Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Robustness of Uncertain Consensus Networks

This work considers the robustness of uncertain consensus networks. The stability properties of consensus networks with negative edge weights are also examined. We show that the network is unstable if either the negative weight edges form a cut in the graph or any single negative edge weight has a magnitude less than the inverse of the effective resistance between the two incident nodes. These results are then used to analyze the robustness of the consensus network with additive but bounded perturbations of the edge weights. It is shown that the small-gain condition is related again to cuts in the graph and effective resistance. For the single edge case, the small-gain condition is also shown to be exact. The results are then extended to consensus networks with nonlinear couplings.
The development of process innovation and organisational performance in Malaysian healthcare industry

Recently, healthcare industry aims to fulfil expectations from customers by providing excellent services to their customer. Organisations should use the improvement method such as innovation in order to meet this requirement. Previous studies concerning innovation in healthcare industry is relatively extensive and varied but it is hard to find the investigation of relationship between process innovation and organisational performance. In relation to that, the purpose of this study is to review structural analysis of process innovation and organisational performance in Malaysian healthcare industries. A conceptual model using structural equation modelling (SEM) has been proposed and will be used to test the relationship between process innovation and organisational performance. Research hypothesis are developed based on the previous study that have been reviewed and also based on proposed research model.
Effect of Acute Posttrauma Propranolol on PTSD Outcome and Physiological Responses During Script‐Driven Imagery

Introduction: Animal and human research suggests that the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may involve the overconsolidation of memories of a traumatic experience. Previous studies have attempted to use pharmaceutical agents, especially the β‐adrenergic blocker propranolol, to reduce this overconsolidation. Aims: In this randomized, placebo‐controlled study of the efficacy of propranolol in reducing the development of PTSD, we optimized dosages and conducted both psychophysiological and clinical assessments 1 and 3 months after the traumatic event. Forty‐one emergency department patients who had experienced a qualifying acute psychological trauma were randomized to receive up to 240 mg/day of propranolol or placebo for 19 days. At 4 and 12 weeks post‐trauma, PTSD symptoms were assessed. One week later, participants engaged in script‐driven imagery of their traumatic event while psychophysiological responses were measured. Results: Physiological reactivity during script‐driven traumatic imagery, severity of PTSD symptoms, and the rate of the PTSD diagnostic outcome were not significantly different between the two groups. However, post hoc subgroup analyses showed that in participants with high drug adherence, at the 5‐week posttrauma assessment, physiological reactivity was significantly lower during script‐driven imagery in the propranolol than in the placebo subjects. Conclusions: The physiological results provide some limited support for a model of PTSD in which a traumatic conditioned response is reduced by posttrauma propranolol. However, the clinical results from this study do not support the preventive use of propranolol in the acute aftermath of a traumatic event.
Credit Rationing and the Phillips Curve

This paper examines the implications of including credit requirements for firm production according to Boissay (2001) in the micro foundations of the New Classical Phillips curve. Firms require working capital for production and must collateralize their loans. The fraction of firms receiving financing is endogenous, and the interest rate affects the supply decision through two channels, the cost of production and quantity rationing. Furthermore, expected changes in nominal output now enter the linearized aggregate supply relation in a counter-intuitive fashion.
Geotagging Text Content With Language Models and Feature Mining

The large-scale availability of user-generated content in social media platforms has recently opened up new possibilities for studying and understanding the geospatial aspects of real-world phenomena and events. Yet, the large majority of user-generated content lacks proper geographic information (in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates). As a result, the problem of multimedia geotagging, i.e., extracting location information from user-generated text items when this is not explicitly available, has attracted increasing research interest. Here, we present a highly accurate geotagging approach for estimating the locations alluded by text annotations based on refined language models that are learned from massive corpora of social media annotations. We further explore the impact of different feature selection and weighting techniques on the performance of the approach. In terms of evaluation, we employ a large benchmark collection from the MediaEval Placing Task over several years. We demonstrate the consistently superior geotagging accuracy and low median distance error of the proposed approach using various data sets and comparing it against a number of state-of-the-art systems.
The Economic Policies of European Governments, Part II: Fiscal Policy

While political controversies over the legitimacy of monetary interventions in Western economies were settled decades ago, the widespread acceptance of fiscal interventions as appropriate tools for achieving economic stability and economic growth is much more recent and much less pervasive. Even the pre-Depression classical economic model specified a role for government monetary policy: ensuring an appropriate stock of money. While institutions of monetary policy making now enjoy both a long history of utilizing monetary policy instruments and a low level of ideological conflict over the legitimacy of those interventions, the institutions of fiscal policy making enjoy neither. Though some governments had begun to practise fiscal interventions before the Second World War, the widespread use of such instruments is, by and large, a post-war phenomenon. Thus, governments have generally had less experience in learning ‘how to do it’.
Atopic dermatitis and skin disease Filaggrin loss-of-function mutations are associated with enhanced expression of IL-1 cytokines in the stratum corneum of patients with atopic dermatitis and in a murine model of filaggrin deficiency

Sanja Kezic, PhD,* Gr ainne M. O’Regan, MRCPI,* Ren e Lutter, PhD, Ivone Jakasa, PhD, Ellen S. Koster, PhD, Sean Saunders, BSc, Peter Caspers, PhD, Patrick M. J. H. Kemperman, MD, Gerwin J. Puppels, PhD, Aileen Sandilands, PhD, Huijia Chen, PhD, Linda E. Campbell, BSc, Karin Kroboth, MSc, Rosemarie Watson, MD, Padraic G. Fallon, PhD, W. H. Irwin McLean, DSc, FMedSci, and Alan D. Irvine, MD, FRCPI Amsterdam and Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Dublin, Ireland, Zagreb, Croatia, and Dundee, United Kingdom
Jump Diffusion Option Valuation in Discrete Time

The author develops a simple, discrete time model to value options when the underlying process follows a jump diffusion process. Multivariate jumps are superimposed on the binomial model of J. C. Cox, S. A. Ross, and M. Rubinstein (1979) to obtain a model with a limiting jump diffusion process. This model incorporates the early exercise feature of American options as well as arbitrary jump distributions. It yields an efficient computational procedure that can be implemented in practice. As an application of the model, the author illustrates some characteristics of the early exercise boundary of American options with certain types of jump distributions. Copyright 1993 by American Finance Association.
A comparison of methods using optical coherence tomography to detect demineralized regions in teeth

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a three‐ dimensional optical imaging technique that can be used to identify areas of early caries formation in dental enamel. The OCT signal at 850 nm back‐reflected from sound enamel is attenuated stronger than the signal back‐reflected from demineralized regions. To quantify this observation, the OCT signal as a function of depth into the enamel (also known as the A‐scan intensity), the histogram of the A‐scan intensities and three summary parameters derived from the A‐scan are defined and their diagnostic potential compared. A total of 754 OCT A‐scans were analyzed. The three summary parameters derived from the A‐scans, the OCT attenuation coefficient as well as the mean and standard deviation of the lognormal fit to the histogram of the A‐scan ensemble show statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) when comparing parameters from sound enamel and caries. Furthermore, these parameters only show a modest correlation. Based on the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) plot, the OCT attenuation coefficient shows higher discriminatory capacity (AUC = 0.98) compared to the parameters derived from the lognormal fit to the histogram of the A‐scan. However, direct analysis of the A‐scans or the histogram of A‐scan intensities using linear support vector machine classification shows diagnostic discrimination (AUC = 0.96) comparable to that achieved using the attenuation coefficient. These findings suggest that either direct analysis of the A‐scan, its intensity histogram or the attenuation coefficient derived from the descending slope of the OCT A‐scan have high capacity to discriminate between regions of caries and sound enamel. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Paxillin-dependent stimulation of microtubule catastrophes at focal adhesion sites

An organized microtubule array is essential for the polarized motility of fibroblasts. Dynamic microtubules closely interact with focal adhesion sites in migrating cells. Here, we examined the effect of focal adhesions on microtubule dynamics. We observed that the probability of microtubule catastrophes (transitions from growth to shrinkage) was seven times higher at focal adhesions than elsewhere. Analysis of the dependence between the microtubule growth rate and catastrophe probability throughout the cytoplasm revealed that a nonspecific (mechanical or spatial) factor provided a minor contribution to the catastrophe induction by decreasing microtubule growth rate at adhesions. Strikingly, at the same growth rate, the probability of catastrophes was significantly higher at adhesions than elsewhere, indicative of a site-specific biochemical trigger. The observed catastrophe induction occurred at adhesion domains containing the scaffolding protein paxillin that has been shown previously to interact with tubulin. Furthermore, replacement of full-length paxillin at adhesion sites by microinjected paxillin LIM2-LIM3 domains suppressed microtubule catastrophes exclusively at adhesions. We suggest that paxillin influences microtubule dynamics at focal adhesions by serving as a scaffold for a putative catastrophe factor and/or regulating its exposure to microtubules.
Has Exurban Growth Enabled Greater Racial Equity in Neighborhood Quality? Evidence from the Los Angeles Region

ABSTRACT: A wealth of data drawn from cities and their nearby suburbs show that, consistent with place stratification theory, African Americans live in poorer quality communities than similarly affluent members of other racial groups. Yet, few have examined whether these trends are playing out in the rapidly growing exurbs, places that emerged in the post-Civil Rights era. Through a case study of African American migration to Los Angeles’s exurban Inland Empire, this article tests the applicability of place stratification theory by triangulating evidence from interviews with 70 movers with U.S. Census and American Community Survey data. Both sources reveal that the gap in neighborhood conditions among similar income racial groups is much narrower in the exurbs than inner city Los Angeles or its nearby suburbs, an outcome that participants attributed to the region’s rapid housing construction, relative lack of a history of who lives where, and resulting neighborhood diversity.
Crop Farmers' Willingness to Pay for Agricultural Extension Services in Bangladesh: Cases of Selected Villages in Two Important Agro-ecological Zones

Abstract Purpose: Globally, many extension professionals and policy-makers are advocating fee based services, in addressing the fund shortage and sustainable provision of agricultural advisory services. Hence, the article attempts to expose the farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) as agricultural extension in Bangladesh is experiencing chronic fund crisis. Methodology: This study used contingent valuation method (CVM) for investigating farmers' WTP. Logit and Tobit model was employed to assess the determinants of WTP and amount willing to pay (AWTP) respectively. Besides, different qualitative methods were employed to have a deeper understanding of the research problems. Findings: WTP was conditioned by providing quality extension services at farm and/or home of the farmers. The study also focused on farmers preferred mode of payment, criteria influencing payment decisions and the type of services for which they are willing to pay. Paid model can contribute to quality extension services, if started with a market oriented commodity based approach accompanied by adequate crop insurance support. Practical implications: The study considered international experiences and national crisis in delivering extension services that provoke actions towards changing the extension policy of Bangladesh. The findings also prompt the factors that influence the paid extension service delivery for the crop farmers of Bangladesh. Originality: Although, many studies have been conducted on privatisation of agricultural extension around the globe, we are not aware of any single study on crop farmers' willingness to pay for the extension services in Bangladesh.
Corporate Governance and Earnings Management in the Pre– and Post–Sarbanes-Oxley Act Regimes

Backdating stock options, a practice that retroactively adjusts stock option grant dates to lower the exercise price, has raised governance, legal, accounting, tax, and auditing concerns. The practice of backdating options generally is believed to be a result of both ineffective corporate governance and management opportunism. Both of these factors have been linked to a higher level of discretionary accruals adjustments. This study examines the accruals-based earnings management patterns for a group of firms that were implicated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for backdating stock options with a matched control group of nonimplicated firms for a time period surrounding the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. Both the univariate and multivariate analyses show that in the pre-SOX years, the sample of implicated firms managed abnormal accruals at a significantly greater level than the matched group of nonimplicated firms. The differential pattern of accruals management across these two groups becomes insignificant in the post-SOX period. Our result also suggests that the effect of SOX on mitigating the level of accruals management is substantially greater for the implicated companies than for the nonimplicated companies. The difference in the effect of SOX on the two groups of firms persists even after controlling for the differences in their governance and internal control effectiveness. We, therefore, suggest that SOX had effects on management’s reporting choices beyond those resulting from improvements in governance and internal control over financial reporting.
THE PATHOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF HEPATIC VENO‐OCCLUSIVE DISEASE: CURRENT STATUS AND NOVEL APPROACHES

The clinical syndrome of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is characterized by liver enlargement and pain, ̄uid retention, weight gain, and jaundice (McDonald et al, 1984; 1987). Its onset is typically by day 30 after SCT, although later onset has been described (Lee et al, 1997). Other causes of hepatomegaly, weight gain, and jaundice must be excluded in as far as possible in order to make the clinical diagnosis with any degree of certainty. Because the diagnosis is based on clinical criteria, and due to differences in conditioning regimens and patient characteristics, the incidence reported and severity by different programmes is variable and ranges from 10% to 60% (Carreras et al, 1998; McDonald et al, 1993). Mild disease is de®ned by no apparent adverse effect from liver dysfunction with complete resolution of symptoms and signs. Moderate disease is characterized by adverse effects of liver dysfunction requiring therapy such as diuresis for ̄uid retention and analgesia for painful hepatomegaly but with eventual complete resolution. In contrast, severe disease results in adverse effects from liver dysfunction which fail to resolve despite treatment and the patient dies (McDonald et al, 1993). Assuming that up to one-quarter of patients readily ®t the diagnostic criteria as applied by most practitioners, it is estimated that approximately 5000 individuals of the 20 000 who were transplanted in the United States during 1998 would have been predicted to have symptoms and signs which met the criteria for VOD, and of these between 800 and 1600 persons were likely to have developed fatal illness.
Whole genome shotgun sequences for microsatellite discovery and application in cultivated and wild Macadamia (Proteaceae)

Premise of the study: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) data are widely used for single-nucleotide polymorphism discovery and genetic marker development in species with limited available genome information. We developed microsatellite primers for the Proteaceae nut crop species Macadamia integrifolia and assessed cross-species transferability in all congeners to investigate genetic identification of cultivars and gene flow. Methods and Results: Primers were designed from both raw and assembled Illumina NGS paired-end reads. The final 12 microsatellite markers selected were polymorphic among wild individuals of all four Macadamia species—M. integrifolia, M. tetraphylla, M. ternifolia, and M. jansenii—and in commercial macadamia cultivars including hybrids. Conclusions: We demonstrate the utility of raw and assembled Illumina NGS reads from total genomic DNA for the rapid development of microsatellites in Macadamia. These primers will facilitate future studies of population structure, hybridization, parentage, and cultivar identification in cultivated and wild Macadamia populations.
A Novel Approach to Reduce Line Harmonic Current for a Three-phase Diode Rectifier-fed Electrolytic Capacitor-less Inverter

This paper describes a three-phase high power factor rectifier for an electrolytic capacitor-less inverter based on the current injection scheme. The rectifier injects the machine side zero sequence current into the grid side through three bi-directional switches. This paper also introduces the modified circuit topology which is suitable for an electrolytic capacitor-less inverter. A bulky dc or ac reactor can be removed due to small capacitance of the proposed circuit topology. The principle of current injection and a proper current control method based on a feed-forward control concept have been described in this paper. The validity of the proposed circuit topology has been confirmed by simulation and experimental results.
The role of education in facilitating risk-taking and innovation in agriculture

The impact of education on farmers' attitudes toward endogenous risk (measured using an attitude survey instrument) is estimated with household data from rural Ethiopia. Education of the household head is found to decrease risk-aversion. Next, the effects of education and risk attitudes on technology adoption are estimated. Schooling encourages farmers to adopt innovations, whereas risk-aversion reduces the probability of adoption. Thus, we find that schooling encourages innovation, a potentially risky undertaking, not only directly but also indirectly, through its effect upon attitudes toward risk. To the extent that educated farmers are early innovators and are copied by those with less schooling (as other research on the same data has shown), the reduction of riskaversion not only has private benefits for those with education but also may have externality benefits.
Housing wealth and consumer spending

This project has examined the effects of increases in housing wealth brought about by increases in house prices on general consumption spending in Australia. The study, the first of its kind in Australia, complements a growing body of international research in this field. The results presented question the accuracy of the assertion that the relationship between house prices and general consumption spending in the economy is at its strongest among older home owners.
Blood-Brain Barrier Damage Induces Release of α2-Macroglobulin*

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) failure occurs in many neurological diseases and is caused in part by activation of proinflammatory factors including matrix metalloproteinases. Counterbalancing, “BBB protective” cascades have recently been described, including NO-mediated interleukin 6 release by glia. Interleukin 6 has been shown to trigger production of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors such as α2-macroglobulin (α2M). We hypothesized that BBB failure may result in increased α2M release by perivascular astrocytes. This was initially tested in patients undergoing iatrogenic BBB disruption by hyperosmotic mannitol for intra-arterial chemotherapy of brain tumors. Serum samples revealed significantly increased levels of α2M at 4 h after BBB disruption by hyperosmotic mannitol. In parallel in vitro experiments, we observed a similar increase of α2M release by astrocytes under conditions mimicking BBB failure and perivascular edema. For both experiments, protein analysis was initially performed by bidimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry followed by Western blotting immunodetection. We conclude that, in addition to proinflammatory changes, BBB failure may also trigger protective release of α2M by perivascular astrocytes as well as peripheral source.
Identification Systems Adoption in Africa; The Case of Ghana

A number of Identity Management Systems (IdMS) have been implemented in many countries as an attempt to curtail incidences of crime and abuse of privacy, and to give citizens easy and seamless access to services. Despite the numerous perceived benefits, a number of challenges continue to hinder successful implementations and adoption in Africa. Using concepts of technology adoption and fit-viability theory, this paper examines the critical factors affecting (IdMS) adoption. In this paper, a conceptual framework for IdMS implementation and successful adoption is developed and validated with findings from a survey conducted in Ghana. The conceptual framework would offer policy makers the opportunity to determine the critical factors to be considered in (IdMS) implementations.