, in part, by familial sources of virus transmission. In addition, refined dissection of correlations between first-degree relatives supported the role of host genes predisposing to HCV infection. Conclusions: Current HCV infection in endemic countries has a strong familial component explained, at least partly, by specific modes of intrafamilial viral transmission and by genetic predisposition to infection.
CONVERGENCE AND INNOVATION IN TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES: AN ASSESSMENT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE COMPLEMENTARY ASSETS AND DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES THEORIES

Most of the telecommunications service providers, TSPs, are running their businesses based on few profitable services from the eighties, despite the fact that new network technologies have already been disposed of the organization infrastructures to provide new convergent services. The introduction of new telecommunications services seems to lag behind the rate of technological innovations in network equipment and the devices of end users. Consequently, this paper investigates whether or not the internal resources configuration of the Brazilian TSPs is affecting their capacity for services innovation. Based on an evaluation of the critical assets to telecommunications services innovation, this paper concludes with a discussion about TSP organization boundaries and outsourcing strategies.
Cadmium and Lead in Grey Wolf Liver Samples: Optimisation of a Microwaveassisted Digestion Method

Abstract A microwave-assisted digestion method for the determination of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was optimised on certified reference material (CRM) (bovine liver, BCR-185R) and wolf liver samples. Different factors influencing digestion efficiency (temperature, time, composition of the digestion mixture, sample mass) were tested. Validation included linearity (up to 200 μg L-1 for Cd and Pb), detection (0.003 μg L-1 for Cd and 0.035 μg L-1 for Pb), and quantification (0.008 μg L-1 for Cd and 0.081 μg L-1 for Pb) limits. Good agreement between measured and certified values was achieved in all conditions, with recoveries ranging from 94 % to 111 % for Cd and from 95 % to 105 % for Pb. The precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was up to 3 % for Cd and 8 % for Pb. The best digestion parameters (260 °C, 30 min, 1 mL HNO3+4 mL H2O, 0.1 g of CRM) based on accuracy and precision were applied on two wolf liver samples to evaluate the need for the predigestion step (freeze-drying) and appropriate mass of the sample. Freeze-drying improved precision and minimising the tissue mass to 0.1 g reduced the matrix effect. Using these optimised digestion conditions, we determined Cd and Pb in 40 wolf livers collected in Croatia, and their medians (0.055 μg g-1 and 0.107 μg g-1, respectively) were in the range of previously reported data for the grey wolf. Sažetak KADMIJ I OLOVO U UZORCIMA VUČJE JETRE: OPTIMIZACIJA METODE RAZGRADNJE UZORAKA UZ POMOĆ MIKROVALOVA Certificirani referenti materijal (CRM) govedskih jetara (BCR-185R) i uzorci vučjih jetara koristili su se za optimizaciju metode razgradnje uzoraka prije mjerenja kadmija (Cd) i olova (Pb) masenom spektrometrijom induktivno spregnute plazme (ICP-MS). Ispitivani su različiti uvjeti koji utječu na učinkovitost razgradnje (temperatura, vrijeme, sastav otopine za razgradnju, masa uzorka). Validacijom je obuhvaćeno ispitivanje linearnosti (do 200 μg L-1 Cd/Pb), granice detekcije (0,003 μg L-1 za Cd, 0.035 μg L-1 za Pb) i kvantifikacije (0,008 μg L-1 za Cd, 0,081 μg L-1 za Pb). Postignuto je dobro slaganje izmjerenih i certificiranih vrijednosti u svim ispitivanim uvjetima uz izračunati raspon iskorištenja 94 % do 111 % za Cd i 95 % do 105 % za Pb. Najveća relativna standardna devijacija, kao mjera preciznosti, iznosila je 3 % za Cd i 8 % za Pb. Najbolji uvjeti za razgradnju (260 °C, 30 min, 1 mL HNO3+4 mL H2O, 0,2 g CRM), izabrani prema točnosti i preciznosti, primijenjeni su na uzorke vučjih jetara pri procjeni odgovarajuće mase uzorka i potrebe za uvođenjem dodatnog koraka prije razgradnje (liofilizacije). Liofilizacija poboljšava preciznost pa je preporučujemo pri pripremi uzoraka tkiva. Također, najmanja masa uzorka izabrana je ne samo zbog bolje preciznosti nego i zbog najmanjeg utjecaja matrice te potrebne količine tkiva. Medijani Cd (0,055 μg g-1) i Pb (0,107 μg g-1 mokre mase) dobiveni analizom 40 uzoraka vučjih jetara skupljenih u Hrvatskoj bili su u rasponu vrijednosti objavljenih u literaturi za sivog vuka.
Opponents and supporters of water policy change in the Netherlands and Hungary.

This paper looks at the role of individuals and the strategies that they use to bring about or oppose major policy change. Current analysis of the role that individuals or small collectives play in periods of major policy change has focussed on strategies that reinforce change and on the supporters of change. This paper adds the perspective of opponents, and asks whether they use similar strategies as those identified for supporters. Five strategies are explored: developing new ideas, building coalitions to sell ideas, using windows of opportunity, playing multiple venues and orchestrating networks. Using empirical evidence from Dutch and Hungarian water policy change, we discuss whether individuals pursued these strategies to support or oppose major policy change. Our analysis showed the significance of recognition of a new policy concept at an abstract level by responsible government actors, as well as their engagement with a credible regional coalition that can contextualise and advocate the concept regionally. The strategies of supporters were also used by opponents of water policy change. Opposition was inherent to policy change, and whether or not government actors sought to engage with opponents influenced the realisation of water policy change.
The Effects of Price Discount and Product Complementarity on Consumer Evaluations of Bundle Components

Existing research in bundling has primarily focused on consumer evaluations of a bundle as a whole. Drawing upon reference price theory and mental accounting theory, this paper investigates the effects of price discounts on consumer evaluations of the discounted product in a bundle. It examines how these effects interplay with complementarity of bundle components. The results of three experimental studies indicate that bundle price discounts hurt consumer evaluations of the discounted bundle component, and complementarity of bundle components attenuates these negative effects by altering a consumer's selection of mental accounts in the evaluation process.
Accuracy of three-dimensional echocardiography with unrestricted selection of imaging planes for measurement of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND Accurate, reproducible, noninvasive determination of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) is important for clinical assessment, risk stratification, selection of therapy, and serial monitoring of patients with cardiovascular disease. Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) approaches have demonstrated significantly greater accuracy than current clinical 2DE, but the clinical utility of 3DE has been limited because of the need for substantial modifications to scanning technique (eg, all image acquisition from a single acoustic window) or cumbersome additional hardware. We describe a novel 3DE system without these limitations and its application to patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-five patients were examined by 3DE, 2DE, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The 3DE system used a magnetic scanhead tracking device, and volumes were computed with a novel deformable shell model. End-diastolic volumes and EF by MRI ranged from 96 to 375 mL and 18% to 73%, respectively. There was excellent correlation, without statistically significant differences, between MRI and 3DE for end-systolic volume (ESV) (r(2) = 0.99) and end-diastolic volume (EDV) (r(2) = 0.98), ventricular stroke volume (SV) (r(2) = 0.93), and EF (r(2) = 0.97), with standard error estimates less than 10 mL for volumes and 3% for EF. Conventional 2DE consistently underestimated volumes (EDV, P <.01; ESV, P <.01; SV, P <.05); correlations with MRI were r(2) = 0.91 for ESV, r(2) = 0.88 for EDV, r(2) = 0.62 for SV, and r(2) = 0.72 for EF. Standard error estimates ranged from 16 to 20 mL for ventricular volumes and 9% for EF. Interobserver variability was reduced 3-fold with use of 3DE. CONCLUSIONS The novel 3DE system allows unrestricted selection and combination of acoustic windows in a single examination, improves accuracy of estimates of LV volumes and EF 3-fold compared with 2DE, and is practical for routine clinical assessment of LV size and function in patients with a wide range of cardiac pathology.
The Effect of Taxes on Production Location

U.S. export tax rules and differences between U.S. and foreign corporate tax rates often create an incentive for U.S. multinational corporations (MNCs) to use exports rather than foreign production to serve their foreign markets. This paper examines the effect of this tax incentive on MNCs' production location choices. Specifically, I examine the relation between the ratio of export sales to foreign production sales and measures of the export tax incentive for manufacturing MNCs during the period from 1984 to 1992. The evidence indicates that the use of exports is positively related to the tax incentive. My research extends studies of the determinants of international production location (e.g., Dunning [1993] and Hollander [1984]) by including tax incentives in the location decision. In addition, because the export
Financial development and economic growth: evidence from transition economies

The hypothesis that financial development promotes economic growth enjoys significant support from empirical evidence drawn from both developed and developing countries alike. However, analogous empirical evidence is still lacking for economies in transition. This article analyses the effects of financial intermediation on the growth of real GDP by employing data for 27 countries over the period of 1989 to 2004. Using an endogenous growth model and panel data analysis techniques, we estimate regressions with various proxies for financial sector development. We find that in contrast to some recent empirical work, there is a robust positive link between financial development and economic growth in transition economies.
Comparison of Proximal and Distal Placements of Electrodes to Assess Body Composition by Bioelectrical Impedance in Obese Adults

The purpose of this study was to compare the variability and accuracy of proximal and traditional distal electrode placement to estimate body composition in obese adults. Fifty-two obese men and women had a mean age of 37 years and an average body mass index (BMI) of 30.6 kg m-2. Body composition was measured using DEXA and an RJL bioelectric impedance analysis 101A bioelectric impedance analyzer. Impedance was measured using the traditional distal electrode placement (hand and foot) and a proximal electrode placement where the current detecting electrodes were placed in the antecubital and popliteal fossae. The distal resistance was 482.4 ± 79 ft, which was more than double the mean proximal values of 193.2 ± 27 ft. Multiple regression analysis derived the best-fitting equation to predict DEXA-derived fat-free mass. The combination of Ht2/R (height2/ resistance) and mass were the only significant predictors for both the proximal and distal electrode placements. The resulting R2 values were 0.86 and 0.88, whereas standard errors of the estimate (SEEs) were 4.0 and 3.6 kg for the distal and proximal placements, respectively. An independent sample of 40 obese women was used to cross-validate this new equation. Mean impedance predictions using the distal and proximal electrode placements (45.78 ± 1.07 and 45.29 ± 0.97 ft, respectively) were similar to the reference values (45.29 ± 0.64 ft) determined by DEXA. Fat-free mass predicted with the distal and proximal electrode placements correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with the reference fat-free mass value (r = 0.72 and 0.75, respectively). These data suggest that using a proximal electrode placement and a fatness-specific equation helps to reduce the variability of the bioelectric impedance analysis technique in obese adults.
Asymmetric monetary policy with respect to asset markets

The paper suggests that during Greenspan's incumbency the Federal Reserve (Fed) lowered interest rates rapidly when asset price developments suggested a crisis potential. Whereas, when asset markets were growth-supporting, the Fed did not raise interest rates. This asymmetry contributed to a downward-trend in interest rates which pushed US interest rates down to zero in the current crisis.
Is Per Capita Real GDP Stationary? Evidence from Selected African Countries Based on More Powerful Nonlinear (Logistic) Unit Root Tests

In this study we use a more powerful nonlinear (logistic) unit root test advanced by Leybourne et al. (1998) to investigate the time-series propertities of per capita real GDP for 26 selected African countries for the period 1960-2000. We strongly reject the null of unit root process for over one-third the countries. These empirical results have important policy implications for selected African countries.