Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Margins of International Banking: Is There a Productivity Pecking Order in Banking, Too?

Modern trade theory emphasizes firm-level productivity differentials to explain the cross-border activities of non-financial firms. This study tests whether a productivity pecking order also determines international banking activities. Using a novel dataset that contains all German banks’ international activities, we estimate the ordered probability of a presence abroad (extensive margin) and the volume of international assets (intensive margin). Methodologically, we enrich the conventional Heckman selection model to account for the self-selection of banks into different modes of foreign activities using an ordered probit. Four main findings emerge. First, similar to results for non-financial firms, a productivity pecking order drives bank internationalization. Second, only a few non-financial firms engage in international trade, but many banks hold international assets, and only a few large banks engage in foreign direct investment. Third, in addition to productivity, risk factors matter for international banking. Fourth, gravity-type variables have an important impact on international banking activities.
Hybrid simulation for health and social care: The way forward, or more trouble than it's worth?

This paper describes the process of developing a hybrid simulation model for a disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of sight loss in people aged over 65. The model is implemented in the software AnyLogic, and combines discrete-event and agent-based simulation. Embedded in each agent there is also an individual compartmental model for disease progression. The overall aim of the hybrid model was to use the specific example of AMD to explore the wider links between the health and social care systems in the UK. We discuss the challenges of model development and the rationale for our modelling decisions, and reflect upon the advantages and disadvantages of using a hybrid model in this case.
Femtosecond Laser-Matter Interactions: Theory, Experiments and Applications

Basics of Ultra-Short Laser-Solid Interactions Subtle Atomic Motion Preceding a Phase Transition: Birth, Life and Death of Phonons Ultra-Fast Disordering by fs-Lasers: Superheating Prior to Entropy Catastrophe Ablation of Solids Ultra-Short Laser-Matter Interaction Confined Inside a Bulk of Transparent Solid Applications of Ultra-Short Laser-Matter Interactions Conclusion Remarks
Application of the CEGB Failure Assessment Procedure, R6, to Surface Flaws

The application of the R6 failure assessment procedure to surface flaws requires the definition of a plastic yield load that characterizes the crack tip deformation at both the deepest and surface points on the defect. Inthis paper the results of finite element computations of the J-integral are used to identify the most appropriate yield loads. This is achieved by assuming that the Option 2 failure assessment diagram (FAD), which is based on a reference stress approximation to J, provides a good approximation to the Option 3 FAD, which is derived from the computed J values. The finite element results for surface flaws in plates and cylinders are used in the investigation. It is demonstrated that global yield loads, which characterize the overall plastic deformation of the cracked structure, produce a better agreement between the R6 procedure, and the finite element solutions, than do local yield loads, which are usually chosen to characterize the plastic deformation at a specific location on the crack front.
Association Mining of Folk Music Genres and Toponyms

This paper demonstrates how association rule mining can be applied to discover relations between two ontologies of folk music: a genre and a region ontology. Genre‐ region associations have been widely studied in folk music research but have been neglected in music information retrieval. We present a method of association rule mining with constraints consisting of rule templates and rule evaluation measures to identify different, musicologically motivated, categories of genre‐region associations. The method is applied to a corpus of 1902 Basque folk tunes, and several interesting rules and rule sets are discovered.
A Mixed Integer Disjunctive Model for Transmission Network Expansion

The classical nonlinear mixed integer formulation of the transmission network expansion problem cannot guarantee finding the optimal solution due to its nonconvex nature. We propose an alternative mixed integer linear disjunctive formulation, which has better conditioning properties than the standard disjunctive model. The mixed integer program is solved by a commercial Branch and Bound code, where an upper bound provided by a heuristic solution is used to reduce the tree search. The heuristic solution is obtained using a GRASP metaheuristic, capable of finding suboptimal solutions with an affordable computing effort. Combining the upper bound given by the heuristic and the mixed integer disjunctive model, optimality can be proven for several hard problem instances.
A Maximum Entropy Approach to FrameNet Tagging

The development of FrameNet, a large database of semantically annotated sentences, has primed research into statistical methods for semantic tagging. We advance previous work by adopting a Maximum Entropy approach and by using Viterbi search to find the highest probability tag sequence for a given sentence. Further we examine the use of syntactic pattern based re-ranking to further increase performance. We analyze our strategy using both extracted and human generated syntactic features. Experiments indicate 85.7% accuracy using human annotations on a held out test set.
Interaction between the Ceramic CaZrO3 and the Melt of Titanium Alloys

The CaZrO3 complex oxide ceramic was synthesized in the development of the potential refractory for melting of titanium alloy, the crucible ( 40XH40mm) was prepared by the solid sintering of mixture of powder (CaO:ZrO2 =1:1) with a small amount of TiO2 as additive at 1750°C. The melting of TiNi and Ti6Al4V was carried out in the inducting furnace under vacuum or/and Ar atmosphere. The interfacial reaction between the melts of alloys and CaZrO3 refractory was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). It is found that, the thickness of interfacial reaction layer between the ceramic CaZrO3 and the melt of titanium alloys (TiNi and Ti6Al4V) is approximately 30-300 μm, there are few elements such as Ca, Zr, Ti, and Ni diffused through the interfacial reaction layer. These results may provide the basement to designing a novel refractory for melting of titanium alloys.
Crystal Growth and Physical Property Characterization of Complex Perovskite Oxides

Bulk EuTiO3 [europium titanate], a quantum paraelectric antiferromagnet, is shown to exhibit multiferroic behavior in strained thin film form, which highlights the spin-phonon coupling in this system. We have investigated the structural, elastic, magnetic, thermal and transport properties of single crystals of EuTiO3 as well as doped system EuTi1−xBxO3 (B = Zr, Nb) [Zr and Nb doped europium titanate] utilizing various experimental techniques and theoretical calculations. The cubic to tetragonal structural transition in pure EuTiO3 is characterized by a pronounced step-like softening of the elastic moduli near 288 K [kelvin], which resembles that of SrTiO3 [strontium titanate] and can be adequately modeled using the Landau free energy model employing the same coupling between strain and octahedral tilting order parameter as previously used to model SrTiO3. Zr doping pushes the antiferromagnetic transition to lower temperatures while maintaining the insulating behavior. Intriguingly, Nb doping shifts the structural phase transition in EuTiO3 to higher temperatures, accompanied by a weakening of octahedral tilting. Furthermore, Nb doping destabilizes the antiferromagnetic ground state of the parent compound and long range ferromagnetic order is observed in the samples containing more than 5% Nb, which is most likely accounted for in terms of the ferromagnetic interaction between localized Eu 4f spins mediated by itinerant electrons introduced by Nb doping. We have also investigated the magnetoelastic coupling effect in 5d Re-based double perovskites Ba2FeReO6 [barium two iron rhenium oxygen six] and Ca2FeReO6
Control strategy of cascaded multilevel converter based on dual active bridge for wind energy conversion system

Low voltage high power wind energy conversion system (WECS) requires heavy cables and large step-up grid interfacing transformers. In recent years, power and voltage rating of offshore wind turbines have already reached 10MW and 10kV respectively, and medium voltage converters have become strongly demanded. Some scholars proposed a cascaded multilevel converter based on dual active bridge (DAB) to avoid the multi-phase generator, multi-windings transformer or large bridge inductors in traditional multilevel cascaded converter, which is suitable for medium voltage applications. However, there is little research on the strategies of current control, DC-Link voltage stability control and balance control for this topology. Thus, in this paper, the current side-split control and the voltage hierarchical control is proposed for the topology applied to medium voltage WECS. The control strategy is verified by simulation.
The MATE/GNOME Proposals for Anaphoric Annotation, Revisited

In the five years since it was proposed, the MATE scheme for anaphoric annotation has been used in a variety of annotation projects, and the resulting corpora have been used to study both anaphora resolution and NL generation. Annotation tools inspired by the proposals have been used in some of these projects. In this paper we discuss these first experiences with the scheme, some lessons that have been learned, and suggest a few modifications.
Comparison and Assessment of Large Urban Road Networks - a Case Study

This paper presents the results of a case study of road infrastructure assessments of two large German cities, namely Berlin and Munich. The major aim is to investigate the quality of the main road network as a whole and to identify infrastructure deficiencies. The used methodology is based on integral assessment criteria derived from comprehensive traffic monitoring data. These data are collected by using taxis as probe vehicles.
Underexposed Image Correction Via Approximation of the Scene Radiance Function

In this paper, we describe a method for correcting underexposed images by recovering the Lambertian diffuse component in the scene. The method makes use of an implicit mapping between the objects in the scene and a unit sphere. As a result of this treatment, the scene radiance function can be represented by a polar function on the unit sphere. We pose the problem of recovering the scene radiance function as that of estimating a tabular representation of this polar function. We demonstrate how image gradient information can be used to perform the required mapping. With the mapping at hand, we generate an image corresponding to the diffuse component of the scene. The diffuse and input images are then blended in order to obtain the corrected image. We present results on images of real-world scenes and provide comparison with an alternative.
Exploring Individual and Collaborative Dimensions of Knowledge Building in an Online Learning Community of Practice

An exploratory study of students' engagement in online learning and knowledge building is presented in this paper. Learning in an online community, composed of students (pre-service teachers) and experts (experienced in-service schoolteachers and academics), is the study's primary focus. Students' interaction and knowledge discourse structures, arising from individual readings of academic papers and asynchronous collaboration with peers and experts, are investigated using social network and content analysis techniques. Additionally, several new measures for exploring structural-qualitative aspects of knowledge discourse are introduced. Analysis revealed several important trends. First, students' interaction was more intensive in forums where experienced teachers participated, rather than students only. Second, students' individual discourse structures in their postings were quite deep, knowledge-focussed and elaborated; while students' replies were short, usually focussed on specific idea and contained a substantial amount of non-cognitive information. Overall, it is argued that students were engaged with the individual and collaborative knowledge building in the online learning community. Practical implications of the study results for development of courses are discussed.
Prediction and assessment of springback in typical creep age forming tools

Creep age forming is often carried out under vacuum or autoclave loading conditions, where a sufficiently high, uniform pressure is required to force the workpiece into close contact with the tool surface. However, many creep age forming tests are performed to evaluate springback by clamping the workpiece to both ends of a cylindrical tool and forcing it to the tool surface, which is different from reality. In this study, a set of mechanistically based unified creep ageing constitutive equations have been incorporated into the commercial finite element code ABAQUS and used to analyse a common creep age forming tester, which employs a cylindrical tool shape. Two loading conditions are investigated: (1) end clamp and (2) uniform pressure. The amount of springback has been predicted, compared and analysed for both loading cases. A method has been introduced to assess the local curvature and springback variations. Good contact was achieved between the workpiece and tool surfaces for the uniform pressure condition (except at the plate end), providing that sufficient pressure was applied. However, for the end clamp condition, contact was limited to the vicinity of the clamps.
Fuzzy Logic for QoS Control in IMS network

The nature of the services provided by IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networks require a maximum quality, this will appear in service provisioning for differentiate between the added value of IMS and other classical case as well as Internet. Toward, the QoS management mechanisms focus primarily on resource reservation in service provisioning, all this specification are introduced by 3GPP standards. Although, all proposed mechanisms haven’t any entity overseeing and monitoring services after supply. For that in this work, we propose a new approach QoS monitoring based on fuzzy logic. The technique allows modelling a control system able to identify any QoS deterioration in real-time, also a rapid resources reconfiguration and restoration to ensure customer satisfaction IMS. General Terms Network Management.
Heat Shock Protein-70 (Hsp-70) Suppresses Paraquat-Induced Neurodegeneration by Inhibiting JNK and Caspase-3 Activation in Drosophila Model of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders with limited clinical interventions. A number of epidemiological as well as case-control studies have revealed an association between pesticide exposure, especially of paraquat (PQ) and occurrence of PD. Hsp70, a molecular chaperone by function, has been shown as one of the modulators of neurological disorders. However, paucity of information regarding the protective role of Hsp70 on PQ-induced PD like symptoms led us to hypothesize that modulation of hsp70 expression in the dopaminergic neurons would improve the health of these cells. We took advantage of Drosophila, which is a well-established model for neurological research and also possesses genetic tools for easy manipulation of gene expression with limited ethical concern. Over-expression of hsp70 was found to reduce PQ-induced oxidative stress along with JNK and caspase-3 mediated dopaminergic neuronal cell death in exposed organism. Further, anti-apoptotic effect of hsp70 was shown to confer better homeostasis in the dopaminergic neurons of PQ-exposed organism as evidenced by their improved locomotor performance and survival. The study has merit in the context of human concern since we observed protection of dopaminergic neurons in PQ-exposed organism by over-expressing a human homologue of hsp70, HSPA1L, in these cells. The effect was parallel to that observed with Drosophila hsp70. These findings reflect the potential therapeutic applicability of hsp70 against PQ-induced PD like symptoms in an organism.
Prognostic Value of the Molecular Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells Using a Multimarker Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay for Cytokeratin 19, Mammaglobin A, and HER2 in Early Breast Cancer

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of the molecular detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using three markers [cytokeratin 19 (CK19), mammaglobin A (MGB1), and HER2] in early breast cancer. Experimental Design: CK19mRNA+, MGB1mRNA+, and HER2mRNA+ cells were detected using real-time (CK19) and nested (MGB1 and HER2) reverse transcription-PCR in the peripheral blood of 175 women with stage I to III breast cancer before the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy. The detection of CTCs was correlated with clinical outcome. In 10 patients, immunofluorescence staining experiments were done to investigate the coexpression of cytokeratin, MGB1, and HER2 in CTCs. Results: CK19mRNA+, MGB1mRNA+, and HER2mRNA+ cells were detected in 41.1%, 8%, and 28.6% of the 175 patients, respectively. Patients had one of the following molecular profiles: CK19mRNA+/MGB1mRNA+/HER2mRNA+ (n = 8), CK19mRNA+/MGB1mRNA+/HER2mRNA− (n = 1), CK19mRNA+/MGB1mRNA−/HER2mRNA+ (n = 42), CK19mRNA+/MGB1mRNA−/HER2mRNA− (n = 21), CK19mRNA−/MGB1mRNA+/HER2mRNA− (n = 5), and CK19mRNA−/MGB1mRNA−/HER2mRNA− (n = 98). Double-immunofluorescence experiments confirmed the following CTC phenotypes: CK+/MGB1+, CK+/MGB1−, CK−/MGB1+, CK+/HER2+, CK+/HER2−, MGB1+/HER2−, and MGB1+/HER2+. In univariate analysis, the detection of CK19mRNA+, MGB1mRNA+, and HER2mRNA+ cells was associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS; P < 0.001, P = 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively), whereas the detection of CK19mRNA+ and MGB1mRNA+ cells was associated with worse overall survival (P = 0.044 and 0.034, respectively). In multivariate analysis, estrogen receptor–negative tumors and the detection of CK19mRNA+ and MGB1mRNA+ cells were independently associated with worse DFS. Conclusion: The detection of peripheral blood CK19mRNA+ and MGB1mRNA+ cells before adjuvant chemotherapy predicts poor DFS in women with early breast cancer.
Very low bit rate color image compression by using stack-run-end coding

A low complexity wavelet based image coding algorithm for color image compression is presented. The key renovation of this algorithm is that a small number of symbol set was designed to convert the information from the wavelet transform domain into a compact data structure for each subband. The scheme works first by color space conversion, followed by uniform scalar quantization and data conversion where raster scanning order is performed for individual subband and quantized coefficients are converted into the symbol stream according to the designed symbol representation. Two different context lists in each subband are specified from the symbol stream and alternatively compressed by an adaptive arithmetic coder with high efficiency. Unlike zerotree coding or its variations which utilize the intersubband relationship into its own data representation, our work is a low complexity intrasubband based coding method which only addresses the information within the subband. The only extension is the termination symbols which carry the zero value information towards the end of the subband or across the subbands till the end of the image. Compared with the zerotree refined schemes, this algorithm results in competitive PSNR values and perceptually high quality images at the same compression ratio for color image compression.
Human Cytomegalovirus Infection Interferes with the Maintenance and Differentiation of Trophoblast Progenitor Cells of the Human Placenta

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major cause of birth defects that include severe neurological deficits, hearing and vision loss, and intrauterine growth restriction. Viral infection of the placenta leads to development of avascular villi, edema, and hypoxia associated with symptomatic congenital infection. Studies of primary cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) revealed that HCMV infection impedes terminal stages of differentiation and invasion by various molecular mechanisms. We recently discovered that HCMV arrests earlier stages involving development of human trophoblast progenitor cells (TBPCs), which give rise to the mature cell types of chorionic villi—syncytiotrophoblasts on the surfaces of floating villi and invasive CTBs that remodel the uterine vasculature. Here, we show that viral proteins are present in TBPCs of the chorion in cases of symptomatic congenital infection. In vitro studies revealed that HCMV replicates in continuously self-renewing TBPC lines derived from the chorion and alters expression and subcellular localization of proteins required for cell cycle progression, pluripotency, and early differentiation. In addition, treatment with a human monoclonal antibody to HCMV glycoprotein B rescues differentiation capacity, and thus, TBPCs have potential utility for evaluation of the efficacies of novel antiviral antibodies in protecting and restoring placental development. Our results suggest that HCMV replicates in TBPCs in the chorion in vivo, interfering with the earliest steps in the growth of new villi, contributing to virus transmission and impairing compensatory development. In cases of congenital infection, reduced responsiveness of the placenta to hypoxia limits the transport of substances from maternal blood and contributes to fetal growth restriction. IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a leading cause of birth defects in the United States. Congenital infection can result in permanent neurological defects, mental retardation, hearing loss, visual impairment, and pregnancy complications, including intrauterine growth restriction, preterm delivery, and stillbirth. Currently, there is neither a vaccine nor any approved treatment for congenital HCMV infection during gestation. The molecular mechanisms underlying structural deficiencies in the placenta that undermine fetal development are poorly understood. Here we report that HCMV replicates in trophoblast progenitor cells (TBPCs)—precursors of the mature placental cells, syncytiotrophoblasts and cytotrophoblasts, in chorionic villi—in clinical cases of congenital infection. Virus replication in TBPCs in vitro dysregulates key proteins required for self-renewal and differentiation and inhibits normal division and development into mature placental cells. Our findings provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms by which HCMV replication interferes with placental maturation and transport functions.